Before the first light of dawn graced the sky, Escroc and Henrichus roused Mouston. As they returned to Basot's cottage, they recounted the night's events, eager to arrive before any muskets were trained upon them. They ignited the fireplace and settled in, the warmth contrasting sharply with the cold, damp November streets of Paris.

A process I'll likely keep for other games is a player session recap. Ideally, one recounted in character. Miseries & Misfortunes mechanizes it, and it is a nice way to transition into "the session."

By late morning, Marin, accompanied by two men, Noel and Thomas, arrived with Isabel in tow. Without missing a beat, Marin offered an informal greeting, roughly handling Isabel and shouting in very slow and deliberate French while gesturing, "Get your clothes and things for travel." Turning to our trio, he said, "She speaks no French."

Isabel made her way up to the cottage loft. Marin wandered about the main floor, opening cabinets and drawers and peeking into boxes. Thomas, heavily bundled in cloaks and scarves, nervously looked out the window, occasionally opening the door to peer outside. Noel remained as silent as furniture.

This is me framing the session's first encounter. Marin is Iean's upstart nephew. Marin knows his uncle met with the PCs, but not why. He also knows his uncle is old, soft, and a drunkard. Isabel is leaning into her Spanish origin. She speaks French very well and is faking, looking for her opportunity. Let us play!

The conversation revealed Marin's ambition; he sought to rise in Dupont's eyes. He pressed Mouston about the details of the deal made with his uncle Iean, even implying that Iean would not be coming today. Recognizing his younger self in Marin, Mouston lectured him on being his own man and made him an offer that Marin readily accepted—a known bird in hand. Escroc, seeking to toast the new deal, found two bottles and a secret cabinet. Recalling the poor fellow with the spike lodged in his skull, Escroc declined to explore the cabinet's contents.

Henrichus had followed Isabel to the loft, where she gave him an annoyed look. He attempted to reassure her, speaking simple French and mentioning De Guet from the letter they were to deliver. Isabel moved closer and signed the Brotherhood of Cyprian's response. "Ah dios!" she exclaimed, looking down at the discussions below. Henrichus inquired if she knew where Basot was. She whispered in strong French, "Of course I do. I sent him on a task with my child before these men arrived. Once we are rid of them, I will explain everything."

Two very cool encounters. I prepped for a parley all around, expecting skill checks. I just figured we'd roleplay through the encounter until we got to an impasse, an ask too far. Mouston softened Marin with coin, and Isabel was persuaded with Guet's name and letter! Unplanned by me but totally aligned with the NP’s agendas!

Two glasses of wine into the new deal, Thomas suddenly sprang to life after a glance out the window. "He's here," he exclaimed, throwing open the door. A bearded, road-weathered man entered, eyed the room, and addressed Marin. "Where's your uncle?" Marin joyfully declared the job had been sold off to Mouston and his men. Introductions were made, but the rider, Claude, categorically rebuffed all attempts to negotiate, bribe, or reason with him. After a short, awkward pause, Claude concluded, "So, this is how it is?" he backed towards the door, drawing his pistol.

Silence filled the room. Then, Claude shot Marin --dead. Mouston hurled a wine bottle, Thomas screamed and dropped prone, and Escroc shot and mortally wounded Claude. Still on his feet, Claude staggered outside, reaching for his horse. Henrichus grabbed Marin's pistol and fired at the horse, spooking it into a wild charge. Escroc, with grim determination, stepped into the crisp November air and hacked Claude apart with an axe -all Coen brothers-like!

It was an excellent, tense encounter. It's funny to me. I played the NPC Claude as a loyal, hardworking, and honest guy. The PC's tried to compromise him -even called him a 'Try hard!'. I will usually decide NPC vs NPC actions unless a game has explicit rules. I am deliberate about these things. Claude would shoot Marin, and Marin would die --unless the PCs intervened. They did not, and that says something, right? Easy pistol tests. Finishing off Claude by axe came down to Escroc's Sang Froid test—which he totally missed, so it was messy!

In the aftermath, Isabel recounted how the Basots ended up in this dire situation. She revealed that she had been tasked by the Brotherhood to safeguard the dagger that had murdered King Louis XIII. Jean-Pierre used the dagger to heal their son Denys after he was trampled in a market incident. DuPont, having witnessed the boy's death and rebirth, beseeched Basot to restore his ailing wife, but the dagger failed, leaving her in an unlife-like state and enraging DuPont. The Basots were relocating the dagger and other properties when Iean and Marin arrived and took Isabel as leverage. "I am the brains," she declared, retrieving an arquebus from the secret door. "Jean-Pierre is my muscle."

Often, as a big encounter or scene wraps, there's that "What are you doing next?" I like to frame the ends of these scenes, focusing on where the characters are as the action ends. Here, after Escroc steps outside to deal with Claude in a messy fashion, I talk about what Isabel is doing, and then I ask about Henrichus and Mouston. This feels like a smoother transition into a roleplay-player chat about what's next rather than a hard cut to "What do you do?" The player’s answer in character, discussing ‘damage control’, deciding on whether to go see DuPont, or head to where the dagger is hidden. I let that conversation develop, and I listen.

Our trio and Isabel packed up and traveled south to the cemetery where she was to meet Jean-Pierre and hand over the dagger. They arrived early in the evening to find Jean-Pierre manacled to the cemetery fence, barely alive, and a shadow skulking about the landscape.

A plan was made to announce themselves loudly. In response, a melody, whistled in tune by four or five voices, was heard. Figures emerged from hiding, and the leader introduced himself as Armand de Rochefort, a former suitor of Isabel and the last knight of the Brotherhood of Templars. He proposed a trade: the child for the occult dagger.

I narrate the trip south to this cemetery, clue the characters that something is amiss, and describe a figure chained to the gate of the cemetery. After some sneaking and recon, the players decide to announce themselves—to parley!

Another incredible deep session of play inside of two-ish hours. We have a good handle on the mechanics and are comfortable with exertions and moving about the fiction and systems to get what we want. I feel like the players have the wheel now as we move into possibly our first combat encounter. I say possibly because I truly don't know how it'll play out. I do know there's only one dagger and no visible light between the two parties for compromise.

Next Week: Armand The Templar!

Adieu Mon amis!