How Much for the Little Boy

Summary

Adventure

How much for the little boy?

GM

Lisa Rose

Session

Spring 805wk

Party

Aryan - Human Fighter and possibly Mind Mage (Scribe)

Axis - Human E&E, Dragon and Herald of Xanadu

Dramus (GM Info), A Fae Prince and Necromancer played by Mandos

Kern Silvercrest - Elven Fighter Earth Mage (Mil Sci and Cook)

Kin - Erelhei E&E Archer/Fighter (2ic)

Mary-M - Halfling (Cherub) Namer, Hero of Carlson's Switch, and horse killer. (Party Leader)

Mortimer Graves - Halfling (or maybe Halfelf) Wicca

Employer

Elder Wansbone

Mission

Recover their stolen brother.

Pay

.

Aryan's Scribe Notes

We meet and get organised and assign jobs and meet our employer and learn some stuff.

• Mary-M has never been party leader so we make her do it and Kin is her backup because they're women and these people don't like talking men.
• I am scribe but someone else will do it if I forget or it gets too hard. In combat you can write scribe notes on the inside of your shield.
• Kern is Mil Sci because I charge faster.
• You can hire people to scribe for you but the guild frowns on taking them on adventure even if you promise to protect them.
• Mary-M and Dramus can't cast good spells on each other.
• Elders Wansbone thinks Axis and I are hot, but I carry too many weapons and this makes her uncomfortable, she thinks Mortimer is very cute and wants him even though he is short.
• Mary-M kills horses.
• Their brother vanished from a closed room with no tracks and they are good trackers.
• Men are rare and have multiple wives. They trade the men, brothers for husbands.
• Only women carry weapons and fight.
• They have some enemies who would benefit from stealing their brother, mainly their neighbours.
• The number of weapons Kern and I carry would make us stand out even if we were women.
• Men who have no women to protect them often end up in cribs where they are drugged to have lots of sex until they die.
• Mortimer can curse us to become women, this is a very bad idea.
• There may be a secret underground that our men could infiltrate.
• Kern and I could try disguises but they probably won't work.
• They have a reasonable moon and lots of arable land.
• Elder doesn't mean old, it means the oldest sister in the clan or family who does not have grown up daughters. Elders Wansbone is still young and hot and carries a sword for show, though she says she can use it.
• Mortimer turns Axis, Kern and I into women. Kern and I are 6'2" Fiery Red-Heads! Kern is stacked but I'm hotter. Axis looks like his wife who is really hot but that's a bit disturbing even to me.
• Mary-M says their plane is called Aleria.
• Mary-M tries to get out of being party leader now that we have more women, Axis says something complicated and Dramus translates "Girls are best at being girls!".

We do rituals of Greater Enchantment (well Kin does her version of it, doesn't seem as fun as mine), Mary-M divinates Elder Wansbone which she seems quite good at, probably because she's shorter. And Mortimer tags along to watch when I take Axis to the pub to perform the ritual of Witchsight on him. We get bought lots of drinks, especially Axis.

Lots of talking and then finally we go through the portal in the turnip cupboard. They all seem to be different, this portal is like walking through water for half an hour only to find Kern at the other end wondering what to do with a locked door.

The portal comes out downstairs in an old house within a wooden stockade. They must have it pretty easy here because the guards are slack and the defences wouldn't stop granny on a mule, let alone a real attack.

We get the horses from where they're hidden, some of us ride, the horse-haters and killers fly invisibly, Kin talks her horse into playing up.

Their clan house is big but normal. A barn where younger sisters take the horses, a big kitchen where we all sit around and get introduced, 10 sisters, 1 remaining brother, and the mother of the missing brother.

They don't know much about magic, most of them don't say much of use but the youngest, Liticia I think, blurts enough out to give us some leads.

And their dark secret past is that their grandmothers were mercenary spies and got awarded their land for service to the queen in some war.

The most likely culprits for the kidnapping are the 7 families within easy reach, 3 of them have brothers. Liticia thinks it's the Brindles we should go check them out. Others mention the Wainwrights and Smithsons, we can check them out next.

Mary-M wants to divinate everyone to find out about the magic that affected them all 2 and a half weeks ago, which would take days. I wonder if I should warn Penni that when she gets good enough at divinating that it gets compulsive. Unless it's the wings, that could be the difference.

During the night Mary-M divinates Elder Wansbone and confirms that 17 days ago she was affected by non-college magic that hid something. Dramus spent the whole night opening a door to his house but emerged in the morning with breakfast from somewhere called Alphonses.

After breakfast Mortimer looks though a glass at Cullens comb and sees him sitting in an ornate chair.

Dramus, Kern, and Axis break the cellar and find secret passages, I do some magic, younger sisters scream, Mary-M shouts, older sisters finally turn up and talk to us.

Kern explains to some oak trees how to sex humans.

Kin finds Cullens 17 day old tracks by the stream.

Mary-M looks around the kitchen and claims something is hidden, so Mortimer has a look and points out that the picture is odd, one of the sisters says that the flowers in it are different from what they used to be. Mary-Em wants to divinate it.

Dramus feeds the cat.

M&M meet us outside and explain about the painting spying on us, I use my DA to find out thay they are scrying us from somwehere near the waterfall so we ride out. Except for M&M and Axis who stay behind to divinate some more, they will fly to catch up with us before we get to the waterfall.

As we pass the Wainwrights land, they come out to meet us and invite us for lunch, then lie and make excuses about to get out of it. They're hiding something. When Axis catches up he uses his scrying to spy on their kitchen but doesn't find anything unusual. And we can only talk to Axis when we're close because of the larks.

After 3 or 4 hours we get to the Waterfall and find a recent campsite where a fight has been concealed. There are shallow graves with the bodies of 4 women and 1 man. They died yesterday and Mary-Em can't rez them but she thinks she can rez us still so Dramus takes his clothes off and goes for a swim.

The tracks indicate that 4 women with horses and the man were waiting here for a day or so, then 4 other women arrived and were killed by the waiting 4 and the man died of too many sex drugs.

Dramus bought Cordelia with us on the ride and she seems to think that Dramus could make a good husband for the younger girls but the seem a bit young - maybe this world is different. She says we should make Dramus keeps his clothes on or unscrupulous women may jump him. I tell her he might not be interested because he is gay or something, she doesn't understand about men being gay but she does understand about women, I agree - women are much hotter. She gives me an odd look and avoids me for a while.

Kin swims with her clothes on without getting wet, she and Dramus find a cave behind the waterfall just as we suspected. In it is a magic scrying pool that looks into the Wansbones kitchen, probably through the painting. It hasn't been used for a few days. Kern wants to look without getting wet so he makes the wall go away and almost breaks the magic pool.

I want to go after the bandit women that killed the other women and the Carter man, the others are not keen, I talk the Wansbones into it then the others agree but we have to see Rose first which is sort of on the way and is where the second scrying is coming from.

Rose is a tall old woman who lives in a run down hut near the river 5 miles north of the waterfall. She is tall, old, and the type of Oracle that only knows stuff when she is asked about it. I understand about that and explain it to the others because I've run into someone like that before. Kern starts doing chores, I didn't know that this was his type, and we ask some questions and find out that:

• We kidnapped Cullen and Marcus.
• Something bad is going to happen which is why we did it
• The bandits have something to do with it
• We have what we need to travel back in time to do the kidnapping but we need the help of Thimble - a small winged female fey who can be summoned in the forest at midnight on the full moon.
• We can't return the boys until the risk is dealt with.

Rose knows that Kern and I are men and says so, she doesn't mention Axis. Kern blew his cover before I did. She asks us to ask when she will die so I do, she gives Kern some gifts for doing the chores.

Most of the Wansbones head back home while we fly after the bandits.

We catch up with them within an hour and ambushing from above take them all prisoner.

Meet your contacts
beside waterfall upstream
from Carters Landing.
Make exchange. Leave
no trace. Meet at the
rendezvous point.
P

They have some weapons (6 Pistols, 4 Daggers, 2 Swords, 2 Rifles) and a note on them:

We bring one (Yana) around to ask questions and make a deal, men and freedom for full information. She tells us the group they killed were supposed to get a Wansbone or Wainwright boy and trade him to them for the Carter man they had and then they take the boy back to their employer in the city. Except that they were using their man too much and killed him and the others failed to get either boy so they fought and killed the others. She will tell us exactly where in the city they were supposed to deliver him when we show her the men she is getting in return. We discuss options and end up with them joining them men of Dramus' personal guard.

Kin: "These are rapists and murderers, will they fit in with your men?"

Dramus: "Of course, they're Michaelines!"

Using their horses we ride back south, meeting the Wansbone sisters with our horses then ride home with them. They want to hand the bandits over to the Queens Justice, we talk them out of it, Dramus and I take them into his tower. I get dessert from Alphoneses while Dramus introduces the girls to the ex-Michaelines. Yana then tells us the drop off point in the city called Arkin which has about 20,000 people and is 2-3 days ride north.

It's getting late, we have dinner and dessert with the Wansbones, they like the fruit flan things and have never seen most of the fruit used in them. Kern "I don't look girly, I look feminine!" takes first watch because he wants to chat up the Wansbone women who are on watch.

We wake in the morning to find that Kern went to sleep without waking the next watch after he made tea for the visiting evil witch. I take him out with Mental Attack and the others DA him to find out how much he has been charmed. Axis grabs his biggest staff and heads for the kitchen to deal to the witch, the others follow and after disarming Kern I wake him and bring him along. The witch, Lilith is a blind albino oracle mind-mage type, she arrived before midnight and came here to talk to us. Kin says she is telling the truth and Mary-Em uses Telepathy but finds out nothing more except that Kern thinks exactly what he says, just after he says it.

We talk privately with Lilith in the study and she tells us that she met us before and we asked her to help obfuscate the meories of the Wansbones and Wainwrights. She confirmed we had travelled back in time and told us exactly when we did the kidnapping. When we go back in time and meet her next we need to tell her that Rose sent us. She lives in the forest north of the Wainwrights.

Then yet more talking, Yana tells us the Porter clan is behnd their kidnapping orders and gives us the specific drop instructions. Elder Wansbone confesses their deep dark secret that their grandmothers 'rescued' a noble prince from the losing side of the civil war and married him which would make them all noble if they ever told anyone.

We could fly to the city now and get the bad guys but Mary-M stalls once again with more talking and fear of action. But no fear of shouting at people bigger than her, she's doing that more and more often. Funny once but getting annoying now.

So we get the Wainwrights to come see us so we can find out if they are noble too. Rather than wasting the entire morning I get the Wansbones to show me the basics of triggering their pistols and rifles, a few others join in the lesson. Faster than magic, but not very subtle, they make lots of noise.

Elder Wainwright and two others turn up, talk lots, they're not noble and clueless about the kidnapping. I think the bad guys don't know which boy they wanted, probably got a prophecy saying get the boy from the family whose name starts with W or something. While the others are asking about unimportant stuff I get us invited back to investigate the scene of the crime. They eventually catch up and we ride back to the Wainwrights to check out how we kidnapped their brother, we probably used the secret tunnel that goes straight into the boys room. We tell them about the secret passage then ride back to the Wansbones afterwards.

Maybe tomorrow they can finally be convinced to go get the bad guys.

Memorable quotes

• "I fancy you a lot more than I fancy these men" - Aryan to Axis when leaving a Seagate pub (hand in hand). NOTE: Aryan being the lusious redhead and Axis as the stunning brunette
• "The world is no longer our urinal" - Axis to party. Regarding his newly feminine view of teh world as a stunning brunette bearing remarkable resemblance to a youthful Fizzgig

Misc Info

Map of Clan Wansbone Area

Mortimer's Curses

Aryan

Though male born

Take woman's form

Till in Ebola's land

You once more stand.

Kern

Elven male

Young and Hale

To red-head lass

Till you kiss an ass.

Axis

We seek a frere

Where men are rare

But if you look like Fynn

You'll fit right in.

So take your wife's form

As though a woman born,

Let the curse be withdrawn

by a Deepwoods dawn.

Wansbone Family

Mothers

• Patrice, mother of Elder and Sylvie. Dead
• Jean, mother of Amelie and Corinna. Dead
• Georgette, mother of Katya, Serena, and Cullen.
• Clarissa, mother of Prudence and Lititia. Dead
• Annette, mother of Francine, Jerome, and Cordelia. Dead

Sisters

1. Elder Wansbone (34)
2. Amelie (33)
3. Sylvie (30) - Their best tracker.
4. Corinna (27)
5. Katya (25)
6. Serena (17) - 'Elder' of the younger sisters.
7. Prudence (16)
8. Letitia (13)
9. Francine (10)
10. Cordelia (7) - Not affected by the obfuscation magic.

Brothers

1. Cullen (nearly 17) - kidnapped.
2. Jerome (9)

Others Clans and Important Individuals

There are 7 Neighbouring clans within easy reach for a kidnapping: Brindle, Wainwright, Smithson, Potter, Shilleen, Adamson, Cartwright. Later investigations make their involvement unlikely.

Porter Clan

A representative of the Porter clan was named as being the employer of Yana (and the other 3), hiring them to abduct the Wansbone and/or Wainwright brothers.

The Porters are a trading family, operating warehouses, wagoneers, and steamboats on the rivers. They are noble with ties to the Queens. A Brother of the previous generation was married to the current Queens predecessors (their elder sisters). The previous Queens, the Porter Brother, and many others including important Porters were killed in an explosion in a theatre (the assassins were neither identified nor caught).

Whistler Clan

Similar background to the Wansbones. Covert Ops during the civil war, acquired a noble from the losing side to 'en-noble' their descendents. Their Brother is married to the current Queens.

Wainwright Clan

Farming family as far back as they can recall, no dark secrets, nor links to any noble families. Clever, have a brother (Marcus) who was to be traded for Cullen to be the Wansbones husband. Marcus was also kidnapped by us but they didn't know about it until a week after the Wansbones did (presuming it took longer for the memory obfuscation to fade). Their fates are linked with the bad stuff that is coming, both were targets of the bandits. There is a secret passage into the Brothers room which the family did not know about until we told them and it looks like it hadn't been used for years (prior to us). Their Father is still alive, he is in his 50's.

Marcus

17 years old, 5'11", long brown hair.

Sisters

Eldest, Madeline, Katerina, Janelle (full sister to Marcus), Marjory, ...

Brindle Clan

Elderly father, 1 young brother (Balin). Suspected in-breeding.

Smithson Clan

Have a brother (Ricard).

Trading Post

Trading post and stables at the river landing, run by cousins of the Wansbones.

Jonason Clan

Lands are beyond Smithson clan.

Rose the Oracle

Tall, old woman, part-fey, seems benignly indifferent. Oracular ability only applies to questions she is asked, until she is asked she doesn't know the answer and thus is unable to volunteer information.

Lilith

Blind albino mind(ish) mage. Lives in the forest north of the Wainwrights.

Yana & Co (Mercenaries)

Hired by a representative of the Porter clan to abduct the Wansbone and/or Wainwright brothers. Yana was their contact and has done illegal work for them before.

Following their capture and a deal for information, they now work for Dramus as part of his personal guard.

What really happened

Guild Security Briefing

The Guild has been approached by Elder Wansbone, a woman in her early '30s, for assistance with the tracking and retrieval of her brother, who has been kidnapped by what appear to be magical means.

The Guild is able to advise that Elder Wansbone is a reputable employer. She comes from another plane, called Aleria, where males are highly prized as they are significantly outnumbered by women. The society is matriarchal, with the Heads of State being Queens. Clans are made up of Mothers, Sisters and Brothers, and Brothers are worth a great deal either as trade goods or income earners, or in exchange for a brother of another clan.

Clan Wansbone was to make a trade with another clan - their Brother for another Brother of an appropriate age. Shortly before the time of the betrothal contracts, their Brother, Cullen, was kidnapped. There are no obvious tracks, and the Wansbones are excellent trackers. There were no witnesses, unusual in a house crowded with children, teenagers and adults. Portents indicate magic has been used, which suggests a visitor from elsewhere, as magic (other than divination and prophesy) is not used in Aleria.

The payment is to be negotiated, however the Guild understands that Aleria is rich in natural ores and minerals. Any plunder from the successful retrieval will be split between the Clan Wansbone and the party, however any magical treasure will automatically go the party. A suitable retainer has been paid to the Guild.

Chapter 1

Sunday 30th Ice - A couple of days before the guild meeting

We are called to meet with the employer (Elder Wansbone), find out a bit about their society, Mortimer curses Axis, Kern, and Aryan into women so they will fit in easier.

Chapter 2

Travel through portal to their plane at night, sneak out of portal at other end.

Ride to Wansbone clan house, meet rest of clan.

Chapter 3

Moonday, Candlemansa Gather some more information on the clan.

Mortimers vision implies that Cullen is currently alive and well, the chair he is in is ornate to a courtly level for this world.

The obfuscation magic affected all but the youngest sister (and maybe Jerome) about 17 days ago. Cullen may have been replaced by a fetch or illusion of some sort 17 days ago that expired and vanished after 7 days. The track Kin identifies by the stream is where the youngest last remembers seeing Cullen (17 days ago), as opposed to the following week where she saw him but didn't remember seeing him. Kin can potentially follow this to wherever Cullen is now.

The wansbone house has several secret passages with spy holes and two escape tunnels, one of which they didn't know about but doesn't appear to have been used recently. The house is well designed for defence against bandit or neighbouring clan size non-magical attacks. The walls of the boys room are reinforced with iron/steel - a bunker/safe-room within the house.

The picture in the kitchen seems to have been magically changed.

Chapter 4

The other end of the scrying painting is 23 miles NNE, probably near the waterfall. The magic in it started 3 1/2 weeks ago and was activated by the phrase "Blessings on this house". Another scrying painting is found in the house, the other end of this one is 28 miles away and slight north of the first one.

We ride & fly to investigate the other end of the scrying painting at the waterfall, arriving there soon after midday. Find the site of the bandit camp and fight, and the scrying pool.

Ride up river to talk to Rose.

Chapter 5

Talk to Rose, fly north, catch the bandits, question them and make the deal.

Chapter 6

Travel back to the house and deliver bandit women into the keeping of Dramus' guard.

Lilith arrives around midnight.

Duesday 1st Thaw 805wk (Guild Meeting Day)

Talk with Lilith in private. Get confirmation that we are to travel back in time, probably next Moonday when we can summon the fey to help.

Chapter 7

Talk to Yana, she fingers the Porter clan and gives us the drop details in Arkin. Talk to Elder Wansbone about their history and why the Porters might be after them, they reveal that they are potentially noble because they are descended from a prince from the losing side of the civil war but this is a big secret which nobody else is supposed to know.

Ask Wainwrights to come see us so we can find out if they are noble too, learn to shoot their guns while we're waiting.

Elder Wainwright and two others turn up, talk lots and find out that they are not noble and have no good reason to be targeted except that they have a brother of the right age and might have been confused with the Wansbones.

We ride back with them and check out their house and the scene of the kidnapping so we can find out how we are going to do it. Then ride back to the Wansbones afterwards.

Chapter 8

W'nsday 2nd Thaw 805wk