Session # 4 – 2008-05-18
This session started out as our heroes [I guess you can call them that by now?] wakes up the morning after their nasty adventures in the sewers.
Marienburg:
Having taken another bath the evening before, as well as getting their clothes washed they eat some breakfast while discussing what to do now. They all agree they have to get to Altdorf to report to their last employer Roderick the Witch Hunter. Some of them, mainly Emanuel are more insistent that they should follow the Crusade on the way there, since this is what Roderick wanted them to do and find out as much as possible about it.
They split up to do some different errands, Leticia and Torrendil will head to the docks and see if they can book passage on a river boat to Altdorf. Emanuel will go and try and find the old witch hunter Falkenheim, to see if he can assist in any way and Walter is going to retrieve his chain shirt from the smithy.
The entertainer and elven soldier head through the packed street of Marienburg to the docks, which of course is a mayhem of activity and people. As they ask a worthy looking sailor about any boat that leaves soon he points with not much more then a grunt at the “Reik’s Arrow” a fine looking two-masted river ship. As they head over they even catch a strange sight further away in the massive docks, a incredible looking ship, colourful and alien in build, guarded by men with darker skin and slitted eyes, clad in just as colourful armour of strange design. But they board the Arrow and Leticia speaks with the captain, who informs them that the Arrow leaves tomorrow, they have one cabin, for 2gc and 6 shilling, anyone else can sleep with his men for 5 shillings, but, they cannot bring Torrendil’s horse onboard, there is just no room. She thanks the captain and informs the elf as they leave for the temple again.
Emanuel heads for the suiddocks, he looks up the drug den where they found Falkenheim the last time, addled in purple fumes. The same southern bouncer opens the slit in the door as he knocks. Emanuel asks him if the with hunter is there and gets a simple “no” from the man who clearly struggles with reikspiel. Emanuel leaves a bit frustrated and simply heads back to the temple.
Walter heads for the smithy where he paid to have the chain shirt they took from one of the mutants in the swamp ruins mended. As he gets there, there’s no answer at the door and no smoke from the chimney. The Initiate walks around the back and checks that door, finding it unbarred he enters slowly and silently [With and open, failed, Move Silent roll I might add] he walks through a small kitchen, into a small bedroom and then finds a door to the smithy, as he opens the door he finds the smith dead on the floor, eyes open. Further more the man is wearing Walters mended chain shirt. As he looks over the body he sees no apparent reason for the death. He manages to get the chain shirt of the dead smith, rigid with rigor mortis, and put’s it in a sack, he is suspicious of it as they did get it of a mutant.
He leaves the building and heads to the doodkanal to see if the wizard in the old smithy there can tell him anything about the piece of armour. He finds there is no answer at the door, so he heads over to the templewijk to the academy and checks for him there, but no clerk has seen him for the past three days. When the clerk wonders why he is looking for the wizard Walter explains that he wants a mail shirt checked for “evil” the clerk looks a bit taken aback at this and suggest that is something for a priest and not a wizard.
The Initiate agrees to this in the end and heads for the temple of Vereena, as they often have a good standing with the temple of Sigmar. Outside he meets a priest coating a wall with white paint of their austere and even edged, square, temple. The priest explains that they could perhaps pray over the armour to see if it is cursed, but the proper prayers would take days. Walter sighs and tells the man he’ll look into it himself and sets of back to the smithy again, as he suddenly remembers that he didn’t actually check the man’s body after he removed the chain shirt.
Arriving there again, he sneaks inside and finds the corpse as he left it, now he looks it over again and discovers two things; a small wound, like that of a thrust dagger or sword in the chest, and the total absence of the victims blood, outside and inside. Another thing to add is that there are no signs of struggle, and also, no damage in the chest area on the shirt. He puts it back in his bag, also he takes a finished chain coif from the smithy mumbling that “it’s better used in the service of Sigmar” and so steals it for the greater good. He also checks for the smiths money and finds it in a drawer in the bedroom, he takes none but confirms that this was no robbery and heads back to the temple.
Back at the familiar temple they talk over what they have learned, there is some talk about Walters chain shirt, but he holds to the fact that the chain shirt did not grab a weapon and stab the smith! [Or did it!? DUNH, DUNH, DUUUH!] As Torrendil can’t get his horse on the ship, and Emanuel insists that they should try and chase the Crusade, they get their things and head out, stocking up on six days of rations as well as selling of a crossbow from the ruins. It takes a show from Torrendil, capping apples to get a good deal out of the trader, they end up with a studded skull cap for Leticia and some elven pride, confirmed.
The next stop is the south gate and then, the open road!
On the Road:
They travel the better part of they day, meeting and being overtaken by travellers, as they are close Marienburg. Nearing the evening they stop at a small caravan; two wagons, a burly trader and his three guards. [Hans, Mons & Erich, all wearing red woollen shirts.] Seeing an opportunity to travel as a greater party they talk it over with the merchant. At first he is understandably negative to this proposition, but after Leticia puts her charms over him he agrees to their company and takes them as good Sigmaritan and honest people.
Their travels are uneventful in the grey weather until that is, the night and morning. During the night a dream comes to Walter, in it he sees an ancient battle between Sigmar and orcs. Many are slain on both sides but Sigmar prevails, as Walter circles a crow over the battlefield. After the battle is over, he is approached by the huge figure of Sigmar himself, wielding a great hammer, his golden hair waving in the wind, blood staining his hands. He speaks to Walter, telling him “The most faithful are steeped in battle. Don your armour and make battle in my name, Walter!”.
After this he awakes, his blood pumping, his heart beating and his hand around his hammer. He also feels unwell, and seems to run a fever. But Emanuel, it seems, is far worse off. As he dresses he notices large red fungi that seems to have rooted in his flesh, and he’s feeling seriously ill. He takes Walter and Torrendil aside and shows them this, they immediately decide that the fungi needs to go and holding Emanuel down, liquored up and a dagger handle between his teeth, Torrendil, assisted by a sick Walter sets to work. It goes badly and they actually inflict 5 wounds on the poor Bounty Hunter, but they carved away what they think is all the fungi.
This is proven wrong, the next morning Emanuel is even worse of, and the fungi is growing back, they can all see that something needs to be done or he will perish. So they try it again, Walter and the elf, alas, this time it goes better and they carve a lot neater and this time seem to get it all. As the travel continues Emanuel’s condition approves and with Torrendil seeing to his wounds and a couple of days travel later both he and Walter have conquered their illnesses, Walters’ seemed to be a case Swamp Fever. That morning, they enter the outskirts of the Drachenwald.
The Drachenwald:
The trip on the narrow forest road is a spooky experience, the woods having lot’s of legends and rumours around it, most of them confirmed. Just hours through the dark, dense Drachenwald Emanuel suddenly spots a man next to a tree, bow aimed at them and as he let’s out a cry of warning the arrow hits the merchant in the throat and he keels over dead. Suddenly two waves of haggard, ragged men attack them from the sides, they seem to care little about their own safety, starved and desperate. Two of the guards, Mons and Erich is cut down after some fighting, Emanuel and Leticia gets hurt as well but nothing too deadly. Torrendil fells four of the eight “bandits” with his skilled bowmanship, one manages to flee from the heroes, as does Hans, the last of the guard and the horses rip free from the wagons and dash of into the greenery. It was a bloody fight, but the men seemed more desperate then skilled.
Emanuel finds Walter, who has chased a bandit into the woods still hacking at the dead mans body in a religious frenzy, shouting about Sigmar, he calms him down and they return to the others. Leticia quickly stuffs away the merchants money as they load the most valuable stuff on one of the wagons and let’s Torrendil warhorse pull it. They set of along the road again, they know that soon they should come to a town called Phfeiffeldorf.
Here ended this session.
Monday, 19 May 2008
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Session # 3
Session # 3 2008-05-09
This session starts as the group returns to Marienburg after their adventures in the Cursed March.
Upon returning to the temple of Sigmar in the Ostmuur Ward they waste no time in finding a bath house, here they sink down in hot water, rince the grit from themselves and get their clothes washed, much needed. They talk trough what they have to go on, which isn't much, just a name: Jurgen Baer, taken from the Journal of the Stromfels-Priest, it also mentioned that the man frequented a place called the Jolly Boatmen.
As it's early morning they set out at once for the Doodkanal, on the way there Walter turns in a chain shirt from one of the mutants to a smithy for a overhaul. The smith tells him he'd be better of getting a new one, but Walter incists and the smith agrees to do the job, Walter can pick it up later. Emanuel also stocks up on some lamp oil, you never know when you'll have to burn something in the name of Sigmar! After some walking the enter the Doodkanal Ward and search for The Jolly Boatmen, when they find it they discover that this gambling den is closed until evening, talking it trough they decide to go an look over the abandoned smithy where Karl supposedly killed one of the two mutants thet were trying to make way with him. Here they find nothing of apparent interest to the investigation, they talk some with the sourly man who has bought the place after the smith joined the Crusade. They gather that he's a wizard from Altdorf here at some business with the Academy in Marienburg, but not much more.
A bit at a loss of what to do until the evening their interest get's directed to the sewers, more specificaly the sewers around the orphanage. Upon Walter's suggestion they pay a visit to a "guard station" of the sewer jacks. Meeting one that has the "fire watch" during the day they ask him about the sewers around the orphanage, he tells them he's pretty sure there are no passages to or from the orphanage, true Marienburg is sinking, but such places usually can afford to board up any such openings to the sewers. They players are not totaly convinced and asks if any sewer jack can lead them there, the man says this can be arranged, if they return in four hours when there are more people there.
While waiting they decide to purchase some raggier clothes, to fit in better in the Dood, and to save their better clothes from the ravages of the sewers. Emanuel finds it hard to trust the wizard they spoke to erlier and wants to check on him, so they make way to the University of Navigation and Collegue of Sea Magicks. Here they find a reception where they ask to look up the wizard, the clerk confirms that the man is who he says and does what he said here at the collegue. Emanuel is dissapointed as he get's short of a witch-burning, but they trudge back to the temple where they are staying and changing to their rags they wait for the sewer jacks to switch shifts.
A few hours later they are standing at an entry point of the sewers, having payed a sewer jack to guide them. It is now that Emanuel and Torrendil realize it will be a kind of acrobatic climb down to the pipe that stick out over the kanals. They figure it's better not to brave it since the kanal water is dangerous to fall into. So while Leticia and Walter manage to climb down and in, the elf and bounty hunter station themself on the nearby alehouse where they erlier staked out the orphanage, hoping to catch the silent initiate that they assume gave them the note about Maida Widman.
Down in the sewers our two adventurers seemingly don't accomplish much else but ruining their footwear. The find that any sewers leading under the orphanage have been sealed shut. The only thing out of the mundane they find, are some smugglers marks on walls nearby. They give up and follow their guide out. As the try the climb up from the duct, Walter almost slips and falls but manage to grab the rope [Fortune Points, can't live without 'em].
After purchasing and changing some new boots they all return to the temple, as the stakeout gave them nothing, nor did the trek into the sewers. Here they wait until the evening and head out to The Jolly Boatmen. Entering the place they make some quick inquires as to the name of Baer, to no result. But action suddenly sparks as Letica moves up behind a winning gambler and puts a hand on his shoulder, to talk, the man reacts by taking a incredibly swift stab at her with a dagger, she moves away in time and everybody stands up, tention in the air. The proprietor tries to diffuse the sitiuation by talking Emanuel into taking his group and leave, disgruntled they agree and they are ushered outside. As they are ready to walk away another man exists the Boatmen and walks up to them, he is clearly bruised and hurt, but asks for their time, saying he knows something about Baer.
He takes them to a nearby alehouse where they sit down in a dark corner; he presents himself as Hugo Buisman and offers them information on Baer, in exchange for them to visit a ruffian called Dobbe and make sure Hugo never "sees" him again. This Dobbe is appearently the reason Hugo has gotten beaten up. The party get's a bit devided at what to do here, Torrendil is sceptical to blatant murder to say the least, while Emanuel, as a bounty hunter, says that this Dobbe probably deserves it anyway. Walter checks the Good Book and comes to the conclusion that it wouldn't strictly brake any of Sigmars proverbs or sayings. Torrendil overruled, they head for the boarding house where Dobbe stays.
Here they soon find out in which room on the top floor the man lives, Walter sparks up a fiery speach about Sigmar in the commons, as a diversion, while Letica and Emanuel goes upstairs. Torrendil covers the back. Emanuel kicks in the door, violantly one might add, and catch the large man by surprise, he tries to net him but fails and then a melee breaks out, in which Leticia joins in. After a few rounds of combat Dobbe lies dead at their feet, Emanuel takes his Good Craftmanship boots and an ear for evidence and none other is the wiser as they get Walter and move back to the alehouse and Hugo.
Hugo is very happy at the results and spills what he knows, that Baer was last seen dead in the river, killed and robbed by a gang called The Hounds that bases at a gambling place simply called The Den in the Doodkanal. Leaving Hugo to his grim celebrating they make way to The Den and are easily let inside as it's open. Inside they look around at people gambling wondering who to ask, Emanuel moves to a Hound and asks to see his boss in a more sinsiter matter then simple gambling. The gangmember shouts for their leader Pim de Groot, whom steps out from behinds some audience where he has been gambling, well actually the peg legged halfling jumps down from a cusioned chair and asks whats it's all about. Emanuel says it's to do with Baer, this get's him an invitation to Pim's office upstairs and he follows as the other stay downstairs.
In the office, crowned by a huge portrait of the Moot's Elector Count wielding a Runefang [Yeah, it's a scary thought] de Grott confirms they killed Baer for outstanding debts, but they still have his wallet, which he fishes out of a drawer and dangles infront of Emanuel, who promtly offers to buy it. De Groot thinks this is far too boring though and challanges the human to a game of Gertrud & Sigmar over it and a piece of gold. As Pim shuffles the cards Emanuel spots him cheating which he turns to his advantage [+ 10 to his Gambling roll] though he looses the first round, he wins the next and gets the wallet and a sour halfling that excuses him. Inside the wallet, having joined the party outside, they find a scribbled map of parts of the sewers, starting at an old abandoned bakery, they waste no time in heading there.
Inside they find not only a passage down into the sewers, but also a drunkard that confirms, after a bribery of some boose, that a man used to go down and come up, but he hasn't seen him for about a week. Leticia also buys the mans pants [!] as she don't want to ruin her own. The drunkard happily makes way to the nearest alehouse with his new money, and no pants.
Our adventurers head down the sewers following the map, in the darkness, lit only by one lantern, they tie cloth with garlic infront of their noses and mouths, it helps but a little against the ghastly stench [+10 to the Toughness test required].
They find strange triangular markings on some walls, huge rats leering at them, human skelletons and most remarkably so far, a strange green, glowing orb in the water, after some debating, the decide to leave it for later. They come to a room with walls totaly coated with a red moss. They naturaly get wary from this, and Letica, being the most agile heads over the unsturdy wooden ramps with a rope, she makes it quite nicely, across. So does everyone else, except the last person to cross, Emanuel who steps wrongly and suddenly the moss exhumes red spores everywhere that burns his skin, the others pull at the rope which gets him out but sadly, the spores comes with him and poor Walter didn't manage to jump out of the way and the spores burn him aswell. [Here they take a Tougness test which gave Emanuel -10 to Willpower and Intelligence tests, until otherwise said by me.]
They suck it up and just a bit further down a corridor the see a door. Approaching it the water starts to bubble and a pony sized monster with flailing tentacles emerge and attack them. Emanuel is struck by sheer terror at the sight of the beast and runs away, while the others fight the hideous, postule clad beast. Only the next round he gets his act together and joins the fight, Torrendil is the only one who gets struck in this combat, something in the monsters tentacles seem poisonous though as his body aches and he finds moving more difficult [-10 to all tests and -1 movement.] They manage to slay the foul beasts though, with no more casulties our wounds and open the closed door, they get wary as it's sealed from the outside.
Inside they find a room with broken and old furniture and also a man. He's wearing filthy old robes and rocking back and forth busy eating bugs, he doesn't seem to notice the group entering. In his hand is a small peice of paper tightly clutched. Other then this there is only a simple altar of stacked stones. Emanuel lays his blade against the mans shoulder the only reaction is the man starting to mumble about "Three moons" and "Someone who underestimates her opposition." The Bounty Hunter simply takes the note from the man who looks around with sewn shut eyes and says "Baer, Baer!".
As Walter reads through, what's a letter, they find out that a man, who quite obviously worships the Lord of Flies, is following the Crusade to Altdorf! Emanuel get's frustraded with the "mutants" ramblings and kicks him, this kick instantly kills the man, his back breaking like it was dried wheet. Walter takes his hammer and demolishes the altar, inside the find a human skull with three eye sockets which he promptly smashes aswell.
The group heads up through the sewers, having left the strange glowing glass orb behind they carefully take it with them and hand it over to the wizard in the old smithy, who promsies to handle it with due care. After this they return to their temple bodings.
Here ended the third session!
This session starts as the group returns to Marienburg after their adventures in the Cursed March.
Upon returning to the temple of Sigmar in the Ostmuur Ward they waste no time in finding a bath house, here they sink down in hot water, rince the grit from themselves and get their clothes washed, much needed. They talk trough what they have to go on, which isn't much, just a name: Jurgen Baer, taken from the Journal of the Stromfels-Priest, it also mentioned that the man frequented a place called the Jolly Boatmen.
As it's early morning they set out at once for the Doodkanal, on the way there Walter turns in a chain shirt from one of the mutants to a smithy for a overhaul. The smith tells him he'd be better of getting a new one, but Walter incists and the smith agrees to do the job, Walter can pick it up later. Emanuel also stocks up on some lamp oil, you never know when you'll have to burn something in the name of Sigmar! After some walking the enter the Doodkanal Ward and search for The Jolly Boatmen, when they find it they discover that this gambling den is closed until evening, talking it trough they decide to go an look over the abandoned smithy where Karl supposedly killed one of the two mutants thet were trying to make way with him. Here they find nothing of apparent interest to the investigation, they talk some with the sourly man who has bought the place after the smith joined the Crusade. They gather that he's a wizard from Altdorf here at some business with the Academy in Marienburg, but not much more.
A bit at a loss of what to do until the evening their interest get's directed to the sewers, more specificaly the sewers around the orphanage. Upon Walter's suggestion they pay a visit to a "guard station" of the sewer jacks. Meeting one that has the "fire watch" during the day they ask him about the sewers around the orphanage, he tells them he's pretty sure there are no passages to or from the orphanage, true Marienburg is sinking, but such places usually can afford to board up any such openings to the sewers. They players are not totaly convinced and asks if any sewer jack can lead them there, the man says this can be arranged, if they return in four hours when there are more people there.
While waiting they decide to purchase some raggier clothes, to fit in better in the Dood, and to save their better clothes from the ravages of the sewers. Emanuel finds it hard to trust the wizard they spoke to erlier and wants to check on him, so they make way to the University of Navigation and Collegue of Sea Magicks. Here they find a reception where they ask to look up the wizard, the clerk confirms that the man is who he says and does what he said here at the collegue. Emanuel is dissapointed as he get's short of a witch-burning, but they trudge back to the temple where they are staying and changing to their rags they wait for the sewer jacks to switch shifts.
A few hours later they are standing at an entry point of the sewers, having payed a sewer jack to guide them. It is now that Emanuel and Torrendil realize it will be a kind of acrobatic climb down to the pipe that stick out over the kanals. They figure it's better not to brave it since the kanal water is dangerous to fall into. So while Leticia and Walter manage to climb down and in, the elf and bounty hunter station themself on the nearby alehouse where they erlier staked out the orphanage, hoping to catch the silent initiate that they assume gave them the note about Maida Widman.
Down in the sewers our two adventurers seemingly don't accomplish much else but ruining their footwear. The find that any sewers leading under the orphanage have been sealed shut. The only thing out of the mundane they find, are some smugglers marks on walls nearby. They give up and follow their guide out. As the try the climb up from the duct, Walter almost slips and falls but manage to grab the rope [Fortune Points, can't live without 'em].
After purchasing and changing some new boots they all return to the temple, as the stakeout gave them nothing, nor did the trek into the sewers. Here they wait until the evening and head out to The Jolly Boatmen. Entering the place they make some quick inquires as to the name of Baer, to no result. But action suddenly sparks as Letica moves up behind a winning gambler and puts a hand on his shoulder, to talk, the man reacts by taking a incredibly swift stab at her with a dagger, she moves away in time and everybody stands up, tention in the air. The proprietor tries to diffuse the sitiuation by talking Emanuel into taking his group and leave, disgruntled they agree and they are ushered outside. As they are ready to walk away another man exists the Boatmen and walks up to them, he is clearly bruised and hurt, but asks for their time, saying he knows something about Baer.
He takes them to a nearby alehouse where they sit down in a dark corner; he presents himself as Hugo Buisman and offers them information on Baer, in exchange for them to visit a ruffian called Dobbe and make sure Hugo never "sees" him again. This Dobbe is appearently the reason Hugo has gotten beaten up. The party get's a bit devided at what to do here, Torrendil is sceptical to blatant murder to say the least, while Emanuel, as a bounty hunter, says that this Dobbe probably deserves it anyway. Walter checks the Good Book and comes to the conclusion that it wouldn't strictly brake any of Sigmars proverbs or sayings. Torrendil overruled, they head for the boarding house where Dobbe stays.
Here they soon find out in which room on the top floor the man lives, Walter sparks up a fiery speach about Sigmar in the commons, as a diversion, while Letica and Emanuel goes upstairs. Torrendil covers the back. Emanuel kicks in the door, violantly one might add, and catch the large man by surprise, he tries to net him but fails and then a melee breaks out, in which Leticia joins in. After a few rounds of combat Dobbe lies dead at their feet, Emanuel takes his Good Craftmanship boots and an ear for evidence and none other is the wiser as they get Walter and move back to the alehouse and Hugo.
Hugo is very happy at the results and spills what he knows, that Baer was last seen dead in the river, killed and robbed by a gang called The Hounds that bases at a gambling place simply called The Den in the Doodkanal. Leaving Hugo to his grim celebrating they make way to The Den and are easily let inside as it's open. Inside they look around at people gambling wondering who to ask, Emanuel moves to a Hound and asks to see his boss in a more sinsiter matter then simple gambling. The gangmember shouts for their leader Pim de Groot, whom steps out from behinds some audience where he has been gambling, well actually the peg legged halfling jumps down from a cusioned chair and asks whats it's all about. Emanuel says it's to do with Baer, this get's him an invitation to Pim's office upstairs and he follows as the other stay downstairs.
In the office, crowned by a huge portrait of the Moot's Elector Count wielding a Runefang [Yeah, it's a scary thought] de Grott confirms they killed Baer for outstanding debts, but they still have his wallet, which he fishes out of a drawer and dangles infront of Emanuel, who promtly offers to buy it. De Groot thinks this is far too boring though and challanges the human to a game of Gertrud & Sigmar over it and a piece of gold. As Pim shuffles the cards Emanuel spots him cheating which he turns to his advantage [+ 10 to his Gambling roll] though he looses the first round, he wins the next and gets the wallet and a sour halfling that excuses him. Inside the wallet, having joined the party outside, they find a scribbled map of parts of the sewers, starting at an old abandoned bakery, they waste no time in heading there.
Inside they find not only a passage down into the sewers, but also a drunkard that confirms, after a bribery of some boose, that a man used to go down and come up, but he hasn't seen him for about a week. Leticia also buys the mans pants [!] as she don't want to ruin her own. The drunkard happily makes way to the nearest alehouse with his new money, and no pants.
Our adventurers head down the sewers following the map, in the darkness, lit only by one lantern, they tie cloth with garlic infront of their noses and mouths, it helps but a little against the ghastly stench [+10 to the Toughness test required].
They find strange triangular markings on some walls, huge rats leering at them, human skelletons and most remarkably so far, a strange green, glowing orb in the water, after some debating, the decide to leave it for later. They come to a room with walls totaly coated with a red moss. They naturaly get wary from this, and Letica, being the most agile heads over the unsturdy wooden ramps with a rope, she makes it quite nicely, across. So does everyone else, except the last person to cross, Emanuel who steps wrongly and suddenly the moss exhumes red spores everywhere that burns his skin, the others pull at the rope which gets him out but sadly, the spores comes with him and poor Walter didn't manage to jump out of the way and the spores burn him aswell. [Here they take a Tougness test which gave Emanuel -10 to Willpower and Intelligence tests, until otherwise said by me.]
They suck it up and just a bit further down a corridor the see a door. Approaching it the water starts to bubble and a pony sized monster with flailing tentacles emerge and attack them. Emanuel is struck by sheer terror at the sight of the beast and runs away, while the others fight the hideous, postule clad beast. Only the next round he gets his act together and joins the fight, Torrendil is the only one who gets struck in this combat, something in the monsters tentacles seem poisonous though as his body aches and he finds moving more difficult [-10 to all tests and -1 movement.] They manage to slay the foul beasts though, with no more casulties our wounds and open the closed door, they get wary as it's sealed from the outside.
Inside they find a room with broken and old furniture and also a man. He's wearing filthy old robes and rocking back and forth busy eating bugs, he doesn't seem to notice the group entering. In his hand is a small peice of paper tightly clutched. Other then this there is only a simple altar of stacked stones. Emanuel lays his blade against the mans shoulder the only reaction is the man starting to mumble about "Three moons" and "Someone who underestimates her opposition." The Bounty Hunter simply takes the note from the man who looks around with sewn shut eyes and says "Baer, Baer!".
As Walter reads through, what's a letter, they find out that a man, who quite obviously worships the Lord of Flies, is following the Crusade to Altdorf! Emanuel get's frustraded with the "mutants" ramblings and kicks him, this kick instantly kills the man, his back breaking like it was dried wheet. Walter takes his hammer and demolishes the altar, inside the find a human skull with three eye sockets which he promptly smashes aswell.
The group heads up through the sewers, having left the strange glowing glass orb behind they carefully take it with them and hand it over to the wizard in the old smithy, who promsies to handle it with due care. After this they return to their temple bodings.
Here ended the third session!
Monday, 5 May 2008
Session # 2
Session 2 – 2008-05-02
Marienburg:
We left our characters last time with Emanuel and Walter on their way to the ”witch” at the old temple to Sigmar, Leticia was keeping a lookout at the shallyan orphanage and Torrendil was speeding back to join her.
Being on her own Leticia tried her luck at earning a few coins with her acrobatic skills at a nearby inn, it went badly, very badly [Rolling 100] and as Torrendil got back he was met by the sight of a bouncer literarily tossing her out of the front door. With both bruised body and ego she and the elf staked out the orphanage at another nearby shady inn in the Doodkanal. Nothing much happened and Leticia wanted to sneak inside and see if they could find the room where the child, Karl, was raised. Torrendil didn’t think this was the best of ideas, as they knew nothing of what even to look for and managed to persuade Leticia from this idea, with a bit of grumbling from her side.
Walter and Emanuel returned to the former abotess Maida Widman, while keeping a lookout for Black Hats they pulled the rag out of her mouth and gave her some water and got the nearly dead woman to tell the story about the boy, how a Witch Hunter named Osric Falkenheim had found the babe and took him to the orphanage. Maida, blessed by the wisdom of Shallya saw through the child’s power and ordered Gerda Lutzen to take him to the Sigmarites. But Gerda, affected by the child couldn’t take the child to what would be his fiery doom, so Maida speculates she must have raised him in secret somewhere. Walter and Emanuel are now convinced Maida is no witch and she needs their help, so breaking open the lock on the cage, quite noisily, they grab the poor woman, and splitting up they make haste to the new Sigmarite temple, Emanuel creating a distraction by banging on doors, let’s them avoid the pursuing Black Hats. They get back to the temple where the young initiate Anders and Walter takes care of Maida with healing poultices and prayers, this while Emanuel speeds to the Doodkanal to find the other two. While he is away, Maida informs Walter that if he still is alive, they should try and find Ostric Falkenheim, he should be able to tell them here the baby was found.
Emanuel finds the elf and entertainer as they are staking out from their inn and takes them back to the temple. Here they talk through what they have gathered information wise and decide that they need to find this Witch Hunter, they think through where they could ask, since in Marienburg there is no temple the can simply go to. Emanuel gets the idea that they should check with the local Magistry, and making himself as presentable as he can he walks off to the more posh wards of the city, asking the Black Hats he meets gets him the address of a close by magister, whom he’s granted a late audience with, and feeling out of place in the rich surroundings the magister informs him he does know of Falkeheim and the last he herd was that the man was beaten senseless by the Crusade for some reason and now spends his days at a drug den in the Suiddocks. The bounty hunter returns to the others with this information and they set out immediately, having secured the abotess Maida in the priest’s quarters under the watch of initiate Anders.
They soon arrive at the scum ridden Suiddocks, asking directions from drunken sailors gives them two options, and Walter decides which den to seek out first by a flip of the coin (roll of the die) and yelling “Sigmar will lead us” the “coin” tells then to visit the Dreaming Lotus. Sigmar must be on their side as this shows to be the correct location. Showing the araby bouncer that glares at them through the looking slit in the door a few gold they quickly gain entrance to this sweet smelling, purple smoked place. Emanuel purchases a pipe and with that the information that Osric is indeed in one of the rooms above, they find him upstairs in a drug addled state, both legs broken and the rest of the mans body looks no better fared. Splashing water in his face gets his attention, as well as curses in the name of Sigmar, threats and not a much better smell. A bit clearer in the head they manage to get the story out of the ex-witch hunter.
Apparently he found the boy in the hands of cultists in a olden ruin, located deep within the Cursed March outside of the city. They were about to sacrifice the tyke when Osric and his men came upon them, both sides fought like devils over the boy and in the end all except a few that fled into the march lay at the feet of the Which Hunter and his men. They took the boy, but due to the moist march they could not burn the ruin, upon getting back he gave the boy to Maida and he confesses at the fact that it was very hard to do, he felt very compelled to keep the boy himself and protect him, but he bested this feeling. That was the last time he saw the boy until two days ago when he saw Karl on the steppes of the temple in Marienburg and when he protested Helmut the priests assertion that the boy indeed was Sigmars heir, he barely got away alive from the incensed crowd, saved by some friends. He tells the characters that if there is any evidence of where the boy came from, it might still be in the march ruins. Osric gives them 20gc, the only way he can help now he says, pointing at his legs. When they ask about Maida and her well being he promises to send some friends to pick her up, knowing full well she is not a which. His final words to the characters before they leave him to his drugs, is that if they see the boy, kill him at sight, he is dangerous.
Cursed March:
At the tip of Falkenheim they leave the city the next morning for the march, he gave them the name of the guide that led him and his men seven years ago to the ruins, Sumpfmund. He proves to be easy to find, as they come to the ramshack “town” next to the swamp anyone can point him out with a grin, everyone also says that the man knows everything about the swamplands, and he’s utterly mad.
Sumpfmund demands 3 shillings per day and tells the party that the trip will take three days there and as many back. The group agrees to this and they set of at once. In the swamp boat they get the “Sumpfmund Experience” as the man bombards them with information about the swamp, the loveliest place in the world! He has lived here all his life and hopes to die in it. But apart from driving especially Emanuel “this” close to strangling the man he proves that he knows the swamp like the back of his hand, as he guides them while they take turns rowing.
The first day they pump into a viny stump which proves to be a Bloodsedge, it rocks the boat so hard that Walter falls over and almost gets pulled down by the living plants vines but Torrendil hacks on it so badly it retreats under the water, either dead or badly wounded and they manage to pull Walter up, soaked in swamp water [And 1d10 of leeches!]. That evening they camp at a small island and the night proves uneventful except from many, many bug bites.
The second day proves easier, the only real danger is avoided as Torrendil’s elf eyes spots several Lashworms nesting in some dead trees and Sumpfmund tells them to steer around them. The only thing they had to stand up to this day was more of the guide’s never ending talk. The second night proves uneventful too.
The third and final day leads to more carrying of the boat then rowing and as the pass through some slimy waters something latches on to Walter’s leg. It proves to be a two foot long leech, it has closed its mouth over the initiates leg and is sucking his blood. It proves hard to attack it without hitting Walter’s leg but after a good while’s risk taking they kill the thing, and Sumpfmund pours some salt on it at Emanuel’s bequest and it falls of Walters leg. [Here Walter’s player had to roll a Toughness test, which he failed, but there were no apparent effects.] They travel on and at night break they reach the ruins.
The Swamp Ruins:
When they arrive they tell Sumpfmund to stay back, something he readily agrees to. And Emanuel sneaks forward to scout. He first sees one ruined tower with a wall, upon the tower he sees a humanoid figure through the smoky fog and night. He sneaks around more and sees two other towers, the ruins proving to be a old triangular fort, holes in each of the walls makes it easy to get inside and reporting back, he, Leticia and Walter moves in, Torrendil is staying back ready to approach and shoot at the tower sentry at a given signal, a frogs croak.
Leticia sneaks inside the walls, seeing a strange well with faintly glowing water in the centre. They have already seen a light in the window of one of the other towers, and she decides to sneak up the ladder inside the “guard tower”, inside it she finds a deep pit, filled with swamp water, and what smells like human waste. She starts to climb up the ladder, but it creaks and from a distance Walter sees the sentry’s figure move and stoop down, this is all he needs and he croaks like a frog, very badly. [Not an Initiate skill apparently.] This has two effects, the sentry actually stands up and doesn’t notice Leticia and seconds later two of Torrendils arrows hits him hard and he falls down screaming right into the pool of waste and excrement. Leticia sees that the “man” is a mutant, huge, fat and covered in brown and yellow fur. She starts climbing down.
Emanuel sneaks around the lighted tower during this, and hears people inside reacting to their sentry’s death howl. He has stolen the oars of their boats he found at the “beach” of the small island. He ready’s his crossbow and then jumps in front of the door ready to fire. Sadly, who ever is inside were also ready to fire and when the bounty hunter only sees a dark first floor, a crossbow bolt hits him in the head, doing some wounds but not fatal, he manage to scamper off and hide behind the glowing well. Leticia runs over and ducks beside him as Walter and Torrendil stands outside the walls readying themselves. Out of the tower two beings come running, one dressed in simple clothes with huge ears and eyes and the other dressed on a tattered robe and instead of a human head the man has one of a shark! This terrible vision sends fear into the characters, most can control it but Torrendil succumbs to it, standing there paralyzed. A melee issues dealing damage to both sides and it takes several rounds before Torrendil can shrug it of and start firing his bow. Walter, Letcia and Emanuel are all in the thick of it, after several more rounds the shark headed man, cursing them in the name of Stromfels (Which Walter recognizes as the “evil” god of the seas”) is the last to fall, as Walter crushes his ribcage with a swing of his hammer. Everybody of our party alive, Emanuel the most badly wounded. They go through the towers and bodies, tossing it all out to burn it on the courtyard. Leticia searches the storehouse and finds a piece of meat that turns out to be a part of a human leg; this costs her a point of sanity. [The first in the campaign, yey!] Of worth they find some lose change and a journal of the priest of this cult, apparently worshipping Stromfels.
The journal tells them about the boy as the cult seemed to have survived, but gone from 30 to fewer members. The boy was the child of a female cultist but was taken by which hunters as he was about to be blessed and sanctified in the “sacred pool”. They also find notes about a man called Jurgen Baer, who was seeking a boy with the powers of Karl about a month ago. The cult spied on Baer and the priest wrote that he frequented a place called “The Jolly Boatman”. They investigate the pool and can see no bottom, only a white, faint, glow. Walter prays over some ordinary water and then pours it in the pool and chanting over that as well, while the other help burn everything loose, as well as the bodies.
The return trip over the swamp is a lot less eventful and after three more days of bug bites and Sumpfmunds blabber, they get back into Marienburg, almost happy to see the city again.
Here ended the session.
Marienburg:
We left our characters last time with Emanuel and Walter on their way to the ”witch” at the old temple to Sigmar, Leticia was keeping a lookout at the shallyan orphanage and Torrendil was speeding back to join her.
Being on her own Leticia tried her luck at earning a few coins with her acrobatic skills at a nearby inn, it went badly, very badly [Rolling 100] and as Torrendil got back he was met by the sight of a bouncer literarily tossing her out of the front door. With both bruised body and ego she and the elf staked out the orphanage at another nearby shady inn in the Doodkanal. Nothing much happened and Leticia wanted to sneak inside and see if they could find the room where the child, Karl, was raised. Torrendil didn’t think this was the best of ideas, as they knew nothing of what even to look for and managed to persuade Leticia from this idea, with a bit of grumbling from her side.
Walter and Emanuel returned to the former abotess Maida Widman, while keeping a lookout for Black Hats they pulled the rag out of her mouth and gave her some water and got the nearly dead woman to tell the story about the boy, how a Witch Hunter named Osric Falkenheim had found the babe and took him to the orphanage. Maida, blessed by the wisdom of Shallya saw through the child’s power and ordered Gerda Lutzen to take him to the Sigmarites. But Gerda, affected by the child couldn’t take the child to what would be his fiery doom, so Maida speculates she must have raised him in secret somewhere. Walter and Emanuel are now convinced Maida is no witch and she needs their help, so breaking open the lock on the cage, quite noisily, they grab the poor woman, and splitting up they make haste to the new Sigmarite temple, Emanuel creating a distraction by banging on doors, let’s them avoid the pursuing Black Hats. They get back to the temple where the young initiate Anders and Walter takes care of Maida with healing poultices and prayers, this while Emanuel speeds to the Doodkanal to find the other two. While he is away, Maida informs Walter that if he still is alive, they should try and find Ostric Falkenheim, he should be able to tell them here the baby was found.
Emanuel finds the elf and entertainer as they are staking out from their inn and takes them back to the temple. Here they talk through what they have gathered information wise and decide that they need to find this Witch Hunter, they think through where they could ask, since in Marienburg there is no temple the can simply go to. Emanuel gets the idea that they should check with the local Magistry, and making himself as presentable as he can he walks off to the more posh wards of the city, asking the Black Hats he meets gets him the address of a close by magister, whom he’s granted a late audience with, and feeling out of place in the rich surroundings the magister informs him he does know of Falkeheim and the last he herd was that the man was beaten senseless by the Crusade for some reason and now spends his days at a drug den in the Suiddocks. The bounty hunter returns to the others with this information and they set out immediately, having secured the abotess Maida in the priest’s quarters under the watch of initiate Anders.
They soon arrive at the scum ridden Suiddocks, asking directions from drunken sailors gives them two options, and Walter decides which den to seek out first by a flip of the coin (roll of the die) and yelling “Sigmar will lead us” the “coin” tells then to visit the Dreaming Lotus. Sigmar must be on their side as this shows to be the correct location. Showing the araby bouncer that glares at them through the looking slit in the door a few gold they quickly gain entrance to this sweet smelling, purple smoked place. Emanuel purchases a pipe and with that the information that Osric is indeed in one of the rooms above, they find him upstairs in a drug addled state, both legs broken and the rest of the mans body looks no better fared. Splashing water in his face gets his attention, as well as curses in the name of Sigmar, threats and not a much better smell. A bit clearer in the head they manage to get the story out of the ex-witch hunter.
Apparently he found the boy in the hands of cultists in a olden ruin, located deep within the Cursed March outside of the city. They were about to sacrifice the tyke when Osric and his men came upon them, both sides fought like devils over the boy and in the end all except a few that fled into the march lay at the feet of the Which Hunter and his men. They took the boy, but due to the moist march they could not burn the ruin, upon getting back he gave the boy to Maida and he confesses at the fact that it was very hard to do, he felt very compelled to keep the boy himself and protect him, but he bested this feeling. That was the last time he saw the boy until two days ago when he saw Karl on the steppes of the temple in Marienburg and when he protested Helmut the priests assertion that the boy indeed was Sigmars heir, he barely got away alive from the incensed crowd, saved by some friends. He tells the characters that if there is any evidence of where the boy came from, it might still be in the march ruins. Osric gives them 20gc, the only way he can help now he says, pointing at his legs. When they ask about Maida and her well being he promises to send some friends to pick her up, knowing full well she is not a which. His final words to the characters before they leave him to his drugs, is that if they see the boy, kill him at sight, he is dangerous.
Cursed March:
At the tip of Falkenheim they leave the city the next morning for the march, he gave them the name of the guide that led him and his men seven years ago to the ruins, Sumpfmund. He proves to be easy to find, as they come to the ramshack “town” next to the swamp anyone can point him out with a grin, everyone also says that the man knows everything about the swamplands, and he’s utterly mad.
Sumpfmund demands 3 shillings per day and tells the party that the trip will take three days there and as many back. The group agrees to this and they set of at once. In the swamp boat they get the “Sumpfmund Experience” as the man bombards them with information about the swamp, the loveliest place in the world! He has lived here all his life and hopes to die in it. But apart from driving especially Emanuel “this” close to strangling the man he proves that he knows the swamp like the back of his hand, as he guides them while they take turns rowing.
The first day they pump into a viny stump which proves to be a Bloodsedge, it rocks the boat so hard that Walter falls over and almost gets pulled down by the living plants vines but Torrendil hacks on it so badly it retreats under the water, either dead or badly wounded and they manage to pull Walter up, soaked in swamp water [And 1d10 of leeches!]. That evening they camp at a small island and the night proves uneventful except from many, many bug bites.
The second day proves easier, the only real danger is avoided as Torrendil’s elf eyes spots several Lashworms nesting in some dead trees and Sumpfmund tells them to steer around them. The only thing they had to stand up to this day was more of the guide’s never ending talk. The second night proves uneventful too.
The third and final day leads to more carrying of the boat then rowing and as the pass through some slimy waters something latches on to Walter’s leg. It proves to be a two foot long leech, it has closed its mouth over the initiates leg and is sucking his blood. It proves hard to attack it without hitting Walter’s leg but after a good while’s risk taking they kill the thing, and Sumpfmund pours some salt on it at Emanuel’s bequest and it falls of Walters leg. [Here Walter’s player had to roll a Toughness test, which he failed, but there were no apparent effects.] They travel on and at night break they reach the ruins.
The Swamp Ruins:
When they arrive they tell Sumpfmund to stay back, something he readily agrees to. And Emanuel sneaks forward to scout. He first sees one ruined tower with a wall, upon the tower he sees a humanoid figure through the smoky fog and night. He sneaks around more and sees two other towers, the ruins proving to be a old triangular fort, holes in each of the walls makes it easy to get inside and reporting back, he, Leticia and Walter moves in, Torrendil is staying back ready to approach and shoot at the tower sentry at a given signal, a frogs croak.
Leticia sneaks inside the walls, seeing a strange well with faintly glowing water in the centre. They have already seen a light in the window of one of the other towers, and she decides to sneak up the ladder inside the “guard tower”, inside it she finds a deep pit, filled with swamp water, and what smells like human waste. She starts to climb up the ladder, but it creaks and from a distance Walter sees the sentry’s figure move and stoop down, this is all he needs and he croaks like a frog, very badly. [Not an Initiate skill apparently.] This has two effects, the sentry actually stands up and doesn’t notice Leticia and seconds later two of Torrendils arrows hits him hard and he falls down screaming right into the pool of waste and excrement. Leticia sees that the “man” is a mutant, huge, fat and covered in brown and yellow fur. She starts climbing down.
Emanuel sneaks around the lighted tower during this, and hears people inside reacting to their sentry’s death howl. He has stolen the oars of their boats he found at the “beach” of the small island. He ready’s his crossbow and then jumps in front of the door ready to fire. Sadly, who ever is inside were also ready to fire and when the bounty hunter only sees a dark first floor, a crossbow bolt hits him in the head, doing some wounds but not fatal, he manage to scamper off and hide behind the glowing well. Leticia runs over and ducks beside him as Walter and Torrendil stands outside the walls readying themselves. Out of the tower two beings come running, one dressed in simple clothes with huge ears and eyes and the other dressed on a tattered robe and instead of a human head the man has one of a shark! This terrible vision sends fear into the characters, most can control it but Torrendil succumbs to it, standing there paralyzed. A melee issues dealing damage to both sides and it takes several rounds before Torrendil can shrug it of and start firing his bow. Walter, Letcia and Emanuel are all in the thick of it, after several more rounds the shark headed man, cursing them in the name of Stromfels (Which Walter recognizes as the “evil” god of the seas”) is the last to fall, as Walter crushes his ribcage with a swing of his hammer. Everybody of our party alive, Emanuel the most badly wounded. They go through the towers and bodies, tossing it all out to burn it on the courtyard. Leticia searches the storehouse and finds a piece of meat that turns out to be a part of a human leg; this costs her a point of sanity. [The first in the campaign, yey!] Of worth they find some lose change and a journal of the priest of this cult, apparently worshipping Stromfels.
The journal tells them about the boy as the cult seemed to have survived, but gone from 30 to fewer members. The boy was the child of a female cultist but was taken by which hunters as he was about to be blessed and sanctified in the “sacred pool”. They also find notes about a man called Jurgen Baer, who was seeking a boy with the powers of Karl about a month ago. The cult spied on Baer and the priest wrote that he frequented a place called “The Jolly Boatman”. They investigate the pool and can see no bottom, only a white, faint, glow. Walter prays over some ordinary water and then pours it in the pool and chanting over that as well, while the other help burn everything loose, as well as the bodies.
The return trip over the swamp is a lot less eventful and after three more days of bug bites and Sumpfmunds blabber, they get back into Marienburg, almost happy to see the city again.
Here ended the session.
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