[WFRP] The Hour After Midnight (II)

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar and the Crazy Elves (band name)

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Lothar frowns as he accepts the note. "Sure, Ith. I can't read anyhow. Not all of us have some kinda fancy learnin' like you elves get." The soldier smiled, but it was strained. He glanced across at Illiiya. "I'll take care of her, inasmuch as she can't do it 'erself."

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Prior: with Ithelus

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I don't understand... Illiiya said, backing off in confusion, W-what else can I do? She has everyone fooled... Everyone. P-pieter hit me... I liked Pieter. She's turning everyone against me. I-I'm afraid... she'll get you too. I can't lose you, Ith. I... I just can't.

With Lothar

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Mnnh. Illiiya muttered off-handedly, still seeming somewhat disconnected from everything happening around her.

They think you're helpless. They think you're a child. Some pathetic little thing who needs to be tended to.

Whatever you want. She mumbled, eyes downcast, I'll... stay with Lothar.

[LCP]

Ithelus

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Parting ways from the others as discreetly as possible, Ithelus made his way back towards Kleiner’s pawn-shop. The wizened shopkeeper seemed almost bored with him by now, banging on the ceiling with the broom-handle as always to summon the boss’ guards.

When he had been divested of his weapons, Ithelus was shown upstairs once again. He found the attic room rather more crowded than it had been before: a wiry, sharp-eyed man sat on a crate in front of Kleiner’s chair, while three more newcomers leant against the wall behind him.

“Ah, Mister Ith,” said Kleiner himself, twisting round in his seat to face the elf. “Rick, this is Ithelus. Ithelus, Ricard Feinmesser.”

The wiry man grunted, nodding his head.

“Said I’d find you a cat-burglar, din’t I?” grinned Kleiner. “Ithelus here owes me a favour or two, he’s agreed to help out. Just needs you to fill him in on the job.”

“You know the mark?” said Ricard. Kleiner interrupted.

“Normally, I’d be thinkin’ a place like that was too risky, but we’ve got a sponsor for this job. Get paid both ends, and our tracks covered. All you’ve got to do is the find the way in, and get out with the goods. That’s what Rick here’s found out.”

Feinmesser nodded: taking his cue from the crooked old man, he began to speak.

“The lady lives alone – got three servants, tops. Entertains a lot, an’ sometimes she hires in help for such things, but we made sure that ain’t happenin’ tonight. That leaves four people in the house: the lady ‘erself, her butler-type – who’s practic’lly blind, and drinks, too – some little lady’s-maid what no-one hardly ever sees, and the stable-boy. That’s our in. The lady’s daddy built the house to be a real tough nut to crack, but the lad’s the weak link. Likes his girls, so Greta here,” – he gestured with his thumb towards one of the associates leaning against the wall behind him, who waved to Ithelus with a jaded look – “went lookin’ for him last night, did some comforting.”

The two men to either side of Greta sniggered.

“There’s three doors what should we worry about – the front door, the side gate, and the back door what opens into the stableyard. They lock all three of ‘em up, but the lad’s got quarters in the stables. Our plan is, Greta comes knocking, gets him drunk,” – one of the others hefted a jug of something that sloshed – “takes the keys, lets us in the side way. The front’s pretty much un-climbable, but they din’t think about that when they were building the wall that looks out over the stables, on account of the stables already bein’ walled in. We make sure the stable-boy's out of it, and then there’s a drainpipe that ought t’ let us get in through one of the upstairs windows. The cat – that’s you – shins up there, comes downstairs, and opens the back door to let us in. Then it’s in and out with the valuables.”

Kleiner rubbed his bony hands.

“The precious thing is,” cackled the crime lord, “that no-one’ll bat an eyelid. Any other time, you rob one of the nobs, they’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks. But with all these murders goin’ on... well, the Guard’ve got their work cut out. Someone makin’ a fuss about a piddly little burglary, they’re not seein’ the big picture. The feller who wants it done, he just wants one thing – a box of letters, he reckons she keeps it somewhere in her bedchamber. He’ll pay us handsomely, and you lads can take whatever else you take a fancy to. Less my share, o’course.”

[hr]

Lothar & Illiiya

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Making his way back to the Judge’s Square with the elf in tow, Lothar found himself feeling surprisingly tired out – his feet were aching from all the walking Raffy’s plan had involved, but that was normal. The advancing cold of the night seemed almost a relief, the soldier loosening the collar of his stiff new clothes and wiping traces of sweat from the rough skin where his beard had been.

When he reached the Guard House, he found a disorderly queue of Delberz’s citizens snaking out of the door: pushing his way inside, he found it terminating in front of a makeshift desk in the centre of the front room, Marius and two guards sitting behind it.

“No, sir,” Marius was saying wearily, “these are not rat tails.” He pulled a stringy thing out of the bag the man in question was holding out before him. “These are bootlaces. We can tell the difference, you know.”
Shamefaced and somewhat disappointed, the bootlace man turned to go. Seeing Lothar and Illiiya, Marius left the queue in the hands of his subordinates, rising from his seat and walking over to them.

“Something to report?” he asked. He looked worn out. “Please say you do. I’m beginning to think that perhaps this bounty on rats wasn’t such a great plan...”

[hr]

Raffy

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Heading back to Samtzunge House, Raffy realised quite how exhausted he felt: they had gone the length and breadth of the city, and his feet ached like a soldier's on the march.

When he reached the house, the door was opened by Alfons. Peering at Raffy with an expression that implied that he still suspected that the Sparrowhawk might have come to try and steal the silverware, he grudgingly admitted him inside.

Before he had even reached the familiar drawing-room, Maria was coming down the stairs to greet him.

“Rafale!” she said, warmly. “You look tired. Have you eaten?”

[hr]

Pieter

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Karl and Klaus were sitting at their usual table, although the others seemed to be absent – not unexpectedly, since there was no meeting scheduled.

At Pieter’s outburst, Klaus looked genuinely surprised: Karl’s eyes flicked quickly around the common hall of the Tongs, before turning back to Pieter.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, friend,” he said, in quiet, measured tones. “Why don’t you sit down and discuss things a little less… noticeably?”

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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The initiate sat down stiffly and lowered his voice.

"The pamphlets by Martin Marprälat," he hissed. "Listen, I'm sure you have good intentions, but you know nothing about the common folk. They need bread, shelter and most of all peace... not riots. Agitating people in times like these will only cause more oppression, and the gods know we don't need that."

[LCP]

Pieter

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"So how much peace, exactly, are they going to get, with the Hounds turning them over for their 'tithe' once a week?" asked Klaus. The young man's tone, prevented by necessity from rising above a conversational murmur, seemed somewhat icy. "How much peace are they going to get in the long term if the Lector's thugs establish themselves as the status quo?"

He leaned in. "This is our one chance to make a change. The Hounds look weak, the Church looks weak, and it's the Hounds and the Church that are draining the resources that ought to be going to the people on the Fields. If you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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"The people don't exactly look impressed by the pamphlets," argued Pieter. "You're only making the Hounds nervous in a time of fear and unrest. And when the authorities get nervous, they tighten their grasp. Even if you did manage to move the people against them, all you'd get would be bloodshed. Freedom is not taken by force."

He sighed, forcing himself to calm down.

"What are you expecting, anyway, eh? Protests? A revolt, maybe? It'll get crushed, and things will be even worse afterwards. I've seen it happen in the countryside, when peasants rise against their lords. A revolution, successful or not, doesn't make things better. Times of fear and chaos bring out the worst in the human nature. No peace, no liberty, will come from it. The best we can do is alleviate the refugees' suffering until better times come. We must show them that we're better than the Hounds, not play on their fear and bitterness like the witch hunter does."


OOC:

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Is it a Charm test to make him see my point? (I'm not really expecting to sway him, but I'd like to plant doubts in his mind.)

Charm 41: (d100)[56]
Fortune Point: (d100)[4] (Edit: Success.)

[LCP]

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"You talk about them like they've already replaced the Guard," said Klaus. Karl nodded. "If the Baron sees that von Kemperbad's tactics for what they are, the authorities will put him down themselves. This isn't about revolt. This is about the rule of law. One law, for everyone."

Karl nodded. "They say there's storms coming in from the east," he said, more measuredly. "The people on the Fields have got nowhere to go, less to eat every day, and the Hounds are keeping them that way. How does your waiting plan hold up when the snows come?"

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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"The authorities may not like the Hounds," admitted Pieter, "but they dislike agitators even more. Let them deal with von Kemperbad, there's little we can do to help them in that regard. As for the food, I'm worried too, but we won't drive the Hounds away by rousing the people against them. They'll leave, hopefully, when things are peaceful. So let's work toward peace."

Leaning back on his chair, he changed the subject but kept his voice low.

"I'm working with Rafale and the others to find the murderers. Did you hear of Von Brucker's declaration? We're suspecting the rats themselves are turning against us. Some kind of sorcery, perhaps. The Hounds must still be looking for someone easier to blame than rats, so I think we're ahead of them."

[LCP]

Pieter

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"The Baron won't deal with von Kemperbad - not so long as the Lector's got the new Baroness wrapped around his little finger. That's why we need to make ourselves noticed - so that they can't ignore the problem any more, so they'll see the Hounds are more trouble than they're worth."

Welcoming Pieter's changing the subject, Karl interjected.

"Rats, you say? That's... well, that's something." He paused. "We don't know what the Hounds are doing. There's been a whole swarm of them around Helstrum's Ward for most of today, but their Templar seems practically to have vanished. Ulric knows what he's up to."

Klaus gave a curt sniff. "This is exactly what we've been saying. The second Halbermann's called upon to do his supposed job, he doesn't have a clue."

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

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“Rafale!”

Raffy's weariness breaks suddenly into a smile, and he manages to swallow a coughing giggle at the sense of elation Maria's greeting gives him.

Striding up to her directly, he throws his arms around her and gives her a hug that lasts a few seconds longer than it needs to, and ends wityh a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder.

“You look tired. Have you eaten?”

"I haven't. I'd accept a bite, but not till we get this place ready...." his eyes are darting around the various entrances of the foyer, searching for other figures. "Is Vanya here?"

((after the answer))

"Maria, we've found out how the murders are being committed. It's rats. The murderer must use sorcery to control them - hundreds of rats will swarm out of sewers or hidden tunnels, and chew the victim to death." He delivers this information before it occurs that it might upset or disgust her. He surveys her face carefully for a reaction - he expects one of surprise, or hopes for one, but Illiiya's suspicions of Maria still nag his mind.

((after her reaction))

"We can keep everyone here safe through the night, but it will take some preparation.... How many servants do you have? Besides grandpa here, with the winning smile?" He nods toward Alfons.

((after answer))

"Here's the thing, Maria. Pieter checked a house and found secret rat holes in the walls. They can come from anywhere. Our best chance is to all be in the same room, and check it thoroughly for openings. We'll... all be spending the night together, all night, in one room. Always with at least two people with you, for propriety's sake," he shoots a look at Alfons to indicate this is all the salve his disapproval will get.

"Whatever room you choose, we're going to have to pull up some of the wallboard." He looks regretfully at the beautiful moulding layered along the bottoms of the walls. For all of spending the last decade in the peasant countryside, his city boy heart has a fondness and admiration for fine things. "To check for rat holes. We'll block those as needed. Then if they come in, they'll need to come under the doors or through the windows. We'll take turns sleeping and whoever's awake will have guns. Tomorrow the rat hunt will pick up and by tomorrow night we'll be much safer, but tonight, this is it. This is the plan."

He loses the confident tone of voice he's taken and looks from groggy drunk maestro to frowning old man to Maria's beautiful, youthful face. He waits to see if the fortification will begin or if he's about to be shown the door.

If allowed to continue, Raffy's prep is....

1. Check the courtyard and stables for sewer openings, and the cellar for hidden tunnels.
2. Get all the servants (if any others) and Vanya (if present) inside the house and into one room.
3. Find out if Maria has any firearms in her home, even antiques or hunting pieces. In fact, blunderbusses and pheasant guns are best, because a wide cone of shrapnel or shot will work nicely against a swarm. Raffy will check each piece and get it loaded and primed.
4. Choose the room where we will all spend the night.... and start prying off moulding and probing all the walls for mouse holes and the like.

[LCP]

Raffy

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"I haven't. I'd accept a bite, but not till we get this place ready...." his eyes are darting around the various entrances of the foyer, searching for other figures. "Is Vanya here?"

Maria shook her head with a brief smile. “I sent him home. It was a thoughtful gesture, but I don’t think he’d be much use if we were attacked. Rather too many years since he’s done anything but wield a pen.”

"Maria, we've found out how the murders are being committed. It's rats. The murderer must use sorcery to control them - hundreds of rats will swarm out of sewers or hidden tunnels, and chew the victim to death." He delivers this information before it occurs that it might upset or disgust her. He surveys her face carefully for a reaction - he expects one of surprise, or hopes for one, but Illiiya's suspicions of Maria still nag his mind.

“Rats?” Maria said – she seemed stunned. “Rats... but of course, that would make sense of it.”

Surprisingly, her air was more of someone who had seen the answer to an impossible puzzle than one of horror or disgust – her eyes were fairly alight as she spoke.

“That’s how they get in and out through locked doors and windows... how they strike across half a dozen places at the same time... Rafale, this is brilliant! How did you find out?”

"We can keep everyone here safe through the night, but it will take some preparation.... How many servants do you have? Besides grandpa here, with the winning smile?" He nods toward Alfons.

Maria paused for the merest beat.

“Only one,” she said. “Hans, the horse-boy. Father used to have many more, but I didn’t see the use for them with only me in the house.”

"Here's the thing, Maria. Pieter checked a house and found secret rat holes in the walls. They can come from anywhere. Our best chance is to all be in the same room, and check it thoroughly for openings. We'll... all be spending the night together, all night, in one room. Always with at least two people with you, for propriety's sake," he shoots a look at Alfons to indicate this is all the salve his disapproval will get.

"Whatever room you choose, we're going to have to pull up some of the wallboard." He looks regretfully at the beautiful moulding layered along the bottoms of the walls. For all of spending the last decade in the peasant countryside, his city boy heart has a fondness and admiration for fine things. "To check for rat holes. We'll block those as needed. Then if they come in, they'll need to come under the doors or through the windows. We'll take turns sleeping and whoever's awake will have guns. Tomorrow the rat hunt will pick up and by tomorrow night we'll be much safer, but tonight, this is it. This is the plan."

Listening intently as he spoke, Maria’s expression slowly changed – a look of mild amusement crossing her face, Raffy’s heart sank as she broke into a bubbling laugh at the end of his speech.

“Rafale, this concern is very really very sweet of you – but my father built this place out of stone,” she said, placing a hand on the wall. “If there was a rat that could burrow its way in here, I wouldn’t think any of us could stop it.”

“Actually... um, mistress,” said Alfons, hesitantly – for the first time, the old servant seemed to have lost his hauteur. “I was, um, meaning to tell you... that is, the other day, I, um, there was... well I looked in the cellar, and something had been at the wine-butts.” He swallowed nervously. “I, um, I don’t think the foundations are sealed, ma’am. They must have... dug their way in.”

Maria’s merry expression vanished in a flash.

“There are rats in my house?” she asked, quietly.

“Or mice, or, um... or mice. Or there have been. I mean, I haven’t seen anything since...”

“When were you planning on telling me?”

“When... when I’d found the hole. And when I’d... replaced the wine.” He paused. “It’s dark down there – even with my lantern, I mean, I couldn’t really see...”

“And how long ago was this?”

“...two days ago.”

A long, long silence reigned. The old servant did his best to shrink down into his shiny black shoes without actually moving.

“Well,” said Maria, her eyes not leaving Alfons’ face. “Perhaps Rafale’s plan... might be worth following, after all. Starting with the cellar.” She looked at Raffy. “I’d rather you left the skirting-boards be, though. As I said – the walls are stone.”

Her composure seemed to return in a flood, a smile crossing her face again.

"Besides, the murders have moved on each night. One of yesterday's was by Wishbone Street - they must have already passed this old place."

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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The Templar? Vanished? Interesting... and worrisome.

Halbermann's alleged incompetence did not surprise him: he had seen with his own eyes the Hounds' petty politicking, and it stood to reason that not everyone who rose in their ranks was fit for the job. Jagrun, though, was something else entirely.

"At any rate, this whole thing is a good opportunity to discredit the Hounds," said Pieter. "And Captain Von Brucker seems to know where his spine is. He's working to make sure they leave soon, and the best way to help him is to let him do his job. When he puts things back in order, you want to be on his good side. Don't try to play politics, you'll lose."

He started to get up.

"Oh, one last thing," he said off-handedly. "How do I get in touch with Magda?"

[LCP]

Pieter

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Klaus' expression hardened at Pieter's mentioning the Captain.

"Marius von Brucker doesn't give a rat's arse for the common people. You wouldn't either, if your daddy was the Baron of Delberz." He met Pieter's eyes with a harsh stare. "If you think he'll lift a finger without it being in his own circle's self-interest, you're mistaken."

"Why d'you want to speak to Magda?" asked Karl, diplomatically changing the subject. "Not going to try to dissuade her too, are you?" He lowered his voice a little more, to be sure no-one would overhear. "It won't work, you know. She came up with every word of those things herself, and believes it, too." He grinned to himself. "Articulate, our Magda."

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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"Actually, while I disagree with starting this campaign now, I'm impressed with Magda's pamphlets," Pieter grinned. "I'd like to offer her a little job. My friends and I have decided that we should help the people protect themselves from the... murderers and encourage them to collaborate with the guards rather than the Hounds. She might be just the person to come up with the right words."

[LCP]

Pieter

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Karl looked to Klaus - grudgingly, Klaus looked back at Pieter, and nodded.

"She lodges in Farben Alley, in between Neumarket and Altmarket. Just ask for Magda Gebenluft... but try not to draw any unwanted attention."

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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"Thank you. And don't worry, discretion would be my middle name, had I a last name." Pieter turned to leave, then looked over his shoulder with a light smile. "Oh, by the way, Klaus. I don't mean to sound patronizing, but you really ought to see the world one day. The real world, that is. Take a few months off and travel a bit. Help a farmer repair his fence for free. Dress up as a beggar and spend a night in the streets of Nuln. Work as a docker in Marienburg for a few days. Eat the borscht of the Kislevite peasants. You'll come back with a kind of wisdom that a lifetime at university could never teach you."

He departed, heading for Maria's home.

[Exeson]

Ithelus

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Ithelus nods, 'sounds like a good plan but there is one problem.' he looks to Kliener, 'I've some inside information that the lady is either a mage, or has one in her employ.' He pauses, 'I'll still do the job... but I'm warning you that I don't think this is as simple as it seems.'

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar ⁊ Illiiya

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Lothar saluted von Brucker with the rolled-up map. "We've got a map of the drains for ya- you, sir. Might help, if there's somethin' to this rat theory o' Raffy's." The soldier passed the note over with a shrug.

"Bootlaces, eh? Can't say I'm surprised, folk bein' what they are- but at least people'll feel useful now, stabbin' rats. Better than quiverin' at home waitin' for the bogeymen to come a-slicin'." Lothar rubbed at his neck, wiped his forehead and frowned. "Think I need a drink, sir. Anythin' else you need o' us for now?"

[LCP]

Ithelus

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"A mage?" said Ricard. "What, like... a witch?"

"Aye, maybe that'd make sense of why we're bein' paid," said Kleiner, evenly. "It don't change the job, lads. We knew she was a dangerous target to be goin' after just because she was rich. We can't throw this one over, y'unnerstan'?"

Ricard and his followers seemed dubious, but they didn't dare to contradict the crime lord.

"So, mister Ithelus," said Kleiner, decisively. "You're in, then?"

[hr]

Lothar & Illiiya

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"Not now, no," said Marius with an absent-minded air, looking at the map rather than Lothar's face. "Thank you - yes, this will be useful." He sucked his teeth. "That's a lot of places. Might need Halbermann's men too, to cover them all." He glanced at Illiiya. "And we know how that ends up."

He nodded at Lothar. "Good work - you're dismissed. Get some rest," he added. "You look worn out."

[goblinpaladin]

Lotharius et Illiiya

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Lothar returned Marius' nod. "Aye, that we do. Thank you, Cap'n."

He turned to Illiiya and grinned. "Let's be havin' somethin' to drink- and I'll teach you this dice game..."

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

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I sent him home. It was a thoughtful gesture, but I don’t think he’d be much use if we were attacked. Rather too many years since he’s done anything but wield a pen.

Raffy is disappointed, but does his best to conceal it.

That’s how they get in and out through locked doors and windows... how they strike across half a dozen places at the same time... Rafale, this is brilliant! How did you find out?

He blushes. "Well, I... it's what the Sparrowhawk does." He grins with a mixture of pride and laughter as he boasts.

Only one. Hans, the horse-boy. Father used to have many more, but I didn’t see the use for them with only me in the house.

"Well, where is he? Does he go home at night to his family? If he's in the house we need him with us."

Perhaps Rafale’s plan... might be worth following, after all. Starting with the cellar. I’d rather you left the skirting-boards be, though. As I said – the walls are stone.

Raffy gives a thoughtful nod and begins his preparations.

Besides, the murders have moved on each night. One of yesterday's was by Wishbone Street - they must have already passed this old place.

"I hope so, Maria..."

Revised plan of action:
1. Find out if Maria has any firearms in her home, even antiques or hunting pieces. In fact, blunderbusses and pheasant guns are best, because a wide cone of shrapnel or shot will work nicely against a swarm. Raffy will check each piece and get it loaded and primed.

2. Check the cellar to look at the rat evidence and test all walls and floor areas for hollow sounds or signs of a larger tunnel. Preferably take 1 armed person along with him for this (stable boy if around, otherwise Alfons). Definitely take lights.

3. Let Maria choose the room where we will all spend the night.... and start tapping on the moulding and probing all the walls for mouse holes and the like. I want to bhe respectful of Maria, but I really doubt all the interior walls are solid stone especially if they have wooden moulding on them. More likely they are frame and plaster,with external stone walls, or even internal stone walls with plaster over them and moulding over that. The lathe and plaster could be chewed through behind the moulding even if it is backed by stone. So.... being very careful and checking by sound for hollowness.

[LCP]

Raffy

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"Well, where is he? Does he go home at night to his family? If he's in the house we need him with us."

"Hans has a bunk out in the stableyard," said Alfons. He seemed eager to move on. "I'll - I'll go fetch him, shall I?"

Unfortunately for Raffy, Samtzunge House seemed low on guns: portraits, bookcases and tapestries aplenty, but no firearms. Making do with his blunderbuss alone, the Sparrowhawk and the servants descended to the cellar, to search for evidence of Alfons' rats. Alfons had brought Hans in from the outside, a lad of about Raffy's age with dirty yellow hair: he seemed rather disbelieving of the whole plan, but said nothing. No servant in their right mind would question their employer.

Their traces were clear: the base of a small barrel had been gnawed right through, and the flagstoned floor around it stained a dark red from where the contents had flooded out - presumably leaving one extremely inebriated rat in their wake. As Alfons joined in the search, holding up the lantern for the other two to see by, Raffy realised just quite how bad the man's eyes must be - he did his best to hide, but the old man seemed scarcely able to see anything beyond the length of his arm. Sigmar knew how long the rats might have escaped his notice - or how he ran the household at all, being as he was a one-man serving staff.

The rat-hole was found easily enough: in between the wall and a flagstone that had cracked in one corner, a tiny little tunnel burrowed away into the earth. Blocking it up as best they could, they checked the rest of the cellar, but there seemed to be no other means for the creatures to get in or out.

When they came back upstairs - Raffy and Hans straightening out the cricks in their backs - Maria had lit the fire in the drawing room, seemingly having chosen that as their temporary fortress. It passed Raffy's rigorous examination, seeming to have no holes or hollow spaces through which murderous rodents could crawl.

Hans rubbed the back of his neck and spoke up. "Do I 'ave to be in here, miss? I mean, don't the horses need watching too?" He seemed rather uncomfortable at being inside the grand house. "I'd rather stay out there with them, if that's alright."

Maria looked across at Raffy.

"I think if anything attacked the horses, we'd hear it," she said. "Would it be a problem?"

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

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Raffy considers the question. "We'd hear it. But the boy would be eaten from the inside out before we'd reach him." He gives a meaningful look at Hans, not much younger than himself actually, but Raffy maintains his air of professionalism. "We need you here. To take a shift on watch while we're asleep, if nothing else - and to defend our lady's life, if it comes to that."

He continues the preparations. He makes sure there is a lot of firewood on hand - in the room with them - and instructs Alfons that the fire must be kept stokes higher than usual, fiilling the firebox with flame and the chimney with smoke. "No good filling the cracks if they come down from on top of us."

Then he finds braziers and warming pans. These ((I assume)) are more common in the house than guns. He fills a warming pan with hot coals but neglects to secure the latch. Making sure there is no rug before the fireplace, he stands back and gives the warming pan a good swing, causing it to fall open and fling hot coals back into the fireplace from whence they came.

"See? We'll keep these full all night and change the pans twice an hour. It's hard to hit a rat with a knife, even if there's a hundred of them in front of you. But you cover them with hot coals - the swarm will scatter, I promise."

Seeing the continued disbelief of Hans, he removes his jacket and unbuttons his shirt. "See these?" he turns so his upper back is exposed to the boy (and his pectorals to Maria...). Twenty or thirty pairs of tiny punctures, and a few scabbed-over gouges decorate the area around his right shoulder blade. "What do you think made that? It was me and two other men, alone 30 fathoms below Helstrum's ward, in a tunnel the size of this chimney. I had to kill the rats on my back or I wouldn't be standing here to show you. And I tell you, it wasn't my sword what did it."

He allows himself the vernacularism at the end of his speech to the boy, then turns around and buttons his shirt. "Let me show you how to use this net..."

((So yeah. There's 4 of us, 1 blind and 3 able. So let's keep 8 warming pans or braziers along the hearth, change the coals every 30 minutes, and leave the net hanging on the wall for whoever needs it. Only when the preparation is done do I break to eat. Anyone who leaves the room takes a partner. If you're going to the chamber pot your partner waits outside the door. If Maria goes, two of us wait in the next room for propriety's sake. That's my plan.))

edited to add:

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"The good news is there's a bounty on rats now, a penny a tail, so you'll come out ahead if you stay alert." He winks at the boy.

[LCP]

Raffy

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"Well, this all seems very thorough," said Maria, seeing that Alfons and Hans were hesitating before following Raffy's instructions. She looked across at the stable-boy, now seeming more scared than sceptical. "Rafale here is a friend, Hans. Please do as he says."

Within a short time, Raffy's preparations had been made. Seating herself in a comfortable chair in front of the fire, Maria sent Hans with Alfons as the old man went to prepare supper, according to Raffy's system.

"You won't object to taking some food now, I hope?" she smiled. "You must be fairly famished."

Almost immediately as she finished speaking, the tinny rattle of a bell-pull sounded somewhere close by. Frowning slightly, Maria looked round.

"That's the side gate," she said. "I wasn't expecting any visitors..."

[hr]

Pieter

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Heading south again, Pieter made his way back to the front of Samtzunge House. There were lights inside: clearly the lady was in.

OOC: As always, there's the choice of the front door or the side gate (servant's entrance).

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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More out of instinct than for any practical reason, Pieter stalked toward the side door, not especially keen to announce his presence to the entire household.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya + Lothar

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Mnh... If that's what you l-like. Illiiya said, with the same distant tone she'd had all day. Will Ithelus b-be there? I am concerned for him.

[Another_Poet]

Raffy the Sparrowhawk

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"Yes, I'd be glad for some supper," the Sparrowhawk breathes as he finally sits on one of the stuffed chairs. Again he is beside Maria, able to put a hand on her arm. "It will be alright Mari-"

*ring*

When Maria explains the source of the bell, Raffy frowns. Marius said he wouldn't send anybody. Unless it is Marius! Or Illiiya. That could be bad.

"I'd just follow the normal procedure. Alfons can show them in, and act as if everything is normal. I'll... I'll be in the next room here," he said, rising suddenly. "I'll be here if you need me. And if you don't mention me, I'll be able to surprise them, if it's..." If it's Jagrun. "If it's better that way."

There isn't time to put away all the warming pans so he just grabs his net off the wall, checks that his weapons are secure, and hurries through a door to an adjoining room. There he will wait in the darkness and listen to whatever is said in the drawing room. He stays perfectly still.

[LCP]

Raffy

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Raising an eyebrow at Raffy's plan, but saying nothing, Maria remained in her chair - after a few moments, Alfons became audible shuffling back in their direction, the servant eschewing his usual muttered stream of sub-vocalised complaints as he made for the stable-yard...

OOC: Stay tuned! More to come shortly

[hr]

Pieter

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Waiting outside the gate, Pieter felt a raindrop land lightly on the back of his hand - it was swiftly followed by another, a freezing drizzle beginning to descend from the darkened sky. It looked like it was going to be a wet night: that wasn't good for the people on the Fields.

After a short while, the footsteps approached the gate from the other side. The bolt slid back, and the door hinged open a crack, the old butler Alfons' milky eyes squinting out at Pieter's face.

"Yes?" he said, his usual crabby tones sounding a mite more tense than usual.

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter

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"I'm here to see Lady Samtzunge," said Pieter in a businesslike tone. "Tell her it's Pieter. Important matter."

[LCP]

Pieter

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"Tell her yourself," muttered Alfons, opening the door all the way. "Might as well just leave the doors wide open, all the difference it makes," he mumbled to himself, watching Pieter cross the threshold before closing and bolting it behind him.

"This way," he said, doing his best to maintain his air of curmudgeonly superiority. Leading the way back to the house, he showed Pieter the way into the house: Maria was sitting in the drawing room, a fierce fire burning in the fireplace. A surprising number of warming-pans and coal-scuttles were sitting in front of the grate, each seemingly full of hot coals - no-one seemed to be doing anything with them, the articles just sitting there, slowly cooling.

"Man says his name is Pieter, ma'am," said Alfons. "Says it's important."

[hr]

Raffy

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Eventually, Alfons' footsteps returned, accompanied by someone else: Raffy heard the door to the drawing-room open, and the old servant came back in.

"Man says his name is Pieter, ma'am," said Alfons. "Says it's important."