Citadel's Shadow II, Session 25

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 25 was a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 12 May 2019 (UTC) (11 May 2019 for some participants).
==Personnel==
===Game Master===
*GM: played by Alden Loveshade
===Player Characters===
*Fern the Siegemaster: inventive fox-person student played by Rail Runner
* Jinxi: androgynous jester with poppet Jack played by Michael Lee Viviano
=== Prominent Non-Player Characters ===
* Audrea Daleos: mage and helper at Maisson Boulavier
* Damiran Fiddler: violinist, singer, and acolyte
* Donghai Ping: grandmaster alchemist
* Dubrí Oché: Watch Chief for the Trynser City Municipal Force for the Uphill Ward of Trynser City
* Eduard Porra: carriage driver
* Eri "Crystal" Snow: singer and dancer
* Garundel Paltiog: elven count of Lydaelia
* Hagar "Amon" Jones: carriage driver
* Juan de Fulmando: alchemist and swordwielder
* Kelly Fox: carriage driver
* Otnot: Sergeant for the TCMF and assistant to Oché
* Neeroni Cauthe: auctioneer at Tucquew's Cabaret
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Ulthrane 27 (Restingday): Grandmaster Donghai Ping, Audrea Daleos, Damiran Fiddler, Fern the Siegemaster, Jinxi, Juan de Fulmando ordered their meals from Gwendolyn Omagwyn; Fern, Jinxi, and Juan ordered pounded steak, Audrea ordered vegetarian pasta, and Ping and Damiran ordered trolman fish.
Master Ping whispered that he had been told when members of the Trynser City Municipal Force or Imperial Knights arrived, they would be disguised.  One of them would signal their presence by dropping a coin, picking it up, flipping it, then putting it back.
They saw more people enter the room.  To one table went a human or half-elven girl, a male gnome, and two human men, all dressed in white with gold.  A centaur male and female with a human man went to another table; chairs were removed for the centaurs to stand.  To another table went two men wearing turbans, one of them with a long beard.  (Fern wondered a little about the authenticity of the beard and the other man's skin coloring.)  To yet another table went a well-dressed elven man with an elven woman; Jinxi and Fern recognized the man as Count Garundel Paltiog, who was the fortunately disguised Jinxi's sometimes enemy.  Soon to another table came a dwarven woman and man.
The auctioneer Master Neeroni Cauthe came from behind the curtain and went on stage.  He said the theme for that night's auction was the Slave States.  He introduced his associates, Father Ananth Rasch who was wearing a silver circlet on his largely bald head, and the young woman Gwendolyn Omagwyn.  Several items were auctioned off including the black Gem of Kolesh which allegedly was authenticated to hold the soul of the mass murderer Kolesh as captured by the Wizardess Sara Winter of Kasteban, Ambassor of Aborea.  The father advised whoever bought it to destroy it.  The gem sold for $5000 to Count Garundel Paltiog.
The next "item" auctioned was five years service from the servant, cleaner, sewer, handyman, and dancer Nasseni, described as an exotic servant from the Empire's recent enemy, Zazimar.  He was led in by a minotaur carrying a sheathed sword.  After demonstrating his dancing, the services were sold for $32,000 to the table with the dwarven man and woman.
Next sold was the services of an artic fox-girl from the Kingdom of Kasteban (which had been involved in the Trynser-Zazimar War) who was named Crystal.  She was said to be good at housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, and other things.  She sang a bawdy song and danced erotically.  Five years of her services were sold for $50,000 to the table with three human males.
The formerly clean shaven and largely bald Father Ananth returned, now with a long beard and very long hair.  The silver circlet he had worn was said to be the Fabulous Filamanetus of Dizho which could vastly accelerate the growth of hair and nails, but could be stopped.  That item sold for $10,250 to a table that had two men and one woman, one of the men being mostly bald.
The final item was the Cross Globe of Yellow Mountain aka the Globus Cruciger autem Dryas that led to the Empire of Trynser winning the Trynser-Zazimar War.  (The war was officially ended with an armistice, but the Globus was commonly credited with being a major part of that.  Its powers were largely unknown).  It sold for $1,000,000 to people at the table of Count Garundel Paltiog.
During all this time, no one in the group ever saw anyone drop and flip a coin, and they worried that help had never come.
The two men in turbans then stood up; one in the purple tunic talked to the auctioneer Master Neeroni while the one in tan talked to people at the table with the girl, gnome man, and two human men dressed in white with gold.  The man in tan then went to the group's table, and said that no assistance was coming, but to not give that away.
The man in the purple tunic removed his beard, and revealed himself to be Dubrí Oché, Watch Chief for the Trynser City Municipal Force for the Uphill Ward of Trynser City, while the other man in a turban was his assistant, Sgt. Otnot.  He suggested no one leave the room, and mentioned members of the Force and the Imperial Knights being on duty outside (which St. Otnot had quietly told the group was not true).
The three men who had bought the services of the fox-girl Crystal subtly started to leave with her.  The group debated about what to do; Juan followed them, and Fern followed Juan, while Jinxi, Audrea, Damiran, and Master Ping stayed to keep an eye on things in the room.  Fern drew attention to the leaving people, and Dubrí Oché shouted "Stop them!"  Jinxi and Otmot joined Juan and Fern in following the leaving people.
Exiting at the well house entrance and exit, Jinxi yelled to the man and woman standing guard to stop the people, but they asked why?  Fern figured one of the three men was in disguise, and was the driver they had ridden with who had apparently stolen the Globus with two men.
Fern moved quickly to the wagon she had traveled in, and Jinxi moved quickly to catch the fleeing people, whiile Otnot summoned a flying carpet.  Juan, calling on the gods for speed, speedily tripped.  Fortunately, he wasn't injured.  Fern threw the metal poppet Jack to Jinxi, who stuck Jack into a wheel of the suspects' wagon; luckily, it jammed the wheel.  Fern handed Juan his sword.  One of the men (the disguised driver) tried getting the horses to move, but they could not, and seemed angered and out of control.
Meanwhile, Master Ping, Audrea, and Damiran were in the auction room.  Auctioneer Neeroni Cauthe explained to Ward Chief Dubrí Oché one by one how the sale of each item was legal; he had bills of sale, selling the items in a private auction was legal; Crystal and Nasseni were not sold, only their services were contracted for five years.  Chief Dubrí accepted these.
However, Chief Dubrí said the Cross Globe of Yellow Mountain, known as the Globus Cruciger autem Dryas was not taken in an act of war, it was stolen while in the area of its owner, which was the Empire of Trynser.  The bill of sale was thus invalid.  Neeroni said he had verifcation from a general of the Empire that it was taken in an act of war about a week before; Dubrí said the Empire said differently; it was stolen the previous day.  Dubrí said it seemed "rather odd" that people from both near and far would be there for an auction held just one day after the Globus was taken.  Neeroni said the auction has been scheduled for a while.  Dubrí said the Globus would be returned, and he would allow guards of Tucquew's Cabaret to assist.  Neeroni said he would never betray anyone in an auction, but he had been betrayed.  The Globus had been sold by the three men who had bought the services of Crystal.
Outside and unaware of the coversation, Jinxi grappled one of the three men, the carriage driver, and pulled him out of the wagon.  Juan pointed his sword at the driver's throat
Meanwhile, Chief Dubrí, Audrea, Damiran, and Master Ping had left Tucquew's, and approached.  Dubrí told Juan to remove his sword from the driver's throat, which Juan did.  Then Damiran, Fern, and Jinxi all identified the disguised man by looks, voice, or both as the one they believed had stolen the Globus.
Chief Dubrí had people go to a nearby TCMF station for questioning; this included Audrea, Damiran, Fern, Jinxi, Juan, Ping, Crystal, and the three men who were identified as Hagar "Amon" Jones (the driver), Olin Beals, and Frue Threson.
Crystal was told that, as her services had been bought through the illegal delivery of an item, she was free to go.  She said she had no place to go, and froze with stress.  Jinxi helped bring her out of it.  She said, "I have no place to go. I lived with my master, Frederick Geise; he was very kind to me. But he was killed on New Year's Day by some evil people who hate Sardaster."  Fern and Juan both realized they had been partially responsible, as they had fought followers of Sardaster after they threatened to attack Professor Chalk early on New Year's Day.  Juan diverted Fern from telling Crystal that.  Jinxi said that Madame Maude Lynn's Theater of Thrills was looking for full-time talent, and Jinxi had connections there.  
Chief Dubrí told the group there was a reward for Hagar "Amon" Jones of $1,000.  Fern said that Crystal helped, and should share the reward; Crystal was extremely grateful.  Audrea, Damarian, Jinxi, Juan, and Master Ping agreed to the seven-way split. (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 2019 05 11)
====== copyright by Alden Loveshade ======
Category:Citadel's Shadow II
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIb