The Bladelands Chronicles
Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Bitter Cup
"Lord Thomas leaned back in his high leather chair and rubbed his eyes, a long sigh escaping his lips. For a moment he was still, then he gathered himself with what seemed a supreme effort of will and lent forward once more, gazing at the mass of papers that were strewn across his desk. Many of them were demands from citizens of Saltwash who had lost their houses in the spring bladestorm that had devastated an entire settlement along the border he shared with Baron Bejorklund; that border was still not secure against the self-styled Baron, but the bladestorm had hit him as hard as Thomas, which was a blessing at least. Others were missives from School Town - its rulers were less given to violence than Bejorklund, but managed to cause twice as much trouble, Thomas thought to himself. And now, just to top it all, Lucinda and Robert's fief had toppled, overrun by keltoi and foulspawn, leaving him another border to worry about.
As Robert's name crossed Thomas' mind another sigh escaped his lips. He grieved for his cousin, killed by the foulspawn who eventually overran his lands, and felt deeply for his widow, Lucinda, of whom he had grown fond when she and Robert lodged with him as they gathered the men they needed to start a fief of their own. He had been only to happy to help, not just because a new fief between him and the wild lands would ease the pressure on him and his men and allow him to deal with the eternal politics of the fiefs which bordered his, but also because he was glad that his cousin had found a woman who made him so obviously happy, and was keen to help give them the start in life that their respective parents had denied them. And now it was all in ruin. In fact he had sent his trusted advisor, Serina, to assist them; fortunately she had come back alive. But Thomas had no time for grief, or regrets - it was not long before he had to leave for School Town to attend the diete they were holding. It seemed they intended to press their agenda to expand aggressively into keltoi lands and wanted the help of the neighbouring fiefs, but it was not this that concerned Lord Thomas. He was more worried by their determined attitude that those changed by the Bladelands were inherently evil and must be persecuted.
The candle that had lit Thomas' work guttered, threatening to go out, reminding him of how late the hour had become. But there was much to do if he was to leave the fief in good order when he departed for School Town, so Thomas reached into a draw and drew forth another candle, lighting it from the stub of its predecessor and pressing it into the same holder. The light steady once more he returned to work; many more candles had burned through before his night was done."
Having escaped the keltoi and foulspawn who overran Lucinda's fief, the survivors make their way to the neighbouring fief of Saltwash where they are granted sanctuary by Lord Thomas. Fearful that another bladestorm will descend on the fief if the new arrivals stay in the main town, Thomas stations them at the border village of Woody Edge, command of which he gives to Lady Serina, who had been Lucinda and Robert's advisor. The first few weeks are relatively peaceful; Lord Thomas runs a well organised fief and seems to be a fair ruler, and the survivors of Robert's fief begin to build a new life for themselves. Thomas himself is busy with local political matters, in particular a diete (a council or meeting to discuss matters of faith) at School Town, which is the closest fief to Woody Edge. The School Towners are clearly unpopular with the citizens of Saltwash, not least because of their overly pious attitude and their hatred of changelings, some of which have been found murdered and mutilated in the local area.
One morning, during the diete, Lady Serina announces to the adventurers and bondsmen of Lord Thomas at Woody Edge that a treasure has been stolen from School Town: a holy golden chalice and a young woman, a changeling by the name of Ellie. She offers a reward for either if they are recovered, but can give no clue as to who has taken them or where they have gone as this is not presently known.
The adventurers had investigated noises the previous evening and discovered that there had been two groups fighting on the route between School Town and Woody Edge. They came upon at least one member of the groups and there were several injuries as it was discovered that they used poisoned weapons. This then was where investigations began.
Immediately following Lady Serina’s announcement, a search is mounted for both girl and artefact. The adventurers track group of men that survived the fight the previous evening. They follow the trail into the woods and discover a mixed band of rough looking lightly armed skirmishers who are being aided by a famous keltoi witch and his warrior followers. They manage to defeat them, recovering the girl who appears, at first glance, to be dead. They are unable to defeat the witch who is insubstantial but drive him off with their magic.
It transpires that Ellie is only in a deep, unnatural sleep, and needs to be awoken by the use of a complicated apothecary's concoction. Fortunately Woody Edge has an expert apothecary who they work with to make the formula to rouse Ellie.
While the concoction is being prepared one of the party who dealt with the Outsider who accompanied the keltoi attacking Lady Lucinda's fief announced to the priests that he had been involved in a deal with the evil Outsider, although he had only done so in order to discover how to combat this evil. He had come to his senses, deciding that such a deal would only lead to his death and the failure of his plans, and decided to recant his pact and return to the worship of the Powers. The priests present are only too pleased to aid him in pledging himself to Tamaris, and they combine forces to perform a ceremony to cleanse his soul. Unsurprisingly the Outsider is unimpressed and arrives with two powerful minions to reclaim his servant.
A templar knight of Thales is blessed by the priests and gifted with power to fight on their behalf and while the priests continue to protect the sinner in a service of blessing, their champion goes out with the rest of the local adventurers to fight and drive off the Outsider. They manage to do this but at great cost, the knight is laid low with his spirit drawn from his body by evil magic.
The adventurers seek the advice of the local elders only to discover that the knight’s spirit can be reunited with his body but only through the use of a powerful concoction, the ingredients for which include the heart's blood of a ghoul. The followers of Orion (a priest and a templar knight) determine to seek out and slay a ghoul and they set out with other adventurers who are troll hunting in the area for their own (financial) reasons.
The party manages to find and defeat a troll. They also manage to find a ghoul but decide that it cannot be defeated as they lack the necessary magics and will certainly die. While most of the party return to Woody Edge, the followers of Orion are undeterred and, together with a priestess of Tameris, a priest of Rhiannan, a very dodgy merchant and a mercenary bowman they press on regardless.
Initially things go extremely badly but somehow with the aid of the Powers and in spite of the odds against them, they are successful, bringing back not only the necessary ingredients but also a magical sword which was found in the tomb which the ghoul inhabited. It is determined that this should be held by the priest of Orion.
They return to Woody Edge, where the changeling woman is awakened and it is determined by magical means where the chalice is located. Again, the adventurers set forth. A large heavily armed group locate the chalice, eliminate the defenders, bypass the traps that have been laid upon its resting place and return in triumph to the fief.
Unfortunately, rather than sending just a small group, all the armed adventurers had gone on this quest leaving the tavern at Woody Edge and the non-combatants including Ellie, undefended. A group of cultists attack and capture Ellie with no-one able to resist them. As they are making off with their prize, the Templar of Thales is finally awoken and undeterred by the odds (there were more than a dozen of them) set off alone into the darkness to rescue Ellie. He managed to kill several but the rest escaped and Ellie was lost.
At this stage a large group of School Towners arrived and proceeded to harangue the locals particularly picking on any changlings. It was at this point that the main group of adventurers returned with the chalice. During the evening several senior School Towners including a peaceful priest of Rhiannan and a Templar of Rhiannan were apparently killed although no one was seen to do this.
The next morning, the chalice was sent back to Saltwash for safety and a local priest of Rhiannan insisted on accompanying it. Although nothing was suspected at the time, they were never seen alive again.
A local sorcerer of the Olican school offered gold for anyone who would help him recover Ellie. In addition to the knights who volunteered immediately for no pay, there were many others who chose to join him. They discovered that the cultists fought on even after being given fatal wounds and could only finally be slain with magic weapons. Finally they fought their way to a clearing where a rite was being performed involving Ellie and the chalice. Despite a charge by the knights, they were unable to prevent Ellie being sacrificed and the ritualist escaping with the chalice.
Deciding that the enemy were too strong, they turned back dejected. The priest and templar of Orion together with another knight insisted on pressing on after the chalice. What happened only they know but they came back without chalice or magic sword; one was dead, one had lost a hand and another had a mangled leg; they brought a tail of the chalice corrupted by evil and of the influence of the outsiders.
Meantimes, back at Woody Edge a large warband from School Town arrived demanding that the murderers of priest and templar be handed over and that their goods be returned. A fight ensued which the School Towners lost. They were slain to a man and their bodies sent back to School Town.
A state of war now exists between Saltwash and School Town.
