Session 11 - Copilot

Port Maraisa

We took care of business in town, including Hugh restoring Amara’s Dogma at Jorand’s Forge and finding a Codpiece of Wound Closure at Bartolo’s for 75GP. Hugh also donated 89 GP to the Small Brothers at the Big Tree Tavern. Bikke handled wine trade and bought a cart of rum from Kingsley for 20 GP. Before leaving, we secured Dominico’s agreement to discreetly travel with us to Riatavin.

Road to Riatavin

Our journey to Riatavin was under overcast skies as the weather turned to winter. The travel was uneventful.

Lore Note: Tethyr has been ruled by the Rhinduan family for centuries, experiencing brief prosperity but overall struggling. The current rulers are weak and distant, leaving Tethyr nearly a failed state. High tolls from Aurelian Duchies and Amn punish Tethyrian trade. Riatavin, a large but economically struggling border city, frequently changes possession between Tethyr and the Aurelian Duchies.

Riatavin

In Riatavin, we split up to locate Armitage. Barrick and Bikke asked a street urchin about The Pewter Shield, a tavern popular among hireling guards. Kira, Gavin, and Barrick found the tavern on fire, with a corpse lying in the street. Barrick’s investigation revealed the victim, likely a guard or soldier, had been shot with crossbow bolts. Combat ensued with White Tiger ambushers.

During the fight, Barrick spotted Amelia, who led us to a hidden refuge in the sewers where we found Armitage wounded. After healing Armitage, he revealed a complex political landscape involving an impending marriage between Princess Ottillie and Etienne Auttencort, a union threatening to consolidate power among the vampiric nobility. He urged us to break the alliance between the Rhinduan and Auttencourt families, disrupt the restoration of the Sandstone Palace, and seek allies among the younger nobles.

Amelia explained that she had been working at The Pewter Shield on a recommendation from Rosharandan Savelli. When the White Tiger attacked, Farnar opened a passage to the sewers to get the guests to safety. Kira had shapechanged into a rat and saw the ambushers leave, so she fetched Barrick, Hugh, and Radovan.

Armitage’s explanation included the discovery that the wine merchant who poisoned the wine had betrayed them. Gavin learned from Armitage that someone in our group or close to us must have broken trust, indicating a coordinated opposition.

Armitage provided insights into the political stakes, revealing that Eldred of Corsi was dying, and that a power vacuum would ensue. Richard of Corsi aimed to plant seeds of change among the younger nobles. Armitage instructed us to find Farnar and his other man, search the remains of The Pewter Shield, and follow any leads. He also emphasized the importance of sabotaging the palace’s restoration to buy time before the marriage.

Amelia’s information about the traitor’s background and the discovery of a brand on the corpse led to the realization that the traitor was likely a prisoner from the Sharpstone Mines, indentured to a wealthy family or merchant. The party decided to send a message to Rowan for more information about Farnar.