Nigrasaxa Book, Chapter One: One Small Favor
Summary
Our story starts in early the summer of 1221 AD when a local lord comes to the covenant to ask for its help in finding his daughter, who has gone missing. Maximianus (the covenant’s leader — see the handout on page 18) orders all the player magi to go and help him, telling them they need to know their neighbors. The lord takes the characters back to his manor, and explains the problem.
As the characters head for the place where the girl was last seen, they must pass through a village. The local parish priest has an exaggerated fear of magic, and is trying to stir the villagers up against the covenant. The villagers are scared of the magi, who must negotiate their way out of any difficulties that arise.
The characters arrive at a hole in the ground that the girl was seen entering. They must use magic to investigate it, and find an arcane connection to the girl, although she is no longer there. Tracing this connection, they can discover that she is now in a nearby faerie forest.
Upon entering the forest, the magi find themselves trapped in a maze of trees and attacked by straw men. After defeating the straw men, the characters can find a way through the maze.
At the center of the maze there is a faerie glade, and the lord’s child is playing with some small fair folk. The characters most likely talk to the faeries and learn they took the child because they thought that she was unwanted. The child herself likes it in the glade, and doesn't really want to go back home. The characters must convince the fay that the child is wanted, at which point the faeries will allow them to take her back to her family.
At Nigrasaxa
The Library
The story starts with all the characters gathered in the library of Nigrasaxa. There are dozens of books stacked in cupboards all around. The characters are all here to consult different ones; it is pure chance that has brought them together. Have all the players describe their characters and then introduce themselves, in character.
Although the characters’ personalities are defined to some extent on their character sheets and by their house membership, there is plenty of room for player creativity in this area. Encourage your players to fabricate additional information. You may want to ask questions to spur the players to think more about their characters’ personalities and motivations.
When the introductions are over, the characters are interrupted by Henry Winker, a boy who runs messages round the covenant. He is pleased to find them all in one place, as it saves him some effort, and he tells them that Maximianus wants to see them all in the Great Hall, where he is meeting with a local lord. If necessary, explain to the players that it would be a poor choice to leave them waiting.
Henry WinkerCharacteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre –2, Com 0, Str 0, Sta +1, Dex –1, Qik +2 Size: –1 Personality Traits: Reliable +2, Eager +1 Attacks: Brawling Init +5, Atk +1, Dfn +5, Dam -1, Fat +6 Soak: 0 Fatigue: +4 Fatigue levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Unc. Body levels: OK, –1, –3, –5, Incap. Virtues and Flaws: Standard Grog 0, Busybody +1, Long-Winded +1, Secret Hiding Place +1, Disfigured –1, Small –2 Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Brawling 2, Carouse 1, Nigrasaxa Lore 3, Speak English 4, Speak Latin 3 Equipment: Normal clothes Encumbrance: 0 |
Henry Winker
Henry is fourteen years old and has been at the covenant all his life, as his mother works in the kitchens. He has sandy hair and green eyes, and a twitch that makes him wink his left eye — this is the source of his epithet. His main job is the carrying of messages through the large covenant, and, as such, he is the member of staff that the characters know best. He also has the privilege of entering any area of the covenant to deliver a message.
He knows nothing about Lord Robert, beyond the fact that he is the lord of the nearest manor to the covenant, and has just turned up at the covenant. He knows nothing at all about why he is here.
Henry will be around for the whole mini-saga, and knows more about the covenant than the characters do. If he is treated fairly politely in this story, he will probably be friendly later on. His Secret Hiding Place (see his Virtues) is a real secret room in the residence tower. Maximianus knows about it, if he thinks, but he can't remember exactly where it is, and certainly won't spontaneously think of it — it's been twenty years since he designed the tower.
Lord Robert
As the characters enter the Great Hall of Nigrasaxa, Maximianus is just finishing a discussion with a man whom the characters do not recognize, but whom Maximianus introduces as Lord Robert almost as soon as the characters enter the room.
Maximianus is a powerful magus, but his statistics should not become important in this story. If they do, assume that he has a casting total of 35 in all Technique/Form combinations and knows many formulaic spells, including all the ones listed for Vim in the rulebook, and as well a number of other Vim spells, derived from the guidelines. If the player magi try to use magic on Lord Robert, he uses his magic to stop them.
Despite his power, Maximianus does not look terribly impressive. He is about five feet five inches tall and rather overweight. He is balding, and although he keeps his hair and beard trimmed short, they fail to look dignified. He looks old, possibly around sixty, although he is far older than that. He wears robes of deep purple, embroidered in silver with mystical symbols. They carry a faint odor of the laboratory with them at all times.
Once Maximianus has introduced Lord Robert to the player characters, he asks him to explain why he has come. Lord Robert explains that Mathilda, his youngest daughter, went missing yesterday. She is only eight years old, and thus not able to look after herself. She was out playing with her nurse when she fell down a hole. The nurse immediately came back to the manor to get help, but although it took them only minutes to get back to the hole, the girl was gone when they arrived. A search of the surrounding area revealed no clues at all, and so he came to the covenant, hoping magic could help.
When he has finished his story, the players may ask questions. They should be courteous, and Maximianus will remind them of this if necessary. They should also not use magic, at all, and Maximianus stops them angrily if they try to. Robert does not know much beyond what he has said. See below for any other relevant information that they could learn.
When the characters have finished asking questions, Maximianus tells them to go along with Lord Robert and find his daughter. He says that it is about time the magi got to know their neighbors, and that it sounds like an easy enough task. The characters don't really have any choice in the matter, although they do have time to pick up a few things if they want to take anything with them.
Lord RobertCharacteristics: Int –1, Per 0, Pre +2, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +1, Dex +1, Qik 0 Size: +1 Personality Traits: Respects magi +2, Just +2, Proud +1 Reputations: Good lord 1, with his vassals Attacks
Soak: +5 (+13*) Fatigue: +1 Fatigue levels: OK, 0/0, 0, –2, –4, Unc. Body levels: OK, 0/0, 0, –2, –4, Incap. Virtues and Flaws: Landed Knight +5, Enduring Constitution +1 Inspirational +1, Large +1, Tough +1, Dark Secret –1, Deep Sleeper –1, Dependent (Mathilda) –1, Expenses –1, Favors (to Maximianus and Nigrasaxa) –1, Lycanthrope –2, Poor Hearing –1 Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Brawling 2, Church Lore 1, England Lore 1, Etiquette 2, Folk Ken 3, Guile 4, Hunt 3, Intrigue 2, Leadership 3, Longshaft Weapon 4, Ride 4, Shield and Weapon 4, Speak English 5, Suffolk Lore 2 Equipment: Most things he wants. When armored, he wears half chain mail, and carries a kite shield, longsword, and lance. When escorting the magi, he is wearing the sword and carrying his shield. Encumbrance: 0 (–4*)
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Lord Robert
Lord Robert is very impressive-looking, although he seems intimidated by Maximianus. He is almost six feet tall, and solidly built without an ounce of fat. He is clean shaven, and his hair, which is black with some flecks of silver, is chopped short. He is wearing a green tunic and brown hose, with a fine cloak of deep blue over the top. He is in his early forties (forty two, in fact), and looks like it. When Maximianus founded this covenant, he was a young man, and Maximianus helped him ensure his inheritance. In the process, he got some idea of how powerful the magus is, and this, together with the fact that Maximianus looks no older today than he did then, ensures that he has a great deal of respect for all magi.
He is still a lord, however, and will not take kindly to discourtesy. Magi who are rude to him will find him less cooperative in future, unless they compensate by finding his daughter. He is lord of three villages, and thus moderately powerful (a Landed Knight, as per the Virtue). He keeps his association with the magi quiet as far as possible, although it is not really secret.
His wife died giving birth to Mathilda, and he has four other surviving children. His elder son is a knight serving with a local noble, while the younger is fostered with another knight a few dozen miles away. His eldest daughter is married to a knight from Yorkshire, and the middle one has been placed in a nunnery. Mathilda is the only one who still lives with him.
Lord Robert has a dark secret of which even he is unaware. This will probably remain completely irrelevant to this mini-saga, and certainly should not affect the recovery of his daughter. Lord Robert is a werewolf, and has no control over or knowledge of his changes. In the past, he has killed cattle and even attacked a few people. Lord Robert has led hunts for the marauding beast, which have never been successful for obvious reasons. He has thought about asking the magi for help, but hasn’t yet made it a priority. So far, all he’s done is help compensate the victims of the attacks financially. This has helped his reputation, but not solved the problem. This situation would be an excellent candidate for further development if you want to continue playing in Nigrasaxa and its surroundings.
Equipping and Leaving
The magi may gather any mundane equipment they wish before leaving the covenant. Many of them will want spell foci. Make sure that the players realize that they can cast spells without the focus at the casting total listed on their character sheets. Allow mundane foci and one gem, but do not allow people to have bits of magical creatures.
At The Manor
The journey to Lord Robert's manor takes about two hours. He rides, although the magi cannot, as their Gift makes horses edgy. If they get too close to Lord Robert's horse it shies away and he asks them to keep their distance until they have returned to his manor. Robert is escorted by three men-at-arms, two of whom are on foot. These soldiers are reluctant to talk to the magi — the Gift again — but have only good things to say about Lord Robert. He pays them well and on time.
The manor house is a two-story structure: the ground floor is stone, with wood above. It is surrounded by a wooden palisade fence, but isn't really fortified. After stabling his horse, Lord Robert tells the magi roughly where the hole is, but encourages the characters to talk to the nurse, who was with Mathilda when she disappeared, and William, who led the first search party.
Hilda is the child's nurse. She is a young peasant woman, in her late twenties, who wet-nursed the baby and then took on the task of looking after the child. She is pretty, with long, blonde hair, but not overly bright. She is terrified of the magi, and stammers out fast answers to any questions. If the questions are phrased to suggest an answer, she agrees with whatever the magi want to hear. Otherwise, she simply answers 'yes' to everything.
If the magi try to calm her down by talking to her, have them roll Pre + Folk Ken against a difficulty of 9. Remember that having the Gift imposes a –3 penalty on such rolls, but allow a bonus if the player comes up with a particularly good line. If they try to use magic, remind them that they should at least use quiet words and subtle gestures to avoid causing a stir (see page 76 of the fourth edition rulebook). Also, subtract two from their spellcasting totals for the local Dominion aura.
If they calm her down, they can get a more accurate version of events. The child was playing, chasing a butterfly, when the ground opened up and she fell, screaming, into the hole. Hilda ran to the edge, but, although she could hear the girl crying, she couldn't see anything. She immediately ran back to the manor and fetched William, the master of hounds, and some other servants. When they got back a few minutes later, the hole was quiet, and there were no signs of anyone being taken out or leaving. She doesn't know anything beyond that, and certainly can't think of anyone who would want to kidnap the child.
The characters can also talk to William, who confirms the latter part of Hilda's story. He is a man in his late twenties, rather ugly but fairly confident when talking to the magi. He thinks Hilda is probably telling the truth, as she has always been honest as far as he knows.
If the characters talk to Robert again, he vouches for the character of his servants, and confirms he has no enemies who would be interested in kidnapping his youngest daughter. He also subtly suggests that the characters should be off looking for the girl rather than pestering him, as it is getting late.
The characters may undertake further investigation at the manor, but there is nothing else of relevance to be learned here, and Robert begins following them around, asking gradually more pointed questions about their activities. He will not order them about or be actively rude, since he is somewhat afraid of them, but they should get the impression that his goodwill is rapidly wearing out.
The Village
When the characters leave the manor, they find that their route to the hole takes them through the local village. This is a small collection of cottages in various states of repair, each set in its own garden plot. The village as a whole is dominated by the church, a stone structure with a wooden tower. All the cottages are wood framed, with wattle-and-daub walls and thatched roofs. As the magi approach, have them all make Per + Awareness rolls. Those who get 9 or above realize there are more people around than they would expect. Peasant farmers would normally be out in the fields at this time.
As the characters pass through the village, or if they try to go around it, people start to gather near them. They stay at a distance, occasionally whispering to each other, while children run off to fetch their parents. By the time the characters pass near the church they are surrounded. The parish priest (described below) then comes out of the church, dressed in his full vestments, and begins to denounce them.
The villagers act like a mob at all times. The most persuasive speaker will sway them, but they are afraid of the magi and so are unlikely to attack. If the magi use magic in an obvious way, they become more frightened, but also more negatively inclined. “Obvious” use of magic covers any spells with obvious effects (Arc of Fiery Ribbons, for example), or any magic cast with words or gestures the people notice. Normal words and gestures will always be noticed, but quiet words and subtle gestures could slip by unnoticed if the crowd is distracted.
The characters should be reminded that fighting their way through the peasants counts as interfering with mundanes, and is against the Code of Hermes (see Promises, Promises or page 234 of the fourth edition rulebook). It would also greatly annoy Lord Robert, and so should be avoided if at all possible. The use of subtle magic, mainly Mentem and Imáginem, to influence the crowd's perceptions, should be encouraged, especially if it is inventive, but the magi should also be encouraged to talk to the priest.
The main goal is not to convince the priest that the magi are all good Christians, as they do not have enough time. Rather, they should come up with good reasons why they should be allowed to continue with their investigations. Simply suggesting that they could prove they are not in league with the devil by recovering the girl would probably work, assuming the magi are sensible in their general demeanor. The purpose of this encounter is for the player characters to talk to a hostile member of the church, not to have them lynched by a mob of peasants. Bear in mind that, as the villagers are afraid of the magi, they will be glad of any good reason they can be given not to fight them. They want to save their souls, but they also want to stay alive.
Father Geoffrey
Father Geoffrey is the parish priest. He is young and new to the parish, and fired with religious enthusiasm. He is in his early thirties (ordination as a priest was not permitted before thirty), and tonsured, so that the center of his scalp is shaved. He appears wearing his full vestments, richly embroidered robes that reach to the ground. Although fine, they are showing signs of age, with gaps and loose threads in the embroidered designs.
He is convinced there are many people in Christendom who have signed pacts with the devil, and that they are the greatest threat to the people. He would probably be searching for such folk in the village if the magi of the covenant weren’t such easy targets. He is convinced that the magi are diabolical, and that they have the girl. He even suspects that Lord Robert has made a deal with either the devil or his minions, the magi, and that the girl was payment for something. He won't say this aloud unless pushed, however, because he is afraid of what Lord Robert might do to him. He believes that his faith will protect him from the magic of the devilish magi.
He might be right, as well. He is standing in the church, which has a Dominion aura of 6, which must be subtracted from all spellcasting rolls that target him while he is standing there. He also has a Magic Resistance of 20, although this does not come from his faith. (Once a spell is successfully cast at him, the casting total + the casting magus’s Penetration score is compared to his Magic Resistance. If this total does not exceed it, the spell fizzles.) This combination will make it hard for the characters to directly affect the priest's mind, so they will have to take more subtle approaches.
The magi are unlikely to convince Father Geoffrey that they are not in league with the devil. However, he has little in the way of evidence, and if they can argue their case well enough, he concedes ground, grudgingly, as he realizes he cannot bring the rest of the village with him in his beliefs. Although he continues looking for evidence, that has no effect on the course of this story.
The Hole
Mathilda was playing in a clearing on the edge of a woodland. In the late evening it is shady and rather dark, but it is obvious that it would be a pleasant location during the day. The hole down which she fell is still an obvious feature of the scene. It is also rather small: only just large enough for a child, and far too small for any of the magi.
The characters should be alone at this point. Point out to them that this means they can use magic without worrying about the consequences from superstitious villagers, and encourage them to use formulaic and spontaneous magic as much as possible. Be generous if any of them botch. Keep the results amusing rather than dangerous. There is no supernatural aura here, so they have no aura-related spellcasting penalties, and need only roll a single botch die. Point out to them (if they don’t figure it out for themselves) that the best way to find a missing person is with the spell The Inexorable Search, but that they will need an arcane connection to cast it successfully, and that they should, therefore, be looking for one. Items of clothing might do, but hairs or blood would be even better.
If the characters examine the clearing, whether by mundane or magical means, they find nothing of interest. The nurse and child were here, as was the search party, but there is no indication of what happened to Mathilda. Further, there is no sign of any arcane connection.
When they examine the hole, they discover that its sides are solid rock. It seems quite deep, and it is very dark, so they cannot see much within it. Creo Ignem creates light, and level 10 makes enough light to fully illuminate the cave behind the entrance. The small entrance still restricts the characters' view, however.
Terram magic is the easiest way to enlarge the hole. Rego, Perdo, and Muto Terram can all be used, at different levels of effect. PeTe 10 will widen the hole enough to allow a magus to pass through, while Mu/ReTe 15 would be needed, and the characters would have to dig the altered stuff out of the way if Muto was used by itself.
When the hole is enlarged, the magi can see that the floor of the cavern is about twenty feet down. The best way down is to use magic. Corpus magic allows a character to float down, and Herbam will allow the creation of a rope.
A search of the cave reveals no obvious exits, and no sign of Mathilda. Intéllego Terram confirms that the cave has no other points of entrance or exit. The important thing now is to look for arcane connections. Suggest that Intéllego Corpus would be a good way of doing this if the players do not think of it. InCo 10 or above will find a hair which can serve as an arcane connection to Mathilda.
If any character thinks to use Intéllego Vim in the cave, he discovers fairly powerful magic was used in it a day ago. To learn this at all, the caster will need a spell level of 10. Higher levels give more precision in timing.
The characters are unlikely to discover the actual course of events, but they may be lucky or clever, so it is given here to allow the storyguide to decide what they learn. The hole was created by faeries, right under Mathilda. After the nurse left, they appeared to the child, healed her, and took her back to the faerie forest along a faerie road. She is there now.
By the time the characters complete their investigations here, it will be getting dark. They will also, most likely, need a map so that they can perform the spell The Inexorable Search and find the girl. Suggest that it would be sensible to return to the covenant at this point and set out to find the girl in the morning. When they return, Maximianus refuses to help them, saying that they seem to have things under control. He sends them off again the next day.
The Maze
The Inexorable Search locates Mathilda, right in the middle of a local faerie forest. Morlen knows a bit about this forest (though these are not the faeries with whom he must debate for a season each year, as described in his Obligation Flaw). It is not home to very powerful faeries, and they are generally reasonable, willing to talk about things and see them from a human point of view. They have never been the sort of fay who kidnap children, which makes the current events somewhat puzzling.
The characters will be unable to do anything unless they go to the forest, and this should be obvious to them. It is only a few hours' journey from the covenant, so there is no real problem in getting there. Let the magi make any reasonable preparations they wish, including loading themselves down with anti-faerie charms. Morlen is aware that things like cold iron are only slightly effective against most faeries, but tend to annoy all of them, and may wish to suggest that the other magi be a bit more tactful.
The journey to the forest is uneventful, taking the characters across farmland and through a stretch of mundane woodland. Morlen notices immediately when they enter the faerie forest, and the others will notice soon thereafter. The forest has a faerie aura of 2, so all the magi get +1 to casting totals, but must roll an additional two botch dice if they botch.
The faerie forest is very dry, as if after several weeks without rain in summer. The trees are still in leaf, but there is a brittle feeling about everything, and it is obviously highly flammable. This is strange, since the weather has been rather rainy for that last month. Further, despite the dryness, there is a great abundance of undergrowth and creepers. In fact, there is a clear path between the trees, but this is hemmed in on either side by walls of vegetation.
This path forms part of a maze. Do not bother with a map; the maze shifts as the characters pass through it. Let them map it, and even let the players do so, but the map will be no use. It will be helpful if they still have an arcane connection to Mathilda, as this can tell them which way to go. If they didn't explicitly say they were bringing it, let each character make an Intelligence roll. If any character gets 6+, he remembered to pocket the arcane connection. If no one does, let them come up with alternative strategies. If these don't work, they will eventually be collected by faeries from the clearing and led there. This appearance of incompetence will hurt their case if they try to use their presence as evidence that the girl is wanted by her family.
The only way to get through the maze is to use magic to break through the walls. Physical force might work, but none of the magi are strong enough. If they have an arcane connection to Mathilda, or come up with a good alternative strategy, they can find the direction in which they need to be heading, and make paths that go that way. Intéllego Corpus 10, with the arcane connection, gives them a direction to the girl. They can get through the walls in a number of ways. Rego or Perdo Herbam is the most obvious option, and level 10 will suffice to make a hole large enough for the characters to pass through. Using Creo Ignem to burn through is a bad idea, as it would probably set the whole forest on fire. Quite apart from the damage this would do to the characters, it would really annoy the faeries. If no one thinks of this on his own, Morlen thinks of it, so you should tell the his player. If they go ahead anyway, they will need to use Rego or Perdo Ignem to damp down the fires after they’ve been set, or risk being caught up in a firestorm. If that happens, the faeries rescue them, put out the fires, and dump them outside the forest with asses' ears. They will then have to explain to Lord Robert just what has happened to his daughter.
The Straw Men
The maze has defenders: faerie straw men, who will attack the magi. Each straw man is made of a bundle of long pieces of straw, bound together, with roughly indicated arms, legs, and heads. They do not wear any clothes or carry any items.
The characters might hear the straw men shadowing them (call for Per + Awareness rolls), and may even catch glimpses of them, but they shouldn't be attacked until they are paranoid or stuck. Once they have figured out how to get to Mathilda, the straw men should attack. If the characters are stuck, have the straw men break through the maze wall from the correct direction to attack them, hopefully giving them a hint. There should be one straw man for every character.
The magi do not have the necessary abilities to fight back physically, so do not run this as a standard combat. Have the magi roll Dex + Skill for anything that they can justify to you, and have the straw men roll and add 6. If the magi win, they dodge, while the straw men do one Body level of damage every time they hit.
Each straw man has a Faerie Might of 20 (this provides a Magic Resistance of 20), and thus a good chance to resist any magic. This does not apply against Ignem, however, and even a CrIg spell of level 5 is enough to ignite one of them. Burning straw men flail about for three rounds before expiring, and each round, this flailing may ignite a maze all on a roll of 6+ on a simple die, unless magical steps are taken to prevent this. PeHe and ReHe spells of level 10 can also destroy them, if such attacks get past their magic resistance. Attacks with physical objects do very little damage. Blunt implements are completely ineffective, and sharp ones simply cut them into two smaller straw men.
In the fight, encourage description and strategy. Let the straw men be fooled by tricks: if the magi come up with a good plan to have a burning straw man ignite his fellows, for example, let it work. Conversely, make the players think. If they just stand to cast spells, have a straw man hit them so they have to make concentration rolls. Make them devise a strategy to get clear casting time.
The Clearing
Mathilda is in the faerie clearing at the center of the forest. When the characters break through the last wall of the maze, she will be the first thing they see. She is running around on a small hill, giggling, playing tag with a group of small fay, some of whom have wings, some don't. All of them have some animal feature: rabbits' ears, cloven hooves, wool, and so forth. She seems happy, and does not appear to be a prisoner.
They will, however, immediately be approached by a larger faerie, Demissel, who is described below. He wants to know why the magi are here, although he is not hostile. If the magi explain, he says Mathilda wasn't wanted where she was, and she is happy here.
The magi may take several approaches. They could try to fight their way through. If they suggest this, point out that there are several other fay lounging around the clearing, eating and playing games. They are outnumbered at least three to one, and it is likely that most of the faeries have some form of magical ability. Morlen thinks they would probably lose if they tried to fight. If they fight anyway, the fay bind them with plants and spider webs and dump them outside the wood. They will spend an unpleasant couple of days bound there before Eleanor Sworder, sent by Maximianus, lets them out. They will also have no chance of getting Mathilda back, and will have to explain this to Lord Robert.
Some form of negotiation is a more promising approach. They could offer to trade something for Mathilda's return. Morlen knows that faeries tend to like creative offerings, and magical ones would be gladly received. An imaginative performance with spontaneous magic might be acceptable, or a promise of some future magical or artistic service. Let the players lead the negotiating, and have the faeries try to get as much as they can. However, do not make them so unyielding that the players are tempted to give up. Rolls may be required if the characters are trying to convince the faeries that they are skilled. Demonstrations of spontaneous magic, or rolls of Com + Skill for mundane abilities, would be appropriate. The characters could also have planned in advance and brought some artistic item with them. There will be some available at the covenant and Lord Robert's manor, if the characters can convince the Lord or Maximianus to let them take them.
The best approach, however, is to argue that Mathilda is wanted, and that the faeries have thus offended the local Lord by taking her. If the characters can convince the fay of this, then they will let them take Mathilda away. If they really push it, they might be able to convince the faeries they ought to make reparations. The fay offer two pawns of Imáginem vis per year in compensation, which the magi would be able to keep for themselves. If they insist on something useful to Lord Robert, the faeries promise to look after his crops for the next seven years, ensuring they don't fail.
The best evidence the characters have that Mathilda is wanted is their own presence. Her father cared enough to send six magi looking for her. If the characters have done well on their way through the forest, this strengthens their case, as they appear to be six competent magi.
Mathilda soon realizes she is being talked about, and comes over to join the negotiations. Initially, she is reluctant to leave, and screams and yells, begging to stay. The characters will find it easier to convince the fay to let her go if they can convince her that she wants to go. Demonstrations of appealing magic, persuasive words, or flat-out mind control will all work.
Demissel
Demissel is over seven feet tall, extremely thin, and clothed in a pale green robe that hangs loosely off him. His hair is dark green, and reaches almost to the ground. He tends to talk in long, rambling sentences, and is most interested in the consequences of actions and events. This means he will be open to arguments about how Mathilda's family will miss her, and even, perhaps, seek revenge.
Wrapping Up
Leaving the forest, with or without Mathilda, is easy; a straight path leads from the clearing to the outside. Once outside, the characters will have to explain what has happened to various people. If they have successfully retrieved Mathilda, Lord Robert is very grateful, and the villagers will wonder even more about their suspicions, now that it is obvious that the magi weren't responsible for the abduction. If the characters fail to retrieve her, people will be generally more suspicious, but this is unlikely to have any effect within the scope of this story.
Lastly, you should award the characters with an experience point or two for their efforts in rescuing Mathilda. Refer to “Story Experience” on page 186 of the fourth edition rulebook as a guideline. The players, of course, will want to know how they can spend these. Refer to the “Using Experience Points” and “Spending Story Experience” sections on page 186 for answers to these questions.
Attribution
Content originally published in Nigrasaxa, ©1998, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0")