The Avalon Gambit

After an Avalon gentleman bumps into Aleksei on the street, the Avalon lord and Sebastien exchange words and agree to duel. Julien is named Sebastien's second, and he arranges the time and place with a friend of the Avalon man, now revealed as Roger Northrup, 7th Earl of Luthon and one of Queen Elaine's favorites. Though a young man, his brilliance makes him Avalon's foremost envoy.

Beneath the Pond

The duel is set for the next day at noon at the Sunken Fountain, a feature in one of the ponds in Le Labyrinthe. Through ingenious workmanship, a small plaza and fountain have been set ten feet below the surface of the water on a tiny tree-dotted island, providing a private place to fight. The heroes and the Earl of Luthon - as well as his second, a Lord Pembsley - arrive on time, and Sebastien and Lord Roger have just taken their places when a shot rings out. Lord Pembsley falls down dead, and a Crescent woman with revealing attire and twin scimitars steps down into the plaza, flanked by a dozen evil-looking pirates. She tells the players that she has no quarrel with them and that they can go; unsurprisingly, they decline, and a fight ensues.

The Crescent woman beelines for the Earl, who she quickly fells, as Sebastien and Julien engage the pirates. Aleksei drags the Earl away just as the Crescent woman is about to strike a killing blow, and Sebastien and the woman set to fighting. Sebastien begins to prevail - the woman is distracted as Julien cuts off her rather brief bustier, and as the tide turn she makes to flee, running for the bushes. Julien pursues but cannot catch up as she dives into the waters of the pond.

She comes up not that far away, and the heroes see a man - a familiar man - help her into a small boat and row away. The man is Captain Crispino, their opponent from an earlier encounter. Meanwhile, Northrup recovers enough to speak, thanking the heroes and confessing that this may be related to a diplomatic mission to Castille. He invites them to a party the next evening at the home of his host, Lady Moncrieff - a woman Aleksei is trying to avoid from his last encounter.

Interlude: Julien la Croix and Philip du Paix

In the intervening time, Julien goes to meet with the heroes' patron, Philip du Paix. He tells Philip what transpired, and Philip confides that Lord Roger's mission to Castille does not bode well for Montaigne. He introduces Lucien du Lac to Julien, and Philip asks Julien to take a brooch from Lucien and acquire Lord Roger's diplomatic pouch by the stroke of midnight, at which point Lucien will come to him. Philip acknowledges that this whole business has the stink of espionage, and suggests that Julien be discrete where it comes to his more honorable companions.

Lady Moncrieff's Party

The next night is the party at Lady Moncrieff's, who has a manor on Le Labryinthe's grounds. At the receiving line, Lady Moncrieff coos over Aleksei, telling him she plans on bringing him to the spa with her. He quickly begs Roger to take him with him to Altamira, getting the heroes aboard the Earl's voyage. Then - perhaps feeling a need for mischief - Aleksei decides to set Julien up with someone who likes dangerous men, and chooses Nicolette du Montaigne, the Emperor's daughter. Perhaps unfortunately, Nicolette and Julien hit it off brilliantly and swiftly enough disappear upstairs.

Also at the party, Sebastien meets a lady of his own: Christine Rois et Reines, who (unbeknownst to him) is the sister of Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, Captain-general of L'Empereur's Musketeers. Aleksei - knowing the woman's family as well as her reputation as rather clingy - tries to keep Sebastien from leaving the party with Christine by challenging another Musketeer at the party to a duel. Unfortunately for Aleksei, Sebastien sees what is up and convinces the Musketeer to back down.

Meanwhile, Julien is upstairs with Nicolette, where they are playing a very dangerous game with knives: L'Empereur's daughter has induced Julien to throw daggers at her, something that is perhaps beyond Julien's ability. With luck and gritted teeth, Julien does not kill Nicolette - but it is now just before midnight, and so Julien must introduce Nicolette into his plan and bring her with him as he goes to search Lord Roger's rooms.

Julien and Nicolette sneak into Roger's room and begin to search, but minutes later - just before midnight - they hear Roger and a lady at the door. Quickly, they dash into the closet, where they discover a chest with the pouch - but Lucien will open the portal in minutes. Thankfully, Aleksei - suspecting something amiss - notices a scrap of Julien's coat on Lord Roger's door, and distracts the Earl by telling him that his companion's husband is searching for her. In the midst of this distraction, Lucien arrives through Porte portal and swaps one diplomatic pouch for an identical other. With Lord Roger still outside, Julien and Nicolette escape through Lucien's portal, only to arrive elsewhere in Le Labryinthe - Lucien's rooms - and be faced by Captain Crispino and a party of men with muskets. They take the pouch from Lucien and make a swift exit.

Our Heroes Meet With Philip du Paix

After the party, all of the heroes meet with Philip du Paix: he tells them that it is in the interests of Montaigne that Earl Roger reach Altamira with his diplomatic pouch (a suspicious statement if ever - why is diplomacy between Avalon and Castille in L'Empereur's interest?) and asks them to accompany the Earl of Northrup to protect him from Captain Crispino, who Philip believes will make an attempt again on the Earl.

After leaving Philip, Julien confesses that he swapped the pouches the night before, and that as best as he can reckon Crispino was working for Philip when he attacked Lord Roger at the pond but has since switched sides to someone trying to help Lord Roger - that is to say, Crispino now has the real pouch and is going to try to switch it again for the fake pouch Julien planted on the Earl. They all resolve to voyage with Lord Roger on his river-brig Proud Margaret, but there is substantial disagreement about whether or not they should tell him that the swap has occurred.

The Proud Margaret Sails to Altamira

The Earl's ship leaves for the three-day trip up the Great River to Altamira, a Castillian port in Rancho Soldano. On the first night, Aleksei attempts to obliquely warn the Earl of what has occurred without telling him outright, but whether or not his warning has effect is unknown. Dinner is had with the Earl again on the second night, at which point the heroes retire to the gunroom to drink and talk some more about what to do about the fake diplomatic pouch.

Crispino's Men Attack

The heroes' discussion is cut short shortly after moonrise, however: they hear shouts from the deck and rush up to see river-pirates - Crispino's men - coming over the side.

Blades are drawn, and the heroes rush the boarding party. The boarders split in two, with one party led by the mysterious Crescent woman Sebastien fought beneath the pond. The musketeer squares off with her once again in a flurry of flashing blades. The other party is led by an enormous giant of a man wielding a great hammer to big for most men to lift. Julien rushes for him as Aleksei marshals a few Margarets into a flying squad to support both of his companions.

While Sebastien and the Crescent duel, Julien attempts to climb up into the rigging so he can leap down on the giant man and push him over the side into the sea. He does so, but at a price: Julien goes into the water with the giant, and both sink to the bottom as the giant tries to squeeze the breath out of Julien. As Sebastien sends the Crescent fleeing, he turns to see Aleksei dive into the water as well and then rallies some sailors to charge the remaining pirates.

Beneath the waves, Julien is having a poor time of things: the big man is huge, and despite Julien's attempts to bite and stab the giant he is squeezing the life out of the man from Paix. He goes limp, and things seem lost before a pair of river sharks appear, biting at the giant. The huge man attempts to flee, pursued by one of the sharks, while the other shark drags Julien to the surface. There, Sebastien fires and misses the shark as sailors pull Julien's senseless body back on board.

Whither the Earl?

Realizing that he hasn't seen Lord Roger, Sebastien draws his pistols and runs towards the Earl's cabin. Inside, the Earl lies poisoned and gray-faced on the ground as Captain Crispino holds two diplomatic pouches in his hands. Sebastien unloads both barrels and, quite surprised, Crispino staggers back a few feet and then turns to leap out the cabin windows into the river.

By now, the rather-wet Aleksei and Julien have returned, and they shut sailors out of the cabin and tend to the Earl. He is senselessly poisoned but alive, and as they settle him in his cot all turn to look at the pouches. The pouches are opened, but both letters are almost identical: offers from Queen Elaine to Good King Sandoval to assist in the war against Montaigne by restraining Sea Dog attacks against Castillian shipping and helping run blockades.

The text of the two letters differ, but Julien cannot tell which is fake and which is not. Sebastien and Aleksei refuse to explain the diplomatic niceties of each to him, so they finally wake the Earl awakes and hand him the letters: he points out that one of them is written just a little more haughtily than the other, such that the prickly Castillians will reject that offer and Avalon aid.

With the affair of the pouch now resolved, Lord Roger thanks the heroes and they reach Altamira. Quickly enough, they take passage back to Paix where they choose to keep Philip du Paix silent about which letter, exactly, Lord Roger finally delivered.

Persons of Note

• Philip du Paix - The heroes' patron and L'Empereur's spymaster in Paix, who was behind all of this trouble.
• Roger Northrup, 7th Earl of Luthon - Queen Elaine's diplomat and envoy, and a Knight of the Rose and Cross.
• Captain Crispino Amberci - A mercenary Vodacce merchant, smuggler, pirate and spy hired first by Philip and then by enemies of L'Empereur.
• Lady Adelaide Moncrieff - Grand dame of Le Labyrinthe, she hosted Lord Roger and is in amorous pursuit of Aleksei.
• Lady Christine Rois et Reines - Sister to Jean-Marie, Captain of the Musketeers, she has become romantically involved with Sebastien.
• Nicolette du Montaigne - The seventh daughter of L'Empereur, Nicolette has taken a fancy to Julien and drawn him into her circle of thrill-seekers.