The Story Session I (RL: 9/23/00)

• May 1st, 183 2C. Barton "Jolly" Jones, Thurton Gromst, Sperin Tramil, Anastasia Zakharov, and Aliana Moonsong meet at Kiltin's Rest in the evening hours to discuss the current political situation of the town of Akia and what to do. The situation is that the Senate is going to give a seat to the northwestern corner of the Empire of Threforfar. Akia, being the largest town in the region, is the likely place from which the new senator will come. Most of the Senate is made up of old nobility. This favors Craf Moonsong, the closest thing the region has to a noble, to become the senator. Jones makes clears his intentions not to let this happen. The group decides, after debating over things, that they need more information and if it comes time to put a candidate forward, it will be Jones. They do agree that the seat should go up for general election every five years, regardless of who they support to get elected. They don't think it should go to a noble house who will pass it down from father the son (though it is pointed out that Aliana is the heir to the Moonsong Winery at present). They debate bringing things up at a town meeting or before hand. It is brought up that the Festival of Spring is to occur on May 5th. This might be a good time to do something, for the entire town of Akia will be gathered together for the festival. It is noted that Jones' beer isn't the best.

After the meeting, Sperin travels across town to the far eastern reaches to visit with Creyton Grey. Creyton reminds Sperin that he retired, but thinks that if it is something Sperin really believes in, he should persue it.
 
• May 2nd. Sperin goes to visit his neighbor Jake on the farms west of town. Jake is receptive to the idea of elections and thinks most of the other farmers will be as well. They compare it to crop rotation. Jake promises to have his wife Mildred bring it up at the women's weekly knitting meeting. The farmers are all getting together for a poker night at Jake's place the evening of the 3rd. It might be a good time for a meeting. Sperin then goes to work.

Ana and Thurton both go down to the docks at different times where they both consult two of the local dock workers; Joe and Bob. Ana helps Joe remove a splinter and Thurton has a beer in the dive bar down by the docks that makes Jolly's worst taste like Moonsong's finest by comparison. Some sailors are also chatted with by Ana. It is gathered that someone important from Flagaton Pol boarded back in Emperor's Lookout at the same time as the ship that just arrived and should probably arrive in the next day or two. Ana also tries to talk with Hilar Red, who isn't home. Thurton starts plugging the idea of elections to the dockworkers, who seem apathetic to it.
Barton works the central town, getting a feel for people and bringing up the idea of public elections for the seat in the Senate.
Aliana, along with "Cook", works at the Rest. She prods the ever gossipy Doris Treehorn, and Mildred, about the election and, in the process, gets set up for a date will Billy Domin.
The group comes back together at Kiltin's Rest for their meeting and they share what they've learned. After some debate, it is decided that they need to get to whomever the Senate has sent first, before Craf Moonsong does. They have to hit up whomever it is with their ideas and show they have the support of the town. A pair of strangers, wearing studded leather armor and carrying swords on their horses, arrive at the Rest. They get a room and stable their steeds at Red Wolf Stables. What to do about the strangers, as well as the potential important arrival the next day is debated. Finally, they decide to have a welcome party down at the docks and get as many people down there as possible to greet this political emissary.
 
• May 3rd. They spend most of the morning gathering up their friends and neighbors to meet down at the docks. Jolly offers two kegs of his "bad" beer to entice out more people. About 50 people show up, which is quite a crowd for Akia. Representatives from the dockworkers, farmers, and the central part of town are all there. Barton is late, but he shows up soon enough. One of the strangers who arrived the night before is spotted on top of a warehouse, overseeing the entire affair. Thurton investigates him, but the man does nothing but watch. Two ships can be seen coming in. People mingle. Ana climbs up into the watch tower (which is run by the Imperial Government) and flirts her way into spying the ships and spotting a slightly heavy-set man on the vessel. As the ships come in, it is learned that the man is the pompous Senator Evan King, from Joymont. He speaks briefly with Barton, then gives a speech, before vanishing to let Mr. Smith, his assistant, handle his affairs. Mr. Smith seems to handle all of the Senator's arrangement. Thurton is commissioned to find the Senator a suitable campsight while he is "roughing it" in Akia. The Senator apparently has an interest in botany. A meeting with the Senator is promised to Barton. The ships are unloaded, the crowd disperses, and the Senator departs. It is agreed that the group will meet that night to discuss how to proceed.

Thurton leads the Senator to his campground.
Aliana leaves the Rest after a few hours of work to pay a visit to the Senator. She makes an arrangement with Mr. Smith to meet with the Senator the next morning to discuss the local flora.
As Aliana returns from her visit, she nears the Rest and realizes that all the lanterns are out and the door is open. She goes and gets Thurton. The pair sneak into the deserted inn. Checking the back room, Thurton finds Barton's dead body. He keeps the fact from Aliana for now. Ana and Sperin soon arrive for the meeting and Barton's death is finally revealed. Sperin goes and fetches Creyton. It is determined that whomever murderd Barton did so with that are their goal. His throat is slit. There is no sign of a struggle. Nothing has been stolen. There is no sign of the two strangers. An argument erupts between the five who are present (Aliana, Anastasia, Creyton, Sperin, and Thurton) about what to do. Should they ring the bell? Should they cover it up? Should they keep up the political movement? Their friend is dead. Finally, they go to ring the bell. It is guarded. The group attacks and combat erupts. Sperin and Thurton engage the guard while Ana rings the bell. Ana gets cut by the guard before he is ripped open by Sperin (using Creyton's boardsword) while the guard is held by Thurton. More men advance. One is shot by Creyton. It seems these black leather wearing men have a sniper of their own. After a few shots, Sperin gets hit in the chest. People retreat. Ana and Aliana go one way. Sperin and Thurton another. Ana and Aliana are confronted by another man in black. He cuts Aliana's leg before he is hit by Creyton. The pair of women sprint toward the Red Wolf Stables and hide inside. Thurton and Sperin come in a bit later. It is quiet out there. People try to wrap up their wounds as best they can. Everyone but Thurton ends up hiding in the loft. Thurton hides below. It is quiet. The two studded leather wearing strangers come in. They realize they aren't alone and try to draw out the hidden. No one steps forward, so they take their horses and leave. A few minutes later, 4 men in black arrive. They start searching the place. A sound is made up in the loft and two go to climb up. Thurton startles a horse and it rushes out, knocking down the man on the ladder. He then tries to hit the guy with two swords and misses. He gets stabbed. The horse bolts out of the stables. Aliana climbs out of the small window from the loft and down to the ground. Ana and Sperin start throwing down knives, daggers, and bales of hay to try and help Thurton, who has no luck with the swords. He throws them down and just grabs the guy. His left leg gets badly cut up as he wrestles with a guy and manages to punch his lights out. Aliana runs around the building to the doors and mounts a horse she had untied earlier. Anastasia climbs out the window. Sperin jumps down out of the loft and manages to cut off a guy's leg. Aliana runs over a guy with a horse, badly damaging both the guy and the horse. Thurton gets his hands on the remaining guy and they start wrestling and punching each other. Grabbing a bucket from outside, Ana comes around to help and almost bashes in Creyton's brain by accident. The remaining guy is beat up by Thur and shot by Creyton. They grab horses and flee. Taking they back ways through town, they head toward Creyton's house.
Creyton has some white paste that he puts on everyone's wounds. People are exhausted and panicked. They try to figure out what to do and then end up going to sleep.
 
• May 4th. Everyone decides to stick together. They ride (some hurting very badly) into the town center near the firebell. Drake is there and he isn't happy. He tries to figure out what is going on. Only the bodies of two men near the bell were found. Cook was sent earlier to Fort Hancock to fetch a ranger. Drake sends the Gindim boys after Cook just in case Cook has trouble on the way, which the group seems to think he will. Things are explained and, among them, the fact that Drake thinks of Ana as a witch is revealed.

They head out to the Senator's camp and run into his rather arrogant Captain of the Imperial Guard. Aliana, because of her noble birth, is allowed in by Mr. Smith to see the Senator. Aliana informs the Senator of the situation. The Senator agrees to send men to check out Moonsong Winery, travel to Fort Hancock, and travel back to Flagaton Pol to fetch a member of the Guild, whatever the hell that means. Aliana reports back to the group that he seemed friendly to their cause, if a little dense.
Thurton is mostly unconscious from pain. The group heads back to Sperin's and they get food (notably preserved yams among other things) clothes and some weapons Sperin has. They get clothes for Thurton from his house. Ana and Aliana each fetch clothes and Aliana also gets some personal artifacts. She then goes back to Barton's to go through his personal belongings with Drake.
Having gathered what they needed, the group (Aliana, Anastasia, Creyton, Sperin, and Thurton (out)) heads out into the Verde Woods east of town, led by Creyton. He takes them into the woods several hours, leading them to obscure places that no one in Akia outside of him can find to his knowledge. He warns that he'll go no farther, because the group is close to the territory of the Grugach, which everyone knows to be a myth. Ana, for some reason, insists on pressing on, so they do. Sure enough, they run into the Grugach, maybe. They run into someone, watching them from the woods. Creyton and Sperin want to go back. Aliana starts acting very strange and talking to the forest. She insists on staying out there in the Grugach territory and that they'll be safe. Ana agrees, that this place is where they must stay. The women refuse to leave. Creyton finally relents to the odd insistances of Ana and Aliana. The group falls asleep deep in the Verde Woods.