SPQM c1s10: Finally, the box is in Asylum!

Early Summer, 3 Weather Twists.

The patrol arrives at Asylum and immediately takes the philosophers to the barracks to leave them in the care of The Guard, report and convince the tribunis in command that there's still a chance to get to their half of the box - if they just get some extra patrols and quickly go out to comb the terrain. Dekia and Gaius leaves their report and try to convince the tribunis while Lucius keep an eye on the philosophers. Aeneas actually seems a little interested in the order of everything at the barracks although he usually seems to think that Asylum is well below Sapientia in every mean.

Dekia manages to convince the tribunis to give them three extra patrols and immediately go out and track the godmice down (Obstacle: Failed Persuader versus 3D, succeeded with Condition Angry). Immediately they escort the philosophers to Marmercus Longius Fabius, the city praetor, who will be their host in Asylum while the other patrols gather for the mission, only to find out that two of the three patrols are Faustus' and Nona's patrols. Gaius and Dekia bite their tongues, control themselves and they set out on the mission.

Now organization is a hard thing for mice but Gaius does a good job and the next day they're closing in on the godmice in double cadence and in good organized. It's almost that they for a moment feel a little breeze from The Golden Age as they fall down on the godmice who drops the box and run for their life (Obstacle: Passed Beginner's Luck Militarist).

They get the box and quickly returns to Asylum, a little surprised they could work so well together although the harsh relations and a little worried about that only a few godmice was travelling wioth the box. Without ambushes they arrive to Asylum and can give the box to a happy Aeneas (End of GM's Turn).

They now actually get two weeks of rest where they will get no new missions and they fall into some our-big-important-mission-is-finished-and-we-succeeded-coma. Later Lucius visits a Doctor and get his injuries treated (Check: Passed Contacts Ob4, Condition Injured is removed). Both Dekia and Gaius manage to, after a while, come to senses and relax now that the missions is over and they don't have to work with Nona or Faustus. Now the responsibility for the box is no longer theirs (Check: Passed Will Ob2 for both Dekia and Gaius).

The happiness is tainted with sadness though when two small mice babies, Lucius sister Prima's daughter and Gaius’ sister Prima's son, dies in some strange sickness that the patrol is supposed to have brought upon their families from their long mission in the wilderness (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s9b: And the box is lost...

Early Summer, 2 Weather Twists

The patrol almost manages to get to Asylum when they're attacked Again. This time it's not someone's Liberation Front. It's godmice, those ridiculous mice that say that the forefathers doesn't exist and that the emergency plot device ''god'' actually exists and that all mice have to obey his will. The patrol readies their weapons and fight bravely but there's so many of them, so many…

After a hard fight the patrol breaks apart and a godmouse manages to get the box and run (Check; Travel the last part of the journey to Asylum with the box and the philosophers: Lost Conflict with Compromise, the patrol can follow the godmice with the box). The godmice withdraw and the patrol pants but there's no rest for the pretorians. They park the philosophers at a tavern and set out to get the box back.

They hunt down the mice, tackle them and grab the box and run away but it gets snatched from their paws again (Twist: Fighter versus 6D, Failed with a Twist).

Again the patrol hunts the godmice and catches them in a glade. They stop, drops the box and threatens to stab it to pieces with their spears. During this fight of the wills a godmice sneaks away with the box and disappears and then the other godmice also runs off (Fighter versus 5D, Failed with a Twist, Unseasonably Hot).

Depressed the patrol returns to the philosophers, pick them up and in the heat returns to Asylum. On the way they pick some hope. If they could convice a tribunis to send out several patrols it might be possible to get the box after all. It's just two hours to Asylum. The patrol hurries on (End of Players Turn)

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s9a: Still got the box, still got the box...

Early summer, 2 weather twists

The hare appears again and the patrol really bothers about it and is convinced that it's following them and reporting to someone about their whereabouts. Something has to be done. They decide to try to lure into a cramped situation and hurt it but not kill it with the belly shooter. They scout out a good place and some of them take the regular route their while some take a shortcut and prepare the belly shooter. The hare appears and Lucius fires. The spear goes through the ear of the hare and it takes a jump right away and disappears (Obstacle: Passed Physicist versus Hare 7D). The patrol sighs reliefed and continue their journey.

After some travelling they suddenly spot a crow and even before it dives down towards them they know that it will try to steal the box. Ravens are tricksters and can steal for the fun of it but are on the other hand not that bent on actually stealing something. Crows on the other hand are common thieves and engaged in stealing stuff. The patrol back down and when the crow lands they form a line with the spears towards it. The crows makes an attempt but gets quite badly hurt and gives it up (Obstacle: Passed Fighter versus Crow 7D). They hurry on (End of GM's Turn).

They continue their journey and when they rest for the night at a wine tavern Lucius manage to reason his way to a stoic way to look upon the hardship they have to endure (Check: Passed Recovery Ob2, Undisciplined is removed). They still have quite a piece of a road to travel to get to Asylum, they straggle on (Check: get one third of the way to Asylum, Complex Test with two Tests). As they walk on they come to a town where the inhabitants are about to start building the bridge. They have one problem though; they have to make an offering to the spirits and the forefathers before they begin this big engineering project. That's not a problem in it self but one or two poor families has fallen to banditry and will most probably attack and steal the offerings which contain a lot of food and a little silver and a gold coin.

After a short discussion the patrol conclude that they can't just walk on, they have to help the farmers laying the ceremonial foundation for the mundane bridge foundation. So they escort the caravan toward the stream to be bridged and they are attacked by the bandits. When the bandits see the pretorians they turn around and flee and at first the patrol thinks they made the day but in the meantime one of the accompanying farmers ran off with the silver and gold (Complex Test part 1: Fighter versus 4D, Failed with a Twist).

The patrol immediately hunts after him and quickly closes in when he lets go of the loot and runs away (Twist: Passed Scout versus 2D). The patrol picks up the money and return just in time to deflect a new robbery attempt. Now the caravan can travel in peace to the stream and conduct the ceremony. The pretorians travel on.

After a week or so they run into another patrol on a mission. The patrol is escorting workers towards the scent border where they will lay out scent to strengthen the barrier against predators. After some exchanging of news the patrol leader asks for help. They have sighted a kestrel and probably it's after the civilians. Normally the patrol probably could ward it off by themselves but now it's very important that no civilians get hurt or any of the equipment gets thrashed. Again the characters can't turn down the plea for help and change route to follow the other patrol until dusk and to stay with them until after dawn.

While the other patrol prepares the encampment together with the civilians the characters put up the belly shooter. Now the kestrels gonna encounter some mouse technology.

When darkness falls the kestrel attacks and Lucius once more fire the belly shooter. The kestrel gets the spear in the tars and almost drops to the ground before it turns away to get some easier caught food (Complex Test part 2: Passed Physicist versus Kestrel 6D). The other patrol thanks them and promises to tell about them when they return to Asylum. After dawn they part ways and the characters start the last part of the journey to Asylum (Almost End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s8 Onwards, onwards.

Early summer, 2 weather twists

As a preparation for the journey they buy some crusts so that they if needed could travel a day without foraging which would make it possible to pick up the speed significantly for that day (Obstacle, buy crusts for one day for eight people: Resources Ob 4, Succeeded). 

They have just travelled a few days when they start to notice a hare that seems to be the same hare every time and after yet a day or two it's obvious that it's following them. Already at the first encounter with a hare they suspected that it was reporting to someone and they discuss how to lure it or scare it away but don't find a way. Also the hares are allies to The Pretorian Guard so they don't want to hurt it. They have to live with it following them (Obstacle: Get away from the hare, outcome the hare is following them is accepted and not dealt with).

The keep walking worried about an ambush around every corner (End of GM's Turn)

After yet another day or two they start to get really, really worried about the hare following them and decide to try to talk to it to talk it out of following them. They even go out to find some nice food for hares to offer it but still doesn't manage. On the other hand it seems to actively avoid them (Check, Talk with the Hare: Loremaster Ob 3, Failed with a Twist). Not so surprisingly there soon comes an ambush right after they have walked through a village where all the houses have the same decoration on the doorposts. It's some plant Lucius doesn't recognize but it's obvious that it's always there even if it's sometime mixed up among other decorations. Shortly after the village they hear a cry, but a new one this time.. ''For God. By God's Word''.

The philosophers get very upset when they hear someone use the word ''word'', a word which also has the meaning of ''order'' and ''reason'', in combination with the word ''god'' in real life. To them and the patrol ''god'' is some obviously made up entity used in theatre plays to have en excuse to introduce a character or other element in the play without having to really write the play so that it leads up to that moment. You just introduce this god entity who with it's power comes down and do stuff. ''This is ridiculous!'' they shout.

The patrol form up and meet a many mice but not that experienced and they fight them off (Twist, fight off the godmice: Complex Test: Fighter versus 4D, both Tests Passed). They quickly move on.

As they move on they don't get that much opportunity to forage and Dekia buys some extra food for them (Check: Resources Ob 2 Passed, Condition Hungry & Thirsty is removed). There's not much else to do than move on and keep every eye open for more ambushes. Not surprising at all they soon again feel that they are followed and start to take small detours and keeping away from the obvious road choices and manage to avopid their stalkers. 

As they travel on meet a scared family of a weak husband, a quite go-ahead mother, a young mouse and a small baby mouse. They're quite scared and says that a flying squirrel has been lurking around throwing glances at their youngest. Dekia gives the rest of the patrol no time to decide. Of course the patrol sahll help the family and so they form up to scout the the flying squirrel, protect the family and fight off the squirrel. They have just done that when the squirrel attacks from above in a silent glide. The patrol leaps forward as the civilians throw themselves to the ground and give the squirrels some good cuts that make the squirrel go away and find easier prey. They follow the family to their village which is approximately in the right direction. They then turn toward the correct direction and walk along towards Asylum (Check, get one third of the trip back to Asylum, Complex Test, part one avoid godmice, part two help family attacked by a flying squirrel: Passed Scout versus 5D and Passed Fighter versus Flying Squirrel 6D). Two weeks later they reckon they have during some intended and some not intended detours have gotten about a third of the rest of the trip to Asylum (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s7c: It must be destroyed or you’re doomed...

Early summer, 2 weather twists

As Dekia thinks the thing should be delivered to Asylum at almost any price and haven't trusted Nona since the events in Asylums harbour she immediately sides against Nona. Gaius is convinced that the orders should be followed as they were intended and that means that the thing and the philosophers should be escorted to Asylum and if that comes with a price that's a risk you take when in The Guard and working for the community.

Nona is actively trying to convince the patrol that they won't survive trying to get the thing to Asylum and that the thing getting into the hands of Navalia will topple the whole balance of The League of Mice Cities, maybe even destroy it. They all know that Navalia can't fully be trusted. She looks at Lucius who isn't really participating but seems to be filled with anxiety and asks why he isn't siding up with the family and why he, if any in the patrol, doesn't see the political catastrophic effects of the thing getting lost to Navalia. Doesn't he trust her? Lucius doesn't know where to turn, patrol or family and nobiles? He is convinced that a pretorian should represent The Pretorian Guard and not his family but still he often instinctively defend the nobiles and Nona is after all both nobiles and family (Lucius sits out the first three actions of the upcoming conflict).

The discussion goes high and quickly involes insults and challenges for duels. Dekia and Gaius is also frustrated about the civilian mouse, Nona's client, who apparently knows a lot about the secret maters and who talks about being in the guard as if he know anything about it. After a while Lucius joins on the patrol's side (Check, Get all the philosophers and the thing to Stameus in it's current state: Conflict versus 4-5D, Won with Major Compromise, New Twist: The thing has to be dismantled and sent two different ways and they’re in  a hurry not to be discovered).

Nona backs off in front of their arguments and her cousin Lucius taking the other side but only if the thing is dismantled and sent with two different parties rather than with one big party. Everyone agrees on that although Aeneas himself is skeptical. Now they only have to find a trustful smith that can modify a chisel into a special one needed for dismantling the thing and all the normal tools needed. They manage to find a smith that can do it and try to pay him to not talk about what they have ordered and what they have done in his workshop (Twist, Find a skillful smith and dismantle the thing within two days: Failed Physiscist Ob3 Succeeded with Condition). 

After two days of hard work, a lot of lost money, little sleep and not that much food they look at the thing dismantled. The thing that, as Lucius trained in mechanics, is some kind of mathematical device is dismantled into it's four modules and a central piece is taken from each module and given to the wrong module. In that way, should a module get lost it will still not be functional and it will take a lot of work to reconstruct it and to guess one's way about the other modules needed. Lucius doesn’t really get the grip on the thing but a mathematical device could mean a lot of things. If one could just crank a dial and get the results of formulas then a big step would be taken for physis knowledge among mice. Lucius is still guessing a lot and he knows that Aeneas snatched a few things away from the device before he let them get at it...

illern (a) illertass.se 

SPQM c1s7b: Stameus finally?

Early Summer 2 Weather Twists

Gaius chase of the robbers but don't follow them into the night. When they finally after a while wind down the manage to get some sleep and nothing more happens that night. THe next day the philosophers decide to go to the library and the patrol decides that they have to be escorted and since Lucius doesn't mind going to the library he volunteers. Dekia feel the duty to protect the philosophers. Gaius conclude that the mice trying to stop them won't be back already today and not during daylight so he decides that they don't have to escort the philosophers all three of them. He therefore takes the chance to go to the palestra instead of the library.

As the part and all but Gaius head for the library they manage to not take the shortest route to the library and end up on smaller streets than planned and suddenly some mice pop out in the street and tells them to hand over the box. All three of them is armed with knives, Lucius and Dekia has no weapons at all and the philosophers has only done some friendly wrestling on the palestra.

''Run!'' Lucius shouts turns Aeneas around and runs with him. Dekia stays behind a fraction of a second staring at the bandits and then runs after Aeneas and Lucius managing to buy the company a short head start. They run for their lives while the rest of the philosophers hide against the wall. The hunt goes on and the bandits manage to keep up. Gaius hasn't strolled that far towards the palestra when he hear mice come running. He turns around and see Aeneas, Dekia and Lucius come running along the street with three armed bandits after them.

As his patrol mates and Aeneas pass by he steps out in the street bravely taking the risk of fighting with three armed mice but thereby saving his friends, Aeneas and the mission. One bandit pass by on each side of Gaius but one has to stop and Gaius thereby evens out the struggle a little to his mates advantage. A quick and dirty fight starts. With his superior fighting skill Gaius even manage to knock down the bandit without any serious wounds which usually is the result of a knife fight (The Chase Conflict becomes a complicated Test with two Conflicts. If Gaius wins his Conflict only two mice will make up the opponent team for Dekia, Lucius and Aeneas. Gaius wins the Conflict, Fighter versus 3D, without Compromise).

The other two bandits keep chasing Aeaneas, Dekia and Lucius but the chased ones manage to keep the distance long enough for reaching better quarters with at least some city militia and even maybe one or two merchant body guards interested in the order in the city. The bandits give up and scatter off (Won Conflict, 5D at first but then just 4D, with minor Compromise). What Aeneas and the patrol hasn't noticed though is that some cog fell out of the thrashed box and that the bandits grabbed these when they ran off (Minor Compromise).

Dekia gets some city militia to come over but they're not that interested in mice chasing each other. Strictly that's not forbidden and after all Aeneas, Lucius and Dekia is citizens from another city and not formally included in the primary group of mice to protect - that's the citizens of Navalia. Meanwhile Gaius has manged to get another mouse to get some other militia mice who arenät that interested either but it's definitely very forbidden to bear arms inside the city walls so the grab the bandit and drags him away. The patrol gathers and go back to where they met the bandits and to their relief they find the philosophers hiding at a tavern (End of GM's Turn).

A little shook up they go to the library to do the research. THe philosophers order copies to be sent to them and Lucius look up some of the pictograms he found at the inner box (Check: Failed Archivist, Succeed with Condition). When they later eat they manage to convince the philosophers that Navalia actually is that dangerous that they have said all the time (Check: Passed Persuader versus 4D). Satisfied with that the patrol can conclude that they will do least wrong by escorting the philosophers to Asylum rather than wait in Navalia (although that's their new orders). Lucius try to soldier on and Gaius try to get rid of his frustrated thought after his misjugdement about the bandits but neither succeed (2 Failed Checks without Twists).

They now decide that it's time to leave Navalia as soon as possible and early the next day they leave for Stameus. They get to Stameus a little shaken and paranoid but without any mishaps but as they walk into the Inn an old enemy to Dekia sits there and directly greet them. It's Nona Iustus Carnifex, a not too distant relative to Lucius. Apparently she's there to meet up with them and see if they need any help and what kind of help they might need. It's a little strange though because she also has an client with her and has sent away the rest of the patrol as she wants to talk to them alone. She explains that they won't reach Asylum alive and that the box then will fall into the hands of the enemy and the box is mighty enough to give Navalia total power on the sea wich would topple the balance between the cities and Asylum, Saoientia, The Pretorian Guard and The League of Mice Cities would all lose in that case. Therefore they has to destroy the box. (Check, Get to Stameus with all the philosophers and the box, Conflict, resist getting convinced to destroy the box).

<GM's Note>Here it was late again and we decided to paly the Conflict the next meeting when we would be less tired and fully appreciate the exciting and quite importantat and crucial Conflict.</GM's Note>

illern (a) illertass.se

SPQM c1s7a: Navalia it is after all...

Early summer, 2 weather twists

When the patrol arrives with the broken box to the philosophers and the trader they try to break the new slowly to Aeneas but he's of course very interested in whether they got the box back and almost immediately spot the thrashed box and is devastated. They don't really manage to calm him down but when he instead lapse into some kind of depression they manage to get him walking toward Navalia and the company moves again.

They arrive to Gaius' friend's inn outside Navalia. Gaius' friend greets them warmly and gets them food and drink and, do they discover lately, new bedrolls and sheet. They eat, drink, talk and tuck in for the night. The next day they and the trader go separate ways as he's going into Navalia and the patrol just want to see if there's any patrols or new orders in Navalia. Lucius visit the post office in Navalia and gets one letter fro the patrol, one letter for the philosophers and one order from The Guard. He opens the order and the letter to the patrol. The order is an order to wait for reinforcements or new orders in Navalia and the letter is a short private letter stating that it is good that they are in Navalia, since they are reading this letter. It would be very good for the patrol and their families if they just stayed there.

Lucius returns and shows the orders and gives the philosophers their letter. They don't tell what it's about but from their expressions it's not good. When asked they tell that terrible things have happened at home. As they sit at the inn and damn the new orders things get worse. In comes a small company of three mice and quite soon oit's obvious that they are among the few mice who don't believe in the forfathers and the need to please them to gain backing in this life and also speak of a god, something only talked about in strange stories or comedies. Sometimes it's joked about that the weasels believe in a god.

Gaius can't take this and explain to them that since they're outside the city they'd better take that talk somewhere else since it's illegal, even of the second sanctum degree, to deny the existence of the forefathers and the penalty for that is death. The three mice gets very, very smooth, irritatingly smooth and mild and manage to duck the question whether they deny the existence of the forefathers or not but leave the inn when confronted with the angered centurio.

In the afternoon the patrol has decided that they can't sit outside Navalia but has to go inside and stay there instead. The philosophers see that as an opportunity to meet other well of citizens and going to the library and don't see the same dangers as the patrol does. When they wait outside the gates they hear the three god mice again and Gaius approach them and tell them that if they don't leave very, very soon, like immediately he will have to arrest them. They are still outsiode the cities and under Pretorian Guard jurisdiction. They scatter off.

When they have gotten a room at an inn they go to the baths to clean up for real and live some civilized life again. During this Lucius accompanies the slave who guards their clothes and the mysterious box and actually manage to make the slave belive that it won't harm if Lucius get to look in the box and so he does. He gets a good look and bunch of old., old pictograms on the outside of the box and memorizes them to be able to look them up at the library.

The next day when they pass the main square they hear another mouse speaking about ''god'' and about the forefathers. Lucius can't let this go on but takes a stand and starts to speak against him and a row of replies follow during the coming days. In the end Lucius lose but at least someone stood up against these craziness (Orator versus 5D, Lost with a Twist).

Suddenly one night they wake up and out from the room some mice run very quickly. Gaius is first on his paws and run after and hunts them out of the inn. Someone tried to steal the box! In the middle of the town on a repsectable inn (Twist; Passed Scout versus Scout 4D). Now hte philosophers start to accept that there are dangers inside Navalia too but still don't really fear that anything dangerous could happen. In the evening they go to a symposium with some other philosphers while the patrol is treated as regular body guards and has to stay outside the triclinum where the actual symposium is.

<GM's Note>Here much time had passed in real life and we decided to take a break since we all have to get up early the next morning.</GM's Note> 

illern (a) illertass.se