Characters: Zak Trueblood (Rel Vobud) - Pat[0], Mena Timaly (Time Renald) - Denise[0], Lorraine Jace (Lori) - Marie[0], Jethro (Tom) - Dean[0], Kesh (Tes Larya) - Kim[0], Andre () - Gene[0],
After meeting up with the new characters in the bar, the party decides to split up and have Tes head for the School to deliver the news.
When he arrives, he finds the school in chaos. THE FATHER IS DEAD!!! The only clues found was a mark on one of the guards face. It looks like the impression of a signet ring worn by the person who knocked him out. The ring had a small 'b' and a small 'g' with the circles of each letter sharing the same circle. (see figure below).
The Father was killed by a cut to the neck. The strange part is that there was little bleeding and the Father cannot be resurrected. No strangers were noticed in the School and there was no sign of forced entry. Upon delivering his news to the person in charge, he is sent back to the party to gather more information. After obtaining supplies, Tes makes his way to Gimel.
Meanwhile, the party has come upon their own measure of bad luck. While passing the mountain on the North/South road, the party was attacked by a mutated bear. The party managed to kill the bear but not before Rel was critically wounded. The party bound his wounds, and made for Gimel as fast as they could.
When they reached Gimel, they made straight for the Great Temple and obtained healing for Rel. The "donation" required was 100GP and was more than the party had. {dean} obtained funds from Terry O'Rorke and Rel was released from the temple. He then was taken to the Silver Ram where he must rest for the next week.
When Tes arrived at the Silver Ram, he gathered the party together and broke the news to them. The news was too much for Rel and he had to be taken back to bed. The emotions shared by the group ranged from anger to extreme sorrow. The Father will be missed.
During the night, Rel dreamed that a voice was calling to him "Zak, the knife, Andorf, the knife...."
The next morning, Rel was unsure which events have been a part of the dream and what had happened. The voice sounded like the Father but the Father was dead.
The party tells Jennifer about the Father's death and shows her the sign left on the guard. She recognizes it as a ring belonging to Gregory Bello, the son of the Guild Master.
Other strange events are occurring. Jim was working! The rider and Jim seemed be avoiding each other. The rider seemed very nervous and was un-nerved by Tes tending to his horse one morning.
The players will return to the school and find the Father dead. The cause will be identical to the rumor that the players overheard. The evidence pointing to the school will be great but it will be denied by all authorities. The party must find the killer and bring them to justice. There will be some clues pointing to Guild Master's son, Gregory Bello. Gregory hopes to inherit his fathers Guild and business and does not want the school lowering the price of his guild membership. The Guild Master did not authorize the killing but is most pleased by his son's initiative. If, however, his son is implicated in the murder, he would not think twice about turning his son over for justice. Blood is one thing, but business is another.
Gregory left a clue in the school while killing the Father. He struck a guard with his hand outside the Father's door. He was wearing his signet ring at the time and the ring left a mark on the guard's cheek. The Ring had a small 'b' and a small 'g' with the circles of each letter sharing the same circle.
The character will be told of the mark at the same time they are told that the Father was killed. The death was of such a kind that no resurrection is possible (the Black Knife).
The Black Knife is a dagger that is owned by the Black Glove and is used to rid them of 'unwanted'. This knife is very evil: The wieldier has a 1% cumulative change (per killing) of being possessed by the knife. The Black Knife was created by the evil mage named Elar Andorf to preserve his soul. The knife and the mage were 'merged' and the mage now lives out his wishes through others. The knife robs the 'silver cord' from the murdered thus giving more life to the mage. The knife's wieldier is closely watched by the Black Glove members to make sure that the knife does not take over: This has happened before and the Black Glove lost several members in the fight.
The Black Knife is kept in a simple wooden box in the bedroom of the Guild Master's home. The Guild Master keeps it for the Prime Minister since the Minister's chambers are often searched for traps, poison, and assassins by the Duke's personal guard.
Once the Father is dead, the next move will depend on the characters actions. If there is an uprising, then the Black Glove will lay low. If, however, there is little or no reaction, the school will be destroyed. When the temple is desecrated, there will be a sharp pain felt in each Student/Graduate's brand.