Session 1

Session 1 (May 24, 2024)

It has now been 2 months since the Calishite Campaign finished.

Last week, we all received orders to report to The Twisted Axle Inn from Armitage del Veign.

We start at the Twisted Axle, where we’ve all arrived in 1s or 2s.

Twisted Axle

Alessio Salvatore tells us Armitage is ready to see us

Armitage Del Veign - 30, scarred, we know him from the campaign. He was up there in rank. Corsi’s second. We respect him and know him to not be useless. He’s wearing traveling gear, clearly working. Loyal retainer of The Corsi family.

He tells us that we’re still under our enlistment contract, but we’re no longer at war

He’s looking for agents with discretion, who can operate independently, with honor. Make judgments.

Corsi Nobles can’t go some places directly without influencing areas - they need us to fly under the radar

We accept working for him.

He tells us about the The Hesse family - Major family - wealthiest in Aurelian

The Moray family are Vassals of Hesse - deeply loyal to Hesse, heavily inter-married

Morays run the Hesse military, defense, mines defense

Hesse sent a Moray agent into Tethyr and Armitage needs to know why he’s in the lands directly south of Corsi holdings

Why is he there?

What did he learn?

The Hesse Agent has gone missing - where were they last in Tethyr, Port Maraisa

Their agent was Albrecht Moray - younger son, competent. Not in their line of succession, able to move subtly.

The Hesse are invested in the status quo, being very traditional.

The Corsi equally invested in the status quo.

They are competing over resources, and status. They are rivals in constant tension

Eldred of Corsi is the Duke. We work for Richard of Corsi, his son.

Blue is Hesse

Green is Corsi

People of interest in Port Maraisa:

Hesse already have an extensive trade network there ^hesse-trade-network

We are traveling as agents of Armitage Del Veign, acquiring his large shipment of wine. This is our cover. ^b269c8

Magistaro Dominico Falcone has a communication network - we might be able to convince him to send messages. We likely need to earn his loyalty. ^dominico-loyalty

We believe that Hesse have not yet sent men to search for Albrecht - Del Veign intercepted and withheld information - he will try withhold to information for up to a week

Dante will give us horses - we can take them as far as Riatavin - ~200 miles (week of travel). We’ll get additional coin when we turn in the horses.

We get a sealed envelope, a writ of introduction and authority from Armitage. It allows us to formally act in his name, and use his authority if we need to. ^91e9dd

We begin Quest: The Missing Moray.

We head down to Riatavin on our horses.

Riatavin

Make it there in 5 days.

We then get back on the road to Port Maraisa.

On the Road to Port Maraisa

We hear a voice singing loudly - filthy lyrics, striking out with women.

Rowan - Man is 6'6" - big and muscular, man bun, ass for chest. Has a staff.

He oddly claims to be a horse thief. Comes from Darromar, capital of Tethyr.

Gavin & Rowan talk about betting each other about getting horses today / tomorrow, but don’t actually make a bet.

We travel together.

Rowan has a silver flask with whiskey, singing, jokes.

Next day: Rowan’s song interrupted by a harsh cry of pain up ahead.

Fight: Encounter with Orcs & kobolds ^269ea6

6 halfling adults dead

Find halfling children Elara and Finnegan. Began Quest: The Orphaned Halflings

[[Pedestrian Wolves/PCs/Kira Fe’lorin|Kira]] searches for the Orc camp - find small weapons, 3gp, baubles

Gives the 3gp to the children

From the girl, we learn that her father Alton was a blacksmith from Riatavin.

We head to Port Maraisa with the children with their surviving horse Cinnamon.

Port Maraisa

We find a tavern - The Gold Coin - and get a bath & rooms

Gavin plays his violin in the common room

We ask the Innkeeper where we might find help for the orphans. From the Innkeeper:

  • East side is the [[Port Maraisa#^halfling-quarter|halfling quarter]] - derisively called “The Warrens”
  • Mother Verdura - may help with the orphans
  • Ask around The Big Tree Tavern

We learn that the mayor, and many humans here, is racist against Halflings. They want them to stay on their side of the town.

Musicians gave [[Gavin]] a wooden coin and told him to go to The Vintner’s Frolic.

Asked the Innkeeper about Albrecht Moray, but not by name

No info, but he’s not trying to be helpful & needs an incentive / bribe which we don’t do.

Learn that the River Guild has labor locked down - takes 4x longer to unload barges

We learn that a Maraisa Night Market exists, but we don’t visit it.

Barrick, Hugh, and [[Pedestrian Wolves/PCs/Kira Fe’lorin|Kira]] go to the docks to find dockhands, visit the the River Guild Hall and buy some drinks for dockhands

They complain about the Merchants who own the boats. We don’t learn anything else useful.

Bikke learns that Lorenzo Varisi (leads river guild, docks, employs everyone who works the ships on the river) may be responsible for the Southern Beacon being out. Quest: A Lighthouse Divided ^03df3b

Long Rest

The next day, Rowan is still with us. In the morning, he tells us about the The Lazaretto, a sick camp, across the river. He seems to agree that it is a haunted place. Rowan recommends avoiding it.

We go to the [[Port Maraisa#^halfling-quarter|Warrens]] in the east of town - a neighborhood

We ask the sausage vendoMother Verduraerdura]] - she can be found near the waterfront. She’s a kind human healer who helps the halflings. We head down there.

She follows Ilmater - she claims to be a woman give of herself - devoutly religious, humble. Ask her about the The Lazaretto. She spends time there. There is no orphanage in Port Maraisa. She can talk to Delridge at The Big Tree Tavern who can find a family for them.

We head to the Big Tree Tavern with [[Mother Isabel Verdura|Mother Verdura]] to talk to Delridge Berryroot. He offers to take the orphans and find a family they can stay with.

We tell him that the girl’s father was Alton - a blacksmith from Riatavin. Delridge may kinda know of the extended family (forcefully stopped writing down family names - fuck it)

We go back to The Gold Coin, get the kids, Cinnamon, and bring them all to the Big Tree Tavern and put them under Delridge’s care. Gavin gives them 15gp to help with the care. (Finishing known tasks related to The Orphaned Halflings). ^found-home-for-halfling-children

Bikke learns that The Vintner’s is in the wine district, northeast of town. “Make sure he knows that you are there for business, not pleasure”

We ask Delridge about the The Lazaretto. He said it is not haunted nor a religious site. It is marshy, wet, just bugs and snapping bits. Folks got Rotting Disease (like GoT GreyScale) from going there. Rotting Disease is not contagious according to Mother Verdura. Folks with Rotting Disease go to the Lazaretto, that’s where Mother Verdura and religious folks take care of them there. The Lazaretto is basically a Leper colony. ^rotting-disease

From Delridge: Small Brothers - “biggest deal in town”

Potential Next Steps: