Episode 5: Evil Intent, Synopsis

The day started off wonderfully, with a beautiful, sunny day and absolutely no pressing business. But no sooner had you sat down at a local restaurant for an early meal than the problems began. A misplaced cart caused tensions to rise between teamsters working for the rival de Silva and de Cordoba merchant families.

It was close to coming to blows when you and several of your fellows decided to intervene. You were backed by a scarred swordsman named Gabino Colon de Soldano who was very interested in how you resolved the problem without violence.

Afterward, he confessed that he had been in the area looking for you since his employer had a job opportunity for you. His employer was none other than Professora Marcela Elizando de Garcia, the headmisteress of Arciniega University.

She explained that every year students from nearby Agitazione University travel downriver to Altamira to spend their break here. At some point a prank war was started between the two schools. It had been mostly harmless until a few years ago. Things have steadily escalated to the point they are stealing books from the library and setting fires to the buildings. She wanted it to stop.

Her plan had been to hire every available swordsman from The Guild of San Marcos. But with the tensions between the two merchant families, most of them already had jobs. So she wanted to hire you to protect the University’s library for the next three days (the duration of their stay). Meanwhile, Gabino would command the few swordsmen he could find to protect the grounds.

The next morning, shortly before sunup, you found yourself sitting in the library, awaiting the students’ arrival. And it wasn’t long. As La Trinidad’s bells called Arciniega’s students to classes, the Agitazione students attacked them. Gabino raced to rescue them, but all he did was to turn their wrath upon him. The swordsmen were left leaderless, so you intervened, ordering them to wait behind while you went after Gabino.

However, by the time you arrived at the site of the attack, the students and Gabino were long gone. Fortunately, a cloaked figure calling himself “Amigo” not only told you where the Agitazione students were taking Gabino and the other students, he also warned you that had been the plan all along. Get you out of the library so they could go in while it was undefended. Quickly, half of you went back to the library, the other half went after the Agitazione students.

Those of you who went after the fleeing students found instead, Bruno Palomo de Soldano, cousin to Carlos and no fan of yours. He was just as smart as his cousin, so you soon learned he’d helped the students escape with Gabino while leaving the Arciniega students on a nearby dungheap.

Those who remained behind had to deal with a much thornier problem in the form of Santino Avilla de Silva. Seemingly without purpose, he spent his time irritating you and at one point tore a page from a book in the rare book room.

After you met back up and compared notes, you little time to prepare before the Agitazione students attacked again. All throughout the day it continued, culminating in an all-out assault just after sunset. You managed to repel them, and not so much as a single page was harmed.

But during the fight, you noticed half a dozen or so people sneaking into one of the lecture halls. Once the students were rounded up, you made your way there and discovered the group had broken in to Professor Eduardo Villalobos de Iñez y Lobianco’s office.

Worse they’d found an old set of stairs that lead down into a long-forgotten laboratory which contained several bodes completely drained of blood. The thieves turned out to be Inquisitors and several criminals including Jenario. The lab had been trapped and they were caught. And with the amount of gunpowder underneath the floor, it was certain no one here would survive

Jenario begged for his release, fearful for his life. But the Inquisitors had other plans. A short fight ensued along with the setting off of another trap. But when the Head Inquisitor disturbed some of the chemicals, he inadvertently created a whole other problem.

The fight with the monstrous creature which had formerly been the Head Inquisitor (and several of his colleagues) was fast and furious. But fortunately, not lethal for any of you, despite the fact that the thing seemed to be able to heal itself using the body parts of the dead.

Once the dust settled, you learned that four new heroes, Primo Chavarria de la Verde, Audra Drake, Marline Von Schneck, and Lt. Alexis Valroux du Martise, rescued Gabino from the hangman’s noose several miles south of town.