A Thief Among Traitors

This campaign is part of the events of the Mordish Civil War.

At the beginning of the month of Mortus in the Principality of Mordehall, an assistant to the Professor stole pages of her notes on a magical ritual. Immediately after the Thief disappeared, a group from the Mordish Birding Society was gathered to bring back the notes and make sure they didn’t fall into anyone else’s hands. The group was The Curator, Skua, Vella, K.R., and Osprey. After speaking with the Professor who gave them information on the Thief, they went to search his apartment. His name was Dan Irem and he was a student at the University of Pruzer. At his apartment they found notes corresponding with a man from the County of Pellisberg. One of them contained instructions for him to meet at a nearby restaurant the night before. When they got there they found it shut. Speaking to the owner, they found out Dan Irem had been there last night. But he got involved in a fight with several other people including a woman in a suit. Dan had gotten away along with one of his allies, but the other two had died. When The Curator and Skua went to update The Professor, the others went to the address used for Dan’s reservation. They found Terrance there. He was also working for Pellisberg. The group took him prisoner and found out Dan was trying to escape via the Procession of Peace. The next day they met up with Sylvie and left for the Procession. They reached it at midday and waited for camp. Terrance said he would lead them to his Captain and the Thief. He led them into a trap. The Birding Society group fought off the Pellisberg men and took the Captain prisoner. He told them he worked for the Count of Pellisberg, a very powerful man. He also told them Dan had rode off to the village of Miirshire. The group left for the town. They eventually found Dan in the local lord’s manor. While he slept, K.R. stole the notes back. But they met up with him pretending to be his allies to see if he made copies. While they spoke, the Woman in the Suit showed up with Osprey as a prisoner. Just before he was to be executed, Sylvie used a sea stone to save him. There they fought with a group of miners against the Woman and a small contingent of Mordish soldiers. The revolt was won and they returned with the notes to Pruzer.

Player Characters

 * The Curator: A thief turned art collector and ally of the Mordish Birding Society.
 * K.R.: A messenger for a lord in the Mordish Birding Society.
 * Skua: The Curator’s bodyguard and a deadly archer.
 * Sylvie: A magician working for the Mordish Birding Society and an expert in the rituals stolen.
 * Vella the Bear: A mercenary from the Southern Isles, devoted to the cause of freedom.

NPCs

 * Dan Irem: The Thief. The one who stole the notes.
 * The Professor: Sylvie’s mentor, a professor within the Mordish Birding Society
 * Osprey: An operative of the Mordish Birding Society, sent to keep an eye on the group.
 * Terrance: A member of the Pellisberg group, captured by K.R. and Vella.
 * Woman in the Suit: An operative of the Mordish Crown, sent to find the rituals and the traitors.

Prelude
The Boy - A short narrative of K.R.'s memories detailing how he came to be involved with the Birding Society.

The Interview - The Curator and Skua describe where they came from and what they want.

The Letter - A letter from the Professor to Sylvie explaining her role in the upcoming events.

Aftermath
Loose Ends - A conversation between The Professor and Lord Emilio Kent.

Introduction
The Professor sat on a plush chair in the ornate room. It was decorated with velvet furniture, a silver inlined table, and a bright Toallan rug. The house was the home of a local ally of the Mordish Birding Society. The Professor herself wore a traditional grey scholar's robe with a single piece of jewelry, an iron ring on her finger with the stamp of the Kaiser. It was a Lord’s ring as the Professor had just been granted the title Lord Professor. Anyone involved with the Society would know of her work if not her name. There were whispers and rumors coming down from the leaders of the Society, that the Professor and her team held the fate of the rebellion in their hands. Years before no one thought the Kaiser could be beat. His private army of Zealots, the Iron Tempest Commandos, were spoken of as too dangerous, too present, and too vindiciative. But rumors said the Professor found a way to fight them, an ancient magic, one from thousands of years past, before even the War of Ascendance. But now someone had stolen a copy of that magic. That’s why the group was gathered in this ornate room. The five others were either members or allies of the Mordish Birding Society. They were all located in Pruzer, the closest people who could help. There was K.R. a young courrier for the Society, The Curator and his bodyguard Skua. He was a high standing member of the group. There was also Vella, a warrior from the Southern Isles. Finally there was a  young man in well tailored black clothes and a silver belt. Some of the group knew him as a representative of the upper echelons of the Society. He represented their interests and called himself Osprey or Oz for short.

Session One: Nest
The Professor thanked them all for joining her. She explained the situation. She had been away for the past couple months. Just before her return a few days ago, an assistant at the University of Pruzer had stolen a few pages of her notes. The Professor didn't say what was on the notes. But it was important. She stressed that the five people gathered here needed to get them back immediately or the Birding Society would be in great danger. The thief's name was Dan Irem. She gave them his address and told them he was from the South of the Principality.

The five agreed that the best place to start looking for The Thief would be at his home. It was located on the other side of town in the Coal Quarter. Dan Irem’s apartment was on the second floor of a stone building identical to the houses around it. It was university housing. Skua and Vella climbed an adjacent building to try and see through the window. They saw his roommate alone in the apartment studying. K.R. went up and knocked on the door. He pretended to be Dan’s drinking buddy and asked the roommate if he had seen Dan. He hadn’t. In fact Dan hadn’t been home for several days. That wasn’t unusual and they weren’t particularly close so the roommate hadn’t gone looking.

The group waited until the roommate left for class and then broke into his apartment. It was a messy one room place with two beds and many bookshelves. Vella searched in common space, Skua searched the beds, and K.R. checked the bookshelves. Meanwhile the Curator watched them all. Vella and K.R. found nothing but Skua found a key in the Thief’s pillow. They found what the key unlocked when The Curator noticed one of the discarded books wasn’t what it seemed. There was a small keyhole in the side. The book opened to reveal a compartment full of notes. Reading through them, it seemed like the Thief was a plant from the southern county of Pellisberg. He was corresponding with someone who signed as “Captain” His job was to steal the rituals from the Professor. The last note indicated he would be meeting a group from Pellisberg at a restaurant in the Habit Ward last night. The group immediately set off for the restaurant. K.R. broke off so he could go update the Professor.

On the way to the restaurant a kid bumped up against Vella. Only Skau noticed that he grabbed her coinpurse. She indicated to The Curator that she would go after him. The Curator held back Vella and Osprey. Skua followed the kid, watching him pick several more pockets before she made her move. When they were in an unoccupied part of the street she grabbed him from behind. She roughed him up a little and warned him to be more careful next time. She took back Vella’s purse and a few others and left. Vella got her money back and Skua split the rest with The Curator.

Because of the delay, K.R. beat them to the restaurant. It was closed. Peering through the windows in the gaps of the curtains, Vella saw a few dead bodies inside. Unsure what they might find, K.R. repositioned himself on the roof. The Curator decided to knock on the door and pretend to be Dan’s father. Osprey and Skua went with him. Vella went to cover the backdoor. A worker answered the door, barring The Curator from entering. He convinced the worker to call over the restaurant owner. Her name was Gianna and she explained what had happened the night before. She gave a description of The Thief and asked if that matched the description of The Curator’s son. He said it did. Gianna told him that Dan was here the night before. He met with three people, two of whom were now dead. The table was ambushed by a woman in a suit and six soldiers. Only Dan and the leader of the group he met got away. With the owner distracted, K.R. snuck into the building through a hatch on the roof. He and Vella began to search the kitchens. They found a silver pocket watch decorated with three dolphins. It was the symbol of Pellisberg, the southernmost county of Mordehall. The Curator convinced Gianna to let him in. Skua then searched the dead bodies while Osprey stopped the workers from bothering her. She found similar pocket watches. She also noted they were dressed like they were from the South of Mordehall. At the urgings of The Curator, Gianna also gave them the address used to make the reservation.

The Curator and Skua went back to the Professor to update her. Vella, K.R., and Osprey went to the address to see what they could find. The address led them to a three story apartment building in the Coal Quarter. However the address stated used apartment four. They decided to check the roof. K.R. ran up with Vella’s grappling hook and dropped it down. Vella and Osprey went up. Osprey was just as quiet as K.R., but Vella made noise the whole way up. At the top they found a small locked hatch. K.R. quickly picked the lock and opened it. As he did a crossbow bolt flew out hitting him in the arm. It was only a minor injury. Vella quickly jumped down into the small room below. She incapacitate the man and disarmed him. He was dressed similar to the dead bodies they found in the restaurant. He also had a Pellisberg watch. They tried to question him but he only gave his name, Terrance, until Osprey threatened to cut his thumbs off. K.R.’s first question was who he thought they worked for. Terrance responded, “The Kaiser, no The Professor” It was clear he was working for a third party. He also told them he was supposed to meet Dan Irem in Miirshire, a small town only a day away from Pruzer. From there they would go to Port Thresthelm and charter a boat to Cape Red. To get there they would use the Procession of Peace as cover.

The Curator and Skua told the Professor what they knew. She reasoned that Dan Irem would try to get to Port Thresthelm to take a boat to Pellisberg. The Curator asked if that was the case, could they charter a boat. She gave the name Captain Peterson as a trustworthy owner of a ship. But she also didn’t think it would come to that. She also told them that the next day when they left for Miirshire, she would send one of her students with them.

Session Two: Migration
The next morning before heading out to the Procession of Peace, they met up with the Professor. She was at the same manor where she had spoken with them the day before. With her was a young woman. The woman looked tired and though she was clearly in her twenties, her hair was grey and her face full of wrinkles. She was introduced as Sylvie, the student the Professor had spoken about. Sylvie smiled weakly at the group, dodging their attempts at conversation. In short time, Osprey arrived in a stagecoach. The group boarded, K.R. sitting up front with Osprey. That left the question of what to do with Terrance. They had kept him as a prisoner. Skua didn’t trust him, she made sure he knew it. The Curator asked Terrance more about the Captain. In fear of Skua, Terrance described the Captain as a tall older man with grey hair. Terrance also said he could find the  Captain, but only in the Procession of Peace, not once they got to Miirshire. The Curator then asked where he came from. Terrance replied that he worked for an Earl in Pellisberg before being recruited to work for the Captain. Now he just followed the Captain’s orders. Terrance also didn’t know anything about the notes. All he knew was that he was supposed to take the boy out of the city. Despite Skua not trusting him, the group decided to bring him along. They needed Terrance to find the Captain.

It was a bumpy ride out of Pruzer. The inside of the coach was cramped. The group didn’t want to say anything important in front of the prisoner so instead they tried to make awkward conversation with Sylvie. The girl was clearly tired and brushed them off. In the front K.R. and Osprey said little. In only a few hours they reached the Procession of Peace. It was chaos. Hundreds of carts and thousands of people filled the road, moving slowly. Each cart was decorated in colorful fabric and people milled about. The crowd was rowdy and noisy and the Procession moved slowly. They realized they needed to blend in. K.R. slipped off the coach and soon returned with colorful banners to decorate it with. They rolled along with the Procession until just before sunset when it stopped.

Knowing that the Procession would reach Miirshire, Dan Irem would be lost, the group prepared to move out. As they started to disembark, Skua asked for time with Terrance alone. When everyone was out of the coach she hit him and told him to drop the act. She knew he'd been hiding something. Surprised, Terrance admitted he wanted to be found. He was supposed to take care of anyone who came after the boy. But he was overwhelmed by Vella. Still suspicious, Skua told him not to fuck with her and then left him with Osprey. The group was going to scout the Procession before going looking for the Captain. That didn’t stop them from enjoying the festivities. Vella found an arm wrestling tournament, though she lost the first round she won the second double or nothing round with her off hand. Sylvie found a market section and browsed books before getting tired and returning to the coach. K.R. bought some trinkets and food from local farmers to hand out to kids. From the urchins K.R. learned there was a sense of unease this year. There were more armed people than usual around, as well as some suspicious people watching the Procession. The Curator went to the nobles section of the camp. He found a lesser lord from Pellisberg and challenged him to contests using Skua as his champion. The lord and lady picked their bodyguard as their champion. Unfortunately, these people knew nothing about Pellisberg operations here. But Skua won an archery contest and, having scored three bullseyes, won a goat which she named Vindaloo.

When everyone returned to the coach, they grabbed Terrance and had him find the Captain’s camp. Sylvie, tired from the day, stayed behind while Osprey went out. To stop Terrance from trying to escape, they tied his hands under his jacket. Vella and K.R. walked with him, the pirate keeping a grasp on his arm. The Curator and Skua followed behind in case it was a trap. From her position behind, Skua noticed that Terrance was only pretending to look for clues. But she couldn’t warn the others without giving her and the Curator away. Eventually Osprey returned to the cart. He talked with Sylvie and told her she should go with the rest of the group. He could watch the coach. Sylvie agreed and hurried off. She soon found Skua and the Curator.

K.R. and Vella soon realized that Terrance was wasting time. They stopped him and demanded he start helping. Apparently willing, Terrance said the Captain would be by a black cart with white horses and three purple banners. It didn’t take long to find the cart. In the back were three chests and the only apparent guard was a woman in the driver’s seat. Seeing this, the Curator felt a pang of fear from his enchanted blade. He knew there was going to be an ambush. He, Skua, and Sylvie crept up and hid behind a cart. Hoping to lure out any ambushers, Vella with Terrance in tow, went to knock over a nearby cart as a distraction. The cart fell onto her. She had to hold out her hands to stop it from falling on her, thereby letting Terrance go. K.R. approached the center cart and opened a chest. The box releases a horrible screech of metal on metal and the inside was empty. As soon as he opened the chest, the ambush started. From behind nearby carts and wagons came the Captain, a woman with a crossbow, and six soldiers. The woman on the cart picked up her crossbow and shot K.R. Quickly the soldiers rushed K.R. and Vella. Excited for battle, they didn’t listen to the Captain’s orders. Vella dropped the cart, pinning Terrance and rushed to meet the soldiers in a fight. Sylvie used incantry to make the string of one of the archers wet, Skua hopped on top of the wagon to shoot the other archer, and the Curator ran to help Vella. K.R., nursing his wound, jumped under the center cart to hide and slashed at the ankles of the driver but got himself pinned. In the quick battle that followed Skua killed the driver with her bow, Vella felled a few of the soldiers, and Sylvie did her best to fend off the people attacking her. Both Vella and Sylvie were struck. The Captain then went after K.R. but found that Vella and Skua had killed most of his allies. The archer with the wet bowstring, fled the battle. K.R. finally managed to escape the heavy cart, he opened another chest and found the same noise. Skua noticed Terrance trying to escape. The Curator ran after him, pointing his unloaded crossbow into Terrance’s back. The threat worked and Terrance stopped.

The Captain was soon incapactitated as Vella pushed the remains of the center cart on top of him. and the fight was over. But the Curator noticed in the chaos that people had fled, dropping torches. One flaming cart was dangerously close to a poor looking child. He yelled to K.R. who ran after the kid recognizing her as one he had helped before. K.R. pulled the kid away. She thanked him and pointed into the dark. “One of the people I told you about” she said. In the shadows K.R. saw a woman in a suit with a cane. She turned and walked away. Terrance and the Captain were taken  out of the Procession, to a nearby field. As K.R. stood watch, Skua interrogated the Captain and Terrance violently. The Captain soon spoke. He said he sent the Thief on ahead to Miirshire with one other man and planned the ambush. Terrance was supposed to lead the group into the ambush. The captain also told them he worked for the Count of Pellisberg. After the interrogation, Sylvie took a look at K.R. and Vella’s injuries and patched them up. Skua and the Curator turned the prisoners into local soldiers and K.R. ran back to get Osprey and the horses. They also grabbed the horses from the cart and pooled their money to quickly buy two more. Then they rode off in the night to Miirshire.

Session Three: Prey
They reached Miirshire a few hours before dawn. Despite the early hour, the town stables were open. Inside they found several people awake, including the Toallan stable owner. She informed them that they were the third group to arrive that night and that keeping one horse would be twenty regents. When they balked at the price, she informed them that with the arrival of the Procession tomorrow, someone would pay the price. The Curator agreed to pay for the stables only if she told them everything about the first two groups. The stable owner agreed. The first group had been a boy about nineteen and matching Dan Irem’s description, and a tough looking man who seemed like his bodyguard. They sold their horses and headed back east, probably to a farmhouse nearby. An hour and a half later, a woman in the suit showed up on one of the best horses the stable owner had ever seen. She paid for three days then left immediately to wake up the town lord. She was alone. Osprey said she probably was still there and he would watch the lord’s manor. He paid for his stable spot and let Vindaloo stay there too. Osprey then pulled out a locked chest, which he had brought with him from the coach, and left it in his horse's saddle bags. The others decided to ride out to nearby farms they had seen on the way in. As they left the stable owner called after them that she wouldn’t hold their spots.

The first farmhouse they stopped at was one they had seen with lights, on the way in. Now it was dark. Inside was an old man, angry at being woken up. He told the Curator that he had seen one person alone to the North. The farm across the road contained a barren apple grove. Given the time of year, the harvest must have been only weeks before. Now there were only fruitless trees, a farmhouse, and a barn. The group snuck up, not wanting to alert Irem if he was inside. The Curator and Sylvie waited in the grove while Vella and K.R. went to the barn. Skua found a door that led to a cellar and went inside. In the cellar she found a secret door. She picked the lock and went through the passageway. It led up to a hatch apparently inside the farmhouse but covered by a carpet. Inside the barn was nothing but a few cows and a loft. As Vella and K.R. searched the loft, one of the cows wandered out. After being lured back in, the Curator and Sylvie put the bar back on the barn door. The loud thump woke up the people inside the house. From her vantage point Skua heard two male voices. Everyone froze until the voices quieted down. Skua carefully opened the hatch, pushing the carpet off. She moved through the dark house and opened the backdoor. K.R. entered and hid in a corner. Skua hid under the table. She thought she heard someone through another door. The noise couldn’t have been the two voices she heard before. Then the Curator knocked on the door. A man came out of the bedroom, not the Thief. He was holding a candle and clearly annoyed. He opened the front door. Immediately the Curator showed him a dolphin pocket watch. The man was confused but visibly less tense. He turned around to get the other person in the bedroom and froze when he saw K.R. Without waiting Sylvie struck his head with her staff and Vella clamped a hand over his mouth. The pirate began to tie him up. The Curator meanwhile entered the house and sat down at the table, pointing his crossbow at the bedroom door and holding the pocket watch. He called out to the bedroom. Another man walked out, clearly surprised. When he saw his partner tied up, he put his hands up and sat down at the table. Vella opened the second door. Inside was a tough looking man with a sword ready to charge. When he saw Vella and the others he also gave up. The Curator set about interrogating the three prisoners. Between them they found out that Dan Irem was hidden at the lord’s manor. Lord Petro Calvi was sympathetic to the Pellisberg cause, having been promised his family would be able to marry into an important Pelliberg house. The farmers themselves were just paid helpers. The Curator finally stood up, having got the information that he wanted. He told the farmers not to help Pellisberg anymore and took the hired muscle as prisoner.

It was almost morning by the time the group returned to Miirshire. K.R. took a look around the manor for Osprey. K.R. couldn’t find him. Osprey also wasn’t in the temple where he said he would meet them. His horse was still in the stable. While K.R. was searching, the Curator and Skua went to the lord’s manor. They walked by the one guard in duty and knocked on the door. They were greeted by a butler who insisted they couldn't come in. But after the Curator showed him a pocket watch, the butler said they were welcome to come back later in the morning when Lord Calvi was awake. The Curator then noticed K.R. coming out of the temple. He subtly indicated to K.R. to enter the house. As K.R. snuck in the second floor window, the Curator distracted the Butler, and Skua distracted the guards. The Curator asked about other visitors to which the butler mentioned a woman from Dorlon had visited. Inside the manor, K.R. found several unused bedrooms and drawing rooms. He avoided the master bedroom and found his way downstairs into the kitchen and down further to the storeroom. Down in the basement he found Dan Irem asleep on a cot. K.R. paused for a moment and quickly made a decision. He grabbed Dan’s bag and fled the building. Once he got outside he searched it. The notes were inside.

Seeing that K.R. was out safely, the Curator excused himself and Skua. They went to the inn to grab breakfast. As they ate they listened to the conversations around them. Rumor was that there was a regiment of the Kaiser’s soldiers in the area. Vella and Sylvie had taken their prisoner to the temple of Ghuramor where they waited for Osprey. K.R. joined them, as did the Curator and Skua when they were done with their meal. They discussed what their next steps had to be. K.R. was in favor of immediately running back to Pruzer. Others brought up that Dan might have made copies. They needed to destroy those. Soon the time came for Osprey to meet them. He didn’t show up. The others couldn’t wait for him. They left the temple, tied up their prisoner outside, and went back to the lord's house. Once more presenting their stolen pocket watches, they told Lord Calvi that they were the reinforcements from Pellisberg. The watches granted them access to Lord Calvi’s breakfast table. They were joined by Dan Irem. After a few minutes of tense conversation Irem revealed he didn’t have the notes. The Curator asked Dan Irem about copies. Irem was suspicious and told them that just as the Captain instructed, he hadn’t made copies. Eventually Irem pulled K.R. aside under the pretense of looking in the basement. Irem revealed to K.R. that he thought Calvi stole them. Before K.R. could respond, there was a disturbance outside. Everyone ran to the window of the manor to see the Woman in the Suit riding into town ahead of a royal regiment. Behind her an executioner was dragging a beaten and limp Osprey. The soldier’s took formation around the town square. The Woman yelled to the gathered crowd “Come see the Kaiser’s justice” Osprey was thrown to the ground and the executioner pulled out a sword and stepped over him. It seemed impossible to save him. But Sylvie stood up holding a sea stone in her hand. She focused on the town well and began to summon the water.

Session Four: Territory
The ground rumbled and shook, throwing everyone in the square to their feet. The stone began to crack and jets of water broke free, streaming upward. Soon the whole square was destroyed and everyone soaked. The Woman and her whole regiment began to pick themselves up but the group in Calvi's manor wasted no time. K.R. and Vella jumped out the window running towards Osprey. Skua took a position in the window to cover them. The Curator and Sylvie pulled back along with Lord Calvi and his butler. The Mordish soldiers got ready for their advance. The archers started shooting into the house, the regulars formed ranks, and the executioner charged K.R. and Vella head on. One arrow struck Lord Calvi. Sylvie pulled him back and tried to help him. Skua and the Curator together took down several of the Crown’s archers. K.R. ran by the executioner, taking a hit from the sword as he did so. K.R. grabbed the unresponsive Osprey, and began bringing him back. In a quick exchange of blows, Vella killed the executioner. She helped defend K.R. and Osprey as they retreated to the manor.

After the quick, chaotic, fight, the members of the Birding Society sheltered in Lord Calvi’s manor. However during the scrap, Dan Irem had slipped off unseen. Sylvie quickly tended to people’s wounds as they discussed how best to flee. Before Sylvie could look after Osprey, he grabbed her arm. First he admitted to the group that he had talked to the Woman in the Suit. He was ashamed. Then he told Sylvie to open the box. She carefully lifted the lid to find thirteen sky stones, a vial of Soldier’s Respite, and a handwritten note saying “take flight” Sylvie recognized the handwriting as Lord Keel’s. She closed the box. Sylvie understood Keel’s message but knew now wasn’t the time to share.

Possible methods for escape induced sneaking into the stables and riding as hard as they could and attempting to defend the manor. All of Calvi’s guards had been killed by Mordish Regulars, meaning the group was on their own. Before they could pick the best option, Calvi’s butler accidentally let slip that there was a secret tunnel in the basement. Calvi tried to silence him but it was too late. Despite Calvi’s resistance, the butler showed them downstairs and the way out. Calvi remained above as the group slipped into the tunnel. Just before they closed the door behind them there was a knock on the front door. A woman’s voice came down saying “I want to talk” Not giving her a chance, the Curator shut the tunnel door and the group fled into the old mines. The mines were dark and cramped. They gradually led West and uphill. After almost half an hour the group heard voices coming from ahead. They paused to listen. It seemed to be a group of local miners. The miners were worried about the Kaiser’s troops. The head of the guild seemed to believe the troops were going to annex the mines and all of Miirshire. Cautiously, the members of the Birding Society revealed themselves. The Curator spoke for them. He agreed with the miner’s assessment and promised them help. He also revealed that Jackson, the head of the Pruzer Miners Guild, owed him a favor. If the miners helped them escape, they would help them fight the Kaiser. And so it was agreed. Two of the miners went back to Miirshire to scout and bring back horses. Everyone else prepared for a fight.

Sylvie knew it was time to reveal the details of the notes to the others. She pulled aside the Curator, Skua, Vella, K.R., and Osprey. The six of them headed deeper into the mine. She showed them the inside of the box and took the notes from K.R. She told them they were human enchantment rituals found in the Southern Isles. With the notes and the sky stones, she could perform a ritual to give someone wings. All she needed was a dove. The miners had canaries which she thought could also work. The others listened in fear. They understood what a weapon this could be but each one of them turned her down. Each was scared of the change the ritual would bring about. Sylvie accepted it. She would use the sky stones for other magic. Slowly the group dispersed, each going to get ready. Before the Curator could leave, Osprey stopped him. Osprey apologized for talking to the Woman, and he thanked the Curator for “taking care of his mistakes” The apology was accepted.

The few dozen miners and the Birding Society members took up spots in the encampment above. It was a simple place, two buildings in front of the mines and an open field before the road. One group of miners hid behind the shorter building with Vella. Sylvie, the Curator, and Skua hid behind the other. K.R. hid with the rest of the miners in the caves. After an hour of waiting, a small group turned off the road that was about a mile out. Even from far away it was obviously a Mordish regiment led by the Woman. They made their way to the mines. Just as they got within range, Skua struck. She felled an archer in one shot. The miners rushed out clashing with the Regulars. K.R. took another hit. Sylvie and the Curator had to fend off soldiers as Skua tried to take down the archers. Vella engaged the Woman but was quickly overwhelmed and had to flee. She instead fought some Regulars, killing them. In short order, K.R. was badly wounded and fell unconscious. Sylvie ran from cover to help him. Fortunately for her, Skua had killed all the archers. K.R. got up just in time to throw his knife at the Woman. She had taken many wounds but was still fighting with her cane and the sword that had been hidden in it. The knife stuck in her. But before he could recall it, she pulled it from her body and threw it back. K.R. was almost killed by the blow. He was only saved by Sylvie after the fight. Also in the fight, Vella had been struck by the Woman’s sword. The resulting wound burned with what was clearly poison. Skua had tried to poison the Woman, but had poisoned herself as well.

Eventually the battle was won. About a third of the miners died, and half the Regulars. The Woman finally fell from her overwhelming wounds. The surviving Regulars were taken prisoner and the Curator showed them the Pellisberg watches. Meanwhile Sylvie and Skua frantically searched nearby for plants that Sylviue could use to fashion an antidote. One was created in just the nick of time. Immediately after. K.R. and Sylvie returned to Pruzer to deliver the notes. The others stayed behind. That night a commotion was heard above. When Skua and Vella went to investigate they found more miners killed and the prisoners freed. They would bring back the news that Pellisberg was trying to revolt.