AAR: [8H] Dance Commanders (2021-02-11 @ 23:59 GMT)

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Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm
Re: AAR: [8H] Dance Commanders (2021-02-11 @ 23:59 GMT)

Post by Anoush » Sat Feb 13, 2021 7:53 pm

Bloodbeat's Journal:

I was visiting my home in Syrtis when A’horangi approached me. She’d been contacted by authorities to take on a mission that was both investigative and diplomatic. Two teachers from the K’Tenshin war college had gone missing. And K’Tenshin had requested help in locating them from Syrtis. Will wonders never cease!

It’s unheard of K’Tenshin to ask for help, they’re too proud. While there was no open animosity between them and the other arapagoi, such cooperation was extremely rare. So, when my sister called, I readily agreed. Not only was the thought of learning more about the K’Tenshin — first hand — appealing, blood is thicker than water, so they say.

A’horangi brought in three other adepts, ones that I already knew and trusted: Azurea (troll Shadow and Elementalist), Elisen (windling Cavalryman and Troubadour), and Lazulin (troll Raider and Sun Herald). We made sure to bring formal clothing and some gifts, small things. K’Tenshin were known for being more formal, more serious, more military than other t’skrang, so we wanted to avoid insulting them.

So off we went, on a long riverboat journey down the Serpent, past Lake Ban, to the K’Tenshin War College. The journey was about two weeks long, but uneventful. Being on the river was relaxing and we spent the time discussing what we knew about the K’Tenshin, which was much too little.

Once we arrived at the college, we were greeted pleasantly and taken to the proctor of the War College, M’Rain. He was prideful, and not happy to be asking for help. But we could tell that he felt he had to do what was best for the college. He explained the situation.

About three weeks ago by then, two college instructors had disappeared in the night. The first that the college knew of their disappearance was when their students reported the instructors had not appeared for class. The instructors were W’Stat and I’Jacloi; they were a mated pair. The two both taught fighting styles at the college, but different ones. When the staff went to their rooms, they found a disarray, clothes and other belongings strewn about. They’d obviously left in a hurry. Yet, there were no obvious signs of violence. A boatman reported that he’d seen the pair early that morning, with a third unrecognized figure, leaving on a small boat, heading west on the Serpent.

The pair hadn’t left the college in years, so for them to up and leave with no notice was shocking, out of character. We investigated their rooms. Yes, they were in disarray. Among the disarray, we found no weapons, so the pair must’ve left armed. Some of their clothing was missing, perhaps enough for a week. We spend a couple of hours searching through every nook and cranny in that apartment. Elisen finally turned up a drawing of three t’skrang. College officials confirmed that two of the figures were W’Stat and I’Jacloi, but she did not recognize the third. The three were roughly the same age, but the third, unknown t’skrang wasn’t dressed as a warrior or instructor. From his clothing we surmised he was a merchant, or someone in business like that. The artist who signed it was local, Named J’Son. We also found a small wooden token, about the size of a silver piece, with the Name Farram carved into it. We learned that Farram was a trading town about a week west of the college along the Serpent, just where the Iontos River diverted south.

We talked to JSon, the local artist. The drawing had been made about four years ago, while the locals were still resident in the kaer. J’Son said that the third figure was Named K’Rok. He had been a student at the college, but didn’t graduate; along the way, he realized that he wasn’t cut out to be a Tail Dancer.

We boarded a ship and headed west to Farram. About three days into the journey, we felt and heard a loud thud on the side of the boat. Looking around, we saw a serpent-like creature rise up out of the water, and one of its two heads grabbed a crewman and swallowed him whole! It turned out that the creatures were ufghanti, some larger and meaner than the others, but all were tough to kill. They spat poison at anyone within range and their two heads gave them a huge advantage in melee. Several of us were poisoned, myself included, but between having Kelia’s Antidote on hand, and Azurea’s wonderful healing abilities, we recovered.

There were no more problems reaching Farram and showed some locals the token. They told us that the token was from a festival held in Farram a couple of years ago. Revelers had bought them to participate in the games.

Showing the drawing around Farram got a strange reaction. Many people were apprehensive, worried, protective, when they saw the sketch. Most were unwilling to say anything. One brave soul muttered that we should talk to the town leader. A’Horangi asked, “Do you mean the mayor?” The villager scoffed, “No, more like boss. Go to the big tavern down the street,” and hurried away.

So we visited the tavern. As we approached, the area became too still, too quiet. Looking around, we noticed one person watching from a nearby rooftop, and another scampering away across other roofs. They knew we were coming.

Inside, we found not just the town boss — a thug Named V’Korn — but W’Stat and I’Jacloi! V’Korn was smug, sure of himself. We asked why the two instructors were here when they had a contract to work at the college. V’Korn’s answer wasn’t clear, but he implied that they were here to take care of a debt. Besides V’Korn there were about a dozen other thugs — melee types and archers — in the room. Elisen distracted them all, talking about wanting to sign on with V’Korn, how he’d be better at the job than they were. This gave the rest of us time and cover to scan the room for details. A’Horangi noticed one doorway that most people in the room kept glancing at, over and over again. Lifesight located two t’skrang in the basement. One was injured and on the ground, while the other was healthy and stood over the first one.

Our conclusion was that the injured t’skrang must have been K’Rok and that W’Stat and I’Jacloi were here to prevent V’Korn from killing him. Azurea bonded with the earth and identified a coal chute at the back of the tavern that could be used for a stealthy entrance.

We went to a hotel, rested a while. Then in the wee hours, Azurea crept out stealthily enhanced, using LIfesight, and snuck into the tavern’s basement. Meanwhile, Elisen went to the tavern’s front door and loudly sang and entertained V’Korn’s gang to distract them. Azurea found what we’d expected, and eliminated the guard, unshackled K’Rok and returned to the hotel with him. Fearing that the guards would notice that K’Rok was gone, we left K’Rok at the hotel while the rest of us returned to the tavern, by the front door.

K’Rok had given us a bit of information that only he and the two instructors would know, about their lack of prowess at a simple t’skrang game. So, A’Horangi started the conversation with V’Korn with this comment and a significant look at the two instructors. That got the point across. V’Korn realized something was wrong, and melee began. Before we could blink, I’Jacloi had drawn her sword and cleaved V’Korn in two. After an almost hesitant defense, the remaining thugs surrendered. Lazulin killed about half, while A’Horangi knocked out the rest, letting them survive long enough for jail.

During the brief fight, we noticed how W’Stat and I’Jacloi fought in unison, even though they used different styles. Truly a mated pair.

Afterwards, they confirmed our surmise that V’Korn had taken K’Rok captive and that their long-standing and close friendship with him demanded that they do whatever V’Korn demanded to keep him safe. The three t’skrang returned with us to the War College. M’Rain was happy to have his instructors back. At first, he was angry that they’d gone off in spite of their commitment to the college, but we framed the situation as a matter of loyalty and honor, and we expect that W’Stat and I’Jacloi will retain their standing, or even gain some, at the college.

A’Horangi stayed in K’Tenshin to study Tail Dancing at the college, while the rest of us took the next riverboat back north to Syrtis.

sigfriedmcwild
Posts:335
Joined:Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:59 am

Re: AAR: [8H] Dance Commanders (2021-02-11 @ 23:59 GMT)

Post by sigfriedmcwild » Fri Feb 19, 2021 1:37 am

From the memoirs of Elisen of clan Adorjan, Haressa-tis and Lore Keeper

With the Scourge attack come and gone, normal activity for adepts was resuming. If there's such a thing as normal for us. I was disappointed to have missed the fight but hopefully my work on collecting information had been of help.

As I was trying to figure out what to do next, A'horangi (A'horangi Syrtis) approached me asking for assistance. They have been wanting to join the K'tenshin War College to learn the art of tail dancing and coincidentally K'tenshin has just reached out to Syrtis for assistance and Syrtis in turn tapped A'horangi and Bloodbeat (Bloodbeat II Syrtis) as their representatives making this a golden opportunity.

As an official Syrtis mission, we are able to get passage on a fireboat, what a fascinating feat of ingenuity. The trip to K'tenshin's main town of 16 Towers is pleasant but uneventful. Once there we met M'rain the proctor, who explains two instructors have left a few weeks before without any explanation.

The instructors are W'Stat and I'jacloi, a mated pair (I confess my understanding of t'skrang mating and courting rituals is extremely limited) who had been serving at the academy for some years. They were last seen by a guard on a small rowboat with a third t'skrang. A'horangi examines their room and determines that they left willingly but quickly, finds a picture of the two instructors and a third t'skrang, signed by one J'lon and one coin like token with Farram (a trading down about one week down river) etched on it.

Analyis of the picture suggests it was made while the kaer was still sealed, so A'horangi, Bloodbeat, and Lazulin go to try and find the painter, who was able to provide the name K'rok for the third t'skrang. Meanwhile Azurea and I went to talk to the guard, who confirmed the facts we'd already heard.

The next morning we take a boat down to Farram, three days later the boat is attacked by a bunch of ufghanti, we make short work of them but their poison is still very annoying. With no more excitement we make it to Farram. A'horangi spent the trip studying the token and believes it was from a fair or festival held in the town.

Talking to some of the dockworkers we get some information, apparently some gang has just taken over the city and people looking like the instructors have been seen helping them. We're told the gang makes their headquarters in a tavern so we make our way there, on the way we notice some people looking at us from the rooftops, so I fly up and ask one of them to take us to their leader.

The tavern itself is a large but unremarkable building, full of people that looked about as friendly as Juniper in a slave camp and the two instructors. I just started blathering to the boss who introduced himself as V'korn and we engaged in a some negotiations about my entering into their service. While I was being the obvious distraction the others identified the presence of a potential hostage in the basement.

I beg for some time to consider the offer of employment and we withdraw to consider our option. It seemed obvious that the instructors were there against their will, held by threats to their friend. We decide to send Azurea in just before dawn to sneak into the basement and free the hostage so we can then deal with the gang without having to fight the instructors.

At the break of dawn, while Azurea is sneaking in, I go to the front of the tavern and play music to attract attention to me. Soon Azurea is back with a bedraggled t'skrang. With the hostage safe and and a "password" to convince his friends we walk into the building to a predictable ending: freed of their shackles the instructors quickly butchered V'korn and several other bandits until they started surrendering. Lazulin was so enraged he kept killing them until they were all either dead or knocked out.

After a somewhat tearful reunion we brought the instructors back to K'tenshin where they decided to not try and make any excuses for their behaviour.

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