From the Journal of Rufo Huron; Smuggler, Spy, and Ferret
Given recent events, I have decide to start keeping a record of my activities while employed as a retainer to Baron Alexander Sage.
Hopefully nobody will find it while I'm still alive.
Two months ago, I arrived in Triskellian from distant lands, bearing two parcels bound for two different individuals. The first was addressed to a local merchant, a mouse named Malthus. Sadly, he didn't have the money to pay me, but directed me to a moneylender who apparently WOULD. Said moneylender is Tamurello, a fellow member of the mustelid clan. He ALSO didn't have my money (something to do with the recent politics surrounding the death of the Don), but before our negotiations could go very far, the Baron's entourage rudely interrupted us.
Oh, the Baron was there too, but he has a bearing altogether fitting of his position. The heavily-armed people he travels with, however, have no need for decorum (even the one who claims to be another nobleman, but the cat was far worse), and included a strange, reptile-like being of a sort I'd never seen before. And after discovering that we both had interests concerning the late Don, they began to threaten me! Fortunately, the Baron has the wisdom and foresight to realize that money is a far better motivation for a businessman like myself than threats against my life, and I entered his employ.
We traveled to the Don's manor house out in the countryside, and explored it from top to bottom. In the wine cellar, we discovered a secret passage, and behind it, the unholy products of necromancy! We destroyed the undead (while my thrown knives were effective, the "nobleman's" very large sword was far more so), and then investigated the hidden room. We found a Book of Black Magik, as well as evidence that this necromantic lab was used by the Lady Jakoba, who unfortunately is who my second parcel was addressed to.
When we left the manor house, my keen ferret sense of smell found the trail of a grey fox. Thinking that we may have found the escape route of the missing heir, we followed the trail, through the woods, along a road back to Triskellian (and finding a dead slaver along the way), and all the way back to the city. At the gate, we saw a young grey fox, and an older red vixen... who also saw us, and once again the chase resumed. Catching up to her, we find that she rescued the grey fox (who was indeed the Don's son), and revealed a plot to usurp the leadership of Triskellian (which I will not go into at this time). The Baron decided to take custody of the young (and cursed, as it turned out) heir in secret, and retreat to his own holdings in the Bisclavret lands.
Our trip there was fairly uneventful, aside from my barely being able to talk myself out of trouble with a lawsquirrel, and the "nobleman" having to sleep with a mage for favors (this has gone into my notes for potential leverage, as he had to violate his marriage vows). At the manor, the Baron decided that my quick mind, quick body, and even quicker tongue would serve him well as a spy, and so favors were called in to have me trained by a Bisclavret spymaster in the art of espionage.
Drak, the strange intelligent reptile, had been having dreams regarding an ancient city in the mountains. While the rest of the Baron's entourage prepared for an expedition for this "lost city", I convinced Baron Sage that my skills would be far more useful in attempting to unravel the conspiracy in Triskellian rather than evading the Chevernase. So we parted for the first time in weeks.
In Triskellian, I decided to watch the Don's palace, particularly looking for an otter mage by the name of Lystragones. When that didn't pan out, I took more direct measures by infiltrating the palace disguised as a worker. My cover was blown when a pair of guards and an official took me aside for... well, I'm not sure what they wanted with me, but I was certain it was not good! Quick thinking allowed me to escape, and I managed to evade them within the palace long enough to change clothes, and follow the official to another secret passage. I took this opportunity to leave the palace unnoticed and make plans for a second visit.
Knowing that I couldn't rely on being able to sneak in disguised a second time (my antics would undoubtly mean that any ferrets would be given extra scrutiny), I made preparations for a different sort of infiltration. I payed off a servant I'd met on the previous visit to leave a sally port in the outer wall unlocked, and then gathered a selection of tools, clothing and weapons suitable for my next attempt.
I successfully snuck into the palace and to the secret passage, and managed to find some sort of wizard's laboratory with a single occupant, an unresponsive white vixen. Hiding myself, I managed to spy on an otter I presume to be Lystragones, who entered the room shortly thereafter and had a most queer conversation with the vixen. After she departed, however, disaster struck. Lystragones had somehow realized that I was in the room, although he hadn't pinpointed my location yet. Thinking quickly, I used one of my knives to pin his feet to the floor, and bolted for the exit. I suspect he attempted to cast a spell on me, but I do not think it was successful. My escape was hindered several times by guards, but I managed to narrowly avoid capture, although not without taking a painful, but not debilitating, crossbow wound.
The next day, after having my wounds treated to a point where I could travel once more, I set off to the Baron's Bisclavret manor, where I am now writing these words while waiting for him and his companions to return.
Hopefully he didn't get killed by the Chevernase.
Hopefully nobody will find it while I'm still alive.
Two months ago, I arrived in Triskellian from distant lands, bearing two parcels bound for two different individuals. The first was addressed to a local merchant, a mouse named Malthus. Sadly, he didn't have the money to pay me, but directed me to a moneylender who apparently WOULD. Said moneylender is Tamurello, a fellow member of the mustelid clan. He ALSO didn't have my money (something to do with the recent politics surrounding the death of the Don), but before our negotiations could go very far, the Baron's entourage rudely interrupted us.
Oh, the Baron was there too, but he has a bearing altogether fitting of his position. The heavily-armed people he travels with, however, have no need for decorum (even the one who claims to be another nobleman, but the cat was far worse), and included a strange, reptile-like being of a sort I'd never seen before. And after discovering that we both had interests concerning the late Don, they began to threaten me! Fortunately, the Baron has the wisdom and foresight to realize that money is a far better motivation for a businessman like myself than threats against my life, and I entered his employ.
We traveled to the Don's manor house out in the countryside, and explored it from top to bottom. In the wine cellar, we discovered a secret passage, and behind it, the unholy products of necromancy! We destroyed the undead (while my thrown knives were effective, the "nobleman's" very large sword was far more so), and then investigated the hidden room. We found a Book of Black Magik, as well as evidence that this necromantic lab was used by the Lady Jakoba, who unfortunately is who my second parcel was addressed to.
When we left the manor house, my keen ferret sense of smell found the trail of a grey fox. Thinking that we may have found the escape route of the missing heir, we followed the trail, through the woods, along a road back to Triskellian (and finding a dead slaver along the way), and all the way back to the city. At the gate, we saw a young grey fox, and an older red vixen... who also saw us, and once again the chase resumed. Catching up to her, we find that she rescued the grey fox (who was indeed the Don's son), and revealed a plot to usurp the leadership of Triskellian (which I will not go into at this time). The Baron decided to take custody of the young (and cursed, as it turned out) heir in secret, and retreat to his own holdings in the Bisclavret lands.
Our trip there was fairly uneventful, aside from my barely being able to talk myself out of trouble with a lawsquirrel, and the "nobleman" having to sleep with a mage for favors (this has gone into my notes for potential leverage, as he had to violate his marriage vows). At the manor, the Baron decided that my quick mind, quick body, and even quicker tongue would serve him well as a spy, and so favors were called in to have me trained by a Bisclavret spymaster in the art of espionage.
Drak, the strange intelligent reptile, had been having dreams regarding an ancient city in the mountains. While the rest of the Baron's entourage prepared for an expedition for this "lost city", I convinced Baron Sage that my skills would be far more useful in attempting to unravel the conspiracy in Triskellian rather than evading the Chevernase. So we parted for the first time in weeks.
In Triskellian, I decided to watch the Don's palace, particularly looking for an otter mage by the name of Lystragones. When that didn't pan out, I took more direct measures by infiltrating the palace disguised as a worker. My cover was blown when a pair of guards and an official took me aside for... well, I'm not sure what they wanted with me, but I was certain it was not good! Quick thinking allowed me to escape, and I managed to evade them within the palace long enough to change clothes, and follow the official to another secret passage. I took this opportunity to leave the palace unnoticed and make plans for a second visit.
Knowing that I couldn't rely on being able to sneak in disguised a second time (my antics would undoubtly mean that any ferrets would be given extra scrutiny), I made preparations for a different sort of infiltration. I payed off a servant I'd met on the previous visit to leave a sally port in the outer wall unlocked, and then gathered a selection of tools, clothing and weapons suitable for my next attempt.
I successfully snuck into the palace and to the secret passage, and managed to find some sort of wizard's laboratory with a single occupant, an unresponsive white vixen. Hiding myself, I managed to spy on an otter I presume to be Lystragones, who entered the room shortly thereafter and had a most queer conversation with the vixen. After she departed, however, disaster struck. Lystragones had somehow realized that I was in the room, although he hadn't pinpointed my location yet. Thinking quickly, I used one of my knives to pin his feet to the floor, and bolted for the exit. I suspect he attempted to cast a spell on me, but I do not think it was successful. My escape was hindered several times by guards, but I managed to narrowly avoid capture, although not without taking a painful, but not debilitating, crossbow wound.
The next day, after having my wounds treated to a point where I could travel once more, I set off to the Baron's Bisclavret manor, where I am now writing these words while waiting for him and his companions to return.
Hopefully he didn't get killed by the Chevernase.