Episode 9 - A Web in a Windstorm

General Summary

12th of Bleakmarch, 1440 We catch a glimpse of poor, poor Roan Cordelaine, who has been entrapped within the walls of Risevar Town ever since it was seized by The Tambar Rebellion. Sheltering in basements and back alleys, Roan has been forced to sink to terrible lows to survive... and whats worse, the city's rat problem ballooned during the occupation, and Roan's dreams are filled with the scritch-scratching of a thousand tiny rat paws. When he finally managed to escape through the sewers, a small cluster of rats followed him out into the drainage ditch, watching him with unnatural intent as the poor nobleman dragged himself through shit and garbage to reach salvation beyond Risevar's walls. The city would be retaken a few short days later. 1st of Midyear, 1442 Two years later, Roan is once again looking to get out of town as discretely as possible, but for a different reason entirely. Eadvard III is dead, and his brother Beltran Dillestone has left the city under his own colours, claiming that Artigan Dillestone had a hand in the disappearance of Mair Dillestone, the king's bastard and sole living progeny. Artigan, however, is seeking to stabilize the situation before it spirals wildly out of control, and is compelling all nobles in Redehall City to swear allegiance to him before they are swayed by Beltran's fiery rhetoric. Roan, of course, doesn't want to get in the middle of any of this. He just wants to drink and dance and continue being a delight at parties... and to avoid getting dragged into a conflict, he needs to get out of town before the Dillestone soldiers drag him before Artigan. He went to the docks, looking for any potential bodyguards or transportation he could hire, and that's where he spies Jarvin Cadwalader and Kain, who've freshly disembarked from House Ildrafn's ship with a mission from their lord Pendros Ildrafn; find Mair Dillestone and bring her to Rhythavn Castle. Roan ingratiated himself with Kain and Jarvin immediately, and after hiring Telwyn, a carriage driver with a bit of a gambling problem, the quartet were able to escape the city by means of a detour through the Tannery District and a clever (if nauseating) disguise when passing the city guard stationed at the Peasant's Gate. Out in the open countryside of the Barony of Redehall, the quartet set their course for Risevar Town, where Jarvin would take them to a contact of Pendros's... a notorious (and notoriously odd) information broker known as The Marquis of Threads. The day's long journey concluded at a roadside inn within the Barony of Risevar, where the group shared drinks with an out-of-work mercenary band known as The Right Honourable Bastards. Kain immediately joined their table, fishing for information about Annabeth of Risevar, and the mercenaries had indeed met her... but failed to secure work in her Barony. During their dinner together, the tavern was visited by a man bearing Beltran's sigil, seeking to inspire the mercenaries and any other able-bodied fighters into travelling to The Anvil to join Beltran's cause. Some of the Bastards seemed keen to join, but Kain (who had built a rapport with the company over several shared rounds of ale) suggested that staying neutral might be to their benefit this early in the dispute between the Dillestone brothers. 2nd of Midyear, 1442 The group awoke to the sounds of a building rainstorm outside, and Telwyn was quick to get them back in the carriage and on the road again after losing a great deal of his own money to the Bastards in a dice game gone awry (he also sported several fresh bruises from being caught with loaded dice.) By the third bell, the group had arrived at the gates of Risevar Town, and were soon standing before the doors of the Eastgate Tailor's Guild. Within, dozens of tailors and seamstresses worked tirelessly making the finest fashions in all of Banteave. Roan quickly sought out new garments for himself while Kain and Jarvin went to meet with the Marquis, and as he was fitted for a fresh shirt Roan quietly analyzed everything he had seen and witnessed passing between Kain and Jarvin and deduced with great clarity that the two of them were working as agents of House Ildrafn, and were on the hunt for the missing Mair Dillestone! Roan couldn't believe his luck; he had a front row seat to a tale of scandal and subterfuge, one he was now clearly an integral part of, and he'd be the talk of salons all across The Heartlands once they found the Heir and brought peace to the land as great heroes of Banteave. As Roan continued his woefully misguided train of thought, Kain and Jarvin were brought upstairs to the Marquis' private cutting room. The Marquis's reputation for being odd, it turned out, was more than well-founded; the old man of seventy-four winters spoke primarily in riddles with a laugh that seemed far too high for someone of his frame, but amidst his ramblings Jarvin parsed that they were the third group that had come seeking information about Annabeth and Mair. The first had been Drosta, the second was Malik Antyre. When they discovered Roan lingering outside the cutting-room door trying to listen in, the Marquis brought him in and began toying with the trio, offering answers to their questions about Annabeth and Mair in exchange for stories of their own. As the trio bartered with the Marquis, several facts came to light; he didn't know where Annabeth or Mair was, only that they disappeared from their estate on the 25th of Skyrest, shortly after letting her entire staff and household guard go, save for twelve men-at-arms. Soldiers of House Dillestone had recently cordoned off Annabeth's home at Lonsley Manor, but there were hidden tunnels and caverns beneath Risevar Town that could take someone right into the wine cellar of the manor... if someone knew the way. Drosta had already gone ahead of them, but the Marquis had already fitted Kain, Roan and Jarvin with fresh garments... with added bonuses. Jarvin had a list of names sewn into the folds of his jacket, names belonging to the twelve guards that Annabeth had retained. Roan, on the other hand, had a map sewn onto the back of his jacket that showed the tunnels to take that would lead them to the wine cellar of Lonsley Manor. Descending into the winding labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs beneath Risevar, the trio were stymied by coming across a horde of rats feasting upon the remains of fallen smugglers. While Kain pressed through the horde aggressively, Roan was pushed to go next... and felt something stirring within him, seeing faces within the horde of rats that he hadn't before. Using powers he didn't know he possessed, he parted the swarm of rats so that he and Jarvin could pass through unscathed... an act that would no doubt lead to many questions later on, once their work at Lonsley Manor was concluded. A few hours later, the trio reached the wine cellars of Lonsley Manor and quietly made their way inside. Many of the casks had been broken and their contents emptied onto the floors, but the smell of dried wine couldn't hide the stench of two corpses being kept in the adjacent cold room. One looked more clean cut than the other, which was covered in crude tattoos, but both appeared to have died from knife wounds. Kain, Jarvin and Roan snuck upstairs to search for more clues that might shed light on the nature of Annabeth's disappearance, and Roan's uncanny abilities once again saved him when he stumbled straight into the sights of a passing Dillestone guardsman who seemed to unconsciously ignore him. Creeping up into the third floor, the team found Annabeth's bedroom, where signs of a violent struggle where everywhere. Annabeth had clearly packed in a hurry, and there were further signs that someone had broken in through the adjoining nursery. However, the baby's effects had been taken, which seemed to indicate to Roan that Annabeth had survived and left with her child intact. Meanwhile, Jarvin discovered burned bits of correspondence in Annabeth's fireplace, and pieced together the following from the fragments that had survived the fire:

"...planning an attempt on your daughter's life. We can offer you shelter at..." "...means to take the throne for themselves, no matter how sinful the cost..." "...cannot remain, and opposing them directly is dangerous. I await you..." "Sincerely, your friend."

As Roan continued to explore the adjoining rooms that had belonged to Annabeth's lady in waiting, he was unexpectedly ambushed by Drosta, who quickly took him hostage. Kain intercepted her before she could do any permanent damage to Roan, and managed to convince her once again to work with him, despite each of them working for different masters. Drosta seemed to accept his terms and released Roan unharmed. Meanwhile, Jarvin found one final piece of unburnt letter in the fireplace, which granted him a crucial clue: "I cannot remain, as opposing them directly is dangerous. I await you outside of the gates of Springbrook. Sincerely, your friend and Knight of the Calistan Order..." Outside, footsteps approached. Dillestone guards were closing in. End of Episode

Created Content

The Right Honourable Bastards are a mercenary company operating in the Heartlands. They have yet to pick a side in the burgeoning conflict.

Notes

Jarvin discovered burned letters in Annabeth's fireplace that indicate she was headed from Risevar to Bridemare, and intended to meet a Knight of the Calistan Order outside of the gates of Springbrook. Searching there may yield further leads.

Campaign

The Burning Isle

Protagonists