Year 32

It's been awhile, but it's good to see Vera again even if she's just here for a visit. She's got some strong opinions on some of the changes that have happened recently though.

"I still can't believe the Felians are gone completely. I mean I just remember them always being here. Then again, so were a lot of groups I suppose. Still, sort of surprised you managed to gain an alliance with the Dornans." Vera remarks.
"Don't see why it's really all that surprising. Heather helped us in the past and she's running things now. The Dornans aren't even very religious anymore; they turned their temple into a school of sorts. Don't think they've got many takers yet though." You say.
"Hm. I'm also still a little concerned about what you did with the Syndicate though. Might have been better in the long run to just pay their price."
"Are you kidding me Vera? You didn't see what they were trying to extort from us. Besides, we've been okay so far and they haven't even suddenly tried to raise the rate."
"I dunno. I know you have a lucky habit of getting over on the Syndicate, but I feel like this is pushing it. I have to think they must know something, but they're biding their time to lull you into a false sense of security before they strike."
"Oh trust me, ever since I stepped foot into this city, I've been on my guard constantly. Don't really know any other way to live at this point. However I'm going to soon be hiring a lot of cheap muscle in the form of all the hobgoblins, so I'm slightly less concerned about the Syndicate."
"What? You can't seriously be considering recruiting MORE hobs."
"Why not? They'll actually be perfect for this. Most of them either come here just itching to break someone's legs or they go join the fight arena. Though a few odd ones join the Holgard Watch instead, go figure."
"Maybe, but I've noticed a severe increase in hobs in this organization since I came back to Holgard. Just don't want this place turning into the Roach Leg Tribe."
"It's Spiderfang Tribe actually and they're still far outnumbered for that to happen. Well, for now at least. In any case, most of them have been migrating to Holgard quite a bit over the years. I guess most are learning that city life isn't all that bad and you can still be just as much of a violent asshole here as you can out in the wild and get routinely paid for it. Hmm, actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I guess it makes sense that a few of them join the Holgard Watch after all."
"Well your call I guess, at least I don't have deal with them. Dealing with Warts was enough for me. Though I'm not convinced a bunch of unruly hobs are going to be the end all of extra protection."
"Hence why we're also close allies to a group of wizards."
"You seem pretty confident in our new wizard allies. Just how friendly are you with this Heather? I mean are you fucking her or something?"
"No I'm not actually."
"Ah, so you're TRYING to fuck her."
"Actually I'm not, but I'm not sure what difference it would make to you if I was."
"None I suppose, though I was just trying to figure out what might have been the motivator to throw your lot in with trusting this sorceress and her adepts. But if you say it was purely a practical and strategic move for the good of the League, then that's good enough for me."
"Speaking of fucking, who was that big dark skinned guy who you were reluctant to leave when you were getting off the ship?"
"Oh, that's Zamed. He's the captain of the Traveler. He's a Hessla pirate, we tend to have business with a lot of them in Jicol, but Zamed's been about the only one I've really taken a shine to lately. Still, it's just as well as he's a pirate. Don't think I'd want him around ALL the time. Best to keep these sort of things free and flexible."
"Interesting. Though I thought Jicol was supposed to be pirate free."
"Eh, it's pirate free in that the city doesn't have to worry about them ever attacking the place, but that doesn't mean they can't stop there for supplies as long as they behave. Besides, Zamed's been more of a privateer recently, though I suppose it's a thin line. He's been doing a lot of work for the Delantium Kingdom in their war against Nichan. Which is something I sort of want to bring up with you because it could possibly affect the League."
"Well guess I better hear it then."

Vera takes a drink of the rum she's brought with her from Jicol before continuing.

"Okay, I guess I'll start at the beginning. Let's see…what do you know of Peter Varsakken? Youngest son of Vlad." Vera asks.
"Um, nothing actually. Didn't know there was another one of Vlad's spawn running around. Wait, is this another one of his bastards, like you?" you ask with a smirk.
"Oh no. He's very much legitimate. It's just that after he had a disagreement with his father and fled the city, all records were pretty much erased of him. He's basically been living in exile in the Delantium Kingdom. Peter's disagreement with his father involved the whole breaking away from the Delantium Kingdom in the first place. Peter was the only one who saw it as treason and remained loyal to Delantium. Over the years Peter has been trying to amass an army to take back the city."
"It's my understanding that the Delantium Kingdom hasn't exactly been in a big hurry to retake this place. I mean it's been decades hasn't it?"
"Well they've been sort of busy with other things, like their recent war with Nichan for example. While the ruling class over there doesn't want to spend their resources and treasury to take this place back, they certainly won't turn down someone else willing to do the job, and that's where Peter comes in. He's of noble birth, loyal to the kingdom and would be an excellent governor for this city and absorb it back into Delantium's fold."
"I see, and how do you know all this?"
"As I said Zamed has been privateering for the Delantium Kingdom and he was contacted by Peter who is still trying to amass a conquering force of men and ships to take back his birthright. In fact Zamed is supposed to be organizing the majority of a flotilla of Hessla privateers"
"And you trust this pirate?"
"Of course not, but I trust the fact that I know how to lay it down good enough that he told me all this stuff in the bedroom without me even asking."
"Okay, I don't need details on that part."
"Anyway, Peter's been at this for years ever since he got exiled. He's suffered many set backs in his quest to retake Holgard. Every time he's been on the verge of being ready, something has happened. This was partially thanks to the Ebony Claw Syndicate sabotaging his efforts in Delantium, and sometimes even the Temple of Fel would hinder his efforts as well. However, since things have changed drastically over the years in this city, he's in the best position he's ever been in to retake this place."
"What makes you think he won't get sabotaged again by either group? I mean the Ebony Claw might not have a direct presence here, but they're still making some coin from us. Same is some what true of the Felians, though different reasons. They're allies with the ECS, so they tend to help them."
"I don't think they care this time. I mean thanks to your magical shenanigans they don't make enough from us for it to make much difference either way I suppose. If the League suffers severely from this invasion, the ECS will most likely just come in directly and finish it off."
"Well that's presumptuous that we're going to get the shit kicked out of us. As long as we don't stand toe to toe with an invading force and stay out of the damn way, I imagine we'll get through it. Hell, it isn't like we don't have routes out of the city if need be. Honestly though unless this Peter is bringing the full force of the Delantium army, I don't see him winning. Ludmilla counts wizards among her allies and has a strong fleet of her own, so I question if this Peter is even going to succeed. And say Peter does win, then what? Is this guy some law and order fanatic? He's a Varsakken and from what I can tell every single one of their family members are corrupt. So it would just be a matter of coming to an understanding with him so business continues as usual."
"Well that might be easier to do if we dealt with him now then. In fact I sort of wanted to address that idea."
"Oh?"

Vera goes into the explanation that from the information she's gathered from Zamed, Peter is most likely going to win. While he doesn't have the Delantium army at his command, he does have several orc mercenary companies along with a few wizards that he's managed to make friends with from the Delantium magic university.

She also has heard that while Peter isn't exactly a Joachimite purity zealot, his time in the Delantium Kingdom has probably given him more of an appreciation for a more orderly society as opposed to one that embraces rampant corruption so readily. So he's most likely not going to look favorably upon the Nocturnal League.

However, he's still pragmatic enough that he'd probably give leniency to a group that actively helped him and a deal could very well be made as you said. Vera goes on to say she truly believes that this is the best chance for the Nocturnal League to survive in Holgard.

"You seem to have given this some thought, and while I do often appreciate your input on things, the one problem I have in this case is you're getting all of this information second hand from a pirate. Now I know you said your vertical smile caused the guy to go all stupid over you, so you're certain he's on the up and up. However, HIS information might also be mixed with rumors, half-truths and outright lies that he's overheard. I mean if you were fucking Peter Varsakken himself and getting this information from him, I might believe the situation is as hopeless as you're saying." You say.
"I thought you might feel that way, so how about this then…Peter Varsakken is meeting Zamed. We could go to this meeting as well and we could hash out our demands." Vera remarks.
"Wait. You're telling me that you were planning on going to meet with this Peter without me?"
"No! Of course not! I came here first because I wanted to see what your decision would be on this. I mean look, I understand what you're saying, but based on everything I've learned, the outcome seems grim even if we managed to keep our head down during the initial invasion. But, you're right too, I am getting all this information second hand, so maybe it would be a good idea to actually talk with this Peter in person, before coming to any sort of decision. If we did, you and I could both make an assessment of whether to throw our lot in or not."
"I dunno…(Sigh) yeah I suppose it couldn't hurt, though I'm just wondering about the people we already have alliances with. I mean pissing off the Holgard magic school isn't something I exactly want to do, also you mentioned the ECS has been thwarting this guy's efforts for a long time, and I'm still not convinced that they won't still do that even if they haven't done it yet. By siding with Peter, we could piss them off which wouldn't be any good either."
"Well…it's your call I suppose boss. I just don't want us to get swept away in the flood of this upcoming conflict. I want to see us survive."
"Pretty sure we all want that."

You swear if it isn't a rebellion or faction war, it's a fucking invasion in this city. It's enough to make you want to pick up and just leave everything behind rather than deal with this shit. However, you've built something here, so you're not doing that until all else fails.

Whether or not you can strike a good deal with Peter or not, there is one very personal reason you'd prefer to stay loyal to your current allies and that's the fact that so far Heather is your only sure lead on getting fixed from your curse. If you backstab them and live, you're still fucked because there goes a potential cure. It's selfish, but it's a pretty strong motivator.

While Vera has said that Peter has wizard connections as well, that's not a sure thing that you can get help from them. They're assisting Peter and have no reason to do the same for you.

About the only thing you can do is try to see if Heather and her people might join Peter's invasion. Hell, if that's the case then you'd definitely be willing to help Peter as well.

Of course doing that might not go over well either and you'd tip your hand pretty severely. Might be better to talk to Peter first and get all the information from him and then go speak to Heather so you'd at least have something that might be useful to her if worse came to worst in your meeting.

You talk to Peter first

Vera's usually got good instincts, if she's saying that you should at least speak with Peter, then you probably should do it. You can always speak to Heather after you come back depending on how the meeting goes.

"Alright Vera, I'll meet with Peter. However, I want you to stay here." You say.
"Wait, why?" Vera asks.
"Because if anything happens I want to make sure someone competent is still in charge of the League. I trust Zamed will be fine in taking just me correct?"
"Yeah, I'll talk to him, though I really think it would be better if we both went."
"Again, as I said, I want someone in charge around here. I certainly can't entrust it all to Warts can I?"
"Hah, guess not. Okay, I'll speak to Zamed that went he leaves, you'll be coming with him and he can come pick me up when you return."
"Yeah, and tell him to make room for ten hobs as well. No way in hell I'm going without at least some back up even if this Peter's got a whole army behind him."

Vera nods and leaves to go presumably talk to Zamed. Meanwhile you've got to get ready for your first trip aboard a ship.

When you finally board the Traveller, Zamed greets you and shows you to where you'll be staying on his ship.

"This will be fine." You say.
"I should certainly hope so, these are the quarters of some of my own crew. As a favor to Vera, I have allowed you to bring aboard your…greenskins and provided comfortable accommodations. I certainly hope your savages don't get sick all over my ship."

Zamed's comments are enough to draw some mean looks from your hobs.

"I'd watch your choice of words if you want the greenskins to remain less savage." You say.
"Pfft. This is MY fucking ship. I'll speak how I please. You all had best remember that." Zamed replies.
"And YOU had best remember that if anything out of the ordinary should happen to me on this trip, you're not going to survive long enough to enjoy it."

Zamed now gives you a look like he wants to do something, but instead spits near your feet and walks away. You tell your hobs to keep close to you and be ready for anything.

You certainly hope your meeting with Peter goes better.

Your time aboard the Traveller goes by slowly as there isn't much to do except wait. You don't interact much with Zamed and the rest of the crew for obvious reasons. The only thing Zamed tells you is you're heading towards an island with a small fishing town called Seabreeze which is under Delantium dominion. Peter apparently wants to keep major meetings with criminals away from the mainland for whatever reason.

Hobs are great at protection, but not much for conversation (And unfortunately most of them DO get sick on the trip, apparently hobs don't take well to sailing), so you mainly just do a lot of thinking about what you're going to say to Peter when you finally meet him.

After a couple weeks pass you finally get to your destination. An even larger ship is in the all too small harbor of Seabreeze. That one must be Peter's. Between his ship and the Traveller, there's barely any room for the small fishing boats to squeeze in.

Eventually you disembark and several armored men equipped with muskets and swords meet you and Zamed.

"You are Zamed, correct?" one of the higher ranking looking ones asks.
"Yes." Zamed answers.
"The rightful Baron Peter Varsakken has half of your payment ready. You will receive the other half afterwards as agreed. If you follow these men, they will take you to it. Your men will stay here."

Zamed doesn't look too concerned about going by himself and just shrugs and follows the Delantium soldiers. The one who was speaking now turns to you.

"You can return to your ship. Your captain will be back shortly."
"He's not my captain. I came here on behalf of the Nocturnal League organization in Holgard." You say.

The man is taken aback.

"I see. I did not know that such a meeting had been arranged." The man says.
"Neither did I, this was sort of sprung on me at the last second. I was however told by a subordinate that Peter…" you start to say before you're interrupted.
"BARON PETER."
"…the Baron…was looking for all the allies he could get in his quest to take back what was rightfully stolen from him."
"Hmm, indeed he was seeking out potential allies on the inside. I was not however aware that it was more criminals. We have enough of that lot with these pirates masquerading as privateers. Still, Baron Peter Varsakken is a pragmatic man and will listen to what you have to say. Your greenskins will have to stay here and you will turn your weapons over to me obviously."

You really don't like this idea, but you're here now so you might as well go all the way with it. However, you're not giving your weapons over to this Delantium tight ass. You instead hand them to one of your hobs and tell them to go back to the ship. This is fine with the Delantium solder and he tells you to follow him.

You take a brief walk through the small town of Seabreeze which seems like this is the most attention it's received in a long time. The inhabitants watch everything.

Soon, you stop at a run down little tavern called the Jolly Lobster. (A much happier sounding name than taverns in Holgard that's for sure) Surprisingly the place is filled with more Delantium soldiers not doing much of anything except enjoying their drink. Among them is a regal looking man who is probably about your age. You're guessing that's probably Peter. He doesn't look quite how you expected. He seems like he would be more than capable in a fight.

The soldier who escorted you here explains to Peter the situation and his attention is immediately caught. He tells the rest of the soldiers at his table to clear so that you may sit and talk.

As you do so, Peter is already studying you. Delantium soldiers sitting nearby also stare at you.

"You nervous?" Peter asks.
"I'd be a fool if I didn't have some concerns about my current situation. Though I wasn't really here to insult you or show disrespect, I was here about a potential alliance. My intentions are nothing but positive."
"Your intentions are nothing but self serving. You sense change is coming and you want to be on the right side when it comes. It's perfectly understandable. You are the leader of the infamous Nocturnal League correct?"
"Yes."

Peter nods.

"I don't have much information on you, but I do have enough to know that you have an uncanny knack of survival. The Ebony Claw Syndicate provided some of that information."
"Hm, from what I heard, you weren't exactly friendly with them."
"Well, let's just say things change. Sometimes old antagonists can be new allies, or at least non-antagonists. In fact you happen to be one reason why the Syndicate isn't actively sabotaging me this time. Indeed, when I liberate Holgard, some of the orc mercenaries that the Syndicate provided will be actively targeting the Nocturnal League. They aren't exactly happy with you for some reason."

Well this is news. You aren't sure if you should be happy or uneasy that Peter is so freely admitting this.

"I have an idea of why, but what I don't understand is why you would tell me directly."
"Because I have no real love for the Syndicate. Honestly, I'm just using them for their help in taking back Holgard. I really don't care if they succeed in their petty revenge against you. That being said, I don't care about you either. Your organization, if it survives will be a thorn in the Delantium law I intend to re-establish in Holgard and will be dealt with eventually anyway. With this information you could stay and fight which will result in your death either during or after the liberation or you could leave to save yourself. Either way, your organization will not plague Holgard."
"Sounds like you've made up your mind."
"Not at all. You're here so I figure you have something to say. Perhaps you can convince me of your worth."

Peter looks at you and leans in.

"So convince me."

You take a moment to gather up some of the things you thought about saying to Peter and then throw out most of it before you speak.

You tell Peter that a criminal element will always exist in some way in a city as large as Holgard. Better that he deal with a friendly crime lord who can maintain order over it rather than wasting time attempting to stomp it all out. You also remind him that without you around, the Syndicate will definitely attempt to re-establish a presence back in the city and they engage in activities much worse like slave trading than your organization does.

You also say you can easily provide skirmish support as your group is very familiar with the city and the sewers in particular. You'd be able to help pick off Ludmilla's troops.

Peter seems in intrigued by your arguments, but he doesn't show any positivity in your favor until you mention that you might be able to get the mages in Holgard on his side.

"If you manage to do that, I will certainly take your organization's right to exist in Holgard into consideration."

And that's about the best you do with Peter. The rest of the discussion is mainly him going on about what he intends to change and similar things. He surprisingly doesn't ask you much about Ludmilla even though you mention that you met her.

Soon, he says that he has more important business to attend to and dismisses you at which point several soldiers escort you out and most of the way to the Traveller.

The only thing going through your mind during this is that you'd probably be better off not allying with Peter. Even if Heather is receptive to the idea of switching sides, it's still no safety guarantee for you.

The question remains if you're going to stay in Holgard and fight or just run off to Jicol and run things there. It's certainly the easier and safer solution.

When you finally board the Traveller, you're getting harder stares than you normally are by Zamed's crew. You also notice a few of them look a little beat up and their clothing is torn.

You chalk it up to perhaps some internal squabble and then when you return to your quarters that's when you realize what's happened.

The quarters where you and the hobs were staying at is a wreck. While there aren't any bodies it's obvious what happened with all the blood everywhere.

You immediately search the quarters hoping that you can find a weapon of some sort.

"It's a good thing your hobs still weren't feeling their best, might have been a more difficult fight. Looking for this?" Zamed says.

You turn around and see him holding your repeating pistol.

"Excellent workmanship. Not sure how you came across it, but rest assured it will be in better hands, much like Vera." Zamed says.
"Is this what this is about? I've never even fucked Vera and never made a move on her!" you say.
"Perhaps not, but she talks about you constantly. Always goes on about how great you are. The way I see it, if you were so great then why the hell did she betray you?"
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Clueless idiot. Vera's been in cahoots with the Syndicate for a long time now. In fact that's what this is really about anyway. I'm turning your ass in to the Syndicate for a shitload of coin."
"What? I don't believe you. Vera would never betray me!"
"It's of minor importance. However, you might be right, she might still be a little too sweet on you and I doubt if she'll believe any story I come up with. Better to just not bother picking her up. Oh well. It was good while it lasted, but as for you, you're on your way out."

Zamed points your pistol at you and fires hitting you in the chest. You fall backwards and struggle to breathe for a moment until Zamed walks over and finishes the job by putting two shots more in your head.