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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3844984" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 9, "Trouble in Curigull, June 16th, 1005: Meanwhile, back in Curigull, Silas had gone to the larger of Lord Kohlorahdooh's two fortresses within the town. Once there, he asked to speak to the Captain. He was soon brought before a man named Bennett. Silas explained how he was a fighter, formerly of the Gelorynth Town Guard, who was now in ready for third level. Bennett agreed to apprentice Silas in exchange for most of the treasure that Silas had acquired from the rabbitmen. The Captain appointed his Lieutenant in charge for the next week, and traveled off into the woods with his new apprentice. This turned out to be good timing on Silas's part, because two hours after they left three soldiers arrived on horseback with an urgent message from Lord Kohlorahdooh. The Lordholder had now received reports of his troops being massacred in Gelorynth, Kohlorahdooh City, and at three crossroads. Since the bridge (June 5) was the site of the last attack, the Lord had concluded that the attackers were now at either Curigull or Nottingham, the towns in the northeast part of the Lordholding. The message said that additional troops were on their way to both towns. The message also named Klaaze and Silas as members of the group, as they were recognized in Gelorynth (and Klaaze had given his name at the bridge, where the one guard had been allowed to leave). Since the Lieutenant did not know where his Captain and Silas had gone he felt it best to wait until they returned, or until the additional troops arrived, before taking any action. He did tell his twenty-one men to be on alert. Unknown to the Lieutenant, one of his men was a member of the Thief and Assassins Guild of the Lordholding. The man, Mickey, went to report this to his Guildmaster. She then called a meeting of the Guild. The Guildmaster was an 8th level human thief named Ruth, who posed as the Librarian for Curigull's library. The other members were a 4th level dwarf assassin named Korthe, posing as a soldier for the Curigull Town Lords; a 3rd level dwarf thief named Imok, posing as a leather tanner; a 3rd level human assassin named Shilara, posing as a weapon crafter; a 1st level human thief named Eyvonne, posing as a Clerical Aide at the YON Church; a 1st level elf thief named Belegurth, posing as a carpenter; and the 1st level human thief Mickey. After Mickey relayed the message from Lord Kohlorahdooh, Ruth explained how the Senior Guildmaster in Kohlorahdooh City had contacted her as well. The Guild wanted to find out exactly what was going on, in order to either sell the information to Lord Kohlorahdooh, or to get personally involved, whichever was the most profitable. She told the six guild members to try to get close to any newcomers in town. If it appeared that any newcomers were part of Klaaze and Silas's team, then the Guild would then kidnap them, and torture them for information. After the meeting ended she spoke privately to Belegurth. She told him that two visitors to town, a thief and an assassin, has each sought her out for apprenticeships. She said that a plan was in the works to use them to get Belegurth accepted as a trusted member of their party, from which to get the full inside story, and for him to await further instructions. [DM’s Note #11: The above subplot was actually develped by one of the players, who wanted to introduce a thief into the party who would actually be working against them. We both felt that the party had been bringing too much attention to themselves by now to not become the targets of either a local thieves’ guild or local militia.] June 17th, 1005: The group decided to stay in town for the next week. Phuddipeduzh, Mark, Annie, Timothy, and Natasha all went off to start their apprenticeships for their next level. Beulla and Adajia were both grieving over their lost loved ones (Janet and D.C., respectively). Augustine and Hherrmyie were doing their best to try to console them when Klaaze arrived in town. After a brief debate as to "Who's going to tell him," Hherrmyie was drafted into telling him about Alec. Hherrmyie spent about fifteen minutes avoiding the issue when Augustine finally got impatient and told him "Klaaze, your brother Alec is dead." Klaaze gasped, and exclaimed "ALEC...dead........DID HE LEAVE ME ANYTHING?" "Well, no." answered Hherrmyie. "Figures," said Klaaze, and off he went to a bar. Meanwhile, Vilicus was off looking for some "action" of the female variety. He found that luck was with him for a change, since his first pick-up line worked like a charm. He was invited back to the home of an attractive weapon crafter named Shilara. During dinner he started shooting his mouth off about his recent adventures. She then drugged his drink, and carted her unconscious prisoner over to the Thief and Assassins Guild. June 18th, 1005: Nimmy and Kharole both finish their apprenticeships. Kharole had undergone her apprenticeship from a 6th level female human magician named Aurora. Aurora had studied under the Sage of the Mountains, and claimed to have knowledge about artifacts. Because of this Kharole brought her back to help the party find out about the Rod. Augustine, Nimmy, Hherrmyie, Beulla, Klaaze and Kharole showed Aurora the three rod pieces. She told them the history of the rod: that it was first created by the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, for use in the great battle of Pesh between Chaos and Good. She said that whenever the fully assembled rod's prime powers is used there is a 5% chance that it will disassemble and teleport way, which is apparently how it wound up in the lordholding in the first place. What she did not tell them was that she had found the first piece of the Rod, which had led her to Kharole and Augustine when they first arrived in town. She was very disturbed that this inexperienced group was considering toying around with such a powerful artifact. She was equally disturbed that they were planning to give it Toronas, a self-centered monarch, rather then a magician or sage who would use it responsibly. Aurora said that putting the individual pieces together would only cause minor powers, the specific ones she did not know. Augustine put the four pieces together. Two differences were immediately apparent- his vision was now improved (ultravision), and his had would not release the rod, being fastened to it. Aurora did not expect that to happen, and suggested that they pay a visit to the Sage to try to get it off. June 19th, 1005: It rains all day long, so everybody spends the day indoors. Kharole goes off to buy a mule or pony to help carry the group's packs up the mountains. She comes back with a camel instead, because "I've always wanted to own a camel." Her sister Adajia decides that she has spent enough time mourning her last boyfriend, and goes off to find a new one. She meets a handsome fighter in a bar, a soldier by the name of Mickey. Vilicus is interrogated by Ruth and Shilara. He decides that his big mouth had already gotten him into enough trouble, so he refuses to talk. Silas finishes his apprenticeship period. On the way back to town they run into twenty-five other soldiers marching toward Curigull. As soon as the other Captain begins explaining to Bennett why they are there, Silas realizes that he has overstayed his welcome, and quietly sneaks off into the woods.</blockquote>

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