Seven Kingdoms Session 2

Session 2: Bottled Love and Zombie Flu
After action report - 2d session of 7k.
Players: Alaric (Iago), Bill (Kiri), Dave (Perceval)

May 6
Perceval decides that his job as a temple scribe is beneath his station.  He asks Valerian if he can become his apprentice full time.  Valerian seems pleased and accepts.  Perceval begins moving in with Valerian.

Iago arrives in Darkwood Towne.  Being a university trained physician-wizard, albeit in the less popular ritual magic reminiscent of the Low Elves, he presented himself to a respectable member of the Grey Circle.  He briefly meets Perceval.  Valerian is intrigued by Iago’s magic, and gives him friendly advice as to whom to see and where to go to set up shop as a physician.

Iago begins the process, goes to acquire financing, a location, an official writ from the temple, etc.  After that, he retires to the Boar’s Head for dinner.  At the Boar’s Head, he observes The Gnome, who is up to his old tricks.  The Gnome attempts to dose Perceval and a young lady’s drink.  Iago sees this.  Iago’s not sure what’s going on, but decides to intervene.  He lurches in mock drunkenness to the table and knocks it over, preventing them from drinking the potion.  He also takes a sample of the potion/ale mixture for later analysis.  

Neither he nor Perceval actually recognize one another, having only met briefly and in an entirely different context.  Perceval is angry, but Iago provides him with a new drink, hits the head, then returns to his table.  After finishing his drink, he goes to talk to The Gnome.

He suggests to The Gnome that it was a tremendous waste of money to use the potion and he “apologizes” for ruining it.  After a brief exchange, Iago asks about the whereabouts of an alchemist.  The Gnome refers him to Getchel, his alchemist cousin.

Kiri, meanwhile, has been at the Boar’s Head eating dinner.  She sees The Gnome (as well as the commotion) and decides that it is time to leave.  As she gets up, she notices that a man near the door is swiftly finishing his ale.  She realizes that he’s following her.  She runs down the road, turns into an alleyway only to encounter an accomplice -- she’s blocked!

Her initial pursuer is closing in fast.  Kiri casts Mental Stun, then dashes past the man blocking the narrow alleyway.  She runs as fast as her short legs will carry her, arriving at her boarding house with the pair hot on her heels.  She pounds up the stairs as fast as she can, opens her door and tries to slam it shut.  But her nearest pursuer is too close -- he gets an arm in.  Much larger and much stronger, he forces the door open.

“We can do this the hard way, where we kill you, then find what we want, or we can do this the easy way where you give us what we want and you just get roughed up pretty bad.”

Kiri isn’t buying.  She pulls out her smallsword (practically a rapier for her).  She casts Mental Stun again.  While her would-be assailant is stunned, she attacks with reckless abandon, wounding him severely.  Even as this is happening, she hears something in the hallway.  Not having time to think about it, she stabs at her attacker twice more and he falls to the ground, never really having had a chance to defend.

In the hallway, Haley is struggling with the other pursuer.  The two go rolling down the stairs to the landing below.  Kiri follows and gives Haley’s assailant the same treatment as the other man, stabbing him until he’s well dead.  Then she turns to Haley, who has been stabbed.

In very short order, the other residents and the proprietor are about, shouting for help on the street.  Iago, who was wandering the street, hears the commotion and offers his services as a physician.  He finds one of the men dying and takes a bit of his blood -- blood of a dying man for alchemical purposes.  After that, he “pronounces” the assailants dead.  Then turns to Haley.

The town guard arrive, determine that this was a “justified” killing (two men follow a female halfling into a women’s boarding house, attack her and another woman, die in the process; yep, they got what they deserved -- have a nice evening).  Perceval is also drawn by the commotion, finds out that it is Haley and comes to try to help.

Iago discovers that Haley is already infected with a disease as a result of the wound.  Perceval cast his very minor healing spell.  The Iago asked for energy.  Perceval obliged.  Iago took the energy and stored it in a bead, tricking him into thinking it was part of a cure.  Iago casts Succor, but is concerned about the disease.  Haley’s still in bad shape, and Iago doesn’t think he can immediately cure the disease.

May 7
After a nearly sleepless night, the trio take Haley to the temple for a Cure Disease casting.  After that, they take her home.  Iago has a brief audience with Valerian, then finishes out his day working on obtaining his shop.  The others attend to their duties.
    Iago analyzes The Gnome’s potion, finding it to be something like a fertility potion, possibly with something else or gone wrong.  He then meets Getchel, introducing himself as a matter of professional courtesy.  Getchel seems respectful, even pleased that they have met him.

May 8 - 10
Iago obtains his shop.  Perceval discovers that he’s really going to like being Valerian’s apprentice: Valerian insists that he learn swordplay, and also takes him to a brothel.

May 11
Kiri has performed a couple of rituals (i.e., standard religious services) for The Gnome and other members of “the brotherhood.”  The Gnome comes to her and proposes that she use her talents for fun and profit, and that they might be able to help her in that.  She says she’ll “think about it,” though she’s a bit leery of it.
    Iago has his very first patient -- a man comes is sick with a mysterious plague.  Iago’s tests determine that he is rotting from within, but the tissue isn’t simply dying -- it is becoming undead.  Meanwhile, he determines that the knife used to stab Haley is in fact somehow magical.  It somehow vastly speeds up the progress of disease, making for a swift killer on a stabbed victim.  Iago decides to destroy it in order to attempt to invent a new potion.
   
May 12
Religious holiday.  Fun is had by all.  Except Kiri, who works her butt off in the temple.  Iago takes the opportunity to visit the settlement outside of town to see if there’s an obvious cause of his patient’s illness.  Finding none, he decides to create a “magical catalyst” to analyze the aura in the area.

May 13
Iago purchases 3 cheap pigs.  One is a control, one is given a dose of untainted human blood.  Another is given blood from his patient.  Iago goes to the temple complex to talk to the priesthood, warning them of an “impending zombie plague.”  Perceval receives a letter from his family which disturbs him -- they’ve heard a bit about his problems.

May 14
Iago visits Getchel to tell him about the zombie problem and ask for his help.  He proves to be less than interested, but wishes Iago well.  Meanwhile, Haley asks Kiri for her love potion.  She arranges for Perceval to come to her room the following day.

May 15
Perceval arrives to see Haley and is surprised to find The Gnome there as well.  Haley offers them both some water.  They drink.  The Gnome expresses his undying love for Haley.  Haley thanks Perceval for his kind offers of support, but says she’ll be just fine with her new “lover.”

May 16
Haley and the Gnome leave for parts unknown.  Kiri, in the meantime, has tried to warn her that this seems like a bad idea.  Haley assures her that she “knows what she’s doing.”
    Iago takes more samples from his patient.  In the meantime, he has other patients.  His business is getting off the ground!  At the same time, with his ritual space fully consecrated, he makes an attempt to cure his patient.  It fails.  He resolves to try again.  His patient is getting worse.

May 17
Iago tries again a cure yet again; fails.

May 18
Iago tries yet again; it seems to work.

May 19
Perceval runs into The Gnome, who tells him he “got over” Haley.  Where is she?  He chuckles and says “she’s been taken care of -- don’t worry, she’s ‘fine.’”  Perceval can get nothing more from The Gnome.  Unconvinced of her safety, he decides to blow a silver on Madge.  Madge promises her typical Augury -- come back in the morning.

May 20
Madge tells Perceval to head towards Blytheton, to the north.  Perceval receives Valerian’s leave to go and sets out.
    Iago’s patient returns -- he’s dying.  Iago is at a loss -- it seems that the disease was cured, yet the undead tissue is taking over.  The pigs are fine.

May 21
Perceval finds Haley.  She’s in a dingy roadside inn, having taken up the doxy’s life.  Perceval pays for her services and tries to talk to her.  She seems extremely disinterested in anything but the business relationship, and though she knows him, it doesn’t seem to matter.  Disheartened, Perceval goes back downstairs.  The innkeeper tells him he “bought her” from the brotherhood, though they still get a cut of her proceeds.  Perceval is angered, but doesn’t know what to do.  So he leaves.
    Iago takes control of the “zombie” portions of his patient.  He wonders if, when his patient dies, he’ll be able to control all of him.  It appears that he won’t have long to wait until he can find out.

May 22
Perceval, walking home, is attacked by a zombie.  Flame jet destroys it.  He leaves its smouldering remains in the road and hastens home.
    Iago’s catalyst comes home.  The aura is “deep”, is undead, and may well have a demonic source.  He resolves to test to see if he can determine the extent of the aura -- how far does it extend.  He enlists Valerian’s aid, who gives him Perceval as a grunt.  
    Revelation of the second zombie has everyone wondering if Iago isn’t right -- could it be a plague?