20140811

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Tonight in the Windward Marches: Winter Is Coming

So General Winter is coming to the Far Rider...

We are going through the town because the Arrakanza are still camped all over outside on the shorter path to the ship. The Guard tells us that the Ologa wants to see us ASAP. We swing by the packed drilling yard and see that she is very stressed out and has mustered out *everyone* - men, women, children, household pets... 300-folk-strong. This really is everyone left in the town.

We report to her about the location of the warren and cave entrances, distribution and disposition of the enemy - goblins, orcs, norkers, dretches, and hobgoblins. The Ologa is wowed by the golden helm of the Orc King! She exclaims, with wide eyes, that we have defeated the Orc King Under the Mountain! The priests of Karena are offering a bounty for his neutralization, and she recommends that we go collect it right away.

The Ologa also offers us commissions in the town guard. We have to decline, but we leave things on good terms. She says that she is honored to have known us and that should we ever need the aid of Karena Krim (yes, her first name *is* Karena), we have but to ask.

Edric asks her whether there are any Red Doves hereabout so he can return the sword. Ologa Krim says there haven't been any in this area since the last Captain disappeared. Edric tells her about the fate of the Captain and her sword.

Edric and Hydrazine head back to the ship with Bill while the rest of us take care of the bounties.

Corvus and Skipia go to the Temple of Karena and hand over that Helm in exchange for a 500 platinum piece bounty!

Vellum has drifted off to do something secret. She reappears at at Temple of Karena and rejoins Corvus and Skipia.

---o---o---o---o---o---

Hydrazine sees that the Far Rider has been hemmed in by 2 of the auxiliary man'o'war ships that General Winter whistled up.

There are a group of men descending the tower when Hydrazine and Edric ascend. Edric notices that the men being guarded, and partially obscured by their armored cloaks are part of House Pteromon. This is a major Imperial House.

They then have to make their way through something like 80 Imperial guards to board the Far Rider. Edric perks up the whey-faced, trembling crewmen.

Sour Sarah descends upon them and demands, "Where are the rest of those idiots you hang out with?!" She dismisses Edric and whispers viciously to Hydrazine, "If you have anything illegal or untoward on this ship, get rid of it by high noon watch when General Winter is arriving!" This is in about 1.5 hours. Hydrazine agrees to take care of this, without admitting that anything might be out of place.

Hydrazine is mortally certain that we are all well within the bounds of Imperial law in all our possessions and dealings. The only even tiny risk is that Vellum might do something unexpected while on her secret walkabout. Hydrazine is, of course, completely unsettled that nothing is wrong...

Corvus is kinda freaked out that the boat is under watch, especially given that the Sarna is acting cautious around him.

Sara is wildly relieved to see Corvus, Skipia, and Vellum, but the expression passes in less than a second. Sara tells us to get rid of anything illegal, and especially keep the paladin innocent. Vellum divines that Sara is wigged out over Leslie, and is worried that Leslie might have given us something naughty.

Vellum, Skipia, and Hydrazine descend into the hold to see Leslie. She is completely panicked over the impending visit of General Winter and tells us to stay out of her way. Skipia mentions that we might not have a choice, since the General called us to her boat before. Leslie flips out extra ("I'm gonna kill him!") and runs off.

Skipia notices the inside of the landau - richly appointed, covered with fancy clothes, cloth, and random bits. Then Skipia sees a cup of wands... a bundle of many rods... a suit of amazing-looking plate armor... and the door closes.

The Advent of Winter

She has arrived. She is wearing peacemetal armor,has rows upon rows of campaign medals inside her cloak, and is carrying a terrifying glaive. Heeber and Jeeber trail her with the pinioned form of the not-priest of Teb floating along between them.

Winter says that there has been an Imperial Edict crime conducted out of this boat and that no one is moving so much as an inch until she is satisfied with the outcome of her investigation. She turns her attention to Edric and says that the floating prisoner has implicated all of us in the Edict Crime! Edric stoutly denies this, and she stares at him with literally glowing eyes, maddened by the very fact of his innocence.

General Winter tells us all to come with her to the hold along with H&J and the not-priest. We all comply. Hydrazine notices that the lanterns on the landau are not lit, and are even missing. Corvus feels like H&J are strangely skittish. Vellum notices that the door on the landau is - for the first time - unlocked.

Clearly, the General is interested in the landau. She tells Skipia to open the landau and get in. Skipia does so and once she's in the landau, she sees Leslie's feet under a curtain. Leslie peeks out and waves Skipia closer. General Winter orders everyone in.

Our party enters the ship and Leslie waves us all closer and off to the side. We do it. As General Winter enters, Leslie throws back the curtain, and pulls a lever. A greasy-black egg appears and a glowing window lights up on it. A clockwork voice booms and thrums in the air, "Olympe Wyntyr, I True Name thee, Heed this discourse. There is nothing here. Your source has betrayed you. Kill him, and seek your victim elsewhere." Then Leslie throws the lever again.

General Winter shouts at her cohort saying that there's nothing in here and are they sure this is the right one?! She huffs and stomps off the boat, taking the prisoners and imperials with her.

In Winter's Wake

Sara all but faints with giddy relief when we tell her that the General is no longer interested in us, for no reason that she shared with us. We all get a bit drunk and sack out for the night.

In the morning, Sara rousts us all (or at least those of us not already awake) and tells us to bring Leslie along to talk with Captain Peremon. Leslie agrees to go along, but she;s worried about Peremon hiding in the volcano. When Sara sees Leslie, she gets all up in her grille and growls that Peremon took the girl's commission against Sara's better judgment, and that now it's just too damn heavy.

We go on into town and Sara whistles up Peremon. She conveys the danger of Winter and its lingering threat as it scoured the boat last night. She says "We. need. to. go. now." Peremon says that they are wrapping up their adventures in the volcano and can be back at the ship by tomorrow.

We skive off to do shopping and stuff.

We all go with Edric to the Temple of Lurain about the Lynch-pin of Fate. There are about 300 Steel Templars of Domana are marching about defending the home of Lurain. The biggest warrior-woman we have ever seen strides out in her adamantine armor with a bladesilver godsword over her shoulder. She gives a withering look of scorn to Edric for not reporting into the Temple earlier. She then goes and brings the Mother to see Edric; the Mother tells Brigitte to stop harshing on the baby paladin. Brigitte sends Edric a shattering scowl and stomps off.

The High Priestess is Marina Crowe and says she will smooth things over with the Steel Templars. Edric and Vellum reverently return the Captain's body and her sword to the Mother. The priestesses are deeply grateful and offer to help us out however they can. In fact, they allow us to request items from their armory/repository and a half-priced donation for the poor.

Leslie has gone missing... Skipia and Vellum find her sitting in a group of children about her age. We noted that she looks younger now than she did before (probably because she wanted to hang out with the pretty, pretty paladin).

Lootz

From Game 13 onward...

• Ghoul silver and gold: 11,000 gp / 6 = 1,833.3 gp each
• The orc king's golden helm bounty: 50,000 gp / 5 = 10,000 gp each
• Assorted throne-room valuables: 3,000 gp / 5 = 600 gp each
• Narsty demon ichor: 13,200 gp / 5 = 2,640 gp each
• Hobgoblin's astral diamond: 10,000 gp / 5 = 2,000 gp each

Total lootz per party member: 17073.3 gp

XPs

• Previous XP Total: 58,139

• Quest: Defeat of the Orc King: 4,800 XP each
• Quest: Honored by the Ologa Krim: 4,800 XP each
• Quest: A Glimpse of True Might: 6,400 XP each

• Current XP total: 74,239