"They think it's all over...."

After a prolonged hiatus the Trials and Tribulations of Dame Arcadia will soon return (without Dame Arcadia herself, obviously...).

Now we had a bit of a discussion, the players and I  as the question was should we pick up from where we left off last time (i.e. "Session #22")......Or should we jump in time...

Let me clarify that.  I was pondering the campaign and I ran over in my head the next session or three that I had planned out when we originally stopped.  It's good and exciting stuff BUT it still suffers a problem that was part of the original hiatus; the fact that half the cadre were in each of two different places.  Now we'd set it up so that players had secondary characters so everyone was involved most of the time and that was OK... but the secondary characters were obviously that.  Secondary, supporting characters.  They just weren't as fun as the main cast. So my suggestion was that we take advantage of the restart to pick up a little further in the timeline, essentially skipping forwards to the band meeting up again.

My idea was that I'd outline what the plot would have been for those 2-3 sessions and the things that *have* to happen (in other words even with random player plans/lucky dice rolls etc the stuff I narratively would have got in somehow) and then the players affected could "tweak" the narrative based on what they imagine their PC would have done until we had a reasonable consensus and a point at which we can then pick up play again. *Bang* the band are back together (or at least near by) but possibly with new/different reasons to need or work each other.

I presented that to the players and they seemed to uniformly think it was a good idea.

As an aide memoir where we left the story was (although you could just read back over the blog posts...):

Currently the Imperial Knight Anton De Havilland Hawkwood (with his entourage of Tonbei and Lady Althea) is on Ravenna heading to the Austrum Isles via Deep Core 104 with Sir Hemlock Justinian as a travelling companion.  Hemlock is returning to his family fief while De Havilland wants to see for himself the impact of Baron Christopher Hawkwood taking control of Justinian lands.

Meanwhile in space Sir Hasimir Fenrig Torenson & Mr Lawrence of the Scraver's Guild and crew (inc. Mort, Koelahng and Igor*) have made their first delivery to a monastic commune and are now heading to their second, a research base owned by the Supreme Order of Engineers.  They are due to deliver parts there, parts which appear to be for Weapons of Mass destruction (and came from the Austrum Isles).  The monks have also asked that they investigate goings on there as they have had a variety of doom laden visions involving the place and have seen strange and frequent traffic around the asteroid base.  The cadre's ship is also being tailed/escorted by a Hawkwood ship commanded by Baron Christopher's younger brother, Sir Bedevere Hawkwood, who plans to escort Hasimir back to Ravenna.

* One of our players did introduce a new PC at the end of the last session, an Al Malik Noble who was pretending to be a Muster mercenary.  He doesn't want to play the character any longer and frankly that was potentially one plot thread too many so he's been retconn'd, never happened, don't know who or what you are talking about. :)

So, what happens next?

First off in space....

Hasimir & crew arrive at the engineer's base: Facility SOE/8807.  It's an ancient Second Republic station operated by the Supreme Order of Engineers and run by one Doctor Eva. The demure (and frankly gorgeous) Doctor will warmly welcome any "away team" sent. placating the cadre with openness and a business like manner.  She will entertain her "honoured guests" (we do get so lonely out here...) and will be keen to show off how the Guild is doing all it can to reclaim the base's former research and lost tech. It is a very impressive place with some very advanced tech including a small automated manufacturing plant and lots of tech that Avestite priests would be seeking to take hammers and flamers to on sight.

They may also notice that all the willing and highly intelligent SOE guilders here have small ear implants (like a 1970's/80's over the ear hearing aid) if questioned they are explained as simple biomonitors, due to the high radiation exposure due to their location.

If their suspicions were not already raised (this all does seem rather perfect) Hasimir then scanned their host (possibly accidentally) and discovers....nothing.  No thoughts.  A void.  Nada.

At the point that they may be about to act on this information they receive a hail from Bedevere Hawkwood (from his ship in orbit).  He is enraged and demands to know why their ship is leaving and will not respond to his hails "What are you playing at, Torenson??!?".  Confusion breaks out at this point: neither Lawrence nor Hasimir can raise the ship on their squwarkers.  Dr Eva suggests using her base's far more advanced comms suite. They manage to monitor/intercept communication from the ship to Ravenna from the Muster marines indicating that they have mutinied and taken over the ship, as per a previously agreed contract, and have left Hasimir and Lawrence to their fate. Dr Eva says that doesn't matter as they can stay with her now, once she has made them more compliant, she's sure they will come in useful....at which point they will realise that any other crew they have taken with them (inc possibly Mort, Igor) have been fitted with the "hearing aid" devices and are now under Eva's influence.  Eva herself is revealed to be a very sophisticated Golem (i.e. a Blade Runner Replicant, possibly from the 2nd republic).  Things look bad for the Scraver and Noble at which point Bedevere and some of his crew arrive to help facilitate an extraction/escape.  He was just planning to speak with Hasimir but seeing the situation, being of noble and honourable blood and confronted with the technological aberration that is Eva he will help fight a running battle back to his ship and away.

Once back at his ship He will insist that they return to his brother, Christopher, as promised by Hasimir at the duel. Their ship has passed from his sensors but he has posted notice that it is to be considered a fugitive vessel in Hawkwood space.

Other things that they will have learned:

• The WMD parts came from Austrum West and Dr Eva and her staff were due to be completeing the weapons for delivery back to Ravenna.  They already have the remaining components necessary to complete the weapons.  They appear to be viral bombs, keyed to target selected DNA signatures or key markers (i.e. you could destroy a bloodline with them or indulge in a bit of ethnic cleansing). Eva is very proud of them and discusses them at length.
• SOE/8807 has no space craft of their own but reaching out beyond the station seems to be on Eva's timetable
• Sir Bedevere is keen to report Eva's existence to the Guilds, Church and Hawkwood authorities and see an end to her and her station
• It's not clear where or to whom on Ravenna the Muster mutineers were communicating with, but if they had a contract it must be filed somewhere.

Any of the secondary characters may have been in on the mutiny, may now be thralls of Dr Eva, prisoners of the mutineers or casualties....the players need to decide...We know Koehlang the Vorox was aboard the vessel when it was taken and it is unlikely he betrayed his honour, nor that he went down without a fight.

Now, back on Ravenna (and this is the more light weight section I'm afraid)....

Hemlock will be welcomed home to Sector 42, his father's fief, albeit possibly reluctantly by Master Alfredo Garcia, his father's major domo. Alfredo was present with the Baron on a diplomatic mission to Delphi when the tragedy struck the household that robbed the Baron of his daughter and most of his household staff.  As the most senior surviving retainer at the time Alfredo stepped up and took control of the running of things and has remained so ever since. Trained by the Reeves, Alfredo was born into service in the Baron’s household and has remained so ever since. Over time as Alfredo updates the "young master" in the workings of the fief Hemlock will suspect that the retainer resents his presence and the other staff will allude to Alfredo's "cushy number" coming to an end.  The books etc all seem in order though and it might be simply a case of him losing his freedom of authority.  But Hemlock still remains suspicious.

There is a general tension in Deepcore 104 that Hemlock and De Havilland both pick up on.  News will reach them of Justinian knights returning home - De Havilland's suspicions are correct in one respect at least; local nobles are withdrawing their military support of Austrum East in order to strengthen their militia now that a Hawkwood roosts in their midst.
 
Meanwhile Baron Christopher is enjoying lording it over his new lands.  His men-at-arms (or rather those lent him by the duke) are enabling him to rule with a rod of iron.  They are frequently raiding homes and work places looking for "Arcadian sympathisers" and "Justinian Spies".  They are particularly after Beorn (one of the previous members of the cadre) as he was the bounty hunter who claimed to have killed Arcadia and handed in "her" body.  He is believed to currently be evading the authorities.

It is likely that when we kick off again Hemlock is still extending hospitality to De Havilland and his entourage at his family home.  It then provides them with a base away from prying Hawkwood eyes and allow a certain freedom.

There will also be the arrival of a younger cousin of De Havilland's - an old childhood friend who is known to disappear from time to time and is seen in the family as a bit of a roguish black sheep.  De Havilland has never had a problem with him though and believes that he has a good heart but it appears he may be in some unspecified trouble and is keeping a low profile (for a noble).