O&F5 Session 11: Burning Banners

General Summary

17 Oakenfall, 103 III-Inter, Cappebraccia    Oloward the Magnificent and the Faithful Five return to Cappebraccia to find the city put under martial law by their now-mortal enemies, the Sworn Brotherhood of the Scarlet Oriflamme. The other guilds presumably are none too happy about this, but without the Archbishop to calm tensions, the city is quickly descending into disorder. In this charged atmosphere, the party visits several places looking for leads on dealing with the Oriflamme. At a speakeasy known as the Capone Club, the party comes up with the daring plan to blow up the Scarlet Bastion, the Oriflamme's major stronghold and so weaken the scarlati and make the party's name. Mostly for what they did to the elves, but also "because they disrespected the party". While all this is going on, Elentari "Ela" suddenly shows up, the quest for her brother having led her back to the Five's side.   The Grey Livery, Cappebraccia's major thieves' guild, might be able to help the party infiltrate the Bastion. A bald dwarf known as the Goat offers to take the party to the Grey Market, the Livery's headquarters, hoping to strike an alliance. The party agrees, and they are taken blindfolded to the Grey Market. Nykkaen's former affiliation with the Company of the Azure Pennant causes some problems. Several encounters with guild members suggest to the party that the Livery, while decentrally organised, wants to see the Oriflamme brought down. They manage to secure a map of the Bastion.   They are then taken to meet the Preacher, presumably the head of the Grey Livery. He appears to be a clergyman who still stick to his religious duties while also leading the thieves' guild, the aim of which he explains to be the downfall of the major Bannered Guilds of Cappebraccia and the empowerment of the individual and the smaller guilds. He asks the party to secure from the Bastion in return for the map documents showing untoward dealings by the Oriflamme's Grand Condottiere . He also supplies them with invisibility potions.   After a visit to the Cathedral during which they tell Canon Foderic about the catacombs, they retire to plan. Enlising the aid of Biancazuro Ruarotti, a bizarre former compatriot of Nykkaen from his Azure Pennant days, as a getaway gondolier, they decide to split up, with Ela and Ievos masquerading as agents of Arlesia and the rest sneaking in in Biancazuro's gondola.