Westphalia Succession

Scribe Notes

Summary

Adventure: Westphalia Succession
GM: Andrew W
Season: Autumn 798 WK

Party

• Lady Kathleen Kassonay leader
• Sir Gustave Military Scientist
• Lady Ithilmor
• Gideon
• Kishwa
• Anathea
• Strontium

Employer

Lord Peter

Mission

In a small town called Larkmoor, in the Barony of Westphalia, the Duchy of Volar, up North, the new Lord Peter wanted to become Baron of the barony. The party was hired to help arrange this by squashing other contenders.

Original Scribe Notes

Media:Snau9806.zip

Scribe Notes

In a small town called Larkmoor, in the Barony of Westphalia, the Duchy of Volar, up North, the new Lord Peter wanted to become Baron of the barony. The party was hired to help arrange this by squashing other contenders.

Among the “normal” contenders ie other lords or their sons, was an interloper Tarim Leigh, which a previous guild party had been hired (unsucessfully) to evict from Larkmoor.

We never met Tarrim Leigh. The following is second hand and my surmise of Tarrim. He first met Mardya during a visit to Larkmoor (apperently he's from Eltrandor) with a whirlwind romance. He left very quickly when he found out she was a shape changer. A couple of years later he reappeared on the scene, using unnatural charm to win her affections and surplant Lord Peter as heir to The Late Lord Martin, the then current Lord of Larkmoor. At this stage Tarrim could now shapeshiftt into wolf form as well. The Larkmoorian shapeshifting is hereditary whereas I beleive Tarrim's to be magical, gifted from Asmoday, to win over the wolf pack (of Larmoorian gentry) and become pack leader, which he now is. The Late Lord Martin used to be pack leader, but at his deposition Tarrim made him second in command of the pack, rather than killing or kicking him out which is more usual. Obviously Tarrim doesn't really know how to be a wolf in society. The Late Lord Martin ran of with the pack (big scandel at Mardya/Tarrim's "wedding"; aparently some other guild party was involved, but no scribe notes were submitted), and probably still runs with it, however is Late due to him not being Lord anymore. As the Larkmoorian wolves get experienced, they start to learn how to have variations in their shapechanging - e.g. turn into bats, or only part of the shape. The Late Lord Martin was only just starting to come into these powers (being 40-50's) when Tarrim deposed him. Tarrim can already out shift him, yet being only late 20's, and only been capable of shifting 5 or so years.

Tarrim introduced Mardya to a man calling himself Asmoday who visted Larkmoor and gifted Mardya her puppy. Apparently he called into Larkmoor occasionly, always only asking after Mardya.

Mardya Lindensouth is a Greater Summoner who is definetly pacted to Asmoday (DA question). Her home province is the Manor of Larkmoor, a southern part in the Barony of Westphalia, part of the Duchy of Volar, up north. However she is not there anymore, being held by the Church Knights of Michael in a convent "Raphaelite Convent of Lost Souls" (a house where fallen women can redeem themselves by dedicating their lives to service), in Eastdale, about 100 miles to the eastnortheast of Aveice) until the baby she is currently pregnant with is born, due before the Summer guild meeting. We were led to understand that she will then be burnt for her crime of being a Greater Summoner. Mardya can also shape change into a wolf, as do many of the gentry of Larkmoor.

She had a familiar called Maria, a puppy hound dog, the sort they use for The Hunt in those parts. It remained a puppy for the past 5 years or so since she got it. It was a Mind mage. It met its demise at Aveice, the capital of Westphalia, during the month after the last guildmeeting (ask Martin, he has the calender, I don't) by a large bell falling onto it from the spire of the city's cathedral where it was being held until its trial. It killed several churchmen in its unsuccessful attempt to escape.

Larkmoor is under the throes of a major control weather sort of curse. It is always cold. Raining during summer, snowing during autumn and spring, and I hate to think how unbearably freezing during winter. The locals said something about Tarrim having made a deal with a yeti soon after he arrived, and I think that's when the weather turned worse as well. The locals still see traces of it but don't keep track of where it is. However they always know where the wolf pack is.

Tarrim's latest play for power was to be a candidate for the Baron (which is voted in unaminously by the ruling Lords and Ladies of the Westphalia Manors). We as a party of adventurers were employed by the then Lord Peter of Larkmoor, to help Lord Peter's claim to be Baron, at which we succeeded. Tarrim was last heard of as vowing to rescue Mardya from the Church. He attempted that at the banquet where the voting for Baron was occuring. He and the wolf pack first kidnapped about a dozen of the Ladies attending the meal, for blackmailing potential to sway the vote, but we saw them off. Later during the meal the wolf pack stormed the Hall, and he had two Phantasms attacking the 3 other major contenders for being Baron. One died before we realised what was happening, then we dealt to them. Being controlled by typical devil looking beings. Tarrim himself apparently didn't enter the hall himself - perhaps the Wicca Protection from Were Creatures ring of flame actually worked. We haven't heard anything about him since we were adventuring in the area. No doubt he is biding his time or plotting some grand escape plan for her.

Lord Peter was voted Baron of Westphalia by his fellow lords. Mardya Lindensouth, who is pregnant, due the week before next guild meeting and was sent to the Convent of Lost Souls, near Eastdale (where many young ladies go to give birth). Mardya is a Greater Summoner, pacted to Asmoday. It will be interesting to see what her offspring is - which may give proof to what Tarrim really is.