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The World of Georic 1989-Present

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Ballad of the Pigeon God #34: The Baronial Envoy

The eccentric cleric Echelon has been named the Baron of Eding!

Sometimes there needs to be accounting in games, especially when the Barony lay in ruin for months.  Taxes still have to be collected!

15 DuoDec 1071 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Baron Echelon and a group of his "closest associates" were already off to the halfling villages to collect the back taxes that were never collected after the death of Lord Athelstane, many months prior.   Many friends and staff were busy doing their daily chores.

The taxes of Eding and Lowdale were easily collected and ready to go, and Echelon felt it best to get a proper accounting of the capital "city" to Hydincall while they were still trying to square away the outlying territories.

Leaving for Hydincall with the taxes:
Lady Iris - NPC -  Former peasant hero of Eding, Red Knight of Crosedes, and attache to King Nevin.
Mellandria - Mage and baronial scribe, finding the new Baron to be quite irresponsible.
Ashe - White-haired elven ranger of the pine barrens.
Carthon - NPC - Echelon's right-hand man at his Chateau.

22 DuoDec 1071 - Hydincall, Kingdom of Crosedes
After a brief audience with King Nevin, who appreciated the effort and wisdom of Iris and Echelon, advised quartet to simply deliver future taxes to the treasury.  The group found wisdom in the King's words and departed for some tavern-hopping.  The encountered the female bard Ariel again, and she agreed to join the at the Chateau.

Lady Iris bid them adieu.  It may have seemed that Echelon was flying by the seat of his pants, but most new nobles do exactly that, she assured the party.  Good friends make good decisions.

27 DuoDec 1071 - On the road back to Eding, Lake Apotheosis, Kingdom of Crosedes
Along the way, Ashe's brother Binklen showed up out of the blue.  After twelve years!   Ashe was simply dumbfounded and couldn't get a word out of his mouth.
Binklen, Ashe's Brother
But the Cult of Lake Apotheosis (or Cult of Light) ambushing them changed that.    Their numbers were adequate, but their tactics crude and the four were able to dispatch them with little alarm.   The retreating cultists shouted at the adventurers, calling them heretics, demonspawn, and brigands....

The last name made sense about an hour or so later when actual brigands tried to parlay what little the group had and it devolved into a melee.  Ashe slew the brigand leader, Leonid, and the brigands scattered, leaving a canvass covered cart and a tired mule.   The contents inside the cart were oil paintings, not unlike the one Ashe bought the Chateau many months ago.  Leaving the interior decorating to the Baron and his staff, the crew headed back to the Chateau with the cart.

Upon returning to Eding, they reunited with their friends and discovered Babette had given birth on the 22nd... to twins!  Two healthy boys (with ever so slightly pointed ears) named Yuri and Darius.

After two hard months getting the new Barony on track, and most of the taxes delivered, it was time to celebrate their good fortune.

GM Notes:  Being Baron isn't the glamorous job everyone thinks it is, and being the friend of the Baron, even less so.   

Here begins another spotty run of journal entries, as different party members come on go, journal entries are very self-centric, and in some cases, completely omit important plot points (see the upcoming episode #35 as an example.)  *Minor spoilers* The paintings in the cart are somehow important, yet the next journal entry after Babette having twins is Rolf heading to Omsjik to inquire about the paintings, completely failing to mention the bombshell that occurred in between.

Another storyline that gets swept under the rug is Ashe's brother Binklen.  For the record, he's offered a small room in return for work on the Chateau.  Until he's brought up again, let's simply assume he's tending livestock, chopping wood, and catching up with his brother.  

The final forgotten storyline is Babette.  The thief had survived Talislanta, but her player dropped out soon after the Fall semester started up.  She will pop up from time to time, but most of her life will be dedicated to her boys.  

Next: #35 Gladestrom

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