Game Night Tales from around the gaming table

 

When the Adventurers from our last episode returned to the Monastery, Rading found Ritter's horse in the stable and went to find him -- the rest retired to their rooms.

 

Rading located Ritter in the main hall and joined him for a much needed meal -- he was still recovering from his near death at the hands of the Krigare.

 

 

 

 

 

The Loremaster was talking with Ritter about escorting 4 of the rescued families to a willing settlement 2 days to the East when Rading arrived at the table.  Ritter was just buttoning up the details of the trip, so Rading went for food -- by the time he got back with the three heaping plates the Loremaster was leaving.

 

Ritter asked after the amount of food and Rading filled him in between mouthfuls.  When his story -- and second plate -- was done, he asked Ritter about his talk with the Darkmaer.  Interested, he offered to come with.

 

The two met the heavily laden wagon, 4 families, 6 Acolytes and the Loremaster the next morning.  Darkmaer gave them a Writ of Introduction to smooth their entrance into the settlement and they left under his Blessings.  They travelled without incident for 2 days and arrived as the sun was setting.  The Writ allowed them to keep their weapons inside the walls and the guard pointed out the nearby places that they could rest and the Temple where the families would stay until they were settled.

 

Ritter, wanting to see his duty complete went to the Temple with the rest, but Rading heard singing -- in fact pretty good singing -- and followed it to the Steaming Boar Inn.

 

Within he found a dozen or so patrons busy with conversations, meals and drinks almost totally ignoring the singer who was banging his tambourine to a tune that Rading didn't know.  As he waited for the set to finish, he determined that his lute playing would complement the singer's voice quite well, but he also saw that this boy was a pauper and when the set was over the Inn barely noticed -- only a single copper piece was tossed at him.  Rading approached him and dropped 2 coppers in his hat -- then began the delicate negotiations to get this poor boy to agree to play a duet with him.  It was a near thing and Rading managed to keep what little pride the boy had intact while making sure that he also took the lions share of the set's take -- Rading didn't need the coins as much as the boy and he wanted to make sure that he got a taste of what it was like to be appreciated.

 

Their duet went exceptionally well -- they only had 6 ballads in common, but they made the best of them.  At the end of the set there was silence.  When Rading looked around he saw every person poised on the edge -- as if waiting to dive into deep water -- and then the moment passed and there was a mad roar of applause and coins rained unto the stage with cries for more.  The boy beamed and Rading remembered his first performance, and following in his mentor's footsteps, he quieted the crowd and told them that they needed some time to recover before they began their next set, before the boy could strain his voice any further.

 

Meanwhile, Ritter had been introduced to the Priest Sonmorgar and they had an interesting talk about their different faiths.  Afterward, Ritter asked if there was anything that he could to do to aid the settlement, and offered up the powers that his faith gave to him.  As he was speaking Usvar -- a young Acolyte -- came in with an urgent plea from the captain of the guard's wife, his foot wound had turned septic and was moving up his leg.  Ritter knew that he could help and asked to be lead there.

 

When he got near, the smell of rot could have lead him to the house.  The inside was even worse -- that of an old abattoir -- so fetid and rank that the entire household had been forced outside, only the wife had stayed within.  Through force of will Ritter kept his breakfast down, the man's entire leg swollen and grey, with veins of the infection running up his side into his armpit.  He questioned the wife; this was from a foot wound barely 2 days ago, caused from stepping on a broken piece of bone.  When he touched the man, he could feel the pulse of the infection within and knew it to be unnatural.  As he applied his holy powers to purge it, it fought him -- trying to enter his body -- but after a bitter struggle, he was able to force it from the man.  The putrid puss had exploded from the wound in the final moments, covering much of the room and its occupants.  Ritter checked to ensure that the wife had not been infected, then he headed outside -- the house would need to be completely sanitized and the family would need to stay out until then.  Now he needed to get clean!

 

As Ritter came into the Inn, Rading had just finished his set with the boy, and he saw the crowd's reaction.  Seeing how poor the boy was he came up to him and gave him one of his few electrum pieces.  Then he followed the barmaid into the back and the promised bath.  She took his soiled clothes for washing and his armour for cleaning.  When he was done he put on the only clothes he had left -- his religious robes.

 

When he entered the commons room every single person's eyes shot straight to him, and then utter panic took hold.  Most finished off their drinks in a quick chug and then fled out of the door, others just ran.  "What the..." Ritter thought as even the staff retreated into the kitchen.  The singer was caught slightly behind him, but made a dash for the door when he turned away.  Rading watched in confusion as well, but didn't know what happened either.  Ritter, not know what else to do, stripped off his robes.

 

A short while later Usvar and Sonmorgar entered the inn.  They all had a talk and Ritter found out that his robes were almost identical to that of the High Lord's militant society's Temple Marshall -- a significant rank.  The reason for the terror in the settlement -- when a Temple Marshall was about, it meant that powerful minions of Skrie were around.  As soon as Sonmorgar had determined the cause of the panic, he had sent Usvar out to stop the rumours and to call for a meeting at the Temple tonight, he would need to sooth his flock’s minds and would need Ritter's help.  He also sent Anhi -- one of the barmaids -- to fetch Ritter’s other clothes.

 

By the time they had finished their talk, Anhi had returned, the clothes slightly damp, but wearable.  Ritter gratefully pulled them on -- as Anhi watched appreciatively from behind him -- and then the four of them moved out to speak to the settlement -- to quell the now rampant rumours of doom.