[Notes for the run of September 2, 1999.] Sixthday, Anton goes back to the library. Claire starts teaching Mia how to teach, with an eye toward (among other things) having them train up each other's magic skill. (By spending all her time on it, a teacher can get +1 on a skill for the purposes of teaching it, so two mages can gradually increase each other's skill.) Anton also summarises for the mages the new spells that he found there. Claire is intrigued by a particularly easy-to-learn earth spell. But the librarian Anton knows isn't there, and Anton is unable to convince the junior librarian to let Claire see the books. He doesn't know if he'll be able to copy the spells accurately, but will try, and will also ask again when the head librarian is around. Mia and Brillig subvert the locals. Brillig asks Christophe whether the church here has any books. The answer is yes, but most of them are kept behind locked doors. Christophe hasn't been told he mustn't read them, but he has no way to get in. Brillig does not mention Calais. Rhori and Calais return mid-morning and are allowed in. We stop by the place where the fighters had been set up the night of the attack, but nobody's there. We also pass by the inn where we'd been staying, but none of the party are there. We eventually go look for the Baron, and are admitted to see Captain Timescue. He asks for our report. We're not good at maps, but eventually manage to get across where we went. Rhori isn't sure about reporting to the Captain instead of the Baron, but eventually decides it's okay. He mentions that the commander of the orc force was not the giant, and was more human-sized. We couldn't tell if it was Fell, human, or something else. Timescue recalls that Calais speaks Fell, and directs him to go help with some interrogation. Calais says he can translate, but asks for someone who's better at coming up with questions. Rhori notes that maybe we can learn more about the orcs' leader, and whether they have more of the really big guys. He also says he's talked to his lion about doing a better job of reporting the sizes of the orcs he spots. We discuss with Timescue about what the orcs' motives might be; are the attacks perhaps just a feint? Might they be trying to dig a tunnel as well? We tell him about the two occasions we've found nasty things digging tunnels (the slug and the troll). Calais goes and helps some interrogators. He maintains his composure, but is unhappy about what they do to get answers from the prisoners, and is even less happy that the questioners seem to enjoy it. The lesser prisoners know nothing, as before. The sergeants, who call themselves the Uruk-Hai, know that the goal is to get to the other side of the fence surrounding the dungeon. (They find it particularly cruel that they are being held just this side of that fence.) We do get a name for their commander: Thummin (pronounced THOO-min). Calais muses privately that this might be derived from "the human", but his knowledge of Fell doesn't give him any real clue. In a flashback to last week's run, a bit that couldn't take place then because Calais wasn't there, it occurs to Mia to ask him whether he happens to have one of the rainbow-reading crystals from Pelier. He does, and gives it to her. Rhori finds Paris training with some other fighters. He tells about following the orcs to the cave. The other fighters are impressed, especially when Rhori says he took off his armor to follow them. Rhori mentions Hobbes, and they ask who he is; Rhori hesitates, and Paris pipes up to say Hobbes is Rhori's companion. The fellow asks if Hobbes also took off his armor, and Rhori says Hobbes doesn't have armor he can take off, but he has really thick skin. The fighter is particularly startled to learn that Hobbes is twice as heavy as Rhori. Paris and Rhori ask about who might be good to learn from, and Rhori is directed to a barbarian who's particularly good with an axe. There are also a number of assorted more formal instructors. Rhori and Paris find an opportunity to talk to the Baron about the possibility of setting up an ambush for the orcs. There is some embarrassment as Paris tells his front men that it's "important" we talk to him, and this is conveyed as "urgent". The Baron eventually figures this out and instructs them to meet him again after church the next day. That evening, Brillig asks Anton if he found any of the other older books that Paris had said should be here. Anton explains that the head librarian wasn't there, and he didn't find more than the two books he'd described previously. Calais tells the party what he learned about the orcs. Paris suggests that, whether or not we actually go into the dungeon here, we should at least discuss how we might deal with a pack of four trolls if we had to. Mia suggests throwing oil on them and lighting them on fire, but we don't know if that will kill them, and the smoke is a problem. Paris notes that we don't even know for sure that the fire mages killed any; they launched spells at the trolls and then ran away to escape the smoke. The discussion gradually peters out without reaching any useful conclusions. Sevenday, Mia holds a rainbow service in a handy mess-tent in the Baron's camp; there are various interested attendees. In town, after services at the White Church, Paris and Rhori stop to talk to the Baron. The rest of us, except Mia of course, tag along. The Baron is in a large group, including another distinguished gentleman and a lady. The gentleman speaks briefly to the lady, and she heads off, accompanied by some children and an impressive number of guards. Timescue and Fortescythe are also there. We are presented to the gentleman, who refers to us as Timescue's "new irregulars". Rhori denies it, but Paris tells Rhori that, for now, we are. We all head off to a private room to chat. We all (except Rhori) rapidly deduce that the gentleman is Count Dungeon, also known as Sir Allan. The Emerald Baron is also known as Sir Ruvall, and Lord Fortescythe. He's Lieutenant Fortescythe's father. The Count asks about the Astraean Guard that Prince William heads, and Paris fills him in about that and Silverlocke's Etteillan Order. We learn that the Count's father is the Baron of Nice Place. Paris has a letter for that Baron, on the off chance that we might've ended up going that way. Rhori and Calais again describe what they saw about the orcs and their leader. Calais is asked whether "Thummin" means "Captain", "General", etc., and he's pretty sure it's none of those. Paris gets confirmation that the orc force has been larger each time they attacked. We discuss tactics for a possible ambush. Unfortunately, it seems impossible to predict which section of wall they will hit. Anton wonders if we could attack them at their cave, but the Count notes that the wall is a much stronger position. Paris wonders whether the orcs are building up reinforcements via a tear between the worlds. We explain "tears" and Tarot/Torat. As discussion wanders, we tell of the troll we met and the holy object it seemed to be trying to reach. Rhori wonders whether we can find whatever it is in the dungeon the orcs are seeking. The Count mentions that some of the first orcs they captured seemed to react to some books being brought out. Paris glances at the Baron, but he says nothing of the Black Book. The Count mentions that they plan to rig ballistas on wagons and try to get them into position to catch any giants that come through next time. He says that he doesn't have the sort of troops that would be good at setting up an ambush in the forest. Rhori notes that he and Hobbes should be able to give more advance warning this time, now that they know how the orcs tend to move. He explains that Hobbes is a lion from Tarot. The Count raises an eyebrow and looks over at the Baron, who gives him his best poker face. On Firstday, Anton asks the head librarian about the books, and learns that one of the two old books is actually two, bound together. The geographical info is at the back. It includes a map that has the names Paris and Calais on it; Paris (the city, that is) is marked with a drawing of a big tower. He makes a rough copy. Calais goes to chat up the barbarians and see what he can learn about the lands to the north, and to see if one might be willing to accompany us as a guide. Paris warns that we're running low on funds, but Calais figures he can at least find out if anyone's interested and what form of reimbursement would be requested. Calais also offers to the Baron (or Timescue, or whoever) to train someone in the Fell language; he suggests that someone with a knack for languages might be easier to teach. Calais asks if someone can teach him a bit of breakfall in return. Calais learns that barbarians sometimes come into town to trade, drink, etc. They favor places near the wall so they can get in and out quickly. They don't like to be in town but think it's necessary in the current circumstances; they prefer travelling, especially riding long distances. Some are getting antsy and would like to get out and ride again. Calais gets leads on a couple of these. Anton and Rhori spend Firstday trying to set up an expedition into the dungeon. [I don't know specifically what preparations or research they were conducting.] They don't get far enough along, so aim to do more planning on Secondday. Anton does manage to get permission for Claire to look at the spell books. Secondday morning, as Calais is at an inn looking for the antsy barbarians, someone grabs his wrist and accuses him of stealing his knife. As he shakes Calais's arm, another knife slips out of Calais's sleeve, and someone else shouts that that one's his. Calais tries to break free but fails, and the first accuser hits him with a lucky punch and knocks him out. As Calais slips unconscious, he feels many people piling onto him, and his bag being ripped away. That evening, Calais doesn't join the others walking back from the training camp, where he had said he'd be teaching someone Fell. The others confirm that Calais didn't show up for the Fell lesson that day, and figure he must've found a hot lead with the barbarians. Calais also doesn't turn up for supper, which is rare for him. Paris says she's going to hunt for him, and heads over to the barbarian camp. Others offer to accompany her. We waffle about whether Calais is in trouble; Paris doesn't know, but gets increasingly nervous as everyone dithers. Eventually we all head out together. We reach the camp and find the barbarians singing and drinking. One of the guards addresses Paris, but doesn't speak our language. He recognises her from the battle last week, and offers her a drink he calls "vice beer", or something like that. She pauses, but Anton accepts. A second barbarian comes up who understands a little better, and Paris explains she's looking for her brother, who looks like her. He shouts out a few questions, but soon concludes that no such person is here. Paris asks if Calais was here in the morning; the answer is again no. The barbarian _is_ able to talk a bit about some of the odd creatures they saw when the pig-faces first attacked. He saw something flying. Whatever it was had fur, not scales. Rhori talks with him about fighting the orcs. The barbarian says that fighting from the wall works better, but isn't as much fun. Rhori says he's thinking of fighting from the other side of the wall next time. The barbarian is interested, and offers Rhori a beer. Rhori hesitates -- he's not supposed to drink wine -- but decides this isn't wine, so he takes a swig. Mia and Claire also have some. Paris says she needs to keep looking for Calais, but she's not sure where to look. She asks the barbarian if there are any of his people staying in town. He says yes, though they're of some other tribe. She asks where, and he says "cheap beer". We head back to town to find a sleazy tavern. Rhori decides he wants to bring Hobbes in, so he wraps him in some cloaks so Hobbes doesn't have to be invisible at the gate. He actually does a credible job of making it look like he's carrying an enormous sack of grain. Mia and Claire, who had a bit too much beer, keep tugging on the tail because it's fun to watch the reaction as Hobbes digs his claws into Rhori's back. We find an inn, and recognise the songs spilling into the street as being the same as those being sung at the barbarian camp. Claire and Mia join the barbarians inside, who are pleasantly surprised and call for more beer. Paris goes to talk to the innkeeper, who looks surprised and asks how she got out of jail so quickly. Learning she has a brother, he explains that Calais got caught stealing and was taken away by the sherriffs. He says Calais must've been stealing for a while, since he had a fortune in silver cards. He tells Paris that she can find Calais in jail, in the Keep. Paris goes to fetch the others, and finds Claire and Mia quite drunk. The barbarians are not so uncouth as to force themselves on women whose men they haven't killed, but Paris and Anton do have to do some talking to get Claire and Mia to understand that they need to leave. Once outside, Paris explains that Calais was arrested for stealing something. Anton notes that Calais probably did it, too. She points out that Calais had all our cards. That rouses everyone to action. We troop over to the Keep, where we're told that we have to leave our weapons outside. Paris can't do that; the Prince has ordered her never to be without her sword. The others are willing to leave their weapons. Claire, quite drunk, says she doesn't have a weapon to leave so she'll have to borrow one first. Brillig asks permission to bring in his staff of office. Rhori asks if he can bring in his invisible lion. The guards have no objection, but Anton notices the magical ward at the gate and says Hobbes should stay outside with Paris. Brillig alerts the mage guard that the staff will detect as magical. The mage checks his orders and notes that Brillig has already been recorded as bearing a magic staff. The jailer asks why we're here, and we ask for Calais. He looks in a record book, then asks what Calais was doing with such a fortune. Amid much drunken repartee, we explain that Calais was carrying a lot of our stuff, including lots of cards. The jailer says Calais was caught stealing a bunch of stuff at an inn. Anton asks how to settle the matter. He's told the complainants will be around in the morning after the sun clears the wall, to state their case to the Sherriff, and we should be here to see if we can settle things with them. He won't let any of us into the jail. Rhori says he's irregular. The jailer explains that only the regulars, the Count's men, are allowed in at this hour. Mia tries to rattle off some suggestions for healing herbs, but the jailer is clearly not interested. We head out again and explain the situation to Paris. We head back to the inn, where Mia and Claire pass out. Paris says she's going to head out and spend the night near the Baron's camp so she can talk to him first thing in the morning. Rhori goes with her. He tries to explain to the gate guards that he wants to bring his invisible lion out with him, and is letting them know since it'll show up as magical. They say that have orders to stop anyone from bringing out anything magical. Rhori sighs, tells Paris to go through first, then has Hobbes turn visible, causing much consternation. They make it out in the confusion. In the morning, Paris asks to see the Baron. (This time it really _is_ urgent!) He asks her what the problem is. She explains that her brother has gotten into trouble with the law; reportedly he took some things in the inn, but the main problem is that people assumed he'd stolen the fortune in cards he was found with. She explains that sometimes Calais picks things up without realising it. She also says she cannot enter the Keep to make a statement on Calais's behalf, because Prince William requires that she keep her sword at all times. The Baron asks why she doesn't have an Patent of Arms, and she says that the Prince felt she had earned the right already, but to keep others happy he was requiring her to complete the usual training before getting the award. The Baron asks to see the letter of introduction to the Baron of Nice Place, so he has some confirmation of Paris's bona fides. Convinced, he writes a letter to the Sherriff, but wants to know how many cards Calais had. She of course doesn't know. Nobody really kept track except Calais. He eventually notes it down as "possibly more than 50", and seals the note and gives it to her. She takes it, but doesn't yet leave. "Is there something else?" After some hemming and hawing and muttering about how the Baron has been open with us, she explains that she is not Calais's brother; she's his sister. That's one of the problems the Prince had to consider. The Baron fails his courtly graces: "No shit! So, he's going to make you a woman knight? Wow, I think I'll stick with weekly raids by orcs." Paris goes out and finds Rhori. They jog to the Keep. Mia and Claire have fierce hangovers. Paris hands the note to Anton, who takes it in and explains the situation. The Sherriff reads the note and then asks the two complainants what exactly was their loss. They wilt a bit under his piercing gaze, and admit that all they're sure about is their knives. Anton, having earlier scraped together all the spare change the party could muster, offers a couple copper to each of them just to make sure everyone ends up happy. The jailer gives Calais his bag and his clothes. We go out of the jail and check the contents of the bag. Calais works it out and says there should be 46 cards, but we find only 45. Rhori is concerned since it's important that nobody else use a stolen card. He goes back in and reports to the Sherriff that there's a missing card. The Sherriff says he'll send some men to ask at the inn where the fight occurred. Rhori says he'll be there too, but the Sherriff warns him not to interfere. We go out of the Keep, and Rhori tells Paris about the missing card. She says if it was stolen, it's black now. [Player knowledge: Actually, it appears that Calais's kleptomania is only worth 9 points now.] Paris tells Calais that she wants him to have someone else along when he goes out again, and that the someone else should be instructed to remind him occasionally to check what he's carrying. Calais is very embarrassed about the whole affair, and in particular for having nearly lost the party's supply of cards and money. Whether for that or some other reason, Brillig asks Calais for Brillig's share of the cards. (Calais hands him six, but notes that there's also the nine from the hellhounds that didn't divide evenly so he's been keeping them in a sort of general pool.) Privately, Calais decides to try rigging some concealed pockets and other such ways to make it harder to lose stuff again. Calais follows up his leads, and finds a barbarian named Attila who'll ride with us. He says the lands to the north are mostly open plains, with some people living there who are primitive even by barbarian standards. Attila has been all the way to the coast, and has seen an island across the water. He says it's just down the coast from the city of Ghosts. It may be that more stuff gets done on Thirdday and/or Fourthday. (People don't go into the dungeon on Fourthday, though, since everyone's expected to stay fresh for the weekly orc raid.) But skipping forward, Pat said the orc battle will go much like last week's. There are more orcs, but still only one giant. We can't spot the leader. There's a fourth orc mage. The next day, Claire finishes learning the cheap earth spell, and uses it to set up a telluric communication link with her earth mage friend back in Westmore. They chat a while.