Cast of characters:
Jan Rhys: A surly dwarven cleric, suspicious of all others and bound to no single deity.Episode 0: Prelude
Our story begins on the world of Iternia, on the hidden continent of Corus. In the corner of the kingdom of Lindblum, bandits run amok and threaten the livelihood of Westbridge and Bluebutter Moor. Five adventurers traveling different paths find their fates intertwined as they are called to the aid of the beleaguered settlements. The group slowly comes together as our heroes investigate attacks that are too coordinated to be coincidence.
Episode 1: Bandit Blitz
The imperial navy is on the way to deal with the bandits, but the cutthroats have seized an airship and may escape aboard it! Our five heroes finally meet up in full force when they are sent to the cutthroat hideout to nullify the airship and ensure that the bandits cannot run from their doom. An excellent plan goes awry when the criminals realize they are missing men, and our heroes narrowly escape hordes of bandits (and their bloodthirsty captain) and certain death, all while stealing the biggest prize of all - the airship itself!
Intermission: Airship Algebra
The party takes a break while the imperial navy mops up the bandit hideout. Our heroes discover that the airship is carrying Bluebutter Moor's stolen food, as well as a very strange chest with colored locks and numbered keys. Several possible solutions present themselves, and it is Jan who finally risks life and limb to attempt the correct combination. When the imperial military frigate arrives carrying the Westbridge magistrate and the Bluebutter Moor headman, our heroes are rewarded with the official ownership of the stolen airship! A loaned crew helps the party fly the airship to the nearby city of Rivergate. Our heroes pay for repairs to the ship and hire a permanent crew, and it is revealed that there is more to young Serady than meets the eye when she manages to find a black market buyer for Trip's illegal elven artifact.
Episode 2: The Skeevy Merchant
Repairs have been completed to the airship and our heroes are celebrating at Rivergate's Drunken Monkey Bar & Inn before choosing how to use their new vessel. Everyone is taking part in a hearty drinking game (except for little Serady, who is too young to drink) with Captain Morgan and his crew, the merchant captain of another vessel in port. The game of Drunken Darts is spoiled when Captain Morgan is revealed to have been cheating, and the whole celebration is ruined when Captain Morgan responds by challenging the heroes to an aerial duel. Our heroes race to sober up in time to meet Morgan in the skies above the contest grounds outside the city limits. The arbitrator from the Honourable Gentleman's Contest Guild can only watch in dismay as Captain Morgan cheats yet again, exploiting a loophole in the Honourable Combat Codex that allows him to open fire before the duel has even begun! Serady inspires the crew to fight back and Iyun gains the upper hand with a surprising series of maneuvers that leave the audience wondering whether he is still drunk. Trip's accurate sniping has Captain Morgan and his first mate Shmee hiding in fear and an invisible Kaldair disables the enemy vessel after launching herself from the heroes' light catapult in a death-defying gambit. Captain Morgan's crew finally surrenders when the heroes threaten to board, but a swift and professional assassination by Kaldair ensures that he never cheats again. Jan and Kaldair captain the enemy vessel when Iyun contrives to start the duel officially, whereupon the late Captain Morgan's ship immediately surrenders and our heroes are declared the official victors.
Episode 3: Royal Balls
Battered but victorious, our heroes limp their newly-named brig Fortune's Compass back to Rivergate for repairs. Upon arrival they encounter a little gnome with a big job, who introduces himself as Cogsworth, the Overlord of Rivergate's right-hand man. In an audience with the Overlord, the crew are convinced to sneak into the neighboring country of Amandil for the High Lord of Timberhall's annual Masque, so that they can steal a priceless elven artifact. The Overlord forces them to accept a mysterious woman named Loralyn into their ranks, to ensure their cooperation. The adventurers gather a cover story and pretend to be merchants visiting Timberhall. Things turn sour and the theft is discovered in progress! A series of unfortunate events finds the Fortune's Compass being chased by Amandil's Royal Navy with the corpse of the High Lord onboard!