Herein lies the first chapter of the (less than) noble Tybalt Bushal, Knight in Queen Anora's service, in honour of his death this past session. Well, that and a lot of context.

A bit of background: I'm using the Dragon Age Pen and Paper system in a campaign that's now perhaps 10 sessions old. It is late 9:31 Dragon, the setting Ferelden.

The Blight continued as in DAO for the most part, save for the fact that The Warden died fighting the High Dragon @ the Urn (not that anybody knows this), and Alistair continued on without them only to die slaying the Archdemon after making himself the king presumptive. The Archdemon's death as the party held the gates of Denerim was the end of session one - key because they all got tainted and thus needed to become Grey Wardens if they hoped to survive.

Howe (unslain due to the Warden's absence) took the heirless throne as a chance to claim it, but through fortuitous timing and access to certain information the party publicly denounced him and ensured his transition to King was recognised only by his already de facto vassals in Amaranthine, Highever and Denerim. Queen Anora fled to Gwaren via boat and announced herself the rightful ruler, initiating a civil war. Ferelden's west was (and still is) undeclared.

In the chaos their denouncement left (an outright riot at the post-Blight Landsmeet), the players fled Denerim ahorse and eventually became Grey Wardens - but the person that made them so was immediately incapacitated and thus they were directionless. After stuff too busy to detail in a 'background' the party made their way south, intending to go to Gwaren via the Brecilian Forest to declare for Anora.

Enter Tybalt Bushal. An unassuming man in his 30s, Tybalt was another recent Grey Warden recruit that was desperate to join the party since he had no other direction (so they thought). The party, henceforth 'Dem Boiz' because they style themselves as such, was a bit skeptical of Tybalt and his motives at first but they let him join them as he was a handy scout and archer.

Dem Boiz were apparently uninterested in Tybalt beyond that. They didn't ask anything about his childhood, how he came to be at The Joining they all attended, what he did since they'd parted their joining or why he cried at night at their camps. They didn't even check the letter he carried on his person despite the fact that he held it most every night.

Tybalt, your wife says hello and the baby gurgles happily when your name is mentioned. They are safe in Denerim. Would you care to have them remain so? You know of the men that have slighted Howe, Dem Boiz. Join them and work to Howe's favour, and your family might be safe and happy.

Importantly this letter doesn't include the names of Tybalt's family, because the person that wrote this didn't know them. Instead they socially engineered Tybalt into thinking they did and added in extra detail with the extortion they gave Tybalt verbally. Tybalt can't read, so the note is just a reminder to him. Maybe if the party had shown any interest in Tybalt, they could figure out that his letter didn't make any contextual sense after reading it.

But Dem Boiz didn't care. Tybalt was just another couple D6 per round to them so he was welcome to adventure with them as they swore fealty to Queen Anora and collapsed tunnels under Gwaren which were abuzz with Darkspawn activity (worthy of its own tale). As their trusted companion, Tybalt was welcomed to Queen Anora's court as if he too had been involved in the politically critical denouncement of Howe, and thus wasn't viewed with the least suspicion by anyone but Dem Boiz... who despite their suspicions, never investigated Tybalt much at all.

When Dem Boiz were invited hunting prior to a feast honouring their arrival at Queen Anora's court, the rest of the party split off from Tybalt during a chase for prey. What they don't know because they let him operate alone despite suspecting he wasn't all he seemed is that Tybalt caught a deer, cut his hand and bled into the deer's wound, transferring the taint to the dead beast.

Dem Boiz saw Tybalt's hastily bandaged hand, of course, and also noticed that the pre-butchered deer seemed bloodier than a single-shot kill ought to justify. They also later sensed the taint on the venison fed to Anora and her nobles. They thought it odd when several of those nobles later complained of 'food poisoning' but thought little of it as they were sent north-east to Grey Wave to help defend the city against an incoming contigent of Howe's men. Upon the way there, they finally asked questions about who the hell this Tybalt Bushal guy is.

They discover that his skills with the bow come from living upon a farm with terrible soil as a youth, where hunting was a necessary supplement to get enough food. They learn about his family and that they're in Denerim. They surmise that they're not safe but don't learn they're allegedly being held hostage. They suggest they might retrieve his family from the city if the war gives them time.

Anora and much of her court were tainted, though the party don't yet know it (symptoms take a bit to kick in, naturally). Tybalt felt awful that these people he'd betrayed were offering to do his family such a kindness but played it off as simply missing them when questioned about his tears.

When they arrived at Grey Wave, Tybalt went scouting and the party didn’t question it. He's a huntsman, after all, that's what he's good for. They don't know that he's responsible for the rest of the scouts not reporting back to the city - they think he's dead along with them. But really he sold them out. He was already in for a pound so what's another penny killing a few scouts?

Tybalt was accepted skeptically by Howe's forces who bound him to make sure he wasn't up to anything suss. Unless Dem Boiz somehow learn how to give the Joining properly (they don't know anything about the Archdemon blood requirement) Anora is as good as dead. And once news flows in to Denerim that Anora has the taint Tybalt is going to find himself a landed man… Teyrn of Gwaren, perhaps?

But the party know none of this just yet, for the last session ended mid-battle of Grey Wave. To them, Ser Tybalt of Dem Boiz, Knight in Queen Anora's service, is dead and they have lamented his loss. They even said they'd still rescue his wife and kid. Who knows, maybe if they try and Tybalt finds out he'll feel bad enough to add regicide to his resume a second time?

I'm keen for critical feedback since I haven't related the shenanigans of my players in any way before. I've got maybe one or two more tales I'd say are complete enough from the same campaign to relate too if anybody cares for me to relay them.