Caravan to Ein Arris - adapted for a fantasy setting

[SolemnGolem]

Session 4 - The Handover - 2024-06-19

Karhan and Kira, a cruel separation

JWW arranged with Yongerul and the Polebi riders for four orders: "Head" (attack the specific person JWW indicates with a light), "Horse" (get close and cripple the horses to take captives), "Fly" (shoot arrows to miss and intimidate), and "Open" (use deadly force to kill hostiles as quickly as possible).

Aya lay in wait at the copse with Ferrvarro and four other Polebi horsemen, holding a small light to allow the bird to find them.

The handoff had two competing strategies: 1) Katsaya was eager for the Polebi and the PCs to secure Kira first, and then massacre Karhan and his entire gang to a man; 2) Irdri of the Jointry wanted to secure Kira and then bloddlessly resolve the standoff. Halmaran's orders had been to trade $5000 for Kira, but any money the PCs kept from spending would be split half to the PCs and half to the caravan.

As it turned out, Karhan was clearly out of his league. He came with six horses, carrying himself, a captive Kira (who had evidently outstayed her welcome in his gang), and two axemen and two bow-women. He looked at the chest of $5000 and sent his men to count it, then gave Kira to JWW.

While he and his men were debating how to carry the money, Aya and her horsemen (with Ferrvarro) crept up from the south to corner Karhan's men from behind. JWW finally gave the shout of "Horse" to the Polebi bowmen, indicating they should aim to kill the enemy mounts.

JWW secured the chest, and then tried (unsuccessfully) to Shatter the saddle strap for Karhan's horse. Aya successfully cast Lightning and sent a bolt flying between the ranks of the panicked bandits, blinding most of them briefly. Karhan and his axemen tried to escape, but their horses were cut down by the Polebi. His bowwomen ran into Aya, who sent up a sheet of flame coordinating with Irdri, who used the metallic bird to drop an oil flask right in front of the fleeing riders. JWW took Karhan into custody.

Portraits of Karhan and Kira, in the PCs' protection.

Young and Witless

The Polebi let the underlings go, but Karhan was tied and arrested for delivery to Halmaran. The likely plan was for Halmaran to deliver him as a bargaining chip to whichever Windrush tribe had most grievances or responsibility for him. Karhan seemed to be an amiable and harmless enough person - less the type of bandit to hurt somebody and more like the type of bandit to appropriate things that aren't his.

Kira turned out to be a flighty girl of whimsical and arbitrary tastes. Initially amazed by JWW's (unsuccessful) Wither Limb spell, she was flat-out adoring of Aya's flame spells and wanted to learn magic just by watching her. Aya reported to Katsaya (through her messaging cloth) that Kira was safe, and the mission was a success.

Back at Gabreftrut, Yongerul the leader of the Polebi invited Aya to share a beer, and told her that Katsaya was pleased with the outcome, and the Windrush had helped a courier make their way down. The courier would arrive the following morning and deliver important items to Aya and JWW.

JWW penned a complete report of the Black Stone to Prof. Chronotis before going to bed. He was the last one asleep that night.

The Day of the New Moon

It turns out, the courier was Kylerean, a Blue Robes Wizard whom Aya knew from the Thaumatorikon. He brought a packet of documents for Aya, showing that the Red Wizards of the Forge (dwarves) and the Purple Wizards of the Guild (artificers) had combined their analysis. They determined that she was carrying a necklace of Fire Elemental Summoning (which also came with a 10 ER single-use reservoir, needing further enchantment to replenish). He also had a number of spells that she could learn at a later date.

Kylerean also had a packet for JWW, which were mostly reports from Prof. Chronotis, and a spell, Sense Minds, which would allow him to detect mental perturbations in spacetime. JWW tried to learn this spell, but could not muster the focus necessary.

Magical Studies

Aya attempted to teach Kira the basics of magic, which required her to teach Kira the basics of meditation. Despite three attempts and use of Aya's Luck advantage, Kira could not be quieted and found this exercise boring and lame and old.

JWW meanwhile burned a card of Prof. Chronotis and found the wizened old man very talkative. He had read JWW's latest report, and made a few adjustments to a spell, Control Gate, which he encouraged JWW to cast at the anomalies valley at midnight on this evening, the night of the Black Moon.

Kylerean and Irdri

Aya saw Kylerean helping out with Jointry business while he was down in Gabreftrut. Irdri informed the PCs that the Jointry was very happy with the bloodless way in which they had handled Karhan's gang, and as a result, the Jointry was happy to let Irdri continue serving them, along with his mechanical bird. Irdri also informed them that Father Lantos at the Jointry wanted to give them a gift. They went to the Jointry and found Lantos offered them a bit of ear jewelry, which would help the Jointry know where they were, and (when they twist the jewel) could record sound. They accepted the gifts.

Kylerean told them that three months ago, the oldest Purple Robes wizard had died, and been interred in the Hall of Repose at the Thaumatorikon. Apparently, at some point after that, a perpetrator attempted to steal several artifacts and several spells. The theft had just been discovered, and the thief was still at large, but further information was not possible. Kylerean finally told them a bit of insider gossip: apparently, some of the colleges had been intentionally leaking papers of spells initially slated for pulping, on the hopes that by sending them out to the peripheries, magic-sensitives could notice them, reconstruct them, and learn spells from them - providing the Thaumatorikon with more fresh recruits and reducing nepotism within the institution's ranks.