Session 10: The Paladin of Tyranny Report

General Summary

The PCs, with their new friend Augustus Hartman with them, have left the city of Lorinne and headed south. They left primarily to escape any reprisals from Gavinus, who has been revealed as a villain working to cause chaos in the Church, but also they are seeking the area revealed in the ceramic cartological map that Hartman discovered at the Church of the Paladins. They believe it refers to an area of rivers and plains near the capital, though admittedly their directions are somewhat vague. They have also brought along Clarity Champoux and Crispin Wildmane, getting them out of Lorinne in haste and with some secrecy, because they believe that she too might be in danger from Queen Lucrece.  

Sir Malin, Paladin of Tyranny

The next day, they met a man in full plate harness who called out to Rowan. When Rowan didn't know the stranger, the man introduced himself: "We've met before. I'm the one that pulls you back when the red rage takes you. Who fills you self-loathing when you fail. I'm the one who knows how fucking hard it is to stay in control when the pain hits you, and I'm the one that one day will pull that Gods-damned bottle out of your fist."

It turned out to be Sir Malin, the Paladin of Tyranny. He tasked Rowan and the group with traveling to the next town, Havelock, and finding out why the people have been calling out to Malin and complaining that their Baroness was a tyrant. Malin also gave Rowan the power to Adjure Truth once per day, to aid in the investigation.

The party then noticed they were standing on a grave, and dug up the unfortunate to find the partially decayed body of a woman with blonde hair, maybe a few months dead. They gave her a proper cremation by the river.

Havelock

Arriving at the town by the river, they found that it had been newly encircled (nearly) by new earthworks, as if they were preparing for a siege. Worse, they seemed to be in the middle of an execution of one of their townsfolk: Baynard the Cobbler, having his intestines pulled out and burned before him. Knights in black armor carried out the horrible execution practice of drawing, the law for striking one's liege. 

The PCs split up and talked a bit to the townsfolk, finding out that the victim threw a dirt clod and struck the Baroness in the face. He, like so many others, had had enough of building siegeworks to defend a supposed attack from the Countess. They also learned a few other details:

• The town is ruled by Baroness Gwenore and Baron Gifford. The Baroness has ruled about 12 years and been married for about ten.
• The military garrison of Havelock is a small chapter of knights from the Order d'Ecluse, chartered to maintain the free and safe flow of river traffic throughout the Empire.
• Last January, has began preparing the town for a siege from the Countess.
• The townsfolk don't seem to know that Countess Lucrece is now styling herself Queen of Leonessa. 
• The populace is fed up with Gwenore but is cowed into talking against her in front of strangers.

At the Castle

Because Clarity is nobility, she is able to expect hospitality from the baroness at the keep, called the Bastion de Caisson after the Grand Caisson lock that allows boats to bypass the Maidensveil Falls. It is a 2nd century keep that uses a watertight boat elevator of sorts to lower or raise vessels 60 feet to be able to continue navigating the river.

They found Gwenore and Gifford to be gracious hosts and seemingly not tyrannical at all. They were given rooms and attended an Adoration.

Poison...Or something Else?

At dinner with Gwenore, Gifford, and Sir Valter (the head of the Order d'Ecluse), Baron Gifford and Lady Clarity suddenly choked, spasmed, and fell over comatose. Poison was immediately suspected (Gifford even knocked the goblet out of Gwenore's hand), but both victims were breathing normally and their pulses were strong. 

After interrogating the kitchen staff and the butler, Gifford and Clarity were taken to the rooms, while Rowan talked to Gwenore. He adjured her to tell him why she expected an attack from the Countess:

"Because Lucrece has declared herself Queen in defiance of her fealty to the Duchess, and demands a tariff of all river traffic. Duchess Elena was then assassinated a month and a half ago, and her daughter Ismay is now the duchess, to whom we owe our fealty. I have not and will not bend the knee to Lucrece, nor will pay her tariff, so it is but a matter of time before she exacts her price in blood."

Stigala's Revelation

With Clarity still comatose, Stigala read the cards to learn about the source of the affliction...and found there was dark magic afoot. Lifting up Clarity's eyelids, she found that the young lady's eye, whites and pupil, were fully black. Further investigation showed Gifford's eyes the same.

Something evil is afoot in Havelock...

Rewards Granted

Adjure Truth power given to Rowan

1 Advance to all.