We were lucky this week in that we were able to fit in an extra session, but with a slightly different mix of players in the group. Because of that I wanted to run a story that would fit with the overall narrative but that stood alone as one of the players (Lady Althea), probably wouldn't be able to play again for sometime. This is what happened...
It is later in the evening, Hasimir and Hemlock have retired to bed when the mansion receives a visitor. The lady who arrives is a penitent psychic Justinian Knight and cousin to both Arcadia and Hemlock, a Lady Althea Justinian. She is passing through and seeks refuge in her aunt's mansion for a few nights. She is welcomed in, fed and settled into a guest room.
A few hours later the house is awoken again by alarm bells. Peasants have arrived to warn of a fire in the city below, a mob of local serfs have set light to a local Orthodox chapel. The Baroness explains that her knights are away fighting in the Austram War (supporting her relation Countess Cassandra Justinian Hawkwood) and so she entreats the cadre to assist. Arcadia and Lawrence are nowhere to be found (more on that in the next session...) so Hemlock, Hasimir, Althea and Beorn head to the scene.
There they find De Havilland (who is staying at a local inn) already trying to calm the mob and lend him their assistance. With stern words and the pricking of consciences they get the serfs to calm down and find out that they started the blaze after the priest took a young girl from her mother's house. They set the peasants to work putting the fire out (although some refuse) and once some of the Baroness' guards arrive they hand over to them and decide to find the priest.
The cadre learn that the girl, Carrie, is known for being wise in the ways of herbs and healing but that the priest, Father Helsing, believes she is a witch or psychic. The group splits up, Hasimir and De Havilland going to visit the girl's mother while Beorn, Althea and Hemlock track the Priest, based on information from the local serfs.
Hasimir and De Havilland learn more about the girl; she seems a kind and gentle soul but does have a significant pentagrammic birthmark. Meanwhile the trackers find Father Helsing holed up in a small roadside shrine. Althea tries to stop him but Beorn bursts in and knocks the priest to the ground with a single blow with the flat of his blade, he then leaves to collect his Muster chains (which he'd forgotten). Hemlock "squwarks" the others to let them know they have the girl and priest and they rush to join them at the shrine.
The Priest maintains that the girl needs to find absolution and instruction in the church while Hasimir argues that there are other ways. Althea checks that the girl is ok and unties her and then senses her reading her aura; she is certainly a psychic. Althea explains that being a penitent is good and productive. It will be hard and painful but is a positive thing. Carrie seems encouraged. Hasimir is outraged by the priest's conduct but it seems that his hands are currently tied.
The Priest had informed the Bishop about the girl so men are coming to collect her in the morning and take her to St Hombur's monastery for her "education". Hasimir doesn't want her out of their sight and neither does Helsing. By way of compromise they agree that Cassie will be returned to her mother's house until she is collected and that Helsing and Althea will watch, and pray, over her.
Hemlock tries to grill Hasimir on the way back to the mansion about how a psychic could exist other than becoming a penitent. Hemlock now assumes that Hasimir knows about these other ways due to his apprenticeship with the Reeves: he knows the price of things, and the money a psychic could potentially make (for themselves or someone else). Then Beorn arrives, having collected his gear. The three of them see wagons taking the peasants who set light to the church away (Beorn had seen them being loaded earlier). The men driving the carts have no insignia or emblems but when challenged inform the knights that these peasants are being punished with indentured servitude.
The following morning the cadre gather to see Carrie off, Althea giving her the jumpgate cross she wore as a token. As they watch her leave those with Sqwarkers chime; it is Lawrence, "Listen everyone, I have a plan..."
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