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The Eldest Son, Part 3

Players/Characters Present:
John Sikking - Basil Amantes (Ftr3)
Bruce Barnett - Bonzimir Amantes (Rog1/Hlf3)
Barbara Muth - Nereida Amantes (Clr4)
Chris Wood - Felix Amantes (Psi4)
Peter Drake - Demetrios Amantes (Ftr2/Wiz2)

GM's Note: The dates have been screwy in the past, but are now set. It is now mid-Autumn and the Calandrite feast of Harvesttide (generally the largest festival of the year in Vendarius, and fairly even in a big city) is about to begin on the next day.

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After defeating the spider infestation and questioning Novice Maria Clodia, the Amantes returned to the Ghostly Minstrel for refreshments and rest. Their message for Flavia Brassus had still not been picked up. Demetrios looked around for Cornelia the barmaid but she was absent. Instead, the enterprising mage chatted up Olivia, Cornelia's mother, trying to get on her good side. The world-wise Olivia was amused by the younger man, and seemed content with the company. On being questioned about the various factions in the city, she suggested that Demetrios and his family talk with Admeh, the bard who was singing in the tavern.

Boren Backslap appeared and gave Nereida the book "Poems for Hestia", as promised.

Admeh is an easterner, possibly from Thariyya or even Shanatar. He is tall and olive-skinned, with a short, sharp black beard, well oiled. His beautiful voice and lively tales are one of the pleasures of the Ghostly Minstrel. They listened to Admeh's tale of Aurelius' defeat of the titan Tarterus, and the titan's prison in Mons Tarteros, and how Aurelius became the first Conorrian Emperor, Vasil I. When he ended his session, the Amantes invited Admeh to dinner and then drilled him with questions while he ate. 

Admeh explained that the Vitellius family is one of the oldest noble families in the Empire. Some stories say that they trace their ancestry back past the founding of Conn, three millennia ago. The main branch of the family has always been few in number, and has maintained its influence by a keen sense of politics and a rumored facility with the dark arts. However, any family that old has numerous cadet branches through intermarriage, though few have the courage to actually use the family name, since this is frowned upon by their more illustrious relatives. Lucius Vitellius is a noted exception, leading some to conclude that Lucius may actually be the bastard child of the main branch. Lucius is a vicious but petty crime boss in the squalid "Maze" section of the city. Admeh also explained that Lucius made his headquarters in the Hopeful Toad, the very tavern where Jonas Ennius was known to gamble heavily.

They learned that Appius Macrinus was a wealthy Echoriath merchant who had made his way from stevedore's son to one of the great and powerful in the city. He dealt in imports from Valesia, Accolon and Llyran. He was also rumored to have recently hired Pierre Dumonde, famous Corland bounty hunter and tracker.

They also learned from Admeh that the Dwarvenhearth was rumored to contain the lost wealth of the dwarves, but that most sages agreed that the dwarven occupation was so long ago that any dwarven wealth was long gone. However, over the millennia, their large underground city had been home to a variety of cults, monsters, wanted criminals and secret societies, and that these had expanded on and changed the dwarven ruins to a considerable extent and not a few left wealth behind. Certainly, exploration of the Dwarvenhearth has a romantic and dangerous reputation in the city and no one denies that some few adventurers seem to have emerged from the depths with great wealth. Others, of course, never emerged at all.

Deciding that sleep was overrated, the Amantes thanked Admeh and immediately rushed off to the Hopeful Toad. The Maze was as dangerous as usual, but few predators desired to tangle with five armed and armored figures in the dark. The party was surprised to find that the Hopeful Toad was guarded by on-duty city guardsmen and seemed quite peaceful.

Peaceful, that is, until the party arrived. When they asked about Lucius Vitellius, the mood of the crowd got surly. Shortly, a dozen unarmed but burly men emerged from the back room and began harrassing the Amantes. In moments, a fight had started. One of the toughs was armed with a club (the rest were just using fists), and that caused Demetrios to draw his sword. Once the sword was drawn, things got even uglier and the thugs all drew daggers. A melee began in earnest, and ended when Felix and Demetrios were grappled and Basil was forced into a magical slumber. Nereida and Bonzimir backed down when a further dozen thugs rushed in, preceding a big, bald, bull of a man with a spider tattoo on his head. This was Lucius Vitellius, and the malice in his order to drop her weapon so startled Nereida that she instantly complied.

Lucius informed the Amantes that he considered them to be agents of the Ennius family and that he held them personally responsible for the 7,640 Traders owed him by Jonas. Given that they had killed three of his men, he upped the number to 8,000 and told them that interest was 20%, compounded weekly. Lucius casually shattered two fingers of one Otho Kreen, who had just agreed that he was a friend of Lucius'. "If I'll do that to my friends," Lucius told them, "imagine what I'll do to you." Otho then slunk off to nurse his injuries.

Then, Lucius suggested that they might be able to work off the debt by doing a job for him. Having little choice, the party agreed. Lucius (and his mob) led them into the back office where the scowling crime boss agreed to write off the entire 8,000 Traders if the party would assassinate one Appius Macrinus, a local merchant, for him. He refused to say why he wanted Macrinus dead. 

Meanwhile, a very beautiful young woman who was evidently Lucius's paramour began making eyes at Felix and (in the close confines of the office) rubbing against him. Seeing this and fearing for his brother's life, Demetrios moved to stand between them. She nonetheless blew Felix a kiss as they were leaving.

Having agreed to the murder of Appius Macrinus (just to get away from Lucius), the Amantes quickly retreated to the Ghostly Mintrel, agreeing that Lucius must have made the same offer to Jonas, and that Jonas had either made the attempt on Macrinus' life and died in the process or had decided against it and run off. Once at the Minstrel, the party was surprised to find that they'd been followed by the beautiful young woman from the Hopeful Toad. She came attended by three large warriors whom she ordered to remain by the door, out of earshot. Then she approached and asked Felix if they could "spend some time alone." A bit fazed by this forward behavior, Felix nonetheless agreed to go to his rooms with her. Since the entire family was linked by Felix's "Mind Link" power, he went to the mental hoots and catcalls of his brothers. 

Once alone, the woman introduced herself as Hestia Macrinus, daughter of Appius Macrinus, and told of how cruel and evil her father was. Needing to move his goods past the Imperial tax officials, he'd callously sold his daughter to the rough and vicious Lucius Vitellius in exchange for the crime lord's smuggling assistance. She hated her father, and wanted him dead. She'd fallen in love with Felix at first sight, and knew in her heart that he would be the one to rescue her from her dreadful situation. Felix promised to help her if he could, but fended off her more amorous suggestions "until later". Saying she had to return to the Hopeful Toad, Hestia kissed Felix and left. After much joking, his siblings (particularly Basil) expressed their outrage that a Conorrian daughter would connive at her father's murder, and much doubt over her story. Felix was less convinced of Hestia's duplicity. 

The next morning, the Amantes spent the day visiting tailors and acquiring dress suitable for visits with the upper crust of Echoriath society. The following day, they travelled to the Quadrine Hill estate of Appius Macrinus. At first denied entrance, they were quickly hustled in when they mentioned that they had information about Hestia's whereabouts. Rather than Appius, they were greeted by his wife, Vera Macrinus, a gracious yet relaxed woman who seemed to have full knowledge yet little concern for the difference in her station from that of the Amantes. She greeted them warmly and Demetrios noted that she must have had Hestia quite young, for she was still young herself. Vera is intelligent and knowledgeable, yet fairly bored, having little to do but amuse herself with her husband's money. 

Before the conversation could continue, however, they were interrupted by the appearance of the bombastic Magister Civites, Pertinax. Pertinax seemed startled to see the formerly scruffy Amantes clan in the refined atmosphere of the Macrinus home, but quickly recovered and offered them a mock bow, then asked to speak to Vera alone. Apologizing for the interruption, Vera withdrew into another part of the spacious mansion with Pertinax, and returned some ten minutes later. The Magister Civites gave them an oily smile, and then left. "A horrid little man," Vera opined, "But someone you must simply try to ignore." Bonzimir said that they also knew Pertinax, and disliked him.

The conversation then got down to details, with the Amantes relaying to Vera how her daughter was alive and in the company of a murderous, blackmailing crime lord in the Maze, and that the two were seeking contract killers to eliminate her husband, Appius. Vera was relieved, saddened and angry, but not particularly shocked. "I knew she was spoiled," she said of her daughter, "but not that she'd sunk so low. I won't have it. I will not have her harm her father or bring any further disgrace on him." She assured the Amantes that, far from selling Hestia to Lucius, Appius was hoping to marry her to some noble house and thus gain advancement to nobility himself.

She asked them to get Hestia and bring her home, perhaps with the aid of her husband's Corland tracker, Pierre Dumonde. She'd make sure that they shared in the reward for her recovery, and hinted that Appius could easily pay off Jonas' debts. Finally, she told them the secret of Pertinax's power. He ferreted out the secrets of petty noble and great merchant houses and blackmailed them, meanwhile ingratiating himself with the great noble houses (who used the threat of Pertinax to keep several of the lesser houses in their place). She didn't say what her own indiscretion was, but admitted that the Magister Civites was blackmailing her, and that her secret could ruin her husband's standing in the city. Since they'd made it clear that they were not casual killers, Vera told them that they could accomplish the same thing by 'acquiring' the little black book in which Pertinax kept his stolen secrets. Without that, he would lose his power over his victims and his protection from his patrons. They agreed.

The next day, they went toward the University to return "Poems for Hestia" to Professor Herminius. Along the way, they were ambushed in an alley by a strong gang of seasoned toughs, including a big half-orc warrior, two human thugs and a human wizard. The half-orc declared himself to be one Oberon Kane. Although Kane's initial onslaught was fierce, his men were unable to pin down the ever-moving Amantes, who first killed the wizard and then seriously wounded Kane. The big half-orc called for terms, and offered to identify who sent him if the Amantes would let him and his two living henchmen escape. They agreed to this, and as Kane retreated he gave them a familiar name: Rufus Ennius, second son of Flavius Ennius. 

And here the chronicle paused...

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