[WFRP] The Hour After Midnight

[LCP]

Raffy, Ithelus, Illiiya & Lothar

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Marius shrugged.

"Not much," he said. "Most of them have been paupers, but most of the murders have taken place east of the river, where poor people live. A couple of beggars, but a couple of reasonably comfortable burghers as well. From the reports I've heard so far, no connection between them - and a large number of the killings have been behind locked doors, with no one seen passing in or out between the victim last being seen alive and discovered dead. Then again, a couple have been found out in the open, too. The only thing that all the murders have in common is that they all seem to have taken place at night - the bodies haven't all been discovered immediately, but to the best of my knowledge there are no reports of anyone being killed in daylight."

He placed a finger on the single pin that was a different colour, on the west side of the river. "Except for this one, that is. Jagrun discovered it - throat cut, and allegedly a symbol of Chaos painted onto the skin." He paused. "The victim was seen alive not long before his body was found, at the North Wind, which would put the murder some time yesterday evening."

As the Captain discussed the map, a guard approached.

"Yes?" asked Marius, irritably.

"Just comin' to report sir, Mr Jagrun has left. Two of them Hounds with him, sir."
"Only two?"
"He said he'd left the other one to watch the wagon, sir. Said nothing inside was to be removed."

Marius nodded, sending the man on his way.

"Well," he said, turning back to the map, "thank Shallya for small mercies."

[hr]

Pieter

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Shooting a parting pair of suspicious glances back at him, the other two Hounds headed off, leaving Pieter on guard duty. No-one else in the cobbled yard seemed to give him a second thought - the men in the livery of the city who occasionally bustled past were certainly above making conversation, the affront of a Hound on their territory already offensive enough.

Pieter was alone again.

[LCP]

“Well, I say we investigate that one, then,” said Raffy, putting his finger on the pin Marius had indicated. “Time’s wasting.”

Marius nodded. “If you go out the back door, you can get onto Heiligen Street by the yard,” he said. “Fastest way.”

Following the Captain’s advice, they headed out into the brightening day – it was still bitterly cold as they made their way outside.

In the centre of the yard, Pilserier’s wagon stood, unharnessed and forlorn – a man sat on its steps, wearing the white ribbon of the Hounds. There was something odd about him – Raffy realised he knew the man’s face. It was the ‘servant’ Pieter who had spoken to him last night...

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter looked up and clumsily failed the card trick he was attempting.

Them? Here?

He had planned to meet them eventually, but not in such circumstances. Quickly he regained his composure and forced a friendly smile, trying to act as if he had been waiting for them.

"Ah, Rafale!" he greeted Blunderbuss Boy, holding up his right hand with the index and middle fingers crossed — the sign of Ranald. "I knew we'd meet again. I'm still interested to help you, you know."

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Do Charm tests work against PC's? If they do, I will attempt one to show them that I'm not a Hound.

Charm 51: (d100)[84]

Edit: Well, I suppose there are worse times to fail a Charm test. Frustrating though.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya recoiled a bit from the new gentleman speaking to them... not certain exactly who he was. He certainly didn't look familiar to her.

Mhn... Is this a... friend?

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

Raffy is already in a bad mood, and scowls as he puts two and two together (or so he thinks).

"You're a Hound?" he asks. He draws his sword and levels it at "Pieter's" throat. "Last I heard the Hounds weren't authorised to go undercover. Or to lie Captain von Brucker's investigators. You're under arrest."

Without taking his gaze - or sword - off of Pieter he says sidelong to Illiiya, "No, last night he was posing as a servant at the castle."

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya went pale as Raffy drew his blade.

Raffy, no! D-don't threaten a hound. We'll all get in trouble!

[-Sentinel-]

Rolling his eyes, Pieter held up his hands in surrender. Gods, did that young man need to get laid.

"Careful with that thing, it's sharp," he said wryly, throwing a cautious glance around the courtyard. "As I told you yesterday, I was sent by the Society to help you. Right now I'm posing as a Hound to get a better look at crime scenes. Listen, I have little time to explain, the witch hunter or some other cranky Sigmarite could be back any minute. But I swear I'm on your side. Just give me a chance."

As he said this, he looked at Rafale's friends, hoping to find someone reasonable among them.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Raffy, don't hurt him. He doesn't feel... N-nothing feels wrong with him. Illiiya pleaded, afraid that unwelcome attention would come if they stood about with weapons drawn any longer.

No harm... and no... his eyes aren't even bleeding. No. It's a-all right. They're not here. Just... waiting.


(Cause she's been prety lucid lately, and hasn't rambled crazy in a while)

[Exeson]

Ithelus walks up to Pieter. 'You're a thieves man?' he asks.

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter blinked at the Elf in puzzlement. "A what? A thief? No, sir. I'm a servant of Ranald. The Trickster." Okay, maybe a thief too.

He glanced sideways at the young Elven woman.

What's the matter with her?

Elves were strange... Was Rafale after all the sane man of the bunch? Pieter would rather not contemplate this frightening possibility.

[Exeson]

Ithelus chuckles, 'Aye, and all of them I have met have been swindlers.' He turns to the rest of the group, mainly Raffy who seems to have taken on the role of leader. 'I like him, can we keep him?'

[-Sentinel-]

"There's little time to discuss," said Pieter urgently. "I'm here on guard duty, and I can't come with you without blowing my cover. We should meet somewhere later to discuss." He smirked at Rafale: "Or, if you're so keen to arrest me, you can march me out of here at sword point. That should give me a good excuse to not be here when Jurgen comes back."

[Another_Poet]

"Posing as a Hound?"

Raffy lowers his sword partway, but doesn't sheathe it.

"So far you've posed as at least four different things. Any reason we should believe you?"

'I like him, can we keep him?'

"Hmmph." He puts his sword away. "If you say so."

"There's little time to discuss. I'm here on guard duty, and I can't come with you without blowing my cover. We should meet somewhere later to discuss. Or, if you're so keen to arrest me, you can march me out of here at sword point. That should give me a good excuse to not be here when Jurgen comes back."

"Which do you prefer?"

[-Sentinel-]

"So far you've posed as at least four different things. Any reason we should believe you?"

"I can prove nothing," admitted Pieter. "You can ask anyone in the Society, or maybe the refugees outside the town. Or you can take my word for it..." He pondered for a moment. "Uh, now we're stuck in a paradox... Ranaldites are notorious liars, and I tell you I'm one of them. Better not think about it too much, or your nose will start bleeding. It's simpler for everyone if you just trust me." He grinned.

"Which do you prefer?"

"This." He rose abruptly. "Who do you think you are?" he yelled with feigned outrage, his voice resonating in the courtyard. "Herr Jagrun will hear of this!"

[Another_Poet]

((You realize the sword is already sheathed when you do this?))

If so:

Raffy throws a low kick at Pieter's knee...

vs. 36 (1d100)[37]

...and then throws his net over the imprudent chap.

vs. 39 if straight agility (nonproficient) (1d100)[82]

((And that's where I'll leave it for the DM to clean up. See you after surgery everyone! ))

[-Sentinel-]

Raffy throws a low kick at Pieter's knee...

Pieter let out a grunt and a loud curse.

"You scum!" he shouted as Rafale threw his net over him. "Think you'll get away with this?"

[LCP]

Dragging Pieter rather melodramatically away, the party left the yard – a Guard crossed their path, glancing down at the netted ‘Hound’ before thinking better of commenting and hurrying on his way. He evidently couldn’t care less for the well-being of anyone wearing a white ribbon.

Stepping out onto Heiligen street, they released him – Lothar filled the initiate in on their destination, the murder site that Jagrun had discovered yesterday evening. A scrawny ginger cat fell in with them, looking up at Pieter with lazy green eyes as it trailed behind the elves. The female elf seemed to recognise it, reaching down to scratch it behind the ears.

Heading towards the centre of town with them, Pieter quickly recognised the direction they were heading in: they soon arrived at the side-street out of which he had seen the Hounds carry the victim’s body last night. A liveried guard was standing against the wall by the actual spot the murder had taken place, trying to calm the local citizens by looking vigilant: all that remained as evidence of the deed itself was a dark stain on the cobbles, lingering between the stones where it could not be scrubbed away...

[-Sentinel-]

[OOC: Infodump coming up. Feel free to interrupt any time.]


As soon as Rafale released him from the net, Pieter quickly took off his white ribbon and stuffed it into his slingbag. While they walked, he summarized the results of his investigation:

"I don't know if I can tell you anything new," he said apologetically, "but it's been rather difficult for me to do this alone with what little I know. There were two corpses in this part of the city last night: a beggar and, they say, a rich-looking man. Both killed within an hour, I think. I wasn't able to get anywhere near them." He grimaced. "But this morning, I saw what was left of a soldier, in a house not far from the Graf's Arms. His face torn off, his belly ripped open, his blood splattered across the floor. He apparently had the time to struggle before dying." He shuddered at the memory. "There were two more people in the house, a woman and a young girl. Both unharmed, both unaware of the murder until morning. Strange, isn't it?" He went on, determined to go through this quickly: "This morning, a woman was found on the river bank in pretty much the same sorry state."

He explained his hypothesis: that the murders, all of them messy and very public and with no obvious link between the victims, were some kind of terror tactic. "If you only want a man dead, you just slit his throat and hide the body." He absent-mindedly bent down to stroke the cat. He liked cats; they were blessed by Ranald. He took this one as a sign of good luck.

"When you found me," Pieter said finally, "I was supposed to guard an apothecary's wagon. Jagrun must think there's a link with the murders. Anyhow, the man owned books praising the greatness of Slaanesh..."

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Trailing along in the back, Illiiya seemed more at ease with the newcomer as they went. Her feline friend took to him well-enough, and that was evidence enough for her that he was not dangerous. She scooped up the cat with a shy smile, and fed it some small bits of dried meat from her things as they walked.

No! She interrupted Pieter suddenly, No name! Never say his name!

She looked about worried for several moments, as if she expected some daemon or another to leap out of nowhere at the merest mention of the dark prince's name. When nothing came to pass, and her pet seemed as unreactive as anyone else here, she calmed down a bit.

Names are power... Never... never... say it's name. She scolded Pieter, Please?

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter was taken aback by the Elf's vehemence. Tentatively, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," he said with a smile. "I will call him something else, then. Or, better yet, avoid mentioning him at all. Suits you?"

He turned to the others.
"Speaking of names, mine is Pieter. I'd like to know yours."

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya flinched a bit instinctively as Pieter touched her, but didn't flee or recoil away. She seemed uncomfortable with being touched.

Um... I-Ill.... Illiiya.

[Exeson]

Ithelus nods, 'I'm Ithelus,' he looks thoughtful, 'so if this is an act of terror what would be the final goal? To distract from something more subtle?'

'Well, thing is we still reckon the mastermind is someone who stood to gain from the destruction of the church. First we thought the Lector, because he has gained a lot of power with the building work and of course having his own personal army. But now that you have mentioned terror tactics maybe that was part of it too, all to keep us busy...' he trails off.

[-Sentinel-]

Ithelus nods, 'I'm Ithelus,' he looks thoughtful, 'so if this is an act of terror what would be the final goal? To distract from something more subtle?'

"That's what I'm wondering, but I don't know enough to venture a guess. First, we have to find out exactly what we're dealing with."

'Well, thing is we still reckon the mastermind is someone who stood to gain from the destruction of the church. First we thought the Lector, because he has gained a lot of power with the building work and of course having his own personal army. But now that you have mentioned terror tactics maybe that was part of it too, all to keep us busy...' he trails off.

"Tempting as it is to blame the Lector, I doubt he has anything to do with this. Too risky, too little to gain. Don't flatter yourselves: someone wants to keep the Hounds and the witch hunter busy, not you. Our mysterious enemy must see them as much more of a threat than you ragtag band of plucky adventurers. Justifiably, I might add."

[Exeson]

Ithelus pretends to be insulted, the sarcastic inflection heavy in his voice, 'Oh, I'm sorry that you don't rate us. Surely they are quaking in their boots and urine knowing that the dashing Raffy, steadfast Lothar, timid Illiiya and the unproven, yet undeniable, genius Ithelus. Oh and the stoic Seth, but he skipped town a while back.'

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya timidly spoke, knowing what effect her words would have on at least one of her companions.

I-I... um... I... know who.... I knows-someone... who's... involved. She stuttered... waiting for the death glare from Raffy.

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "Oh? That's interesting." Noticing the Elf's nervosity, Pieter smiled at her encouragingly.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

R-Raffy will get angry if I say. She said nervously, looking intently at the ground.

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter chose not to push further, at least as long as Rafale ("Raffy") was within earshot. But if the Elf knew something important, he wanted to hear it, even though she looked a bit deranged.

When they arrived at the crime scene, Pieter grew dubious. The Hounds and the watchmen had already scoured the area; could there possibly be any evidence left to find?


OOC:

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I will let the GM roll a Perception or Search test for me (whichever is appropriate), but I will be surprised if I find anything new.

May I assume that Lothar told me his name too?

[LCP]

All that was to be seen was the traces of blood on the cobbles, and the guard standing watch a few yards away - the murder scene had been industriously cleaned away, so as not to distress the populace.

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

Raffy introduces himself. "Rafale's more formal. I go by Raffy, or some call me the Sparrowhawk."

He clears his throat, making sure no one is eavesdropping on the group. "Illiiya's wrong. I won't get angry to talk about worthy evidence. Maria Samtzunge is apparently the source or subject of some kind of magic. Illiiya can sense it. That means we need to consider her a suspect."

He looks pointedly at Illiiya. "And as with all suspects, we have to use sound reasoning. We don't know that she is involved."

He sighs. "Also, Marius ordered us not to investigate her, for fear of causing a scandal."