Quite a Reception
Quite a Reception
In Bellam
Majordomo: Excuse me Lord Baylor, but it appears one of your servants has accidentally dropped a few things into his pouch.
Elegant Dandy: You there, northman! Is it true that your people still sleep with goats?
Elsewhere
Lord: Is he in place?
Advisor: Yes, my lord.
The group travels across Roesone, heading east then south. As they make their way southeast they spot the ruins of a great castle at the end of a small run of mountains. Baylor explains that much of this now frontier-like country was once teeming with civilization from the ancient Anuirian empire.
After hitting the main road, which lies next to the Black River, the group heads upstream to the location of the Wedding Festival, River Hall. Several hundred guests, peasant and noble alike, have already arrived to take part in the week-long festival preceding the joining of the Bellam and Fairfield clans.
The group is welcomed by a less than cheerful Hadrien Bellam, younger brother to the groom and heir to the province of Bellam. The group is offered accomodations in the manor house in River Hall. The group notes River Hall's stout defenses and alert guards. Heidrek prefers to pitch his tent in the fields. For the next several days the group enjoys all manner of food and drink. Several participate in an Archery contest in which Ludwig comes in second. Heidrek meets one of his countrymen, Halar Bjordsen, a Seargent in the Bellam army. The mood, while festive, is still a bit tense as the long standing feud between the two provinces of Roesone is well-known. Several fist fights occur between rivals mostly as the result of too much drink. The other notable event was a hurried rider warning of a massing of troops from the neighboring and not so friendly Oserode. The current ruler of Oserode, Jaison maintains the army is just on training and apologizes for the incident. The party finds that some members of the Bellam Guard are not convinced by this "apology".
On the eve of the wedding ceremony Rayad awakes with a start; a shadowy figure is moving about his room! Before Rayad, can even get his scimitar ready, he is stabbed with a potent dagger. However, the attacker is no match for the Ranger, who knocks him out with a mightytm blow. Rayad, carefully checking his now lit room, finds a small blood trail inconsistent with this fight and follows it to a secret door in his room. Rayad. accompanied by the now alerted house guards, follows a maze of passages and emerges in the bride's room only to find her laying in a pool of blood with her throat slit. A general house alarm and search occurs. The assassin is identifed as Terem, a loyal servant of Hadrien Bellam. The party discovers that Terem is under some kind of magical influence and cannot speak of the crime or its details without suffering wracking pains. Some creative questioning by Heidrek reveals that Terem got the Dagger several weeks ago while out of town. Heidrek learned from the stable boy that Hadrien sent him on an errand to Oserode around the same time.
The party speculates that Terem was used by Hadrien, but has no proof. Terem with his last painful breath tells the party the are correct as the evil magic consumes him.
The party, in cooperation with the Guard, heads north and east to see if the Oserode training manuvers are really an invasion force. The skills of Rayad and Heidrek in both stealth and wit glean much intelligence of the invading force, about 140 men with Calvary, infantry, pikeman and archers. After much debating, Haddath uses a special magic to travel via the Shadow World to take Ludwig to River Hall to warn the Bellams. However, its not an easy task since the murder of the Bride, Liera Fairfield, the two provinces are ready to go to battle. Ludwig manages to convice the Barons to wait a fortnight for their feud and deal with imminent invasion. Meanwhile, Heidrek and Rayad, give the army something to clean them out and slow them down, by adding some not so pleasant spices to the calvary's stew.
Warning the nearby villages to flee south, the group hopes to fight a holding action until the army from River Hall can meet this invading force. The invading army while slowed by the runs, should be at the first village in about 3 days time.
Ludwig: Riding, the best way to loosen up those bowels!
Group Experience
Helping Solve assassin +300 Recon for invasion +300 Good Roleplaying +250 Individual
Heidrek 1,700 3,300 Group +850 Questioning +500 Delaying Army +350 Ludwig Ftr: 825
Mage: 625Ftr: 1,300
Mage: 1,600Group +850 Warning of Invasion +400 Archery +200 (I guess there are points for second place) Haddath 1,200 2,750 Group +850 Shadow Walk +350 Rayad 1,700 3,000 Group +850 Defeating Assassin without kill +500 Delaying Army +350