Rain and Aramek, Waterday Morning, Fireseek 5, 591 Common Year 

The next morning, Captain Bodwyn addresses Commander Gorman’s company on the parade grounds. “Men and women of the Guard, you have made me very proud. This has been a trying day, and it will stretch out into some trying days ahead. Today, certain elements of the Olman refugees who have come under the influence of a shaman by the name of Nauyotl attempted to bring chaos and anarchy to the streets of Westkeep. They tried to burn, pillage, and rape the law-abiding citizens of Westkeep. This is after we allowed them to take refuge here, and did what we could for them. There are those who say it might not have been enough, but no hardship excuses the kind of behavior we saw today. But you, my troops, stopped them. You restored order to the streets, you are maintaining order in the streets, and you did so and are doing so with a minimum of bloodshed. That is why I am proud. That is why Prince Prospero is proud.

“Now some of you are from Keoland and have served with me since before we liberated Westkeep. Others of you,” he looks to Rain and Aramek and a few others in Commander Gorman’s platoon, “have joined us here. But all of you are now members of the Guard, and all of you are in this together, and all of you have shown honor and courage, as well as restraint when needed and unyielding strength when called for.

“Three of you in particular I must single out: Rain, Noch, and Aramek. You have all heard the rumors. I will now tell you the facts. Last night, while providing security for a late night meeting in the palace, forces of the Scarlet Brotherhood attempted to kidnap the Prince. Rain, Noch, and Aramek made sure that their attempt failed. Please come before me.”

Sergeant Apone then motions for Rain, Noch, and Aramek to leave their places and stand before Captain Bodwyn, which they do. An aide steps up to Captain Bodwyn’s side with three boxes. Captain Bodwyn says, “These daggers of the finest craftsmanship are given to you to commemorate and reward your service.” He then steps before each of them, they exchange salutes, and he hands each one of the boxes. “May you wear it as a badge of honor.” The three then return to their places in formation.

With a final salute, Captain Bodwyn, takes his leave. Commander Gorman then says, “There is not much I can add to what the Captain just said. Tomorrow, Sergeant Apone, you will be leaving the city on a dangerous mission into the Hool Marshes. The Prince is sending a delegation to the lizardfolk that will be led by Sir Ragnbjorn and his son Sir Fingol. Your mission will be to help man the keel boat that the Prince’s delegation will be traveling on, and then provide security for the trek across the marshes to wherever those lizardfolk dwell. Of course, those of us back here while you are gone will be trying to restore peace and sanity to Westkeep, so maybe you don’t envy us either. Nevertheless, I expect that you will all show the same courage and professionalism that you have shown here today. I salute you.” He does so and then he says, “Now, the rest of you see your sergeants for your particular watch assignments today.”

Sergeant Apone then tells his squad to have dinner and stay in the barracks as Sir Ragnbjorn will be coming for them that afternoon. He then finds Rain, Noch, and Aramek to say, “You three are to report to the Prince’s solar after dinner for a private meeting.”

When dismissed, Rain immediately takes her dagger out and inspects it. She is pleased and replaces the main dagger at her side with this new one. She also congratulates both Aramek and Noch. After dinner she gathers Aramek and Noch to report to the Prince’s solar.

Waterday Noon, Fireseek 5, 591 Common Year

Prince Prospero greets his guests courteously as they file into the room. Sgt Apone is already there with Rain, Noch, and Aramek. Ragnbjorn is the first to enter, followed by his son Fingol, and the Marinus brothers, Indranil and Lorindel. Then the Flan priest of Obad-Hai, Gar Dragonsbreath, enters. After courtesies are exchanged, the Prince begins.

“It is good to see you all here. I was hoping there would be more time to prepare, but I have decided it is best that you all leave as soon as possible. Thankfully the rioting was quelled yesterday, and so we can still spare your squad, Sgt. Apone, for this mission. Now Vaughn of Gorham, our royal customs officer, will be here soon to take you to the docks and show you the boat you will be taking and introduce you to the crew. In the meantime, I want to make sure all of you here know what is going on, because there is more involved than just making peace with the lizardfolk. But let us begin there. Father Gar, would you please recount to us all your reasons for coming here and the message you brought from the Great Druidess of the Sheldomar Valley?”

Bowing at the waist before the Prince-Governor, Gar says, “Your Highness.” Then turning to the group, “Greetings and blessings be upon our upcoming excursion from the Great Druidess of the Flan of the Sheldomar Valley! The Great Druidess sent me here to share her vision for the good of all creatures and living things.

“She has been having many dreams of something unnatural that has long lain hidden in the marshes. She believes it may have to do with the lizardfolk, for they have appeared many times in her dreams. She sees them leaving their homes, whether by force or by choice she is not sure. In their wake, she sees a great flood coming down the River Javan sweeping away all before it, a flood that engulfs the world. Though she cannot see them in her dream, she senses that there are dead things in that flood, or things that should have stayed dead. They would destroy all life, all harmony, and all balance.

“Then recently she has been getting reports from our people that the fisherman, crabbers, and shrimpers of Westkeep have been going even deeper into the marshes in search of food. They have not merely been casting their nets into the waters but have begun setting many traps and even staking nets across many of the bayous and channels. They are desperate to feed their starving people, but they have forgotten the balance of nature. If they continue, especially year round as they are doing, they will destroy the very spawning areas the fishermen themselves depend upon, as no fish will be able to get through to them. This will be especially critical in the coming months of spring. She mentions this because these nets are now being torn down by the lizardfolk, who not only see themselves as responsible for herding the fish to the hatcheries but who use these waterways as the humans do a road or lane – as do many of the creatures in the swamp. In return the fishermen began shooting at the lizardfolk and the lizardfolk have responded in kind. She fears that if war breaks out between the people of Westkeep and the lizardfolk, the lizardfolk will be driven away and the disaster she sees will occur all the sooner.

“This afternoon during our practice bouts, I had a similar vision of a great flood sweeping over the swamp lands when I was knocked unconscious. My god Obad-Hai spoke to me saying, ‘Nothing is inevitable. Neither Law nor Chaos, neither Good nor Evil ever have the final say. A stone has been dropped into the waters and the ripples are spreading even now. You did not drop the stone, but it may be for you and your allies to build an embankment. It may be even wiser to seek out the wellspring and stop the coming flood at the source. There is a poisonous fruit that has fallen many seasons past without ever fully withering away, uproot it from my garden if you can.’” 

Gar looks deeply at those around the room in a long pregnant pause before looking back at the Prince, “Thank you, Your Highness, on behalf of the Great Druidess for organizing this expedition. She will be pleased when she hears about it from the wind.”

“Thank you Father Gar,” says the Prince. “And now I would like Sir Fingol to explain what brought him here, for it corroborates Father Gar’s warning to us about the actions of the lizardfolk.”

“Your Highness,” Fingol says bowing to the Prince, “and gentlepersons all,” indicating the rest of the people assembled. “My tale is shorter and less dramatic, for how could anyone out-do Father Gar in that regard? It has been just a short while since I left my apprenticeship to become a ranger in my own right. The whole of the time since, I have been patrolling the Hool Marshes. Mostly, I have travelled the river and carried messages between the villages that the fishermen have made. I have had no incidents to mention nor heard of much trouble in that time. That changed just recently, when the fishermen began reporting troubles with the lizardfolk. I helped pass the word to the towns I visited but saw no reason for alarm. Then, just a few days later, lizardfolk hurled their javelins at me. It was not hard to row away into the current and get out of range. It was then I knew I had to make a report as quickly as possible.

“I am not as familiar with the marsh or the lizardfolk as others,” Fingol glances at his father, “but this sort of trouble is entirely out of my expectation. Before these events, I have seen the lizardfolk in the marsh and had no great fear of them. They raised no resistance when King Skotti moved across the marsh into Westkeep, nor harassed the fishermen until very recently. My gut tells me something pushes them to it.” 

“Thank you Sir Fingol,” says the Prince. “Now, Sir Ragnbjorn, please tell everyone here what you told me yesterday.”

Ragnbjorn bows and says, “Certainly my Prince. I was privileged to be the original ambassador to Chief Rhodophylax, better known as Chief Rahk of the Malarat tribe of the lizardfolk. I befriended him, if that is the right word, three years ago when King Skotti sent an expedition of rangers into the Hool Marshes to prepare the way for a possible move against the Scarlet Brotherhood. It was then that a treaty was made wherein the lizardfolk promised their neutrality in the coming conflict as long as we left their hunting and fishing grounds alone. Unfortunately it does not surprise me that with supplies cut off by the Scarlet Brotherhood and their allies from the Lordship of the Isles, the fishermen of Westkeep and the surrounding villages have begun overfishing and encroaching upon the territory of the lizardfolk. I suspect that Sir Fingol is also right, that there are other forces in the marshes that are antagonizing the lizardfolk.

“Since helping to lead King Skotti and his army here to take Westkeep from the Scarlet Brotherhood, I have spent some time with Chief Rahk, but it has been many months since I have last seen him. Now I did not tell you this before because I did not think it significant, but in the light of Father Gar’s message I have realized that it may be very important. Apparently, the shaman of the Malarat tribe, G’ruk, left the tribe about three years ago with many disgruntled lizardfolk. He did not approve of making any treaty with humans and so left to ‘recover the true heritage of the lizardfolk’ according to Chief Rahk. He did not, however, tell me where they might have gone, and I thought it impolitic to ask. But now I worry that this may be a partial fulfillment of the dream of the Great Druidess.

“In the meantime, for the last six weeks I have been conducting a survey of the marshes with Sir Indranil and Sir Lorindel looking for better caravan routes. A couple of days ago we received the magical sending from Paragon Muire to return here. On the way back we spotted two Amedi warriors. They passed us in a canoe as we waited in ambush. We chose to let them pass for we wanted to get here without any unnecessary trouble. However, if you shake a haystack and a bunch of pins fall out, you really have to wonder how many more pins there may be left inside. We know that many of the Scarlet Brotherhood’s Amedi troops fled into the Hool Marshes when we took Westkeep. They are evidently still out there, and may be stirring up the lizardfolk themselves with their depredations.

“But that is not the worst. That night, not more than half a day’s travel from here, two ghouls attacked our camp. Of course we didn’t know that’s what they were at the time. I brought one of their heads back for Paragon Muire to examine and he told us what they were. We destroyed those two and followed the trail back to a mass grave. Undoubtedly it was where the Scarlet Brotherhood disposed of their victims. There were three more ghouls there and we destroyed those as well. As I said, we didn’t see any others, but I do recommend we return there later with clerics and paladins of Heironeous and St. Cuthbert and purify the grounds.”

“Thank you Sir Ragnbjorn,” says the Prince. “So we know that besides the lizardfolk, you need to beware of the Amedi warriors, who may in part be responsible for the lizardfolk’s recent belligerence. The Amedi may or may not still be working with the Scarlet Brotherhood. We certainly know Scarlet Brotherhood spies and assassins may be out there, sent from Monmurg. Now the encounter with the ghouls may be tied in with the Scarlet Brotherhood, but I have a suspicion that it might be related to this,” here the Prince picks up a small object covered in parchment and unwraps it to reveal a wooden statue of a skeletal being in a cowl and cloak holding a scythe. “There is writing on the parchment that says, ‘Thanatos god of Thracia. Is this the power I seek? Can he still be called upon from within his ancient shrines?’”

Fingol, Gar, and Rain notice that Noch gasps a little and his eyes widen when the Prince reveals the statue of Thanatos that looks like Nerull, but he quickly resumes his stony demeanor.

“The writer of this note was a young man named Reece, the son of Parwyn, a local alchemist. He disappeared some years ago during the Scarlet Brotherhood’s occupation of Westkeep. He left behind this statue and a journal. Aramek discovered these while staying with Parwyn, but they were stolen three nights ago. Two nights ago they were found on the corpses of one of the Scarlet Brotherhood assassins. Aramek, would you please read the relevant portions of the journal to the others?” The Prince then takes the journal from his desk and hands it to Aramek.

“Of course,” replies Aramek, who then begins to read the relevant passages of the journal and summarizes the rest.

As Aramek reads from the journal, Rain keeps a guarded eye on Noch to see if there are any further interesting reactions from him. Gar, his face also a mask of stone, also keeps a watch on Noch. Noch’s expression is unreadable, however. He looks on as any interested professional soldier might. Gar does note Rain’s interest however. Hmm, I wonder if they are related, another brother perhaps?

Reading the entries aloud has once again reminded Aramek of the pain his master Parwyn has had to endure. Despite the fact that Parwyn is convinced his son is dead, Aramek feels even more strongly that he must find a way to settle the issue one way or the other. If Reece is still alive, he thinks to himself, I will find him. And if he is not, I will at least be able bring something back to Master Parwyn so that he can find some closure with his son.

Fingol says nothing but wonders how all these mysteries come together. Clearly the Scarlet Brotherhood came to know about Reece, because they sent one of their assassins to steal this journal. The same assassin was killed in the attempt to capture the Prince. Why attempt to capture the Prince when killing him would be so much easier? What does the Scarlet Brotherhood hope to learn from this journal? And what tragedy have we averted by keeping it from them? If Reece hates the Scarlet Brotherhood, could he become an ally against them? Or has his hate pushed him irretrievably toward this evil god Thanatos? One thing is likely, if Reece is stirring evil forces to rouse against the Scarlet Brotherhood, than he is pushing the lizardfolk out of their lands and turning them against us. Reece may or may not have his revenge against Monmurg, but Westkeep will be a victim of the scheme.

“Thank you Aramek,” says the Prince. “I think this statue had best stay with us. It is not a healthy thing. As for the journal, we will have an archivist copy it for our own records. When you return from this mission I will return it to you to give back to Parwyn.” He then puts both back into a drawer and shuts them away.

“Your primary mission has not changed. You are to make contact with the lizardfolk and see if an agreement can be reached so that our fishermen can work in peace without harassing or being harassed by the lizardfolk. Secondarily, I want all of you to be watchful for anything you can learn about what Reece and his friend Relikez may have discovered in the marshes. Look for any sign of these Thracians or their god Thanatos. Of course, also be wary for any signs of the Scarlet Brotherhood and any of their allies or former allies, like the Amedi warriors. Report back whatever you learn after you have spoken with the lizardfolk and we will then decide how best to proceed.” 

There is a knock at the door. “Come in,” says the Prince. Lady Sedara then ushers in and introduces four men. The oldest and most dignified is wearing silken tailored clothing, the others are obviously peasants, though clean enough and their clothes don’t have too many patches. 

The first is Master Aillil of the Fishmongers Guild. Ailil is an older man with golden hair turning to grey, light blue eyes, and fair skin. “Greetings my Prince,” he says in a voice that barely rises above a whisper.

The next to be introduced is Eochaid the Shrimper, representing the shrimpers of Westkeep and the surrounding villages. Eochaid is dark tan, with light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He cups his hand to his ears to catch what the others are saying. “Greetings, Prince Prospero, it is my honor to serve you.”

Then she introduces Lugaid, known as Crabby, representing the crabbers. He is also tanned, and has auburn hair and gray eyes. “G… g… greetings my Prince. I… I… I… am honored.

Finally, she introduces Lugaid, known as Fishbate, representing the fishermen. He is also well tanned with dark brown hair and amber eyes. His voice is deep and fills the room, “Greetings my Prince. It is an honor.”

After the introductions, the Prince says, “Thank you for agreeing to participate in the negotiations. Of course it is in your best interests to do so, but I recognize that this could be a dangerous mission. Fortunately, you will have the protection of these good gentlemen, and this good woman,” he nods to Rain. She nods back slightly to the Prince and to the four representatives.

“Sir Ragnbjorn has been entrusted as our translator and guide. His son Sir Fingol will be our own emissary. He will help to look after the interests of the Crown in any negotiations with the lizardfolk. You four will share with him the concerns of your respective communities. Father Gar will also be present to represent the perspective and concerns of the Flan tribes and the teachings of the Great Druidess and hopefully to act as in intermediary between our different communities.”

“Now, unless any of you has any questions, I believe that a boat has been arranged that will take you as close as you can get by the waterways to the villages of the lizardfolk. Now, please go pack up whatever personal equipment you need. Sgt. Apone, gather your troops and get them and their equipment ready to go. Vaughn of Gorham, our customs agent, should be waiting for you all with his dray in the courtyard in a couple of hours. Go, all of you, with the blessings of the Archpaladin.”

“Thank you, Highness,” Gar bows deeply to the Prince before he goes downstairs to finish packing his gear.

Aramek bows as well and says, “I will return briefly to Master Parwyn’s to bid him and the family farewell and gather up my gear for our trip. I shall return shortly.”

Rain bows to Prospero but says nothing as she leaves.

Lorindel bows and then excuses himself to gather his gear.

“Your Highness,” Indranil says as he bows and walks backwards five paces before turning and leaving the room. Then thinking to himself he walks down the hall towards his room to collect his gear, Fishbate? What a funny name. Heh heh heh, I bet Father Gar will at some point address him as Master Bate!

Fingol bows to the Prince and follows the others out as well.

Outside, the solar, Rain comments quietly to Aramek, “See, now aren’t you glad we didn’t go off and pursue this on our own?” and smiles.

Aramek smiles back, winks and asks, “Was that an ‘I told you so’?”

“Heh, well I was more than willing to go out there alone with you but let’s just say I am very glad to have more company.” Her smile fades as she lowers her voice even more and says with a serious note, “Hey also, and I don’t mean to sound like your mother here, but I believe before this mission is over things are going to get a little dicey. When they do I want you to stay close to me, Okay. We can better protect each other that way.”

“That’s a guarantee!” says Aramek, also with a serious look. “Real friends don’t come along all that often, Rain. I spent most of my childhood pretty isolated from everyone, so having you as my friend means a lot. You can bet I’ll do everything I can to make sure we get to be friends for a long, long time. Hool Marshes be damned!”

Later at the barracks Rain says to Noch, “Hey Noch, I don’t mean to pry but you seemed to be pretty bothered by that statue… what gives?”

Noch gives Rain an appraising look. Rain is once more struck by the foul reek of Noch’s breath as he responds, “I would think anyone with sense would be bothered by that statue. This Thanatos is either another name for Nerull, or is perhaps an older even more powerful god of death. There are undoubtedly things out there in that marsh that man was not meant to know; or if once known then best left forgotten.” He turns away abruptly to gather his things and walks out of the barracks.

Rain grins ever so slightly with an barely audible, “hmmph” thinking to herself, Time to keep a closer eye on our friend Noch… maybe past time I think. With this on her mind she double checks her equipment, making sure that everything is in its place and easily accessible.

After leaving the solar, Fingol stops by the chapel and gives 20 gold eagles to Paragon Muire to support the Heironean Mission. Fingol reflects on his way back to his room, If we live through this adventure we’ll be well rewarded, but if we die, I don’t want some dirty filthy orc spending my money. After that, Fingol checks and mends his gear before packing it up and heading down the courtyard.

“Sir Ragnbjorn, do you know where I might find Sir Godric before we ship out?” asks Gar.  

Ragnbjorn’s right eyebrow arches and then he says, “Uh, no. You’d have as good an idea of where to find him as I would. I don’t keep track of the paladins here. I daresay, he’s your love-interest not mine.” He says the last with a grin and then goes into his room to pack his things.

Gar’s eyebrows rise momentarily as well. “Thank you, milord,” then he smiles and almost skips off to the paladin’s quarters. As he enters the hallway that ends at the green door, Gar looks around for his knight in shining armor. Not seeing him around, Gar knocks on Sir Godric’s door. After a moment, he hears a rustling around inside, followed by a, “Just a moment…” and then the door opens. A beleaguered Godric opens the door. He’s only wearing his working tunic and breeches at the moment.

“Oh, Father Gar, how good to see you. I was told you were in a meeting with the Prince. I just got off duty a little while ago and was just taking a nap. They’ve doubled our watch rotations since the riot.” He sighs heavily. “Anyway, come in, come in.” He ushers Gar to a seat, but oddly leaves the door wide open and then sits down in another seat across from Gar. “I understand you’re to be leaving soon, to find the lizardfolk?” he asks with evident concern.

“Yes, Sir Godric, we ship out in two hours. Sorry to disturb your rest but I could not leave without first paying my respect to you. It has been a real pleasure meeting such a shining gem as you. I am extremely pleased that you were not injured beyond repair in the riots yesterday, milord,” says Gar with a smile on his face.

“Ah good priest, it has been a pleasure to meet you as well. I’m from around Niole Dra, so all of this land is quite new to me. I certainly never had a chance to meet many Flan. I would like to learn more about you and your culture. I do hope that your mission is a success.” He smiles warmly, “I wish that we had more of a chance to get to know one another better. I hope we’ll have that time when you get back.” He leans forward in his chair and looks deeply into Gar’s eyes.

Gar leans forward as well and tries to steal a kiss. This Godric permits, but he doesn’t allow it to go too far. He breaks away and looks to the open door. “I would love to entertain, but we mustn’t give the others reason to gossip.”

“Yes, milord, thank you,” says Gar as he smiles and dries the corners of his mouth with his index finger. “When I return, I hope we can find some private time to, uh, get to know each other better.”

After a long pause, “Well, I suppose the time to dally is past. I must be off, milord. Our friends are waiting for me.” With that, Gar stands up, winks at Godric, and slaps him playfully on the butt on his way out. Smiling, “Be well, milord, so we can play when I come back.”

“I look forward to that.” Godric then pulls him into a warm embrace, and then stepping back once more says, “Until then. May the gods watch over you Father Gar.”

When Gar gets back to his room, he puts on his new chainmail from the Prince and stashes his new dagger up his left sleeve. Everything else is all ready and so he straps it on. As he finishes, he opens his door to see if anyone is waiting in the hallway, but it appears they have already gone down to the courtyard.