The Edwardsville Chronicles - session 0

We start with Aggie, a very elderly cleric, who
has arrived in Edwardsville about a month prior. It is day 78 of the Bleak
(followed by the Thaw). It is the Day of Flowing Water, the fourth day of the
8-day week; in three weeks there will be a Festival of Earth. This festival
lasts for three days and marks the beginning of planting season. Aggie lives in
room 19 in the Temple dedicated to the Faith of the Four. It is Aggie’s job to
maintain the graveyard, and provide healing for the faithful (generally people
who pay). She is helped by a young orderly, whose job is to help the ordained.
His name is Opeenn Behal, but everyone knows him as Opi. He is 17, and he never
second-guesses Aggie (although that changes after this session).

Aggie arrived at the temple with a man in his
mid-20s, Iarmor, a dark-skinned human male with white hair, who came to
Edwardsville to learn a language. They were both taken to see Thomas Francis upon
arrival. Aggie thinks that Thomas Francis is a bit arrogant; he seems to think
he knows everything. He is a very religious man, and strongly believes in the
tenets of the faith, and is a stickler for the rules. He is tall for a human,
with long robes. His services are well attended, people respect him, and he
seems very ambitious.

As it is early morning, Aggie says her four
morning prayers before heading to the mess hall. She meets with a girl from the
kitchens, Lisa Barac, and introduces her to Opi, who doesn’t seem to notice
that the girl is interested in him. Aggie asks Lisa if she and Opi would head into
town with her, as she needs to check on the graveyard, and also needs to pick
up some healing supplies from the Sacred Earth apothecary, run by a woman named
Verna. Lisa brings along Hausel, the kitchen dog, with saddle bags to carry the
things Aggie needs.

On her way to the graveyard and apothecary, she
comes across a bakery, called Edwardsville Bakery & Baking Needs. The
bakery is run by a couple called Norma and Phillus. Aggie buys five pies –
three of them are to be picked up later. Aggie continues to the apothecary and buys
supplies there. She then heads to the cemetery, where she and Opi see a large
group of rats, about 12 of them, and a giant rat, who disappears into a hole in
the ground.

On her way back into town, she decides to
deposit some of her money at the Broadhelm Financial Institute (BFI). As she is
about to enter, she passes a butcher called Clarence, who is talking to a
strange lizard man called Larry about meat or something.The institute is very fancy, very well
organized, and is run by a smooth talker called Nestor; he can change gold and
silver into any other gold and silver currency in the kingdom, but will not
take copper. Aggie deposits 50 gold with him. He shows her his fancy alarm
system, which he has obtained from the Longriver magic store.

Aggie leaves and returns to the bakery to pick
up her pies when she notices rats coming from an alleyway next to the bakery.
She goes to check it out, and Larry, who sees her, tags along. Aggie invites
him to dinner that night at the temple. Opi is attacked by a large group of
rats led by a giant rat. Larry bites the giant rat to death, as Opi is
overwhelmed and falls unconscious. Larry runs out of the alley, trying to drag
Aggie with him, but she refuses and goes back. She stabilizes Opi and kills all
of the rats. She heals Opi and brings him to the Emerald Tankard for fortification.

This is a very nice pub, run by an elf named
Lithral Heartwood – it has a fancy menu. Opi orders more pie, and Aggie and
Lisa have the chicken with artichoke. Outside the pub, they come across a man
named Sampson, who tells them he’s been having a lot of trouble with rats on
his farm to the south of the town. Aggie decides to go over to the town
administrative offices to tell the officials about the rats, and after that,
she returns to the temple for prayer, a nap, and then a mutton dinner with
Larry.