Session 40 - Insurrection

When last we left our heroes...

Arriving at the borders of Onerama the Bald's vast estates, with 450 Legionnaires at their back and Captain Landras who, thanks to the companions egging him on, was now spoiling for a fight, the Company found that Onerama had had at least a few minutes of advanced warning, and that his militia had assembled and blocked the passage of the road into Onerama's farmstead. A series of tense negotiations began as both sides seemed intractable regarding their demands:

The Company and Captain Landras: that Onerama should immediately stand down, allow himself to be arrested, and stand trial for his crimes.

Onerama and his militia: that the army withdraw immediately from his lands; barring that, that emissaries be sent unarmed beyond the barricade to parlay.

Eventually, the Companions managed to arrange a conversation with Onerama himself. After accusing him of being involved with the Cult of the Bloody Vulture--a charge he flatly denied--they were invited to bring anyone they liked (up to twelve men, who could retain their weapons) and spend as much time as they liked searching Onerama's farm for any evidence of necromancy. Onerama, in any case, positively refused to do two things: either to surrender unconditionally to the army that has just shown up at his doorstep, or to attack the numerically superior (4 to 1) force under the command of Captain Landras. "If Amborian blood is to be shed this day, it will be on your hands--not on mine."

Seeing no other choice than to take Onerama up on his offer, the companions chose 7 of Captain Landras's personal guard and began the search of the property. In the meantime, Captain Landras better positioned himself for overunning Onerama's makeshift barricade should the Companions find something incriminating.

The companions searched for nearly four hours until they found a secret chamber underneath the floor of one of the three large dining halls in Onerama's sprawling mansion. Here, they found not evidence of the Cult, but military-grade weapons and armor which had been forged and laid in reserve. They immediately sent two of the guards who had come with them back to Captain Landras to tell him what they had found. Onerama did not seem upset when they found it -- in fact he seemed quite pleased.

"Well well well, it took you long enough," he said. "I thought you'd never find it. Have a seat. Something to drink, perhaps? I have a spirit which has been aging the last three years. A delight for the palette, I assure you. As perhaps you'll see now, I am not a cultist--nothing of the kind, in fact. As for these weapons, this armor... Well. That is what I would like to talk to you about. I take it, based on your activities (especially you, Thoranrai--I know all about your history, including the child) that you are no great lovers of 'King' Onwae and the current regime? I thought not. You see, I've become increasingly aware that sooner or later those of us who live in the North will have to choose--as indeed will those of the Red Isle, and the Leopard Isles, where the rumor is they are already plotting an insurrection--to choose between freedom and slavery. It's for this I've been preparing, and for this that I've been trying to get Sir Ralus to meet with me. If I can convince him, then perhaps we can save the North before it's too late. The Cheybori must look out for themselves."

"Convince him of what?" the Companions asked.

"Why to be king, of course. King in the North. The North needs a strong leader, someone everyone respects and trust. That's Sir Ralus or it's nobody, and you five, well... you're his friends. So here's what I'm suggesting: he'll need a bankroll, and grassroots support. All of that, I can offer. All he needs to do is what he's really been doing for years now: lead us."

It was at this point--as the Companions were struggling at how to respond to this offer--that one of the guards they had sent out ran back in, breathless. "They're gone--Captain Landras, the cohort--all gone!"