Late-Night FFRPS game - Recap

[u][b][size=14]Prologue - "Bandit life sucks!"[/size][/b][/u]

As we find our heroes Kaybl and Keilus stuck between a crate and a hard space, they reflected on what got them in this mess in the first place...

...They were in the hall of Lord Grenner, the ruler of Vesta, an airship port located at the base of the Whitehall Mountains. Lord Grenner had just finished explaining the terms of their agreement, and that no matter how much trouble they got themsevles into, Grenner would not bail out the mercenaries.

Kaybl and Keilus had once been in Lord Grenner's good graces, but a recent fuckup caused him to grow unhappy with their service. This mission, one that Grenner figured that they couldn't screw up, was to return three pieces of materia that were stolen by a group of thieves. The heroes agreed, not knowing just what they were getting themselves into...

As they huddled behind the crates, thieves ready to fill them with crossbow bolts, the heroes decided it was now or never. Their surprise retaliation against the thieves sent them scrambling, and the rogues fled through a nearby door.

However, as the last standing thief retreated through the door, he tossed a strange fiery bauble at Kaybl. It smashed into the ground, forming into a dangerous Bomb.

A long and 'heated' battle raged, with the bomb igniting the entire warehouse on fire in the process. Eventually, the heroes slew the vile creature, just before it was to explode. Unfortunately, some of the wares that the bomb managed to ignite, such as large crates of grain... Turned out to be explosive. Keilus and Kaybl managed to get inside a side office just in time to avoid the main force of the blast.

As they emerged from the building after the explosion (which took out the wall leading out to the city streets), they were promptly arrested for arson charges. They sat in jail the remainder of the day, and halfway into the night, when the man guarding their cells was struck from the dark. The guard's keys landed near Kaybl, who let himself and Keilus out. They recovered their equipment, and went to exit the cellroom.

As Kaybl exited, he was nearly tripped, and Keilus was locked inside the cellroom. Kaybl turned around to see a shadowy figure with two blades drawn approach him in the dark. The figure issued a command to meet him at the Snake's Tail Tavern three nights from that night. Before Kaybl could reply, the figure exited the jailhouse.

The heroes then found a place to stay those few days and rested their weary bodies, prepared to head out to the Snake's Tail Tavern.

[u][b][size=14]Chapter 1.1 - "Patriotic... COWBOY HAT!"[/size][/b][/u]

We find our intrepid heroes on the third night heading towards the Snake's Tail Tavern, to meet their mysterious contact. They arrive, only to find the tavern entirely packed, with only spaces to sit available at the bar. People seem to be eager to celebrate, with talk of some unknown wedding coming soon. Keilus promptly orders a drink, with Kaybl politely declining.

As Keilus recieves his drink, a man next to him orders but a water. As Keilus taunts him of this, the three men exchange names and friendly greetings. The man, Voldigar, claims to be a traveler who's seen many a great places already, and is destined to see many more.

Kaybl and Keilus continue to keep an eye out for their contact, not exactly sure what to look for, when they both hear someone from the crowd mention "...assassin at the wedding...". Keilus manages to spot the fellow who'd uttered the words, and notes his face. As Voldigar continues to discuss his previous travels, another fellow at the bar introduces himself, his name Edward.

The four discuss their drinks, when the man that spoke of an assassin leaves, stuffing something in a pocket inside his vest. Keilus decides to exit the tavern to watch the man, but heads inside as the man turns down a side street. He tells Kaybl that it's time to leave.

They exit the tavern in time to see a dark-skinned fellow exit the side street the other man had entered. The man noticed Keilus and Kaybl, and turned the other direction and walked away from them. He wore a funny-looking cowboy hat. Keilus and Kaybl decided to split up, Keilus attempting to track down the man from the tavern, while Kaybl shadowed the man in the cowboy hat.

Keilus soon found his mark, quite dead hidden among a pile of barrels. He quickly searches the man for whatever it was he stuffed in his vest, but cannot find it. Meanwhile, Kaybl's cowboy-hatted man darts into a nearby house, slamming the door behind him. Kaybl notes the house number, and returns to in front of the tavern to wait for Keilus.

As he returns, he finds Edward and Voldigar following him. Keilus regroups with them, and the four spot the dark-skinned man exit the house, and dart off down the street. The group immediately engages pursuit. The man turns down another street, but as the group rounds the street corner, he's not to be found.

He doesn't remain hidden for long, as he leaps from the top of a building, attacking Edward on his way down. The man in the hat delivers a powerful kick right to Edward's chest, falling him in a single powerful blow. Kaybl responds with magic, catching Voldigar slightly in the blast. Briefly, the group battles this cowboy menace, until he breaks from combat and climbs quite rapidly up onto the rooftops.

As the party tends to Edward, guards arrive on the scene, just a mite too late. Quickly, Kaybl and Keilus are recognized as fugitives, and are blamed for the attack on Edward. The mercenaries bolt, leaving poor Voldigar to get shackled.

The guards barely give token pursuit of the sellswords, eventually returning to render aid to Edward. As Edward comes to, he explains the situation, proclaiming everyone's innocence. Voldigar takes Edward to a place where he can rest, and heads towards the Snake's Tail Tavern again.

Once he arrives, he finds the two 'heroes' inside, conversing with the burmecian barkeep. They learn that the band Magitallica is in town, and their lead member caused a large brawl while they were out. Its revealed that the band is to play at Lord Grenner's Daughter's wedding reception two nights from this. As Kaybl and Keilus garner as much information as they can, Voldigar takes the opportunity to pick the pockets of two passed out drunkards in the corner.

The three then spend a night at a local inn, having had quite an unusual evening.

[u][b][size=14]Chapter 1.2 - "Wait, Peace Dragoons? ...What?!"[/size][/b][/u]

As Keilus, Kaybl, and Voldigar meet down in the common room of the inn, they converse on the upcoming wedding. While they eat, a nearby healer named Aelyn eavesdrops on their conversation, and decides to join their table. After they explain they're horrible men, she leaves, forgetting her things.

Voldigar wastes no time in picking through her belongings, and the entire group leaves the common room, intent on checking out the house the mysterious man in the cowboy hat entered the night before.

On their way out of the inn, Kaybl bumps (quite literally) into Aelyn, who returns for her things. She catches Voldigar rummaging through her stuff. He eventually returns her things, and after some convincing, she believes they're not actually 'bad men', and although still somewhat wary of the motley crew, she decides to tag along, not giving any real reason for doing so.

They arrive at the aforementioned house, and Keilus decides to stay outside, taking care of the chocobos of the group. Meanwhile, the other three knock on the house, and after not recieving any reply, Voldigar checks the door and enters. Upon entering, they're quickly greeted by an attractive lycerian female, her fair orange and white fur done into many silky braids.

She inquires as to what the group is doing in her house uninvited, when Voldigar explains that they're a paramilitary organization known as the 'Peace Dragoons'. This takes Aelyn by surprise, who entirely believes Voldigar. The lycerian woman also seems to believe him, and eventually explains that the mysterious man left a note for anyone who inquired about him. Voldigar took the time to read over the note, which in more words said to stop following him.

Meanwhile, Kaybl searched an attached guest room. In a bedstand, he picked up a book that later turned out to be a well-worn bible (which the party promptly returned). He was attempting to pick the lock of a door that lead to a back room, but was interrupted when the lady of the house inquired about his lack of presense.

After obtaining the only information regarding the mysterious man they could find, the group exited the poor lady's home, leaving her annoyed by their intrusion. As they exited, she muttered something; something that none in the party seemed to catch.

After Vold explained what the letter read, the party split ways, intent on meeting back up after noon in the Snake's Tail Tavern. Even to this point, Aelyn still seems to believe she's traveling with a benevolent group known as the 'Peace Dragoons'.

[u][b][size=14]Chapter 1.3 - "Frantic tick tick tick tick tock..."[/size][/b][/u]

As we return to our heroes, we find them split up. Aelyn and Kaybl are busy window shopping, with them eventually picking up some fancy clothing for the wedding reception the next eve. Aelyn pays a very large sum of gil for an incredible custom-tailored red silk dress.

Voldigar, meanwhile, is busy making money his own 'special' way, after which he too picks up some nice clothing. Keilus, a man with more simple needs, just purchases more arrows to replace those he used during the tangle with the cowboy-hatted man.

The 'Peace Dragoons', after shopping, gather at the Snake's Tail Tavern, minus one bubbly oracle. The heroes arrive to find it all but entirely empty, and after a few drinks there, they retire for the eve back at the no name inn.

The next day passes quickly and relatively uneventfully, as the heroes are all eager to go to the wedding and see the band Magitallica. Aelyn showcases her new dress, which appears to stun both Kaybl and Voldigar. Only Keilus doesn't seem very interested in wooing Aelyn, and gets foul-mouthed as they enter Lord Grenner's estate.

After a bit of bickering between the 'dragoons', the group settles in at the reception, and take in the scenery. As they wait around for Magitallica to set up and start playing, they enjoy the free beverages and the scenery. About an hour later, Magitallica starts their first song, where upon the couple of honor make their appearance.

Lady Grenner, a fair looking lass in her late teens, is accompanied by a young Prince Lassign, a short man in his early twenties. Both are exceptionally dressed, although Aelyn's dress manages to compete with Lady Grenner's. They take the first dance, to a fairly slow song. However, after the first song, things really start to heat up.

As Keilus and Kaybl enjoy the refreshments, Aelyn and Voldigar take to the dance floor. Both prove to be impressive dancers (one thanks to actual skill... The other, thanks to 'other' things), almost overshadowing the newly weds. The music of Magitallica is quite unusual for the era, as the guitar makes sharp sounds that almost seem to wail at times, while the drum accompaniment is fast and furious. After this second song, the band starts a dedication.

As the band dedicates their song, the lead singer pulls Lady Grenner up on the elevated stage. The lead singer announces that their next song is dedicated to none other than the Peace Dragoons. The heroes are entirely taken aback with shock at this, and Magitallica starts playing thier song. As Aelyn and Voldigar continue to dance, Kaybl and Keilus stare at the stage. Kaybl notices that the bassist isn't actually playing, and points the fact out to Keilus. Kaybl soon after also realizes something unusual about the drummer; he highly resembles the cowboy-hatted assassin.

While Kaybl's distracted looking at the drummer, Keilus notices the bassist pull out what looked like a large violin bow from behind the bass... Too late did he realize that it was not a bow that the violinist was using on the bass's strings, but rather an arrow. The bassist lined up a shot, and fired at Lord Grenner, connecting with his chest. Amazingly, no one in the crowd seems to realize, as most people have gotten involved in a mosh.

Aelyn, however, notices, and screams as she sees Lord Grenner slump over. Voldigar watches Aelyn run away towards the mansion, as another feminine scream is heard behind him. The lead singer, a male burmecian, grabbed Lady Grenner and is carrying her off-stage, with the entire band following suit. The drummer reveals himself as none other than the man in the cowboy hat, as he pulls the hat out from behind his drums. The bassist reveals himself as actually being a her, and it's quickly realized that she is the lycerian the group met when they investigated the house the day before.

The three men of the party give chase to Magitallica, as Aelyn sees to Lord Grenner. As they follow Magitallica, Keilus finds that the four guards at the gate have been slain. The lead singer mounts an awaiting chocobo, still carrying Lady Grenner, and rides off, closely followed by the guitarist, also mounting a chocobo. The three other band members, the female human singer, the female lycerian bassist, and the male human drummer, all run after on foot. The heroes give chase, and eventually the drummer turns, the ladies of Magitallica turning around behind him.

Meanwhile, Aelyn tends to Lord Grenner's wounds with some spell-based healing. The magic appears to do some immediate good, and she heads out, mounting a chocobo to get to the party as quickly as possible.

As the heroes tangle with Magitallica, the name of the drummer is revealed. His name is Dyer Ulrich, and he turns out to be a fierce opponent indeed. The bassist reveals herself to be a very capable archer, while the singer proves to be an impossible to hit dancer. The heroes give these villains all they have, but they are soundly beaten by Magitallica. The only blood drawn on Magitallica was a parting cheap shot delivered by Voldigar to Dyer as Vold retreated into a bank of mist conjured by Keilus.

Aelyn arrives to patch up everyone, with four guards in tow. The members of Magitallica find it a good time to retreat, calling for chocobos and riding off after their fellow band members. One of the guards, whom the heroes immediately recognize as Edward, requests Aelyn's chocobo to follow Magitallica, and find out what they're doing with Lady Grenner. Aelyn quickly lets him, and he rides off, his three troops in tow.

As the group is patched up by the healer, they argue their motives to rescue the kidnapped bride. Aelyn can't believe them, as she's still under the belief that they are 'Peace Dragoons'. They weakly hold the ruse, until they're greeted by a booming voice behind them.

Three of Lord Grenner's top knights atop barded chocobos meet the heroes, the leader of which announces the Lord's intent to see them immediately. The leader, named Terronious, is very curt as he leads them back to the estate. He caustically remarks how Edward will likely not return from his investigation, as if he doesn't think him capable. Aelyn is torn up with the realization that she allowed a man to walk off to what must be certain death, and Kaybl tries to console her.

As she barely avoids tears, they're escorted to Lord Grenner, who's lying on a bed with bandages around his side. As they enter, he rolls over to see Keilus and Kaybl, at which point he loudly shouts "How did I know you two sellswords were in on this?!", much to their disappointment.

[u][b][size=14]Chapter 1.4 - "...One crazy son of a drunken gnome..."[/size][/b][/u]

As the focus shifts back to the heroes, we find Kaybl and Aelyn very upset with the furious Lord's sharp words. After accusing them of being in league with the kidnappers, Aelyn snaps at Lord Grenner and vouches for her companion's innocence. It's at that time the Lord explains Kaybl and Keilus's actual profession, that being mere swords for hire.

No amount of negotation (and insane laughter from Keilus) manages to change Lord Grenner's mind, and he has the 'heroes' banished to his servant's quarters, which the characters quickly realize is very nearly a jailcell.

Inside the servant's quarters, the party meets an odd pair; Joo, a goblin cook (who seems to be quite talented), and Kirpin, a light blue tinged Moogle who serves as a translator to Joo. Kirpin explains the situation to the heroes, all while Aelyn breaks down with the realization that her companions are basically paid killers and thieves.

While the rest of the group is distracted, Voldigar takes an opportunity to slip away from them and 'catch some fresh air'. He proceeds to cast a glamer to look like Lord Grenner, and he proceeds to approach the man guarding the exit from the servant's quarters. With some skilled lying (despite huge bonuses the guard got from the proposterous lie), Voldigar managed to pass himself off and gain egress from the prison-like section of the estate.

Using his freedom and glamer, he scouts the mansion for information. He learns that, while the Prince has been here for about 5 months now, only recently (about 3 weeks ago) did he ever bring in his own guards, Terronious being one of them. As his spell wore out and he was preparing to cast another one, a team of armored guards find him and haul him back to his companions.

The next few days pass by slowly, as the characters have very little to do to pass their time. Kirpin introduces the party to the game of Nothing, and Kaybl and Keilus try their luck. They didn't fare very well, although they manage to keep some money after all was said and done. Neither Voldigar nor Aelyn were very interested in losing money, so they didn't participate.

The day of their release couldn't come soon enough, as Aelyn was still wearing her once fine dress. Chaffing and itching was abound for everyone, though, except Keilus who was still wearing his normal attire. Once the party was released, they were taken to Lord Grenner's hall, where they were explained the situation of the kidnapping.

Edward had found out that Magitallica was in league with the local thieves guild, and that they had recently boarded a large stolen airliner, making a clean escape. Lord Grenner begged the heroes to give chase, as he couldn't spare enough men from his own reserves, as he was still worried for his own life.

Prince Lassign offered his personal skiff, a fast dual-engine craft, as well as the service of his pilot. The party agreed, but only if they were to be forgiven of past transgressions as well as given bathes, with the latter being greatly appreciated by Aelyn. One thing to note, however, is that, during negotiations, Terronious got incredibly angry at the party, calling them vagabonds and worse, before stampeding out of the hall. Lord Grenner explained that he still didn't trust the heroes, and wanted to be sent along with a small routine of his own men.

After the party was cleaned up, and some minor shopping was done, they set off to the sky port to meet up with their ship and driver. The driver, an aged dwarf with long white hair named Elcidorn, or 'Cid' as he called himself, welcomed them onboard. He fired up the engines and slipped on a tight-fitting pair of goggles. The take-off was a little rough, with the skiff lurching to one side before righting itself.

After they had gotten some altitude, Cid offered to let Voldigar to take the wheel, without actually explaining any of the workings of the ship. Voldigar took it, and the ship immediately began to drop like a stone, the engines having stopped spinning. The old dwarf laughed and showed him how to pilot the craft, and they were soaring again in no time.

During the ride, the party prepped themselves for the rescue. Kaybl spent his time researching spells, looking over a new scroll he picked up in town. Aelyn and Keilus refused to really leave the cabin, as air travel proved to not be their 'thing'. Luckily (or unluckily; that's to be seen soon enough), the journey part the rescue ended quickly, with Cid spotting their target.

The large airship, offically known as a skyliner-class ship, dwarfed their poor ship. It was then that Cid explained the plan he came up with. He's going to come up to the underside of the ship, and bring the skiff along side a porthole on the skyliner. The part would then break in, and sneak their way through the ship. They would then rescue Darila, and escape through the same way they came in.

The session ended with Cid approaching a porthole, and the party readying for their infiltration.

[u][b][size=14]Chapter 1.5 - "Not only is he a REAL doctor..."[/size][/b][/u]

As our heroes prepared for their infiltration, they quickly went over their plan. The lightning storm raged about them, shaking the skiff in its wake. Within a few moments, Kaybl removed the hinges to the porthole window, and the group scurried inside, with Voldigar leading the way.

Once inside the ship, they examined their surroundings. The room they entered was spartan, with three cots filling the room, and a single door leading out. Voldigar again led the way and opened the door. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a man standing at the opposite wall, his helmet down over his eyes. He certainly didn't appear to be at attention.

Our heroes exited the room quietly (or not so much) as Aelyn and Voldigar watched the sleeping guard. The skyliner lurched to one side, and the man moved. As his body shifted, his head slid cleanly off his shoulders, having been decapitated before the party arrived. Shocked by this discovery, the party decided to quickly search the rooms of the ship.

In most of the rooms, all they found were cots (and some dead bodies as well). In one room, however, they found a frightened man. The man explained himself to be Dr. Najimi. He told the heroes of what killed the man outside; a furry creature he thought to be a Lycerian. The creature knocked out the guard he was talking to, and then kicked him inside that room. After a little begging, Keilus allowed him to follow them.

The Voldigar and Kaybl found the ship's main engine room, which was overbearingly loud. A handful of dwarves scurred about, working on the engines, keeping them in working order. Voldigar tried to get their attention above the noise, but to no avail. He decided it'd be best to leave them to their devices, as they were keeping them in the air anyways.

The group eventually found an odd set of double doors that had signs on them. Kaybl went up to read a sign, when it exploded in a powerful blast of force. He, Keilus, and Voldigar were caught in the blast radius, but no one was injured, the lot of them barely dodging the bulk of the blast. Aelyn came to rescue, revitalizing the out of breath heroes.

After some show of force, the three managed to burst their way into the room with the double doors. Inside they found what must have been a master bedroom. Kaybl located a desk with a single drawer, to find the drawer locked. Within seconds, however, he had the drawer unlocked and rifled through its contents. He found some scrolls, three crystalline shards, and a leather-bound, rune-inscribed book. He pocketed them quickly, and the group evacuated the room.

The rest of the rooms on this floor of the ship held the same contents as the others; cots and dead bodies. The group piled into the engine room, and started to head up the stairs, when guards arrived to stop the heroes. Battle ensued, with the guards backed by a skilled spellcaster. The mage, dressed in baggy white clothing, enhanced the guards with numerous spells, turning the lowly guards into formidable foes.

The group dispatched two of the guards quickly, with Voldigar tying up the other two and Keilus trying to take on the mage solo. The mage, after casting his buff spells, retreated, telling the guards he'd return with reinforcements. Voldigar dispatched one of the guards quickly, and the other died to two small blades sticking out from his throat.

As Keilus turned to see where these blades originated from, he saw Dr. Najimi waiving timidly, holding up his bag of medical supplies.