Adventure 1

**Adventure 1: Island at the Axis of the World**

Duchess Ethelyn of Shale plots to kill her brother during the maiden voyage of the SS Coaltongue apparently so she can lay claim to the throne, abandon industry, and restore Risur to its traditional values.

Ethelyn was the former governor of Shale, Risur's man defense against Danor. The King insisted that the Duchess use technological force rather than magic, and as a result she lost nearly every battle for control of the archipelago.

Bitter, the Duchess learned that the king plans peace with Danor. She consulted a skyseer for guidance and heard a vision:

> A globe spins on its axis and a steel ship sets off to war on a sail of shadows. The world passes into night, and blackness grips all Risur as stars fall from the sky. The king's eyes turn a soulless white, as he moves as a puppet, his strings pulled by a man who has already died a thousand times.
>
>

The duchess tried to warn the king and failed. She also tried to appeal to the plight of the suffering working class, who was being taken advantage of in the face of the technological revolution, but the the King was too determined to end the war to listen.

Thus, the Duchess spoke with a liaison of the Unseen Court (head of the Fey), Asabrey Varal. He told her the court would view Risur as the enemy if it allied with Danor. She decided she would rather betray her brother than her nation, and plotted his assassination.

The Duchess planned to blame the assasination on Danor and then reclaim Axis Island; her spies and a concerned Nathan Jierre had confirmed that Axis Island contained weapons of war, and so she believes if the King was dead, she could bring back proof of this and secure the Throne.

But the PCs know nothing of this. They start the campaign brought on board the Coaltongue to ensure the King's safety. They uncover the assasination attempt and successfully prevent the King's death.

Armies prepare for a potential civil war between the King and Ethelyn's loyalists. A week later, The King is contacted by Lya Jierre, Minister of Outsiders.

Lya explains that Ethelyn attacked Axis Island and took her cousin Nathan hostage, who she explains is just a young man and has had no part in the war, and thus is an innocent civilian. She will allow Risur to handle their Duchess and will not consider it a hostile act against peace, so long as the King hands Axis Island back to Danor after the Duchess is defeated.

The King assigns the top-ranking RHC officers (not the PCs) to complete the mission, and our characters were expected to accompany them and assist only. Unfortunately, an accident party wipes the top-ranking RHC officers. The party has no choice but to do it themselves.

The group emerged deep in a mine, which had ancient ruins. The party found the Golden Icon of Urim, which Marcel stole and now wears around his neck, and the Golden Icon of Avilona, which the RHC took possession of.

Just as the party succeeds in their mission to infiltrate Axis Island and open the sea gate for the King's naval force, they notice a high elf liason of the unseen court, Asabrey Varal, heading for the Duchess. The party pursues.

As it turns out, Asabrey Varal wants the Duchess dead. The Unseen Court is currently allied with Risur, and saw her assasination attempt as an act of betrayal. The party arrives just as Asrabey and the Duchess are talking - Nathan is with them. He innocently exclaims that he recognizes Asarabrey's last name, Varal, because he knows a woman named Kasavarina Varal, whom he met not long ago. He claims Kasavarina is a friend of Lya's, and that they took a tour of the mines. Asabrey seems shocked to hear this.

The Duchess tries to convince the party to save her, or at the very least, heed her last warning. She warns them of what the Skyseer saw.

Unfortunately, hostage negotiations fail, and Asabrey slits the throat of the Duchess. Nathan is taken hostage. Asabrey disappears.

The party returns to Lya, at least successful in securing Axis Island for Danor. She has the party sign a diplomatic contract that officially hands Axis Island over to Danor. Because they are RHC, they have the authority to sign.

**Next: Adventure 2**