Campaigns » PnP:Shadows over the southern seas » PnP:Shadows over the southern seas/Chapter 5

[top]Chapter V - The quiet before

[top]Autumn 555

The kings prepare for war, taking out loans with guilds to accumulate money to build ships and pay soldiers. Relations between Brosengae and Diemed seem to get cold when Eirene Mierelen discovers that her son Ectarius has decided to spare Norvien Swordwraith and Marlae Roesone, recognizing their greater value as allies. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Imperial Temple, secretly financed by the Baron himself, begins a campaign of discredit against prince Darien Avan, who has taken sides against the holy war.

[top]The Volarae crisis

Relying upon the strength of his newfound fame, the baron takes advantage of the death of Daeric Maedhenewe, dean of the counts of Moer, to add a noble title to his house that allows him to claim the title of Duke of Diemed. To sign a first official recognition, the baron longs for a vassalage of Medoere. Suris Enlien is in favor, as Ectarius has gone to fulfill Ruornil's will in Mieres, an alliance will be well seen with a marriage between Edmund Volarae and a niece of the sorceress Hermedhie. The only problem is that Edmund Volarae has been promised to a steward of Siele Ghoried's Spider River Traders, so that their guild can merge with Vaesil Radim's Freedom Shipping Corporation! Since Volarae is belonging to the Dieman lineage, Baron Diem finds his own matters as more important than any commercial agreement, so he orders that Volarae is to be captured alive, at any cost, and brought back to Braeme to celebrate the wedding. Edmund Volarae was still in Aerele, capital of Diemed,but he was able to escape from the baron's guards by making himself invisible inside a Freedom Shipping caravel.

Once in Ilien, he tells the matter to the Doge Vaesil Radim , who will require that Volarae travel in secret to Dhoenel, capital of the Spider River Traders guild, for the wedding. He doesn't know that clerics of Ruornil pay the notorious bounty hunter Azeem to Ilien to find him and bring him back to Braeme, alive.

Azeem will be able to find out where the wedding would take place, and on the wedding day he will create a diversion by using mercenaries who burst into the wedding hall creating havoc. Volarae will become invisible to escape but Azeem will use some flour to uncover its tracks and stun him.

[top]Coerden answers the call

A few days before a ritual that would have robbed him of Azrai's corrupted blood, Coerden da gray dreams of an encounter with his god, Cuiraécen, on a battlefield. The god calls him to choose whether to perform great deeds in his name, and when the cleric answers yes the god he orders him to keep the blood, although corrupt, and to found a church in his name in Mieres, since Cuiraécen will be the spirit that will animate the revolt in the hearts of the peasants enslaved by pirates.

Coerden is led by the god into a room in the Mhistecai tower, a room that previously belonged to Trevor Ciesen , the same wizard they looked upon in Caelcorwynn and Tamle. There he finds a magical feather and throws himself off the tower - the feather cushioned his fall.

Over the next few days Coerden will settle in the forest, battling the elves of Mhistecai and preventing them from continuing to kidnap other halflings. Eventually he travels to the halfling village, where he will meet again Donato al-qadim, who wants to help the halflings protect themselves from the Wokeleaf elves. Together, they will retrieve the treasures of the Tiger Man, left by the kings in the cathedral of tears, and make the halfling villagers a group trained to defend themselves from the elves. The two men will also teach guerilla techniques apt for a forest battle. In gratitude, the halflings will raise a totem pole in Cuiraécen and declare themselves followers of Coerden.

Next is to persuade the Vigilant Sisters of Nesirie to grant part of the cathedral for the cult of Cuiraécen. In order to do this, Coerden and Donato will go around the villages, followed by a small escort of halflings, to beat all the remaining men of the governor, and earn some money by helping merchants and adventurers who have remained in difficulty with the closure of the province. Eventually the sisters will be convinced to help the cleric.

[top]Winter 556 - The wait

Marlae Roesone, tired of waiting for the outcome of the auspices, decides to start embarking a large contingent to the south, towards the island of Albiele, now under the control of Diemed. In late January, when Roesone's soldiers are away, Ghoere will move a small army from the north, attacking Ghoeried and Fairfield. Only the courage and sacrifice of the alliance troops remaining in the north can save the provinces - their death buys enough time for the kings to carry the bulk of the army north. Ghoried's troops pretend to retreat in front of the Diaman army, but they descend again from the north to Fairfield, where they clash with the troops of Roesone and Aerenwe. The battle will be a success but it will cause the kings to waste a lot of time in terms of logistics. Marlae will receive a blame from the Sisters of Nesirie: she moved against the times set by the gods, and was punished for it.

King Norvien Swordwraith decides to go north to parley with the baron of steel, Gavin Tael. The king promises alliance and men in a future invasion of Osoerde, but the baron demands that the king bend the knee and recognize him as emperor. Enraged by his negative response, Gavin Tael will demand a ritual in which part of the king's divine power will be held hostage as a guarantee of his word. King Norvien will leave Ghoere very quickly. As he returns south, he feels the winds are changing, and decides to travel to Proudglaive to leave with Marlae, as he is sure this is the auspice they were waiting for. His surprise will be enormous to discover that the black baroness is pregnant of his child, the first child resulting from the union of Aerenwe and Roesone. His brother, Daenal Roesone, will lead the troops in her name.

Meanwhile, Diemed reconnects relations with Brosengae. Magnus Mierelen, against the will of his mother, will depart from Bindier with only 200 archers, however the knight will bring new information: Avanil amasses an army of thousands of men across the Maesil River. This will force Baron Diem to sacrifice almost half of the army to be embarked to protect the borders.

[top]The Volarae crisis ends

Vaesil Radim, enraged by Volarae's kidnapping, asks Rogr Aglondier for help in tracking him down with his powerful realm magic. Siele Ghoried will also ask for the help of Cale Alwier, who holds Aerenwe until the king's return, so that Volarae is found. The steward will send on the trail of the bounty hunter the White Mastiffs, King Norvien's elite guard.

Azeem has made it to Produglaive, where he hopes to cross the river to go to Braeme. He will be recognized by Ilien's soldiers, who remained there to help Roesone's army. He will be able to escape from the soldiers with volarae by disguising himself as an undertaker and traveling further south, towards Abbatuor. Before entering the forest, however, the white mastiffs will capture both of them. Their order is to take them back to Ilien, where King Norvien prepares to set sail. Across the river, the bounty hunter Khinasi convinces Volarae to run away with him at dawn, freeing him, but the wizard will escape alone.

Azeem, left free by the mastiffs, easily finds him in a tavern in a village near the spider river. At that moment Vaesil Radim enters the tavern, who decides to repay the bounty hunter for the trouble and takes the wizard home. The merchant prince has in fact postponed the wedding until after the war, allowing the Spider River Guild to settle in the ports of Ilien. The Doge has hired a group of wizards from the Imperial College of Magic, and he wants Edmund Volarae to take care of casting battle spells. Volarae reluctantly agrees again, secretly hoping never to return to Mieres.