It is mid afternoon while the party is traveling through the city. They could be getting back from a recent adventure, taking some time off and resting from a past adventure, or going to a job or appointment.

The market is busy as usual, and with new crops having just been brought into market by both caravan and ship, the press of people is relatively tight. The party comes across a cul de sac in the market’s edge, a place where two odd shaped buildings nearly join together creating a small pocket of stalls blocking a narrow alleyway behind them. The stalls near the alley seem empty, as if the shop keeper shut down for the day or has not setup shop yet. The latter being the more reasonable option.

Behind the empty stalls three lightly armored humans are fighting an elf who seems to have been able to avoid most of the cuffs to the head, but has not been completely successful in his avoidance as a whelp is forming on his right cheek from a shot that had him stumbling into a nearby cart. Blood trickles down a slight gash above his right eye and tears can be seen running freely down his dirty face. The quick glimps of his face reveals something familiar about him.

With the press of people as thick as they are you have noticed a lack of watchmen in the area. No one else seems to be going to the aid of the boy and if something isn’t done soon, he may be seriously injured. Calls of thief escape the lips of all three humans as they take turns battling the nimble youth who is protestly proclaiming his innocence and looking to the crowd for help. A glint from the hot sun shows a small blade being drawn by one of the humans. Fear is evident on his face, yet he seems trapped and can not escape the three larger and stronger men.

Game Master Info
———

The young boy is an elf (Yakaram) who is in fact a thief and stole an item of extreme importance to the three humans. He will proclaim his innocence to the death, unless an item is found on him. He seems very convincing of his innocence.

This elf has had a recent dealing with the players to make it seem more personal. He gave them directions when no one else would. He stopped a brawl between the party and a couple of toughs looking for trouble. He was able to procure and item that party was searching for with minimal effort. Needless to say, the elf is known to the party making the reason behind interveining more pressing.

The item stolen was a pouch containing a small tube holding a detailed map of the surrounding area and the city itself. On the back of the map is a brief outline of the next three days of a small force entering the city and murdering Baron Gael Boma and taking control of the city. This city is the rocks that breaks the ocean tides and it protects the kingdom from the horde.

These three men just arrived into the city and were taking it to the people in charge of securing the entrances to the city and stopping the watchmen in the initial rush. The elf is unaware of this and just picked a the pouch from one of the humans. In the scuffle when he was knocked into one of the carts, he slipped the pouch containing the tube into the cart.

A search of him will reveal nothing of their belongings and it can not be proved that he took anything. Even a search of the area will reveal nothing unless the carts are searched. If the carts are searched and the pouch is found, the owner of the cart will return during the search and demand to know why his property is being handled. He will demand payment for any cart that was damaged, there is no merchandise on the carts. he will also demand the return of the puch as it is obviously his since it was removed from his cart.

The humans will leave, avoiding confrontation with the party if they are larger, to avoid continued issues out in the open. If they can not prove the elf took their pouch they will leave but keep a watch on where the elf goes as well as the party, thinking maybe they are working together.

The elf’s is a freelance theif just recently moved to the city. He has already been contacted by the local guild to leave town or pay the guild tithe to work in the city. He is trying to get enough for the tithe but is lacking the available funds to pay the guild off. If he doesn’t pay them in three days then they will begin searching for him and end his life, making a statement to all freelance theives not to work in their city without permission.

Elf (Yakaram)
Nalov Bre’en

Strength - Moderate
Appearance - Average, non-descript
Intelligence - Moderate
Speed - High
Skill - Average skilled theif.

Nalov stands approximately six foot 1 inches tall and looks a little thin for his weight as if he has missed a few meals recently. He has light brown hair cut close in the back, but with bangs hanging down into his face. No apparent scars or markings. His clothing is of average cut and quality but well tended and his shoes look custom made. He has no visible weapons but has multiple knives hidden about his clothing for protection. He is above average with their use of both throwing and close quarters use.

If the party comes to his aid he will immediately attract to them and try to become their friends. He will not attempt to steal from them unless absolutely neccessary. He will help them in whatever gains and objectives they are handling in the city but will not leave, unless he knows the guild is coming down on him. He will lie about his past if asked, saying he was a dockhand that was fired for letting someone rob a warehouse and setting it on fire. Actually it was him that set the warehouse on fire while he was robbing it and he escaped with nothing to show for it.

If the pouch isn’t found he will attempt to get it that night to find out what the humans wanted so bad. Dreams of wealth will come crashing down when he finds it and the humans are there for it, having trailed him to the market place.

Human Mercenaries
Logi

Strength - Strong
Appearance - Average
Intelligence - Average
Skill - Average

Logi stands approximately five foot eleven inches and looks to be in very good shape. He has dark stubble around his head as if he recently forget to shave it. He has a scar running down his right jawline, making him look uncaring all the time. That side of his face doesn’t move, giving him a cold dead look from the side. He has average leather and chain that is kept in good repair as well as weapons. He carries a long sword strapped to his hip and a long dagger on his belt. He is skilled with the sword and has used it often.

Logi will try to persuade the party to see his view, especially if their are no elves (Yakaram) in their group. He will claim innocence and explain that he noticed the theif took his pouch when he came out of the alleyway and bumped into them. They had been standing in the shadows of the building to get out of the sun for a second as they had just arrived in the city and where weary. he will do all the talking for the three humans and will interupt any question directed at them, saying they work for him so he can answer their questions.

If the party takes the elf’s side he will become very angry but will back down if they are a stronger force. He may be a lackey but he isn’t stupid. He will then have the elf and the party followed to find out where they took his pouch.

Lackey’s
Strength - Average
Appearance - Below average
Inteligence - Moderate
Skill - Moderate

The other two humans stand approximately five foot ten inches and are a tad overweight. They have long unkempt black hair that looks greasy and unwashed. Their faces have been scared by many bralws and fights and it shows with their often broken noses the forefront of their appearance.

The two lackey’s will keep quiet and out of the way but will imediately pull weapons out if it looks like Logi wants to fight. If not, they will visiably seem disappointed but take his lead and leave calling out theif often until they disappear into the crowd.

———
The players can choose to avoid the altercation all together and leave the business to it’s own. If so, have a few watchmen visit them later on in the day asking them about the fight saying several people whitnessed their preseance there. They are looking for clues about the assailants as the elf was stabbed and may not survive the night.

If the players interfere they must choose who is telling the truth. The elf’s story will seem more convincing because the humans will be extremely defensive. If asked to stick around for the watchmen Logi will wait a few minutes before declining, saying the pouch the elf stole had little value anyway, it was the principle involved that started the confrontation. They wil lleave into the crowd but keep an eye on both the elf and the party to locate their stolen map.

If the players take Nalov’s side and they keep contact with him for the few days until the supposed murder of the Baron, they will be harrassed by the local guild under the assumption that they are working with the elf. They will also be harrassed by Logi and his lackey’s as well as others from their group, getting bolder with more numbers. They will stop at nothing to get the map back because it has information regarding times and places they need cleared for the murder to take place.

Logi will go so far as to get the watchmen involved if it is closing on the last day and they still have not located the map. Claiming that the elf and the party took something from them and will not return it. If they get the map back this way they plan on murdered the watchmen involved just to get the map and the plans.

If the players run in and start fighting, the watchmen should show up in the middle of the fight and start bashing heads, answering any questions later when the brawlers are locked in a cell for disorderly conduct. Obviously Logi and his men will spin a tale of the party and the elf working together to steal them blind, which could be believed as Nalov has been in these very cells already since his arrival not to long ago.

If the players are common in the area and known, this could be looked at and handled two ways.

1) The players are immediately released and all charges dropped, due to some service they could have done or are doing for the city and or the Baron.

2) The player’s reputation is not smudged by the false accusations by Logi. They are released by are told they are being watched for their behavior and actions.

Regardless of their actions and the outcome of the events. The threat is still on the horizon and that the Baron will still be murdered in three days time. If the players interfere with Logi to much, he may try to pin the murder of the Baron on the players, there by causing them more difficulty.

Time seems to be the enemy here. In three days Nalov will be murder if he doesn’t pay the local guild, the Baron will be murdered by an unknown group of people bent on taking control of the city, and the party will be blamed for it if they hassle Logi and, or stop him from getting the item they need.

If the party is still in the city when the three days pass. They will be woken up to the sounds of sword play from their room windows. Looking out to the streets they will see dark clothed men running through the streets killing any who present an obstacle to them and their goal. Fires can be seen throughout portions of the city and a tight group of these invaders are making straight for the Baron’s castle where a fire has been set already inside it’s walls. A loud crash and a loud curse reveals at least two invaders rushing the building the party is in.

Addendum
While this could simply be a stop in the players lives for some out of the ordinary role-playing, it could lead to a more pressing conflict of the city being attacked with them in it, or them trying to escape once it is taken over. They wouldn’t need to result to combat to solve the issue first hand, but later on with the press of invaders at their door, they must make a choice to flee or help defend the city.

Where do their loyalties lie?

More info on Hewdamia can be found here.
Hewdamia

http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2070

Yakaram

http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=28998#28998

Kingdom of Kerrabar

http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=29437#29437

The City of Stormgarde

http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=30375#30375

The city of Stormgarde is the shield that holds the tides from the rest of the kingdom. They were originally an outpost, now made city from the influx of population. It is moderately populated and adventurers, treasure seekers, and fame hunters all can find what they are looking for here. If Stromgarde fell or was infiltrated and came under the control of the kingdom’s enemies then there would be nothing stopping the Kingdom of Kerrabar from being overrun. Or at least her northern lands.

Stormgarde is the first and last defense in the north for the horde of goblins, orcs, and other creatures. As well as barbarian tribes, and banished mercenary companies. There are plenty of disgruntled enemies beyond the borders of Stormgarde.

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