Written in her massive, magical Tome, Emmeline has kept a travel log for some time. The following is an excerpt from recent experiences.
I had an excellent conversation with Ma Mare, Contessa Adela, in which she informed me a great deal of my Baron’s personal history and situation.
I also found out that I am too lowborn to marry him. However, once the Contessa marries Count Robert, she intends to ask him to recognize me as Adela’s daughter. This would elevate me to Lady and make me a viable option for wife.
But… is that what I want? do I want to be a baroness? I’m not even certain what that would mean for my own future. What limitations might I have?
Yet, as I consider my options, I realize that perhaps I don’t care that much. I would get to be closer to the Baron and that’s really all I want right now.
I met the Count Guy de Portreaux and Lady Millicent. Both meetings seem to have gone rather well. At least, Millicent doesn’t seem to despise me.
After Elemix arrived, I also met Madamoiselle Renee, a young lady of about 14 or 15 years that showed a great deal of initiative and determination to study under Elemix. He refused her as an apprentice, however, and so I offered her a position as my third lady in waiting. That seemed to catch her interest! She will discuss my offer with her father. I wrote a letter for her to take to my Baron should she and her father decide my offer is what’s best for her future.
We embarked on our mission at last! We had to take ship out of Portreaux before I was able to meet Count Robert and his children, however. I was very disappointed at that. But I asked ma mare that should she marry the Count before I returned, there should be a party at which I might celebrate her union and meet her new family.
After the journey over sea, we arrived at Adera. There we hired a shield man, then continued overland. We performed our role as minstrels as we traveled and things went well. We draw ever nearer our goal.
Tonight we arrived at yet another inn. After discovering a troop of entertainers were already there, we made arrangements to play a set or two between their acts. One entertainer in particular, named Rosie, was a beautiful, petite halfling who specialized in trained cats, but could also sing quite well.
River made a “splash” with liberal use of magic and too much friendliness with the customers. One wanted to buy her personal services for the night and I had to have a talk with her about maintaining physical distance while relating to the crowd artistically. When the man later pushed things, I had to sic our shield man on him, which resulted in the pushy man’s death.
This is all my fault. I should have stopped River before it came to this. I know I will end up paying for this failure soon.
Later that night, I found out the dwarf would force Rosie to have sex with him, despite how well she performed. River and I had already committed to freeing her, but instead of giving her a chance to escape on her own, I ended up buying her freedom. It was clear she would never be able to escape that dwarf on her own. To my horror, the dwarf happily sold her, then proceeded to use another slave for his pleasure. He called her “Hole”.
Elemix is out of his mind he’s so upset. He wants to track down this dwarf, kill him, and set the slaves free. But what then? We would have to flee the country. What if they catch us? Will we be put to death? Enslaved ourselves?
This is all my fault. I should never have allowed River to get as close to the common folk as I did. And when that man came to buy sex, I should have swallowed my pride and gone with him. He’d still be alive, River would be safe, and maybe what followed with Rosie later would never have happened. But then, if I hadn’t bought her freedom, Rosie would still be a slave entertaining people because she has no choice and remain at the mercy of a heartless master.
I don’t know what to do…
(Level 6.2)