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"Second Son of a Second Son" - An Aquerra Story Hour (*finally* Updated 04/19)
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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 4633293" data-attributes="member: 11"><p><strong>Session #29 – “Bogged Down With Them Bog End Blues” (part 3 of 3)</strong></p><p></p><p>Gullmoor was a small square fortress of gray stone adjacent to (but slightly above) a fortified village surrounded by a wall of thick tar-covered logs. The fort and village overlooked the trail, which they could see made its way down to the great plateau of Moraes Heng. The wind here was especially cold, and to their right they could see the green of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Drie-Hoek+Bay" target="_blank">Drie-Hoek Bay</a>. They could smell it on the air for some time, even though this was the first time since leaving Bog End it came into view.</p><p></p><p>“You know… Maybe we shouldn’t go to Gullmoor…” Telémahkos said.</p><p></p><p>“Why not?” asked Bleys.</p><p></p><p>”What if the Viceroy is involved in whatever is going on?” Telémahkos said. “He could delay us, or refuse us passage in Moraes Heng…”</p><p></p><p>“If that were to happen we’d have to go back to the bog regardless,” Bleys replied. “If we were to go on to Moraes Heng without presenting ourselves to the viceroy we would be putting ourselves under suspicion and breaking etiquette. We have a letter from Lord Swann that you wisely procured. It shall be all we need…”</p><p></p><p>When asked what he knew of the viceroy, all Tavius had to say was that he was “a mean old man.”</p><p></p><p>The smell of sea salt on the air actually increased as they made their way up to Gullmoor. As they passed through the village towards the gate, they could see a depression in the earth near the middle of the village, and small blasts of sea water occasionally echoed from deep within sending small streams of foam to slip back down into the cave at the depression’s center.[sup]1[/sup] A couple of gulls were slowly circling the hole. There was downcast aura to the village. The houses were shabby and dark, and those near the center of town crusted with sea salt. The villagers looked up at them as they walked their horses to the gate, but said nothing.</p><p></p><p>“Who goes there?” the guard at the gate to Gullmoor called down. He was dressed in studded leather and wrapped in a dirty fur cloak, and held a spear.</p><p></p><p>“We are the Sons of Thricia, also known as the Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland,” Timotheus called up.</p><p></p><p>“…And the Scions of Thricia,” Markos added.</p><p></p><p>“Damn it!” Timotheus hissed. “No one knows what a ‘scion’ is. Soon they’ll be calling us ‘scullions’.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes! Tell the noble Viceroy that the <em>Scions</em> of Thricia are here with a letter of introduction from Lord Swann in New Harbinger and seek an audience with him,” Telémahkos called up, as Timotheus scowled, obviously unhappy with the name.[sup]2[/sup]</p><p></p><p>The young nobles were allowed into the dreary courtyard and met by the steward, Nikloge Nogent. The mousy middle-aged man gave them a subdued greeting, took the letter of introduction from Telémahkos and had them wait. There were several buildings within Gullmoor’s walls. After being made to wait nearly forty minutes, they were led into the largest and most central of the structures. It was sprawling low-built building in the style of the old meadhalls. Some young men led the party’s horses off to a stable.</p><p></p><p>Before entering the Viceroy’s audience chamber, the Signers were asked to leave large or extraneous weapons behind, and to peace-knot their swords. Telémahkos looked to Bleys and then Timotheus nervously. The watch-mage ignored him, but his cousin smiled to dismiss the worry.</p><p></p><p>The audience chamber was dim, and flanked on two sides by two great hearths decorated with a variety of stuffed birds. Braziers burned low as they entered, but servants were adding fuel to make them glow more brightly. Augustin Demius Gosprey III, the viceroy of Moraes Heng and lord of Gullmoor had creases on his face that aged him beyond his years. The hair left on his balding pate was startling white, as was his beard. He wore no mustache in an allusion to the Swann-style, but the length and fullness of his beard asserted his difference. He had thin, but broad shoulders, and his long legs suggested an imposing height when standing. Wrapped in a thick dark blue woolen robe, he was seated upon a large chair propped up with pillows, and accompanied by a man in red robes, with a goatee and a shaved head, and the steward.</p><p></p><p>The young nobles bowed and were introduced by the steward. The man in the red robes was identified as Kaj Kahn, the viceroy’s court wizard. The man spoke with a slight accent that marked him as not Thrician born.</p><p></p><p>“So, you have been sent by Lord Swann?” the viceroy asked.</p><p></p><p>“No,” Laarus replied, much to everyone’s surprise.</p><p></p><p>“So my secretary lied?” Augustin raised his eyebrows.</p><p></p><p>“No, sir…” Telémahkos said, stepping forward. “What my companion meant to say is that when we informed the Lord of our intention to come here he was only happy to write us a letter of introduction to aid us on our way, but it was not his idea to send us…”</p><p></p><p>“Hmmm… Yes, well…” The viceroy thought this over for a long uncomfortable moment. “So what brings you here?”</p><p></p><p>Telémahkos went into truncated account of the party’s adventures in the Crossroads Bog and negotiations meeting with <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Chok%27tem" target="_blank">Chok’tem</a> of the Goldstraw Tribe of lizardfolk. He then explained how Oroleniel the Salmon had accompanied Sir Septimias Benedict Swann at the behest of Bleys. “And so, as you can imagine… We feel somewhat responsible for this situation and feel like there has been some kind of misunderstanding…”</p><p></p><p>”Ah, yes… I heard that you had fallen for the lizardman lies,” the viceroy said.</p><p></p><p>“Not lies, my lord…” Victoria of Anhur interjected. “These creatures seemed sincere in their desire to ally themselves with Thricia and House Swann…”[sup3[/sup]</p><p></p><p>“We have reason to believe that an internal conflict among the lizardfolk has led to this current situation, but it is only a small minority of the Goldstraw. The majority of the tribe are innocent of wrong-doing,” Telémahkos said. “We think perhaps this is all a distraction from what is happening in the Vineyard Vales…”</p><p></p><p>“You mean the locusts?” </p><p></p><p>“Yes, the locusts…” Telémahkos nodded. “We think they may be being summoned specifically to destroy the harvest.” </p><p></p><p>“How do you know this?”</p><p></p><p>“Information I gained from Oroleniel while we were in New Harbinger,” Bleys answered.</p><p></p><p>“But isn’t he a rogue watch-mage?” the Viceroy asked.[sup]4[/sup]</p><p></p><p>“That remains to be seen,” Telémahkos said. “And by investigating the lead he gave us we may be able to settle that matter one way or another…”</p><p></p><p>The viceroy was quiet for another long moment, looking at Telémahkos intently. He then cleared his throat and spoke again, “I know your father. He is a good man, a man after my own heart… We have played King’s Men many times…”</p><p></p><p>”I hope to show some of his wisdom as I grow older…” Telémahkos smiled.</p><p></p><p>The old man coughed out what might have been a laugh. “With my men chasing after lizardmen in the bog, I would be a poor steward of these lands if I did not take advantage of your presence to at least rule out treachery in the Heng… You have my leave to inquire there and determine if there is an unnatural source for these insects.”</p><p></p><p>“So perhaps we might get a writ with your seal, explaining that we travel and inquire with your blessing?” For the second time in two days Telémahkos found himself pushing a noble of higher station.</p><p></p><p>The viceroy was quiet again, but finally nodded. “You shall have your writ.”</p><p></p><p>“My lord, may I ask after your eldest son? The militant of Anhur?” Victoria asked.</p><p></p><p>“Thricius… He is not the eldest. My eldest has joined the knights and warriors gathered by <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Roose" target="_blank">House Roose</a> to deal with the hobgoblins reported in the Schrabs,” Augustin replied. “Thricius left for the bog three days ago, after having returned to recoup and gather more men…”</p><p></p><p>Soon after, the Viceroy excused himself and wished the Signers luck in their search, and offered them a place to stay if they wanted to head out in the morning. However, the young nobles were eager to proceed and left right after the steward brought them the writ with the viceroy’s seal.</p><p></p><p>Moraes Heng was a large verdant plateau several miles long and wide that hung several hundred feet above the north edge of the Crossroads Bog. The top of the plateau was carved in great green ridges that divided up the land into large steads. The trail led down to the plateau and soon they were riding in the shadow of one of the ridges as the sun was disappearing ahead of them. A wooden sign posted where the trail on out to the Vales branched pointed out the way to different steads. To the right was the Greylight Stead and the Gosprey Steads, and to the left was the Winter, Tarchon and Vanderboren Steads.</p><p></p><p>“Vanderboren?” Telémahkos asked aloud.</p><p></p><p>“Lavinia’s parents did own property throughout Thricia,” Bleys said. “Perhaps that is a place to seek information…”</p><p></p><p>“Or the <em>Winter</em> Stead, <em>Bleys</em>…” Timotheus suggested, speaking with a patronizing tone.</p><p></p><p>“What is it we are looking for here?” Laarus asked, still clearly annoyed with having to come here at all.</p><p></p><p>“Bandits…” Timotheus replied.</p><p></p><p>The land about them was bound by low stone walls that curved up and down over the ridges. Vines and drooping trees were thick along the borderlands, but everywhere they went they saw signs of destruction. Leaves and fruit devoured and ruined.</p><p></p><p>They spotted a group of people coming up the trail in the opposite direction. It was an extended family of about sixteen people along with two large wagons covered drawn by oxen and three dogs.</p><p></p><p>Greeted by the young nobles, the people stopped and the patriarch of the family did most of the talking. He was a careworn man whose many winters were visible in the creases on face, but he was still hearty and strong. He told a sad tale of how the locusts had devoured the plot of land his family worked for a local landlord. They were moving to New Harbinger. </p><p></p><p>When asked about the locusts, the man described how at first larger and larger swarms were arriving, but then there were smaller swarms of larger locusts.</p><p></p><p>“How large?” Telémahkos asked. The man held his hands about two and a half feet apart.</p><p></p><p>“Those are some locusts!” Timotheus swore.</p><p></p><p>“And so late in the season…” The man added.</p><p></p><p>“This has to be a coincidence…” Telémahkos murmured, still thinking about the Vanderborens. Then he spoke up. “What can you tell us about the Vanderboren stead?”</p><p></p><p>The man could not say much, except that the owners had died and the place had skipped a growing season. He added that only the largest estates that could afford to absorb the loss of the grapes and other crops were still functioning.</p><p></p><p>Thanking them for their help, Bleys gave the man three pieces of silver for his trouble, and Victoria added four of her own. The man’s eyes lit up in response to their generosity. “What do you call yourselves?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“The Scions of Thricia,” Telémahkos quickly replied before anyone else could, but the man looked confused.</p><p></p><p>“It means ‘children of…’” Timotheus said with a snicker.</p><p></p><p>As the carts pulled away, the young nobles noticed a group of small children hanging out of the back of one. “Thank you Children on Thricia!” They cried, waving and smiling.</p><p></p><p>After another fifteen minutes of slow riding in the gathering gloom, they saw a sign pointing to a gap in the hedge ahead of them and to the left. “Winter Stead,” it read. The wind died down and loud munching and buzzing sound came swelling out from behind he hedge. The party slowed down. Bleys the Aubergine put an arrow to his bow, and Victoria called to Anhur, casting <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Spell+-+Regenerate+Light+Wounds" target="_blank"><em>regenerate light wounds</em></a> on Timotheus. </p><p></p><p>Tavius slowed down his pony and moved to the far side and the rear of the line. Telémahkos had his horse inch towards the gate now visible in the gap in the hedge with Bleys and Tim close behind. It was then that several large locusts, a couple nearly five feet long, came bounding over the hedge at them.</p><p></p><p>Telémahkos spurred his horse and charged, lowering his lance to catch it on it back, spurting ichor as tried to hop away. Victoria lowered her spear and charged in as well, but the thing hopped at the last minute and she missed. Bleys put some room between him and the other bugs, firing an arrow that bit into earth ineffectively.</p><p></p><p>The battle did not last long. The locusts fought more out of instinct, not malice, going for whatever was aggressive and near them, but just as likely to hop away as they tried to make their way across the road to the stead grounds on the other side. Telémahkos screamed, as one of the bigger locusts spat some kind of acidic goo at him, despite the fact that he raised his shield to block the worst of it.</p><p></p><p>Timotheus dismounted, swinging his flail and issuing commands. “Encircle and kill! Go for the weakened ones! Don’t let yourself get surrounded!”</p><p></p><p>Markos cast <em>acid arrow</em> and fried the biggest one, and then urged his horse on to kick at another, crushing its head. The insect’s legs spasmed futilely. Unfortunately, another hopped by and spat at Markos, and though he avoided the worst of it, he felt his stomach turn, sickened by the acrid stench of the substance.[sup]5[/sup]</p><p></p><p>Several more of the locusts were crushed as Victoria turned her horse to go to the aid of Laarus, who dismounted and had three near him. Markos tried to get his horse to kick again, but it was obstinate. Bleys had a similar problem with his mount. He tried an arrow from point blank range, but the horse stepped away from the monstrous insect, throwing off his aim.</p><p></p><p>It soon became clear that they were in the midst of a leaping migration, as most of the bugs simply leapt past them after a quick bite or spit, landing on the opposite hedge and munching on it.</p><p></p><p>“Markos! Use that smoke spell of yours! Bugs hate smoke!” Timotheus called.[sup]6[/sup]</p><p></p><p>Suddenly there was loud cacophonous buzzing from within the Winter Stead, and a great swarm of locusts not as monstrous in size as some of the others, but no less frightening and relentless came leaping over the hedge. Victoria’s horse screamed as the thousands of biting insects descended on her and her mount, obscuring them. The militant of Anhur was mostly protected by her armor, but the horse had no such protection. Bugs splattered against her swinging morningstar, but there were too many for it do make much difference.</p><p></p><p>“Tymon! We need fire!” Telémahkos called to his manservant, who having dismounted, began to rummage through a pack for torches and flint as he moved over to join Markos.</p><p></p><p>“May the water gathered up from the world by the sun drown these insects!” Laarus prayed to Ra, <em>creating water</em> above the swarm so that it crashed down upon them. Scores of locusts dropped to the ground, their wings damp, but there were many more swarming about Victoria. Bracing herself against the pummeling bugs and many bites, she called to Anhur and cast <em>cure light wounds</em> on her horse.</p><p></p><p>Timotheus moved to aid Victoria, grinning madly with the staccato crunch of locusts against his flail. Bleys moved to her other side and did the best he could to lessen the swarm by smacking locusts out of it with the flat of his saber. With an arcane word Markos lit a torch Tymon pulled out, and the swarm instinctively moved away, leaving Victoria to envelope Timotheus. Telémahkos rushed over, grabbing the torch from Tymon and waving the flame at the swarm. Locusts smoked and burned and the swarm leapt again, landing on the opposite hedge and immediately beginning to devour it.</p><p></p><p>Now that the locusts had passed, the young nobles were able to catch their breath, and Telémahkos walked over to the gate to look into the Winter Stead. The others gathered behind him and took in the devastation beyond. The locusts had eaten everything that had once grown within. All that was left were withering vines on countless trellises. The trail beyond led to a large manor house. A man came out from around the side of the house carrying a large torch. He was middle-aged, but still head of long curly red-brown hair beneath a knit cap. He wore a cudgel at his side and was accompanied by two younger men, also with clubs and torches.</p><p></p><p>“Hail and well met!” He called. Some barking dogs came up the path behind and were quickly hushed. “Run afoul of the swarms, have ya?”</p><p></p><p>His name was Kelsey Winter, and he was the steward of the this stead, working for his cousin Rafael Winter. Bleys nodded his recognition of the name.[sup]7[/sup] </p><p></p><p>“I’m glad someone is finally looking into this,” he said when Telémahkos introduced them as the Scions of Thricia, Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland. He went on to tell them that he thought something was afoot. “Sure, locusts have been a problem in the past, but never this late in the season, and did you see the size of some of them?”</p><p></p><p>They asked if they were still on the trail for the Vanderboren Stead and he confirmed that they were, though they would pass the sizeable Tarchon Steads first.</p><p></p><p>“Has there been anyone out of the ordinary around?” Telémahkos asked. “Strangers?”</p><p></p><p>“Strangers? Well, there are those men working up at the Vanderboren Stead,” He said. “But Miss Lavinia and a band of adventurers in her employ came through not long ago and confirmed that yes they were working for her…”</p><p></p><p>“What was strange about them?” Bleys asked.</p><p></p><p>“Kept to themselves… I went out greet them and offer them help and got a cold shoulder,” Kelsey went on. “Maybe they sensed I was checking them out and didn’t like it, but still I was trying to be neighborly… They seemed like hard men, more like hunters than men to work in a vineyard…”</p><p></p><p>“And you said Lavinia was here? How long ago?” Telémahkos asked. </p><p></p><p>Two weeks was the answer. It did not take much to also confirm that the band of adventurers were <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/search/view/Maeve+the+Mauve" target="_blank">Maeve the Mauve</a> and <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Jade+Ravens" target="_blank">the Jade Ravens</a>, now simply calling themselves ‘the Ravens’.</p><p></p><p>Thanking Kelsey, they rode on. Hoping to reach the Tarchon Steads before nightfall.</p><p></p><p><strong>End of Session #29</strong></p><p></p><p>--------------------</p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p></p><p>[sup]1[/sup] ‘Salthole’ leads to sea caves that allows the tide to rise up into the depression.</p><p></p><p>[sup]2[/sup] At this point in the campaign there were still frequent disagreement about the group’s name both in and out of character.</p><p></p><p>[sup]3[/sup] The Signers and Chok’tem negotiated an agreement in Session #3.</p><p></p><p>[sup]4[/sup] Watch-mages that violate the rules and restrictions of their order are called “rogue”.</p><p></p><p>[sup]5[/sup] <em>Sickened</em> characters suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.</p><p></p><p>[sup]6[/sup] Timotheus was referring to the smoke version of the <em>pyrotechnics</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>[sup]7[/sup] Rafael Winter is a well-known member of the Winter Family who owns a great deal of land and mercantile businesses, but does not seem to have any desires to attain noble status.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 4633293, member: 11"] [b]Session #29 – “Bogged Down With Them Bog End Blues” (part 3 of 3)[/b] Gullmoor was a small square fortress of gray stone adjacent to (but slightly above) a fortified village surrounded by a wall of thick tar-covered logs. The fort and village overlooked the trail, which they could see made its way down to the great plateau of Moraes Heng. The wind here was especially cold, and to their right they could see the green of [url=http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Drie-Hoek+Bay]Drie-Hoek Bay[/url]. They could smell it on the air for some time, even though this was the first time since leaving Bog End it came into view. “You know… Maybe we shouldn’t go to Gullmoor…” Telémahkos said. “Why not?” asked Bleys. ”What if the Viceroy is involved in whatever is going on?” Telémahkos said. “He could delay us, or refuse us passage in Moraes Heng…” “If that were to happen we’d have to go back to the bog regardless,” Bleys replied. “If we were to go on to Moraes Heng without presenting ourselves to the viceroy we would be putting ourselves under suspicion and breaking etiquette. We have a letter from Lord Swann that you wisely procured. It shall be all we need…” When asked what he knew of the viceroy, all Tavius had to say was that he was “a mean old man.” The smell of sea salt on the air actually increased as they made their way up to Gullmoor. As they passed through the village towards the gate, they could see a depression in the earth near the middle of the village, and small blasts of sea water occasionally echoed from deep within sending small streams of foam to slip back down into the cave at the depression’s center.[sup]1[/sup] A couple of gulls were slowly circling the hole. There was downcast aura to the village. The houses were shabby and dark, and those near the center of town crusted with sea salt. The villagers looked up at them as they walked their horses to the gate, but said nothing. “Who goes there?” the guard at the gate to Gullmoor called down. He was dressed in studded leather and wrapped in a dirty fur cloak, and held a spear. “We are the Sons of Thricia, also known as the Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland,” Timotheus called up. “…And the Scions of Thricia,” Markos added. “Damn it!” Timotheus hissed. “No one knows what a ‘scion’ is. Soon they’ll be calling us ‘scullions’.” “Yes! Tell the noble Viceroy that the [I]Scions[/I] of Thricia are here with a letter of introduction from Lord Swann in New Harbinger and seek an audience with him,” Telémahkos called up, as Timotheus scowled, obviously unhappy with the name.[sup]2[/sup] The young nobles were allowed into the dreary courtyard and met by the steward, Nikloge Nogent. The mousy middle-aged man gave them a subdued greeting, took the letter of introduction from Telémahkos and had them wait. There were several buildings within Gullmoor’s walls. After being made to wait nearly forty minutes, they were led into the largest and most central of the structures. It was sprawling low-built building in the style of the old meadhalls. Some young men led the party’s horses off to a stable. Before entering the Viceroy’s audience chamber, the Signers were asked to leave large or extraneous weapons behind, and to peace-knot their swords. Telémahkos looked to Bleys and then Timotheus nervously. The watch-mage ignored him, but his cousin smiled to dismiss the worry. The audience chamber was dim, and flanked on two sides by two great hearths decorated with a variety of stuffed birds. Braziers burned low as they entered, but servants were adding fuel to make them glow more brightly. Augustin Demius Gosprey III, the viceroy of Moraes Heng and lord of Gullmoor had creases on his face that aged him beyond his years. The hair left on his balding pate was startling white, as was his beard. He wore no mustache in an allusion to the Swann-style, but the length and fullness of his beard asserted his difference. He had thin, but broad shoulders, and his long legs suggested an imposing height when standing. Wrapped in a thick dark blue woolen robe, he was seated upon a large chair propped up with pillows, and accompanied by a man in red robes, with a goatee and a shaved head, and the steward. The young nobles bowed and were introduced by the steward. The man in the red robes was identified as Kaj Kahn, the viceroy’s court wizard. The man spoke with a slight accent that marked him as not Thrician born. “So, you have been sent by Lord Swann?” the viceroy asked. “No,” Laarus replied, much to everyone’s surprise. “So my secretary lied?” Augustin raised his eyebrows. “No, sir…” Telémahkos said, stepping forward. “What my companion meant to say is that when we informed the Lord of our intention to come here he was only happy to write us a letter of introduction to aid us on our way, but it was not his idea to send us…” “Hmmm… Yes, well…” The viceroy thought this over for a long uncomfortable moment. “So what brings you here?” Telémahkos went into truncated account of the party’s adventures in the Crossroads Bog and negotiations meeting with [url=http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Chok%27tem]Chok’tem[/url] of the Goldstraw Tribe of lizardfolk. He then explained how Oroleniel the Salmon had accompanied Sir Septimias Benedict Swann at the behest of Bleys. “And so, as you can imagine… We feel somewhat responsible for this situation and feel like there has been some kind of misunderstanding…” ”Ah, yes… I heard that you had fallen for the lizardman lies,” the viceroy said. “Not lies, my lord…” Victoria of Anhur interjected. “These creatures seemed sincere in their desire to ally themselves with Thricia and House Swann…”[sup3[/sup] “We have reason to believe that an internal conflict among the lizardfolk has led to this current situation, but it is only a small minority of the Goldstraw. The majority of the tribe are innocent of wrong-doing,” Telémahkos said. “We think perhaps this is all a distraction from what is happening in the Vineyard Vales…” “You mean the locusts?” “Yes, the locusts…” Telémahkos nodded. “We think they may be being summoned specifically to destroy the harvest.” “How do you know this?” “Information I gained from Oroleniel while we were in New Harbinger,” Bleys answered. “But isn’t he a rogue watch-mage?” the Viceroy asked.[sup]4[/sup] “That remains to be seen,” Telémahkos said. “And by investigating the lead he gave us we may be able to settle that matter one way or another…” The viceroy was quiet for another long moment, looking at Telémahkos intently. He then cleared his throat and spoke again, “I know your father. He is a good man, a man after my own heart… We have played King’s Men many times…” ”I hope to show some of his wisdom as I grow older…” Telémahkos smiled. The old man coughed out what might have been a laugh. “With my men chasing after lizardmen in the bog, I would be a poor steward of these lands if I did not take advantage of your presence to at least rule out treachery in the Heng… You have my leave to inquire there and determine if there is an unnatural source for these insects.” “So perhaps we might get a writ with your seal, explaining that we travel and inquire with your blessing?” For the second time in two days Telémahkos found himself pushing a noble of higher station. The viceroy was quiet again, but finally nodded. “You shall have your writ.” “My lord, may I ask after your eldest son? The militant of Anhur?” Victoria asked. “Thricius… He is not the eldest. My eldest has joined the knights and warriors gathered by [url=http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Roose]House Roose[/url] to deal with the hobgoblins reported in the Schrabs,” Augustin replied. “Thricius left for the bog three days ago, after having returned to recoup and gather more men…” Soon after, the Viceroy excused himself and wished the Signers luck in their search, and offered them a place to stay if they wanted to head out in the morning. However, the young nobles were eager to proceed and left right after the steward brought them the writ with the viceroy’s seal. Moraes Heng was a large verdant plateau several miles long and wide that hung several hundred feet above the north edge of the Crossroads Bog. The top of the plateau was carved in great green ridges that divided up the land into large steads. The trail led down to the plateau and soon they were riding in the shadow of one of the ridges as the sun was disappearing ahead of them. A wooden sign posted where the trail on out to the Vales branched pointed out the way to different steads. To the right was the Greylight Stead and the Gosprey Steads, and to the left was the Winter, Tarchon and Vanderboren Steads. “Vanderboren?” Telémahkos asked aloud. “Lavinia’s parents did own property throughout Thricia,” Bleys said. “Perhaps that is a place to seek information…” “Or the [I]Winter[/I] Stead, [I]Bleys[/I]…” Timotheus suggested, speaking with a patronizing tone. “What is it we are looking for here?” Laarus asked, still clearly annoyed with having to come here at all. “Bandits…” Timotheus replied. The land about them was bound by low stone walls that curved up and down over the ridges. Vines and drooping trees were thick along the borderlands, but everywhere they went they saw signs of destruction. Leaves and fruit devoured and ruined. They spotted a group of people coming up the trail in the opposite direction. It was an extended family of about sixteen people along with two large wagons covered drawn by oxen and three dogs. Greeted by the young nobles, the people stopped and the patriarch of the family did most of the talking. He was a careworn man whose many winters were visible in the creases on face, but he was still hearty and strong. He told a sad tale of how the locusts had devoured the plot of land his family worked for a local landlord. They were moving to New Harbinger. When asked about the locusts, the man described how at first larger and larger swarms were arriving, but then there were smaller swarms of larger locusts. “How large?” Telémahkos asked. The man held his hands about two and a half feet apart. “Those are some locusts!” Timotheus swore. “And so late in the season…” The man added. “This has to be a coincidence…” Telémahkos murmured, still thinking about the Vanderborens. Then he spoke up. “What can you tell us about the Vanderboren stead?” The man could not say much, except that the owners had died and the place had skipped a growing season. He added that only the largest estates that could afford to absorb the loss of the grapes and other crops were still functioning. Thanking them for their help, Bleys gave the man three pieces of silver for his trouble, and Victoria added four of her own. The man’s eyes lit up in response to their generosity. “What do you call yourselves?” he asked. “The Scions of Thricia,” Telémahkos quickly replied before anyone else could, but the man looked confused. “It means ‘children of…’” Timotheus said with a snicker. As the carts pulled away, the young nobles noticed a group of small children hanging out of the back of one. “Thank you Children on Thricia!” They cried, waving and smiling. After another fifteen minutes of slow riding in the gathering gloom, they saw a sign pointing to a gap in the hedge ahead of them and to the left. “Winter Stead,” it read. The wind died down and loud munching and buzzing sound came swelling out from behind he hedge. The party slowed down. Bleys the Aubergine put an arrow to his bow, and Victoria called to Anhur, casting [url=http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Spell+-+Regenerate+Light+Wounds][I]regenerate light wounds[/I][/url] on Timotheus. Tavius slowed down his pony and moved to the far side and the rear of the line. Telémahkos had his horse inch towards the gate now visible in the gap in the hedge with Bleys and Tim close behind. It was then that several large locusts, a couple nearly five feet long, came bounding over the hedge at them. Telémahkos spurred his horse and charged, lowering his lance to catch it on it back, spurting ichor as tried to hop away. Victoria lowered her spear and charged in as well, but the thing hopped at the last minute and she missed. Bleys put some room between him and the other bugs, firing an arrow that bit into earth ineffectively. The battle did not last long. The locusts fought more out of instinct, not malice, going for whatever was aggressive and near them, but just as likely to hop away as they tried to make their way across the road to the stead grounds on the other side. Telémahkos screamed, as one of the bigger locusts spat some kind of acidic goo at him, despite the fact that he raised his shield to block the worst of it. Timotheus dismounted, swinging his flail and issuing commands. “Encircle and kill! Go for the weakened ones! Don’t let yourself get surrounded!” Markos cast [I]acid arrow[/I] and fried the biggest one, and then urged his horse on to kick at another, crushing its head. The insect’s legs spasmed futilely. Unfortunately, another hopped by and spat at Markos, and though he avoided the worst of it, he felt his stomach turn, sickened by the acrid stench of the substance.[sup]5[/sup] Several more of the locusts were crushed as Victoria turned her horse to go to the aid of Laarus, who dismounted and had three near him. Markos tried to get his horse to kick again, but it was obstinate. Bleys had a similar problem with his mount. He tried an arrow from point blank range, but the horse stepped away from the monstrous insect, throwing off his aim. It soon became clear that they were in the midst of a leaping migration, as most of the bugs simply leapt past them after a quick bite or spit, landing on the opposite hedge and munching on it. “Markos! Use that smoke spell of yours! Bugs hate smoke!” Timotheus called.[sup]6[/sup] Suddenly there was loud cacophonous buzzing from within the Winter Stead, and a great swarm of locusts not as monstrous in size as some of the others, but no less frightening and relentless came leaping over the hedge. Victoria’s horse screamed as the thousands of biting insects descended on her and her mount, obscuring them. The militant of Anhur was mostly protected by her armor, but the horse had no such protection. Bugs splattered against her swinging morningstar, but there were too many for it do make much difference. “Tymon! We need fire!” Telémahkos called to his manservant, who having dismounted, began to rummage through a pack for torches and flint as he moved over to join Markos. “May the water gathered up from the world by the sun drown these insects!” Laarus prayed to Ra, [I]creating water[/I] above the swarm so that it crashed down upon them. Scores of locusts dropped to the ground, their wings damp, but there were many more swarming about Victoria. Bracing herself against the pummeling bugs and many bites, she called to Anhur and cast [I]cure light wounds[/I] on her horse. Timotheus moved to aid Victoria, grinning madly with the staccato crunch of locusts against his flail. Bleys moved to her other side and did the best he could to lessen the swarm by smacking locusts out of it with the flat of his saber. With an arcane word Markos lit a torch Tymon pulled out, and the swarm instinctively moved away, leaving Victoria to envelope Timotheus. Telémahkos rushed over, grabbing the torch from Tymon and waving the flame at the swarm. Locusts smoked and burned and the swarm leapt again, landing on the opposite hedge and immediately beginning to devour it. Now that the locusts had passed, the young nobles were able to catch their breath, and Telémahkos walked over to the gate to look into the Winter Stead. The others gathered behind him and took in the devastation beyond. The locusts had eaten everything that had once grown within. All that was left were withering vines on countless trellises. The trail beyond led to a large manor house. A man came out from around the side of the house carrying a large torch. He was middle-aged, but still head of long curly red-brown hair beneath a knit cap. He wore a cudgel at his side and was accompanied by two younger men, also with clubs and torches. “Hail and well met!” He called. Some barking dogs came up the path behind and were quickly hushed. “Run afoul of the swarms, have ya?” His name was Kelsey Winter, and he was the steward of the this stead, working for his cousin Rafael Winter. Bleys nodded his recognition of the name.[sup]7[/sup] “I’m glad someone is finally looking into this,” he said when Telémahkos introduced them as the Scions of Thricia, Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland. He went on to tell them that he thought something was afoot. “Sure, locusts have been a problem in the past, but never this late in the season, and did you see the size of some of them?” They asked if they were still on the trail for the Vanderboren Stead and he confirmed that they were, though they would pass the sizeable Tarchon Steads first. “Has there been anyone out of the ordinary around?” Telémahkos asked. “Strangers?” “Strangers? Well, there are those men working up at the Vanderboren Stead,” He said. “But Miss Lavinia and a band of adventurers in her employ came through not long ago and confirmed that yes they were working for her…” “What was strange about them?” Bleys asked. “Kept to themselves… I went out greet them and offer them help and got a cold shoulder,” Kelsey went on. “Maybe they sensed I was checking them out and didn’t like it, but still I was trying to be neighborly… They seemed like hard men, more like hunters than men to work in a vineyard…” “And you said Lavinia was here? How long ago?” Telémahkos asked. Two weeks was the answer. It did not take much to also confirm that the band of adventurers were [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/search/view/Maeve+the+Mauve]Maeve the Mauve[/url] and [url=http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Jade+Ravens]the Jade Ravens[/url], now simply calling themselves ‘the Ravens’. Thanking Kelsey, they rode on. Hoping to reach the Tarchon Steads before nightfall. [b]End of Session #29[/b] -------------------- [b]Notes:[/b] [sup]1[/sup] ‘Salthole’ leads to sea caves that allows the tide to rise up into the depression. [sup]2[/sup] At this point in the campaign there were still frequent disagreement about the group’s name both in and out of character. [sup]3[/sup] The Signers and Chok’tem negotiated an agreement in Session #3. [sup]4[/sup] Watch-mages that violate the rules and restrictions of their order are called “rogue”. [sup]5[/sup] [I]Sickened[/i] characters suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. [sup]6[/sup] Timotheus was referring to the smoke version of the [I]pyrotechnics[/I] spell. [sup]7[/sup] Rafael Winter is a well-known member of the Winter Family who owns a great deal of land and mercantile businesses, but does not seem to have any desires to attain noble status. [/QUOTE]
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"Second Son of a Second Son" - An Aquerra Story Hour (*finally* Updated 04/19)
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