GURPS DF Session 46 - Rumours and Secrets

Session Date: Thursday 8 August 2019
 
Party roster:
Miao Miao, cat-folk swashbuckler, 351 points (PC)
- "Jenkins", human servant, 146 points (NPC Ally)
- Brother Warian, human monk (initiate), 171 points (NPC Ally)
Davin Emberwood, human wizard, 317 points (PC)
 

Sir Yvor Gryffyn, human knight, 309 points (PC*) 
Sister Miriam Suntemple, human cleric, 275 points (PC)

*Yvor was played by a different player who dropped in for the evening.  

---

This summary is by Davin's player, which nets him a bonus CP.


Davin's Diary
Sir Sacnoth is dead.

They used an axe, instead of a sword. Which as he was a knight is a great insult, Lady Miao says.
There's something wrong there, that he was knighted on the battlefield for killing those they wanted him to kill but stripped so rapidly of his rank when his killing someone made them look bad.
The nobility are the ones that gave him the rank and the privileges that he abused so readily and declaring he is a peasant again now doesn't remove that culpability.

After what he did to Jenkins and that unfortunate young prince from the hills, there is no doubt that both insult and execution were well deserved, but it sits ill with me that they try to pretend he wasn't a noble simply because he was also a violent criminal.
The implication is that only peasants can be criminals, which in turn leads to the attitude that all peasants are criminals.

Worse than that, there are too many unanswered questions about his relationship to the lizardmen, their secret meetings in the swamp and how they link to the strange curse that lingers over One Tree Island. I am certain that ignoring this issue will lead to peril, but there is a lot of that going around lately and we can't be everywhere.
I started looking into it, but whilst I was at the guild library I found a really fascinating tome full of advice on how to improve the quality and artistry of my illusions. The theories about blending the various colours of light to give more realistic shading effects were interesting, particularly if I revise them to bring them into line with my own experiments on mana visualization during the channeling process. 

For example:
<entry detours off into magical theory for a while>

Oh! That reminds me, Miao has told me that she's hearing rumors the lizardmen are preparing for war. I hope it wasn't provoked by our intrusion or the death of their 'Grandfather'.
I've never accidentally started a war before and it won't look very good when I get around to writing my memoirs, so maybe we should try to resolve it peacefully.

I wonder if that concern and the guilt is why Miao and Yvor have been acting strangely of late? Admittedly, being members of the Gentry, behaving strangely is far from unusual for either of them.
But Yvor spent three hours today staring at a wall and Miao has been acting secretive and strange every since Miriam came to see her.

I'd found out that the sorceress we saved from the half-orcs, Madam Peropis, had gone missing after behaving strangely for a while. Checking up on her place didn't reveal anything, so I went with my companions to the Sheriff's Office (or was it the Captain?) trying to get an appointment.
The deputy said I should leave a note, so Miao stayed behind (probably to try to pull rank) whilst I settled down to write one.
No sooner had I got out my quill than I see Miriam skulking up to Miao and the two of them whispering together, acting really furtive.

Needless to say, I asked them what was going on and they became extremely evasive, reluctant to even let me walk with them through the town, though by getting a good vantage point I was able to determine they were headed towards the Baron's Court.
Then, when I finally got to talk to the Sheriff, he cut me off before I could go into most of my concerns because Miao and Miriam had already spoken to him!
I hope they asked appropriate questions, like what the interrogation  of Sir Sacnoth revealed about his dealings with the lizardmen, whether his own reports confirmed the rumours they prepared for war and whether the execution of Sir Sacnoth had calmed the tensions with our neighbours in the hills.

To be clear I respect both Miriam and Miao, but it stings somewhat that they do not consult me with whatever is concerning them, I could tell by their behaviour they consider it a grave and severe matter and I would no doubt be able to assist. It's obviously not a ladies-only problem, as both Warien and Jenkins are involved.
Between Miriam's fondness for the Blessed Wine and Miao's tendency to take a nap then wing it instead of spending time investigating or coming up with a proper plan I am not certain that they are the best pair to shape our long-term strategy moving forward. Jenkins and Warian are sensible, at least, but experience has shown that Miao is unlikely to heed advice for caution from either of them.

I'll have to keep a close eye on them, to ensure that when they get into severe trouble I'm nearby to help. I should try to do so subtly though.
If it involves Miriam and Warian, it's probably something to do with the Temple, so I'll try and catch Brother Warian away from Miriam at some point and see if I can convince him to tell me what's going on.

Comments

Popular Posts