Roleplaying: Merrie England - the game

The Game Room
81

Crumlin has been thinking hard. As Bob and the nosy Acolytes are shooed away, he addresses his companions.

“By your leave, let me speak plainly.

There are two matters for us to solve – getting me elected over Curly Brown and finding out how high the filthy Loki corruption goes in Sir Guy’s hierarchy.

Although the High Priestess is a good person, she must remain neutral in the election, so it’s down to us. We know Curly is Sir Guy’s stooge and that Much the Miller has been nobbled. (I am grateful for your protection.)
Now Curly has announced his election manifesto:

  1. Law and Order (a strong leader)
    What the area needs is a strong leader. It doesn’t matter how much it costs in taxes. Vote for me to see a lot of punishment.
  2. The Environment (we’re in charge)
    Don’t see scenery - see industrial opportunity. We need more mining and every open space is a potential landfill.
  3. Democracy (one man, one vote)
    Fortunately for you, I have strong backers, who will take care of democracy for you.

We need to come up with our own manifesto, and maybe some campaign slogans.
Sir Guy controls all the troops. If Curly is elected, there will be no voice to oppose Sir Guy.
Sir Guy owns all the mines and tried to make his own count of voters in them. Thankfully Boadicea (Crumlin bows to her) foiled that. Nevertheless it seems the mines pollute the rivers and lakes…
Curly is just a night watchman. He’s never been out of Oakham and can’t explain himself well. I’m much better than him! (Crumlin blushes :o , but continues…)

So far we know that Lieutenant Grey was a Loki Worshipper and hired Bob and his crew of builders in secret. We need to know if he was in charge of Evil doings, or whether he was working for someone.
We suspect Sir Guy, but he is a distinguished Noble. We will need to gather proof and present it to Baron Thorgunby Wheldrake, an honest Noble who outranks Sir Guy.”

82

Hallstein to Bob: “Hey, did you by any chance recognize any of the others fellows in that group? Seems like your mates could be in some real trouble if you were hired for ill deeds. We should see about tracking them down before something bad happens to them. If we find them, we may find more evil-doers! I have ways of dealing with their like…”

83

Gis coughs, “Bob are you OK?”

84

Bob apologises for the delay. He was concentrating on work (talking to Edith about doing some repairs in the Temple).

Bob tells you:
“I don’t know that Corporal White, nor any of the troopers with him. Only that dead Lieutenant Grey showed his face to us.
It should be easy to find my mates. Like me, they are all burly male humans, with tattoos of a rope (= tug of war team) on both hands. We all have short hair cuts (the barber sticks a pudding bowl upside down on our heads and clips around it) and muscular arms. Their names are Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.”

Crumlin adds that Oakham has lots of gossipy peasants, who love to talk about Nobles. He can introduce the party to them…

85

Hallstein says, “Alrighty. Let’s get to talking to those folks. The sooner we can find this fellow’s friends, the sooner we can be sure they’re okay. And if they’re not okay, well, we can do something then too…”

86

Crumlin leads his bodyguards out into the bustling Market Day.

He is cheerfully recognised by many stallholders, who sound particularly interested in Crumlin’s Morris Dancing troupe.
Apparently Crumlin’s troupe won the dancing contest at last year’s Oakham Fayre and people hope he can win again tomorrow.

Crumlin reminds everyone they meet that he is running for Sheriff and that they should vote for him.
He tries out the slogan “A vote for Curly is a vote for Guy and Guy would kill the lands that feeds us all, as he crushes us below his heavy mailed fist”, but it seems a bit complicated for most folk.

There are some fine bows and arrows on sale and Crumlin introduces the Bowyer/Fletcher as Will Scarlett. He asks if Will will be entering the Archery contest.
Will says he will indeed, but that he hasn’t seen Bob’s builders (Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich). He adds that surely they would be found in one of the pubs!

Crumlin therefore heads for ‘The Old Plough’, where the landlord, Barliman Butterbur, remembers Gislsson buying some ale for lunch.
Barliman also hasn’t seen the building crew, but calls over the pub’s Minstrel, Alan A’Dale.
Alan says he did see a group matching the exact description.
“I was entertaining Sir Guy at a banquet in Oakham Castle a few days ago, and saw those builders. They were covered in sawdust and were eating a snack. A couple of Gisbourne’s guards watching them, so I couldn’t speak to them. The builders didn’t look happy.”

87

Hallstein asks Crumlin, “Hey now. Do you think it would be possible for a fellow to sneak into Oakham Castle for a look-see? If it’s a bit too well guarded for that, then maybe I can fool ‘em with a disguise long enough to get a closer look. I should at least be able to check up on Bob’s builders to make sure they’re doing alright. Hey, I could even use one of me tricks to look like ol’ Bob hisself! What do you think?”

88

Crumlin regards Hallstein with a mixture of admiration and concern. :cool::eek:

"Sir Guy keeps the place well-guarded, but you have … scouting … skills, don’t you?
No doubt there will be locked doors, magical traps and patrols. I’m certain there are no dogs, though. (Sir Guy doesn’t like dogs. Apparently he kicked one once and it bit him.) There will be shadows everywhere and the guards are basically trained country lads.

You could certainly imitate Bob. He’s happy to work in the Temple for now and could both brief you and stay out of sight.
The only problem might be if they tried to keep ‘Bob’ a prisoner - as the rest of the crew seem to be.
Alternatively, if you were going in magically disguised as someone else, we’d need a cover story. Has anyone got any ideas?"

DM: If Hallstein spends time (a few hours) with anyone co-operative, he can imitate them with [COLOR=“Blue”]Change Self.
Any thief can Detect Magical Traps at 50% of his normal roll. However (unlike mechanical traps) he can’t disarm such spells as Glyph of Warding[/COLOR]

89

Players, I’m just covering until the replacement player arrives…

Gislsson says “From outside you can see that Oakham Castle is a standard Motte and Bailey* design. It looks recently built - was anyone here when it was being constructed?”

Crumlin says he’ll ask the High Priestess.
It transpires that she not only remembers walking around the building site, but has also been invited to tour the finished Castle.
She says she will give Hallstein a full description…

*The Motte bit is a Keep on a mound of earth; the Bailey is the courtyard around the Keep, with simple buildings for troops and workers. Both are enclosed by a wall.

90

My apologies for the delay; stomach flu tends to interfere with one’s reasoning abilities. At least in my case.

Boadicea has gone with the party and once they’re seated in the Old Plough, turns to Crumlin.

“I noticed that your slogan was rather long. Perhaps you might try, simply, ‘A vote for Curly is a vote for Guy.’ Also, the fair tomorrow presents a wonderful opportunity, since so many of the folk will be here. Perhaps you might challenge Curly to an open debate on the issues? Allow any of the folk attending to ask questions that you’ll both respond to, and that way they’ll know better who – and what – they’re voting for.”

To Hallstein, she says, “I’ll try to find a way to go into the castle when you do, under a separate ruse. I wonder if my Lady Weston can provide one – a minor inquiry into the matter of the evil one Sir Guy so kindly delivered to her.”

91

Crumlin says:

"I like the new slogan - short and makes a good point.

I love the idea of a debate! We could hold it right here in the Marketplace tomorrow as part of the County Fayre. It’s both a serious contest and entertainment. Perfect for the occasion. :cool:
Baron Thorgunby Wheldrake is the obvious choice as Moderator - he is well-liked, a Noble who commands respect and an unbiased ‘outsider’ who nevertheless cares for Rutland.
The High Priestess can send messages to Curly (c/o Sir Guy, of course :rolleyes: ) and the Baron straightaway. Then we can publicise the event - word will soon get around…
I’m sure Lady Weston will also ask Sir Guy for permission to hold an enquiry into evil within the Castle."

Spotting a fellow Acolyte finishing his pint of ale, Crumlin steps over and excitedly explains Boadicea’s plan. The Acolyte grins broadly and rushes out to deliver a message to the Temple.

Crumlin walks back to his seat, looking satisfied.

92

Within a few minutes, the Acolyte returns and tells the party:

“The High Priestess commands me to state she has sent urgent messages about the debate to Sir Guy and the Baron. She will mention the debate in her sermons tonight and tomorrow morning as well.
Also she has politely requested Sir Guy to allow a small investigating team into Oakham Castle.”

In a remarkable demonstration of how fast gossip travels in the countryside, within a few minutes of this reply Crumlin is being asked about the debate:

  • where and when is it being held?
  • who is in charge?
  • will it involve combat?
  • what’s a debate?
  • will you buy me a drink?

Crumlin happily takes charge.

Pausing only to get the Landlord’s permission, he leaps onto the bar, calls for attention and makes a clear statement (finishing by stating that he will NOT be buying anyone’s votes, but that his words will speak for themselves).

The party realise that they have a natural candidate as Crumlin then steps down, smiles at all and sundry, answers questions (“A vote for Curly is a vote for Sir Guy!”), shakes hands, kisses babies and wraps things up by getting Alan A’Dale to compose an impromptu ditty about the election, the debate and why people should vote for Crumlin.

Crumlin is carried shoulder-high around the pub by a cheering crowd, who then carefully hand him back to the party before following Alan A’Dale out into the Marketplace singing the campaign song…

"Harken to me all you folk who live here
And I’ll tell you a wonderful story
If you take part in the Sheriff’s election
You’re sure to go down in His-to-ry!

(Chorus)
Why vote for Crum-lin - I’ll tell you why
A vote for Curly is a vote for Sir Guy!

And specially for you as part of the Fayre
A debate will be held to see who’s right
Come and listen and make up your mind
But no shout-ing of 'Fight! Fight! Fight!

(Chorus)
Why vote for Crum-lin - I’ll tell you why
A vote for Curly is a vote for Sir Guy!"

93

Hallstein will speak with Bob for a while to get to know his background and pick up his mannerisms.

In the mean time, Hallstein will say, “I’ve no doubt I can immitate ol’ Bob 'ere, but about the best excuse I can come up with for Bob getting back with his crew is that he is upset he’s not getting paid like he was promised.”

“I can disguise myself to look like Bob pretty easily. I can even make all me gear hidden in the disguise. I just need an excuse good enough to get me into the castle. Once I’m inside, I should be able to poke around and find out what Sir Guy is up to.”

“Unless someone else has a better idea…”

94

It is early afternoon on Market Day. The sound of Crumlin’s campaign song can be heard every now and then. (Peasants like a good sing-along…)

Hallstein has now studied Bob long enough to imitate him successfully, either with [COLOR=“Blue”]Change Self or by using a Phantom Force - but note that this last spell cannot make any noise.
(Hallstein can also imitate any member of the party in both these ways.)[/COLOR]

Sir Guy replies to the High Priestess’s request for an investigation. He refuses to allow Boadicea in, says that he will handle things personally and that there is nobody better than him at finding agents of Loki.
Sir Guy is far more enthusiastic about the debate. He says that Curly will do much better than Crumlin, and everyone will see this. He is happy to have the Baron officiate and agrees it should be held in the Marketplace as part of the County Fayre.
He finishes by saying it will be lovely to win this debate, then the jousting afterwards.

95

Gislsson will offer Hallstein an Unseen Servant, which last for 4 hours. It can open doors, carry things(up to 20lbs), untie people and even set off traps (especially magical ones:D). N.B. Blowing a trap destroys the spell.
Gislsson can use his kestrel familiar to keep a eye on Hallstein as long as there are unshuttered windows.
Gislsson can also distract the guards using a Ventriloquism spell. It only lasts for one round, but they are not likely to save!

96

DM: Lucas can load these spells tomorrow after a night’s sleep - the Kestrel can scout today if desired.

97

Gislsson can use his kestrel familiar to keep an eye on the guards a day before, to see if there are shifts in the guards allowing an opening for Hallstein to go in or out (if need be).

98

Gislsson’s kestrel flies to the roof of the Keep.
There is a Ballista stationed there, with a crew of four troopers and a Corporal in charge.
As the kestrel approaches, a small flock of pigeons flee in terror.
The guards all clap and cheer the kestrel … as Gislsson sees the whole roof (including the soldiers :eek: ) is covered in pigeon droppings.

The kestrel perches on the roof and watches.
(One of the troopers asks if he should offer it food, but the Corporal says “Leave it alone. It’s keeping those blooming ‘flying rats’ away. And it can catch its own fodder, because it’s a natural killer. Unlike you, Smith!”)

Gislsson sees that, although the gate guards are not alert, there is always someone on duty (even during shift changes). However his plan of Ventriloquism would undoubtedly work on such bored troops.
He notes that the Bailey wall is easily climbed and in several spots there are pools of deep shadow on either side (and on top) of the wall.

The kestrel flies about a bit in the courtyard and gazes into most of the rooms (the shutters are open during the day for ventilation).
Gislsson describes the simple ‘hook and eye’ fastener the kestrel sees on the window shutters. Hallstein knows he can open this with a successful ‘pick locks’ roll.

99

Hallstein combines the information about Oakham castle that he has received from Edith and the kestrel.

The courtyard (‘Bailey’) is surrounded by a 10 foot high stone wall (easily climbed by an expert). There is a double gate in front (for guests to enter by) and a small gate (for deliveries).
Both gates are constantly manned, but not by alert troops.
The courtyard contains barracks (for troops), dormitories (for visiting servants and the town inhabitants in case of war) and stables. There is a well and a small vegetable patch.

The Keep (‘Motte’) is on a mound of earth and has a small shallow ditch running round it. As with the courtyard, there are two entrances: a double door (with portcullis) at the front and a single door for deliveries at the back. Both entrances have drawbridges to cross the ditch.
There are 3 Keep levels above ground:

  • on the ground level, the double doors open into a grand ballroom. There are doors on both side walls, leading into corridors heading to the back. The back consists of kitchen, washing room, storeroom, dressing room and pantry. There is a staircase going up in the ballroom and another one (going up and down) in the pantry. The one down leads to the wine cellar.
    All rooms have arrow slits only.

  • on the middle floor, the ballroom staircase leads to a landing, with all the posh bedrooms on either side. The staircase continues upwards.
    The pantry staircase leads to a landing, with all the servants quarters on either side. This staircase also continues upwards.
    There is a single door separating the two landings.
    All rooms have shuttered windows (with ‘hook and eye’ fasteners).

  • on the top floor, the ballroom staircase leads to a music lounge and a library.
    The pantry staircase leads to a training area for troops and an Armoury and there is a trapdoor leading to the roof (where the Ballista is).
    The music lounge and library have shuttered windows (with ‘hook and eye’ fasteners).
    The Armory and training area have arrow slits only.

100

That sounds like a challenge Boadicea cannot honorably refuse, so she will check with the party and the High Priestess to determine whether there is a problem if she enters the jousting. If there’s no problem, she’ll ask Hallstein if he will serve as her squire for the jousting, or whether such service will interfere with his trip into the castle (which is far more important, in her opinion).

And my apologies for the delay; on the heels of my stomach flu came news of the deaths of two people close to us. Not family this year, thankfully, but still a bit disconcerting.