Halfling Holiday

After a few days of funeral and burial, Reverend Sir Brendan spent five weeks training with the Chaplain of the Black Order of the Dawn -- a prefect of no low station. The rest of the party recuperated and finally bid adieu to Sir Rojer and his Blackguards (a group of 12 newly minted knights who pledged themselves to that knight’s service).



After recovering fully, the party set out for destinations East. They were followed by a baggage train including Arabis the Wizard, Hanna the Sacred Sister, and a few other noteworthy companions. On the road to Goldstrike, also called Gelder, the party encountered a scurrilous illusionist highwayman who induced the party to fight his phantasms. When Brendan became suspicious of the apparitions he discovered the culprit and slew him, leaving the party to enter the town of Gelder without further incident.

Once in Gelder, the party discovered that the town was swollen with people from the surrounding areas. Including Kiera the Elf Sorceress and Forgo the Halfling Thief, who both joined the group. All were there to celebrate a local holiday of some import. Because of the local holiday, there was no room at the local inns, and the party was forced to find rest at the Princeling’s Rest, on the outskirts of Gelder in the village called Halflington. There they learn the awful truth about Gelder.

They learned that Gelder was a mining town and farming community with two distinct populations – Provincial Humans and Tallfellow Halflings. Only the first populations enjoyed the favor of the local baron, White Prince Alagar (only styled “prince” in the custom of the provinces). While the humans enjoyed their lot, the Tallfellows suffered mistreatment ranging from discrimination to over-taxation, to outright prosecution by the baron’s men. From time to time, they were blamed for every calamity and misfortune to befall Gelder and subject to all manner of cruelties as a result.

In response to the lot of the Halflings, a resistance group known as the lifkavir was formed and these halflings (mostly teens and young adults) had committed acts of aggression against the baron and his men. This caused Alagar to press even harder upon the Halflings. Just prior to the party's arrival, White Prince Alagar rounded up two score halflings and saw them hung in the public square.

As the party learned of Gelder, the door of the inn burst open and an elderly gnome, Rodyn Flejga, was helped inside by the local healer. On the point of death, the gnome was nonetheless recovered fully by the healing hands of one of the paladins. They then heard his story in full. Rodyn claimed to be a toymaker from Northrun who came to Gelder because of its Halfling population. He wanted to test market toys and contraptions that he hoped to sell in the shires.

Unfortunately, once here he was mistaken for a Halfling and informed that he would have to pay the White Prince’s new onerous tax on Halfling goods that he meant to sell. He spent several days hiding out in the elements trying to avoid the kings men with his wares. He feared that the tax would ruin him and thought about burying his wares until he could pay to have them exhumed.

After some discussion, the party convinced him to give away the toys in order to hide the goods among the populace and avoid detection. By doing so, he would also be able to gauge how popular they were among his intended customer base. They further agreed to help deliver the toys in the dead of night.

Apollo and Solomon began covering the city, while Brumbar, Snow and others sought audience with the White Prince to see what might be resolved in the Halflings favor. While delivering the gifts took some nine hours of work, Brumbar treated directly with the Prince but got nowhere. As they were being shown to the door, the baron’s factor inquired as to the reason a Westrun lord and knight involved himself in the affairs of Gelder. Using his knowledge of law and administration, Snow took the factor aside and insinuated that certain people in Peakshadow were very interested in the goings on of Goldstrike (Gelder).

This worried the factor who came to believe that Brumbar was working at the behest of the High King, the liege lord of Gelderia. Meanwhile, after delivering the toys, Solomon used some magic to influence the halflings to treat their human oppressors with love and kindness. This combined with a very recent change of heart from the baron, leads to the revocation of many laws sanctioning the Halflings. For the first time in many years, relations between the two populations were restored.

In his gratitude, Rodyn gave the party seven gifts of his own. These gifts were not toys, but magical devices given to him in payment for previous work and of no more use to him.