Citadel's Shadow II, Session 46

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 46 was a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 29 September 2019 (UTC) (28 September 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
*Kyrie Kelevan: human priestess of Damira played by Michael Lee Viviano
=== Prominent Non-Player Characters ===
*Alarra Gormann: deposed princess of Bortania
*Earnest Guzmann: mercenary and former knight of Bortania
*Phyllis Guzmann: horse trainer and wife of Earnest
*Jinxi: androgynous human jester with poppet Jack
=== Special ===
*Juan de Fulmando: sword-wielding human alchemist usually played by Alden Loveshade
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Flowering 26/Gillihís 26 (Lordsday/Odía) (continued): Princess Alarra Gormann, Sir Earnest Guzmann, Donghai Fern (Fern the Siegemaster), Jinxi, Juan Silvio-Vagle (Juan de Fulmando), Kyrie Kelevan, and Phyllis Guzmann talked outside El mesón de la rosa y el cangrejo (Rose and Crab Inn). It was on La calle de la olla (Pot Street) across the street from Parque hadas y faunas (Fairy and Faun Park) in the city of Milspar in Millisymph. Alarra said one of the other six could be her spokesperson. However, only Earnest, Juan, and Phyllis spoke Thisslam, the standard language of Millisymph. Sir Earnest also said, "My wife Phyllis and I have been here to Milspar for a few days. Everyone I have told of the coming of Princess Alarra Gormann who will restore Bortania to its full glory!" Alarra chose Earnest.
La olla de la ropa (The Clothing Pot) was located on the south side of the street to the east on the opposite side of the inn and the temple (which were both on the north side of the street.) Kyrie said, "I would suggest anyone who feels the need to get more appropriate clothing for tomorrow do so now." Alarra said, "I was invited to La vaca negra, a fine nearby tavern. You can buy clothes after that." Kyrie remembered that was the same place she and Fern had been invited to for free drinks after they took care of a fake bomb ("la bomba") and the crowd gathered around it. Juan said "La vaca negra" meant "The Black Cow;" Kyrie and Fern had seen such a sign in front of a single-story building on La calle de la olla between the inn and El templo de Grebonia de Milspar. Kyrie tried telling Juan in High Kastebani that she found the double invitation suspicion, but he did not understand her.
A woman outside La vaca negra said, "¡La zorra encapuchada y la sacerdotisa!" Fern and Kyrie recognized the woman as having been near the "la bomba" incident; they also recognized the man they had seen there who had invited them to La vaca negra for free drinks. The man said, "Not to bring weapons inside por favor." Juan answered in Thisslam, which he translated for his companions in Trynsern, "Thank you. I will release my broadsword inside the building, not outside." Sir Earnest agreed, and the rest of the group did so, even leaving knives, a staff, and Jinxi's metal poppet Jack. (Although Fern drawing her knife, even when not a fighting stance, seemed to make the man a little nervous.)
La vaca negra had about a dozen people with four tables. A fifth, smaller table, held an abstract sculpture of a black cow that looked like it had a handle on top. There was also a fireplace, which was burning very low (the temperature outside was pleasant), a door to what was probably the kitchen, and a small wash basin by the door to the "privy." Kyrie "admired" the sculpture, focusing on the cow's udder. Alarra sat in the seat by the fireplace, and Sir Earnest and Phyllis joined her at that table.
Kyrie noticed that the udder of the cow sculpture looked like it was made out of the same metal, and was the same size and same shape as "la bomba"--except the udder had blackish-brassy lookng spigots on the end of the udders. Fern agreed the udder and "la bomba" (which had been on the street "upside down" compared to the udder) looked virtually the same. Fern noticed the udder did not look like it was welded to the rest of the sculpture, and remembered that "la bomba" had an extended metal base that, turned "upside down" like the udder, could have held the udder in place inside the cow. Kyrie could not think of a Divine Circle theological significance to a black cow.
A waitress brought a drink to Princess Alarra, and Kyrie, who watched the server, suggested to the princess that Sir Earnest could make a toast to her, which was agreed to.
Kyrie then cast a spell (Sense Foes) on the waitress, but her speaking and gesturing were noticed by at least a couple of people who said something in Thisslam out loud. Juan said in Trynsern, "Kyrie, you don't go around casting spells like that here! That's like me drawing my sword on someone!" Kyrie said, "I am concerned about her highness!" Fern, who overheard and watched, mistakenly thought Kyrie had cast Darkness, but the room did not get darker.
The waitress, who had hurriedly gone through the door that was probably to the kitchen, returned with a man who was holding a butcher knife. Kyrie said, "Juan, could you help me explain that I had not wanted to cause offense, but Her Highness Princess Alarra Gormann was under my care and my priority is her safety? And I deeply apologize." Juan sighed and said, "It's always up to me to try to fix things." Juan and the man with the butcher knife spoke for a while in Thisslam. Juan said the man understood Kyrie was a foreigner and Alarra was a princess, but said never do that again with which Juan agreed. Meanwhile, Fern just stood and watched the commotion.
Princess Alarra and her lady-in-waiting Phyllis entered the "privy room." Kyrie was concerned, but Juan thought she was just being "jumpy" after dealing with the crowd at "la bamba" and being caught casting a spell. As Fern and Kyrie were standing and blocking the entrance, they moved and sat down (although it took some time for them to move from sitting in Alarra and Phyllis' seats).
A man by Kyrie and across from Fern said, "Remember you must go nude tomorrow on Nudia." He then talked with another man across the table in Thisslam; Kyrie remembered the other man said to him, "¡No les digas que idiota! ¡Acaban de desactivar una bomba!" Kyrie said people didn't have to go nude on Nudia, and the waitress came over and talked sternly to the two arguing men, who stopped arguing. (Kyrie later learned the phrase about "una bomba" meant "Don't tell them that you idiot! They just defused a bomb!")
Kyrie tried getting Juan's attention, but Juan was listening to Sir Earnest telling war stories ("There I was, outnumbered 4 to 1. The situation seemed hopeless. I thought I was doomed. But then....") Fern and Kyrie, who were dealing with the sudden change in time of day due to traveling instantly through a gate, ordered food and drinks. Most of the others in their group just ordered drinks.
Kyrie became concerned about the long amount of time Princess Alarra and Phyllis had been gone in the "privy room." She expressed her concern to Juan. As such a room did not have a sink, a mirror, or anything else other than a chamber pot, it seemed concerning that they had been in as long as they had. A man was waiting at the door to the room, and a girl later came and knocked.
Kyrie went to the door and said, "Your Highness? Is everything okay?" She heard no answer. She knocked and said, "Princess Alarra? Are you okay?" Again, no answer.
Kyrie and Fern did both hear what sounded like a dull bang or some such from outside of the wall near the privy room. Kyrie asked Fern if she could open the door, and Juan expressed concern they'd be killed for doing so. Fern found the door was locked but saw no lock, so figured it was locked from the inside.
Listening again, they thought the sound from outside the tavern's back wall sounded like a wagon. A waitress came over and asked what was happening, while Kyrie went hurriedly out the front door and headed east on La calle de la olla (Pot Street). Fern found there was what looked like a wooden cover to a small window on the wall from which they had though they'd heard the sounds of a wagon. Fern opened the latch and looked through the window and saw a small wagon outside.
Juan, who had learned from the waitress that there was an exit from the kitchen to a door in the back wall, sent Jinxi to tell Kyrie. Fern went out the front door to start climbing, while Juan went through the kitchen.
The man who had invited Fern and Kyrie saw Kyrie and started yelling, ' ¡La sacerdotisa! ¡La sacerdotisa!" Kyrie got to an area where she could look toward the street or alley where they had heard the wagon.
While Fern was on the roof of La vaca negra, she saw a small wagon with two horses facing east in the alleyway behind the tavern. There was a small battle going on, with Juan, Sir Earnest, and a few others including Phyllis Guzmann who was lying on the ground.
Fern debated about trying to jump from the roof, which was about 10 feet tall (about 3 meters) to the top of the wagon which was about a yard (meter) away and two yards tall (about 2 meters) without being noticed. But it was broad daylight, there were several people in the area, and the wagon had a rounded top. So Fern debated what to do.
Meanwhile, Kyrie got to where she could see the wagon and people, and started running toward them.
Fern decided to hang by her arms and drop to the ground; she was successful.
Kyrie arrived, and hit a man fighting Juan, both armed with knives (Juan's gained in the kitchen) in the back; while she did no damage, it distracted him, and Juan hit him and the man went to his knees. Kyrie grappled the man, who soon passed out.
Fern saw Alarra sitting in the back of the wagon with fabric over her mouth. Next to her was a woman armed with a knife. Fern entered the wagon, and tried intimidating the woman, but the woman apparently did not speak Trynsern. The woman held her knife to Alarra's throat.
Meanwhile Sir Earnest, who had beat his opponent, went to his fallen wife Phyllis and called for help.
In the wagon, the woman holding the knife looked at Fern and suddenly said, "¡La zorra encapuchada!" and dropped the knife and put her hands in the air. Fern found the gagged Princess Alarra also had her hands tied behind her back, and used the knife to free her.
Kyrie was unable to perform first aid on Phyllis, but after Juan worked on her using his pharmacy skill, she cast minor healing which helped, and Phyllis returned to consciousness. Jinxi returned and reported they had caught the "messenger," who was determined to be the man who had invited Fern and Kyrie for free drinks at the tavern. Juan and Kyrie treated other injured people while Alarra, Earnest, Fern, and Jinxi helped round up the "bad guys."
The authorities showed up, and "mopped up" the situation. Fern and Kyrie again heard the phrase, or variations of the phrase, "¡La zorra encapuchada y la sacerdotisa!" 
Princess Alarra, Sir Earnest, Fern, Jinxi, Juan, Kyrie, and others gave a report of what had happened with the kidnapping of Alarra, and Fern and Kyrie also told what had happened with "la bamba."  Sir Earnest served as translator for the Millisymphians, and Juan backed him up.
In turn, the group learned details of what had happened "behind the scenes." The "privy room" of La vaca negra was about two meters long by one meter wide with the door to it on one side on the end closest to the entrance of the tavern.  The opposite wall from the wall with the door was actually secretly a sliding door.  Through that secret sliding door could be accessed a door that led outside to the alleyway behind the tavern.  Apparently, it had originally been used "during the war" as an escape route in case of enemy attack.
The intended kidnappers of Princess Alarra were found to not be a criminal group. They were apparently part of a Millisymphian patriot group called "La Gajada."  They had heard reports of Princess Alarra Gormann of Bortania coming to Milspar through a gate at El mesón de la rosa y el cangrejo (Rose and Crab Inn) in Montículo Perlat, Milspar, Millisymph.  They heard that a knight or knights of Bortania (until a few years ago a nation, but at that time an earldom of the Empire of Trynser), repeatedly boasted that Princess Alarra would be fighting to restore Bortania as a kingdom.  They also heard that thousands of people would be coming through gates to support her.  Princess Alarra and her people would then commandeer ships intended for the soon-coming Día de Padrig (Padrig's Day) parade of ships.  These would then be used to lead an invasion.
It had already been verified by authorities that Princess Alarra had come through, that Sir Earnest Guzmann (a former knight of Bortania) had boasted of Alarra restoring the nation, and that hundreds of people were coming through a gate at the inn.  It was also verified that Princess Alarra's drink had something in it that made her much more likely to need to use the "privy."  However, it was not verified that people coming through the gate had any intent of fighting for Bortania or taking ships, or that thousands of people instead of hundreds would be coming through.  Nor was the person who altered Alarra's drink, or who had taken the second udder from La vaca negra and used it for "la bomba," known.  Authorities continued to investigate.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 2019 09 28)
====== Copyright by Alden Loveshade ======
Category:Citadel's Shadow II
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIb