ftp.ee.pdx.edu/2014.02.ftp.ee.pdx.edu.tar/ftp.ee.pdx.edu/pub/frp/Archives/970

Internet Message Format | 1995-05-23 | 15KB

Path: usenet.ee.pdx.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!news.uoregon.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!uunet!not-for-mail
From: [e-mail] (Thomas Vallow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: STORY:  Counterparts #2
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 22 May 1995 09:55:43 -0400
Organization: UUNET Technologies Inc, Fairfax VA USA
Lines: 319
Sender: [e-mail]
Approved: [e-mail]
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <3pq54v$[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

                          COUNTERPARTS
                             by Tom Vallow
                             [e-mail]
                             (feedback encouraged)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Variables ------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Episode II :  Employment....

Place:  Hochoch, Grand March of Bissel
Environment: City
Weather: Blistery cold
Date/Time: 19 December, 569 / Early evening
--------------------------------------------------------------------

 The newly-formed party has finally reached Hochoch, and has gone to the
Towering Ogre Inn to have a comfortable evening, and discuss plans for the
future.

Kron: (to no one in particular) Well, what now?
Grael: (looks up from his discussion with Tavish) I, for one, am going
 to try and find out more about this Orlane thing.
Tavish:  Aye. T'would seem like the thing to do.
Quince:  (yawning)  I suppose I'll come too.
Greal: (to Quince) You _suppose_???  Who said you were invited?!
Quince: (nonchalantly) If there's danger involved, you'll need me
 before you're through.
Grael: (laughing, then with sarcasm) Riiiggghht....!

While they are talking, a short, blue-robed man approaches the table.

stranger:  Excuse me.  I am sorry to intrude, but did I hear you
 mention you were interested in finding out about the troubles in
 Orlane?
Grael: (on his guard) Who wants to know?
Tavish: Oi, and who are yew to be listening in on others, eh?!
stranger: (slightly nervous) Err...I am Hal, advisor to his Lordship the
 Mayor.  (extends a hand, which has two rings on each finger)
Kron: Indeed...and what has the Mayor of Hochoch to do with Orlane?
 (shakes the offered hand)
Quince: (also shakes the offered hand, attempts to remove a ring)
Kron: (gives Quince a dirty look)
Quince: (shrugs, leaves the ring alone)
Hal:  Not much, really.  Its just that the only road to the capital lies
 through Orlane.  It used to be a major caravan route for the area.
 Recently, though, the traffic has dwindled to a mere trickle.
Grael:  And why would that be....?
Hal:  Well, we dont really know.  The few folks coming up the road
 say that Orlane has changed much...that something sinister is at
 work in the town.
Tavish:  Sinister?  What do you mean, sinister?
Hal:  The few reports we have gotten have said that the townspeople
 of Orlane sometimes disappear in the middle of the night, for no
 apparent reason, and then show up weeks later as if nothing
 happened.  The only thing is, when they return, all of the people
 seem...well, different.
Quince: Sooo....whats in it for us?
Kron: (to Quince) Quiet, greedy one.
Hal:  No, actually, now that you mention it...the reason I came to your
 table is to tell you the Mayor is looking to hire a group of
 adventurers to try and solve this problem.  He is worried that the
 already-slowed stream of caravans that used to ply the route
 between here and Hookhill will stop all together.  Not only is that
 bad for commerce, it also means the roads arent safe, for anyone.
 He asked me to assemble a small group, tomorrow at noon, at the
 Mayor's mansion, to discuss terms.  Are you interested?
Quince:  Will we be paid?
Hal: Yes....
Quince:  I'm in.
Tavish:  (thinking) Aye, I suppose it wouldnt hurt to take a look-see,
 anyway.
Grael: What the hell...cant hurt to see what the old man has to offer.
Hal: (looks appalled)
Greal: (grins)
Kron: Very well.  I, too, shall see what the Mayor has to say.
Hal: OK, give these tokens (hands everybody a small grey cone) to
 the guard at the gate--- he will know what you are there for, and
 give you instructions on where to go.  (moves to leave)  Thank
 you.  I'll see you tomorrow, then, at noon.
Grael: Right.
Hal: (leaves)
Grael: (to Kron)  What do you make of him?
Kron:  I do not know.  We shall see on the morrow, I suppose.
Tavish:  Aye, thats trruuuee enough.
Quince:  All I can say is...if it is as bad as he thinks it is, the pay
 better be good.
Tavish:  (to Quince)  Do you ever think of think of ANYTHIN' but yer
 purse?
Quince: Of course!  Wine, women, fine dining, more wine, more
 women....
Kron: (shakes his head) In any event, I am turning in for the evening.
 Until tomorrow, then. (nods to the group, goes to his room)
Grael: (stands)  Some rack-time would do me good too.  G'night.
 (leaves)
Tavish:  The Sandman wants us all early t'night.  See ye in the
 morning. (leaves)
Quince: (muttering)  Some fun _this_ bunch is.  (hails the barmaid)
 More ale!  More ale!
barmaid: Sure, cutie. (winks)
Quince:  Ahh....thats more like it.....

  The night passed quickly for some, not so quickly for others.  The
morning saw the group reunited, shortly before it was time visit the Mayor.

Quince: (holding his head) Ugh...I hope he doesnt talk too loud....
Tavish: Whats up with ye?
Grael: (laughing) One too many, huh? (very loudly)  Feeling OK, there,
 rogue??? Hahaaahaaa....
Quince: Grrrr.....
Kron:  In any event, we had best be off.

  It wasnt long before they were winding their way through the streets of
High Quarter, the wealthy side of town. In short order, they found and
approached the gatehouse of largest residence there, presumably the
Mayor's....

guard#1:  Halt.  State your business.
guard#2:  (stays in the shadows of the gatehouse, watching)
Kron:  We are here on business with his Lordship, the Mayor. (hands
 the guard the grey cone)
guard#1: Ahh... and the rest of you?  Do you all have cones?
Tavish: (hands over his cone)
Grael: (likewise)
Quince: (perhaps because of his hangover, does the same without
 comment.)
guard#1: (over his shoulder)  Its OK, Moe, there here to see his
 Lordship about that Orlane thing.
guard#2: (works a winch, and a portcullis rises)
guard#1: (to the party) OK, really easy.  Through the gate, up the
 walk, you'll see a large house with a broad staircase.  Go up, knock
 on the door, and they'll let you in.  When you are through with your
 business, make sure you get the orange cone from the butler.
 Thats it.
Kron: Orange token?
guard#1 (smiles) Grey gets you in, orange gets you out.
Kron: Ahh....

Passing under the portcullis, the group made their way up the walk.  Ahead
of them was a large mansion, and, as the guard indicated, a broad stairway
led to the front door.

Kron: (first to reach the door, knocks)
butler:  Good day, sirs.  Right this way, please.

The butler led them through a foyer, and down a hallway to their left.  The
foyer contained a marble staircase that led to a balcony, and presumably
another floor above.  They passed many doors, some single, some double, as
they walked.  Finally, the butler stopped at a single door, knocked, and
entered.

butler: (announcing) The rest of the adventuring party, your
 Lordship.
Mayor:  Ahh, yes.  Thank you, Reginald.
Reginald: (shows the party in, then leaves, closing the door behind him)

The room they were in was roughly 30 by 30.  In the center was an oval
table.  Besides the mayor, Hal, and three others were in the room.  The
mayor motioned for the party to sit.

Mayor:  Thank you for coming.  I suppose the first thing to do is get
 introductions out of the way.  I am Sal Lahr, mayor of Hochoch.
(human dressed in brown, wearing leather armour) Dougal, priest of
 Frey, Mistress of the Hunt, and friend of the forests.
Kron: Hail, and well met, woodsman.
(half-elf dessed in grey, wearing chainmail)  I am Keaton
 Lucern, servant of the Mighty Thor!!
Quince: (groaning) ...not so loud....
(elf, dressed in green, leather armour)   Zed Silverquick....

Etc....

Mayor:  Lets get right to the point, shall we?  Caravans have been
 refusing for some time to travel the road between here and Hookhill.
 This is the only real route to the capital.  The problem, it seems,
 stems from Orlane.  The caravans leaving here are generally
 unmolested to that point, but once they enter Orlane...well, we have
 had entire caravans disappear with virtually no trace.
Grael: _Virtually_ no trace..?
Mayor:  We have had a few caravan members return, but most will
 say only that their masters had simply vanished, and that the
 people of Orlane had something to do with it.
Kron:  If that is the case, why stop in Orlane at all?
Mayor:  Its the last real place to stop before the Dim Forest.
Tavish:  And what is it yew 'r wantin' us to do, then?
Mayor:  Find out what is causing these disappearances.  Find out
 what is going on in Orlane.  Take care of the problem if you can,
 and if you cannot, collect all the information you can so that we
 can deal with this problem.
Zed:  And what do we get in return?
Quince: (perks up a bit at the thought of money)
Tavish: Aye.  What compensation did ye have in mind?
Mayor: (sighs) Well...I can offer...250 gold each.
Grael: (laughs) Right.  Well, sorry to waste your time, your Lordship.
 (makes ready to leave)
Mayor: No, wait!  (sighs again) I'll also give you each a mount, so that
 you dont have to travel on foot.
Kron: (thinking) This still seems like ...
Quince: (cutting him off, if a bit groggily)....a puny offer.
Keaton:  (in a slightly raised voice) Certainly you can offer more than
 that, especially with a servant of Thor providing protection for the
 party.
Quince: (holding his head) ...not...so...loud....
Dougal:  Will we get to see this ...Dim Forest...?
Mayor:  Possibly, but who knows where your investigation might
 take you?
Dougal:  Am I right in thinking that the forest is supposed to
 be the home of a pretty mean assortment of characters?
Mayor:  Errr...yes.
Dougal:  Goblins and their ilk....?
Mayor:  (nervous now) Ummm...maybe.....
Dougal:  1000 gold, the horses, supplies, and I'm in.
Mayor:  (shocked) You...have _got_...to be joking???
Grael:   Sounds right to me...except I will need a pony.
Mayor: (speechless)
Hal: Er....your Lordship...a word, please...?  (he and the Mayor
 converse in low tones)  Yes, yes, that might do.
Mayor: (turns to the group) 350 in gold, mounts and supplies.
Dougal:  No dice. 800 gold.
Hal: (cringes)
Mayor: (to Dougal) 400 gold.
Dougal: (to the Mayor) 750 gold.
Mayor: (to Dougal) _450 gold_!!
Quince: ...what is with the shouting....? (groans)
Hal:  (nervous, holds his hand near the top of the table, all five
 fingers extended, so only the mayor might see)
Dougal:  (to the Mayor) 700 gold.  My final offer.
The assembled party: (watching the bartering go back and forth)
Mayor: (to Dougal)  Rogue!  500 gold.  _MY_ final offer!
Grael: (under his breath) Rogue?  No, thats Quincey there....
Quince: (holding his head again)  A compromise here, gentlemen?
 600 gold, the mounts, supplies, and we keep what we find along
 the way...a sort of hazardous duty compensation.  ANYTHING to
 get you people to _shut up_!!
Mayor: (to Quince)  But there is always a standard tithe of....
Zed: (cuts him off) I believe the man said 'compromise.'
Mayor: (looks at Hal, exasperated)
Hal: (thinks hard for a minute, then slowly nods)
Mayor: (beaten, and knows it) Ohh...very well.  600 gold, the horses,
 supplies, and you keep what you find.  BUT --- to get the full
 reward, you must eliminate the problem COMPLETELY.
Dougal: Fair enough.
Grael: (to Dougal, suprised) Whaat?  You were doing so well....!
Dougal: (to Grael) As the drunken one said, a compromise.
Quince: Thats 600 gold...each.
Mayor: (grits his teeth, nods)
Quince: I want half up front.
Mayor:  NEVER!!
Quince: (groans again)
Hal: (trying to calm both sides) Err...how about 100 gold each, with
 the balance paid on completion of the job.
Kron: (looks at Quince, then Dougal, the mayor, and finally Hal) Done.

With that settled, the Mayor summoned Reginald, and told him to show the
adventurers to the stables to get their horses (and pony for Grael).  They
were also taken to a small secure room in the mansion to recieve their 100
gp.  From there, they were each given a chit for expenses to present to
shopkeepers in town.  The shopkeepers would then take down the amount
spent, and go to the mayoral mansion to get compensated.  Finally, they
also each got an orange cone like the guard had spoken of from Reginald.

Kron: (to the guard as he hands over his orange cone) Tell me, what
 is this for, anyway? Why the cones?
guard:  Simple.  Nearly anyone can get a grey cone to get in.  But
 unless you have official business inside the compound, you dont get
 an orange cone.
Quince: (manages to hand over his cone, then take one from the
 guard's pouch, pocketting it without being seen)

 Leaving the house of the mayor, it was decided that each party member
would go about obtaining what they needed for the upcoming journey and meet
back at the Towering Ogre when they were through.  Grael insisted that that
he, Tavish, and Quince go together, so that he might keep an eye on the
other two.  Tavish looked a bit hurt, but said nothing.  Quince could only
sob about the infernal noise Grael kept making, at which point the gnome
would laugh.  Kron went with the woodsman, Dougal, while Zed and Keaton
went their separate ways.  In short order, all were supplied.  The only
notable stop was Kron and Dougal, who stopped at a cartographers shop, only
to be told that the shopowner did not do business with the mayor, because
he had failed to find out what was causing the shortage of merchant traffic
thus costing him (the shopkeeper) much profit. When Kron told the
shopkeeper of their mission, he and Dougal were promptly thrown out of the
store, with the shopkeeper muttering something about, '...actions not
words....'
 Returning to the inn, they found the rest of the party already there.  The
newcomers secured rooms for the night, and it was decided that they would
set out at dawn the next day.  Grael kept close tabs on Quince, an effort
to keep the thief from getting into any more trouble before their journey
started.  Who knew what the morning would bring.....?


-------------------------------
Next time:  Orlane
-------------------------------
 The Party....

  Kron D'Naar, half-elven, ranger
  Tavish McVeigh, human, mage
  Grael, gnome, fighter?
  Peter Quince, human, thief
  Dougal, human, druid of Frey
  Keaton Lucern, half-elf, cleric of Thor
  Zed Silverquick, elven, fighter?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The player characters in this writing are copyright 1995 by Tom Vallow.
Any resemblance to person or persons real or fictional is entirely a
coincidence.  Copying and distributing this story is allowed under the
condition that it not be used or sold for profit.

Many locations, spells, non-player characters, as well as various terms
used in the writing of this story are copyrighted by TSR, Inc.   This does
NOT mean or imply that TSR in any way, shape or form authorizes or endorses
their use, and any such items found within this story should in no way,
shape, or form be considered representative of TSR.
------------------------------------------------------------------------