Session 1: A Great Conspiracy Report

The day is the 12th of Bregad in the year 3468. All five members of the party- Ballisar Ekarin, Calista Artayin, Auron Crowe, Azidael Nek’ekitarn, and the Wayfarer, are in the city of Pyrgoros. The exact reason of their presence is known only to themselves. However, the coronation of Empress Cesstecia Mitras has guided them toward the city.

It began with a knock at the door of Reinhardt Grey, known by all around him as the Wayfarer. He shifted himself up from bed and slowly stepped to the door. His ward, Aragos, was there to meet him, already prepared for the day ahead. “Are we not taking the field this morning?” he asked, staring up the groggy demeanor of the Wayfarer. Grey stood in the threshold, silent, and nodded his head. It was a wise thing to prepare before a match at arms, since at noon he would be fighting in the Prantrason Traebonar. The two of them gathered up what supplies were necessary and began travelling the short distance to a small grass park where warriors could spar and train. It was mown and enclosed by a wooden fence.

Aragos stepped forward and hoisted up a timber pole for training purposes. All the while, he asked the Wayfarer about the tournament at noon and his prospects. The Wayfarer, still burdened by the sleep in his eyes, responded in dreary and simple terms. Once the timbers were set, the Wayfarer ran a first pass, and the lighter Astorian lance slipped from his hand. Aragos rushed over to assist, then set up the timber once again. He advised the Wayfarer to use the lance overhead, as the Astorians did, in order to achieve greater accuracy. The Wayfarer did this, but was unused to the balance- it broke in his grasp when it struck the wooden pole, injuring his hand with splinters. Aragos rushed over once more and helped his mentor remedy the injuries. He was surprised by the poor performance.

However, whilst they trained and spoke, both failed to notice spectators gathering around the edge of the enclosure. A number of them were citizens and other paupers of insignificance, but among them was another man encased in armor and surrounded by a close retinue. Aragos and the Wayfarer paused, watching them, and they watching the Wayfarer and Aragos. A breed of silent expectancy filled the air, and the Wayfarer approached them. The leader of that group introduced himself as Marsen Kohner, a former member of the Order of the Iron Circle. He had abandoned the order after the fall of the Corgastorian realm and degradation of the Last Light. His retinue and he took up the newly formed tournament circuit with heraldry of an Iron Circle with a mountain within it.

The man challenged the Wayfarer to a bit of sport sparring. They fight, and the Wayfarer wins by grabbing the man’s arm and pinning it behind his back. While he admits defeat, Marsen complains that it was dishonorable to grapple with an opponent in such a manner. His retinue assists him off the field and he leaves with vengeance upon his lips.

Elsewhere in Pyrgoros, Azidael and Auron begin their day by taking to the streets. They walk for some time before they step onto the scene of two murders. Two Atamani, garbed in their traditional linen robes, lie dead in the street, throats slit clean. The pair speak with those who have gathered around, but nobody seems to know the circumstances nor can identify the murderer.

Ballisar Ekarin is also active, and wakes up from his personal dwelling in the far blocks of Pyrgoros. He equips his armor and straps the sword upon his side. After a lengthy walk through the city streets, Ballisar arrived at the Prantrason Lysandron, or the palace where the Emperors and Empresses of Astoria hold court and govern. He traversed to the lower levels of the fortress, and was there met by Lyndos Tehres Kyron, the commander of the Dramana and his superior. The man told Ballisar about the tensions in the city, and bid he gather man and begin patrolling the streets. He does so promptly.

Ballisar and his lance march through the streets, breaking up gatherings of foreigners and maintaining order. Along the way, they come upon Azidael and Auron, along with the two corpses. They speak for a time about the murders, who committed them, and other such business. Ballisar disperses the gawking crowd and orders his troops scour the nearby houses and alleys. Seven troops depart while Ballisar speaks with Azidael and Auron. Five return.

Fight between Azidael and Hirriat in the housing block.

Azidael is heavily wounded, so they wait on the ground floor of one of the houses for an hour or two. Ballisar speaks with Azidael and Auron about their purpose in Pyrgoros, etc.

At the far end of town, near the gates, Calista Artayin, an Atamani women, and her brother Pazit enter the city with their retinue. They wander the city for a long while, examining the wonders and people. They eventually reach the Taras Astoria, a great plaza in the heart of the city where the Emperors and Empresses of Astoria are honored by great braziers. They examine them and enjoy the scenery, but on the far side of the plaza a problem was stirring. A number of heavily armored Astorians were gathered alongside some Atamani. In the midst of the group was a pair of Astorian soldiers, dead and with their throats slit. The leader of the Astorian group was interrogating the crowd, but gathering no useful information. In anger, he ordered the arrest of all the surrounding Atamani. The majority of the Atamani could not understand the language of the Astorians, and were thus confused and terrified when troops began to gather them. Pazit, who well understood Astorian, rallied a large group of 20 to 30 Atamani for an escape. They began to ride through the streets of the city with the Dramana and Astorian troops charging at their backs!

Azidael, Auron, and Ballisar travel to the tournament in Prantrason Traebonar to seek out the next acts of assailant. They watch the first round of battle, including Marsen and the Wayfarer in the fray. It is a brutal and generally clumsy affair. The Wayfarer sidesteps a lance, which decimates a nearby opponent, then goes to work clubbing said opponent with the shattered lance. Across the field the story is the same- brutality and chaos. The crowd roared with immense entertainment.

However, as the proceedings continued, Ballisar and the others began to hear a deep rumble move its way toward them. It was nothing notable at first, perhaps the tremors of the fighting below, but it soon grew well beyond the bounds of the arena. Auron and Ballisar stepped out of the viewing box and walked down the stairs to the ground floor. Riding toward the open gates of the Prantrason Traebonar was a horde of riders, no fewer than 30 of the folk barreling their way forward. Behind them was another gathering of riders, however they wore the purple of Astoria. Ballisar recognized the Dramana, and used Vojûn to blast fire into the oncoming riders. Two riders were unhorsed and killed, and two more were wounded. This only panicked the fleeing Atamani further, who stampeded forward with shrill cries of terror. They burst past Auron and Ballisar and into the arena.