Ashe C2 Episode 7 - Insignia of House Quail
Previously on Liters of Tomorrow
Wes and Crashe traveled with two member of the Red Wulves fighter guild to apprehend the dangerous dwarven criminal known as Revlar Groundtooth. Revlar and his band of rogues had been stealing coaches and carriages laden with goods worth thousands of gold. The bounty on Revlar's head was getting too big to ignore.
The crew rode on horseback to the small mining town of Vela'Rus to begin their investigation. Scouring the bars and taverns for likely sources they learned of some smugglers who operated in the mining guild. These smugglers knew of a secret glen that was often used by those who operate outside of the law. Worried about the danger Revlar brought to their own illicit operation they were happy to point the bounty hunters in Revlar's direction.
With some landmarks and basic descriptions Wes used his Ranger experience to locate the Black Leaf Glen. In the clearing the team found the small band of dwarven rangers and several carriages they had stolen, even some murdered townsfolk. They engaged in battle with Wes and crashe maneuvering to make it look like they had a larger force. Balia and Wes rained down arrows on the dwarves utilizing some environmental hazards like explosive barrels and a keg of tanglefoot near the dwarves position.
Ondar Greybeard the highest ranking Red Wulf made his way down into the glen to capture Revlar but immediately found himself overmatched. His foot shorn off by heavy scimitar by one of the dwarves he was knocked prone and grappled. Revlar attempting to scare the bounty hunters cleaved Ondar's head off, laughing as he did it.
Alarmed but now determined, Wes, Crashe and Balia steeled themselves and came out victorious with Revlar captured but alive as well as one of his cohorts. They inventoried the carriages and the cargo and decided to load up two of them to return to the owners in Porsk. With that they used the horses in the clearing to hitch them up and make their way north to Porsk.
Plot points/Scenes
Main Outline -
Start at the Red Wulves offices as they truss up Revlar Groundtooth and place him a prison cell. His right hand man Dulcimer is there as well still covered in Tanglefoot.
Conversation with the Red Wulves and their payment, Balia will be in town for another day. She is still upset over the loss of Ondar Greybeard and the other Red Wulves arrange a small funeral ritual involving hanging his shield on the wall of remembrance.
As you enter the wide one story building that is the offices of the fighter's guild known as the Red Wulves, you notice the smell. Like a popular gym that is occasionally spritzed with a lavendar scented spray. The smell of sweat and well worn leather permeates the area. you step into a A wide common room with dozens of taxidermied trophy heads on the walls. A wyvern, a hippogriff, as well as several more dangerous species like a displacer beast and an owlbear. Six other members share a drink and some stories, they are all armored and carry weapons of all types. Balia prods forward Revlar and Dulcimer, both of whom are gagged and manacled. A guildmaster comes over to Balia and quickly scans her badge and ascertains her rank "Corporal what have you brought us today?" Balia unfurls a bounty notice and points at the reward of 100 gold. The guildmaster laughs and says "Of course I should have smelled him when you brought him into town! Nice work you three!" From here a human man [Paulie Hench] begins to pester Crashe and goads him into a fight. If Crashe takes him on and wins he will gain the rank of corporal as well and be given a proper badge.
The Tavern -
No matter which tavern the team decides to go to they will encounter folks talking about San Cisco being in town. San Cisco is a famous adventuring team that has made it's mark in the last five years or so. Led by the fire genasi man known as Atullah San and his partner Cisco Kwellian the adventuring has just returned from their last mission which was destroying a dangerous cult in the far west and their leader a woman named Carabella. [DM Note: the rest of their team is a goblin sorceror named Ristellius, a tabaxi man with black and orange stripes named Flower on Rock, and a human woman who looks like a young susan sarandon named Mad Maddeline. It is said that Atullah San and Cisco are both escaped slaves from the Coven Realms who gathered a small army in rebellion. When they lost they boarded boats for Tellenheim.]
The bar is packed with laborers, sailors, and the occasional fan of San Cisco. Young teenagers come in to see the team and hear the stories. Eventually the team is approached by a valet from House Quail with a message written in the Baroness' hand writing. An invitation to a party taking place this very night.
Premalkin Po -
Po finds Wes and begins to pester him about the unicorn and his missing men. Wes can do a perception check to see ravens in town.
The team are summoned to House Quail Manor to meet with Baroness Gillian Quail. She wants to thank them for their service to the town of Porsk and House Quail by returning the goods and money that Revlar Stole. An invitation to a party is delivered to the party by a messenger as they move about the town. "To the brave and clever sell swords who served Porsk and the honor of House Quail: Please join us for a small engagement this evening in the Ninth hour. "
The Party of Whispers and secrets -
House Quail Manor - The Quails have taken the ancient building known as the Greykeep Orrery. It used to be a convent for a collection of friars who worshipped Corsun. They used the orrery to predict weather events and cosmological events. This was in the second age the knowledge of how to do all of these things is lost. The bedrooms and offices in the last few thousand years have been consistently upgraded for comfort and opulence as many ruling organizations have used the old orrery for a governmental hub.
As you walk up to the large gray stone building you see a large glass dome at the top with bronze metalwork ribs. A device with large orbs slowly moves underneath it. On the well manicured lawn before you studded with immaculately trimmed rectangular bushes are four well armed guards outfitted with tabards with House Quail sigil on them. They signal you forward and look at your invitations. A few other guests come forward from the street all of whom are dressed in the finest silk shirts and dresses. They glance at you and quickly turn away as they see the leather and metal of your outfits. One of the guards barks at you "Leave your weapons, they are not allowed in." but the valet you saw this afternoon interrupts him "Now now these are guests of the baroness and are friends of House Quail, they may do as they please." His name is
Find Messendria Quail
The baroness has put together this party to reward the team but is also concerned about her missing daughter and she thinks some clever mercenaries may make short work of the mystery without giving the perpetrators any leverage on her. Her spies think the girl was taken by Colkuchek Bom who wants to use the missing girl to force the baroness to vote for increased power by the Council of Elders. It is possible that Bom has allied himself with the dwarven clan of raspgrinder who seek to oust the Quails. There is an old abandoned mining town west of Porsk that they could be using as a hideout. Reports from the last few years also tell of an infestation of Mossdogs and sporeback frogs.
Porsk and House Quail -
The town is under the rule of House Quail and has been for almost 400 years. At this point the rule is almost ceremonial like many of the cities and towns of the Eigerlands. The current head of the house in Porsk is the Baroness Gillian Offerdahl Quail. She is an older human woman but fiercely intelligent. Her current goal is to fend off the takeover of the main government by a group of dwarven ministers from Stoneport. She also has taken a strange man as her Paramour by the name Ionn Castaliogne. [DM Note: he is one of the Fallen in disguise, he has inserted himself in House Quail in order to acquire pieces for his device. A weapon to fire into the shard moon to create a shatterfall!]
The main administrators of the town are the council of Elders. A millenia old organization that has changed into an elected series of ministers. The current council is made up of five local officials. Gaspar Render, Celia Blomkampf, Vickel Rumpus, Naspo Rahm, and Colkuchek Bom. They are all currently being feted by a dwarven delegation from Stoneport to rewrite the town charter and remove any allegiance to the Five Houses of Penthos. They seek better trade deals and to cut out the city of Penthos from the Eigerlands.
The counter offer by the Dwarves -
During the party they will be introduced to a well dressed dwarven man named Weller Raspgrinder. He is 5'3" and dressed in burgundy and black dinner attire. A coat with a pin on the label featuring a pickaxe and a badger that signifies his clan. "Hello lads you have returned much of my property that was taken by the scoundrel known as Revlar Groundtooth." He is quite pleased but would like to add that he warns them from taking up with House Quail. He mentions that he and his family are trying hard to remove the Quails from the government here as well as all of the corrupt houses of the East. He mentions the idea of an Eigerlands free of the great houses and even the ETC. These groups have been fighting over the control of commerce for millenia. He mentions that the girl is a runaway and is trying to extricate herself from the Quail family and run off with her elven boyfriend, Nicovar Thelypteris. If she is actually taken and held prisoner maybe they could help her and send her on her way instead of helping out the baroness. Or she is running off with Nicovar and if the team does find her help her get on a boat and sail off to Ventenheim. Anything to hurt the Quails is fine with him.
Start at the Red Wulves offices as they truss up Revlar Groundtooth and place him a prison cell. His right hand man Dulcimer is there as well still covered in Tanglefoot.
Conversation with the Red Wulves and their payment, Balia will be in town for another day. She is still upset over the loss of Ondar Greybeard and the other Red Wulves arrange a small funeral ritual involving hanging his shield on the wall of remembrance.
As you enter the wide one story building that is the offices of the fighter's guild known as the Red Wulves, you notice the smell. Like a popular gym that is occasionally spritzed with a lavendar scented spray. The smell of sweat and well worn leather permeates the area. you step into a A wide common room with dozens of taxidermied trophy heads on the walls. A wyvern, a hippogriff, as well as several more dangerous species like a displacer beast and an owlbear. Six other members share a drink and some stories, they are all armored and carry weapons of all types. Balia prods forward Revlar and Dulcimer, both of whom are gagged and manacled. A guildmaster comes over to Balia and quickly scans her badge and ascertains her rank "Corporal what have you brought us today?" Balia unfurls a bounty notice and points at the reward of 100 gold. The guildmaster laughs and says "Of course I should have smelled him when you brought him into town! Nice work you three!" From here a human man [Paulie Hench] begins to pester Crashe and goads him into a fight. If Crashe takes him on and wins he will gain the rank of corporal as well and be given a proper badge.
The Tavern -
No matter which tavern the team decides to go to they will encounter folks talking about San Cisco being in town. San Cisco is a famous adventuring team that has made it's mark in the last five years or so. Led by the fire genasi man known as Atullah San and his partner Cisco Kwellian the adventuring has just returned from their last mission which was destroying a dangerous cult in the far west and their leader a woman named Carabella. [DM Note: the rest of their team is a goblin sorceror named Ristellius, a tabaxi man with black and orange stripes named Flower on Rock, and a human woman who looks like a young susan sarandon named Mad Maddeline. It is said that Atullah San and Cisco are both escaped slaves from the Coven Realms who gathered a small army in rebellion. When they lost they boarded boats for Tellenheim.]
The bar is packed with laborers, sailors, and the occasional fan of San Cisco. Young teenagers come in to see the team and hear the stories. Eventually the team is approached by a valet from House Quail with a message written in the Baroness' hand writing. An invitation to a party taking place this very night.
Premalkin Po -
Po finds Wes and begins to pester him about the unicorn and his missing men. Wes can do a perception check to see ravens in town.
The team are summoned to House Quail Manor to meet with Baroness Gillian Quail. She wants to thank them for their service to the town of Porsk and House Quail by returning the goods and money that Revlar Stole. An invitation to a party is delivered to the party by a messenger as they move about the town. "To the brave and clever sell swords who served Porsk and the honor of House Quail: Please join us for a small engagement this evening in the Ninth hour. "
The Party of Whispers and secrets -
House Quail Manor - The Quails have taken the ancient building known as the Greykeep Orrery. It used to be a convent for a collection of friars who worshipped Corsun. They used the orrery to predict weather events and cosmological events. This was in the second age the knowledge of how to do all of these things is lost. The bedrooms and offices in the last few thousand years have been consistently upgraded for comfort and opulence as many ruling organizations have used the old orrery for a governmental hub.
As you walk up to the large gray stone building you see a large glass dome at the top with bronze metalwork ribs. A device with large orbs slowly moves underneath it. On the well manicured lawn before you studded with immaculately trimmed rectangular bushes are four well armed guards outfitted with tabards with House Quail sigil on them. They signal you forward and look at your invitations. A few other guests come forward from the street all of whom are dressed in the finest silk shirts and dresses. They glance at you and quickly turn away as they see the leather and metal of your outfits. One of the guards barks at you "Leave your weapons, they are not allowed in." but the valet you saw this afternoon interrupts him "Now now these are guests of the baroness and are friends of House Quail, they may do as they please." His name is
Find Messendria Quail
The baroness has put together this party to reward the team but is also concerned about her missing daughter and she thinks some clever mercenaries may make short work of the mystery without giving the perpetrators any leverage on her. Her spies think the girl was taken by Colkuchek Bom who wants to use the missing girl to force the baroness to vote for increased power by the Council of Elders. It is possible that Bom has allied himself with the dwarven clan of raspgrinder who seek to oust the Quails. There is an old abandoned mining town west of Porsk that they could be using as a hideout. Reports from the last few years also tell of an infestation of Mossdogs and sporeback frogs.
Porsk and House Quail -
The town is under the rule of House Quail and has been for almost 400 years. At this point the rule is almost ceremonial like many of the cities and towns of the Eigerlands. The current head of the house in Porsk is the Baroness Gillian Offerdahl Quail. She is an older human woman but fiercely intelligent. Her current goal is to fend off the takeover of the main government by a group of dwarven ministers from Stoneport. She also has taken a strange man as her Paramour by the name Ionn Castaliogne. [DM Note: he is one of the Fallen in disguise, he has inserted himself in House Quail in order to acquire pieces for his device. A weapon to fire into the shard moon to create a shatterfall!]
The main administrators of the town are the council of Elders. A millenia old organization that has changed into an elected series of ministers. The current council is made up of five local officials. Gaspar Render, Celia Blomkampf, Vickel Rumpus, Naspo Rahm, and Colkuchek Bom. They are all currently being feted by a dwarven delegation from Stoneport to rewrite the town charter and remove any allegiance to the Five Houses of Penthos. They seek better trade deals and to cut out the city of Penthos from the Eigerlands.
The counter offer by the Dwarves -
During the party they will be introduced to a well dressed dwarven man named Weller Raspgrinder. He is 5'3" and dressed in burgundy and black dinner attire. A coat with a pin on the label featuring a pickaxe and a badger that signifies his clan. "Hello lads you have returned much of my property that was taken by the scoundrel known as Revlar Groundtooth." He is quite pleased but would like to add that he warns them from taking up with House Quail. He mentions that he and his family are trying hard to remove the Quails from the government here as well as all of the corrupt houses of the East. He mentions the idea of an Eigerlands free of the great houses and even the ETC. These groups have been fighting over the control of commerce for millenia. He mentions that the girl is a runaway and is trying to extricate herself from the Quail family and run off with her elven boyfriend, Nicovar Thelypteris. If she is actually taken and held prisoner maybe they could help her and send her on her way instead of helping out the baroness. Or she is running off with Nicovar and if the team does find her help her get on a boat and sail off to Ventenheim. Anything to hurt the Quails is fine with him.
Structure
Exposition
Crashe Dream #2 -
You wake up in the middle of the night in a wide luxurious bed next to a beautiful elven woman you have never seen before. She is fast asleep and very naked, half covered in an elven silk bed sheet. The room appears to be a large richly furnished room with three tall windows on the wall facing south. The night air is peaceful and the star filled night sky features the two moons in wane. You notice that the middle window is open and partly swung inwards.
The gauzy curtain moves with a warm night breeze. You do not recognize the city outside, you appear to be on the twentieth floor of an enormous palace. The streets below are dotted with luminescent globes and the web of buildings seems to stretch on to the horizon. Roll a perception check….. DC 14.
A shadow moves to your left. You are not alone in here. Roll a dexterity saving throw! A dart flies through the air aimed at your throat. If. Crashe fails he wakes up, if he succeeds he can roll initiative against the assassin. [DM Note: After this dream give Crashe a new fighting maneuver to be used once per day. It adds +2 to his next attack roll.]
Sapphire - A green elven woman runs up to Crashe and Wes confused and begging for help. She only knows that she recognizes the two of them, everything else seems strange and muddled. Even her body feels heavy and slow to her. Once they are out on the road she can recover her memory and transform. Being close to the forest activates her true form. In cities and towns she is cursed to become a green elven woman with none of her unicorn powers!
Sapphire you open your eyes to a world that feels dreary and grey. You remember being back in the feywild with your family and then falling asleep one night. You awoke with a leering face of the witch finishing a ritual over you and your family. She laughs as you struggle to stay awake, but you fail. When you do finally wake up you see a plain grey room and a bucket of water nearby. The room smells of musty rags and spoiled grain. You stumble forward suddenly confused by your center of gravity. In a panic you look down at your legs and see two. Arms with hands and figures fly up to your face and you are not sure how to control them. Roll a dexterity check to try to get this new form under control.
You find yourself in a maid’s closet and bedroom. Your body is dressed in dark brown clothing, a dirty but comfortable shirt and a wide skirt. You take a breath and begin to gather information. Your body is covered in short green hair and your ears feel long and pointed. A thick braid of dark green hair hangs from your head and you determine that you are a green elven woman. Though your thoughts are of your true self Sapphire. There is a door on the northern wall.
As you stumble outside roll a perception check.
The Magical Chest - Remember that Ionn Castaliogne is looking for the chest. He will approach the team at the party and inquire about some missing items from the carriages. This will give them a reason to interact with him and get on his radar.
Archememnon -
You have been sequestered in Vulkellich Manor for weeks now studying in the library there. You have been researching the moons and the shatterfalls that define an age. You are trying to determine when the next one might be. You are also angling to get into the Orrery inside Greykeep but House Quail is not keen on academics coming in to fiddle with things. You sit before a wide oaken desk piled with books and scrolls from the last few thousand years.
The room smells musty and is kept at a cool 65 degrees as is all the interior of the Manor. A docent peeks into the door and tells you some men are here to see you.
Two Assembly of the weave mages approach you. They wear dull dark red robes with gold embroidery on them as well as the symbol of the assembly. The first is a human man in his 50's with a bald head and a cloth cap on, the second is gnome man with grey bushy hair and a goatee. Their names are Rotellich and Mingor.
"Brother Archememnon have you considered our offer to register with the assembly?" "The magicks you are harnessing could very possibly be dangerous. I may not be able to prove your connection to these powers dangerous but someone in the Assembly will eventually. It would be wise to register and focus your abilities in the correct way."
Vulkellich Manor - An ancient mansion that is said to have been built during the second age by the ancient House Vulkellich. These days it is used as a museum and is loosely associated with the assembly of the Weave. They sell tickets to the museum as a way to make a little extra money. Their is an office for the assembly on the ground floor. The mages who staff it are considered exiles or screw ups who pissed off a higher officer.
You wake up in the middle of the night in a wide luxurious bed next to a beautiful elven woman you have never seen before. She is fast asleep and very naked, half covered in an elven silk bed sheet. The room appears to be a large richly furnished room with three tall windows on the wall facing south. The night air is peaceful and the star filled night sky features the two moons in wane. You notice that the middle window is open and partly swung inwards.
The gauzy curtain moves with a warm night breeze. You do not recognize the city outside, you appear to be on the twentieth floor of an enormous palace. The streets below are dotted with luminescent globes and the web of buildings seems to stretch on to the horizon. Roll a perception check….. DC 14.
A shadow moves to your left. You are not alone in here. Roll a dexterity saving throw! A dart flies through the air aimed at your throat. If. Crashe fails he wakes up, if he succeeds he can roll initiative against the assassin. [DM Note: After this dream give Crashe a new fighting maneuver to be used once per day. It adds +2 to his next attack roll.]
Sapphire - A green elven woman runs up to Crashe and Wes confused and begging for help. She only knows that she recognizes the two of them, everything else seems strange and muddled. Even her body feels heavy and slow to her. Once they are out on the road she can recover her memory and transform. Being close to the forest activates her true form. In cities and towns she is cursed to become a green elven woman with none of her unicorn powers!
Sapphire you open your eyes to a world that feels dreary and grey. You remember being back in the feywild with your family and then falling asleep one night. You awoke with a leering face of the witch finishing a ritual over you and your family. She laughs as you struggle to stay awake, but you fail. When you do finally wake up you see a plain grey room and a bucket of water nearby. The room smells of musty rags and spoiled grain. You stumble forward suddenly confused by your center of gravity. In a panic you look down at your legs and see two. Arms with hands and figures fly up to your face and you are not sure how to control them. Roll a dexterity check to try to get this new form under control.
You find yourself in a maid’s closet and bedroom. Your body is dressed in dark brown clothing, a dirty but comfortable shirt and a wide skirt. You take a breath and begin to gather information. Your body is covered in short green hair and your ears feel long and pointed. A thick braid of dark green hair hangs from your head and you determine that you are a green elven woman. Though your thoughts are of your true self Sapphire. There is a door on the northern wall.
As you stumble outside roll a perception check.
The Magical Chest - Remember that Ionn Castaliogne is looking for the chest. He will approach the team at the party and inquire about some missing items from the carriages. This will give them a reason to interact with him and get on his radar.
Archememnon -
You have been sequestered in Vulkellich Manor for weeks now studying in the library there. You have been researching the moons and the shatterfalls that define an age. You are trying to determine when the next one might be. You are also angling to get into the Orrery inside Greykeep but House Quail is not keen on academics coming in to fiddle with things. You sit before a wide oaken desk piled with books and scrolls from the last few thousand years.
The room smells musty and is kept at a cool 65 degrees as is all the interior of the Manor. A docent peeks into the door and tells you some men are here to see you.
Two Assembly of the weave mages approach you. They wear dull dark red robes with gold embroidery on them as well as the symbol of the assembly. The first is a human man in his 50's with a bald head and a cloth cap on, the second is gnome man with grey bushy hair and a goatee. Their names are Rotellich and Mingor.
"Brother Archememnon have you considered our offer to register with the assembly?" "The magicks you are harnessing could very possibly be dangerous. I may not be able to prove your connection to these powers dangerous but someone in the Assembly will eventually. It would be wise to register and focus your abilities in the correct way."
Vulkellich Manor - An ancient mansion that is said to have been built during the second age by the ancient House Vulkellich. These days it is used as a museum and is loosely associated with the assembly of the Weave. They sell tickets to the museum as a way to make a little extra money. Their is an office for the assembly on the ground floor. The mages who staff it are considered exiles or screw ups who pissed off a higher officer.
Conflict
Secret of the Kidnapping-
In the lair of the kidnappers a blond woman of a similar height and build to the baronesses daughter can be seen with the dwarves and humans who are setting all of this up. There is also an enchanted pendant that will make the wearer look exactly like the daughter when worn. Their plan is to replace the daughter with the other woman and possibly assassinate the baroness. The daughter is unaware of this part of the plot but is trying to run away with her boyfriend in a teenage rebellion.Premalkin Po and the Vestal Moth are in charge of this operation hired by the Raspgrinder clan. Po will not be part of the crew but they answer to him.
The thieves for this job are-
Runcullious Scorn - Hobgoblin man very intelligent. Ruddy red skin 3rd level fighter. Triffid Dour - Dwarven man 3rd level rogue, Large black beard huge scar on side of head. Ulia Bane - Human woman 3rd level assassin, dirty blond hair. Westovar Moult - A human man 3rd level fighter, hawk like nose and black hair.
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