November 07, 2009

Hook

Contact lost with Blackwood Colony. Freelance group needed to help sort things out.

Plot Synopsis

The group assembles at Gil's recruiting annex in Lil' Karfelon. There they are informed that contact with Blackwood colony has been lost. Blackwood colony is a little under one year old and is the sole supplier of blackwood in the known worlds. Blackwood is a dark colored wood with a mesmerizing grain pattern. VERY highly prized among those who can afford it. It resides through gate 247 and requires a permit to pass. Gil supplies this permit.

The party passes through the gate and find themselves in the center of a small group of demolished buildings. A hasty search reveals several dead bodies among the ruined buildings. A largish building that housed the mill also destroyed and only sawdust to be found. The buildings look to have been knocked down by powerful force moving in a single direction but leaving the nearby forest untouched. Some of the bodies look mutilated.

The party moves down the road from the wreckage. The road is clearly used to drag trees from the forest. It branches often and each branch ends with a hole. The only creatures they find are quick moving squirrels that like to get underfoot and gigantic oxen like creatues that were known to be used to drag the trees.

Erica communes with both and learns not much interesting.

The party detours to check out a distant forest fire but again discover nothing interesting. Upon returning to the wreckage they do a bit of discern the past. They see 3 people in dark clothing come through the otherworld portal. They moved to the edge of the village and put up long staffs in a line perpendicular to the path of destruction. One of them triggered some effect which wiped out the village. They then packed up the staffs and went back through the portal.

The party, knowing permits are required for Blackwood and all passages are logged, return through the portal to the Alphasite and check with the powers that be. There is no record. They receive authorization to reveal the past near the portal and see nothing. They decide this is another incidence of portal hijacking. They return to blackwood to dig more deeply.

In one of the holes where the staffs were placed, Erica finds a sliver of wood that appears to have come from one of the staffs. A bit of magic on it and they see the whole bit. From the group being ordered to do it, the portal hijacking, the destruction of the village and the return through the portal.

They take all evidence back to Gil. Gil is unexpectedly happy at the news and orders the cone of silence. He tells the party that their mission has just changed. With this splinter they can obtain a memloc and take the battle to the Hegemony. They know the names of the people who ordered the attack and of the scientist who is hijacking portals. This could be an amazing coup.

The party quickly gathers the necessary ingredients (disguise, language skills, etc...) and pop open a portal to their target world. Their goal is to blend in, get into the governors house, track down this scientist and kidnap him and any of his notes. The party arrives in a park. They quickly determine that a couple of thier party members broke the rule against brining anything Jaernian. Specifically one smells magically of cinnomon and two have brought shields. Gil quickly buys a cinimal roll and insists that Tanis carry it around. Myrwin and Mardock have Jaernian shields and Gil flips them over and puts fruit on them and calls them trays. They then go to scout out the governor.

After some studying Gil says Plan-A is to send in Marduck and Myrwin pretending to be fruit delivery people. They go to the front door and are redirected to the side door. They are let in and when they cannot produce receipts their goods are confiscated and they are shown the door. Myrwin is very annoyed because it was a steel shield and cost him a small fortune. He goes back to the kitchen and attempts to break down the door and beat the cook. The guards are called and chase him to the park where Tanis subdues him just before the guards kill him. Myrwin is bound and dragged inside and tossed in a broom closet to await further punishment.

Meanwhile Gil enacts plan-B which is for Erica to sneak inside, bludgeon the governor, take his place and send a servent to fetch the portal scientist (Doctor Voidberg). This goes more or less correctly. As soon as the servent leaves to fetch Dr. Voidberg Gil dispatches three of the group to follow the servent and snatch Voidberg at his own home or workplace in order to better get all of his notes.

When the servent gets to his destination and the party becomes sure its the right place they get rid of the servent, take charge of Voidberg and start the big search of his home. Meanwhile a loud bell starts sounding in town. The party isn't sure how but they quickly become aware that they have been spotted somehow (actually the governor (aka Erica) is informed of this). Erica snags Myrwin from the broom closet and leaves the building to get with the rest of the party at Voidberg's place.

After Myrwin wakes up he complains until Gil sends Erica back for his shield. Which Erica accomplishes in a fairly quick fashion.

The party then takes Voidberg, all of his notes and any goodies from his house back to Lil' Karfelon. The entire matter is reported to the Lordship and payment is distributed.

Noteworthy Postgame Events