[WFRP] The Bloody Crown X

[-Sentinel-]

"We should send word to the Captain today as well," Sieghard continued. "Let him know that the shipment is on its way and see if he can spare men to help escort it the last leg of the journey"

"Morrslieb can only be in one place at once," Elsa reminded him.

She pursed her lips. "I don't know exactly how things turned sour and what Dragos wants, but if things don't improve, you may have to swallow your pride and give in. The stakes are getting too high to risk everything just to win a tug of war with some local bandit."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"He wants crimson shade. I can't give him something I don't have," Sieghard explained. "Apparently Sforza was supplying him with it and he made a fortune selling it. Now his supply has dried up. First he wanted to speak with the Captain. When he heard that wasn't going to happen any time soon, he got it in his head that I could get it for him." Sieghard shook his head. "Maybe it was my mistake for not telling him otherwise right away. Too late for that now. If I told him, he wouldn't believe it.

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Adelbert

Urgrim took Adelbert's hand and shook it warmly. "Aye, and good luck with the research. And I'm bunking in the barracks, if you need the same. Do me a favour, though," he said, endeavouring to draw Adelbert outside of Hieronymous's home, "and at least speak to the Commander about the sewers. He's fairly obsessed with this Dragos fellow. He barely leaves the docks, and this isn't the first message he's asked me to run for him, hrmph. Might do him good to speak to someone else in person."

When they were outside Hieronymous's front door, Urgrim placed a hand on Adelbert's upper arm. "And thanks for introducing me to that fellow, but he's not seeing it as really real. I'm sure there've been more killed by Varag Kol than just the two in the streets. It must've got some of the sick, we just didn't know. We can't play with people's lives, and set up little traps with live bait until we figure out which one works. Just ... don't treat it too abstract, aye?"

Urgrim patted Adelbert's arm and nodded, before turning away. He hummed a few mournful bars from an ancient Khazalid dirge as he walked off.

---

Urgrim

Climbing the Rock at a relaxed pace took the better part of two hours. Urgrim enjoyed the simple exertion, and the sensation of the air growing fresher as he ascended from the human city. He was whistling a much more cheerful tune by the time he reached the hold.

He passed pleasantries with the dawi at the gate, enquiring in particular if there would be a throng at the end of next week, and then passed into the hold to seek out Skorgrund. Finding the elder was one thing; being worth his time, especially at such short notice, was another. But the ranger had nowhere else to be, and patience was an essential virtue in his line of work.

"Did you know," he said by way of ice-breaker when Skorgrund made time for him, "that the umgi way of saying 'sun-touched' is 'to have your head in the clouds'? I think they all do, the gangly wazzocks. They can't see the cavern for the stalagmites. They're always getting distracted by something three inches in front of their own face."

He relayed to Skorgrund his theory about the link between Klammenberg and Varag Kol, describing again both the scenes of the murder, and what the interviews with the sick and bereaved had revealed. "One of Stubbs's companions is a priest of some denomination. He took me to see the elder of his order." Urgi pronounced elder in a slightly mocking tone, a twinkle of a smile on his lips. "And that fellow says we may be looking at a vampire."

Urgrim described his frustration at Hieronymous's abstract, intellectual interest in the topic, and the lack of a coherent plan beyond waiting for Varag Kol to strike, again and again. "Has Clan Dwimmulson's records any wisdom for dealing with such a foe?" He tried to pick the elder's brains as to what they might need to take on the undead and win. Urgi also asked whether the Rinn had met success in approaching the human queen. "If their queen is as blind as the rest of them, many more of them will die before they realise the severity of what they're dealing with."

On another topic, Urgrim asked about the old tunnels the clan had set to work closing up. Were there still openings in the city? How many were yet to be sealed, and was there a map? He asked if any ran down to the river, but tried to stress that the network could be useful for discreetly hunting Klammenberg - as well as a potential location that Varag Kol could use to hide, if they were not all yet sealed.

Finally, depending on what the dwarves at the gate had said, Urgrim politely asked more details about any festivities honouring Grungni at the end of the month. It had been a long time since Urgrim had had the opportunity to join a throng and celebrate one of the old traditions in a hold. After his recent experiences, that would be an occasion to let go some of his worries and feel a bit more confident about the world.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm away from books for the weekend, but if I recall correctly there's a dwarf celebration that honours Grungni on the 33rd of Vorgeheim - that's the 'throng' I'm referring to.

[LCP]

Urgrim

Skorgrund raised his craggy eyebrows at Urgrim’s mention of vampires. “It could be,” he said. “The records only call the him uzkular, but our ancestors were writing six hundred years before the fall of Karaz Bryn. It may be the blood-drinkers were not known to them at that time. As to how to fight them… all I know is what was written. Our ancestors forged a weapon for the human king, blessed by their priests as well as our smiths, with which he struck the Black Hound down.” He ran his fingers through his snow-white beard. “We had the true craft in those days… but it was left in the keeping of humans.” Skorgrund’s tone made it clear exactly what he thought of that. “Grungni knows where it is now.”

Urgrim’s enquiries after Irene didn’t improve Skorgrund’s mood. “The human queen refuses our offer of Dwimmulson guards for her book. The Rinn has decided not to press the matter.” Again, his disagreement with the decision was clear. “Instead, we are making them a chest to hold the thing, and offering Dwimmulson gold for this capture of this Klammenberg character. Too little by half.”

On Urgrim’s questions about the Underway, Skorgrund was more reserved. “The place where the humans found an entrance was on the riverbank, south of the city. It’s sealed now.” He paused, thinking. “There’s only the one passage. It was the highway from Barak Varr to the Vala-Azril-Ungol road, before the Time of Woes. But we couldn’t defend it alone.” His voice took on a warning tone. “If there are more passages under the human city, they weren’t dug by dwarfs.”

Finally, when Urgrim asked him about the date of Saga, he scoffed. “You think we don’t keep the holy days in the lowlands, young Jotunnsson? Is that it? The first Saga since we returned to the hold. Of course there will be a gathering.” Turning away, he grumbled something inaudible under his breath. “And I trust we will see you there!”

---

Festag, 25th Vorhexen

Dawn broke on Festag to the sight of the docks swarming like an anthill. Burhan was overseeing his stevedores as they loaded the largest of boats with the army’s supplies, Nat and the first contingent of guards already aboard. The rivermen still seemed a little spooked over Brother Jakub’s untimely death, but their captain kept them in line. Nothing further had gone missing from the warehouse in the night, and Burhan and Sieghard kept a careful eye on the loading to ensure that nothing wandered off now.

With a great heave, the Jenny cast off. The great bulk of the boat, laden down in the low water, struggled for a minute or two against the current before Edelman’s men finally got the sail to catch the breeze. A cheer went up from the bank as the big riverboat began to make headway. Nobody seemed to notice Morrslieb sitting on the top of the mast.

“Our first shipment!” said Burhan, beaming. Perhaps forgetting himself a little, he clapped Sieghard on the back. “We should celebrate. What do you say, eh Commander? Dinner on me at the Duke of Aquitaine tonight, for you and all your distinguished friends.”

~

Once the sun was fully up, Sieghard went about his other business. Ludo hadn’t recognised any of the faces he’d seen leaving the Dragos residence by name, but enquiries after those in town who might have outstanding debts to the wrong sort of people were not entirely fruitless. In particular, Sieghard learned that the new proprietor of the Yellow Dog had borrowed heavily to rebuild their establishment after the siege, and had been seen quite frequently in the docks of late.

Adelbert, meanwhile, looked into Hieronymus’ books for anything that could be found about the old Arabyan sewers. There wasn’t much – just a mention or two in a Reikspiel translation of an old chronicle of the crusades. The crusaders had put the Arabyan libraries to the torch, claimed Hieronymus, and so it seemed unlikely that any map of their works had survived.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

It seemed a rather small thing to celebrate, but that was no reason to turn down the offer. "Sounds good. My friends aren't the type to refuse a paid meal," Sieghard replied with a small laugh. "I have some other business to see to, but I'll meet you here later.

---

Taking Ludo with him, Sieghard made his way to the Yellow Dog. Finding it was no trouble - he remembered it from his first trip to Savonne. He also remembered the patrons as being unfriendly and the drink as being little better than gutter water. Maybe that would change with the place rebuilt under a new owner, but Sieghard had his doubts.

"You the new owner?" he asked the man behind the bar. "I need to speak with the innkeeper. In private." Once alone, he decided to be direct. If the man was in debt, the worst he suspected is he would deny it. "What's your business with No-Nose?"

Spoiler

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Sieghard will inform Nat that Morrslieb will be helping to watch the rivers and tell him signs that will be used if he spots something suspicious and if he spots something presumed to be hostile. Sieghard wants a watch kept over the ships at all times.

[RossN]

Adelbert

Another day, another book.

After morning prayers Adelbert approached Hieronymous. 'Father do you know if Savonne has a ratcatcher's guild? Or indeed any ratcatchers of note?'

[LCP]

At the Yellow Dog

The owner of the Yellow Dog was a small, weasel-faced man named Yanko, much like the previous small, weasel-faced owner. On catching sight of Sieghard, and more specifically Sieghard's armour and weapons, he flicked a hasty glance to the inn's bouncers. They looked like a fairly cut-priced pair of thugs, but Sieghard knew from long experience that a knife in the hands of a tavern drunk was just as sharp as in those of a soldier.

"Private?" he said. "I don't see why I should be giving private audiences to strangers. And my business with anyone is just that." He kept his eyes firmly fixed on Sieghard, hardly seeming to notice that Ludo was there. "My business."

---

Adelbert

"I never heard of any rat-catcher's guild. Not very organised people, in general. But there's plenty of them," said Hieronymus. "If you want to hire one I'm sure you could find some at the markets... though I must say I fail to see what you hope to learn from such a fellow."

[RossN]

Adelbert

'I'd imagine if anyone had any knowledge of the sewers of Savonne it would be a rat catcher,' Adelbert replied, not bothering to hide his surprise at Hieronymous's query.

'Given that I will probably have to go undead hunting down there I'd have thought anyone with even a glimmer of experience would be helpful.'

[LCP]

Adelbert

"Savonne's sewers have been falling into disrepair for the best part of one thousand years," was Hieronymus' dry but kindly reply. "If any remain clear, I doubt they are fitting accommodation for a creature that had grand pyramids built in its honour. Mm, but by all means, investigate." He tapped the side of his nose. "No stone unturned, eh?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"It's his business I'm interested in, not yours," Sieghard assured Yanko. "I hear he's been making trouble for you. A shame, really. I'm sure you've got enough to worry about running this place without him breathing down your neck."

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert grinned. 'So to speak. It does make me think the Temple should look into appointing a priest of Ranald. There are times when such individuals are useful.'

Taking his leave of the older cleric Adelbert departed to the market to chase down a rat catcher or two.

OOC:

Spoiler

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I'm assuming this is Gossip test territory?

Gossip: (1d100)[86] vs 46.

Edit: *sigh*

[LCP]

Sieghard

"I've got enough to worry about without people sticking their noses in where they don't belong," said the innkeeper. "Now you can buy a drink, or you can be on your way."

OOC:

Spoiler

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You are not going to change this guy's attitude without a successful test of some kind.

---

Adelbert

"Priests of Ranald don't take well to being appointed," said Hieronymus, raising his eyebrows as he turned away. "You might well find one hereabouts, but they don't make themselves members of our conclave. A shame, really." He didn't sound as if he meant it - clearly his opinion of the trickster god and his cult was quite low.

It wasn't difficult to find a rat-catcher in the North Market - they had services to sell, after all. A small, grimy, bow-legged woman was the first that Adelbert found, sitting on a stool under a pole strung with a dozen dead rats. She squinted up at him as he loomed through the bright Vorgeheim sun, and once he'd made it clear that he wasn't here for rodent removal, listened to his questions.

"That's trade secrets, knowing your way around the sewers," she said, gruffly. "You want to put me out of a job?" Looking over Adelbert's priestly vestments, she quickly seemed to figure that one out for herself. "How much you offering?"

[LeSwordfish]

"Well," Ludo said, reaching for his moneybelt. "Then we'll have an ale each, and something for yourself, and for these gentlemen as well? And perhaps we can take a few private minutes to talk about ...ways we can solve problems for you?"

OOC

Spoiler

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Charm vs 72: (1d100)[3]

Hypnohobbit back in action

[LCP]

Sieghard & Ludo

Yanko looked to his bouncers. They no longer looked so keen to intervene after the promise of free beer. Clearly if you paid peanuts, you got monkeys.

"I'll give you five minutes," he said, sourly trying to act as if he was still in control of the situation. He pointed to Sieghard. "But you leave your weapons at the bar, you hear?"

The back room of the Yellow Dog was no cleaner or tidier than the common hall. The floor smelt of old beer and the table in the middle of the room was scarred with years of use. The stuffed head of what might have been a wolf or might just have been an ugly-looking dog hung askew on the wall, only patches of its faded fur remaining.

"What do you want?" said Yanko, when the two of them had entered. A little of the tough-guy facade had given way to clear tones of nerves and frustration. "You angling for a cut of Dragos' business? Cos I got nothin'. I barely got enough to pay those two asses out there." Dragging his hands across his face, he slumped into a chair. "Whatever kind of trouble you're stirring up," he said, "I'm asking you, leave me out. Please."

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert tried to keep his nose from wrinkling. The 'woman' (assuming she was not some form of albino goblin) looked filthier than Elsa had in the days before she'd conquered her hydrophobia. At least the ratcatcher did not smell of sulphur.

'I assume I cannot ask you to work merely for the good of Savonne? Fine, a shilling per day for a week if you can show me and anyone else I bring the sewers.'

It was physically painful to part with so much, but he had to know.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsabeth Holt

Elsa visited the Morrite temple that morning to inquire whether all was normal about the Azrillite's body; if this was the work of a vampire as the rumor around town said, there might be something unusual about it by now, such as a lack of decomposition. She supposed most Morrites were trained to recognize an undead creature when they saw one, but then again, perhaps this was not a threat familiar to this part of the world.

She also asked gingerly whether there was any way at all to know that a soul had passed into Morr's realm, and if so, if Jakub's soul had done so. She knew as she asked the question that she might not like the answer: if the monk's soul had been devoured or trapped in some way, for example as part of a ritual, the same grim fate had likely befallen Astoria's soul. But, she told the priests, she could not allow herself to turn away from ugly truths if there was the slightest chance that this was part of some grand scheme.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I told you already, we aren't interested in causing trouble for you," Sieghard said. "Dragos though? Man thinks too much of himself. He may be used to pushing around stevedores and shopkeepers, but I'm not the sort to put up with that from damn smuggler and I'm sure not the sort to let the bastard think he can steal from me." He paused. "I wonder how much of your trouble would disappear if No-Nose did."

"You've been meeting with him a lot as of late. That means you'd know stuff we don't. Does he do all his business at Greenapple's old place, or does he have other buildings he uses? How many men are loyal to him and how many does he keep with him? Is the ogre still around or did it disappear when Greenapple did?"

[LCP]

Adelbert

"If it's for the good of the city," said the rat catcher, "seems like it'd be worth more than a schilling a day."

OOC:

Spoiler

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Rat catcher tries to haggle Adelbert up: (1d100)[57] vs. (1d100)[54]

Though she did her best to drive up Adelbert's price, he simply repeated his offer of a schilling in increasingly unamused tones, until she seemed to take fright that she would get no money at all and reluctantly accepted the offer. "You want to see the sewers, I can show you what's left of 'em," she said, secreting the first shiny coin under her grubby rags as quick as a squirrel. "Only one chute still clear these days, the rest is mostly fallen in. You want showin' now or later?"

---

Elsa

Jakub's body had been taken down into the catacombs to await transport upriver to Putbad. Draped in white cloth, he looked surprisingly peaceful for someone with only half a throat - but the sour smell from the body told Elsa that decomposition was clearly proceeding as normal.

"The soul only lingers near the body for a short time after death," Liebrecht said in answer to her questions. "We spoke the nameless rite over both Jakub and your friend, but by the time we found them their souls had already passed on. We can only trust they found their way to Morr's embrace."

---

Sieghard & Ludo

"I've never seen no ogre," said Yanko, "and I don't know anything about how Dragos does his business. Me and him, we're not exactly like that." He held up two crossed fingers. "I just owe him money is all. And I don't want no repercussions for takin' sides in this fight you're picking. Leave me out of it, please and thank you."

[LeSwordfish]

"Well, if you're hoping to avoid repercussions," Ludo said lightly, "You'll want to make sure you're telling us everything you know. Dragos has bitten off more than he can chew messing with who we represent: you needn't concern yourself with him after this. The captain, however..."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard nodded. "Think of it like this. If we handle Dragos, there won't be anyone coming around to bother you for money anymore. If we fail, then you never talked to us. Best thing for you to do is tell us what you can and then step back."

[LCP]

Ludo & Sieghard

Yanko's face took on a paler shade at Ludo's mention of the Captain. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he displayed about as much backbone as the creatures usually found under rocks, and spilled his whole sorry story.

He had borrowed money from Dragos to re-open the Dog after Rorik's men set fire to the Warren at the end of the first siege - the previous owner having gone missing, presumably either dead or using the opportunity of the sack to flee from his own debts. At that time the Norscans had used the Greenapple house as a drinking hole, and Dragos had conducted the money-lending side of his rapidly growing business out of a dockside warehouse. Yanko had mostly kept up with his payments until the war with Sforza had begun, driving up his expenses and, once the attacks on the city began, driving away his clientele. He had borrowed more from another lender to pay off No-Nose, until, discovering his sleight of hand, she had sold his debt to Dragos too. Now doubly in the hole, he suspected Dragos was angling to take the Yellow Dog as collateral.

"I don't know how many men he's got in his gang, or where they live. I just know where he tells me to make the payments. Used to be that shack by the warehouse, now it's the halfling house. He moved in there after the Jarl got himself killed at Arrow Heap." Yanko swallowed nervously, licking his lips. "Mostly I didn't used to see him personal like, just his man Varga. They used to run in the same gang back in the Wolf Pit days, I heard." He scratched his wrist. "Sometimes they drink at the Fat Fish. Big crowd. I got called there once or twice, 'stead of the house. That's all I know, I swear."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"And when was the last time you did see No-Nose in person?" Sieghard asked.

[LCP]

Sieghard & Ludo

"Few days ago," said Yanko. "Payments was once a month to begin with. Now he wants 'em once a fortnight."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Right. Just one more question and I'll let you get back to your work. The owner of the Fat Fish. Do you know if he's one of No-Nose's or if the man just drinks there?" Sieghard glanced towards Ludo. "Anything else you want to ask him?"

[LeSwordfish]

"How much are you paying him?"

[LCP]

Sieghard & Ludo

"The owner of the Fat Fish. Do you know if he's one of No-Nose's or if the man just drinks there?" Sieghard glanced towards Ludo. "Anything else you want to ask him?"

"She," Yanko corrected him. "Georgeta Reuban. Had the place since before Greenapple disappeared, so it's not like she owes it to No-Nose," he said, in a bitter tone that implied it was alright for some. "But I imagine she don't want to get on his bad side. Half her punters are probably Dragos' people these days."

"How much are you paying him?"

Yanko squirmed uncomfortably. "Well... whatever I can scrape together on payment day. Usually not enough." He scratched the back of his neck. "First loan was three hundred... then the money from Maglyn was another hundred-fifty, which he bought. But interest, he says. Not sure I know what it's up to now." He looked glum. "Some days not sure if I want to know."

[RossN]

[B]Adelbert[/]

'It will have to be later,' Adelbert replied to the rat catcher. 'As I've said I'll have friends with me.'

He paused a moment, thinking things through in his mind before adding: 'Do you know if there is a holy man or woman of Ranald in the city?'

[LCP]

Adelbert

The ratcatcher squinted at him. "Why'd you want to know?" she asked, suspiciously.

[RossN]

Adelbert

'Perhaps I am looking to convert,' Adelbert commented. 'Or at least talk. Given these difficult times I think a follower of the trickster good could be very helpful. In any case I'll see you later about our sewer sojurn. Good hunting madam.'

[LCP]

With their business concluded, Sieghard and Ludo bade Yanko goodbye for now. Though he seemed limp and miserable as he watched them go, they had barely got outside the door when they heard him begin berating the bouncers. Ludo wondered whether that would work out well for him.

---

Having received word from Adelbert, the five of them met back at the North Market around noon. Running a wary eye over her customer’s friends, the ratcatcher kept her distance from Sieghard and his weapons.

“Hope none of you care too much ‘bout your clothes,” she said, packing up her little stall. The caged cat hissed at Stoutheart, who yapped and pranced around Ludo’s feet in reply. “’Cos they’re goin’ to need a lot of washing.”

She led them to a side-street near the river gate, where an open ditch vanished under a wooden hatch. Fastening a kerchief over her nose and mouth, she pulled it open and lowered herself down.

The stench from the open sewer was far worse than the ditch. Following their guide down into the noisome darkness, the party found themselves standing in a cramped clay-brick tunnel, its pockmarked walls streaked with damp and nitre. Holding his hand over his mouth, Adelbert tried not too think too hard about what he was standing in.

“This is the only channel that still runs clear to the river,” came the muffled voice of the ratcatcher. She seemed casually unconcerned by the stink. “Used to be there was three main chutes, but the other two have been blocked up for years. This one gets kept in better nick ‘cos it runs up to Rockshadow. Nice houses up there, don’t want to be tipping out their chamber pots in the street.”

With waste water sloshing underfoot, they followed the gentle downward slope of the tunnel towards the river. These were not the grand dwarf-built sewers of Altdorf – they proceeded by necessity in single file, with the taller members of the group bent almost double beneath the low and crumbling ceiling. The ratcatcher had a cheap iron lantern which she lit to show the way.

Where the sewer met the river, there had once been a grid of iron bars to keep out ne’er-do-wells. Now there were only rusted stubs, the people of Savonne not being ones to waste good iron. Scratched into the clay bricks by the outflow, Ludo noticed something – a crude likeness of a jackal’s head.

“That’s Black Dog sign,” said the ratcatcher, noticing that he had noticed it. “Was all the rage about this time last year, when people wanted to stick it to the Duke. Don’t reckon they ever put him to much trouble.” She wiped her thumb over the sign, examining the crumbs of brickwork that came away on her skin. “Months old.”

Emerging back into the bright sunlight, she showed them the outflows of the other two channels. One ran under North Market, she said, and the other the Old Town. “You can still get down into ‘em in a couple of places,” she said, “but they don’t go nowhere. There’s a hatch on Northwall and a hole in behind Five Gods’ Row. You want to see?”