Cut and Thrust

While waiting for the resistance to scout out the best weapons store to loot, Vogir practices his swordplay with Orestes.
Thinking back to the battle with the now headless Will Crimson, Vogir laughs at his recollection of Dokan’s surprise when he'd lept from the cliff-top to enter the fray.
An archer!
They all thought he was an archer!
True, he can use a bow but it’s just a tool to take out his enemies at range.
Due to his Grandfather’s constant nagging, Vogir understands a bows value, but it quickly becomes a burden when engaged in melee.
What does surprise him however, is everyone elses complete reluctance to use them.
Weird!
A whack from the flat of Orestes sword snaps Vogirs attention back to the mock combat.
Orestes is more skilled and physically stronger but he’s not as quick.
Two swords cleverly used will always overcome a sword and shield.

Vogir learns ‘Claws of the griffin’. Another double attack encounter power.

Family debt

Vogir had heard stories about the mysterious Black cloaks before. His Grandfather actively hated them for tricking him into helping them open the dimensional gateway over a hundred years ago.
His Father had to travel regularly to Seawell to pay them the Dragon’s tribute.
He had even seen them once or twice in his youth.
What he had never seen was one of them attacked or hurt.
They never deal with the people directly, always preferring to use people like the Sheriff to act for them.
Still, how tough can they be?
They are only Wizards after all and Wizards are physically pretty weak.
Isn’t that why they need to trick the physically stronger into helping them?
Still, it’s been over a hundred years since a member of his family killed one of them.
That’s surely long enough.

My motives are clear

After booking out of the Mean Fiddle, Vogir quickly finds his travelling companions.
Dokan fills him in regarding Indigo’s travel and introduction offer and Vogir explains to everyone, his take on the situation and what he wants to do.
Vogir’s not really interested in stopping Rob Inwood unless it’s in the interests of the people.
He is extremely interested in killing any lone Black cloaks wandering outside the financial hub town.
Taking out a few of the Sheriff’s men would also be a bonus.
Before they leave Vornak however, Vogir wants to buy a horse.
He might be needing a quick get-away!

Raison d'être

At the end of our last campaign the DM’s (myself included) struggled sometimes to capture the interest of all the adventurers.
Gold, glory and prestige being the main focuses.
Sven introduced the Dragon and the Demon towards the end of that campaign as possible adventure hooks for the party.
With the introduction of a new party, I/Vogir took that end mission on board.
‘Death to tyranny and death to the dragon!’
After six levels I’m still wondering what’s motivating the others.
We, as a party, need something to tie us together.
A unifying mission.
A common purpose.

The Mean Fiddle

After dressing, Vogir brushes his teeth and wanders downstairs for breakfast.
Despite Vornak being a decent sized town, the Inn is quite dirty, the ale is warm and the food barely edible.
Idly watching the cook pick his nose and wipe it into his beard, Vogir resolves to book out of it and seek out Ghanash, Rudha-an, Orestes and Dokan.
The Mean Fiddle, he realizes, is a Vile Inn.

Thinking room

After getting undressed, Vogir slumps down into his bed, pulls up his covers and tries to think things through.
Politics.
He hates politics.
The whiney self-importance of men who speak of change, while usually just feathering their own nests.
Despite this, he does understand the implications of acting against the Sheriff.
Hadn’t his own Father acted in a similar way?
Unlike the Sheriff however, Armando, had eked out his own Father’s fortune for as long as he could.
Though not a strong man, he had cared for his people and protected them to the best of his ability.
The Sheriff obviously doesn’t share that sentiment.
Thinking about his monster-race teammates, Vogir starts to worry.
Dokan, Orestes and Ghanash seem straightforward enough.
Perhaps too straightforward?
They didn’t even consider keeping the gold or, better still, handing it back to the people it was ‘stolen’ from...
Even the Human Rudha-an seemed indifferent to the plight of his own people...
Not a traitor to his race but certainly uncaring.
Although it choked Vogir to admit it, the small army they’d encountered would have pulled the town apart looking for the gold he’d advocated taking.
The whole ‘slaughter-a-whole-town-so-the-others-will-pay-their-tribute’ seems a little shortsighted though.
Slaughtering ‘willing’ taxpayers just because the tax wagons are being robbed is plain stupid.
OK, it’ll scare the neighbouring towns into paying, but if they’re being robbed as well...
Vogir strains his brain some more and thinks about the people recently met and the information he’s garnered from the others.
It is apparent that there are at least four factions involved here.
The Dragon and his Black-cloaks.
The Sheriff and his men.
Rob Inwood and his gang of cutthroats.
And a ‘possible’ underground resistance.
Certainly they all have their own agendas but how do they relate to each other?
The Dragon’s motivation is clear. Keep the people down and gather gold for it’s own selfish ends.
The Sheriff is a typical toady Lord. Keen to retain his position and wealth regardless of the suffering of others.
Rob Inwood appears, not to be a hero of the people, but at least he does attack the Black-cloaks. A villain then, but at least a thorn for the Dragon to deal with.
And finally, the Underground resistance... Certainly no army and definitely incapable of standing openly against either the Sheriff or the Black cloaks...
Still, they’d be worth helping.
If he could find a way in…
The strange and unnecessarily mysterious Indigo seems to have some twisted agenda of his own, but to what end? He’s obviously no friend to Rob Inwood but is he a friend to the people?
The Minstrel, Alan A’ Dale seemed to be against Rob Inwood AND the Sheriff...
Unfortunately he didn’t seem to like the Demon Dokan either.
Little Jen, the blacksmith’s daughter was thrown into jail for standing up to the tax collectors. But apparently she escaped...
Perhaps her Father is a man worth talking to?
Also, there was another one... Fry. He escaped at the same time.... And his frail old mother claimed that he regularly leaves money for her...
Vogir smiles.
These two stood up to the Sheriff, escaped prison AND still care for their parents.
It’ll definitely be worthwhile speaking to both Big John AND widow Artack.
And what of the Maid Demarion?
She owes them her life... She seemed intelligent... She seemed to know something about the tattoos and gold bracelet…
The one that now rests in Vogir’s satchel.
Perhaps she might help... If asked nicely?

Is there anyone you can trust?

As they ate a very welcome dinner in the comfort of William Indigo's place, Dokan mentally looked at the people he had found himself with. Could he trust any one of these creatures?

Alan A'Dale had joined him in revenge against InWood's bandits and seemed to have good reason to do so. Yet he had turned pretty quick and tried to blow him up.

Of those who he had travelled from Gilderock with, Ghanash and Ruddha-an had fought bravely and seemed trustworthy - so far.

Vogir, however, who had appeared capable and upstanding, had turned around and insisted they become thieves. Hardly and glory in that. He had gone down in his estimation hugely.

Orestes had just laid stiff on the floor as the rest of them faced the onslaught of the bandit leader Knife. He would reserve judgement on him until it was clear why he had cowered on the floor.

And then there was William. Despite the fact that he had fought by his side bravely, Dokan's instinct was still telling him there was something very wrong about this guy.

Only time would tell - as usual.