[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XII

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Klammenberg's hands were already moving, the necromancer muttering rapid Nehekharan words under his breath. Seeing wisps of darkness start to gather around the man's fingers, Ludo pulled the trigger, his crossbow bolt punching into Klammenberg's ribs and throwing him back against the bed.

Behind Ludo, footsteps were thundering up the stairs, the Thorns close behind him. Klammenberg stretched out a hand towards him, wheezing the last words of his spell. Ludo saw the shadows in the dusty room stretch and flow towards him, sending spiders and termites scurrying from beneath the floorboards - but before they could take shape, they melted back into normality.

[LeSwordfish]

No time to reload the crossbow - Ludo flung it aside and drew his sling. Loading a stone and firing it was nearly second nature to him now, but his first two shots went wild, adrenaline coursing through his muscles. He was shouting, he realised, incoherent instructions to his reinforcements, jubilation and taunts as Klammenberg's spell failed, entreatments to Verena or to whatever entity might be watching to protect his family and guide his shots. He fired off another shot and threw himself forward into Klammenberg's face, clawing like a cat trying to grab him, to prevent him casting a spell, to punch him in the crossbow wound or grab his throat or anything to stop him from getting another word out.

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Another sling shot, this one vs 78 because of the single shot bonus, then HA move into combat with Klammenberg.

(1d100)[61] vs 78 - hits
(1d10+3)[8] - probably not even soaked. i need to fight squishy wizards more often

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Even as Ludo threw himself at Klammenberg, the man was chanting again. Grappling with him, Ludo grasped at his throat, trying to stop him from forming the words - but his opponent had the reach to hold him back.

As Hans and the others burst through the door, a sphere of darkness erupted between the two of them, shrouding the room in pitch-black shadow. It was like being plunged into a barrel of ink, so dark that Ludo couldn't even see his own hands in front of his face. Behind him, he could hear the dismayed shouts of the soldiers, and the heavy thump of someone blundering into the furniture...

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Klammenberg has successfully cast Pall of Darkness - you cannot see (even with Night Vision) and need a successful WP test at the start of your turn not to lose a Half Action. Though you can't see him, casting took his full turn, so he's still adjacent to you - you can throw attacks at him at a -20 penalty.

[LeSwordfish]

"Stay calm!" Ludo shouted, though panic flooded him as his clumsy swipes met only air. "He's here! I'm right by him! Follow my voice! There's no way out if we can grab him."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

When Sieghard eventually left the keep, he sought Father Heschler. Of the priests who had marched with Sforza, Sieghard wagered he was the one it would be easiest to learn more from.

"Dark times ahead. We're lucky to have you at our side in this." he said to the Sigmarite. "I'd offer to buy you a drink, but the dwarfs have already drained every keg in town. Perhaps a meal instead?"

"Has the Prince told you about what happened in the south?" he asked once they had found a relatively private corner at the Star. "Or about this business with Hildebrand?"

[LCP]

Sieghard, 27th Brauzeit

"Father Barbaro gave me the short version," said Hechsler. "Daemons in Savonne, ghosts in the hills. If I'd heard this stuff a year ago I'd have thought he'd had too much to drink." He gave Sieghard an inquiring look. "You were there?"

---

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

The chaos on the stairs behind Ludo fell quiet as his command cut through the darkness. Following his voice, the Thorns came pushing forward into the narrow garret room, feeling their way through the darkness. Ludo could feel their reassuring presence behind him - with so many bodies pouring up the staircase, there was surely no way Klammenberg could slip past.

In the blackness, he'd lost his grip on the necromancer. He heard a murmur somewhere in the darkness close to hand, barely more than a whisper. More witchcraft at work.

[LeSwordfish]

"Stay calm and spread out!" Ludo ordered. "Whoever's closest to the door or the window, block it, don't let anyone out. Hans, how many of you are there? Did you get the Brotherhood?"

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Full action Command, again to beat Klammenberg's initiative. (1d100)[62] vs 72

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I was," Sieghard replied. He gave a brief version of what had happened in Nath, mentioning the sandstorm, the shades, that Nahorek's magic had conjured daemons and that at least one had escaped. "Probably the same one that was in Savonne. I heard it had... changed... a goat. Did you see it?"

[LCP]

Sieghard, 27th Brauzeit

"No," said Hechsler. "I've been in Ravenskird. Joined the army on the way south. Certainly sounds like some Chaos witchcraft at work, though."

---

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

The room became full of thumping and clattering again as the soldiers spread out through the dark, trying to find their way to the window by feel alone. "Got everyone I could find, Herr Stubbs!" called Hans through the blackness. "There's lads downstairs as well."

Slowly, the unnatural pall of shadow began to clear, breaking into shreds that faded away into the musty air. Looking around, Ludo could see no sign of Klammenberg - just a room full of Thorns and Volunteers, squinting in the sudden light. They looked around at one another, blinking in confusion as they searched each others' faces.

"Hey!" shouted one of them, turning suddenly towards the man nearest the window. The man... nearest the window... just looked like an... ordinary... sort of man... didn't he?

[LeSwordfish]

For a moment Ludo cast frantically around the room - but then he realised, and threw himself towards the stranger in their midst, hoping to catch him before he could clamber out of the window or cast again. "It's him! Grab him! He's used his spell again! Don't let him get away."

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Seeing Ludo rushing towards him, Klammenberg threw the window open and started to clamber out. However hard he tried to stay focused on the necromancer, Ludo's attention seemed to want to slip away like water through his fingers. Concentrating furiously, he threw himself across the last few feet, catching hold of the man's boot.

Klammenberg kicked desperately at Ludo, managing to shake the halfling off. As the soldiers came forwards, he caught hold of the drainpipe and swung himself all the way out of the window, disappearing out of sight. Rushing back to the window-ledge, Ludo peered out - the necromancer was climbing down the outside of the building like a gangly black spider, picking his way carefully towards the ground.

Just as Hans had said, there were soldiers outside the house as well as inside. One pointed up at the window, and four of them came running...

[LeSwordfish]

"Don't let him get away!" Ludo shouted again, shifting himself up onto the windowsill and trying to drop directly onto the necromancer, feet braced squarely to knock him off the wall. He misjudged by inches and made a grab for Klammenberg as he fell - but only succeeded in painfully twisting his ankle as he landed, sprawling prone with a yelp of pain.

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Twisting sideways on the drainpipe to avoid Ludo as he plummeted past, Klammenberg jumped down after him, landing on his feet beside the halfling. As he straightened up, the four soldiers came running up alongside them.

"Herr Stubbs fell!" Ludo heard Klammenberg say, in his best concerned-bystander voice. "Help him!"

[LeSwordfish]

"It's him!" Ludo shouted, pointing at Klammenberg. "A reward for whoever gets a gag on him!"

Scrambling to his feet as quickly as he could, Ludo threw himself at the necromancer in a passable imitation of a tackle, hoping to pin him in place, or at least to puncture his smugness.

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Half action to stand, half action Standard Attack Grapple

(1d100)[69] vs 38 (WS 28 +10 single, presumably no outnumbering because everyone nearby is enchanted)
(1d100)[86] Klammenberg's Agility vs 48

Free action Command Test: (1d100)[7] vs 72 - whatever the penalty for a free action is.

About as good as could be expected.

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Stepping back from Ludo's staggering lunge, Klammenberg looked up at the faces of the soldiers, clearly not liking what he saw there. As they closed in on him, he muttered a word and passed a hand over his own face - and where it passed, his flesh sloughed away into black rot, revealing the grinning skull beneath.

The soldiers stopped in their tracks, visibly going pale. Three of them began to back away, raising their weapons between themselves and the vision of death before them; the fourth threw himself forward all the same, but Klammenberg stepped out of his path, letting him charge through empty air.

"Who will be the man to lay hands on me?" he demanded, his voice taking on a sonorous echo like the slam of a sepulchre door. "His soul shall find no rest! The Jackal waits for him outside the gates of Morr!"

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Gonna throw a free-action Intimidate in here, cos why not: (1d100)[10]

[LeSwordfish]

"If a halfling can do it, you cowards can at least try!" Ludo shouted, throwing himself forwards again as if in demonstration. "Don't fall for his illusions!"

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Half action Grapple attempt, thanks due to the one brave man for providing Outnumbering bonus: (1d100)[39] vs 58 (28 WS +10 single attack, +20 Outnumbering 2:1)
Klammenberg's Agility: (1d100)[17] oh my god he's slippery

Half action Command test opposed vs Klammenberg's intimidate: (1d100)[33] vs 52 (62 fel +10 training, -20 Half Action) - I think this is +10 to WP to avoid fear, something like that.

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Throwing off Ludo once again, Klammenberg fell back, chanting as he went. As he spoke, the shadows under the wall began to bubble and boil, rising to take the shape of a jet-black horse. Witch-lights burned in the shadow creature's eyes as it turned its head towards them. Klammenberg turned and ran towards it.

Galvanised by Ludo's words, the soldiers swallowed their fear and charged after him. One of them tackled him around the waist, bringing him down hard against the dusty ground. Two more piled on after him, grabbing his arms and holding the point of a dagger to his throat. Klammenberg swallowed and stopped struggling. The horrifying skull melted back into his ordinary face, and behind him, the horse evaporated back into shadow.

"Alright," he said, in a very small voice. "You got me."

[LeSwordfish]

More to make the point than anything else, Ludo drew his own sword and pointed it at Klammenberg's throat. "Gag him," he said, relief flowing through him, his heartrate finally returning to something approaching normal. "No more spells, no more lies. And tie his hands."

He looked around at the other soldiers. "Someone fetch Herr Valdez. Tell him he can stand his men down, and that we'll need a prison cell and a messenger."

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

"Now, hold on a minute," said Klammenberg. "You hvmm mmpphh mppphh!"

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by one of the Volunteers forcing a leather belt between his teeth and pulling it tight. As the three men began to truss their captive up like a Mondstille goose, Hans and the others began to emerge from inside the house. A runner was sent to fetch Valdes, and it wasn't long before the Lord-Lieutenant was on the scene, a detachment of armed Brotherhood men behind him.

"So this is señor Klammenberg?" he asked Ludo, who hadn't let the captive out of his sight for a second. "He doesn't look like much."

[LeSwordfish]

"He's let himself go a bit recently," Ludo admitted, leaning against a horsetrough for support as the adrenaline ebbed away. "Was a proper imperial gentlemen when we first met."

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Ludo's first priority is to get Klammenberg into a locked guarded cell and preferably have someone give him a few kicks for luck on the way in. He has more to say once Klammenberg is out of earshot and locked up, with his hands still tied so he can't remove the gag.

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

Klammenberg rolled his eyes and tried to mutter something through the gag. One of the men restraining him gave him a forceful nudge to the ribs with his boot, and Valdes crouched down next to him.

"Just one question for now, señor," he said, softly. "Alessio Moretti. Vittore de Luca. Orfeo Garza." He raised his eyebrows. "Are they alive?"

Klammenberg looked a little shiftier than before. Valdes sighed.

"So I thought," he said. He straightened back up. "Take him to the palace. Leon, Gonzalo, go with them. I want him secured and under guard."

Still trying to talk through his gag, Klammenberg was hoisted to his feet and frogmarched off towards Sforza's villa in the middle of a crowd of armed men. Creeping from the darkened doorway, Krucke peered out after him, Mannfred coiling malevolently between his feet.

"It was me what caught him for you, you know," croaked the old man towards Valdes. "I was tole there was a reward."

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Ludo's first priority is to get Klammenberg into a locked guarded cell and preferably have someone give him a few kicks for luck on the way in. He has more to say once Klammenberg is out of earshot and locked up, with his hands still tied so he can't remove the gag.

Feel free to cut to this point - I've got no surprises for you between now and then.

[LeSwordfish]

After Krucke had been given a fair portion of the considerable reward on the posters, Ludo and Valdez convened at Il Calice D'Oro for something to settle Ludo's nerves, as well as an instruction to Mihai to keep Rike, Hans, and Johan topped up with whatever they wanted for the remainder of the night. He had also requested that Klammenberg's possessions, including the Shepherd's crook, be taken into lock-up as well - though a halfling instinct was telling him to pilfer the preserves.

"As soon as I can," Ludo said, "I want to set off for Manaan's Keep and then Savonne with him. Fraulein Holt can question him more effectively than I could, and can deal with any magic he tries. Plus, I think the final decision of what can be done with him is Il Principe's."

He took another swig of ale. "If I may, Herr commander, might I borrow a messenger to send to Sermena overnight? Herr Schrieber and Frau Moltke should be informed, and... he said he had cast some spell on my sister and father, that would kill them if... if he casts something else? If he dies? They should come east with us: Frau Hildebrand can probably break whatever the spell is. Any guards you could provide us for the journey would be most appreciated."

[LCP]

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

The shepherd's crook was still wrapped up in rags when the Thorns brought it out of Krucke's house. Ludo didn't like the weight of it when he felt it - something about it was unpleasant to hold.

At the Chalice, Valdes nodded along to Ludo's requests. "Of course," he said. "As many guards as you require. Tempting as it is to pass sentence here, the Prince will want to see him."

Mihai had a new serving-girl, whose cheery smile was a pleasant change from the innkeeper's gloomy demeanour. Valdes thanked her in Estalian as she brought him a cup of wine.

"I would congratulate you, but it sounds as if we're not done with him yet. He threatened your family?" An expression of disgust crossed his face. "I suppose it's too much to ask a necromancer to have any honour."

[LeSwordfish]

"My sister was keeping watch on him because I asked her to," Ludo said, drawing parchment and quill from his bag and starting to sketch up a letter on one of the drier parts of the table. "We would never have caught him without her... but it was my fault for getting her involved."

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If Valdez agrees to Ludo's requests, then all that remains for today is to send off the letter: this is a letter for Adelbert and will say, essentially:

• "good news! we caught klammenberg!"
• we also recovered the staff he had taken
• he's put a curse on petra, and possibly my father as well, please keep close eye on them (and maybe use your witchsight to see what you can find out about it)
• elsa can probably break the spell: bring Petra (and if possible my father, unless your witchsight says he's clean) with you, we're going on a family road trip to Manaan's Keep
• also bring Moltke and Jens.

Forseeing persuading Odo to be challenging, Ludo will write a letter to him, to be given if he needs to come but is unwilling to, that will be my best effort to persuade him to wear a mask and social distance where possible to come along to Manaan's Keep. Charm test for that: (1d100)[28]

If that message is sent off now, Adelbert et al should arrive tomorrow on the 31st and we can set off for Manaan's Keep early on the 32nd.

Ludo will also make sure that the guards on Klammenberg know that he's not to talk, at all - if you take the gag off for him to eat and he says something, it goes back on and he goes hungry. His hands are to be bound at all times unless he's being closely watched.

Once those are done, I think Ludo is done for the day.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard nodded. "Something is going on. Whole thing just seems off to me though. Right when her magic is needed most, she's accused of... this." He remembered Irene's words about a book bound in flesh and winced. "She was with the group that found the cursed book in the first place. If she had any interest in it, how easy would it have been for her to steal it away then, before we got it back to Manaan's Keep?"

[LCP]

Sieghard, 27th Brauzeit

Hechsler looked uncomfortable. “I’m sure you know her better than me,” he said. “...But Chaos can be a slow poison. Are you sure she’s the same person today that you knew back then?” He gave Sieghard a sympathetic look. “She wouldn’t be the first wizard to have given in to temptation.”

He took a long pause.

“I hear there’s to be a trial, anyway,” he said, by way of consolation. “If there’s an explanation, I’m sure she’ll give it.”

---

Ludo, 30th Brauzeit

“It would have been someone’s sister whatever you did,” said Valdes. “Or brother, or son, or daughter. Moretti and the others, they had families.” He absent-mindedly patted Ludo on the shoulder. “Thanks to your sister, maybe there won’t be any more.”

---

Aubentag, 31st Brauzeit

Adelbert

The sun was out and shining in Sermena when the messenger from Mirino arrived, though it no longer had the heat of summer. Moltke and Petra were electrified by the news of Klammenberg’s capture, but predictably, Odo proved more difficult.

“Drop everything and travel to the Vale?” he blustered. “Out of the question. Out of the question! The boy’s got no idea of the responsibilities I have here. Look at this!” He flourished the letter Ludo had enclosed for him, and read on. “This Klammenberg character’s already in chains, I don’t see why good honest folk should be afraid of him and his… flesh eating beetles…”

He squinted at Ludo’s handwriting, then looked up at Adelbert.

“...can he really do that?”

Adelbert Only

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If Klammenberg’s threat was true, it was exceptionally well-concealed. Adelbert could see nothing in the invisible world that clung to Odo - no sword hanging over his head, no pit waiting to open beneath his feet. Petra was similar - apart from the sooty mark of the necromancer’s hand over her eyes, she seemed untouched.

[RossN]

Aubentag, 31st Brauzeit

Adelbert

Adelbert had been astonished by the news of Klammenburg's capture and a rare smile was constantly threatening to break through his gloomy features. He did grow a smidgen more serious when Odo asked his questions though. 'I am not sure but better safe than sorry. More importantly Ludo has just captured an extremely dangerous criminal! He is the hero of the hour and I know he'd like you and Petra to be around when he officially hands the necromancer over.'

Adelbert didn't say it but he dreaded the thought of travelling with just Molkte and Jens. Having broken with his own goddess he wasn't ready to make small talk with a templar.

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Charm: (1d100)[9] vs 56

[LCP]

Adelbert, 31st Brauzeit

"No, that's exactly what he wants," said Odo, shaking his head. "He's just trying to show off. Still..." - he stroked his chin in a bad pantomime of being deep in thought - "...I suppose I could make arrangements. As long as we made it back in good time."

He looked up at Adelbert. "I'll need at least until tomorrow. A halfling of my responsibilities can't just up and leave. I need to set everything in order before we leave."

[RossN]

Adelbert

'Of course, a wise precaution,' Adelbert agreed, thinking sadly of his own vanished wealth. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I know her better than anyone," He said. "She's not subtle. She's obvious when she tells lies. If the dark gods wanted a pawn to sneak about, there's not a worse choice for the job." Or maybe I'm just too blind to know any better.