The Crimson Mountains - Episode 4

This page is a plot journal covering the fourth session of The Crimson Mountains campaign, played on 2/17/16.

A brutal, bloody and corrupt episode, this session was notable for the creation of the "Crimson Mountain Co." by Thane Nilos & his retinue, Kairos' arrival in Targe and revenge on his first victim, and the brutal death of Roc of Ironside.

This episode is recognized as the conclusion of Act 1 of The Crimson Mountains.

Major characters to debut in this episode were Zenia Kallistratos, the sister of Nilos & Kairos, and Mikael Andronikus, the bastard patriarch of Targe. Lt. Darius Straton was absent for this episode, being engaged in officer training for the Sons of Aquinas.

Previous Session: Episode 3 

Next Session: Episode 5 

Execution
The session began with an image of the Iron Keep at morning, with a crowd accumulated at the steps. The Regicide stood in custody of the honor guard for his execution by beheading. Nilos came out of the keep to confront the crowd and the man who killed his father. The Thane gave a quick speech, revealing his plans to institute a voluntary military program for refugees in the foreign quarter. Nilos quickly charged and beheaded the Regicide in a showing of brutality. All the while, the crowd belittled him for his decisions with the refugees, calling him a "Bruxa lover" and various insults.

At the Iron Keep
Shortly after, Nilos went to the guest quarters to speak with Baron Ferris Alexius of Nubardum. The Baron had just woken up, in his casual robes. Nilos told him of the initiative, and grilled the Baron over his handling of the border. Ferris retorted by angrily reminding Nilos about the trouble he faces in Nubardum: the large Yurican population, the minority Tirrenian nobles attempting to keep control, difficult educational initiatives to assimilate Yurican youth, the dangerous presence of the Birchmen group, the lack of military forces to combat them, and the strongest force in the land: The Gold Legion, headed up by his rival brothers, Beric & Gerith.

Nilos refused to take the Baron's excuses and made a request for him to increase the food tax in Nubardum, thus forcing the Yurican population into indentured servitude in Nilos' private army. Alexius advised against this, telling Nilos that he was naive to assume the foreigners would be loyal even in desperation, and telling him to arm them was to arm the enemy, a certain death wish. The Baron would not budge on his position, and Nilos left him be, but the Baron agreed to have agents of Nilos in Nubardum for the recruitment of new forces.

Council Meeting 4
Later, Nilos attended a very eventful council meeting where he rolled out his full plans for the "Crimson Mountain Co.". a private military company comprised of a vanguard of refugee troops fighting in exchange for their freedom, led by experienced Tirrenian trainers and officers. The plan would be for the company to be a private-public partnership, partially owned by the crown and partially owned by publicly traded shareholders.

At first, the councilors were against the plan, sharing concerns that arming the refugees would lead to trouble and outrage. However, upon Nilos' explanation of the revenue-generating possibilities of the plan, Imperator Widmund Reinhold & Executor Kristoff Mason were overjoyed by the indisputably corrupt venture, and both made their cases for being the chairman and primary owner of the company. Thus began an hour-long debate over shareholdings, positions, and contracts. Executor Mason argued he should not only be chair, but that his son Raymond would be the ideal candidate for Director of Finance, his nephew Ser Zanther Mason was the best choice for the military commander of the company, and that the best deal would be to sign an exclusive contract with Mason Mining & Smithing for a reduced price on weapons for the company. Nilos saw reason in the Executor's nepotistic plan, and agreed under the condition that the contract with Mason Mining included a 20% discount for CMC.

This infuriated Imperator Reinhold, but he agreed to stay on board as a shareholder as long as he had an equal share to Executor Mason. Fenris also got into the deal, and despite Caius pointing out how ridiculously corrupt and fucked up the plan was, agreed to take 10% ownership. In the end, it was agreed that shares would be split as such: And positions in the company would be as follows: And so the absurd plan was put in ink, and the repercussions of backlash would begin...
 * "I think this is a terrible idea and I'm ashamed of all of you... but I'll take 10%" - Inquisitor Caius.
 * Public revenue for "the Crown" - 20%
 * Nilos Kallistratos - 10%
 * Dracken Fenris - 10%
 * Caius - 10%
 * Kristoff Mason - 15%
 * Widmund Reinhold - 15%
 * The additional 20% would be up for public sale.
 * Chairman of the Board: Nilos Kallistratos
 * Chief Executive Officer: Kristoff Mason
 * Director of Finance: Raymond Mason
 * Director of Military: Ser Zanther Mason

After a few bottles of champagne, the councilors resumed regular meeting topics. Caius informed Nilos that Professor Vredesbyrd had a breakthrough on his examination of Suleiman's alchemical equipment, and requested his presence in the lab.

Imperator Reinhold informed that his father had banded together a unit: the Order of Lancers, as an order of knights to assist the Sons of Aquinas and combat the barbarian threat. The order was led by "The Twelfth Knight", Ser Llewelyn Barrish, and was on their way to Ironside Village to take back the village along with SOA forces.

Council Meeting 4.5
Praetor Fenris reminded Nilos that he had requested the presence of delegates from Sea March and The Verge, and that one delegate, Praetor Pelagius, had arrived, while the other, Praetor Andronikus of the Verge, was still running late. The council welcomed Praetor Pelagius back into the council chamber for audience.

Praetor Pelagius entered coldly, telling of Than Nereus' anger at the steel price hike. He also called out Executor Mason for his nepotistic plans and corrupt business dealings, saying that Mason was playing Thane Nilos for a fool by channeling revenue into House Mason. Nilos asked Pelagius if he could ask Thane Nereus to help with border security, to which Pelagius was offended. He wondered why Nilos bothered requesting the Praetor's presence for such a simple matter.

"Could an owl not suffice?!" - Praetor Pelagius

After the failure of a conversation, Pelagius left angrily, harming Nilos' alliance with Sea March.

Afterwards, Praetor Mikael Andronikus of the Verge entered, bottle of wine in hand. The cocky and charismatic Praetor was dismissive of Nilos' power, calling him "boy-thane". He also went as far as making fun of the court, calling Executor Mason a "bald oaf", and Imperator Reinhold a "yellow-bellied coward". He too expressed House Andronikus' anger at the steel price increase, telling Mason that he'll have to inform the mercenaries of Targe to buy weapons from Straton Steelworks instead. The Praetor continued to brashly push further, making fun of Nilos' dead parents.

"I heard the Thane got blown in half on the steps of his own house... must have been a difficult mess to clean up." - Mikael Andronikus

The Praetor thanked Thane Nilos for wasting his time, and left the Iron Keep, but not until after insulting the quality of Blackwall wine.

Council Meeting 4.75
After the meeting, Inquisitor Caius left Nilos with disturbing news: his flames had caught word that it was possible his elder brother, Kairos Kallistratos, had escaped from the Druids and was alive, rumored to have appeared in Hastreau.

Caius warned that Kairos could potentially be a threat down the line, if he chose to challenge Nilos' claim to the throne of Blackwall. He offered an alternative: he knew a man who could be hired to put the problem to rest early.

Nilos saw reason in Caius' proposal, and agreed to meet with the hitman in the coming days.

Vredesbyrd's Lab
Later, Nilos met with Professor Mikal Vredesbyrd to check up on the investigation into Thane Kain's assassination.

When he arrived in the chambers, he saw a servant girl (Eliza) cleaning Vredesbyrd's supplies. The two exchanged words briefly before the shy girl quickly scuttled away.

Vredesbyrd delivered his report: he discovered that the prime ingredient used in the firearm which killed the Thane was Sela Petrae, a relatively rare alchemical substance with explosive potential. Nilos inquired whether this discovery could be used to make explosives of thier own, and Vredesbyrd claimed it was possible if enough Sela Petrae could be compiled. The Professor was excited by the prospect, claiming that the scientific potential for good was immense: this technology could be used for heating, propulsion, and who knows what else.

However, Nilos had much more destructive intentions...

Arrival in Targe
After days of hard riding through the Verge, Kairos and his horse, nicknamed Famine, arrived in the bustling city of Targe. There, Kairos once again ran into the "Mutual Friend" who told him that soon many of his questions would be answered. The man told Kairos all about Targe, and its taverns, casinos, brothels, wineries, and various mercenary companies. He told Kairos that he has an important benefactor, and he would soon meet them. He then followed the man to take audience with the power that be...

Blade'z Vineyard
The Man took Kairos to a vineyard - Blade'z Vineyard. There, in a secret wine cellar, the truth was revealed. In wait was Kairos' sister, Zenia Kallistratos. After years apart, the two siblings had a joyous reunion. Zenia revealed that she had been looking for Kairos, and sent this man to make contact with him. Kairos explained his situation, and how he had narrowly escaped death, showing his multiple scars to his sister.

Finally, the Mutual Friend's identity was revealed: Lucien Bladeborn, an ex-mercenary and one of the best their was. Now retired, Bladeborn was the founder and operator of Blade'z Vineyard. Zenia then let another revelation: despite being betrothed to Stefan Andronikus, the soon-to-be Thane of the Verge, she was in love with Lucien.

Zenia described that her time in Castle Severis had been like a prison; she had been attempting to make contact with their brother, Thane Nilos, but none of her messages seemed to leave the castle. Feeling endangered, she sent her secret lover Lucien to find Kairos and get her help.

She described the situation in Targe: the widowed Thaness, Rana Andronikus, is largely an incompetent drunk who is known more by her celebrity than as a ruler. Her son, Stefan Andronikus, is a spoiled son of a bitch, and she holds no love for her betrothed. The real power in the Castle lies with the Thaness' bastard brother-in-law Mikael Andronikus, the Praetor. He has his hands in all pies, including shares in multiple brothels, casinos, wineries, and mercenary companies across the city.

Lucien chimed in to explain the situation with the Creed. The Archon of Aquinas had recently perished, and there would soon be a Congregation of Vicars at the High Temple of Aquinas in Targe to elect the next Archon. Three Vicars were primed for the position and would be the main candidates. One of them, Vicar Primus, was known to Kairos as a cooperator of Archon Plexipus.

Zenia called for Kairos to remain anonymous, as the Druids out of the High Temple of Aquinas would assuredly be after him. Lucien and Zenia set up a home for Kairos at the Vineyard so he could remain in hiding, and Zenia departed back to Castle Severis before she was discovered.

Lucien then let Kairos know a critical piece of information: sympathetic to Kairos' desire for revenge, he knew the whereabouts of Druid Joakim, one of the Acolytes who left Kairos for dead. Expecting he had arrived in the city in preperation of the upcoming Congregation, Joakim was likely at his favorite place for recreation: The Come and Go brrothel. Kairos thanked Lucien for his brotherhood, an set forth to enact vengeance.

The Come and Go
Kairos headed out from Blade'z Vineyard, wearing a bird-style masquerade mask to veil his identity.

Kairos arrived at the Come and Go brothel, where he met it's owner, the lovely Madame Brigette. Kairos paid her for information, asking if Joakim was onthe premises. Brigette slyly refused to answer, saying her customer's privacy was of her utmost concern. Kairos took a seat in the lobby for an extended period of time, repeatedly paying Brigette for more wine (Blade'z Vineyard Red), until he saw Joakim arrive for service and enter the back rooms.

At this point, Kairos paid to get into the back rooms, where he tracked down Joakim. He found himself in an odd scene, as he entered a sizable room where a masked BDSM orgy was occurring. He continued to track Joakim, spotting him on a veiled balcony above the room. Kairos found his way to the balcony, where he found his target, alone, ogling the orgy below.

Kairos struck, and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Kairos broke Joakim's arm in a kimura lock and punted him in the face before driving his sword into his heart. As the sensation of vengeance filled him, Kairos confiscated Joakim's weapons and a secret letter on his person, addressed from Archon Plexipus himself.

On his way out of the brothel, Kairos paid Madame Brigette for her troubles, and she said she would handle the mess, maintaining that customer's privacy was her utmost concern.

From there, Kairos climbed to a high point in Targe, overlooking his new home...

Gold Legion Camp
Roc awoke in the Gold Legion encampment, where he was introduced to David. David answered Roc's inquiries about joining the Legion, saying Roc needed to have his own armor and 100 gold for dues and personal burial money. He helped Roc get back his crossbow from some brash members of the Legion who were using it for target practice, and sent him on his way, departing with the words "The harder the battle, the harder the spirit."

Outside the camp, Roc again ran into Tye. Tye warned him that Sycotha's gang would try to kill him if he came back to town after failing his mission, and told him he needed to get out of town and join the Legion immediately if he wanted to live. Luckily, Tye knew someone who could help, and insisted Roc follow him when he ran off. Roc did, and was ambushed by a few gang members who tackled him, subdued him, and threw him into a wagon with a bag on his head to be hauled off...

Russell's True Hideout
Roc awoke in the hideout of Russell - the man he previously tried to assassinate. However, this was a different man from the target, who revealed himself as the true Russell. Russ knew that Sycotha was after his head, and therefore had a few doubles in his employ.

Russell captured Roc because his failure opened an opportunity: because Roc failed, Sycotha would want to murder him, so Russell wants to take advantage of the situation by sending Roc after Sycotha. Russell offered Roc a position in his employ if he could successfully complete a mission to discover the source of Sycotha's ganjadil. Roc agreed to this mission, under the circumstance that if the job was completed, Russell would give Roc the gold required to join the Gold Legion and depart Stoneshade for good.

Roc's mission would be to track Sycotha's right-hand-man, Cyrill, to a secret meeting place and discover the identities of Sycotha's supplier.

The Mission:Tracking Cyrill
At midnight, Roc hid in the streets in front of Ole' Pap's Shap until Cyrill departed. Roc stalked Cyrill through the streets of Stoneshade into the Steel Quarter, where Cyrill entered an old mining trail. Roc continued to follow, succeeding in many close calls, where he followed Cyrill into an old mine, and into a branch of the Stoneshade sewers.

In the sewer, Cyrill sat at the meeting point to await the suppliers. Roc prepared his hand crossbow in case of trouble.

However, things took a turn for the worst, as Roc hatched a plan to disrupt negotiations. Instead of eavesdropping, he chose to attempt assassination on Cyrill, and shot him in the shoulder with the crossbow. Injured, Cyrill screamed as footsteps could be heard from the other side of the sewers. Roc ran over to Cyrill for a short struggle, where he killed the young gangster by stabbing him in the throat with a crossbow bolt.

Roc hid before the suppliers arrived- two Bruxian men accompanied by Gold Legion mercenaries. This information was a revelation, hinting at a larger axis of alliance between Sycotha's gang, the Gold Legion, and the Vassili drug cartel.

Once the men discovered Cyrill's dead body, the men began a search. Roc was discovered, and attempted to flee. The mercenaries gave chase, but their armor slowed them down enough for Roc to narrowly escape.

Miserable Death
However, Roc was not safe. After failing another mission, he had successfully pissed off the two most powerful men of Stoneshade's underworld. That night, while begging on the streets of the Trade Quarter, Roc was jumped and murdered by Sycotha's men - a shocking main character death.

This marked the end of Roc of Ironside's story, as he bled out in the streets. His last thought was the face of his grandfather, Bernard.