Mythic Russia playtest session 1

(From the Lithuanian playtest of the Mythic Russia game).

Carry on up the Volga, session 1 of the MythicRussiaPlaytest

The game opened the morning after Count Orekhov Zandivoi was found dying by Giovanni (Orekhov had succumed to poison in his brandy, put there by Viktoras on erroneous information from Svetlana). The first scene was in the bedchamber of Countess Irina (Orenkhov's widow). Viktoras (known to all as 'Yuri') was present to console Irina. While they were consoling like rabbits, there came a knock on the door. Viktoras hid under the bed while Irina opened the door to Vladimir, who was also there to 'console' Irina. Irina fobbed Vladimir off. He went to entertain himself with the chambermaid, while Viktoras scrambled (inelegantly) out of Irina's bedroom window.

Giovanni visited Lena (the daughter of the Count). They discussed what Lena should do, and they decided to work on Irina to persuade her to relinquish power to Lena.

Ivan went to the church to pay his respects to the dead Orekhov. To his surprise, the body was missing from the coffin! A quick investigation, including the Second Sight from his Threefold Braid, revealed that a Teutonic knight had taken the body to a cart just outside the churchyard, which had driven off towards the west. Ivan couldn't follow the tracks any further.

Janovarich was summoned by Andrius, his brother, to meet Duke Henriakas, his fater. The conversation didn't go well, and all that was really said was a request for Janovarich to change from his Mongol garb into good Lithuanian clothes.

Meanwhile, Viktoras had made his way to Svetlana's room. When he got there, he found Svetlana, locked in a passionate embrace with Andrius. They lept apart when Viktoras made is presence known. Unable to pin the blame for the poisoning of the Count on Svetlana, he instead targetted Giovanni by going to his room and placing a vial of poison in Giovanni's clothes.

On his way back to meet his father, having changed, Janovarich found Ivan milling around the church. Ivan told him that Orekhov's body was missing, taken by a Teutonic knight. Janovarich offered to help and rode out of town after the cart.

He found a cart, driven by a German (i.e. foreigner) about half an hour's ride from Novgorod. A barge was sailing downstream. Janovarich exchanged a few words with the German, rode away, turned, and shot him. The German tried to escape into the woods, but Janovarich peppered him with arrows and rode him down. He admitted sending Orekhov's body to Köningsberg. He was trussed up and returned to Novgorod. By that time, Giovanni, Lena, and Vladimir had arrived to pay their respects to Orehkhov. Vladimir berated Ivan for letting the body be carried away.

Meanwhile, Viktoras started spreading rumours about how untrustworthy Giovanni was and discussing how various Roman emperors had deposed their forebears by poison. He then went to the church, just as Janovarich returned.

Henrik, the Teutonic knight was briefly 'interrogated' by Viktoras agreeing with everything he said. Henrik revealed that he had been given orders to take Orekhov, dead or alive, to Köningsberg, but he was persuaded that it would be better to give Orekhov a proper Catholic burial in Novgorod instead.

Valdimir summoned his force of cavalrymen and Vladimir (and his men), Janovarich, and Ivan, rode off cross-country to head off the barge while Giovanni, Viktoras and Henrik followed in the cart. The riders found the barge and persuaded it to stop. And there the session ended.