[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XII

[LeSwordfish]

Now Ludo did look to Sieghard. "The commander has it."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Until now, Sieghard had been quite content to let Ludo do the talking and fight back the urge to glare daggers at him. He was uncomfortably aware that everyone's attention had turned to him "It's here in camp," he said.

[Thragka]

Dwarf Council

"Gazul watch over her," [Grunlok] said. "She'll have an honour guard back to the Dwimmulhold. We'll make sure of it."

"It's no less than she deserves." Urgrim nodded.

"We've got one dead of our own from the attack, and another likely to join him. If you can wait a day, we ought to know, one way or the other. Then we can send them and Moragina back together."

"I'll write a message for Skorgrund, to go with them," said Urgrim. "The Rinn and the other clan elders should know what came of my undertaking. A success, that we've no need to spend more clan effort on an excavation of the ruins. Though not without loss." He glanced again at Moragina's bier. "We got the uzkular priestess out; Stubbs said she was able to tell him a little of Varag Kol's weaknesses. I'm sure he's already giving the princeling much to consider. Gods willing, that'll temper his hastiness."

Urgrim turned to his remaining volunteers. "I'm grateful to all of you for lending your arms. You're free now to join the rest of the throng, and no longer beholden to a grombolg and a sun-touched ranger's mad plans." He looked to the younger lads as he self-deprecated – though there wasn't a lot of humour in his tone. "Should any of ye feel strongly y'want t'add your own words to my report, I've no quarrel with that. I can write your words, if you don't know your letters – whatever you want to say."

Spoiler: OOC

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Next activity for Urgrim is to do as he says and write this report for Skorgrund, in his cautious, mechanical hand. Summarising:

• Got to Zaraz Irkul; found a small shaft near the known exit.
• Ludo scouted down the shaft, and we decided it was the best way in for those who could get through comfortably.
• Tangled with a couple of skellies; Moragina's death.
• Found Meskhenet's chamber; Ludo communicated with her.
• A description of the history on the walls of the spear's chamber, in as much detail as Urgrim can recall – this is more for Skorgrund than anything else.
• Beating a hasty retreat as the undead got animated, and taking Meskhenet's skull with them.
• Sheltering in Last Water for two nights; seeing the skeleton chariots on the return.
• Relaying that Varag Kol can't cross rivers, and might be tricked by a facsimile of the rune-spear.

[LCP]

War Council

Sforza exchanged a glance with Barbaro. "I am... surprised to be learning this now, Sieghard," he said. "Bring it to us."

---

Dwarfs

Lunn and Rollik looked for a moment as if they might take the opportunity to assert themselves, but Skargil spoke first. "Seems to me you know all there is to tell, Jotunnsson," he said. "Will you read it to us before you send it?"

[Thragka]

Urgrim

"I will," Urgrim said. When there was no more asked of him, he headed for the umgi officers' tents, to see where he could get his hands on paper and ink.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Of course. Just a moment," Sieghard said, rising. Only once his back was to Sforza, did he let his eyes meet Ludo's, wordlessly telling the halfling everything he couldn't say out loud.

He returned a few minutes later and without a word, placed the spear on the table. His hand lingered on the haft for a moment, reluctant to let go of it.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo met Sieghard's grim face with a surprisingly steely blankness.

[LCP]

War Council

Sforza's advisors gathered round to gawk as Sieghard placed the spear on the table. Sforza himself reached down and picked it up, bringing the spearhead close to his face so he could examine it.

"Real gold," he said, with the air of one who knew such things. "Hardly practical for a working blade. But perhaps it's only gilded." He felt the edge with his thumb. "And sharp... but no sharper an edge than you could put on iron. Is our vampire afraid of gold as well as silver?"

"Those look like dwarf runes," volunteered Hechsler. "Not common runes - runes of power."

Sforza looked intrigued. "Well, we have the expert here," he said. Setting the spear down in front of Meskhenet's skull, he looked to her. <Is this it?>

<...It is...> The ancient priestess' words were hushed and reverent.

<And how can it destroy the blood drinker?>

<It is blessed... with the radiance of Ptra...> whispered the skull. <The blood of Neferata... cannot stand... the light of the sun...>

<It does not look radiant to me,> said Sforza, a little slow to find the Classical words.

<Bring it to the enemy... and you will see...> said Meskhenet.

Sforza raised his eyebrows. "Well," he said to his advisors. "That still leaves us with the problem of how to reach him."

He turned back to the skull on the table. <Our enemy - your enemy - has hidden himself in a fortress. How can we bring him out, to us?>

There was a long silence - so long that Sforza looked on the point of asking again. At last, a breathy rattle from between Meskhenet's jaws indicated that she had heard.

<Nakht-Horeb... is a servant of death...> she said. <His armies need... no sleep... no food... no water. There are only two things in the world... that he desires...>

She trailed off again. Those in the tent who spoke Classical leaned closer, waiting to catch her next words.

<...The first...> she said, speaking agonisingly slowly <...is to resurrect... the great kingdom... that he helped destroy. He came to the Reaches... seeking the blood of Setep...> Sforza and Barbaro exchanged baffled glances. <The second... is the stronger... the curse on his blood that began with the queen. He is driven to serve... the will of his master. The will of Nagash.>

Abdul, grey-faced, had clearly heard enough mentions of that name. Muttering something in his own language, he turned and exited the tent. Meskhenet didn't seem to notice.

<I know of nothing else... that will induce him,> she whispered. <And nothing... that will turn him from his purpose...>

OOC:

Spoiler

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For the non-Classical speakers, I think you can assume that if you ask someone who does speak it (probs not Sforza) for a quick translation/summary, they'll oblige.

[LeSwordfish]

"The will of Nagash," Ludo said, thoughtfully. "Nagash, who wrote the... Well. Obviously we're not doing that."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard leaned over to Valdes and whispered "Can you understand a word of this?"

Spoiler

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If Valdes can't, Sieghard will have Elsa summarize. For appearances though, he doesn't want her to be the first person he goes to

"The will of Nagash. Nagash, who wrote the... Well. Obviously we're not doing that."

"Who wrote the cursed book," Sieghard said, even though he was still skeptical of that point. "Even if we were mad or stupid enough to try using it to lure the jackal, It's too far north. We wouldn't have time to send for it. It wouldn't have to be the real thing though, would it? When we first smuggled the thing out of the Lost Library, we used a fake to fool the daemon who was after it."

[-Sentinel-]

"Yes - but we used a chest made of lead," said Elsa. "Lead dampens magic, so it was reasonable for the daemon to believe it contained the Book. Do we even have lead? I don't think the vampire would be fooled by an iron chest."

She was reluctant to share wizards' weaknesses with non-wizards, but it seemed important to mention.

[LeSwordfish]

"But can you tell the difference between when you can't see something and when there's nothing to see? Could he tell that the box was empty, rather than shielded?"

Ludo cleared his throat, awkwardly aware that he once again had the prince's ear. "When I captured the vampire's associate, he said the same thing as Meskhenet has. That Nahorek is... is mad, is deluded. That he thinks he has the right to rule, and that he's surrounded by worshippers who'll make him believe it."

"When we were in Nath, he offered us a surrender. I assumed it was a ruse but... maybe it was serious. Maybe he could be lured out again, by a fake surrender."

[LCP]

"He sent a lackey to treat with us before," said Valdes. "If we ask to parley now, won't he send the same lackeys again? He has no reason to expose himself."

"Perhaps if we showed him a chance to take the book by force?" said Hechsler. "If we looked like we were being careless..."

"That would raise the question of how to let him know our fake exists," said Sforza, "as well as how to make it convincing. Time is the key." He drummed his fingers on the table, a look of concentration on his face. "We can't afford more delay."

After a long pause, he peered at Meskhenet's skull again. Meskhenet had remained silent throughout the whole exchange - whether indifferent or impatient at being talked over, her fleshless face made it impossible to say.

"The blood of Setep," said Sforza, looking to Ludo. "What does she mean by that, Stubbs?"

[LeSwordfish]

"If someone went in and told him you were only willing to talk to him, pretended he was the true king, buttered him up like -" Ludo's train of thought reached it's destination before his mouth did, and he stopped talking.

"Setep was the king in these parts, long before Nahorek even. The vampire wanted to end his line: I think that might have been how he was lured into single combat before."

[LCP]

"Sending a messenger right into the jackal's jaws?" said Barbaro, suppressing a shiver. "It's a brave soul who'd volunteer for that."

"Your friend in the box," said Sforza, inclining his head ever so slightly towards Meskhenet. "Does that make her of this bloodline?"

[LeSwordfish]

"I don't know," Ludo said frankly. "Permission to ask her?"

OOC

Spoiler

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If Sforza gives permission, Ludo will pass the question on to Meskhenet in classical.

[LCP]

Sforza motioned with his hand for Ludo to go ahead. Meskhenet seemed to have drifted off again - it took a little while before she responded to Ludo's question.

<I was not... of royal blood...> whispered the skull. <Setep's dynasty passed on... generations before Nakht-Horeb came to our lands. But he saw in us... the descendants of Setep and his soldiers... the blood of Nehekhara he had thought lost...> She trailed off. <He had passed through the lands to the south... leaving only death behind him... but in our lands he found something he wished to raise up... if we would first submit...>

<A fine job he did of that,> Barbaro muttered in Tilean. Leaning forwards across the table, he switched to Classical and raised his voice, as if speaking to the very elderly. <When were the events you speak of? What year?>

<It was... the one hundred and seventy-ninth year... of the Sixth Dynasty... when Nakht-Horeb came north...> said Meskhenet. The others around the table looked blank. <In... the counting of the gehebi... one thousand, eight hundred and fifty-one...>

<Who are the... the gejebi?>

<The little people,> said Meskhenet. <The people of the mountains.>

"The dwarf calendar," said Hechsler, looking grave. "One thousand, eight hundred... by the hammer that's old." The others looked to him as he counted on his fingers. "More than a thousand years before Sigmar."

Barbaro nodded and looked to the Prince. "Our histories do not even speak of these people," he said. "If any survived, their bloodline by now must be so mixed with others..."

"Who says we're speaking of those that survived, Daniele?" said Sforza. His gaze was still fixed on Meskhenet's skull. "It seems to me we may have something the enemy wants, right here in this tent."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"And still no way to let him know that we do," Sieghard pointed out. "And if the vampire wanted to end that bloodline..." he glanced at Meskhenet, "Well, it seems like time did that for him."

He was getting uncomfortable with Sforza's line of thought. Partly because Meskhenet had showed them the way to safety when they were trapped in the ruins and partly because he feared what Nahorek might be able to learn from her, he feared the possibility of the vampire taking control of her.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa shared Sieghard's discomfort. Was Sforza really suggesting to use an invaluable ally as bait? And only days after recovering her from the ruins of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush?

"I'm fairly sure the vampire has all the old bones he could ever need. And Mes- our friend here said it herself; she was not of royal blood." She avoided Meskhenet's name, lest the priestess figure out that some people in this room were plotting things that were not in her best interest. "Since his return, the Hound has shown no sign of seeking the blood of Nehekhara. If that had been his goal, no doubt the people of Rivermouth would've told him about the ruins in the swamps. No, I think he's realized his people are long dead and he'll now have to hold court over whatever monsters and outcasts choose to follow him."

[LCP]

Sforza shook his head. "He could find wretches to follow him anywhere. The world has no shortage of desperate fools." His expression was still one of concentrated thought. "He offered us terms. Return the book. Yield the crown. Leave the Reaches. These lands mean something to him."

Leaning forward, he spoke again to Meskhenet. <What happened to your people? After the blood drinker was defeated. Where are they now?>

<I... do not know.> whispered the skull. <After Nakht-Horeb fell... the land was not the same. The barbarians of the hills put their alliance with us aside... they returned to robbing our people wherever the soldiers of the three cities did not protect them. The crops began to fail in the west... until Nirmesh-Khul... that we had taken back from the enemy... was abandoned again. The green vermin... multiplied in the south. They had feared Nakht-Horeb... they did not fear us. They ravaged our lands like fire... besieged us in Kheneb-Ptra-Urush.> Meskhenet lapsed into another long silence. <Kheneb-Ptra-Urush fell. My knowledge ends there.>

<This place, Kheneb,> said Sforza, <it was your last stronghold?>

<No. Psaphon still stood. The last... of the three cities,> said Meskhenet. <I do not know... what became of it.>

Leaning back again, Sforza stayed quiet for a little while, tapping his fingers. It didn't take much imagination to make 'Savonne' out of 'Psaphon'; it was clear he had made the connection for himself.

<The enemy has bound spirits to his service,> he asked, abruptly changing the subject. <Ordinary weapons do not hurt them. Do you know how we can fight them?>

<The war against Nakht-Horeb... ended... before my birth,> said Meskhenet. <I only know... what was taught to me in Ptra's temple... what our histories recorded. Nakht-Horeb had fought for the Betrayer against the armies of Alcadizzar... he brought with him... knowledge of all the black arts used in that war. The book spoke of these things... how to break the Akhu, and bind its pieces as well as the Kha...>

<This is gibberish,> muttered Barbaro in Tilean. He spoke again in Classical, louder. <But how do we fight them?>

<I do not know...> said Meskhenet. <Akhash-kheb-nezzar... brought the priests of the eastern cities to battle with him.> She paused. <Many died.>

Barbaro didn't look like he liked that answer one bit. Sforza seemed less concerned.

<Thank you,> he said to Meskhenet, with a minute bow of his head, before turning to Ludo. "Stubbs, put the skull away, if you please. I think she has given us much to discuss." He looked around the table. "Unless anyone else has questions they wish to ask?"

[-Sentinel-]

<We believe Nakht-Horeb has recovered his scepter,> said Elsa, addressing Meskhenet. <We haven't fought him directly since then. Do your people's tales tell of what power this scepter holds?>

The vampire wouldn't have sent his most valued servant after the scepter if it was only a ceremonial object.

[LCP]

<The little one... already asked...> said Meskhenet. <Nakht-Horeb... was the high priest of Djaf... in Lahmia that fell. The staff... is his staff of office... corrupted to the service of the Usurper.> A long pause followed. <The priests of Djaf... guide the Akhu of the departed... on their journey to the Underworld. They stand on the threshold... of Usirian...>

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was not sure what that entailed, but she did not like how it sounded. Did that mean Nahorek was also waiting for them beyond the veil? She dared not ask.

<Thank you, Meskhenet. I hope we are the last who will ever have to deal with the Jackal. This time we'll make sure he stays dead.>

[LeSwordfish]

<"Thank you,"> Ludo added, and carefully closed Meskhenet's box, clipping the clasp shut.

[LCP]

Once the box had been closed, Sforza motioned for Ludo to take it out of the tent, and sent one of the guards to look for where Al-Makir had gone. Outside the tent, Jarla saw the Iron Company man run off in search of the Arabyan.

"The question at hand, then," said Sforza. "Do we starve the men another week or two, to bring our artillery closer - or is there action we can take now to bring this siege to end?" He looked around the table, scrutinising his advisors' faces. "Thanks to signor Stubbs, we know now we have a weapon the enemy fears - and perhaps also what it is he wants."

"We already knew what he wanted," said Valdes. "His lackey gave us his demands."

"Yes, but now we know why," said Barbaro. Valdes looked doubtful.

"I am with Holt," he said. "We know why he came here in this... dead woman's time - what did you say, padre, thousands of years ago?"

"More than three thousand," said Hechsler.

Valdes nodded. "That is not why he is here now. As far as I understand it, he is here because that fool Klammenberg brought him back, no more, no less." He shrugged. "Who can say now what is in his mind?"

"You are right, Esteban," said Sforza. "But there is more to be gained here than there is to be lost. I see little harm in rolling the dice and seeing how they fall."

Barbaro. "Myrmidia smiles on the general who seizes the fortune she sends," he added with a pious air.

"We have two lures to draw the jackal out of his den," said Sforza. "This spear, and what has become of his people."

"The skull said the spear was made to destroy him," said Valdes. "Surely knowing we have it would make him less likely to come to us?"

"Unless he thinks he sees an opportunity to take it from us," said Sforza.

Barbaro cleared his throat. "I see where your highness is going," he said. "That does still leave the matter of how to, uh... how to show our beast the bait."

"As we would any other enemy in war," said Sforza. "We send him a messenger."

Shutting his mouth, Barbaro immediately tried to look as little like a volunteer as possible.

[LeSwordfish]

"What message would you expect carried, your highness?" Ludo asked. "As I said, I suspect the vampire's madness might cause him to reveal himself in person for a false surrender."

[LCP]

"We know he has others around him," said Valdes, who seemed less than keen on the idea of sending a messenger into danger. "The woman he sent to speak with us, for one. Can we really deceive them all?"

"The vampire is the master," said Sforza. "We don't need to concern ourselves with his minions. Not if our bait is good enough."

He sat for a while in thought, mulling the answer to Ludo's question.

"He can see us from that tower. He must know that our position is still strong. Complete surrender smells too much of a trap." He paused again. "But he tried to negotiate with us before. An invitation to discuss terms... as the lord of one realm to another." He looked to Ludo. "What do you think, Stubbs? If we pretend we may offer him part of what he asked, is he mad enough to expose himself for that?"

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo thought about it. "I... think maybe he could be persuaded that way? It sounds like he's arrogant in his madness... that's why I suggested a surrender. I think he would be more likely to come in person if he thought he would be bowed down to, worshipped, legitimised. But maybe a skilled messenger could give the impression of that... could talk him into it. Could trick him. Without him realising."

He sighed and smiled a bit weakly. "You said you might be able to find a job for me."

[LCP]

"It sounds like you may know his mind better than anyone in this tent," said Sforza. "Perhaps you can help us draft our message."

He saw from Ludo's face that that wasn't quite what the halfling had meant. "You've done good service bringing us this information, signor Stubbs. Even if this stratagem works, there's no guarantee our man will come back, and you clearly have talents it would be wasteful to squander." He gave Ludo a calculating look. "There's no need for you to throw yourself into danger."

[LeSwordfish]

With some effort, Ludo resisted the urge to argue with Sforza. "I'm glad to hear I've been of service."

"If I could make one more comment, mio principe? If I might have permission to speak freely?"