Meril will be overjoyed to see his old friend(s) and will do what he can to make them comfortable. It’s been a long and despairing week for him, having to fend of Sparkling Danny’s debt collectors and worried about his brother. He’s sent a message down to Lisport to Arn to see if Eldred has been there.
Meril will be as nice about it as possible, but only nobles and their retainers can stay at Lisport House. The servants of a staying noble will generally come in the back entrance.
Depending on where they came from, Meril may want to give them fashion advice before taking them out on the town. If so, their first stop will be Riverside Market.
After that, he’ll take them around to his favorite gambling houses, probably starting around eight or nine in the evening. During the evening, some of his landless noble friends will join them: Jack Munden (Lord Stonegate’s first son), George Ralston (Lord Leicester’s third son), and Eddie Doray (Lord Norton’s only son). These friends are all in Meril’s class: landless, but with a bit of money (and probably just a bit more than Meril). They’re out for a night of fun but they aren’t gambling their fortunes away. They’ll gamble some, but they’ll talk more.
If the characters aren’t carrying any weapons, Meril will not wear his rapier either. Jack and Eddie will be wearing theirs.
They’ll also run into the middle-aged Earl of Melridge, David Holt (Dan Holt’s father). And Meril will introduce them to several bartenders and croupiers.
If they pay attention, they’ll learn that Meril is worried about his brother, that Meril’s friends are more worried about his brother’s debts (and what they mean for the Lisport line), and that Danny Chaverson is accusing Meril of some part in Eldred’s disappearance.
Make sure you check for encounters during their night out.
You may also want to play out a confrontation between Sparkling Danny Chaverson and his entourage, and Meril and his friends. Danny would very much like to know where Eldred has gone; two weeks is a long time for that fine boy to go without his entertainment.
If the confrontation becomes a fight, the player characters should be able to easily take on Danny’s bodyguards. Depending on how they handle it, they may attract the attention of the City Guard. In any confrontation with the City Guard, remember that they will use group effort if it benefits them.
Also, in any fight there will be side bets, as long as there’s enough warning or time to set them up. As the player characters and the bodyguards are sizing each other up, spectators will be sizing up the odds and placing bets, so play that aspect up. This is what Fork is.
Danny Chaverson: (human: 1; Survival 5; Move: 12; Attacks: hand; Defense: +1; Damage: 1d3; Charisma: 13; Intelligence: 12; Wisdom: 11; Agility: 11; Endurance: 11; Strength: 9)
Danny has four bodyguards. Stuart Forager, one of them, is his right-hand man.
Stuart Forager: (Warrior: 3; Survival: 23; Move: 12; Attack: rapier; Defense: +3; Damage: 1d6+1)
And Stuart manages three bodyguards, John Royer, Don Joplin, and Ron Mangel.
Danny’s bodyguards: (Warrior: 1; Survival 8, 7, 7; Move: 12; Attack: rapier; Defense: +2; Damage: 1d6+1)
Danny doesn't play a big role in this adventure unless you want him to. But this encounter could also be a great way of involving the characters in Meril’s plight.
When they return to Lisport House, Arn Gallade will be waiting for Meril.
A tall, gaunt man greets you as you step through the heavy doors of Lisport House. Meril introduces him as Arn, his servant in Lisport. The old servant’s craggy features reflect both age and activity.
“I left as soon as I received your message, sir,” he says. “Lord Lisport arrived at Lisport Manor fifteen days ago. I can’t say when he left, for I didn’t see him. I went inside to look after receiving your message, and found only young lady Melody’s old diary.”
Arn went inside the house after receiving the message (mid-afternoon) and could not find Eldred upstairs, downstairs, or in the basement. He did find Melody’s diary in the drawing room, which he returns to Meril. This confirms Meril’s suspicion that Eldred went treasure-hunting and brought the diary for clues to the treasure’s location.
The day after Arn arrives, Meril will need to prepare for a trip to Lisport. He’ll need to put Arn temporarily in charge of Lisport House, ensure that none of Eldred’s (or the House’s) debts can cause any problem for at least the next week or two, and hire a boat to head down to Lisport.
The player characters should volunteer their services at this point or there is no adventure. Make sure that you work with Meril’s player-character friend(s) so that they know this.
Meril will be bringing Melody’s diary, in case it helps him find Eldred. He can also provide a map of the manor (see resources). There’s also a map in Arn’s cottage. You’ll want to have a suitable tea-stained map ready to hand to the players if they ask for it.
If the players ask why the map looks backwards, Meril will tell them:
“Heh. That’s pretty good. Yes, before Lisport was much of a town, Abraham built it facing west. But as the town built up it built up between the manor and the river, and it must have looked pretty odd to have the manor facing away from the town. They added an extra wall across the “back” to form what is now the front hall It makes for a nice back garden.”
There’s a joust or a highball game at the arena today (whichever you think your players would be more interested in seeing). You’ll also want to check for encounters while they’re out on their own.
Two men peer across a long dry field and stare each other down. As one they flip their visors down, and you can hear the heavy metal clang shut all the way in the bleachers. They raise their lances, draw in tightly to the ear steeds... their horses leap forward, bright saddle blankets flutter behind in a cloud of dust, and the two warriors race towards each other.
Closer and closer they ride, closer, and lance meets steel as one is thrust bodily into the air to land with a thud on the hard ground. The victor continues his charge, and turns along the rim of the field to ride hard beneath a throng of cheering fans.
At some point in the future, your player characters should have a throng of cheering fans to match this scene.