Copper Tales - Chapters
Rough story events in each chapter.
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Copper Tales - ChaptersRough story events in each chapter. |
Introduction to the party and their lives. Background and village life. Also scenes from the council meeting where Gru-Staedak is dismissed for incorrect teachings.
Febra finds work in the Innn where errands are sold to the lowest bidder by auction. Febra takes up the commision to transport the relic from Bannermane. She persuades the others to go with her.
Council members meet for a debate in Pluris. The crown prince is discussed. DeFache recieves an official warning about teaching non-academics. Before the party departs travellers come from Tantagel telling of the political sitaution and general unrest.
The party meets with Rundell, the disgraced soldier. He teaches them lessons in survival. Rundell is travelling from the magicians tower, he is friends with one of the order who has bade him watch for the party promising they willl deliver him from bondage.
Party meets the archeologist of Bannermane and receive the item for transport. They learn of much history of the council here adn begin to learn of the older texts.
Assassins attack the party while they are camped for the night led by the Captain of the lore guard. Rundell (who knows the Captain from military days) stands his ground while the others flee. Rundell is dies with honour. Unbeknowest to the party a letter is left from Rundell aking that they clear his name and let the full truth be known)
The party flee from Bannermane and attempt to return the artefact as requested
at Asten Taran City (no we dont have this yet. It will be the main city
in the NW corner of asten taran) They arrive at Asten Taran City but
before they can return the book and recieve payment the book reveals the
treachery and greed of Lamentor.
The Crown Prince becomes restless waiting for the Council and bands together
nobles in a plot to remove the council from power. The crown prince meets with
DeFache who refuses to help him.
The party lie to Lamentor about the recovery of the book, he does not wholly trust them and waits for word from archeologist at Bannermane to verify their story. Lamentor commands them to stay at the university until word can reach him. It is here that Joseph first meets Gru-Staedek. The old man is lecturing at the asten university and quickly takes a shine to the boy. He begins to open the boy to understandings he had not previously thought of. (I believe it will later become apparent that Umberto Defache is the student of Gru-Staedek and before him Gru-Staedek was the student of MonPellia himself. They have passed down a secret bond of ancient writings. The writings say that every age of the lands will bring a Custodian of Truth. An individual who will prize the truth above all lore and personnel belief. Umberto resists his fate to take on this mantle and he is unaware that Gru-Staedek's health is failing.) It is here (I think) that Gru-Staedek dies, but before he does he passes some great knowlegde on to Joseph, the boy is not aware of its significance at this stage. It is possible that Staedek knowing DeFache's reluctance to take up the mantle of Custodian, grasped at a last hope in the form of a boy who he believed had potential and honesty about him. At this stage Joseph is not aware of any relationship betwenn Gru-Staedek and Umberto DeFache or even who DeFache is.
Upon the death of Gru-Staedek news arrives of an uprising from the southern duchy. A university is burnt to the ground. This is not the work of the Crown prince but organised by the Council themselves. They get wind of the plot against them and organise the uprising to allow them free action to quash all rebellion by any means neccessary. Martial Law is declared by the Council upon all cities. Mercenaries from distand border lands are recruited into the Councils guard to enforce the new laws. The Council see a further opportunity not only to wrest back control and quash the Crown prince and the nobles but also to use the situation to eliminate certain factions of lore that they see as dircetly opposing there central stance. Gru-Staedek (who they are not aware is already dead) and DeFache becomes the prime target.
The university is attacked by a small mercenary troop and the party prepare to depart. Lamentor realising he too is a target reveals to them the true value of the book in exchange for there help in withstanding the attack and delivering him to safety.
The battle of Pluris is a short struggle, the party begin to help organise the defence and eventually as more and more fall end up running it. It is here they gain there first real experience of tactics and knowledge. In one fabled counter measure they rout the opponent. The move was one they had learnt from the tales of Rundell. This small victory they know is as much down to him as themselves and they renew their vows to clear his name. BUt the victory is short lived as reinforcements arrive. They are forced to leave and let asten taran fall. Lamentor asks them to deliver him to dsafety at the Lough taran university where his scholar friend resides. The part journet to Tantagel first to restock supplies.
Many tight scrapes with vagabonds and thieves occur. They learn more of the Sabre regiment and the history of battlemane. Also of a man who knew Rundell in the military days. They also witness the jewel trade in Tantagel where Otenhof is selling his gains to Bast'wa both earning huge profits.Arn sickened by the lawlessness of Tantagel vows to return and sack Bat'wa and his rabble.
The party journey to Otenhof but are taken capitve by the Huskiand thinkng them allies of Otenhof plying the jewel trade. They learn all about the sinister mines and agree to aid the huskians in freeing the village from tyranny. The Crown Prince is captured during an escape bid with DeFache on the island of bridges, Samuel is dispatched to seek aid.
The party free Otenhof from tyranny and the Huskians declare them friends and offer there help whenever they need it. News reaches them of the Crown Princes incarceration. The book reveals events of the war and the presence of the Candle Men, we see a little action of the Candle Men and the Sabre working together using a mirage effect to improve stealth/surprise. The party decide to seek out these specialists and hope to gain their assistance in finding a way to free the Crown Prince.
With the main roads now guarded by troops and cities in marshall law, the only route to the tower is through the forests. At this point we cut to the situation in the various Tarans and in the capital. People to mention are the Huskians, the Crown Prince, Defache, Samuel and Redwick. There is space in this chapter for other developments.
They meet with the mages who agree to take them in after they realise they are the party Rundell was snet to help. The mage tell them of the truth of Rundell's history and that they must tell the Crown prince of what truely happened at the Moot to restore his name in Vedian and return his military honour. They also see a great power in Speck and ask him to stay and learn there ways. In return they will agree to leave the tower when the worst time is upon the party and aid threm in anyway. Speck stays. Joseph, Febra and Arn venture to Medwere to seek a guide through the mountains.
They seek out a guide at Medwere (unknown to them there guide is Prominenece Redrick, a good noble who enjoys travelling the mountains in disguise as a tracker. He takes a liking to the pair and agrees to lead them). As they are about to leave Medwere is taken by mercenaries sent from the Council, Redrick reveals himself to them and asks for their aid.
The blood oath scene is a flashback here.
They travel to Pluris with Redrick hoping to seek the holding place of the Crown Prince, but they discover he is being held at the Sancutary of Bridges as well as DeFache who Redrick tells them off. They charter a boat in secret Joseph captains it after the Captain attacks them. The sea journey is perilous but they make it and arrive on the island.
The Sanctuary has been occupied by the mercenaries and they find out from Samuel who they meet hiding out in the gardens that DeFache and the Prince are being held in the cellars. They rescue them (not sure how yet) and the party tells the Crown Prince of what the relic showed them about the Militray alliance and the Sabre Regiment. He agrees to find a way to cal them all together and please with the party to go to Pluris and defend against the Lore Guards and the mercenaries. They agree to go.
Samuel uses an item to release the psyches of the Sabre. The rest of the chapter moves between people who are 'surrogates' for the original members, they independently travel to meet together at the Bannermane and begin the march to Pluris. Possibly Defache refuses to take part or is compelled by a note from GruSteadak to think about the consequences.
Arn is dispatched to raise the Huskian army.
They go to Pluris and seek out help from loyal troops with Redricks help, they begin to secretly organise a rebellion against the occuupation. The catalyst is Josephs speech at The Pulpit to the crowds. A place were no 'man' may speak only scholastic's. The uprising occurs and all opposition is thrown at Pluris to quell it.
Huskians arrive at Pluris.
Mercanaries and the Council troops arrive outside Pluris, traitors within the walls cause havoc.
The war od the council followers against the men of PLuris. As they are about to fall in the darkest hour, Madistrin returns and flanks the enemy with the Sabre Regiment, many men old as 70 years still loyal and battlehardened fight as if they were 20 again. Still they are not enough and the battle goes ill. But finally as but a few are left the Huskians (brought to help by Arn) and the Candle Men (with Speck) arrive to save the day. They rout the enemy and go to the university to face the council.
Here Shel-Toro mets the party and shows them the vison of man's rule in Vedian.
He also sees Febra for what she is and incites her to attack Redrick,
killing the noble. The shock brings here back to her senses and the pain
of Redricks death is too much, she falls upon her own dagger, killing herself.
Joseph is in anguish and draws the blade to Shel-Toro, while all look on and
plea for him not to strike down the old man unarmed. Joseph hold is blade out
and Shel-Toro falls upon it (in turth it is suicide Shel-Toro committing the
final act to preserve the council and balance) but Jospeph and the company
think he has killed an unarmend man.
Vedian prenounces a KIng but Maidstrin troubled by the vision and the death of
Shel-Toro chooses not to take the throne rather asking DeFache to head up the
council and reinstate its authority for five more years. (setting us up
nicely for a sequel..hehe)