Garagalo Dovecote

 

NOTE: The Garagalo Dovecote, and the associated encounter that takes place here are designed to serve as an introductory encounter for Directors and/or players who are not familiar with the basics of Mythmaster. This encounter is optional. If you wish to skip this encounter, return to the last part of the Journey to Cosutanu section, and ensure that the players receive the last message from Garagalo before they arrive at Cosutanu. If you do wish to play this encounter, the characters DO NOT receive that message, and instead, arrive at the dovecote as detailed below.

 

Garagalo Dovecote
Garagalo, Tulosz
21 Trowel, 1423

Dovecotes across all of Tulosz, and indeed, all around Tear are operated by a powerful faction known as the Fellowship of Feathers. These dovecotes form a global network of towers between which messenger birds are exchanged by carriage or ship, and then permitted to return to their home nest carrying messages. While dovecotes in larger towns and cities can be towering structures with hundreds or even thousands of birds, those in smaller villages such as the one outside the hamlet of Garagalo are smaller towers maintained and operated by a single individual or family.

The Garagalo dovecote is part of the Izionescu homestead, which lies alongside the main road to Cosutanu, about 2 kilometers before the small hamlet of Garagalo itself. The characters will arrive at dusk after an extended day of riding. Azane will have set not long before their arrival, but twilight, combined with reflected light from Vehira shining down from the east as always, visibility is still good. Lanterns have been lit for the evening, and all is quiet as the characters approach.

The Long Road

After four full days of exceptionally long travel, there is a risk that the characters are very tired. Each player should make a roll to determine if their character has incurred a loss of Stamina due to the difficult journey. This challenge is offered as an impromptu simplification of the rules to avoid rolling dice to simulate the effects of a long, pressing journey over many days.

CHALLENGE

21C using Riding skill

Each player should roll a 21 Challenge using their character's Riding skill. This means rolling 2d10 and adding their Riding skill as it is recorded on their character sheet. If the result is 21 or higher, they succeed and suffer no ill effects. If they roll less than 21, then they will suffer a loss of 1d3 points to their Stamina derivative. On any catastrophe (a natural roll of 2, a failure by 15 or more, or both of these) then they lose 1d3+3 points of Stamina.

The Izionescu Homestead

The Izionescu homestead is a small, walled compound comprised of three main structures connected by a four meter (2 hex) high coursed rubble stone wall enclosing an area of approximately thirty meters by thirty-five meters. The only ways into the compound are:

Map of the Izionescu Homestead

(right-click to download large version)

Garagalo Dovecote Map

Credit: Izionescu Homestead map created using Dungeondraft by Megasploot.

The Message Office

Nearest the road from where the characters approach is the smallest structure; a small office with a sign displaying the standard of the Fellowship of Feathers - the global sign of a dovecote message office. While the office is lit from the inside by lanterns, the outer door is locked.

Inside, there are three rooms. The first is the public office where patrons come to send or receive messages. This is separated from the Agent's office, opposite, by a sturdy wrought iron wicket. Between the two rooms is small writing room where patrons in need of privacy can write messages securely before passing them through to the Agent. The door between the writing room and the Agent's office is also locked.

The daily message from Cosutanu intended for the characters is here in the office of the Agent. Unfortunately, because no one is here to serve them, they would need to break into the office to get the message this way. To bypass the locked doors, the characters would need to pick the lock on the outer door, enter the private writing room, and then pick the lock on the reinforced door between the writing room and the Agent's office. Alternately, they could scale the wall, and simply enter the Agent's Office from the unlocked door from the inner yard. If they do this, they will be observed by the fugitives from Cosutanu concealed in the inner yard. There is no lock on the loading gate in the wall, but it is barred from the inside.

CHALLENGE

Versus Challenge using Locksmithing skill versus lock (23)

To pick the lock between the road into the public office, roll a Versus Challenge using the Locksmithing skill against a lock(23). This means the attempting player rolls 2d10 and adds the Locksmithing skill of their character. If they get a result of 23 or higher they succeed, otherwise they fail. This is because, unlike a standard 21 Challenge, they are attempting a Versus Challenge against a lock with a 'rating' of 23.

CHALLENGE

vsC using Locksmithing skill versus lock (26)

To pick the lock between the writing room and the Agent's office, roll a vsC using the Locksmithing skill against a lock(26). This means the attempting player rolls 2d10 and adds the Locksmithing skill of their character. If they get a result of 26 or higher they succeed, otherwise they fail. This is because, unlike a standard 21C, they are attepting a vsC against a lock with a 'rating' of 26.

CHALLENGE

21 Challenge using Climbing skill (-2)

Scaling the wall of the compound is a Somewhat Difficult challenge, meaning the player attempting it suffers a penalty of -2 on their 21C to scale the wall. This means the attempting player rolls 2d10 and adds the Climbing skill of their character, and subtracts 2 from the result. If they get a total of 21 or higher they succeed, otherwise they fail. Note that if they are carrying their equipment, their Bulk Factor can also penalize this roll. Climbing movement while scaling the wall is 1/20th of Base Move (also reduced by Bulk Factor), so with a typical Base Move of 7, it would require six turns (30 seconds) to scale the wall. A 21C using the Climbing skill must made every turn in order to progress.

Because there is no pressure and because the consequences of failing this roll are largely insignificant, the Director could allow players to resolve this challenge with a single roll. If the players scale the wall into the inner yard, they will be observed by the fugitives from Cosutanu concealed in the inner yard.

The Message from Cosutanu

If the characters manage to get into the Agent's office, a cursory search will turn up a message waiting for them. The message contains the final update they will receive before arriving in Cosutanu.

NOTE: This message is DIFFERENT from the message the players would receive this day if they are NOT playing this optional encounter. If you are skipping this optional encounter, there exist no fugitives from Cosutanu, and the characters are presumed to have passed through Garagalo and received the other message without incident.

MESSAGE - STATUS EOD 20 TROWEL

End of Day, 20 Trowel. Six new infections, and our first reported recovery - she has been moved to the Church to be cared for as her family remains quite ill. Frightfully, seven escaped from their homes at nightfall and attempted to exhume the recently interred corpse of Gavriela Nectria from the cemetery. They were engaged by the town guard and one was slain – the other six fled. Still worse; three transient labourers who were living in the bunkhouse here for the planting season have escaped quarantine. A tauran and two rodians. Believed to have fled in your direction. We do not know if they are infected. If you encounter them, apprehend using any means necessary. Capture and cure if possible, then detain for authorities, but do not allow yourselves to be delayed by pursuit.

The Izionescu Family Home

The southernmost corner is the main house of the avian Izionescu family, who maintain and operate the dovecote. The home is a well maintained structure in the Tuloszian post-Imperial style; a single-floor, wood-framed building stood on a coursed rubble stone foundation. The home features six rooms; a living room, dining room and kitchen on one side, divided by a long hallway from a master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms on the other side. If the characters knock at the door they will be greeted by Stipina Izionescu, the Assistant Bird Keeper.

If the characters manage to enter, they will notice that the house smells of dinner, and the dining room is disheveled. A chair is tipped and broken on the floor, five meals are set out and half eaten, and a bottle of wine has been spilled across the table. It appears as if an argument or struggle may have happened in the dining room.

If the characters enter after having encountered the fugitives from Cosutanu Stipina will be overwealmed with distress, and anxious to know the fate of her family.

The members of the Izionescu family are:

NAME TITLE SPECIES GENDER ROLE
Silviu Izionescu Agent Avian Male Bird Keeper and father
Stipina Izionescu Asset Avian Female Assistant Bird Keeper and mother
Simion Izionescu Avian Male eldest son
Zamia Izionescu Avian Female young daughter (twin)
Zorin Izionescu Avian Male young son (twin)

The Inner Yard

The inner yard of the Izionescu homestead compound is not unlike any cleared yard next to a rural home aside from the fact that is it surrounded by a high wall. There are a couple cords of firewood stacked by the wall near a fire pit and an outdoor table and chairs. There is a small outhouse near the back wall. Between the house and a modest vegetable garden there is an open well. Near the dovecote tower are stacks of empty cages for shipping the birds who roost here off to other dovecotes in the network. A heavy wooden gate is set into the wall just south of the tower. The gate is of heavy oak, reinforced with iron bands and barred with a thick oak beam.

Hiding in the yard are the three fugitives from Cosutanu. They will very likely attempt to attack the player characters with surprise if they enter the inner yard.

The Dovecote Tower

The along the northeast wall, toward the back of the compound, is the dovecote tower itself, a ten meter tall, tapered tower in fitted stone. It's a sturdy tower, with many small windows on all sides. Despite its height, there are no upper floors, only a ground floor with dozens of pigeons brought here in cages from neighbouring villages in the network.

The birds who nest here fly freely in and out of the tower, waiting their turn to be sent in cages by carriage to other dovecotes in neigbouring villages and towns. They roost in dozens of small nests set into the interior of the walls of the tower, making the entire structure feel like a tall open chimney filled with cooing, fluttering birds. The birds who have been shipped here from neighboring dovecotes in the network - including Cosutanu and Dileniu - are constrained to cages, as once they have messages attached to them and are freed, they will fly back to their home roost.

The Izionescu family were taken hostage by the three fugitives from Cosutanu and have been moved to the dovecote. The father, Silviu and the eldest son Simion have been beaten, bound and gagged, and the young twins Zamia and Zorin are unharmed, but also bound and gagged.