(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown

Leelan does not offer resistance to the spell cast on him. The gnome’s attention seemed to have been caught by a taxidermic sculpture of a scavenger bird native of the NTF that he hadn’t notice earlier. He snaps out of his reverie when the masked individual enters.

He is, however, fully alert when the Emperor walks in an chokes a little before standing up, clearing his throat subtly and removing his hat. He perhaps seems a bit shorter standing up than sitting down.

Rohuzar follows Aubrey's cue, standing and bowing

Vigor II observes your group making the customary signs of respect and then waves a hand.  "You may be at ease.  You do not come before me as supplicants, this evening.  Rather, it is I who wished to offer thanks and honorifics to you."

"Aubrey Goldentide.  Ever has your house been leal and faithful.  You do credit to your name.  A new tide is on the horizon, and the opportunity may soon come to lift your ancient house back to its old glories, and glories greater still.  I have dispatched a letter to your father, acknowledging the exemplary service you have done for my government."

"Rohuzar... formerly of my legion... it pains me to think we failed to retain a man of your talents.  In understand I have you to thank for assembling this crew."

"Grugga, son of Raven's Hill, disciple of Gel-Nagev.  I am told some of your... creations... played a key roll in your team's accomplishments.  I should be interested to hear more about them.  I have dabbled in engineering myself, but the description of your machines sound simply marvelous.  Relations have long been strained between our lands, but I think there is great potential in the forging of new partnerships."

"Guilim Nimbletoes.  Your path seems to be one of violence and battle.  Once in service to a noble knight, then a mercenary for hire in Fidelis, and now the armored vanguard of this troupe of warriors.  May your strength continue to overcome all that stands before you."

"And Leelan Dapper.  How goes your manuscript?  When the work is completed, I insist I must have the first copy."

He takes another sip of his drink, but continues to stand behind his chair.  "It simply cannot be overstated.  The imposter you exposed within the ranks of my judexi was a monumental threat.  We are still investigating how much may have been compromised, but it is without doubt that things would have been much worse had you not brought this conspiracy to light when you did.  Not only have you prevented one threat, you shed new light on vulnerabilities within our national security apparatus which we can now address.  The 4th Empire owes you its thanks.  The land could use more men like you."

He turns to he left and walks behind the Duke's chair.  "More importantly... I could use more men like you.  I have a task I need to complete.  Something that will help to turn this age forward and serve as a shining example of what we can accomplish when we set aside our differences and work together to do great things.  Might you consider helping me in this?  If we are successful, the rewards will be great."

Rohuzar is struck to his core for several long moments. His soul vibes between anger and wistful vindication. Slowly, the words emerge, full of emotion despite strain to stay stoic. Something in the words hit him harder than he was prepared to deal with. 

"Emperor... You are kind to say these things. I am trying to be simple man. A man who has future. Laboring for a comfort for my life, not success or recognition. Not anymore."

A long pause, and several stutter starts to his words that he regrets as soon as they come out of his mouth.

"... How may ve... Wwwwe... Be of service?"

Still somewhat unsure if he’s hallucinating or not, Leelan takes a moment to observe the scene as each of his companion gets adressed by the Emperor. He stiffen as his turn comes around.

"O-of course, your Grace. I will ensure the first edition of my manuscript comes to you once it’s ready for publication."

He then lets Rohuzar handle the rest of the conversation.

Aubrey makes an effort to avoid making it too obvious just how much the emperors encouraging words mean to him. There was no greater achievement than to lift his family's name to it's former glories, and maybe even beyond. As the emperor makes his request, Aubrey looks to Rohuzar and is almost surprised but also relieved to hear Rohuzar accepting to get into the political landscape that this mission would most surely take them through.

Grugga is relieved at the initial tone and demeanor of the Emperor, but he still visibly braces when the young Emperor says his name. All the tension drains from the Orcish artificer, though, as the royal recognition washes over him. He finds himself eagerly nodding and smiling like a fool to the Emperor's proposition of mutual learning and a possibility of eased tensions between the neighboring nations. Before the Emperor moves onto Guilim, Grugga interjects a quick and relatively quiet, "It would be my honor, m'lord."

Even without the aid of divination magic, it is easy to tell what was on Grugga's mind. Yes! His hard work had paid off. Yes! It was worth suffering through streets of xenophobia. Yes! His inventions were worth something. Yes! he could finally crack the shell of the Empire and show them his god was worth admiring. Yes! He could make the world a better place through science.

He practically bobs up and down on the tips of his toes and emphatically nods at the praise lavished upon his companions. Finally, he waits with bated breath for Rohuzar's answer. He grins ear-to-ear when his boss agrees to work for the Emperor. This was the beginning of something big; he could feel it.

Guilim had never given thought to harming the empire or the leader of it, having only been focusing on earning money in whatever way he could through his mercenary work to send funds home to his family. So far he had only done what was needed by his employers.

At the mention of work for the emperors he turns his eyes to Rohuzar as it had been made clear by the lieutenant that they wanted them to avoid getting caught up in politics. He shrugs it off though as it seems to him this job would not necessarily be done through the Red Band. The offer of a large rewards seals the deal as the others seem to accept as well.

"As my companions have said you have my full services at your disposable your grace." He offers a bow as the others have, falling back on practiced movements from dealing with the nobles the Hook and Axe served.

The Emperor smiles and sets down his glass.  "Your confidence matches your growing reputation, but you should hear my offer before you are too quick to accept.  It is no simple task I will ask of you."

"Still... I had planned to hold this surprise back in case you needed convincing.  I offer it now instead as a gift... a reward for your enthusiasm."  He nods to the masked guard who had accompanied him into the room.  She - despite the mask, you're quite sure this is a woman - snaps her fingers twice, loudly, and another door opens.  

Immediately there is a foul stench that fills the room.  It is abominable... a mix of fish, a little seawater, and the odor of putrid flesh, like an old whale carcass on a beach.  Another masked guard enters the room, pulling a length of fine chain over his shoulder.  The metal is unusual in appearance.

History DC 17 or Arcana DC 15:

 He strains against something behind him in the darkness beyond the door, before finally dragging it out into the light.  Behind him, bound at the neck, wrists and ankles, is a most hideous and pitiful creature.  Vaguely feminine, its hair is the color and texture of seaweed.  Its eyes are bulbous and protruding, like a deep-sea fish pulled up too fast and bursting from the pressure change.  Its skin is a mixture of rubbery slime and fishlike scales and spines.  The smell immediately intensifies.

Based on Leelan's research and reports, none of you hesitate in recognizing a sea hag.  This one's mouth is covered by a plate of the same metal as the chains, riveted to her jaw.  Where its fingers should be are cauterized stumps.  It looks up at its keeper with a hatred in its eyes that borders on supernatural, then turns that same look on the Emperor, the Duke, and then the rest of you.  Until its eyes come to rest on Grugga. *  Once it is dragged fully into the room, a second masked guard becomes visible behind it, also holding a length of chain attached to its neck.

The Duke waves a hand in the air and feigns gagging.  "Oh my word.  I have guests, your eminence.  You didn't tell me it would stink like this."

The Emperor laughs but does not take his eyes off of you.  "It is my pleasure to introduce all of you to..." he pauses, "... Woedentide, was it?  This creature is the murderous, seditious monster behind so many of our recent problems.  As I said, once the nature and extent of the threat was revealed, I put my top agents to urgent work and rooted out the hag.  We could not suffer such a thing continuing to lurk in the shadows, polluting our city or scheming against my people.  As it turns out, she herself is just a part of a larger game, but now that I know what is afoot it is only a matter of time before I uncover the rest of the players."

"But we have learned all we can from this wretch.  And therefore, given the pain and suffering this thing has wrought upon you all, I offer the honor of dispatching the monster to you."  He pauses again.  "Of course, if that should be too distasteful on such a fine evening out as this, say the word and we will have it removed and disposed of elsewhere.  In either case, know that the hag shall no longer plot against you in the shadows... her little schemes are at an end."

* Grugga:

Aubrey does his best to not show his surprise over the latest dinner guest to arrive, keeping his noble calm, his nose twitching just slightly at the revolting stench. He looks to Rohuzar to decide whether he would end the misery of this wicked creature. He can't help but feel they are being tested in some way by the Emperor and ponders what the approriate response would be.

Insight if applicable: 13 History if applicable: 17

Rohuzar stands abruptly when it enters, eyes narrowing and immediately looking for some sign of illusion all around, or a watching eye... But this sort of thing is not his forté. 

He listens, and considers his promise regarding the night hag just a day before. 

"You have questioned it? It has allies?" 

"I... May I see report, highness?"

DM:

Aubrey:

 The Emperor raises an eyebrow at Rohuzar's request.  "The threat is being dealt with by my agents.  It is not something you need further concern yourself with."  After a moment's pause, he sighs, seemingly reconsidering the harshness of his response.  "...The hag apparently made common cause with several other magical creatures and radical nature spirits.  They sought to attract worshippers and progress toward something like godhood.  A doomed plan to 'turn back the tide of humanoid domination and spread of civilization'.  With the information gleaned from the sea-witch, we will see that the rest of her cohorts are eliminated."

Leelan:

Rohuzar decides to keep his promise. He takes another moment to consider the creature's fate. "I am not interested in anything but the... Jobs my team does. I am not going to have part of this. Not for free."

Arcana: 13 (in game log)

Grugga panics for a moment when he smells that terrible stench. Although he has never experienced it before, he immediately associates it with the fetid rot of his worst nightmares. His heartrate calms, though, when he sees the abnormal coloration of the chain - cold iron, he supposes, but he can't be sure without a closer look. He meets the gaze of the now-pathetic sea hag and closes his eyes shut fast, as though squashing away the memory of her face.

Remaining silent while he composes himself, the young Orc listens to the exchange between the emperor and his boss. The artificer's face is uncharacteristically inscrutable. Finally he speaks up and declines the emperor's offer: "I don't think I could bring myself to do it like this. I'll rest easier knowing that it's dead, though." He specifically avoids looking at the wretched sea hag.

Leelan watches the abject creature being drag into the dinning room. He’s spent enough time fighting and studying these creatures to know what they’re about.

Though this hag had been tormenting the party for some time now, and they would very much like to get rid of it, he couldn’t bring himself to deliver the final blow, especially in their current setting. He would however defer to his leader’s better judgement.

Guilim looks at the creature and scowls not only because of what they are being told but due to the torture the creature had been put through. While true it was a creature of evil he saw no purpose in needless torture. He gives the others an apologetic look and steps from his seat. "If it is to be put to death either way then I can do the deed. It is not to different from finishing off goblins that have been captured after a Warren has been cleansed. I will need a weapon strong enough and able to end this with a single strike."

Guilim, the guard at the table snaps her fingers again and the other two drag the hag back out of the room.  She then rises from her seat and leads you out the same door.  You emerge into a marbled bathroom, large enough to play broomball in.  The female guard then returns to the dining room and one of the others silently draws a weapon from his belt and offers it to you, handle first.  It is an unusual blade, somewhere between a dagger and a scimitar.  While at first it doesn't seem heavy enough to you to do the deed, as soon as you pick it up you recognize that there is more than fine craftsmanship at work here... this is a magical weapon.  The blade looks sharp enough to slice a hair, lengthwise, and though you have never held a blade of this design, your arm and hand instinctively know just how to strike with it for maximum damage.  When you put down the hag, the act is almost effortless.  Thin black blood, reeking of fish and saltwater, spills across the bathroom tiles.  [If you have any parting words or description to add, please go ahead.]

Once that is finished, the guards escort Guilim back to the dining hall and start to clean up the mess.

The Emperor nods in approval, while the Duke looks with sadness, imagining the stinking horror all over the floor in his bathroom.

"With that messy business out of the way, let me tell you of the job I have in mind for you..." begins Vigor II.  Yet he does not lead out with a job offer.  Instead, he delves into a long history lesson.  

He speaks first of the fall of the first empire, more than 1,000 years ago.  The great human cities in the south were destroyed in a nameless cataclysm and society plunged into a dark age of war, famine, and despotism.  It took a full 300 years before all 6 of the cities had been reclaimed, each conquered by a human warlord.  His own ancestors, the Mastieri clan, had taken back Amnifortis, the jewel of the Breitvasser.

He then talks of St. Christopher, now considered a god, but once a man.  He conquered all the great cities again and founded the second empire in 1333.  Once again he speaks of his ancestors, who bent the knee without war and were counted among St. Christopher's most loyal vassals.  While the second empire did not long survive the apotheosis of its founder, it lived on in the principles and ethos of the third empire which soon arose.

And at last he turns to the Breach, that unholy doom which fell upon the land and ended the third empire, splintering the continent and providing the opening for the invading forces of ancient elves and reptilians.  Most of the human nobility of the third empire was annihilated as their cities were taken completely unawares.  Only Vigor I, the current emperor's great grandfather, had the foresight to evacuate his people and preserve the imperial culture by taking them north to Bardstown.  This saved the people, but required the complete abandonment of Amnifortis, along with much of the wealth, culture and history of the old empire.

"It took 300 years for humanity to reclaim their past glory last time... I intend to do it within the decade."

He finally meanders around to his point.  Since the Breach occurred a century ago, Amnifortis has been under a choking miasma.  Humanoids who venture into the city and stayed too long fell victim to sores and pustules, or were driven mad... those that weren't torn asunder by the alien monstrosities that lingered after the Breach closed.  But within the last year, the miasma has lifted, allowing for some basic scouting of the ruins.  "The plagues are gone, but the aberrations remain.  We lose the balance of most scouting parties that enter, and some never return at all."

"I will reclaim the city.  It is my birthright... the birthright of all who believe in the spirit of civilization, order and peace.  To that end, even now I am raising a legion for the express purpose of pacifying the monsters that dwell there and making the city safe for resettlement."

"And that is where you come in.  Against some of the horrors that reside in Amnifortis, even imperial steel and tactics are no match.  Scouts tell mad tales of things that can pass through walls, that can read their minds, that can fill the air with a cacophony of evil music, that can melt flesh or teleport... there are countless stories, and little way to distinguish fact from fiction.  I cannot send a legion in blind... it would be a monstrous waste of lives and treasure."

"So here is my proposal.  I would outfit you for an expedition into Amnifortis.  I ask that you penetrate as deeply into the city as you dare, and in the process seek out, kill and study the aberrations that dwell with in.  Learn how to kill them, so that my legion can be trained to do the same.  Your group seems uniquely suited to the task:  warriors and knights, learned men of science and magic... even a bona fide scholar of monsters."

"The risks are innumerable, but the rewards will be great.  Think of it, Aubrey Goldentide, instead of scratching out a place in a muddy fishing village, your house could be back where it belongs... in their estate by the sea, commanding fleets of trading ships from horizon to horizon.  As to the rest of you, name your price.  Within reason, there is very little I would refuse if you can accomplish this for me."

"Any questions?"

Rohuzar looks like he's about to speak up, but decides to hold his tongue and look at Grugga and Leelan first, giving them a nod to speak first as they are bound to have questions or comments that will be relevant.