Alois Prep
CHRONICLE > Dunstrand Rising is a Living World campaign set in Grand Duchy of Dunstrand in the Steel Realms of the [Fantasy] Steel Realms Setting (planet of Helca).
Alois Prep is being done prior to The Convergence encounter by Alois Allard.
with the declaration of the baron: CY 1-3-9168 – No one in Torrelson’s Ford is allowed to trade with Aqua Pluma – you are tasked with finding a way to supply the allies of your organization there.
Essentially you have to learn to be a smuggler! The Baron has indicated that anyone caught trading with them will be fined and/or jailed. There is a smuggler that you know of named Frauhd in Torrelsons Ford. However, he has a bad reputation and is known to oppose the Gallants. There is also this halfing guy, an ally of the group from time to time: Lucky Red Scarf. Alois goes to see lucky and is initially rebuffed. He seems not to want to upset any local balance of power. Perhaps the Elon folk – gypsies – can help. He goes to see them at Cats cross in Torrelson’s Ford. They dont move fast, there will be, in their words, a “courtship process” wherein both sides get to know each other. Dammit.
Sira Aaron Mokar of the Bank of the Silver Stacks goes to see Josie (and Alois) and explain that there will be no fulfillment of any existing contracts with the Baron without first being approved by him. They have taken control of the Baron’s debt.
There are a few people trying to get ahold of you – Josie is sending them to you. You are learning the administrative ropes of her position, paperwork.
After a few weeks, the Elon agree to handle a small shipment. You are being sent to a rendezvous to a ruins on the western outskirts of town. You’re given a phrase to identify yourself and what the counter phrase will be. There. You are to negotiate a shipment of illicit goods. Supplies for feather and the keep. The refugees at the keep will be cover for a shipment. It will likely be searched so you’ll have to come up with a plan to get that through
Well, it’s your first time meeting this contact and you kind of dropped the ball. They managed to convince you logically that the price has gone up and there’s not really a choice in it for anybody. It’s going to cost another 10%. Which you give into. It won’t be good news for Josie but you don’t see any other way around it. Well, this is obviously your first quasi-smuggling operation. The logistical details are pretty haphazard.
You at least understand that maybe some of these people that are helping you haul this load are the wrong people. But it’s too late to do anything about and you decide to accompany this shipment yourself
A letter arrives from Feather. It is ciphered in her usual humorous way. You decipher it perfectly and it appears authentic. It looks like a laundry list. Embedded within it are instructions for creating a helmet. No umbakian smiths must be involved, and it must not be sourced out of umbak. It’s definitely not a war helmet. It covers the entire face, but leaves the ability for the wearer to eat through it. It has supports on the shoulders so that the neck isn’t always stressed. It’s bizarre. And it must be from a Smith outside of the barony. You decide it will have to be a Smith in the county to the east, county Faer. It’s a strange enough request where you copy it and pass it on to Josie, and then start making arrangements to fulfill it.
For a few nights here and there you’ve had a series of dark dreams. As somebody is spying on you when you were asleep. But you shake it off.
You set on out your mission, to the east and into the muddy lands of east Crestwold.
You take a locking strong box to hold the commission money. You hire a couple of teamsters and grab a mule and set out. You give up your fancy clothes and nice accommodations and tell the men this is to be a silent mission.