Session 13 - The Execution
General Summary
The group spent their time on the road being incredibly productive, for instance, when Celeste rightfully terrorized Alastor for being generally cruel. Kettelwyck, still terrified of Alastor, hid from him as he tried to train him. Calum and Violet sent a few letters together, informing their respective previous places of living that they were going to the Grand Royal Tourney in the Ashlands. They spent three weeks at Hemlocke’s estate, Castle Nightshade, before heading out on the road to Stonemartyr.
When they arrived at the Osrepus, they dropped off their horses at the stables and were informed by Lorian Kettlewyck of the general plans for the next day. He, of course, was to be staying in the Osrepus and would have to attend to a few things with his father. There would be one event going on, a last-chance qualifier held by King Rahaevor, as well as a few show matches, but it would otherwise be a relatively relaxing day as nobles continued to arrive at the event throughout the day. At that, Kettlewyck departs, leaving the group to their own devices.
The party decides to explore a bit, maybe go to the markets, but as they pass through the stables they see a pair of children running out, one a young tiefling girl and the other a human boy. The tiefling girl carries a large longsword, one that looks far too heavy for her to be able to carry and run with. This sword is one Alastor recognizes well, one he had previously mentioned to Calum, which causes him to quickly chase after the children.
He catches the girl, snagging her collar and holding her up like a cat. The group quickly interrogates the children, asking where they were running off to. The girl introduces herself as Astoria Dayne, the daughter of Laurent Dayne, one of the heroes of the Long Winter. The boy is Leonidas Ljonguard, the heir of Lady Leora Ljonguard and the grandson of Lord Paramount Leopold Ljonguard. Together they’re trying to get Leonidas’s tressym kitten which had been stolen. The party, understanding of the kids’ antics, follows the pair and comes to a clearing.
As Astoria tries to wield the sword to impress the group into giving her the tressym back, the party takes a more adult approach with threats and bribes. In quick succession, they’re able to negotiate for the kitten and return it to Leonidas who thanks them. Alastor then offers to walk them through the woods, which had been the kids’ plan in the first place before the whole tressym-debacle. Alastor allows Astoria to hold his hand during this excursion, a strange action for him.
The party releases Astoria Dayne and Leonidas Ljonguard to run off back to their parents. Alastor gives Astoria a copper coin to give to her father, Lord Laurent Dayne of Starfall, with a message informing Laurent that Alastor was at the tournament. Following the encounter, the party went to the markets in order to restock on supplies.
At the markets the party catches the eye of an elven woman in commoner clothes with a Cordilleran pistol attached to her hip. She introduces herself as “Ayda of Highsky,” although it’s clear that she’s lying about her identity. Ayda is an impressive shot with her pistol and informs the group that she’s a competitor at the tournament. She shows the party around a bit and is clearly a bit clueless with her money, but she’s all around harmless and friendly. She speaks with Asha a bit about how her brother is expecting to meet someone named “Asha Rushali,” but does not reveal who that “brother” is.
Eventually the group is interrupted by the presence of Aenyr Daybreak, the royal bastard, who has arrived to fetch his runaway siblings. Ayda of Highsky is revealed to be Princess Aydrea Tandor’thal, not that she was great at hiding it, and the bard playing for coin on the side of the road was revealed to be Prince Lucerys Tandor’thal. Aenyr tells Lucerys not to try to charm him again because their other brother, Crown Prince Carnys Tandor’thal, had told Aenyr to fetch the pair for their father’s competition, which he had dutifully done so—albeit about 20 minutes late. The royals instantly run off, with Aydrea waving goodbye to the group and throwing the coin Lucerys had picked up at Alastor, saying it looked like he needed it since he’d been having a hard day.
Aenyr Daybreak looks the group over, inviting them all to the competition and perhaps a trip to his bedchambers afterwards. Celeste and Calum are slightly enthused at the prospects. As a result, the party makes their way over to the jousting grounds where King Rahaevor “the Ruthless” Tandor’thal awaits.
At the jousting grounds the party sees a plethora of nobles. The royal family, of course, as well as Lord Oswyn Ostavar of the Osrepus (the host of the tournament), Lord Paramount Leopold Ljonguard, members of House Nevertide, and finally members of House Kettlewyck—a surprising inclusion. Lord Justinian Kettlewyck, Lorian Kettlewyck’s father, seemed to be in deep negotiations with Lord Paramount Nictis Nevertide.
When Lorian Kettlewyck sees the party approaching the commoner stands, he waves at them. But as Kettlewyck is known to be, he’s completely unaware of his surroundings. Prince Carnys Tandor’thal, who was walking to his seat in a military stance and using his glaive for support, was the victim of Kettlewyck’s wild waves and the glaive was knocked off balance. The prince fell to his knee. To Violet’s trained medical eyes, she could tell that the prince likely walked with a limp, one well-disguised, but not balancable after an unexpected motion like Kettlewyck’s wave.
Immediately a hush falls over the crowd. Eye fixed on the prince, kneeling, one hand gripping the glaive for balance. Striking the prince—now that is a crime. One that cannot stand. Kettlewyck begins to profusely apologize, but cuts himself off swiftly. Aenyr Daybreak, the bastard, is the first to rush to his trueborn brother, hoisting the prince onto his feet. The fall is easy enough to play off for Prince Carnys, his face is still, but as he rises, so does the king.
King Rahaevor “the Ruthless” Tandor’thal II is imposing, he stands tall and broad. His cloak is blood red, a symbol of his prior duties as the Captain of the Crimson Cloaks. Despite being a noble, his boots are in a military style, he wears armor rather than ceremonial royal robes. King Rahaevor stepped forward, and gestured to Lorian Kettlewyck to approach him. A brief conversation is held between the two. But the outcome is all the same, both men leave from opposite sides of the stands towards the center of the jousting arena.
The king announces that he and Kettlewyck had come to an agreement. For Kettlewyck’s crime of striking the crown prince, he would usually be sentenced to a trial by combat. But, the king was feeling generous, instead offering absolution in the form of one strike in return. A blow for a blow, a fair trade. Or so he implied.
The king reached on his back for his sword, the one known as Conquest. The sword was made of two blades fused as one. The sword of Vy’shera II, a volcanic blade forged in Forbann’s Peak through conquest and cruelty. The other blade is a vorpal sword, sharp to the touch which cuts through flesh like butter. When sunlight struck its side, its gleam was burning.
Kettlewyck’s eyes widened for the last time as Conquest descended. It was not a swing struck merely to punish—but to show a message. This is what happens when you dare to disrespect House Tandor’thal. Flesh parted along the neck and the first spatter of red arced through the sky. A gasp ran through the crowd, followed by stunned silence.
And as the last twitch faded from Kettlewyck’s hands, the king sheathed Conquest with a soft, final clang, and the party realized that there was no longer a man before them—only a body.
When they arrived at the Osrepus, they dropped off their horses at the stables and were informed by Lorian Kettlewyck of the general plans for the next day. He, of course, was to be staying in the Osrepus and would have to attend to a few things with his father. There would be one event going on, a last-chance qualifier held by King Rahaevor, as well as a few show matches, but it would otherwise be a relatively relaxing day as nobles continued to arrive at the event throughout the day. At that, Kettlewyck departs, leaving the group to their own devices.
The party decides to explore a bit, maybe go to the markets, but as they pass through the stables they see a pair of children running out, one a young tiefling girl and the other a human boy. The tiefling girl carries a large longsword, one that looks far too heavy for her to be able to carry and run with. This sword is one Alastor recognizes well, one he had previously mentioned to Calum, which causes him to quickly chase after the children.
He catches the girl, snagging her collar and holding her up like a cat. The group quickly interrogates the children, asking where they were running off to. The girl introduces herself as Astoria Dayne, the daughter of Laurent Dayne, one of the heroes of the Long Winter. The boy is Leonidas Ljonguard, the heir of Lady Leora Ljonguard and the grandson of Lord Paramount Leopold Ljonguard. Together they’re trying to get Leonidas’s tressym kitten which had been stolen. The party, understanding of the kids’ antics, follows the pair and comes to a clearing.
As Astoria tries to wield the sword to impress the group into giving her the tressym back, the party takes a more adult approach with threats and bribes. In quick succession, they’re able to negotiate for the kitten and return it to Leonidas who thanks them. Alastor then offers to walk them through the woods, which had been the kids’ plan in the first place before the whole tressym-debacle. Alastor allows Astoria to hold his hand during this excursion, a strange action for him.
The party releases Astoria Dayne and Leonidas Ljonguard to run off back to their parents. Alastor gives Astoria a copper coin to give to her father, Lord Laurent Dayne of Starfall, with a message informing Laurent that Alastor was at the tournament. Following the encounter, the party went to the markets in order to restock on supplies.
At the markets the party catches the eye of an elven woman in commoner clothes with a Cordilleran pistol attached to her hip. She introduces herself as “Ayda of Highsky,” although it’s clear that she’s lying about her identity. Ayda is an impressive shot with her pistol and informs the group that she’s a competitor at the tournament. She shows the party around a bit and is clearly a bit clueless with her money, but she’s all around harmless and friendly. She speaks with Asha a bit about how her brother is expecting to meet someone named “Asha Rushali,” but does not reveal who that “brother” is.
Eventually the group is interrupted by the presence of Aenyr Daybreak, the royal bastard, who has arrived to fetch his runaway siblings. Ayda of Highsky is revealed to be Princess Aydrea Tandor’thal, not that she was great at hiding it, and the bard playing for coin on the side of the road was revealed to be Prince Lucerys Tandor’thal. Aenyr tells Lucerys not to try to charm him again because their other brother, Crown Prince Carnys Tandor’thal, had told Aenyr to fetch the pair for their father’s competition, which he had dutifully done so—albeit about 20 minutes late. The royals instantly run off, with Aydrea waving goodbye to the group and throwing the coin Lucerys had picked up at Alastor, saying it looked like he needed it since he’d been having a hard day.
Aenyr Daybreak looks the group over, inviting them all to the competition and perhaps a trip to his bedchambers afterwards. Celeste and Calum are slightly enthused at the prospects. As a result, the party makes their way over to the jousting grounds where King Rahaevor “the Ruthless” Tandor’thal awaits.
At the jousting grounds the party sees a plethora of nobles. The royal family, of course, as well as Lord Oswyn Ostavar of the Osrepus (the host of the tournament), Lord Paramount Leopold Ljonguard, members of House Nevertide, and finally members of House Kettlewyck—a surprising inclusion. Lord Justinian Kettlewyck, Lorian Kettlewyck’s father, seemed to be in deep negotiations with Lord Paramount Nictis Nevertide.
When Lorian Kettlewyck sees the party approaching the commoner stands, he waves at them. But as Kettlewyck is known to be, he’s completely unaware of his surroundings. Prince Carnys Tandor’thal, who was walking to his seat in a military stance and using his glaive for support, was the victim of Kettlewyck’s wild waves and the glaive was knocked off balance. The prince fell to his knee. To Violet’s trained medical eyes, she could tell that the prince likely walked with a limp, one well-disguised, but not balancable after an unexpected motion like Kettlewyck’s wave.
Immediately a hush falls over the crowd. Eye fixed on the prince, kneeling, one hand gripping the glaive for balance. Striking the prince—now that is a crime. One that cannot stand. Kettlewyck begins to profusely apologize, but cuts himself off swiftly. Aenyr Daybreak, the bastard, is the first to rush to his trueborn brother, hoisting the prince onto his feet. The fall is easy enough to play off for Prince Carnys, his face is still, but as he rises, so does the king.
King Rahaevor “the Ruthless” Tandor’thal II is imposing, he stands tall and broad. His cloak is blood red, a symbol of his prior duties as the Captain of the Crimson Cloaks. Despite being a noble, his boots are in a military style, he wears armor rather than ceremonial royal robes. King Rahaevor stepped forward, and gestured to Lorian Kettlewyck to approach him. A brief conversation is held between the two. But the outcome is all the same, both men leave from opposite sides of the stands towards the center of the jousting arena.
The king announces that he and Kettlewyck had come to an agreement. For Kettlewyck’s crime of striking the crown prince, he would usually be sentenced to a trial by combat. But, the king was feeling generous, instead offering absolution in the form of one strike in return. A blow for a blow, a fair trade. Or so he implied.
The king reached on his back for his sword, the one known as Conquest. The sword was made of two blades fused as one. The sword of Vy’shera II, a volcanic blade forged in Forbann’s Peak through conquest and cruelty. The other blade is a vorpal sword, sharp to the touch which cuts through flesh like butter. When sunlight struck its side, its gleam was burning.
Kettlewyck’s eyes widened for the last time as Conquest descended. It was not a swing struck merely to punish—but to show a message. This is what happens when you dare to disrespect House Tandor’thal. Flesh parted along the neck and the first spatter of red arced through the sky. A gasp ran through the crowd, followed by stunned silence.
And as the last twitch faded from Kettlewyck’s hands, the king sheathed Conquest with a soft, final clang, and the party realized that there was no longer a man before them—only a body.
Report Date
07 Jul 2026
