[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XIII

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa quietly thanked Ludo for gathering the Nath survivors. She made an effort to look the Thorns in the eyes despite the knowledge that many of them hated her, and found it one of the hardest things she had ever done.

"I think an apology on my part is in order," she said, trying not to fidget from nervousness. "A very belated one, I might add. There are several ways in which I am a coward, and facing my mistakes is one of them. I hope to do better in the future."

"Back in accursed Nath... the first time around, that is... I said things I didn't mean, things I desperately wish I could unsay. I questioned your worth, even as you were doing your damnedest to keep us all alive. Even as you were risking everything... including, in Hanna's case, her very soul. It was a terrible day for us all, but in the face of overwhelming odds, you showed great valor, all of you. Death was quite literally knocking on our door, yet you held the line against a threat the likes of which the Reaches hadn't seen in thousands of years. Half of you lost their lives, while the other half went on to avenge them by taking down the Jackal once and for all. There is no right half or wrong half; there are only people of the Thornwood who gave their best when it mattered most. I know that none of us standing here now would be alive if a single one of you had faltered that day. I have truly no excuse for what I said. Not fear, not frustration, nor anything else; no excuse. I know that your commander couldn't be prouder of you and your deeds."


OOC

Spoiler

Show

Charm 54. If the lack of Public Speaking limits how many people I can affect, most of Elsa's eye contact will be directed at Hanna and whoever else is currently scowling at her the hardest.

(d100)[52]
Fortune: (d100)[4]

Edit: Almost makes me wish I'd failed the first roll, just to get that nice reroll of 4. Ah well, I'll still spend a Fortune Point to bump my initial roll by +10.

[LCP]

Elsa & Ludo, 7th Vorhexen

An awkward silence yawned between Elsa and the Thorns after she had finished speaking. Looking over their assembled faces, she saw of them looked uncertain - but Hanna’s expression was still hard and unsympathetic, her lips compressed into a tight line.

Hanna looked to Ludo. “Is this what you needed us for?” she asked.

---

Sieghard, 12th Vorhexen

“I hear you clear enough,” said the man, holding Sieghard’s gaze. Sieghard could see no submission in his eyes, just the smouldering spark of restrained anger.

He didn’t move from where he stood, making the Thorns push awkwardly past him to get inside. There wasn’t much of value to take - as they emerged one after the other with arms full of whatever they could find, Sieghard could tell they hated this work.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

I’m happy to cut ahead to Sieghard’s return to Painford if you’re done with this scene.

[LeSwordfish]

"There's less than two dozen people in the reaches who've been through what you have, Hanna," Ludo said quietly. "The wizard is one of them."

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Is this an Assist to Elsa? Or my own roll?
(1d100)[48]

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa pursed her lips. This was not at all going like she had hoped.

"You don't have to forgive me, Hanna," she said, holding up her palms in a gesture of conciliation. "Take my olive branch or leave it, but I thought it important to at least offer it. I could never live with myself if I died before I presented my overdue apologies."

She paused. "...That was an awkwardly phrased sentence. But I think you catch my drift."

[RossN]

Jarla, 8th Vorhexen

"Oh,unsuccessfully hunting wolves," Jarla told Irene, before smiling ruefully at her frenemy. "I guess I shall have to go without a stole this winter."

While the travelling players were not in Savonne at the moment if Sieghard was right Jarla planned to spend the next few days interviewing just which entertainers were present in the city. The next court celebrations might call for musicians, dancers, singers and more exotic acts and she wanted to know just what tools she had to work with. Though she would of course approach Mouna Jarla intended to ask around the town herself.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Jarla is sort of self appointing herself Mistress of the Revels here so she's scouting out what kind of talent Savonne can provide.

[LCP]

Elsa & Ludo, 7th Vorhexen

Hanna still looked unimpressed. Some of the Thorns looked to her, while others exchanged a few murmured words among themselves.

"If the Prince's wizard wants to talk to us, then we have to listen," said Hanna. "But I don't have anything to say in return."

She looked around at the others with her. None of them seemed keen to make it a dialogue either.

~

Later, Elsa found Tattie leaning on a post of the makeshift pen in which the Thorns were keeping Dragos' dogs. They didn't look like they'd been particularly well cared for in Sieghard's frequent absences - lean and hungry, they crowded forward in a barking pack at the approach of another new face. Tattie seemed despondent.

"They're dogs," she said. "They don't need magic. They just need someone to show them some care."

She looked down at the ground, as if she felt she had already said too much. Still, in for a pfennig, in for a crown.

"I don't know why I'm here," she said, in a small voice. "All I've done since you found me is harm. And now you want me to look after dogs." There was an edge of bitterness to her tone. "At least before I was helping people."

---

Jarla, 8th Vorhexen

Irene raised her eyebrows. "With Holt's goatherd?" she asked. "I would have thought you'd had enough of Holt's company already."

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Talent scouting sounds like a Gossip test to me.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was hurt to be referred to as the Prince's wizard, when she was just as much of a mercenary in the Prince's employ as they were, but she tried not to let it show.

"Did I misread the reason for your resentment? Is it something else entirely?"

Surely she's not blaming me for our losses on Kleinrabe's expedition... is she?

---

Tattie's words left Elsa speechless for a long moment. Perhaps because she had a point.

"...Alright."

She took Tatiana's hand. "See, here's the thing. I'm a runaway from the Colleges. My education was never finished and I had to be partly self-taught. So when I heard of an untrained spellcaster in the Reaches, I resolved she wouldn't have to go through the same trials I did. But those trials, they made me a lot stronger, and they did it faster, than staying at the College would have. Perhaps they're not a bad thing. Perhaps I should let you learn about your powers on your own."

A selfish part of her welcomed how this would lessen the burden of responsibility on her shoulders.

[LeSwordfish]

"You're free to go," Ludo said hurriedly to the thorns. "That was all. Rike, you're on watch."

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa resisted the urge to glare at Ludo. But he likely knew better than her how to deal with the Thorns, and it seemed he saw her whole attempt as a lost cause.

"...Fine. Go wherever."

I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn. This is too awkward.

[LCP]

Ludo & Elsa, 7th Vorhexen

Some of the Thorns seemed taken aback by Elsa's words. Hanna's expression remained the same. She promptly turned to leave, and a good number followed her. The others dispersed in their own time - nobody seemed to want to linger in the atmosphere that had been created.

~

Tattie took her hand out of Elsa's. She looked lost, but she clearly wasn't taking whatever comfort Elsa was trying to offer.

"You told me I needed to come with you," she said. "You were telling the others, before we turned back, how you needed to watch over me." Her voice cracked a little, her words tumbling out faster. "And when you didn't, when those... things happened, in the city, they took me and locked me in that cellar with you. Lady Sforza said she wanted us dead." She looked Elsa straight in the eye. "What do you want from me? Is it important for me to learn these things, or is it not?"

[LeSwordfish]

"I think you did make an effect on some of them," Ludo said, a little sadly, "But I didn't think it would help to give Hanna a chance to make her own argument in the other direction."

[-Sentinel-]

"I think you did make an effect on some of them," Ludo said, a little sadly, "But I didn't think it would help to give Hanna a chance to make her own argument in the other direction."

"Hmh," grunted Elsa. "I should have talked to her separately beforehand. Well, I suppose actions will matter more than words, in the long run."

---

"What do you want from me? Is it important for me to learn these things, or is it not?"

Elsa paused to ponder her answer carefully. "It was wrong of me to volunteer you for this trip," she said at last. "I may be under contract with the Prince, but you are not, and I can't in good conscience force you to work for a government that had you shackled and imprisoned."

Today is the day for self-flagellating apologies, it seems, thought Elsa wryly, though she meant every word she said.

"I've taught you most of what you need to know in order to protect yourself from the worst perils of magic," she went on. "And don't worry, I won't let the Principessa hurt you again, whatever you decide to do next. You said you wanted to help people? Then let's make it happen."

[LCP]

Elsa, 7th Vorhexen

"How?" asked Tattie, sincerely. "The wolves are probably the other side of the Teeth by now..."

[-Sentinel-]

"You used to help hungry people by bringing them animals to eat," said Elsa. "Is that the kind of thing you're willing to do again this winter?"

She knew how much it must break Tatiana's heart to lure animals to their deaths, but if the girl had done it before, it meant that she at least understood the necessity. Having her work in the countryside may also keep her safe from Irene.

[LeSwordfish]

"Hmh," grunted Elsa. "I should have talked to her separately beforehand. Well, I suppose actions will matter more than words, in the long run."

Ludo sighed. "Hanna said "we have to listen" which is good, because I wasn't looking forward to forcing them to hear you out. But... you might not be able to repair this relationship, and might have to learn to live with that."

[LCP]

Elsa, 7th Vorhexen

Tattie gave a hesitant nod. "That wasn't magic, though. Or... if it was, it was just a knack. There are plenty of people who could do it just as well as me." She kept her gaze fixed on Elsa. "I thought the reason you wanted me to come with you was to do something special. That I couldn't do before."

[-Sentinel-]

"Your knack with the goats is nowhere near common," said Elsa. "I only went looking for you because word of your deeds was spreading; surely you don't think it's mere coincidence that you turned out to have a gift with magic? Perhaps you weren't actively casting spells, but animals can see how the Amber Wind is drawn to you."

As for Tatiana's second point, Elsa was at a loss. "I thought you might be able to turn a pack of wolves against their mistress, but our quarry has escaped us. So where does that leave us? If you want to do something special, I'll support you in any way I can, but honestly, you likely know more than I do about your abilities and limits. I've no idea what it's like to be an Amber wizard."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Some Ambers can turn into animals for a limited time, or grow claws from their fingers. I doubt you're at that level yet, but I won't stop you from trying, if you're careful. Also... remember that untameable white horse in the castle stables? The one that belonged to Prince Belehir? Have they kept it? If you could ride it, it would certainly show that your power is growing."

"And then, you'll be ready to go out into the Teeth and try it again with the wyvern."

She paused, deadpan, and gave a chuckle. "Kidding. We are not doing that."

---

"But... you might not be able to repair this relationship, and might have to learn to live with that."

"That's fine... I just want her to stop scowling at me," sighed Elsa.

She was silent for a moment.

"I probably won't be staying much longer," she said at last. "Can I grab a shield from the Thorn armory? We'll soon be back to fighting bandits and goblins instead of corpses, and I think I could use some protection from arrows."

[Thragka]

Urgrim in Painford, mid-Vorhexen

Urgrim found that the quiet winter days after his return from the Teeth were good for resting his body and mind. For the first time since the second battle of Nath, he found himself feeling at ease when no duties demanded him. He still trained with the Thorns – or at least, those who remained of them. It felt more sombre than it had before. He couldn't stop himself from noticing how much fewer they were, and remembering those that were missing. Urgrim held himself back from belittling their umgi habits, even in the light-hearted way he'd done before, when he'd first been trying to build camaraderie with them. Now he hoped his strange place alongside them was facilitated by respect between fellow warriors. He had great respect for them, in any case; and, in the absence of any indications to the contrary, he chose to act in accordance with a belief that the feeling was mutual.

As a well-rested and fit body yearns to exult in exercise, so does a healthy mind. Urgrim was not a sort that could remain idle for long. Once he had centred himself, ideas and projects began to occur to him again. The remains of the Thorns were rudderless, to his view. It didn't take a tactical genius to see that their previous role as a fighting force wouldn't be viable again for some time. But an axe was a peacetime tool as well as a weapon of war. Urgrim didn't see why the company of the forest couldn't fulfill a helpful role to their kith and kin under Sieghard's banner. Was it not said, "Every old tunnel needs a runebearer and an ironbreaker"? And if that wasn't something his bannermen could provide, then what good was Sforza's kingship?

Urgrim got Ingwald, Gustaf and any other of the Thorns who were interested together with himself and Ludo to chat about it one evening in the hostel common room, over steaming bowls of Karolina's stew."There ever been any sort of messenger service round these parts? Up and down the forest road? I'm not trying to give orders to anyone when it's not my place, but Ludo and I were sharing some ideas about what it'd be useful for the Thorns to do in the peacetime. Might be a chance to be seen doing some good, clearing the Road and keeping it safe, if that's something the country folk are in need of. A cause to recruit for. And not to be just seen as tax collectors."

In a personal conversation, to Ludo, he asked, "You wouldn't have an idea who to get in touch with in Savonne, supposing I'm trying to find someone who might not want to be found? I've been thinking of the boy Tomas who brought the damn horse into the city. I did tell his old mother I'd look out for him, but everything went so mad after that, it'd been far out of my mind until recently. Next time I go back north though," he said with a sigh, "I'm of a mind to find out what became of him. Even if it's most likely a sad end."

[LCP]

Elsa, 7th Vorhexen

Tattie's eyes brightened at the mention of Belehir's horse.

"It's still there," she said. "Markos showed it to me before... before the trial," she said, swallowing down the memory. "Do you think they'd let me? I thought it belonged to the principessa..."

---

Urgrim

Ingwald shook his head at Urgrim's question. "Don't think I ever heard of such a thing in these parts. Been too long since there was a road where the same lord was in charge of both ends." He took a swig of his drink. "I'm sure the folks in Manann's Keep would like to be able to talk to Savonne a bit faster. If you wanted us to do it though, you'd have to talk to the commander."

[-Sentinel-]

"Do you think they'd let me? I thought it belonged to the principessa..."

"As far as the stable master is concerned," Elsa pointed out, "a horse that won't carry a rider or pull a plow is a waste of space, time and fodder. If it weren't such a beautiful beast, it would likely have been slaughtered for meat by now. I don't think it'll survive the winter unless you do something."

An idea started to germinate in her head. Could she perhaps make a bet with Lady Sforza over Tatiana's ability to ride the horse?

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Ludo, ~12th Vorhexen

Ingwald shook his head at Urgrim's question. "Don't think I ever heard of such a thing in these parts. Been too long since there was a road where the same lord was in charge of both ends." He took a swig of his drink. "I'm sure the folks in Manann's Keep would like to be able to talk to Savonne a bit faster. If you wanted us to do it though, you'd have to talk to the commander."

Urgrim nodded. "Aye, o'course. Hope I'm not understepping by talking about what ye could be doing. You're a fine company," he said, raising his cup to the Thorns present, "and I'm only contriving how to keep ye as respected as ye should be, while you're not at fighting strength."

He took a drink, and grunted. "Still. If we can't get the best of a pack of wolves and a half-dead witch, I might be getting too big for my boots suggesting ye take up a royal charter as roadwardens and express heralds."

[LeSwordfish]

"I probably won't be staying much longer," she said at last. "Can I grab a shield from the Thorn armory? We'll soon be back to fighting bandits and goblins instead of corpses, and I think I could use some protection from arrows."

"I'll fetch you one of the ones we took from Rorik," Ludo said distractedly.

Urgrim and Ludo, ~12th Vorhexen

"We're already patrolling most of the road," Ludo said thoughtfully. "It wouldn't be too hard to carry messages. Maybe even escort people, if they can keep up. Like the shirrifs, back in the old country."

Urgrim and Ludo, Later
Ludo shook his head. "Most of those were with Dragos, I imagine. The only recommendation I can make is... well. The house of Morr can tell you if he ended up there."

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Ludo, ~12th Vorhexen

"'Shirrifs'?" Urgrim repeated, turning the unfamiliar word over in his mouth. —Scir riv, he mused, comparing it to a half-remembered phrase in Old Khazalid. "That's a thing in the mannish empire? Aye, if I take the meaning right, that's the sort of thing I was thinking."

~

Urgrim nodded with resigned equanimity. "More likely than not, I reckon. At least, if I find out for sure, I can bring his mother some peace."

[LCP]

Painford, 8th Vorhexen

Elsa and Tatiana left Painford late on Angestag morning, the apprentice on her pony trailing after the wizard on her enormous black charger. Ludo got the definite sense that the village was glad to see them go. Painford had learned to love one witch. A second would be asking a lot of any god-fearing peasant; a third was really pushing it.

---

Savonne, 11th Vorhexen

It was a cold Aubentag afternoon when Elsa rode back through the south gate of the city. After her frosty reception in Painford, the prospect of being just one more face in a crowd once again had seemed appealing - but even with the city seeming as crowded as ever, she noticed that people gave her a wide berth. Her sombre winter attire didn’t advertise who she was, but she couldn’t hide the tattoos on her face. The guards on the gate bowed their heads as she passed, but once she was past them, even the beggars seemed reluctant to approach her.

In the North Market square, a plinth was being erected for Sforza’s statue. Inside the castle, she found the Prince reading a well-thumbed old book. He closed it when she came in.

“You’re back, then,” he said, without much sympathy. “Signora Schreiber told me you lost the wolves.”

He had heard nothing from the north. “You needn’t concern yourself with that,” was his only answer to her questions. “Giovanni said he would handle it. He will handle it.” On the subject of Tatiana, he showed at least a glimmer of interest. “If the wolves escaped you, then you’d best find another way to put the girl through her paces. Show the results your teaching has received.” There was an inquisitive glimmer in his eye that Elsa found a little disconcerting. “I think the new year would be a good time for a demonstration.”

---

Bezahltag, 14th Vorhexen

Painford

Sieghard arrived back from his tax-collecting with goods worth about thirty-five crowns. That left a deficit of around fifteen crowns either to be taken out of the Thorns’ collective wages, or to be made up in back pay the following month.

For now, at least, he was glad to be back under a roof and next to a warm fire. The winter cold had deepened, and now the Thornwood was in the grip of a frost that rimed the bare branches of the trees with ice, and made the earth crunch underfoot. At the manor site, Hegalun held forth about how wise they’d been to lay their foundations while the ground was still soft, her breath condensing to white vapour as she spoke. In the barrack houses, the refugees Sieghard had brought from Savonne shivered under meagre blankets.

In their outdoor pen, the dogs felt Ulric’s bite keenest of all. Using some offcast timber from the building site, Sieghard tried to put together a makeshift kennel to give them some shelter - though he put on his armour beforehand, just to make sure. To begin with, they barked furiously at him, as they did to any intruder in their tiny territory - but when he threw them some food, they quickly fell to tussling over that instead. The winter cold and their diet of scraps had sapped them of the energy for real aggression, and within a few days, Sieghard no longer felt the need for his full plate when entering their pen.

Knowing that he couldn’t always be around to take care of them, he made enquiries as to who in Painford might be suited to the job. Gavril said he knew a village boy who was good with animals and would be able to look after the hounds for a schilling or two a week. Sieghard suspected there were others among the people he’d brought from the Downs who would appreciate the work - but they would need more of a living wage.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Up to you whether you want to hire a Painford kid (~14 years old) at 2s a week or an Downlands adult at 4.

Savonne

In the city, the weather was just as cold. The smell of woodsmoke was sharp on the wind, the guards at the gates huddling around smouldering braziers. In the castle, Mouna’s servants worked tirelessly to keep the great hearths fed, while Irene remarked to Jarla that they could afford to spare more than a few twigs to keep the court from freezing. In the streets, those without homes huddled together for warmth, or froze to death in doorways, the initiates of Morr carrying away their stiff blue bodies on rattling handcarts.

The one place that was always warm was the castle stables, warmed as they were by the body heat of more than twenty horses. Tattie was spending most of her time there now, undeterred by the presence of the young stablehand Markos - who now seemed to run from her as if she were the Lord of the End Times himself. Her worries about drawing Irene’s attention had been wholly unfounded: the principessa never deigned to come down to the stable yard, with its smells of straw and manure, and the stablemaster was more than happy for anyone who thought they could do something useful with Belehir’s horse to try their hand.

“Damn thing’s a dead weight,” was his opinion, which he would offer to anyone who would listen. “Lies there eating all the best hay and won’t let no-one ride it. If their lord and ladyships didn’t want it kept I’d’ve got rid of it long ago.”

Elsa, meanwhile, had not missed the charged atmosphere that still remained between herself and Irene. Slipping out of the castle in her cloak and winter clothes, she made her way to an apothecary on the edge of the Old Town - one whose shop had not been damaged in the fires. An old woman with thick half-moon spectacles, she didn’t ask questions of her customers.

“Poison’s a tricky thing,” she said, rummaging through her stores. The first things she re-emerged with were a couple of large jars - one of strong, bitter-smelling herbs, the other of leeches swimming in clear water. “Best thing you can do is get it out of you as soon as it’s got in. These should be good for that, if you keep the little fellows fed.” She paused. “I do have something else, though… one moment.”

A longer search turned up a round metal box, in which was nestling a small, whitish ball of what looked like soft limestone. “Toadstone,” said the apothecary, pushing it gently towards Elsa. “Very rare. Carry it with you, protects you against all kinds of illness.” She met Elsa’s gaze over the top of her spectacles. “Forty crowns and it’s yours.”

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Anti-toxin kit 3 gc, toadstone 40 gc.

---

Festag, 25th Vorhexen

Savonne - Elsa

By the twenty-fifth, Elsa’s search for protection had taken her a little further. Suzana had taken a week to get back to her on the question of bodyguards, but her contacts in the world of hired muscle - she’d mentioned a someone named Maglyn - had come good. Now Elsa was sitting in the common hall of the Duke of Aquitaine, talking to a young woman called Olga.

Olga was not quite the intimidating picture Elsa had been expecting. Short and stout, barely a foot taller than Ludo, she had a quick smile and an easy, irreverent manner. Only the scarred nub of cartilage where her right ear used to be indicated she might be someone accustomed to violence.

Olga seemed to feel she was more than worth the price Elsa was offering. She claimed she knew how to staunch a wound, and had her own kit - she nudged the leather knapsack she had brought with her with her foot, and it made a metallic jangling noise.

“Surprised to hear you were in the market for guards, your wizardliness,” she said. “Would’ve thought the Prince’s people would look after their own.” She scooted the knapsack back under her chair. “What are the duties you’re hiring for, exactly? Full time, or special occasions? If you were wanting me to follow you around all hours of the day, then we might need to talk lodgings.”

It was at that point that Elsa became aware of the sounds of a disturbance outside. Raised voices were not unusual in the North Market, but this sounded like something more.

Savonne - Sieghard & Urgrim

Sieghard and Urgrim had arrived in Savonne the same day, and were at that moment entering the North Market square. Immediately, Sieghard noticed the large crowd that had gathered under the sign of a baker’s shop that looked onto the square. A cart had become mired in the mob, its horses unharnessed, and the doors of the shop stood open, blocked by the mass of people. A hubbub of loud, angry voices were rising from inside, and more bystanders were appearing by the moment to join the agitated shoal of people jostling outside the doors.

There was a thump and a crash of breaking pottery, and the cross-currents of angry words turned to a communal roar as the crowd surged forward through the doorway. A wiry man with a sack over his shoulder pushed his way back out, clambering up onto the back of the cart - from there he began to toss loaves of bread out into the crowd, while others emerged with sacks of grain and flour.

By now all eyes in the square were on them. Lean, hungry-eyed people who had come to haggle for a fraction of what was now being given away for free gravitated rapidly towards the cart, coming together in their scores. A number of Norten’s guards were gathering by the empty plinth where Sforza’s statue would stand, but they seemed to feel they were too few to intervene - for now they hung back, doing their best to look like they were protecting the rest of the market. Behind them, those stall-holders without doors to shut and bar were rapidly clearing away their wares...

[-Sentinel-]

11th Vorhexen


Elsa was glad to return to Savonne, despite the dreary weather and the city not loving her back. It was almost starting to feel like home.

“If the wolves escaped you, then you’d best find another way to put the girl through her paces. Show the results your teaching has received.” There was an inquisitive glimmer in his eye that Elsa found a little disconcerting. “I think the new year would be a good time for a demonstration.”

Elsa pursed her lips. Sforza was already talking about Tatiana as if she were his second court wizard. "My apprentice is eager to help your people in any way she can," she said cautiously. "But she has no interest in helping enforce your rule, especially given... what she's been through. If this changes things regarding her status, please give me until the end of the month to find her new living arrangements in the city."

---

14th Vorhexen

“Damn thing’s a dead weight,” was his opinion, which he would offer to anyone who would listen. “Lies there eating all the best hay and won’t let no-one ride it. If their lord and ladyships didn’t want it kept I’d’ve got rid of it long ago.”

"Have you complained to them about the horse yet?" inquired Elsa. "Because if you have, I'll be able to buy it off them for cheap. It'll still reside here, of course, but I'll be paying for the upkeep."

She kept an eye on both the horse and Tatiana, trying to see if they showed any kind of affinity.


At the apothecary, Elsa considered the toadstone, but eventually decided that if it seemed too good to be true, it likely was.

"Thank you very much, I think I'll make do with the herbs and leeches."

Leaving the apothecary with her new purchases, she noticed for the first time just how many people were freezing in the streets. And it's partly your fault, she reminded herself. As soon as she returned to her chambers, she plunged into her books in search of a spell that might—safely—help provide warmth during the winter.

---

25th Vorhexen


"Surprised to hear you were in the market for guards, your wizardliness. Would've thought the Prince's people would look after their own."

Elsa smiled joylessly and leaned back in her chair. "Ah, but if I rely on the Prince's people, then who will protect me from them? I'd very much like a guard who's not being paid by someone else. You're never quite sure who you can trust at court."

"What are the duties you're hiring for, exactly? Full time, or special occasions? If you were wanting me to follow you around all hours of the day, then we might need to talk lodgings."

Elsa paused, as there seemed to be a hubbub outside, but she decided to ignore it for now unless it grew. "You won't be with me at all times, but I'd like you to at least be available and nearby. I'm thinking about relocating my apprentice out of the castle... Could you and her possibly trade lodgings?"

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Sieghard – Festag, 25th Vorhexen

Urgrim's nostrils flared as the scene in the North Market square became clear to him. "When starving folk steal bread," he said to Sieghard, "the crime is the ruler's."

"I'll go into the shop," he said, nodding towards the thronged doorway. "Check that nobody gets hurt – beyond the baker's pride and purse."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I reckon a Strength test is appropriate, to try to push through the crowd into the shop. Strength 49 - (1d100)[91]

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard put his hand on Urgrim's shoulder to stop him. "Tring to get yourself hurt?" he asked, "I don't imagine the mob'll care what your reason is, they aren't going to take kindly to you getting in their way."

"Starving or not, they can't get away with robbing shops. Especially when food is short, they can't get away with stealing it. If they do, it'll just lead to more of it and soon there won't be any bakers or bread." He kept his eyes on the one throwing the bread, getting a good look at the man's face. "Might be better to see where that one goes after the mob clears out. I can see to the baker myself once they clear out."

Spoiler

Show

Sieghard isn't putting any effort into physically restraining Urgrim or anything like that, just trying to get him to reconsider. Ignore him if you want.

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Sieghard

"Go on, then, arrest the lot of them, if they can't get away with it," Urgrim said. "Not thinking of getting in anyone's way. Just see what's going on inside, and getting the owner out, in case they're inclined to do something stupid." Nonetheless, Urgrim did pause to gauge the crowd's mood before committing to enter the bakery.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Maybe I've misjudged the scene – if it seems on the edge of panic or violence, then yeah, I'll rethink it, but this is more Urgrim trying to push his way into the shop as a member of the crowd rather than distinguishing himself from it.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I'll deal with it as soon as I can without spilling any blood," Sieghard replied sharply, "It's that or get the crossbows out and I know that's not what you meant."

"If i'm gonna do that though, I need to know where their leader goes after they're done."

[RossN]

Jarla, 8th Vorhexen

Irene raised her eyebrows. "With Holt's goatherd?" she asked. "I would have thought you'd had enough of Holt's company already."

Jarla smiled ruefully. "Milady, it was less the wizardess than the wolves that drew me. I really did want that stole."

---

To Festag, 25th Vorhexen

It was a busy few weeks. Jarla was determined to make something of both her job and her newly won aristocratic status. The latter had her search for a foil and a main gauche; as much as she trusted her abilities with the pistol she had to keep her swordsmanship up. She also kept her eyes open for affordable, tasteful jewellery. She'd never rival Irene in that department but she had an image to maintain. As she said to Ida: "If I cannot be the sun I shall at least be the moon."

The job meanwhile entailed investigating every act she could find in Savonne (at least those above a certain level of dignity.) One never knew what revelries might call for and it gave her an excuse to be out often in Savonne with her maid in tow. Let the people know who Lady Schreiber was.