Shadows over Lankhmar

By

Amazing Consequences (2007), Naish Holiday Village, Christchurch, Dorset, United Kingdom

Rob Nott

Description

Lankhmar, never the safest or most peaceful of cities in Nehwon at the best of times, is currently a city in crisis. A serious grain shortage has seen the price of bread skyrocket since recent shipments were lost at sea in mysterious circumstances involving horrible sea monsters (or so the ignorant rumours suggest). For the first time in living memory the citizens of Lankhmar are rioting and squabbling in the market place over the few highly priced sacks of grain still available to buy. Nothing persuades a Lankhmarite to cause trouble more than an empty stomach. It is now possible for example to procure the services of three prostitutes for an evening of debauchery in exchange for a loaf of bread. And we’re not talking about the ageing prostitutes with missing teeth that you get in the Silver Eel tavern either, but rather the better quality ones, who bathe at least once a week, that you find in the Golden Lamprey Inn.

The dithering City Overlord, Glipkerio Kistomerces, (all praise his benevolence and wise rule) urges patience as he assures the population (from behind the safety of his heavily guarded palace walls naturally enough) that fresh supplies of grain are on their way to the city even as he speaks! Everything that can be done is being done, so please do not panic! All remaining emergency grain supplies in the city store houses are being distributed fairly and equally by the City Guard to everyone, irrespective of status. Civil disorder, he reminds the citizens of Lankhmar, will be dealt with harshly and thoroughly through the professional application of extreme violence.

But as the tension builds within the city, the wealthy nobles take the sensible precaution of upping their personal security. No one likes a hungry mob rampaging down the streets following vague rumours of stockpiles of food, especially when everyone knows that nobles generally never go hungry. And after all, only a deluded fool would trust his safety to the corrupt rabble that makes up the bulk of the Overlord’s city guard.

And so it is that Hisvin, one of the richest and most highly respected grain merchants (who of course ISN’T stockpiling grain reserves), has employed a group of experienced swordsmen to safeguard the person of his precious young daughter, the Demoiselle Hisvet, during these troubled times. No doubt the next grain shipment will arrive at the city docks safely any day now, despite the last two shipments being lost at sea in tragic circumstances (attacked by pirates, or so the ill-educated rumours suggest), in which case the duty should be a simple enough assignment for such brave rogues such as yourselves. The Demoiselle will be attending the Overlord’s masked ball, but other than that she mostly confines herself to the house gardens, with the exception of an occasional shopping trip, accompanied by her indentured maid, Frix. An undemanding job: easy money, and all the bread you can eat (from Hisvin’s personal ration - he certainly isn’t stockpiling supplies of grain...). Why, you’ve never had it so good!

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