Last time we left our heroes at theâMountain Goatâ inn, the group discuss their next move. They suspect that theBaron Harquot might be hiding something going on in the mountains and they know that the flying ship most likely landed or stranded around this area. Especially Lucille is dissatisfied with the groupâs slow progress and demands action, sparking hefty debate.
The innkeeper, undercover of slipping the next drink onto their table, quietly asks the cavaliers where they are from and what they are doing in town. Suspicious of this inquiry they ask who wants to know, and the innkeeper tells them to wait for him in their lodgings. The group quickly get up and goes upstairs to their rooms where they discuss what the innkeeper might want. When the innkeeper joins them, he is clearly very nervous and very inquisitive about their behavior. Lucille and Franco both get suspicious, and before he knows it, the innkeeper sits tied to a chair. He admits to being an informant for the Baronâs henchman JĂŒrgen.
The group discuss the situation after having gagged the innkeeper. When they come up with some more questions for him and remove the gag he immediately size the opportunity to shout for âGISELLE!â the barmaid. Quickly gagging him again Franco rushes out to stop Giselle before she reaches the chamber, quickly stopping her by saying that a candle made the drapes catch fire, but it is under control. Adel, taking the distraction very seriously, rushes out and throws a burning rag into the next room, only to inadvertently set fire to an already occupied room, leaving the tenants stunned.
As the fire spreads quickly, all is panic. The group manage to get the innkeeper out, still bound and gagged, and get their horses saddled up for a quick getaway. They leave the inn in flames as panicking villagers try to stop the spreading fire, shouting for Giselle who stayed behind to stop the fire from the inside. The cavaliers quickly debate the situation, agreeing that the fire is a good cover for a getaway and that Giselleâs fate is not their concern! The mission comes first.
They ride out towards the mountains under the cover of night, intending to find out what exactly what secret project the Baron has used the able-bodied villagers for. Adel comes up with an idea: hiding in the cornfields surrounding the village the group will be in an excellent position to ambush the inevitable messengers the Baron will send out to search for them. The group takes positions and wait. In the earlier hours of the morning a group of riders does head out from the castle, riding fast towards the mountains. The cavaliers bide their time and strike quickly, riding up on their prey and firing away with pistol, crossbow and musket. The startled riders led by JĂŒrgen fight back but perish under a flurry of fire, sword and lance. Lucille has her baptism of fire as she spears one man and slices another open.
As the dust settles, the group has left only JĂŒrgen and one woman alive. Lucille, shocked by her first taste of actual killing, feels weak and sits down sobbing. The more hardened cavaliers leave her alone while tying up the survivors and discussing their next move. Adel, in a fit of irritation with the ânew girlâ throws a rock at Lucille, teasing her with crying over a dead opponent. An enraged Lucille responds with her fists, and the two end up brawling on the ground until Adel is knocked cold and Franco intervenes, stopping the fight. Using the best of his diplomatic abilities to smooth over the anger between the two he inspires them to focus on the mission.*
JĂŒrgen can tell the group that the Baron somehow knew that a flying ship from the Gallinean Royal Navy would go down in the mountain, and has conscripted villagers and travelers passing by the castle to restore the ship to proper condition. JĂŒrgen and his men are mercenaries, hired to provide security for this task. Skillful negotiation reveals that JĂŒrgen used to be a sergeant in the Gallinean Army, discharged dishonorably after a duel with a higher ranked officer turned fatal. The group promises to provide amnesty and a possible reentrance into the army for his help, and JĂŒrgen is convinced to guide them to the shipwreck.
After tying their prisoners up (the innkeeper and the surviving member of JĂŒrgenâs party), they continue to the hills where JĂŒrgen promises they can find the downed airship. Sure enough the airship is there, somewhat damaged as if I a rough landing. The area around the ship has been cleared and a camp set up, full of chained workers and mean looking guards. The cavaliers enter with JĂŒrgen in the lead to show their peaceful intentions. JĂŒrgen negotiates the proposed defection with his men, but things does not work out as expected, mid-sentence one of his own former comrades shoots him down. A fight ensues, with the vastly outnumbered cavaliers trying to fight off the camp guards loyal to the Baron. The pressed group manages to rally the prisoners and help them in their fight, and after a dire melee, the cavaliers are in command of the camp.
With the situation under their control, the group searches the camp for anything that might give them further clues as to the Baronâs exact plans.
We ended the session here, good roleplaying all round and still a lot of story progress.
*Lucille and Adelâs players decided right off the bat that their characters have a strained relationship, and played it remarkably thoroughly out.
A little bonus update: Our newest player Thomas was inspired to create a sketch of his character and it ended up as a full drawing. On the left is Lucille, a dragoon of noble birth and high expectations. On the right is an interesting initial character concept of a hunter-type.Â
This session saw the introduction of a new character. Our former player Tue got the opportunity to study in Grenada for a semesters and left at the end of January. We found a new player, Thomas, who fitted well into the group and had his baptism of fire this session.
Last time our heroes managed to prevent the assassination of Queen Mariana and put an end to the splinter group of violent republicans responsible for it.
Lucilleâs presence has immediate effect. Franco is properly respectful and introduces himself most humbly and Katya extends her perpetually oily hand in a greeting. Lucille, taken aback by this curtesy, ensures them both that no formality is necessary, her experience as a dragoon has taught her to live like everyone else. Promptly mistaking Adel for a maid Lucille hands her baggage over to the Ifrani and asks to be shown her room, sparking an immediate dislike form Adelâs side.
With the confusion of rank sorted and Lucille installed in a spare bedroom her following of court officials leave, leaving only one who had so far kept to the shadows â the Prince Jean-Remy, the Queenâs all but official spymaster. Jean-Remy informs the groups that he expects them to welcome Lucille, a distant relative of the Queenâs and her childhood friend, as one of their own and help her get some of the practical experience she craves. Lucille is a girl ill-suited to court life, preferring the direct involvement in the monarchyâs politics through her life in the army and current position with the cavaliers, now appointed to bolster the groupâs numbers after Alexandrus left to take up appointment as a personal bodyguard to the Queen.
With the new team member introduced Jean-Remy moves on to another pressing matter; a prototype military flying ship has recently been launched on its maiden voyage from Lutetia and was on its way to the southern coast but have not reached its destination nor been heard from for weeks. It is feared the ship might have crashed or fallen into enemy hands. Fearing a leak in the security operations the Queenâs agents decided to turn to our heroes whose loyalty recent actions proves their loyalty. They are requested to conduct a search for the ship and if possible make contact with its crew, headed by Captain Henri. If the ship cannot be retrieved it must be destroyed to ensure the prototypeâs security.
The group considers the matter, and decides that Adel and Katya should leave for the royal observatory to see if they can get any information on weather patterns along the shipâs route. Lucille protests that immediate action is required â she is ready to set out for the last known location of the ship and start from there. Some debate ensue, but eventually the group sticks to their original plan.
At the observatory weather reports from all over Gallinea can be found, and Katya manages to pierce together a reasonable estimate on where the ship might have gone down given its planned journey and the weather conditions at the time. The barony Harqout, located in a remote area midways between Lutetia and the South Coast, seems the most likely place to search based on this information.
The group makes their preparations for the journey over dinner, prepared by Franco who has developed a passion for cookery over the groupâs last few weeks in their new apartment. Sadly, Francoâs skills does not follow his ambitions, and dinner is hardly a memorable experience. The dinner only serves to irk Lucille, who is impatient for action. When Adel and Katya begin discussing a wagon for the journey her patience is comes to an end â the fastest way to travel is by horse, and speed should be of the essence in situations like these! This time Lucille gets her way, and before long the group is gathered by Lutetiaâs south gate and heads for the barony of Harquot.
It is a long and uneventful journey, and the group spends the time getting to know their newest member. Adel already nurtures a rivalry with the foppish Lucille, not having forgiven her for having taken her for a maid. The two try to one up each other on horsemanship, with Adel winning the competition by the narrowest of margins. Franco takes a more diplomatic option and tries to spark up conversation about Lucilleâs relation to the royal family, something that impresses his nationalist sensibilities. Katya meanwhile keeps to herself; still tinkering with a few inventions, she has constructed to aid the party.
The group tries to piece together what information they have about Harquot from rumors and gossip in Lutetia, that is rolling their Society skill. The current Baron was not born into his position but married the Baroness some years ago, being a skilled Mechanician of common birth before his engagement with the Baroness, a respected officer in the royal army. During the war both helped Gallineaâs military in their respective positions until the Lady Harquot was killed on the battlefield. Since then the barony has fallen on hard times, reputedly due to bad leadership. The Baron himself is not a member of the Lutetian social elite, not having shown himself in the capital since the war.
Reaching the outskirts of Harquot the group sees a gang of armed riders harassing a peasant couple transporting a wagonload of hay. The situation is ambiguous, and the cavaliers debate the best course of action. Eventually they approach the equestrians and ask what they are doing. The apparent leader states they are the Baronâs tax collectors and the peasants are tax dodgers that needs to be disciplined. When asked the peasant couple denies this, their nervousness with the situation readily visible on their pale faces. Tensions run high, and a confrontation seems eminent when Franco manage to come up with a fake name and show the head horseman his seal of office, claiming to be a cavalier passing through the area. The mounted ruffians become unsure of the situation, and when the group asks to be taken to the Baron they comply, leaving the peasants with to get on their way.
Although the situation has cooled somehow the group is still suspicious of the mounted tax collectors and quietly debate their course of action, deciding to keep their wits about them. As the riders come into the baronyâs main village they see the impressive Castle Harquot on a hilltop to the north, an impressive old fashioned castle with tall walls surrounding a central courtyard, round towers on every corner. Being led into the courtyard non-uniformed guards with rough looks and mean dispositions eye the cavaliers with apparent suspicion. The leader of the mounted group dismounts and leads the way into the castleâs main hall with the cavaliers in tow. Inside a man in dark eveningwear, hat and dark glasses soon greets them, introducing himself as the Baron Harquot. The Baron goes on to say that, his duties prevent him from properly entertaining the travelers tonight, but they will find accommodation at the local inn on his expense. JĂŒrgen, the leader of the ruffians that the group encountered, will see to that. The group protests, stressing the urgency of their business, but Harquot is stubborn in his refusal. A meeting is negotiated the following day and the group heads out of the castle, unnerved by the strange treatment they have received.
At the inn JĂŒrgen speaks with the innkeeper in hushed tones while the group politely keep their distance. While Adel and Lucille are content to have wine and food after their long journey Franco and Katya decide to follow JĂŒrgen as he leaves the inn. Their skepticism towards him is apparently confirmed when he does not head back to the castle but turns a corner at the villageâs main road. Franco and Katya try to follow him quietly but botch their attempt at stealth and are discovered by their target. JĂŒrgen insists on following them around the village until they head back to the inn. Not to be thwarted by such a minor setback they manage to distract him while they talk to some local peasants who reveal that a lot of the village youths have been recently conscripted to work on a project of the Baronâs up in the nearby hills. The men have not been seen after being taken away by the Baronâs men.
As Katya and Franco head back to the inn and share the information they got with Lucille and Adel the group prepares their next move. A trip to the hills where the young men are being taken to seems in order.
We ended our session hear. Next week the party will go on with their plans to examine the Baronâs shady looking business.
After a hectic month, I have finally gotten around to writing up the groupâs fourth and fifth sessions, making for a doubleupdate today. Our next session will play out next week, the post-game updatefollowing shortly after â no more month long waits for updates.
With this being the second part of aninterconnected conspiracy mystery, I strongly recommend reading up on the previous session, Rendezvous with the Red Rose Lodge, before reading this sessionâs update. Unfortunately Francoâs player August was off sick this week, so we had to make do â donât worry, he got better.
Having handed in the suspected assassination conspirator Julian to the city watch the cavaliers waste no time in acting on their leads.
They know that a person going by the name Sandra Saint-Yves has a hand in the conspiracy to remove the Queen violently. âSandra Saint-Yvesâ being the name of a character in the recently popular play âThe Nightingaleâ the cavaliers must assume that the name is an assumed name, and who would be more likely assume a theatre name than an actress? Adel shows her knowledge of Lutetian social life by knowing that one particular theater in town, The Golden House, is setting up the play this very evening. While it has gotten quite late already the group might just make it in time before the theater closes for the night.
Arriving at the Golden House our heroes find that the last show is over and the eveningâs last theater goers are being ushered out by a couple of actors. Adel takes the direct approach and tries to make her way past the crowd and demand entrance. The actors object, and she almost ends up in a fistfight before resorting to revealing herself as a Queenâs Cavalier. The actors are cowed, and agree to let her in.
Meanwhile Alesandrus and Katya have taken an indirect approach and instead gone to the back of the building, hoping for a backdoor entrance. Their hopes are rewarded when they find a group of actors standing around talking by just such an entrance, and are immediately spotted by a tall blonde woman who turns to run down an alley. The cavaliers pursue, and a chase ensues*
Although the actress has an advantage in distance on the two they use their wits to close in. Katya manage to shoot down a shop sign in front of their running quarrel, forcing her to waste valuable seconds circumventing this new obstacle. In turn the running actress manage to topple a wheelbarrow full of cabbages in front of our heroes, who trip and fall over the vegetables while the unfortunate owner can do nothing but scream âMy cabbages!â
Eventually Alesandrus gets within a few steps of the actress and comes up with a con â eyeing to gentleman with rapiers in front of her he shouts âNow! Seize her!â The fast running actress falls for the ruse and stops for a second to look for and escape. Before she realize that the two men are as confused by Alesandrus route as she is he is already on her, and a fight ensues. Alesandrus gets the advantage and when Katya catches up with her pistol out the troublesome suspect realizes that it is all over. She agrees to go quietly with the cavaliers.
Back at the theater, Adel has gotten into something of a tangle with the owner who is furious at having her get in near fight with his staff. Katya and Alesandrus arrive before tempers blow, but the group clearly made a poor impression.
The cavaliers gets their blonde haired captive to show them to her apartment, an upscale place in a neighbor better than what a small time actress should be able to afford, and search it from top to bottom under her stern protests. Finding a half-empty vial of poison amongst the perfumes on a dressing table, the group immediately make the connection with the murdered Watchman**. Their captive seems to have some explaining to do.
Unfortunately the actress is very short of words. âI have lovers amongst the most influential men and women of the city, I can get out of any prison you put me in with a whisper in the right earâ
There is nothing to do now but wait, and eventually the assassins show up dressed as pilgrims on their way to the festival. When one of their number is sent down to fetch the bombs (not knowing they have been removed) the ambush is sprung, with Alesandrus attacks the fake pilgrims from one direction and Katya and Adel opening fire with pistol and musket respectively, and the watchmen cut off their potential escape route from the other end of the alley.
In the ensuing fight a cut from a blade hidden under the assassinâs pilgrim robes wounds Alesandrus, but eventually the conspirators are subdued. The Queen is safe and the festival of the sun can go on without delay.
The cavaliers receive a debriefing from their captain, Louise DâOrlille, and are rewarded with a good nightâs sleep after a full day and night spent fighting the clock on preventing the assassination. The following morning the group a courier arrives from the palace â Queen Mariana requests the groupâs presence!
The nervous cavaliers are led into the great throne room and kneel shakily before the monarch of Gallinea. Queen Mariana tells them to arise, and smilingly expresses her sincere gratitude for their great efforts to prevent a horrible tragedy. All receive a medal of solid gold for their valor, and a letter with the Queenâs seal. Her Majesty has much to see to after the festival, and regrettably this short ceremony was all there is time for. She thanks the cavaliers once again and bids them farewell
Having completed this last task the cavaliers realize that they now have an apartment fit for their standing with the lease paid three months in advance. Moving their things to their new base of operations the group can finally celebrate their victories, congratulating themselves with large amounts of good wine and fine food.
We ended the session on this celebratory note. Next session sees the group headed off on a new mission of utmost importance for the security of all Gallinea, tracking a flying ship that has mysteriously vanished.
*I had to make up some quick chase rules on the fly, inspired by the âSavage Worldsâ chase system. It was great fun and worked reasonably well.
**The unfortunate watchman Luc who was killed by insertion of a small needle like blade, see session two: âIll Deeds in Lutetiaâ
Session the Third: Rendezvous with the Red Rose Lodge
After a break over Christmas and the New Year's we finally got to two sessions in on the 14th and 26th. I will start with the session on the 14th and upload the 26th later. Havenât had much time to write out my notes between exams. The joys of a student's life are plenty, studying isnât one.
The group concludes that Georgette, the gunsmith's apprentice*, is lying. As the last person to see the stolen grenades she is also the most likely suspect, and her information so far has not held up to scrutiny.
When they hear a shout from the next table Adel and Franco are the first to get up. It seems the Holy Guardsman, furious at his sudden changing fortunes, are accusing his fellow players of cheating. Adel intervenes, and questions the Guardsmanâs accusations and ability to play the game in terms not fitting for description here. The furious Guardsman shouts a challenge, reach for his sword and takes a lunge at Adel, but is interrupted by Franco who, quicker on the draw, use his own sword to parry the blade, and in one flowing motion knocks the Guardsmanâs sword out of his hand, sending it spinning into the air where the tip bores itself firmly into the ceiling.
Surprised but not beaten the Guardsman reach for his off-hand knife and takes a swing at Franco. Franco again interrupts the motion with his own blade and the knife spins out of the Guardsmanâs hand. The Guardsman is forced to yield, with his back at the bar and route of retreat. As he is about to leave Franco suggests that a round of ale for the whole inn might be in order, given his rude outburst before. The embarrassed Guardsman buys the round and scuttles of embarrassed, while guests cheers for Franco, who in an inspired moment jumps up on the table to bath in their adoration.
When his companions manage to convince him to get down again Franco notes an envelope lying on the tableâs edge, clearly forgotten by his fleeing opponent. The envelope bears the seal of the Holy Guard and is opened after a short debate. In it is a letter detailing the Holy Guardâs findings in regards to the preliminary security preparations for the Queenâs appearance at the upcoming festival of the holy sun, and that the Guardianâs spies have picked up the exact time and place for a planned assassination of the Queen, orchestrated by a republican group known as the Red Rose Lodge. Discretion is recommended to avoid the Cavaliers picking up on this and stealing the glory from the Guards.
Having found some information on the alleged conspirators the group decides that a visit to Georgette might be in order, to see if a connection between the stolen grenades and the Lodge can be found. The door to Georgette and familyâs house is opened by her sick father. When the Cavaliers ask for Georgette he turns to warn her, but too late. The old man is grabbed by Franco, while Adel, Katya and Alesandrus run in to intercept the girl.
The group goes to Julianâs lodgings, with Adel taking up a position by the roomâs only window in anticipation of trouble. The group knocks the door and confronts Julian, who tries to make a run for it but is intercepted at the door by Franco and Alesandrus. Julian refuses to talk, but when the group search his room they find a recently cleaned city watch uniform hidden under a loose floorboard. With such damning evidence the group takes the unfortunate Julian to the local city watch station, where he is taken into custody by the watch under the suspicion of having participated in the murder of a watch officer, something the watchmen do not take kindly to. As the group leaves the station Julianâs screams of pain are the last sound they hear, leading to some debate on the morality of leaving him under city watch supervision.
We ended the session here. Next time the group will have to put the information they gained to good use if they want to stop the assassination before it happens. Stay tuned.Â
*Georgette was already a suspect after the groups met her during the Ill Deeds In Lutetia session
Unfortunaetly August, Franco's player, couldn't make it this time. We just assumed Franco was held back by other important duties.Â
Back at their barracks in Lutetia after the harrowing experience at Chateau Valleraux the players find themselves with a new ally. Adel, a mysterious cavalier from Ifran, is attached to the party while Irella is sent away on a mission that suits her skill set better.
The reason for this was that Irellaâs player Mikkel wanted to change his character. He didnât feel comfortable with the concept heâd created and thought the overlap between his and Alesandrus skills was too big. A new character was made and the transition went smoothly.
Louise dâOrlille, the groupâs captain, greets them at her office. A short debriefing later the group are assigned a new mission. The yearly festival of the sun is coming up, a day of religious celebration following a ceremony in the Cathedral of the Sun in Lutetia, where the young queen drives through the city and greets the masses and ends up at the cathedral steps where she will attend a short service, officially marking the start of the city wide feast of the sun. The cavaliers are of course expected to provide security for the queen as she arrives at the cathedral. Louise reminds the party that the Holy Guardsmen, the Cavaliersâ bitter rivals, are also present, and nothing can go wrong and put the Cavaliers in a bad light compared to the Guardsmen.
The queen makes her appearance the day after tomorrow. In the meanwhile the group can take care of some minor assorted matters. A city watchman has gone missing at his post, and someone needs to look into his whereabouts. With the watch spread thin his captain has called in a favor from the cavaliers, asking them to look into the case.
Besides this urgent matter a gunsmith in good standing with the royal army has reported some experimental weapons stolen, and these needs to be found before the ceremony, to ensure the weapons are not used in an attempt on the queen.
The group goes straight for the missing watchman, finding his post at a bridge near Lutetiaâs great market square. They talk the matter over with the watchman currently on duty, and finds out the missing man, Luc, disappeared sometimes during his 10 to 4 night shift. His wife is worried sick, but apart from that the man has little to tell. Arguing about where to look for him the group decides to go for the local bars, thinking that a man with such a late watch might be tempted to get some hot wine to keep him awake.
Adel shows surprising knowledge of the city streets in knowing exactly where to look, the nearby Red Rooster, a greasy tavern on the waterfront. The group enters to find a few shady patrons huddled around their respective tables, and while Adel sees what she can get out of the clientele Alesandrus and Katya tries to overhear the talk at the bar. Adel talks to a suspicious looking man who tells her that the guard came in last night, had a drink and had a conversation with a tall blonde woman whom he later left the bar with.
Alesandrus meanwhile tries his best to talk to the barman, but he denies having seen a watchman around. Not one to give up easily Alesandrus exits the bar and returns minutes later, now apparently furious over some new information that shows the barman lied to him, a clever ruse. The barman grows pale and suddenly remembers seeing the watchman leave with a blond woman, most likely a prostitute, who had something to show him down below the bridge.
With this new knowledge in hand the groups goes to the bridge and looks for clues. Finding their way to the small sidewalk under the bridge they find nothing but rubbish and a small boat full of old cloth. Katya, having read her share of Penny Dreadfuls, instantly know where to look and pulls the cloth from the moored boat, revealing a body underneath. While she and Adel examine the body, finding a small insertion over the left ear, Alesandrus steps off to empty his stomach in the corner. Between two sprays of vomit he notices a heap of old cloth that shows signs of having been recently slept in, as a makeshift bed. Knowing that some tramps in the city make their living from gathering and selling rags Katya concludes that this must have been the modest âhomeâ of such a person.
Sending the watchman at the top of the bridge for help they stake out the perimeter, waiting for the culprit to return to the scene of the crime. Hours pass, and the groups eventually gives up.
Having some as far as they think possible in the case the group now heads for Madame Delaplaceâs gun shop, the shop from which the aforementioned experimental weapons were produced. Nadine explains the situation. Her most trusted apprentice, Georgette, were to deliver the weapons to LâArsenal for testing when she was robbed and the weapons stolen. Katya eagerly asks about the kind of weapons. Georgette was carrying a strongbox with 12 grenades.
Having questioned Delaplace the group goes on to the apprentice, Georgette. She confirms what was already told, a black clad man jumped her from an alley about halfway to LâArsenal, gave her a smack in the face and after a short struggle took away the strongbox and ran for another nearby alley. There were no witnesses. After having gotten a description of where the robbery happened the cavaliers set out to look for clues.
Adel tries to using her experiences with tracking to find the exact spot where Georgette was attacked. After some searching down the busy streets and quiet alleys Georgette passed on her way Adel concludes that the exact spot is either very well hidden or simply does not exist. This raises questions about Georgetteâs honesty. However the group isnât ready to confront georgette about this immediately, and instead sets out to find the grenades before they can cause further havoc, reasoning that if the robber put the grenades up on the black market the best place to look is the Cour De Miracles, the worst part of Lutetiaâs slums. Heading for the dirty streets of La Cour the cavaliers try their hardest not to be noticed, avoiding all unsavory elements. This does not work however, and a group of three ugly looking brutes hold up the group, looking for a rather large handout. A fight ensues, and Alesandrus finally gets to show his superior fighting ability, quickly getting a thug on his back in the mud. Katya finds herself facing a thug with a knife while she is herself unarmed, but mange to knock down a nearby stack of barrels in the thugâs direction, distracting him long enough to allow Alesandrus to knock him down from behind. Adel holds her own, but lacking in dueling skills she is forced to brawl with her attacker, suffering a bad knife-cut in the process.
Having the attackers surrendered the cavaliers question the thugs at sword-point, asking about where they can find someone with in the know about black market goods. They are taken to an enigmatic character, the Captain, who holds court in a derelict townhouse nearby. The Captain answers their questions, impressed with their ability to fight their way through the rougher elements of La Cour. He has no knowledge of any grenades being sold, and would dearly like to get his hands on whoever stole a bunch of unsellable prototypes.
 Having learned little about the grenades the group decided to head for Georgetteâs home, seeing if someone in her family might yield any clues. They found a poor house in the slums, with many children and a distressed single father who told them that his Georgette, blessed child, provided their sole source of income from her apprenticeship, although even that money didnât always last long enough*
 Having gotten all they might get out of the two cases presented to them the cavaliers decide to head for an inn and talk over their next move. What adventures await will have to be a story for another timeâŠ
*Iâm assuming a system of paid apprenticeship as the basis for craftsmenâs guilds in Lutetia, including certain workersâ rights, to be in going the games progressive nature
Everything went over well as I'm getting used to with my players. This scenario relied more on a kind of investigation/gumshoe approach than what I'm used to, proving quite a challenge. I had to balance between describing possible clues and making them too obvious. An interesting experience all round.Â
Our group met up, chatted for a while and generally eased into the mood of roleplaying. We finished the last touches on characters and rules clarifications and set out.Â
The following rather long account details the exploits of the four cavaliers in the far county of Valleraux, where forbidden love and undeath both grow in the sickly shadow of tyranny.Â
Alesandrus and Irella are both known for their silver tongues, and are meant to convince the duchess. Franco, known for his cool head, is meant to keep the two scoundrels in check. Katyaâs particular talents are known to come in handy at odd times.
With the briefing over the team heads for the stable, where they are to receive horses for the journey. Katya and Irella tries to convince Antonius, the stable master, of their need for a wagon, preferring the comfort of a good wagon to the dust of the road. Dice are rolled, but no luck â the group will have to ride all the way to Valleraux.
The ride is tiresome, the landscape depressing â Duchess Emma is known for her oppression of the peasentry, who live destitute lives. Irella brightens the journey by rolling for any knowing rumors about Valleraux or its duchess. Lutetia high society has little time for a remote place like Valleraux, but it was noticed when a young gentleman scholar, Jacques, was hired in Lutetia to teach the duchessâ daughter, Jeanette, at her home chateau.Â
Arriving at the Valleraux chateau the group finds a large number of guests arriving by carriage and servants in their finest livery welcoming. Debating whether it would be good form to present themselves now or wait till later the cavaliers eventually decide to ask the welcoming servant whatâs going on. They learn that the young heiress Jeanette is to be married tomorrow, her husband-to-be a local baron, Armand.
The cavaliers mingle, Irella and Alesandrus prying what information they can from the guests while Franco seeks out the duchess Emma and her daughter who are keeping close to each other. As he presents the diplomatic letter he notices that the young Jeanette seems firmly led around the party by her mother, acting automatically and with little joy, her makeup hardly masking worried bags under her eyes.
Weary from a long journey the group is duly accommodated in a guest room. Katya, still in the same stained overall she wore leaving Lutetia, is convinced by Irella to change. A young servant girl, Yvette, brings her a dress for loan. Franco, suspecting something off by the whole wedding situation, strikes up a conversation with Yvette. Turns out sheâs handmaiden to Jeanette, the bride-to-be. Yvette know that Jeanette does not love baron Armand, and that she and her tutor, correctly identified as the aforementioned Jacques, were having an affair. Yvette begs the heroes to help her mistress and friend, convincing the duchess Emma to call off the marriage. Franco promises to do what he can, and as Yvette leaves the group decides to dig for further information down in the main hall were the guests are gathering.
Back at the hall the group continues to mingle and get information out of the guests. A fair number of the visitors are acquaintances from Albia, just across the border, hinting at close ties between Valleraux and Albia. Franco and Irella approaches baron Armand, who seems a bit drunk. When Franco brings up Jacques name the baron smugly tells him that the âLutetian fopâ was thrown out by the duchess some weeks ago, but he refuses to speak further of it. As Emma escorts her daughter to the west wing of the chateau and the party dies down the cavaliers are still discussing the events of the evening. Then a shot rings out, and a window is shattered. The Chateau is under attack.
The group dives for cover as more shots ring out. In the short pause before a new volley Franco and Irella both head for the west wing, wanting to secure the young Jeanetteâs safety, while Katya runs for the groupâs weapons, left in the guest room, and Alesandrus tries to pry a couple of decorative swords from the mantelpiece to have some means of self-defense.
Fighting breaks out as Franco and Irella finds the west wing of the chateau under attack as well. A group of two musket armed men and a strange person dressed in black have broken in through a back entrance and are abducting a strangely willing Jeanette. The two musketeers fire at the approaching cavaliers, who only just manage to get out of the way. Franco sees the black-clad kidnapper and Jeanette running for the west wingâs backdoor, and reasons they are heading to the backyard, where the ducal stables are. Katya, having returned from upstairs with weapons, hands him his gun and swords as he runs past her. In an impressive jump Franco bursts through the window and lands, gun in hand, in the backyard, blowing glass shards of his should in the same motion.
The seconds previously Katya had returned with all the groupâs armaments, arming Alesandrus in passing, handing weapons to Franco and throwing Irellaâs knife to her. Then she ducks the second before a shot pierces the wall over her, having calculated the exact moment when the second volley would most like hit as she ran down the stairs.
Alesandrus runs for the main door, eyes the opposition outside, eight in all, and makes a quick calculation of risk. Assuring the shrieking guests scrambling on the floor that heâll confront the attackers, he jumps outside intending to run around the right side of the chateau and flee to the backyard. But as he springs through the door he realizes his brave words have made some of the guests stand up in amazement, making them able to see his flight through the window, leaving him no other option than to get through the attackers and outrun them from there. The attackers are gathered in groups of four hiding behind nearby hedges. Alesandrus runs for the nearest groups, pulling his word out and attacking as he does so. One attacker is taken by surprise and almost yields, netting Alesandrus a style point.
In the backyard Franco sees Jeanette and the man in black running for the stable and follows them, while Katya gets through the now smashed window, intending to provide back up. As she does she makes a tactical assessment f the situation, shouting her strategy to Franco and netting both of them additional advantage with a good roll for Strategy.
Irella meanwhile use her abilities of manipulation to the fullest, hiding her knife in her sleeve and running for the two musketmen down the hall pretending at being a hapless civilian trying to get out. Both men are fooled by her act, hesitating long enough for her to reach her pre-poisoned knife and strike one a terrible blow that leaves him bloody on the floor. The other tries to fire at her, but misses. A short knife-against-fist fight follows, leaving Irella victorious.
In front of the main hall Alesandrus is fighting for his dear life against four armed men. Although he makes an impressive showing the enemy numbers are overwhelming, and he takes flight after taking a deep wound from a hunting knife. Running for the backyard in a reiteration of his first plan he round the chateauâs west corner and stops suddenly, ambushing the pursuing enemies who make it round the corner a few seconds later.
Franco and Katya are still hot on the heels of Jeanete and the mysterious kidnapper, making it to the stable where the two are mounting a strange, pitch black horse. Franco shoots the horse to cut short their escape, but even though he could swear the shots lands squarely in its head the horse is still standing. Katya manage to reach the stable at the same time, shutting the bar in the door and preventing the horse from getting out. Franco summons up all his authoritative command and orders the kidnapper to surrender. The man in black hesitates, then dismounts his horse and calmly gives up his sword.
Fighting continues as Alesandrus desperately hold off his attackers. With two deep wounds in his body and no immediate way out he desperately looks for a way out. As he pirouette to turn and run Irella comes out the nearby back door, taking the attackers by surprise and dowing one with her trusty knife. Alesandrus pirouette back to face his attackers in one swift motion, laughing in their faces and seemingly in total control. The other cavaliers are impressed by his bravery in holding back the much larger group.
At the stable Franco unmasks the kidnapper, finding not a human face but a ghastly corpse under the culpritâs mask. He lunges forward to strike down the undead, but is prevented by Katya, who sees the walking corpse as an opportunity to study something she has never seen before. As the two struggle the undead Jacques, for it is he reanimated, calmly agrees to go quietly and tell his story if the cavaliers can promise to take care of Jeanette and prevent the marriage to Armand. Jacques explains everything leading up to the events at the chateau â having been engaged as tutor for Jeanette the two fell in love, a situation the duchess Emma found inappropriate. Being of the old school where nobility only marries nobility Emma found her daughters fascination with Jacques obscene. After a heated argument Jacques was sent away, but not before vowing to come back for Jeanette. Emma had prepared for such an eventuality, and baron Armand and his men were already lying in waiting near the road Jacques had to take to the nearby village. Armand and his thugs surprised Jacques, wounding him and his horse fatally before the tutor managed to escape into the woods.
Reaching an old mount, a temple to forgotten gods, Jacques laid down to die, but not before cursing the goddess for his bad luck and promising his soul to whatever god would give him revenge. By some weird magic his prayer was heard, and he was resurrected as the ravens picked out his eyes and maggots bore into his flesh. Jacques stood. Desperate for revenge he came up with a plan to attack the chateau and rescue Jeanette, but he needed accomplishes to do it. He went for the local village in the deep night, and made a racket that woke up the sleeping peasants. He promised death and despair, sickness and curse on the village if they did not provide men and weapons for his grand goal. The villagers were scared and saw no other option than to help the strange ghost. Some stood forward, maybe those with the biggest dislike for the tyrannical duchess Emma, and volunteered for the good of the village. Leading his small band into the woods Jacques outlined his plan. The following night was to be the night of attack.
 With all facts on the table the group has to carefully judge how to proceed. Duchess Emma offers to sign the diplomatic papers cementing her association with Gallinea in exchange for not being persecuted. The group debates what to do next. Franco is set on bringing both the duchess and the rebellious peasant attackers to justice â both have broken the law and acted against their country by doing so. Irella is torn between her personal feelings of resentment for the duchess and her pragmatic knowledge that to see the duchess free and loyal to Gallinea is the most important part of their mission. Meanwhile Alesandrus and Katya are arguing fiercely over the fate of Jacques, Alesandrus wanting the undead Jacques dead while Katya considers him a fascinating specimen. In the end Jacques simple vanishes after having said goodbye to Jeanette for one last time, frustrating Katya to no end â why did this have to happen the first time she sees a phenomenon like this?!
In the end Emma is allowed to go free in exchange for signing the papers and letting her daughter decide her own destiny. The peasants are free for the moment, but left for an uncertain future should Emma decide on revenge. The groups returns to Lutetia, satisfied with having accomplished their mission.
 A great session all round. Everyone agreed that the rules generally flow smoothly, though we did have a few problems with enterpretating some concepts along the way. We came through by making a few quick house rules and estimations, and we ended up playing for almost 5 hours straight, with all characters having their time to shine and lots of fun all round.
Next session will see the group returning to Lutetia for their debriefing and possible new adventures.Â
An introduction to the characters that make up our little party is in order for the following blog posts to make any kind of sense.
In The Queen's Cavaliers each player chooses two classes to make up his/her character. It could be Duelist/Virtuosa for a singing fencing master, Brigand/Chaplain for a reformed bandit and so on. The ingenuity of this system lies in how a character's story can be weaved around the core character concept, or invented simply out of the two classes that make up the characters mechanics.Â
August: Franco Tarible, Constable/Chirurgeon
Longstanding member of the Cavaliers and known for his great love of his country and the ideals of its laws. Originally from the Gallinean countryside he now resides in the Royal barracks in Lutetia. Dedicated to justice and order Franco often patrols Lutetiaâs streets on his own accord, settling disputes and public disturbances by his authority as a cavalier, earning him a reputation for dedication and reliability.
Mikkel: Irella Defleur, Provocateur/Privateer
Though Irella is Gallinean of birth she spent the last many years in Ekalia, before coming to Lutetia and joining the Cavaliers. Few of the cavaliers know much about her past, other than itâs rumored to have been rather checkered. Irella is a society lady first and foremost, with a passion for mingling with the best and the worst of Gallinean social life. When it comes down to conflict she is surprisingly handy with a knife.
Tue: Alesandrus Xtalikus, Charlatan/Duelist
Alesandrus swindled his way through life, leaving his native Ekalia after one too many schemes turned sour, travelling from one village to the next selling dubious alchemical draugths. He settled in Lutetia after seeing the Young Queen at a public appearance and falling hopelessly in love. Impressing the Queenâs Cavaliers with his hard earned fighting skill he hopes to advance the ranks to the Queenâs inner circle, if he can control his natural cowardice for long enough to do so.
Nina: Katya Dolovskij, Mechanician/Visionary
A withdrawn Mechanician who reluctantly agreed to join the cavaliers on her twin sisterâs initiative. Katyaâs identical twin-sister Tanya was already an established member of the cavaliers, and one the Cardinalâs Guards has a long standing enmity with. Katya got used to being mistaken for her sister and challenged or pursued, and had to use all her ingenuity to get out of such situations without resorting to dueling. Fond of learning and proud inventor of traps, clockwork guns and mechanical pets.Â
Hello All! My name is Christian, and I'm pretty new to the world of Tumblr blogs, and blogging in general. Bear with me here. I've made this blog for the simple purpose of recording and sharing a roleplaying campaign I'm running from my hometown Copenhagen.Â
The group runs bi-monthly, and consists of 5 people. More on that later.
We play Caiomhe Snow's upcoming game, The Queen's Cavaliers, a swashbuckling, pulpy game of daring cavaliers protecting the fair land of Gallinea and its queen from all manner of threats, be it outside or internal forces working against the fair queen. It is a vast and sprawling game world, mixing the 1600s as imagined by Alexandre Dumas with the moral conventions of modern poregressive movements.
I'll be updating the blog at regular intervals, about twice a month if time allows, to keep up to date with what happens during our game sessions. Stay tuned for future updates introducing the players and detailing our first gaming session.Â
