Wilderlands: Session 14

 

 

This is part of an ongoing campaign. You can find the other sessions over on the sidebar.

This session was run on August 15, 2022.

 

9 Sweetrain 4433

 

Duycken decided to approach Lady Montu’s husband about the possibility of representing Montu in the tournament. As he passed through Montu’s lands, he found that they were not well tended and that many of the buildings had fallen into disrepair. He noticed that while some fields were still being worked, the rows did not seem as orderly as the other fields he had seen. The gate to the manor house was open when Duycken arrived and he road his turkey up to the house and knocked on the door. An older man with a shock of white hair, wearing a frayed dressing gown, and smoking a corn cob pipe answered the door. This turned out to be Beauregard Montu himself. He explained that he had dismissed most of the household staff, but invited Duycken in. Ser Duycken pitched the idea of representing House Montu. While Beauregard was initially resistant, due to his wife’s tragic history with tournaments, he eventually decided that he liked the sheen of Duycken’s feathers and agreed. He provided the drake with an old house banner to fly in the tournament.

 

Vargr went to the Temple of Odin to discuss the possibility of a funeral for Cozsari with Karno One-Eye. Karno agreed with Vargr that the appropriate funeral for a companion whose body could not be recovered was a sacrifice. After some discussion they settled on nine she goats. Karno also mentioned that, while Odin worshippers had often feuded with giants, there was some history of them working together as well. He raised the possibility that there might be giant-specific funeral rights from that time, but they would likely be found in the archives in Ossary. Vargr decided that was too far to travel for this specific funeral. Karno was also concerned at Vargr’s description of the giant white worm summoned by the goblins during the battle. He suggested that Governor Hetalan should be warned and that Vargr should consider consulting with the sages in the Mistwind Conclave. Vargr left to purchase some goats.

 

After getting healed at the Temple of Odin, Stranger set his sights on finding ways to disrupt the local mining operations. He headed to Tulip’s Roadhouse and asked her if there were any alchemists in the area that knew the secret of Greek Fire. She told him that the formula for Greek Fire was a secret held closely by Viridistan. He decided that whale oil would be his best alternative and bought two kegs from the lamp maker in town.

 

After securing the oil, Stranger headed south to Sulner’s mines. Observing from hiding in the woods, he found the mines to be efficiently run, but sparsely guarded. As Stranger was stashing the kegs of oil in the brush, he heard another hoop moving through the forest. He discovered that it was Timber, one of the hoops that rescued the party during the fight against the White Worm Tribe. Timber explained that he started following the party after noticing Stranger approach a different party he had been following. He was surprised to see an unknown hoop approach the party and offer to help them and switched to following Stranger and his friends instead. He told Stranger that he had more chance to observe him than Havoc and the other hoops, so he believed Stranger when he said that he only had good intentions in the area. Stranger explained that he was currently looking at ways to disrupt the mining operations and Timber told him that he would be around if he needed help. The two parted ways and Stranger headed back to town.

Gwythian spent some time investigating the ladies who were expected to judge the poetry contest at the tournament. He learned the following information:

 

Celine Krutz(19): Lady Krutz’s daughter. Her mother is pressuring her to show favor to Athelnar. She is actually interested in Englebart Trout, but will do as her mother asks.

 

Maxine Morely(21): Lord Morely’s daughter. She was involved in a scandal in the City State last year. Rumor has it that it involved the Overlord himself. She is rarely seen in public. Rumor has it the Overlord got her with child, and the child was taken from her right after birth. Her father was granted his holding to keep things quiet.

 

Dili Parway(17): Lord Parway’s daughter. While she works hard to portray an outward air of calm sophistication, rumor has it that she has inherited her father’s love of the drink.

 

Zelda Ramwen(27): Lord Ramwen’s younger sister. She is known to be coldly logical and shares her brother’s talent for numbers and administration.

 

Ingrid Skel(18): Arne’s younger sister, she is named after her ferocious grandmother. She works hard to live up to the reputation that comes with that name and is miffed that her father prohibited her from participating in the melee.

 

Lady Sten(36): She broke off her engagement with Lord Parway at age 18 when she fell in love with Cledwyn Carew, a bard that had taken up residence in the manor. Her father ran the bard out of the area and he has not been seen since. Her household is convinced that she will never marry because she still loves Cledwyn. She has had several dalliances with travelling minstrels though.

 

Lady Sulner(45): She is the former head of the mining guild and entrusted with a large percentage of Byrny’s mining capacity. A self-made woman, she her husband died three years ago. She has a daughter and a son, both of which are teenagers. Not being from noble stock, she is known to have little patience for tournaments and other displays of noble wealth.

 

Sophia Anders(25): Daughter to Lord Anders. She is a talented harpist and has performed several times in the City State. There are rumors that she was seen meeting with several Karak men in the War Wagon last week.

 

The Open Seat: Rumor has it that Lady Rixia ordered that a seat be left open for an unknown noblewoman.

 

Uggmar started training to advance to level two and stopped by the Thieves’ Guild to discuss the tournament with Tulip. She told him to come see her after the opening ceremony and she would let him know what jobs were available during the event.

 

After returning to Byrny, Duycken met up with Athelnar to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the various entrants in the tourney. Athelnar also raised the possibility of Duycken and the party accompanying him as escorts when he returned home at the end of the month with the armor he had purchased.

 

With a few days remaining until the start of the tournament, Duycken learned and transcribed sleep from the scroll they found, Stranger hid two more cases of oil by the mine, and Gwythian tried to learn about the bards he would be facing in the poetry contest. He learned the names of the bards that would be participating and that Saer Lloyd won the previous year:

 

The Painted Mask: a man, who has scar tissue where his ears should be, wears a white mask with a weeping clown’s face painted on it.

 

Heddwyn Isaac: Young bard, squints a lot, plays the flute.

 

Saer Lloyd: Tall, thin, with raven hair.

 

Gwenifer Wren: heavyset woman with red hair.  

 

14 Sweetrain 4433

 

 

 

The opening ceremonies began with the introduction of the participants in the joust:

 

The High List:

 

Lord Anders entered astride a black stallion.

 

Lord Baily entered with several goblin skulls dangling from his banner.

 

Lady Batten rode in on a white horse. Beneath her coat of arms flew a banner depicting the hanging of a group of bandits.

 

Sir Axtris, a lizardman representing Lord Berk, rode in on a giant lizard. He was accompanied by Cloudwalker, Berk’s hoop bailiff.

 

Tanya Blan rode in beside her father.

 

Robert Boyter, clad in brand new plate armor, rode in beside his father.

 

The hobgoblin Dar the Shield entered on a huge draft horse. There were murmurs in the crowd as they realized he was accompanied by the strange priest, Mok.

 

Lord Daven, dressed in purple finery, made a show of surrendering his magic sword, Argetlahm, at the gate.

 

Lady Fiel entered clad in splendid new plate mail, her hair piled high in a complicated style.

 

Sir Mar rode his barrel-shaped pony in to represent Lord Hops.

 

Athelnar, clad in new chain, entered with Lady Krutz and her daughter, Celine.

 

Lord Morely and his daughter, Maxine, came through the gate together. Morely waved to the crowd, but his daughter seemed to shrink from the attention.

 

Grunnar, the half-orc, entered on behalf of Lady Norcus.

 

Lord Parway rode in with his daughter, Dili. They both cast dried fruit into the crowd from baskets. Parway looked a bit unsteady.

 

Kayla the Wolverine entered alone for House Rixia. Her helmet was fashioned to look like the head of a wolverine.

 

Loafkeeper Roset wears simple, practical, chain astride a nondescript brown horse.

 

Arne Skel entered on foot accompanied by his father and sister, Ingrid. All are clad in traditional Skandian raid gear.

 

Lord Somer rode in astride a gray horse. Below his coat of arms flew two banners: one depicting the closing of the gate beneath Shewolf, the other is just a bear pelt. There was some grumbling from the Blans at this.

 

Sir Grant, Paladin of Mitra, rode in on a velociraptor. He has flowing blond hair flying free behind him as he rides. Lady Sten rides in alongside him, her horse clearly uncomfortable with the dinosaur.

 

Sir Pelnor, Paladin of Mitra, entered alongside Lord Townry. He seemed reserved and barely acknowledges the crowd.

 

Englebart Trout and his father rode in. Englebart is clearly the center of attention for many of the ladies in the crowd as they throw flowers at him. He dramatically catches one and makes a show of smelling it and tucking it behind his ear.

 

The Low List:

 

The Black Knight, clad in ornamental black plate armor, entered. Sir Mar pulled Stranger aside and told him that he thought he recognized the armor and asked him to meet later.

 

Griffith Pullin Howell

 

Frithcromb the Red, a woman with red hair and green skin.

 

Wen Tai surrendered his nine ring sword at the gate.

 

Brak Cleftaxe: A broad man with a large yellow beard riding a great white bear.

 

Ethiliar of the Dale: Small, muscular, golden hair, wears a winged helm.