A Spring Wedding

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This adventure takes place on the plane of Rue in the Mithrian Portal system.

Summary

Adventure: A Spring Wedding
GM: Helen Saggers
Session: Spring 809 wk
Night: Mondays starting the 21st Sept.
Location 20 Pahi Place, West Harbour.
Level: High

Party:

  • Grendel - Party Leader, MilSci, Mind mage/water
  • Isil Eth- Scribe, Elven Mind mage with extras
  • Phaeton - Solar Celestial
  • Flamis - second Mil Sci, Fire mage
  • Sooty - Hot and cold mage
  • Ben - Human warrior, sometimes
  • MDK - Non mage Dwarven pest exterminator

Preference was given to those cultured individuals who will not look out of place in a greater nobles wedding party

Employer:
The high priests/priestesses of five temples and the heads of Ten Noble families. Represented by 'Emma, a dragon killer from Rue' and a dragon cunningly disguised as a hobbit.

Mission:
To escort the bridal parties (about 7 people each for both bride and groom) to the wedding and then bride and groom for the two weeks of honeymoon.

Pay:
5 pounds of gold each, plus salvage of what ever the opposition can carry.

Briefing and Knoweldge

Two people are to be wed. They will become the Emperor and Empress, which are currently vacant.

The Wedding
There is to be a wedding this spring in the city of New Hope on the plane of Rue: the betrothed come from two of the most powerful noble families in the Swan river valley. The wedding is planned for the equinox being 6 weeks away, at New hope, the relgious centre of the empire, being near the headwaters of the Swan River. The groom is at Bald Hill, 600 miles downriver. Bride from Swan Mouth, 1200 miles downriver, which will be the capital. The groom and bride are the results of many years of breeding to unite all the various noble famillies without favour.

While the Gods and the Nobility favour this union and the alliance it represents, certain wealthy and powerful factions are known to be violently opposed.
These factions are known to have access to foreign mercenary mages and magics unknown. The party are to see that all participants in the wedding arrive safely, the wedding goes ahead as planned, as does the honeymoon, and the bride and groom get home safely.
The Bride proceeds from the Castle to the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess, to be blessed and then to the Temple of Mithros. The Groom proceeds from the Castle directly to the Temple of Mithros.
The wedding, and swearing of oaths of aliegence, occurs in the Temple of Mithros. The wedding will be 'official' once the oaths of allegience have been sworn.
The married couple then proceed to the market square to be presented to the people of the town.
The Treasury Guard will augment the castle guard for the procession from the castle to the temples.


The Threat: There are three broad factions: Nobles, Churches, Merchants. Merchants are traditionally taxed by imperial decree. The vacant thrones means the merchants are not taxed. The wedding may cause concern that the merchants will be taxed.
Merchants are likely to be the main opposition, although there are no recognised leaders. The warehouses down the Swan River have been getting larger garrisons, to the point that few mercenaries are available for hire.

An outside nation may also act.

Assassination attempts may be made. brute force mercenaries (200 +6 mages), poison.

The Population: The Swan River is 1000 miles long and human lands extend about 100 miles either side, so 200,000 sq miles. Assuming 200 per sq mile that is 40 million people, so say 100,000 merchants. there will be several merchant guilds and only a very few will be exceptionally rich.


Magic: Dragons are the guardians of the plane, and Mind Mages are rare, as are flying magics. Namers, Wiccan and Earth are the most prevalent colleges in the settled lands.


Languages: The two main languages are Imperial and Trader, we opt to learn Imperial (for 3 months). Elvish is used in the religious rituals.

Racial Tolerance: The humans tolerate Dwarves and Elves, but have little experience of them.

The Plan

Organise Weddng Gift prior to leaving Alusia.
Fly over Sea of Grass to the portal to Pasifika. Then portal to Paleolithica, Frigid Aire and then to Rue.

Ok, the Plan now we are on Plane

We split into two to investigate the holy city. Grendel and Phaeton talk to the priests, while the rest of us check out the shopping. We hope the three nasty ones get hired as mercenaries. Then we split into three groups: MDK, Sooty and Ben go and try to get hired as mercenaries.

The Plan, Phase two

We form two groups: Grendel, Phaeton meet with Flamis and Isil Eth at breakfast and decide to go down river together. The others leave by road and meet us at the next town, having failed to be hired.

The Plan, Phase Three

We form two groups, after breifly being together to talk to Sir Warren Isil Eth and Sooty travel to the Elven lands to talk to the elves whilst the rest continue down river to the mouth.

Scribe Notes

Getting there

2nd thaw:
Get Wedding gift.

Go to Paleaolithica

4th Thaw:
Go through Frigid Aire to Rue.
The portals are small structures with varius runes that link to other planes. Remember the runes for each of the attendant planes Find the dragon and Emma, get training in Imperial language.
Ask the trees not to grow closer to the portal than 50 yards, as the dragons want to be able to land easily beside the portals.

Sail down the ??? River to New Hope (relgious capital), which is at the confluence with the Swan River.

5th Thaw:
Arrive at New Hope early morning.
Flamis does a map of the city using a crystal of vision and we plan where to go and meet, plus emergency plans.
Party splits, with Isil Eth et al flying to southern side of city and walking in.

Grendel and Phaeton meet with the formal employers: the high priests of the five main temples.
Isil Eth et al take lodging in the Dorchester and then look the town over.
MDK, BEn and Sooty are dismissed in the evening and they go to a cheaper Inn seeking to be hired as mercenaries. The normal trick for being hired as body guards is to simply put the word around, but there are so few mercenaries ofr hire that those available are not suitable. It may be dangerous for the three to ask for hire, as none of them are human and so obviously foreign.
Grendel and Phaeton stay the night at the Dorchester and meet Flamis and Isil Eth.
Flamis does her Converse with Other Selves Ritual

Results from Flamis's Converse With Other Selves Ritual

  • How many distinct plots against the Emperor and Empress are there?

Future Emperor and Empress? Of where?? Are the Prince and his Consort in danger?

  • What types of magics do the plotters have?

Usually good ones if they hope to succeed.

  • What poisons do the plotters intend to use?

Deadly ones. Duh!!

  • How many assassins have been sent against the Emperor and Empress?

Not enough if they are after MY royals. But, most probably, as many as they can afford.

  • Do our enemies have scrying magic?

Doesn't everyone? That's why we have Namers.

  • What point do the merchants plan to attack the Emperor and Emperess?

If I were you, I'd cancel the progress. But I don't suppose you can - politics and all that.

  • What would you suggest we do to protect the future Emperor and Empress?

Get some well trained guards, put very good agents in close to the Emperor and Empress. And have a good plan in place for every possibility.

Phaeton - "It appears that the ritual has been intecepted by one of the Guardians"
Sooty - "Reminds me of some of the conversations I have had."
Phaeton - "Yes. I believe I can hear the snickering from here."


6th and 7th Thaw
Travel by boat to Bald Hill, where the groom is. The Swan River is several hundred yards wide.
Grendel and Flamis talk to Sir Warren, the local lord:

  • there are large stretches of river that are without jurisdiction. An attack in these areas would be deniable. The deniable stretches are the centre half of the river between the main towns.
  • Sir Warren has sent armed vessels down stream already
  • We could invite the elves to send a delegation to observe the wedding, given that they have a treaty with the humans.
  • The Forest is a good place to hide a large assault force, although there are fae and indigenous people who have no love for the empire and may be incouraged to slaughter any intruders. The Forest is within 50 miles of the river for much of its length. The indigenous people used to occupy all of the area to the river and beyond.
  • The groom is to attend 3 receptions on his precession up stream from Bald Hill to New Hope.
  • MDK, Sooty and Ben look for work, and get teh same story as in New Hope: a large party of bad people is expeected to come up the river and cause damage to the merchants' goods.
  • Over half the armed boats that normally are in Bald Hill have left for places unknown.
  • Merchantile barges are now convoying, which is very rare.

8th Thaw
Head Down Stream

9th Thaw
Sooty and Isil Eth fly off towards the elves in the morning, stopping for a light lunch at the edge of their forest. During the afternoon two elves turn up so we exchange pleasantries, explain the newer human settlements, the desire for a wedding that may regulate some of their more absurd merchantile practices and present them with an invitation and possible place and date for them to join us on our progress to New Hope (meet at Bald Hill one week before the wedding).
to attempt it.

10th Thaw:
Sooty and Isil Eth rejoin the party who have made it all the way to Swans Ford.

Swan's Ford is a cross-roads where the river shallows, and barges are lightened for them to continue on their journey. It is a probable place of attack, but being attack here is so probable that the opposition may decide not Grendel talks with Roland, who is an earth mage, herbalist and healer. Roland grants permanent Lesser Enchantments for those that need them. Roland will probably join the party on the way to New Hope.

13th Thaw:
Arrive in Swan's Mouth in the late afternoon - mana level is low. Go and see Grendel's father in law (Travis, court magician), and Grendel's wife (Vandra, cute) and son.
Travis tells us that the Bride (Lady Odette, daughter of Sir Renald, lord of Swan's mouth) is planning on leaving in a few days, making three stops on the way to Bald Hill (one day at each, with final stop at Swan's Ford) and then no further stops before New Hope. The Bridal party will consist of 10 people, with attendants, barges and 4 armed barges.
Grendel plans to enlargen the armed barges so that we can put an additional 10 heavy infantry in each.

14th Thaw:
We meet Odette and Renald at the castle. Odette does not need to be visible during the procession, only at the deisgnated stops. She has no preferences for where they honeymoon, as long as they survive it.
Flamis loans Odette an Amulet of Misdirection.
Sooty and Isil Eth walk the Astral to see what it is like in this plane. It only takes a few mintues to walk anywhere within interest, but cannot arrive back on the Material in a building. It will take 3 to 4 days at by barge normal speeds (being pulled by horse along the river) to get to the first stop, so we could return to the castle before departing for the 2nd stop (if we wish to confuse the opposition).

From Swan's Mouth to Bald Hill

we spend 15 days in Swan's Mouth preparing potions, and Isil Eth ranked Astral Walking to rank 8 so she can take more people to the astral with her.
30th Thaw
We depart Swan's Mouth with a 'natural progress' from the castle to the barge (whihc is our own barge disguised as the cermonial barge - once on board the disguises are swapped). We implanted silver coins in the locals on board the barges so that the wards will act on those without the coins. We go ashore at the formal stops with three items with Light of Hidden Places on them as Isil Eth can make them emit 100% light and four of us can see in that light.
3rd Seedtime - the attck near Swan's Ford
We arrived at Swan's Ford, the third stop for the princess, in the afternoon of the 2nd Seedtime. We did our normal precautions: look outs, light-sticks, DA, wards on the dining chairs, checking for assassin spaces and protecting their sleeping quarters.
We were 'ambushed' on the way from the castle to the barge. a wire was strung across the road that decapitated the coach driver and his guard - but passing over the head of MDK who was sitting on the roof of the coach, just how short is that dwarf?
It turned out that the coach horses were skin-changed humans and they started to speed off - Sooty fire-arced the princess to safety to be looke after by Grendel, Flamis, Phaeton and the locals whilst MDK stayed on the roof, Sooty inside, Ben running alongside as a tiger and Isil Eth flying over the top as an eagle. The coach stopped at a clearing and was attacked by two stone golems - one a 'David' probably from a chateau south along Swan River. We decided to step away and observe.
The horses went to a clearing where they waited for a boy from the barge-horse stables in town. He said he was being paid one gold coin to come out every day to seif the horses were here and then lead the horses back to the stables. He seemed a capable young man so we took him and the two horses to the castle.
The count and his stable master explained that all of the other horses had come down with a sickness (grain with ergot poison), so someone had to have poisoned them the previous day. Mind Reading suggests these two had nothing to do with the ambush.
Meanwhile the rest of the party lead the princess to the barge and on up river. We caught up with them fairly quickly.

From Bald Hill to New Hope

5th Seedtime
Arrive at Bald hill, and take the princess through the town to the castle. The castle and town are well warded, we check everything.
We would like to spend six days preparing in Bald Hill - 3 potions of a Clensing Flames that supporesses Agony and the like + various training while Grendel conducts politics. But the time frame requies an immediate departure.
We have two more armed barges so we prepare for an attack on the river, looking to protect the fleet from elementals, bound water, water spouts and ice mages.

6th Seedtime
Leave Bald Hill - distrust evreything. Flying cover, DA, poke and prod. Light of Truth etc to see illusions.
7th Seedtime
Arrive and the first stop, Holy Wood. Spend the 8th here has well, although we did stage a false departure in the morning.
9th Seedtime
Depart Holy Wood in morning and arrive at the second stop, Mare's Hollow, in the late afternoon.
10th Seedtime
Stage an apparently false departure - only to actually leave at 8 am. We seem to be overtaking a lot of boats and at one point there is a pile up of conflicting opinions on the tow-way of the left bank.
The Battle well skirmish really
Two attack barges break cover from the left bank and row madly towards us, followed by two more. Arrows start to rain on us from both banks. Floating chains are raised across the river ahead and behind us.
Grendel drops waterspouts on three of the boats. Flamis Fire Balls the other boat and the left bank. Isil Eth transmutes the chains ahead of us and TK Rages the archers on the right bank. All over in 5 pulses.
Flamis, Sooty, MDK and Isil Eth spend 3 hours looking for a Bardic mage. No success.
Wards against bards are placed on the tow paths on either bank just in case one comes by(Dragon Smite).
We arrive at the thrid stop, Swan's Roost at about 5 pm.
11th Seedtime
We leave at 5 am on a makeshift barge at Grendel's full speed, arriving at New Hope at 10 am - the same time the normal convoy is starting out from Swan's Roost (the Barge Captain is driving an invested mage current). We walk to the postern gate at teh rear of the castle and put the happy couple in a secure part of the castle.
12, 13 14 Seedtime
Sooty and Ben go and look for troubadours doing mischief in the various taverns - i think they just want some space and a pint.
There is a delegation of elves in the woods so Isil Eth and Sooty go and say hello to start the introductions with the temples, bride and groom etc.

The wedding

Scheduled for the Equinox, being the 15th of Seedtime.

(First part written by Phaeton)
There were two seperate breakfasts and we were taking all the usual precautions. Initially we had planned to ward the area against bards but we could not get permission and we quickly determined that, trying to do it anyway, would result in the caster (probably Flamis) being set upon with six men with clubs and cold iron chains, and arrested, resulting in hefty fines and a lot of diplomacy to get her back. Wisely, we decided not to do that.

Also, we did a morning divination to see what would happen in seven hours from now, after the wedding. We could see a parade with cheering people .. then there was a lot of shouting ahead, which could be a riot. So we worked on crowd control planning, mainly consisting of walls and Isil'Eth flying overwatch as an eagle.

We set off, escorting the parade towards the temples. Protections were put on and, this time, we decided to play the Celestial card and put coruscades on them. The bride was first followed by the groom, seperated by a group of soldiers. This was because they had to arrive at their respective temples at the same time but the Temple of the Mother was several yards further on down than the Temple of Mithros and on the other side of the street. Fortunately we arrived at the Temples without incident.

The seperate ceremonies also went on without a hitch. The bride and entourage was then fire arced over to the Temple of Mithros for the actual wedding. Just as they entered, there was a report of imps throwing statues off the roof off the next door Temple of Champions into the waiting crowd below. We, apart from Ben, who was in tiger form masquerading as the bride's pet, headed out to deal with them. Flamis firearced us on to the roof and I started letting fly with Sunrays. MDK was in melee and Sooty had managfed to get us help, in the form of Emma and the baby dragon.

However, maybe this was a diversion as there was a sudden report, over the mindspeech, of the entire Temple being blacked out with a rank 20 Darkness. We had to get the rank 20 Lights in there. Flamis and I grabbed a light each and firearced back in, just as another report came in that a hole had formed below the wedding party and they had fallen through it. That was the bride and groom, best man and maid of honour, Father Thomas and Ben. Flamis threw one of the Lights in to cancel some of the Darkness while I rushed in to plant the other one. Unfortunately, as I was getting there, the hole closed.

Somehow, from somewhere, someone else got another hole open and Flamis and I jumped down .. a one hundred foot drop into darkness into the crypts below. Fortunately both Flamis and I landed safely - in time to confront two makeshift golems lumbering towards the wedding party. However there was no sign of Father Thomas while Ben was attacking an unknown person near the crypt entrance. Sooty dropped down a bit later and we got some unexpected help from a troll that appeared from a swirling vortex. Once the golems were defeated the troll wandered off and vanished. Soon after, a dazed Father Thomas came out of the shadows. Meanwhile Ben had defeated and captured his opponent. Another one had got away. Sooty and Ben went looking but he/she was gone.

The only major injury among the wedding party was the maid of honour who had broken ribs. We had to get them up, back through the hole, before it closed. We healed them all to conscousness and, with the help of some nobles and rope, we got them back up. Now we had to finish the ceremony.

The Honeymoon

Happily ever after

Quotes

Emma (party employer): "Never offer to baby sit a dragon".

MDK - "We present to you, your Emperor, your Emperess, and here is a heir we prepared earlier."

Grendel - "We undermine the warehouses and deposit their contents into the river"
Phaeton - "So, let me get this straight. You're planning on liquidating their assets."

(a bit later on) Sooty - "We could just burn down the warehouses"
Phaeton - "Sounds like he's planning a fire sale"

MDK - "I am so good at Archery that I have been Accused of being an Elf"
Isil Eth - "That is such an insult."
MDK - "I know!"

Phaeton - "I have ranks in courtesan"
Ben - "What's her name?"
MDK - "Do you get loyalty discounts?"

Isil Eth - "Humans squander mana"
Sooty - "Low Mana level in the town getting you down too?"

Sooty - "I guess we wait for a few hours before they get eaten by a randon predator"
Ben (in tiger form) - "I'm not random"

Isil Eth - "How much is this diamond worth?"
MDK - "It's just glass. You should give it to me"

Sooty to Phaeton - "Wel'll send Isil Eth to talk to your god"

Awards

Calendar

Spring 809wk: Thaw (10)
Moonday Duesday W'ansday Th'rsday Frysday Reapsday Sunday
Candlemansa 1 Guild Meeting 2 3 Portal to Paleaolithica 4 Portal to Frigid Air and Rue 5 Boat to New Hope 6
7 Boat to Bald Hill 8 9 Sooty and Isil Eth to the Elves 10 Swan's Ford 11 12 13 Swan's Mouth
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 Begin up river with Princess 1 2 Arrive Swan's Ford 3 Attack near Swan's Ford 4
Spring 809wk: Seedtime (11)
Moonday Duesday W'ansday Th'rsday Frysday Reapsday Sunday
5 Bald Hill 6 7 Stop Holy Wood 8 Rites of Thunor 9 Stop Mare's Hollow 10 battle

Stop Swan's Roost

11 Arrive New Hope
12 Set Wards 13 Counter Troubadour 14 Meet elves 15 Equinox
Wedding
16 17 Eostre 18 The Seagate Spring Ball
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 1 2