[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XII

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard returned to his men and found Gustaf.

"The prince thinks the enemy may be getting water from somewhere outside the ruins," Sieghard explained. "I've heard there's supposed to be a lake somewhere in the hills. Do you know anything about it?"

Spoiler

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Six men, including Gustaf. He'll ask around and see what, if anything, they know about the lake and choose the rest from those who seem the most knowledgeable. He'll also bring a bit of the rope Hanna got in case we actually do manage to capture a prisoner.

[LCP]

Sieghard & Elsa

Gustaf looked a little uncomfortable at being singled out, as he did always did. "I don't know, sir," he said. "No-one knows these hills, really. Nothin' up here worth the knowing." He glanced down towards the ruins of Nath as he spoke.

"The lake in the hills, I think that's a story some of the Vale folk tell. There's definitely streams that flow down out of 'em. Stands to reason there must be water somewhere."

---

Jarla

"If you want to hear about the vampire, you can just ask the priests," said Irene. "They're quite capable of going on about it for hours."

Pushing open the doors of the audience chambers, she walked up to the foot of the dais where her and her husband's thrones stood. With a sigh, she turned to face Jarla.

"I won't pretend it's what I would choose. I'm afraid you'll find there's nothing in store for you in the south except disappointment. Still, if you have your heart set, I won't stop you." She looked up at the ceiling. "I suppose I'll just have to find some other way to amuse myself until you return."

---

Ludo & Urgrim

Three crossbow bolts slashed into the dark. Berki's clattered off the archway, but Ludo and Urgrim's both struck home. The witchlights in the shadows flared brighter in response, a dust-dry hiss rising from one of the guards like sand pouring through an hourglass.

Lunn and Rollik charged around the corner, shields raised as they barrelled down the corridor. Moragina and Uthgar were close behind, the Dwimmulson beardling carrying the lantern in his off-hand. Ludo caught the gleam of bone and bronze as the guards came into the light, curved blades gripped in fleshless hands...

OOC:

Spoiler

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The 4 non-ranged dwarfs use their surprise round to close into charge range. They're between you and the skeletons, and will charge on their first turn under initiative order. You can see the upper third of the skeletons over their heads.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard nodded. "Well, if the few living folk left serving the Jackal are using it, it can't be too far."

[LeSwordfish]

"Remember quietly!" Ludo hissed as the dwarves barrelled past, and for his own part hastily reloaded to fire again.

[Thragka]

Urgrim said nothing – his heartbeat was already roaring in his ears at the prospect of facing a new breed of the walking dead. He grabbed at his belt for his next volley.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll shoot over the charging dwarfs' heads, under the assumptions (same as LeSwordfish, I think) that that doesn't carry a high risk of going horribly wrong.

From the fact that the dwarfs have to move to get into charge range, I'm guessing Urgrim is too far from the skeletons to use his throwing axes. So he'll reload and make a single crossbow shot by default. But I'll include extra rolls because if he is within 8 squares, he'll swift attack with the two throwing axes. Basic To Hit roll is against 66 if it's the crossbow, or 56 if it's the axes; crossbow damage is +5, axes are +3.

To Hit - (1d100)[81]
Damage - (1d10)[4]

To Hit - (1d100)[83]
Damage - (1d10)[8]

raspberry noises

[RossN]

Jarla

Jarla smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry my lady, I'll be back. With more tall tales I assure you."

She curtsied and left to pick up her sword and pistols before beginning her journey south.

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim

In their haste to shoot, Urgrim and Berki's shots went wide, careening off the narrow walls - but Ludo's shot struck home, punching into brittle bone. As the dwarfs rushed closer, the light of the swinging lantern fully illuminated their opponents: crumbling skeletons draped in tattered bronze scales, they hefted two-handed sickle blades to meet the charge.

The clash of metal on metal echoed down the stone corridor, Rollik catching the vicious downstroke of the first guard on his shield as Uthgar hacked at the dead thing's legs. On their right, the second guard deflected Lunn's swinging axe, only for Moragina's hammer to smash into its ribcage. Yellowed bones broke to powder under the blow, but the tomb guardian didn't flinch - pushing Lunn back, it swung its ancient weapon up over its head like a headsman's axe, before bringing it scything down. It carved through Moragina's shoulder and down into her torso, the look of triumph on her face changing to white-faced shock. The hammer fell from her fingers as she crumpled lifelessly to the floor, leaving the dead thing's corroded blade slick with her heart's blood.

---

Sieghard & Elsa

"Maybe not," said Gustaf. He sounded like he didn't like where this was going. "Are we going looking for it then, sir?"

---

Jarla

Countess seemed to have been enjoying her time in the castle stables - perhaps in part due to the exceptionally beautiful silver-grey horse that was stabled a couple of stalls down. Saddling her up, Jarla made ready to depart. With a knapsack full of supplies from the castle kitchens, and her dresses changed for her trusty riding coat and boots, it felt good to be back on the road.

According to Norten, the head of the guards, the best road south was the one that followed the river, so that was the one she took. Riding out through the city's south gate, she saw the river, low and dirty, its banks great expanses of cracked mud. From the vegetation on the banks, it was clear that in greener times the Azril ran much higher. Many others were heading in the same direction, leading donkeys or carrying their belongings in great bundles on their backs. Perhaps they thought there was more food in the south.

The road was wide and level, and Jarla made good time, easily outpacing the weary walkers she passed along the way. In two days, she reached Ravenskird, a muddy cluster of hovels and boats where the river emptied into a great marsh. Beyond Ravenskird and its wooden bridge, the road cut like a knife through an old, tangled forest. Jarla had ridden the highways of the Reikwald, and was not afraid. Another day's ride beneath the leafless trees brought her to Painford and her brother's parish.

---

Festag, 20th Kaldezeit

Jarla

Painford was just as small as Jarla had pictured it from Irene's description. Nestled in the heart of the woods, it was ringed by a stubby palisade, anchored around a crooked stone tower that rose just above the level of the treetops. Behind the wooden wall, humble houses clustered close together around a central square. Jarla reined Countess in next to the curious statue that stood there - a snarling man with his hand raised as if to strike, made out of dull, silvery metal. Years of weathering and bird droppings had softened the details of his face, but the statue was still astonishingly lifelike.

Some additions to the village were clearly more recent. She could see long wooden barrack-houses off to the west side of the fortifications, and a simple timber shrine with the scales of Verena carved over the lintel. Most of the people seemed to keep their heads down as they passed her by, but she noticed a teenaged girl sweeping the steps of one of the larger houses was looking enviously at her riding clothes.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo choked back a curse of horror at Moragina's death, reminded all too vividly of Orfeo's death, not far from here. They had barely started, too. He dropped the crossbow and swapped to his sling - better to use his more familar weapon if targeting an enemy engaged in a fight.

OOC

Spoiler

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Free action drop crossbow, free action quickdraw sling, free action load sling, HA Aim, Single Attack at the most wounded wight.

(1d100)[53] vs 48 (+10 aim +10 single shot, -20 for Lunn), hits lunn on 49-68
(1d10+3)[10] damage.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"We are. And if the last dregs of Rivermouth are using it, we may be able to get our hands on a captive as well. Or give them a painful death." Sieghard added with a shrug. Either option appealed to him.

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I mentioned some of Sieghard's preparations above, but he'll also be leaving his plate armor behind. Shouldn't need it if the worst we can expect is ghouls and maybe the birds... He can handle the former and it wouldn't help against the most dangerous thing the latter can do. All in all, little reason to slow himself down with it.

[RossN]

Festag, 20th Kaldezeit - Jarla

Well she hadn't been expecting Nuln and after the poverty of Savonne the sad and mean little houses of Painford gave Jarla little surprise. She didn't feel a dampness in the corners of her eyes at the sight of her brother's chapel and had to blink back tears.

As Jarla stroked Countesses side so she wasn't spooked by being so close to that ugly statue she noticed the girl. Walking over she hailed her with a gloved hand. 'Greetings young lady, I am Jarla Schreiber. Who tends the shrine these days?'

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Ludo

Urgrim strangled a yell in its infancy as he remembered the importance of staying quiet. Stowing the crossbow and drawing his axe, he started forwards from Berki and Ludo's position, heading down the corridor at speed towards the mêlée.

Spoiler: OOC

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That's just the free draw and a full move action, now I have a better understanding of the distances.

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim, 17th Kaldezeit

Ludo's crossbow shot pierced straight through the skull of the skeleton that had struck Moragina down, shattering the brittle brainpan into fragments of bone. The undead guard's bones clattered to the floor in a disordered heap, allowing the three dwarfs at close quarters to rush together against its brother. An unnatural hiss rattled from its jaws as it struggled to raise its weapon. Lunn's axe chopped through its spine like dry firewood, bringing its struggles to an end.

Dropping his crossbow, Berki ran forward to kneel next to Moragina - but she was already gone, glassy eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. Lunn uttered a Khazalid curse under his breath, while Rollik crushed the skull of the second skeleton under his boot.

"This is no place for a Dwimmulson to die," he said. He looked to Berki. "Cover her with your cloak. We'll bring her with us when we come back this way."

---

Sieghard & Elsa, 17th Kaldezeit

"Right you are, sir," said Gustaf. As he turned away, Sieghard heard him mutter. "What could go wrong..."

By sunset, Sieghard had assembled his squad. Creeping down over the rocky hillside, they kept their distance from the ruins, stealing through the gathering twilight towards the east side of the valley. Fitful lights flickered at the top of the Jackal's tower, blue and green against the darkening sky. Once again, Sieghard thought he heard a woman's wail echo out over the barren hills...

OOC:

Spoiler

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Can I get a Stealth test from Sieghard? He can have a +10 for an assist from the Thorns.

---

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

"No-one," said the girl. "Well, everyone."

She squinted suspiciously at Jarla. "...What did you say your name was?"

[Thragka]

Ludo and Urgrim

"We'll mourn her later," Urgrim said gently. He turned to Ludo and nodded down the passage. "D'you know where we are?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Letting the more experienced trackers among his men take the lead, Sieghard headed out into the gloom.

Spoiler

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Sneaky roll

(1d100)[23]
(1d100)[64] Reroll if needed.

[RossN]

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

"Jarla Schreiber," Jarla said, tone cool. She did care to be squinted at by a grotty little peasant girl. "I believe my brother was the priest here before he died."

[LeSwordfish]

"I think so," Ludo said distractedly, but held up a hand for quiet. "Though, I'm trying to-"

OOC

Spoiler

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Perception test vs 68 (48 int +20 training): (1d100)[13] Can I hear footsteps? voices? movement? Does anyone seem to have heard us?

[LCP]

Sieghard, 17th Kaldezeit

A scattering of sharp-edged rocks on the east side of the ruins offered some cover for Sieghard's Thorns to hunker down out of sight. Even down here in the shelter of the valley, the wind cut like a knife. Wrapping his cloak tightly around him, Sieghard hunkered down against the cold.

Up on the hill, they could see the lights of Sforza's siege camp. It would be easy to feel very alone this far from the safety of the campfires, but the smooth wood of the spear-haft in Sieghard's hand filled him with a quiet sense of focus. In the ruins, all was dark, except for the occasional gleam of greenish light from the highest reaches of the tower. They watched and waited, but nothing moved...

---

Ludo & Urgrim, 17th Kaldezeit

Ludo heard nothing. If skeletal retribution was on its way, it was moving very quietly.

---

Sieghard, 18th Kaldezeit

Dawn broke over the Dead Hills before Sieghard and his Thorns saw the sun: down in the valley, the sunrise was still hidden behind the hilltops. Cold and stiff, the Thorns tried to stir themselves to move. No-one had tried to get past them all night, and Sieghard had made sure they kept a careful watch.

"Well," said Gustaf, trying to rub some warmth back into his hands. "S'pose we should be getting back to report, right sir? Nothing down here but dust."

Scanning the desolate landscape, Sieghard tried to see if there was anything he had missed. From the way the ruined buildings stood apart, he could tell that a broad road had once led into Nath from this direction. As the sky lightened further, he thought he could make out some traces of that road leading away into the empty hills to the east - but nothing moved along it. The shadows under the ruined houses were still, except for the occasional eddy of dust picked up by the wind.

---

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

"Father Schreiber never said anything about having a sister," said the girl, still looking skeptical. "Are you looking for him?"

[RossN]

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

"Given that he's dead obviously not," Jarla retorted. Maybe Irene Sforza was rubbing off on her, she was getting irritated by this impudent girl.

Ignoring the sulky peasant she moved back over to the shrine. If nothing else maybe she could offer her own private prayers.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo relaxed, a very small amount. "I think I do, yes. We're near where she was, which is also near the carvings, and where we found the spear."

He bowed his head for Moragina. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting them to be so..."

He turned back to the archway. "We're close, I think. When you're all ready, we can go."

[Thragka]

A sudden impatience flared in Urgrim at Ludo's feeble apology – then, immediately, that alien reaction vanished as mysteriously as it had arrived. A wave of shame and disgust followed. How could he be so unfeeling towards a young woman's tragic death? And to his friend's understandable guilt? That was as if some wretched spirit had lived in him, for the briefest moment, and fouled his emotions with its bitterness. It must be just the location getting to him, he reasoned. The sooner they were all out of this tomb-city – with Moragina in tow – the better.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard kept his eyes on the spot where the road once stood. "Take a look at that," he said, pointing at the gap between the buildings. "You see it too, right? If that used to be a road, then it must've led somewhere." he gestured in the direction the road would've led. "We'll go on a bit further and see if we can find that lake. If there's no sign of it, we'll turn back in time to be back in camp before nightfall."

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim, 17th Kaldezeit

The remaining dwarfs paid their respects to Moragina, and Berki covered her with his cloak. Stepping over the jumbled bones of the tomb guardians, they followed Ludo deeper into the earth.

Through the archway the skeletons had been guarding was a small, bare antechamber - and beyond that, what Ludo was sure was the door into Meskhenet's crypt. Advancing softly and slowly, Uthgar held up the lantern, the others gripping their weapons tight.

The chamber was much as Ludo remembered it. Rows of stone sarcophagi gaped open and empty, casting long shadows in the lamplight. At the back of the room was the narrow stairway that had led down into the sanctuary from which they'd escaped, still lying uncovered. The only thing that was missing was the priestess herself. The stake to which she had been bound had been taken down, and the stone floor was bare of any trace of where it had been taken.

A muffled hiss from his left made Uthgar spin round, the lamp swaying in his hand. As he did, Ludo saw the reflected light glimmer from metal spikes, hammered into the walls. These had not been here before - and as he looked closer, Ludo could see that each of them had been driven through a piece of bone or a scrap of ancient, desiccated flesh, pinning it to the wall. Meskhenet was still here. She was just no longer in one piece.

The hissing sounds were coming from the corner, where the shadows were deepest. There, the priestess' skull had been nailed up at head-height, the bronze spike driven up between her jaws. An unnatural light still glimmered in her empty eye-sockets, weak and flickering. It sounded like she was trying to speak.

---

Sieghard, 18th Kaldezeit

"Aren't they expecting us back before then, sir?" said one of the Thorns. "If we don't show, they might send others looking for us."

---

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

The shrine was cool and quiet, with a faint musty smell. It could hardly have accommodated much of a congregation, but it was neatly built, with a small wooden altar table and a painted likeness of Verena on the rear wall. There was no sign of any priest in residence, but the floor had clearly been recently swept.

[Thragka]

Urgrim started, buzzing as if lightning-struck, at the sibilance disturbing the pristine and ancient silence. Adrenaline surged through him at the revelation of their quarry. "Gazul preserve us," he muttered.

He hoped against hope that their sacrifice to get here would not be in vain. He couldn't even wait for Ludo to speak before he tried to communicate with this impossible being, racking his brains to string together some of the most ancient Khazalid he knew.

"Unyielding ... greeting," he tried. "Dwimmul's sons ... mindful of hardships."

Spoiler: OOC

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Being a bit cheeky here, but I think we've established Urgrim knows some of these words in Old Khazalid (although granted, I've invented the existence of such a historical dialect). I'll roll a Performer (Storyteller) test to see if he's managing to recall them correctly.
PS 42 - (1d100)[14]

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard kept silent for a moment, still staring off in the direction the road would've led. "I suppose we ought to report back first," he finally said.

---

"No movement from the Rivermouth ghouls," he told the prince once they were back in the camp. "If they are foraging, they didn't send anyone out last night. We did notice something while we were down in the valley though... There's a gap between the building where there would've been a road back before the place fell to ruin. Only thing I can think of in the Dead Hills worth building a road to would be that lake."

[RossN]

Jarla, 20th Kaldezeit

Jarla was not the most religious of women, though did pay homage to Ranald. Nevertheless in the peace and solitude of the shrine she prayed to Verena and to Morr, asking the goddess worshipped in life and the god that looked after the dead to both look after her brother.

After many long moments of quiet, lost in thought and memory, she rose to her feet and departed. Though it saddened her that there seemed no priest in residence, at least someone cared enough to sweep the place.

Truthfully the Imperial woman was at a bit of a loss as to where to go now and what to do. Clearly the fighting - and thus presumably her brother's friends - lay further south, so it seemed she must travel that way too. Emerging from the shrine she got back on Countess (assuming the peasant girl hadn't stolen her) and turned to the road to head south bound for Mannan's Keep (if she recalled Adelbert's letters correctly.)

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim, 17th Kaldezeit

A muffled rasping noise was all Urgrim got in response from the skull pinned to the wall. It was hard for her to speak with a bronze spike between her teeth.

---

Sieghard & Elsa, 18th Kaldezeit

The wind was getting up as Sieghard and the Thorns returned to the camp. They could hear the sound of hammering from where the Dwimmulsons were busy erecting Alvarr's trebuchets. The tall wooden structures had not been built for weather like this; reaching the top of the ridge, Sieghard saw two of the Maneaters straining to raise one of the long timbers against the wind, huge muscles bulging in their tree-trunk arms.

He found Sforza close to his pavilion, talking with Al-Makir. It looked like Abdul's first delivery of supplies had arrived: under the supervision of Sforza's halfling cook, men were unpacking sacks of grain, bags of tubers and kegs of small beer. All the while they kept a careful eye on the Sermena halflings who had helped carry the supplies up to the camp.

<Where's the meat, Abdul?> Sforza was saying. <We're working the ogres hard. You know they're liable to start eating the camp followers if they don't get their meat.>

<The farmers don't want to part with their livestock,> said Abdul. He sighed. <They say there's some sickness in the water, after these rains. I've got three pigs and some geese.>

<Not enough. Push them harder.> Looking round, Sforza saw Sieghard approaching. "Ah, Sieghard. Give me some good news."

From the look on his face, he seemed to find Sieghard's news neither good nor bad. "Hm," he said, looking out to the east. "It can't be close. We'd see it from here."

"It could still be closer than Manann's Keep," said Abdul, hopefully. "If it has fish as well as water..."

Sforza nodded. "We'll scout it out. Two men on horseback, to follow this road and see where it goes. Good work, Sieghard." He indicated the fresh supplies. "Get your men something to eat, and get some rest. I want them back on their station at sunset. We'll stake these wretches out another night or two, see if we can't still catch a pris-"

A roaring gust of wind cut off the end of his sentence, making the canvas of his pavilion ripple and flap. Up on the ridgeline, there was a tremendous crash as the beam the Maneaters had erected was thrown down again, sending dwarfs and ogres scattering to either side. Cursing colourfully in Tilean, Sforza strode off to survey the damage. Al-Makir stayed where he was, looking out to where the clouds were darkening over the valley.

"Looks like it's time for today's storm," he said to Sieghard, with somewhat forced levity. "I'd best get these things under cover. Good seeing you, friend."

---

Aubentag, 22nd Kaldezeit

Jarla

Having given up the comforts of Painford in favour of pressing further along the road, Jarla spent the night of the twentieth camped out in the woods south of the village. With her back to Countess' warm flank and a small campfire in front of her, she didn't feel the cold of the late autumn night too badly. Even the far-off cry of a wolf through the leafless trees didn't worry her unduly - she kept her pistols close to hand, dry and loaded.

Another day's ride and another night camping out alone, cursing the lack of decent coaching inns, and she had made it out of the Thornwood. Ahead of her lay fertile farmlands, bracketed by rocky bluffs. These fields looked greener than the ones she'd seen in the north: as she rode further south, they even began to look as if they might recently have seen rain. Grasshoppers clicked and buzzed in the long grass to the sides of the road, apparently determined to cling on a little longer before winter.

Jarla had seen many small market towns back in the Empire, but none quite like Manann's Keep. The ship-shaped wooden fort rose up at a jaunty angle above the rooftops, its rather puny moat meandering around the foot of the mound on which it had been built. Riding over the crude wooden bridge on the north side, she soon found herself in the town square. Here she was surrounded by far more people and activity than she had been in Painford - but looking up at the fort, she saw no signs that the Prince or his army were at home.

Beside the well in the centre of the square, three tall wooden poles had been erected. Two bore rotting heads, the words TRAITOR and NECROMANCER painted on boards nailed up beneath them. They both looked to have belonged to men, one bearded, the other clean-shaven. A crow was perched on the second head, and was pecking around in its empty eye-socket for a meal.

The third pole was taller and sturdier, and supported a hanging gibbet. An emaciated man sprawled inside the cage, his long, unkempt beard trailing through the bars. It was unclear whether he was alive or dead; two more crows perching on the crossbar looked like they were working up the courage to investigate.

[Thragka]

Kheneb-Ptra-Urush, 17th Kaldezeit

"We've got to try to ... get it down," Urgrim said, as if he didn't quite believe it himself. He looked at Ludo, perhaps seeking confirmation. Getting his chisel and mason's hammer out, the ranger approached the eerie skull. "Valaya preserve me," he whispered. And ancestors forgive me, he thought, though he didn't want to reveal that lack of confidence aloud. With a craftsman's care, Urgrim reached out to gently touch the skull and the bronze spike, seeking any give that could be leveraged.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo had stood in mute horror for a moment - they did this because she talked to us - before turning to the other dwarves. "Watch the corridors. Let us know if you see any more of them."

Swallowing heavily, he turned back to help Urgi release the skull.

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim, 17th Kaldezeit

The wall of the crypt was soft limestone - it didn't take much to pull the bronze spike free. Holding Meskhenet's skull so it couldn't fall, Ludo gently lowered her down - the yellowed bones felt light and fragile in his hands.

"More uzkular, said Lunn, watching the skull with intense suspicion. "Is this the one we came for?"

The light in Meskhenet's eye-sockets flickered a little brighter. Ludo had to fight the urge to drop her as her jawbone moved of its own accord.

<You... I remember...> she said in Classical, her voice a dust-dry whisper. <How long... has it been?>

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa and Sieghard, 18th Kaldezeit


Elsa did not like this talk of "sickness in the water" one bit, and she was determined not to let Sforza dismiss this as peasant nonsense. Nahorek may well have the power to poison or curse the rain he called upon his foes.

"Cap – Your Grace. Have we been drinking any of the rainwater these past few days?"