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matt_doyleSo. How did our band of intrepid guardsman wind up knocking on the doors to Hell? It's been a long road, and so I will summarize as succinctly as I can.
This guard patrol has repeatedly supported what they saw as fairness and justice, rather than supporting the letter of the law. Their NPC commanding officer has largely let this happen, partly from pre-retirement apathy, partly from wistful sympathy for their naivete, and partly because, quite simply, while he is moral and ethical he is also cowardly about moral and ethical confrontations. beat up, shoot, or arrest criminals? Solve crimes? Fine. Dealing with a legitimate conflict of interest between honest folk of goodwill? He heads for the hills. I'm not sure the party has noticed this characteristic yet, but it won't always work in their favor.
There has also been some shuffling in the lineup -- Anthia was kidnapped and killed by the Wild Hunt, for reasons the party still doe snot fully understand. Eustacious deserted to take a better job -- more on that later in the summary. Anthia's first replacement, a guard-probationer named Velerianus, actually turned on the party, at which point an NPC drove a spell-charged fist through his solar plexus. Our newest addition to the roster is Lady Requiem Shiverbreeze, a rather mercenary contractor who has been loaned to the Guard by her employer, in order to encourage them to complete a particular investigation from a particular angle.
Only a week ago, Eustacious was still with the party, and Requiem was not. The guard patrol had stopped at the home of one Lord Lutaignan Sandfall, who styles himself High Lord Lutaignan and claims to be a bastard child of the King. Lutaignan, through unsavory underworld connections, had heard rumors that someone had put an assassination contract out for him, and invited the guard to his home to protect him and investigate while they attended to their other duties within the barony. As Lutaignan's sybaritic mansion was immeasurably better than a small-town inn, the party accepted, and when the rather dramatic attempt came, they thwarted it, with some help from Lutaignan's two bodyguards; Chanteuse and Requiem.
In the aftermath of the attempt, taking Lutaignan to safety in the nearest town and investigating the disappearance of Chanteuse (yes, she was there a scene ago. Long story), the party began to hear disturbing news pouring in from all corners of the kingdom. Someone had targeted nearly every heir of the king, legitimate or otherwise, with assassination. Three attempts (counting the one on Lutaignan) failed, and two heirs were not targeted. However, the field had rapidly cleared of most of the obvious choices to take the throne -- one by poison, one by death curse, one by vitrification; one wounded in a duel and then murdered by his doctor, two by kidnapping... in a dramatic example, the Royal Weatherworker's Tower, in which one of the princess studied, was burned to the ground by pyromancy, killing an estimnated 141 people.
The King, who had been ill for quite some time, did not survive this news. The Kingdom's Treasurer emerged from the king's deathbed with a signed proclamation naming him the sovereign... which is when things began to fall apart.
Prince-Bannerman Ainyall, working with Brigadier of the Guard Apsaina Orchardwell, issued a general recall to the Royal Guard to a fortified location. This is all but an open declaration of rebellion against the Regent -- and one that rallies 2/3rds of the mibilized military force in the kingdom to him (if all of them obey this probably-illegal order). The Prince is well-loved by the guard, but his magic is very weak, rendering him unfit in the eyes of the nobility.
Princess-Velator (a religious title) Zarilie receives the official blessings of the Temple of the Winged Ones, a slightly less outright and illegal act but still presumptuous. The Princess has had no involvement in politics for twenty years. While it does not carry any military weight, the Temple gives her loyal magicians and positive propaganda in literally every city in the kingdom.
Baroness-Consort Raicaselle Endworld, who gave up her title to marry a border lord, arranges for the Trade Guilds to rally behind her son, Scalliar, who *is* a legally valid heir, but is 8 years old. She also immediately mobilizes local militia, barricades roads, and seizes property in three neighboring baronies. This shows remarkable organizational skill and foresight... especially given that no assassins targeted her and she was under suspicion of fomenting rebellion and illegally training and arming commoner troops less than two months ago.
Princess Abrillion, a bastard daughter fostered with the Duke and Duchess of Coldreach, has only recently come of age and is politically and magically unknown. No assassins targeted her. Several days into this mess, her foster-parents will declare in her favor, and the entire Duchy of Coldreach -- 20% of the kingdom -- will answer with their loyalty. This is assumed to be a transparent power grab by her guardians.
High Lord Lutaignan, with a letter showing he was invited to the king's sickbed to discuss his inheritance, does NOT make an overt claim... quite. Instead, he proclaims his intention to be considered by the Regent, and strolls into the capitol to have a polite, obedient chat. as he does, he sends his bodyguard with Our Heroes, charging them to find his vanished bodyguard and investigate the assassination of his half-siblings.
The party, dreading political conflict and not wishing to follow their probably-illegal recall order, agrees. They head for the Royal Weatherworkers' Tower, or what remains of it.
This guard patrol has repeatedly supported what they saw as fairness and justice, rather than supporting the letter of the law. Their NPC commanding officer has largely let this happen, partly from pre-retirement apathy, partly from wistful sympathy for their naivete, and partly because, quite simply, while he is moral and ethical he is also cowardly about moral and ethical confrontations. beat up, shoot, or arrest criminals? Solve crimes? Fine. Dealing with a legitimate conflict of interest between honest folk of goodwill? He heads for the hills. I'm not sure the party has noticed this characteristic yet, but it won't always work in their favor.
There has also been some shuffling in the lineup -- Anthia was kidnapped and killed by the Wild Hunt, for reasons the party still doe snot fully understand. Eustacious deserted to take a better job -- more on that later in the summary. Anthia's first replacement, a guard-probationer named Velerianus, actually turned on the party, at which point an NPC drove a spell-charged fist through his solar plexus. Our newest addition to the roster is Lady Requiem Shiverbreeze, a rather mercenary contractor who has been loaned to the Guard by her employer, in order to encourage them to complete a particular investigation from a particular angle.
Only a week ago, Eustacious was still with the party, and Requiem was not. The guard patrol had stopped at the home of one Lord Lutaignan Sandfall, who styles himself High Lord Lutaignan and claims to be a bastard child of the King. Lutaignan, through unsavory underworld connections, had heard rumors that someone had put an assassination contract out for him, and invited the guard to his home to protect him and investigate while they attended to their other duties within the barony. As Lutaignan's sybaritic mansion was immeasurably better than a small-town inn, the party accepted, and when the rather dramatic attempt came, they thwarted it, with some help from Lutaignan's two bodyguards; Chanteuse and Requiem.
In the aftermath of the attempt, taking Lutaignan to safety in the nearest town and investigating the disappearance of Chanteuse (yes, she was there a scene ago. Long story), the party began to hear disturbing news pouring in from all corners of the kingdom. Someone had targeted nearly every heir of the king, legitimate or otherwise, with assassination. Three attempts (counting the one on Lutaignan) failed, and two heirs were not targeted. However, the field had rapidly cleared of most of the obvious choices to take the throne -- one by poison, one by death curse, one by vitrification; one wounded in a duel and then murdered by his doctor, two by kidnapping... in a dramatic example, the Royal Weatherworker's Tower, in which one of the princess studied, was burned to the ground by pyromancy, killing an estimnated 141 people.
The King, who had been ill for quite some time, did not survive this news. The Kingdom's Treasurer emerged from the king's deathbed with a signed proclamation naming him the sovereign... which is when things began to fall apart.
Prince-Bannerman Ainyall, working with Brigadier of the Guard Apsaina Orchardwell, issued a general recall to the Royal Guard to a fortified location. This is all but an open declaration of rebellion against the Regent -- and one that rallies 2/3rds of the mibilized military force in the kingdom to him (if all of them obey this probably-illegal order). The Prince is well-loved by the guard, but his magic is very weak, rendering him unfit in the eyes of the nobility.
Princess-Velator (a religious title) Zarilie receives the official blessings of the Temple of the Winged Ones, a slightly less outright and illegal act but still presumptuous. The Princess has had no involvement in politics for twenty years. While it does not carry any military weight, the Temple gives her loyal magicians and positive propaganda in literally every city in the kingdom.
Baroness-Consort Raicaselle Endworld, who gave up her title to marry a border lord, arranges for the Trade Guilds to rally behind her son, Scalliar, who *is* a legally valid heir, but is 8 years old. She also immediately mobilizes local militia, barricades roads, and seizes property in three neighboring baronies. This shows remarkable organizational skill and foresight... especially given that no assassins targeted her and she was under suspicion of fomenting rebellion and illegally training and arming commoner troops less than two months ago.
Princess Abrillion, a bastard daughter fostered with the Duke and Duchess of Coldreach, has only recently come of age and is politically and magically unknown. No assassins targeted her. Several days into this mess, her foster-parents will declare in her favor, and the entire Duchy of Coldreach -- 20% of the kingdom -- will answer with their loyalty. This is assumed to be a transparent power grab by her guardians.
High Lord Lutaignan, with a letter showing he was invited to the king's sickbed to discuss his inheritance, does NOT make an overt claim... quite. Instead, he proclaims his intention to be considered by the Regent, and strolls into the capitol to have a polite, obedient chat. as he does, he sends his bodyguard with Our Heroes, charging them to find his vanished bodyguard and investigate the assassination of his half-siblings.
The party, dreading political conflict and not wishing to follow their probably-illegal recall order, agrees. They head for the Royal Weatherworkers' Tower, or what remains of it.
