And Now What?

[Imarë]

As you know, due to action in the last session, Imare's line of questioning has been cut a little short (ahem). While playing horseshoes with midgets might be fun (and have led somewhere), this is now a moot point. I don't think that trying to hang around Mogger's prior associates will be that useful (for one, I don't know where to find them on a regular basis).
I have come up with the concept of a course of action to take which might get me back inside. What if Imare were to try to revenge herself against the Agrikans for the death of her lover? This could take several forms: A) trying to kill the Agrikan knight (Sir Z). This is the least palatable option because he is a well connected and is probably not a stranger to an attack. My thinking is that even an unsuccessful attack would bring attention. B) Going after his minions who were involved in the attack. While also dangerous, they are probably less skilled in battle and therefore easier to kill. C) Copy a page from their book and set fire to Sir Z's house. I am sure there are other plans of action and I would welcome any of them (aside for sleeping with everybody and their brothers ).
We should also look back at the exact instructions we were given and see how a report on what we have done so far would look. I know that finding the Lenesque would be nice but it is not mandated. How far should we go into looking for the Baron? Do we think unraveling this mystery would be good for our mission? Who is everybody's leading candidates for who snatched the Baron and why? Could the robbery have been a coincidence? Was the killer looking to get Sir Felkar that night for some other reason which would cause the Baron to run to where he could be attacked with less trouble? An armored knight could have changed the outcome of the attack on the road. If the killing was not laid out ahead of time how could the attack could have come so quickly after the other killing (I don't believe it was a random attack on the road). If capturing the Baron was part of the plan, how does this effect the hunt for the meaning of the song? If the thief in the first attack was Mogger and he was involved with the thieves guild as he intimated, would this separate the two events? Why would you have one group do an attack totally separate from the second? Could our mysterious killer have been following Sir Felkar all along meaning to do him harm? Could he have been watching the Inn for the party? I have a whole lot of questions here and would like to get other opinions about what the answers could be.
What course of action are the others in the party considering? Will the presence in the group of an openly anti-Agrikan knight in the party help or hurt the party in intelligence gathering (I am not saying to leave, I am just asking if keeping quiet is an option)? Would Sir Baris be helpful in carrying our Imare's options above (ie an attack on the knights who attacked the Silk Hat)? Can Ewen incite another fit of arson and murder (and in the confusion have a couple of arrows fly in and attck the revelers)? When in all of this should we go and visit the other Temple of Halea mentioned where the regional records are kept (Shostim?)? Would this be a viable line of attack into the thieves guild (through the scarred man who is hanging out with Borana)? We have avenues into two groups we want, but the Morgathians are still an enigma. What can we do (short of more trips into the graveyard) to get close to them?
I will stop the questions here and wait for some response. I know Ewen is looking into the Earldom of Techen past and present but I think that Sir Baris and Matt are the only one's who can answer the questions he has raised.

[Matt]

I don't think that trying to hang around Mogger's prior associates will be that useful (for one, I don't know where to find them on a regular basis).

Perhaps not, but you do know that Slakka is friendly with Borana. That's a potential angle.

trying to kill the Agrikan knight (Sir Z) ... My thinking is that even an unsuccessful attack would bring attention.

Indeed, from his uncle Sir Klyrdes who is essentially the Chief of Police among others. Killing a guy like Zaurial is easier said than done - he's more than capable of defending himself, never goes anywhere alone that you've seen, and probably has assets you don't know about. Treachery of some sort might work, but planning is all in such a caper.

Going after his minions who were involved in the attack. While also dangerous, they are probably less skilled in battle and therefore easier to kill.

This was not Ewen's impression. Indeed, a frontal assault would be suicide and you would all likely be slaughtered. Sir Zaurial has more than a dozen knights and men at arms at his command and clear ties to the Agrikan power structure.

Copy a page from their book and set fire to Sir Z's house.

Don't get caught by the minions of the evil god of fire and war ...

When in all of this should we go and visit the other Temple of Halea mentioned where the regional records are kept (Shostim?)?

Shiran, which is a city northeast of Coranan. That would have to wait until Bevan decides her mission to Sir Auram has been fulfilled.

[Imarë]

I'm sorry, I did not express myself clearly on the minions comment. I did not mean all at once, one at a time was what I was thinking. My thinking on the entire thing is to have someone come to Imare instead of her trying to hook up with one of the others.

[Matt]

The minions are not to be underestimated - Zaurial isn't the only knight of the group, and Agrikans have a well-deserved reputation for martial prowess. There is always the treachery angle of course ...

Though I am curious what you hope to gain from such a gambit.

[Imarë]

I am trying to consider how to get close to Moggers friends now that he has gone to the big pound in the sky. If she goes and looks for them after what just happened to Mogger, I don't think they will be receptive. Look at what they would know: Mogger was in the Silk Hat. I am sure that he was seen going into the back with Imare. No one survived in the tavern to know what occured. Mogger is dead, killed by the man who burned the Hat and Imare is alive. Nobody saw bowling for midgets. If she now goes after them, they will think she is working for the Agrikans. I know the plan I have is dangerous and does not bring us to the friends directly. I assume they will want to know what occured and maybe have some revenge on their own (either individuals or group). If they see Imare at least plotting the same thing it may bring one of them out to at least talk to her. Maybe they think Imare betrayed Mogger and will be watching her to even the score. I know the danger involved in doing anything to the Agrikans and would not do it unless I thought there was some possibility of an advantage to the party. As I said, I would not presume to go looking for these men and try to muscle myself into their action, I want them to invite Imare to join them. If anybody thinks this has a poor chance of success, please help me come up with another plan.

[Matt]

Well, you do know Slakka and possibly a way to contact him through Borana. They might blame you, they might not. They may even know how Mogger escaped - he may not have gone directly to the Agrikans. Perhaps some scouting is in order.

As for other plans/suggestions, I shall leave that to your partners in crime. Heh.

[Lord Ewen]

Allow me to express admiration at the gusto with which Imarë is bouncing back from the undoubted shambles of her hard work cultivating Mogger. I am in agreement that we should make the most of an unforeseen turn of events by using Imarë's relationship with the deceased midget to plan further action. And we should have a full debate prior to next session as to the best course that action should take.

Dave's question about whether we have gathered sufficient information to take back to Sir Auram is crucial, and ultimately Bevan will need to determine when her mission is accomplished. I for one think we aren't even close yet. I also think we need to do more than simply passively gather information to feed back to Sir Auram, unless we are able to uncover something new and previously unknown to the crown which would clearly give Sir Auram the key to dealing with the Golotha Problem. Barring such a revelation (which I think we clearly don't possess at this point), I advocate for further infiltration accompanied by provocative action to upset the balance of things in the city, flushing things into the open so we can understand and begin to disrupt the dynamics of power in the city. Admittedly, a dangerous game. Something along the lines of what Dave suggests fits with this (perhaps commits us to it, in fact), but I share the concern that Dave's initial ideas here might be too perilous for Imarë in their present form.

Slakka / Borana may be worth examining; Imarë may be able to get past Slakka's initial dislike of her in the wake of Mogger's death. But what about a direct approach by Imarë to Jarop of Zarainsen at this point, predicated on our assumption (fairly sound, I think) that Mogger was his man, and that the death of the midget and Imarë's connection to him logically leads to her petitioning the chandler to join forces with her in her revenge? We might learn much about the dynamics between the Lia Kavair and the Agrikans (antithetical, I would guess). Further, we need to discuss Mogger in light of his surprising shape-shifting, and the suggestions we have had that Jarop's interests may have dovetailed with the crown's, at least at some points in the past. Was Mogger one of the unlikely allies Rahel was alluding to?

I think it would be lunacy to shrink from fully using Ewen's cache with the Agrikans as a fellow party animal, in spite of the admitted devastation from last session. It is hard to imagine a scenario where we could hope to better infiltrate one of the two major power factions in Golotha. Ewen proposes to go entirely undercover with them starting next session. Let's discuss.

I shall think some more about the other issues raised by Dave above...

[Imarë]

A couple of quick thoughts. First, I don't think Sir Auram sent us to resolve the situation, he sent us to find out what is going on. If we think some kind of activity would prod things along, that is great. The danger, as the GM has gladly pointed out, is very real. These are not the kind of people who, if they find out we are working for the Crown, are likely to pull their punches (would Ewen get the Charon's price from the group fund?). I bring it up at this point only to discuss and to theorize if this would help gather intelligence or not.
I support Ewens willingness to go back to the frat boys, it is possible to garner something in their drunken revelry. Please do refrain from providing more spirits for them, a good AA meeting would probably be better (though when they are drunk I think it more likely they will say something or notice that Ewen is paying rapt attention to their every word).
From the information we have I think we can safely assume that the Agrikans and the thieves guild are not best buddies. If Imare were a thief I think the last thing she would want to be chaos. Could this be the meaning of Rahels comment? We have been trying to fit her into a catagory, but could she be an ally of the thieves? Any feedback on this?
Work calls and I must go.

[Imarë]

Something else to keep in mind. Remember where we met our Irregulars? They were setting up a robbery. Would this not indicate that, at the very least, they would like to be in good with them? I do not believe she is a plant, but that does not mean that she is not informing somebody (and perhaps sending information back to us). This could be the help from sources that Rahel referred to.

[Lord Ewen]

Given what we know, I concur thus far with your take on the Lia Kavair: that they likely are what Rahel was referring to re allies. She explicitly encouraged Ewen to cultivate Jarop, after all, albeit with great caution. That might have been for Ewen's safety, but what if it was out of concern for Jarop being overtly connected (cover blown) with an identifiable royal agent like Bevan? (And yes, I do think Bevan's fame makes her susceptible to being so identified; the Aerths might not be the only folks with good sources of info.) Perhaps the typical monopolies that the thieve's guild can enforce in other cities throughout the island are gravely undercut in Golotha by the Morgathian/Agrikan axis, and they would be more comfortable with a Golotha modelled along more traditional lines.

Do you really think Ewen is at greater risk of being fingered (er, bad choice of words) by the Agrikans when they're drunk? I don't.

One item in a potentially long list of duties for Ewen with the Agrikans must be finding out whether they know about, or have, the Baron. And yes, I do believe the question of the Baron is pertinent to our mission. Whatever you might say of Quste's moral character, the abduction of a lesser peer of the realm as he fled the city and the slaughter of his retinue falls under the category of the king's writ not being worth a fig in Golotha, to my mind.

Has Sir Baris been "openly anti-Agrikan" in Golotha? I don't recall that from the session, save for his penitential anguish following the torching of the Silk Hat. I think being openly anti-Agrikan would be a liability unless, as you suggests, he decides to join Imarë in an anti-Agrikan crusade. (I believe your rationale for such a crusade is to draw potential anti-Agrikan allies out of the woodwork). Teddy is, of course, welcome to continue joining my character in going undercover amidst the Agrikans, but perhaps he will choose to opt out of all that entails. It will not be for the faint of heart, or those troubled by, say, Laranian sensibilities. (Did Sir Baris mention a specific religious allegiance which I missed?) There can be no half-measures among the Agrikans, I believe - therein would lie a greater risk of being seen by them as untrustworthy, and it would be a very short trip from there to the embalmer's barge.

[Imarë]

Imare does not think Ewen will be "fingered" per se, but they can be very violent when drunk and might damage others. We are, you know, representatives of the Crown and wanton mayhem should be avoided.
I do not know if you caught the interaction between Sir Baris and the gate guard on the way to the castle. He very openly told them to shut up (at least). He has not, at least to my knowlege, stood on the corner and railed against them. If he can keep his low opinion of the slime to himself there should be no problem at all. Sir Baris did pray after the fire, but specifically kept which deity it was to himself.
Lets see what the others feel about these issues and then go from there.

[Lord Ewen]

Agreed. And yes, I had forgotten his belligerent response to the guards - thanks for reminding me.

[Matt]

Remember where we met our Irregulars? They were setting up a robbery.

Not to quibble, but they were lying in wait. Rather than 'setting up' they were as the spider waiting for the fly to stumble into their web. A difference which makes no difference perhaps, or a critical distinction. You be the judge.

[Matt]

I do not know if you caught the interaction between Sir Baris and the gate guard on the way to the castle. He very openly told them to shut up (at least).

To my way of thinking this is not "openly anti-Agrikan." It is, rather, a knight of the realm unwilling to bow before his social inferiors. This is normal. Sir Baris would need to go much farther than this to be perceived as anti-Agrikan.

Now, it is clear that to at least two Agrikan men at arms he is not their best bud, but at the same time, there are a lot more Agrikans who don't even have that clue.

[Imarë]

To specify. The party knows Sir Baris is anti-Agrikan. He has not been shy about stating this in conversations with us. The keep quiet reference in the sentence after the anti-Agrikan comment was a request that he keep this to himself for the time being. Once we have put the city behind us he is more than welcome to shout his dislike from the rooftops. Of course two men capable of fighting in Delta House would provide some protection, but if for some reason they found out what was up and attacked them would more than one make any difference with the numbers they have? Just a thought.
I have a theory about what happened with the Baron. Please pick holes in it. The Baron has angered somebody (either with his changing sides in the rebellion or otherwise) and agreed to pay somebody off. He came to the city to do this. Sir Felkar was bringing this payoff to somebody (the £200 rumor). The person he was paying off did not really want money, he wanted the Baron himself for some reason. He arranges to have the money stolen, giving the Baron the idea that it was all a ruse to get him to come to the city. He panics and flees, as those who arranged the robbery desired. They are waiting in a secluded place he has to pass in order to get home and ambush him, killing his companions. Since we believe that Mogger was involved in the robbery and we believe that he is involved in the thieves guild, I would presume that either they are the ones he was to pay off or they were hired to get the Baron someplace quiet that he could be attacked (he could come to the city at any time and an ambush on the way would be harder to pull off, make him run as fast as he can and the timeframe is cut down). Could the "big job" have something to do with the Baron's capture? Could there be information which he is holding that they want in order to pull the job? I believe the Baron was involved in the prior regime and might have knowledge of our Lenesque, could this be involved? If this started due to some kind of blackmail, what do we think it could have involved? We believe the killing of Sir Felkar was by somebody else, meaning that either he was to be killed when the ambush happened or was to be taken with the Baron. Whoever did this is not afraid to attack a peer of the realm or this particular peer. What, if any, involvement does Sir Blors have in this? While he is himself a knight, he did not have the same reaction as Sir Baris and Sir Tovar to reclaim the body and give it a proper burial and he was supposed to be a friend (and could have retrieved the body before immolation). Since he has been the Sheriff for many years, he would either know or be able to find out where all the bodies are buried. Add this to his not wanting a party of Sir Auram's to be looking into what is happening with Golotha (they might stumble on whatever was going on) and his deliberate seeming attention toward the party in public and you have a credible scenario. What do you others feel about this? Please feel free to comment.

[Matt]

To specify. The party knows Sir Baris is anti-Agrikan. He has not been shy about stating this in conversations with us. The keep quiet reference in the sentence after the anti-Agrikan comment was a request that he keep this to himself for the time being.

To be sure, the existence of the feeling is a fact, and ought to be kept somewhat quiet. I'm just saying from my perspective the cat is not necessarily out of the bag at this time.

Of course two men capable of fighting in Delta House would provide some protection, but if for some reason they found out what was up and attacked them would more than one make any difference with the numbers they have?

Not quite sure who the antecedent is here. Who are the two men? Ewen and Sir Baris? And who's fighting whom?

Sir Felkar was bringing this payoff to somebody (the £200 rumor).

The interesting thing here is the £200 a real sum or an exaggeration? It was pretty clearly established that Sir Felkar could not have been carrying such a sum in silver coin when he was killed - it would have taken up a bag about ten times the size of the one he had not to mention weighing upwards of 180 lbs. So if it's real - where's the rest of the money? If not, what's the real sum and who has it?

He panics and flees, as those who arranged the robbery desired. They are waiting in a secluded place he has to pass in order to get home and ambush him, killing his companions.

Recall he was traveling in a wagon. A variant on this theory is that a group of fast horsemen might have overtaken him, but that would naturally beg the question from where?

I believe the Baron was involved in the prior regime and might have knowledge of our Lenesque, could this be involved?

Subla Uldseth has been Baron of Quste since long before 720, so he did indeed survive the change of ahem dynasty. If so, he must have known the Lenesque Earl of Techen, but how well or how well the Lenesque clan you do not know. As you know, he also fought with the Earl of Tormau during the rebellion, but survived that error as well.

Since he has been the Sheriff for many years, he would either know or be able to find out where all the bodies are buried.

Not sure if you intended it or not, but this is pretty damn funny!

[Imarë]

The two men are indeed Ewen and Sir Baris. If the Agrikans found out who they are and what they are doing would probably cause a fracas.
I was just stating the rumor heard by Mirky. Whether it was less, a valuable object (a la Sir Arthur Conan Doyles "The Musgrave Ritual"), or gold coins and/or gems. It could indeed be less money involved. He could have been going to an all night laundry with his dirty shorts for all we are sure of. I would think the thieves guild has the money, either as payment for the robbery or they are at the bottom of the whole business.
As ruling families tend to marry amongst themselves and the more powerful noble families, I would not be surprised to learn that he has some family connection to either the Lenesque clan or the deposed ruling family. It could not be a close connection as all of those too close seem to have become life challanged. Gives a whole lot more time to speculate the issue of the blackmail happened.
Yes it was, I just could not resist.

[Imarë]

On the fighting comment, I was thinking this:

"If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour."

[Matt]

I was just stating the rumor heard by Mirky. Whether it was less, a valuable object (a la Sir Arthur Conan Doyles "The Musgrave Ritual"), or gold coins and/or gems. It could indeed be less money involved. He could have been going to an all night laundry with his dirty shorts for all we are sure of.

True, though it should be noted that £200 account for much of the typical barony's annual income. Gross income. It is not a trivial sum even for a nobleman.

[Lord Ewen]

My recollection is that Merky herself thought the £200 an exaggeration, typical of how street rumors glorify such a heist. My notes indicate that she thought that 20 pounds worth, or £20, was much more likely. Sir Tovar's reaction to the £200 pound figure appears to support Merky. Given this, I for one think the larger figure is hyped, pending further information coming to light.

[Imarë]

As I recall the same thing, please feel free to replace the rumored amount with "a large sum of money". I had never intended (or thought important) how much the specific amount was (although Ewen might be able to buy a bottle of aquavit or two with it).

[Lord Ewen]

Agreed. That a large sum of cash was involved seems to be the general consensus.

Note that Ewen is not particularly interested in Orsa's aquavit in the one-bottle quantity - he was hoping to sample a dram if Orsa had an open bottle, to compare with his response to Rahel's vintage. I think we all agree that such an experiment for the price of a full bottle would be extravagent, and likely tell us little anyway given what we have been told about the variations in distillation quality. Any other ideas on how to pursue the question of Rahel's strange drink would be welcome.

Speaking of Rahel, any thoughts on when, or if, Ewen should take her up on her invitation to drop her a line if he needs to? What strategy should Ewen take with the Rahel contact?

[Sir Baris]

To my way of thinking this is not "openly anti-Agrikan." It is, rather, a knight of the realm unwilling to bow before his social inferiors. This is normal. Sir Baris would need to go much farther than this to be perceived as anti-Agrikan.
<SNIP>

While it is true that I detest the Agrikan scum, as would any right-thinking person, I know it is wise to keep my feelings to myself, for the time being. But a knight simply cannot let some things pass, especially disrespect from Agrikans (as occurred when we were passing the guards and I told them to, ahem, be quiet).

As for continuing along with Ewen on his escapades, I think I will have to decline the offer. My skills can be put to better use elsewhere. Perhaps I could guard Imare during her investigations. Although acting as a mere bodyguard is not high on my list of life goals.

My ideas of what happened to the Baron are as good as yours, though I lean towards the idea that it has something to do with his turncoat past. And it definetly seems that the robbery in the city and the ambush outside the city were related. The fact that they occurred to closely together lessens the chance that it was a coincidence. But it should be noted that, as far as I can remember, this is our main evidence that the two are related. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Of course, I shed no tears over his possible death. The man was a traitor, and the recent revelations (to myself, at least) of his, err, *tastes*, further lowers my opinion of him.

[Lord Ewen]

As for continuing along with Ewen on his escapades, I think I will have to decline the offer.

Fair enough.

As for the ambush of the Baron's party, my efforts to write up my notes from last session have raised a few questions in my mind. If I read my scribblings correctly, the ambush took place on the mainland side of the ferry crossing, about thirty minutes (at wagon speed?) along the road to Quste. Was that thirty minutes from the ferry, or from Golotha? And if the former, how long a trip from the city to the northern terminus of the ferry crossing? Did Bevan follow the Baron as far as the ferry that morning?

Two points. As the ferry appears to be the only route from Golotha to the ambush site, should we not invest some time in questioning the ferryman regarding trafffic both ways on the 11th of Larane? And exactly how fast did the assailants have to act in order to mount the assault on the Baron? They seemed very fast indeed. Can we narrow down possible suspects based on the time frame here?

[Imarë]

As far as I remember, the ambush took place between Golotha and the ferry across the Thard. I don't know how long the trip takes to the ferry but followed only to the village outside of the gates and watched him take the road to the ferry. I recall asking if anybody was following at the time they went out of sight but there was nobody that Bevan could see.
I only pointed out for Sir Baris to keep quiet in his dislike, as do we all for this foul bunch (although Imare did enjoy the spectacle at the arena in Coranan). The prospects for Imare are, in my opinion, low at this point for getting back with the thieves. I am still trying (and will try any good suggestions) to get back in. A guard or even companion would probably not be the best at this point.
At this point, I am trying to build a hypothesis and then test it. I have stated what that would be and if anybody can pick it apart that would enable us to move toward a new (and hopefully correct) hypothesis. As much as the death of the man would not be mourned, remember his office an heritage. If the King has forgiven him of his official transgressions so must we. I tend to discount his private doings as the reason for his capture also and would tend toward his swaying back and forth between the current monarchy and whatever was against it. I tend toward the more recent activity because of the lull between the overthrow of Chafin and the current time. Since the Baron stayed in the Bridgetower Inn when in the city, maybe talking with Orsa would be the way to start an investigation. Any ideas about Sir Blors, red herring or legitimate suspect? How long after the Baron ran from the city did Sir Blors come to the Inn. Could he have been looking for something else in the room and not be surprised that Sir Felkar was dead? If he wanted to talk to Sir F why did he send in the help? When returning from the castle he was not adverse to going in to whet his whistle some. Could he have sent the man in to find out if the body had been found (or anounced). When it had not maybe he went in himself to see it the body were gone. Has Imare sunk into total paranoia or is any of this making sense to others? Earlier we had speculated on how the long years of service to the Crown had not gotten Sir Blors much in the past decade or so. Could he have been supporting (at least not opposing) the rebellion? Could what Sir Auram wants to do, make Golotha, more integrated into the kingdom be what he wants to avoid? Could he be in league with some of the factions we think are running the city? More infernal questions which have no answer (except from Matt who I do not believe would be willing to let that information out ). Look forward to more replies.