Paying the Piper

Despite the threat from the Faedwyr, some brave (or foolish?) souls have returned to Lander's Edge. However, during the nights they have been plagued by rat creatures. When the Piper arrived and offered to get rid of the rats, the settlers agreed. When they could not pay his fee, however, he led off their children. The Iron Heart Accord heard their lamentations and we offered to assist. Led by Ferrum, a cleric of the Sentinels, and with me (Rufus) in attendance, our party traveled to Lander's Edge.

We were taken to a long abandoned entrance to the city's sewers. Its grate, rusted shut from decades of disuse, appears to have been ripped from the wall & carelessly tossed to the side. Heaps of debris, old crates, & other trash clutter the catwalk. The air reeking of night soil & sea water. It is here we stopped, just outside of the gaping maw to the under city.

"Here, this be where he led them," wheezed our guide, a scrawny, toothless old rat catcher, "good luck in this fool's errand."

With that he limped off into the fog, leaving our party at the entrance.

Cautiously, we entered the catacombs and made our way steadily through the twisting passageways. On occasion. corridors led off to the right or left, but we continued along the main way. Finally, we came to a gate; alas it was locked! Someone suggested that there might be a key hidden in one of the chambers we passed so we decided to backtrack.

When we entered the first room, we immediately noticed a small chest on the far side. Then a foul stench assaulted our nostrils. We began to gag and our eyes watered. I had to drop my shield and place my hand over my nose in order to function. That's when we heard the skittering/ A swarm of reptilian humanoids crawled out from the murk and rushed us.

Their advance was initially inexorable and we were driven back to the doorway. But then we steeled ourselves and began to push back. We made progress through the room. That's when disaster struck me. A powerful blow knocked my sword from my hand. I had to twist and dodge to recover it. However, I think this setback turned toward out favor. The troglodytes, witnessing my discomfiture, shambled in my direction. Ferrum rushed past them on the other side of the room, grabbed the chest, and made his escape. My compatriots came to my rescue, allowing me to retreat from the room. Once we escaped, the troglodytes ceased their pursuit.

Outside the room, we checked the chest. There was a key, but it would turn out that it was not the right one. There was also a trinket that would prove useful; an amulet that allows one to track an enemy.

In the next room, we were swarmed by goblins. Though we hacked and slashed unceasingly, it seemed that they would not stop coming. We were beaten back and on the verge of defeat. Then I saw Slab the Druid (one of the Sentinels) in one corner chanting. His exhortations seemed to feed the strength of Ferrum,who waded into the enemy and would not be defeated. His example inspired me; I called to my companions "Let's help him!" and I too rushed into the foe. We became a whirling scythe of death. The tide turned and the enemy fled! Our exaltation in our victory was matched by excitement when we found a chest. In it was a key! We ran to the locked gate; it opened it!

We passed through the gate into a large chamber. We were greeted with the sight of a score of rat-faced humanoids.

They were herding another of their kind, but this one was humongous! Behind them was a man (or it appeared to be a man but I believe it was a Faedwyr). He was playing the pipes, which sent the rat-men into hysterics. They madly charged us!

Once again we were locked into deadly combat. The rat-men were not difficult to defeat, but they would not stop. One of our party noted "We need to kill the Piper!" We tried to surge forward, but the rat-ogre would rush into the fray and scatter us.

We had been pushed back to the gate when Ferrum called to me. "Rufus, come with me!" Reaching him, he laid a hand on my shoulder and uttered an incantation. Suddenly, we were transported across the room and faced the Piper. Suddenly, I was fired with a holy rage. I rushed into the attack. Scores of rat-men blocked my path to the Piper but I mowed through them like summer grass. I found myself face-to-face with the rat-ogre. Our battle raged but I managed to say him, and now I faced the Piper.

I heard a roar behind me. Turning, I saw the rat-ogre looming over me! Although bleeding from a mortal wound, it was determined to fight on and take me out! I readied my shield.

Suddenly, there was a mad rampage. The rat-men started rushing from the room in a panic! Their rush got in the path of the ogre. It too was swept out of the room. I then realized that something was different; the pipes had stopped. I looked around and saw that the Piper lay dead upon the ground.

We searched the rest of the catacombs, found the children, and escorted them to safety. I did recommend that the settlers abandon Lander's Edge until we can be sure that the Faedwyr could not return. I am not sure if they will follow that advice.

I am certain that this account has slighted some of my compatriots by ignoring their contributions. In my defense, I can only say that I was heavily engaged in combat and failed to witness all the acts of bravery that occurred. I can assure you that our entire party fought gallantly. In the end, we were victorious and the children were saved. That is what truly matters.

OOC Notes

• This is a recounting of the "dungeon crawl" scenario from last Sunday's battlegame.
• There were supposed to be 5 rooms but we ran out of time and had to cut if off at 3.
• I have occasionally altered events for dramatic for dramatic or narrative purposes. For example, we never made it through the locked gate. Due to time constraints, the scenario was changed so that we faced the Piper in one of the rooms. I changed the narrative slightly because it made a better story.
• I have been playing "barbarian" but am changing some of the abilities to match my persona better. In this account, I describe Fight After Death as a holy rage.

Knights of the Isles

Over on the Dagorhir boards, Primarch Ser Hivemind Saligia of The Cairnhold Legion wrote "knighthood should be about virtue and service, not about how many people you can beat with a foam bat." It is an attitude with which I heartily concur. Even the term itself leads to such an interpretation, knight stemming from a Middle English word meaning servant.

With this in mind, knighthood in the Free Kingdom of the Shrouded Isles eschews the lifetime achievement award approach that is common among LARP groups Instead, knighthoods are awarded primarily for service to our realm.

Squires
Our Kingdom's Council will invite members to serve as squires. These candidates must have some experience (at least a year), have their own garb and weapons, have a reputation for being honorable, courteous, and helpful, have provided service to the realm, and have some skills that can benefit the realm.

The squire will serve in that role for at least a year, and must perform a series of quests.

The Quests
The Council will determine the exact nature of the quests, and will tailor them to the individual. For example, someone whose primarily ability is in crafting won't be expected to perform a bunch of combat-related quests. Here are some sample quests:

• Quest of Knowledge - pass a test on the rules of the game
• Quest of Service - design and reeve a number of battlegames
• Quest of Prowess - use your primarily skill to serve the realm (e.g. a tailor could make monster garb for a quest, etc.)
• Quest of Dedication - stand before the Council as they scrutinize your performance as squire
• Quest of Courage - undertake an in-persona role-playing adventure

Once the quests are completed, the Council will vote on the candidate. If approved, the squire will be granted the title of Knight Companion of the Order of the Morning Sun. Why the morning sun? Because the morning sun burns off the mist that shrouds the Isles. Similarly, knights of the Order are expected to be beacons of chivalry that cut through the haze of incivility.

A Few Points

• Note that there is both a virtue and role-playing aspect to becoming a knight. In the Quest of Dedication, the Council should examine a squire's chivalrousness and their dedication to the RP aspect of the hobby.
• In my opinion, following the code of chivalry is what distinguishes a knight from a standard fighter. The squire should demonstrate the virtues of chivalry in his/her everyday playing of the game.
• Role-playing is important for a knight of our realm! After all, the game is about more than beating on people; it is really about creating a shared fantasy world. Squires should serve the realm by helping to create that world. They do not have to go into full actor mode, but they must contribute something. For example, they must be wearing garb and it is helpful if they have a backstory.
• We will not have a Circle of Knights making decisions. I feel that a circle can potentially lead to cliquishness. Instead, the realm Council, as representatives of the populace as a whole, shall make the determination on who should be squired and knighted.
• Fear not, visitors and migrants to the realm. If you come bearing a title, you will not be asked to drop it. The Free Kingdom will acknowledge such foreign titles and consider you a knight errant (this also means you could adopt a title for role-playing purposes; we won't raise a stink). If you wish to be part of the Order of the Morning Sun, however, you will need to receive an invitation from the Council and complete the quests.
• Finally, becoming a Knight Companion is not the final destination for our aspiring beacons of chivalry. There are also higher ranks of knighthood - Knight Commanders and Knight Champions - that one can attain through additional quests.