Episode 2: Fear and Surprise, Synopsis

After a long day full of daring-do, you decided to enjoy some company at Dos Caballeros y Doncellas, a tavern on Paseo Largo in Altamira. There you made the acquaintance of several others who had similar ideas about how to pass the evening; Eladio Aguilla de Fernandez, owner and font of knowledge about all things Altamira; and finally Gaspar Salamanca a local shop keep and metalsmith.

Soon the conversation turned to events of the day, and you learned there is a snake in paradise where Altamira is concerned. Numerous crimes and no arrests have led to distrust, something Eladio hoped would soon disappear.

The words had barely exited his mouth before a scream in the night punctuated his worry. With nary a thought, you and several other heroes headed out the door to see what might be done.

Despite the darkness, you discerned a young lady being dragged into a dark alley by several ruffians and gave chase. Racing through the alleys, you finally caught up to your quarry in a small square which was filled with cows.

On the far side, the ruffians threw the young lady into a waiting coach and turned to face you. It took some time to deal with the cows (especially when one of the coachmen started them stampeding) but eventually you confronted the kidnappers. Unfortunately it’d all been a ruse, and the young lady had already been spirited away.

After some cryptic responses from the would-be kidnappers, you discovered you weren’t alone as the mysterious El Vago was also out this night. His help was invaluable as he filled in the blanks about this evening’s events. It turned out the kidnappers were members of The Inquisition, lead by the foul blackguard, Bishop Yago Ximinez de Rivera. And the outcome for the young lady was decidedly unpleasant.

Unfortunately, what El Vago didn’t know was where she was being held, but he knew the Bishop’s style. Fortunately, remembering Eladio’s extensive knowledge of Altamira, you went to ask him. He had several suggestions, one of which lead to a butcher in an amorous encounter best forgotten, but eventually you made your way to a hunting lodge owned by the notorious de Silva merchant family.

Their defenses were poor, and soon you were able to discern a room full of Inquisitors with someone tied to a chair. It was only after breaking in you discovered the ruse as you came face to face with several de Silva henchmen lead by the family’s chief toady, Carlos Palomo de Soldano.

The fight was fast, furious and one-sided. But most importantly you quickly learned Carlos is incapable of keeping a secret. His big mouth led you to a secret back door into a cave where the Bishop was holding his victim. Unfortunately, the back door was trapped, and rather than letting one of you suffer, El Vago took the hit which ultimately proved fatal. Fortunately, before he died he was able to tell you a bit more about the Bishop and offered up his mask for another to take up the fight.

Finally you made it into the cave only to find a nightmare of torture implements. The Bishop was every bit as foul as you expected, though he seemed to believe that if he told you the young woman’s sins, you might leave. The sins were, indeed, great, but with no way to verify the truth, the battle was joined. Soon enough, you’d freed Señorita Teresa Campos de Ramirez and you were on your way back to the tavern. Though just as you got there, you’d swear you saw El Vago looking down on you from a nearby rooftop, nodding approvingly at you.