[WFRP] The Bloody Crown X

[LCP]

Sieghard & Ludo

Ludo's words cut through the crowd, and the hail of missiles slackened - whether because of what he had said or just that they had run out of things to throw, Ludo couldn't guess. Either way, it bought them a little breathing room.

"They're lying!" shouted the woman whose nose had been broken, clutching her face as she stumbled back away from the Volunteers. "They just want to protect their pet witch!"

The Volunteers were in no mood to make this a conversation. At Sieghard's command, they drove their shields forward, smashing into the crowd. More people fell, others jumping back to get away from the sudden crush. Another stamp and smash, and the mob began to waver, the vast majority of its members deciding that justice for the fire wasn't worth broken bones.

Not everyone came to the same conclusion. The big man who had rushed them before broke free of his friends' restraining grip, hurling himself at the militia with a fury that would have made Jarl Rorik proud. Two Volunteers went down trying to stop him, the three of them rolling to the ground in a whirl of flailing limbs until another soldier leapt in to help pin their attacker down. On the right, someone else swung a stick at the advancing soldiers, and was immediately bludgeoned into the dirt by two broad shields.

As it became clear that the militia weren't messing around, the mob broke apart and began to run, those who had taken a blow from a shield running somewhat slower than the others. Some lingered on the edges of the square to hurl parting projectiles at the soldiers, but most just ran. That was the great thing about mobs - once the people at the leading edge got an idea into their heads, the spread was quick. In less than a minute, the only people that remained were a few concussed-looking stragglers and the big man, now pinned to the dirt by no fewer than four Volunteers. Two of them looked like they'd be sporting black eyes come tomorrow.

[LeSwordfish]

"We can let you up, right?" Ludo said to the man. "I'm sorry for what's happened to you today. Tell people... tell people to go to the temple for now, or to their friends homes if they have them. And we'll be making things right, making sure you have shelter and such, just as soon as we can."

"Seems we've found something to do with Dragos' house," he added to Sieghard. "Did he have any warehouses, too?"

[RossN]

Adelbert

Having cleaned himself up and donned a clean if simple robe Adelbert departed the Temple on the quest for a suitable tailor to make him a robe befitting his new office. He was hardly confident he would he have a suitable set of clothing for this evening but hope sprang eternal.

OOC:

Spoiler

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Okay I guess this is a Gossip test at Challenging difficult.

Gossip: (1d100)[67] vs 36

[LCP]

Sieghard & Ludo

The man on the ground gave Ludo no answer, but eventually stopped struggling. Making sure they held him tight, the Volunteers bundled him to his feet. When he didn't lash out, they marched him over to the edge of the square and let him go.

"Ranald's teeth, that smarts" said one of them, massaging his bruised face. He looked down at Ludo. "Man like that, maybe it'd've done him good to cool off in the dungeon for a while. Teach him some respect."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Might've," Sieghard agreed, "But better to not give them anything else to get riled up. Start locking folk up now that it's over and we might up with another mob. I'm going to check in on Hildebrand," he told his men. "We'll escort Lady Sforza to the temple once I return."

---

Sieghard was still upset with Elsa, but despite that he was relieved to see her awake when he arrived. "How is your arm?" he asked.

[-Sentinel-]

Shallyan hospital


Having been left with no one to talk with since Ludo's departure, Elsa was saved from her dark thoughts and self-recriminations by Sieghard's arrival.

"How is your arm?"

"...Not great," admitted Elsa. "Shoulder's filled with broken glass, and I can feel almost nothing below it. I can barely wiggle my fingers." She attempted a demonstration. Her index and middle fingers curled almost imperceptibly.

She paused, dreading what came next.

"How is your city?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"A powder keg," Sieghard replied, darkly. "I wonder if we would've been better off just letting Alvarr have it until the people tore him apart. We tried convincing them you didn't start the fire. Doesn't seem like they believed it though."

[-Sentinel-]

"Oooh, of course, whenever there's a fire, people assume the nearest fire wizard is to blame," Elsa scoffed. She paused, then lowered her voice. "Well. I was to blame, granted. But that's not the point."

Her face darkened even more. "What of Klammenberg? Did you kill him, at least?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"He used some magic and got away," Sieghard said, still angry at himself for failing. "Turned into a bunch of beetles before I could finish him."

"The vampire got away too," he said after a pause. "But I managed to keep it off you at least." he shook his head and then glared at her. "It had us outmatched. It was obvious it did. Why didn't you escape when you had the chance do?"

[-Sentinel-]

"Turned into a bunch of beetles before I could finish him."

Elsa blinked. "...Beetles. Well, that's quite a neat spell. I suppose it's too much to hope for that the fire burned those beetles to a crisp."

Inconveniently, it was also outlandish enough that no one who had not been there would believe it.


""It had us outmatched. It was obvious it did. Why didn't you escape when you had the chance to?"

Elsa matched Sieghard's glare with a glare of her own. "Escaped? While you stayed behind? We faced the Orc king together. We fought daemons and a ghost and Norscans and undead Norscans and... whatever it was that we met under Harmugstahl. You're not my knight in shining armor, laying down his life for his damsel. We are both seasoned soldiers, guarding each other's back, four times as strong together as we are individually. Or at least that's how I've always seen us. Is the feeling not mutual?"

"I don't have a death wish. I have a wish for both of us to live as long as we possibly can."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard spat at knight in shining armor "None of that nonsense," he said, his expression not softening any. "You were injured, I wasn't, and that monster was worse than any orc king or well creature. You would've wanted me to fall back if it was the other way around."

He sat down. The conversation was draining him. "I wasn't going to fight that thing alone and throw my life away. I would've ran as soon as you were safe. And instead, you wanted to be stubborn and almost got your arm torn off because of it. Guarding each other's backs sometimes means doing it while we retreat." he paused. "Don't force me to watch you die."

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was about to get into a lengthy explanation of how fleeing out the window in single file would likely have been more dangerous and time-consuming than staying and fighting the monster, but decided she did not have the energy for it.

"We could've killed it," she whispered, taking Sieghard's hand in her own good hand. "Well... no, we couldn't have, as it turned out... but at the time, it wasn't unreasonable to think we could. It was hurting. When it pushed past you to attack me, it looked like it was fighting for its life." Insofar as it could be said to possess life.

"What do you think it was? Is it true that it turned into a jackal? But it can't have been Nahorek, can it? Klammenberg said it spoke only Nehekharan. Have you ever heard of a god who cannot understand any living language?"

[LCP]

Ludo

Ludo’s walk to the temple seemed to stretch out forever, though he must have walked it many times before. His bones ached, and the heat of the sun didn’t seem to warm him. Was this how it felt to be old?

Gods’ Row was already crowded with people, the temple mound rising like an island out of a sea of heads. Bands of townspeople left homeless by the fire huddled around the outside of the Garden of Morr, while inside its crumbling wall others were making Geheimnistag offerings at the graves of their ancestors. A snaking line was already beginning to form outside the open gates of the temple - this was the day when the veil between worlds was thinnest, and the people of Savonne had many prayers for their gods to hear.

Sending the militia he had brought with him on towards the docks, Ludo found Liebrecht and a number of his initiates working on the east side of the garden, where people were bringing through bodies that had been found amid the ruins of the fire. Liebrecht stood at a little gate, blessing the bodies and consoling the mourners as they came through. Seeing Ludo trying to get his attention, he passed the job over to one of his more senior acolytes, and walked with the halfling through the gravestones to a more secluded spot.

“Yes, I’ve heard similar accusations here,” he said, when Ludo told him about the events outside the castle. “And others that say they saw a great black dog running through the flames. Perhaps with time these wild stories will die down.” His solemn tone gave no clue as to whether he believed them himself. “I will speak to the others, but I worry you have promised more than we can provide. You can see we are stretched to the limit as it is. The dead need our care as much as the living.”

Liebrecht gave an involuntary yawn. He looked almost as tired as Ludo felt. Almost.

“The Shallyans may be able to help. They have, mm, beds, and such things. Aside from that, I don’t know how much more help the Temple can offer.”

They had come into the shade of one of the stunted trees that overlooked the cemetery wall, beside a patinaed statue that rose from one of the Morrite rosebeds. Jocasta was sitting there, twisting two blades of dead grass between her fingers. She stood up as they approached.

“I can help,” she said. “I mean, I want to. Any help I can give.” She looked around at the others coming and going through the graveyard. Perhaps she had been hoping that someone would bring in Balios. Ludo doubted the priest’s body was in any state to be recognised. “I’m not needed here.”

---

All

Gathering up Adelbert and Urgrim, Ludo led them back to the Great Hospital. The sun was high in the sky now, and it beat down on his shoulders like a physical weight. Feeling the sweat trickle down his back, he tried not to lean too heavily on his borrowed cane.

“Master Stubbs,” said Sister Ioana when she saw them arrive. “Feeling better for your walk?” It was clear she saw that the answer was ‘no’.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"That's a question for a priest," Sieghard replied. "But the part about turning into a jackal is true. All the more reason to hate it."

"Just be more careful," he muttered. "Even if we could've killed it, its life isn't worth yours. It isn't worth mine or any of ours."

[-Sentinel-]

"Even if we could've killed it, its life isn't worth yours. It isn't worth mine or any of ours."

Elsa shook her head. "Trying to save everyone is noble, Sieghard, but you can't ignore the big picture. Many have died already, and many more will die before this is all over. If we fail, the desert will engulf the Reaches. Killing this thing is certainly worth a few lives, and the earlier that sacrifice is made, the more lives will be saved. I won't lay down mine if I can avoid it, but neither will I miss an opportunity to destroy the monster, knowing how much damage it will cause if we let it. Neither should you. So long as you choose to hold onto the only weapon we know to be effective against Nahorek, you have a responsibility to be on the front lines of this war. And I'll be right there with you." She paused. "As soon as my arm's healed," she amended.

She spotted something past Sieghard's shoulder. "Oh, here are the others." She forced a smile at their arrival, though she did not appear to feel too well.

[LeSwordfish]

At the Temple
"Just for a few days." Ludo said. "We're opening up the Greenapple house, and maybe some of the warehouses, and we can probably redirect food from what we're sending to the captain" - that would go down very poorly but was the only thing he could think of - "we just need time to set that all up." He didn't add that the reason he didn't want refugees heading to the hospital was his fear for what would happen if Elsa was found defenseless.

He paused and cleared his throat. "How... how many were killed?"

At the Hospital
"Not at all," he said, smiling ruefully. "But there's too much to be done, isn't there? And too few to do it."

Seeing Elsa see them, he hurried over, the exertion of which was enough to force him to sit on his bed, wheezing. "How are you?"

After her response, he was straight to business. "I was thinking about Klammenberg and the thing and their relationship. Klammenberg talked like he thought he could call it off... but like it wasn't really under his control? Like, uh, like he might be able to persuade it, not like it was his servant. And all those charms he was wearing... And he looked terrible. All drawn-out. I don't think he's in control of the situation at all. I think he's its lackey. I think he's scared of it. I think he didn't know what he was dealing with and now he's lost control."

"Also," he added, "We should get ourselves some charms. If Klammenberg thinks they work, I'm inclined to believe him."

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert's spirits, giddy after his meeting with the high priestess took a dive when he encountered Jocasta. He didn't say anything but tried to look anywhere else than at the priestess of Rhya.

It was of course his fault that Balios was dead, yet another victim to the enemy's tally. In more somber mood he went with Ludo and Urgrim to the Hospital. The sight of Elsa shook him. Adelbert had felt the terrible sting of the vampire's magic but he also knew his body well enough to know he'd recover. Elsa on the other hand, and even Ludo, looked like they needed much more care. He was relieved it was Ludo who asked how Elsa was.

It was almost a mercy to get to business. 'Interesting theory Ludo, and I think agree.' He looked hesitant a moment before adding: 'Do you think he'll try and defect to our side?'

He drummed his fingers on Elsa's bedframe. 'As for charms, I am being made an anointed priest, a senior member of the clergy. Aside from certain secrets of the divine which may be of use to us I may be able to find more on protective relics... though, um, my existing library perished in the fire so it may take time to see what resources I have.'

[-Sentinel-]

"Do you think he'll try and defect to our side?"

"Don't count on it," said Elsa. "When you get serious about dark magic, you have to cross lines of no return... sell parts of yourself for power. If Klammenberg freed a small god, he is very far gone indeed."

She winced visibly at the mention of the loss of Adelbert's library.

"I've been thinking about Klammenberg's condition, too," she said, swiftly moving the conversation forward. "He might've been running himself ragged with his spells, or even feeding his own blood to his creature. But it could also be from merely living in close proximity with the vampire. That would explain the talismans, too; a way to dampen the dark magic."

She wished Klammenberg had left his charms behind. Or perhaps he had? Of course, to find them, they would have to sift through the charred remains of a destroyed building.

"I'm also curious about the evil aura around the house. Was it cast like a spell, or did it merely pool around the vampire? I'd like to go check if it's weakening now that the beast is gone, but I'm not sure I can even stand up. Ludo, you could walk your dog in the wreckage of Klammenberg's house, I remember he reacted strongly the last time."

She snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering something: "Speaking of dogs! Someone needs to feed and water the caged dogs at the warehouse. I didn't do all this work trying to tame them just to let them die behind bars."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"She's right," Sieghard said, "Did you hear the way he was talking about us lashing out at things we don't understand? He thinks he knows everything and that if everyone else was as smart as him, they'd be on his side in this. There's not a chance Klammenberg would turn against his monster, even if I hadn't tried cleaving his head off."

[LeSwordfish]

"I don't think it's worth trying to turn him and his monster against each other." Ludo said. "I think he's at best too scared of it to do anything, and I think if we could make him think we were more dangerous than it, we might as well just kill him."

She snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering something: "Speaking of dogs! Someone needs to feed and water the caged dogs at the warehouse. I didn't do all this work trying to tame them just to let them die behind bars."

"Don't worry about that, I've put Norville on it. He's great with dogs, got that huge thing back home."

"You got anointed? Congratulations!"

[RossN]

Adelbert

'Thank you,' Adelbert replied, unable to resist a proud smile. 'I'll need suitable garments if any of you know any tailors and the ceremony is to take place at evening.'

The priest stroked at his trim beard. 'Mother Raqiyah told me she saw the face of the vampire in a vision and suggested that either he is no longer bothering to hide from us or, as I prefer to think, some concealing magic was destroyed by the blaze. Investigating the house is probably a good idea.'

[Thragka]

The word of Adelbert's anointing was news to Urgrim, the dwarf having more or less slept through the conversation at the temple during which he'd actually been standing up, let alone Mother Raqiyah's private discussion with the Verenan. "Congratulations," he echoed Ludo, not really being sure what this meant for their companion, but willing to celebrate it all the same.

He scratched his beard. "The Dwimmulson records say their ancestors had a weapon that slew the zangunaz, the first time. But if it even still exists, it's surely lost. And if the hold had a runesmith skilled enough in the old craft to forge us a new one, we would already know." He sighed.

Urgrim nodded vigorously at Sieghard's profile of Klammenberg's arrogance. "Thinking we can make common cause with him, thinking one can make deals with blasphemous forces - that's how the path to corruption begins. Klammenberg must die. That's - that's justice. That's what needs to happen, to account for his wrongs."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard shifted in his seat a bit. "Doesn't help us much if it's lost," he said, "How much do the records say about it anyways? Is it made of silver? The priests say that's supposed to work."

Spoiler

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(1d100)[13] vs 54 Fel for Sieghard's poker face. He doesn't want Urgrim to know that he knows (or suspects) anything about the spear. Oppose with perception if you choose to.

[Thragka]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sure, I'll roll Perception against 74 to see if Urgrim picks up on it. (1d100)[81] Nope, he's far too tired.

Urgrim shrugged wearily. "I dunno, but I doubt it. Silver's too soft to make a real blade of. It'd be the runes that did the trick."

He yawned broadly, half-heartedly remembering to cover his mouth with a hand part of the way through. "Spears. In the stories, they're always spears, the old runed weapons. Ever see a dwarf fight with a spear? 'Course not, it's a silly idea. But in the sagas, it's always "spear-dwarves of days gone by". Couldn't get enough of them, apparently."

[-Sentinel-]

'Mother Raqiyah told me she saw the face of the vampire in a vision and suggested that either he is no longer bothering to hide from us or, as I prefer to think, some concealing magic was destroyed by the blaze. Investigating the house is probably a good idea.'

"It is possible there was an enchantment there," said Elsa. She liked that idea. It meant her disastrous fire had at least accomplished something useful. "The dark magic was extremely strong inside the house, but I still couldn't locate the exact house from the outside. There had to be something other than walls keeping most of the dark magic inside."

Most, but not all. The magic had still bled into an entire neighborhood, which suggested the being had an impressive Aethyric "weight" even while passive. Even the most powerful wizard Elsa had ever met, Thyrus Gormann, did not bend the fabric of magic around him in such a way.

Spoiler

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If that last part is incorrect, LCP, feel free to say so and I'll edit my post. I've actually no idea what being in Thyrus Gormann's presence feels like to another fire wizard.

She found it strange that Sieghard would skirt around the topic of the spear in Urgrim's presence. Then again, perhaps it was wise for now. Dwarfs were attached to their past and may very well seek to retrieve any artifacts their ancestors had forged, no matter how much the puny umgi might need them.

[LCP]

Earlier, at the Temple

"Just for a few days." Ludo said. "We're opening up the Greenapple house, and maybe some of the warehouses, and we can probably redirect food from what we're sending to the captain" - that would go down very poorly but was the only thing he could think of - "we just need time to set that all up."

"It's not time that's a problem, it's space," said Liebrecht. "Where do you suggest we put them? On the temple floor?"

"Do we have to keep them inside the city?" asked Jocasta. "If it's only for a short time, there's more space outside the walls. Your soldiers have tents, don't they?"

He paused and cleared his throat. "How... how many were killed?"

"Difficult to say," said Liebrecht. "I have seen eleven bodies so far. There may be more to come." He bowed his head. "And there may be others whose bodies we will not find."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard nodded as Urgrim spoke. "And if there's no smiths, then there's no chance of making a new one. Still, it'd be interesting to know what made the old rune weapons so special."

Spoiler

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She found it strange that Sieghard would skirt around the topic of the spear in Urgrim's presence. Then again, perhaps it was wise for now. Dwarfs were attached to their past and may very well seek to retrieve any artifacts their ancestors had forged, no matter how much the puny umgi might need them.

Pretty much this. He's worried if word got out to the Dwimmulsons, they'd want their spear back.

"If the vampire isn't able to hide anymore," Sieghard continued, "Then we might have a chance to finish it off. It's injured. So is Klammenberg."

[-Sentinel-]

"Then we might have a chance to finish it off. It's injured. So is Klammenberg."

"It was injured last night," replied Elsa. "We don't know how quickly it recovers... Pretty fast, I would wager. And this time I won't be around to help."

She glanced at her wounded arm. "I'm not an undead being of great power, so it's looking like I'll be down for the count for at least a few days. I'd be grateful if someone brought me my books... I need to pass the time."

[RossN]

Adelbert

'She's right, we need to recover. I sympathise Sieghard but you and Urgrim are probably the only ones who even can fight now. I might not be as badly hurt as Elsa or Ludo but believe me I'm far from healthy. I do think I'm hale enough to fetch your books for you Elsa.'

Adelbert shifted his feet. 'As I said before I'm being anointed this evening and I'd be happy if any of you would like to attend. I have other preparations to make, but they'll have to wait till after our talk with Lady Sforza.'

[LCP]

Fetching Elsa her books was only a short diversion, the west gate of the castle being across the road from the hospital. By the time Adelbert had finished the trip, Irene had only begun her preparations to leave. Sieghard and the others waited in the courtyard until she was ready to grace them with her presence, trying not to fall asleep where they stood. The sun beat down like them like a hammer on an anvil, making Sieghard sweat in his heavy plate. Considering how much he had sweated through his gambeson during the fire, this probably couldn’t make him smell any worse than he already did.

At last, Irene emerged, flanked by an honour guard of Southlanders. Clean and gleaming by comparison to the dishevelled band that were waiting for them, they stood by in two orderly lines while the servants saddled their mistress a grey palfrey from the stables.

“Alright, commander,” said Irene, once she had been helped up into the saddle. “Let’s see this trophy of yours… if we must.”

The crowds packing Gods’ Row parted before them as they made their way to the temple, or were made to part. Many of the newly homeless called out to Irene as she passed them by, begging for some scrap of charity. She put on a caring expression and gave them empty, pretty-sounding assurances, but the ahosi made sure none of them ever came within arms’ reach of the lady.

Dismounting outside the temple doors, she passed off the reins to one of her guards. The petitioners inside the temple looked round in wonder as she passed among them, the smoke from the incense burners billowing in her wake. Even the Morrite initiates who were chanting the Geheimnistag names of the dead hesitated to watch the Captain’s lady go by.

The senior priests were less overawed. In the shadows of the mortuary room, Hieronymus looked over the ahosi who had accompanied here with disapproval. “It is not proper,” he said, “to bring so many weapons into the temple.”

“I’’ll apologise to the gods the next time I see them,” said Irene, drily. Not deigning to give Heironymus any more attention, she stepped forwards to examine the body on the slab. She evidently hadn’t been prepared for the smell - blanching a little, she produced a handkerchief from her bodice and held it over her hose.

“This is what you brought me here to see?” she demanded of Sieghard, her voice a little muffled by the embroidered silk. “It’s just a corpse.”