Halfling Musketeers - Part I

[Alenda]

It is a busy time in the Royal Palace of Grimaud. King Louis' trade agreements with the neighboring Kingdom of Chiswick are up for re-negotiation, so there is a large envoy of Chiswick diplomats, guards, and attendants in the castle.

On paper, Chiswick and Grimaud are allies and trade partners. In practice, though, Chiswickers are an uncouth and rude lot, blustering around with their harsh, guttural language, drinking their foul grainy brew, eating their tasteless mushy meals, and smelling like horses.

It is no wonder, then, that there have been more than a few arguments and back-alley duels between the civilized Grimaudians and the brutish Chiswickers. The Musketeers have attempted to keep the peace as best they can, for the sake of the trade negotiations, but it has been a trying task indeed.



The curtain lifts on our little drama one bright cheery Spring morning. Rumors in the palace abound that King Louis and the Chiswick diplomats have reached an agreement and that the Chiswickers would be returning home by week's end.

Because of this, you all walk with a bit more spring in your step and, perhaps, an extra twist of your mustachios.

Just when you mistakenly think that nothing can go wrong this fine morning, you hear a blood curdling scream coming from the direction of the diplomats' quarters. With rapiers drawn, you rush to see what's happening, and you find an hysterical young maid standing just outside the suite belonging to one of the Chiswick diplomats. The maid is holding her apron up to her face and sobbing uncontrollably into it. From this angle, you can see she has very nice legs.

But, alas, duty draws you to turn your attention to the suite itself. Inside, you see the corpse of a Chiswicker. His throat has been brutally slashed open and he has bled out all over the carpet.

[iHobo]

"Mon dieu, ze humanity! Zat carpet was a gift from ze sultan of Qadira!"

[reveal]

Moliere will make his way immediately towards the maid, stepping over the body in the process (if it's in his path). He grasps the woman gently by the hand.

"There, there mon cheri. Please, do not cry so. It will be all right as the Musketeers have arrived. Please, have a seat and let me get you something to calm your nerves."

OOC: I assume, this being a diplomats quarters and since we're in France, that there is wine nearby.

Moliere pours her a glass and hands it her, holding her non-drinking hand while he asks her to relay her story.

[Alenda]

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"There, there mon cheri. Please, do not cry so. It will be all right as the Musketeers have arrived. Please, have a seat and let me get you something to calm your nerves."

Moliere pours her a glass and hands it her, holding her non-drinking hand while he asks her to relay her story.

Trembling a little, the maid takes a tentative sip of wine. And then another. And then gulps down the remainder in one hearty swig. "Ma foi! But it is too too terrible. Look at ze poor Monsieur Aldridge. He was so varry nice to me. A true gentlemen. He even had an appreciation for ze wine. And now..." She sheds a silent tear.


You all recognize the man as Lord Tobias Aldridge, the leader of the Chiswick diplomatic envoy. Even though he was born and raised in Chiswick, his Grimaudian mother obviously had a positive influence on him. He was well-spoken, a lover of wine, and even a dabbler in the amorous arts. All the maids swooned over him.

His death will be a great blow to the Chiswickers, but even Grimaudian tears will be shed over his passing.

[reveal]

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Trembling a little, the maid takes a tentative sip of wine. And then another. And then gulps down the remainder in one hearty swig. "Ma foi! But it is too too terrible. Look at ze poor Monsieur Aldridge. He was so varry nice to me. A true gentlemen. He even had an appreciation for ze wine. And now..." She sheds a silent tear.

Moliere takes out a handkerchief and gently wipes away her tear. "He indeed sounds like a true gentleman."

Moliere, still holding her hand, will scan the room looking for anything out of place, other than the body of course.

Investigate = 8

OOC: Two links in that roll because my Wild Die was a 6, but I'm not sure if those explode. If not, than it's a 6.

Moliere turns back to the maid. "What is your name, mademoiselle?"

[iHobo]

Audric will poke his head outside, shaking his head soberly. Are there any palace security about yet, or just us? Anyone else who appears out of place?

[Alenda]

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OOC: Two links in that roll because my Wild Die was a 6, but I'm not sure if those explode. If not, than it's a 6.

GM: Yes, Wild Die do explode, so it's an 8.

Taking a moment to survey the room, you notice that the room looks like it's been thoroughly searched. Some discretion was used in trying to cover it up, but the ever-so-slightly open drawers, and barely off-kilter bed linens, clue you in. Someone was clearly looking for something in this room.

There is a large stack of papers on the desk that look like they've been rifled.

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Moliere turns back to the maid. "What is your name, mademoiselle?"

She flushes a little. "How soon you forget! I am Amelie! Did last Christmas mean nothing to you?"


You vaguely remember a steamy interlude with someone in the pantry during the Royal Christmas party. It was after you had consumed that entire bowl of mulled wine, so your memory is understandably fuzzy.

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Audric will poke his head outside, shaking his head soberly. Are there any palace security about yet, or just us? Anyone else who appears out of place?

A crowd is rapidly gathering outside in reaction to the scream. Curious passersby are craning their necks to catch a glimpse of what's happening in the suite. The crowd is mostly servants and minor royal nobles on their way to court. You do find it strange that there were no Chiswick guards nearby since the diplomat suites are typically heavily guarded.

[Bubba]

Pierre turns to the crowd:

"'Aff anee of you seen zee sentrrries zat shood 'ave been 'ere? 'Aff anee of you seen zee strahnge mahn about zese 'allways?"

[reveal]

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She flushes a little. "How soon you forget! I am Amelie! Did last Christmas mean nothing to you?"

Moliere smiles sweetly. "Of course it did, mon amour. But between this lovely gentleman dying and my heart breaking for your plight, my wits were momentarily not with me." He kisses her hand gently and begins to slowly trail his lips up her arm to her neck.

Persuasion = 5

OOC: Since I don't have the skill and Persuasion is based on Spirit, I made a Spirit roll. Is that right?

[Hypersmurf]

Hamlin maintains a stoic expression in the face of his disappointment at his own tardiness, allowing Moliere to reach Amelie first. (Still... Moliere reached her first last Christmas, as well, and when he passed out beneath the last remnants of the turkey, was it not Hamlin duBois who escorted the young lady back to her chamber?)

Noting that Audric and Pierre have the corridor well in hand, he kneels to examine the body more closely. Still warm? Some hours cold?

[Alenda]

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Pierre turns to the crowd:

"'Aff anee of you seen zee sentrrries zat shood 'ave been 'ere? 'Aff anee of you seen zee strahnge mahn about zese 'allways?"

Pierre's voice booms out across the loudly gossiping crowd, and for a moment the voices dim a bit. The crowd starts to part and a large pompous Chiswicker comes strutting through the throng of people. You recognize him as Sir Edom of Snuffling Manor, another diplomat. He is surrounded by a group of Chiswick guards. "What in the deuce is going on here?" he cries out.

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Moliere smiles sweetly. "Of course it did, mon amour. But between this lovely gentleman dying and my heart breaking for your plight, my wits were momentarily not with me." He kisses her hand gently and begins to slowly trail his lips up her arm to her neck.

Persuasion = 5

OOC: Since I don't have the skill and Persuasion is based on Spirit, I made a Spirit roll. Is that right?

GM: Actually, using skills untrained is a bit more complicated. If you don't have a skill trained, you would typically roll a 1d4 - 2 (and a wild die). Remember that 4 is a success. You have the Edge "Jack of All Trades" which means you can roll any Smart-based skill without taking the -2 penalty. So, while it's REALLY hard to make an untrained skill, it's not impossible. That said, you're doing some pretty basic persuading here, so you won't even need to roll.

Amelie pulls her hand away. "Please, monsieur! Have some respect for ze dead!" The twinkle in her eyes suggests she's flattered at his attention, though.

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Noting that Audric and Pierre have the corridor well in hand, he kneels to examine the body more closely. Still warm? Some hours cold?

Lord Aldridge's skin is quite cool to the touch, but his body is not quite stiff, suggesting he's been dead for some hours. Since it is 7am now, and since you saw Lord Aldridge in the Royal Feasting Hall last evening, it's a good assumption that he died some time in the night.

He is in a partial state of undress wearing red breeches, silk hosiery, and a ruffly silk shirt. He is not wearing the maroon brocade jacket, Cavalier boots, and black floppy rimmed hat that were on his person last night. His left fist is clenched so tightly that the knuckles are white.

[Hypersmurf]

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[GM] Actually, using skills untrained is a bit more complicated. If you don't have a skill trained, you would typically roll a 1d4 - 2 (and a wild die).

OOC: So that's 1d4-2 and 1d6-2, not 1d4-2 and 1d6, right?

Lord Aldridge's skin is quite cool to the touch, but his body is not quite stiff, suggesting he's been dead for some hours. Since it is 7am now, and since you saw Lord Aldridge in the Royal Feasting Hall last evening, it's a good assumption that he died some time in the night.

He is in a partial state of undress wearing red breeches, silk hosiery, and a ruffly silk shirt. He is not wearing the maroon brocade jacket, Cavalier boots, and black floppy rimmed hat that were on his person last night. His left fist is clenched so tightly that the knuckles are white.

"Eet would seem, mes frères, zat ze kill-air 'as 'ad some hours in wheech to make 'is ez-cape. But... un moment... what 'ave we 'ere?"

Hamlin attempts to gently prise open Aldridge's grasp to see what might be concealed within.

[reveal]

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"Eet would seem, mes frères, zat ze kill-air 'as 'ad some hours in wheech to make 'is ez-cape. But... un moment... what 'ave we 'ere?"

Hamlin attempts to gently prise open Aldridge's grasp to see what might be concealed within.

Moliere grins.

"It zeems that we can rule out ze lovely Amelie as a zuspect, zen. If she were in ze room when he passed, his hand would definitely not be in a gripping position, I can assure you," he says as he gives Amelie a sly wink.

[Bubba]

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...a large pompous Chiswicker comes strutting through the throng of people. You recognize him as Sir Edom of Snuffling Manor, another diplomat. He is surrounded by a group of Chiswick guards. "What in the deuce is going on here?" he cries out.

"Wheah ah zee sentrrries zat shood 'ave been posted 'ere?"

[iHobo]

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"Wheah ah zee sentrrries zat shood 'ave been posted 'ere?"

"Indeed, mon ami. Pairhaps we shall now ask you what eez 'appening 'ere, as you or your guards should 'ave seen or 'eard any disturbance in ze night?"