Returning from the East
Cord :
Okay. With everyone back in Midway (I assume) we would have delivered our crates, packages and letters to the appropriate temples. All the loot would have been sold and here’s the payout for that:
Feasting after a few Long Trips
Raifer will enter the hall for the feast and greet all of the people who are there from their successful missions, as well as the extras
from the NW who are being considered VIP's. He then moves to get himself an adult beverage and takes a seat near the Mayor, SD and
his wife making sure that he doesn't put himself in front of them. Once everyone has been introduced and seated, Raifer will stand and
address the table before the discussion and the banquet officially starts. "First off, I want to thank all of you for a job well done!
It appears that new opportunities to the northwest and east have opened up too many of us here. I look forward to working with those people
wanting to make a future with the great town of Midway and S-3. Next, with success there are some very curious situations that have come
to the surface that need to be addressed. I don't think we took any losses other than that Bard guy with the funny name and I don't think
it's really a loss since he's what? Fucking possessed? Um, language, sorry ladies. He doesn't appear to be harmful to anyone from what
I've been told, and he was useful during the Eastern venture. He rode shotgun with Cord on the wagon and according to his 'possessor' he
will be released when certain demands have been met? Maybe we take him to a church and let them look at him?
Jade’s outburst
[At some point during the feast Jade (talking to SD) gets VERY upset. She is going to say the following sentence is a REALLY loud voice]
Jade: "Wait .... You're telling me you've killed the Demon Queen of Spiders, destroyed the Castle of Darkness, freed Melkin Castle from gold
dragons and you can't rescue my parents from a couple of guys that know karate?"
SD: "Those were VERY different for a number of reasons. I had A LOT of help doing those things. I know there are a lot of folks who would be
willing to help ... your uncle springs to mind as well as Al-Alin but distance is the thing. If YOU can come up with a way to rescue them ... I'm ALL ears."
Jade: "..................................................."
SD: "I know it's a bitter pill to swallow but we need to be patient and smart about rescuing them. The White Ninja play the long game in everything that they do. We need to do the same."
[Assuming that other folks in the room are listening] ..... SD will continue.
SD: "It has also come to my attention that Simballa is being run by the White Ninja. That is why Vora and many other Simballa residents are here in Midway.
I have formed a contact with some people in the area in and around Unundu. They have told me that the White Ninja are one of four 'families'
that serve under 'The Emperor' in the northwest area of the map they call 'The Imai Empire'. The four families are linked such that they all protect their emperor.
The White Ninja however have grown in power and attacked the other 3 families ... fortunately, the families came together and the White Ninja were defeated ... Pretty badly from what I understand.
This means the White Ninja need to rebuild. This means they need money ... and Simballa (I believe) is one of their sources of income .... I would hazard a guess and say it's one of their bigger sources of income.
I think freeing Simballa from the grip of the White Ninja needs to happen sooner than later.
I DO have an idea on how to free Simballa but I need some time and I need to talk to certain individuals.
To be completely honest, I'm not sure I like the idea ...... but I think it might work. The reason for this will become clearer in the near future.
In the meantime, I think restoring McMurtry's farm and cleaning up the area east of Daedalus needs to happen.
It's better to fight surrounded by friends then by enemies."
Cord “if you mean to hurt those pajama wearing thugs just point me in the right direction. Their hold on the Inter-Cities needs to be addressed as
well but one thing at a time. I look forward to hearing this plan of yours for liberating Simbala.”
Raifer will chime in on the comment from Cord. "I think that we're all going to get a chance to do just that. I think we are starting to share
some similar views on the White Ninja, the Inter Cities, and the brother bandits!"
SD: "I thank you for the volunteer Cord. I will keep that in mind for the (hopefully) near future."
McMurtry’s Farm and Family
SD : "Getting McMurtry's farm running again needs to be done."
SD will then talk to both the girls :
"Your dad was a great man who ran an outstanding farm that produced a great deal of fruits and vegetables that Midway and many other towns need.
It's my understanding that your dad was training both of you girls on how to run the farm. I think that you SHOULD run the farm .... someday.
Your house was damaged and needs to be rebuilt. You both have seen exactly how dangerous the world can be. No offense but I don't think you girls are quite ready to run the farm on your own.
Midway will help rebuild your home and get it ready for you when you ARE ready to produce those great fruits and veggies your farm has been known to grow."
[Hopefully SD gets a positive response form the girls]
Raifer will wait for SD to conclude his interrogatory with the girls.
"Girls, a very moving story you bring to us. My condolences on the loss of your father too! We will pledge to get your farm back up to speed before
terrible incidents occurred and you wound up here. This may take some time to get the farm up and running but, during that time, we can help
rebuild and educate you on how to hopefully be as successful as the farm was."
SD will then make arrangements with Jerri for the girls to spend time with druids at Midway while they live at the orphanage. Perhaps they are druids-in-training ( ??? )
Jerri will make the obvious arrangements for the girls.
SD will then speak with Mayor Etienne on the following points :
(1) Can Midway can spare any druids for the foreseeable future to get McMurtry's farm back to running from a 'plant' perspective? If druids from the
Forest of Ages show up, perhaps they can take up residence at the farm and our druids can return back.
(2) Can some personnel from the Town Maintenance Facility can be spared for a short term project to repair/rebuild the McMurtry house?
(3) Can some town guards be spared until the house is rebuilt?
SD will then address the Eastbound group :
"You all did an excellent job filling in the unknown map areas east of Midway. More importantly, getting some Midway wine to Englehome and having it received positively is GREAT news.
"Here, here! You got the product through, managed to map out a lot of unknown areas, didn't lose anyone, well, with the exception of the bard. You all performed well.
If we are going to establish trade routes with Midway wine to local towns, this new 'Elven Mafia' in the forest east of Daedelus needs to be addressed.
The McMurtry farm tragedy also needs to be addressed. I think Midway is sending some druids and construction folks to help repair the farm and get it running again.
How many of you would be up to root out this 'Elven Mafia' and escort the crew to the farm to get it going again?"
"SD I agree with you to a certain point. I'll leave the final decision to you. If we didn't have a whole bunch of things going on in and around Midway,
I think we should prioritize the McMurtry farm. Take the mission out to Englehome, finalize the trade with the Halflings and the wine and see if
they would be willing to spare any farmers there that can get the project up and running, again. Head south to the farm and set up.
I'm thinking that this Elf Mafia is a second issue and might be out of the realm of who I'm planning to send out there. It might be out of their skills
set to properly parlay with them. We might need another group to do some reconnaissance on them since we know so little. Sorry to be so blunt
but, sending a bunch of green employees to track and operate in an area controlled by Elves, isn't something I would be fond of. Being that the
easiest way through to us is through this wooded area they control could cause a problem with trade from this area and, if they decide to expand, could be problematic.
I only wanted to send five or six (depending on player availability to make sure all are included/interested) to the farm but, I guess we could double that
and use them to check out the Elven Mafia once the McMurtry farm is up and running. I wanted to send some more experienced people out there however, that may not be possible."
Raifer has returned to his seat and lets the rest of the evening begin to unfold. He is a little stunned to hear the exchange that Jade had started with SD.
He waits for it to dimmer down some and will interject, "Young Lady, I can clearly see your frustration with the whole Simballa issue but, as you mentioned
his past successes, this is something that just can't be jumped into without some careful planning. I respect your station there and gently remind you
that you and your charge are employees of my company and that does go a long way with me since I can honestly say that a good portion of my people are
going to want to help you, including me! So, I say this with respect, stay in your lane and watch your tone with one of the few people who are in a
position to help you and your family, please!"
A New Elven Shakedown East of Daedelus
Rispin “The elves we encountered in those woods west of the McMurtry farm said they followed a Lord Evanston. I for one have never heard of him, has anyone?
Having never been thru those woods I don’t know what their claim to the area is. Do they have a legitimate claim to the area or are they truly bandits that need to be driven out?
Raifer looks to SD, his wife, and the Mayor, "Got me on that one. Maybe, we can check with the Thieves' Guild?"
SD: "No they don't. They sound like a bunch of thugs trying to shake people down for money"
Simballa and the White Ninja
Tyrade “We spoke at length to people in and from the Imai Empire and the one thing they all agree on is that the Hashimoto family has the Emperor’s ear.
They completely control all the information that he receives. Even when confronted with evidence the Emperor seems more interested in smoothing
things over with no actual consequences for them. I agree with SD that the best way to deal with them is cut them off from their money makers.
Simbala, the Inter-Cities and all the small towns and cities in between.”
"This will be a start. I'm sure this is going to take some planning like SD mentioned. Maybe we should start at the lowest rung in their operation and
work our way up their food chain?"
Ruurik “I know me king would be happy to see those rotten elves driven out of Simbala. It’s been too long since we seen a friendly face on our eastern border.
How much help do you need SD?”
SD: "I also thank you for the volunteer Ruurik. I will keep that in mind for the (hopefully) near future. I'm not sure I would characterize ALL of those elves
as 'rotten' ... probably more like unfortunate elves who got duped by the White Ninja"
Ruurik, getting angrier with every word. “I can remember the days when Simbala was a great ally and neighbor to us in Al-Alin. When we could visit each other in
peace. Duped? They have eyes don’t they? They see what is happening. The elves that kidnapped the Royal family, the elves that threaten and mistreat
their own people, the elves that would align themselves with those vile intruders! Rotten! They have to be rotten to the core to do that to their kin.
I was just following orders is no excuse for what they’re doing.” Looking at Jade. “I seen it in Sudalon and I’ll be damned if I’ll stand by and watch it happens to people I call friends!”
Lillianne is obviously taken back by the use of words describing the 'rotten Elves' comment from the Dwarf. She scoffs, shakes her head and remains silent.
"I'm going to let anyone who wants to help out in this cause volunteer their services. This of course may change as a plan is forged," Raifer says in reply to Ruurik.
Books “More then anything else we need to step up our efforts in finding out what these thugs are up to. Information is going to be the key to forming
any plan. I’m doing what I can but I may need others to take up this cause as well.”
"I think some of our people could be of exceptional help with finding out, 'things'. Again, we can inquire with the local Guild and hopefully get a direction to start?"
[After Books is done talking]
SD: "Books I don't know what your plans are but I would request that stay here in Midway for a few days"
Books “I have no plans to leave Midway, for now. I think keeping Midway safe is a priority. My efforts against the PJP starts here.”
Some Odds, Ends and ‘Sweet smelling Dwarves’
Books would be sure to seek out Jerry and tell him Cade sends his regards and an invitation to visit him at Axe & Dagger in Sudalon.
Rispin would be thrilled to meet Elena and talk to her about her training.
[After SD is done yammering on ... Blargg will seek out Rispin]
Blargg: "Miss Rispin. So happy to see you in good health after your latest mission. I wanted to say 'Thank Ye'. When we met your king in the Elven Hills you
'forced' us to take a bath before meeting him. At that point I was introduced to 'Salt Baths' and I have to say .... 'By the Fathers beard' ...
I LOVE 'em. They are great for working out the cramps and muscles sores from fighting. Very relaxing ... I REALLY love them.
So as a small token of appreciation, when I was on the NW mission to the Imai Empire I saw this ... And thought of you"
[Blargg will rummage through his backpack and find a small decorated box and hand it to Rispin]
[Inside the box is ornate orientally decorated scarf]
Blargg: "I know you like your privacy. I also know the ladies like to have clothing that is DIFFERENT from everyone else. So I picked this up as a small 'thanks' for the salt baths"
Rispin will look at the brothers (I’m sure Grogg is somewhere nearby) and pull them both off to the side. With a big smile “You two are perhaps the
best smelling dwarves I’ve ever met, the fragrance is lovely and very fitting for you both.” She’ll take out the scarf and look it over. “You
say you bought this in the northwest? The box is beautiful and this scarf is exquisite. I’ve never seen anything like it. Thank you, thank you
both.” She will give both of them a kiss on the cheek and with more of a mischievous smile this time. “This was certainly a win-win for me,
better smelling friends and pretty gifts.” With that she’ll head back to the feast.
Grogg : "Best smellin' Dwarves, ever? Have ya been smokin' the bath salts Rispin? I hurd that's a thing with the young kids these days. I mean,
we're cute as buttons and all and have a certain way with the ladies but, we never been in the smell good category. No matter Lass, we will
always take a compliment! Me brudders the sensitive one so be ready for him to shed a tear!"
SUGAR in Midway
Books will talk to Rollin about the PJP. He would like to point all our efforts at them and rooting them out of Midway. Purely information gathering,
no interference yet. What people do they have in town? What targets are they considering? Talk to the businesses we usually deal with to see
if anyone new has been asking around. If we do find out about something imminent then we tip off the authorities, anonymously. What can our
contacts outside of Midway tell us? The Inter-Cities? Sudalon? Zumbrota? Umbriola? Anything they can tell us helps, nothing is too trivial.
Once reinforcements arrive from Sudalon then we can see if interference is an option.
Jerri and the Orphanage
Jerri returns the greeting to all with a hug/snuggle with his hands rubbing their backs/legs/Butts with his hands during the embrace. He makes sure
that he doesn't let an errant finger do a 'Woo-Hoo' on them and says with a smile, "Ah, it's really good to see all of you again! Everyone
actually! It seems like we're all off and running doing something or helping somebody. If I can ever get out from behind running the day-to-day
operations at the Orphanage, I would love to visit Cade at his establishment. I am glad he is doing well for himself. I should send him a
correspondence!" He looks to the Dwarf brothers, "That's a letter!"
Speaking of this McMurtry thing, he's a part of this farm thing people from the east mentioned? He's got two daughters I understand are currently at the
orphanage under the care of Jerri." (Raifer shakes his head and shudders slightly before smiling and, continuing), "I got no problem sending a
group of my people out there as a security force while the lands and grounds are refurbished and structures rebuilt. If they have the background,
they can assist in getting the farm back up to speed and assist the young ladies prosper. My only hesitation is having them try and find out more
about these Elf bandits that have set up shop in the wooded area and taxing people to travel through there. They may just have to be the ones to
do it though. On the job training! We can work on this as it seems that there is a whole ass.., umm, buttload of issues that need to be
addressed and prioritized." He raises his glass, "To Midway, Our esteemed guests, and the brave members of S-3, Salute!"
All of this led to the uncomfortable situation of McMurtry, his children and the fact his spirit appears to have taken over Hal’s body. A suggestion
was made to have him looked at by cleric’s in Midway. But more would come of this before that could be done…
Interestingly, Jerri has been unaware that Rolin has been planting spies in the orphanage to keep tabs on potential White Ninja activity
because this was how they broached Midway in the first place.
Books, SUGAR and Midway
Books decided to take some other steps. He wanted to expand SUGAR in to Midway. His first step was approaching Rollin Hand, leader of the local guild.
Rollin was open to the idea but had a few conditions that, once fully grasped, Books was agreeable. He expanded his circle by reaching out to the
local Halfling church and the SUGAR main offices in Sudalon to gauge their interest. While the church did not see the need to expand to a separate
temple the Sudalon guild was very open to the idea. Negotiations were handled and an agreement reached. This would help investigate the developments
of the squid head loyalists and the White Ninja influence in Midway. A deal was struck where the two guilds would cooperate and function out of
common grounds to avoid conflicts and pool resources. Books requested Sasha be sent as the primary representative for SUGAR in Midway.
Books spentg some tgime catching up with the leadership in Sudalon asking what info they had about the current situation with the White Ninja. What he found out was ... interesting.
This was shared with SD, Rollin, Raifer and anyone else SD thought should know.
Wagons and Temples
The wagon brought back from the east was unloaded. Crates earmarked for the Egyptian temples were delivered and the large crate addressed to Kozmo
brought to GDA. It was filled with all sorts of goodies for his shop. The temple crates were received with a small needling for some tribute
to be donated along with the crate. This was unexpected and SD offered to send a small donation on behalf of the groups to end the matter.
To Warhorse, or not to Warhorse
Jade and Lillianne spent a significant amount of time both shopping and investigating the possibility of obtaining a warhorse. In the end, this path
was not deemed possible at this juncture due to the time commitment required. But the shopping went on to fill their needs. There were some
special needs items that required extra funds and time to customize. Lilli had some discussions with Erik regarding a steed. After the decision
to not obtain a warhorse Lilli offered to procure a horse for Erik. Erik also spent time looking in to interest for the magical short sword he
had been using and for the bag of fluorescent rocks he brought back. The Guild made a very lucrative offers but he needed to make sure there
were no takers for the sword in the party. He quickly accepted the offer for the rocks. The price tag for the sword made that a non-starter and he eventually returned and sold it to the guild.
A private message for Cord
Cord held a private conversation with Gwyn regarding what he saw as a ‘message’ from the God of Thunder saying he was ‘not worthy anymore’. This
inspired Cord to spend more time at the temple attempting to regain favor.
Glowing Rocks
Rispin wanted to know more about the glowing rocks found in the cave on the eastern trip. She checked at the library, to no avail. She moved on and
checked with Vora and Gunther who had no idea, although Vora seemed to have a thought but could not place it. And then at the Wizard’s Guild
where she was offered cash for the rocks outright. Her final stop was at GDA where she gave the stones to John and Kozmo for testing and analysis.
Kozmo’s Krusades
Kozmo has begun some investigation in to a permanent version of Fog Light but has yet to find any solid leads. The Wizard’s Guild was able to say they
have heard of this ‘unicorn’ as well but have never seen it come across their rolls.
He also was finally able to take possession of his customized wagon.
Cade’s follow up with Gulfmoor
Cade reached out via his SUGAR contacts to find out what the status of the ‘squid head loyalists’ was. Mayor Farris passed along word the loyalists had left
the kingdom and headed south. He believes they passed Sudalon and crossed the Wasteland heading south. After that, he was unable to keep any further tabs on them.
The Excision of the White Ninja
SD has decided it was time to begin the process of removing the White Ninja as a thorn in his foot. Jade’s presence being no small motivating factor. He
needed a plan. The first thought revolved around the recent set back suffered in the Imai Empire and the financial strain this was likely placing
on the organization. Knowing they had control of Simballa he considered a path of cutting off any trade between Simballa and all the other kingdoms a
nd towns. But how to get that ball rolling?
His first choice was to teleport to Al-Alin and visit with the king there to discuss the situation. He was greeted well and the King gave the matter the
appropriate weight it deserved. SD shared what he had discovered and whaty news had been brought to him, along with fresh copies of the new expanded
maps of the continent he had in his possession. King Al-Alin would consider the idea and get back to SD.
SD followed this trip with a teleport to the Elven Hills to visit King Humboldt. This visit did not go as expected. SD was greeted with suspicion and a very
cold reception. The King already had news that SD knew something about his brother, the King of Simballa. He let SD talk and tell his story and SD did
not hold back. When he finished, the King appeared to harden as he called an aide from an ante chamber. The aide led out a prisoner, held in chains,
and pronounced he thought this man a spy but could not be sure. The King had clerics in the room using magic to verify SD’s words and with a
confirmation the King now knew where the truth lay. The spy had claimed it was SD that had kidnapped and imprisoned the royal family seeking to
supplant them with Jade as his puppet. He suspects the spy had some attachment to whomever was currently in charge in Simballa but could not prove it.
SD suggested the King use whatever means necessary to extract what the spy knew before making an example of him. He then suggested an audit of all businesses
in the Elven Hills to root out any infestation. This is how SD caught on to the attempt in Midway and was most likely how they got their feet in the
door in Simballa. He told him of his approach to the dwarves and that he was awaiting their response.
As he was leaving, the King caught up with SD and told him he could not openly cut off ties with Simballa. Should he do that the game would be up and they
would know they had been found out. They needed to devise a different, more cunning, plan to cut off the trade routes.
SD chose to share much of this information with the following list of people... Raifer, Books, Tyrade, Tao Ngyuen, Vora, Mayor Etienne, Rollin Hand and Elena.
Next time ...
This page and its contents are presented solely for the purpose of the RPG game events conducted by a private group. Any references to people or places is explicitly within the context of these RPG games and has no connection to any other similarly named source.
Bob Senkewicz / Howell, New Jersey / senk@optonline.net