Actual Play: Blue Rose AGE "Trouble in Hyrith" Ajax's 3x3

Ajax's 3x3:

3 Allies:

• Ciro, Rhy-Fox, local representative of the Aldis Department of Rodent Control. Ciro (pronounced "See-Row") was one of the first Rhydan that Ajax met when he came to Hyrith. They became fast friends. Ciro is the first Rhy-Fox that Ajax knows besides family members. They also look very much alike that only those who know them can tell them apart. The DRC is tasked with killing rodents to safeguard crops all over Aldis and pays a nominal bounty on every rat and vermin tail that is turned in. As the local rep for the DRC, Ciro has contacts among all the carnivorous Rhydan in the city, since many of them work as independent contractors for the DRC.
• Stanford, Rhy-Cat, Adept, employed by the Adepts Guild, and Ajax's roommate. Introduced by Ciro, Ajax and Stanford have roomed together for a month or so. Usually standoffish, like most Rhy-Cats, and prone to "Adept" behavior, also known as "being mysterious just to be mysterious", she has a tendency to make pointed observations that look beyond the surface and into the heart of the matter. Stanford knows many secret things about Hyrith, including shortcuts, hidden tunnels and the esoteric history of the city. Her schedule is always in flux but she tends to show up when needed, another part of "Adept" behavior that drives Ajax batty.
• Filo "Wagon-tamer", Human from Jarzoni, Teamster. Filo and Ajax met when Filo (pronounced "Fill-Oh") nearly ran over Ajax's tail with a wagon. The first introduction was not pleasant but with Filo, Ajax found a fellow lover of good ale and good food. Although originally from Jarzoni, Filo is now fairly cosmopolitan, taking Rhydan, Night People, Vata and Seafolk as just people, instead of the demons his upbringing taught him. He's a contradiction in terms: when he's working, he's a rough and tumble man, accustomed to cracking skulls and getting the job done, but when he's with his wife and two daughters, he's a loving spouse and doting, but stern, parent. He knows many of the working class people around the city and delivers goods to many of the various Guilds and shops. Some foks he knows aren't fit for polite society.

3 Contacts:

• Corxxx, Rhy-Raven, information broker. Corxxx (pronounced "Core-Ex", not "Core-Axe") is one of the local Rhydan that Ajax met when he first came to Hyrith. Corxxx tried to cheat him but Ajax turned the tables. There is mutual respect there, from fellow tricksy folks, but they're not sure whether to trust each other.
• Izen, Human, Roamer, tinker. Izen (pronounced "Eye-Zen") travels all over Aldis, and often comes to Hyrith several times a year. Ajax met him several years ago in Rezea and Izen smuggled Ajax back into Aldis after the Rhy-Fox had a slight disagreement with a Rezean over a horse and it's price (or lack thereof of an actual horse after the payment had been made). Izen has a bunch of useful (and useless) things in his caravan, all available for a good price. Need something unusual? Check his stock, he might have it. He travels with his nephew and neice (actually adopted orphans) who like Ajax more than Izen does.
• Hemril Tradithas, Vata'an, "troubleshooter". Twenty years ago, Hemril (pronounced "Emm Rill") fled Kern as a child and settled in Aldis. He learned a variety of skills, from fighting to investigation, from anyone he could get to teach him. For the past decade, with his unusual skillset, he's been a "troubleshooter", also known as a Factor, in Hyrith. He's a workaholic and owns a small house (and the inn beside it) on the coast, just outside of the Basilisk Gate. Ajax met him while he was on a case for a wealthy merchant. They didn't come into conflict but there was potential. Since then, they've encountered each other on a few occasions, and have traded each others expertise for mutual benefit. He has a bad habit of chewing a tobacco-like root and spitting.

3 Rivals:

• Perci, Rhy-Horse Aldin Noble. Everyone loves Perci (pronounced "Pear See"). She's an adorable Rhy-Horse mare. She's young, beautiful, idealistic, accomplished, kind and thoughtful. She also drives Ajax to distraction. No one is that good, it's just not possible. She brings out the selfish and suspicious side of him, so he constantly questions her motives. Maybe she is what she seems. Ajax just doesn't buy it, even as she shares her cheesy biscuits with him.
• Junec Ocacrac, Human, Aldin, popular Hyrith storyteller. Within a few moments of meeting, Ajax and Junec (pronounced "June Eck") developed an intense, although currently friendly, rivalry. Ajax is a better storyteller, but Junec has a larger following. They've developed a standard format: they meet, seemly randomly at a local tavern or pub, and have an impromptu story contest, then request audience feedback. So far, they've tied, as each has won two of these contests. There is some hype building for the next such contest and Junec is nervous -- Ajax has an advantage, in that he's an adventurer, while Junec is a storyteller. 
• Grixerion, Human, Aldin, baker. Grixerion (pronounced "Gris Err Eon") is a baker in Hyrith who makes the most delicious cheesy biscuits. Ajax has a tendency to "borrow" them at every opportunity, often without paying for them. Grixerion takes affront at that. But he does admit, after kicking Ajax out of his shop for the umpteenth time, that even though Ajax doesn't always pay, he does provide "free" advertising for the bakery all around the city and the rest of the clientele enjoy his antics.

Actual Play: Firefly "Old War Horses"

I recently ran a six-session game on Roll20 using the Firefly RPG by Margaret Weis Productions.

On the whole, it went pretty well. Although we did have a turnover in players, I was able to find a bunch of other players who were interested in playing.

I'll be posting the characters as well as the session notes.

Enjoy!

Actual Play: Blue Rose AGE "Trouble in Hyrith" Session 1

Trouble in Hyrith, Session 1

Session 1
Monday, October 16th, 2017

Dramatis Personae

• Zajan, Night Person, Warrior, played by J
• Sabo Duskfire, Human, Roamer, Adept, played by J
• Kiva, Vata'an Adept, 17 years old, played by C
• Ajax, Rhy-Fox Expert, played by Me
• Captain Ramava, Vata'sha, Hyrith Guard
• Iradal, Vata'an, Guard Scribe
• Nissun, a missing girl (mentioned)
• Fastholm, Nissun's father (mentioned)
• Zar Mina Kazmi, Adept, favored contestant of the Tournament, lost but won several years in a row (mentioned but not met, yet)
• Stanford, a Rhy-Cat Adept, Ajax's roommate
• Serik Alenev, Adept, High Secretary of the Arcane Academy of Hyrith (mentioned)
• Acheolis, winner of the Tournament, not favored to win at all (mentioned)
• Rustam Janwari, Roamer, owner of the Unicorn and Jackal in the West Market
• Ninziar, Night Person, Sabo's girlfriend of less than two weeks (mentioned but not met, yet)

Ajax, Zajan, Kiva and Sabo awake in gaol, with no memories of the past two weeks. As Ajax is trying futilely to escape, the others introduce themselves and ask each other why they're there.

Captain Ramava, a Vata'sha Hyrith Guard, comes into the gaol and tells them that they are persons of interest in the disappearance of a young woman named Nissun, who has been missing since the 1st of Gaileth. It was now the 7th of Gaileth.

They were questioned and held as witnesses. A guard scribe named Iradal took their statement. And now those statements were missing! 
Even then, the heroes remembered none of it. Two weeks of their life, memories gone. Which means some pretty serious sorcery.

Captain Ramava agreed to release them to investigate the mystery themselves. But they couldn't leave town without getting permission from the Guard.
Ramava escorted them to the guard scribe Iradal for release. Iradal gave them back their property. Ajax has a bill of faire from the Cosy Quail Inn, an ornate ticket with a sun on the corner, a ticket stub from an artist gallery and four stale cheesy biscuits, which he ate promptly.

Iradal told the party that we'd all been brought into gaol together. The guard picked us up while we were all eating dinner together at the Cosy Quail.

We found out again that Nissun disappeared on Gaileth the 1st. We'd been picked up because it was rumored we were in her company. There seemed to be a lot of coincidences that Nissun was at places where the party were at the same time.

Iradal also told us that Nissun's father runs the Top Run Stables outside of town. Her father was Rezean and was claimed to be willing to give half his stable to see his daughter again.

After some questioning, we learned that the tickets were for the Tournament. Every year, the Arcane Academy meet with a Martial Academy from the Capital of Aldis and compete in a variety of events. Then the winners of those events go head-to-head and winner take all. 

The Tournament lasts about a week and, while there were no dates on the tickets in the characters' possession, the games ended several days ago.
The tickets with stars were for Arcane events. The tickets with suns were for non-Arcane events. The favored Arcane contestant, Zar Mina Kazmi, who had won several years in a row, surprisingly did not go all the way in the Tournament.

Iradal showed them the notebook that had their statements in it, but the statement sheets had been removed. No one knows who took it. Ajax smelled the book and detected three distinct scents that he would remember.

After getting out of gaol, they headed out into the city to see what they could find out. Ajax suggested they go to see his roommate, Stanford. Stanford, a Rhy-cat, is an Adept and knows about the Arcane Academy and would probably be able to help get their bearings.

Ajax opened the door to his apartment, causing a howl of indignation and pain as Stanford's alchemical experiment blew up. "AJAX!"

Stanford was irate with Ajax but agreed to help the party. They found out more about the Tournament. The winner, Acheolis, did an awful showing last year, not making it past the 2nd rankings. But this year won the whole thing, a surprising turn of events.

When they wanted to find out more, and possibly meet with folks from the Academy, Sanford offered to put in a good word with them with Arcane High Secretary Serik Alenev. Then he made Ajax promise not to come back to the apartment so he could finish his experiments.

They traveled to the West Market, where there were several interesting shops, like the Dancing Door Liquor Store, Wandering Road Book Bin, the Secret Knife Fishmonger, the Unicorn and Jackal, and The Fifth Wheel.

They wandered the market. Sabo traded some fake "good luck" charms for something much more worthwhile with the Rustam Janwari, the Roamer owner of the Unicorn and Jackal. While there, Sabo learned he had recently started a relationship with a Night Person woman named Ninziar. And he had no memory of it!

Next Time: The Cozy Quail and an Art Gallery.

Actual Play: Blue Rose AGE "Trouble in Hyrith" The Return of Ajax, the Rhy-Fox!

The Return of Ajax, the Rhy-Fox!

Yes, the master of cheesy biscuits has returned. The GM of the "Mask of Ebban" adventure decided to run another game of Blue Rose AGE, set in the coastal Aldin city of Hyrith.

As of this writing, the campaign is continuing and we've had our seventh session, much to our group's enjoyment.

Unfortunately, the previous players did not join us, instead we had three new players, J, J and C. Since I don't have access to their characters, I've only posted Ajax (see prior post) but I've added some NPCs that Ajax knows that the GM can throw into the mix.

So sit back and enjoy!