[WFRP] The Bloody Crown

[Northern Lad]

Viggo Hirtzel

Viggo's right eye goggled at the princely sum Adelbert passed over to him. His lips moved silently as he repeated the list of items to himself committing them to memory.

"Oh and if there is anything left over keep it - consider it towards the purchase of a new lute."

Viggo's face was painted with a grin that reached from ear to ear, "That is very kind of you Herr Schreiber! My thanks Herr Schreiber! You can rely on me!" He dashed off around the market place, mentally ticking off the items as he found them.

OOC

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Viggo's Shopping List:

4 Pies - 8p
Rations 2 weeks - 12 Schillings
2 Waterskins - 16 Schillings
4 Sheets Paper or Parchment (pref Paper) - Gossip Roll [38] +10% Mastery - (1d100)[14]
Re-Roll - (1d100)[12]
Religious Symbol (pref Verena) 1GC Gossip Roll [38] +10% Mastery - (1d100)[4]
Re-Roll - (1d100)[5]

Wont bother with Haggle rolls in case I muck 'em up! and I'll wait and see if I find Parchment or Paper before deducting an amount.

After the shopping spree Viggo will fill the waterskins... Whats the crack with encumbrance because Viggo seems to be VERY overloaded at the moment?!

Edit - Wow that was some kind of dice rolling!

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo followed the others into the market proper, finishing off the pie.

"We should buy some food, shouldn't we? I didn't think of that."

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Ludo will also buy a weeks rations and a waterskin.

[LCP]

Adelbert

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Inside the chapel, the air was cool and quiet. Adelbert could see no sign of parishioners, or of Brother Odo - perhaps the pilgrim was out preaching.

---

1

Not Adelbert

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Viggo found it surprisingly easy to find the goods Adelbert had asked him to find. A merchant from Savonne was selling great rolls of stiff, fibrous paper made from papyrus reeds. Four rolls cost Viggo a whole crown, but seemed to the minstrel to be all the paper a man could ever want.

The market was rich in pedlars selling trinkets and pendants, and Viggo felt almost spoiled for choice as he searched for Adelbert's religious symbol. At last, he settled on a little wooden owl, bought from a man from Elmridge who sold all sorts of intricately-carved woodwork. The man's spiderweb-pattern walking-sticks and many-eyed dolls unnerved him a little, but the owl seemed finely-crafted. The woodworker gave him a leather thong to hang it from as a part of the price, too.

[RossN]

Adelbert Schreiber

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Adelbert got down on his knees and started to pray. He'd never prayed to the Lady before in his life but he had translated a Bretonnian tome or two in his time and he knew how to address Her (he hoped).

He spoke in Breton:

"Lady, I submit myself to your Grace & Wisdom,
Swear to serve you and my liege, your follower,
In whatever course you wish to steer my life,

I would ask for courage and inspiration to guide me,
Through all the difficult tasks ahead,
And to accept my humble offer of servitude."

After a few moments contemplation he got to his knees and departed, heading back to the market.

[Northern Lad]

Adelbertless

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Content in the knowledge that he'd managed to find everything the scribe had asked for, Viggo made his way towards the North Gate. He winced as his now bulging pack bit into his shoulders and he kept having to stop and shift the bloated waterskins into a more comfortable position.

He hoped that Adelbert would find the Owl pendant satisfactorily. As they'd discussed earlier Viggo was hardly a devout, but he had recalled that his Uncle Krev had always worn an Owl broach and he'd always made Viggo take part in the Years Blessing on the turn of the New Year, so hopefully it would suffice.

[LCP]

Making their way to the north gate, the group were soon reunited with Adelbert. They found Baldred the merchant there too, his two mule carts loaded and ready to go. With him were was another wagon-driver, and two guards - short, hairy men with the look of brothers about them. They wore furs and scavenged mail; one had a chipped broadsword at his belt, while the other had a pair of brutal-looking axes. Three light crossbows were bundled into the back of the first cart along with the other goods.

Baldred was just beginning to manoeuvre the first cart out in front of the gates as Elsa pulled herself up onto the second. Before it could follow, she heard an angry shout from behind her. Looking around, she saw nothing... until she spotted the tip of an orange crest of hair, and lowered her gaze.

The dwarf from the Beetle was standing in the middle of the street, staring up at her with a face like thunder. A dark, shiny bruise had puffed up around his right eye, making him even uglier than before. His double-handed axe was slung over his shoulder, with a paltry bindle of his belongings dangling just below the head. At least that would make it difficult for him to swing.

"YOU!" he roared. "Umgi witch!"

He pushed his way through the intervening travellers, approaching the cart. Her raised position put Elsa's head a good five feet or so higher than the dwarf's, but he still stared pugnaciously up into her eyes.

"You got me kicked out of my tavern, you wazzock," he said. "Where am I going to find any of that piss-water you lanky bastards call ale now?"

[RossN]

Adelbert Schreiber

Adelbert dropped his hand to the hilt of us sword but didn't draw, glancing to see how Elsa would respond.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Good. Seems like he's in a friendlier mood today."

Sieghard remarked with a smirk as the dwarf made his way through the crowd.

"There's another tavern in the city. Bit more expensive than the Beetle, but the drink is better. Take care not to start a brawl in that one or the only place you'll find any piss-water is in the gutters."

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa faced the Dwarf defiantly, her nostrils flaring. "Got you kicked out? I'm not the one who pulled a ****ing axe in a tavern brawl! In any civilized city, you might've been hanged for this."

[LCP]

The dwarf spat into the mud.

"Let them try," he said, in a voice like two millstones being ground together. "Better men than these sheep-fondlers have tried to kill Thengrim Ungdrinaz."

He gave the guards at the gate a confrontational glare, as if challenging them to try their luck.

"What's your name, girl?"

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa straightened. "Elsabeth of the house of Holt. What's it to you?"

[LCP]

"I remember a face," said Thengrim, "and the dawi remember names."

He pointed one thick finger in Elsa's direction. "Seems I remember you ran off. You owe me a proper fight, Elsabeth Holtsdottir. Might be one day I'll call in that debt."

Mumbling or snarling to himself, the Slayer turned and stumped away.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa fought back a smile at the Dwarf's utterly serious expression. This sounded like a bad Estalian cloak-and-dagger play. "You want your fight, you'll have to come and get it, because I'm not going one step out of my way to give it to you," she replied at the departing Dwarf. "It's not cowardice; it's having better things to do."

[LCP]

The dwarf growled some Khazalid curse back over his shoulder, but it was lost under the rumbling of the cart's wheels. They stopped briefly at the gates when the guards approached, but Adelbert saw silver change hands and the duke's men waved them through.

Outside, when they were clear of the gatehouse, Baldred brought the lead wagon to a stop. Leaning back, he craned his head to look over at Elsa.

"That dwarf back there," he said, seeming curious. "You picked a fight with a Slayer?"

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa shrugged, trying to look casual about the whole thing. "He picked a fight with a tavernful of people. I was one of those people." She raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What's a Slayer? What do they do, except drink, brawl and wear ridiculous hairstyles?"

[RossN]

Adelbert Schreiber

Adelbert looked at Elsa with a mixture of admiration and disbelief at her cool facing down the dwarf. At the end he shook his head and smiled.

"Don't they teach you anything in the colleges?"

Turning to Viggo he gratefully started relieving the young man of some of his purchases. "Any trouble at the market?"

[Northern Lad]

Viggo Hirtzel

Viggo felt his heart pounding in his chest as Elsabeth and the Dwarf traded insults, he kept his head down and kept out of eyeshot by retreating behind one of the carts, Please Ranald don't let him start swinging that axe!

"Any trouble at the market?"

"No not at all Herr Schreiber," he answered as he passed over the packs of dry rations and bloated waterskins, "I didn't know if you were hungry or not so I bought you a couple of pies just in case."

Handing over the four rolls of stiff paper to the scribe, he continued "I hope this is enough for you?" Viggo fished into his coat pocket and pulled out the owl pendant that he had found for Adelbert, giving it over to him the young lad examined the scribes face for possible signs of dissapointment. "The Owl is blessed of Verena isn't it Adel.. Herr Schreiber? Is it ok?"

[LCP]

"What's a Slayer? What do they do, except drink, brawl and wear ridiculous hairstyles?"

One of the shaggy-bearded guards chuckled, and said something to his brother in a language that didn't quite sound like Reikspiel. Baldred, however, looked impressed.

"Slayers're a dwarfish death cult, miss," he said. "Dwarfs who think they've brought shame on their names. They shave their heads and go looking for death in battle."

Fishing at his belt, he dug out the eight schillings Elsa had paid for passage.

"Here. If you crossed a Slayer and you've still got all your arms and legs, I reckon I'd rather have you as a guard than a passenger." He held the money out to Elsa, and indicated Adelbert and Ludo. "Same pay as your friends here. Hope I didn't offend you none with that talk earlier. Got to be careful what you pay for in these parts if you want to hold onto your coin."

When Elsa had taken the money, a crack of the reins set the mules plodding forwards again. The sky was still the same overcast grey it had been yesterday, with the uncertain promise of rain to come. Wheels rumbling, the two carts left Alvarran behind.

The game continues in Thread 2