S01E03

## Bad Company

House Glenbain courtiers Maxir Glenbain, Clyde Flay and Xu Maru stood on the deck of the *Sun Diver*, an elegant passenger ship. They were aboard as guests of House Cherrane, cousins to House Glenbain.  As a sign of solidarity, the Cherranes had invited the court of Lord Zandren to their hall in The Reach for a great feast in honour of Lord Cassen. The feast completed, the Cherranes were now coming back to visit in The Westerlands. The men watched as servants bustled in preparation as the ship approached the Aldford docks. These southerners enjoyed a more refined and comfortable way of life that required the constant management of their luxury goods.

Waiting at the docks were Brenwyn Glenbain and Mad Minnie, the only welcoming party the court could muster. The rest of House Glenbain was either away on business or aboard a second ship, delayed in its passage from The Reach. The Cherranes emerged from below decks. First came Lord Arin, wheeled along on a special chair by his daughter, Olenna.  Arin held the title of House Cherrane, but had been infirm these seven years.  They were followed by Barrish and Caryss, the two older Cherrane siblings.

"Where shall we dine?" Barrish announced in his fanciful bluster.

- Maxir Glenbain (son of Lord Zandren) observed the rites of hospitality, offering the Cherranes bread and salt in the form of honey tarts baked by Minnie.  The basket also served as a welcoming gift for Lord Arin, an important custom to people of The Reach.

- Maxir chose to host the Cherranes in the family dining hall, choosing to allow the Cherrane's twenty honour guard soldiers to eat in the guest dining hall. Soon into the meal, Barrish reminded Maxir that it was his duty to make a toast. Maxir tried his best, but fumbled in his speech. His mumbling was interrupted by the ringing of a warning bell coming from the south wall.

- Maxir and his courtiers raced to the south wall and found a man garbed in black standing at the southwest wall - he had rung the warning bell himself.  Two guards lay dead beside him, with another on the wall killed by arrows.  Xu shouted that this act was a diversion.  Brenwyn, Maxir and Clyde went on to kill the man in black as well as killing four enemy archers in the woods below.

- The group raced back to the keep to the rooms of the Cherranes, only to find that Lord Arin had been kidnapped.  Maxir ordered that a search party be formed immediately.  Barrish argued that they should wait until the kidnappers issued their demands, or at least until morning.  Maxir and Xu successfully intimidated him into silence.

- Just then, Caryss began to cough, blood erupting from her nose.  Xu recognized the signs of nettlestem poisoning, and Minnie was able to treat Caryss.  Maxir ordered the Cherranes be kept in one room under guard until he knew what was going on.

- The group moved back into the family dining hall, examining Caryss's place at the table.  They discovered a stalk of purple nettlestem in the bottom of Caryss's wine goblet.  Minnie knew that purple nettlestem was a relatively mild poison that only grew in this part of the Westerlands.  Maxir gathered his search party.

- Clyde was watching over the Cherranes when a rat bit him on the ankle.  He looked down to see the rat making paw prints in his blood.  The assassin put his hand on his blade, ready to strike, but the animal seemed to be trying to communicate.  Clyde followed the rat to the north wall of the castle, where he discovered a small, well-crafted grappling hook expertly wedged into the stonework of the wall.

- The group gathered at the ground below the grappling hook and found a trail of footprints into the forest.  Even in the darkness, they made their way through the forest along the trail for a few miles.  Just when they had lost the trail, Xu spotted a campfire in the distance.

- Sitting around a campfire were five bandits, one of them was the notorious Hacks.  The group stealthily encircled the bandits.  Brenwyn raced forward, shouting, "Throw down your swords and you'll be spared!"

- Hacks looked up and said, "Oh fuck, oh fuck.  I'm sorry."  And then he attempted to bolt away.  But Clyde was waiting in the shadows and deftly stopped the man with a sword thrust to the back of the knee.  Maxir, Brenwyn and Minnie leapt into the fray, defeating the rest of the bandits.  Hacks was captured, one bandit died and the other three were sent to The Wall.

- The group discovered that Lord Arin was being kept in a tent in the bandits' camp.  He was unharmed and sleeping peacefully.  Upon returning to the castle, Barrish demanded that the Cherranes be allowed to leave immediately.  Maxir refused, citing Barrish's earlier concerns that it was still dark out.  A week later, Lord Zandren's ship arrived.  By then, Marcus Oban and Clyde had finished torturing Hacks (Ash's Monthly Action -1 Power), producing no evidence against any of the Cherranes.  In fact, Hacks didn't know the identity of the people who kidnapped Lord Arin.  He was only paid to keep Arin safe while the kidnapping played out.  So, Lord Zandren allowed the Cherranes to leave.

## Experience

- Zandren, Maxir, Brenwyn, Wilfred, Xu, Tornita, Minnie, Rock, Clyde and Marcus all received 15 XP.  Maxir, Brenwyn, Xu, Minnie and Clyde also received 2 Glory.

Xu decided to spend 1 Glory on Law, Clyde 2 on Law and Minnie 1 on Power

Xu was named Almoner, Clyde Standard-Bearer, Brenwyn Knight Paramount and Minnie Keeper of the Swans

## House Attributes

Defense: 41 (1 Free)

Influence: 65 (24 Free)

Lands: 25 (0 Free)

Law: 25 (25 Free)

Population: 21 (1 Free)

Power: 44 (10 Free)

Wealth: 49 (5 Free)

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