The Nuln Chronicle

The party has travelled south arriving at an Inn, The Prancing Dragon, on the northern edge of the Argos / Zingaran border. The party’s normal luck has dogged them over their long trek and they arrived at the Inn on foot and almost without funds. Worse, Ukofos’ small harem has been stolen and Penny, the girl of the corporal, had also been stolen. On the journey whilst camped in a forest clearing the seasoned campaigners, feeling merry had a small drink from some wine they had liberated from a caravan. They did not realise that the wine was laced with a strong sleeping draught and they slept soundly whilst the caravan guard relieved them of their horses, the girls and their gold. All the thieves left them were their packs what money they had on their persons and a gold and silver, gem encrusted chess set with one piece missing.

The theft and the loss of his girls proved too much for Ukofos, the party spokesman, and he set off in hot pursuit only to lose the trail. The party dejectedly trudged across country following game trails and living off the land. They missed their powerful steeds more than they expected and the going was rough, finally they arrived at a road running roughly south. They all agreed that perhaps by heading south they could reach the sea and the wealth of the trade routes. After several days trek along the road they came to an inn, The Prancing Dragon, they were less impressed to find that the inn keeper was another of Rufus’ relations although very distant and not nearly as helpful.

A full evening at the inn told the party a lot about the surrounding area. The forests of the Argos / Zingara region were not as profuse here allowing human habitation. There is a small amount of seismic activity that had created a tectonic fold with ravines and cliffs. The area had been settled for several hundred generations but its remoteness had left it largely unknown. The innkeeper, the stable hand and the serving wench, a free woman by the name of Gunnehilde, were able to give the adventurers enough detail they could turn into a sketch map.

They drank heavily and slept where they fell, the last of their gold gone. Gunnehilde carried each of them to their rooms, though they would remember nothing of her doing so. In the morning they awoke with the headache they had come to expect from their drinking binges. Ukofos, not wishing to lead, asked for suggestions as to what they should do. The two Nordheimers were of the opinion that robbing travellers was the way to go. However they noticed that there was a lack of traffic on the roads and they knew it to be ‘busy’. The Pictish borderer, Ragnor, suggested horse theft but it was pointed out that the traffic that had passed had been on foot, curious but not deemed worthy of investigation. Finally the wench Zelana offered an opinion and asked why they didn’t look for work. Radical, the rest party eager for some action, the suggestion was accepted and they decided to continue south east as that was the Messantian road.

They were advised that the next stop was the town of Scardam. They failed to ask about its nature and accepted that it was just another human settlement on a major trade road. It was a week’s walk from the inn to Scardam and the party set off, un-provisioned and on foot. As they travelled they noticed that game became scarcer the nearer they got to the village and they also noted that they got hungrier and thirstier no matter what they ate or drank. They continued on until they reached the town it was late afternoon and they were confused by the lack of noise emanating from what they could see was a bustling town.

Weary from their travel and lack of food and drink they stumbled into the town market and still heard nothing. They could see in front of them women herding livestock, men selling, two smiths hammering at an anvil and the daily activities of a market but they could hear no sound. Before they could ponder the mystery a young man appeared at their side and welcomed them to Scardam. They overcame their initial shock at being able to hear the man quickly and being so tired asked for the nearest inn or tavern. The man, who introduced himself as Tyre, pointed them in the direction of the ‘Eight Legged Horse’ a comfortable hostelry on the towns east side. As they walked to the inn they took in the character of the town.

Constructed in similar fashion to a motte and bailey castle the town of Scardam was built in three tiers of which the party explored the first tier, the main town market to the west and the first inn they stayed at to the east. From the second tier they heard the sound of arms practice and fighting and could see on the third tier the crenulations of a small keep. An impenetrable thicket ring the two upper tiers and an even larger one wound round the whole town. They arrived at the inn and found a table it was a comfortable table with chairs that even the Nordheimers, with their large frames, found easy to sit in. As they sat, a young serving girl arrived and handed each a drink. They had not ordered anything but when each looked they saw that the drink was exactly what they had wanted as they entered the bar room. The weirdness continued as their meals arrived, unordered, exactly what they wanted how they liked it and prepared to perfection.

The party was then shown to immaculately prepared rooms and had the most comfortable of nights, all except Ukofos that is, he was concerned at the perfection and the weird silence. He boarded up the door of his chamber and settled down to sleep on the floor with his last girl, the fragile princess, in the morning he awoke to find that they both lay on a very comfortable bed with a breakfast on the table in the centre of the room.

The party met in the common room and realised that they could hear the sounds of a bustling market town. The young serving girl arrived and asked them if they wished anything to eat. The party tucked into a hearty fry up, all that is except for Ukofos, who had a piece of dry bread and a glass of water. Soon they were ready to set off when the serving girl returned and gave each of them a pack of supplies, she handed Ukofos a second pack and disappeared into the kitchen area. The party set off down the road toward the next way stop where they enjoyed the contents of the packs, boiled cold ham, eggs, cheese and travel bread that was as soft as if it had been fresh baked. In the first of Ukofos’ pack there was a loaf of bread and two flasks of clear liquid, which one of the Nordheimers quickly identified as water and untainted, at which point the doubter gave up and fed on the bread and water.

The next inhabited area was a week’s travel from the village of Scardam and the party were less than enthused as they arrived at a gothic looking castle at the end of the 6^th day. The sun was low in the sky and they walked through the drawbridge and were stopped by two rather bored but burley guards. The party asked if there was any work to be had at the castle, the guards were not sure and said it would be best to ask the lord. The guards then showed the party the keep in the centre of the castle and told them that they should just knock on the heavy oak doors. Confused at the apparent lack of care the guards displayed the party trudged up to the imposing double doors and knocked with the pommel of a dagger.

After two or three minutes the doors opened and a sad eyed butler stood in front of them and informed them that the master was unavailable but would be free to see them after sunset. He led them to a small reception room and asked them to await th master there. About an hour later the butler returned and told them that the master would see them in the drawing room. He then lead them to a room that would have served adequately as the main room of a Victorian Gentleman’s club with leather seats and a wall to wall Library with scrolls and some books.

Standing on a rug with his back to them was a tall figure staring into a raging fire. As they entered he turned and gave them a warm smile. In the light of the fire he had a rather demonic look but his voice was one of refined taste and cultured upbringing. He listened as the party explained their need for work but was sadly unable to help them as he had enough staff. He did offer them a room for the night and pulled a brocade chord to summon the sad eyed butler.

The butler showed them to their rooms and warned them not to leave their rooms under any circumstances until sun up. He could not be drawn into giving reasons just repeating the dire warnings and that neither he nor the master could be held responsible should they ignore the warnings. The party went to better a little on edge, all except Ukofos who almost skipped to the room assigned to him with the words, “You are not paranoid if - They Are Out - to get you”. They party slept and all had strange and terrible nightmares, which they could not remember, but all of them knew that there had been sounds of howling wolves and mournful cries of hunting owls.

So having failed to obtain employment or increase their wealth in any way shape or form. And having been advised that the next inhabited region was three weeks ride from castle Kerline they decided to return to The Inn of the Prancing Dragon and try their luck in the City of Festeen. This meant spending another night at the town of Scardam but everyone was happy with that idea, all except for you-know-who, who dreaded it with every fibre of his being. On the journey back to the town the Pictish borderer, Ragnor Volkar was to have a chance meeting with a rather spirited wench in the forests.

They had failed to restock at the castle and so were forced to live by hunting their own food. They had stopped for a days hunting and Ragnor had gone off as was his want to the dark woods following game tracks that the others had difficulty recognising as game trails. Up ahead of him he heard a large animal moving through the undergrowth, after stalking it for a while he sensed an underlying intelligence; this prey was in fact human. He was to catch up to it more than once and was convinced that the prey was female, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She lead him a merry dance until she dropped out of site into a lair she had built. She lived there with her companion, a large wolf called Ajax.

Ragnor was able to tame the wolf and steal the girl though not with out a fight. The girl naked was finally thrown over his shoulder and carried back to his overnight camp. In the morning he rejoined the party with his booty to the surprise of the rest of the party. They all set off and arrived back at the Inn without further incident. They sat drinking when an old man sitting in the bar with some of his cronies came over to them and told them of the Horse Lord and how he would help them if they asked.

The party set off the next day to the woods of the Horse Lord and were to receive horses and treasure, survive vampireling attack and destroy a Ghoul all in all the stuff of adventuring. All in all it could be just any old day just any old adventure but given that they have now met Wodan, Thor, Tyr, several of the Valkyrie and now one of the manifestations of the goddess Frigga one might say that our party are more than blessed. The horses they now possess could be the blessing the need to turn their fortunes.

What or who will they mess with next? No one, not even the gods can say but you can be sure that whomever it is they will have theirs handful dealing with our plucky adventurers. The party left the forest of the Horse Lord and headed for the city of Festeen.

Festeen, a city on the Argos-Zingaran border, a place of lawless chaos, for the populace it used to be a safe haven on the Messantian road. The pirates, who shared it with them kept a weather eye on the politics of the nobles and merchants, enforcing their own brand of law. It was violent and often ruthless but even so it allowed a relatively prosperous peace.

Over time, over night if you listen to the tavern drunks and barflies, something happened to the status quo, something overturned the old order. Murder increased, the incidents of kidnappings and people disappearing trebled, soon merchants stopped coming to the city. This was the most telling of the troubles as plague ravished the land and, due to its remoteness, and the loss of its farming resources, the city could no longer feed its citizens. The city was on the point of dying, people fled to the more prosperous coastal towns and the infrastructure rotted from the inside.

Soon all that was left of the populous were the dregs of society, those self same barflies and drunks, the poxiest of whores, the worst thieves caught and punished with the removal of a hand, merchants who had gone bankrupt and lost all their assets. Nothing seemed to flourish, buildings fell into disrepair, and the streets ran red with the blood of the scum as they killed each other for the meagre scraps that their indolent and useless lives had left them. Amazingly from this battered, beaten and wretched lowlife arose a leader.

The son of the brothels, child of thieves, ward of pirates this man managed to surround himself with a band of individuals and imposed an elementary law system on the degenerate population. He was not a hero, his methods were brutal, he was not charismatic in the classic sense and few people who met him even remembered him. Those who had cause to cross him did so with the certain knowledge that if he discovered the cross they would be hung from it. He used his loyal band to dispense LAW, he did not know, nor would he have understood, mercy and few argued with him. He created guilds; he created a sense of civic pride finally moulding the dross into a functioning population.

This population rebuilt the city and took on the roles held by nobility. Finally the leader, Malbarect, now recognised by the people as Duke Malbarect, offered his personal guard to the King of Zingara. The band of cut throats and killers saved the King’s life and secured his throne, in recognition of that act each was awarded a title and Malbarect gained the stewardship of Festeen for himself and his family in perpetuity. Since then the Dukes of Festeen have been called Malbarect and the present one is the 25^th of the line. The rumour is that he is the reincarnation of the original Malbarect in his love of the festering city of Festeen.

The prosperity of the City today relies on the “Free Merchant Agreement”. The merchant houses hold Festeen as neutral territory and each of them has a Manse or House in the richer parts of the city. The biggest concentration of Houses has led to the area being called the Merchant Quarter although the warehouses and stockyards, as well as most of the markets are situated in a different area of the city. The Merchant Quarter has a market area and many fine houses but is more famous for the largest Slaver’s concentration in the known world.

The concentration of Slavers in the Merchant Quarter dates back to the original band of Malbarect the First. His five Lieutenants each formed a ships company and returned to their first trade as gentlemen of the sea. They knew that their old boss would take care of their loot and booty and they had their noble status. So the city, though far from the sea became their safe haven. They eventually retired there and now owning several ships each traded in the booty that their captains brought them.

Often prisoners appeared with the loot, prisoners of wealth and consequence who served well as prizes themselves. If the families failed to pay their ransom the Barons had to dispose of them. Malbarect, still trying to achieve respectability believed that by selling these people to the highest bidder the barons could gain some recompense on the enterprise, the families could attempt to rescue them and the barons would not have too many problems with the King’s justice, which could be capricious.

So the Slave Houses were born. Over the years they have established “respectability” and hold a high place on the council of merchants. Today there are five main “Slave Houses” four in the Merchant quarter and one in the Palace District. The four in the merchant quarter are House Perseus, House Arcturos, House Tersan, and House Kracka. These four houses vie for power on the merchant council; currently House Arcturos is the smallest of the four and the word in the inns of Festeen is that they have trouble recruiting although those people working for the house appear happy enough.

The fifth house is the only “Slave House” in the palace district. The Master of the house seems to eschew the politics of the merchant council; indeed he rarely visits the merchant chambers sending instead a young female slave to take notes. This is of course a dire insult to the merchant princes. There appears to be no reason why the merchants allow this kind of behaviour but they do and it is rumoured they do so through respect and fear. House Moravian is indeed unique and has been since it’s founding, it is the oldest Slaving House in the city.

The Slaving Houses provide a tithe of 40 men to “The Watch”; the other merchants tithe a proportion commensurate with their yearly profits. The tithe is in the form of monetary payment to the city coffers at the beginning of the year usually between 8 and 15 men per merchant. The average citizens will pay a tenth of a watchman’s salary per year. The Watch is hired and controlled by the Duke through the city council, an arrangement that has more to do with some abuses of its power than a belief in democratic rights. The Duke is rumoured to have a second Watch, Secret Police, who enforce the Duke’s laws in the harsher areas of the city like the slums, and the more palatial surroundings of the Merchant Princes, making sure that Festeen never again falls to the ravages of greed.

The head of the “Secret Police” is known only the Duke, and the poor unfortunates who meet him in an official capacity (arrest, interrogation and execution), know whom he is and they are not talking. The Duke likes the control he has through the fear of his Chief of Police. The poor unfortunates usually find that they have no ability to speak as they lose their tongues or their heads. Whether the Duke is playing a massive mind game with his subjects or whether there is a head of a secret police is one of the favoured topics in the inns and taverns of Festeen. One thing is known that the populace sleeps soundly at night because the Duke is in charge and however he manages it there is rarely cause to complain.

Before they could reach the city they had to stop at the way station on the edge of the Chasm of Death, a fanciful name for a 500 ft chasm, over which spans one of the Atlantean’s bridges. Made of stone it spans some 300-foot the narrowest part of the chasm. On the forest side is a small hut, The Way Station, large enough to hold about thirty people, if crammed in, the way station offers the traveller a comfortable cot and shelter from the biting winds that often blow up from the chasm. As our party entered they noticed an elfin like figure adjusting the tuning pegs of a lute. Eager for some entertainment Ukofos asked the minstrel to play a tune. As they sat and listened they were overcome by sleep and awoke refreshed in the dawn light. The minstrel was nowhere to be seen and each of them had the feeling of loss and of an urgent need to do something although none of them could work out what. The ever-cynical Ukofos wondered at this but as they had no malevolent or ill willed feelings toward each other he pushed it to the back of his mind.

It was early morning when they arrived and there were two guards on duty at the postern gate. They were checking every one as thy came in and as they went out. Weapons were taken and a token given for their return. The party started asking questions about the unusual level of security to be told that the Town administrator’s daughter had been kidnapped and that no ransom had been requested nor could the secret police narrow down her whereabouts. They could say that they believed that it was one of the slave houses they also found out that the political climate of the city was such that there were several factions who may have a vested interest in the girl, either missing or found. In the spirit of adventure the party knew they could do no less than find the girl, it would after all aid their fortunes with the 50,000 gold piece reward.

They decided that they would insinuate themselves within the most likely house and work from there. They attempted a little fact-finding before hand and were intrigued to find the main players of the political game did not just include the five slave houses. There were two religious / clerical players involved, the head cleric at the temple of Mithra (Mitra) and a priest of Wodan who most believed was a bit of a charlatan. This brought the major players total to 9, The Secret Police being the ninth. Lord knew what they had stumbled into but it seemed like they could not fail to make money from it and they only had to “keep their eyes open and their mouths shut”. It was not going to be easy.

They decided to come at it from two fronts and sold Zelana back into slavery. An amateurish mistake and one they soon regretted as they tried to buy her only to discover she had been sold to an anonymous buyer. They now had no inside information and a member of their party was missing. This was only slightly more worrying than the price they would have to pay for saddles for their horses and for the various items that Ukofos was buying which included a leather cat suit for Zelana.

They found the girl in House Perseus, a house they had previously dismissed, so had the secret police. It appeared that whoever had kidnapped her believed in the maxim “Hidden in plain site as she was in the viewing room. The party took this information to the Palace but the Duke was not receiving visitors and they went to where they believed he might be. It was at House Moravian that they found the head of the Secret Police and they were reunited with Zelana who had been purchased to keep her out of trouble. They still had no kidnapped daughter and they then had a meeting with the Duke.

They were given the task of rescuing the Duke’s daughter. The head of the Secret Police knows who they are and they have a nagging feeling they should be doing something. They also have a commission to kidnap a feared, and murderous, pirate captain; she is the object of a slavers lust. This has connotations they will be far reaching as the party examines their motivations and just how far they will go.

THE NEXT GAMING SESSION WILL BE SATURDAY,

March 10^TH 2007 AT THE USUAL PLACE.

17:00 START AND SARAH WILL BE DOING HER USUAL CATERING.

Each member of the party gains Favoured Terrain: Forests. This is cumulative if they have it already they gain it at +2

Each party member has a Dire Horse that they have trained to allow him or her to mount.

Ragnor Volkar’s new acquisition has been bitten and failed her checks. Zelana has been bitten four times.

I have used the gods of the Viking myths because I like them and they are not so well known as the Greek and Roman gods (although I will be using those as we get to the Vilayet sea (Mediterranean feel)) The gods of these myths are Atlanteans, they were an advanced race who destroyed their island home in a terrible accident (I refrain from using Nuclear explosion as they had surpassed nuclear physics) they are a sterile race (they cannot breed amongst themselves however they can produce children with a human partner although the offspring lacks the genetic memory of the Atlantean parent) and not immortal (just incredibly long lived Einstein may have been the last Atlantean Human offspring). With this said the Norse gods represent powerful neutral entities with a few extra powers that they use as tools. Loki is the Chaotic front man, Tyr the Good, Odin represents Law and so on. Frigga represents animals (generally). Hey its my game I chose - get used to it!!!!

They gained experience for this and for finding the girl.

The PDF of the above is on the link if you would prefer to print it off. There are Pictures as well.

Journey to Messantia