"You've been collected" (sessions 4 and 5)
Session 4 was short, so I'm combining them.
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Jogdush, Elana and Jander are hiding out in the woods, waiting for some sign from Hanna.
One night a man walks into their cam, through the wards that Elana placed around the camp (these wards were passive only) and asks if he and his companion could share thier fire. The group looks this man up and down and don't know what to make of him; except Jander, who recognizes the man's color shifting coat.
The group agrees to let the man nd his companion come into camp. In walks a woman who is very small- ~5'0". She introduces herself as Moiraine Demondred and the man as Lan.
The PC's recognize the name of Demondred as the same as the king of Carhien, and they seem to recall that a cousin went to the White Tower to train as an Aes Sedai.
Moiraine sits and tells the group that they will be leaving in the morning to catch a boat that is waiting for them to take them to Carhien. The group asks her what she's talking about, and she smiling tells then that there's a few people in the woods here about that would like to know where they were. Or, on the other hand, they can allow themselves to be "collected" and help her in her work. She explains to them that she's part of the Blue Ajah, and that she opposes anything the Dark One tries to accomplish, and she would like their help.
The realize that they really don't have much choice in the matter, and agree to go to Carhien with her. They then ask her about what to do about Hanna. Moiraine says that Hanna will be found and sent along.
That night, the PC's are awaken by Lan sitting on top of Jander, twisting his arm and saying "don't struggle and it won't hurt." Moiraine send Jogdush and Elana away for a few minutes to talk to Jander. When the two come back, Jander is very pale and withdrawn. They decide not to ask any questions.
The group travels to Carhien. On the way, they learn that Artimesia has been blamed for something, and is working some sort of penance before she can continue her training.
They arrive in Carhien, and Moiraine sets them up in a nice inn, paying a month in advance. She tells them to sit tight until she can send them word about wht she needs done.
After Lan and Moiraine leave, Jogdush and Elana tear Jander a new one for trying to ditch out on them. He apologises, and promises to make it up to them.
END SESSION 4
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Three days later, Hana shows up, saying she had received a stange message with some money for boat fair, saying she would meet her friends in Carhien at
The Golden Fiddle.
While waiting for Moiraine's message, the group hears the following rumours:
- The followers of the Prophet were turned away from Far Madding and are heading towards Andor
- It rained frogs in Shienar for 3 hours... all over the kingdom.
During this time, Jander is drinking- A LOT. Everyday until he passes out, and then when he wakes up, he drinks more. He doesn't say what's wrong, and is barely responsive- even towards Hanna, whom he usually jokes around with all the time.
After a couple of days, a young woman delivers a message from Moiraine:
There's two things to check out: there's been dissaperances in the shanty town outside the walls of Carhien, and there's a group of people that are buying up all the corn and corn futures and increasing the prices to the point of starvation.
Investigate both, but in whatever order you decide is best.
-M.
The group decides to investigate the corn deals. They start gathering information in one of the markets in the city. They come up with the name "Marta Reng" and find out that Marta's been involved with agriculture for years.
They decide to go to another market, to get whatever fresh info they can find. Along the way, they come up with a cover story: They're going to head a colonizing effort and need access to a food supply.
When they arrive at another corn merchant and tell their story, the merchant decides he wants to invest and starts asking questions. Questions that forces them to answer quickly and keep it all together. Eventually, they work out another name- Lord Tashim Davere.
The PC's decide that they'll see Lord Davere in the morning and head for home. Along the way, Jogdush notices someone that looks familiar and chases her. He eventually sees her go into a taverrn that's a little seedy, and recognizes his sister Renala.
They argue about her being away from home; everytime he comes up with an argument about why she should go home, she counters it. They eventually come to an impasse and he takes her with him to
The Golden Fiddle.
When they arrive, Elana recognizes the girl as the messenger from the other day. They question her and she tells them that she's working for Moiraine as a servent/messenger, and was left here to wait untiil Moiraine get's back. Jogdush comes down hard on Renala, so much that Elana take him aside to tell him off a little... it has no effect.
While the're talking, a servent comes in to deliver a message- its from Lord Davere, saying he wanted to invest in the colony effort and asks them to attend him in the morning.
They convince Jander not to get drunk tonight (Hanna's right hook is good for keeping the booze away), and he says he'll sweet talk thier way into Davere's confidence. He seems to come out of his funk a little- at least enough to flirt outrageously with Renala.
That night, after Jander teaches Renala how to gamble, Hanna talks to the owner, saying that there would be consequences if Jander got a hold of any booze. She tips him 5 silver pennies and he agrees.
The next day, Jander comes down from his room in his best outfit and with his moustache VERY neatly oiled and curled. He "tsk tsks" Renala's clothes and takes her shopping, Hanna tags along and is very amused at Jander's flirtation with Renala.
While the others are shopping, Elana and Jogdush decide to gather whatever info that can get on Lord Davere. They find out that Davere is the 3rd son of the High Lord Davere and that his family's name is synonymous with corn and wheat.
When they arrive at Davere's "office" (a very rich room in an inn), they see that Davere is VERY short- he has a tall chiar and lifts on his shoes. He also talks loudly, like he's trying to sound bigger.
Jander introduces himself and his "wife" (Renala), his friends (Goodman and Goodwoman Jogdush), and their spinster friend (for whom they're looking for a husband).
The verbal sparring starts. Jander seems to be getting the upperhand when Davere drops the bomb- he tells them that if they don't let him invest, and then kick back all of the profits from the colony, he'll have Jander arrested and sent back to Illian.
Jander is shaken and asks for a day to decide. Davere agrees and Jander drags Renala out with him, the others follow.
At the Inn, Jander suggests that they kill Davere. But not before torturing him into telling them what's going on with the corn and who's involved in the gouging. Elana and Jogdush object (for both moral and practical reasons). They argue back and forth, with Hanna saying that a quick death would probably solve more problems than create new.
Jander get's huffy and sits in the corner and calls for booze. Renala sits next to him and they talk while the other's discuss what to do next. Renala convinces Jander that assassination isn't the way to go, and he agrees.
the group decides that they'll write a letter asking for their pardon for not keeping thier appointment in the morning, and then investigating the disappearances- seeing that they've come up against a wall.
The following night, the group splits up (Jander and Renala covering the Southern shanties; Jogdush, Elana and hanna taking the north), and patrols. They find out that the Guard doesn't care about who's missing and don't even patrol the area at night. Consequently, the PC's are seen as a de facto police force, and are accepted quite readily.
A little after midnight, they hear a scream and rush to investigate. They see an old man being dragged into an alley by two shabby men, and start to attack.
The first man falls to the ground, dead. Elana, while rushing to heal one of her friends, shouts that they need the other alive. Jogdush, with the head of the dead man still attached to his pike, bashes it against the head of the other man, who falls down, unconscious. They find a note saying:
Quota- 4. By Friday. Meet at usual place. *signed* Bargle
After admonishing the old man for going out alone, the group waits for the other man to come to while hiding. When the man wakes up, they follow him to a shack that's about five miles outside the city.
Hanna sneaks up to th shack and sees two men being served food by a young boy. She then sneaks down a path on the other side of the shack down to an old well. She hears two people crying down inside, and sees a metal grate attached to the well.
She sneaks back to the others and they decide what to do- frontal assault.
As they bash their way into the shack, they take down the furthest man, knocking him out. The second man takes a couple of rounds before he's knocked out. However, while they were concentrating on that one, the boy has grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the first man dead- and then some- while shouting about how they abused him.
The boy rushed for the other, but they stop him... and then intimidate him into keeping quiet.
While Jogdush and Elana are dealing with the boy, Hanna goes to the well and breaks open the lock on the grate, rescuing two people.
The unconscious man comes to and Elana and Jogdush are able to get the man to talk. They were kidnapping people and selling them to a Fade.
After searching the shack, they find a lot of cash and some letters of credit, signed by Marta Reng, for the purchase of a lot of corn. Hanna takes the two prisoners back to the city, and assign the boy the task of finding out who Bargle is (mostly to get rid of him. His father was killed when he was kidnapped and he doesn't have anywhere to go). They agree to meet the boy (Jak) in a few hours. She also sets out to find Jander and Renala to bring them back to help deal with the Fade.
The group decide that they want to see where the Fade is based, and plan to follow it. That night the Fade comes, but sees that something's wrong. It investigates the well (empty) and the shack (with two bodies- they let the boy kill the other abuser). It then rushes to the nearest shadow and vanishes.
The reactions are mixed- Elana, who didn't believe in Fades, is proerly awed; Jogdush wanted to fight it; Hanna is puzzled about what to do next; Renala is terrified; Jander acts disappointed that he didn't get to kill it.
At this point, the group isn't sure what to do. They stay in the shanty town to make sure that there were no more dissapearances (which there weren't).
At this point, Jander says that they should bargain with Davere, using the letter of credit. They'll threaten to discredit Marta as a darkfriend, and use the connection between Marta and Davere against him.
When they get to Davere's, Jander is in fine form. He whips out the letters and proposes the deal. Davere agrees that they can make a deal, and offers them a favor in the future. The group agrees, but hold back one letter as insurence.
The group goes back to the Innt o wait for Moiraine. While they're waiting Marta Reng's holdings throughout the city suddenly start on fire at the same time. Also, letters and other documents are found that "prove" that Reng was plotting to defraud the Crown. She's hanged on the wall as a traitor.
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End.
It was obvious why Artie was not having a good time; she hated her character. Hanna is also much more fight oriented, and that, IMHO, is not Mr. Long's intention for the first couple of games, and that is why we for some reason are following Jander from city to city. (I wanted to stay and do some investigatin') Mr. Long has promised a slaughter fest though. He just won't say what side will do the slaughtering. But till then we will see.
I may have plans for her)- she is an Aes Sedai Accepted away from the Tower, after all 
