Cadogan immediately moves around the back of the building, and enters silently through the rear door, while Sheraviel draws her sword and blocks the front entrance. Agun magically lights the interior, and Auris, standing still, says, "over there," indicating an area behind the organ. The group converges there, to surprise a concealed figure, a mean-looking half-orc with a spiked mace, who leaps out from his hiding place, only to be cut down where he stands.
Finding more coins than he expected in the half-orc's purse, Agun says, "I guess someone didn't like our new friend as much as we did."
Cadogan volunteers to go into town the next day and see if he can find the priestess lady from the cemetary; Sheraviel, recalling their last adventure, snorts derisively and remarks that he'd better not ask for any state funds this time. Shaleh gratefully notices that the weather seems clear.
The party goes into town the next day and splits up, with Sheraviel looking for a mayor, Agun for a magician, and Cadogan for the elf woman from the cemetary. Shaleh and Auris wander around, talking to shopkeepers and the like, and getting a general feel for the village.
Sheraviel finds a town hall, but there seems to be no staff present, and the building is locked. However, peering in the windows, she sees no accumulation of dust, etc., implying that it was in use until very recently. There is no sign indicating a reason for it closing. This all seems a trifle unusual, and she makes a mental note to investigate this further when she gets a chance.
Agun's inquiries are met with stonewalling, and finally someone volunteers that someone named Estrelle is the only real spellcaster remaining in town, other than an old lady reputed to be a minor wise woman (who in fact proves to be a very low-level adept with some ranks in the Heal skill).
Cadogan finds the woman, who is talking to people in the public house, and introduces himself. She introduces herself as Estrelle, and proves to be a charming conversationalist; on Cadogan's part, he learns that she is more or less the de facto ruler of the village at this point. There is no graveyard ceremony scheduled for that evening, and Cadogan charms his way into an invitation to dine with Estrelle at her home.
Re-convening at the church, the party shares what they've learned. "Sorry, Cadogan, but I don't think that druid is here. It looks like a run-of-the-mill case of demonic priestess summons a demon, deposes the mayor, and takes over." Sheraviel is inclined to agree, but feels it's her duty as one of the King's Guard to depose Estrelle in turn and vanquish whatever demons are there. Agun is noncommital; he has no problem deposing Estrelle, especially if she might have useful magical tools he could confiscate, but he feels their power isn't up to directly contesting with major demons. Shaleh just wants to loot Estrelle's house, and Auris doesn't care as long as he can fight. They agree on a plan: Cadogan will go to the house for dinner and gather information while the others stake out the grounds. If he has an opening, he will let the others in and they'll attack Estrelle by surprise. If he doesn't give them a signal within 2 hours, they'll burst the door in and storm the house.
Cadogan arrives; he and Estrelle engage in a protracted bluff/sense motive match under the cover of diplomacy checks, and Cadogan, alert to instances of Sleight of Hand because of his own skill, foils a "switched goblet" scenario, although he remains uncertain if any poison was administered. After dinner, they end up in bed, but Cadogan experiences a massive wave of nonlethal damage far out of proportion to his exertions. He manages to palm a dagger and attacks; Estrelle casts a spell, and Cadogan is instantly reduced to the IQ and self-will of a small reptile -- he can respond to direct commands that involve basic biological functions (and does so), but has no further competence.
Eventually missing his "all clear" signal, the others storm the house, with Agun knocking open the door and Sheraviel taking point. Estrelle faces them with potent mind-affective spells and bursts of subdual damage, but in close combat she is outmatched and quickly slain. Collecting Cadogan, the others depart the town immediately. Referring to a map, they travel east to Brackmar Abbey, which is only two days' ride; there, they submit Cadogan to the care of the monks, happily paying the donation they request. Under their divine ministrations, Cadogan's wits gradually return, and the party returns to Hylore, where Sheraviel submits a terse report ("Reports of demonic activity in Cleftrocks Hollow investigated. Demonic priestess/summoner slain. Recommend follow-up demon hunt and/or exorcisms as needed.").
DM's Note: As an "incomplete" adventure, this one earned the party no level advancement. Unbeknownst to the party, Estrelle (a beguiler -- a type of sorcerer bloodline under our house rules) was under the control of the demon; the demon was not in fact under her control as they had assumed. Having been discovered, after they depart the demon simply eats the souls of everyone in the village and then moves on; the King's exorcists arrive to find a deserted village.
Unbeknownst to the party, Estrelle (a beguiler -- a type of sorcerer bloodline under our house rules) was under the control of the demon; the demon was not in fact under her control as they had assumed.
It's hard to remember if we never found this out, or if we did and I've just forgotten.
It's hard to remember if we never found this out, or if we did and I've just forgotten.
If I recall correctly, after Cadogan was feebleminded, the consensus was "we're not gonna fight any more bad guys without him -- let's bail!" So I think that point never came up in-game.
Dudes, I have no idea what came next. Hook Mountain Massacre, maybe?
Ok, off the top of my head, here's what I remember that I don't recall reading about, yet...
There was the demon-powered dam. I think this might also be Hook Mountain Massacre, but I'm not confident of that. Is this where Agun got that rune that would let him summon a nature demon at the cost of some of his blood (1 hp)? The rune might have come from something you already covered, actually.
There was also the trip we took across the ocean to the south. I don't think this was the main reason, but part of the reason was to look for food for Aviona since all of d'Ansac's halflings were being soldiers instead of farmers. I think the stoner-druid played by Derek's friend was around for that one.
And this was after I left and came back... after psychicmachinery and Mundane started... but there was the Hylore adventure where Agun buffed pm's character up so that he won some duel onboard the ship.
Also, there was the time Agun won the campaign and everybody loved him forever. I think that came later, though.
My memory is about the same as yours, then. Cool! And I think you're right: HMM/dam, then the Jurnre trip, then the one you cleaned up for psychicmachinery and Mundane. And, finally, the raid on the Blue Temple so Cadogan could try and buy a D-Hopper...
I should have killed that egomaniac Agun when I first met him.
I should have killed that egomaniac Agun when I first met him.
This is the part where I would make a quip about you not being very good at stabbing people, but I have to own up to my part, here. I'm not very good at being stabbed by you.
I was holding out for a better pay day. Don't flatter yourself ;-)
No, it's not flattery! It's the laws of physics! It just doesn't work! You try to stab me, and WHOA that didn't go as planned!
Mmmmmaybe try something a bit easier? Like elves?
It went exactly as planned. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation. ;-)
Any dwarf-stabbing or elf-killing aside, Cadogan becomes, by turns, withdrawn and/or self-destructive after they return to Hylore. He stops adventuring with the others unless it involves a chance of tracking down and killing Monk, and even Joachim starts to worry about him. Meanwhile, things are tough all over Hylore. That fall, it hardly ever stops raining; the streets flood, and the weather is unseasonably cold, especially at night. A very early winter is predicted. And with no grain harvest -- the aftermath of d'Ansac's rebellion -- the crown is forced to purchase wheat from Northwind at ruinous prices. (One particular Northwind merchant, Dirk Thrandarl, gets particularly wealthy through this arrangement, and begins expanding his holdings; this will become quite important later on.)
Sheraviel is called in when messages stop arriving from Fort Rannick, an outpost in the wildest part of the Andoor Mountains, built years ago to keep the local ogre tribes in check. Her mission is to determine what happened at the fort, and rectify it and/or report back as needed, through whatever means are expedient -- she has enough seniority now to be entrusted with a broad goal, and left to her own devices to implement it. She goes to see Cadogan, who starts to beg off until she reveals the location of the fort, whereupon he immediately straps on weapons, gathers a bunch of cold-weather gear, and declares himself and Joachim ready to travel. They contact Agun, who is bored at the university and agrees to help. Attempts to reach Auris and Shaleh are fruitless -- the two are involved in some other caper near Fairpoint, and can't be reached.
The four begin their treck into the Andoor Mountains, this time to the north and west of Cleftrocks Hollow. As they climb, temperatures drop, and Cadogan is glad he remembered to bring a parka; Agun simply uses magic to make himself inured to the cold. If the weather bothers Sheraviel, she doesn't bother remarking on it. At one point they spot a pointed red hat disappearing under the roots of a large old oak tree, and Cadogan hails softly, "Hey, hey, Sir Gnome, don't be so quick to hide. I've got some jerky and cheese here, if you're sick of acorns."
The forest gnome furtively peeks out, notes that the party are not ogres, and greets them. He seems unimpressed with the jerky, but after polishing off Cadogan's cheese, he grins and says, "Glad I am you aren't ogres. The ogrekin near here are bad, bad, bad, but not the worst. Watch out for the Kreegs -- they'll eat you alive." He asks to borrow Cadogan's rapier, and scratches some tracery on it -- "I am no wizard, to be fabricating mighty weapons; this is just a quick charm, that won't last out the winter. But it'll help against big folk like the Kreegs, if you can't avoid them."
DM's Note: Cadogan's sword is temporarily +1, +2 vs. creatures larger than man-sized, as a tribute to the 1st edition AD&D rules that houstonderek and I tend to wax nostalgic for.
On the road, the party encounters a big-eared half-elf girl, equipped as an archer, who is jogging along at a mile-eating pace. Seeing Sheraviel's cloak, the girl hails them and salutes, introducing herself as Shelalu, a junior acolyte of the Black Arrows -- the nickname given by the garrison at Fort Rannick to themselves. Hurriedly, she reports that the fort has been overrun by ogres; she and her father took separate routes back to Hylore, hoping at least one of them would get word there -- she along the main road, with him taking a more direct, but also more dangerous route.
Sheraviel says, "We're on the way to the Fort to investigate now. Continue to Hylore and give word, like you'd planned." Swiftly writing and sealing a letter, she adds, "Also give this note to Captian Fenneval, commander of the King's Guard, as soon as possible upon your arrival. Put it directly into his hand and bid him read it at once." Turning to the others, she explains, "I asked him to send our old friends Siodra and Jack to help." Agun nods, saying "Good idea -- Jack really gets off on this sort of thing."
Agun then inquires of Shelalu, "Which route did your father take?" Sheraviel memorizes the directions. Agun nods lazily, then bids Shelalu continue on her way. "My thought is to get him as an ally/meat shield until the reinforcements get here," he admits when they're alone again. Cadogan happily agrees, and they take the detour to intercept the man's trail.
The detour leads them to an overrun farmyard, with the crops long turned to weeds. A sign out front reads "Graul" -- in the yard is a rickety old barn and a boarded-up farm house. The party is attacked in the yard by a big, strapping, hideously-deformed boy and a feral dog; these are killed easily. Cadogan, using his favorite magic ring, becomes invisibile and moves to the windows; stealthily prying two of the boards apart, he peeks in, then quickly withdraws back to the group, takes off his ring, and reports:
"There's some kind of hideous half-ogre looking Big Biker Mamma in there; she's gotta be 400 pounds. She's cooing to her "good boys," who appear to be deformed animated zombie half-ogres. I say we get the hell out of here." Agun makes a quip regarding Cadogan's sudden disinclination to sleep with every woman they encounter; Sheraviel sniffs disdainfully. Joachim suggests that they at least search the barn, to which the others agree.
Inside the barn are two more ogrekin boys, these ones with heads like cauliflower; they are moving hay with pitchforks. They prove remarkably alert, and attack as soon as there is a line of sight to the intuders, throwing their pitchforks like spears and charging after them. After a brief fight they, too, are killed, albeit with more difficulty than their brother with the dog. In the loft is a naked man, hog-tied up and strung up to the beam, and incapacitated by injury. Removing his gag, they learn he is Shelalu's father; they free him and treat his external injuries; Joachim provides what magical healing he can, and they explain that his daughter is on the way to Hylore, and that reinforcements are coming. Provided with paper by Agun, the man sketches maps of the Fort layout; he then begins hobbling back towards Hylore.
"Shouldn't we send someone to help him back?" asks Joachim; Agun shakes his head. "We wanted him for a meat shield, remember? He's getting off easy as it is!"
The group then heads for the fort.
From a vantage point, the party looks down on Fort Rannick and discusses their options. They decide to wait until Jack and Siodra arrive before entering the place, but then Agun points out that those two, when they arrive, will doubtless do the same thing -- watch from a vantage point and wait -- which means both groups could independently sit there watching the place until all the ogres die of old age.
Cadogan suggests, "Okay, it looks like the gatehouse is full of ogres. Let's wait until we figure they have to be here. If we then run down, take out the guards, and bar the gates to the inside, then Jack and Siodra will see what's happening and will join us there. Plus, we'll have the ogres penned in, unless they have another exit somewhere."
For lack of a better plan, they put this one in action, spending the night on the ridge and then creeping down to the gatehouse -- left invitingly open by the ogres, who are hoping people will wander in so they can eat them. Cadogan dons his ring, blows his horn of fog, and sneaks into gatehouse, while Sheraviel marches to the edge of the fog, draws her sword, and demands the ogres' surrender. The ogres, unable to see because of the fog, move past Cadogan, who viciously stabs them in the back as they come, his gnome-spelled sword proving especially effective against them. Sheraviel holds her own as they come as well, and with Agun's support, they soon have the gatehouse secured. Soon thereafter, Jack and Siodra enter, the former grinning madly, the latter eyeing them coolly.
"So, we get to kill ogres?" Jack inquires.
Sheraviel makes an annoyed gesture, then explains, "We need to find the garrison and free them, I think -- unless they've all been eaten -- but, yes, eventually we'll need to kill the ogres, too."
Siodra nods.
Agun suggests, "Cadogan's ring and horn only work once a day, so we need to be pretty sparing with them. I suggest we move in a tight group. If we encounter ogres, I can cast spells to make Jack even more awesome than he is, and he can charge up and kill them. Meanwhile Siodra can give us ranged support, and Sheraviel can guard me -- er, I mean 'us' -- in case any of them get past Jack. And Cadogan can shank them while they're fighting Sheraviel."
They move into the keep, following the map, and soon encounter a pair of Krieg ogres: larger and tougher-looking than the ones in the gatehouse, wielding huge, wicked-looking hooks. With a wolflike howl, Jack charges them, taking serious wounds as he closes. He ignores the injury and begins hewing at them in a frenzy, foaming at the mouth. Although it initially seems he is doomed to be cut down, Agun's spells begin shimmering about him, and attacks that should have killed him begin missing, and Jack begins hitting even harder; meanwhile, Siodra bombards them with rays of acid. Before long, both of the Kriegs are lying on the floor in their own blood, and Jack, sheepishly, returns to the group, where Joaquim heals him.
"Yeah, this is FUN!" he remarks, and Sheraviel shakes her head sadly.
DM's Note: This was our chance to playtest the rewritten barbarian class. While raging, they are phenomenal combatants, and with magical support on top of that, are nigh-invincible. When not raging, however, they're like extremely substandard fighters. Including Siodra allowed us to test the rewritten sorcerer, which we'd merged with the 3e Warlock -- a useful support character, but nowhere near as powerful as it looks on paper. The down side was that Derek had to play Cadogan, Joachim, and Jack, while Andostre controlled Agun and Sheraviel, and I just rolled for Siodra's acid blasts. We sort of had our hands full. (TOZ was out on deployment, which is why Auris was missing.)
The party proceeds in this manner through most of the fort, mostly trying to avoid encounters, and generally fighting defensively, but occasionally letting Jack run out and berserkly kill ogres in a rage. At one point, Agun takes a break from buffing Jack to instead use his spells to knock some ogres off of a bridge -- they fall into a chasm, were specks of blinking lights, like fireflies, seem to coverge on the bodies. These are "shocker lizards" -- something like terrestial electric eels, but agile and with legs.
Unfortunately, encounters with the remaining ogres start becoming more frequent and more deadly as the tribe is alerted to the attack on the fort. One Krieg ogre has artificial steel jaws, and it takes all the party's efforts to defeat him. Soon thereafter, they are confronted by Jaagrath, the chieftain of the Krieg ogres -- a massive, powerful monster with pectoral muscles the size of sofa cushions, and a magic war hook dark with bloodstains. Sheraviel adopts her defensive stance and manages to dodge and parry his initial assault, wounding him with her counterstroke; in a rage, he swings wildly, smashing through her formerly impenetrable guard with sheer power, and the point of his war hook comes out her back; Sheraviel is dead before she hits the floor. Cadogan has been stabbing Jaagrath repeatedly in the kidneys, although he seems unaware of the attacks, and Jack, bolstered by the last of Agun's spells, smashes him over and over, with Siodra blasting him with acid. Eventually he falls, still swinging. The party is shocked and horrified at Sheraviel's loss, and swears vengeance on the remaining Kriegs.
DM's Note: I rolled a d6 to randomly determine who Jaagrath would attack first, and people were feeling hopeful when Sheraviel's number came up, because she had never actually been hit by any ogre before that. When Jaagrath's normal attacks also failed to connect, there was no reason for him not to swing for the bleachers using Power Attack; one lucky 20, confirmed with help from his Critical Focus feat, instantly reduced her from full hp far into the negatives. I was especially sad because I'd rehearsed a cool death speech for Jack, and didn't get to use it.
The surviving PCs find the remnants of the Black Arrows, locked in a storeroom, bound, and badly used. Many have been eaten. Freeing them, they are told that the Kriegs imprisoned them at Fort Rannick to keep them to interfering with something going on at the nearby dam, which overlooks a large town. More ogres are there. The party thanks the soldiers, returns Fort Rannick to their control, and rests there before heading to the dam -- Cadogan and Ahun don't care much about the town, but they do want to avenge Sheraviel by exterminating the Kriegs.
Atop the dam, ogres with picks can be seen trying to break the top. The water level in the lake above the dam seems dangerously high -- almost to the very top of the dam -- doubtless from all the rain, coupled with the fact that it appears that little of the excess water is actually passing through the dam -- the stage in the river below appears to be disproportionately low. Conditions are perfect for a catastrophic failure that would destroy the town, which seems imminent. Cadogan, who upon seeing the dam has the wild idea of trying to slide down the side of it, decides to kill the ogres instead -- he and Jack begin moving across the top towards the ogres, while Agun and Siodra support with magic.
The ogres are exhausted by their labors with the picks, and are easy sword fodder for fighters of the caliber of the King's Guard. The bodies slump down the dam and into the river, and Cadogan calls down that there's an entrance into the interior -- maybe they can figure out how to bleed off some of the excess water. Agun and Siodra join them, and the four descend into the dam's interior, quickly slaying an aquatic troll that guards the entrance chamber.
DM's Note: I rolled a d6 to randomly determine who Jaagrath would attack first, and people were feeling hopeful when Sheraviel's number came up, because she had never actually been hit by any ogre before that. When Jaagrath's normal attacks also failed to connect, there was no reason for him not to swing for the bleachers using Power Attack; one lucky 20, confirmed with help from his Critical Focus feat, instantly reduced her from full hp far into the negatives. I was especially sad because I'd rehearsed a cool death speech for Jack, and didn't get to use it.
I was sad because I was running her as an NPC at this point. I know Jess was done with the campaign, but it was the first PC death I'd had anything to do with in a long while.
Descending into the dam works, the party encounters a trio of hideous, iron-nailed hags; Agun makes a connection with something he learned in one of his classes, and remembers that a covey of hags can control the weather. Here, then, is the source of the excess precipitation threatening to burst the dam.
Combat erupts, and the party quickly begins to get the worse of it once Jack is taken out of action by the hags' magic. At one point, Cadogan is locked in melee with one of the hags, and is about to be grappled and rended to death. In the struggle, a glass jar is knocked over and breaks, releasing a snake; the thing angrily rears up, but rather than biting Cadogan, it sways and hisses oddly -- and a column of fire descends on Cadogan and his assailant! Cadogan's reflexes enable him to avoid the conflagration unharmed, but the hag is burnt to ash. Cadogan, uncertain whether to attack the snake or the remaining hags, has his choice made for him when he sees that Joachim is about to be killed. With regret, he ignores the snake to stab the remaining hag in the back, ending the fight. By the time he goes back to look, the snake has disappeared into the rubble; moving it aside, he finds a crack in the wall large enought to admit a snake, but too narrow for a person. Cursing, he realizes that "Monk" has escaped his vengeance again.
Agun surmises that Monk, with no base of operations, attempted an alliance with the hags to work out of the dam, but was betrayed and imprisoned by them and kept in a jar instead. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," he remarks.
Aftter the slaying of the hag coven, there are only a few rooms left unexplored. One contains Grandpa Krieg, an ancient ogre mage, long past the prime of his powers; with Jack back in action and Cadogan in no mood for opposition, he is quickly slain -- with Cadogan whispering to him, "Are you Jaagrath's father? We killed him, you know. And all the rest of the Kriegs. Your whole clan has been wiped off the earth."
The last room seems like something of a control room for the dam, with a number of levers, etc. coded with arcane symbols. Experimenting with these, Cadogan says "I think these control the flow through the dam, but they won't move -- they're not rusted or stuck, but it's like there's a pressure lock, or else the mechanism needs power and isn't getting any." Agun, experimenting with another lever, causes a panel to move aside, revealing a window into a small chamber. Inside the chamber is a permanent magic circle against evil, and inside the circle is the body of a horned, red-scaled humanoid with wings -- a demon or devil of some kind. The thing is obviously dead.
Cadogan finds the control that gives access to this prison chamber, and Agun, always interested in magical experimentation, digs out the runestone he recovered from the druidical circle in Elliston. Dragging the devil's corpse from the circle, he puts the stone in its place, then pricks his finger, causing a drop of blood to fall on the stone. As he steps back, a gigantic tentacular hound is summoned from some other plane of existence, to find itself trapped in the magic circle. Going back to the control room, Agun tries the dam control levers, and finds them functional this time: as they engage, the hound-thing screams, and water begins pouring from the lake through the dam. Estimating a setting that will allow enough water to drain to prevent the dam from bursting, but be low enough to not flood the valley below, Agun complacently lights a cigar and says, "When we get back to Hylore I'll have the deans of the college come up here and summon something that will last a little longer -- at the rate we're going, my hound's energy will be used up in less than a month. In any case, I'll say the town owes us!"
Cadogan, having gone above to watch the lake level drop, comes quickly back down, however. "Uh, Agun," he says, "You didn't summon any tentacle monsters into the lake, did you? Because there's a really big one in there, and I don't think it's happy that we're draining its aquarium..."
DM's Note: Agun had something like a 19 Intelligence at this point, and it's hard to put that into "normal people" terms. So I gave Andostre some hints about how the dam worked... but he ended up figuring out most of it himself anyway.
Oops, just revisited the "Gamer in Houston" thread and realized that this adventure actually took place after the next one I'm about to write about. Mea culpa; we played this almost exactly 4 years ago now, and my memory isn't what it used to be.
Also, Cadogan's cohort is JOAQUIM, not JOACHIM.
Re: summoning a new monster for the dam, I just found this amusing snippet:
Agun will talk to some of the higher-ups at the academy explaining that for extra credit he is submitting the discovery of a new source of near-renewable energy AND a unique situation to provide specialized training to young summoners. Ignoring any horrified looks he is given, he'll say the colloquial school slogan (i.e. "go <mascot>") in place of his standard "You're welcome," and walk out.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Re: summoning a new monster for the dam, I just found this amusing snippet:
Agun will talk to some of the higher-ups at the academy explaining that for extra credit he is submitting the discovery of a new source of near-renewable energy AND a unique situation to provide specialized training to young summoners. Ignoring any horrified looks he is given, he'll say the colloquial school slogan (i.e. "go <mascot>") in place of his standard "You're welcome," and walk out.
Ha ha ha! I always envisioned higher-level Agun as the sort of guy who complacently makes himself invaluable to the people around him (to his benefit as well as theirs) in return for them compromising their integrity. This moral breakdown would be a tool he'd use for control.
With the lack of a harvest in South Province, and winter setting in, food shortages in parts of Aviona are becoming problematic. Despite the grain shipments from Northwind, shortages remain particularly acute in the West, and there are rumors of hunger riots in the city of Oceanbrook.
A memorial service is held for Sheraviel, and Otto's house on the bay is ceded to her family as their personal estate in honor of her service.
Cadogan is approached (very) indirectly by King Elcore and asked to sail to the County of Ulek, on the Continent of the Flanaess across the ocean (and possibly technically on a contiguous plane) and attempt to arrange a grain purchase deal with that nation. He is provided letters of agreement by the King, and is booked passage on a cruise ship bound for the Druids' Festival and Gathering of the Hierophants, which is being held in Ulek that year. Cadogan agrees, hoping to find Monk at the festival and kill him. Agun, hearing about the event from Cadogan, also agrees. Cadogan also arranges for passage for Auris and Shaleh, whose last "job" (resulting in their absence on the last adventure) went sour, and who are looking to disappear for awhile.
On the cruise, Cadogan meets an over-the-top hippie druidess, who carries a pruning hook modified into a polearm and espouses a particularly unusual form of Druidism; she is hoping to gain official recognition for her initiation at the ceremony; she and Cadogan become unlikely friends.
The ocean voyage is long but uneventful, and the action fast-forwards to their arrival in the port city of Jurnre, in Ulek...
*
Setting into port, the passengers are confronted on the gangplank by town guards in kilt-like uniforms, carrying quarterstaffs. It is explained that Jurnre is a peaceful city, and open carrying of weapons by citizens is strictly prohibited. Agun has no problem with this, but to Cadogan -- who grew up in Hylore, where the open wearing of weapons at all times is expected -- this is an outrage. Still, for the sake of his mission, he allows himself to be divested of his rapier and daggers.
Proceeding to the hotel, they look aroud the city -- a clean, well-ordered community built on a bend in the Jewel River. The climate is warm; the buildings are of white adobe or stucco, most with rooftop gardens. Halflings are nearly as numerous as in Hylore, but appear to be full citizens here, as Cadogan discovers when he tells one to bring his luggage to the hotel, and the halfling stares at him as if he is a rabid dog.
Near the hotel, the street is blocked by a centaur, who had been hauling a cart which overturned and is now blocking the sidewalk as well. A pair of kilt-clad police, rather than helping to right the cart, are instead demanding to search it. This is a situation that Cadogan is more familiar with! By touch, he locates some Avionan livres in his pouch, being careful not to produce any of the heavier iridium "faerie gold" coins that are not accepted outside the Elflands. Walking up, he greets the officers and says, "Forgive me, gentlemen; my servant's clumsiness is inexcusable. I am Sir Cadogan Jaumet, on a diplomatic mission from the King of Aviona; here are my papers." He hands over one of the King's letters, with the money carefully folded into it.
On finding the coins, one of the officers' eyes open wide and he reaches for them; the other becomes outraged and brandishes his staff, and begins ranting about foreign corruption and prisons and so on. Agun intervenes by charming the irate guard, and the group passes by, the centaur in tow, and proceeds to the hotel. By the time they reach the place, their druidess companion has become fast friends with the centaur, Hloth, who seems amiable but dull-witted, and whose speech is somewhat slurred as if under the effects of too much wine or elvish hallulé. On reaching the hotel, Hloth makes his delivery (an innocuous shipment of fruit, as it turns out -- although he openly admits to smuggling drugs on occasion) and is told that he must sleep in the barn. The druid jokes that she might consider that as well -- "After all, he's hung like a horse!" This prompts Cadogan to preen and strut a bit, which amuses Agun considerably.
Shaleh and Auris have taken a detour through the port, and Shaleh, arriving at the hotel, distributes contraband daggers to the party members -- with only Auris refusing one ("I'm always armed," he explains). After an uneventful night, Cadogan dresses carefully and prepares to present the King's case to the County officials. Agun will accompany him as a "scribe," and Shaleh and Auris elect to explore the city. All druids in the city will of course be attending the festival; Agun, recalling Monk's wicker crow, suppresses a joke about "Burning Man."
@houstonderek -- do you remember Morgan's character's name? I'm totally drawing a blank.
The next day, Cadogan and Agun make their way to the administrative district of the city. Along the way, they pass a deranged religious fanatic, standing next to a bronze statue and haranguing passersby to expel all foreigners; Agun, the only mountain dwarf in the city, shrugs as if to say "Who, me?"
Continuing on their way past that plaza, they are fired upon by a nearby rooftop! Fortunately, Cadogan is not so easily surprised; he reacts nearly instantly, running towards the building in question -- the shot came from the rooftop garden there. Agun enters a nearby building and climbs the stairs there, emerging onto the roof to gain a line of sight to the sniper. As he spies a man with a crossbow, the man becomes a crow, and flies away. Agun sends a magic message to Cadogan, telling him to follow the crow and giving directions; Cadogan follows it into a city park, where it lands, becomes an otter, and swims into a drainage culvert too narrow for him to follow it.
Rejoining Agun, Cadogan's only question is "Was it him?" Agun shakes his head; unlike "Monk," the sniper had a stocky build, a full head of hair, and no beard.
As they approach the city admin center, Cadogan and Agun argue as to whether the assassination attempt represents a credible lead -- "You know, druids doing each other favors or something -- maybe we could trace it back?"
Presenting their letters of introduction, the two attempt to gain an audience with the Count of Ulek, but are turned away. Cadogan, attempting to bribe his way in where diplomacy failed, learns that the count is travelling and not due back for two more days.
Back at the hotel, they find their Hippie friend from the ship, who normally would sleep outdoors at the festival, but was feeling a bit under the weather and returned to the inn to assay a remove disease spell and retire early. She tells them that the druids' discussion centered on the Grand Druid, Lagavulin, who was found petrified in the Oakwood Forest of Balvora some months earlier. All attempts at restoring him have failed, leading some to suspect that the Archimage, Marclore himself, was responsible. Marclore's power eclipses most mortal considerations; he leaves his manse and personally acts only when the fate of worlds are involved, so this news is troubling.
In the morning, the druidess is too sick to return to the festival. Cadogan and Agun agree that something in the city doesn't seem right, and they find Auris and Shaleh and ask their opinion over breakfast.
"They sure hate foreigners here," says Auris. Shaleh nods. "They're so proud of how well integrated the human and halfling populations are, but throw in someone from anywhere else, and they all get real stiff and uncomfortable. I also notice that, despite the pretty white buildings and marble plazas, they have rats just like every other city."
At one point, the two strayed far from the main streets and were attacked; Shaleh noticed the setup before it was too late, and Auris beat their assailants senseless. "Just locals with agricultural tools," he says, "but way more vicious than you'd think from the well-manicured yards and cute houses."
On the street again, the four encounter Hloth the centaur, who has his cart loaded and is headed for the quay, where he wants to catch a barge to go across the river. Asking what's there, they learn it's mostly forest/jungle, with some trails; the river is both wide and full of crocodiles, so no one swims. Offering to "protect" his cart, they insist on accompanying him, to his intense discomfort. He tries to talk them out of it, which only makes them more determined to stay; the trip across the river is somewhat tense.
Dropping the passengers off on the far shore, the barge turns around to return to the city. Agun looks at the mostly primaeval jungle and asks what brings Hloth to these godsforsaken woods, and the centaur replies only that he is "making an important delivery for a friend." He begins to describe a hollow tree, then suddenly clams up, realizing that he has said too much. Making some vague threats as to a grim fate befalling them if they tell anyone, he continues on silently.
Their route has taken them into a marshy area, which the centaur has trouble navigating; his cart becomes mired. Cadogan and Agun nod to one another and converge on Hloth; rather than freeing his cart, they quickly murder him and sink his body in the bog. "Been wanting to do that since we met him," admits Cadogan.
They then search the cart. Inside are a crossbow and a quiver of crossbow bolts, which Agun handles. "These are magic bolts," he says. "Necromantic. I think they're magicked to slay on the slightest hit. They also look a lot like the bolt that was fired at us yesterday." Cadogan nods, preoccupied with the pot of viscous black liquid he also found in the cart. "Poison?"
Cadogan nods. "I have no idea what kind, but it hardly matters. This definitely isn't the kind of stuff that I thought he was delivering." Shaleh, on examining the poison, identifies it as a potent neurotoxin, usually delivered by injury with a puncturing weapon. In conjunction with a spell to suppress the victim's life force, it would almost certainly prove fatal even if the spell wasn't. Someone wants to be very sure that the intended target dies.
The four decide to stake out the hollow tree, and see who comes to claim the weapons and poison.
Hours go by, and the party is thoroughly hot, filthy, and demoralized -- all except Auris, who seems immune to external conditions. Between Cadogan's and Shaleh's skill at stealth, and Agun's spells, the party is well-hidden, however, and avoid detection when a pair of wild boars approaches the tree with something resembling purpose.
One of the boars, sniffing about, flows and melts upright into a manlike shape; stooping, it reaches into the hollow of the tree and stops, nonplussed at finding the hollow empty. At this point, the party attacks.
Agun's spells fail to stop the manlike creature in its tracks, but Cadogan and Shaleh, attacking from two sides in a rush, succeed in dealing it serious wounds; they avoid the worst of its return spells through well-honed evasive reflexes. Auris engages the remaining boar alone, and ends up wrestling it in the mud, an exploit which the others use to ridicule him mercilessly thereafter. Eventually the pair are subdued, and the shapechanger questioned.
He gives his name as Morgorath, a local druid, and he claims never to have heard of "Monk." Rather, he is doing a favor for a prominent druid of Oceanbrook, in western Aviona, who has specifically asked him to foil Cadogan's mission and assassinate the Count of Ulek himself. When asked about the petrification of Lagavulin, he launches into an insane metaphysical rant tying druids to the fey, and fey to primal chaos, and therefore druids to the Abyss... the whole thing makes no sense to the party, and Cadogan, feeling that no useful information is forthcoming, slays the man to shut him up.
DM's Note: Sticklers for canon will of course be aware that, according to the Greyhawk maps, the city of Jurnre is on the Kewl River, not the "Jewel River" as I called it a few posts up. Realizing I'd never hear the end of the bad jokes associating that name with the druidess' and centaur's Valley talk -- "That river is, like, SO KEEEEEEWL!" -- it seemed a quick change in name was in order.
Not long after the slaying of Morgorath, a carriage comes through the forest along the trail. Agun flags it down and is confronted by armored guards; this is the carriage of Count Llewen of Ulek, returned a day ahead of schedule! After handing over the corpse of the druid and the confiscated weaponry, the party is provisionally put under arrest for questioning; they catch a barge and return to the city with the count's retinue, and are questioned about their involvement. Attempts to speak with dead on Morgorath fail, but using speak with animals on the now-docile boar reveals that Morgorath flew over the river, became a boar, met his animal companion (the other boar) in the forest, and went directly to the tree, where they were attacked by the party.
Having foiled an attempt on the Count's life, the party is able to speak with him directly. They produce King Elcore's letters and the Count agrees to send ships full of grain to Aviona for a reasonable price, undercutting the Northwind traders despite the extra distance. Back in Aviona, Cadogan reports the success of his mission to King Elcore, then ensures that a portion of each shipment will be diverted to "Mr. C." -- who always insists on "wetting his beak" when Cadogan's exploits are involved.
For the time being, they keep the druidical gossip to themselves, hoping to leverage that information to finally corner Monk.
In Hylore, Cadogan is gradually becoming obsessed with the idea of moving off-plane, of being able to travel the multiverse as the whim takes him, to see exotic places, meet exotic women, and so on. He inquires with Mr. C. as to where he can obtain an item that would allow this; Mr. C., impressed with Cadogan as a money-earner, is in no great hurry to facilitate this wish, however (more on this to come).
Meanwhile, Mr. C. has been complaining about the so-called "Tears of Baalzebul," a new street drug that's taken Hylore by storm. Its use massively boosts the user's self-esteem, and makes him/her more magnetic and sociable. However, the substance is highly addictive. Mr. C.'s problem with it is not that it's being sold in his territory; only that he's not being given a piece of the profits. This makes him very angry, and he sends Cadogan to find out where it's coming from and who is dealing the stuff.
Cadogan ventures into the back-alleys of the section of Hylore where Ekbirian immigrants live; the Ekbirian ships are known to bring in opium and assorted other drugs, so it's a logical place to start looking for information. Asking nicely fails to yield results; he allows himself to become a target for some Ekbirian muscle, turns the tables on the toughs send to indimidate him, and finds out that a man named Kafesjian is the head of the Ekbirian drug trade. A meeting with Kafesjian reveals that the Ekbirians, too, are annoyed at the encroachment of the new drug.
Meanwhile, Cadogan is approached by a man named Skjorn, a powerful champion from out of Northwind, who is attempting to break into the now-lucrative grain trade with Hylore. Skjorn wears silvery armor of elven make and carries an unadorned sword of black metal, both of which Cadogan recognizes as being near-priceless, which means that this Skjorn is a personage to be reckoned with, and is potentially a very powerful ally. Skjorn is currently working with Rhenquist, the head of the Hylore Guild of Shippers, Traders, and Longshoremen -- but the monopoly held by Dirk Thrandarl to ship grain from Northwind is nearly airtight Cadogan, as the person who set up the only competing venture, is a logical person to approach.
On his part, Cadogan is immediately aware that Rhenquist likely has many informational resources that he lacks. Thinking quickly, he makes promises to Skjorn in exchange for Rhenquist's help in finding out the source of the Tears of Baalzebul.
DM's Note: Skjorn is a PC introduced by Psychicmachinery, who had recently moved to the Houston area and joined the group. Houstonderek and Andostre were largely occupied with other real-life concerns, and TOZ was on deployment, so the next two adventures focus almost entirely on Skjorn and on Jak, a monk/sorcerer PC played by Mundane.
Skjorn meets with Rhenquist, and the two discuss Cadogan's proposals. Rhenquist's current position is untenable; he lacks the energy, ambition, and political clout to stave off Thrandarl's fleet, and the latter will soon control the Guild, expelling Rhenquist, unless something is done soon. Stopping the inflow of the Tears of Baalzebul would paint Rhenquist as an "honest trader," in contrast to an amoral Thrandarl, and would be a major PR coup; Rhenquist would then gradually hand over control of the Guild to Skjorn with the time thus gained.
Rhenquist still has sources of information and useful contacts. He quickly learns that the Tears are being smuggled in from Aramni, a hostile nation across the Elder Mountains. A new pass through the mountains has been opened, and the Tears are likely being smuggled in that way, explaining why ships searched in port are always free of that particular contraband. Magical analysis of the ingredients indicates that their source is likely to be the City of Betelgeuse, on the shore of Lake Cancer.
Rhenquist has an old acquaintance in Betelgeuse, a businessman named Olig Skellem, whom he calls on a magic mirror.
"Skellem, my friend! I would like to send some friends of mine to poke around a bit in your fair city, and do not want them to fall afoul of the Secret Police. Can you accommodate this?"
"Sorry, Rhenquist, I would not risk my whole business being seized as a criminal enterprise. Between bribes to the police and losses to the lake pirate, Feargis Nach, my neck is already too far out."
"A pity. I should hate for the Premier to learn of the vacation home in Autrish that I furnished for you..."
"What! The Premier?! This is blackmail!"
"No, my friend; it is business in a free market economy."
"Very well, book them in the Hotel Krokinole, and I will be pleased to meet with them to maintain appearances and make appropriate introductions. If they are uncovered as spies, though, I can do nothing for them. Is that satisfactory?"
"Eminently so!"
Skjorn and Rhenquist become aware of a third person in the room, whom neither had previously noticed. This is Jak, an employee of Rhenquist's of dubious status; once a headstrong, domineering sorcerer, Jak is under an unusual curse, and most often believes himself to instead be a shy, humble monk of no magical ability. Occasionally he wakes up in the morning as his former self, and struggles to account for the gaps in time; more often, he wakes up as the monk and is aware of, but not overly concerned with, his lack of any memories older than a few years. Jak-the-monk makes himself useful to Rhenquist in dozens of small ways; he is stealthy and can fight well, and in this case he wants to go to Aramni. Skjorn of course volunteers to head the mission, and the two agree they will need no other backup -- "the fewer who know of this, the better."
In the morning, on the tide, they depart by ship for Aramni.
On the journey, Skjorn quickly learns to tell which of Jak's personae he's dealing with on a day-to-day basis, and begins to appreciate the company of both personalities. Meanwhile, he paints his armor dull gray and takes to wearing a surcoat over it, lest he stand out as someone at home in the Elflands -- a human trader in Aramni is watched but usually not interfered with, whereas a high elf might be burned at the stake as a demon or heretic.
Thankfully, as they sail into Bailan City (capital and chief port of entry for Aramni), Jak's sorcerer persona is at the fore. When asked for their credentials, the two boldly declare themselves as businessmen and explain their trip to Betelgeuse City; Jak is properly haughty and impatient -- whereas his furtive demeanor as a monk would almost certainly have gotten the pair arrested. As it is, they are allowed in with only cursory questioning, and relayed by caravan to Betelgeuse. There, they find the Hotel Krokinole to be a grand old edifice, dating back to a century or more before the "Glorious Revolution" when the followers of Asmodeus swept in from the southeast and conquered Aramni.
They are met there by Olig Skellem, a thin, balding man with glasses, who orders Black Mountain coffee with eiderberry brandy for them (a house specialty) and tells them what he knows.
"My shipping losses across the lake are horrendous because of the pirates, so to my mind, Feargis Nach is a far greater problem than any drug smuggling could possibly be. Be that as it may, tomorrow I will introduce you to Challath Borbo, the chief of police. Perhaps he has some leads that he can share with you."
Skellem has a business meeting the next morning, but calls a water taxi for Jak and Skjorn, to take them to the police station; he provides a letter of introduction as well. On the way, the two get a good look at the city, which due to ground subsidence and rising sea levels, has more canals than streets. Lake Cancer is large enough to have tides, and the city is build in an arc along its northwest shore, laid out in a series of numbered districts extending inland.
The chief of police is a short, portly man who chortles when introduced to Jak and Skjorn. Rubbing his hands together, he declares, "You are in luck! Through various means, I have learned the location of the smugglers' warehouse, and my men will raid it today. Given your interest, I will reluctantly give my permission for you to accompany them -- just back stay out of the way, as I would hardly wish to have to explain what happened if you were kidnaped or injured."
Skjorn and Jak (who is a monk that day) ride with the small squad of police to the warehouse district of the city. When the police announce their presence and demand the surrender of those inside, an explosion occurs, and most of the police are disabled or killed. Skjorn draws his sword and strides inside; he is fired upon by hoodlums with crossbows, but his armor is largely proof against their efforts. A few attempt to leap out from behind crates and otherwise ambush him, ninja-style, but Skjorn's prowess as a fighter is not to be sneered at, and he slays all who come within reach. Meanwhile, Jak sneaks into the warehouse, pummels one of the thugs senseless, and nails him into a crate for safekeeping, "just in case we need him." Skjorn quickly slaughters the rest.
Inside a number of packed crates are ceramic incense censors which, when broken open in turn, prove to contain small vials of a reddish liquid that can only be the Tears of Baalzebul. Aside from these crates and a pin-up calendar featuring veiled, robed women, there is nothing of remark in the place. Jak's prisoner claims to work for the "Lords of Woe" and threatens the two with dire revenge if they do not release him; they nail him back into the crate, address it to the police headquarters, and leave it outside on the warehouse dock with enough local cash (taken from the thugs' pockets) to cover the frieght charge.
Although the incident leaves Jak chuckling, Skjorn is more serious: "That left us nowhere!" Jak is not so pessimistic, and reminds Skjorn that the calendar in the warhouse office had a notation of letters and numbers.
"So?"
"So I copied them down."
"Oh!"
The two examine them and eventually opt for a very simplistic interpretation: they potentially indicate a city location and a time, ostensibly for some meeting. Skjorn is openly critical of this, but Jak points out they have nothing better to do, and they head out to that location to check it out.
The supposed area is called the Shanglestrand Beach, an area directly on the shore of the lake, north of the shipping docks. There is a Shanglestrand Tavern there, advertising she-crab soup and something called "Sea-Wrack Grog." Behind the building is an area of pebbled beach and dunes, largely deserted.
Skjorn waits there, feeling foolish, while Jak remains hidden nearby. At the appointed time, a pair of tall, thin men approach, carring long iron hammers at their sides. One of them lifts his other arm, preparing to throw a small bead at Skjorn. Jak intervenes, spoiling the throw, and Skjorn reacts quickly, drawing his sword and engaging the other man, cleaving through the hammer and the man's head, and leaving the corpse for the giant crabs that are said to come up out of the lake at night.
The other man flees into the city, and Jak and Skjorn chase him down, Jak acrobatically taking to the rooftops and shouting directions to Skjorn below. Skjorn's elf-made armor does not slow him down in the slightest, and his endurance from years of training allows him to outlast his quarry.
They interrogate the man, who admits openly that he is an enforcer for Feargis Nach, the lake pirate. "I have never met him. I have never been on board his ship, anchored in the Lake six miles east of here. I receive instructions in a mailbox; I carry them out; I receive payment in the same mailbox. Tonight I will receive no payment, for I failed to break your legs with my hammer."
Jak and Skjorn retire for the evening. In the morning, they hire a water-taxi to take them out into the Lake, hoping to investigate Feargis Nach's pirate ship. None of the cabbies are willing to do so, but they eventually find a fisherman, Guiseppe, who agrees. After a long trip out into the Lake, they eventually come across a tall sailship, flying a flag that can only be the local version of the Jolly Roger.
Climbing on board the ship as if they are honored visitors, they are perplexed to find the deck deserted -- perhaps everyone is below? They open a hatch and move belowdecks to investigate, only to have the hatch slam shut and the hold begin filling with water -- the entire ship is an elaborate deathtrap! Finding steel reinforcement under the wooden exterior doesn't slow them down; Skjorn's adamantine sword cuts through the hull like butter, and the two swim back to Guiseppe's fishing boat, disgusted.
They return to their hotel, bathe, eat a magnificent meal (charged to Olig Skellem's account), and get some more sleep.
In the morning Guiseppe's corpse is found on the front steps of the hotel, his throat cut from ear to ear.
Skjorn begins wondering why Skellem would complain so much about losses from a pirate who may not even exist -- or if he does, who doesn't seem to maintain much in the way of a fleet. He and Jak hail a water cab out to Skellem's office.
Unfotunately, the cabbie locks their cabin once they're inside, and releases some sort of poison gas into the interior. Again Skjorn's adamantine sword comes in handy, cutting through the cabin wall and the gondolier's head with equal efficiency. The water taxi is registered to the "Aldegood Cab Company," whose distinctive cabs (painted white with a blue stripe around the hull) are all over the city. Stopping at a few other cab stands and getting into Aldegood cabs has the same result as before -- resulting in more dead drivers and ruined cabins.
Shrugging resignedly, the two proceed on foot, but detour to the city administrative offices. A few discreet bribes to a minor under-clerk provides them with the information they were after: Aldegood is a fully-owned subsidiary of Skellem Enterprises. This almost seems like a clue!
On the way to Skellem's offices, they pass the train station, the "train" being a golem-like construct used to haul raw materials and goods around Aramni. Jak, curious about the thing, sneaks into the rail yard to take a closer look. There, he spots some suspiciously familiar-looking crates being loaded onto one of the cars. He and Skjorn intervene, slaying the men loading the crates, who fight in much the same manner as the thugs from the warehouse. Jak and Skjorn open some of the crates, which prove to be identical to the ones from the warehouse. Not just identical in appearance -- these are the exact same crates, as evidenced by having the same telltale damage from the warehouse fight.
Jak says, "So, the cops confiscated the crates, and then the smugglers somehow stole them back? The police here are even more incompetent than we thought!"
Skjorn replies, "I suspect the cops ARE the smugglers, and the police here are even more corrupt than we thought. I think that fat chief sacrificed some of his own guys to make us think otherwise."
"So, we should check him out some more!"
"After we talk to Olig."
Arriving at Skellem's offices, the two claim they are there to provide an update of their investigations. They are greeted by a blonde elven woman, obviously of Avionan extraction, who introduces herself as Skellem's chief financial advisor; she accompanies them to a product testing room, where Skellem is watching some sort of industrial process. Seeing this triggers something in Jak's head, and his sorcerer personality emerges. "They're making potions," he exclaims.
Skjorn nods and shouts to Skellem, "So, are you in fact a drug manufacturer, in addition to being a pirate?"
Skellem grins, his smile a rictus, and makes a quick jerking movement; a wand suddenly appears in his hand, as if by magic. It emits a searing blast of fire that catches Skjorn flat-footed; any normal man would have been instantly reduced to ash. To Skellem's dismay, it takes more than that to kill a fighter of Skjorn's prowess; the northman somehow twists aside, his armor taking the worst of the blast. The blonde elf begins to cast a spell; Jak, with full command of his sorcerous arts, counterspells it almost by reflex. Skjorn begins a terrible dance with Skellem, the latter feinting and discharging his weapon, while the former seeks to close distance. Eventually Skellem miscalculates; a moment later he has been cut down.
His elven assistant, seeing how things are, promptly surrenders to Jak.
As they watch, Skellem's features flow into a featureless gray mask; Jak recognizes him as a Doppelganger, able to take the shape of many men and women. "You were right, Skjorn," he says. "He was a pirate and a drug smuggler... and a businessman, and probably the chief of police as well."
The elf denies any complicity in illegal doings. "Production of potions is entirely legal here," she explains. "Their end disposition was outside of my scope of responsibilities; I tracked incoming materials outlay against production costs, oversaw production, and calculated acceptable loss ratios."
Skjorn nods absently. "Relax, we're not going to kill you. After all, you're a valuable hostage, as we return to Aviona."
On the trip back, the elven hostage, Lydia, adjusts quickly to her new situation and begins an affair with Jak -- one that is abruptly terminated the next morning when Jak wakes up as a monk, sees a strange woman in bed with him, and fails to recognize her! Skjorn smooths things over, explaining Jak's condition, and she agrees to assist them in their endeavors if it means gainful employment.
Unfortunately, when they reach Hylore, they realize that they have no real employment to offer her. At the Shipping Guild headquarters, they are barred admittance; some of the men friendly to Skjorn explain that Dirk Thrandarl has somehow established a majority bloc, called an emergency meeting of the Guild shareholders, and ousted Rhenquist as Guildmaster. Both Skjorn and Jak were expelled as members. Visiting Rhenquist at his home, they find him drinking rum punches and attempting to strum a banjo. He seems defeated, uninterested in further conflict.
"Surely he must have a weakness we can exploit?" presses Skjorn.
Rhenquist demurs. "Maybe. To buy so many votes, he would have to have spent more money than even he probably had in cash, which means large loans to continue operating in the meantime. Make him default on his loans and he'll have to sell his shares to stay afloat. The value of the remaining shares will plummet, so getting your hands on them will get easier and easier, until you have 51%. The problem is if they drop too fast and the entire Guild is simply looted to pay off the shareholders."
Skjorn nods understanding, but Jak appears uninterested and has picked up Rhenquist's guitar, eliciting horrid sounds from it. He frowns. "Somehow it seems like I should be better at this."
Lydia speaks up. "I have a contact at the Hylore branch of the Palladium Bank. If he didn't sign out the loan, he'll probably know who did, but he won't want to tell us because of client confidentiality."
Rhenquist offers, "I have some shares in the Guild myself -- enough to establish yourselves as representatives until Thrandarl dispels the ruse, anyway. But I don't have them here. Remember the Atlantis Marine Reasearch Center we founded as a tax break, and you told me I was a fool? They're in a waterproof box, buried in the mud at the bottom of the big tank. All you have to do is swim down and dig them up. If Molly hasn't gotten too big, it shouldn't be a huge problem."
"Molly?" asks Lydia.
Skjorn nods. "A giant octopus. When we bought her, she was about my size. Hopefully she hasn't grown too much..."
Gaining access to the tank will be simple, but what to do about Molly is less so. Skjorn admits that he can swim in his marvellous elf-wrought plate armor, but prefers not to fight a giant octopus using nothing more than a dagger, if it can be helped. Jak, as a kindly monk, doesn't want to hurt the octopus at all, and asks Lydia, with disarming bluntness, "Can't you just make it be friends with us?"
She admits that she doesn't know any spells that will do that, or that will enable them to hold their breaths long enough to dig up the box. Skjorn says that won't be a problem; he immediately proceeds to an independent trader he knows, and after a series of questions, purchases three scrolls. Returning with them, he enumerates: "This spell will allow a person to breathe underwater; this one will enable better swimming; and this one makes monsters more friendly. I propose that you copy them into your spellbooks or whatever medium you people use. For the cost of the labor involved in casting them, you end up with three new spells in your collection."
Lydia nods. "That's more than fair," she agrees.
Skjorn advances Lydia the remainder of his ready money and requests that she buy any Guild shares that are available -- but discreetly, so as not to drive up the prices.
Two days later, Jak has a new friend at the aquarium, and Skjorn now owns 15% of the Shipping Guild, in the form of bearer certificates. The three proceed to the Palladium Bank branch, to keep their appointment with Nils Brinkjen -- who proves to be a city gnome dressed in a conservative gray suit, looking incongruous without a peaked cap.
"Mr. Brinkjen, thank you for meeting with us. My client is a representative of the Hylore Guild of Shippers, Traders, and Longshoremen, here to inquire as to the status of their loan."
Th gnome looks at Skjorn critically, ignoring the bearer cerificates he presents. "That information of course must remain confidential, except to the majority shareholder."
Skjorn, gambling that Thrandarl could not possibly hold 51%, sneers. "There isn't one. The Guildmaster himself has, what, 40% maximum?"
Lydia makes a series of gestures, then stares at the banker. "I strongly suggest you tell my client what he wishes to know." (This is a serious breach of the law; the use of mind-affecting spells is banned throughout Aviona. However, outright lying is a major violation of elven social protocols, and Lydia feels that, in this case, commission of a felony is the lesser offense.)
Glassy-eyed, the gnome replies, "According to the last records in our possession, the Guildmaster has only 22%. Someone named Yi-Juan has another 31%, and 15% is owned by an entity listed only as "Uncle Wu." The former Guildmaster also had 15%, which I see is now in your possession. The remaining 17% of shares are outstanding. As to the loan, it comes due in one week."