Pako the Upstart and Durham the Dealmaker

 While the scribes have taken a hiatus from their writing due to a suggestion from the oracle. Durham and Pako have been pursuing things of their own interest. 

Many people of Cothan would say Pako has developed or grown over the past months, while still the loyal companion of Durham. However, he no longer carries himself as a humble servant with his head down in a bow. Now he walks like an officer of a noble house, head high, ears pointed up. Pako no longer looks the part of the humble servant either with his shimmering gray cloak and jet black leather armor decorated the Dlakolel mandibles and chitin, Zat-gun on his belt, two dagger like weapons called “Sai” and a fair length of Klackon silk rope.  

Pako is still seen doing his everyday errands for Durham and the Ringing Anvil but often he is accompanied by one or two of the Wasgo elite, a group of Renyu Pako has taken great interest in. It is reported he has taken to training the Wasgo elite in the art of stealth, practicing this “ninjutsu” as Pako calls it. Rumors surround Pako and the Wasgo elite: some say they're part of a guild of thieves, while others say they are involved in something going on around Fort Bugeater. 

Most evenings Pako is training with the Wasgo elite. However, there was one occasion where Pako was at a local tavern and a few patrons had a few words to say about Renyu that were very unpleasant. Before Durham could intercede on Pako’s behalf, two sai went flying, one hitting the bullseye of a dart board and the other landing just above the head one of the foul mouthed men. Pako locked eyes with the man, retrieved his weapon from his would be victim with a growl, then left. Durham pulled the other sai from the dart board and followed his friend.  That incident has labeled Pako an upstart in some social circles and stirred the embers of the anti-renyu sentiment that started months ago. 

It is uncertain what will become of this rogue character Pako has become, but one thing is certain, he is more his own than the pet many thought before. 

Meanwhile, Durham has been making the most of his Hannsman membership and status as wealthy adventurer and business holder. During the day Durham is often seen walking the markets eyeing what materials merchants may have to sell, as well as the blacksmith markets and the guild halls and conducting business at the Ringing Anvil in order to build strong business relations. 

In the evening Durham is at one of the taverns of Cothan, usually the Kantor, building up his relationship with the Hanse. Buying rounds of drinks to win the hearts of the sailors and marines there, swapping stories with his friend Telman of Tsipa or hosting feasts to make new friends and strengthen bonds (with members of the Kantor and Hanse alike).

As for the Ringing Anvil, Durham hired a sage and merchant at the beginning of the year.  Since then rumors are that they are researching into the  "Blue Armor" like that which Sesel wears--how it is made and securing the material necessary to make it for themselves.

[written up by Joel, player of Durham and Pako]

Session #91: There's Something in the Water

[Recap of a game I ran 8 October at the Vandal Gaming Con]

A pair of neophyte barbarians made their debut in Cothon-Gadeed, Promithius was initially interested in following up with a rumor that the Attine Klackons were looking for someone to investigate certain tunnels in their Spire, but after a need to follow up with an errand delayed him, he instead fell in with Eissa, who wanted to help the Was'go renyu with a different problem.

The renyu claimed that there was a monster dwelling in their watering hole, and were looking for someone to relieve them of its presence. Though baffled why they wouldn't just go to a different watering hole ("It's the only one that's really nearby," was the explanation), Promithius agreed to hire the Bulrathi bodyguard Kogus to assist in this. And so they were off, a pair of neophytes accompanied by the massive Kogus:

• Promithius (fighting-man 1)
  accompanied by Kogus the Bodyguard (Bulrathi 1)
• Eissa (fighting-woman 1)
  accompanied by Hasan ibn Hama (footman)
  guided by Rip, the renyu messenger

They went out by way of the stretch of beach beneath the Migdol of they Dyers and disappeared into the sea caves beyond. The company was gone for some time, and given their freshness, there certainly was questioning whether they would come back. Beast hunting can be a fatal occupation, after all!

After a while they did return, reporting no success but with a bit of an odd request. They wanted a hmelu and a dozen flasks of oil. With these now in their possession, they descended back into the caves. And in the end, the tetrad did indeed return, with Kogus carrying the head of a large haqel for his employer-at-the-moment. They were richer as well, with gold from the renyu (exactly where the renyu had come by dinars no one could quite tell).

With his share, Promithius declared that after a successful career as a beast hunter, he was going to retire. He paid a fair amount of his share of dinars for a decent shack in the harbor and nailed the haqel head up over the mantle, to show to curious guests. Perhaps he could be persuaded to be hired-on by other barbarian-adventurers in the future (as an "independent contractor" separate from hireling-list or Arwah al Safina?)

Paid off by Eissa, meanwhile, Hasan happily told of how they defeated the haqel, not by main force of arms, but by the cleverness of Promithius. For it was his plan, finally agreed on by the party, to stuff the hmelu with fused oil-flasks, primed and ready to explode, and to feed this explosive feast to the haqel for some serious indigestion. And by all the heroes and their luck, it worked just as Promithius had hoped! But it was a good thing Kogus was around, because otherwise Promithius would have surely drowned, as several cheshkeri arrived after to investigate the commotion, and charmed the poor fellow into the water. Only Kogus' great strength was able to fish Promithius out of the water, "While I, Hasan, fended the dreadful water-maidens away with my trust crossbow!"

The Lucre

• 90 dinars to Eissa; 66 dinars to Promithius
  10 dinars to Hasan; 33 dinars to Kogus
• a fearsome haqel head, claimed by Promithius

The Learning

• 324 xp for the haqel (300 +hp)
• 219 xp for 2 cheshkeri (100 +hp ea.)
• 200 xp ea. for investigating a new corner of the Ocean's Throat (including a Sakkra shrine)

The Cut

• 90 dinars to Eissa; 66 dinars to Promithius
  10 dinars to Hasan; 33 dinars to Kogus
• 471 xp to Eissa and Promithius
  236 xp to Kogus
• the fearsome haqel head

Putting Rumors to Rest

In recent months, two prominent adventurers in Cothon-Gadeed--one a citizen, one a barbarian--have been beset by the circling of evil rumors, rumors like the circling of giriku over carrion: Durham and his Ringing Anvil said to be harboring ambitions against the Mother of Cities in her hour of darkness, and Sesel, iqtadar of the North Shore and subject to the envy of others of his class ...

Festering like boils, these rumors were a painful irritation to each of these, one a denizen of Cothon, the other a citizen of Gadeed--and yet both stood forth boldly, and like a leech with his lance, needled the boiling rumors directly, rather than let them fester. Here are their responses; the Scribes note that the ambitions they set forth were sufficient, and no rolls are required for either party:

1) Durham of the Ringing Anvil
(written by Joel)

In order to deal with the protest outside the Ringing Anvil, Durham feels the best solution is to rally support to his side and hold a counter-protest to win the court of public opinion. He will do this by spending 250 dinars (gp) at the four Great Taverns (1000 gp total) buying drinks and meeting with the leadership of each.

A message of the current protest is "non-human connections are bad", in particular Durham's connection with the Wasgo tribe of renyu. Durham will try to persuade leadership and patrons at the four Great Taverns to join him in a counter-protest held at the end of the week (30 April), where he will give a speech to address the untrue accusation that he is disloyal to Cothan. He will tell all who listen that this non-human rhetoric is a danger to all of Cothan-Gadeed as all the great taverns have a non-human association and this rhetoric should be met now before it gains any more strength. 

Durham's speech :

Many of you gathered here are aware of the shadow that has been cast upon me and my loyalties, but I am here to cast the light of truth on the situation. 

It is absolutely true that I have bonds of friendship with the Wasgo tribe and Hanse. But having these bonds does not make me disloyal to Cothan. I have always loved the diversity of Cothan, this city has been welcoming to foreigners like me and embraces others of different race and creed. Are not the four great taverns better with their non-human counterparts, is Cothan not greater for its non-human citizens…then why judge my friendship with the Wasgo so harshly?

Do you really believe I would turn my back on the city that has allowed my business to thrive? –points to the spinning arms of the windmill– People of Cothan search your hearts and you'll know the truth. My connection to the Wasgo is no danger to this city!

2) Sesel, Voice of the Survivors and Iqtadar al Saahil al Shamaliy
(written by Jacob)

As a burgeoning member of the Eyes of the Souffets, Sesel feels it is his duty to aid these Iqtas that have been ravaged by the Red Cloud. While he prepares his own forces to more directly aid in these assaults, he sends a letter to Souffet Khusra:

“I am disheartened by the destruction wrought by the Red Cloud across the Southern Iqtas, and feel it is my duty, as a member of your eyes, to provide what aid I can to these unfortunate souls. Being an adventurer I have some reasonable wealth accumulated, and with your leave I shall hire up a sizable mercenary force to march down to these Iqtas and provide them with some relief. Or, if it be more amenable, I could simply provide the dinars to the Poor Brothers (or other existing organization) that they might already have such a force they could gather and send relief. And, naturally the force will be either disbanded once the threat has passed or otherwise turned over to the control of Gadeed.”

As the Souffets accept this proposal, Sesel hires this force:

45 archers

45 heavy footmen

55 light footmen

1 captain, one Tanahhl al Shams

He pays a total of 1000 dinars, including the 750 dinars to raise the force, and 250 dinars in bonuses to raise it quickly--”The sooner it can depart, the better.” ~Sesel

The intent here is to send it as an aid to move amongst the various affected Iqtas. They are hired for 1 month, from 1 May.

Sesel publicly makes statements as to the support and well being of the affected Iqtas and their citizens and residents. He never addresses the rumors, for surely any such things are but idle gossip; but that he hears the sliver of truth in these rumors, that the Southern Iqtas are in dire need of support, and he is answering the call, however indirect it may come.

While the force is assembled, Zaida [Sesel's wife ~the Scribes] will use her contacts with her family [Banu al Rashid] to begin countering some of the rumors with comments about “I wonder why the Barcidae don’t send some of their forces to support the Southern Iqtas? Surely they have more wealth and power than some newly minted citizen.” and “It is unfortunate these Southern Iqtas felt they had no allies amongst the other Iqta owners or Great Houses such that they have weathered so long on their own. Seems like they barely had to ask and Sesel rose up to help. What are others even doing but cowering behind their forts and drawing a line in their sand?”

Evil Rumors

No, despite certain rumors being spread about the Red Cloud and his threat to Cothon-Gadeed and the Ten Cities' League, this report has nothing to do with such developments.

Rather, it concerns Durham of the Ringing Anvil and his continued association with renyu, and the opinions of certain people in regard to such associations.

To wit:

A gathering crowd within Cothon have begun to gather day after day in protest outside the Ringing Anvil--a crowd known to contain a number of supporters of the Souffet Fadhlan as well as certain supporters of the Barcidae. They tell all who will listen that Durham and his Ringing Anvil are involved with foreign elements--non-human renyu in particular, who are supposed to have been involved with pirates and rogue-alchemists in the Ocean's Throat sea-caves--and that these non-humans and their sympathizers will no doubt be happy to see the Red Cloud successful in war against Cothon-Gadeed! Not a few people point out Durham's continued association with the foreign Hanse of the Kantor Kabljauhof, further calling into question his right to do business in the precincts of Cothon.

Though the crowd seemed largely ineffectual when first they gathered, they have continued to grow in number, especially as rumor of the Red Cloud and his evils grow ... as of this week (ending 30 April), the crowd has grown large enough to dissuade most people from approaching the Ringing Anvil for any work whatsoever, other than those who know Durham as a friend / know the value of the work done at the Anvil (regardless of political bullshit).

Durham will lose 500 dinars this week, and each week subsequently that the issue is not dealt with, in order to support his employees at the Anvil through this shortage of work. If he can weather these costs up to 2500 dinars (five weeks), the furor may well blow over. If he wishes to meet the challenge Durham will have to come up with some means of demonstrating the harmlessness of his associations / or his loyalty to Cothon / or just his own innocence ... perhaps he could approach some citizen to sue his enemies on his behalf in the Courts of the Moon?

Developments with the Wasgo

Adventurer-tinkerer Durham has made no secret of his general appreciation for the renyu poeple, between his long association with his ever-loyal renyu-servant Pako and his spearheading the effort for freedom for and alliance with the Wasgo Tribe of renyu in the Ocean's Throat sea caves.

He has even called on the Wasgo to help garrison the one-time secret pirate fortress in those same caves, and named the place Fort Doghouse (whatever its historical name might once have been), to secure it against the interests of sakkra dwelling in the caves, as well as against the return of any pirates.

So it should be no surprise that he has now invested further in the Wasgo and the Doghouse fort:

Durham spends 3000 dinars on the Wasgo tribe. Mainly to help secure and grow Fort Dog House with some development for the tribe itself. The money is roughly split three ways; defence, infrastructure and education.

For defence Durham will hire men-at-arms (bowmen and spearmen) to help reinforce the garrison of Renyu there. As well as the purchasing of another ballista and lumber to construct another defensive platform on the other side of the cave. Durham would also like to hire Sslaan the Shen to be commander of Fort Doghouse for the time being, for who better to defend against pirates and sakkra than a seafaring sakkra warrior.

For infrastructure, Durham will hire fishermen and trappers. To help supply the fort with a source of fresh food by setting up crab traps, fishing nets and snares

For education Durham would like to hire a martial artist (perphas Bridne Murcada) to help train a few elite warriors to master their claw weapons through advanced hand to hand combat. Furthering his plan of developing a ninja unit of Wasgo warriors, numbering nine strong. Also sending a select few who wish to see if they can have magical power to Lord Althis of Crag keep.

Fort Doghouse

About two months ago, a company of barbarian-adventurers (though including citizen Sesel in their midst) entered into the Ocean's Throat sea-caves and thence returned to Cothon on the decks of the captured pirate galley Darkwing, to much admiring excitement by the Cothoni crowds and the Hansemänner of the Kantor Kabljauhof.

Immediately following his interview with the Hansemänner that very evening, Durham of the Ringing Anvil, accompanied by his renyu servant Pako, gathered several boatloads of supplies into the Darkwing and (with its skeleton crew of about 10 rugged seamen pulling the oars) returned to the Ocean's Throat. What he later reported was that he had secured the secret fort out of which the pirates had been operating--a fort carved into the living rock of the caverns themselves!

How had he secured it? With the assistance of the Wasgo Tribe, a group of renyu he and others had freed not long ago from the tyrannical leadership of the rogue alchemist Yramrag. The Wasgo continue to dwell in the Ocean's Throat, not far from the fort, and so rallying them to garrison the secret fort--now christened "the Doghouse"--was not difficult.

Not exactly accurate, but this gets the general layout of the place; there
should actually be room for two ships, one one either side, and the loading
beach on the left hand side (which would be north) is bigger ...

Holding onto Fort Doghouse may be another matter, however ...

Durham and Pako have both reported, on their return to Cothon, that the Sakkra of the Hsi-Hsiyya tribe who dwell in the caverns nearby came sneaking into the caves around the Fort to see if they might claim it for themselves.

Admittedly, the Sakkras' case was not entirely without merit ... the Sakkra Kaa having assisted in the defeat of the pirates before succumbing to the fortunes (the misfortunes) of battle. And their appearance not unwarranted for subjects wishing to know what had become of their fallen Kaa.

Well, according to Durham, he gave them a stern warning that the Kaa had fallen in battle with his warriors--to a lizard!--and that such was the fate of those who did such evil to supplicants they hold at their mercy. For, when they had had their initial dealings with the Kaa, a company had left Kalon, a proselyte of the Sakkra prophet Zh'kar the Blind, in the court of the Kaa--and when they returned to seek the Kaa's aid in defeating the pirates, they found that Kalon had been imprisoned!

And so Durham pointed out that indignity to the Sakkra scout-envoys, and enjoined them to consider that perhaps Zh'kar had indeed laid up vengeance against them in his stores, and that perhaps they had better look to their own house before attempting to expand into others--or something to the effects of those words. Who remembers what exactly is said in such a heated moment?

Well, it has been two months since the Sakkra came sneaking around the outskirts of the new Fort Doghouse, and word among the renyu is that some kind of internal disturbance continues to distract the reptilian creatures. But such cannot last forever--and the Sakkra are decidedly not the only ones with eyes on the Ocean's Throat caves ... a base so close to major lines of trade will surely have been a sore thing to lose for the Luwian Pirates; might they not also be mustering a force to reclaim their former holding?

Time will surely tell ...

Claws and Armor

But Durham has not been idle in the meantime. He has sent his servants out for supplies--some to the Souk in Cothon for suitable metals, some to the Great Spire of the Attine Klackons for the true-black carapaces of the dlakolel-beetles they sell in the market there.

Between these purchases, Durham has embarked on a mission to arm the renyu of the Wasgo well, with "claws" or "tines" to augment their own natural weapons, alongside dark "chitinothorax" armor of dlakolel-black to aid in their natural tendencies of stealth.

These arms are just beginning to be completed en masse at the Anvil, and to be delivered to the Wasgo, so it is not yet clear just how effective they may be, but they certainly promise much!

Session #56: Enemy of My Enemy?

It has been two months since the declaration, by a group of barbarians led by Durham of the Ringing Anvil, of a kind of alliance with the Wasago Tribe of renyu in the Ocean's Throat sea-caves. Shortly after that declaration, Durham is known to have run supplies to the renyu to ensure their security against the Sakkra and pirates said to also haunt those caves; now he has heard reports from his loyal companion Pako and from Finbar, that the Wasago are in need of further supplies, and so he proceeded to attempt to gather a company to himself for just such an expedition.

Only Persephone (another signatory to the alliance) and Bartholomew Pettibone answered the call, but it was deemed sufficient that they only hire a few extra hands, and then depart for the caves, as this was not meant to be any great foray against a serudla or some other horror of the Underworld. No indeed, though Durham did hope to engage in some diplomacy, perhaps to make common cause with the Sakkra--and so Ly Mantok and Slith Sly were both hired, while Durham also engaged with some of the Sakkra at the Kantor Kabljauhof in hopes of finding additional help.

Two Sakkra presented themselves: Kalon, a follower of the prophet Zh'kar the Blind; and Sslaan, a seafaring warrior of the Shen-tribe.

Kalon was impressed with Bart's recollection of the legends of Zh'kar, who was enlightened while imprisoned in an ancient castle in a distant land that had been a meeting place of many kingdoms and peoples. Imprisoned and tortured, Zh'kar's eyes were gouged out, but losing mere physical sight granted him even greater spiritual sight, and thus was he enlightened. Or so the legends go.

"Perhaps not all humans are such ignorant apes ..." Kalon was heard to murmur over a mug of ale. (Durham, meanwhile, had only heard of a quite different human prophet, Saint Siskos the Messenger, who had also been castellan of a great fortress meeting-place ... strange sometimes, how so many legends come to resemble each other ...)

Because Sslaan was of a rather more martial character, and the group was hoping for diplomacy, they elected to also hire Kalon, who harbored his own hopes of enlightening the Sakkra of the sea-caves--the Hsi-Hsiya, as they are apparently called.

So:

• Durham (fighting-man)
  accompanied by Pako (renyu)
• Bartholomew Pettibone (magic-user)
  accompanied by Slith Sly (Sakkra 1) and Ly Mantok (Sakkra 1)
• Persephone (fighting-woman)
  accompanied by Finbar (renyu)
• Kalon (Sakkra holy-man)

They had departed by way of the Fishermen's Gate with Durham's cart loaded with wrapped stockfish, jerkey, rounds of cheese, hardtack, and other foodstuffs; they returned by the same way, but with an empty cart and missing Kalon, the servant of Zh'kar.

No jingling sacks were in their hands, but Durham did carry an ornately scrimshawed javelin--clearly some kind of ceremonial, rather than effectual, weapon.

At the Kantor, fears of Kalon's demise were quieted--no indeed, he was not lost, but chose to remain amongst the Hsi-Hsiya, to work toward their enlightenment. And the javelin was a token, granted by the Kaa of the Hsi-Hsiya, who arrogated to himself the imperial title of the ancient Viis dominions.

But there was also talk of a strange episode, almost out of place in the otherwise simple adventure--Pako talked of a strange "Palace in the Mists" that had taken on a legendary quality amongst the Wasago-renyu:

They regard it as a kind of "Jabal al Tiyn al Tawila", or "Bilad al Chumetl wa Ghee" (the Mountain of Tall Figs, or the Country of Yogurt and Butter). They hunt and take from it only certain things--Alkari are hunted there, and a number of medicinal and psychoactive roots, leaves, or flowers. They claim there is some kind of ru'un amongst the gardens of the palace that always drives them off whenever it sees them.

They knew about it before, but have only turned to it recently, as Yramrag (when he was still alive and mastering them) had commanded them to avoid the place until he could better understand it--its secrets and its risks ...

The Lucre

• Durham's javelin from the Kaa

The Learning

• 964 xp from Sakkra-guards x9 (100 + hp ea.)
• 300 xp to ea. player-character for discovering the "Palace in the Mists"

The Cut

• 621 xp to Durham, Bart, and Persephone
  311 xp to Slith and Mantok
• the javelin-token

Declaration of a New Alliance

Following the recent expedition that saw the death of the "rogue alchemist", and the claim of the bounty on his life from the Kantor Kabljauhof, one barbarian-adventurer Durham, who had masterminded the expedition, was seen to be involved in a flurry of activity in town, of securing various supplies (of lumber, &c.) and provisions, and secreting them away.

Well, as the rumors circulate--Durham's comrades Dehuhada and Persephone were each seen with new renyu followers, and there was some talk that the alchemist had kept a retinue of the mangy creatures in his service--was Durham securing the alchemist's secret base for himself? Securing some new project-institution in town?--yet now the rumors are laid to rest by a proclamation published by Durham and distributed from his institution the Ringing Anvil, following his report of renyu revolution:

(written by Joel, player of Durham, with some slight edits by the Scribes; not worth any xp, as it represents the "building of an institution" of a tribe of renyu)

We, the undersigned heroes, have made an alliance with the free Renyu tribe of the Ocean's Throat, henceforth known as the Wasgo Tribe. We Heroes have offered the Wasgo protection and aid, in return the Wasgo have offered a pledge of military service and aid. Any hostile actions against us the undersigned OR the Wasgo tribe will invoke our mutual protection and/or retribution-on-behalf of the other.

Lord Durham, Wielder of Sunforger, Renyu Friend, Owner of the Ringing Anvil
Persephone, Master of Animals, Veteran Adventurer, Seasoned Fighter
Dehuhadu, Sellsword, Treasure Finder, Bounty Hunter
Mara, Healer, Wielder of the Arcane

Word through the taverns has it that each of the undersigned has laid down a portion of their own wealth to see this alliance through, and that Durham is hard at work helping the renyu in Ocean's Throat better fortify whatever place they hold within those caves ...