RPM:33 Family Ties

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Starring: 🐺 Ildefons, 🐘 One-Tusk, 🏹 Ehsan
Guest Starring: Izaro Winterpedal, Medusa Winterpedal, Irène Darche, Gerry, Tirtsa Urruarte
Challenge: Investigating; Izaro and Medusa; No one following the plan; Oncoming soldiers from the High Horn Pass.
Location: Suffimer
Date Played: 28 Nov 2018

Investigating

🐘 One-Tusk checks out Pasqual's House

🐘 One-Tusk: I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, and I'm not the most subtle person. But Pasqual stinks, and I know there's some connection to Condrol. And sure enough- I find some documentation to that effect, and it brings more of the family into the mess.

🐺 Ildefons and Irène attends Amanta's funeral

🐺 Ildefons: I took Irene with me to my sister's funerary burial in the forest. Why? I sensed something was not right with her, and she needed some time away from Ehsan for sure. While this may have been a mistake, since I spent more time than I would have liked to check in on her, it broke her to confirm my suspicions.

I finally was able to talk with Ysabet. She intimated to me that she had urgent discussions she wanted to have with me, and was happy I was there. We made plans to meet more discretely after the wake, though we decided to accelerate the schedule after comparing a few notes.

Ysabet had been investigating the fire and discovered Hands of Liberty uniform remnants and badges in the wreckage. That, with things not being right about Amanta supposedly opposing the construction, led her to investigate everything round town and the family.

Many irregularities were found in Mother Tirtsa's books. She had a sizable set of large obligations to various banks in Condrol. She was overextended and the banks (as political pawns) had been attempting to leverage her, though she did not give in.

There was also word that the "army has found the gods", referring to the Stag Lady and Lord. That is to say, Condrol is influencing the military in the pass!

Oh, and a Hands of Liberty squad is coming, likely drawn by OneTusk's fireworks.

🏹 Ehsan and Gerry break into the Pasqual Urruarte Shipping Company

🏹 Ehsan: Ildefons manages to talk me out of taking Irene with me to the shipping warehouse and I get stuck with Gerry instead. He said he'd be able to handle breaking in but that simply just is not the case. I don't know whether he lied or just thought more highly of his personal skills (most likely the later, I doubt Gerry even thinks about lying and if he did he'd be terrible at it) but the breaking in part gets a bit literal as we need to actually break the lock to get in. I believe it would be simple enough to blame on thieves but it just so happened that someone more skilled than us has already entered the building...and they have what we need.

Conflict

🐘 One-Tusk and 🐺 Ildefons's showdown with Medusa

🐘 One-Tusk: I mentioned being not subtle, yes? Well, along with being not-subtle, I got caught by Medusa. I'm pulling my shots, trying to not kill Ildefons's relatives.

🐺 Ildefons: I arrived to Pascual's house on the way back having a ruckus inside. It was OneTusk and Medusa having a showdown. I shot the air full of soil from the vineyard, taking with it some of its inherent intoxication magic. They both quickly succumbed and were subdued.

Medusa confessed: The financial shenanigans led to the Pasqual buyouts and rearrangement of businesses, leading to Medusa and Izaru owning the debt and, being more able to be leveraged, while the rest of the family was isolated from it and business was able to resume.

🏹 Ehsan's capture of Izaro

🏹 Ehsan: Gerry and I give chase to the thief, who attempts to loose me in the alleys and up the roof. I am too fast for her though, as I quickly catch and manage to tackle her but she proves slippery. In my haste I shoot her in the scuffle to attempt to slow her (not a blow to kill, but to harm and warn) and while the shot hits true it does little to stop her. Gerry comes clambering up to the rooftop missing a boot and tries talking me out of capturing my quarry (as we both now recognize her to be a relative to Ildefons), but we need those papers and someone must be held accountable for the crimes taking place in the region. Eventually I manage to subdue her and the ledger is recovered as evidence. While painful the wound to Izaro's side should be able to be treated sufficiently to make a full recovery.

Facing Tirtsa

🐺 Ildefons: We piece everything together. A trade federation flagbearing ship is in the village, and we send it, the evidence and Medusa to be handed over to authorities. Irene leaves. Izaru is let free, at Medusa's plea.

After the wake, but while family is around, I confront Mother Tirtsa publicly. I calls on her to move on to the next phase of life, the return to wandering and to leave the family Ysabet's capable hands. She isn't sure of what's going on, but some particular phrasing with allusions to the "bank" ordeal change her tone, and she relents. The family is somewhat in awe, and, while angry, there's a certain lightness in Tirtsa's step and perk to her shoulder. I think she is, underneath it all, pleased in her investment in me.

We leave town, carefully going about the long route around the hill to avoid the incoming soldiers, and decide to head to the fort at the pass.

On the way, OneTusk comments that he realizes how good a location this is for trade investment, and I share that it is a very tactical location to act as a "second capital" of sorts, and that we should see if a 2nd base of the Pride can be located here to cover the beyond reaches of the nation.

Aftermath

Letter

Letter from Ildefons to Odilon Paradis, sent with secure lockbox from Suffimer to Lisway (alongside the prisoner Izaro).

Odilon,

I know we often don't see eye-to-eye, but, please, in this case, read and put aside our differences for Arkstone.

The soldiers positioned at High Horn Pass have lost their way. They appear to be in favor of allowing the immenent Condrol invasion to go thorugh the pass unhindered. They already have been leveraging their force upon the locals to sway favor toward Condrol. This cannot go unchecked.

Perhaps a visit from the Hero of High Horn Pass (with loyal reinforcements) can set this right. Perhaps it's just morale they need. Perhaps it's knowledge that the capital has not forgotten them. Or, perhaps, they just need a stern reminder of who's boss. Whatever it is, something needs to be done, and no one knows the fortress and terrain there as well as you do. This is a great opportunity for you to serve Arkstone and once again to be a hero.

<Explains party will be going there as its next stop, hopefully to feel things out.>

<Reference attached background on the spy activity, including what we recently found out from Ildefons' family.>

-Ildefons