O&F5 Session 5: For whom the bell tolls

Monday, 4 Oakenfall, 103 III-Inter, Fordefract   Oloward and the Fateful Five awake to find Fordefract on high alert following the theft of the Princely Company's campaign plans from the command tent by Oloward. The necromancer sticks to his story that he only went for a pee, and refuses to tell the party about his exploits that morning. The party, unaware of the relationship between Oloward's extended bathroom break and the alarm bells, decides to enter Fordefract under the guise of hired heroes (which Oloward notes is actually the truth) and offer their assistance to find out what is going on. After breaking up their camp and heading for the road to the ford, they are accosted by a company of Arlesians led by the Royal Musketeer Sieur Roger d'Aloïse, who question them as to what they are doing in the swamp to the north of the Delta Trail. D'Aloïse and his men have been tasked with finding the thieves of the map by the Administrator-General, Filien Dragonaud. The party manages to avoid suspicion after all when Nykkaen makes a particularly impressive attempt to intimidate the musketeer into not asking any more questions, and is led to Filien to receive a further explanation. On the way through the town, they note that the Baron has been rounding up townsfolk in a hunt for the map, something the Arlesians feel uncomfortable with.   They encounter Filien in heated conversation with the Baron, and the Administrator-General appears relieved to retire to the Baron's Chapel to speak to the party. The party whittles some information out of the Arlesian bureaucrat, who offers them 200 gold for the return of the map. He tells them about the benefactor behind the Company's projects in Southern Hespial, trying to convince the party that this benefactor is not interested in power and money, but is working towards much more momentous interests. The party discusses the disappearance of the map, and they now deduce that this is what Oloward was hiding. They decide to take Filien's deal, effectively setting out to con the Arlesians. Escorted to the crime scene by D'Aloïse, the party makes an elaborate show of investigating the tracks leading away from the scene, culminating in Tavi faking a prayer for divine guidance, which so impresses the musketeer that he abandons his quest for the map altogether.   When the party is alone, Bubbles confronts Oloward with his hiding the map, leading to tensions in the party. Oloward defends himself by accusing the rest of the party of not taking him seriously. The rest of the party, with Nykkaen as a spokesman, are not amused by his keeping this explosive secrets from them. The fight is interrupted by a sudden shift in the weather as a thunderstorm breaks over Hespius's Seat. Bubbles believes that the Arlesians might have something to do with the thunderstorm.   The party is forced to seek shelter from the torrential rain and the thunderstorm, and hurriedly returns to Fordefract, holing up in the attic of the Baron's Arms, where they copy the map's information on supply lines and the target of the next Arlesian expedition to their map of the Grand Austral Delta. There, they discuss their options, delaying before sending Nykkaen and Tavi back through the pouring rain to return the map to Filien. Filien is pleased with their efforts, but questions the party, since their story does not entirely add up. A masterful deception by Tavi cons Filien into believing the party's version of events, and he sends them on their way with a letter of recommendation for further service to the Princely Company, telling them to seek out the Company's agents in Cappebraccia.   Back in the tavern, the party discusses its next course of action. They do not trust the Arlesians and their mysterious benefactor, but they figure that by serving the Princely Company, they could get unrestricted access to the sunken city the Arlesians are planning to drain next. They are also still attracted to Ciatore's request to look into the possiblity of setting up a franchise in Cappebraccia, and they recall that Prior Brandarius has asked them to keep an eye out for the Archbishop. Bubbles's interest in Hespius's seat soon fades, and the party decides to head to the City of a Thousand Banners next. On the way down to the common room, they share a drink with D'Aloïse and his men, much to the consternation of Helm fitzGumir. D'Aloïse discusses the various options for travel to Cappebraccia with them. They decide to walk to Cappebraccia, leaving the next day.