Suits of the Mists: Part 0 - 4-08-16

Post date: Apr 09, 2016 9:50:5 PM

• DM - Kaemon

• David playing Fiddler, male half-moon elven harper agent. (harpers)

• Fernando playing Aldarants, male human (halruaan) traveler. (harpers)

• Josiah playing Vadania, female moon elven noble. (lord's alliance)

• Mike playing Red, male human mercenary. (order of the gauntlet)

• Rachel playing Rayne, female water genasi pirate. (zhenatim)

...

• Lord Bootang, human wealthy merchant who dyed his hair from white to black.

• Taffy, leader of the 4th street gang.

Session: ?

XP: 30

Gold: 50 (Vadania turned hers down)

Downtime: 5

Reknown: none

Magic Items: none

Notes: ...

Vadania's musings: 

It has been a interesting and troubling day in Phlan. It started with a rainy evenfeast at the Tea Kettle when Mr Drathe came in. Mr Drathe looked troubled and beckoned for myself, Aldarants, Rayne, and Red to join him. I haven't seen Red in a few years. He worked with my father, Thanalil, before my father's mysterious death. My father always spoke of him as a dependable, loyal mercenary. Mr Drathe told us that he was concerned with evidence that he had come across that Lord Bootang, a wealthy merchant, was being targeted by rivals, who wanted Bootang's lucrative trade contract with Phlan. He had come across this evidence in the city's document library. When he brought this to the Black Fist, he was suspended from the watch. He also took us to the place he rented, where he had seen Bootang's son (one of three sons) get murdered by a Black Fist squad. The Black Fist had made it clear that if he approached the Lord, he would be arrested. It's clear that Mr Drathe's sense of honor motivates him to do something about this situation. It's less clear why I would become involved in what appears to be a power struggle between merchant houses. It is no small thing to go against the Black Fist, the cities watch. Even more so, when the parties involved (Lord Bootang) haven't asked for assistance.

I decided that it was worth at least looking into. Lord Bootang accepted a morning feast invitation from myself and my retinue. Aldarants had contacted his harper agent Fiddler and requested him to join us. I was concerned with Rayne's likely etiquette, but she had supplied useful information that the 4th street gang might have bought off the Black Fist squad that killed Lord Bootang's son. Mr Ironfist, my driver, took us by carriage to the meal. On arriving, we witnessed a altercation between Mr Drathe and the Black Fist. He was being arrested and taken away in chains. Rayne leaped from the carriage and demanded to know why Mr Drathe was being taken. Aldarants yelled that he would get Mr Drathe free and gave a vulgar hand sign to the watch. I was deeply concerned that a well known pirate might be associated with my carriage. I was also appalled at Aldarants behaviour, and frankly surprised that the Black Fist didn't take Aldarants into custody as well. Mr Drathe told the two of them to let it be and that he deserved to be arrested.

At the feast, I was graciously welcomed by Lord Bootang. Before we could settle into the meal, Rayne made a suggestive comment about the Lord's romantic interest in me and wondered aloud about the Lord's cheerful disposition for someone who had just lost his son. Aldarants immediately followed this by further remarking on the Lord's character. Deeply embarrassed at their etiquette, which clearly reflected on myself, since I had included them on my entourage, I immediately apologized to the Lord and asked if he would like to cancel the meal and perhaps speak in private at a later time. The Lord stepped away from the feast hall and invited me to speak in private. I decided to bring Red with me, since I recalled that he had shown respectful behaviour with my family. Choosing my words carefully, I explained Mr Drathe's discovery and concern that the Lord may be being targeted by some competitor for his contract. Understandably, Lord Bootang showed far more concern for the slaying of his son than he did for the contract. As we were talking, we heard a scream from deeper in the house, followed shortly by the sounds of a struggle from the feast hall. The Lord burst into the feast hall and demanded to know what was happening. The house servants who had been serving the meals had drawn knives and were attacking my retinue. Rayne was lying on the floor, bleeding before one of the servants. Red immediately declaimed a prayer to Tyr and healed Rayne as I unleashed a bolt of fire that felled the servant who had attacked Rayne. In moments, the battle was over with the servants, who were now clearly part of the street gang, fallen. Further screams drew us to Lord Bootangs youngest sons room, where a servant/gang member lept off the balcony with the bound boy struggling over his shoulder. The kidnapper escaped before we could react.

Lord Bootang was clearly distraught from witnessing one son being kidnapped and hearing of the murder of a second son. He raked his hands through his hair, revealing it to be white, dyed black. He demanded that we leave his estate as he strode from the house himself. I immediately departed, as we were only there under his Lord's hospitality and it could be withdrawn at any time. Realizing the rest of my retinue hadn't joined me, I had my carriage be brought just down the street so I could witness what happened when the Black Fist guard would respond to the noise of the fight. Strangely enough, it was some time before they did so. In the meantime, I saw the shadow of Red follow Lord Bootang from the house and down a side alley to the rear of the building. Shortly thereafter, Red returned into the house, followed by the noise of furnishings being smashed from within the estate. To my amazement, my retinue left the estate shortly thereafter carrying large sacks over their shoulders. I spotted a set of elaborate full plate over Red's shoulder and the hilt of a fancy rapier from within the folds of Fiddlers clothing. It appears that my retinue consist of vandals and thieves. When I demanded to know what they were doing, Red refused to meet my eyes and strode away into the shadows. Fiddler dodged the question. Surprisingly, Rayne showed the contents of her bag to be wooden stakes. They claimed they had broken into the estates basement and found a variety of treatise on vampire hunting and equipment they claimed could be used in fighting vampires. Speechless at their brazenness and sure that the Black Fist would arrest them all shortly, likely missing their hands as thieves.. I refused to let them be seen within my carriage and departed for my own estate.

After speaking with Ms Greenbottle, my lady's maid, I realized that despite my shock at my retinues behaviour.. I did not want harm coming to the kidnapped boy if I could help it. I had Mr Ironfist take me and Ms Greenbottle to a small tea house, with a window seat hidden by ivy, near the 4th street gang's hideout that Rayne had earlier mentioned. Watching for either Lord Bootange or one of the gang members/servants who had been at the feast, I saw the butler enter the building. Not wanting to be seen with, and possibly implicated with thieves, I sent a letter through Mr Fezim, a hired messenger, to Rayne, a pirate likely to be embroiled in a bar fight at the Tea Kettle. The letter advised that the gang member/butler had been seen entering the gang's lair, provided the address of the lair (as well as a few drawings of the sign outside), and suggested that they might find the kidnapped boy within. I slipped into a trance, watched over by Ms Greenbottle, as Kyra, my owl familiar, let me see through her exceptional night senses from high above. Not too long after, Fiddler, Aldarants, and Rayne showed up. Fiddler and Rayne entered the building, as Aldarants circled to the back via alleys to watch for any that might try to leave that way. Shortly thereafter, I noticed Red hurrying down the street towards the same building, followed not too far back by a squad of 4 Black Fist guard. A murmured illusion of a knife fight distracted 2 of the guards, as the others followed Red into the building. The sounds of a scuffle broke out inside, followed by two gang members slipping out the back. Aldarants felled one with a flurry of glowing darts as the other dodged past him and started running down the alley. Kyra flew past the gang members head, forcing him to duck, and buying enough time for Aldarants to tackle him into a alley wall. Flying through a window into the lair, Kyra witnessed a furious fight between Fiddler & Rayne, a muscular bouncer, two gang members, Red, and the two guards to follow him in. The gang members were quickly dispatched, but the guards, soon reinforced by the distracted two, proved formidable warriors. Kyra swooped at the guards a few times, creating openings for those fighting them. Red slew one of the guards and Rayne knocked out another, but the fight remained pitched. I managed to tap into the weave, and send the remaining guards, bouncer, and Red into a magical slumber. Aldarants brought the captured gang member in and revealed him to be the leader of the gang Taffy. Apparently, the Black Fist squad who had slain Lord Bootang's son, had also been the ones to pay the 4th street gang to infiltrate the servants and attack during the morning feast. To my stunned surprise, after being roused, Red called down Tyr's fire to burn the three helpless and bound guards alive. He was yelling something about wanting to make sure that none of the guards could identify him. Rayne kicked the bouncer awake and told him to run as she saw Red starting to burn the bound guards. Horrified at what Kyra saw Red do, Kyra swiftly flew out the window and into the night.