[Duty & Honour] Session 3: The Dinner Party

Session 3: March 2, 2012
April 1809, Portugal

The 13th Light Dragoons and the 30th Northumberland set up camp near the bridge and set out pickets. The 30th Northumberland takes the pickets nearest the bridge.

Hardrick orders a dragoon patrol to check on the French and Sgt. Finkauf, Corporal Limekiller, and Private Crossley head out. Once out of sight of the bridge, the PCs rode hard, looking for the French and Crossley failed to notice them! An ambush!

The fight was quick, with the flashing sabers of the 13th Light Dragoon taking down the enemy French dragoons. One managed to ride off, wounded, and they pursued. They ran into a larger patrol, commanded by a French Lieutenant riding a fine horse - Limekiller vowed to steal that horse before they rode off, escaping the larger French force.

A dispatch from command comes with orders and a letter forwarded from Wellington. Private Wyle is granted an Cornet (Ensign) commission and Wintergreen sent along a used uniform for him, at least until he gets his own. The transition from Private to Cornet is sudden and shocking for Wyle and already he's found that he's distanced from the rank & file, on account of his sudden raise in rank, yet not quite trusted by the officers, as a fellow who that morning was just a common private and not a gentleman.

The patrol returns with a French prisoner and Wyle and Greenleaf patch him up. While talking to the prisoner, Greenleaf gets a lead on the booze, finding out that there's a rumor of info on the booze underneath the bridge. He plans on looking at it during the late watch.

Lt. Hardrick hosts a dinner party with Lt. Seinheit, Lady McFaine, Don Miguel, Bex the horsetrader, and several of the Ensigns and the Spanish noblemen from Lady McFaine's entourage. Corporal Limekiller serves as a waiter for the party.

Hardrick knows that one of the people in the camp or nearby is the French spy Durand and need some clues. Under cover of the dinner party, he manages to host a nice enough party that when conversations are occuring, the two Spanish noblemen are exposed subtly by Don Miguel. Limekiller notices Don Miguel's expression and successfully read it. He let's Hardick know that at least one of the Spanish noblemen are fakes.

Bex corners Limekiller at the dinner party and tells him he's heard about the plan to steal the French Lieutenant's horse. Bex wants Limekiller to sell the horse to him but Limekiller says no, instead he'll let the horsetrader use the horse as stud for some great foals. Bex agrees to that but secretly plans to steal the horse from Limekiller.