S04E05

## Intrigue in the Disputed Lands

### Summary:

House Gaz travels to explore a mystery in the town of Dorenka in the Disputed Lands.

### Characters:

Alon, Arrokko, Clyde, Fiyona, Rook, Whistler

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## War Declared

A lot had occurred in the past seven days. The Triarchs of Volantis had voted unanimously to go to war with Tyrosh and Lys, and now Lord Hamza was spending more an more time with the higher ups of the Elephant Party, making preparations for war.

Alon Redwyne was left to rule Saffron House is his absence, using the time to invest much of House Gaz's funds in vineyards and the wine trade (+1 WLT).

Clyde had discovered that five of their slave troops had escaped, apparently with the help of religious zealots from the Cult of The Hooded Wayfarer. He was unable to recover the slaves.

Whistler helped Fiyona find a bordello in difficult times, one that could be taken over and managed, but this situation required more work and attention.

Arrokko had learned his one-time slaver, Tatla of Yi Ti, was now operating in Qarth, 2000 miles away.

## Scroll in the Nutmeg

Alon held court in Hamza's absence, but the only person to come to court that day was a Ghiscari merchant named Zorba. He came as a well-wisher from the Ghiscari cities of Slaver's Bay, bringing gifts of foreign spices. Zorba took special effort to say, "All of the spices are of the highest quality, but we think the nutmeg is worthy of special inspection."

The group asked the Ghiscari to wait as they took the bag of nutmeg into a back room. There they dug into the spice and recovered a scroll that read: "I hear something important is happening in the town of Dorenka in the Disputed Lands. For the good of all, please travel there and make known whatever is going on. I will reward you. (Signed: Baxos Zannar)."

The courtiers debated whether to obey the note. Baxos Zannar was a political opponent, and might be engaging in some sort of trickery. But if there were truths to uncover in the Disputed Lands, it could affect the war between Volantis and Tyrosh. In the end, they decided that they should at least travel to Dorenka and see for themselves.

## A Horse Named Iffi

In the stables, Fiyona discovered a fine white Andal horse waiting for her - a gift from Arrokko. He explained that the horse's name was Iffi.
She returned the favour with a gift of fancy horse feed for Arrokko's horse Hanna.
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## Arguing with Salus Annexor

The group were almost prepared to leave for Dorenka when they were approached by Sallus Annexor, personal slave of young Zholos Rha. Sallus warned them, "I know you were approached by a Ghiscari merchant with a secret message. You were asked to go to the Disputed Lands. I cannot forbid you, but please don't go. There are some lessons best left unlearned."

The courtiers of House Gaz were offended, and began to argue with Sallus and his retinue. A grand debate was had there in the yard. Sallus was stubborn and convincing, but eventually overcome by the group's arguments.

## The Windblown

After a long and confounding day of travel, (Arrokko and Whistler on horseback and the rest in a carriage) they came across a camp of mercenaries called The Windblown. The company's leader greeted them and introduced himself as Sargon the Merchant. The group asked the mercenaries if there was anything amiss in the Disputed Lands, but The Windblown weren't much help. They had just traveled from Yunkai to try to find work in the Tyrosh/Volantis war, but hadn't been hired yet.

Seeing the more attractive members of House Gaz, the mercenaries asked to bed them for money, at the standard rate of two gold pieces. Only Alon took the offer, spending time with a handsome warrior named Marko, and negotiating a rate of three gold for his efforts.

## Ambushed by Stone Men

The group continued traveling beside a narrow canyon stream when they spotted wagon train which had been recently attacked. There was a single woman in the middle of the wreckage, writhing on the ground as if she was in great pain. They moved in to help her, and when she saw them she screamed, "No no no! You must flee!"

It was a trap. Stone men, people driven aggressively insane by greyscale disease, took position at either end of the canyon, locking the courtiers in between them.

There was a vicious fight. Clyde scurried up a boulder to get a better vantage, but slipped and fell on his back. Alon and Rook stayed in the carriage, but the stone men were wild, smashing the windows and grasping inside. Arrokko lifted Fiyona up on to his horse and commanded it to jump over a stream. Fiyona and the horse made it, but Arrokko was thrown to the ground. Whistler stood and fought, keeping to his knightly code of ethics.

It was a hard and dangerous battle, but the stone men were eventually driven away. Some in the party had been exposed to greyscale, but whether or now they had contracted the disease was unknown.

## Kharra of Ib

The courtiers of House Gaz rested for a moment, greatly disturbed by the stone men's attack. They could hear the clank of a chain echoing through the canyon. They readied their weapons and climbed to a high vantage point to get a better look at the on-comer. The saw a bizarrely tall person (7 feet), with an oddly pointed head and a thin, wispy beard. Their hands were shackled together.

The tall stranger approached the group, and in broken Valyrian she explained that she was Kharra from the island of Ib. She had been kidnapped and enslaved by the Tyroshi army. When the combined Tyroshi/Lysene army had marched into the Disputed Lands, she had escaped and was trying to get back to Ib to see her husband and children.

The group broke her shackles and pointed her in the general direction of Ib. They asked her if she would travel with them, but Kharra explained that she no longer trusted people of the Free Cities and just wanted to go home. They parted ways.

## The Truth at Dorenka

When they got to the town of Dorenko, they discovered a camp set up by the army of Volantis. And not only Volantene, but flying the banners of the Elephant Party. Nearby, they spotted the camp of The Windblown mercenaries that they had talked to before. Their leader, Sargon the Merchant, described a strange encounter they had had with the Elephant Party's camp.

"It was the strangest thing. We asked them to hire us for the war, and they agreed. But then they asked us for all of our weapons, armour and supplies - which they destroyed! So, I guess we stand with Volantis, but we cannot fight."

The group spied into the Elephant base and saw them melting down weapons and armour, burning supplies and pouring out medicine into a nearby river. They were shocked and confused. Spotting a guard of the Elephant Party named Stevus, they approached him to ask what was going on.

Stevus explained that he shouldn't be telling them this, it was the utmost secret, but the Elephant Party was specifically trying to lose the war with Tyrosh. Because if Volantis won the war, it would be a great honour for the Tiger Party, and the Volantene public would clamour for more and more militaristic expansion and maybe raise the Tiger Party to rulers of the city. If Volantis lost, things would return to normal and the Elephants would undoubtedly stay in control.

The courtiers of House Gaz left Dorenka, confused and unsure of what was to be done.

## Experience

Each character gained 3XP
The group gained 3 Glory which was spent on 1 Influence, 1 Land, and 1 Power.

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