A Dance with Rogues
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This is the story of a young woman whose world is shattered into pieces on a single dark night. Formerly the Princess of a mighty kingdom, she barely survives when the enemies of her Lord Father kill her family, her loved ones and her friends. Suddenly alone in a cruel world, hiding from the people who wish to see her dead, she finds help where she’d least expect it. Sheltered by a group of thugs and thieves, her life now takes a very different line. But her enemies remain the same. Part One mostly covers the events occuring to the Princess in the City of Betancuria.

Plot synopsis[]

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This article contains information on a character, area, item, or quest that has changed in the latest version of Part One as of v1.50. It has not been updated to reflect the changes.
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Spoilers follow.
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The story begins with the Princess in Betancuria Castle. The Dhorn Empire, once a close ally of the King of Betancuria, has taken control of Betancuria and stormed the castle in an attempt to kill the royal family. As the Princess runs through the castle corridors, she is grabbed away from chasing soldiers by Vico, a local thug, who snuck into the castle. After the traumatic encounter, he takes her to the Bear Pit. There Nathan Geigers, the leader of the local crime syndicate known as The Family, decides to shelter the Princess under a secret identity. After months of working in the kitchens, Nathan proposes to the Princess to complete seven lessons to train her in disguising, fighting, stealth, persuasion and other areas to make her a productive member of The Family. After completing these lessons, the Princess is made a full member of The Family and given her own apartment. Nathan asks her to investigate a threat against The Family from spies within the city, which leads to a group of gladiators in the Betancuria Arena. With Vico's help, the gladiators are quickly dispatched.

In her free time, the Princess takes on various jobs offered by members of The Family, such as break-ins, thefts, and assassinations. She meets a couple named Christano Arniman and Myra Waynolt in the One Thousand Steps Inn who have been sent on a quest by the Church of the Sun Lord to find the Golden Chalice. They take notice of her skills and propose to her to join them in an opportunity to explore the Temple of Hyath on the Summer Islands for a share of the profit. Exploration of the temple provides a good opportunity for the Princess to improve on her rogue skills, as well as a much needed respite from events in the occupied Betancuria. During this journey, the Princess learns about a powerful demon named Hyath and a mysterious evil being called the Nameless One.

Upon returning to Betancuria, the Princess is captured and sold to the Dhorn by bounty hunter Andrik Snyder, and a local Dhorn commander Arto Benthur charges the Princess with various acts of thievery and prostitution under the threat of gruesome death. The Princess tries to escape with a help from Tarleth, another imprisoned Family member, who was kind to the Princess. The escape attempt fails and Arto Benthur ruthlessly kills Tarleth in front of the Princess' eyes. Fortunately the Princess is helped by one of Dhorn soldiers on the Family's payout and escapes. Andrik tracks the Princess once again and blackmails her into paying a hefty sum in return for her safety.

The Princess is asked to look for Pia, a bard and a fellow member of The Family she met on an earlier lesson, who's gone missing following a break-in. The Princess finds her imprisoned by Andrik in the Betancuria Academy. The Princess and Pia succeed in killing the bounty hunter, but his last spell goes awry and the pair is teleported to Ravenstower Castle governed by Baron Ravenstower. Baron demands to have a "private show" with Pia during which he suddenly dies and the guards, thinking that the Princess and Pia killed him, attack. The Princess and Pia are caught but with the help of Lady Dana are released. While exploring Ravenstown, the girls learn that Baron's death was a part of a plot to take over the barony, devised by court magician, Terek. Getting into the castle through a secret passage, the girls use a magic rod, found in a dead dragon lair in the surrounding mountains, to resurrect the Baron and helped the Baron to confront Terek. During the battle, Lady Dana reveals herself as a guardian white dragon of the barony. In gratitude for the girls help in uncovering and putting an end to Terek's plot, Lady Dana flies the girls home.

Following the Princess' return, the Bear Pit is attacked and its occupants taken by the Dhorn to an undisclosed location. Upon hearing of the attack, Alfons, Nathan's second in command, instructs all remaining members of The Family to rendezvous at Barich's Tavern in Betancuria South. A small party is formed to infiltrate Hunting Lodge outside the city to try to find about Nathan and other captive Family members' whereabouts. The Princess gets caught by men loyal to prominent Dhorn noble - Simon Lyonson. Surprisingly, Simon offers the Princess her freedom and sought-after information in return for her help in his attempt to steal King's of Betancuria treasury, captured in the war and guarded by Dhorn garrison in Betancuria Castle. The raid fails but the Princess and Simon escape, and the Princess learns that Nathan and Co have been taken to the Isle of Prisoners, an island deep within the Dhorn Empire. During the raid, current commander of Dhorn forces in Betancuria is killed and replaced by Arto Benthur.

After the Princess tells Alfons what she has learned and lively discussion among Family members what to do about it takes place, suriviving Family members decide to send the Princess and few other into Dhorn territory to mount a rescue attempt. Part One ends with the group beginning their journey via ship to Westwood, where Part Two begins.

Cast of characters[]

See also Characters and Category:Character

Places[]

See also Places to Rest, Shops, Areas, and Category:Area

Special Items[]

See also Items and Category:Item

Quests[]

Mandatory Quests[]

Optional Quests[]

See also Quests and Category:Quest

Miscellaneous[]

External Links[]

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