Ramen S1C1E1

*"The prosperous farmland town of Sweetfield is nestled in the flowing hillsides of the Mellow Meadow County. A peaceful county that is unfamiliar to conflict until now. It is currently besieged by an unknown number of rattian bandits simply known as The Crooked Tooth Gang. The albino leader of the rat gang was recently captured while tunnelling into the town. He claimed that “It is easy, you just burrow into the armoury and take away their teeth”, but instead tunnelled straight up into the town’s guardhouse. With the constant bandit raids now plaguing the town the local militia are at their limit. Sweetfield’s Mayor Grange has put out a request to local heroes and adventurers for assistance. The Crooked Tooth leader needs transporting from the town’s cells to the penitentiary known as the Iron Dam Stockades located on the border of the neighbouring Daystone County on the Great Vale River. Are you that person?"*

You stare at the piece of parchment some more as it flaps slightly in the breeze that is flittering playfully down the cobbled main street. It is fastened to a billboard outside the oh so drab Carston City jailhouse. You wonder why you were drawn towards this particular warrant poster. A sense of justice perhaps? Or could it be the sizable payday of twenty gold pieces? A simple transport job with a cool payoff - what could possibly go wrong?!

## Summary

Cerda Hammer arrived at the fork in the road on the Daystone-Mellow Meadow county line. On this lovely spring day she had been eager and reached her destination right on time. No one else was there. She waited a while checking the writ she had for this mission to double check she was in the right time and place. She was, but where was everyone else?

At just over an hour later another figure appeared on the horizon. It was the dwarf monk Tyrol Gravehearth who appeared to be arguing with himself? After a brief moment of awkward silence they introduced themselves to each other and with writs in hand found they were here for the same quest.

After a little discussion they agreed on travelling into Mellow Meadow County and towards the destination town of Sweetfield. Reaching the Babbling Brook they found the bridge over this stream had been purposefully sabotaged with the supports on the opposing bank ripped out. While Cerda waded across Tyrol handsprung over a few rocks one of which he slammed the crown of his head upon with a thump. It must of been one hell of a thump as later he would faint headfirst into the dirt.

Further down the road they could see a cart had been damaged. Drawing closer three figures emerged from behind it. Tyrol identifies them as Rattians. Cerda asks them whether they need assistance, but the tall slight one addressed by the short dumpy one as Rattleskull instead offers to relieve the travellers of their gold.

Without warning the back of the cart suddenly slams open! It startles Lumpbelly the dumpy rattian and hugely frightens the already scared little rattian. Rattleskull spins around questioning why Lumpbelly would do that and slaps him about the head. With this distraction Tyrol unfurls his mighty beads from around his neck as he darts to the side. He flails his weapon aloft and rushing in on Rattleskull brutally takes out the head of the distracted rattian bandit in one brutal swing!

With his superior now in a bloody mess on the other side of the road, Lumpbelly is left in shock. He doesn’t notice Cerda bring the butt of her sword down on his noggin and he is knocked the spark out. The little rattian meanwhile has crawled out from under the cart and is making a run for it along the road. He gets a little way until suddenly he is knocked to his bum when a disembodied voice booms out right in front of him!

Now being able to catch up to him, Cerda picks up and restrains the little rattian with her massive hands grasping his upper arms. She is intimidating and he begins to blurt out all kinds of ramblings. While this occurs Tyrol investigates the cart. They find that the horses had been stabbed in the legs to bring them down. The grim scene continued as they found the driver had been clawed and stabbed to death. Tyrol recognises the halfling drivers attire to be one of a carpenter and his cargo was that of felled logs.

As Tyrol sits down on the verge and clean his beads Cerda asks some direct questions at their little captive. He tells them that they were taking resources and that they were only following orders of the “*Kogashira*”. When Cerda mentions the name “*Sneek*” at that they were there to take him to jail the little rattian battles out of the grasp and flees into the corn fields.

Investigating the corpse of Rattleskull they find that his outfit had been hand modified to hold many daggers and other sharp implements. Underneath all of the dark and gushing blood Tyrol could see that it was a military uniform… one he could be familiar with? They tie up the lumpy rattian that had been knocked out. Cerda picks him up and throws him over her shoulder. They now continue to head towards Sweetfield.

Meanwhile in the hollowed out cells underneath the Sweetfield Guardhouse the prisoner is brought his meal. Sneek Ash-hide keeps himself close to the cell wall. Corporal Trenton Dill lays down the tray of food and asks if he’d not be like that and finally acknowledge good ol’Trenton? Giving up once more Corporal Dill exits. The captive rattian pounces upon and demolishes his meal hungrily.

Reaching their destination they see that the town is surrounded by a high wall and a moat. There are a pair large wooden double doors that make up the gate. Seeing a patrol on the top of the wall they call out. The traveller's state their purpose and that they have a rattian prisoner on them. To this the militiamen call out for troops to man the gates. The large gates open and six militiamen march out and point their spears outwards towards the adventuring pair!

A high ranking member of the militia walks out. She is a human in her late fifties with her hair noticeably up in big curls and she has her rapier drawn. She asks them to restate their purpose in Sweetfield. Cerda brandishes the writ warrant. The officer squints momentarily at the parchment, but then, a little embarrassed draws closer and pulls out a monocle to expect the document. She acknowledges their purpose and instructs them to hand over their prisoner. They gladly do so and inform them that they found a citizen of theirs killed out on the road. The female officer turns back to one of her militiamen with a solemn look saying that “*George had yet to return…*”

## Session Notes

* The writ warrant reads: "*This writ is for the transfer of Sneek Ash-hide from detention within Sweetfield to the Iron Dam Stockades Penitentiary maximum security facility. As signed by the Daystone County Judicial Courts and deemed contractually active in signature of the warrant officer Constable G. Loom of Carston City. All applicants should meet at the road fork on the Daystone-Mellow Meadow County line on the 8th day of the 4th quantum of Deah when the stars are at their height.*"