Interim 1

After saying goodbyes to Sorcha Rhone, Doirind, Chief Rine and other Bardh clan friends, the group departs from Low Creek. On fo and moves down to the edge of Lake Azan on the Naas River.

They camp with a Bardh group that lives near the lake. Two days later, Shen Lain picks them up on the Blackfin. Leaving the horses behind to be delivered back to Chief Rine, the party boards the longship with everything they are taking with them in a couple of bags and boxes. Soon they are down the Naas River and on the open sea, sailing across the Alornic.

It is a 12 day trip to cross the Alornic Sea. Some of the days and the nights are stormy, which is quite a stress for those who have never been out in the open seas. But in the end they make it across.

Hugging the coastline, Shen Lain guides to the Hodel River. The Blackfin cuts into the waterway and begins the journey inland along the river.

Late in the day, they arrive at Jabez, the Crown of the Hodel!

Here is where they station for an extended stay, to prepare for their journey further inland. It turns out to be a waypoint with many new experiences. What a city!

Required Action for Ox: send INT checks for Bryn to convert Intermediate Language fluency to Full fluency.
DC 10.

Last Option for foreign Carousing

Ivor has 2 Carousing successes: 1 in Poyam (Jeres), 1 in Valencia (Esosan).

Thorn took 1 Spring Break in Caerlleon, ended up getting into a confrontation and killing a bunch of guys right after.

Bryn has been too busy studying.

Kray has been too busy killing family members and being a warlord.

Maeriks... not sure yet what he did for Spring Summer Fall.


BUT now it is spring again. Spring 861 DV.

Foreign country. It's a pretty solid place to party. All PCs are rich in cash. Bartenders are cracking open the top shelf bottles and bitches are putting out if anyone wants to lay down some coin and roll on the table.

Can Ivor go 3 for 3?

JAIL! LOL, that's gangsta! Pay the 10GP fine WTF.

Wow. The VERY WORST party tour result possible. A roll of 1?!
Jabes, I think Ivor is getting off easy to be honest. Good thing this isn't an AD&D 1e chart, bro! Back in the day a roll of 1 on a ramped-result chart would have probably delivered at least rape with VD while in jail, if not castration by a scorned whore along with it.

What is the real lure of going to Heshba, and specifically the city of Gelshemish?

Gelshemish is a very very old city, hidden deep in a mysterious forest called Jara Hili. In ages past, it was a city of even greater fame at the edge of what the Yuor-centric world views as "The East." Gelshemish was once called "The City at the Center of the World" because it was located at a generally centralized location between the great empires of the past, including Archalasia (current Esosan, Plyos, Kortella) and Zutaran (current Sarcera, Jbail, and parts of Bishtaan).

Gelshemish is the capital of Heshba, at least in the sense that it is the most important, most influential city, and the seat of the highest ruler, called the Sar. It is also an important place for the religion of the Heshbaans, so there are also many influential religious leaders there.

Because of all this, the treasure vaults, strongholds, and noble palaces of Gelshemish are said to be packed with wealth and treasure, in the form of very old jewels, jewelry, art objects, bulk gold and coined metals, as well as exotic artifacts from past ages. Aside from material loot, there is also a noteworthy truth that writings and other ancient artifacts hold a lot of knowledge and secrets that might be captured as well.

On that note, Bryn has had his interest piqued mostly by stories of a fortress in Gelshimesh called the Red Bastion of Midrad. The vault fortress is said to be a storage point to countless ancient treasures and secrets. Most dramatic in all of this is the claim that it is a fortress that serves as some sort of defensive structure guarding against an opening to Hel! It is true that several Heshbaan writings refer to the Red Bastion as the "lock over the door to a land of devils" or a "stay over darkness and limitless horror."

The actual truth of that claim has of course not been determined first hand. In all likelihood, a vast majority of non-Heshbaans would likely dismiss such a claim as a cultural legend of Heshba. But what is clear is that the majority of the Heshbaan people do believe that the Red Bastion is a scary place, very important and a very real requirement of some sort of currently active threat.

In a broad sense then, Gelshemish is a destination rich with mystery and rumor of treasure overall. It will likely be an adventure in itself just to go there. But as you might guess this is not meant to be strictly a sight-seeing tour, so we will move on to more on the specifics mission-related ideas below.

What specific treasures are the real targets?

Not everything is exactly known for this expedition. Not everything is exactly clear. There is no doubt about it that the party is going off of some incomplete, perhaps controversial leads. They are even incorporating their (Bryn's) own proverbial "hunch" about what may be found.

But Bryn does have several leads that he thinks have the potential to be real payouts if the party could pull off a find-and-capture:

1) The Pale Star, also called The Sight of Ilusa. It is apparently some sort of artifact, perhaps a technology from an ancient civilization called Alam. It is said that this device is a supernatural tool of navigation and can even find other artifacts of an ancient age! Bryn has only cursory information about this item, but he does feel like it's location is within the Red Bastion of Midrad, and this information comes from more recent writings. It's supposed powers are legendary, and if nothing else it would be worth a great deal to certain religious groups that Bryn has become aware of.

2) The Key to the Small Irons Gate. This is apparently a key that can open a secret entrance into the Red Bastion, a key that was hidden by the Bastion's designer and locked within a small vault that can only be opened by a special technique with rare tools. Bryn has been studying these techniques and spent much of the last year obtaining these obscure tools. He also has what he thinks is a good lead on finding the hidden location of the box that holds the Key.

3) The Jewels of Ninsunu. A set of valuable stones and worn jewelry that was said to belong to a Princess of Zutaran who converted to the religion of the Heshbaan many centuries ago and became a beloved artist and merchant in Gelshimesh. Over her short but influential life, she changed the course of the royal dynasty in Heshba and even the structure of the primary council of the Dasnishiat. This set of jewels would be wealth beyond one's wildest dreams. They are said to be maintained in a vault and shrine hidden deep within the Red Bastion, protected from thieves and vandals who might threaten the memory of beloved Ninsunu.

4) The Scriptures for the Replica of Seki. An ancient writing that Bryn really wants because it holds so many secrets about the cities and temples of Ancient Zutara. It is constantly referenced by other Heshbaan writing and he thinks it is important to Otessite writing as well. It is a box of scrolls lain flat one atop another with specially treated thin softwood board dividers in between each. The scrolls themselves are said to be made of a durable and flattened canvas crafted from specially treated skin remnants taken from a giant snake! Exact location of this writing set is unknown, but it is supposed to be held by the Dasnishiat councils in Gelshimesh.

What I've read above sounds like some damn good adventure fellas. I'm most interested in getting the key for the secret entrance to the Red Bastion. Those scrolls are intriguing as well... might have some useful info or leads to other adventure.

Why the waypoint in the north river port of Jabez? What is so hard about getting to Gilshemish in the south?

When Ep 2 starts, the party will have been living in the Heshbaan port of Jabez (pictured in earlier entry above) for 47 days. Several reasons why there is a rather extended stay in Jabez:

*** Everyone is supposed to do what they can to learn the language. In the timing of it all, that is a tough task for everyone except Bryn. He has spent the last year trying to learn to speak and read Heshbaan. The immersion time in Jabez does the trick on finishing up the practical exercise for Bryn to gain spoken fluency. Heshbaan writing is more rare and extremely hard to master, so Bryn is not there yet on reading/writing Heshbaan. Everyone else should take it that you are not yet intermediate fluent in the local language. You may know a few words and small phrases for common exchange, but if a conversation breaks out you are going to have to work through a translator to understand and communicate.

***Alongside the language study, Bryn has placed a high importance on learning more about the customs and especially the religion of the Heshbaan. He knows that cultural interaction is very important here in the strange land of the Heshbaan, and the local religion, the worship of Goldna Ad Dasnish, is an integral part to this culture. Bryn also hopes to gain ground on reading and interpreting a large batch of Heshbaan animal skin scrolls that he has gathered over the last year. With this in mind, Bryn has been going to local religious services that are open to the public. He has been frequenting the Dasnishiat temples and a variety of Dasnishi-managed study rooms (called tzocharcomat). Where he can, and this is difficult, he has tried to get the learned Dasnishi to speak with him and give him advice on how to read certain markings (being careful not to expose his cache collection of Heshbaan scrolls). Bryn feels certain that this investment into learning the local culture will not only pay off, but it will be critical to success once the party moves to Gelshemish.

***Gelshemish is a secret and highly managed city, all the way down to its number of residents and visitors. Foreigners and even Heshbaans from the outside regions themselves cannot just ride or walk in to the city. To enter the city without the permission of the Sar is punishable by any ruling the Sar and his magistrates wish to decree, up to and including death. First off, the city's exact location is unknown and never mapped. Possibly guides could be hired to sneak in, but that seems like a terrible idea given the organized method and documentation that is normally fulfilled to track visitors. Second, everyone who goes to the city must declare their business, get it approved by a magistrate of the Sar, and be escorted in by the Gelshemish Armsmen. Third, travel to the city is only allowed during a few times a year. It is organized further south, at the edge of the Jara Hili forest. The entry station is more of a village and camp than a city, so there is no need to hurry there and wait. The party then has been timing it to take advantage of the nice amenities of Jabez for as long as possible, before moving into the rural lands of the south to wait for the entry caravan. NOTE: The party has identified a solid "reason for visiting Gelshemish" story that has been tentatively approved by the Sar magistrates in Jabez. This will allow them to join the official travel caravan into the Jara Hili forest when it departs. It should be able to get them a place to stay and some access to notable sections of the city. More to follow in upcoming entries.

***Lastly, everyone has been enjoying Jabez and it is easy to stay. After a winter of freezing you asses off in squalid soldier camp sites, on the run from one deadly battle scene to another in the Winter War, the comfortable foreign port has been a godsend. Plus the characters are rich. Plenty of comforts to be enjoyed. And its not like you guys have day jobs. A pretty casual viewpoint on scheduling and time I think.

What is the story on being allowed into Gelshemish?

Bryn led the way on figuring a lot of this out. There was a very real concern of how to be able to get approved to join the upcoming caravan into Jara Hili to make it to the hidden city of Gelshemish.

To gain permission, you have to state name and business, and one should expect to have their trip managed according to what they declare.

You can go in as a laborer (or farmer) looking for work, but you will be given a job or assigned to a work company or field when you get there.

You can go in as a merchant or tradesmen, but you have to present all of your goods and explain your inventory or display the skill and trade that you hope to apply there. And again, it is understood that you would be guided in the city to some sort of work place.

There are other options like religious pilgrimage, visitation of family, specific errands for orders of the Sar, several entertainment and performance options, etc. that just have too much difficulty living up to or faking it in the surprising level of scrutiny and review that is directed by magistrate reviewers of would-be travelers.

In the end though, there was a perfect fit. A rarely used option, but one that has quite a bit of flexibility. The reasons it is not common: 1) it is expensive (comparatively but not expensive in the range of PC wealth), and 2) it requires credentials of foreign nobility. The option is called "exchange among nobility".

You have to pay in. The fee was negotiated down to 300 Crown Markes value which can be paid in jewels (not cheap at all for this, but let's face it that is very doable from current carried bankrolls).

The traveler also has to show beyond a doubt that he is a landowning noble of a small list of foreign lands. The Markeland Kingdoms are on the list. Kray can come up with enough written and marked correspondence, insignia, and more importantly can speak the language of nobility -- he can recite his lineage and household nobility decree from past Kings (in Jeres, but also back to Mathia in the Old World of Nadril).

The magistrates accept it and write a scroll that will allow passage. Lukrayides Lord Mercon will be visiting assigned sections of the city to meet with the local magistrates of the Sar. He will state what noble business he wishes to speak and they will decide there what noble counterparts he can meet with. This will include at least one visit to the famous Garden Palace of the Sar. It will also allow the stay in the nicer inns (resorts?) of the city. Kray has listed by name his entourage and guards. They will be permitted to travel with him. Kray is expected to spend money in the city and bring some gift offerings to the Sar and to the Danishiat.

So...

We can keep talking about the details, but that is generally the ticket into the City of Secrets: you are a foreign rich aristocrat group on tour to visit rich Heshbaan aristocrats in Gelshemish, to interact as fellow nobility and to talk about ways to exchange.

It's the only real way to get to the city and have some privacy (hopefully, maybe expect spies right?) and not be on any sort of specific assigned work station.

Up to you to hammer out details, covers, aliases (Kray has to go as himself, he can't alias out of his own nobility that scores this gig), and what you want to say you are talking about, whether that is mercenary work, protection services, news about the war in Jeres, trade, agreements of cooperation, religious topics, or anything else you want to explore. I'll throw out some things about the locality that might give some ideas, but see what y'all think about all of this and send back any questions or comments you might have.

J-Intrigue

Heshbaan Notables and Faction Review

*** The Nasi: rulers of city states. They are local government judges who have authority and troops. Loosely they pay homage to the Sar in Gelshemish, but they act mostly autonomously as supreme rulers of their cities and the region immediately around the city.

***The Sar: pretty much means "king" in Heshbaan. The highest government authority in the land. It is a governmental and legal position. It is much like a judge in many ways. It is not a religious position, but it holds authority even over the religious groups who serve as advisers. It is also hereditary along a royal line, although the royal line has changed during certain times of conflict in the past. Current ruler of Heshba is Sar Yokud, called Sar Yokud Jehorum (means roughly Yokud the Ruler or more directly Deliverer of Justice).

***The Dasnishi: collectively called The Dasnishiat (which is a funny pronunciation for Yuoric speakers - doz-NEE-shiot! haha). Religious leaders of the pervasive Heshbaan religion, the worship of Goldna Ad Dasnish.

***The Nasi Armsmen: (in Heshban, "nasi ra kelduat") armed soldiers who work for the Nasi at the few major cities in Heshba

***The Holy Gilded Armsmen: (in Heshbaan, "heklik mil kelduat" or shortened "mil keldat") elite force of soldiers and cavalrymen who work directly for the Sar in Gelshemish. They maintain order and execute the will of the Sar, with extreme prejudice if necessary

***The Hechesi: a small minority group in Heshba, more prevalent in the Jara Hili forest, sometimes called "forest people", they exist mostly as the poor and often downtrodden. In many ways they are effectively second class citizens. A considerable number of them are slaves. The difference between them and normal Heshbaans is little understood by foreigners. They look roughly the same as anyone else, though they usually wear less clothing or poorer clothing, and they never wear long robes or extensive wraps or turbans like many of the Dasnishi do. They rarely have beards and they often have bowl-type choppy hair cuts with the back of their necks shaved.

***The Hileli: or collectively the Hileluat. Some sort of alternate religious faction made up of mostly Hechesi leadership. To foreigners, the difference of religious tenets is unclear, but they apparently have doctrines and dogma that is outside of the pale of the majority interpretation of the Goldna Ad Dasnish religion. They are said to have a different interpretation of the importance of holy sites in Gelshemish. They are, for the most part, opponents to the Dasnishi, though not in open warfare against them.

***The Dorish Mensha: the rural people of the wide Heshbaan countryside. They are mostly goat, sheep, and cattle herders. They have some permanent villages, but also many live in camps that move around following grazing lands for livestock. They do some farming, but not extensively. For most agriculture supplies, they interact with the farms maintained at the large cities of the Nasi. The Dorish Mensha are rugged people, mostly religious but their are some who are more concerned with survival than piety. Some branches of the Dasnishi travel in religious caravans to visit among the Dorish Mensha and their countryside, so the Dasnishiat is usually welcomed and protected by these rural people even if the Nasi are sometimes feared or mistrusted by them.



A hint of real conflict among factions: Apparently in the past the Hileli were not beset against the Sar, but from what everyone can gather, that is changing. Word is leaking out that the Hileluat and even some of the wider Hechesi population has been engaging in subterfuge against the Sar. It is said that there have even been some skirmishes between Hileli militants and the Holy Gilded Armsmen in Gilshemish. Details are unclear, and many Heshbaans in Jabez either do not care about it or do not wish to talk about it.

What about the Red Bastion of Midrad?

The Red Bastion is well known, a major site in Gelshemish, but it is difficult to get people to talk about it in Jabez. Most just don't want to hear about it or talk about it, definitely not from questions coming from foreigners.

In hushed whispers though, people do warn of the dangers of the ancient fortress. Some say a half-devil resides there now, one who is delving through the ancient secrets of the mighty citadel. Is he working to open the gate to Hel? Do not speak of these things, it is too dangerous! Or it is complete foolishness. There is no gate to Hel, only a legend from long ago to make sure no one sets foot into this eerie stronghold built in an age long forgotten, by most at least.

Logistics on the move from Jabez to the launch point to Gelshemish

So the party is eventually wrapping things up in Jabez. They will pack up and get on a river boat for passage upriver on the Hodel to a pier site village called Osher.

From Osher, they will travel along a day long trail to the edge of the Jara Hili forest, making camp by nightfall at a different village called Goelmorel.

Goelmorel will be the launch point into the mysterious Jara Hili forest. The party and any other travelers to Gelshemish will approach Sar Magistrates there at the station. If they pass formal final review, they will form into a caravan led by the Holy Gilded Armsmen of the Sar and taken to Gilshemish under armed escort.

A couple of things that should be faced and dealt with as you plan:

*No horses or any beasts of burden can be taken. Only Sar Magistrates and The Gilden Armsmen are permitted to ride horses. If nobility must ride in carriages or chariot cards, they must be carried by slaves or other men on foot.

*No bows of any sort are permitted by visitors while in the Jara Hili forest or in Gilshemish. This is a big rule. The only people who can have bows are the Gilded Armsmen. For anyone else, to even be seen owning, packing, or holding a bow is a crime once anyone sets foot in the Jara Hili. To have a bow at arms is a required death penalty, a ruling that can only be escaped by direct pardon from the Sar himself.

This stuff is gold as always, J! I don't know how you come up with this shit! I want sme of whatever you're smoking!

I agree. This is next level shit.

DT is the kind of game I feel that everyone hopes for when they apply for a game in PbP.

Ha! Or maybe I was just picking the lamest, least interesting region and forcing you guys to go there just to prove something?!

No, this locale came up as quite a surprise for me as well. But it turned out being an obvious fit given the Interim backgrounds coming in from you guys, especially the mixture of Bryn's and Kray's off-camera developments.

You know it's funny - I was talking to Ez offline by PM, and like I told him, my previous Episode 2 idea got annihilated by the Interim stories. The other idea that I had tentatively planned for in Jeres was completely Overtaken By Events (OBE) related to Kray's explosive family drama. Hahaha! I think it could have been pretty cool and fun, but it no longer made any sense after the events of 860 DV that mapped out as they did. And I am absolutely certain that this upcoming story has FAR MORE potential. I am very happy about the adjustment and redirection - I'm really glad that you guys are steering the longship, and it is cool to be launching out into the broader world!

This regional setting is going to provide a lot of options, and I'm not sure yet which way you guys are going to take things. I know a good set of locations, a lot of motivations from different NPCs and groups, still not sure which ones will be influential or catchy in the story yet. There are things going on before the PCs arrive on the scene. PC Party actions are unknown, but I feel certain that they will drive other events in response or reaction. I'm looking forward to pouring it all into a big bucket, dousing it with diesel fuel and then striking a match - see what we get.

But then again, you guys are usually the ones who want to pour in a big horn-full of gunpowder before lighting, so it could be a BOOM!

Missed this note on my first read, fuckin sucks for Kray and Bryn.

Come on, Ox. Gun control, bro. This is a public safety measure. You don't need a firearm. If there is anything dangerous, you need to just call the police, and they will handle it.