CoD 1: Session 16: Forgetful Goldfish

Pre-scene Notes

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Scene setup/conflict: 

Aftermath of the ship crash and Osran’s reaction

Altered scene: I was lazy and couldn’t think of anything, so just rolled a random event, and it came out with Persecute The Spiritual. That’s obviously Weird Elf, so he’s going to get the blunt of Osran’s blame in some way.

Scene:

The party followed the rest of the patrol guards down from the top deck into the ship’s belly. There were still some fighting going on, but considering the remaining Locathah were fast getting surrounded, the party headed towards where they could see Voldan swinging his sword in the distance. Getting closer, Yankovic barely dodged an ambush by a Locathah, but he was able to parry with his shield at the last minute, with Zar pushing it away in assist. The Locathah crashed through the room door next to them, which appeared to be a large guest quarters of the ship.

The party saw a feminine figure lying unconscious on the bed. She was a woman of Osran’s age, dark skinned, beautiful matted hair, with a slender frame that he was picked up as if it was shattered glass. The woman’s large eyes opened with disturbance, showing a pair of caramel eyes and long curling eyelashes. A look of puzzlement graced her face and just as she sat up, she saw the Locathah about to pounce at her and let out an ear splitting scream.

Portrait by Iga “Igson” Oliwiak https://www.igsonart.com/

Even before the party could react, a gray figure past them with a speed they could not follow, and with a strike of his sword that hummed with a gray aura around it, the Locathah’s chest was gashed open and an invisible force sent him out the window and off the forecastle.

“Hiba! Hiba! It’s me! Osran!” Osran implored as he almost knocked the heavy Yankovic over at the doorway to reach his childhood sweetheart. “Thank god you’re alright! God knows what I would do if anything happened to you! Let alone the Arringtons.”

A look of complete puzzlement was the first sign of distress for Osran, and she said, “Sir Osran, what in the name of the Empire has happened here?”

Filli shuffled awkwardly. He never would have guessed the much anticipated Lady Arrington’s perception of Osran would be so contrary to how he had felt about her, to a point where she was almost speaking to him like a stranger. 

Zar suppressed a smile but Yankovic solemnly stepped forward, “You were coming to Cavesmuth, Lady Arrington. From the Capitol, do you remember that?” 

The noble woman, in spite of just having woken up to a horrible situation, said to Yankovic, “Cavesmuth? I’m not at the Capitol? I-I don’t remember any sea voyages planned. W-wait… Where am I? What? No! No!”

“What have you done, you fiend?” Osran unsheathed his sword again instantly, and if it was not for Voldan he would have speared right through Yankovic. 

Weird Elf stepped back and hid behind his shield, “Calm her down first! Calm her.” 

Voldan took out a magic scroll and cast Sleep, knowing that was the most efficient course of action. Ignoring Osran’s glare, he asked Yankovic, “What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen enough of these cases before,” Yankovic said as he stepped forward to the woman while casting Healing Word, Guidance, and Cure Wounds as he got  to her bedside to no effects. Lifting her eye lids to check for reaction, Yankovic continued, “No physical injuries, and just from that  initial reaction, I’m pretty sure it’s amnesia. She’s lost her memories.”

“Nonsense!” Osran screamed, physically being pulled back with much effort from Voldan now. “Locathahs don’t know magic! How can Hiba lose her memories?”

“It can be a blow on the head, or just a burst of high mental stress from the attack. Healing spells don’t cure those.” Yankovic looked around, inspecting the room, “She seemed to have bolted herself in these quarters during the attacking on the ship’s crew, so at least she was probably physically safe.”

“There’re many suspicious points here governor, least of all a whole ship crashing into the Docks. I understand you are worried about Lady Arrington, but there is much to do to calm the residents.” Voldan grunted as he held Osran’s flailing arms from snatching Weirld Elf. “Sure, we already knew there was a tribe of Locathahs living not far from this island when we’d first landed and explored, but they were friendly. Something must have happened for them to attack an Empire ship.”

“You’re right Voldan, this definitely needs further investigating.” Osran seemed to have calmed down, adjusting his amour. Voldan let him go the sign, and he stepped over to Weird Elf, “And you, Yankovic was it?”

“Yes govern -” Osran did not let him finish and with a heavy blow knocked out Weird Elf. 

A swamp of guards came in after that and Osran said, “Bring Lady Arrington to the Estate and call on all of Cavesmuth healers! Including paladins, druids, even the artificers! Throw these two and this unconscious clown here gets thrown into the dungeons!”

#

There were no clocks in dungeons, even one at the basement of the Governor’s Estates, though it was relatively clean and unused due to its age. It was evening of the next day, most of the time they had been there with Yankovic and Zar bickering. Before the party could hatch a plan to escape their captivity, Voldan arrived and unlocked their cell doors. 

“The Governor is deeply sorry for this behaviour,” Voldan carried the message from, or at least for, Osran to the party. “Yankovic, the healers of this town came the same conclusion, and Lady Arrington indeed seemed to be suffering from amnesia.”

“Any ideas as to why?” Yankovic asked.

“Not yet. Luckily we are a town of adventurers, and we’d actually found someone who spoke the Locathahs’ language. However, all the information we got out of the Locathahs was that a creature had attacked their tribe recently. The Locathahs did not want to be captured and enslaved, which was why they were driven out into the sea by the creature. The Empire’s ship just happened to be unlucky it seems and was at the wrong place when the Locathahs and its hunter chased each other onto the boat.”

“And what is this creature? Does it have something to do with the fog?” Zar asked.

“The crew from the ship, none of whom showed any signs of memories problems, do recall being lost in the fog for several days like yourselves before the Locathahs climbed onto their ship. The fog certainly made detecting them harder, but they did not see the creature hunting them even after the fight started, all the way until the crashed into the Docks. We have yet been given any evidence that ties the fog and the hunter together yet, but magical creatures are not my speciality. I can use a magic scroll, but I leave the arcane to the specialists. To be honest, I’m just glad no one from Cavesmuth was killed in the accident.”

“This creature the Locathahs was attacked by, what can it be?” Weird Elf rolled a Nat1 here. “Let alone making fog clouds, there isn’t many creatures that can both frighten a whole tribe of Locathahs single-handedly and has ability to cause memory loss.” 

Voldan frowned, “I never told you the creature can cause memory loss.”

“Well if it wasn’t the Locathahs, it must be the creature. Otherwise, how else did Lady Arrington get amnesia?”

“Quite enough.” Voldan commanded. “Maybe I have spoken too much. It will do you well not to speak of this matter to another third party again, least you want the Governor to throw you in here again.”

Zar hesitated in asking, “So you mentioned you were going to reward us for helping out at the Docks…”

“Did you?” Voldan very blatantly questioned back. It was fact the party was inconsequential to helping Voldan get onto the boat. “I’d seen you’d almost got yourselves killed as a matter of fact.”

Filli could only blush and both Zar and Yankovic understood it was time to go. Voldan stopped Filli aside just before they left the basement. 

“Lad,” Voldan called. “Do you want to be a knight?”

Filli perked up, “Yes sir!”

“I suggest you forget it,” Voldan merciless muttered. “You’re not made of the right stuff.”

“Now now Captain, that’s a bit harsh to the boy.” Weird Elf started to defend Filli, who stepped up himself.

“Can I ask why you think that?” Filli asked, certain it was not because of his height or lack of strength.

“I know you don’t have much hoard experience like back at at the Docks, so this has nothing to do with you having been struck down at the start of battle or losing your mount. You learnt quick, keeping an eye out for the battlefield when you’d seen me do the same.” Voldan was nonchalant to Weird Elf and went onto explain. “But you’d seen a fallen villager, and even jumped into the water to try and save her. In return, you’d put your allies in danger. Moreover, your mission was to aid me in getting to the Governor. A knight isn’t a knight for having a saviour complex. You have a duty and protection is just one of them. We were lucky this time to have saved and healed all of the town guards that had fallen in battle in time. I had wanted to save an unconscious guard as well, but instead, I chose to jump on the ship. Callous as that was, the guard’s job was to protect the Docks and the Governor. As should have been yours.”

I’d basically relayed what happened in the battle before. Again as an author, I would not have been able to compose such an example without experience that battle on the tabletop. I’d thought this was a good way to spice up the relatively plain character thread Filli has for just becoming a knight. As with many lawful good characters, they can get boring.

Filli was unable to answer, and Voldan left him with some food for thought. Yankovic tried his best to lighten the mood as they left the estates, retrieving their belongings as they descended the cliffs backwards Cliff’s Edge Tavern. On their descend on the path, they encountered the familiar figure of Stella Flocra. When asked, she said she was leading to the estates on the Governor’s request to have his fortunes read and provide guidance, being the town’s number one fortune teller. Stella congratulated the party that they had found a rare occasion where they increased both the town’s factions’ esteem of them without  threading on the toes of another; considering defending the town is for the benefit of both the Roses and the Governor. The groups parted ways and arrived back at the tavern without incidents. 

Blatantly, the party rolled bad and did not get any more information on Stella. It would have revealed a bit more to her background and the current party thread.

Soke looked as oblivious of customer service as she had previously, barking at Filli the tavern was not his personal postbox. Fido, or at least pieces of the Steel Defender, had been brought back by one of the guards, and Soke had hauled it back down to the party’s cellar room. The party asked Soke for some dinner, and she grumbled they were not paying for their lodgings anyway, but hollered at the kitchen for them. 

As the three sat waiting for their stew at a table, Zar questioned Yankovic on his knowledge of amnesia, knowing full well by now he was not the healing type of cleric. Yankovic simply said he had seen many during the church wars got clobbered on the head. Filli did not want to pry, but more out of concerned for their ally went with the incisive question.

“What is your first name Yankovic?”

There was a silence until the stews were plopped on their table by Soke and a basket of black bread rolls and left. Yankovic sighed and simply said while taking up his spoon, “Yes, I have amnesia. Which is why I’m a bit of a specialist in that area, taking advantage whenever someone with memories problems from a battle or bar brawl came into the church, so I’d seen a great many of them. Haven’t an inkling still of what caused mines. My earliest memory was basically me waking up butt naked in a dessert. I remembered the name ‘Yankovic’ and my belief was in Xanthia, but that was it.” 

“And when a belief is the only thing that defines you, that you can remember, that’s a powerful hold.” Zar shook his head.

“I was lucky it was a church. Some churches took care of social welfare, but for the Church of Xanthia, as long as you’re willing to fight, you’re one of them. Not to mention Xanthia is one of the most worshipped god and church organisation in the Empire. Too be honest, I figured I probably rushed too far ahead into battle and got myself knocked out. Which is why I’d joined the sect of the Red Princess in order to learn a bit more of strategy instead of just rushing forward. And since then in the many years and church wars, I’ve simply needed to fight and worship the almighty Xanthia.”

“Don’t you want to find out who you were?” Filli asked.

“Does it matter? A past without Xanthia is nothing, and as it was the only belief I had and I am still serving him now, I won’t have thought much has changed. Also being an elf of sorts, you know we’re a long-lived bunch. Who knew if whoever or whatever I knew before my memory lost was still around.”

“And does the amnesia affect your body temperature too?” Filli asked, remember how cold Weird Elf was to touch when he cast Cure Wounds on him.

“Nope, that’s the weird elf part I’m afraid.” Yankovic shrugged.

“Heh, I guess that anecdote about the bear from the fortune teller made sense,” Zar shook his head. “We know I’m not the only one with an unknown past now do we?"

“Not by choice like you,” Yankovic’s eyes flashed red and Filli quickly intervened before the two argued again. 

Zar left the table at that to retired for the night. Filli quickly finished his dinner as well, also preoccupied with what Voldan had said and questioned whether he did have a saviour complex, and went onto busy himself with fixing up his Steel Defender. Yankovic carried out his usual rituals to Xanthia and prayed before taking an early night as well.

Scene close-out:

• Chaos factor down to 5 as they were locked up earlier in the scene. 
• ! Yankovic thread: Find Yankovic’s lost memories and why he is ‘weird’ elf.
• + Filli thread: Come to terms with saviour complex
• + party thread: Investigate monster that caused Lady Arrington’s memory loss and chased out Locathahs

Post-scene Notes

I understand there seems to be far too many threads opened for a particular adventure at the moment. I guess from an author’s POV, this is when a plot problem occurs, and I should bring focus back to the main plot and waive everything together, least I can’t tie all the threads into a neat bow at the end. During editing, it would be possible to just chop a thread out altogether, and I guess having them listed out like this would make it easier to identify where they fell in the actual play notes.