Dragon Warriors : Session 2.3

Murders in the Rue Morgue (10^th April 2013)

The Dragon Warriors

Aethelfrith – Thane
Sir Erich of Barton – Knight
Hillson - Warlock
Nazir al Khalid – Barbarian
Solaran – Elementalist
Thormann – Sorcerer (absent but NPCd)

Arrested (Day 7 (87))

Sir Erich and Solaran, not relishing the idea of being party to torture just off the main thoroughfare calmed down first Aethelfrith and then Nazir, whose blood was up. A few well placed words convinced the two warriors that it would be best to approach the authorities and thus disperse any accusations of murder from the party if they explained exactly what happened.

Nazir unbound his legs and forced the Scorcher to his feet. The party made their way back to the main street in order to hand themselves in and explain the situation; Sir Erich seeming to think that law and order in this town would emulate that carried out in his home town. It was only a few moments before three members of the watch arrived on the scene. Solaran began to explain to the guards their version of events but a few moments later the captain of the watch and a few more guards arrived, so he told him instead. In the meantime, the other members of the watch began to question witnesses to the scene that had unfolded in the street. The captain decided that the matter would be best resolved back at the watch room, so escorted the adventurers back to the East Gate.

Upon arrival back at the gate he turned his fury upon them and demanded to know what the heck they were up to; coming into the city, and after being explicitly warned not to do so, causing mayhem and murder upon the streets – in daylight none-the-less!

The conversation began to turn against the party as Sir Erich demanded justice by a jury of peers. Aethelfrith pleaded poverty and of not being able to pay the extortionate fine (bribe) until the captain produced a copy of their trade docket. Solaran, again the voice of reason, managed to calm the situation by paying the fine, and escorted his companions out of the watch room before the now smiling captain could change his mind. Sir Erich and Aethelfrith rued having to pay, and swore revenge upon the blatantly corrupt official. Whilst the fighters were moaning about the injustice of it all, their guide took them to a small inn, off the beaten track, so that they could calm their tempers and plan what they were going to do next.

A Second Encounter with the Scorchers (Days 8-9)

The party spent the night taking their minds off the incident that day and planned what to do with the silver they had left. It was decided that they would get Sir Erich a better suit of armour and they would then call in on all of their contacts and plan destruction on the Scorchers and the corrupt guards.

The following day, Sir Erich and Aethelfrith headed out to get the armour required and asked their guide, Toby Munce, to investigate the whereabouts of the Scorchers and Edith and Mary.

Not much else was accomplished during that day, and it would not be until Toby returned with information that they would be able to formulate any plans.

Toby reported back the following day that he had found the main lair of the Scorchers; an inn fronting a large complex down by the dockside. He also mentioned that he was able to find where Edith had her office, but he said that it had been destroyed by fire and he could find no sign of either her or Mary. Toby was also able to fill the party in on some of the local politics in the town.

• The Scorchers, as the party already knew, worshipped fire under their druidic masters
• The druids keep some kind of heart flame burning that helps to keep the glaciers of the north away from Glissom. Thus, the Scorchers’ aim is to have heat and fire take over the world
• The city is run by the Guaires family, who follow the old religion
• The assumption is that these are all interlinked, as well as the Guaires family having the city watch in their employ

The party thanked him for his help on this and gave him a short sword in payment for the information. They then asked him if he could investigate the whereabouts of Brannon Byrne (the sorcerer who summoned Sir Erich, Aethelfrith and Solaran to Glissom), and councillor Jarus and Sir Connor (whom they delivered the orc heads to). He said he would do his best and also see what else he could find out about Edith and Mary.

Nazir and Thormann stayed at the inn for the rest of the day as a rescue party, whilst Sir Erich and Aethelfrith went to collect the new suit of armour, and Solaran and Hillson went down to the docks to see what they could find out for themselves with regards getting some gainful employment and rumours.

At the docks, Solaran and Hillson managed to find out that a merchant in the import/export business known by the moniker “The Foreigner” might be their best bet for profitable employment. They did not find out much else, so decided to return back to the inn to share their findings. Just as they were walking down a short cut-through alleyway they were challenged from behind. Four rogues, dressed in a very similar manner to the Scorchers they had encountered a couple of days previously and armed with clubs sneered that they would get their revenge on them and their companions.

The companions made to run but found that their path was blocked in the other direction by three more thugs. Solaran glanced around and saw that the street was deserted, so snatched up a piece of wood and lit it with one of his fire cantrips. The thugs charged in to attack the adventurers but before a blow was struck a phantasmal warrior appeared behind one of the thugs and struck him a mighty blow with a great sword, and then promptly disappeared.

This slowed the thugs just enough for the two companions to attempt to escape, but they both were tackled to the ground by the time they reached the end of the alleyway. Another of the phantasmal warriors appeared behind the first thug that was hit and he was struck down to the ground dead.

The thugs tried to strike back with their fists, but were either unable to hit the skilful adventurers or their punches struck armour and caused no injuries. Solaran cast a fire spell at one of the thugs holding him in the grapple on the ground and his clothing went up in flames causing him a serious amount of pain. Another of the phantasmal warriors struck down another of the thugs attacking Hillson from behind, leaving him with only two opponents now and thus allowed him to get back to his feet.

The thugs had now taken a few injuries, and the magic kept coming at them. A bolt of lightning from Solaran’s hand killed another rogue stone dead and a fourth phantom struck another of the thugs from behind. Seeing that three of their companions were down and another two had taken some damage in the fight, the thugs broke off from the combat and ran back down the alley shouting threats and curses at the pair, warning them that they had not heard the last of this.

Solaran and Hillson quickly checked on the still bodies on the alley floor and found that two were dead but the third would survive but would be nursing a severe gash in his shoulder for several months. They quickly made their exit and returned to the inn to report their latest news and rumours.

Enlisting Help for the Coming Conflict (Day 10)

Upon their return to the inn Solaran and Hillson, battered and bruised, told the party their news. Whilst they talked, Thormann healed up their wounds. Toby returned to the inn at his allotted time and revealed that he had found where Edith lived, and that he had also found Brannon Byrne’s town house. The party thanked him for the news and asked him to return the following morning so that he can guide them to where they wanted to go.

Toby arrived at the inn later than the allotted time and led the party to Edith’s house. When they arrived at her house, they noticed that the door was ajar, the lock had been bashed in, and no-one was at home. The party searched her house and saw that there had been a struggle, yet nothing was taken. Nazir spotted a note on the table with some writing and a map on it. He picked it up and stowed it for safe keeping.

The party then paid a visit on Brannon Byrne. He lived in a very nice part of the city, close to the central noble quarter. His townhouse was well-built and nicely tended on the outside. After knocking and shouting for entrance, he finally let them into his abode. His mind was obviously on something else as he spoke to them but he did mention that he had managed to decipher the writing on the amulet Solaran had lent him. It said something along the lines of Anastay’s Fortress. He thought it may be the name for the ring where the soul gets held. The party thanked him for the information and asked another boon. They showed him the note with the map and writing and asked him if he could read what it said. He said the writing on the note read “She’s here – Come and get her.” The party made their excuses and left but Brannon hardly saw them go as he waved them off nonchalantly and asked them to close the door on their way out.

Now that two of their questions had been answered, the party decided to attempt to call in a favour from councillor Jarus. Toby knew where he lived, so led them there when asked. The well-armed and armoured guards held them at the door whilst the councillor was called for, and then led them into his sanctum. The party summarised what had been happening to them since they had arrived in Glissom and asked if he could help them by at least giving them a guarantee of not being sentenced to anything too serious provided they rid the city of the threat of the Scorchers and the Guaires family. He did not say straight up that he could help them directly, but that he could pull strings to circumvent some of the jurisdiction processes in an unofficial way provided that collateral damage did not exceed certain limits. The party said that he would not regret this help and vowed to rid the city of its greatest menace.