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...
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