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Your adventure begins in the banquet hall of a rather massive mansion, having gathered here under the vague pretense that the "Aldori are looking for heroes". Whether your personal motivations involve doing heroic deeds for the sake of such deeds needing done, or because such heroics usually put one in a position to profit is, of course, your own business.
As adventurers, your job, of course, is to embark on a grand adventure! Your reward for doing so in this case is lands, titles, and semi-autonomous rule of your own little domain. All you need to do is venture south into the Stolen Lands (apt name, given both its current "ruler" and your own intentions) and wrest control away from a bandit leader who styles himself as the Stag Lord.
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You stand in a crowd of at least 50 people in the banquet hall of Jamandi's mansion. It appears that all types have answered her call for adventurers to tame the Stolen Lands. There is a fair level of noise as multiple conversations are going on. The hall itself has had all the tables pushed to the walls to make room for an audience and most eyes are watching the raised dais where the head table usually stands.
Where are they? A Kellid woman with a ridiculously large sword bellows impatiently. Let's get started already!
You are more than welcome to leave, young lady. replies a smartly dressed gnome with an abundance of purple hued dyes adorning his skin and hair in a decidedly insulting tone. I'm quite sure there is a keg to be smashed somewhere else.
Shut it you purple toad the Kellid woman snarls back ad her hand reaches for the grip of her sword. I'll gut you right here if you open your yap once again!
People immediately give way to the woman's obvious anger control issues.
The gnome sniffs dismissively and turns his back on her.
Barbarians! he says sotto voce, managing to squeeze as much contempt into the single word as is possible.
They are utterly useless as henchmen anyhow.
Teryll approaches the woman with the giant sword with his empty hands raised in a placating manner. In a calm tone he says:
"Be at ease neighbor, there's no reason to start things off with bloodshed before we've even heard the good Lady speak. Your enthusiasm to get things started is a good thing. A little more patience and I'm sure things will get started soon enough."
Halden aits quietly at one of the tables in the banquet hall. He seems quite uncomfortable, restlessly looking around at the assembled adventurers.
"I hope no one here recognizes me. Would be a shame to come so far only for it to end like this."
Hearing the angry woman's complaints, Halden silently agrees. The sooner they were out of here, the better.
Signy joins Teryll and the bickering woman and gnome. She's produced a pair of cups filled with ale from somewhere, which she hands the woman and gnome if they will take them from her.
"You two seem to go back a ways with each other, old friends. That's so nice! I'm Signy, pleased to meet you both."
The Kellid woman's face begins to cloud with anger when Teryll speaks, but she relaxes when Signy hands her a cup.
"Now that's how you settle a problem, either punch someone in the face or ale!" She proceeds to gulp down the ale.
"I'm Amiri, from Numeria, I couldn't turn down a chance to carve out a new place from a monster and bandit infested wilderness."
The crowd hushes as two figures emerge from a side door and head to the dais. One is a tall, slender woman in her mid-30s and the other is a portly middle aged man dressed in expensive finery.
"Greetings all, I am Swordlord Jamandi Aldori and this is Lord Mayor Ioseph Sebellius, welcome to my mansion"
"We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for responding to our call. You may be few, but we need the best of the best for this task. And I see before me true heroes, strong and fearless, exactly what Restov needs!" The Mayor wears a beaming smile and his speech is smooth as befits a practiced politician.
"Thank you, Lord Mayor. Now, to the point, to the South of here, just beyond Brevoy's border, lies a region known as the Stolen Lands. This is disputed territory, claimed by several States. I won't bore you with the legal details, but suffice to say if someone had the courage to tame and seize these lands and name themselves ruler of them; well let's just say that the neighboring States would be in no position to oppose them. And Restov would be the first to recognize this new country as well as the noble title of its founder."
"Unfortunately, one serious obstacle is in the path of such conquest. A den of bandits holds sway in this area and their self styled leader, the Stag Lord, claims ownership of the region and no one has yet been able to challenge his power. Bring me his head and you will be able to return to that land as its legal ruler. Any questions?"
Pyros observes the uncivilized woman with bemusement. Sparring with her would be an interesting challenge. I have little doubt I could avoid or parry 99 blows out of any hundred, surely she can't swing that thing very fast. But that hundredth blow...
When Lady Jamandi Aldori and the Lord Mayor enter, he focuses all his attention on her. When she asks for questions, he raises a hand. "If I may, Lady Aldori, this 'Stag Lord', what is known about him and his band? Are their numbers, composition, or tactics known?"
"We no little beyond what the few surviving victims tell us. His bandits roam freely throughout the area and prey on travelers as well as exacting 'taxes' from the few people settled in the region. We do not even know the location of his hideout." Jamandi responds.
"And this leads to the second condition of this task. Time is a factor in this endeavor. You have three months to bring down the Stag Lord. Any time after that makes the entire expedition moot."
"Well wasn't this just a brilliant plan. Running away from bandits to go and fight some even worse bandits. I wonder who this Stag Lord guy is. Even I haven't heard of him. And what's the deal with the 3 month time limit? Is there a reason for it, or is she just putting more challenges on us like this is some kind of game? Ridiculous."
"But if we can pull this off, we get some land to rule. Seems like a long shot to me. I'm not even sure I'd want that. I guess I don't have to worry about getting arrested if I'm a king. Wouldn't that be something."
When the Lady, and Lord Mayor enter the room, Teryll gives them his full attention.
Dealing with this "Stag Lord" first thing seems like a good idea. I'm sure his so-called "taxes" are nothing but robbery of good folk's hard work and effort. Three months seems like enough time. Sooner is better with his sort. Keeps the death tally lower but the time limit in and of itself is odd. Likely something to do with the nobles.
Faerin enters the grand hall, pausing in the entrance to take in the already packed room, a little overwhelmed by this many people in one place.
Standing a bit taller than the average human woman, and graced with a naturally sleekly athletic build, the young woman possesses a subtle, yet exotic beauty, blending elven and human features harmoniously. Mid-length auburn hair kept in a loose braid over one shoulder, complexion carrying a rich golden tinge of sun exposure, she wears simple clothing of green and brown, covered in brown, light leather armor.
Looking around the room, she gravitates toward the least occupied table, which happens to be the one that the aggressive warrior woman and the others with her go to.
She gives the others a polite smile, nodding as she listens to the Sword lord answer questions. Three months to chart the wilds, explore and eliminate bandits. The thought of it brings a smile to her face at the prospects of what might lie out there to be discovered.
"I know, right?!" Signy replies to the fierce woman. "This is about the most excellent adventure I can imagine!"
Without a third hand for carrying another cup, Signy is forced to take a swig off the bottle from her kit. She turns her attention to the gnome. "And you good Sir, how do you know this fine woman?"
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Signy listens to Aldori and Sebellious with interest...
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A tall elven woman speaks uu, she has dark look to her and something seems off about her appearance, "Why do you not just recognize this Stag Lord as a baron? He already holds power over the region with confidence. Many noble houses were started by bandits who just got lucky, weren't they?"
The Swordlord's gaze is chilling as she responds, "Perhaps as we do have standards to maintain. This hall has seen many celebrations for adventurers, and even those who 'just got lucky.' But giving a noble title to a bandit leader? That's one thing that has never happened here. And it never will as long as I still draw breath!"
Faerin turns to look at the unusual elven woman, her sharp eyes studying the woman's irregularities.
The purple gnome immediately replies, "I will, of course, I am the leader of this team after all. Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while for helping me."
A dour dwarf in black heavy armor with what appears to be some sort of holy symbol in silver on it responds, "We haven't yet begun and you speak of divvying rewards. What makes you think we will even succeed? There's little point arguing over who gains the tite when we will most likely lose our lives there..."
As several in the crowd start contesting the gnome's statement, Jamandi cuts through the babble with a shout.
"Please! If I may answer the question!" The noise immediately abates.
"Obviously, whichever group brings me the head of the Stag Lord shall receive the prize. It is up to that group to decide who gains the title."
At this question, Mayor Sebellius almost drops his monocle as his eyes widen in shock.
"What reward would you seek beyond noble titles and land? Surely the riches you can garner from the conquest of the Stolen Lands should sate the most avaricious appetite?"
We will absorb the costs of preparing and equipping your expedition. When you return victorious, we will allocate a significant sum to provide financial support to help establish your country. Essentially we will build your first settlement, your capitol. I hope such a reward is satisfactory."
"As for the rest, we have provided lodgings for all of you here at the mansion for tonight. Tomorrow morning you shall set out on your expedition. Thank you once again for answering our call."
"I hope the dwarf is right. If the other groups end up dead, that makes it much easier for us. This Stag Lord guy sounds bad enough without the risk of one of the other teams stabbing us in the back. This is going to be dangerous. I have to play it safe. If it gets too dangerous, I can always just disappear again. It's not worth dying for this, not even for the chance to be a king."
Halden spends the rest of the evening quietly contemplating the task ahead of him. He responds amicably when spoken to, but does not seek to draw attention to himself.
Having already introduced himself earlier, Kern is silent as the various personalities show themselves.
As the gathering breaks, Kern heads to the provided rooms.
As the crowd starts to get competitive, Teryll will move closer to Halden,
In a whisper he says; "Surviving the wilds with our group may not be as big of an issue as we thought. Erastil teaches of the power in a community of like minded folk, but he also warns of those who will take advantage of others hard work. I think we need to be wary around some of these folks." nodding in the direction of the crowd.
He then turns back to the crowd studying and marking those of interest in his mind.
"Aye, that much is all but certain. Only one team can win the prize. No doubt some of our rivals will see the benefit in attempting to eliminate the competion. I don't trust this lot one bit.
Perhaps we should get the jump on them. Stab em' in the back before they do it to us.
Halden will also spend time watching the other adventurers, trying to get a sense of the general makeup of each group as well as who appears to be the leader.
Looking over the three:
The Gnome has gold for sure. And an inflated opinion of himself to match. But then so does Pyros. . .
Shifting to the Elven woman, he takes in her odd appearance and dark demeanor. As he considers her, he's distracted by the armored Dwarf crossing between the Elf and himself. Taking a sudden breath when he recognizes the holy symbol adorning the Dwarf's armor, he mutters to mostly himself "The sign of the Lord of End Times? Oh. That's not good at all. Just what we need, a certified madman." he sighs.
When Pyros gets a chance to speak to Lady Jamandi relatively alone, he says ”It is an honor to be chosen for this expedition, milady. I am but a novice with the blade, but I will strive to make the Swordlords proud.”
"I am sure you will do Restov proud." Jamandi responds.
Signy stays as long as there's anyone to chat with. She mingles among the various adventurers gathered there introducing herself and getting to know people.
In trying to make sense of of the announcements, conversations, and things she already knows, Signy makes a few tentative assumptions that seem to best tie it all together. She's very aware Rostland wants to break away, or at least the Swordlords do and they matter a lot. She's spent enough evenings out and about having fun in Restov to know that much at least. Thus:
So they're trying to gain a protected flank for Rostland along the border with the Stolen Lands, but the wheels are already turning so time to do it is short. The Aldori gang might want someone besides this Stag Lord in charge there, but given a choice of recognizing the Stag Lord or risking failure in a civil war they'll likely accept him.
The elf is interesting. It doesn't seem like she's here to join in with the rest of us. Why would she try to talk herself out of a job by pushing for the Stag Lord? She must be an ally or minion of his. She might be acting on her own, but it's a fair bet if she knows about this gathering, the Stag Lord does too. Or at least he will as soon as she can inform him.
If the Stag Lord does already know, and he's at least a little clever, he will have salted a few of his own people into this group beyond the elf. People who can keep tabs on things and report back, or maybe sabotage our efforts...
When she's chit-chatting with people, Signy angles conversations toward the Stag Lord and the elf when she can so to learn what she can about them. She also looks for hints suggesting any of the other people gathered are secretly working with or supporting the Stag Lord.
Teryll, you are rudely awakened by some violent shaking.
"Please! Wake up! We are being attacked by assassins!"
A small Halfling girl. who you vaguely remember seeing in the meeting hall earlier this evening, jumps back as your eyes open. She is disheveled and appears frightened.
"Get up, get up! They were following me here!"
As you sit up you also notice that the door to your room, which you are certain that you locked, is slightly open.