For millennia, magnificent Taldor reigned as an enduring empire, praised for its culture, military, wealth, and connections to the glory of Azlant. By the beginning of the fifth millennium ar, Taldor had begun to sag under the weight of excessive ceremony and decadence. Its old rival Qadira led an invasion against its declining neighbor in 4079. Sensing an opportunity, many of Taldor’s western provinces declared their independence in what was called the Even-Tongued Conquest—a war on two fronts that the empire could not handle. Taldor repelled the Qadiran forces, but it never regained its lost lands.
In the aftermath of the war, emperors of Taldor sought scapegoats to bear the shame of their defeat. They stripped numerous noble families of their titles and lands to condemn their failures in the two campaigns. Most who suffered this punishment faded into obscurity and never rose again. For an ambitious few, reclaiming the titles they should have inherited is an all-consuming goal.
Countess Honaria Alcasti was an influential commander during the campaigns before and immediately following the Even-Tongued Conquest, yet all her skill could not make up for the shortage of supplies, and her career came to an ignoble end. When she dared to critique the crown’s strategies, the emperor sentenced her family to life as common people. Her many-times-great grandson Remaio Alcasti only has incomplete references to his ancestor’s heroism and title, and he longs to exonerate her name and regain the noble title that he believes he deserves. If he can gather the right evidence and present it in Oppara, he is certain that he will succeed. He needs the PCs’ help to follow his leads across several countries to uncover the truth and, with evidence in hand, to advocate for his ancestor’s grand legacy.
He has 5 letters for you so that you can start, each telling you what he has found out so far. Grove, Basilica, Blade, Breakdown and Homestead. You can choose the first and then after completion the next, there is no order.
"This feels like a huge hassle for something that won't feed you, or warm your family in winter," the white haired woman sighs. She then looks at the fox that is sitting by her feet and speaks to it. 「はい、はい。仕事は仕事です。」Let's see those letters.
"Oh it will warm me in the winter and feed me."
It means we get our ancestral home back and our lands!"
@Hakon
The Alcasti family once was powerful. But not anymore.
Remaio Alcasti is a man of his word!
"Where would you like to start?"
Well, if your great-great-whatever grandmother was an important military leader, perhaps this "sword" letter would be an interesting place to start, Alain says, resting against the wall while listening to the prattling of the man before him.
"Why start with the blade? The homestead is often where heroic deeds begin. The basilica and grove hint at primal origins, and..." The witch stops and shrugs before finishing. "But there's no reason not to start at the end or even the middle. May as well read the blade as any other."
CHAPTER 1
Sword Letter
You enjoy an uneventful trip to Omash. The guards at the city’s main gates help you find the Ghazali family manor. The luxurious estate lies on the outskirts of Omash, outside of the fortress-city’s towering walls. Instead, the property uses its own walls for protection. The two-story building boasts intricately patterned stone floors, rich wall hangings, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
A sandstone wall decorated with geometric mosaics surrounds the opulent Ghazali manor. Through the brass front gates, white cobblestone paths wind through a garden of flowering cacti and acacia trees to the manor’s entrance. A pair of guards clad in polished armor flanks the heavy wooden door to the residence.
A guard stationed at the door intercepts the PCs and leads the group to Lady Ghazali’s study.
Do you follow him?
I regret choosing the blade first, Alain says, clearly uncomfortable under his heavy armor in the desert heat. His horse appears to be just fine, if a little sweaty, Deserts are certainly not my favorite place. Let's get the sword and get back north as quickly as possible, yeah? Maybe go to the homestead afterward.
"Being in a sunny clime is good for the spirit," Feiya replies to Alain's complaint. "And the heat will help us enjoy Lady Ghazali's hospitality." She follows the guard into the study.
The domed ceiling of this grand room soars above red and white tiles whose pattern resembles roses in bloom. Between the mahogany bookshelves that line the chamber, suits of armor stand at attention. An empty weapon rack faces the doorway.
A middle ages human woman sits on cussions her head in her hands. As she sees you she stands up and blood-shot eyes are easely visible. She tries her utmost to be polite, but somehow she is quite distracted.
@Hakon You notice that she has been crying for quite some time.
After hearing Lem´s words she speaks“I’ll gladly give you the sword if you bring my son home. Otherwise, I cannot give it to you, even if I wanted to. My son, Aayef, has it. I woke this morning to find him gone and the sword missing. He barely even knows how to use it. It was supposed to go tomy eldest daughter.”
"Any idea where Aayef went with the sword or why he took it?"
Between sobs the woman denies it. Her son might not be a fighter, but he is no fool and quite clever.
"Of course it is dangerous. Snakes, heat, scorpions, bandits, vultures, there are many dangers!"
"No, he even took the sword he knew was for his sister. He is dreaming of big adventure... but he is soo young and frail!"
Alain pats Lem on the head and speaks, I agree, if he isn't any sort of adventurer, he couldn't have covered his tracks too well. He looks over to Feiya, you seem to like the desert, can you track a runaway into the dunes? Or wherever he went?
Try survival.
Anyone aiding him?
"It's not that I like the desert, just that I spent so much time in snow I won't complain about a little heat," Feiya tells Alain with a shake of her head. Nonetheless she helps Lem search for the missing noble's tracks. "If we can't see any tracks, Daji might be able to pick up his scent. But he'll need something of Aayef's to know what the boy smells like."
Quinn, hustles up, leaning on his cane.
"Tracks aren't my forte but I know a bit about the human condition... Maybe we can go about this a different way, the boy must have friends or a trusted servant, perhaps discovering the why he left will lead us to the where he went. "
Indeed you manage a find a guard who will admit that he saw something in the southern corner of the house, but he was already late and did not want to be punished. Following his lead you find a royal blue piece of silken cloth with golden embroidery, matching the description the mother gave you. Close by you find a little gap in the manor wall. As you check outside there are very faint trails.
Someone else take the lead, I will follow, Alain says while mounting his horse, gaining a better vantage point to possibly see the tracks. He keeps a weather eye on the area, trying his best not to let his attention completely waver from the task at hand, but falls asleep more than a few times during the expedition.
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Quinn quips "See Lem, I knew you could do it, now that we've found the start of the trail it has to be easier to follow."
...Quinn says while standing on a footprint.
"Quinn, I think you just... Nevermind, I think Hakon's noticed something. Let's carefully see what it is."
Out of the manor it is quite easy to follow the footprints.
Aayef ’s trail leads three miles east to the sand blasted ruins of a circular building. Chunks of wall and broken pillars stand as the last testament to what was once a shrine to Sarenrae. Rubble covers the deep sand around the structure, creating difficult terrain.
A chunk of twisted deadwood rests atop a pile of ashes in the lee of a fallen stone column. Cinders surrounding the driftwood suggest a recent fire.
Map
Quinn will draw his sword out of his cane and stands up straight into a defensive stance instead of one leaned over the came.
"Well done Hakon. Something seems wrong here..."
Feiya quietly assesses the situation before approaching the ruins.
You find a sack half-buried in the sand, containing two vials of antitoxin, a tindertwig, and the shattered pieces of a compass. You also notice some faint noise from the southeast
Quinn will drink his extract of shield and shout "Come out! We're here to help!"
You hear a faint "Here" from south west.
Quinn will head over, worried the boy might be injured and bleeding.
Alain spurs his mount to follow after the noise, finally excited for what seems like the first time since they entered the desert. He doesn't seem to care if he gets ahead of the group on his much faster steed, seeming to want to get to what he's sure will bring him glory before others can take it first.