Galoring
36–51 Autumn 218
🟠**How three witches spent 14 confusing days.**
Days 0–3
"Balfus" (by Shaun McCallum)Soon after leaving the Smuggler’s Port Ethan (“Holmes”) and Ringo (“Balfus”) receive word from Sav that she is unable to reach any member of the Tide’s Song.
Sav’s attempts to message the Tide’s Song continue to fail over the next few days as her non-vanished colleagues inconspicuously make their way towards the Cathedral so the three can regroup in-person.
Despite their best efforts, the trio are unable to find any credible leads regarding the fate of the Tide’s Song. Concerned, confused and unwilling to speculate aloud about any dark fate that may have befallen their friends, the three attempt to move forward, working with the pieces still within their control.
The unexpected disappearance of the ship has many repercussions: the planned attack on Pashat is delayed (possibly abandoned), Sav’s spell book is missing, limiting her powers. But most crucially, Sav is missing the knowledge of the teleportation circle itself. In order to duplicate the magic needed to activate the circle and bring troops through, Sav will need time… and more than 5,000gp. Evidently, they will need a lot of money… very quickly.
With more tasks to be accomplished than they can likely manage on their own, the group divides up responsibilities and moves forward as best they can.
Days 4-10
Ringo
Warbler and Grisham make contact with a few local Briarbird holdouts. They estimate 150 capable fighters still present in the city. Warbler acts as a discrete messenger between the various cells to help them better coordinate and avoid detection.
These various cells have some weapons, but little in the way of armor, horses, or other resources for warfare. However, they have managed to accumulate 3 barrels of gunpowder and a cask of alchemist’s fire, both prohibited trade items within the city that cannot be purchased legally.
Lastly, Ringo works independently to setup failsafes that may provide the insurgents an edge by delaying or disrupting Swan movements within the city - although he has not shared details of how this would occur…
Outcomes:
Warbler’s aid as a messenger has both allowed better communication between the Briarbirds and allowed Warbler to travel the city itself extensively.
However, in a near catastrophe, Warbler has discovered that the giants seem to notice him quite keenly when he is wild-shaped. He was able to escape into the sewers before being captured.
Warbler, using speak with plants, is able to locate two secret tunnels. One connects from somewhere in the Cathedral to a warehouse at the harbor. The other connects somewhere in the Cathedral to a townhouse in the merchant district. The earlier is maintained. The second is not maintained and is filled with cobwebs.
Sav
Sav continued to focus on investigating the Cathedral itself and looking for various ways to infiltrate. Her additional scouting revealed that the windows on the library on the 3rd floor of the Cathedral’s west side are left open between the 10th candle and 18th candle. Deeper in, however, she again reached the “black wall” within the dungeon and the arcane eye could not pass the threshold.
Her last bit of intel was noting an interesting figure on the Cathedral grounds - a black haired young half-elf with tanned skin and green eyes akin to Ethan’s (later confirmed to be his sister, Ellie Fairchild). Ellie travels with an escort and has been spotted in the Cathedral gardens interior.
Sav coordinates with Paloma Shale and the two remaining ships to delay their attack on Pashat. Unfortunately, she receives word that Swan forces are encroaching on their position and the army will be forced to engage or be destroyed. Sav coordinates to have the ships provide additional support. The group can do little else besides await outcome.
Outcomes:
The Briarbirds with the aid of the Pride’s Fall and Rough Guppy were able to rout the first group of Swans and drive the second to a strategic withdrawal.
The Briarbirds lost 300 of their fighters, but captured 4 ballista, food, weapons, armor, and supplies. The Painted Swan forces withdrew their artillery into Pashat and have taken a defensive position there. An estimated 600 painted Swan Soldiers were killed. An estimated 500 Swan soldiers have occupied Pashat.
Swan forces are converging toward Pashat. (9 days).
The Pride’s Fall and Rough Guppy sustained minor damage.
Ethan
Ethan landed a job with a prestigious Gardens District Bakery that specializes in small cakes who has been hired to make desserts for the wedding. He never wants to crinkle frosting again, but has become very good at it.
He confirmed that the wedding is for his sister Ellie who is marrying the young Baric Ion Tashal whose family holds important lands in western Isendel near the border with Ithar. The head of the family is the Grandmother Tashal, and this rumored excitement about her planning to gift Ellie a famous ruby circlet worth an estimated 12,000 gold pieces. The entire Tashal family, and Ellie, have arrived in Galoring and are guests of the Baroness.
Total Combined PC Outcomes & Intel
Warbler, Sav, and Ethan together have been able to determine that the majority of the Swan Soldiers in Galoring are in the poorer districts, particularly those adjacent to the gardens and cathedral.
There are 5 major entrances into the Gardens District. Since it is elevated slightly above the mercantile districts and entertainment districts that surround it. Those 5 entrances do provide something of a choke point, but you would estimate there are not enough Briarbird forces to hold those choke points for very long.
Interlude for caper - recap and setup
Both Sav and Sylas independently asked Ethan to help look into the Spindlemark Theater. Together, Sav and Ethan are able to uncover clear proof that Inquisitor Adelard Sylas had a secret affair with Lusira (Sav’s mother). Reis Auldaran (the current owner of the theater) corresponded with Sylas, telling him of his new ‘son,’ Safrid. He agreed to help secretly channel funds to Sylas’s old mistress and his newborn, to ensure the two were comfortable.
Reis instead kept the funds for himself, leaving Sav and her mother, sick, struggling and eventually near destitute.
Posing as a ‘collector,’ Ethan confronts Reis in a private meeting, demonstrating proof of the man’s embezzlement. He threatens to reveal Reis’s crime to the Inquisition unless the thief replaces the stolen funds - more than 34,000gp stolen over the course of almost two decades.
Reis says he will have the first installment of 10,000gp ready in three days; then, he will meet ‘the collector’ back at the theater.
Day 11–14
The trio have met with success at their various tasks but not without several close calls.
Sav has been able to locate a number of blacksmiths near each of the docks that seem to make arms and armor for the Painted Swans. There is not a large stockpile, but a consistent outflow of finished weapons and armor.
Ethan’s standing with the Buttercream Conspiracy Bakery and Artisanal Cake Shoppe has improved. The Madam Marzipan is pleased with his performance. He has been selected to join the catering team which will work with wedding, so long as his standing remains good.
The number of Elite Painted Swan guards and patrols near the Cathedral has doubled in recent days. The overall number of Swan Soldiers in the city has decreased with soldiers being sent on assignment beyond Galoring.
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