[WFRP] The Hour After Midnight

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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Marius’ eyes lit up.

“Captain, I must protest!” squealed Pilserier, worming his way forward. “I’m an honest trader, sir, I’ve told these gentlemen everything I know! Yet they insist on dragging me here, like some common criminal, when they have no proof –“

“Be quiet,” snapped the captain – the apothecary quailed into silence. Looking back to Seth, Marius nodded.

“If you’re correct, then time is of the essence. The Hounds themselves may be fairly thick, but if Halbermann gets wind of what’s happening he’s certain to try and steal your thunder.” Turning, he called a name – a man in the livery of the Guard hurried into the room, hastily saluting.

“Corporal Jenkels, kindly take this man and give him his own cell,” said Marius, pointing to Adolphus.
“You can’t do this!” wailed the apothecary.
“On the contrary, sir, I think you’ll find we can. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.”
“I have rights!” shrieked the little man as he was pulled away, shaking his fist in Seth’s direction. “Brutes! You’ll live to regret this!”

Shaking his head, Marius drew a sheaf of paper out of one of the stacks on his desk, wetting a quill and sitting down to write something out in a curt, neat hand. Heating a candle in the fireplace, he dropped a dollop of wax onto the finished document, stamping it with the seal of the Guard.

“Your warrant to search the man’s wagon. If there’s more you want to ask our new friend, I can have a couple of men fetch it here, assuming it still has wheels. However, in my experience, a fellow like that is usually more amenable to questioning after he has had some time to reflect on his predicament.” He looked up astutely at the trio in front of him. “Do you know where Lothar and Raffy are?”

[Exeson]

Seth and the Elves

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Ithelus shook his head. 'No sir, as you can understand they took off pretty sharp like, we can only hope that they caught the bastard.'

He takes the warrant. 'Any way we could slow down Halbermann? Ask the two hounds involved to come here to take statements to waste their time? And I would like to know, does our authority equal that of the guards if we are challenged again?'

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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Marius considered the idea.

"That could be arranged," he said, slowly, " - but I'd rather not. It would be unusual. It would draw attention. With luck, these Hounds might think nothing much of their encounter - unless you had to tell them anything important?"

At the elf's second question, he frowned and shook his head.

"I gave you those papers to bail you out if you got into trouble, not to deputise you as guards. The reason I took you on in the first place was to be able to investigate quietly: if you start throwing the weight of the Guard around too conspicuously, you'll lose every advantage I hired you for."

"If the Hounds make real trouble for you, then we're here to pull you out. But unless it is absolutely necessary, I want you to continue to act independently of the Guard."

[Another_Poet]

Raffy den Sperber

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Raffy backs up against the wall and aims his bluss at the doorway as the footsteps approach. He aims a little low.

His next move depends on who comes through the door and how they act...

If anyone (Puderbrand or other) comes through the door and does not immediately attack, Raffy trains his 'bluss on them and tells them in a low growl, "Halt." Intimidate v. 30 (1d100)[25]

If someone comes through and makes a move to attack, and it's not Puderbrand, Raffy shoots to kill. Damage 3; Shrapnel.

If Puderbrand comes through and makes a move to attack (or run), Raffy shoots low, hoping to shred off the man's legs without immediately killing him. Damage 3; Shrapnel. If a BS roll is needed to hit below the waist only, here it is v. 48 (1d100)[81]

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar Who Forgets Spoiler Tags, and Raffy

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Lothar draws a sword and, pressed against the wall away from the line of Raffy's 'buss, creeps toward the sound of footprints; ready to ambush or follow as needed.

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However the heck sneakin' may work: (1d100)[12]

[LCP]

Raffy & Lothar

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For a long few seconds, the footsteps seemed to get no closer: listening intently, Raffy thought it sounded like men on stairs or steps, although he could see no feet on the corner of the staircase visible through the doorway.

“Front door’s shut,” came a voice – it had a strange, moist, whispering quality to it.
“Then it must have been the back,” came a second, coarse and authoritative.
“What if it’s the Hounds?” – a third voice, sounding a little nervous.
“Don’t be stupid,” bit back the second. “Halbermann’s dogs would be making more noise than this.” He paused for a beat. “Take a look, Otto.”
“Yes, boss,” replied the whispering voice. Slow footsteps approached the doorway – tensing, Raffy watched as a bulky figure appeared in the archway. Perhaps a few inches shorter than the Sparrowhawk, the man made up in width what he lacked in height, his oddly bent back belying his gorilla-like build. His skin was pale, his mouth set in a flabby frown – most disconcerting, however, were the man’s bulging, fish-like eyes. That, and the hefty pickaxe he held in his calloused hands.

As the bulbous eyes fixed on Raffy, he trained the blunderbuss on the man’s chest.
“Halt!” he snapped, finger tightening on the trigger. Muscles tensing, the man seemed to consider a charge, and decide against it as the blunderbuss’ flared muzzle yawned in front of him. From the looks of things, he had still not noticed Lothar lurking to his left.

“’s a little boy,” came the man’s disturbing, slithering voice. “What’re you doing in here, lad?”

[goblinpaladin]

Raffy and Lothar, Crime Fighting Duo

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Snake-like, Lothar's regimental sword flicked out and lay across the mutant's throat. "Easy there, Otto, mate. Make a sound and you'll be breathin' through freshly-carved gills." Lothar grinned, teeth flashing in his red beard. "A lot flabbier lookin' that your cousins what I fought off up in Nordland, ain't ya? How many friends you got back there?" The former soldier jerked his head to indicate the front of the house- not, of course, Nordland.

[LCP]

Raffy & Lothar

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Otto froze.

“Stay back, boss!” he croaked. Eyes flicking sideways to Lothar, his knuckles whitened around the haft of his pickaxe.

“Too many for you two,” he hissed.

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar and Raffalicious

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Lothar's grin melted into a scrowl as his sword sliced across Otto's throat. The mutant jerked backward, eyes widening as blood geysered from the wound; by the time he collapsed to the ground, the soldier had stepped back against the wall, gore pouring from steel. Whitish bone peeked through the ruined mass of his throat as Otto's feet drummed a last tempo against the floor...

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Resuming position and hoping that the others won't notice I was here for all of Otto's splashed blood; Raffy ought to still blast the first bastard through the door...

[Another_Poet]

Raffy "Raffalicious" Sparrowhawk III

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Raffy keeps his gun trained as Lothar does his work and returns to his hidingplace. Hopefully whoever comes through next will place their attention squarely on the bell of the gun and not notice the lurking menace.

His intention is a repeat performance; a "Stop right there," to the next person through the door. Even if they don't give themselves up they may pause long enough for a few of their fellows to run in behind them, letting Raffy riddle the whole group with shot. Of course if someone charges at him he'll shoot first and worry about the thing's friends later.

intimidate v 3p - (1d100)[86]
Damage 3, Shrapnel (Still hoping to aim low if it's Puderbrand)

[LCP]

Raffy & Lothar

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“Serpent’s teeth!” came the third voice that had spoken, as Otto’s bloody body crumpled back onto the floorboards on the other side of the arch – there was a brief sound of feet that was quickly arrested, and then a muffled whispering. After a few seconds, there was a wooden slam, and the receding sound of hurried feet on steps.

There was a pause, and a voice spoke from around the corner – the same rough, commanding voice that had told Otto to investigate.

“I don’t know who you are, but you just murdered one of my lads,” it said, in a level, flinty tone. “Whatever Halbermann’s paying, it’s not worth what’s about to happen to you. Why don't you make this easy and give yourselves up?”

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar and the Raffmeister

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Lothar remained silent, pressed against the wall. He widened his eyes at Raffy and motioned him forward. The soldier pointed at the boy's gun and then toward the voice, and grinned.

[BloodyAngel]

Seth and the Elves

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Don't worry sir. We're very subtle. Illiiya said with a strangely calm and lucid tone, feeling FAR more at ease now that they were away from the hounds.

Do you know a lady Maria? She asked him evenly, tilting her head to the side as she spoke in a disjointed tone, We met her earlier. Does she keep a magus around her? I felt strangeness just before I saw her.

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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Marius blinked in surprise.

"Maria Samtzunge? I grew up with her." He looked a little discomforted by Illiiya's comment, his tone becoming the tiniest bit defensive. "There are no wizards in Delberz that I know of. A feeling hardly seems grounds to accuse her."

[BloodyAngel]

Seth and the Elves

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Mmmnn! Illiiya mumbled, shaking her head, No no. Not accuse. She didn't do anything.

She recoiled a bit nervously under the captain's stare, as if suddenly remembering where she was and what she'd said.

She didn't do anything bad. And Raffy likes her a lot. I just felt magic around her. She'll hurriedly say, Only once... Not from her. Everyone says she's good... but maybe... in danger? Lots of chaos around. Bad things that peel your eyelids and make you watch them eat you. One wanting to hurt her, maybe? Daemons who don't want her movement to work?

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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Marius gave Illiiya a long, searching look.

“I’m afraid we can’t act on ...premonitions,” he began, warily. “But you said ‘her movement’? Are you saying Maria’s getting mixed up in something to do with all this?”

He sounded a little concerned.

[amgodtic]

Seth and the elves

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"Maria's been associating with that that fellow, Klaus. She was able to fill us in on the connection between Puderbrand and his group. She claimed that she demanded that he be given the boot, or else she'd pull her support. A bit of a pat story, if you ask me, but that's none of my business, and you can do as you will with it."

"Unless there's anything else, we'd best get back before someone gets curious-or the opportunity makes a thief."

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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Marius frowned.

"Well... thank you." He nodded, taking a moment to take in the information. "You're right. You had best go." He turned around. "Corporal Jenkels! Our friend in the cells must have the key to his wagon. Kindly relieve him of it."

The guard in question vanished through the door to the cells, and reappeared with the key, placing it in Seth's hand.

"Sigmar speed you, Mr Adelbert."

OOC: Feel free to return to the wagon yourself if you're done with Marius.

[Another_Poet]

Raffy al-Zhabarro'ak

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The youth shakes his head "no" at Lothar. Going through that door right now is giving Puderbrand a free pot shot. But if Puderbrand comes to them... it's the other way around.

He waits, hoping the man comes through the door. But if he hears the man turn and make a run for it, he'll charge through the door and shoot his legs out.

[LCP]

Raffy & Lothar

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The sound of footsteps returned - there were more of them now. Again, a muffled whispering could be heard - there was an ugly scrape of metal from somewhere out of sight, and then a long, tense silence.

With a sudden howl, three black shapes rose and charged through the doorway: in the lead, a man with a badly burned face was the first to cross the threshold, one arm still hidden beneath a dirty woolen cloak. In his other hand, a long dagger flashed in the gloom...

[goblinpaladin]

Raff the Taff, and Lothar

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Lothar waited a beat, two, until the roar of Raffy's blunderbuss filled the house, the wave of shrapnel crashing against the mutants. He then steps out, sword flashing toward the first of the trio, hoping to crack the mutant against the head and stun the thing.

[Another_Poet]

Raffinello

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Raff dips the bell of his gun an iunch down and pulls the trigger, surely alerting the whole neighbourhood to the struggle within these old walls. As the floor and plaster walls rip and blood moistens the dust to a sticky mud, he feels almost a sense of relief. It's time to do his part.

His gun drops on the floor and lifts the net draped over his shoulder. He casts it over Puderband and moves to draw his sword.

Agility v. 39 (not proficient with nets): (1d100)[43]

He draws his sword.

((that's 3 actions, not sure how many we get))

[LCP]

Lothar & Raffy

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The scar-faced man howled in pain as the blast of shrapnel scythed into him, its momentum bringing his headlong charge to a stumbling halt. The hail of shot tore his heavy cloak to tatters, tearing a score of bloody gouges across the arm beneath – an arm that ended not in a human hand, but a grotesquely elongated, crab-like claw of glossy, black chitin. Throwing down the blunderbuss, Raffy seized up his net, hurling it towards his reeling prey – Puderbrand batted the inexpertly-thrown tangle of rope aside with a swipe of his claw, tensing to leap at the Sparrowhawk as Raffy drew his sword.

Before the mutant could move, Lothar cannoned into him from the side – ducking out from under the soldier’s blow, he made a scything swipe at the man’s throat with his own hideous weapon, the glistening claws snapping shut inches from Fischer’s jugular. Slashing out with the dagger in his human hand, the man forced the soldier back, unheeding of the blood still soaking his clothes from Raffy’s shot.

Behind him, the next of his companions had recovered from the blunderbuss blast – his path cleared, the man hefted a heavy shovel in hands that had too many fingers, his shot-scored face turning towards the youth that had perforated him...

[amgodtic]

Seth and the elves

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Back in the Neumarket, Seth leads his companions up the steps of Pilserier's wagon and opens the door, saying as he does so, "Look for hidden compartments. False wall, door, or ceiling; take a good look around the outside, compare it with the inside, look for anywhere there SHOULD be more room than there IS."

The door swings open, and...

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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The wagon door opened with an ominous creak – stepping inside, Seth paused for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the gloom.

This was quite possibly the most cluttered place he’d ever seen. Most of the interior space was taken up by a scarred table that was built into the floor of the wagon – it seemed to double as a counter and an operating-table, by the look of some of the stains beneath the jumble of miscellaneous wares and tools that covered its surface. An unmade hammock was slung in the far corner, while the walls were lined with shelves, each shelf bearing a wooden lip to prevent its contents from tumbling out when the wagon was in motion. Strings of garlic and bundles of dried herbs hung from hooks on the ceiling, filling the wagon with a pungent aroma. A selection of unpleasant-looking saws, scissors and pliers hung from iron hooks on one wall.

The shelves themselves were packed with various miscellanea, wooden boxes and pots of ointment rubbing shoulders with jars of yellow preserving alcohol, the pickled corpses of coiled snakes and spread-eagled toads floating in their blurry depths.

It would take an age to check inside every box and pot – but it didn’t take a genius to realise that there was no space in this cramped wooden box to conceal anything as large as a barrel of gunpowder. A perfunctory check under the table and the hammock ruled out the only obvious hiding-places.

Looking round, Seth realised something – the wagon was more cramped than it should be. There was no door or hatch in the rear wall – in fact, it was covered with crowded, crooked shelves – but the space they were in was a couple of yards shorter than the wagon had appeared from outside. A balding, stuffed terrier - its feet nailed to a wooden base bearing the engraved name ‘Gaspode’ - stared mockingly back at him with black glass eyes from one of the lower shelves, sharing the squalid space with two slumped stacks of mouldering books, a clay pot full of some kind of root, a box of old, dry leaves, a bottle of something red and sticky, a jar of pickled rat’s tails, and a hundred other strange objects of the apothecary’s superstitious trade.

[amgodtic]

Seth and the Elves

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Sighing and rubbing his hands together, Seth begins in. "Alright, Ith, lend a hand here, let's swing one side of this shelf out and get back there; Illi, spot us-watch the shelf, make sure it doesn't topple; try to keep the odds and ends from falling, catch them if they do. Alright-ready? On three-One, Two, -HURGH-"

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar Mutant-Slayer and Raffy Net-Tangler

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Taken aback by the chitinous weapon, Lothar cursed aloud as he hefted his shield into place. Before Puderbrand could step in to capitalise on his advantage the Nordlander slammed against him, sword and shield trying to force the mutant back.

"Here, crayfish! I boiled your cousins alive, back home! You think you scare me?" The soldier grinned lopsidedly, emphasizing his own powder-scars, as he swung his sword flat-sided, hoping to stun the abomination against Sigmar...

[LCP]

Lothar & Raffy

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The flat of the soldier's sword crashed against the mutant's temple - the blow drew a bead of blood, but Puderbrand shrugged it off, shaking his head and lunging back at Lothar with a snarl. Stepping out of the path of the stabbing claw, the soldier battered forwards with his shield, catching Henrik off-balance and pushing him stumbling back.

Catching himself a little too late, the clawed man fell back into his ally in the doorway, trapping the others behind him: Lothar closed the distance quickly, penning him in.

[Exeson]

Seth and the elves

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As Ithelus walks around the wagon he examines its contents with interest and a little disgust, he also runs his hands over the walls, and at Seth's suggestion inspects the back of the wagon before moving to help with the shelves. He grunts disapprovingly at the manual labour required but lends his subtle strength to the task.

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search check to see if I find anything interesting, be it items of note are hidden panels etc. : (1d100)[8]

[LCP]

Seth & the Elves

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The other three walls of the wagon were fairly clearly free of secret compartments – knocking against the boards gave the sound of solid wood, and the wagon’s own width left little room for any kind of hidden space. Practised hands flicking deftly over the bizarre miscellany that packed the crooked shelves, Ithelus found one box that seemed surprisingly heavy – locked, it gave a promising jingle of coin when he moved it.

Helping Seth heave the shelves away from the back wall, the elf straightened up – in front of them, the bare back wall of the wagon still stood, the outline of the shelves marked on it where years of dust and dirt had not had the chance to darken the timbers.

Sticking incongruously out of the wall at about knee height was the stuffed dog. Rather than moving with the shelves, it had held its position, its wooden base clearly attached to the wall behind it...