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...
