Session #1

Session #1 - 2008-04-26

The adventure starts out as the PC's have been employed by the witch hunter Roderick Helgeger. The leather faced Sigmarite is currently following the trail of a notorious aswell as unlicenced wizard named Halfar Jaktmann. The last trail leads into the city of Marienburg and as Roderick bitterly knows, he can't hope much for enlisting the town guard or militia as the Imperial Witch Hunter Cult holds no sway over this city, being separate from the Empire.

With the PC as his new henchmen the adventures starts as the enter Marienburg; the Black Hats, the city guard, ask them polite questions about their mission and Roderick hides nothing. The guards at the wall, asking the same damned questions to hundreds each day merely nods an makes notes about the party. They make way to the Ostmuur district where they know the city's only temple to Sigmar is located. Reaching it they find it strangely closed up and the PC's follow their employer up the stone stairs of the small temple as he bangs on the door shouting whomever is inside to open in the name of Sigmar! Soon, a cery scared looking and timid initiate opens the door and let's them in, telling them in an akward manner that the priest, father Helmut, took the church silver and joined some form of religious horde that left the city two days ago, heading south. When asked by a very indignant and chasticing Witch Hunter why Helmut left the temple in such a way, the initiate mumbles that a horde proclaimed a boy with them was Sigmar reborn!

After a shocked silence at this, the PC's gobbles down a swift meal as Roderick thinks the matter through. Soon he decides that as he searches for the renegade wizard, the PC's will check into this "Sigmar reborn" matter and he hastely sets off in his hunt for Jaktmann, shouting over his shoulders that they will report back to him later that evening. The PC's waste no time, deviding themself into two teams to cover more ground; Leticia and Torrendil heads off to search for a market and what news that can bring, while Walter and Emanuel heads to the south gate, as this throng of people must have passed by. The latter two stops a patrol of Black Hats on the way to the gate but as the PC's refuse their all to blatant mongering for a bribe they get no news and the patrol moves them along. As Walter and Emanuel stand there cursing the greedy guards under their breaths a haggard man approaches them, having overheard the conversations with the guards he tells them he might have some news, for a cheaper price. Emanuel spots that this man is missing two fingers on his hand and recognizes him as a man punished for theft. Instead Emanuel manhandles him into telling them what he knows! The man spills his beans explaining that he's heard a rumour that the Boy the throng escorts has been called my none other then the Emperor himself to Altdorf to take over the throne! Boggled at this news Emanuel sets the man down, hands him a coin and he sets of to the nearest alehouse.

Leticia and Torrendil asks around at a market square in Ostmuur, and having bought a small effigy from a woman they get news of a man named Lame Tomas near the Draainbrug Swing Bridge that knows something about it. Following this lead the find the man, having traveled the canals for the first time. Lame Tomas is a ratsalesman, his speciality, Combat Rodents! The PC's respectfully declines any purches but asks the man some qustions regarding these events. He answers that he indeed saw the boy! His name is Karl and none who has seen him can deny he is truly Sigmar come back! He tells them that he saw where they boy came running out of a smithy on the Doodkanal ward, brandishing a hammer and the sign of the twin-tailed comet on his chest he slew one of the men, surely mutants, and as the crowd saw their God in flesh they ripped the remaining man apart and lifted the boy to their shoulders. They carried him to the temple of Sigmar and the priest Helmut declared him Sigmar Reborn at the first sight of him, joining the front of this Crusade they marshed out of the city, more and more people joining under Karl's glory they are heading to Altdorf. Lame Tomas, having lost the use of both his legs followed for over two miles using only his arms, but sadly a horse stepped on him and he had to remain, crawling back when he could. He shows the PC's he nasty bruise on his ribs.

The PC's continue to hear out people's rumours and gossip about this crusade and they find out that Helmut's proclamation that Karl is indeed Sigmar was not unopposed. Appearently a group of people lead by a Shallyan priestess opposed this, and now the woman is hanging in a cage infront of the old Sigmarite temple in the Templewijk ward, declared a witch by the second abbotess of the Shallyan orphanage in the city. Walter and Emanuel pays her a visit, throwing some stones at her and calling her names. But when trying to coerce the witch into telling her story a Black Hat shows up and wards them of as they are not allowed to be so close to the witch.

As they leave her they are again approched by a stranger, this one calling himself Honest Josef and peddling true charms from the boy-god himself! Emanuel looks over the stuff with fervent admiration and buys a simple tin hammer symbol that Josef swears was made by the boys holy little hands themself. From Josef they learn that the boy grew up at the Shallyan orphanage in the Doodkanal and they set off, Emanuel wearing the new symbol next to his old one around his neck, truly a blessing! As both parties are heading to the Doodkanal ward they actually have the luck to see eachother and they exchange news. It is getting late but they decide they should pay the orpenage a visit before meeting with Roderick again.

As they approach the orphanage, not difficult to find as anyone in the ward knows where it is, they see a initiate singing with some young children, as she sees the adventurers she ushers the children inside and after a while a very strict woman comes out introducing herself as Gerda Lutzen abbotess of the orphanage. She shines up as the PC's tells her they want to ask about Karl, she invites them inside and another priestess takes their coats before they enter the abbotess room and serves them wine, the priestess remains silent all through this and Lutzen explains she is being punished with silence to teach her humility, Walter recognizes this as a very harsh punishment for a shallyan institution. The PC's interviews the abbotess who confirms that she indeed took over the possition after she rightfully accused the former one, Maida Widman of being a witch, only a herretic could not see Karl for what he is! She tells them that he grew up here and was a saint of a boy, and that she was terrified when they discovered that he had been kidapped by two men who weeks erlier had visited the orphanage in search for a manservant to their lord, they had seen Karl then and said they would be back at a later time. But Karl had escaped their herretic grasp in a smithy and before many peoples eyes the mark of Sigmar had appeared on his chest, not having been there from birth, and he slew one of them. The rest the PC's already know but she confirms all about Helmut and the crusade. but she denies them to see his room, saying it's much to sacred to them. This enfuriates Emanuel and Walter who themself are stalwart sigmarites. But the descision stands through Emanuels loud prostests.
They are asked to leave at this point, which they do, but after walking for about ten minutes discussing what to do Leticia finds a note in her coat pocket, she hands it to Walter, the only one of the four that can read; The note is signed "One who is still Loyal" and asks them to visit the real abbotess outside the old Sigmarite temple before she dies, the note also claims that the boy is dangerous!

Here they split up again, Walter and Emanuel will go back to visit the witch and Leticia and Torrendil will stake out the orphanage. But first Torrendil will return to Roderick and report their findings, as he comes to the new temple of Sigmar he finds that Roderick is busy waiting for them and getting his horse ready. He informs Torrendil that he has found the trail of Jaktmann and must set out at once. But he orders them to investigate the child here in Marienburg and then follow the crusade to Altdorf where they will meet up with him, then he gallops away in the night.

Here ended the first session.

/The GM.