Mythic Russia playtest session 3

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

People have retired to consider their positions. Janovarich is in the stable with Bear and a few of his mates when they hear a commotion outside. One Mongol on horseback is being chased by several others. Bear grabs the chased Mongol's horse, when Janovarich eventually recognises that it's Chabi, his wife, being chased by Batu, her brother, and his cronies. Batu denounced Janovarich as being a despoiler of Mongol women and his wife as a blood-traitor. Batu was eventually talked down and then asked Janovarich to help him manipulate Lena. Batu's idea was that, as he was Lena's lover, he could use that to extort money out of her and therefore become a rich Mongol, impressing Guchugir, his father. Batu wanted Janovarich's help to get Lena to control the lands.

At this point Viktoras appeared with some guards and Batu did a very bad job of pretending that he didn't recognise Viktoras. Viktoras's skin was saved by the oh-so-luckily-timed (4 hero points spent) arrival of a band of marauding Teutonic knights and various hangers-on on a raid into Novgorod. Bear used his bear magic to sleep safely until morning, Janovarich got his wife and daughter to safety then went to his father, and Viktoras went to fetch Grigori Zandivoi.

(At this point, things get a little hazy: please jump in and clarify things if you can remember better than I.)

Janovarich met his father, Henriakas, and a group of men-at-arms _en route_ to the fight with the Teutons. They had a brief discussion about somethign or other, and I think Henriakas again asked Janovarich to divorce Chabi. Janovarich then went to the Zandivoi compound and arrived just in time to see Viktoras pitch Grigori's dead body out of the house and pull his knife from the corpse. Viktoras then went to Irina, told her the Grigori had fallen in battle, assured her that he would protect her and her income, and asked her to arrange a gathering of the remianing Zandivois the next morning.

The Teutons were eventually driven out of the city around dawn. Viktoras arrived at Henriakas's compound and started to tell him of his plans to marry Irina and become the power behind the Zandivoi throne. At about this time, Janovarich arrived to bring up the subject of his allegance with his father, and was surprised to find Yuri (a.k.a. Viktoras) there. Janovarich told Henriakas that Viktoras had murdered Grigori; Henriakas wasn't too bothered. Viktoras then admitted to murdering Orekhov and framing Giovanni and then tried to get Janovarich to use his influence with the Mongols to consolidate Henriakas's hold over the Zandivoi lands. Meanwhile, Giovanni and Bear were hiding in the secret passageway and heard everything. Janovarich called on the guard to arrest Viktoras, Henriakas argued against it, Viktoras fled, and Janovarich rushed to the Zandivoi compound.

Janovarich went to Lena first, but Viktoras went to Irina. The two groups then met in the corridors and had an argument about what was going on and who should be believed. Janovarich eventually won, but only at the cost of announcing his father's part in the whole affair. Viktoras was beaten, arrested, and executed the next day. Giovanni remained as Lena's advisor. Janovarich, Chabi, and Bear left for Mongol lands in Siberia. Vladimir accompanied Fr Fyodor on his mission to burn pagans, and Ivan remained a loyal servant of the rump of the Zandivoi family.