GM Rennai's The Midnight Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master Rennaivx

Can a group of intrepid Pathfinders figure out what is happening in the city of Karpad?

Karpad overview map

House of Night maps


701 to 715 of 715 << first < prev | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | next > last >>

Sins of my past? Who his fa-

Suddenly cutting off, he turns to stare at the fetchling child, who regards him curiously, still tucking close to Manar and squinting in the torches' glow. This house is nice - is it yours? It's got more light than Mr. Nicasor's, and it's warm, too. He shrugs out of his jacket and looks around the dank basement, turning to Manar. Uncle Henric said Daddy's house was nice and warm, before mean Uncle Stepan tricked Daddy and took it. Is Daddy's house close, Mama Manar? Can we go see it?

Face nearly as white as Manar's mask, Stepan turns back. I-Iozif's child? he stammers out.


Male Human AC 17 (t12, fl15) | hp 17/30 | F+5 R+3 W+6 | Per +12 | Hero: 0/1

Sorry for the short posts/silence-- Milo is very interested in the playing out of this, as am I; just been short on time to post lately.

Milo watches, wiping his rapier clean of blood.

"Aye," he says softly to Stepan's words. "A bastard son. Some would argue he's the rightful heir," and he looks over at Xander with a wry brow arch, then slides the borrowed rapier home in its sheath, "--and some would also say an illegitimate issue born on another plane, of kayal blood, has far too many legal obstacles in his way to be considered such."

He looks at Xander as he speaks. "Remember this is Nidal, Xander. Your opinions on who is fit to rule and those of the Umbral Court may differ. Sharply."

His gazes goes back to Stepan. "But-- speaking as a bastard boy myself, who caught all manner of shite as a lad for it-- I'm interested in how you intend to deal with the lad. As you can see, he has opinions on... the situation; opinions that might cause you trouble in a few years. He's also probably one of the few people in this mess who actually is fully innocent-- he surely didn't ask to be born. So how deep does your remorse run, milord? And how does it weigh against your own family?"

Throughout it all, he hasn't looked at Anya; he doesn't want to know whatever's on her face. He can't imagine she likes the idea of any threat to her own son's inheritance-- for her child, too, has done nothing wrong.


Male Half-Orc Ranger (Tanglebriar Demonslayer, Trapper) 3 | HP 32/32 | AC 18 TO 13 FF 15 | F +6 R +8 W +5; +1 vs Spells/SLA/Su from Evil Outsiders | CMD 19 | Init +3 | Perc +8 (+9 to pierce a demon's disguise, +10 to find hidden objects inc. secret doors and traps) DV | Trapfinding +1, Favored Enemy (Attack, Damage, Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, Survival) Evil Outsiders +2, Favored Terrain (Init, Geography, Perception, Stealth, Survival) Urban +2

Shogunto sticks around, silent. The scary half-Orc looks tired and overwhelmed by the presence of his familiar (merged with him at the moment).


As implications crash down upon him, Stepan's expression grows more and more complex. Regret, apprehension, fear - all are etched into his already well-lined face. He turns back to Sorin, kneeling to his height. It's...pleasant to meet you, Sorin. My name is Stepan - but I am a different man than your father and uncle knew. He offers his hand; Sorin stares for a moment before reaching forward and shaking it, his grey skin a sharp contrast against Stepan's pale.

Stepan rises to his feet, motioning to Anya, who stands at his side with her face bloodless. This is my wife, Anya. And I take it you're the boy's m-mother?

The shae woman shakes her head slightly. His mother passed birthing him. When his father passed as well...he was left with no one. He and I both were born in the House, and my mother died there too - it was natural I take him in. And now... she says with a glance over her shoulder at the passage to the shattered mirror ...it seems we have another loss in common as well.

Nicasor was my father. Her voice is filled with emotion as she turns to the party. But I saw him pull his blades on you, when your only crime was freeing him. You had treated with him peacefully, and he was the first to break that. I will not love you for it, but neither will I hold it against you.

Again, she turns to address Stepan, Sorin next to her. I take it you are the one, then. Who condemned Sorin's father, broke my father's trust. At this, Sorin's eyes go wide, and he retreats behind his adopted mother's leg. Your forebears condemned my father to that place, condemned me to that place, so many years ago. These I will hold against you for a long time - she intones in a voice now cold and hard as ice.

- but I will not demand payment. Yet. You say you are a changed man. I intend to remain and see. There is no sense in continuing the cycle of violence, unless you give cause.

Eyes wide, Stepan nods. I have no intention to harm Sorin, he responds softly. I regret my part in his unfortunate story; he will have a home here, every comfort I can give him. But... He looks to both the shaes and you. I cannot give him the barony. I cannot rob my son of his inheritance. And Sorin knows nothing of this town, of this world - where Andric's been born to the seat! Milo himself said it - the Umbral Court will never agree, and there would be mutiny from half of Karpad!


29/40 HP, 18 AC, Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4, Perception +15 1st 7/7, 2nd 3/4, Weapon 5/5, Memories 7/7, Voice 5/5, CLW wand 50/50

"We should retire to your study, privately. They need time to adjust to this world. Some food and warmth, perhaps. They can speak with you again once they have had the time to see the sun."


Yes...yes, of course. Anya, take Sorin and Manar upstairs...the rest of her family as well. Have Laurentiu arrange rooms for them, and inform the kitchen staff there will be more guests for dinner. Stepan turns to the rest of the fetchlings. I'm afraid I don't have enough rooms to host all of you, but just down the road is where our own fetc- kayal community lives. There is an inn there, where you can find lodging until more permanent arrangements can be made, and Ionela can meet with you there to discuss those arrangements. My houndsmaster will show you.

The baron leads the escapees in a procession to the main floor of the manor. From there, Anya leads Sorin and the shaes up the stairs, and Stepan sends an astonished Laurentiu after them. Stopping at the door to the kennels, he waves Gavril into the house. Take these visitors to your cousin's inn in the Row, the baron murmurs. Tell Vitali and Ionela they are new arrivals from...far off, and to see to their needs. I will cover their expenses until they have become established; have Vitali arrange an account.

Turning back to the half-dozen shadowborn clustered in the antechamber, Stepan once again addresses them. You have a chance to start anew - and it will perhaps go more easily if you indeed treat it as such. News of where you came from will only frighten and confuse; better to simply leave stories at "coming from far away to begin anew".

Sense Motive DC26:
And sticking to that party line does wonders for keeping Stepan's reputation as intact as possible, too.

As Gavril leads the fetchlings out of the door, they squint in the half-light of the afternoon sun beginning to slide behind the hills surrounding Karpad. Gasps of wonder can be heard, and every eye is to the sky and the openness of the surrounding landscape. Stepan watches as they retreat; when the double doors close, he turns back and starts for the center courtyard and the sitting room you had met Anya in before. As you cross the courtyard, you notice that it no longer bubbles sickly black.

Motioning for everyone to sit, Stepan pulls a bell-pull on the wall, then takes his place in a high backed chair. Refreshment for our guests - some bread and cheese, and a bottle of the 4683 Wiscrani red, he tells the servant responding to the bell; with a short bow, the man departs again.

Well, now we are alone, he says with a sigh once the sitting room door shuts. You have seen - I have dealt with the fetchling sorceress fairly, offered Nicasor's family a place in my home though he would have killed me with nary a second thought. The other fetchlings will be provided for, and I pledge no cruelty to anyone who does not invite it upon themselves.

But I cannot hand my rule over to a child, with no education to speak of, no understanding of rule - not even passing familiarity with the world he finds himself in. He will be treated fairly, as an honored member of my family - but I will not deny my son his birthright.


29/40 HP, 18 AC, Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4, Perception +15 1st 7/7, 2nd 3/4, Weapon 5/5, Memories 7/7, Voice 5/5, CLW wand 50/50

Xander held his hands up to placate the noble before him. It served to assure Stephan. It also served to bring up the heavy signate ring Xander wore, a reminder that Stephan may rule here, but Xander held his own titles and had the might of a powerful family backing him.

"Of course not. Legitimacy aside, the child was raised by a lunatic and has spent his entire life stuck in the shadow plane. He knows nothing of this world or the people in it."

"The problem is not the child. The problem is how you have chosen to rule your lands. You have hid away in this decaying house with your shame and your guilt. Your people are starving and quarreling in the streets, and you had to send for us, outsiders who would be killed on site if your Umbral Court knew who we truly were. You cannot trust your people because you have treated them poorly, and you cannot trust your fellow nobles because they are insane and vicious. That problem has not gone away with the shattering of the mirror."

"You are a different person than you were when you claimed the throne, we have all seen that. However, a kinder heart is not the most important quality in an effective leader."

"Your people are suffering."

"Your lands and your rule are secure, and the mistakes of your past are largely dealt with. You have an opportunity to create a legacy now, which you can pass to your son, and ensure the betterment of all the people in your land."

"Now, it is time to discuss the price of your legacy. It will seem like giving up power, but it will actually be securing it, and gaining a measure of redemption."

"Here are the things which I want."

"You have the power to name advisers from among your people. Do so. Create a council of six advisers. Three kayal, three humans. You choose one of each. The remaining four will be chosen by the people who's interests they represent."

"This council will be responsible for ensuring social order and prosperity. They will settle disputes, make plans, and draft laws. Your vote will act as the tie breaker in any dispute, and as the one who signs laws into action, you will retain the power to veto should the council overstep. I recommend you not use that power often."

"When you announce this change, you will be seen as benevolent and wise. It will also allow you to spend a great deal more time with your family and out among your people. This is all to your benefit, as well as to your people's."

"With the time your council will buy you, I would advise ensuring that the child who shares your rights to your title is a happy, educated ally to you and your family. Should he come of age and see anything that makes you seem weak or unlikable, he will have reason to want you or your son disposed. The Kayal rebellion will repeat with a leader at it's head with a legitimate claim."

"There is nothing you can do, short of killing the boy, to make the claim to your title go away. It is legitimate. Because of that, your only move is to acknowledge that legitimacy. Adopt the boy. Make him the second in line for your title, and raise him as your son. Do not allow him to foster hate or resentment for you."

"Love and compassion is the only way out of this mess, and you have to give it to get it."

"So, what say you, Lord Stepan? Will you take what you started as far as it needs to go to make amends?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25


Stepan remains silent through Xander's discourse. Partway through, his servant returns with the wine and food, and he accepts it wordlessly, gesturing for a glass to be poured for everyone. After Xander finishes, he sits in silence several moments longer, swirling the wine in his glass in a circle.

You're right, he finally answers softly. This tallowthroat mess has only served to magnify tensions, and I'm sure dismissing my fetchling servants helped none, either. Raising the fetchling boy will help to build bridges, of course, but your council will help to smooth things over further. Yes, it's a wise choice - though it remains to be seen whether others will like the status quo being disturbed so. Still, we are out of the way out here; the Umbral Court meddles little if we do not give them cause, and they are unlikely to interfere so long as the peace is kept. Shade Row already manages much of their own affairs anyway; Gavril tells me they've even got a de facto mayor, Ionela. She's who I'd choose for a shadowborn representative; perhaps Captain Groy for another representative, if he survives this illness.

The boy's history still presents a problem, though...surely you must understand, the upheaval that would result from the town learning of Iozif and Henric's true fates would be disastrous. It will be hard enough recovering from the troubles we've suffered already, and such an uproar would pull the Umbral Court's ire upon Karpad faster than anything. I've tried to make it clear that avoiding talk of their pasts is the best way for these followers of Nicasor's to re-integrate into the town; hopefully they themselves will understand that.

But it will be difficult to make Sorin himself understand the need for silence...and we'll need to ensure he learns to give his age as eleven or so, so he can pass as an indiscretion of Iozif's before his death ten years ago... I'll not deny his parentage, and I'll make him second to inherit after my own son; I won't begrudge him that. But it is imperative that his father stays ten years buried in the churchyard's crypt.


Male Human AC 17 (t12, fl15) | hp 17/30 | F+5 R+3 W+6 | Per +12 | Hero: 0/1

"This suits me well enough," Milo says, after listening to both sides of the negotiation. "And you must admit, Xander, it's more than many of noble blood might give."

Certainly more than his father ever had. Milo absently fingers the basket hilt of the Boroi rapier, then draws it and proffers it back to Stepan, hilt first.

"I don't know if you're a good man, Stepan. But you're a better man than I'd thought I'd find, at least." He flashes a white grin. "I was rather hoping you were a brutish beast and I could justify whisking Anya away from you. It seems I cannot. Though she mightn't choose to go, in any case, and if you're her choice...

"Live well. Do right by her. And by both boys. Or the shadows shall carry the tale to me."


29/40 HP, 18 AC, Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4, Perception +15 1st 7/7, 2nd 3/4, Weapon 5/5, Memories 7/7, Voice 5/5, CLW wand 50/50

Xander smiled. "Many nobles forget that they are supposed to be the servants of the people, not the keepers. That's how situations like this arise. It isn't a pyramid, with the nobility on top, supported by their people. It is an upside down pyramid, with the nobility on the bottom, holding up the entire structure."

"It isn't a privilege. It is a burden, and it should always feel like one."

"This council will alleviate some of it. The details of how you announce it's creation are up to you."

"Your family called for help and it was given. However, keeping your secrets was never part of the agreement. The price for what you are getting is reciprocity. You owe both the Pathfinders and my family a favor now, Lord Stepan. The Pathfinders will likely want to use Karpaad as a safe haven when they move their operatives through Nidal. My family may want something similar."

"You may call on us again should the need arise. We may pass though again to see how things are proceeding. We want your rule to be long and transformative. If all goes well, your actions could rekindle an alliance that hasn't been active since the Great Crusade."

"Speaking personally, I would like that."


Male Human AC 17 (t12, fl15) | hp 17/30 | F+5 R+3 W+6 | Per +12 | Hero: 0/1

Milo offered a tentative smile at Stepan. "A deal, your Lordship?"


He gives a half-smile, twisted by a thousand different sentiments. What is goodness, truly? For all the high-minded moralizing some enjoy, when it comes to the thick of it...men are governed by two things. What they can do, and what they can't do. Even if I desired otherwise, your advice is sound. Is there truly much in the way of other options?

Half-heartedly, he lets out a short chuckle. Fear not, Milo; Anya is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's for her I reneged on Nicasor's bargain in the first place; I feared he might attempt to use her as he intended to use me, as a host for himself or his family. I couldn't let that happen...nor could I let him near my child. I regret the repercussions...but if I had it to do over, I would have done no differently.

And now we make of the aftermath what we will...what we must. I do beg your silence on the matter of my brothers - in the name of peace. And I'm intrigued by your proposition of accord with the Society...if I'm not mistaken, the Society has had difficulty in making inroads here. Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement with the Society's agents for lodgings as they pass through, and making available what stores of knowledge I have, limited though they be.

Standing, he drains the last of his wine. Well, it appears there's much planning to do - social orders don't reorganize themselves instantly, of course. Stay if you will and aid me, until the final arrangements are made, so you can witness first-hand the first-fruits of your reward.


29/40 HP, 18 AC, Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4, Perception +15 1st 7/7, 2nd 3/4, Weapon 5/5, Memories 7/7, Voice 5/5, CLW wand 50/50

"I cannot speak for all of us, but I would be happy to stay and help."


GM screen:

Groy Fort save #1, CHA damage: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 251d3 ⇒ 2 Success, no CHA damage.

Groy Fort save #2, CHA damage: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 91d3 ⇒ 3 Failure, 3 CHA damage. 1 CHA remaining.

Groy Fort save #3, CHA damage: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 251d3 ⇒ 1 Success, no CHA damage.

Groy Fort save #4, CHA damage: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 211d3 ⇒ 3 Success, disease cured.

Lesser restoration: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Stepan Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

Ionela Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

The next day, Stepan sends Gavril and another servant, Valentin, into town with stacks of notes. Some are to his former kayal servants, recalling them to their places at the manor; others are notices to the town's prominent business owners and civic figures. Gavril returns with a message from Ionela, mayor of Shade Row, promising her attendance at the manor a few days hence. Valentin returns with a note from the Groy household; it seems Captain Groy has taken a turn for the worse, the swelling at his throat abominably large and his will nearly sapped.

But another message arrives a couple of days later - though he was at death's door, his tallowthroat has abated, the swelling reduced, though he still remains barely responsive. Better still, no new cases of the terrible plague have emerged in the past few days; between quarantines of the victims and elimination of the source, it seems the disease has finally run its course. Once the quarantine on the Captain is lifted, Kinvara goes to visit him and ameliorate the damage to his spirit, and the next day he arrives at the summit, still somewhat distant but no longer sweating or swollen.

----------

With Karpad's elite assembled around the ornate cherry-wood table in the dining room, Stepan takes a seat at the table's head and begins to speak, revealing the entire story of the previous few days. How an as-yet-unexplainable accident had created a rift between the Shadow Plane and this world, manifesting as the disease that had ravaged the town. How a group of intrepid adventurers had investigated and discovered the source, cutting it off and ending the plague’s spread. And how another group of travelers had arrived in the early morning while the town slept, bearing remarkable news - a son of Iozif Boroi, conceived before his untimely death during a tryst with a far-off fetchling lover, brought now with half a dozen retainers from a distant house, a house like no other.

The child shall be as my own, he pronounces before the assembled, second only to the issue of my body in line for the seat. And for family to emerge from such unlikely circumstances, for hope and love to arise in the midst of such turmoil...it has brought events into perspective for me. Sorin deserves all the love and care Iozif would have given, shadows rest his soul - and I intend to give it. But I do not wish to leave Karpad struggling; these times have been trying for all, and only by working together can we heal the wounds that recent days have opened. Therefore, I propose that the burden of rulership be shared, among myself and six representatives, chosen by the town’s people.

I know you all to be capable leaders, wise and patient…

Suddenly, Shade Row’s mayor scoffs. Wise...patient...yet our esteemed Guard Captain was whipping up a lynch mob just several days past!

----------

The negotiations continue well into the evening. Karpad’s leaders insist the fetchlings remain in Shade Row, concerned about the effects sudden re-integration would have on the populace (and on their businesses, they consider privately, with so many new competitors). Ionela and Shade Row’s leaders counter with a demand for the right to post handbills in Karpad advertising their businesses, an allowance from the baron’s treasury to improve the ghetto’s ramshackle architecture, a public apology from both the baron and the Guard concerning the events of the tallowthroat plague. Both sides consider three representatives inadequate, each insisting they represent a larger share of Karpad’s population or economy and thus deserve the greater representation. But in the end, diplomacy reigns supreme, with the silver tongues and level heads of the Pathfinders lending order to the chaos; Ionela and Captain Groy reluctantly shake hands, signatures are put to the Tallowthroat Accord, and handbills go out the next morning announcing an election - a development that sets tongues wagging along both sides of the river.

----------

With the plague abated, trade soon resumes, and with it mail. Countess Tiboros is thrilled to hear of her daughter’s safety, and the promised reward soon makes its way to each of the Pathfinders, along with a warm letter of thanks. For Anya’s part, she begins to settle into life with her newly adopted, and highly unexpected, child; while the relationship between her and Stepan seems strained at best for the moment, duty and tradition are implacable forces, too difficult to overcome. She gives the Pathfinders a warm send-off, and a standing offer of hospitality for any passes through - but her kiss on Milo’s cheek lasts just a moment longer than the others’, full of history and emotions that only they can fully fathom. I’m sorry… she mouths, stepping back from Milo’s embrace and setting her hand in her husband’s elbow.

----------

Future visits…

Slowly, things have settled to peace in Karpad - or at least, as close to peace as any small town gets. Though the human and shadowborn communities remain separated by the river, fetchlings have begun to be welcomed back into Karpad’s larger stores, and a few humans even make their way to Shade Row, drawn by what purports to be the best stew for miles in Vitali’s inn (or so his flyer claims). The town council has proven a workable solution to the town’s rulership - though there are often disagreements, and sometimes flare-ups of old prejudices, the elected leaders have for the most part agreed to let bygones be bygones, and life has begun to improve on both sides of Dimar’s Way.

And Stepan, true to his word, has taken Sorin in completely, treated him with compassion and fairness. Still concerned about the boy’s reaction (and its repercussions for his power), Stepan waited to reveal his true relation to Sorin’s father until the kayal boy had grown comfortable in the manor, and fond of his cousin and aunt. Though the revelation of his caretaker as the villainous uncle he’d heard of his entire childhood was a shock to say the least, Sorin had seen the man Stepan had become; while somewhat begrudgingly, Sorin no longer harbors “mean Uncle Stepan” any ill will.

Stepan’s care for Sorin hasn’t hurt his reputation, either. The adopted fetchling boy playing with his young cousin has become somewhat of a symbol for the town, of unity between human and shadowborn. The kayal of Shade Row see Sorin as proof that the baron is sympathetic to their needs, and the boy’s adoption was a major factor in smoothing over tensions between the races. From time to time, one of Sorin’s former “servants” deep in their cups will tell stories of the strange house that held them for a millennium, twisting itself into the stuff of nightmares - but those are just stories, right?

Things aren’t perfect; they rarely are anywhere, and a town in the hinterlands of Nidal had the cards stacked against it from the beginning. But they’ve managed to find what many locales across the Inner Sea can only dream of - equilibrium. Is it forever? Only time will tell...

And so concludes the saga of the Midnight Mirror. Thanks again, everyone - I couldn’t have done it without you!


Male Human AC 17 (t12, fl15) | hp 17/30 | F+5 R+3 W+6 | Per +12 | Hero: 0/1

Milo gives Anya a crooked smile, a tilt of his head that acknowledges the way the world works.

"Take care of yourself," he murmurs. "And.... don't cut off anymore of your fingers, Anya. The Midnight Prince has received enough tribute from you."

He can risk a half-blasphemous statement, on his way out of the country, at least.

With a last bow, Milo turns for the door. His melancholy mood persists until the Pathfinders reach the border of Nidal... but once past it, in more sunlit lands-- the young bravado cheers up, and his step lightens. There are other cities, and other women, and coin to be won, and wines to be drunk... all the world is still ahead, the same world that embraced him when he first fled Nidal.

*applause!* Fantastic ending, GM; I had a great time. Thank you for writing the conclusion.

701 to 715 of 715 << first < prev | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Online Campaigns / Play-by-Post / GM Rennai's The Midnight Mirror: Gameplay All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.