Intelligence Report – Part 1

Day 1 – Kintargo (Rova 1, 4715)

Preface - Morning in Aria Park

Early in the morning there was a light summer rain. The leaves in Aria Park are still damp – as are the cobblestones of Argent Avenue. Nevertheless, dozens of Kintargans have gathered in front of the opera house. They are protesting against the city’s new Lord-Mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune.

Following the unexpected reassignment of the former Lord-Mayor, the city’s new leader was appointed by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of the thrice-damned House Thrune. An event that has enraged many citizens. Within a week, Paracount Thrune has imposed martial law, ordered a curfew, and issued seven strange proclamations. These deeds have drawn a few dozen disgruntled citizens here on this overcast morning. The many who have stayed home do so out of fear. Fear of the new ruler’s harsh crackdown, and fear of the Order of the Rack and its Hellknights.

Six of these Hellknights now flank the crowd on horseback, while a dozen dottari and their durotas shield the entrance to the opera house. The durotas looks familiar to you. It is that ugly, gaunt woman who read out the seven proclamations at this very spot five days ago. Of Barzillai Thrune himself there is no sign. The doors of the opera house are locked. They have been ever since the paracount chose the city’s landmark as his new home. The ever-louder din of the discontented is an utter cacophony. There are apparently anarchists present who seem to hope the protest will soon turn into a full-blown riot. Loyalists support Barzillai in his intention to finally bring order to Kintargo. Partisans despise the tightening Chelish grip on Kintargo and demand self-rule. Conservatives decry Barzillai Thrune’s new laws and taxes as bad for business, and democrats complain that Barzillai was not elected but simply appointed by the queen.

House Thrune Intelligence Report on the Events in Aria Park on Rova 1, 4715

In the early morning of Rova 1 – as His Excellency Barzillai Thrune had already anticipated – slightly more than 50 citizens of Kintargo gathered in Aria Park (J4) to demonstrate, in their delusion, against the absolutely necessary proclamations of Arodus 27, 4715. This took place in a disorderly manner at first, later through the use of pseudo-intellectual rhymes and the deployment of “jungle drums,” which lent the protest a certain rhythm. It was thus discernible that the uprisings were (co-)organized and/or channeled in particular by five subversive elements. Said elements shall henceforth be subject to closer scrutiny. This report confines itself to these elements, in proper alphabetical order.

AO: Files are to be opened on the elements and supplemented as required.

GP at present: low

Element C

Alias: Chess. Name: Chessalia. Race: tiefling. Sex: female. Eye color: red. Hair color: - Skin color: red. Age: /, rather young. Height: approx. 170 cm. Build: slender and wiry. Clothing: dark leather. Armament: hand crossbow. Distinguishing features: a certain talent with fire, well-groomed appearance, skin looks leathery

=> She organized the anarchic elements

Element G

Alias: Grizzly. Race: human. Sex: male. Eye color: dark. Hair color: dark (stubble). Skin color: pale beige. Age: 24. Height: nearly 200 cm. Build: stocky. Clothing: tattered. Armament: longsword, dagger, and shield. Passive: leather, hacked to pieces. Distinguishing features: unkempt.

Element L

Alias: Lorax. Race: fetchling. Sex: male. Eye color: white (nearly pupilless). Hair color: white. Skin color: milky white. Age: approx. 25 years. Height: approx. 170 cm. Build: wiry, somewhat emaciated. Clothing: dark and gray robes, face covered. Armament: two short swords. Passive: leather armor. Distinguishing features: able to use shadows for concealment (fetchling)

=> He played the drums

Element Q

Alias: Quinn. Name: Quinn. Race: halfling. Sex: male. Eye color: gray. Hair color: brown (incl. sideburns). Skin color: beige. Age: /. Height: approx. 100 cm. Build: nimble. Clothing: plain. Armament: longsword / halfling sling staff. Passive: studded leather. Distinguishing features: serious face, barefoot (halfling)

=> Made contact with V

Element V

Alias: Vergylius. Name: Vergylius Aulorian (G13). Race: half-elf. Sex: male. Eye color: purple. Hair color: black/green/white. Skin color: beige. Age: approx. 30 yrs. Height: approx. 180 cm. Build: frail and feeble. Clothing: see Distinguishing features. Armament: / Distinguishing features: was moving about Aria Park in disguise, evidently did not wish to be recognized as Vergylius. Student at the Alabaster Academy (magic)

Sequence of Events on Rova 1

While the rabble demonstrated in front of the opera house, where His Excellency BT resides, the Queensmen took up their positions in disguise, so as to be well prepared to put a stop to the evil.

When BT appeared on the balcony and announced his important eighth proclamation to the people, the protests intensified, and an ugly scene ensued when a ball of dung was thrown at His Excellency. It did miss him, but – according to rumor – wine is said to have been spilled in the process. Sacrilege, since it came from the ruler’s glass. In this light, BT’s response, to give the rabble a good thrashing, was only appropriate and more than understandable. The dottari raised their weapons, the Hellknights on their warhorses circled the demonstrators, and the Queensmen attacked the vile riffraff from within the crowd. A resounding success of masterful planning, worthy of House Thrune.

Proclamation the Eighth:

All ships’ captains of foreign heritage are hereafter banned from leaving their vessels and setting foot on Kintargo docks or streets, under pain of squassation.

Regrettably, Element C succeeded in clouding the minds of several Queensmen with trickery and in sowing fear. A dagger from the crowd struck Lady Nox in the neck, prompting her to make a tactical withdrawal and, shortly thereafter, to reappear in front of the opera accompanied by a hell hound, which struck terror into the demonstrators. Element G used his longsword against the Queensmen and ultimately escaped just punishment, as, regrettably, did Elements L, C, V, and Q, though not without taking some hits themselves.

While fleeing, V spotted the nobleman Rexus Victocora, of House Victocora, which had been destroyed days earlier by resentful employees (cf. the revision of the initial witness statements, which in all seriousness sought to hold soldiers of House Thrune responsible). R had been cornered by 6 Queensmen, but owing to his magical abilities had managed to render three of them unconscious. V, who apparently maintains friendly ties to R, thereupon provoked the Queensmen – still in disguise – and took out another two of them with a color spray, a spell capable of rendering its targets senseless. The last Queensman, a fellow by the name of Gellius, was on the verge of finishing V off when the rest of the gang appeared, G in particular, whose presence prompted Gellius to flee, though C and G prevented his escape.

The unconscious Queensmen had their throats criminally slit by Q, and the gang, now accompanied by the wounded Rexus, V, and the prisoner Gellius, fled on through the alleys.

In a back room of the nearby Crissalis Fine Tomes bookshop, the elements now began the interrogation of Gellius. In the course of it, he outed himself as an opportunist who had wanted to turn to his own advantage the opportunity that the thrice-damned House Thrune affords the citizens of the city. Rexus Victocora had drawn attention on account of his pride (contrary to the fourth proclamation, he was wearing noble attire) and had therefore been apprehended. The discussion of how to deal with the prisoner ended in letting him go, in the hope of recruiting him as a spy for their own purposes.

Following his discharge, Element V revealed his true appearance to the others, and Rexus Victocora tended to his own injuries and those of the other elements with the three healing potions at his disposal.

The elements established that nearly everyone rejected Thrune’s rightful rule over Kintargo, mostly because friends and acquaintances had disappeared since the Night of Ashes, among them the tailor Hetamon, known to Elements C, Q, and G. C even swore to find him again. V and Rexus are searching for any survivors of House Victocora. Rexus, for his part, now revealed to his rescuers a letter his mother had left him, in which she urged him to seek out, with the help of friends, the Silver Ravens, a secret organization which of course did not and does not exist (see the relevant revisions), but which turned the gang into a fellowship. Rexus outfitted his new companions with various treasures.

The letter suggested that an old, secret SR cache lay beneath the Fair Fortune Livery, and the group resolved to locate it. Before the evening curfew, C, G, L, Q, V, and Rexus sought out the building and gained unlawful entry. In the process, three dogs were killed on the upper floor, at least one of which ought to have been surrendered to House Thrune under Proclamation 3. By the glow of V’s dancing lights, L discovered an old signet ring of House Juliac. Q found tracks of small, clawed feet and eventually also a hatch leading to the lower areas of the livery.

Once down there, it also became clear why minor magical tricks had already been employed upstairs to persuade the group to leave. Various grimples, possessing minor magical talent, gremlin lice, and projectile vomit attacks, had made their lair there, but were defeated by the fellowship. Some minor valuables were also found in the process, even a magic cloak, which G put on and which, according to V’s statement, confers protection.

Another large room, containing two lemures and with its walls inscribed with diabolical litanies, was explored by the fellowship and the lesser devils defeated. And indeed, not far at all from the fetid pool in which the lemures had been lurking, the group found three chests with partly magical contents, among which 6 figurines of wondrous power (silver raven) deserve particular mention. Where the flute music that kept recurring in the cellar came from, however, they were unable to determine.

To be continued…

IMV

HA!