Campaigns » PnP:Shadows over the southern seas » PnP:Shadows over the southern seas/Chapter 3

[top]Chapter 3 - The Prince

[top]Spring 554 - Retaliation

With the arrival of the first spring heat, bad news arrives. Turiye min saida, head of the Brotherhood of Khet, is found poisoned dead in the dungeons of Swordwraith Castle. The culprit is unknown, but the Alliance loses a precious witness to Vaumel's deeds.

The kings feel it's time for retaliation: by taking out large loans from the Brosen royal guild and the Spider River Traders guild, they finance a major military effort. Norvien will move a large army to the island of Caelcorwynn, besieging Suderham, while Diem, fearing a reunion with the pirates, will wage a blitzkrieg on the island of Albiele.

The governor's ships are defeated, thanks to a small fleet of smaller ships, which keep them busy on the coast. The landing of the army and the invasion of Albiele town, which cost 600 men dead and missing among the pirates, against 50 losses among the diemans, is almost a formality. Leading the Dieman army is Baron Ectarius Diem, a group of his adventurers, and the General Jarod Enlien, legitimate heir of Medoere, who leads a preemptive assault on the Governor's villa. After a while, nothing is heard of the general's fate, and the baron decides to take the matter into his own hands.

However, the bards say that a terrible buzz rose over the city, leading everyone present, except the baron and his trusty adventurers, to a great confusion. It is said that the governor of the island had the power to stun anyone within the radius of an entire province.

The clash between the baron and the governor was epic: the governor pretended to be general Enlien and ambushed the adventurers. His evil spells kept the adventurers at bay and paralyzed the baron, whose appearance he wanted to usurp the throne. Only the intervention of the cleric of Cuiraecen, Coerden da gray, an adventurer in the pay of the Baron, allowed the baron to free himself, reversing the situation.
At that point it turns out something incredible, the governor was not a person, but the Cloak that controlled a druid who died 800 years ago. A very lucky blow to the heart deprived the creature of divine blood and its powers, freeing the island from the Awnshegh's control. They even found the real general, safe and sound.

[top]A Secret Study in Tamle

In early summer, Vaesil Radim is contacted by the sorceress Hermenedie. She tells him that the count of Ciliene, Trevor Ciesen, is beginning to occupy the magic sources of Diemed. The sorceress is unfamiliar with this new wizard, and fears he may be an enemy to the southern realms. Vaesil's father, El Cidro Radim, had discovered that the wizard had stayed for a short time on the island of Tamle, a few hours' journey from the port of Ilien. Edmund Volarae, now first steward of Ilien, remembers having been with him but that access to the magician's study was prevented by a magic word that they had not been able to find.

This reminds the merchant prince of the treasure map that was given to him by the King of Aerenwe, Norvien Swordwraith. He sets up a group of adventurers and leaves for the island, where he realizes that the word on the map, "enemies", is in fact the word to open the studio. Inside they will find an ancient pirate den transformed into a studio, with lots of information and treasures, including letters proving that Count Trevor was a disciple of the witch Mhistecai, and that together with another wizard they operated in a small island south of Caelcorwynn, researching a mysterious codex brought by the beastman to the governor.

At that point hook horrors will emerge from an ancient passage, putting a strain on the group of adventurers. Radim nearly died several times, until he passed out and was brought back to Ilien. Upon awakening, he notices that someone has stolen the map.

[top]Summer 554 - The conquest of the islands

By winning the terrifying battle with the Governor, baron Ectarius Diem is invested Count of the island of Albiele, a title recommended by Orthodox church, and sets sail for home. Before returning home, however, he stops at Ilien, to catch up with the merchant prince. Here one of the adventurers sells him the map, and the baron sets out on an expedition to seize the islet, helped by Radim, to whom he has revealed the secret sale as his moral code dictates. A confrontation with a giant Hook Horror will bring great riches to the ruler, also aided by the King of Aerenwe.

Diemed will immediately focus on completing the island's new fortifications and establishing a local government. Mieres declares war: it wants to take back the albiele. However, his ships will stall with the diemane ships on the Albiele Strait.

The southern alliance then flexes its muscles: warships set sail from Ilien and Caelcorwynn, where King Swordwraith has completed the conquest of the pirate city of Suderham. Faced with an army of 6 galleons and 4 caravels, the governor's only hope are the Rjurik pirate ships to the north, which are however intercepted by the alliance's coastlines ships.

The king of Aerenwe won the right on the island with Roesone through a duel between champions, but he knows that a title to be handed down is needed to legitimize the conquest: he makes a pact with the baroness Marlae Roesone who recognizes him as legitimate king of the island, in exchange for aid and strong discounts on the control of marine traffic from the Strait of Aerele to the Gulf of Coeranys.

Fleet captain Gyorgaar Kruppfenhaar claims Mierese control of Albiele island, but the Alliance denies these rights, arguing that control of the island is a pirate protection business. Diem will not demand ransom, but will let the Mierese ships return to the port of Seaward, with their tails between the legs.

Vaesil Radim completes an important diplomatic feat: marries the daughter of Rogr Aglondier, Alliene Tilgentor-Aglondier and compensates the services of the count of Ilien with no less than re-building a whole neighborhood in Ilien and a very high percentage of the guild's proceeds, equal to 35 GB. The count feels that this can finally give a boost to his ambitions, he was more interested in magic than politics anyway, so he appoints Vaesil his successor and wages a war to conquer the magical sources in the Erebannien forest, which has always been disputed with the High Mage Aelies.

An army of the undead suddenly appears in the forest of Abbatuor. Aelies, to prevent its passage, blocks access to the forest from that side, imprisoning the entire province in thick fog.

[top]Autumn 554 - the diplomatic war

Governor Vaumel decides to relocate to Darien Avan, hoping that the conquest of Albiele will frighten the prince, fearful of an expansion of the southern kings. In this way he focuses on his nefarious plans, preparing his army for a possible invasion.

Avanil sends gifts to all the kings of the south as a reward for ending the pirate threat for good. Its purpose is to de-legitimize the alliance, and dissolve it - kings alone are easy to control. In particular, he has Brosengae send thanks to Diemed: a way to remind the Baron that he, like his family, are vassals of Avanil, and they must remember their place.

The kings refuse, and Diemed agrees to blow up the plans to convince Medoere. Only Roesone, at this point, seems to yield to the flattery of the prince.

This move leads the other realms to work more on personal armies than on the alliance, Medoere tries to make deals with Roesone, but Diemed, who has an embassy in the capital of the theocracy, blows the agreements.

Orthien Tane enacts his terrible revenge: he unleashes Dalien Claw to hatch a perfidious plot in Ilien, against Vaesil Radim.

Diemed focuses on strengthening its hegemony on the island of Albiele, strengthening it militarily and politically. Ilien continues to flourish as he tries to evolve the freedom shipping from guild into the Free city Guild. It does not help the High Prefect of the Church of Halelyn, Hubaere Armiendin, is convinced that Mother Genuair killed one of their paladins and unjustly became the state religion of Ilien, is against the Doge. The prefect will even go to Baron Diem for further evidence. Aerenwe completes the conquest of Caelcorwynn, but is still facing the terrible war between wizards, which stabilizes in front of the borders in the forest of Abbatuor, thanks to the intervention of King Norvien. The king travels to Ilien to look for the wizard, and starts a strange negotiation with Rogr Aglondier, who speaks through the general of the army of the undead in the forest of Abbatuor.

[top]Markessa's laboratory

At the end of the season the kings find themselves in Caelcorwynn, looking for a mysterious outpost that the wizard Trevor Ciesen has indicated as being connected to Vaumel's plans. In the outpost, an ancient stronghold from the time of the Anuian empire, the kings have taken the elf **Markessa** as prisoner, who is steward of Mhistecai. Curiously, they found two elves, identical to each other, one swears to be Markessa, the other not, yet something doesn't convince the kings: the "fake" Markessa didn't have too much trouble attacking them. Together with Markessa they find the partial translation of a grimoire, written in an ancient language.

[top]Winter 555 - A terrifying omen

Upon returning from the sea, a terrifying omen shakes the south: a black shooting star. For astrologers, it is a sign that the realm of shadows has become dangerously close to that of the living, and arcane magic can be affected. Mysterious events will occur in all realms: a locust invasion in Aerenwe, the plague in Ilien, and the discovery of a Carbhaeghlien, a spontaneous source, in Diemed.

But even worse, on his return to the headquarters of the corporation, 'Vaesil Radim finds a gift package with a mocking note signed "D." and the severed head of his treasurer. Careful, power can go to your head, says the message.

The kings start immediately working to strength the alliance. Brosengae and Roesone take a step back, and only the intervention of the king’s staff will convince them to go against the prince’s wishes. New embassies will be opened and the king of Aerenwe will try, unsuccessfully, to bring the wizard of Erebannien to his side. Radim instead convinces Aglondier to join the battle, promising to give him a grandson. Agreements with the Brosen guild on the island of Albiele will bring Brosengae back into the alliance.

King Norvien will suffer, during a hunt with Baroness Marlae Roesone, an attack by elves, but they will survive. Eventually he decides to trust her and reveals his plans for the conquest of Mieres. Marlae is there, she will stay in the alliance in exchange for a slice of Mieres.

[top]Spring 555 - Alamier's yoke

A research committee, formed by Rogr Aglondier, Lasica Diem, Hermenedie and Edmund Volarae, begins to study the grimoire stolen from Markessa. The hope of the kings is that this can lead to concrete evidence that the governor is involved in demonic affairs, this would allow for a holy war to be held which would be a legitimate casus belli to legitimize the deposition even in the eyes of Avanil.

Aerenwe commemorates the funeral of the former Queen Liliene, to whom a small island near Caelcorwynn will be dedicated. The guilds begin to settle on the island previously dominated by the slavers. Good news to Ilien, after the completion of the repairs of the walls of the Free city, Alliene becomes pregnant - triplets, according to the magicians.

But then come the bad news. Avanil has taken over 5,000 men by sea to Alamier, Medoere, including the fearsome Imperial Legion. The reasons are to be found in a request for help from Endier, Guilder Kalien requested assistance to protect his activities in the province. But the real reason, for everyone, is that the prince, realizing that diplomatic ways are not affecting the alliance, wants to give a show of strength.

The diplomatic work of the kings of the south pays off - armies from all over the south march to Medoere, defeating the bulk of the Avanese forces in a mass battle. Here, what the bards call the alamier yoke takes place - the remaining troops were escorted, unarmed, on foot, to Endier, via Diemed, in a gesture of extreme humiliation. The two Avanese galleons were confiscated. This will be the coup de grace to the prince's attempts to dissolve the alliance.