EPISODE 2: WOLFGANG

Serion, Dr. Schafer and Torsten are back at the Bald Badger inn. Having arrived in Talagad that morning and dealt with Andreas's debts they are in need of rest and ale.

Torsten gets talking with some locals and ends up taking part in a drinking competition with one of the inns regulars. Always confident in his own abilities, Torsten bets a gold crown that he can beat the hardened drinker. Meanwhile, Serion buys an ale and takes up a table in the corner of the inn. He just sits observing the crowd, coming from an elven settlement, he is curious about the ways of humans and why they drink such swill. Dr. Schafer is chatting with the barman when a woman approaches him. She is clearly a lady of ill repute and a white dove tattoo on her face catches the good doctors eye. She explains that she has the tattoo because she is owned by Wolfgang from the Adewald gang. Being the expert detective that he is, Dr. Schafer decides that the woman may know something. Unfortunately the woman refuses to talk and will only do "business" with him. Dr. Schafer reluctantly gives in and pays the woman for her "services" in the hope he will be able to get information out of her. He hands over the money and she takes him outside to "conclude business" in an alleyway.

Whilst Dr. Schafer is talking with the woman, Torsten is trying to outdrink the local. Unfortunately, the ale in Talagad is a bit stronger than he is used to and after several pints he is a bit worse for wear and is getting aggressive. Conceding that he has lost he hands over his gold crown before passing out on the table.

Outside in the alley, Dr. Schafer is trying to extract information from the prostitute. As she stops to finish businses Dr. Schafer gets her to walk a bit further along the alleyway, as it is too public where they are. All the time he is asking her about a friend of his that was killed recently. The comedy stopping and walking on just a bit more continues for another 100 yards until she has had enough of his stalling. Dr. Schafer gives in and tells her to kneel before him and shut her eyes. At this, Dr. Schafer, being the legendary womans man that he is, turns and sprints as fast as he can up the alleyway and back into the inn as fast as he can, leaving a confused, yet happily paid prostitue on her knees and alone.

Dr. Schafer bursts through the inn door then composes himself before he and Serion gather up a semi conscious Torsten and head up to their rooms for the night.

Yet again our adventurers have left their mark, Dr. Schafer has paid a prostitute for nothing, perhaps creating a dubious reputation for himself as the man that "couldn't do it" and Torsten as the "man that can't hold his drink". Perhaps only Serion has avoided making a spectacle of himself so far, but that is only because he was sat alone in the corner of the inn all night.

In the morning the party decide that they need to gain entry to Talabheim and must therefore obtain papers to allow access. So Dr. Schafer (dressed as a well-to-do nobleman), Serion and a hungover Torsten head for the Municipal office. On the way Dr. Schafer decides to go to the watch barracks first to try and discover what happened to his friend. After discussing the matter with several watchmen he finds that his friend, a member of the Adewald gang and two other men were pulled dead from the river recently. Uncovering no further leads, the party head on to the Municipal office.

Upon arriving at the Municipal office the adventurers discover that they are required to fill in numerous forms and join several lengthy queues to obtain passes into Talabheim. Deciding that this was not really what they wanted to spend their day doing, Dr. Schafer puffed out his chest, headed to the nearest official and loudly proclaimed that he was actually Baron von Ricchthoffen and was not prepared to queue, and that he and his bodyguards would need to be dealt with immediately. Amazingly, this plan seemed to intimidate an official sufficiently enough for him to tell the "Baron" to head to the Eel inn where the magistrate would expediate their passes. Pleased with their progress the group decide to head back to the Bald Badger for lunch before going on to the Eel inn for their passes.

Just as the group sit down to their lunch, a woman bursts in to the inn. It is Alexa and she looks extremely upset. She heads straight to the party and explains that her daughter Hanna has gone missing. She was last seen heading to the fish market last night but never returned. Her husband Andreas was already out looking for her but with no luck so far. The adventurers agree to help with the search and head off (after Dr. Schafer changes back to his physicians clothing).

Being the last place she was seen, the party start at the fish market. Unfortunately there is no sign of her there. Dr. Schafer and Serion get talking to a pedlar selling religious trinkets. Serion discovers that a Kiselvite man is selling Elven trinkets in Talagad, this appears to interest him geatly though he does not tell the others. Dr. Schafer decides to buy several trinkets, in fact he buys one religious trinket for each of the major Empire gods, saying "you can never be too careful".

The adventurers head to the Kislevite district but having no idea where to look or even speak Kislevite they just wander the streets. Heading down one particularly rough street they are confronted by several Kislevite thugs. Torsten simply pulls out his two handed mace and they realise their error and disperse immediately. Shortly after this the trio hear a commotion and the watch arriving so they make their exit hastily, not wanting to be involved in the ensuing riot that looks likely to occur.

Not having any luck so far the party decide to head straight to Skully's, as Wolfgang would be there playing cards, and had previously threatened that the matter of Andreas's debt was not over and he would pay.

The adventurers head straight into Skully's and up to Wolfgang. Torsten angrily demands that Wolfgang tell him where the girl is. Wolfgang simply laughs so Torsten threatens to kill him. sensing things could get messy in his club again, Skully and his bouncers break up the two groups. Torsten and Dr. Schafer leave but Serion takes up a seat in one corner of the club and watches Wolfgang. After a short while Skully comes over and offers Serion and Torsten a chance in his pit fighting arena. Serion declines but says that Torsten may be interested. Serion then leaves and meets back with Torsten and Dr. Schafer.

Having reached another dead end the trio decide to head back to Andreas and Alexa to see if they have heard anything. As they cross the bridge back over the river they see Hanna. She has hollow, sunken eyes and a the same white dove tattoo on her face that "Dr.Schafer's prostitute" had. Realising what had happened to her the adventurers take her straight back to her family. Andreas is beside himself with anger and vows to kill Wolfgang. Torsten gives him his mace and the four head to Skully's to find Wolfgang.

On arrival at Skully's the would be heroes decide that storming in through the front door could be a bad idea. Torsten, Andreas and Dr. Schafer wait at the front of the club whilst Serion moved around the back to try and find a way in. Whilst Serion was looking for a way in, Dr. Schafer decided to just walk straight in and find Wolfgang. Torsten remained outside trying to persuade Andreas not to charge in and start a fight. Serion gave up looking for a way around the back and went through the front door after Dr. Schafer. Unfortunately Wolfgang was nowhere to be seen. Serion asked Skully if he knew where to find him, Skully was more than happy to give away the location of Wolfgang's home.

Sometime later the four men arrived at Wolfgang's home. Two guards (the two thugs collecting money from Alexa previously) were at the front door. Torsten and Andreas scouted around the back of the house, seeing a barrel by the back door. Much time was spent debating the use and contents of the barrel before it was decided that it didn't really matter anyway. Serion, being the agile elf that he is climbed the next door building and lept across to the roof of Wolfgang's home. Dr. Schafer decided that the guards at the front door needed to be distracted, so feigning a drunken state sidled over to the two thugs and started a conversation.

Serion made his way over the roof and expertly swung down and through a window on the upper floor, nimbly leaping off of a table inside the window without making a noise. From downstairs voices and laughter could be heard. Dr. Schafer continued to distract the guards at the front, skillfully averting a mugging attempt with his quick wit. Torsten and Andreas maintained their silent wait in the back garden, waiting for a sign from Serion to attack.

Serion made his way across the upstairs room to a door on the other side, hoping to be able to make a signal to his waiting companions. Carefully opening the door he discovered a couple in bed, "busy at it". Not sure what to do, Serion stood quietly in the corner.

Having grown impatient at the wait Torsten and Andreas moved up to the back door. Preparing to kick the door off of its hinges, Torsten thought twice and tried the handle. It was unlocked. Opening the door, Torsten and Andreas burst in knocking a weasly rat faced man to the floor unconscious before dispatching another guard by knocking his teeth out with a mace.

Meanwhile, Dr. Schafer continued his pretend drunken conversation with the guards. Serion, having stood in the corner of the room whilst the two humans continued their activities decided to make his presence known. As the two lovers turned their attentions to the black clothed elf in the corner of their room, he ordered them to be silent, whilst he tied their hands together with a belt from a pile of discarded clothes from the floor. Hearing that the attack had started downstairs before his signal he quickly drew a dagger and throwing knife and made for the stairs.

Torsten and Andreas were making good progress downstairs, clearing the kitchen before moving into the main living room. Inside were a mixture of thugs, prostitutes and of course, Wolfgang. Torsten's skills with the two handed mace proved too great for the guards and they quickly surrendered. Serion appeared at the bottom of the stairs and launched a throwing knife at a thug stood near the front door of the house. The knife flew true, but at the last minute the guard moved and it glanced off of his arm harmlessly.

The two guards at the fron door, hearing the commotion deicided they should investigate, Dr. Schafer, realising that his drunken charade had taken him as far as it could, waited for them to turn their backs on him before drawing his dagger and holding it to the back of the unfortunate guard in front of him (the same guard that also had a dagger held to his back by Serion at the Broussard home the day before, unlucky). Dr. Schafer calmly suggested that it would be in the guards best interest to leave now and go home as there would be ten hardened warriors waiting for them inside. Agreeing, the two guards fled the scene, leaving Dr. Schafer an open door to enter the house.

Andreas made for Wolfgang, the pair trading blows but neither gaining the upper hand. Torsten, having bested the thug by him, charged straight at Wolfgang, Andreas stepped to the side, clearly a manouevre from their days together as mercenaries. Torsten swung his mighty two handed mace and connected with Wolfgangs face, making a sickening ripping sound as a large flap of skin and flesh hung loosely, leaving a terrible wound. Wolfgang's resolve held, and he held up his arms to defend himself, at this, Andreas swung his mace and struck him square in the hip. Wolfgang's body stiffened as his pelvis shattered, blood spurting from the wound, spraying Torsten and Andreas and most of the room. Wolfgang slumped to the floor dead, a large pool of blood forming where he lay.

The shock of their leader dying in such a way dissolved any loyalty that the remaining thugs had as they ran for their lives.

As Torsten and Andreas gathered themselves, Serion made for the kitchen where he found the Kislevite "Mikhail" unconscious on the floor. He tied the thug's hands together with his belt and gagged him. The rest of the party joined him in the kitchen. Dr. Schafer suggested it would be best if they were elsewhere when the watch arrived. The adventurers and their captive disappeared out of the back door of the house to find somewhere suitable to interrogate him...