Just over an hour before dawn the adventurers are woken by a knock at the door. One of the barmaids has been sent to wake them as they are due to leave an hour before dawn. Serion and Torsten are feeling particularly rough and both have developed grey blotches around their necks and chests. Serion is starting to feel weak and curses the filthy humans and their diseases. Johann is also starting to feel a bit hot and sweaty and knows that he has only a matter of days left until he develops the grey blotches as well.
The trio dress quickly and head down to the bar for breakfast before their journey. They are greeted by Otto, Karl, Andreas and Max. Over a meal of hard bread and cheese Andreas reveals that he has been hired by Adewald as an interpreter and thanks Torsten for all his help. Serion gives Otto and Karl a gold coin to remove any wanted posters they find around Talagad, with this they take their leave and head straight for the bar.
Once they have eaten and said their farewells to Andreas, Otto and Karl, Max takes the adventurers to warehouse fifteen. He leaves them outside and disappears into the pre-dawn gloom. Johann knocks on the door of the building and is greeted by a massive Norscan, at least seven feet in height with an equally massive sword on his back. He ushers them inside and bolts the door behind them.
Finch is waiting for them inside and is joined by a rather scruffy looking little man and a large black man with a scimitar. Johann hands over the fifteen gold coins to Finch whilst Torsten introduces himself to the other two men. The large black man reveals his name is Dubar but the little scruffy man turns away and refuses to make small talk. Finch then announces that the large Norscan named Sigleif and himself will be guiding the five travellers through the sewers under the wall into Talabheim. Sigleif then moves a large pile of crates to reveal a trap door in the floor. He pulls it open to reveal steps down into the sewers.
Finch lights up a torch and leads the way down into the darkness. As they head down into the gloom Finch asks Johann what their business in Talabheim is. Johann tells him that they are looking for an apothecary named Daubner.
After a while they reach a large chamber with several tunnels heading off in different directions. In the middle of the room are some barrows with old clothes in. Finch explains that they are disguises to make the men look like tanners and help them blend in when they leave the sewers. Torsten is not happy about the disguises and is reluctant to remove his armour. Serion on the other hand sees the sense in being disguised so changes quickly. As they debate the merits of looking like tanners, Johann and Serion both hear coughing from down some of the tunnels. Torsten then hears noise from a tunnel near him and turns to Finch and demands to know what is going on. Realising that he has lost the element of surprise, Finch shouts out for his hidden thugs to attack.
Finch draws his sword and charges at Torsten. He swings wildly and misses the mercenary. Torsten takes advantage of the miss and grabs his two handed mace and lashes out at Finch but misses in the poor light.
Johann manages to spin around just in time to meet a figure running at him from the tunnel behind. He too misses badly with his dagger in the gloom. Serion, unarmed, grabs his bow and quiver of arrows from the cart beside him.
Two more thugs appear from the darkness to attack Dubar and the scruffy man. The scruffy little man raises his hands in surrender immediately, which is met with a crack to the skull from the pommel of the thugs sword, leaving him unconscious on the floor. Another thug rushes from the tunnel by Torsten to help Finch.
The thug attacking Johann fails to hit as the darkness makes combat difficult. Meanwhile the thug that has just joined the fight with Torsten thrusts his sword at the mercenaries leg, opening a painful gash on his thigh. Finch follows this with a poor stab with his sword then a feeble backhand that clatters off of Torstens breastplate. Torsten replies, swinging his mace at Finch but missing the man by inches. His second attack strikes Finch on his arm causing him to back off in pain. On the other side of the room some quick attacking from Johann leaves the thug in front of him with injuries in both arms.
In the entrance to the room the large Norscan starts hitting himself in the face with the flat of his two handed sword blade. Realising that he will soon become beserk Serion takes action. He notches an arrow and fires it at the giant man hitting him in the right arm. The injury only serves to make the big man more angry and he starts to charge, so Serion fires a second arrow. The arrow strikes the Norscan between the eyes with such forces that it bursts through the back of his head. Sigleif crashes to the floor mid run like a giant oak being felled.
On the other side of the room Dubar trades blows with the two thugs facing him but neither gains an advantage. The scruffy little man pulls himself to his feet beside Dubar and after chanting something under his breath unleashes a storm of fire around one of the thugs, the man screams then falls to the ground burning. The remaining thug turns and flees at the sight.
Finch continues to attack Torsten. He brings his sword down on Torstens helmet, clanging off harmlessly. The thug next to him then catches Torsten badly opening up a serious gash on his shoulder and causing him to drop his mace. Torsten, now weaponless, lands a punch on Finch's chest. Serion seeing that Torsten is losing his fight waits for a moment then skilfully fires an arrow past Torsten and into Finch's shoulder, slicing flesh to the bone and causing him to drop his sword. Taking advantage of Finch's injury, Torsten punches him so hard in the head that he collapses to the floor unconcious.
Johann manages to parry several blows from the thug in front of him before stabbing his dagger into the mans leg. As the injured man drops down to one knee in front of him, Johann slashes at his throat then stabs him in the cheek. The thug grabs hold of his ruined face before falling dead to the floor.
Torsten, still facing an armed thug decides to grab hold of the man. Serion drops his bow onto the cart beside him and draws his dagger and runs to Torsten's aid. He tells the thug to surrender but the man stubbornly continues to resist. The fight all but over, Torsten releases the man who proceeds to run. Serion kicks out to trip the man but somehow manages to kick his own leg and ends up in an undignified heap on the floor whilst the man disappears into the darkness.
The fight over, Johann quickly stitches up the bad gash on Torsten's shoulder but tells him that he will need to look at it properly later. Serion makes the others swear to never tell anyone of his clumsy attempt at tripping the thug up. Torsten then searches Finch's body, finding a small amount of money and some rings. He also takes the two handed sword from the dead Norscan. Serion removes a silver Norscan bracelet from the dead giant which he slips into his bag.
As they are about to head off down one of the tunnels they hear a muffled voice from near them. On closer inspection they find several barrels, inside one they find a bound and gagged halfling. After releasing him from his bonds and giving him some much needed food he reveals that his name is Bogey Crumpot. Bogey tells the adventurers that he is one of the Terriers, sent into the walls to patrol and prevent smugglers and worse. In return for saving him from his imprisonment he offers to show them into Talabheim and not report them to his superiors. The three friends make sure they are well disguised as tanners and follow the halfling into the darkness.
When they arrive at the tanners district they say their farewells to Bogey and blend into the crowd of workers changing shift. They emerge into the light surrounded by people and push their cart down a side street. Dubar and the scruffy wizard head off into the city whilst Serion and Torsten change back into their normal clothes and Johann dresses as a doctor.
Just as they are moving the tanners clothing and cart into a dark corner, four watchmen and a judge see them and head straight over. The judge, noticing that the three men are new to the area starts a lengthy list of laws to be followed. Noticing that they are armed, the judge informs them of a weapon tax which they reluctantly pay. Just as the officials are leaving, Torsten manages to stifle a cough which would have attracted unwanted attention if it had escaped. Ditching the cart, Johann asks for directions to the nearest inn. He is told to head for the Three Apples, a preferred first stopping point when entering the city.
The Three Apples inn turns out to be a large comfortable building in the Old District of Talabheim. Johann manages to haggle the price of a room for the night with the landlady. They head to their room for well needed hot baths and a rest. A few hours later they return to the bar for some food. Torsten flirts with the barmaid until whilst leaning over the bar to get a better look at her curves, he realises that she is a halfling and the whole area behind the bar is a raised platform. The barmaid greets Serion in Elvish, which pleases him greatly.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Thursday, 17 February 2011
EPISODE 7: JOB AT THE DOCKS
Having formulated a quick plan of action the adventurers move. Serion takes advantage of the cloudy night to melt into the evening shadows of an alleyway to the left. Johann does likewise on the right of the street. Torsten, Andreas, Otto and Karl take the chest down the street toward the waiting Brettonnians.
Serion looks back in the direction they came from. He sees four crossbowmen following them and decides to head down the alleyway to find a better vantage point. He disappears into the darkness and easily scales a fence to hide in the back garden of a nearby house. One of the crossbowmen heads down the alleyway, looking for signs of the elf. As he strains his eyes looking into the darkness, Serion launches an arrow into the back of his head. The arrow slices straight through the mans scalp stunning him as blood pours into his eyes. Instinctively he turns to the direction the arrow came from just as a second arrow pierces his open mouth, pinning him lifeless to the fence behind. Serion calmly walks over to the dead man, removes his arrow and drags the body around the corner to hide it from searching eyes.
Johann also realises that he is being followed, so quickly scans the alleyway for options. He sees a pile of rubble to one side and picks up a large chunk of rock and slips behind a fence. He lanches the rubble further down the alleyway as a distraction and a man with a crossbow runs towards the sound. Once the man has passed, Johann vaults over the fence to attack him from behind, unfortunately he knocks over a barrel as he jumps and alerts the thug. The man spins around and fires a crossbow bolt wildly into the darkness. Johann takes advantage of this and slashes at the man with his dagger but he manages to dodge the blow. The thug then swings his crossbow at Johann but the unwieldy weapon sails past him and the momentum causes him to fall over. Johann immediately lunges with his dagger catching the man in the arm, quickly followed by a fatal stab to the throat.
Whilst Serion and Johann make their way down the side alleys, Torsten, Andreas, Otto and Karl carry on towards the waiting Jorge Lappin with the chest. The Brettonnian calls out to the four men, telling them to only send two forward with no weapons or backpacks. Torsten shouts back telling them to leave their crossbows. Torsten and Andreas both hide daggers in their belts, take the key to the chest from Otto and start walking. Lappin turns to another man and speaks in Brettonnian, saying that the job will be easy as they have only been sent a one armed cripple and a retard. Andreas, understanding the foreigners lets Torsten know. As they near, Torsten asks Jorge if he is supposed to be the cripple or the retard. Jorge is taken aback and tries to move the deal on. Lappins henchman opens up a crate revealing bottles of Brettonnian brandy. Torsten opens the chest with the key, to his surprise, the chest is full of stones and not gold. Torsten curses under his breath, realising that Adewald has double crossed the adventurers. Jorge starts to get twitchy as Torsten closes the chest again smiling. Torsten hands over the chest and as Jorge opens it he gives Andreas a wink and they both draw their daggers. Jorge sees the stones in the chest then looks up to see Torsten and Andreas holding weapons. He too draws a dagger and orders his henchman to attack.
As Serion leaves the hidden body of the man he just killed he looks up and sees another on the roof of the building across the street and one on the roof of the house next to him. Both men are holding two crossbows and look as if they are targeting somebody in the street below. Serion, hoping that Johann is taking care of the other side of the street takes aim at the man above him. Serion aims at the mans leg, and lets loose his arrow knowing that if his shot hit correctly the man would fall backward into the garden and not down into the street. The arrow strikes the back of the mans thigh, he stumbles and falls backwards off of the roof into the garden in front of Serion. He cries out as he falls and Serion curses his luck at not making the perfect silent kill. Serion quickly takes aim at the downed man and fires a second arrow straight into the injured mans heart, killing him instantly.
Meanwhile, Johann picks up and loads the crossbow from the thug he has just killed. As he is about to move off he notices a man on the roof above him aiming a crossbow into the street below. Johann takes aim with his crossbow and launches a bolt straight into the back of the mans head. The thug stands motionless for a second then slowly topples backwards and slides down the roof before landing with a sickening crunch on the floor below. The crossbow he was holding and another land on top of his body with a soft thump. Johann drops the crossbow he has just fired and takes the other two which are both luckily still loaded.
In the street, Torsten and Andreas square up to Lappin and his henchman Henri. Henri grabs a sword from behind the crate of brandy and prepares to fight. Torsten lunges at Lappin with his dagger, piercing his leather armour and scraping along his ribs. Henri swings his sword at Andreas but the one armed mercenary manages to dodge to one side and then plunge his dagger into the mans neck killing him instantly. Andreas then picks up the sword. Torsten continues to look for an opening on Lappin and as the Brettonnian starts to back off Andreas swings his sword around, disarming him expertly. He follows up with a solid blow that connects with the mans right arm breaking it at the elbow. Realising that he cannot win the fight, Lappin drops to his knees and begs for mercy. As Torsten bends to pick up the defeated mans dagger the Brettonnian shouts out to hidden crossbowmen telling them to open fire. The remaining crossbowmen fire at Torsten and Andreas. A crossbow bolt glances off of Andreas's chainmail whilst Torsten is struck twice in the chest. Both bolts penetrating Torstens breastplate and causing damage beneath. The two men look at each other in surprise then with a roar charge past Lappin into the crossbowmen. Faced with two charging armed men, one of the crossbowmen turns and runs, the other desperately tries to reload his weapon. Before he gets chance to aim, Torsten slashes a dagger across his face. He swings his crossbow at Torsten but it is parried with Lappins dagger. Andreas then launches a punch at the man flooring him. Torsten lifts the man to his feet and tells Andreas to watch him. As they are doing this, Lappin makes a dash for an alleyway. Angry at letting the Brettonnian escape, Torsten turns to the captured man and slits his throat.
Johann slings both crossbows over his shoulders and proceeds to climb up the drainpipe of the house from which he shot down the thug. Once on the roof he sees the fighting below him. Not wanting to risk a shot into the combat beneath he turns his attention back up the road they came along and sees two men aiming crossbows at Torsten and Andreas. He takes aim at one of them and fires a bolt into the mans shoulder causing him to drop to the floor in agony. He then attempts to fire the second crossbow at the downed man but the bolt ricochets off of the floor in front of him.
Serion heads back to the alleyway and looks up at the building opposite where the other crossbowman was hiding. The man is gone and Johann is in his place holding on to a crossbow and aiming down into the street. Serion scans his eyes back the way they had come from for the other two crossbowmen that had been following. He sees one man slumped against a wall with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder and another man preparing to fire his crossbow down the street toward Torsten and Andreas. Serion quickly fires an arrow at the man, striking him in the chest making him drop his crossbow. He then fires a second arrow at the man, hitting him straight between his eyes, killing him instantly. The elf then quickly spins to look down the street and sees Lappin starting to run towards an alleyway. Serion aims towards him, hoping to hit the mans leg and knock him to the ground. The arrow flies true but its power is so great that it pierces the first leg and pins it to the other. Lappin suddenly finds himself falling midstride as his legs can no longer move independently. The arrow also manages to sever an artery and the man is dead before he hits the floor.
As scene calms down the trio loot the bodies of the Brettonnians. Johann and Torsten help themselves to several weapons and items of clothing whilst Serion is not interested in weighing himself down with extra equipment. He does however take a share of the silver shillings found on the dead men. They then load up the cart with the crate of brandy and chest of stones and head straight to Adewalds warehouse.
On arriving at the warehouse the adventurers meet a man who introduces himself as Max. Angry at being double crossed by Adewald, Johann manages to persuade Max into getting them into Talabheim. He agrees to set up a meeting with Finch, whom the trio failed to find at the Ten-Tailed Cat previously. Max tells them to go to the Crooked Shoe inn and Finch will see them.
Leaving the warehouse, they head to the Crooked Shoe inn.
The trio enter the Crooked Shoe and are greeted by a man who introduces himself as Finch. Finch is asking for twenty gold coins from each man to get into Talabheim. After several rounds of negotiation and haggling Johann gets the price down to ten gold coins each. Realising that Finch is not actually bothered how much he is getting paid and that he is mostly likely doing it because he has been told to, Serion knocks him down to fifteen gold coins for the three of them. Finch tells them to meet him at warehouse fifteen in the docks district an hour before dawn and leaves.
Deciding to settle down for the night the adventurers ask about rooms. As they are speaking to the barmaid Serion and Torsten start to cough and she immediately tells them that there are no rooms available. Deciding that she is lying, Torsten grabs the girl and Johann whispers something into her ear that makes her eyes widen in fear and she changes her mind instantly.
Having acquired a room for the remainder of the night, Johann sets to work healing the two puncture wounds in Torstens chest from the fight with the Brettonnians earlier. Serion gets himself comfortable and is asleep in minutes. Satisfied with his healing, Johann sits on his bed and mixes up various herbs to make a poison for one of his daggers. It is not long before the remaining two adventurers are asleep and resting before their journey into Talabheim in the morning.
Serion looks back in the direction they came from. He sees four crossbowmen following them and decides to head down the alleyway to find a better vantage point. He disappears into the darkness and easily scales a fence to hide in the back garden of a nearby house. One of the crossbowmen heads down the alleyway, looking for signs of the elf. As he strains his eyes looking into the darkness, Serion launches an arrow into the back of his head. The arrow slices straight through the mans scalp stunning him as blood pours into his eyes. Instinctively he turns to the direction the arrow came from just as a second arrow pierces his open mouth, pinning him lifeless to the fence behind. Serion calmly walks over to the dead man, removes his arrow and drags the body around the corner to hide it from searching eyes.
Johann also realises that he is being followed, so quickly scans the alleyway for options. He sees a pile of rubble to one side and picks up a large chunk of rock and slips behind a fence. He lanches the rubble further down the alleyway as a distraction and a man with a crossbow runs towards the sound. Once the man has passed, Johann vaults over the fence to attack him from behind, unfortunately he knocks over a barrel as he jumps and alerts the thug. The man spins around and fires a crossbow bolt wildly into the darkness. Johann takes advantage of this and slashes at the man with his dagger but he manages to dodge the blow. The thug then swings his crossbow at Johann but the unwieldy weapon sails past him and the momentum causes him to fall over. Johann immediately lunges with his dagger catching the man in the arm, quickly followed by a fatal stab to the throat.
Whilst Serion and Johann make their way down the side alleys, Torsten, Andreas, Otto and Karl carry on towards the waiting Jorge Lappin with the chest. The Brettonnian calls out to the four men, telling them to only send two forward with no weapons or backpacks. Torsten shouts back telling them to leave their crossbows. Torsten and Andreas both hide daggers in their belts, take the key to the chest from Otto and start walking. Lappin turns to another man and speaks in Brettonnian, saying that the job will be easy as they have only been sent a one armed cripple and a retard. Andreas, understanding the foreigners lets Torsten know. As they near, Torsten asks Jorge if he is supposed to be the cripple or the retard. Jorge is taken aback and tries to move the deal on. Lappins henchman opens up a crate revealing bottles of Brettonnian brandy. Torsten opens the chest with the key, to his surprise, the chest is full of stones and not gold. Torsten curses under his breath, realising that Adewald has double crossed the adventurers. Jorge starts to get twitchy as Torsten closes the chest again smiling. Torsten hands over the chest and as Jorge opens it he gives Andreas a wink and they both draw their daggers. Jorge sees the stones in the chest then looks up to see Torsten and Andreas holding weapons. He too draws a dagger and orders his henchman to attack.
As Serion leaves the hidden body of the man he just killed he looks up and sees another on the roof of the building across the street and one on the roof of the house next to him. Both men are holding two crossbows and look as if they are targeting somebody in the street below. Serion, hoping that Johann is taking care of the other side of the street takes aim at the man above him. Serion aims at the mans leg, and lets loose his arrow knowing that if his shot hit correctly the man would fall backward into the garden and not down into the street. The arrow strikes the back of the mans thigh, he stumbles and falls backwards off of the roof into the garden in front of Serion. He cries out as he falls and Serion curses his luck at not making the perfect silent kill. Serion quickly takes aim at the downed man and fires a second arrow straight into the injured mans heart, killing him instantly.
Meanwhile, Johann picks up and loads the crossbow from the thug he has just killed. As he is about to move off he notices a man on the roof above him aiming a crossbow into the street below. Johann takes aim with his crossbow and launches a bolt straight into the back of the mans head. The thug stands motionless for a second then slowly topples backwards and slides down the roof before landing with a sickening crunch on the floor below. The crossbow he was holding and another land on top of his body with a soft thump. Johann drops the crossbow he has just fired and takes the other two which are both luckily still loaded.
In the street, Torsten and Andreas square up to Lappin and his henchman Henri. Henri grabs a sword from behind the crate of brandy and prepares to fight. Torsten lunges at Lappin with his dagger, piercing his leather armour and scraping along his ribs. Henri swings his sword at Andreas but the one armed mercenary manages to dodge to one side and then plunge his dagger into the mans neck killing him instantly. Andreas then picks up the sword. Torsten continues to look for an opening on Lappin and as the Brettonnian starts to back off Andreas swings his sword around, disarming him expertly. He follows up with a solid blow that connects with the mans right arm breaking it at the elbow. Realising that he cannot win the fight, Lappin drops to his knees and begs for mercy. As Torsten bends to pick up the defeated mans dagger the Brettonnian shouts out to hidden crossbowmen telling them to open fire. The remaining crossbowmen fire at Torsten and Andreas. A crossbow bolt glances off of Andreas's chainmail whilst Torsten is struck twice in the chest. Both bolts penetrating Torstens breastplate and causing damage beneath. The two men look at each other in surprise then with a roar charge past Lappin into the crossbowmen. Faced with two charging armed men, one of the crossbowmen turns and runs, the other desperately tries to reload his weapon. Before he gets chance to aim, Torsten slashes a dagger across his face. He swings his crossbow at Torsten but it is parried with Lappins dagger. Andreas then launches a punch at the man flooring him. Torsten lifts the man to his feet and tells Andreas to watch him. As they are doing this, Lappin makes a dash for an alleyway. Angry at letting the Brettonnian escape, Torsten turns to the captured man and slits his throat.
Johann slings both crossbows over his shoulders and proceeds to climb up the drainpipe of the house from which he shot down the thug. Once on the roof he sees the fighting below him. Not wanting to risk a shot into the combat beneath he turns his attention back up the road they came along and sees two men aiming crossbows at Torsten and Andreas. He takes aim at one of them and fires a bolt into the mans shoulder causing him to drop to the floor in agony. He then attempts to fire the second crossbow at the downed man but the bolt ricochets off of the floor in front of him.
Serion heads back to the alleyway and looks up at the building opposite where the other crossbowman was hiding. The man is gone and Johann is in his place holding on to a crossbow and aiming down into the street. Serion scans his eyes back the way they had come from for the other two crossbowmen that had been following. He sees one man slumped against a wall with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder and another man preparing to fire his crossbow down the street toward Torsten and Andreas. Serion quickly fires an arrow at the man, striking him in the chest making him drop his crossbow. He then fires a second arrow at the man, hitting him straight between his eyes, killing him instantly. The elf then quickly spins to look down the street and sees Lappin starting to run towards an alleyway. Serion aims towards him, hoping to hit the mans leg and knock him to the ground. The arrow flies true but its power is so great that it pierces the first leg and pins it to the other. Lappin suddenly finds himself falling midstride as his legs can no longer move independently. The arrow also manages to sever an artery and the man is dead before he hits the floor.
As scene calms down the trio loot the bodies of the Brettonnians. Johann and Torsten help themselves to several weapons and items of clothing whilst Serion is not interested in weighing himself down with extra equipment. He does however take a share of the silver shillings found on the dead men. They then load up the cart with the crate of brandy and chest of stones and head straight to Adewalds warehouse.
On arriving at the warehouse the adventurers meet a man who introduces himself as Max. Angry at being double crossed by Adewald, Johann manages to persuade Max into getting them into Talabheim. He agrees to set up a meeting with Finch, whom the trio failed to find at the Ten-Tailed Cat previously. Max tells them to go to the Crooked Shoe inn and Finch will see them.
Leaving the warehouse, they head to the Crooked Shoe inn.
The trio enter the Crooked Shoe and are greeted by a man who introduces himself as Finch. Finch is asking for twenty gold coins from each man to get into Talabheim. After several rounds of negotiation and haggling Johann gets the price down to ten gold coins each. Realising that Finch is not actually bothered how much he is getting paid and that he is mostly likely doing it because he has been told to, Serion knocks him down to fifteen gold coins for the three of them. Finch tells them to meet him at warehouse fifteen in the docks district an hour before dawn and leaves.
Deciding to settle down for the night the adventurers ask about rooms. As they are speaking to the barmaid Serion and Torsten start to cough and she immediately tells them that there are no rooms available. Deciding that she is lying, Torsten grabs the girl and Johann whispers something into her ear that makes her eyes widen in fear and she changes her mind instantly.
Having acquired a room for the remainder of the night, Johann sets to work healing the two puncture wounds in Torstens chest from the fight with the Brettonnians earlier. Serion gets himself comfortable and is asleep in minutes. Satisfied with his healing, Johann sits on his bed and mixes up various herbs to make a poison for one of his daggers. It is not long before the remaining two adventurers are asleep and resting before their journey into Talabheim in the morning.
Friday, 11 February 2011
EPISODE 6: PAYING A DEBT
After making their escape from the disaster at the Ten-Tailed Cat, the trio meet up by the river. The ferries are not running anymore so they make their way across the bridge back to the Bald Badger. Serion and Torsten are starting to feel quite ill from what Johann believes is the early stages of the plague that all are suffering from in Talagad.
Just as they are nearing the Bald Badger, they come across a religious zealot preaching to a crowd. The zealot is preaching about cleansing Talagad of the plague. He whips the crowd up with chanting and shouting before setting himself on fire and screaming for all signs of the plague to be treated likewise. At this the crowd goes beserk. Locals run off searching for people with signs of the plague to 'cleanse' with fire. Just as the adventurers are thinking that they should be making an escape from the madness, four flagellants wielding burning flails head their way.
Torsten instinctively reaches for his two handed mace. Serion disappears down a side alley, not fancying being an elf with the plague facing a crowd of hysterical zealots. Johann takes a different stance and immediately joins in the chant of "burn the unclean!"
The flagellants continue to advance on Torsten and Johann. Torsten swings his mace at the nearest flagellant, the hard metal crunching against the side of his head opening a cut down the side of his face and spinning him around. The remaining three attack Torsten. Two miss completely, the third glances a blow off of Torstens helmet, the sticky burning pitch from the flail leaving a burning patch on the metal.
Johann stabs one of the flagellants twice in the back causing a large amount of damage to the unarmoured flesh. Serion, realising that nobody had followed him down the alley, stops and makes his way back to the fight, drawing his bow as he jogs.
Torsten brings his giant mace down from above his head onto the flagellant in front of him, striking him with so much force on the shoulder that the mans arm is torn off. The flagellant looks at the gaping mess where his arm once was then falls to the floor dead.
The flagellant facing Johann swings his burning flail fiercly, catching him on the arm but luckily not setting him on fire. The two flagellants fighting Torsten are a bit more cautious after seeing their companion bludgeoned into two pieces by the man in front of them. They swing their flails but miss badly.
Meanwhile, Serion emerges from the alleyway he disappeared down. Seeing Torsten with his head on fire and Johann being struck by a burning flail he immediately nocks an arrow and fires at the flagellant in front of him. The arrow fizzes past Johanns arm with mere inches to spare and strikes the flagellant in the hand holding his flail. The arrow severs two of the mans fingers, causing him to drop his flail in agony.
Johann leaves the disarmed (disfingered) man and moves to help Torsten. He stabs another flagellant in the back with his dagger, opening up a large bloody wound in the surprised man. He then plunges his dagger into the mans left arm so hard that it slices through muscle, sinew and blood vessels. The flagellant can take no more punishment and collapses to the floor dead.
Torsten swings his mace at the remaining uninjured flagellant. Again, he launches the mace down from above his head with such incredible force that when it strikes the flagellant on the shoulder it shatters it, causing the arm to hang limply and useless by his side. The flagellant collapses to the ground and twitches before dying. On seeing the rest of his friends being crushed so emphatically by the adventurers, the flagellant with the severed fingers turns and runs into the crowd.
Serion waves at his friends and they join him in the alleyway before the crowd turns on them. As they run down the alleyway, Torsten manages to remove the burning pitch from his helmet, cursing at himself for getting hit on the head in the first place.
The adventurers continue on their way back to the Bald Badger without incident, but as they near the inn Johann starts to get a bad feeling. Serion scouts ahead to see if there is anything happening. As Serion get near the inn he sees two watchmen talking to Hans the landlord. Serion sees the watchmen ask him something and then Hans shrug his shoulders. The men then nail a poster to the wall and leave. Once the area is clear, Serion heads over to Hans and looks at the poster. He sees that it is a wanted poster for the murder of Apothecary Widdenhoff and the men wanted for the crime are himself and Johann. Serion calls over Johann and Torsten to show them the poster. Johann is impressed at the likeness of himself.
The trio make their way to the kitchens at the rear of the inn to meet Hans. Serion looks through the kitchen window and sees Hans talking to a barman. Torsten enters the kitchen and tries to explain what happened at Widdenhoffs. Hans agrees to say nothing to the watch seeing as the adventurers have been nothing but good guests previously. The men decide that it is best for them lay low in their room until their job at the docks. After a meal and several drinks, Johann tells Torsten and Serion that he has been tracking a spy who had infiltrated the Adewald gang. The man then became an informant for the corrupt Talabheim secret police before disappearing. Johann has been sent to find out what happened and why.
The next evening they eat their last meal at the Bald Badger and give Hans a handful of shillings to compensate for any trouble caused before Otto, Karl and a man called Max arrive. Max appears to be in charge and tells the trio that he has been sent by Mr. Adewald. He tells them that they are to exchange a small chest with some Brettonians at the docks on a road called Cheap Street. He also tells them that it may be difficult for them to get to the docks due to the unrest in Talagad. Johann tries to persuade Max to help them find a way into the city in return for them completing the job. Max says he will see what he can arrange if they are successful. Torsten heads out to get Andreas as he is fluent in Brettonian and would be a good translator.
Once Torsten and Andreas return, Otto and Karl lead them off to the meeting place. Johann has another bad feeling as they near their destination. The trio quickly discuss a plan of action as they arrive at Cheap Street...
Just as they are nearing the Bald Badger, they come across a religious zealot preaching to a crowd. The zealot is preaching about cleansing Talagad of the plague. He whips the crowd up with chanting and shouting before setting himself on fire and screaming for all signs of the plague to be treated likewise. At this the crowd goes beserk. Locals run off searching for people with signs of the plague to 'cleanse' with fire. Just as the adventurers are thinking that they should be making an escape from the madness, four flagellants wielding burning flails head their way.
Torsten instinctively reaches for his two handed mace. Serion disappears down a side alley, not fancying being an elf with the plague facing a crowd of hysterical zealots. Johann takes a different stance and immediately joins in the chant of "burn the unclean!"
The flagellants continue to advance on Torsten and Johann. Torsten swings his mace at the nearest flagellant, the hard metal crunching against the side of his head opening a cut down the side of his face and spinning him around. The remaining three attack Torsten. Two miss completely, the third glances a blow off of Torstens helmet, the sticky burning pitch from the flail leaving a burning patch on the metal.
Johann stabs one of the flagellants twice in the back causing a large amount of damage to the unarmoured flesh. Serion, realising that nobody had followed him down the alley, stops and makes his way back to the fight, drawing his bow as he jogs.
Torsten brings his giant mace down from above his head onto the flagellant in front of him, striking him with so much force on the shoulder that the mans arm is torn off. The flagellant looks at the gaping mess where his arm once was then falls to the floor dead.
The flagellant facing Johann swings his burning flail fiercly, catching him on the arm but luckily not setting him on fire. The two flagellants fighting Torsten are a bit more cautious after seeing their companion bludgeoned into two pieces by the man in front of them. They swing their flails but miss badly.
Meanwhile, Serion emerges from the alleyway he disappeared down. Seeing Torsten with his head on fire and Johann being struck by a burning flail he immediately nocks an arrow and fires at the flagellant in front of him. The arrow fizzes past Johanns arm with mere inches to spare and strikes the flagellant in the hand holding his flail. The arrow severs two of the mans fingers, causing him to drop his flail in agony.
Johann leaves the disarmed (disfingered) man and moves to help Torsten. He stabs another flagellant in the back with his dagger, opening up a large bloody wound in the surprised man. He then plunges his dagger into the mans left arm so hard that it slices through muscle, sinew and blood vessels. The flagellant can take no more punishment and collapses to the floor dead.
Torsten swings his mace at the remaining uninjured flagellant. Again, he launches the mace down from above his head with such incredible force that when it strikes the flagellant on the shoulder it shatters it, causing the arm to hang limply and useless by his side. The flagellant collapses to the ground and twitches before dying. On seeing the rest of his friends being crushed so emphatically by the adventurers, the flagellant with the severed fingers turns and runs into the crowd.
Serion waves at his friends and they join him in the alleyway before the crowd turns on them. As they run down the alleyway, Torsten manages to remove the burning pitch from his helmet, cursing at himself for getting hit on the head in the first place.
The adventurers continue on their way back to the Bald Badger without incident, but as they near the inn Johann starts to get a bad feeling. Serion scouts ahead to see if there is anything happening. As Serion get near the inn he sees two watchmen talking to Hans the landlord. Serion sees the watchmen ask him something and then Hans shrug his shoulders. The men then nail a poster to the wall and leave. Once the area is clear, Serion heads over to Hans and looks at the poster. He sees that it is a wanted poster for the murder of Apothecary Widdenhoff and the men wanted for the crime are himself and Johann. Serion calls over Johann and Torsten to show them the poster. Johann is impressed at the likeness of himself.
The trio make their way to the kitchens at the rear of the inn to meet Hans. Serion looks through the kitchen window and sees Hans talking to a barman. Torsten enters the kitchen and tries to explain what happened at Widdenhoffs. Hans agrees to say nothing to the watch seeing as the adventurers have been nothing but good guests previously. The men decide that it is best for them lay low in their room until their job at the docks. After a meal and several drinks, Johann tells Torsten and Serion that he has been tracking a spy who had infiltrated the Adewald gang. The man then became an informant for the corrupt Talabheim secret police before disappearing. Johann has been sent to find out what happened and why.
The next evening they eat their last meal at the Bald Badger and give Hans a handful of shillings to compensate for any trouble caused before Otto, Karl and a man called Max arrive. Max appears to be in charge and tells the trio that he has been sent by Mr. Adewald. He tells them that they are to exchange a small chest with some Brettonians at the docks on a road called Cheap Street. He also tells them that it may be difficult for them to get to the docks due to the unrest in Talagad. Johann tries to persuade Max to help them find a way into the city in return for them completing the job. Max says he will see what he can arrange if they are successful. Torsten heads out to get Andreas as he is fluent in Brettonian and would be a good translator.
Once Torsten and Andreas return, Otto and Karl lead them off to the meeting place. Johann has another bad feeling as they near their destination. The trio quickly discuss a plan of action as they arrive at Cheap Street...
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
EPISODE 5: HOW TO GET INTO TALABHEIM?
The trio, faced with two corpses, most likely assassinated by an unknown humanoid, decide to do the only decent and sensible thing. Splitting up, they decide to search the rest of Widdenhoff's house. Naturally, if any loot were to be found, then it would need to be dealt with.
Johann looks more closely at the book that Widdenhoff was reading. He finds that the book, "Plague and the Principality" is written in a classical script, but from what he can translate he discovers that the it is about a disease called the "Pale shivers" and that the disease is known to be non-fatal. The plague affecting Talagad, although similar is fatal. Johann believes that somebody has been adding something to the water to make the disease more potent.
Meanwhile, Serion finds samples of liquids and a powder similar to the silvery one he found on the road to Breitblatt. He also finds a letter from someone named R. Nierhaus. The letter details the samples in Widdenhoffs possession and also instructs him to tell nobody about them. Johann looks through the samples and finds a vial of a blueish liquid, which he believes could be a possible anitdote to the plague.
Whilst Serion and Johann search downstairs, Torsten heads upstairs. He is drawn to a small guest room by a strange smell. He calls for Serion to join him before entering. Serion enters the room first and after a quick search deduces that the window had been forced carefully open recently. On closer inspection he finds several thick brown spiney hairs caught in the door frame. He takes them for a closer look later.
Johann is working his way around Widdenhoff's house, taking as much as he can carry, hardly the behaviour of a respectable man. By the time he has finished downstairs he has already filled a sack with "borrowed" items such as herbs, scientific apparatus and books.
Torsten and Serion remain upstairs searching. Serion looks through the front upstairs window and sees several watchmen gathered on the street at the front of the house talking to a man. Realising that if the watch caught them inside Widdenhoff's, the bodies and general looting taking place would not look too good. Serion and Torsten signal Johann then run out of the back door.
Serion leaps effortlessly over the back wall of the garden whilst Torsten makes it after scrambling up with some difficulty. As they leap down from the wall they see two watchmen enter the alleyway. Splitting up, Torsten hauls himself back over the wall and into the house whilst Serion makes a dash down the alleyway away from the watchman. As Serion is just climbing over a wall at the end of the alley his foot is grabbed by the chasing watchman. Serion kicks the man off but in doing so his hood falls back exposing his face.
Torsten passes Johann in the hallway. Johann runs to the back garden, sack of loot over his shoulder. He swings the bag over the opposite side of the wall taken by Serion and nimbly scales it before dropping to the alley on the other side and making his escape. Meanwhile, Torsten carefully opens the front door of the house and seeing only one watchman with his back to him, casually walks out and returns to the Bald Badger.
On his way back to the Bald Badger, Torsten bumps into Pockets and asks him if he can find out who R. Nierhaus is. Serion manages to walk in in dog shit whilst Johann narrowly avoids getting run down by a man on a horse. After several curses and insults both Serion and Johann continue their journeys.
A short while later the trio are reunited at the Bald Badger. Johann produces a vial of a mysterious liquid which he assures everyone is Mother Melchins draft, a tonic to give everyone a pick up. Unsurprisingly, nobody is willing to risk drinking the unknown potion. Luckily for everyone, Pockets arrives and tells the adventurers that R. Nierhaus is most likely Captain Rudolf Nierhaus of the guard. Having nothing else to do, they go to bed.
Johann decides not to go to sleep straight away, he sits on his bed and starts to mix some of the herbs stolen from Widdenhoff's. Serion and Torsten fall asleep quickly so Johann works quietly with no distractions. He manages to prepare several different poisons, but as the light dims and Johann starts feeling tired he accidently poisons himself. Falling back on his bed he is in a deep poison induced sleep instantly...
In the early hours of the morning Torsten wakes with a start. He sees five cloaked figures standing over the adventurers holding daggers to their throats in their sleep. After being woken and encouraged not to do anything foolish, the trio are invited downstairs by their cloaked guests. Heading down the stairs in their underwear the trio are greeted by the sight of a beaten inn keeper propped between two thugs and several large men blocking the exits. The trio are guided to a snug in a corner of the inn where they are greeted by an imposing looking man who introduces himself as Mr. Adewald, head of the Adewald gang.
Adewald offers the adventurers a deal. In order to compensate him for the deaths of several of his gang members, most notably Wolfgang and Mikhail, he wants them to meet with some Bretonnians delivering a shipment at the docks. Serion asks Adewald if he could also secure them passage into Talabheim, at this, a rather unpleasant looking thug punches him in the side of the head and tells him to speak only when he is spoken to. Having no option but to agree to the deal, the adventurers head back to their rooms and Adewald and his goons disappear into the night.
In the morning they awake and decide that seeing as they have some time before they need to meet with the Bretonnians, they will try to find Captain Nierhaus and ask him about Widdenhoff. After a quick breakfast they head to highwatch to find captain Nierhaus. As they arrive at the gates they are greeted by a line of guards with crossbows. A sergeant steps forward and demands to know their business. Johann produces the note from Nierhaus to Widdenhoff. The sergeant takes it and after a quick inspection leads them inside. They move through the Talbastion to a guarded, heavily reinforced door. The sergeant knocks, opens the door then ushers them in. As soon as they are all in the room the door slams shut and they are greated by a man aiming two pistols at them and looking very on edge. He introduces himself as captain Rudolf Nierhaus.
The adventurers tell Nierhaus that they found the note at Widdenhoffs home and that he had been murdered. Upon hearing this, Nierhaus goes very pale. Johann shows him the samples they retrieved from Widdenhoffs and tells him that they need to get into Talabheim immediately.
Nierhaus thinks on the news for a while then tells the trio to take the notes and sample to a physician in Talabheim named Daubner. They are to go to an inn named the ten-tailed cat in the Talagad docks and meet a man named Finch who will be able to help them get into Talabheim. He then calls the guards and Serion, Johann and Torsten are guided back out of the Talbastion. As they are about to leave, Johann manages to bribe a sergeant to make sure there are minimal guards on duty at the docks that evening.
As they head back into the town they see a group of flagellants throwing bodies onto a fire. Deciding that it would be best not to incurr their wrath, the trio head down a side alley to avoid any trouble. Heading out of the alleyway they see a young boy being attacked by what at first looks to be a dog, but on second glance is a giant rat. Shouting to try to scare off the rat only manages to attract eight more giant rats to the scene. Torsten runs in and kicks the first rat hard in the head. Serion draws his bow and with lightening speed looses two arrows, striking two rats stunning them. Johann slashes at a rat with his dagger missing narrowly. The rat facing Torsten rears up on its hind legs and rakes its claws down his breastplate impotently. A rat leaps at Serion, having just fired his arrows, he is taken off guard and the rat claws his face badly. Serion kicks the rat back and fires an arrow into its abdomen killing it instantly. He quickly fires a second arrow striking another rat stunning it. Johann stabs a rat in its shoulder with his dagger whilst Torsten stamps on the injured rat in front of him, cracking its ribs, then kicks it in the head, breaking its neck with a sickening crunch. A rat runs towards Serion gnashing its teeth, Serion nocks an arrow and looses it at the rat, it makes contact with the rats stomach, punching through its back and severing its spine leaving a twitching rat corpse on the ground. A rat lunges at Johann from the side but he manages to force it back with his dagger. Johann catches the rat on the snout and it turns and runs. Seeing the rat flee, the remaining rats capable of running take their chance and all disappear into the shadows.
Johann tends to Serions wounds whilst Torsten speaks to the child. The child introduces himself as Yankel. Yankel insists that he take the adventurers back to his home so his mother can thank them herself. They agree to join him and he leads them to the Kislev district. When they arrive at his home they discover that his mother is dead, and has been for a day or two. Yankel thinks that his mother is just asleep, Johann breaks the sad news to him. The adventurers are now stuck with a young boy with nowhere to go. They decide that the best option is to take him to the temple of Shallya. On their way through Talagad to the temple they find a large group of Hochlanders charging up the wizards way trying to break through into Talabheim. As the charging men get close, a barrage of cannon fire erupts from the walls and when the dust settles, all that is left of the Hochlanders is a heap of mangled broken bodies. Things are not looking good in Talagad.
When the trio reach the temple Johann manages to persuade the priestesses to accept Yankel. Having done their good deed for the day, the adventurers head back to the Bald Badger for a much needed drink. They take lunch at the inn, pay for rooms for the evening. After their rest, they head off to the Ten-Tailed Cat to find Finch. When they reach the inn they decide to head in and split up. Johann and Serion head to the bar and get an ale each. Torsten makes straight for a table surrounded by gamblers and joins in. Johann takes a sup from his ale then asks the barman about Finch. On hearing the name Finch, the barman looks to several large intimidating men at the end of the bar. Oblivious, Johann tells the barman that Captain Nierhaus sent them to find him. The barman tells them that anyone working for Nierhaus is not welcome in the Ten-Tailed Cat. Serion and Johann feel strong hands grasp their shoulders, and they are forcibly removed from the inn. Torsten glances up then continues with his game of dice...
Furious that he has been thrown out of the inn Johann draws his dagger and begins to apply poison to it. He is so angry that his hands slip and he very nearly manages to poison himself as well.
Torsten chats with the other men playing dice inside the inn. He finds out that Finch works for the Adewald gang. He continues playing and starts to build up a decent pile of winnings.
Outside, Serion leaves Johann and walks off back to the Bald Badger to wait for the others. Meanwhile, Johann finishes poisoning his dagger. With a deranged look in his eyes he walks over to one of the bouncers and lunges at him with his dagger. The first strike glances harmlessly off of the bouncers chainmail. The second strike is parried by the bouncers hands. The third strike punctures the chainmail, the dagger parts the soft flesh beneath and the deadly poison silently mixes with the unfortunate bouncers life blood. The bouncer quickly falls to his knees and Johann turns and flees from the scene, two guards chasing him...
Johann looks more closely at the book that Widdenhoff was reading. He finds that the book, "Plague and the Principality" is written in a classical script, but from what he can translate he discovers that the it is about a disease called the "Pale shivers" and that the disease is known to be non-fatal. The plague affecting Talagad, although similar is fatal. Johann believes that somebody has been adding something to the water to make the disease more potent.
Meanwhile, Serion finds samples of liquids and a powder similar to the silvery one he found on the road to Breitblatt. He also finds a letter from someone named R. Nierhaus. The letter details the samples in Widdenhoffs possession and also instructs him to tell nobody about them. Johann looks through the samples and finds a vial of a blueish liquid, which he believes could be a possible anitdote to the plague.
Whilst Serion and Johann search downstairs, Torsten heads upstairs. He is drawn to a small guest room by a strange smell. He calls for Serion to join him before entering. Serion enters the room first and after a quick search deduces that the window had been forced carefully open recently. On closer inspection he finds several thick brown spiney hairs caught in the door frame. He takes them for a closer look later.
Johann is working his way around Widdenhoff's house, taking as much as he can carry, hardly the behaviour of a respectable man. By the time he has finished downstairs he has already filled a sack with "borrowed" items such as herbs, scientific apparatus and books.
Torsten and Serion remain upstairs searching. Serion looks through the front upstairs window and sees several watchmen gathered on the street at the front of the house talking to a man. Realising that if the watch caught them inside Widdenhoff's, the bodies and general looting taking place would not look too good. Serion and Torsten signal Johann then run out of the back door.
Serion leaps effortlessly over the back wall of the garden whilst Torsten makes it after scrambling up with some difficulty. As they leap down from the wall they see two watchmen enter the alleyway. Splitting up, Torsten hauls himself back over the wall and into the house whilst Serion makes a dash down the alleyway away from the watchman. As Serion is just climbing over a wall at the end of the alley his foot is grabbed by the chasing watchman. Serion kicks the man off but in doing so his hood falls back exposing his face.
Torsten passes Johann in the hallway. Johann runs to the back garden, sack of loot over his shoulder. He swings the bag over the opposite side of the wall taken by Serion and nimbly scales it before dropping to the alley on the other side and making his escape. Meanwhile, Torsten carefully opens the front door of the house and seeing only one watchman with his back to him, casually walks out and returns to the Bald Badger.
On his way back to the Bald Badger, Torsten bumps into Pockets and asks him if he can find out who R. Nierhaus is. Serion manages to walk in in dog shit whilst Johann narrowly avoids getting run down by a man on a horse. After several curses and insults both Serion and Johann continue their journeys.
A short while later the trio are reunited at the Bald Badger. Johann produces a vial of a mysterious liquid which he assures everyone is Mother Melchins draft, a tonic to give everyone a pick up. Unsurprisingly, nobody is willing to risk drinking the unknown potion. Luckily for everyone, Pockets arrives and tells the adventurers that R. Nierhaus is most likely Captain Rudolf Nierhaus of the guard. Having nothing else to do, they go to bed.
Johann decides not to go to sleep straight away, he sits on his bed and starts to mix some of the herbs stolen from Widdenhoff's. Serion and Torsten fall asleep quickly so Johann works quietly with no distractions. He manages to prepare several different poisons, but as the light dims and Johann starts feeling tired he accidently poisons himself. Falling back on his bed he is in a deep poison induced sleep instantly...
In the early hours of the morning Torsten wakes with a start. He sees five cloaked figures standing over the adventurers holding daggers to their throats in their sleep. After being woken and encouraged not to do anything foolish, the trio are invited downstairs by their cloaked guests. Heading down the stairs in their underwear the trio are greeted by the sight of a beaten inn keeper propped between two thugs and several large men blocking the exits. The trio are guided to a snug in a corner of the inn where they are greeted by an imposing looking man who introduces himself as Mr. Adewald, head of the Adewald gang.
Adewald offers the adventurers a deal. In order to compensate him for the deaths of several of his gang members, most notably Wolfgang and Mikhail, he wants them to meet with some Bretonnians delivering a shipment at the docks. Serion asks Adewald if he could also secure them passage into Talabheim, at this, a rather unpleasant looking thug punches him in the side of the head and tells him to speak only when he is spoken to. Having no option but to agree to the deal, the adventurers head back to their rooms and Adewald and his goons disappear into the night.
In the morning they awake and decide that seeing as they have some time before they need to meet with the Bretonnians, they will try to find Captain Nierhaus and ask him about Widdenhoff. After a quick breakfast they head to highwatch to find captain Nierhaus. As they arrive at the gates they are greeted by a line of guards with crossbows. A sergeant steps forward and demands to know their business. Johann produces the note from Nierhaus to Widdenhoff. The sergeant takes it and after a quick inspection leads them inside. They move through the Talbastion to a guarded, heavily reinforced door. The sergeant knocks, opens the door then ushers them in. As soon as they are all in the room the door slams shut and they are greated by a man aiming two pistols at them and looking very on edge. He introduces himself as captain Rudolf Nierhaus.
The adventurers tell Nierhaus that they found the note at Widdenhoffs home and that he had been murdered. Upon hearing this, Nierhaus goes very pale. Johann shows him the samples they retrieved from Widdenhoffs and tells him that they need to get into Talabheim immediately.
Nierhaus thinks on the news for a while then tells the trio to take the notes and sample to a physician in Talabheim named Daubner. They are to go to an inn named the ten-tailed cat in the Talagad docks and meet a man named Finch who will be able to help them get into Talabheim. He then calls the guards and Serion, Johann and Torsten are guided back out of the Talbastion. As they are about to leave, Johann manages to bribe a sergeant to make sure there are minimal guards on duty at the docks that evening.
As they head back into the town they see a group of flagellants throwing bodies onto a fire. Deciding that it would be best not to incurr their wrath, the trio head down a side alley to avoid any trouble. Heading out of the alleyway they see a young boy being attacked by what at first looks to be a dog, but on second glance is a giant rat. Shouting to try to scare off the rat only manages to attract eight more giant rats to the scene. Torsten runs in and kicks the first rat hard in the head. Serion draws his bow and with lightening speed looses two arrows, striking two rats stunning them. Johann slashes at a rat with his dagger missing narrowly. The rat facing Torsten rears up on its hind legs and rakes its claws down his breastplate impotently. A rat leaps at Serion, having just fired his arrows, he is taken off guard and the rat claws his face badly. Serion kicks the rat back and fires an arrow into its abdomen killing it instantly. He quickly fires a second arrow striking another rat stunning it. Johann stabs a rat in its shoulder with his dagger whilst Torsten stamps on the injured rat in front of him, cracking its ribs, then kicks it in the head, breaking its neck with a sickening crunch. A rat runs towards Serion gnashing its teeth, Serion nocks an arrow and looses it at the rat, it makes contact with the rats stomach, punching through its back and severing its spine leaving a twitching rat corpse on the ground. A rat lunges at Johann from the side but he manages to force it back with his dagger. Johann catches the rat on the snout and it turns and runs. Seeing the rat flee, the remaining rats capable of running take their chance and all disappear into the shadows.
Johann tends to Serions wounds whilst Torsten speaks to the child. The child introduces himself as Yankel. Yankel insists that he take the adventurers back to his home so his mother can thank them herself. They agree to join him and he leads them to the Kislev district. When they arrive at his home they discover that his mother is dead, and has been for a day or two. Yankel thinks that his mother is just asleep, Johann breaks the sad news to him. The adventurers are now stuck with a young boy with nowhere to go. They decide that the best option is to take him to the temple of Shallya. On their way through Talagad to the temple they find a large group of Hochlanders charging up the wizards way trying to break through into Talabheim. As the charging men get close, a barrage of cannon fire erupts from the walls and when the dust settles, all that is left of the Hochlanders is a heap of mangled broken bodies. Things are not looking good in Talagad.
When the trio reach the temple Johann manages to persuade the priestesses to accept Yankel. Having done their good deed for the day, the adventurers head back to the Bald Badger for a much needed drink. They take lunch at the inn, pay for rooms for the evening. After their rest, they head off to the Ten-Tailed Cat to find Finch. When they reach the inn they decide to head in and split up. Johann and Serion head to the bar and get an ale each. Torsten makes straight for a table surrounded by gamblers and joins in. Johann takes a sup from his ale then asks the barman about Finch. On hearing the name Finch, the barman looks to several large intimidating men at the end of the bar. Oblivious, Johann tells the barman that Captain Nierhaus sent them to find him. The barman tells them that anyone working for Nierhaus is not welcome in the Ten-Tailed Cat. Serion and Johann feel strong hands grasp their shoulders, and they are forcibly removed from the inn. Torsten glances up then continues with his game of dice...
Furious that he has been thrown out of the inn Johann draws his dagger and begins to apply poison to it. He is so angry that his hands slip and he very nearly manages to poison himself as well.
Torsten chats with the other men playing dice inside the inn. He finds out that Finch works for the Adewald gang. He continues playing and starts to build up a decent pile of winnings.
Outside, Serion leaves Johann and walks off back to the Bald Badger to wait for the others. Meanwhile, Johann finishes poisoning his dagger. With a deranged look in his eyes he walks over to one of the bouncers and lunges at him with his dagger. The first strike glances harmlessly off of the bouncers chainmail. The second strike is parried by the bouncers hands. The third strike punctures the chainmail, the dagger parts the soft flesh beneath and the deadly poison silently mixes with the unfortunate bouncers life blood. The bouncer quickly falls to his knees and Johann turns and flees from the scene, two guards chasing him...
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