# Maidenfine's Freeport Saga



## Maidenfine (Jan 8, 2003)

This is my third time running a campaign in Freeport. I have placed it within the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. I love Freeport but I get burnout way too easily. This reboot of Freeport was inspired by DrNuncheon's Freeport Story Hour. I'm hoping that the third times a charm and I will finally do Freeport justice as a DM. That said, on with the show. . . 




YK 1030 
Cyena showed her ticket to the guards at the gate. She'd paid three times what it was worth to get in. Inside, she waited with the small crowd. She smiled inwardly at the number of depraved citizens in this town that fought for execution tickets. _They're my kind of people,_ she thought.

Finally, the rapist arrived. He was the first to be executed this day. Cyena focused her mind.

_Don't worry, Father. I will retrieve the half human child upon its birth. I will continue the mission. And your second child will as well._ 

As they placed his head upon the block, the rapist smiled. Her message had been received.





YK 1033 
Cryden's eyes followed his target down the dock. He'd better make this count. They'd only given him one arrow. He saw his opening and took his shot, smiling as the Sea Lord crumpled to the ground. Quickly, he slid down the mast. He turned to run. . . 

. . . and ran into Cyena with a thud.

"You smell of snakes," she said with a smile. But her smile was anything but friendly as she plunged her dagger into his heart.
As the Sea Lord's Guards ran along the dock, they paid no heed to the beggar and her small child. When they found the assassin, he was already dead.





Frosting, YK 1043 
In the dark, a young man stumbled through the streets. Freeport hadn't changed at all. Of course, he wasn't sure how long he'd been gone.

Finally, he reached his destination. Luckily, the doors were unlocked. He ducked inside and marched straight to the waiting clerk.

"I am Lucius. I don't know how long I've been gone or where I've been, but I've returned to continue my work for the temple."






Mustering, YK 1044 
"So we're on for dinner and a little romp tonight, right?" Selene'ya didn't eve have to look up from her mug to know that it was Ben.

"Not this century, Ben."

"I understand a busy schedule, but honestly. You won't even be alive next century."

"Depends on what you mean by this century. Besides, Ben, Selene is hooking up with the cutie in the corner." Annette smiled at the brunette half-elf in the corner booth. When he smiled back, she wiggled her fingers at him in a flirty wave. "He is so cute," she squeaked.

"Then you go home with him," Selene said. She glanced over at the half-elf. He was kinda cute.

"That would free up your schedule then, right?" asked Ben.

"No."

It happened the same every day. Ben wanted to hook up with Selene'ya, Annette wanted to hook Selene'ya up, and Selene'ya just wanted them to stay the hell away from her love life. If Annette hadn't been the best and only barmaid at The Black Swan, Selene would probably have never seen either of them.
It was time for her to get to work.

"Sorry guys. I gotta go. Some little boys need a little pain."
Annette rolled her eyes. "Don't you mean Finn wants you to beat up some poor schmoe with a poor shop?"

"You do your job, I do mine." As she headed for the door, Selene glanced at the brunette in the corner. He _was_ cute.






As he walked into The Black Swan, Annette leaned over the counter, affording Frederick a great view of her cleavage.

"Hiya, Freddie! Your usual?"

He nodded as he headed to his usual booth in the corner. A few steps away he stopped dead in his tracks.

"You're sitting at my table."

The brunette gentleman looked up form his book. He smiled.

"Am I? Sorry. The barmaid didn't mention it. But by the look of you, we may have some things in common." As he reached down to pet his cat he nodded at the raven on Freddie's shoulder. "Mind if I join you?"

Freddie shrugged and took a seat as far form the stranger as possible while remaining at his table. Annette arrived with his drink, flashing an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about your table."

Freddie mumbled something to make her feel better and sipped his drink.

"I'm Malevir. I've only been here about a month. Just found this place. Anyway, I'm hanging around for Swagfest. I heard it's quite the celebration."

Freddie nodded and sipped his drink.

"Hey, you come here a lot. You must know this girl who was here earlier. She's got a fire tattoo on her arm. You know her?"

Freddie shook his head. He had no idea who this guy was talking about. He hurriedly finished his drink.

"Uh, listen," he said. "I gotta go. I have a job."

Freddie got up before Malevir had a chance to speak and left the Swan. He was disappointed that Malevir had spoiled his drink but he hadn't had much time anyhow. He headed off to Otto's. He had a new shipment of weapons to identify.






_Maybe we'll be gone for hurricane season,_ Kiohrin thought as her entered the common room of the Rusty Hook. When he saw the look on Duma's face, however, things didn't seem promising.

"No one has seen them," she said. "But I know they have to be here. This is where we were supposed to meet."

They'd been in Freeport for six months looking for the twins. Their group was split up during their travels but they all knew Freeport was their next destination. No one's travel could be complete without a visit to Freeport. So here they were, wondering where in god's name Newlin and Nortz could be.

Kiohrin ordered breakfast and pretended to listen while Duma complained about losing Newlin and Nortz. Some days, she seemed to forget that just because the other three were all psionicists, that *didn't* mean they could locate each other instantaneously.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll find them. They might not even be here yet. Just remember, they're looking for us too." He finished his burnt toast and strapped his veil across his face.

"Let's go, Duma. Lots to do today. Swagfest is next week. If we don't find them before then, we'll need jobs to wait out the rainy season."

Duma was finally silent as she absorbed what he had said. As Kiohrin reached the street she began to follow.

"What do you mean, jobs?"


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## Maidenfine (Jan 29, 2003)

*Swagfest*

It was bright and sunny in Freeport when Swagfest finally arrived. Jesswin walked along with the crowd as it headed toward the docks. Festivities were to kick off at nine am. Soon, she could see the stage, despite its small size. It barely filled the street near the central pier. 

Her target was not the only one on the stage. If she wasn’t on a job she might have been tempted to rob the whole lot of them. The Harbormaster was there, of course, with his beautiful wife. A young noblewoman and her bodyguard stood next to a cashing young elf with huge midnight blue wings. The sight of him almost broke Jesswin’s concentration. She refocused her attention on the task at hand.

As trumpets blared, Captain Lydon stepped to the front of the stage, raising his hands. He smiled and ran a hand through his scraggly mop of hair.

“Aarrgh, mateys! Welcome to Swagfest!” Jesswin fought to hear his words over the cheers of the crowd. “It be my honor to begin the festivities this year, as our great Sea Lord is busy with the preparations for his lighthouse. So, the responsibility falls to me to start things off. Are you ready or pillage and plunder?”

Jesswin’s eyes never strayed from the Captain as the crowd jostled her. Slowly, she made her way toward the stage. “Two hundred years ago, the fleets of Freeport first took to the waves with two mighty captains at the head. The landlubbers shuddered as we gave them fire and Freeport steel!”

At the conclusion of his sentence, Jesswin leapt, taking everyone by surprise. As the audience screamed, Jesswin plunged her dagger deep into Lydon’s chest. Madness ensued.

Jesswin dove off the stage as Lydon’s men sprung into action. As she races toward the pier, she vaguely noticed being pursued. Suddenly, fire flared in her side, followed quickly by sudden pain in her back. She didn’t have time to wonder how someone had shot her without her bracer reacting. She reached the end of the pier and plunged into the water. As she swam away she thought about the nice heavy purse she was going to get from Finn for this job.


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## Maidenfine (Jan 29, 2003)

*Swagfest continued. . .*

“She kind of did a number there, diving into the water and all that. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Kiohrin looked around before spotting the gnome who had spoken to him. 

“Uh, yeah. I figured I’d chase her but then she jumped in the water and, uh, that is, I’m not jumping in the water for someone else’s murderer.” Kiohrin kicked himself mentally at how stupid that sounded. He just hadn’t wanted to mention that growing up in a desert meant his swimming skills weren’t’ that great. 

“Yeah, I can’t run real fast. I’m kind of a small guy.”

Kiohrin thought that was a bit of an understatement, but then again, he knew he was taller that average. He chuckled as they walked back to the stage area.

“I’m Kiohrin.”

“I’m Frederick.”

As they reached the stage area, the Harbormaster was taking over. A spot of blood was the only evidence that Captain Lydon had ever been there.

“Everyone please come back,” the Harbormaster pleaded. “Everything’s been taken care of. The Watch has everything under control and the Captain’s men have rushed him to a healer. He should be fine. There’s ten kegs of ale on their way if you’ll just come back.”

Kiohrin and Frederick were able to get front row spots as the crowd slowly trickled back.

“Now let’s get this thing on the road. The Great Raid did Freeport proud and no pirate more than One-Eyed Jack. He was lashed to the mast of Drac’s flagship and fought over a  dozen fishmen with only a belaying pin. He was quite the salt to be reckoned with. So, in honor of him, is everyone ready for One-Eyed Jack’s Last Stand?”

As the crowd went wild, the Harbormaster pointed off to the side of the stage where a pole had been buried in the ground. A group of men stood nearby with padded staves, as the first contestant was tied to the pole.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 2, 2003)

*Off to See Finn*

Selene'ya waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light in The Hellhound Social Club. It was only open to the public one day out of the year. Finn would be here. Finally, she spotted him in a corner booth with several other halflings.

As she approached their booth, the halflings stopped their conversation. She hesitated before speaking to Finn. 

"I saw Jesswin today," she said.

"Did you? How was she?"

Selene'ya wasn't even sure if Finn was involved. Jesswin had only worked for him a few times.

"She was really good." _Really good at killing Captain Lydon_, she thought.

"Well, that's good to hear." Finn was being deliberately vague. It was time to find out what he knew.

"He couldn't go on." she said. Maybe Finn wouldn't know what she was talking about. . .

But the look in his eyes said he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just a bit of long overdue business. You enjoy your day and I'll see you before your rounds tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Selen'ya wasn't sure how comfortable she was with this. It was one thing to beat up small time shopkeepers, but the assassination of a political figure was dangerous. 

As she left the club, Selene'ya decided to keep her nose in her own business. Finn could take care of himself. And it was Swagfest. There was no time for worrying on Swagfest.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 2, 2003)

*and now back to our regularly scheduled Swagfest...*

By the time Selene'ya reached the docks, a number of contestants had already fallen in One Eyed Jack's Last Stand. As she headed toward the contest area, she asked a grizzled sailor if he knew what the number to beat was.

"Aye, lass. young Sven form the decks o' the Lady Wave beat down eight of Lydon's fishmen afore he fell. Never knew the boy had it in 'im."

The attendants finished untying the limp body of the most recent contestant. As it was dragged off, they turned to the crowd.
"Who's next?" What was left of the crowd after the ale carts' arrival looked to their shoes.

"I'll go." The attendant blinked in surprise as three volunteers stepped forward in unison.

Selene'ya looked to the other two. The tall one looked strong. He might do well. But the other volunteer was a gnome in robes. _What is he thinking?_ She stepped back to allow one of them to go. Finally, it was decided that the gnome would go first.






As the attendants tied him to the pole, Frederick began to have second thought. _I'm just a sorcerer. I don't have the strength for this._ But he wasn't going to give up now.

As the first two "fishmen approached him, his heart pounded in his ears. He used what little movement room he had to dodge their blows as he smacked on in the head with his sap. 

Amazingly, the man collapsed to the ground.  Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. Another fishman quickly to the fallen man's place. Frederick squirmed to one side but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the new man's blow. As stars filled his vision he swung wildly toward the men. His swing drew him to one side, avoiding one blow but putting him right in the path of another. A third man came forward. Not watching his step, the man fell over his downed comrade. The man screamed as his nose smashed into the ground, leaving a blood smear. Frederick swung his sap back around, clipping another man in the process, but not hitting with enough force to cause any harm. As one of the fishmen helped his bleeding comrade off the field, the other slammed his sap into Frederick's head. As his head rocked back into the pole, his hand reacted automatically. He landed a weak blow in the man's stomach. As one man returned and two new men approached, Frederick prepared for the rain of blows. As he threw up his arms, their staves flew at him from all directions. Finally, he had had enough. As consciousness left him, he heard an attendant yelling out his score.

"Two men down for our gnome friend. Who's next?"


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## Maidenfine (Mar 2, 2003)

*Just some comments.*

Okay. #1, Swagfest took up our entire first session, which lasted probably four hours. After the other two tries at One Eyed Jack's Last Stand, there are some side games. That is followed by another regularly scheduled Swagfest event where they meet some NPCs and go to a bar. I would skip all the rest of this and just go the next day but unfortunately, it would be hard to understand most of it without all the Swagfes stuff that happens. Things like the noble that smells absolutely horrid, or the PC who's irresistable to all men, especially the Sea Lord. Then there's Drinksmash and that actually comes back into the picture several times.
#2. I was somewhat stupid and tape recorded our first three sessions. While ordinarily this wouldn't be such a bad idea, we have a lot of side ocnversations that I then have to listen to as I'm transcribing it. So since I'm going to school full time and have a full time job, it's taking a while. After the six tapes that I have left ot listen to, I started taking notes. At that point, I will start posting A LOT more regularly. So for anybody out there that is actually interested in this story hour, it will get faster and more regular within probably the next month. 
#3. This campaign gets really messed up after about session 5. I decided to experiment and allow evil and chaotic neutral characters.  I usually don't do this. However, this time, I wanted to bring in some NPCs that weren't the picture of friendliness. So this campaign is a little strange, but a lot funny.
I think that's about it. Please, feel free to let me know what you think.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 14, 2003)

The "fishmen" chuckled as Selene'ya was tied to the pole. _I'll bet they think I'll be easier than the gnome_, she thought. _Well, let's see_.

One man stepped forward with a gesture that said, "watch this." Selene'ya didn't wait for his attack to take him down viciously with the sap she'd been given. _Watch this, indeed_.
Suddenly, the fishmen were taking her more seriously. Two stepped forward. This time, she was unable to block their attacks, but she did succeed in taking another man down. As two more men stepped forward, the count became three. Quickly, Selene'ya took the number back down to two.

Finally, with four men attacking her, Selene'ya was unable to take any of them down. Their attacks made her skin sting all over where they hit.

Four was apparently the magic number. The remaining fishmen felt no need to rush into the fray. In less than a minute, Selen'ya lost consciousness, just as she took her last man down.

"Four down for the lady!" cried the attendant. "Do you still wish to try your hand, sir?"

Kiohrin stepped forward, fear absent in his eyes. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."


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## Maidenfine (Mar 14, 2003)

After the last two contestants, the "fishmen" were more than confident that they could take this one down. He was tall. Really tall. Too tall for any real muscle.The attendant look on as the first fishman stepped forward. As the fishman swung, the contestant easily moved to one side, returning with a light blow that only seemed to piss the fishman off. Two more men started to come forward but the first motioned them to stay back. 

This time, the fishman connected with his hit, but the contestant seemed unfazed. Finally, he didn't stop another fishman from coming forward. As the contestant flailed his sap about, the first man again missed. His new comrade hit, receiving a scowl. A third fishman came forward, striking a soft blow while the other two squabbled between themselves. As a fourth fishman joined the fray, traffic got congested and the men tripped over each other. Suddenly, the contestant hit, his blow taking the first man down.
The attendant perked up. _Maybe this fight will be interesting after all._

As a new fourth man entered the fray, he was unable to get a hit in before melting into the confusion around the contestant. Two of the fishmen managed to hit, their blows softened by the jostling of their comrades.

Then, the contestant closed his eyes in concentration. _What is he doing_, thought the attendant. Several men took this opportunity to strike but there were more misses than hits as the contestant dodged, his eyes still closed.

Suddenly, the contestant's eyes snapped open and he quickly took one man down. As a new man hesitantly stepped forward only one of the others held his ground to hit. He soon went down. As the remaining men regained their wits and promptly bludgeoned the contestant into unconsciousness, he managed to down another man.

_He didn't win, but what a fight_, thought the attendant before shouting. "Three men downed for the tall foreigner! Any more challengers?"


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## Maidenfine (Mar 22, 2003)

*Arm Wrestling and Drinksmash*

After the beating he took in One Eyed Jack’s Last Stand, Frederick was feeling more brave. _It wasn’t all *that* bad._ So he entered the first tavern he saw and promptly entered their arm wrestling contest.

His first opponent was decent looking but not extraordinary. Frederick was pretty evenly matched. Merely his hunger to win almost defeated the other man straight away. Slowly, his opponent gained ground. Suddenly, Frederick became filled with rage. _How dare he steal my win!_ Frederick slammed the other man’s fist down with a resounding thud.

With one victory under his belt, Frederick moved on to the next round. This opponent was slightly larger but Frederick wasn’t worried. He flexed his arms.

“Look at these gnome guns.” Apparently, his sad attempt at intimidation worked. Frederick finished off his second opponent in no time. With two more rounds to go, he could win the contest.

Frederick sat across from his new opponent. He heard someone nearby chuckle. “Hey, Gar. Warden’s wrestling’ a gnome.”

Frederick ignored their taunts. He knew how intimidation worked. _Who cares if he looks fitter than and ox? I can still take him just like the last two._ As soon as Frederick finished his thought, the match started. . .

. . . and finished. Frederick looked down in surprise to find his hand pinned to the table. _He didn’t even bat an eyelash_.  As the victor, Warden apparently, walked over to kiss a barmaid, 
Frederick walked out of the tavern in a daze.






As the door opened, every orc in Krom’s Throat turned to look at the oddity in the doorway. He was human, very tall, and wore a cape like non they had ever seen. It was a pale sandy color and very thin. He removed a veil from his face.

“Drinksmash!” the human shouted. Suddenly, he had become one of them as the orcs returned his cheer. A female orc approached Kiohrin.

“You. Me. Drinksmash.” She led him to one of the tables still standing near the center of the tavern. The tavern owner approached with a tray full of ale mugs. He left it with them and busied himself with replacing one of the kegs on the wall. As soon as he walked away from the keg, the fighting began over the space beneath the spigot.

Kiohrin turned his attention back to his new opponent. At his nod, she grabbed a mug and quickly gulped down its content. Then she proceeded to punch Kiohrin square in the face. He grinned as his nose bled. He picked up the next mug and gulped it down. He punched her in the eye, leaving a bright red mark. They took turns drinking and punching for several more rounds. Finally, her punch threw her off balance. She fell to the floor. She didn’t get up.

A cheer filled the tavern. The human had defeated one of their own in Drinksmash. After pats on the back and friendly words, Kiohrin finally left. He needed to let some of the alcohol wear off before the next big event.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 22, 2003)

I should be able to post again tonight or tomorrow. I have a lot more stuff written but I haven't typed it yet. 

For any of you that are wondering why you are reading this story hour, it's because you want to see the heart count. And you want to find out about the priest who knew too much and the murderous party that knew too little. When I said this campaign gets a little strange, I really wasn't kidding.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 22, 2003)

*Swagfest continues. . .*

Selene’ya entered the run-down tavern and slapped two gold onto the counter. The barkeep looked up at the sound of coin. 

“I’m in,” she said. The man nodded and directed her to the end of the bar where three others were ready to start a new contest. She took her place and the barkeep poured the first drinks.
She slammed back her first shot and set the glass back on the bar. _This is some strong stuff._ The three others proceeded to drink and set their glasses down. The barkeep refilled the glasses. Selene’ya tipped back her head to drink her next shot. She started to set her glass down before swallowing, changed her mind, then changed it again. In the process, the glass fell to the floor. She was out of the contest. One of the other men slammed his glass down too quickly losing his grip and sending it sliding to the floor. The competition had quickly narrowed to two.

Selene’ya watched for another round before losing interest. _Isn’t another event set to start soon?_ She began to wander toward the docks.





The Harbormaster’s wife, Darla, stepped to the front of the stage. Her sea colored dress accented her pale green skin, enhancing her natural beauty. All eyes in the audience were on her.

“We all know that Drac and Francisco chased the fat rats up and down the sea lanes. Now it’s your turn.”  The Harbormaster climbed onto the stage, dragging a chest behind him. Once he reached the front to the stage, he opened the chest to pull out a huge rat. All the children squealed at the sight of the three foot long creature. The women screamed, as did a few of the men who were too drunk to remain macho.
“First on to bring it back gets the treasure,” Darla announced. “And remember, he’s worth more alive than dead.” At that, the Harbormaster tossed the rat into the audience. As the women and children attempted to flee, so did the rat, and the chase was on.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 30, 2003)

*I'm a horrible Story Hour writer*

Okay. I already have all of the rat chase written up, it just needs to be typed. The problem is, I am going to school full time and working a full time job. So my time is extremely limited. I will promise to update my Story Hour every Sunday and Wednesday. The updates probably won't be very long but they will be something. 

I am actually taking the next two weeks off as far as D&D goes so if I work hard enough I might actually be able to catch up. Not that I think it's possible but I can always try.

A few teasers:

After the official Swagfest activites there's a trip to the tavern that leads to a dual and two PC kills.

One of the players gets swallowed by a demon.

The party becomes very familiar with the sewers. Especially the sewers under Councillor Verlaine's outhouse.


Hopefully, that will tide any readers over until tomorrow when I will put up a real update.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 30, 2003)

*The rat chase continues. . .*

Kiohrin managed to keep the rat in sight despite the children crossing his path. It ran down the street and turned the corner to follow the shoreline. Kiohrin was finally clear of the crowd and took off at a run to keep up with the rat. He followed it straight into Scurvytown.

As the rat scurried into the basement window of a nearby building, Kiohrin checked out the competition. Only two women were left. One wore a riding skirt and leggings. The other wore baggy breeches. The first had bright red hair tied into two braids. The other had short brown hair cut off at her shoulders.

Kiohrin, hoping to lead the women astray, stopped near the building, panting as if to catch his breath. The redhead caught up first.

“Did you see where it went?” she asked, panting as she looked around.

“Nope. I lost it about 50 feet back. I thought I’d just keep going straight but I didn’t catch sight of it again.”

The other woman caught up. “Do you know where it is?” she asked.

“No. He lost it,” the redhead scowled. At her words, the dark-haired woman began crawling around, searching the ground. Kiohrin and the redhead exchanged glances.

“Found it!” cried the dark girl. She crawled slowly but surely over to the basement window. “It ran in here!” She turned to give Kiohrin an accusing look before climbing through the window.
As the redhead followed the other woman through the window, Kiohrin found a door on the other side of the building. As he ran down the stairs and followed the hall, the women were just opening a door.

As he entered the room, Kiohrin saw the rat, but it wouldn’t be causing him any trouble. The room was filled with webs and several large cocoons. The rat was desperately trying to gnaw its way out of the webs that held it.

“Leave now and I’ll let you live.” A raspy voice from the corner drew Kiohrin’s attention to a pair of eyes. And the spiderlike form visible behind them.

“Just let us have the rat and I’ll bring you something even better to eat.” The dark-haired girl seemed brave, if a bit naïve.

“How about I eat *you*.” The spider said, followed by a stream of web headed toward Kiohrin. Kiohrin easily dodged the web. As the dark-haired girl pulled a greatsword to attack, Kiohrin stepped off to one side to open the nearest cocoon.
As he tugged on the webbing, Kiohrin felt a tug on his mind. For a split second a chill of fear ran up his spine. Just as quickly as it came, Kiohrin pushed it away. He ripped a section off of the cocoon, revealing a face; one he recognized.


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## Maidenfine (Mar 31, 2003)

*Names vs. No Names*

Is it confusing when I don't use names? I've been trying to keep the point of view to the character I'm writing from so if they don't know a name, I don't use it. But I also understand that it can get confusing when the people with and without names changes from one section to another (which they are going to do for this battle). Let me know if you would greatly prefer that I use names.


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## Maidenfine (Apr 3, 2003)

*"Am I dead?"*

Kale followed the small man to a building just inside Scurvytown. _This man had better be telling the truth if I'm going to be dragged into Scurvytown_

"Why would Lydon's assassin be in Scurvytown? Couldn't you have moved her the 100 feet to the Docks?" Kale was irritated. He hated filth and Scurvytown was nothing if not filthy.

"She's a feisty one," said the man as he led Kale down the stairs. At the end of a short hallway, he opened a door. As he did so, his body subtly changed. "I would've enjoyed eating her. If I'd caught her."

Before he could react, Kale was trapped in webbing. He struggled to breathe as the man, now a spider, spun him into a cocoon.






Scarlett ran at the spider with her rapier. It said a few words and suddenly the dark-haired girl was staring off into space. As the tall man punched the spider, it turned to Scarlett. It shot its webbing at her, pinning her to the wall. Scarlett struggled to free herself as the spider turned its focus to the man.

The other woman snapped out of her daze and attacked the spider. As she swung her sword, she tripped over a thick strand of web. She and her sword clattered to the ground. The man continued to punch the spider.

Scarlett groaned. "Don't you have a weapon?"

"I left it at the inn," the man replied, a split second before the spider bit into his arm.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. _Left it at the inn? This is Freeport, what was he thinking?_ "Use my rapier. Or that girl's sword. She's not using it."

The man wrenched his arm free ad picked up the fallen greatsword. As he crouched for the sword the spider missed him and succeeded in biting its own leg. The man swung upward as he lunged from the ground.

The spider lay bleeding among the webs. "You may kill me, but my brethren will eat you alive."

"Yeah. whatever." Scarlett finally managed to free herself from the webbing that held her to the wall as the man finished off the spider. Afterwards, she helped him rip the faces off of the remaining cocoons, some of which held gruesome sights.

Scarlet looked around, trying to figure out the next step. "By the way, thanks for the- Hey!" Scarlett rushed to stop the man from leaving with the rat. "Where do you think you're going?"

The man stopped to look at Scarlett. "Hold this." He held out the greatsword he had borrowed.

Scarlett took it. _What am I supposed to do with this?_ As soon as she held it the man took off running.







Selene'ya opened her eyes. Light came from somewhere behind a golden-haired man who smiled down at her. He mouth moved but she couldn't focus on his words. she was staring at his wings; his dark blue wings. 

"Am I dead?"

"Nope." As soon as the words left her mouth, she recognized him. He had been in a cocoon. Before that, he had been on stage with Captain Lydon and the others.

Selene'ya sat up. She had a blinding headache. as the winged man filled her in on the whereabouts of the redhead and the tall man, she searched the room. She retrieved her greatsword and even found a few sacks of loot in a corner. _Mine now,_ she thought.

"Look. No offense but would you shush it and help me drag this thing back. Those two may have won the rat race, but I'm gonna steal the show."


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## Maidenfine (Apr 7, 2003)

*and the award goes to. . .*

Sorry it's so late in the day but here is my Sunday update as promised.


"Congratulations, and the treasure, go to Kiohrin of the desert!" Darla handed Kiohrin a small chest. he peeked inside to see a variety of spices. He smiled to the crowd. _What am I going to do with these?_

"I couldn't have done it without. . ." He looked to the redhead, who suddenly stopped glaring at him.

"Scarlett RedBlood."

". . . Scarlett Red Blood. This prize belongs to her." Kiohrin handed the small chest to her as the audience cheered. As her offered his hand to help her onto the stage, he saw movement at the edge of his eyesight. He looked over to see the scruffy dark-haired girl, dragging the giant spider behind her. The crowd grew silent, and confused, as she drew near. 

Darla was the first to regain her composure. "I think you may have made a mistake, lassie. you were hunting a rat." The crowd chuckled.

"This thing almost ate your stupid rat and us with it. If not for my help, the tall fellow up there wouldn't have been alive to bring back that rat." Selen'ya dropped the body of the spider in front of the stage.

"I was going to come back for you," said Kiohrin.

"Right. I'm sure you were." Selene'ya proceeded to tell her tale as the audience listened with wonder. Of course, she skipped the part where she tripped, knocking herself out and missing the end of the battle. Kiohrin gazed into the audience as she continued to speak. His attention was caught by three men, slipping away from the crowd. _Now those three don't look so happy about the death of this menace._ He turned his focus back to the girl just in time to applaud as she finished her exaggerated version of the story.


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## Maidenfine (Apr 11, 2003)

Sorry it's a day late. My computer hated me for a day or so.


After all of the excitement died down a little, Scarlett saw her opportunity. "Kiohrin, would you like to join me for a victory drink?" Scarlett watched his eyes as he performed a few mental calculations.

"Maybe tomorrow," he offered. "I'm already a little tipsy today but tomorrow I'll be much better."

"Did I hear someone say victory drink?" Kale suddenly appeared beside her. She tried not to groan. _Does he have to show up *everywhere* I go?_ Kale smiled at her. "If this fellow won't accept, I'll join you for a drink."

Suddenly, she had everyone's attention. If Kale was going, so was Selene'ya. Somehow, a gnome even got invited. But at least Kiohrin had changed his mind after a chat with some priestess. _How did I get myself into *this*?_

Scarlett sighed. "Where shall we go for drinks?"





As the group entered the Black Swan, Annette leaned over the counter in greeting. "Welcome to the Black Sawn. Hiya, Freddie! Hey Selene."

Freddie hopped up onto a barstool as the winged noble made eyes at Annette. "Is my booth open today?" Freddie asked.

"Um. actually, that guy's there again. I guess he's taken a liking to it." Annette looked apologetic. "You want your usual?"

"Yeah," Freddie sighed. "I'll be at my booth."

Kiohrin ordered an ale, Selen'ya asked for a bottle of hard spirits, and Scarlett ordered wine. 

"And for you, Sir?" Annette looked expectantly to Kale.

"Uh, water, please."

"Water?" Annette looked puzzled. Freddie laughed silently.

"Yes, water."

"Water on Swagfest. Now I *have* heard it all," Annette mumbled to herself as she began to prepare the drinks.

Freddie invited the group to his booth. As the headed over to the booth, Freddie tried not to scowl at the sight of Malevir. Annette brought the drinks before Malevir could launch into a conversation. Frederick winked at her as she plopped his drink in front of him. She smiled. _She likes me_, he thought.

"And your water, Sir." Even Malevir had to hide a smirk. His wings were impressive but this noble guy certainly didn't know how to socialize with commoners.


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## Maidenfine (Apr 20, 2003)

*Sorry it's late*

I know I promised an update every Wednesday and Sunday but I hit a couple snags that I hadn't foreseen. I had one of my players transcribing the tapes of our game. I caught up to her. I had one week of work left before taking 3 weeks off to finish out the semester and I had a paper due. So basically, I ran out of notes and didn't have time to take more. So I am going to summarize the rest of our first session. Basically, it was their evening at the tavern and part of the next day.

Everyone was laughing at Kale for ordering water. Kale and Frederick for some reason made a bet to see who could bed Annette first. The money was given to Kiohrin for safekeeping. Then the unofficial drinking contest began as we pulled out our old 2nd edition alcohol guide. 

Frederick and Kale ordered a drink that required a save not to die immediately. They both survived. Then Selene'ya got into the act (not quite knowing about the Annette bet) and ordered some Whimsy wine, which has random effects.

Selene'ya became irresistible to the opposite gender for seven days. Scarlett became offensively odorous. And Malevir shot through the ceiling, although he was unharmed. 

At some point, Frederick realized he was losing and challenged Kale to a duel on the Field of Honor. A large crowd traveled to the Field of Honor and back for the duel. The winner was unimportant, although I believe it was Frederick. Either way, Frederick was still bitter. After that most everyone went home. The bet money was unclaimed, although Kale did pick up a couple girls on his way back home.

The next day, Scarlett (wearing a LOT of perfume) asked Kiohrin to escort her to a dinner party that her father was hosting for the Sea Lord due to Captain Lydon's untimely demise (he was a candidate for a political seat). 

Otto tells Frederick that he needs Freddie to take his place at a dinner party. Frederick is introduced to his date, Arianis, and her bodyguard, Mobius. Arianis and Frederick had met earlier that morning when she was running away and hid under Frederick's table. She was rude to him so Frederick told her bodyguard where she was.

Finn asks Selene'ya (who you'll recall is irresistible) to escort him to a dinner party that he has been invited to in the merchant district. He pays for her dress.

Kale is invited by Milton RedBlood to attend a dinner party being held in honor of the Sea Lord and the near completion of his lighthouse. Kale knows that Milton is trying to secure Lydon's vacant spot as a candidate for an empty Captain's Council seat. Kale heads across town to the Black Swan. He invites Annette to the dinner party and takes her out in a coach for lunch. He buys her a dress while they are out. Still no winner on the bet, but Kale is most definitely in the lead.



I am planning on listening to the tapes from here. I remember most of the dinner party stuff but I don't quite remember everything that happens after that. Hopefully, since I'm not working this week, I will have something by Wednesday but if not I'll have something for next Sunday. I would guess that within the next few weeks, I'll finish up the tapes and once I hit the notes, this story hour will fly to catch up to the current game.


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## Maidenfine (Apr 26, 2003)

*I swear I will post by Wednesday*

Two major problems have contributed to the recent lack of updates. #1. Our computer basically died. We ended up having to reformat the whole thing and reinstall windows and everything. So, needless to say, redoing my papers that are due is a bit of a priority.  #2. Somehow, the tapes of the first few sessions are missing. I had them in my bookbag for weeks and now, they are nowhere to be found. I have some cleaning to do in my bedroom so hopefully I'll find them but either way, I'll have something to put up by Wednesday, even if it is just a summary of what was on the tapes. Once I get past the tapes, the notes are much easier to write from.

So basically, by Wednesday I will update.


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## Maidenfine (May 25, 2003)

*I'm baaack!*

Okay. I grovel at the feet of anyone who was actually putting up with my random posts. I took 3 weeks off work so I could finish up my classes and now I'm back to work but I don't have school. I have been working on a script with my brothers but that's almost over so I'll be back on here. I finally finished listening to the tapes that I had so I should be able to get caught up. In the game we have actually gotten to a point where we are going to have a year of downtime. So hopefully I can get caught up within the next few weeks while we take care of the downtime, do one short adventure and then take a week off while I go out of town.
So expect something good by Wednesday. It will include politics, good food, and attempted assassination, and 2 PC kills. Absolute mayhem. 

PS. Have I mentioned that tape recording our sessions was a really bad idea? It took 3 tapes to get through a little over 1 battle. We're not so good with the staying on topic thing.


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