One-Shots Solum: Episode 09

__NOTOC__
:Aired between Rollplay Episode 35 & 36
==Recap==
===Tuesday, October 29, 1500: The Headless Horseman===
The party are in a bandit camp outside of Roseluck. Roseluck is an unwalled town in the Falaror Kingdom, between the capital of Falaror and the Devouring Marsh in a forest, population 6000 to 9000. The bandit camp is within a cave cave outside of town in the woods.
One night, 2 nights before Halloween, the bandits hear a rider coming by. Felix & Catspaw stay in camp while Switchblade, Guile & Locke goes investigate. Guile pushes himself to the front and leads the way.
The 3 out searching come across a rider on a horse. The horse is all black, flaming hooves and seems to be floating a few inches above the ground. The rider of the horse is armored and headless with a flaming longsword. Guile throws a dagger, but misses the headless horseman. The headless horseman rider charges at Guile, killing him with his sword and his nightmare mount kicking & biting.
Switchblade hides from the headless horseman. Locke walks up to the headless horseman, claiming that Guile was a thief who stole from him.
:"You!" bellows the Headless Horseman. "You will retrieve it for me! You will bring back my head, or the same fate your friend suffered you shall suffer too!
Locke asks if the head is close by.
:"Roseluck, two nights from now, you will bring it!" bellows the Headless Horseman, before riding away.
The party know there is a local legend about the Prince of Roseluck 300 years ago. The prince had his head chopped off for incest and & crimes. 3 days after he died, he came back to life, got onto his horse, ran though Roseluck, killed his father, among other people, then took off, without his head. Every day on the anniversary of his death, people carve pumpkins in the shape of his head and display them. There is the Grand Pumpkin that is displayed front & centre in the middle of the town during the festival. The Grand Pumpkin magically regrows each year.
Switchblade goes over to her adopted father, Guile, laying on the ground. She says a dispassionate "well" over the remains. Locke takes Guile's bag of marbles and gives it to Switchblade.
Locke and Switchblade return to Camp and explain what happened. Locke then says he assumes the Grand Pumpkin is the Headless Horseman's head. 
===Tuesday, October 30, 1500: Scouting the Town===
In the morning the party find that Guile's body has been dragged off by wolves. The party head into town.
The town is busy with people setting up decorations, tables, and a stage, for Halloween tomorrow. The many town guard are in the town square, but are drunk.
The Grand Pumpkin is kept in the Town Hall, where it is kept year round until the Halloween festival. Across the road from the town is an inn & and a bar.
The party case out the town hall. The roof of the town hall is a 3-storey brick building with a slanted tiled roof. The party see guards outside the town hall. The party spot 2 dozen guards inside the townhall at the moment and are grumpy. These guards aren't happy because they can't join in the fun outside. Switchblade tries to talk with one of the guards for information, but is awkward about it, and failing to be seductive, so the guard rejects her.
The pumpkin is being held on the 2nd floor of the town hall in the Mayor's Office. Only those with official business can go near the Mayor's Office.
The party leave the town hall and go talk about their plans in private. They decide to make Switchblade look pregnant with some bedsheets, then have her pretend to go into labor to have the guard let them into the office, with Felix pretending to be the husband. Then the plan drop the pumpkin out the window to Locke. Locke borrows a pumpkin from someone outside to test the disguise, but the man insists he will win the pumpkin contest this year. But the party realise the window to the office faces the town square which will be full of people. Locke returns the pumpkin.
The party then decide to hide in the town hall until night time, then sneak around and steal the pumpkin that way, with Locke & Switchblade distracting the guards so Jade & Felix can hide.
The party head back to the town hall, 45 min before sundown. The party enact their plan, but Felix was blocked. Switchblade then pretends to go in labor, but the guard doesn't buy it, and just pushes Locke back. Locke goes decides to run towards a window, throwing a knife towards Felix to make it look like Felix is unrelated to him. The guard pulls a weapon and defends Felix, calling for backup. Locke then jumps out the window and tumbling on the ground to take no damage. Locke flees out of town.
Back inside the building many guards have come around the party. The origioanl guard explains about a suspicious person throwing knives and Switchblade pretending to go into labor. A guard pulls up Switchblade's dress to reveal all the blankets. Felix acts shocked and slaps Switchblade. The guards forcefully escort both Switchblade and Felix out of the building. The guards then ask Jade to leave, and escorts her out. Switchblade spits on a guard, and ends up being punched in the gut.
Jade, Felix & Switchblade meet Locke outside of town. Locke says the new plan is to break into the town hall though the broken window on the side of the town hall.
===Breaking into Town Hall at Night===
At 2am the party return to town and below the broken window. The party try forming a human pyramid to boost someone up to the window, but fall over 4 times. The party decide to just steal a ladder from the general store. At the General Store, Felix picks the lock. Locke & Switchblade stays outside the store as lookouts with Jade & Felix heading inside. Jade & Felix find a 5-foot stepladder and a grappling hook. They also steal the money from a lockbox holding 160 silver. 
The party sneak back to the Town Hall with the stepladder and grappling hook. The party try using the stepladder first. Jade climbs the ladder and boosts Locke up to the window. The corridor is empty and Locke lowers the rope to the others, using the grappling hook to secure the rope.
The party all climb up the rope and pull up the rope. The party sneak their way to the mayor's office. Felix finds a poison needle trap on the door lock. Felix disables the trap on the door before starting to pick the lock. After 10 minutes Felix fails to pick the lock. Switchblade tries for 10 minute and also fails to pick the lock. Locke & Catspaw stay on lookout. Switchblade tries 2 more times, but fails again.
Locke confirms no one is in the building, so they break down the door. The party find a sleeping guard in the mayor's office, who is woken up by the noise. The party grab the guard, who struggles. After the guard doesn't stand down, Locke stabs the guard in the throat, killing him, covering Locke with blood.
The party find a giant lock box in the corner, the party assume the Grand Pumpkin is inside. Switchblade & Jade carry the lockbox to the room opposite of the Mayor's Office. The party also find 2 platinum coins and 8 gold coins in the Mayor's desk.
Felix picks the lock to the massive lock box. Inside the box is the Grand Pumpkin. The party take the pumpkin and leave Roseluck and get back to their camp.
===Wednesday, October 31, 1500: Halloween Cancelled===
Locke waits outside of Roseluck off the side of the road with the Grand Pumpkin, waiting for the Headless Horseman to arrive. He can hear the alarm and commotion from town over the incident last night. The feast day has been cancelled and all the decorations get taken down.
Switchblade and Felix leave town and head down the road.
That night, the Headless Horseman rides up to Locke. Locke gets the pumpkin out, which he now sees it has a grewsome skull carved into it that it didn't have earlier.
The Headless Horseman puts the pumpkin on his head.
:"Well Done."' says the Headless Horseman.
The Headless Horseman then tosses Locke a bag, then rides away. Inside the bag is gold coins, a magic map, and a dagger.
The magic map always shows the area around you in a 3-mile radius. The Dagger is magically cold.
Locke gives some gold to the man who he borrowed the pumpkin from, guilty about cancelling the contest.
Category:One Shots Solum Episodes