Interim 1

I'm horrible at accounting. I don't know how much money Ivor has now from Episode 1 pay+loot, to "Modest Winnings", to partying hard, to Mercon merc work, to "logistics and wholesale acquisitions". Am still looking at possible confrontation with Pollo the slaver or his minions.

Haha! I hear you, bro. It doesn't really matter.
Bottom Line: Ivor is pretty much rich for the moment and can do whatever he fucking wants for most of a year!

All the rest is just out there for fun and for accountants and quartermaster's to enjoy. Not necessary to tally up unless desired.

Just send that hook-up story with Ivor and his psycho summer girlfriend.
And picture.
And theme song.

Financial Summary

I just put on my visor and became an accountant. Here's what I think is a snapshot summary of the CA$H swirling around up in here:



Somewhere around 2158 CM for those who work every month spring, summer, fall at House Mercon.

If you skip a month of work, subtract 36 CM each month (that's Moderate Lifestyle plus your sergeant-grade spending money per month).

If you Carouse for a month to get the Carouse Recharge bonus, spend 200 CM each iteration along with the 36 CM loss of revenue on the job. (up to 3 times max for the Recharge)

Just now getting some time to review this stuff. Ooh, rolling for treasure!

So rolling for gems, as well as loose change from Gorolach's couch.

Edit:
Cash from selling Sky gems: (150 x 7)-2-11+12+10+18+11+21 = 1,109 CM
Cash from Gorolach's: 70 CM

Very good. I see Thorn this way as well. Guy could use a bit more Charisma... :)

Awesome. J, can't wait for Thorn to meet his new enemy, and watch him tear him or her to shreds.

Rules say DM picks enemy. DM says PC roll for enemy:

1. Capulet, the Baron's Ranger, and his patrol armsmen
2. A roughneck miner crew from Bronspur Camp
3. Local Alijanian weavers
4. Jeresian Nobleman of House Verullus
5. A Teamster Land Caravan crew led by Leader Beadheard
6. Influential Brothel Mistress Siwane called Culstra

Rules say PC explains what caused the enmity.

On putting together developing Interim story lines
Yo, Jabes. And everyone else too for that matter. What about this?

Ivor stops in the Jeresian port city of Poyam with the rest of the team immediately after the escape from the Drakkenmire. He stays as a guest for a time in a Mercon property called St. Antiphon. It is a compound with a nice stone house where the nobles live and then a group of storehouses attached within a courtyard type villa. Initially everyone is guest of Kray and his uncle Rison Lord Mercon who manages this property.

Soon Kray and Thorn leave to relocate to their home city of Caerlleon, further north inland at the eastern gate on Darian's Wall. They are addressing the gradually unfolding topic of Nemes Zaituc and the contract, and then starting up the new importing deal with Ruacht, the Murroughs, and the Bardhs. Kray is also going into some family nobleman business and drama that likely will come out later.

Thorn does some Carouse Recharge for vacation time. Spring Break? Whoa - gets a little rowdy. When the SwordMaster tries to relax and indulge on the party circuit, it doesn't go well for someone or some group. Thorn makes an enemy?! The nicest guy on the team? What happened?!

Sorcha Rhone stays with Rison in Poyam initially, left there at Kray's direction for her own safety. This changes later, along Kray's storyline developing, so everyone can know eventually that she moved up to Caerlleon, to be under the direct watch of Kray with Thorn in the Uncle role it seems.

Not sure about what Maeriks does yet.
Maybe he stays in Poyam as a guard and attendant to Sorcha Rhone?
Maybe he gets a cooking job, at House Mercon or in town, at Poyam or at Caerlleon?
Maybe he withdraws a step or two back away from civilized lands, to a more rural Dannein community like the Draw Gap region, east of King's Wall?
Maybe trains hard under Mercon House training program to become a real soldier and warrior?
Maybe hangs out to Carouse and drink away sorrows, either alone or keeping in touch with Bryn and Ivor?

Bryn and Ivor stay in the Jeresian port city of Poyam. Bryn knows quite a few of the locals. From his background, Bryn is pretty well integrated into a crew of rakes (street toughs, brawlers, mercenaries, raiders, and wanna-be's of all of the above) many of whom are Danneins. He also knows some tradesmen, workers down at the docks, boarding house owners, brothel managers, etc.

This would seem to be a perfect time for Ivor and Bryn to shift over to leaving the Mercon house, still having Rison as a noble Jeresian in town as a contact, but hanging out with the local port city roughnecks, including fellow Dannein outlanders, many of whom are also taking their first foray into the civilized lands looking for fortune. So the Carouse Recharge month can happen in a setting that makes sense. Ivor goes buck wild for the month, living it up, drinking, banging chicks, gambling, buying whatever the fuck he wants, and mingling with the rowdy crowd seaside.

Bryn may decide if he is in to that, but Ox and I are also working on some other scenes so not sure about that just yet. But seems like he will be in town in Poyam, so he and Ivor can stay in touch regularly, regardless of whether or not Bryn is raging against the machine in all-nighters at the taverns and brothels.

During that time, by the end of the first month of downtime, Ivor learns from a team of Kortellans that Pollo's old first mate, a Bahnje (word for mixed Gaeirmundi and Norecian bloodlines) named Tosi called Pounder, has his own ship now. He was been raiding down in Esosan and Korsi all last year and is thought to be doing the same this year. No one in town knows where Pollo is, but if anyone does know, then decent chance it would be Tosi.

So, Jabes...throwing out a few ideas for Ivor.

Jump on a longship heading west?
Sail the Alornic (avoiding Pylos maybe)?
Make the south turn to Esosanan / Korsian coast?
Hang out at some of the legendary Esosanan ports for more Carouse Recharge?
Start asking around about Pounder's ship and crew?

Or

Get some mercenary jobs in Poyam through Rison Mercon?
Continue chill out with Bryn and the cool local bruisers in Poyam?

Or

Move up to Caerlleon to reintegrate with Kray and Thorn?
Get involved with import business and travel a bit in the Draw Gap region, coming and going through King's Wall?
Run training programs with Mercon mercenaries at the Caerlleon Mercon compound called Armathain Camp?


These are just thoughts of what people are doing during Spring, Summer, Fall of 860 DV. We have a lot of story devel going on by way of PM and that is great. Looking forward to more.

As mentioned earlier, I am going to corral everyone back together in Jeres at the end of Fall.

As always, these are just ideas. Anyone is welcome to interject and change or fill in more detail.

Keep it coming with the Overview, Conflict, Loss, Success Interim inputs. All so far have been great.

Reference: Regional Map, or Borderland Map.


J-Interim

Master Beadheard the Mule Driver is going to get his ass kicked. Or stolen. Forthcoming.

Hahaha. So great, X. Can't wait to hear!

Both the Sporty Holiday and Entrepreneurship Essentials packages sound lovely, but the Alornic Cruise most fits what I had in mind, so I'll go with that. I hear the Esosan port call is to die for! #YOLO!

Dang. Ivor is pretty good at Carousing - another "break even" on the spend vs. the winnings!

This time in Valencia, the most famous port in Esosan, and one of the most famous in the world. An impressive old world city with an amazing harbor of natural rock shore wall, and constructed defensive wall around the city that is legendary. This place has sections of town that are highly protected by honorable guardsmen, but other sections that are purposefully allowed to be festive and rowdy. It is a place of many festivals and community observances - feasts, bull sacrifices, dancing, and drinking. Watch out - a culture sensitive to offenses against honor, so both the wealthy and the commoners are seen in duels rather frequently.

Ivor learns of another city called Avilas to the south, near the Korsian border. It turns out to have strong presence of criminality, a haven of raiders and rogues. Corrupt officials. Double dealers and intrigue on the seemingly endless war vs. Korsi. Daring Korsian assassins and thieves are known to infiltrate the city, killing Esosanan aristocrats and field marshals, stealing from Esosanan marketeers, and infiltrating the ranks of Esosanan soldiers and militia. Those who are caught are publicly executed, and that happens on a regular basis.

There are nearby caves and cliffs where pirates hide. It does not take long for Ivor to get word that Pounder sails on his longship The Howl, raiding along the coast further south beyond Korsi, in a rural land called Ker.

The coastal farms of the Kerians are not far away by sea. Ivor can decide if he uses new contacts in Esosan to hire a bold corsair captain and crew to pursue Tosi Pounder, with the hope of taking his revenge on the cruel slaver and perhaps getting one step closer to tracking down Pollo the Gaeirmundi.

*smashes ale horn on the floor* Hell, yes! Let's give the Bahnje cockroach what's coming to him!

Yo, Players' Club. I'm going to try to post up couple of things. Know ahead of time that a lot of this is going to be out of order on the character in-world timeline.

Need to address a big winter event. It will allow some to build around it before and after on some of detail goals developing.

But at the same time I owe some more info out to Jabes and Ox for Ivor and Bryn. That stuff, when I send, will happen before in the spring summer fall 860 DV.

Bear with me. This will all come together. Trust fall.

DM Main Input 2

At the end of winter, 860 DV, everyone ends up in Caerlleon in southeast Jeres.

This is the hometown of Kray and Thorn.

Various circumstance why everyone is there, but we can work on that.

Baseline situation is this: a northern Jeresian town of Brecon was sacked by a Dannein barbarian onslaught. Total carnage of slaughter, pillage, burn, rape, and enslavement.

Dannein offenders: a truly heinous clan called the Nolgulors. Danneins know them as some of the most vicious of all clans. They are often called the Skinmelters. They make a jelly that the smear on captives' bodies while alive. They nail them to boards and then light it. It is flammable, but not exceptionally so. It is not fully combustible, but delivers a slow rolling burn. Victims feel their skin melting off until the full is burned off. They scream and suffer for hours before dying of shock in agonizing pain as burn victims.

The Nolgolurs are infamous and hated and/or feared by Jeresians and other Danneins alike. All PC Danneins (Hoath, Rynault, Bat Hannoc) have heard of the psychotic nature of this clan. No one has any love lost for these guys. They are known as worshippers of Arawn and The Morrigan. They commit human sacrifice among their own ranks on a regular basis.

The Nogolurs are commanded by a warlord named Cruimin. They are also inspired by a Dead Moon Druid named Hasticha.

Other Dannein groups, including the Black Wolf Clans, have joined the Nolgulors.

Jeres in now at war on the northern frontier.

King Darian has mobilized the Jeresian army. There is conscription among Jeresians. Foreign mercenaries are also being hired on mass scale to supplement the force.

House Mercon is responding by sending large numbers of mercenary forces northward. Most troops are reporting to the large northern border city of Bridgewell.

House Mercon has a property in Bridgewell, commanded by Kray's uncle, Haegio Lord Mercon.

One way or another, all PCs are recruited to move north to the war effort on the frontier. They unify at Caerlleon, reuniting with Kray who is taking a Century (100 troops) northward.

Another big development: Kray is recovering from SEVERE injury. It is not immediately clear, but becomes known later that Kray was involved in an armed conflict against his own father, Kerylion Lord Mercon. The duel was fatal. Kray killed his father!

Kray is apparently in a lot of tension within his noble family. Despite this, he is moving north, trying to heal up the last bit on the way, and has all intentions of deploying to the front to fight the northern Dannein clans in the Curnauh Forest.

In Caerlleon, the group can briefly see Sorcha Rhone. She is at the Mercon compound and has been attending to Kray, and apparently pulled him out from the brink of death. She is NOT however marching north to war at his side. She is apparently still traveling regularly to the Dannein Draw Gap region east of King's Wall, in the lands of the Bardh Clan. She is mostly living with Doirind, assisting her in her troubles.

As winter approaches, the group is heading north. The route will go through the Austrel, the impressive capital city of Jeres and the seat of the King. Then they will move even further north to Bridgewell. From there, they will organize with domestic and foreign forces and go downrange into war.

And seemingly in the worst of circumstances. Cold winter. Snow on the ground early in the season. Mysterious forest. Depending on other Dannein rangers who know the land. Many language barriers with the variety of foreign troops, many of whom are Pylosian professional mercenaries. Others are rougher on the edges: eastern Danneins, Korsians, Heshbaans, and even a small group of displaced Arkkadis.

Kray is at the helm as a new Centurion in the Mercon House. Kray definitely has something to prove and the stakes seem very high.
He faces family drama and stress that is not entirely clear to everyone else, but one thing is clear: he and his crew will be in the heart of the fight.

One good thing is though: pay is outstanding. Commitment to Contract levels and then some.

The group is in a guerilla war during the Winter. Treacherous terrain. Cunning enemies. It gets pretty bad.

Not giving away any of the surprise story hooks when I say that all PCs survive this winter war in the north borderlands, but i invite you to use this to build what you will. It is going to be costly and trying.

Plenty of options then to insert Conflict, Loss, Success if you don't yet have anything designed.

More details to follow later, but block off 3 months to freeze, bleed, and kill.

On Ivor's confrontation against raider Tosi Pounder

At Avilas, Ivor pays in to strike a deal with Esosanan corsair Arnao, captain of The Essein, to sail to the Kerian coast in search of Pounder and The Howl.

Ivor gets well-integrated with the crew of the Essein, including making closest friends with a small group of Danneins who landed at Avilas over the winter seeking raiding work after a disaster on previous employment.

Within a month, Arnao finds The Howl. It is inland on a Kerian river, docked at an old decrepit pier. About a third of the crew is there while Pounder and the more seasoned force is inland raiding.

Ivor makes good on enough money to buy some assistance. The hang-back crew of The Howl is quickly overtaken. Ivor captures a few slaves that were shackled on the deck.

Ivor and a small band set up an ambush against Pounder and his group upon their return. Pounder's raid team is returning from a sack of a local mill further inland. They also hit several farms. They have a few more slaves and some score of bronzework, beads, silver, and gold from the local Kerians recently felled under Pounder's great club and the swords of his crew.

Ivor is able to overcome Tosi Pounder. Jabes, you can describe the scene as much as you want.
Required Action: Roll for how the fight went.

1) A surprisingly quick kill at the onset of the ambush
2) A tough grueling duel between Ivor and Pounder. Much back and forth interchange and exchange of threats. But Ivor dominates over the course of time.
3) A long chase through the hilly plains as Tosi tries to cut losses and escape, though unsuccessful
4) A tougher fight than hoped. Ivor is sweating it a bit, pulls out the victory, but is walks away with some injury which takes a day or so to recover fully.

In the end, Ivor claims:

1. Undisputed and witnessed victory over Tosi, a former nemesis
2. Capture of 3d4 slaves
3. Some loot, once split up to the crew Ivor can still pocket 3d8 x 10 gp value and a couple of descriptive bronze or regional items
4. Info from a few surviving crewmen (before execution) that Pollo the Gaeirmundi has traveled far south across the Sea of the Scorpion to Arkkad! He is basing in the Arkkadi city of Zanzabba, transporting slaves to the rural island port of Sal Sabu (far south Gaiermund island). Too far and dangerous to travel this season, but it may be a lead for the future.
5. Mastery over the fate of The Howl, if he will have it!

The longship of Tosi Pounder is left completely intact. It is a sound knar ship. Probably Gaeirmundi/Norecian design within the last 10 years. What is to be done of this? Ivor can hire a remnant half crew from Arnao if he wants, and could limp the ship back to Avilas to hire the rest of a full row crew. The Dannein group, who fought with Ivor, would gladly crew for him, with Arnao's blessing on the transfer of employment. Arnao would like to have the ship if Ivor is uninterested. He will try the same option of pulling the ship back to Avilas, if Ivor is not interested and allows it. Also, if Ivor insists otherwise, oil and fire are available, and Arnao gives no objection to striking a match. He sees it as Ivor's score.

On the Winter War in the Broken Leg lands and the Curnauh Forest

Embedded within the 105 foreign troops commanded by Kray, the party fights in skirmishes against the Norgulors and the Black Wolf Clans. Most of the conflict in the first month of winter occur in a rugged area of hills and gorges called the Broken Leg lands. There are other mercenary units in the area, as well as Jeresian troops armed and armored by the King. There is some wins, some losses, and then there is a large culmination battle with a large number of forces on both sides at a large ravine valley called Riainn Gorge. Large scale death and injury on both sides, and it ends pretty much in a stalemate.

Kray's foreign mercenary century is reduced down to around 60 troops. The professional Pylosean warriors are steady and deadly. The eastern Danneins excel. The Heshbaans are shaky and the Korsians are undisciplined. Four Arkkadi warriors remain. They are quite out-of-place, have trouble with the language barrier, but they are hearty warriors and endure without complaint after the other four of their fellows fall in battle.

Kray's uncle, Haegio Lord Mercon, high commander of mercenary forces, orders the group into the Curnauh Forest to he north. They are supposed to follow leads that the druid Hasticha is nearby and supporting the enemy forces. Hasticha is a seasoned veteran and important to Nolgulor morale. The old speaker is said to be an extremely tall, bulky man, rugged even though he is elderly. He is a legend among the region, an icon of Skinmelter infamy. He is said to have ancient powers over the forest and the ability to curse his enemies. Most of the Danneins believe it, as do many of the Jeresians of the area.

The 40 days that follow are a cat and mouse game of rural guerilla warfare in a menacing terrain. The snow begins to set in regularly as the winter progresses, so all of the scenery is covered in at least a dusting of snow and many times a moderate to high amount of snow, though the forest gives some shelter. Sometimes hunting, sometimes hunted, the group moves from one defensive camp to another very carefully. They break up into small patrols and scout missions to keep visibility, spot trails and passages, track, target, evade, and defend as best as they can.

They kill many enemy, but their numbers are gradually whittled down over time as well. They continue to follow leads, chasing after the druid Hasticha.

Maeriks turns out to be an exceptionally valuable asset in all of this. He is a skilled tracker, knows how to operate in a rural setting, endures extreme hardship, provides expert foraging and food prep, and serves as a highly proficient medic. The other Danneins especially come to trust and respect him as a woodsman. One of the most telling things though is that it seems that Maeriks can track Hasticha in a special way. Maeriks seems to be able to lead the group by way of a sense, of detecting what he says is "the words that Hasticha is speaking." It is unclear of how this works, but it does seem that Maeriks keeps the group on Hasticha's trail, even though they suffer setback after setback.

Eventually the movement leads the remainder of the weary, worn, and largely injured Century to give chase to Hasticha's troops out of the Curnauh Forest to the north east, into a land that the northern enemy Danneins have refer to as Talamh Fearach (the grazing lands). It is a hilly grassland. Arriving there turns things for the worse however. It seems like the group has been led forward into a trap. There are large numbers of Nolgulors and Black Wolf warriors. Soon the mercenaries are on the run, trying to escape an overwhelming force.

Handrailing the edge of the forest, the group moves south around the eastern edge. Eventually it is clear that they are being surrounded, so the pick a spot to dig in and defend.

A large draining defensive battle on a wooded hill lasts for an entire night and into the next afternoon. It seems like all is lost, but luckily the group is reinforced. The group had captured a rare horse earlier when they overtook a Dannein patrol. Thorn had took the horse and ran with all speed possible to try to make contact with the other Jeresian forces. He had convinced a Jeresian nobleman Leofred Lord Maltinus to send a large force on a surge to the east of the Curnauh. The Jeresian warriors march in, with a horsemen in support, and Thorn is able to lead them to find his unit pinned down defending the wooded hill at a last stand.

The battle hangs on the brink through the afternoon and into the evening. Eventually though, all of Maltinus's forces catch up and turn the tide. The huge Nolgulor force, led by Hasticha and a famous warlord named Diucill, is defeated and dispersed.

Everyone in the party survives. Only 21 others remain of Kray's original 105-troop Century. 8 of them are eastern Danneins. 11 of them are the hardened Pylosean veterans. The other 2 are Arkkadis. The Heshbaans all were slain. Many of them deserted and fled during the chase and the last stand. All Korsians were slain as well, most charging into battle at their ends, choosing to go out with lone valor rather than follow defensive strategy.

Some further details will be given about the final stand, which came to be called the Battle at Alder Roost. Maeriks had learned that the northern evergreen trees were called Alders. He said they could sit in high like roosters at a large rocky cropping near the crest of the hill. The area was surrounded by a thick group of alder trees. The spot did turn out to be a strong defensive point that paid off in survivability. Maerik's moniker seemed to stick in the long run as a reference name for the site.

On the Final Stand at Alder Roost

As the Nolgulor forces begin to break, Maeriks is able to find where Hasticha is hiding in the forest further downhill. A squad breaks out and surges in to give chase and give one last desperate attempt at eliminating the villain.

it is a tough assault mission, through a group of motivated defenders, with Hasticha seeking to escape. Is the attack successful?

Required Action: All PCs Roll Attack to hit AC 17. If a majority of PCs hit, Hasticha is slain. If a majority misses, the cunning Hasticha slips away to fight another day.
Timeframe Limitation: If no response by tomorrow (Friday 24 Nov), I'm going to click and publish rolls for everyone else on (Saturday 25 Nov)


Two of the group are involved in the final combat that kills infamous Warlord Diucill. He and his inner guard are caught in between the incoming Jeresian troops and the remnant of the mercenaries. The vicious Dannein warrior and his supporters fight to the bloody end.
Required Action: Next person who checks in for read and visit, roll random 1d5. Roll until you get 2 different numbers.

1. Bryn
2. Ivor
3. Kray
4. Maeriks
5. Thorn