Flashing Blades a solo RPG campaign, Part 4 - The road to Hèras and l'ostel

I am using the Zathrum 2.2 d20 oracle with elements of MUNE GM emulator.  For random words and some other random things, I use randomlists.com

Scene 1 - On the road to Chateau Heras.

Artus and Guilaume are sat on their cart on which is also three barrels of wine, their two draught horses are finding it fairly easy going even on the dirt track that passes for a road in these parts.
They are about a mile out of the village of Château Hèras in the beautiful Loire Valley.  It is a fine late summer morning, and they can tell by their empty stomachs that it must be getting on towards midday, they can see the village up ahead and hope they can find a tavern and food.

I ask the oracle if Artus and Guilaume are the only travellers on the road?  Roll d20 = 2, d6 = 4. so 'No(and)'
I ask the oracle if someone is coming towards the PC's from the village? Roll d20 =15, d6 = 6 so 'Yes' and +1 intervention point
I roll on the the random encounter table in the Flashing Blades rule book and get '2d6 cavalrymen', 2d6 roll = 6

Artos and Guilaume see a group of cavalrymen coming toward them out of the village.  

Artos "six horse up ahead, look like Dragoons to me, could be trouble you think"
Guilaume "just keep going and try not to make eye contact, with luck they will ignore us and keep on their way"

I ask the oracle if the cavalry stop the PC's? Roll d20 = '15', d6 = '4' so 'Yes(in order to)'
I ask the oracle if the cavalry want to know what we are doing here?  Roll d20 = '3' d6 = '3' so 'No(Surprisingly)'
I use a random word generator to try and get an idea for why they stop the characters and it gives me 'Transport, Lighten'. 
I read that to mean they want some of the wine the the two PC's have on their cart. 

 As our two PC's near the troop of Dragoons, the troop commander raises his hand, signalling them to halt, he walks his horse around the cart, finally stopping beside Artos, the other five troopers block the road.

Dragoon Commander "wine in those barrels is it? Decent stuff? My men's canteens are in need of a refill,  we had hoped to buy some at the Tavern back in the village but it was closed, perhaps you could oblige us, I am happy to pay".

Artos "only the Loire's finest sir, I am sure we can accommodate you and your men  for 10 Livre a canteen".

I ask the oracle if the Dragoon commander will pay that amount? Roll d20 = '8' d6 = '2' so 'No(but)

Dragoon Commander "10 Livre! Perhaps you would care to offer a sample for my men, if you expect such a payment we should be sure we are getting the Loire's finest".

Artos "I will fill your canteen for free sir, such faith I have in my wines quality".

The commander takes Artos up on his offer and a barrel of wine is opened much to Guilaumes disgust.

I ask the oracle if the Dragoon commander is willing to pay 10L for each canteen of wine?  Roll d20 = '20', d6 = '3' so 'Yes(on the contrary)'

The commander is delighted with the wine and eagerly agrees to pay the asking price commenting that it was probably far too good for his troop.  Artos agrees but holds his hand out for payment before filling the troopers canteens with his wine.

I ask the oracle if the commander pays first? Roll d20 = '15', d6 = '6' a straight 'Yes' and +1 intervention point (now at 2)

The commander, knowing that if Artos tries to take the money without filling the canteens, Artos and Guilaume would come off worse, hands over 50L,  thanking Artos for filling his canteen for free.

Artos, thanking the commander and filling the canteens of his troopers starts chatting to the commander asking him what he and his troopers are doing in the area.

I ask the oracle if the dragoon commander answers?  Roll d20 ='1', d6 = '4' so a "No(on the contrary)"

The commander's mood suddenly changes, he becomes hostile towards Artos, demanding to know who Artos is and what he and Guilaume are doing with such high quality wine.

Artos "You ask me, monsieur! Ask me! I am Artos, Lieutenant in the Queens Fusiliers, our wine is to be taken back to Paris for my company, you should be grateful I agreed to sell you any".

I ask the oracle if the Dragoon commander accepts Artos' haughty reply?  Roll d20 = '8', d6 = '4' so 'No(but)'

The Dragoon commander draws his sword, upon which his troopers do likewise, the commander tells Artos that having seen the muskets and such on the cart, it is possible Fusiliers they may be but coming this far from Paris for wine, that he cannot believe, he gives Artos one more chance to tell him who he is.

Artos moves to draw his sword but before he can Guilaume speaks, telling the commander that he is a retired subaltern and Artos was his Lieutenant both from the Queens Fusiliers, the wine they have bought from a vineyard a few miles away, which they hope to sell once back in Paris. 

I ask the oracle if the dragoon commander believes Guilaume?  Roll d20 ='19', d6 = '4' so a "Yes(and)"

The commander laughs and tells the PC's that they better get on their way then and he suggest that if they wish to get back to Paris without attracting the attention of bandits, it may be best if they sell their wine sooner, perhaps they could try the tavern in the village, if its open.

Guilaume thanks the commander, and he and Artos set off towards the village away from the troop of dragoons.

Guilaume - "just get this cart moving forward, don't even glance back, just put some distance between us and them"

Artos - "If I come across that man again, he wont be so happy to have met me!"

I ask the oracle if anything else unusual happens between here and the village?  Roll d20 ='11', d6 = '6' so a straight "Yes" and +1 intervention point = 3,  an intervention takes place.
I roll on MUNE intervention table and get "advance plot".
I decide 'advance plot' would be a perfect opportunity to introduce another PC

The dragoons begin to disappear behind and the village ahead grows closer, suddenly Artos spies a young lady riding a rather fine horse, she has been hiding behind a small group of trees but now makes her way quickly towards the two friends.

I make it a 50/50 chance for the Lady to be either Elaine (0-50%) or Rosalie (51-00%).
Roll on d100 = '10', so it is Elaine that appears from the trees. 

Artos keeps his horeses moving forward, Guilaume tries to load his pistol without being seen by the approaching Elaine who quickly catches up with the two ex fusiliers and falls in alongside Guilaume.

Elaine -"no need for the pistol, monsieur, I assure you I offer you no threat, may I join with you until the village, I suspect it may be safer with so many dragoons and bandits in the area".

Guilaume agrees that she may although he suspects that she was not really giving them a choice.
Elain tells the two men that she had spotted the dragoons a while ago and felt it best to keep out of their way, her attention then turns to the barrels of wine, she tells the two PC's that she knows the owner of the local tavern and she may be able to get them a good price, (of course, Elaine does not know the tavern owners at all).

I ask the oracle if anything else happens to the PC's on their way to the village? Roll d20 ='8', roll d6 = '2', so 'No(but)'.
I generate two random verbs and get "shrug" and "Whine"

As the three PC's are about to enter the village they hear a long, high pitched complaining cry coming from the direction of a small hill with a small copse it, Guilaume glances in the direction the whine came from.

Guilaume - "Did you hear that noise, what do imagine caused that?".

Elaine shrugged her shoulders - "nothing, just the wind blowing through those trees".

Altos and Guilaume look at each other neither believe it was just the wind, a moment later they enter the village.

Our PC's (red square) hear a high pitched cry coming from the hill marked in brown.

Scene 2 - l'ostel Chateau Heras.

Our (now) three PC's enter the little medieval village down the Grand Rue, they pass a large and somewhat unusual hexagonal windmill and grain store, on the corner of Grand Rue and Rue du Chateau Heras they spot the tavern known as l'ostel Chateau Heras.

Once at the tavern a young lad approaches them and offers to lead their horses to the small semi-circular stable belonging and attached to the tavern just off Grand Rue, he also tells them that he will look after the cart and their barrels.  Elaine readily agrees to the young lads offer and after making sure their horses and effects are secure, the three PC's enter l'ostel.

I ask the oracle if the tavern is as expected inside?  Roll d20 = '20' Roll d6 ='6' so a straight yes and +1 intervention point (currently 1 point).

The tavern is quiet, it has just opened, there is a table with three elderly men sat around it each with a glass of wine, behind the bar is a fierce looking woman who is the owner of the tavern, ( the stable boy is her son).  Other than that the tavern is empty of people.

Elaine tells Artos and Guilaume to sit at a table near a window, she will go and get them all a drink and food and see if the tavern owner is available, she will discuss a price for the wine for them, without

arguing the pair of fusiliers do as they were told to.

Elaine discovers that the woman behind the bar is actually the owner who seems very surly and a little off hand with the young rouge.

Looking at the list of NPC's created in part 3, I decided that the tavern owner will be the 'touchy shopkeeper'.  Business is not good and those few villages who frequent her inn will not be interested in fine wines.
I allow Elaine to use her Bargaining skill, to make a sale she will have to roll against her Wit but with a -2, so she will need to roll 13 or less rather than her natural Wit of 15.
She rolls 15, a failure.

The tavern owner is not interested in the wine, telling Elaine to look around her, does she think she can afford to buy fine wines, does she think the locals want to buy fine wines!  She tells Elaine to take the wine to the Chateau, the Baron is the only one likely to buy such wine here about, in the meantime take a seat with her friends and food and wine will be brought soon. She curtly turns away from Elaine and gets on with sorting out the bar.

At that point the tavern door opens and a somewhat dusty, dishevelled looking woman enters, she sits at a table and awaits, pointlessly, for the tavern owner to notice and serve her.  Artos get up and in his usual jovial manor asks the new arrival if she would like to join them for a meal, he turns to the bar and shouts to the owner to bring an extra glass for the new arrival and an extra dinner to when she brings theirs.

The owner tells him to sit down and she will be with them soon.

Artos introduces to the new arrival his two companions, who in returns tells them that her name is Rosalie, she is travelling from Paris to Blois, she stooped here for a meal and she is happy for the company at this moment in time.

Finally, the tavern owner brings the 4 PC's their meal and a bottle of wine.  They are just finishing eating when a villager rushes into the bar, full of themselves and announces to the tavern owner,

"have you heard the news, no! I have just found out, I'm sure I am the first to know, had to come personally in person to tell you myself, Madam Pompadour has been found, dead, in the trees near the chateau, just this past half hour gone, murdered I'm told, I said to them, it's the Baron thats done it, she was unfaithful you know, I told them, my advice, question the Baron"

One of the old men turns to new arrival "who is the them you keep referring to, Dennis?".

The (now) four PC's look at each other.

Part 5 - the Baron and the Chateau.