The Collective - Session 49

This is the fourty-ninth session in The Collective campaign and the first and only session in the Home at Last & The Royal Scam storyline of the Current Arc. Player feedback ranks this session at an 8.67.

## Notable Events

* The party finally returned to Paradeen after many long months at sea.
* The party learned of Gossard's true identity, as well as his intentions with them.
* The party accepted Gossard's offers of employment as his personal task force.
* Gnorbitt finally realized the truth about Gertrude's identity.

## Summary

**MARCH 12 TO APRIL 29, 1001:** With Calhoun's life saved, the Heart of Armogan returned to Centurion Megalo Terastio, the Twins rescued from further punishment, and Lofy finally defeated for good, the Collective and the crew of the Red Barchetta began the long journey back home to Paradeen. The party divided the loot they had received from the Centurion and the chests they found within the stomach of the Kraken as the ship was led out of the Kraken's lair.

The return journey was mostly uneventful, with the majority of the crew content to quietly contemplate the events of the past months at sea. Gorrn, accompanied by Gnorbitt, resumed his physical training with Calhoun, whose body had suffered greatly during his stint of undeath. Badger decided to bother Rosanhi during the beginning legs of the trip but soon grew bored with this, returning to his role as the crow's nest operator. Flynt, happy to finally have some peace after being kidnapped, greatly anticipated his return to more familiar waters to a Dwarf (I.E. land) and practiced his juggling. Roscoe tinkered with the Staff of Eeling, learning how to recharge the magical weapon by imbuing it with the oil of eels. After a lengthy attempt to find eels, Calhoun utilized the Trident of Fish Command to (accidentally) summon hundreds of eels, nearly shocking Gorrn to death when he entered the water to search for them (Gorrn would later go on to "invent" eel sushi during this time). Rosanhi, realizing she did not have the materials necessary to scry on her family members, continued her Infernal studies with Fennel.

After a long 48 days at sea (during which the party celebrated Gnorbitt's birthday), Badger finally spotted the familiar sight of Paradeen over the horizon. Sharing the news with the crew, they gathered to discuss their next plans. Peart recounted the tale of how he lost his leg when Raemund accidentally chopped it off with his axe, though refused to share the story of how he lost his arm due to it being "too personal of a matter to discuss", a statement that Rosanhi met with skepticism. Pulling the Barchetta into the docks, the crew got to work anchoring the ship in the bay, while several party members watched as a large retinue of guards, led by Knight-Captain John Harris, quickly marched towards the ship; it was at this time the party remembered that they had, in fact, stolen this boat and had just parked it almost literally in the King's backyard. Determined not to have his yet unrevealed plans foiled by the guardsmen, Gnorbitt dove off the side of the boat and stealthily swam to shore, leaving the rest of the Collective and crew to deal with the Knight-Captain.

Roscoe jovially initiated a conversation with Knight-Captain Harris in an attempt to defuse the situation, but was met by John's usual gruff and blunt assessment of the situation. He had hoped that it was mere coincidence that the party had all disappeared at the same time that the Barchetta had gone missing, but clearly he was wrong: he was given specific orders from the King himself that the thieves who had taken the ship were to be brought directly to him upon their return. Gorrn respectfully contested this with the Knight-Captain, attempting to reason with him to avoid the punishment of the crew, something that Knight-Captain Harris explained was fully out of his control. The Knight-Captain offered the party the opportunity to come peacefully and unchained, which they accepted, leaving the rest of the crew (including David and the Twins, as Calhoun wished to stay by Rosanhi's side) with the boat and a garrison of guardsmen. The group was brought through the streets, walking past the party's estate, where they noticed thick vines growing from Gnorbitt's window. As they passed through Magistrate's Row, Calhoun was flagged down by an angry member of the Magistrate's office, who promptly informed him that he had been terminated from his job due to his 4+ months of absence. Needless to say, Calhoun was further distressed by this than he already had been on the return trip.

While the rest of the party was brought to the King, Gnorbitt swam to shore and headed towards Gertrude's home. Upon arriving there, he professed his undying love to her, claiming that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her in an abrupt proposal. Concerned rather than excited, Gertrude brought Gnorbitt into her home where she *re-explained* that Gertrude was nothing but a persona and that she was actually Vhonlia, a former criminal hiding from the man that they had brought to justice, Kosvir. Finally grasping the fact that Gertrude was nothing but a lie, Gnorbitt's mind began to spin as he realized that he had fabricated the connection that the two shared and the times they had spent together. Wordlessly, he left her home as his reality came crashing down.

Brought into the outer walls of Alyrite Castle, the party watched as royal guardsmen tore down pieces of furniture, paintings, and other scrap in the courtyard to distribute to a crowd of peasants who had crowded near the outer gates. Brought through the large oaken doors of the castle, they noted how bare much of the interior seemed, with a distinct lack of paintings and furniture unlike that of Duke Davenport in Edgemouth. The party was led deeper into the castle until arriving in the throne room, a grand room with a towering ceiling, ornate sculptures, and a large north-facing window overlooking the sea. A lone man stood at the end of the room, facing the window, who commanded the Knight-Captain and the royal guard to leave him alone with the party, his voice echoing through the hall.

Alone in the throne room with the King, the party answered the King's prompt of "How did it go?" with confusion. He explained that they stole his boat after an unexpected and ostentatious attack upon his ports by pirates, only to disappear for 3 months, for attacks upon merchant vessels to decrease threefold during that time, and for a large group of disheveled Elven refugees to seek refuge in the city, the first diplomatic interaction Humanity has had with the Elves in 200 years since the times of King Ruprecht the Bludgeoner. Clearly they were busy, so how did it go? After their explanation, silence hung in the air as the King processed what they had told him, before it was broken by his boisterous laughter. With an exclamation of "I *knew* that this would work!", the King turned to them and introduced himself as King *Gossard* Stonegate; the same Gossard, a lumbering man with blonde beard and adorned in fox fur, that the party had met at the benefit concert and who had tipped them off about the Red Barchetta.

His identity now revealed, Gossard told them that he has had his eye on them for quite some time. He learned of their exploits in the capital from one of his own vassals, Knight-Captain Harris, as well as from scattered accounts of some things that they've done in the south, including from "a very excitable vassal of mine, the musings of his headstrong daughter, and reports from a surprisingly knowledgeable alley cat with a wonderful daughter of somewhat Orcish qualities". Having hear this and deciding to confirm their talents himself, without so much as half a year of leave, they went and did *all of that* on the ocean, albeit with a stolen boat. They're exceptional people, he said, and he wishes to use that to his advantage. Gossard's plan, upon hearing of the exploits of the party and investigating it himself, decided to run a test. Instead of allowing his guards to be removed from their duties and sent to combat a threat that would take months of preparation, considerable manpower, and a low margin for success, he would instead provide the tools of the trade to a group of "adventurers" and see how they dealt with it. They greatly exceeded his expectations, something that he seemed incredibly impressed with.

With the ruse now unraveled, the party questioned why he had wanted them to steal his boat and deal with Lofy. Gossard reiterated his first point, then continued that he is deeply upset with the state of the kingdom. Expressing that the generations-long conflict against the Orcs was nothing more than a glory war for a line of incompetent rulers seeking to keep afloat the crumbling infrastructure left unattended by the ruling class, he felt that he was a king of nothing but shambles and a few million people who know the sword and axe better than they know the plow and hammer.

Gossard has been trying to get the kingdom back on its feet for the last six years with limited success. He has initiated social programs but has few trading partners and fewer resources to trade, so he cannot fund them well. While most wars are a boon to industry, the Human-Orcish wars were started as a too-little-too-late attempt to float the kingdom up as it was already failing. It relied on the seizure of loot and resources from the Mountains to sustain itself, and the only things that prospered were the weapons industry. The Plains' industry has crumbled, with everything having been torn up during the dozens of years of war. What's more, the people of the kingdom are also downtrodden. Their spirits have been broken after having lived their entire lives at war. Most people only know how to fight, with many having been injured during the war with permanent disabilities, many more families left without breadwinners, etc. He has a surplus of guards (who are jaded and better fit as soldiers than domestic defenders) and old weapons and *nothing else*.

Gossard continued to pontificate as the party interjected with questions and comments, informing him about the existence of both the Kraken and the Tritons they had encountered during their journey. With the party's question of "What next?", Gossard told them that he wished to hire them. Feeling that they have proven themselves as extraordinary individuals who can achieve what may be impossible for retinues of soldiers at the height of the empire, he wishes to use them to bring the kingdom back to its former glory by employing them as his personal public task force. He expected the following to come of this:

1.) He will have a direct line of communication on the most important events in the kingdom without having to rely on his vassals.

2.) It will greatly free up his resources, allowing him to assign his guards and soldiers to different tasks, helping the realm.

3.) Importantly, he thinks they can act as a motivation for the people of the Plains. He aims on making them celebrities, almost like superheroes, that people can be inspired by to give them hope and improve morale, to have something to believe in.

4.) Their diverse racial profile will help them smooth over harsh feelings towards outsiders and lend them aid in dealing with foreign powers.

5.) By having powerful heroes on his side, he can work on removing people from guard positions and focusing on working the realm harder.

6.) Talent attracts talent. Having them on payroll may attract other powerful individuals who also wish to work for the kingdom.

Rosanhi and Badger expressed immediate discomfort with the idea of being celebrities, to which the King offered that he would not actively promote any of them if they so desired, but that he could not control public opinion towards them absolutely. Gorrn, on the other hand, seemed interested at the prospect of being a public hero, wishing to serve for something greater than himself. The King offered them the opportunity to "find whatever it is you're searching for in your adventures", as well as regular and considerable pay within the Kingdom's means, access to the Kingdom's resources, and a waving of any crimes that the party may currently be wanted for.

Gorrn asked of the King to allow the crew of the Red Barchetta to continue to work on the boat, claiming that they had all worked just as hard as they had and that they deserved to remain as its crew, which Gossard promised to do. Talking it over amongst themselves, the party accepted the King's offer (extending an acceptance from Gnorbitt, who was not present at the meeting). Clearly excited by their decision to accept, Gossard told them that "together, they'd do great things" but that he could not expect them to immediately enter into his service; he would allow them some time to become reacclimated with the city before assigning them to work. He would be in contact with them in the coming days, he said, before properly welcoming them back to Paradeen and sending them on their way from the castle. The party wandered through the streets, still starstruck, before leaving Calhoun at his home outside the Triangle Market and discussing what to do next.

Gnorbitt, his mind spiraling out of control at the thought of his reality being a lie, inspected the bag of Crimson that he had found months ago on one of Lofy's ships. Desperate to free his mind of the thoughts plaguing him, he consumed a large amount of the rusty powder, immediately stimulating him and prompting him to tear through the city with a vengeance in an attempt to process his emotions.

## See also

* The Collective - Session 48
* The Collective - Session 50