Guard, Guard, I've Been Robbed! (Part 1)

So much for only fortnightly posts! Today is Monday 12 June 2006, the Queen's Birthday public holiday and I thought it would be good to have my friends over to play a session of Rolemaster with a meal in the middle. I like this, as it gives us more time to role play with everyone at the session, in this case 6 hrs, and it has the feeling of a family gathering - thanks guys.

Well, it was sure to happen. The PCs have brought attention to themselves by saving the Mayor of Sel-kai right in front of the public and have also received public rewards for doing so. This appears to have caught the eye of a local thief because, when the party woke next morning, they all found they had been robbed of their precious coin. All that is, except Asmodeus, who sleeps with his coin purse in a special place. It brings chills to me just contemplating it, but I cannot disclose this secret information lest I kill you afterwards and that would be no good since I do want you to return to read later blog posts. Asmodeus chose not to tell his friends of his luck.

Sure enough the PCs were NOT happy. Cavell led the march downstairs to the proprietor Jerrell, who immediately called out to his wife Ethel to check their coffers. Arrrhhh!!! A scream was heard followed by the pounding of quick footsteps as Ethel raced to her husband's side to express her emotional state about being robbed.

Shashari has developed a trust for Cavell and so after identifying one of their roommates acting nervously, stayed upstairs and watched as the three gentlemen packed their gear in preparation to leave the tavern. These men were not part of the PC party but were simply sharing the common sleeping quarters. The men headed downstairs, Shashari in tow, and Cavell blocked their exit path, the tavern front door. Xera blocked the kitchen door. The situation was getting tense and someone suggested the proprietor call for the guard, which he did by sending his eldest son.

Two guards turned up and started investigating the situation. It appears the nervous gentleman, an Erlini Elf merchant, had been disturbed from his nightly meditation by an intruder not long before dawn. The merchant, concerned for his own life, kept from saying anything about the early morning raid because the thief had threatened him if he revealed this knowledge. In fact, the Erlini merchant, once having spilled this information couldn't help but regurgitate even more. He said he had witnessed the thief the night before leaning over Asmodeus in preparation of killing him, but had frightened the thief away when he made a noise. The thief, a short, 4' Linaeri elf, had a tattooed triangle in the webbing between his left thumb and forefinger. All the PCs were checking if any of this was a lie (Lie Perception), apparently not according to their "readings". In fact, the merchant was telling the truth. It really was a 4' mutant Linaeri elf who had robbed them; so much for being a simple thief.

This is just not good enough! We're going to go looking for this mutant elf and get our money back - so thought the PCs. Asmodeus, Rikku and Cavell go outside The Limping Dog and start asking people for information on finding this mutant, while Shashari, Xera and Kodos choose to stay and help the proprietor with sealing up his windows of the tavern to prevent further break-ins while he gets better locks attached to the windows and doors.

Outside the tavern, Cavell was speaking with a man who wanted a little on the side for information. Asmodeus offered some coin, 2 copper pieces - yeah like that'll do it, NOT!. (Cavell now finds out that Asmodeus didn't get robbed after all.) Still angry from being robbed, Cavell gets rough with the uncooperative gentleman. This came to bite Cavell in the butt a little later, as we will see. Well, the roughing up worked and the three find that they should be looking in the area known as Canal Maze. This is a rough and tumble part of Sel-kai, a place where it is not uncommon to awake in the morning and see a floating body or two in the canals.

Shashari, Xera and Kodos have their own problems helping Jerrell. Not greatly experienced with using hammer and nails before, they all quickly learn why they prefer the life of an adventurer to that of a carpenter. In Xera's mind, she did not sign up for the treatment her thumbs received, so after bashing them several times over and then some, she left the tavern with Kodos in search of her new friends. Shashari chose to stay, true to her commitment to Jerrell to lend him aid. Bravo!

Now Rikku knew of a man in the Canal Maze he had obtained information from before and so he heads off in search of him, leaving Asmodeus and Cavell to do their own uninformed search. Splitting up, Asmodeus and Cavell cover more ground, talking to people in the streets, trying to find out if someone knows of this mutant elf they are looking for, but to no avail.

While Asmodeus is off elsewhere, the man Cavell treated poorly earlier in the day turns up with some friends. Cavell is quickly surrounded as an argument brews. Not happy with his treatment, the men harangue Cavell, preventing Cavell from searching for the mutant elf, and forcing him to back up against a wall. All the while, more and more people are getting involved supporting the maltreated man, as other spectators on balconies watch the scene from above.

Asmodeus appears as if from nowhere and hours pass by as he and Cavell continue arguing with the hostile (almost "lynch") mob. Cavell draws his sword threateningly, however, the mob are not perturbed and so continue their harassing.

Rikku is unsuccessful in locating his underground contact and so heads back to where he last left Cavell and Asmodeus.

Xera and Kodos now turn up and so does Rikku. The three push their way through the crowd to lend Asmodeus and Cavell support. Without Cavell's approval, Kodos uses his special talent and teleports himself and Cavell back to The Limping Dog tavern. This does get Cavell out of the hot seat, but it leaves the others there to face the music and the mob.

Cavell, realising what Kodos did, quickly gets his horse and rides it through the narrow streets to the angry mob. Getting their attention, he rides off with the mob giving chase. They chase and chase, never catching up to the only man with a horse still in the city. Eventually Cavell leads the mob out of the city and into the forest to the west. As night falls the mob, or better, what's left of the now tired group, give up the chase and head back home, as does Cavell, who upon returning to The Limping Dog, finds his friends are safe and well.

Jerrell has allowed the PCs to stay one night for free, feeling sorry that they had been robbed in his tavern. Shashari earns two nights of free board because of her efforts that day. Lucky her!