Session 0.6 - The Sovereign Anticipation Report

General Summary

The session began with the players, Nikolai Vasilovich and Señor Weeblewobble, arriving in the capital city of Arcanis after investigating the scuttled Arthurian Navy ship, the HMS Arrowhead. Nikolai was particularly interested in the investigation since the ship was destroyed by Slatish, a magical material traded within his company.   The players first visited the The Lonely Joke Inn in the Gladiator Quarter, where they informed the current owner, Dorlean Salters, that their friend and previous owner of the inn, Darren Charming, had been killed. After sharing drinks and learning that Darren had entrusted the keys to the inn to Nikolai, the players went to Nikolai's home in the city.   The next day, they visited the estate of Nikolai's ally, Duchess Ireena Devanya, in the palace district, where, after being let in by her butler, Lindariel Silverleaf, they dined with her and informed her of their findings about the HMS Arrowhead. Ireena helped the players arrange a meeting with the magistrates from the Magistrate Judiciary, the judicial branch of the Arthurian government.   At the meeting, the players presented their findings to the Principal Adjudicator Samantha Blackwood and four Chief Magistrates, Charlotte Iscariot, Darius Knight, Marcus Steele, and Penelope Donovan, along with a council of 20 Magistrates. During the proceedings, one of the magistrates, Harrison Wright, mysteriously fell ill and was replaced by Graham Adler.   Graham began to target the players with pointed questions, particularly about the legitimacy of Nikolai's trading company. During a break, Charlotte Iscariot was seen reading something on an arcane mirror. This clued the players into the fact that something was deeply wrong, and so Senor asked an ally of theirs, the gladiator Laertes , to help investigate both Harrison and Graham. He discovered that Harrison had been subjected to a powerful arcane poison and that spies were seen entering and exiting his house in the dead of the night, and would later learn that Graham’s family were being kept hostage.   Graham ultimately utilised a court procedure to allow a chief magistrate to investigate Nikolai himself in an official trial. During the trial, Sergeant Cheyenne, a former employee of Nikolai, was brought to the stand and revealed that Nikolai had lied in a previous court of law about no citizens being killed in an incident at his company's headquarters, Fortress Blank.   This resulted in Nikolai being required to have all ships at Fortress Blank sail immediately to Arcanis for registrations and inspections. However, Imperator Astel burst into the court with a sovereign order forgiving Nikolai for his transgressions. Astel brought everyone to the balcony, where Queen Leonardra Crennelforth announced that the city was at war with the Empire of Flames. Salvatrice had attacked the small village of Beckinsdale. This marked the start of the War for the Chivalier Isles.   The session ended on a cliffhanger, with the players in a state of uncertainty about the war and the future of Nikolai's trading company.