Iron Realm Log Twenty-Four
Just in case you've forgotten, the cast:
Tragladt - Dwarf warrior
- male
Atris - Lich assassin - female
Buxttonn - Elf Battlemage - male
Tahlia - Vampyre thief - female
Drusila - Vampyre battlemage - female
Kysan'tel - Wildling battlemage - female
Wyrin - Wildling warrior - female
Taid Sef - Dwarf sorcerer
- gender unknown
Caster - Human assassin - male
Year of Darkness 1123
3rd - 4th day of the Tiger
Next morning Atris manages to create a superb poison called Red Mist, which will cause any who inhale the aroma berserk and fight until the death. Caster, her trainee, watches intently.
Later that morning she faces Baldon, an aging lieutenant at the Crooked Staff who warns her that a proper succession (whereby the guildmaster is slain by the successor) must occur to maintain order.
"You have said you don't want the job," Baldon says, "which will leave us with a civil war in the guild. There will be blood on the streets because of you young lady."
Atris quickly loses patience with the old assassin. She opens the door to the taproom and shouts. "The first one to kill this old bastard gets to become guildmaster!"
Baldon is dead within the blink of an eye with three successful assassins culprits. Atris nods. "So Fate has spoken - the guild can be ruled by committee."
And so the guild of killers had three new masters / mistresses. Atris confirms that she will be like a sleeping advisor if the guild gets into trouble. Not one of them complain.
But Atris's reasons for taking the guild was to find a secret society of killers, a group so powerful that they have disappeared from view but have honed their skills to perfection. Even with finely tuned lich telepathy she cannot find them.
The rest of the party busy themselves with the search for Azimar's Tower, the fabled center of magic in the Iron Realms. The day proves futile but that evening the are to attend court at Salinar's invitation.
On the way Tragladt goes with lord Valorn to Velenkor, the best armourer in the Iron Realms, and whilst he is skeptical about the dwarf he is not reticent at taking his money. One thousand pieces of gold buys some decent plate armour.
"I will have it ready in a week."
"There is a bonus for you if it is done sooner," Tragladt says. Velenkor grins and gets to work.
Salinar introduces the party to the court, with the exception of Kysan'tel, who stays in the Astral Tower to study. Atris and lord Valorn are treated like celebrities; the tourney champion and Godslayer.
Drusilla, who is elegance and beauty personified, uses her natural charm to inquire about the Tower of Azimar. She meets a mage called Garneris who tells her the truth: "If you are talented enough to find Azimar's Tower you are talented enough to study there."
Drusilla is aware that a large proportion of the court are vampyres like her, but she is new and many of the males (hot or cold blooded) take a shine to her. She is popular and surrounded by several aspiring suitors.
Taid Sef observes the court with the rare astute intelligence of a sorcerer. Being a dwarf he has seen nothing like the political and personal politics of a king's court and is struck by how strange and pompous the game is. So he amuses himself by spreading rumours; some tall tales and some plausible and dangerous whispers. He plays the court like a finely tuned instrument and he plays it well!
Little does the dwarf know however, that some of his rumours are true.
Lord Xarian, a nobleman from House Dalvor, accuses Valorn of taking Stormbringer. He wants it and voices his displeasure forcefully. Atris joins the argument but before things turn ugly a giant of a man interjects himself. Standing almost seven feet tall and nearly as wide he is called Loaf, Vainnor's personal bodyguard.
Atris tries to touch the giant's mind but it is protected. Loaf is faster than he looks, almost teleporting to where a problem might occur to diffuse a dangerous situation.
Unbeknown to the rest of the party, or indeed the court, Kysan'tel, alerted to Lord Xarians wants by the mental powers of Atris, has attendeed the palace and donned some serious disguises and poses as a serving wench. She has - wisely - left the great black blade safely behind in the Astral Tower.
At the height of the argument Kysan'tel accidentally spills drinks over Lord Xarian. Kysan'tel screams and fakes being struck by the Lord who protests his innocense, Loaf grasps the lords arm and unceremoniously throws him out of court.
Caster maintains a disguise as the famous political cartoonist Wanksy and tries to impress the assembled lords and ladies with his biting political satire and sharp wit.
Drusilla is more pragmatic and seduces the captain of the palace guard, a man called Avik Hammerhand, who falls for her lusty charms easily. The head guardsman takes the beautiful vampyre to his room but it is the dark Drusilla who has her wicked way with him.
Avik is more talkative afterwards and reveals a great deal about the layers of security within the palace, information she later shares with the party. She learns of a ring of assassins that protect King Vainnor along with a magical barrier that protect the king's chambers.
Drusilla works out that if the the king's personal bodyguard is present then it is likely that the king is too. She shadows Loaf carefully and unobtrusively, eventually getting a breakthrough when she spots a serving boy called Geoffrey. Drusilla is convinced that this is the king in disguise.
She follows him everywhere. Even when she tries to speak to him alone Loaf is there, gently shooing her away.
Kysan'tel, still disguised, decides to return to the Astral Tower but realises she is being followed. Using wraith form she is able to surprise the follower, who reveals that he is working for lord Xarian. Kysan'tel scares the spy into dropping a poison blade and gives him a message to send back to his lord.
Later, Atris reveals that the poison was intended to hurt Wildlings. Atris decides to enhance it that evening and create a better one, but with such inferior raw materials the poison is sub-standard.
Before Atris leaves the court he tries to persuade Loaf to ask the king to come to the Crooked Staff. Loaf says nothing but Drusilla's instincts are sharp. She goes with Atris and Caster to the Crooked Staff, certain that the king will come.
When Geoffrey enters the tavern there is silence. Atris stares at the boy. "How did you get in?"
"The guards on the door are asleep," he says.
"Don't be absurd."
Geoffrey shrugs. "Well they were after Loaf bashed their heads against the wall."
Drusilla bows down. "Greetings your majesty."
He acknowledges his true identity but refuses Atris's invitation to go to the Astral Tower.
"I owe you a massive debt of gratitude for slaying the goddess, but if I am honest I don't entirely trust you yet. Maybe in a few days - after we have got to know each other - things will be different.
"Therefore I politely decline your offer to see your tower, due largely to the fact that Stormbringer is there. That sword drives the wielder mad."
Later that night the party are all back at the Astral Tower for a debrief. Kysan'tel tries to take Stormbringer into the secret anti magic chamber but the sword becomes angry. She decides to return it to the armoury instead . . .