Adventure Log

PART i: INTRODUCTION

TROUBLE AT THE DOCKS

The team was assembled and dressed down by Captain Stahl. Stahl sent them to go deal with bandits troubling shops by the riverfront. After a confrontational first night in the dorms, the team met with Kristoff Swift, the owner of Northern Shipping and Trade and one of the richest men in Redhaven. The half-elven bounty hunter Carolus acted as the team spokesman. Swift informed them that a string of robberies had struck his establishments on the riverfront and he wanted the inquisition to crack down on the criminals.

Short on leads, V decided to reach out to her old contact in the Cartel, and Sicily insisted on staying nearby in case of trouble. Rosie lent divine guidance to V for her conversation with the cartel, and to Sicily for her stealthy approach. Ripper was suspicious of V’s claim that she wanted to get in on the action, but a few gold pieces and a convincing lie earned the location of the bandits next job. That night the team stayed at an inn where Rosie created a scandal when a heavy drinking and gambling dwarf was seen coming an going from her bedroom. Meg and Sicily intensified their rivalry as the witch tormented the hunter by haunting her bedroom.

In the morning, the team staked out the hatter’s shop, but the bandits snuck in disguised as customers. A sleep spell from Meg rescued the shopkeeper and incapacitated a bandit. Arrows from V and Sicily dropped two more. The last bandit fled but was halted by a spell from Rosie guarding the back door. An exchange of swords between the bandit and Carolus left the bandit cut in half. Sicily spotted a fleeing bandit outside and wounded him with a long distance shot. Edgar followed the bandit back to his boat while the party recruited a couple of watchmen to guard the crime scene.

A quick scout ahead by Edgar informed the team that 7 bandits guarded the ship. Sicily and Meg took up sniper positions while the rest of the party snuck closer. Boosted by Rosie’s magic, V and Carolus went undetected, but Rosie forgot to use any magic on herself and gave away her position. Recognizing that the gig was up, Meg fired off another sleep spell, dropping the first mate. Sicily rained death from the rooftops felling the sentry. Carolus and Rosie charged ahead, though the gnome was soon outdistanced. V advanced at a slower pace, firing arrow after arrow into the panicked crew. While pirates surged up from below decks, the party was busy peppering the half-orc captain with arrows and magical fire blasts.

A goblin grabbed the mounted heavy crossbow and fired it haphazardly at Sicily, but only managed to dislodge a few roof tiles. A dwarf charged down the gangplank to attack Carolus, but met his swift end under the bounty hunter’s blade. Unfortunately, Carolus was unable to recover in time to stop the charging captain from trying to split him open. Bleeding heavily, Carolus barley managed to deflect the next attack from another sailor on the gangplank who was trying to finish him off.

Seeing her comrade wounded and in trouble, Rosie ran as fast as her short legs would carry her in an attempt to bring her healing magic before it was too late. Seeing her race to the rescue, the two remaining pirates on the ship abandoned the crossbow and tried to bring down the gnome. She caught the goblin’s arrow in her shoulder, but her luck held when the second pirate tripped and fell overboard. Meg torched the goblin, and Sicily dropped the sailor on the gangplank with a single arrow. Catching his second wind, Carolus pressed the attack on the Orc and removed his ugly head from his shoulders. The last pirate drug himself coughing onto the dock only to have a frightened and screaming gnome fire a crossbow bolt into his temple. Rosie then proceeded to heave the contents of her stomach into the sea.

Following the mission, the ship was searched and it’s contents seized. Master Swift rewarded the team handsomely and stated that his opinion of the inquisition had been vastly improved. The prisoners were brought back to Stahl, who was not impressed by the team’s performance, but grudgingly admitted that they had managed to complete the mission parameters. The prisoners confessed under questioning and were publicly disemboweled for their crimes.

PART 1: TROUBLE IN THE NORTH

A fortnight later, the team was called back to Stahl’s office. He was accompanied by a helmed warrior brooding in the corner. Stahl informed the party that the Orc tribes of the far North were beginning to coalesce around a single war chief. Marshal Edward Crecy and Duke Otto Issenberg are planning on leading the royal forces in a preemptive strike deep into the heart of Orcish territory. Many soldiers and inquisitors are moving North to join the expedition. This has left a shortage of inquisitors operating in the Northern Duchies. A gap that the Capital Task Force must try to help fill.

THE CASE OF THE CANNIBAL INNKEEPER

A hedgeknight and his squire had gone missing in the town of Shepton. They never reached the assembling army in the North, and rumors among the peasants said that they were baked into a pie by a cannibal innkeeper. The squire was a member of a wealthy merchant family, and his ultimate fate was to be uncovered. Needless to say, if a cannibal is at work, the inquisitors were to bring him down.

Stahl informed the party that the helmed warrior was an inquisitor heading north to join the fighting, and would accompany them on the road to Shepton. The warrior removed his helmet and revealed himself to be Gem, Meg’s twin brother. Gem is a paladin of the Black Hound, and was instrumental in banishing a powerful necromancer, his mother. When questioned by a furious Meg, Gem revealed that he had joined the inquisition not long after his falling out with the family. He also revealed that the inquisition had been ready to kill Meg for her involvement in the family business, but that he had convinced them to recruit her instead.

The party makes the long trek across the country, having several small adventures along the way. They hunt a griffon, exchange gifts with traveling gnomes, and survive a ghoulish ambush near the goblin barrows.

In Shepton, the innkeeper of the Boatman’s Dog, Angus, stands accused of killing and eating his guests. The party discovered that the innkeeper was guilty of stealing his neighbors livestock and blaming the disappearances on wolves.

Meanwhile, a jealous competitor, Iger the gnome, was using illusion magic to scare off the Dog’s customers. He was also the source of the false rumors of cannibalism.

The party decided to keep Angus’s secret if he stopped stealing livestock. They also forced Inger to make a full confession in front of the town, ruining his reputation. Angus offered the party free room and board whenever they passed through.

THE RACE TO FORT SHINING

Two days after the previous adventure, the party resized a magical sending from Captain Stahl. The message let them know that the Northern Expedition Force had fallen into a trap and an Orc army now laid siege to Fort Shining. The inquisitors were to race to Fort Shining and find a way to save the city and the contents of the Royal Mint located there.

The party raced overland, sending word for Gem who had gone ahead to join them as soon as he could. The party fought with a group of Dynam cultist flocking to the slaughter like flies. They spent the night in the shelter of ancient elvish ruins.

The next day they had to cross a raging river. Carolus fell in while carrying the dry goods, spoiling the food, paper, and damaging Meg’s spell book.

The group encounters a primitive tribe of goblins who mistake the tiefling wizard as their long lost goddess. Quick talking party members play along and are escorted safely through the goblin territory.

The goblin king, Tukel-Took, informs the party of a tribe of bugbears on their path ahead. Surely the goddess will use her magic to transform them back into goblins as the ancient prophecy foretells. They sent the party on to their divine task while they went back to their village to prepare the celebration.

A lone Goblin named Drizzle is brave enough to stick around and guide them through the woods. Unfortunately, despite their stealth, they are eventually detected by the bugbears and are forced to flee for their lives.

Drawn to the sound of the Bugbear’s hunting horns, Gem stumbles upon the party as they flee for their lives. Together they conduct a fighting retreat, managing to stay just ahead of their pursuers until they began to grow winded. Recognizing that outrunning the tribe was impossible, Drizzle led the party to a shear cliff face. Urging them to climb, Drizzle nobly ran back towards the bugbears, screaming and waving his arms. Although his ultimate fate was not observed by the party, it is likely that the little goblin died to protect his "goddess".

Drizzle’s distraction gave the party enough time to throw grapples and ropes up the cliff and climb to safety, although Meg did slip and hurt herself in the attempt. No sooner than the party reached the top and pulled up their ropes, the bugbears returned. Howling with blood lust, the large gobliniods threw javelins and attempted to climb the cliff. The climbers were met with a hail of arrows and spells. The situation was dire enough that Sicily revealed an ability she had kept hidden until this point. Drawing on and channeling the power of the planet itself, Sicily infused her arrows with soul magic. Meg proved to be a particularly dangerous, throwing bolts of fire and greasing the cliff face with her arcane spells. Once three bugbears had been slain, and a number more wounded, the tribe pulled back into the cover of the forest.

The party continued on towards Fort Shining, aware that time is of the essence. While traversing the forest, they come upon a wounded dryad. Gem and Sicily manage to calm her, and Rosie removes the arrow from her side. The grateful tree spirit shares her story with her rescuers. her woodlands are frequently attacked by bugbears who enjoy hunting other creatures, even Kami (minor nature spirits) like herself. For protection, she had charmed a lost and wandering knight and his squire to be her protection. The knight and squire match the description of Sir Galiwan and Sully Forrester. Unfortunately, the dryad was ambushed by bugbears the day before, and her protectors were slain. The dryad led the group to her grove and gifted them with the fallen squire’s horse and scabbard. She also gave them instructions on the fastest and safest way to Fort Shining.

INTO THE FIRE

The party made good time through the woods and by sundown reached a cliff and a massive dam holding back a lake. To the West, In the valley below the waterfall they saw Fort Shining. The great stone fortress was in shambles. The city was beset on all sides by a massive horde. They guessed the size of the Orc army by their numerous tents and bonfires. There must have been well over ten thousand of them. Smoke rose from the city streaking the sunset with black. Inside its towered stone walls were many small houses, temples, and shops, entire neighborhoods were engulfed in flame. Evidence of a battle and heavy fighting could be seen. Ladders were propped against the outer walls, and the Eastern and Southern gates were broken and burning. The defenders had lost the walls and there were large groups of Orcs ransacking homes behind the walls. At the center of the city is a large stone keep. They could see that here the survivors of the city had rallied. Defenders atop the parapets of the main keep were shooting arrows at any Orc that stayed out in the open too long. The drawbridge to the main keep was up and there was a wide moat around it that had been affording them some measure of protection. No concentrated effort had been made against the keep yet. A large part of the force was still outside the main walls of the city-proper. Orcs scurried like ants around the city. Most of the orcs were camped right alongside the small river that flows from the waterfall dam.

Closer to the party, they heard and saw an Azer, a burning fire Kami, attempting to break into the dam with his hammer. The fire spirit had long lay dormant, as the manmade lake had cooled the fiery vent that was its home. But the burning fires in nearby fort shining had awoken it, an now it seeks to destroy the dam and all those responsible for building it. Attempts to reason with the raging spirit failed and the party fought the Azer on the top of the dam. after a quick exchange of blows, Gem used his resistance to fire and charged the spirit and shoved it into the lake. a loose gem broke from the pommel of the hammer and fell into the water. A diving attempt by Carolus retrieved the gem, which appeared to be magical in nature, although the party is unsure what it does.

After dispatching the Azer, a small group of dwarves who live in the dam made themselves know to the party. After being regaled with tales of the parties adventures, the dwarves agree to help the inquisitors liberate the city below. Together they open the floodgates of the dam and unleash a torrent of death on the orcs below. Although the waters killed hundreds of the orcs, the greatest benefit to the city is the confusion the floodwaters have caused. Now that the orcs are rushing to their camp, the way may be clear to reach the city.

Approaching the city at dusk, the party runs across a large patrol of orcs. Gem leads them away allowing the party to continue. Gem slays several mounted orcs and makes good his escape. Separated from the party, gem slays a scavenging ghoul and fights an orc barbarian for his captives. Freeing the women from bondage, they escape into the woods where they spend the night and meet Belnost the shapeshifter and his team of Inquisitors.

Meanwhile the rest of the team sneak into the burning city. They come across a pen of civilians in destined for abuse, slavery, and perhaps an orcish cooking pot. V sneaks in and frees the civilians, who are then escorted into a nearby warehouse. The party is nearly revealed when they are found by a war priest of Grummish, but a combined effort slays the mighty orc. An archer from the keep sends instructions tied to an arrow, informing the group how to get into the keep. Waiting until dark, the group leads the refugees into the filthy polluted moat and around the side of the keep. A brief but desperate battle on the edge of the moat and then they are admitted into the keep through a hidden sally port.

THE BATTLE FOR THE NORTH

Inside they met the garrison commander, Sir Jean Boucinaut, a devout and courageous knight. Sir Boucinaut had a plan for how to break the siege. The orcs had stolen a shipment of gold with a magical tracker, and it was likely being kept near the chieftain, Grom the Bloodaxe. Using a secret escape tunnel the team snuck out of the castle and through the siege lines, killing any orcs who saw them. en route they met up with Gem, Belnost, and his team of inquisitors. Together they attacked the chieftain's stronghold. Although they found gold and loot, Grom was out leading an assault. They did find a group of Drow slavers and a message to the head of their clan. it included these words "Our investments in Grom and his army are going to pay off. We have already captured more slaves in this raid than our entire operation in Redhaven has produced in the past decade. Entire towns and cities are being rounded up and will be making their way into our cages and then on to the slave markets of the South. You can inform our creditors that they will soon receive payment in full. Once these slaves sell we will be richer than any clan of our people have been in centuries. "

After dealing with the drow, the party was confronted by Chief Grom and his retinue returning from the most recent attack on the fort. An epic battle ensued. Orc shamans cast spells, warriors killed and were killed, and Grom the Bloodaxe, astride his mighty war-pig was finally brought low. As was later made famous by the bard Symon Silvertongue, Gem, the demon-knight of the Black Hound smote off the foul orc's head and broke the spirit of the hoard.

Without their chieftain, the orcs began to fight among themselves and the hoard fractured. During the days of infighting, a hill giant was drawn to the scene of the carnage and began to smash anything that moved. Seeing his chance to free the city, Sir Boucinaut led the garrison in a charge to drive the orcs from the city, while the inquisitors fought the giant. V was gravely wounded in the fight, but the inquisitors managed to bring the giant down.

In the days that followed, the Marshal Crecy's army returned to Sairland and finished off the orcs. Duke Eisenberg put out a bounty on orc ears which greatly enriched several of the inquisitors. After days of celebration, the party returned to their duties in Redhaven. Leaving the area they were ambushed by crazed cultists of Dynam, the god of slaughter, but were able to slay their would be murderers. Entering the capital they were also harassed by soldiers because of the still wounded V. While the eyes of the army and the inquisition were in the North, Ilmycran rebels had raided a large arms depot and disappeared into the countryside. Only the inquisitions papers they carried convinced the guards to let them pass.

PART 2: INTRIGUE IN THE CAPITAL

Back in the city they were given some time for R&R, although Stahl ordered them to keep their ears open about the slavers and to bring any news straight to him. Gem was quickly scooped up by the King's adviser Kepeskselit, and made into a victory symbol for the military alongside the loyal knight Sir Boucinaut. Rosie spent her time healing the homeless of Redhaven, making friends with a unofficial leader named Big Sally. Carolus joins the church or Ohzoz (earning his place by beating up protesters). Sicily spends a good deal of her time pouring over old reports in the library. Meg turns to her studies of magic. V also frequents the library a few times, at least enough to get Meg hooked on the bread from the bakery around the corner and gain a few unwanted pounds. V also slips back into the underworld for a while, and when she reemerges she reveals that she has reconnected with Ripper.

TO STEAL A SWORD

V had sought him out seeking information about the drow slaving operation in Redhaven that had been mentioned in the letter. She sold him some BS story about a young street urchin who was like family to her who had been stolen by the slavers. V informs her team that Ripper has admitted to knowing about the slavers. He does not trust V however, after the inquisition showed up the last time he shared information with her. To earn his trust, V has been tasked with stealing the family sword of Duke Shen Yagimoto, the richest man in the kingdom and a close political ally of Baron de Nicolai, the head of the inquisition. Ripper knows that the duke would never willing part with his ancestral sword, which is both enchanted and his badge of office, and knows that the inquisition would never jeopardize his political support by stealing it from him. Needless to say, the team decided to steal it at the next available opportunity and not tell their superiors about the plan. The next available opportunity will be an annual party hosted by the Duke following the Festival of Thundersong. The party is attended by the Capital's most influential people, and the duke's sword is always on display.

Before they can steal the sword, the party had to provide security for the king during the festival itself. The event was a big affair like usual. Symon Silvertongue sang his original ballad of the Black Demon who saved the North, Gem and Sir Boucinaut received medals from the king, and Kepeskselit oversaw the launching of the yearly tribute ship to the Storm Titan. The team did see a little action when they arrested a shady Ilmycran in the crowd before the king's speech. Upon inspection he was a common pick pocket, but Captain Stahl insisted that he be written up as an attempted assassin. The stolen purses were passed around and the team got a commendation for stopping the assassination attempt. The "assassin" was executed and had his head mounted on a spike.

With the Duke's party approaching, the team began to infiltrate the event. Gem was on the guest list as a guest of Kepeskelit, who had not finished using him to bolster national image. Gem got his sister Meg in as his plus one. Duke Yagimoto is a prominent member of the Church of Ohzoz, and as such invited Dominus Pavo and his retainers, including Carolus. V used an old contact to get herself a job with the caterer as a waitress. Rosie disguised herself and used her ability to craft illusions to join in with the dwarves providing the fireworks. Sicily decided to sneak through the security and act as a watcher/sniper on the roof.

The party itself is a who's who of Sairland, and political intrigues abound. The aged Royal Treasurer, Countess Holdsdottir, lays in her sickbed dying, and everyone speaks of who will replace her on the King's Closed Council. With King Alfonso being perceived as weak and uninterested in anything but the ceremonial aspects of the monarchy, the seven members of the Closed Council manage the affairs of the kingdom. The council is currently split into 2 competing factions, known among the commoners as the Hawks and the Doves. The Hawks are more militaristic and favor the traditional aristocracy. The Doves are a loose and fractious coalition of the bourgeoisie, socialist populists, and those who favor infrastructure spending over military spending. The Hawks are led by the High Inquisitor, Baron de Nicolai, who is joined on the small council by Marshal Crecy and Grand Admiral Montague. The Doves are led by Chief Justice Balor Hightower. Lady Destasia Aurilis (Carolus's great-aunt and unofficial spokeswoman for his great great grandmother) and the dying Countess Holddottir bring the doves up to equal numbers with the hawks. With the hawks and the doves in a gridlock, it frequently falls on the aloof Kepeskselit to be the tiebreaker.

With the treasurer dying, the open council will recommend her replacement. The clear front-runner for the position is the Redhaven Customs Master Soylem Al'Hasir. Al'Hasir is a Dove with patronage from the absurdly wealthy merchant Kristoff Swift who is the largest donor to the Dove party. Swift, Hightower, and Al'Hasir were overheard at the party discussing politics and warning of the attempts the hawks would make to replace him.

A few other conversations were overheard as well. Military officers were placing bets on if the next war would be an Ilmycran revolt or Imperial invasion. Dominus Pavo paraded Carolus like a trophy in front of his great aunt, much to her obvious displeasure at having the bastard half-elf on display, and with the Hawks no less! The Duke was heard discussing an Ilmycran attack with the high inquisitor. Apparently, a cousin of the duke was an inquisition officer and was killed in the line of duty. An inquisition safehouse was hit by a terrorist strike force while they were questioning a high value prisoner about the stolen weapons. The inquisitor, his guards, and the prisoner were all brutally slaughtered. The Duke also expressed that he was unhappy about the presence of the demonblooded Gem and Meg at his party, particularly as their mother had been a blight on his lands before her fall. He allowed their presence because Gem was a national hero with an invitation from the Kepeskselit on the King’s behalf.

After scouting out the party, the team put together a simple plan. Meg caused a distraction by bewitching one of the king's bodyguards into a fit of laughter, and during the distraction, an invisible Rosie grabbed the sword and ran. Gem got in the way of the pursuers and V led Rosie to a chimney and out of the manor. The Duke was furious, and correctly assumed that Meg had something to do with the magically assisted theft. He was ready to have her killed before Kepeskselit intervened. Kepeskselit said that her wards had allowed her to witness the crime. She placed the blame on a gnome with illusion magic, and stated that if Meg had cast a spell, she would have detected it. With such powerful testimony, The duke backed down and set a large bounty on the gnomish thief. Once the Duke was gone, Kepeskselit revealed to Meg that she had witnessed the whole thing and that Meg now worked for her or she would make sure she was punished for her crime. At the rendezvous point, the team was dismayed to learn that the dragonborn druid was onto them, and that the duke was looking for a magical gnome. Rosie quickly begged her homeless contacts for an alibi, and V delivered the sword. in the coming days, the dwarven fireworks expert who had hired Rosie and got her into the party was executed as an accomplice to the theft.

INTO THE SEWERS

Ripper was pleased to see the sword, and had it tested for authenticity by a haggard Iger Rubblebeard, who had fallen on hard times since the party ruined his business. The gnome barley looked up from the bundles of Gnomish Crank and vials of Stygian Dream he was packaging so he did not notice V, leaving her cover intact. Ripper told V that the slavers were set up in a warehouse by the docks. surprisingly, they paid no tribute to the cartel, but his bosses had told him to leave them alone. This had made him angry and curious, he had tipped off the port authorities, but their raid had captured no one, leading him to think that they had secret tunnels under the warehouse. He suggested approaching through the sewers to avoid their lookouts. A ship had just arrived that morning, and would likely be loaded with slaves tonight. He also cautioned her not to reveal that he was at all involved, threatening to kill her if she did.

With a tight deadline to save the slaves and catch the smugglers too, and not wanting to explain how they knew what they knew, the party decides to act without informing Stahl. Rosie knew a homeless camp in the sewers near the docks. A high vagrant tells them of a passage through the sewers to their destination, although it has been overrun by kobolds. The journey through the sewers is dangerous. V nearly loses her leg to a giant crocodile. The kobold warrens were a trap and ambush filled hell. Crossing them was a constant fight against innumerable opponents who hit quickly and ran into cramped spaces. Rosie nearly died when she was pushed into a pit with an ooze, and was only saved when Gem spear fished her out at the last possible second.

TAKING DOWN THE SLAVERS

Without much time to recover, they pressed on to the warehouse. the tunnel entrance was guarded by a Drow warrior in ebony armor. The warrior bravely took on the whole party alone, but was eventually overwhelmed. Once in the warehouse, the party ambushed the drow slavers and their smuggler allies. Most were killed, but the captain of the slave ship was among the captured. Unfortunately the party was not fast enough to stop the burning of some documents and what appeared to be medical supplies in one of the offices.

The party freed the slaves on the ship, and led the whole group back to the Tower of Vigilance. Stahl was furious when he learned that the party had conducted such a large mission without reporting it to him, and also that they had arrested someone so important. It turned out that the captain of the ship smuggling the slaves out of port was a high ranking officer of Northern Shipping and Trade. " I have told you repeatedly to keep your heads down and not bring pissed off politicians and nobles down on me!" Stahl ordered the party to release the smuggler with their apologies. Before the party could complete those orders however, the high Inquisitor himself arrived and took personal control over the investigation. Baron de Nicolai rescinded the release order and brought in Inquisition interrogators to question the smuggler. Gem thought he smelled something fishy, until he saw the torture implements being brought into the room and was satisfied that the high inquisitor was not going to let the smuggler get off easy.

THE HIGH CRIMES OF THE NST

Two days later, word of the busted slavers ring was still secret, as the high inquisitor had kept all the freed slaves confined to the tower until the end of the operation. Calling a meeting with Stahl and his team, the high inquisitor informed them that the smuggler had signed a confession naming Kristoff Swift and the other high officers of Northern Sipping and Trade as co-conspirators in the slaving operation. de Nicolai orders the party to split up and bring Sift and his associates in. Swift has a private guard of Dwarven mercenaries, so a fight is likely. Knowing that Swift finances the Dove Party which controls the courts, the high inquisitor does not reach out to the city guard for backup, but rather borrows Royal Marines from the Grand Admiral.

The party sent to arrest Swift includes 4 inquisitors and 2 dozen marines. They decide on a no knock approach, busting through the front gate and charging up the drive with weapons drawn. When 30 armored dwarves with pikes and crossbows flood onto the front steps, no attempts are made to diffuse the situation or even announce their authority. Instead, a bloody battle is raged on the steps with heavy causalities on both sides. Eventually the surviving dwarves surrender (shaving their beards with shame), and the inquisitors storm into the house. they find a macabre scene. Swift has been freshly murdered in his own room and his body desecrated with his heart and jaw removed. Meg informs the group that this has been done to prevent all but the mightiest of miracle workers from bringing Swift back to life, or necromancers from communicating with his corpse. The other groups report back that the other high officers of the NST have been similarly killed and mutilated. obviously, the men had been assassinated by someone who had a lot to lose if they ever spoke. A furious High Inquisitor confines all personnel to the tower until further notice. He stated that somehow word of the arrests had gotten out to the wrong people, there was a mole in the inquisition. The morning after the failed arrests, Meg received a summons from Kepeskselit for that weekend. The party quickly turns on themselves, accusing each other of being the mole.

HUNTING FOR TRAITORS

The next afternoon the high inquisitor called another meeting. Gem was specifically not invited, as he was not a full time member of Stahl's team and operational details were to be kept to as small a group as possible. The high inquisitor and Captain Stahl had formulated a plan. The smuggler that the party had captured was still unaware of the assassinations. He would be released under the premise that his friends in court had gotten him out. the inquisitors were then to follow him and see where he went and who he contacted. it was a long shot, but worth the effort. Sicily was asked by de Nicolai to confine Gem to quarters, as he was a suspect as the mole. The prisoner was released, much worse for wear, but alive. the team followed him through a market, but before he had gotten far, he was killed by a crossbow bolt to the throat. the assassin also managed to shoot Edgar before the party could react. a heroic chase across the city ensued, taking all the skills of the party to capture the foreign elvish assassin with the cruel scars. Drug back to the tower, the inquisitor sent the elf away for interrogation and promised to let the party know when the name of his employer was uncovered. He also had Captain Stahl arrested as the mole.

Two days later the The high inquisitor called the arty to him and explained that the assassin had broken and named Customs Master Soylem Al'Hasir, the presumptive next member of the closed council, as his employer. Al'Hasir had been an old employee of Swift, and owed his entire career to Swift's patronage. In exchange, he was elevated to a position that could have turned a blind eye to a massive slaving ring. Now with a job on the closed council ahead of him, Swift's arrest would have been a liability, and loose ends needed to be wrapped up. Stahl had also confirmed the identity of Al'Hasir under questioning. The high inquisitor explained that Stahl was the only one with enough foreknowledge of the plan to release the smuggler to get the assassin in place. Stahl was also found to be deeply in debt due to his out of control gambling and drinking, and had confessed to taking first Swift's, then Al'Hassir's money in exchange for information and favors. Stalh denied any knowledge of the slave ring, but had confessed to selling state secrets and warning Al'Hassir about the pending arrests of Swift and his men. Stahl had also been stealing money from the party for some time by demanding his share of all the loot, despite having a higher pay rate to compensate for his desk work. With signed confessions we can dispense with the need for a trial. The assassin will be killed and Stahl will have his tongue removed and sent to work in a silver mine for the rest of his life.

The high inquisitor also gave the party members a promotion. "You have proven to be very capable agents despite your poor leadership. I am dissolving the Redhaven Major Crimes Unit and offering you a chance to work directly for me. I need inquisitors that I can rely on to handle important and sensitive missions. Some of these missions will be completely off the books and may require long stretches spent undercover, but you will be doing a great service for your country. I will add my personal seal on each of your writes of authority which should allow you access to all resources of the inquisition. I can not increase your base salary without drawing undue attention to your unit, but I can wave the mandate that you have to pay a share of your spoils to the tower."

The party's first mission under new leadership was to arrest Al'Hassir. Again backed by Royal Marines, they stormed the customs office. Rather than submit, he locked himself in his office, penned a note declaring his innocence, and committed suicide.

That evening The high inquisitor shared his report of the events with the open council. Everyone seemed shocked to hear of the treason and sudden fall of Al’hasir, Swift and the NST. Some decry foul play, but the signed confessions of the NST captain and the assassin backed up the inquisition's account of the events. The city spent the next few days on fire with the news. Large crowds gather to watch the heads of the treasonous Swift and Al'Hassir mounted on spikes

Reeling from the loss of both their candidate and chief financial backer, the doves lost the nomination for the vacant seat on the closed council. Duke Shen Yagimoto is elected instead and assumed the position of Royal Treasurer. This gives the Hawks a ruling majority on the council. The leadership of the customs office was turned over to recent war hero, Sir Boucinaut. Northern Shipping and trade was stripped of its royal charter and dissolved. The inquisition seized its many assets, selling off at auction anything it did not want to keep including much of its fleet. For now the charter has not been issued to a new company, but sooner or later the right palms will be greased and a replacement for NST will emerge.

ON THE DRAGONBORN'S LEASH

Kepeskselit meets with Meg at the Mixwater Inn for breakfast, where she questions her about the theft, the slavers, and the investigation into Swift, the NST, and Al'Hassir. Meg answers fully and honestly, and Kepeskelit seems satisfied, promising a long and healthy relationship as long as Meg remains honest with her.

PART 3: PLAGUE AND RUMORS OF WAR

A WELL EARNED BREAK

Waiting on further orders, the team splits up and find various ways to stay busy. Gem goes on a recruitment tour, trying to draw eager young people to fill the ranks of the depleted military and Inquisition. Meg buries herself in the library, splitting her time between arcane research and earning a bit of money on the side as a hired sage. V drops on and off the radar, one day working as an auctioneer selling off item seized from the NST, another coming back to the tower late at night and covered in ink-stains, and yet another browsing through the library nibbling on her favorite pumpkin bread. Sicily also visits the library for several days, then disappears for several weeks on "personal business". When she returns she rents a room in an inn rather than return to the tower, and wears an odd amulet around her neck which looks like a real eyeball. Rosie and Carolus decide to open a joint business venture. The half elf uses much of his money to buy exotic schematics that appear to detail the making of magical cloaks and bags. Rosie, intent on using the power lent to her by the Trickster to enchant the items, takes lessons in tailoring in order to craft the items to the exact specifications. Before the two could start crafting however, a plague struck the capital.

PLAUGE!

The first to notice the symptoms were the poorest elves and half-elves near the river docks, but it was quickly seen in the government district and markets as well. From there it quickly spread through the city. Only those with elvish blood seemed to be affected. Half-elves got severely sick with flu-like symptoms, with only the old, very young, and weak succumbing. Among the full blooded elves it was much worse. The elves would be racked with a soaring fever which would sap their strength, leaving them unable to move and helpless as kittens. Coughs would rack their frail bodies and in the final stages, many would drown as their lungs filled with frothy blood. Among full blooded elves who contracted the illness, two thirds died before the disease ran its course. Horrified, many elves in the city fled to the countryside, or to relative in other parts of the country, spreading the disease with them. Reports have come in that the Greenblood Empire is also afflicted by the disease, and are in a state of chaos as much of their citizenry perishes. A rumor spread through the prejudiced population of Sairland that the disease had was spread by the unsanitary Ilmycran half-elves, and reports came in that the city of Loneport was torn apart as spontaneous riots and mobs slaughtered any Ilmycran they could find. While the Capital had too strong of a military presence to fall to large scale riots, it became unwise for Ilmycrans to travel alone or really be noticed at all.

Not every elf in Sairland was afflicted. those who were wealthy enough retreated into their estates and hired magically gifted healers to cure them if they fell sick. In fact, the Church of Ohzoz held extravagant parties for their prominent members, with guards at the gates to drive off the infected. Carolus spent much of the plague attending such parties, making inroads with the wealthy and spoiled entourages of the truly powerful. In fact, once Rosie cured him of the disease, Carolus found opportunity in tragedy. with so many dyeing or fleeing the cities, it was a buyers market for houses. He bought a large house in a nice neighborhood for a price he was most satisfied with.

By this point thousands were dead, particularly in the Barrowlands, which is home to Sairland's largest elvish population. The Doves repeatedly pushed to open the royal treasury to combat the disease, but the Hawks pushed back saying that with the heavy losses incurred in the war against the orcs the money must go to rebuilding Sairland's military. The Hawks feared that a depleted army was an invitation for invasion from the Greenblood Empire, while the Doves accused the Hawks of letting the disease run rampant because it was doing the most harm among the poor and in a duchy loyal to the Doves. With the Hawks in the majority, the Doves could only shout angrily as the death toll rose. To the surprise of all, for the first time in years the King himself decided to intervene in matters of state. By royal decree, all healers in the Kingdom were to report to their local lord and make themselves available to fight the plague. The treasury was opened to provide aid to the sick, buy supplies, and when many healers were dodging the summons, offer a rich reward for service. Rosie who had been volunteering already at the local temple of Airmed, was among the first to respond to the king's call. She spent day after day for weeks tending to the sick and dying. She would channel as much of her god's power as she could endure, and when she could channel no more, mixed herbs and poultices until she collapsed into her bed exhausted. Kepeskselit led the healers of Redhaven, personally healing many of the disease, and summoning two dozen of her fellow dragonborn druids from the holy Shipbreaker Islands to bring their healing magic.

Behind Enemy Lines

The ruthless leader of the Inquisition, Baron de Nicolai, has been fighting a three and a half century long battle against his old foe, the Basileus (emperor) of the Greenblood Empire. As one of the few remaining founding fathers of the nation, de Nicolai sees it as his personal mission to make sure the Sairland remains independent. The Sairlander Navy and the patronage of the Storm Titan Thundersong have proven a sufficient shield against coastal invasion. Past the West bank of the Naga River however, the elves have established colonies and driven off the local goblin tribes. In the next war, the Basileus can easily land his troops in the colonies and launch an attack over the river. to prevent this, de Nicolai believes a first strike must be made to seize the colonial lands. The odds for such an invasion have not been good, until now. The plague has severely weakened the empire, and any response to an attack will be slow and underwhelming. The High Inquisitor's views are not universally held, however. With the plague still tearing through the countryside, and the military still recovering from the northern war, the idea of attack the most powerful empire on the planet is not popular. De Nicolai believes that his fellow councilmen could be convinced, however, if he can deliver them the colonies on a silver platter. For that, he summons his new black ops team.

He explains to his team he is sending them on a secret black book operation to sabotage the ability of the colonial forces to mount an effective defense. He sends them to the mighty border fortress of Galestanen where they are to assassinate three key figures. "The first is Count Pyrrhus, Strategos, or general, of the colonial forces. He is a master tactician, a brilliant swordsman, and charismatic leader. He commands their entire river defenses and will likely be named the leader of the entire colonial forces when we attack. Removing him would not only remove one of their best military minds, it would start infighting among their officers as they scramble for preeminence. The Second target is the Enchantress Calypso. In past wars she has broken the minds of many of our top officers before unleashing powerful spells upon our ranks. If she joins in the defense of the city, the siege will not end quickly.  Finally, the plague is our greatest ally in this war. It must not be stopped before it has run its course through their forces. A powerful priestess of Airmed, the goddess of healing, resides in Galstenen. Her work to stop the plague must be thwarted. Her removal would also mean fewer wounded defenders would be able to return to the battle to kill more of our men." Additionally, he instructs them to gather any information they can about the Imperial spies operating inside of Sairland.

The four inquisitors set out for enemy territory. (Rosie is left behind due to the royal decree recruiting all healers, and she was not informed because the team believed she would disapprove). The cross the river into the marshland on the opposite bank, having an exasperating fight with a swarm of mud mephits along the way. They dodge patrols of elvish archers and (armored knights), and defeat two hunting griffons. Gem joins them in the middle of the night, led to their camp by a strange talisman he has attuned to his sister. They purchase a cart and disguise themselves as refugees leaving the large cities of the coast heading inland. Here illusions and V's ability to craft disguises come in handy. Carolus is made to appear like a full blooded elf, while the rest of his party acts like his slaves. Gem and Meg disguise their tiefling nature in creative ways. Meg sits in a wagon wearing an old dress and hood, with bandages over her eyes, she pretends to be an old blind woman who mixes healing herbs. Before joining the rest of the group, Gem traveled at night, armored and cloaked on a black horse. He wears a set of plate armor he made himself, with the helm fashioned into the face of a snarling hound. using the power of his god, he causes wisps of mist to swirl around him and his eyes to glow red in the darkness. None who encountered this specter of the night dared challenge him, and he reached the team unmolested. once he joined them, he doffed his armor and took on the appearance of a slave. with a turban on his head, a great false beard, his tail wrapped around his waist and a billowing set of robes, Gem appears to be a rotund majordomo imported from the distant Southern deserts. thus disguised, the team enters first the river town, then the great fortress on the mountain.

The team learns much about their quarry and begins to make plans. The enchantress lives in a tower guarded by exotic slave warriors who follow unhesitatingly follow her every command. A handful of apprentices also serve their mistress in exchange for her instruction. The enchantress herself rarely is seen outside her tower. The priestess resides in modest quarters in the back of the Temple of Airmed. A few guards are stationed in the area and acolytes come and go in the service of the priestess and the temple. Every morning at dawn she walks out into the sea of petitioners and heals as many of them as she can stand, before tired from the exertion of channeling that much power, she retires to her quarters for meditation and to work on a cure for the disease. She is a powerful healer and is rumored to have even brought several victims of the plague back from the dead. The general has a reputation as a master tactician and is well liked by his troops. He resides in the main keep with a retinue of 200 cataphracts. The stables for their horses are in a great chamber of the dwarven ruins below the keep. The aqueducts for the city are also somehow supplied from under the castle, although their source is not readily apparent. Gem is toying with the idea of poisoning the water supply of the whole city.

Other things have been learned in the city: Carolus was offered a position with the archer garrison after he collects the reward for killing the griffons (he politely declines). Many slaves have run away or rebelled as the plague has left their masters sick and dying. The official Imperial religion is Atralianism, the worship of the gods of the Astral Court. Despite this, the worship of Ohzoz is common among the social elite. Slaves are forbidden from channeling magic and fear harsh punishments if they are found out.

IN THE RUINS

Sneaking through the cemetery the team finds an entrance to the old pre-catyclism dwarven ruins that crisscross under the city. They entered on the 3rd level. Inside they faced many dangers including carrion crawlers, and an Umber Hulk. they met a few fugitive slaves particularly a half orc named Brynhilda. these slaves reported that a camp of fugitives was in the upper levels of the ruins. One led Sicily on the overground route to the camp while the other teamed up with the rest of the party. They found an old armory guarded by a flaming green skull. They broke the skull, took armor and weapons from inside, and Bryn kept the jawbone as a trophy.

Down on the fourth level, they found a cavern that spoke to them in Titanic and demanded they leave, which they promptly did. they found a mine shaft leading into the old dwarven mines which Bryn described as an endless labyrinth of death and monsters. They found an old gnomish community with a community center, a few old houses and an inventor's lab, which they left unexplored. They found a sealed door covered in goblin script warning passersby not to open the tomb of the Great King Bloodreaper, they decided to leave the tomb unopened. They found another room sealed with divine dwarfish seals and decided to open it. Inside was a bound demon, who convinced Meg to free him in exchange for magical power. As the first opportunity the demon turned on them and the party survived by fleeing back to level 3. The demon stormed off back into the lower level.

on level 2 The party found little of value as the area had been picked clean by scavengers. They found a dwarfish ghost, and as none of them spoke dwarfish, Gem decided to singlehandedly attack it and nearly died slaying it. They found an old kitchen with chimneys that rose up, perhaps as high as the surface. The found a dancing Korred who was smoking trolls limbs over a fire. The Korred had barred the path to the 1st level and threatened violence once the party offered to kill the trolls (don't kill my food!). the party was forced to find another way forward. Thinking he saw another ghost, Gem ran off alone to banish it.

Meanwhile, the party climbed a hidden staircase to the first floor and battle a horde of zombies that attacked from all sides, including a few troll zombies. Leading the zombies was a wight, a mad undead creature sworn to vengeance. Inside the whight's quarters, they saw what can only be described as the work of a madman. Hundreds of scraps of parchment covered in a frenzied script were tacked to the walls with pieces of colorful twine running between them making an intricate web. Against one wall stood a shrine to Grummish, the god of vengeance and wrath; On a stone table top, a skeletal hand lies with a severed eye in its palm. Cheaply made candle stubs flicker around the hand and eye, and behind the table, an elven skull rested on an upright spear. Next to the shrine is a desk covered in more loose parchment, quills, ink, and a tattered leather-bound notebook. Most of the information on the board seems random, like the delivery schedule of cabbages to the city and the current market value of diamonds, but some of it does seem interesting. Crude maps show the keep on the mountaintop, with a circle around on portion and the label Phyross’s chambers. Others show the patrol routes of the guards throughout the inner keep, and a careful path is marked out twisting its way from the stables through the keep avoiding the patrols. Another grouping of parchments seems to indicate that the creature was considering digging through the ceiling of the temple into a prison she believed is above.

The book turns out to be the mad journal of the creature the party just put down. From what they can gather the creature was once the leader of a slave revolt which was put down by the count. The revolutionary had been held in the prison tower and the executed, her body cast from the city walls like garbage. Before her death, the creature had spat curses at the count and pledged her soul to the god of vengeance if Grummish would give her the chance to continue her fight against her oppressors. When she woke broken on the side of the mountain, cold and still as the grave, she had known his bargain had been accepted. Now a wight, she had moved into the catacombs and plotted the overthrow of the elf who had captured her.

Rejoined by Gem who was disappointed to miss a good fight with the undead, the party moved on towards the Slave camp. Wearied by their fights, the group decides to rest. in the night, the jawbone trophy regenerates into the flaming skull and a desperate flaming fight ensues amongst the bedrolls. having again smashed the skull, the party throw the pieces down the stairs back to level 2. Continuing their journey, the party encounters the trolls the korred had mentioned before. The huge beasts were starving and the party barely survived the fight. Towards the end of the battle, Gem and Brynhilda nearly came to blows over whether to keep the trolls alive and the sharing of healing spells. The trolls were spared, allowed to regenerate at another time, and Brynhilda eventually was persuaded to continue with the group.

They found the slave camp heavily barricaded and having defended themselves against waves of undead. Sicily had been severely wounded fighting off a zombie troll and her survival was uncertain. From the relative safety of the camp, the party planned their attack. The team would break through the walls of the underground stable and sneak their way to the general's quarters using the plan created by the wight. Once there, they would kill him and then impersonate him. using his identity they would send away the knights in the castle and summon the other two targets to the generals quarters for an ambush.

The fight with the general was difficult but went according to plan. In the general's study, they found spy reports from an agent named Watchtower who spoke of a spy ring in Redhaven and an impeding Sairlander invasion. This was top secret information known only to a few and here it was on the general's desk. Another letter to the emperor from the general identified Watchtower as an elvish woman named Captain Hendiatris. Although the implications were troubling, the team believed that intercepting these letters was a big win. The problems started when fighting broke out over the loot. Gem claimed both the generals magic sword and a magic ring that spoke with him in his mind when he wore it. They also disagreed about which target to assassinate next. In all of the disputes, they forgot the part of their plan to send away the castle garrison before the ambush. They first invited in the priestess, who was already wearing from a day of healing plague victims with her magic. Although she put up a good fight, she was killed. The enchantress was then summoned, but she did not go down nearly as easily. Her bodyguards kept the assassins at a distance while she used her magic to bewitch Meg to her side. together the two wizards blasted the party apart, and the fight spilled out into the corridor with fireballs and explosions raising the alarm. V, Brynhilda, and Carolus were incapacitated, Meg bewitched, and then Gem managed to get close to the Enchantress and remove her head from her shoulders. He had just enough time to revive his companions and loot the enchantresses' body before the entire castle garrison descended on them.

The party scattered in all directions running for their lives. V went out an upper story window and dodged a hail of arrows as she raced into the twisting alleys of the town. Meg also departed by the window and used her illusion magic to appear as a frightened civilian running for her life. Brynhilda fought her way back to the tunnels below the castle where she ran into the trolls she had insisted be spared before. Now fully regenerated the trolls turned her into a meal. Carolus managed to sneak through the castle disguised as a guard, and then also fled into the tunnels. avoiding the trolls, Carolus ran down to the seconded level and encountered the flaming skull again. This began a game of cat and mouse as Carolus dodge fireballs and raced up and down the twisting tunnels of the ruined city. Gem took the more direct route out. Fighting his way out the front door and into the town, Gem seemed surprised that his escape plan had worked and did not know how to capitalize on it. Knowing that he only had minutes before he was found and killed, he decided to try and start a slave rebellion. He started running through the market waving his sword and crying that the inquisition had killed the general and now was the time to revolt. This only served to draw attention to himself and blow the lid off of the top secret operation. At this time the magic talking ring he had taken from the general advised him to flee to the top of a tall tower nearby with the promise of a magical portal at the top. This turned out to be a lie and Gem found himself trapped as scores of elvish knights descended on him. Gem failed to remember the old adage, "never trust something that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brains". In his final act, as he fell under the swords and axes of his foes, Gem unleashed a storm of hellfire and set the tower ablaze. Back in the tunnels, Carolus had found a chimney that led up towards the surface, unfortunately, as he climbed, Gem's hellfire lit the top of the chimney on fire, forcing Carolus to turn back. Waiting for him at the bottom of the chimney was the flaming skull. Carolus died screaming as he was incinerated.

FALLOUT

V and Meg slunk back to Redhaven to report the results of their mission. They had not been back in the city for a day before they were arrested, along with the high inquisitor. Leading the trail was Cheif Justice Hightower and Kepekselit. The assassinations and the evidence that the inquisition was behind them had resulted in the Greenblood Empire declaring war on Sairland. For starting a war without the King and councils approval, the High Inquisitor was removed from the closed council, although he was allowed to retain his position as head of the Inquisition after using up almost all of his political favors. V and Meg were cleared of charges, but the High Inquisitor was angry at his plans being disrupted by the party's mistakes and by the leaking of top secret information. He made it his priority to find the mole.

ROSIE'S MASTER PLOT

While her team was out starting a war, Rosie had been working to stop a plague. During this time she was disgusted by the actions of the Church of Ohzoz who not only did not lend aid to the dying but held lavish parties in the countryside for the elites. She determined to bring down the head of the Temple of Ohzoz in Redhaven, Dominus Pavo. While formulating her plan, she learned that Meg had been blackmailed by Kepekselit into spying on the inquisition after the botched sword heist months before. Deciding to kill 3 birds with one stone, Rosie hatched her plan. She planted evidence the Pavo had stolen the sword from Duke Yagimoto and was in a conspiracy to have him assassinated and replaced. This resulted in Pavo being beheaded as a thief and a traitor, the Duke believing that the thief had been found and calling off his hounds, and removing the heist as a source of blackmail for Kepekselit.

THE MOLE HUNT

Still determined to find the mole, the High Inquisitor sent the team to track down Watchtower and uncover her source. Added to the team was Selena, a 60 year elvish veteran of the inquisition loyal to the High Inquisitor, and Nicolash Montague, a Marine officer and nephew of the Grand Admiral who was keeping an eye on the inquisition on behalf of the Navy after the assassination scandal. The team researched the target in the inquisition files and learned that she was a seasoned spy who had been studied decades before in another county. She was a creature of habit and always ate the same meals every day. One of the things she ate was a rare imported jam. Using this info they went to customs to speak with their old friend Jean Boucinaut. They tracked down import records of the jelly and located Watchtowers base of operations.

Traveling to the border town of Hualwood, the team quickly located the home of their target. Meg, worried that capturing the spy would uncover her role in leaking information to Kepeskelit, recruited V in her attempt to warn away the target. Meg and V went to "scout out the town" where they found the target undercover. Back at the home, the others got tired of waiting and decided to break in in broad daylight and wait for the target to come home. There were only two servants in the home, but it turned out that they were trained spies and put up more of a fight than they expected. one managed to jump out a window before being shot down in plain view of the docks by Selena. What the team did not know, as they had not done any reconvene on their target's cover identity, is that she owned both the dock and the sawmill, and employed all of the workers there. Additionally, many of the workers were part of her spy network. When Selena flashed her badge and ordered the workers to go about their business, several runners went for help. Selena correctly deduced that the runners were going to warn the lady of the house, and shot at them as they ran. this provided an angry reaction from the armed mob of dock workers and started a riot. Meanwhile inside, Nicolash was browsing through the study and found a ledger that looked important and stowed it in his bag for later. When the riot began the 3 inquisitors decided to cut their losses and run. Nicolash was the fastest and believing himself to be the only survivor began his journey back to the capital. Rosie used her trickery and illusions to shake off most of her pursuers and kill those who followed her too far away from the safety of the mob. As the main focus of the mob, Selena fared much poorer, she was swarmed and brought down by clubs and knives.

Back in town, Meg and V watched the target receive the warning and slip away. After a good amount of time had passed, they found Rosie, gathered the town watch and went back to the house. The house was deserted except for the bodies of the non-elvish dock workers. No documents remained, and there was no sign of Inquisitor Selena's body.

Back in Redhaven, Nickolash reported the results of the mission first to his aunt, the Grand Admiral before going back to the inquisition. He gave her the ledger he had found at the spy headquarters.

The high inquisitor was furious with the team for failing to apprehend the spy, discover the mole, or keep the whole team alive. As a punishment for their many failures, he announced that he would be sending them to assist the army at the front until they learned how to operate effectively as a team.

In the days that followed, Admiral Montague paid a visit to the Tower of Vigilance and brought the translated ledger with her. Immediately after her visit, the High Inquisitor arrested V as the mole and as a member of the Ilmycran Resistance. V protested her innocence, and Meg was filled with guilt, but the team just watched as their long-time ally was dragged away in chains.