Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Memoirs of a Lawyer turned Dungeoncrawler (Updated May 13, 2008)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Altalazar" data-source="post: 3577921" data-attributes="member: 939"><p>Book XV</p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Eighty-Nine – Books Copied, Etiquette Learned</p><p></p><p> The Temple of the Moon library turned out to contain exactly 800 books. Tuvstarr, book addict that she is (or is that information addict?), immediately agreed to do whatever it took to help copy the books. Fabrication magic cleared out a large section of trees from the jungle, creating for us 1600 blank books. Then some other magic from Tuvstarr and from Marcus’s special reality bender, created two complete copies of the library. </p><p> One copy was returned to the shelves of the temple, the other copy was placed on Tuvstarr’s shelves in her tower/library. The originals were then delivered as promised, and our cash was exchanged. </p><p> I took all of the coins and exchanged them for additional learning from another psion, to learn the secrets of unraveling magic and psionics alike, and to learn how to toughen my own skin. I was also ready to share knowledge with Poseidon, but he was not yet ready for me. Soon. </p><p> Poseidon did share something else. Professor Palendar. Palendar was introduced to us to teach us the ways of etiquette for the Baron’s court. Baron Dominick Domino of the Barony of Devshire in the town of Thomasville. We were all schooled for the next four days, though most of it seemed lost on Ee. The professor suggested that Ee either stay in the stables or keep his mouth shut. “You could tell the Baron that he is a mute!”</p><p> “Me not mute!” Ee shouted in response. </p><p> “That is ‘I am’ not mute,” corrected the professor. </p><p> I was then privy to an extremely detailed and graphic picture of the professor having his throat torn out and made into a tassel decoration for Ee’s axe. Ee’s thoughts are always so direct. But Ee said nothing further, apparently satisfied for the moment to enjoy his own visual imagery. </p><p> Poseidon also chimed in. “Keep Ee at a distance, he’s not doing so well.” Fortunately he told me that out of Ee’s earshot. </p><p> Our last task before leaving was to make sure everyone had a proper wardrobe to wear. The professor told us that we should dress nobly, but not royally. So that ruled out most of my regular wear. I went slumming and got a few of my out-of-style formerly royal pieces to wear. They would not quite qualify as royal, but they certainly were not as crass as typical noble wear. </p><p> Poseidon was again kind enough to provide a teleportation circle for our departure, a real necessity given the size of my entourage. We left a full three days before the summer solstice, the day of the festivities, to give us time to investigate. </p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety – The Sights of Thomasville</p><p></p><p> We arrived in a clearing just outside the gates to the city, the perfect place to stop and study for teleportation. The city itself, and the keep above it, were circular, forming concentric rings of walls. It was difficult to tell much else from our vantage point. We spent the rest of the day walking the town and listening to what attitudes were expressed toward the Baron. </p><p> Though the Baron himself was a dwarf (as was his wife), most of the population was human, as it is in most places in the kingdom. There were a bit more dwarves than normal, but perhaps that was because of who the Baron was. What was most surprising was just how popular the Baron was. The King, a reasonable and fair ruler, was mostly considered with ambivalence by the populace at large. People appreciated his reasonable tax and governing policies, but did not generally adore him. This Baron was another matter. The people loved him. They adored him. Within his barony, he was probably the most popular baron in the entire kingdom. </p><p> A person might conclude that there really was no treason, and that the king was just jealous of this baron’s popularity, and perhaps worried it may eclipse his own. But such a person probably never went to law school. This baron’s ridiculous popularity, spread through generous entertainment and support for his subjects, just made me all the more convinced he was a conniving traitor. The more generous the ruler, the more corrupt his heart. </p><p> I found out that the baron had a cousin, a Marquis Rockmountain Goldvien and his wife Crystal, but I could not find out much more about them. And I found out that the baron “dabbles” in a lot of professions, from the clerical, to the martial, to the nimble. There was no mention of anything arcane nor psionic. </p><p> I found the most noble inn in town was the Dragon Inn. But the professor suggested that we go to the keep or else we would insult the baron by having arrived in his town and not stayed with him. Reluctantly, I agreed. </p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-One – The Baron’s Keep</p><p></p><p> We soon arrived at the gate. Morwen announced us to the guards, and then slowly introduced each of us. Once she reached my name, I then offered that I had been sent in the King’s place to attend the Baron’s celebrations and presented my invitation to the guard. The guard then hurriedly ran inside the gate and toward a huge amphitheatre where many preparations were taking place. One of the workers there resolved into a dwarf as he walked toward us. Working with the commoners? Yep, this must have been the baron. </p><p> “Greetings, I’m Baron Domino,” he said, confirming what I surmised. How transparently pandering he is. I assumed he would also be gracious to the point that my teeth would rot were I to taste his words. I was proved correct in that assessment as well. </p><p> “Ah, and how are you, Cordozo? I could have sworn I was told you had blue hair.” He must have thought I was Poseidon or had expected that Poseidon would be arriving in the king’s place. Suspicious that he had such intelligence information. </p><p> “A common misconception,” I replied, keeping my cards close to my chest, wanting the Baron to doubt his agent’s intelligence gathering regarding me and my entourage. </p><p> “And you, Morewn, so lovely. It is a shame I’m blessed with such a wonderful wife, or else I would be tempted to woo you for your charming beauty and grace,” the Baron said next. Turning to Kyrnyn, he asked, “And are you a druid?” perhaps spurred on by the bird on Kyrnyn’s shoulder, apparently unaware that the bird was the druid. “And those muscles must have taken forever to build up,” he said to Ee. </p><p> Ee, wisely, said nothing, though I had a lovely mental image of Ee demonstrating those muscles in a rather graphic fashion. </p><p> “Ah, and Professor Palendar, I’ve heard of you,” the baron said as the Professor graciously bowed. “Now may I get any of you anything? Refreshments? Food?” </p><p> “A tour,” I suggested. </p><p> “Ah, of course,” he replied, “but first, join us for dinner! You will have forty-five minutes to freshen up before dinner is served. None of the other guests have yet arrived, so you shall have my full attention tonight!”</p><p> The baron then bid his leave and returned to assisting the setup for the festivities. </p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Two – Dinner is Served </p><p></p><p> We had only a short time before dinner. Morwen asked me, “We are supposed to be looking for evidence of treason – anything specific?” </p><p> “No,” I replied, “but this is all very suspicious. He’s so popular. Nobles can get jealous, true, but no noble should be this popular without something terribly wrong being afoot. I suggest you take the time now to scout a bit so we know where to focus our investigations later.” </p><p> Morwen found, in her wanderings, only two places she could not enter. One was the guard barracks, the other was the hallway heading toward the Baron’s private rooms and administrative areas. Then it was time for dinner. </p><p> Dinner was delicious. The Baron was very gracious. I tried my best to keep my food down. The professor made sure to seat himself as far as possible from Ee. Ee, to his credit, said next to nothing, but he did start the meal by saying “watch” and then picking up a large chicken leg and walking over to the professor’s plate and slamming it down on his plate. </p><p> The Baron made small talk for the meal, and so I engaged him in a “battle of the small talk” and rolled over him like one of those large beasts in the jungle rolled over trees. We asked him about his travels. Apparently when the Baron was younger, he was an adventurer. But he still inherited his Barony. He did not win it, like I was about to do from him. We told him about Desbury, our original city home, and about Cauldron. Apparently the Baron has never visited either. </p><p>The Baron even tried to talk to Ee. Ee responded, “Him tell me no talk,” pointing at me, ending that line of inquiry. </p><p>I then told the Baron about our extra-planar travels, to the plane of shadows, to occipitus, to the plane of dreams. He was suitably impressed. He shared that he had been to the Astral Plane (which hardly counts in my book) and to Valhalla, apparently as part of some great quest. </p><p>The Baron told us the other five noble guests he expected to arrive were the Duchess of Sutherford and her husband, the Marquis of Forger and his wife, the Countess of Lockshire and her husband, Lady Glade and her husband, and Sir Peterson and his wife. Then the meal was over and the Baron retired to his room. We told him we wanted our tour now, before retiring ourselves, and he obliged. </p><p>On the way out, Ee slapped the professor “congenially” on his back. The professor then did a deft move with his fingers, grabbing Ee’s ear and dragging him some distance. Ee could probably have snapped the professor’s neck, but since Ee never went to school, he was unfamiliar with the maneuver and so mostly out of surprise, did nothing. </p><p>Our tour took us to the Gardens in the center of the keep, as well as past the barracks, the servant’s quarters, and even near the Baron’s chambers. Something Morwen noticed as we went was the rather large number of men-at-arms in the corridors, all on an impeccable, orderly, yet still random, schedule of guard duty. Far more than should be expected. A person may just assume it was increased security for the festivities. But I smelled treason in the air. </p><p>The tour over, we retired to our rooms. I heard a collective gasp from the minds of all of my companions. </p><p></p><p>Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Three – After Dinner, Time for Dessert </p><p></p><p>When I opened the door to my lavish guest room, I saw a lovely young chambermaid waiting for me in my room holding a bed warmer. </p><p>“I’m Crystal.” </p><p>“Of course you are.”</p><p>It turned out that she was much more than that. From our rather “close proximity” that evening, I discerned that she was a telepath in her own right, though only barely awakened. She had never met another like me before. It seemed rather too big a coincidence that a servant telepath-psion would find herself in my room. She denied that the Baron put her up to anything beyond providing a warm blanket and a clean room. I guess the rest was gratis. Still, I mind probed her very deeply, something she rather enjoyed (leading me to wonder if, as a telepath, the only true mate is another telepath), and could discern nothing but truth in her with regards to her actions toward me. Perhaps this is a relationship that will go somewhere. </p><p>Oh, and the collective gasp I heard before was from Ee, finding Maxine in his room, Morwen finding Fedaro in her room, Higgins finding Marcella in his room, and even the professor had a surprise guest in his. Now I know why the professor was so insistent on us staying in the keep. What a dirty old man. </p><p>Ee’s thoughts were hard to keep out. Maxine offered him a bath, and did a very thorough job. I suspected it had more to do with Ee’s hygiene than anything else, particularly when she anointed him with fragrant oils afterwards. Once he had returned to his senses, I asked him via mindlink if he was doing ok. His only response, “Get the bath! Get the bath!”</p><p>The professor’s mind was equally befuddled. The last thought I gleaned from him was as he opened his door and saw the woman waiting there for him: “Me like,” and then “damn it, now you have me doing it, Ee!” The rest was too disturbing to think of. </p><p>When I checked on Higgins, I merely told him, “Ee suggests a bath.” </p><p>“Very good, sir,” was his only response. </p><p></p><p>Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Four – The Morning After </p><p></p><p>We all rejoined the Baron for breakfast the following morning. Well, all of us but Ee. I’m not sure I’ve seen Ee again since dinner of that first night at the Baron’s. Though there was an incident in the garden I heard about involving one of the servants, Maxine, flying up and around the garden naked while the sounds of Ee’s voice could be heard laughing and trailing behind her while she laughed back. </p><p>None of our “guests” from the night before joined us at breakfast. I could tell from the Professor’s mind that he missed his companion from the night, but that he knew that it would be horribly improper etiquette to bring servants to the noble’s table. So perhaps this Baron is not such a ‘dwarf-of-the-people’ after all, if his servants are treated second-class. I certainly don’t treat Higgins that way. </p><p>The Baron told us that there would be fights in the arena between challengers and a flesh, clay, and iron golems that they have for the event. There would also be a huge ceremonial changing of the guard, all in shiny armor. </p><p> After breakfast, I told to Morwen, through our mindlink, that she should look in the Baron’s wing today. I also told her about Crystal and her mind abilities. </p><p> “Are you sure you should be sharing information with her about your abilities?” Morwen asked me.</p><p> “I shared a whole lot more than that with her last night,” I replied. Morwen did not pry further. </p><p> Morwen then met me in Higgin’s room, where Higgins made her invisible right before she teleported herself to the hallway outside the Baron’s chambers. She was gone a short while and then we heard an alarm coming from that wing of the keep, just as Morwen dimension doored back to Higgin’s room. She had not found anything of note in her short time there. We would have to go back. Morwen was concerned about the alarm. I said, “don’t worry about it – let them puzzle over it for now.” </p><p> Then I quickly traveled myself back to Cauldron to retrieve my two hunting dogs and then came back to my room. I put the dogs in the Baron’s kennels for the hunt the next day. </p><p> At dinner, I asked the Baron about the alarm. He said there had been an intruder in his area and so now the soldiers would be higher density. I expressed the appropriate amount of alarm at the intrusion. </p><p> Ee, who did actually show up briefly for dinner to take back to his room, offered to help. “Me help stand guard.” </p><p> The Baron declined, but did say that if we heard an alarm, we should “run to the front door.” Perhaps we could use that to our advantage later. </p><p> The Baron certainly seemed overly obsessed with the military organization of his keep. But we had really not uncovered anything useful. We had not even found the demon here yet. </p><p> Later that night, I had Crystal point out to me where the servants were who cleaned the Baron’s war room and personal quarters. I then paid them a visit and dominated them both, their simple minds no match for my own. I gave them simple instructions. They were to report to me a detailed account of the layout of the rooms and they were to keep an eye open for anything out of place or out of the ordinary to report to me later. Unfortunately, they noticed nothing. On the plus side, the domination would last for over a month, and so I may find further use for these servants. </p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Five – Fox Hunt</p><p></p><p> The time of the fox hunt arrived. I gave the Baron my gift of the excellent pedigree hunting dog. He loved it, as I knew he would. I took the other dog I bought and used him in the hunt for myself. The Baron was quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. We hunted for the afternoon and I pried more out of the Baron. </p><p> He told me that he had a very competent Captain of the Guard named Hans. He told me that his city was a planned city that he hoped to grow in size as trade grew. Apparently trade was the primary commodity here, out on the border of the kingdom. I asked him about trouble with monsters and demons here. </p><p> “There are no demons here,” said the Baron in response. “And when we do have trouble with monsters, we just let adventurers take care of it. I find that when you actually ask for their help, they demand money and such up front, but when you just leave the whole issue alone, adventurers show up anyway. Thus, it is cheaper just not to do anything, but to make sure that the taverns are full of information about the local monster activity.”</p><p> “So, no demons then,” I asked again.</p><p> “No, no demons. When was the last time you killed a demon?” he asked. </p><p> “About a week ago,” I told him, thinking of the return trip from the Demonskar Ball. “That is if you count not only the real demons but also a fiendish minotaur.” </p><p> Our conversation was interrupted by the Baron making the killing shot on the fox. My gift dog did well for him, but it was one of his old-timers that did the job best for him. </p><p> I heard in my mind Morwen’s silent protest. “Poor fox, what did it ever do to deserve this? I’d rather hunt demons.” </p><p> I replied to her, “How do you know it was not a demon fox?” </p><p> “I’d recognize a demon fox,” she said. </p><p> “True enough,” I conceded. “It would have tried to hire us.” </p><p> The hunt over, we retired to our rooms for the last night before the big day. </p><p></p><p> Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Six – Dinner, then Alarms</p><p></p><p> At this dinner, the Countess of Lockshire, Penelope and her husband, Stewart, the Earl, joined us for dinner. The other nobles had yet to arrive, and so presumably would be arriving tomorrow. I regaled them all with my stories of adventure, inside the courtroom and out, again running triumphant over the Baron’s feeble attempt to be the center of graciousness and small-talk for the night. </p><p> Then the real fun began. I spent the night again with Crystal, but excused myself to Higgins’s room (with a thought), finding him under cover there. I asked him to ask his guest to stay under the covers for a moment while we attended to some business in the other room. </p><p> I summoned Moira and then had Higgins cloak her from view before sending her off to the Baron’s hall. It took two tries since she could not teleport directly into his military planning room. Several minutes later, the alarm sounded again. Through the mindlink, she told me that the guards were in the room searching for her. She also told me that from what she could discern, the Baron had mobilized at least 2,000 to 5,000 troops just based on what was in that room and in the open. Curious. Before the guards could find her, I dismissed her, and so she vanished before she could be detected. </p><p> I then contacted the King’s Niece’s mind, all the way back in the capitol. It took a few moments for her to awaken from her slumber. I asked her to find out for me in the morning, if she could, what she could about the known military disposition of the Baron. How many soldiers could he raise. How many would he normally have mobilized. She said she knew some fetching young soldiers in the guard who knew about such things and that she could ask. I thanked her and bid her good night. </p><p> I spent the rest of the night with Crystal, thinking up what we could do for our final day here. That alarm was dreadfully annoying. It would make it hard to find anything of consequence without really being detected. Then a plan began to form. Perhaps detection would not be a bad thing after all. I would have to share my plan with the others. </p><p> In the morning, the King’s Niece reported back to me. Apparently the Baron could raise, at most, 10,000 troops, but that would be a full mobilization. Under normal circumstances, he should not have more than 1,000 troops at the ready. Now it sounds like we are getting somewhere. Time to implement plan L. </p><p></p><p></p><p>[Meta-gaming note I just HAD to mention - the two big Diplomacy rolls thus far were at dinner on the first and third nights - apparently the Baron has quite a high score there, too. Fortunately, we all have a bonus for the tutoring of the professor for this particular event (+6) so that helps. I just wanted to brag... both of those times I had to do the roll, i rolled, you guessed it, a natural 20, taking my modified Diplomacy score to 61 each time. Eat my dust, Baron! (for reference, I'm a diplomacy centered character here and now 17th level Telepath-Psion)]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Altalazar, post: 3577921, member: 939"] Book XV Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Eighty-Nine – Books Copied, Etiquette Learned The Temple of the Moon library turned out to contain exactly 800 books. Tuvstarr, book addict that she is (or is that information addict?), immediately agreed to do whatever it took to help copy the books. Fabrication magic cleared out a large section of trees from the jungle, creating for us 1600 blank books. Then some other magic from Tuvstarr and from Marcus’s special reality bender, created two complete copies of the library. One copy was returned to the shelves of the temple, the other copy was placed on Tuvstarr’s shelves in her tower/library. The originals were then delivered as promised, and our cash was exchanged. I took all of the coins and exchanged them for additional learning from another psion, to learn the secrets of unraveling magic and psionics alike, and to learn how to toughen my own skin. I was also ready to share knowledge with Poseidon, but he was not yet ready for me. Soon. Poseidon did share something else. Professor Palendar. Palendar was introduced to us to teach us the ways of etiquette for the Baron’s court. Baron Dominick Domino of the Barony of Devshire in the town of Thomasville. We were all schooled for the next four days, though most of it seemed lost on Ee. The professor suggested that Ee either stay in the stables or keep his mouth shut. “You could tell the Baron that he is a mute!” “Me not mute!” Ee shouted in response. “That is ‘I am’ not mute,” corrected the professor. I was then privy to an extremely detailed and graphic picture of the professor having his throat torn out and made into a tassel decoration for Ee’s axe. Ee’s thoughts are always so direct. But Ee said nothing further, apparently satisfied for the moment to enjoy his own visual imagery. Poseidon also chimed in. “Keep Ee at a distance, he’s not doing so well.” Fortunately he told me that out of Ee’s earshot. Our last task before leaving was to make sure everyone had a proper wardrobe to wear. The professor told us that we should dress nobly, but not royally. So that ruled out most of my regular wear. I went slumming and got a few of my out-of-style formerly royal pieces to wear. They would not quite qualify as royal, but they certainly were not as crass as typical noble wear. Poseidon was again kind enough to provide a teleportation circle for our departure, a real necessity given the size of my entourage. We left a full three days before the summer solstice, the day of the festivities, to give us time to investigate. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety – The Sights of Thomasville We arrived in a clearing just outside the gates to the city, the perfect place to stop and study for teleportation. The city itself, and the keep above it, were circular, forming concentric rings of walls. It was difficult to tell much else from our vantage point. We spent the rest of the day walking the town and listening to what attitudes were expressed toward the Baron. Though the Baron himself was a dwarf (as was his wife), most of the population was human, as it is in most places in the kingdom. There were a bit more dwarves than normal, but perhaps that was because of who the Baron was. What was most surprising was just how popular the Baron was. The King, a reasonable and fair ruler, was mostly considered with ambivalence by the populace at large. People appreciated his reasonable tax and governing policies, but did not generally adore him. This Baron was another matter. The people loved him. They adored him. Within his barony, he was probably the most popular baron in the entire kingdom. A person might conclude that there really was no treason, and that the king was just jealous of this baron’s popularity, and perhaps worried it may eclipse his own. But such a person probably never went to law school. This baron’s ridiculous popularity, spread through generous entertainment and support for his subjects, just made me all the more convinced he was a conniving traitor. The more generous the ruler, the more corrupt his heart. I found out that the baron had a cousin, a Marquis Rockmountain Goldvien and his wife Crystal, but I could not find out much more about them. And I found out that the baron “dabbles” in a lot of professions, from the clerical, to the martial, to the nimble. There was no mention of anything arcane nor psionic. I found the most noble inn in town was the Dragon Inn. But the professor suggested that we go to the keep or else we would insult the baron by having arrived in his town and not stayed with him. Reluctantly, I agreed. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-One – The Baron’s Keep We soon arrived at the gate. Morwen announced us to the guards, and then slowly introduced each of us. Once she reached my name, I then offered that I had been sent in the King’s place to attend the Baron’s celebrations and presented my invitation to the guard. The guard then hurriedly ran inside the gate and toward a huge amphitheatre where many preparations were taking place. One of the workers there resolved into a dwarf as he walked toward us. Working with the commoners? Yep, this must have been the baron. “Greetings, I’m Baron Domino,” he said, confirming what I surmised. How transparently pandering he is. I assumed he would also be gracious to the point that my teeth would rot were I to taste his words. I was proved correct in that assessment as well. “Ah, and how are you, Cordozo? I could have sworn I was told you had blue hair.” He must have thought I was Poseidon or had expected that Poseidon would be arriving in the king’s place. Suspicious that he had such intelligence information. “A common misconception,” I replied, keeping my cards close to my chest, wanting the Baron to doubt his agent’s intelligence gathering regarding me and my entourage. “And you, Morewn, so lovely. It is a shame I’m blessed with such a wonderful wife, or else I would be tempted to woo you for your charming beauty and grace,” the Baron said next. Turning to Kyrnyn, he asked, “And are you a druid?” perhaps spurred on by the bird on Kyrnyn’s shoulder, apparently unaware that the bird was the druid. “And those muscles must have taken forever to build up,” he said to Ee. Ee, wisely, said nothing, though I had a lovely mental image of Ee demonstrating those muscles in a rather graphic fashion. “Ah, and Professor Palendar, I’ve heard of you,” the baron said as the Professor graciously bowed. “Now may I get any of you anything? Refreshments? Food?” “A tour,” I suggested. “Ah, of course,” he replied, “but first, join us for dinner! You will have forty-five minutes to freshen up before dinner is served. None of the other guests have yet arrived, so you shall have my full attention tonight!” The baron then bid his leave and returned to assisting the setup for the festivities. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Two – Dinner is Served We had only a short time before dinner. Morwen asked me, “We are supposed to be looking for evidence of treason – anything specific?” “No,” I replied, “but this is all very suspicious. He’s so popular. Nobles can get jealous, true, but no noble should be this popular without something terribly wrong being afoot. I suggest you take the time now to scout a bit so we know where to focus our investigations later.” Morwen found, in her wanderings, only two places she could not enter. One was the guard barracks, the other was the hallway heading toward the Baron’s private rooms and administrative areas. Then it was time for dinner. Dinner was delicious. The Baron was very gracious. I tried my best to keep my food down. The professor made sure to seat himself as far as possible from Ee. Ee, to his credit, said next to nothing, but he did start the meal by saying “watch” and then picking up a large chicken leg and walking over to the professor’s plate and slamming it down on his plate. The Baron made small talk for the meal, and so I engaged him in a “battle of the small talk” and rolled over him like one of those large beasts in the jungle rolled over trees. We asked him about his travels. Apparently when the Baron was younger, he was an adventurer. But he still inherited his Barony. He did not win it, like I was about to do from him. We told him about Desbury, our original city home, and about Cauldron. Apparently the Baron has never visited either. The Baron even tried to talk to Ee. Ee responded, “Him tell me no talk,” pointing at me, ending that line of inquiry. I then told the Baron about our extra-planar travels, to the plane of shadows, to occipitus, to the plane of dreams. He was suitably impressed. He shared that he had been to the Astral Plane (which hardly counts in my book) and to Valhalla, apparently as part of some great quest. The Baron told us the other five noble guests he expected to arrive were the Duchess of Sutherford and her husband, the Marquis of Forger and his wife, the Countess of Lockshire and her husband, Lady Glade and her husband, and Sir Peterson and his wife. Then the meal was over and the Baron retired to his room. We told him we wanted our tour now, before retiring ourselves, and he obliged. On the way out, Ee slapped the professor “congenially” on his back. The professor then did a deft move with his fingers, grabbing Ee’s ear and dragging him some distance. Ee could probably have snapped the professor’s neck, but since Ee never went to school, he was unfamiliar with the maneuver and so mostly out of surprise, did nothing. Our tour took us to the Gardens in the center of the keep, as well as past the barracks, the servant’s quarters, and even near the Baron’s chambers. Something Morwen noticed as we went was the rather large number of men-at-arms in the corridors, all on an impeccable, orderly, yet still random, schedule of guard duty. Far more than should be expected. A person may just assume it was increased security for the festivities. But I smelled treason in the air. The tour over, we retired to our rooms. I heard a collective gasp from the minds of all of my companions. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Three – After Dinner, Time for Dessert When I opened the door to my lavish guest room, I saw a lovely young chambermaid waiting for me in my room holding a bed warmer. “I’m Crystal.” “Of course you are.” It turned out that she was much more than that. From our rather “close proximity” that evening, I discerned that she was a telepath in her own right, though only barely awakened. She had never met another like me before. It seemed rather too big a coincidence that a servant telepath-psion would find herself in my room. She denied that the Baron put her up to anything beyond providing a warm blanket and a clean room. I guess the rest was gratis. Still, I mind probed her very deeply, something she rather enjoyed (leading me to wonder if, as a telepath, the only true mate is another telepath), and could discern nothing but truth in her with regards to her actions toward me. Perhaps this is a relationship that will go somewhere. Oh, and the collective gasp I heard before was from Ee, finding Maxine in his room, Morwen finding Fedaro in her room, Higgins finding Marcella in his room, and even the professor had a surprise guest in his. Now I know why the professor was so insistent on us staying in the keep. What a dirty old man. Ee’s thoughts were hard to keep out. Maxine offered him a bath, and did a very thorough job. I suspected it had more to do with Ee’s hygiene than anything else, particularly when she anointed him with fragrant oils afterwards. Once he had returned to his senses, I asked him via mindlink if he was doing ok. His only response, “Get the bath! Get the bath!” The professor’s mind was equally befuddled. The last thought I gleaned from him was as he opened his door and saw the woman waiting there for him: “Me like,” and then “damn it, now you have me doing it, Ee!” The rest was too disturbing to think of. When I checked on Higgins, I merely told him, “Ee suggests a bath.” “Very good, sir,” was his only response. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Four – The Morning After We all rejoined the Baron for breakfast the following morning. Well, all of us but Ee. I’m not sure I’ve seen Ee again since dinner of that first night at the Baron’s. Though there was an incident in the garden I heard about involving one of the servants, Maxine, flying up and around the garden naked while the sounds of Ee’s voice could be heard laughing and trailing behind her while she laughed back. None of our “guests” from the night before joined us at breakfast. I could tell from the Professor’s mind that he missed his companion from the night, but that he knew that it would be horribly improper etiquette to bring servants to the noble’s table. So perhaps this Baron is not such a ‘dwarf-of-the-people’ after all, if his servants are treated second-class. I certainly don’t treat Higgins that way. The Baron told us that there would be fights in the arena between challengers and a flesh, clay, and iron golems that they have for the event. There would also be a huge ceremonial changing of the guard, all in shiny armor. After breakfast, I told to Morwen, through our mindlink, that she should look in the Baron’s wing today. I also told her about Crystal and her mind abilities. “Are you sure you should be sharing information with her about your abilities?” Morwen asked me. “I shared a whole lot more than that with her last night,” I replied. Morwen did not pry further. Morwen then met me in Higgin’s room, where Higgins made her invisible right before she teleported herself to the hallway outside the Baron’s chambers. She was gone a short while and then we heard an alarm coming from that wing of the keep, just as Morwen dimension doored back to Higgin’s room. She had not found anything of note in her short time there. We would have to go back. Morwen was concerned about the alarm. I said, “don’t worry about it – let them puzzle over it for now.” Then I quickly traveled myself back to Cauldron to retrieve my two hunting dogs and then came back to my room. I put the dogs in the Baron’s kennels for the hunt the next day. At dinner, I asked the Baron about the alarm. He said there had been an intruder in his area and so now the soldiers would be higher density. I expressed the appropriate amount of alarm at the intrusion. Ee, who did actually show up briefly for dinner to take back to his room, offered to help. “Me help stand guard.” The Baron declined, but did say that if we heard an alarm, we should “run to the front door.” Perhaps we could use that to our advantage later. The Baron certainly seemed overly obsessed with the military organization of his keep. But we had really not uncovered anything useful. We had not even found the demon here yet. Later that night, I had Crystal point out to me where the servants were who cleaned the Baron’s war room and personal quarters. I then paid them a visit and dominated them both, their simple minds no match for my own. I gave them simple instructions. They were to report to me a detailed account of the layout of the rooms and they were to keep an eye open for anything out of place or out of the ordinary to report to me later. Unfortunately, they noticed nothing. On the plus side, the domination would last for over a month, and so I may find further use for these servants. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Five – Fox Hunt The time of the fox hunt arrived. I gave the Baron my gift of the excellent pedigree hunting dog. He loved it, as I knew he would. I took the other dog I bought and used him in the hunt for myself. The Baron was quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. We hunted for the afternoon and I pried more out of the Baron. He told me that he had a very competent Captain of the Guard named Hans. He told me that his city was a planned city that he hoped to grow in size as trade grew. Apparently trade was the primary commodity here, out on the border of the kingdom. I asked him about trouble with monsters and demons here. “There are no demons here,” said the Baron in response. “And when we do have trouble with monsters, we just let adventurers take care of it. I find that when you actually ask for their help, they demand money and such up front, but when you just leave the whole issue alone, adventurers show up anyway. Thus, it is cheaper just not to do anything, but to make sure that the taverns are full of information about the local monster activity.” “So, no demons then,” I asked again. “No, no demons. When was the last time you killed a demon?” he asked. “About a week ago,” I told him, thinking of the return trip from the Demonskar Ball. “That is if you count not only the real demons but also a fiendish minotaur.” Our conversation was interrupted by the Baron making the killing shot on the fox. My gift dog did well for him, but it was one of his old-timers that did the job best for him. I heard in my mind Morwen’s silent protest. “Poor fox, what did it ever do to deserve this? I’d rather hunt demons.” I replied to her, “How do you know it was not a demon fox?” “I’d recognize a demon fox,” she said. “True enough,” I conceded. “It would have tried to hire us.” The hunt over, we retired to our rooms for the last night before the big day. Sir Cordozo – Chapter One-Hundred Ninety-Six – Dinner, then Alarms At this dinner, the Countess of Lockshire, Penelope and her husband, Stewart, the Earl, joined us for dinner. The other nobles had yet to arrive, and so presumably would be arriving tomorrow. I regaled them all with my stories of adventure, inside the courtroom and out, again running triumphant over the Baron’s feeble attempt to be the center of graciousness and small-talk for the night. Then the real fun began. I spent the night again with Crystal, but excused myself to Higgins’s room (with a thought), finding him under cover there. I asked him to ask his guest to stay under the covers for a moment while we attended to some business in the other room. I summoned Moira and then had Higgins cloak her from view before sending her off to the Baron’s hall. It took two tries since she could not teleport directly into his military planning room. Several minutes later, the alarm sounded again. Through the mindlink, she told me that the guards were in the room searching for her. She also told me that from what she could discern, the Baron had mobilized at least 2,000 to 5,000 troops just based on what was in that room and in the open. Curious. Before the guards could find her, I dismissed her, and so she vanished before she could be detected. I then contacted the King’s Niece’s mind, all the way back in the capitol. It took a few moments for her to awaken from her slumber. I asked her to find out for me in the morning, if she could, what she could about the known military disposition of the Baron. How many soldiers could he raise. How many would he normally have mobilized. She said she knew some fetching young soldiers in the guard who knew about such things and that she could ask. I thanked her and bid her good night. I spent the rest of the night with Crystal, thinking up what we could do for our final day here. That alarm was dreadfully annoying. It would make it hard to find anything of consequence without really being detected. Then a plan began to form. Perhaps detection would not be a bad thing after all. I would have to share my plan with the others. In the morning, the King’s Niece reported back to me. Apparently the Baron could raise, at most, 10,000 troops, but that would be a full mobilization. Under normal circumstances, he should not have more than 1,000 troops at the ready. Now it sounds like we are getting somewhere. Time to implement plan L. [Meta-gaming note I just HAD to mention - the two big Diplomacy rolls thus far were at dinner on the first and third nights - apparently the Baron has quite a high score there, too. Fortunately, we all have a bonus for the tutoring of the professor for this particular event (+6) so that helps. I just wanted to brag... both of those times I had to do the roll, i rolled, you guessed it, a natural 20, taking my modified Diplomacy score to 61 each time. Eat my dust, Baron! (for reference, I'm a diplomacy centered character here and now 17th level Telepath-Psion)] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Memoirs of a Lawyer turned Dungeoncrawler (Updated May 13, 2008)
Top