RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

The hunt was on-and this time, it was personal.

It was day 35 of Storm Season 1622; 3 weeks left to go before Sacred Time. You left Jett's camp and Jzhurte's warband behind as the monsoon rains came, turning your trip into another drenched, muggy journey. Ahappi spotted a sparking coin on the ground that sent a jolt to vaporize a little beetle near it, so you avoided that. By evening you reached New Arv's exterior, but it had been a muddy, miserable, insect-infested slog through the Big Gunge.

You recalled some of New Arv's pertinent history as you drew close. Captain Gulos came here in 1618 (almost 5 years ago) to serve the new Baronet Barapitis as the Duke of Pithdaros was declaring it an established port. His prior history as a Horali soldier in Seshnela is mysterious but he known as “the scoundrel of Leplain” and no lover of Rokari Zzaburi or their Talars. Of the people of Giraine, you know him as among the most competent and resourceful; he has risen to the challenge of keeping this port running, more so since the once-efficient Baronet became distracted by the joys of seafaring (after teaching Gulos himself) and the younger brother fell into depression from the loss of his beloved wife. Indeed, much as Gulos has progressed from thug or even crime lord in all but name to de facto leader and keeper of some peace, New Arv has matured; although far from a holiday destination. But it is still a place where anything might happen, and Captain Gulos surely pulls more strings than he probably should. The Barapitis family, though, maintains a firm hand on local mercantile and cultural matters, at least, trying to promote New Arv as an exciting coastal hub-and not altogether failing.

Outside the wooden stockade, where much repairs had been done and local activity was returning after the Seshnelan attack, traffic had churned the swamps up into a frustrating mire. The Rokari Mission ruins were outside the walls but on the stable bedrock rather than in the terrible swamps. You headed for the gates, and were met by Lieutenant Heloise, the red-haired Seshnelan woman who replaced the corrupt Lt. Garrabonne (whom Ahappi killed in a duel). She knows younow and is clearly professional, polite and by-the-book; a born justicemaker amongst the Horali of Captain Gulos, and adherent to the Laws of Malkion (but like others, a Rokari although one loyal to her superiors here). Dryly, she welcomed you: “Welcome back to New Arvonesse, port town of Baronet Hiripetis Barapitis, vassal of the Dark Duke of Pithdaros. Any port in a storm, they say; come in and take shelter. But you will take extra caution, as there has been a storm of crime here lately- disappearances and murders and such; more than the norm. We can make little logic of it as yet. Perhaps with the slow return of trade here comes the burden of parasites on that.”

You split up inside New Arv-Miguel and Boamund went to Captain Gulos's barrack-house, Fraud Shaven sought some finer comforts in the Excelsiinn, and Captain Ahappi made a beeline for the harbour waters. Shaven learned from admirer Gothrim of Peelo that the message to Miguel had come to him via Zeffedi and the 'Friends, who had met some rough types in the Night Market. He said that the 'Friends were likely in the Ophidi Inn again tonight. Gothrim said he'd heard sinister rumors of scary “masked men” about in town at night. Shaven relaxed and awaited the rest of the team. Ahappi bathed, shapeshifted and contacted his dear Ouwashilombiss, who told him that Serpent Harbour remained safe and that he should do as he must to sink a ship and thus feed the depths (and his geas). Regarding seeking the Ouori and a true Magastan theist faith, as she wished him to, she conveyed an odd message that the Handran merwoman (Ludoch) named Stormswallower, a former contact in the Saint Magasta heresy of Stygian Malkioni, had managed to contact her and “challenged” her over Ahappi's faith. Ouwashilombiss warned that, while there was a path to convert from Malkionism to strict Magastan theism, it would involve “pain” and other obstacles. Ahappi sent a powerful mental message to The Shadow, calling it here.

Boamund and Miguel (who was very antsy, wanting quick action, but keeping his head for now) spoke with Gulos, who explained more about the complex net of criminal problems that seemed to have caught New Arv in it lately-it was not one faction, he thought, but multiple ones that had brought new activity or raised their profile here in recent weeks, since the Seshnelan assault and Brother Amaurius's murder (which Gulos noted to Boamund as a concern given that the man was “under his protection”). He was delving into the matter but Boamund convinced him that you could investigate this kidnapping of Micaela yourselves, if you kept it tidy and captured 1 of the kidnappers for Gulos's further investigations. If you did need Gulos's help in the investigation, he would provide it. He also noted, on Boamund's way out, that the Brown Vadeli Skrimton Nodeal had passed through New Arv several days ago with his band of miscreants and he'd been ushered away, headed north…

You reconvened at the Excelsiinn and then agreed to go to the Ophidi Inn (incognito) to see if Zeffedi was there. The Inn was as rowdy as you'd ever seen it; so much that a great troll bouncer named Ayk had been hired to enforce its strict new rule of no weaponry allowed inside. Miguel left his gear with Boamund and went in, immediately spotting Zeffedi and company who were very drunk, in the company of an unfamiliar man. As Miguel turned to leave, the bar erupted into a giant brawl and Miguel had to push away a drunken patrol who swung wildly at him, then Miguel ducked through the crowd and escaped. You waited a while as the brawl carried on and Ayk quietly considered the situation. Finally he strode in, threw out some brawlers, and smashed one's head in with his maul-that ended the fighting and the bartender closed the Inn for the night to clean up. So the drunken crowd spilled onto the streets and Zeffedi & co streamed past-the man with them, Boamund saw, was his old friend Juchello; a sailor whom he had some unusual feelings for (and a friend of Ciddar). It was a surprise to see him here in New Arv but as they were all still stumbling drunk you let them go, to sober up for tomorrow.

Ahappi watched the crowd for any criminal activity and spotted a thief eyeing up a target with a fat purse- he followed the man into a rough central part of town, where the guy entered a little shack. Ahappi told Miguel of this and he snuck in, spied into the house with his Sense Life and saw and heard the cutpurse telling his wife that he'd made a good deal in the Night Market and they'd have good resources for their family for the week. Downtrodden that this wasn't his quarry, Miguel returned to you. A new plan was needed. But the night was getting late and you might need rest, so you returned to the Excelsiinn, and spoke quickly with Gothrim who, struggling with ideas to help, threw out the idea that a local man nicknamed “Granddaddy” was one of those who had gone missing of late. He was a fisherman and a favourite of the port's children so you went, again Incognito, to the harbour to speak with the local fisher and sailor folk. They wouldn't tell you much, suspicious of unfamiliar faces asking about their friend, but said that he hadn't been seen in a couple of days and his boat was not there. So you called it a night and went to rest.

Ahappi returned to the harbour the next day, not Incognito, and got one man (a close friend of Granddaddy) to tell him that he knew Granddaddy's typical fishing spots. The man mentioned some local “weer-tiggy” he called “Grounded” that the Captain reminded him of; both of them made the man glad he wasn't accursed like them (this guy had a bit of an attitude and was not impressed by your heroic presence or claims). He agreed to take you out on a boat around the reefs, first seeing the sea caves (nice, but no clues) and then the fishing spots. Finally, as the afternoon passed, he paused and pointed across the reefs-there it was, the boat! And two figures in it; one large and one small… Miguel peered eagerly and yes, it was Micaela and the fisherman recognized the other as Grandaddy! You couldn't believe your luck-the kidnapping seemed solved? You rowed up to them and spoke, learning that Grandaddy had been hired by some rough chaps (one had a very ugly face and was their leader, named “Carl” or similar) to guard her for a while because her bad stepfather was hunting for her and she needed to be safe. They'd said they would come for him when things were clear, and he'd given them a map of where he might be on the reefs. Miguel was convinced this was all true, and was overjoyed to have his sister safe, unharmed and with clues to her kidnappers. Now the hunt had changed-it was time to trap the trappers. To his jubillant surprise, Miguel's hunt had preserved the Life of his sister first; freeing him to take the next step.

You argued with Miguel, who wanted to never again let Micaela out of his sight, and Ahappi convinced him that she might be in more trouble with you right now than if Granddaddy stayed with her in a sea cave that was not on his map. He reluctantly agreed- you knew that you could use him as a lure at the Rokari Mission to find the captors, and that was the plan. The fisherman took you back to the port as night approached. Miguel scouted the ruin site, saw no life there but a huddled person at the stockade walls, looking inactive and innocuous but with a good line-of-sight to the ruin grounds. So Miguel returned (still Incognito) to you inside the gates and you planned your trap. Ahappi climbed the stockade and threw a Slumber spell onto the huddled figure, who fell asleep. Miguel then went back, not Incognito, on his own (and unarmed) to the ruin, to draw in your attackers while the rest of you hid inside the fallen ruin of the tower (which was plagued with biting white flies-very nasty!). The huddled figure awoke, saw Miguel and went inside the gates.

Time passed, night fell… and the haunting of the Mission came. This building was the first settlement in the area. It held a small shrine for local Rokari and was the centre of local proselytizing; the established Rokari presence on Giraine that was furthest north. It burned down mysteriously some years ago (year 1617), just as the port was being established, and those in the know suspect that Captain Gulos had some hand in this but he does not comment on it. Several Rokari Zzaburi died in the fire and the Rokari gave up trying to keep a foothold here afterwards. But rumour amongst the townspeople is that the place is haunted by the ghosts of the Zzaburi, and no one denies that there are many stories of encounters with spirits nearby, so the place is shunned. Well, you met the haunting yourselves. Three ghosts of Rokari Zzaburi manifested inside the ruined tower-tube, trapping Fraud, Boamund and Ahappi therein. Miguel had been sitting by a soggy little fire inside the walls, in plain sight, and when he saw the spirits come wailing out of the Spirit Plane he bolted over the walls and ran, terrified, into New Arv! So you were left to fight a desperate stuggle against these furious former priests. They used magics first; one of them blinding Fraud and taking him effectively out of the fight, and the other setting Ahappi to slowly burn. Then you were engaged in spirit combat and, swiftly, Fraud and Boamund dropped unconscious. It was left to Ahappi to take the last two down with his spirit-slaying spear and he barely did; back to the Spirit Plane they went with a final hateful howl.

During the spiritual attack you felt their hatred for you and for New Arvonesse. You caught glimpses of their agonizing fiery deaths and how this had tormented their spirits for years, as they lurked outside the port that they blamed for their demise and fall of the area into Sin and Error. Flies had come attracted to the power of death here, and would feast upon those that the haunts felled. The Rokari would not taint themselves with possessing victims, but preferred a more cruel vengeance. As the flies finished their feasting and disease-spreading, the haunts would conjure cleansing flames to get rid of the remnants, and await the next victims-but there weren't many these days.

Ahappi hauled his two comrades back inside the walls where Miguel cowered. The guards helped you lug Boamund and Fraud to the Ship of Life Church, where the priest Thabit took good care of them and consoled Miguel, who was still shaken by the ghosts and images they'd conjured in his mind of things he'd done. Now that his sister was safe and the kidnappers were nowhere to be seen some of his defences were down, and he needed rest. Ahappi wasn't ready to rest though- he tromped over to see Captain Gulos and presented an ambitious plan: they would go together to the ruins now, with Gulos's personal Zzaburi named Ytor the Sinister, and wipe it clean of the haunting. Gulos at first hesitated-he hinted he'd kept the haunting “as a warning”, and there was an undercurrent that the hatred that kept the haunts present was mutual-they hated the city and Gulos, and he kept that alive. But yes, he admitted, perhaps it was time for this to end. New Arvonesse needed to grow, and let go of old things. So he didn't argue much with Ahappi and instead got his wizard to follow them to the site, well guarded. Ytor had long held the proper rituals prepared to cleanse this site; it would be simple enough. By channeling Gulos's, Ahappi's and his wills and magical energies, he called for an end to the hate, the stain upon the city, and the obsession with the past. The rains of Storm Season would wash this place clean; rinse the ashes of years of fury. This land was ruled not by the Seshnelan kingdom or Rokari mission, but by the Pithdarans and Baronet Barapitis, in whose name you acted and in whose name he proclaimed judgement. He called Malkion's Laws to make this so; to make things right again; and for the haunts's spirits to forever be banished to their proper places in the Invisible God's plan; not to trouble mortals here anymore. They had exacted a bitter toll on the city for years, fomenting anguish and strife. It must end. And it was done. The ruin's faint glow in the nighttime faded and soon the biting flies would disperse.

[Well played. This was a very open-ended scenario; I set up various pieces of the puzzle and they could fall many different ways! It could have ended very, very darkly… Ahappi's clever actions at the end came as a fun surprise and advanced that plotline way more than I'd expected, but that's all good. And so you burned 1 party luck pt w/the flies' critical disease roll but then earned it back with the cleansing of the ruin. BUT— it isn't over! What happened with the bad guys that Miguel would now want to hunt down? (and Gulos wants, too) Who was that beggar-like character that lurked outside the walls and where did they go after waking up from Ahappi's Slumber spell and seeing Miguel? You never met with Zefeddi et al.-can they still help? What will you do with Micaela? What is the nature of the criminal activity in New Arv-how tied into this are “Carl” and his people, or the evidence you found in the sewers of Chaos cultists or “the Strangers” and such? There is plenty of mystery left, and Miguel is not done with his vengeful hunt-but also, you want to move on with your many tasks. The Sottogh lie about 2 days to the ~north past Jett's camp; the Shadow should be here in ~2 days and could take you to the Huru, and so on…]

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