Our three adventurers are all aboard the Maria Borger, a riverboat sailing the Talabec river towards Talabheim. Each are on the boat for their own personal reasons, each are heading toward the city of Talabheim. Having spent several evenings drinking and sharing stories a bond has formed between the travellers.
On arrival at Talagad, just outside the city of Talabheim the three friends disembark from the Maria Borger, thanking captain Strauss for his hospitality and start looking for lodgings. At the docks the trio are met by a young boy going by the name of 'Pockets'. Torsten asks Pockets if he has heard of a man named Andreas Broussard, a former mercenary comrade who was forced to retire due to injury. Pockets agrees to enquire into his whereabouts and in the meantime suggests they try the Eel inn for somewhere to stay.
On arriving at the Eel inn the adventurers are met by two surly soldiers, barring the way into the inn. It turns out that it is being used by the authorities for dealing with immigrants resulting from the wars in the North. Torsten and Dr. Schafer decide to wait at the Eel inn for Pockets to return whilst Serion goes off to secure lodgings for the party elsewhere. About half an hour later Serion returns after renting a room at the Bald Badger inn. Shortly after this Pockets arrives with the location of Andreas Broussard's house.
The adventurers head off to Andreas's house. Upon knocking on the door they are met by his wife Alexa, his 13 year old daughter Hannah and 5 year old son Sigfried. Alexa explains that Andreas has taken to gambling and drinking since losing his arm and being forced to retire from his mercenary unit. He has been out drinking all day and should be back soon. She offers the adventurers fish stew which they readily accept and wait for Andreas to return.
About an hour later there is a knock at the door. Alexa goes to answer it, cursing Andreas for forgetting his key. The adventurers hear an argument coming from the front door and then a thump. Torsten leaps to his feet and rushes to see what has happened. He discovers Alexa lying on the floor, obviously as a result of being punched in the face. A menacing thug is stood in the doorway, with another thug brandishing a club behind him. Torsten wastes no time in launching a head butt at the thug, followed by a kick and a punch. Meanwhile, Serion disappears out of the back door and Dr. Schafer pulls Alexa to safety and protects the children.
Torsten continues to fight the thug in the doorway, like a ghost, Serion appears behind the thug with the club, having circled around the house. The thug with the club feels a dagger point against his back and Serion tells him to call off his friend. The thugs realise that they are outmatched and leave, saying that Wolfgang wants his money from Andreas. Whilst Dr. Schafer tends to Alexa's wounds she reveals that Andreas owes a money lender called Wolfgang 20 gold crowns. On hearing this, Torsten produces a pouch of 20 gold crowns that his mercenary unit had donated to Andreas to help with his retirement. The party offer to take the money to Wolfgang to settle the debt. Alexa is grateful and tells them he can be found at a club called Skully's on the other side of the river.
The adventurers head straight to Skully's to pay Wolfgang what he is owed. Skully's turns out to be a bit of a dive and is run by a rather unpleasant halfling called Skully. The party leave their weapons at the door with two rather large and intimidating bouncers. At one end of the club, sitting at a table with a weasley rat faced man and several other men is Wolfgang. Torsten leads the way over to Wolfgang and says that he has brought the money owed by Andreas and is paying in full. Wolfgang takes the money then claims that as interest on the money owed and he will be collecting that later. Torsten is quick to anger and refuses to pay any interest and threatens Wolfgang. At this, Wolfgang and his cronies rise and he declares that the issue should be 'sorted out' outside. Skully intervenes and asks for there to be no trouble inside. As the group of men start to leave, Torsten grabs a chair and smashes it over the head of one of the thugs. Dr. Schafer, thinking on his feet, grabs hold of a nearby woman (most likely of ill repute) and throws her into the path of another of the thugs. Serion grabs a wine bottle from a table and swings it at a thug, missing several times. Torsten, left with only a broken chair leg in his hand, proceeds to hit another thug around the head. Realising that things are going to get messy, Skully and his bouncers step in and the two groups separate. The trio of adventurers decide that it would be wise to walk away from the fight and head back to let Alexa and hopefully Andreas, know that the debt has been settled. Torsten catches up with his old comrade, Andreas and offers him work. Once the adventurers have visited the Broussard household they head back to the Bald Badger for a well deserved rest and some food. Welcome to Talagad lads!
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