Episode 29: Forging a Good Name
The first day of Payni, 1122
It was well into the season of harvest, Shemu, and the street is quite empty, as many are tending to their harvests, even in this dead of night. Several hooded figures await at air Dock 12. The dock is one of 2 dozen 200-foot tall towers used for docking airships. Travelers use the magical lifters to move up and down from the tower to the streets below. Tonight, some very important cargo was on its way down, awaited by a special wagon marked to an high ranking official of Quarta Set.
This was one of only several shipments allowed to dock into Quarta Set within the last month, after Kesmet of Defense, Paula Searse, was murdered in the outskirts of Quarta Set. The prime suspect is the former Captain of the lower guards in Quarta Set, Syxen, still on the run presumably.
Bianca, Kesmet of Commerce has scheduled this shipment. She knows Syxen is innocent and, overseeing all shipping and trading in Quarta Set, halted all shipments until the murder of Paula Searse was found. However, she used the city’s low resources of spices to schedule an emergency ship to come in and deliver some. There was not a Spice on the ship however, not the Rhapsody V. It was Vivian, Syxen and Alexandria being smuggled back into the Quarta Set in crates. The crates were loaded into the stretched royal shipping wagon. Rin, Nikylik and Bianca got in the wagon after the crates were put in. Two other figures got into the wagon as well, outside help for Bianca. Fenrig Hawitt, a staunch stereotype of your typical air pirate stood a tall 5’10” with heavy green eyes. On his shoulder stood an exotic bird native to Quarta Set, a QS Parrot. A wore a neat green silk shirt with thick blue pantaloons. The other, Barthalemule called “Patches” by his new friend Nikylik, has a heavy patch over his eye. Standing 6 feet even but still had the presence of someone green to smuggling.
Over the course of the month since the murder, Vivian, Syxen and Alexandra were in Skullhorg, getting Syxen’s Falchion repaired. They kept in communication with Bianca through sending stones, enchanted stones you speak into and throw, naming the person you intend them for. They then travel to that person without error and relay the message. Nikylik and Rin spent much time with Bianca, whom revealed to them that she is also leader of the thieves guild in Quarta Set, the Minute Men. By being in charge of all legal and illegal shipments, it helps her regulate and protect innocent citizens and protect others from being exploited. However, since the murder, she has grown suspicious that some of her men may not be loyal, as the assassin whom killed Searse was not native to Quarta Set. She knows everyone whom comes in and out, so someone in her circle was lying. She also knows that Nomarch Timothy Fonswinkle was the one whom hired the assassin. She believes the plan was to frame Syxen to prove once and for all that Forged are not sentient and suffer from malfunctions often.
Bianca ordered the driver, Fenrig, to hurry to her estate. They passed a mob scene of sorts, it seems the Nomarch has used the situation to punish his political rivals as well, saying that they consorted with Syxen. The mob scene is watching the public punishment of a man whom ran against Fonswinkle in the Nomarch election several years ago.
Fenrig quickly rides past the scene and to Bianca’s large home located in the High Common District. They are all escorted into the dining room which has been turned to Bianca’s war room. She has Fenrig read from a scroll to make sure that there were no scrying sensors in the building.
Bianca began to catch up Vivian, Syxen and Alexandria on whatever information she could not get across on the limited sending stones. The small gnome Nikylik climbed onto a chair and said that they party should go and investigate the body of Searse. The initial report in the paper said that Searse was killed by a large Falchion similar to the one that Syxen carries. Bianca, agreed that it was a good idea to obtain the body. A plan was then hatched to travel across the river, where the mausoleums are, and take the body, which was still on stay there. (High Officials bodies are on stay for 30 days before they are sent).
Vivian, Syxen, Alexandria, Rin, Nikylik and their new friends Fenrig and Patches stealthed there way across the river and to the gates of the Official Tombs. Three guards were guarding the tomb that contained Searse’s body. Fenrig began quietly chanting a spell, to check the magical defenses, but the keen ears of one of the guards overheard the murmering. The guard walked to investigate, but before he reached the outside of the gate, Alexandria, wearing Nikylik’s Ring of Disguise, jumped in front of him in the appearance of an old lady. Saying she was the nomarch’s nanny, she pleaded to see the body, despite the guards’ demands to her that it was too late, as the time by now had approached to somewhere between 2 and 3 o’clock. Alexandria insisted, and the guards finally broke down the lady. Vivian appeared worried as she realized Fenrig had not quite seen yet the remaining magical defenses. She used the vanishing ability of her heavy chainmail armor and tried to stealthly follow Alexandria. Unfortunately the large changing brought the attention of the guards. Alexandria walked through the doors of the tomb and her disguise was immediately revealed by the anti-magic field she had walked into action. One of the guards quickly went for his bugle to sound the alarm, but it was quickly knocked out of his hands by Rin. The other guards went after Vivian and Alexandra as the remaining party members jumped into action. Syxen ran into the tomb and grabbed Searse’s body as the other two guards were quickly dispatched by Nikylik’s sleep spell and the fists of Rin and Patches. The third guard ran, yelling loudly and alerting other guards in the area. Though dispatched by a sleep spell, he made enough noise to sound the alarm. The group quickly assembled the guards and stuffed Searse’s body, carefully, into Vivian’s new bag of holding.
Several other guards ran into the tomb area. None of them suspected the witchhunters yet, as their reputation and fame were high in Quarta Set after saving the Nomarch’s children. The party told the guards that they came upon the area to find the guards knocked out and Searse’s body gone. The group managed to leave the area by telling the other guards that they were going to see if they could scout the area and find the culprits.
Back at Bianca’s estate, the party told Bianca what happened. Knowing that they would be identified by the guards once they are awaked, she suggested that all involved in the group go to the Thieve’s Guild Warehouse and investigate the body there. She began breaking things and Patches decked Bianca, to make it appear as if the group had attacked her first.
The party then went to the warehouse where Nikylik, Fenrig and Alexandra used magic, alchemy and divination spells to figure out that the Nomarch died of a poison, not a Falchion.
Nikylik decided to take Patches and investigate the area where Searse’s body was found. There, they discovered a yellow substance on the trees and a perch that may have been used to ambush the Nomarch as he road by.
They went back and relayed the information to the party members, who were being taken care of by Vulture, one of the sub leaders of the Minutemen. The party decided to sleep and rest until the next day.
Upon awakening, Fenrig decided to travel to the docks where he met the dock foreman whom said he knew nothing about any oddities or smuggling of assassins. Fenrig noticed he was being watched by the dock workers and got nervous, as some of them appeared to be minutemen he had seen at the warehouse. Fenrig headed to the alchemists to find out about the poison used and to get the ingredients for the antitoxin. Upon returning he was confronted by a familiar face. Vulture, and several minutemen. Vulture admitted that he was the assassin and that Fenrig should join them. He took off the mask that he had always worn to reveal his true identity, John Swift.
Using his empathy with his parrot, Orchid, Fenrig alerted the party to the folly. At the same time, several minutemen attacked the party in the warehouse. The minutemen stood little match for the experienced party, as they were quickly dispatched.
Fenrig, seeing that he was outnumbered, took a step back and turned into a humming bird. He then used his natural spell ability to cast a spell in the animal form, burning up two of his three attackers with a large fire spell. The third attacker, Vulture, ran towards the warehouse with Fenrig on his tail. Before he could get to the door he was shot with a fireball and met the hilt of Syxen’s Falchion.
The remaining minutemen were killed with the exception of one, whom pleaded for his life. He and Vulture were tied up. With the assasin in custody, Alexandra felt that she may be able to sneak into the temple and get an audience with Vizier Hemptont Ta. If she can convince him, the highest authority, that the Nomarch was up to no good, then Syxen would be free.
Alexandra left for the temple. Hours later she returned with the Vizier along with a dozen guardsmen whom surrounded the party. The Vizier cast a zone of truth and Swift told all about how he was hired by the Nomarch to frame Syxen. Unfortunately he also told of Bianca’s double business as Kesmet of Commerce and a smuggling leader. At this time the commotion at the dock warehouse had raised a small crowd of suspicious onlookers. The Vizier suggested they all go back to the temple and sort this mess out in public court. A special session was held and Fonswinkle was dragged out of his bed and charged with murder, a harsh crime for someone who is real. Syxen was released from any charged related to the murder and the party were reprieved of the deaths of the minutemen.
The party exited the temple and into the wagon that awaited them. Surprisingly, it was Madam Bianca. She explained that the party’s exploits bought her enough time to transfer the submarine ship they will use to get to the elven lands to a new more secure location. The ship is still being refitted and being supplied and will be ready to go in a week.
What awaits the party next season? Find out in three weeks....
Toon in next time!!!
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