Log7th Sea: The Search for Salvation-2012/05/10-Jason-1

Game log for the 2012/05/10 session of 7th Sea: The Search for Salvation, as taken by Jason

Guerdi, 20 Septimus

Janisse Rambeaux strongly recommends that we get Ivan to a hospital. He's mobile but slow, and will never heal if he keeps marching all day and sleeping rough. He'd probably also benefit from wholesome food rather than trail rations. Reginald offers Ivan cheese. Ivan promptly complains about being sick of cheese. Reginald ignores him and, right there in front of us, turns a big rock into a big block of Havarti. Look ma! Magic! Felix complains that Havarti sucks.

Benito feels compelled by these new sorcerous shenanigans to insist that Reginald tell us who he works for. The Explorer's Society! Very exciting! But we told that the poisoners we seek had a glamour mage with them, and now we see that Reginald fits the description. This owes rather a lot to coincidence. Léon takes Benito aside and admits to wondering whether we might have been sent out under false pretenses. However well Reginald, Janisse, & Ivan fit the profile, they don't seem like poisoners.

Finally, Benito explains to Reginald that we're looking for a group of Montaigne agents bringing poisoned goods into Rioja. Reginald agrees that our cause is noble, but that it has no hope if we keep on a dull walk. We decide to send Claude and Janisse back with Ivan, to make sure he gets there OK. We cut our load down to speed up our travel and send the mules back to the monastary with Claude. Janisse and Claude build a travois, put Ivan in it, and head off. The remainder of the party begin jogging through the mountains.

Nikolai finds a trail but think it's too old to be the one we want. Around lunchtime it begins to rain, just to make sure we're all having a good time. We hide out in a cave for 15 minutes to grab a bite, but then push on again. Nikolai can't even wait that long. He insists that we have to push on as soon as he's obtained some basic nourishment. The rain continues all day, not in torrents, but in showers.

Nikolai feels certain he can follow the trail through the night, and Reginald firmly believes we can catch up, so we don't camp. In the dawn we see that we're a good five hours from town, headed down the mountain. We never catch up to anyone, so we're stuck asking the gate guards if they saw anyone matching the description we were given. Nikolai suggests that we claim we were all part of the same group but got separated. Benito tries that approach, but has no luck. The guard informs him that it's usually just woodcutters and other woodsman who use that gate.

Somewhere in there it becomes Redi, 21 Septimus.

We get a room at the Aquilas Inn, order room service, and in private, begin trying to come up with a plan. The question is... were there ever people carrying plague? If not, what was the point of sending us here? Perhaps she wanted us to find Reginald in the mountains and drag him off. We have lots of theories, but no clues. In any case, we should probably go back and make sure we didn't send Ivan into danger.

Nikolai wants to drink, but Felix and Léon worry about Ivan's welfare and insist that we have no time to lose. Felix rules that we can spend six hours resting, but then we have to head back to the mountains.

Benito hates this notion of walking through the mountains again and goes to see if we can find some nice, sturdy mountain ponies, or at least riding horses. Unfortunately, he can't afford five, so he has to hit Léon up for some funds as well. They then go to sleep and have Nikolai actually buy them.

Six hours later, we all wake up, somewhat better off. We get some food to go, maybe the odd hot pocket, and then mount up and ride into the mountains. This time we have to stop for the night, although we push it a bit. Felix turns out to be the best rider in the group, which surprises everyone, including Felix. We ride through to about midnight, and then start a watch rotation for evil teleporting wolves or sekrit agents or whatnot. Nikolai takes first watch, and then Felix, and then Reginald, who finds himself nodding off on watch... until he hears a wolf howling. That movitates him to feel alert. Real alert. He passes that information on to Léon, who finds it that much easier to stay awake. Reginald, sadly, never gets back to sleep.

Voltadi, 22 Septimus is cold and a little snowy. We get started around 8am and make good time. We push past dark until about 10pm, and as the light fades, it's still snowing. This could be a bad night if we can't find some shelter. Reginald and Nikolai find a cave mouth we can duck into, and we build a fire in the clearing outside, to create a little warmth.

Soldi, 23 Septimus. We wake up to what forecasters call "wintry mix."

Reginald falls asleep on watch and never wakes Léon up. The slippery terrain limits our speed. Nikolai suggests we prepare a plan for when we arrive. Felix counsels honesty, Nikolai trickery, Reginald a more elaborate deceit. The Cannoness sent a rider to the Inquisition when we reported the cultists, so if we accurately apprehend the situation, we may find the Inquisition waiting for us, hoping to capture a member of the Explorer's Society. After much discussion, we decide to play dumb, and just tell them the truth, but without any hint that we suspect anything.

It's after dark when we arrive, so despite Nikolai's hammering, it takes them a while to let us in. The same fat cook who let us in before opens the gate for us again this time, and directs us to the stables. Nikolai tells her that we went to Rioja but never found the people we were looking for. Felix asks about Claude and the people with him, and she confirms that all three arrived and Ivan is resting comfortably. She tells us we can go wait in the kitchen, of which we should make free.

A few minutes later, Mia comes out, still in a nightgown, and comes to the kitchen door to talk to us. She asks what happened, and Felix tells her (leaving out some of the more, um, questionable parts). She expresses disappointment but tells us we're welcome to see our friends and then bed down in the stables again. Everyone but Nikolai and Felix go to the infirmary, and then Nikolai starts pushing her. Felix, caught between past and present, defends her. Matters devolve until she starts screaming and orders us out. Felix, assuming she means out of the monastary, asks if we can retrieve our camping equipment. She relents to the extent of allowing us to stay in the stables.

Léon, Benito, and Reginald's escort to the infirmary mentions that they have illustrious members of the Church present. In fact, there are eight people in red robes hanging out in the infirmary. Janisse seems really glad to see Reginald. The Inquisitors have swords, and two of them have muskets. Their leader introduces himself as Alonso Mendez de Gallegos del Castille and says that they've been expecting Reginalf, as they have many questions for him. Benito introduces himself, using his full name to emphasize his noble birth, and then the rest of the group. Alonso orders the Inquisition to seize them.

Reginald ducks behind a bed and vanishes.

Benito puts his hand on his sword. Léon draws his rapier. Benito calls out, "On whose authority?"

"On my authority, of course, and my authority within the Church," Alonso replies.

A brief theological discussion ensues, as Benito protests this decision. Léon realizes that he's heard Mendez de Gallegos del Castille's name before, and explains that l´Empereur has decreed that as a Montaigne, Léon is his to arrest by any rules. Benito tries to persuade Alonso that neither arrest nor violence need to happen in this situation. They exchange words but things are trending toward an unfortunate outcome.

Reginald uses a magic power to call for help. Yelling for help isn't magical but doing it in a way that lets Nikolai and Felix hear it is. The mercenaries go running into the monastary.

Reginald starts to ask how the Inquisition knew about him, but Benito tries to interrupt and avoid learning anything much about the Inquisition. Alas, the Inquisitor has no interest in letting anyone off of any hooks that might be handy.

Felix sprints into the room, takes in the situation, and says to the room, "You know, having grown up in Eisen, when I see a sword and a cross on the same person, I kill that person."