tomboys and troublemakers: a wfrp 2e game

[wilphe]

358. Three hundred and fifty eight days I have gone without needing to call upon the winds of magic.

Because of you I did not make it a year.

Wighard takes his axe and neatly decapitates the former lord before going to poke and feed the fire to get it fully roaring and relights the candles.

Siobhan should be safe in her room, but please check. I will deal with our late host. is anyone badly hurt?

There was at least one inhabitant in the inn

++++++++++

Once the fire gets properly roaring Wighard will slice the body up and commend it to the flames but keep the head.

He'll then gather up the Tarot deck to give to someone for proper disposal when they get to Altdorf

With that done he will join the search

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d100)[56] Heal 61
(1d10)[10] Self

(1d100)[56] Heal 61
(1d10)[4] Gimgroth

(1d100)[87] Heal 61
(1d10)[8] Bertelis

(1d100)[66] Search 51
(1d100)[30] Perception 71

[bramblefoot]

emil finds a locked treasure chest and with a little fiddling, it pops open revealing three bottles inscribed with khazalid runes. there is a ring with a large inset ruby in it, and six large glass bowls with a gem inserted in the neck slot (like a fish bowl)

in the stables, there is a big night-black charger who looks at you suspiciously as you enter. adelhard and reiner are also there and they look happy to see you

you also find a library on the top floor of the tower. most of it is horrifically profane and proscribed lore, but wighard finds a book on ancient nekeharan ruins written in a dialect of classical. it may take weeks to study the book, but it may provide loot and wealth

siobhan is currently sleeping on the bed in the room you left her

[MrAbdiel]

Bertelis checks his horses first - he’s happy to see them too, and regards the now masterless charger with caution, before taking a handful of the sorghum the hasty stable hand left in his flight, and offering it to the beast as an opening gesture. “You are no drafthorse, friend. But you will do, I think.”

At the library, Bertelis scoops up the Arabyan primer and the Bretonnian annotated volume, before casting his eyes over the broader collection, watching Wighard pick through and identify the worst volumes for later isolation. The desire to find out why they are forbidden is not absent from him… but greed has been the fall of better men than he, he decides; and instead merely assists the doctor as best he can.

* * * * *

After the search is over and Siobhan is secure, Emil calls his companions over, and pushes the box of treasure across the table to them.

“I’ve given it a little thought. I’m less than committed to charging off around the world looking for pirate gold; but Westvein is supposed to be a local hub for surrounding farms and villages. The people have been badly abused by those they trusted here, and they need an advocate to pull them together and get the patrols and protection they need from the regional lord. That, friends, is my treasure - the value I can put back in the lives of the helpless and harassed. I’m wasted in Norsca or Araby. Here, I can do good. Take these prizes I found - I cannot easily sell objects d’art and dwarf goods from here, but I can fox off most of the library by correspondence to interested scholars. Liquidate this monster’s entire stockpile of hobby-wealth and feed it back into the communities he fed from. I’ll have to have men hunt down the servants who fled - they’ll stand trial, and the people will decide if they were complicit or coerced into this evil. But once the place is settled, once it’s stable and has a council of burghers who represent their interests at least, I’ll move on. But there’s no shortage of work to be done here, first.”

[bramblefoot]

the night passes smoothly, and you are awoken by the sounds of a barge docking at the village pier. from your vantage point, you see two people get off, a tall human with a horse, and a dwarf with an axe slung at his belt, the pair walk up to the doors and rap on them twice

morovir and farothel, please introduce your characters

[wilphe]

Wighard nods at Emil

A noble plan. However you have no shortage of enemies in Talabheim and are sitting on enough forbidden tomes to get you burnt several times over.

I feel that either I should make some attempt at cataloguing the cache and removing the most objectionable items or hand that off to specialists.

Not Sigmarites because they'd just burn the lot, but the Vereneans should be interested

Also I am not sure we should leave you alone with his servants loose.

And do we still want to go check out that gully?

[MrAbdiel]

Emil is happy enough to permit Wighard to shear off the worst books - he has no interest in being burned, himself - but waves off the fear about being left alone. "I won't be alone for long. There's a barge in the morning, and people on it I can hire. The wealth in this tower is inaccessible to anyone except someone with the skill to sell it off - me. Tomorrow while you check out the gulch, I'll start poking around town to pull together a militia. Trust me, Wighard; the people of the Empire will embrace positive change, if it's just officered to them."

[wilphe]

Wighard awakes after an interesting dream he doesn't remember and sends Siobhan hunting for eggs in the stable whilst selecting one of the hanging haunches of meat in the pantry that he's pretty certain did not come from a human

Ham and eggs, breakfast of champions.

If by champions you mean people who don't have a cook and especially don't have a baker.

He chews a bit

I think our late host was a Strigoi - one of the lone, viscous and deformed types of vampires not the sparkly urbane ones.

This would fit with him using a strigany tarot deck

But honestly I woke up with that information in my head and no recollection of how it got there. I hope it was Morr

Unfortunately Gimgroth is still deep in his cups; we can only hope he has not delved too greedily or too deep.

That seems to rule out checking the gully, so I will start on the library and I am not super enthusiastic about doing that without him on hand in case things get out of hand.

So it will be me and Siobhan and we will exercise as many precautions as we can

[farothel]

It had taken some time to get his horses on and it took about the same time to get them off the ship. Luckily he had managed to train them well, so they didn't mind traveling by river barge, but it was clear they were happy to be on solid ground again. And so was Bruno. He didn't get sick on the boat or anything, he just preferred to walk or ride. While he had learned to swim, he was by no means an expert and wearing clothes and especially armour made it all the more difficult. But traveling by river was mostly faster than riding and in some parts of the empire the only option. But here he could get off the ship and take a shortcut to travel back to his family.

He had put on his armour today though, as he would move through the forest and that could be dangerous. He had his sword on his side and his shield on his back, ready to take it quickly. His pistol was also ready on his belt, but his demilance was on his warhorse, as he would only use it on horseback.
"Well, master Glodsson," Bruno said, "I think here our ways will part, unless you're also passing through Zurin."

[wilphe]

Wighard and Siobhan climb to the top floor and he surveys the scene.

Rule 1:

Buddy system. No lone zone.

This is a quick check over to see what we have, but if someone looks they are too interested in what they are reading slap them away.

The worst books can really get a hold of you.

I forgot to ask if you can read, if not just watch me, if you can we will swap out.

He is interrupted by a gentle tapping on the window, a large raven is on the sill, he opens the window and the bird flies in and perches above the mantelpiece

Of course

I guess my service to your Master is not ended

Caw! Caw!

Fantastic,

He turns back to the window

And I see we have visitors

He spans his crossbow and places it where he can get it but out of sight before hailing the newcomers

Approach friends and kindly state your business


Those outside can see him from the window at the very top of the tower

[bramblefoot]

Siobhan nods ”gotcha. Don’t wander off” she waits by your side to check what you are doing

[Morovir]

Glod Glodsson harrumphs as the river barge docks at the pier. Although he could not fault the benefits of river travel, especially with the alternative of trudging through the forests, he nevertheless preferred firm ground beneath his feet, like any good dawi. Turning to face his travelling companion, he nods to him. Although he understood little of his companion's peculiar decision to ride a horse, he had made for adequate enough company on their journey.

"Methinks we may be on the same road yet, manling. First, I need a decent ale, though. This journey has left me parched."

As he disembarks from the barge, a voice calls out, challenging them. Looking up at the tower from whence the voice had come, Glod calls out:

"Give me your name, umgi, and I shall give you mine"

[LarsWester]

The shouting back and forth wakes Gimgroth from his drunken slumber. His head pounding from the consumption of too many bottles of strange spirits. Some quite fine some a little better than the typical man sludge they call beer. Stumbling out of the chair he fell asleep in he stands to his feet.
Wighard what are ya yelling about and where'd ye go? Gimgroth tries to get his bearings about himself. There's the table and his mug. Oh there's his axe and shield best gather them up if Wighard is riled up about something. He slowly straps his shield on his left arm and grips his axe still bloody from the night before. Gimgroth curses himself for getting drunk rather then tending to his weapon last night. He hears an answering bellow from out front and stumbles over to the front door.

[MrAbdiel]

Hearing the voices calling their conversation back and forth outside the stable, Bertelis emerges to the stable's tall gate, standing by it's side in the morning gloaming. He wears the layered fabric chausses one might expect to underlay much heavier armor; his short blonde hair wet and uncombed; his cheeks lathered with soap, more on one side; razor loose in one hand. Cool blue eyes regard the trio, halfling, dwarf and man; and then wander on to the two horses (and one mule) following in their wake. His head inclines a little as he declines to interrupt the exchange, but he remains plainly visible; and while his right hand holds the razor, the left is just out of view behind the doorframe - any good adventurer's instincts reporting it is closed on a more substantial weapon.

[dojango]

Jasmine coaxes her pack mule off the ship slowly. It seems relieved to be back on solid ground; more fool it. Jasmine looks up at the tower and waves her hat. "Glad to see the local tax collectors up and about so early! Nuthin' to declare an' riverwardens are usually exempt from the landin' fee, if you recall!"

[MrAbdiel]

“Ah! River wardens, ah? Just as well. Perhaps you’ve heard something about these river pirates who the master of this tower says have harassed this village. Have you routed them?”

The man - Bretonnian, plainly, by the languor seeping into his Reikspiel - gestures with his razor to the irregularly spaced, haphazardly angler graves that appear freshly filled by the path to the village centre; each marked with a single post.

Spoiler: Dojango and Bramble

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Seems like a good chance to discover if the river pirates story had any truth to it, or if it was just a lie. Has out halfling river warden heard of pirates in this area, Bramble?

[wilphe]

You have the dubious honour of addressing Wighard Rauschenberg. Now who may you be? I warn you if you are here for the bounty on the beast it is a terrible disappointment

He sees that Bertelis is in the doorway anyway

I'll come down

A raven flies out of the window, and gently circles down to perch above the doorway and he and Siobhan lock the door behind him and head down.

[farothel]

Bruno looks around at the village and then back to his dwarven companion.
"I think if you want a good ale, this is not really the place to come," he said, before being interrupted by the guy in the tower. He also noticed someone coming out of what looked like stables. Looking closer, he recognised the guy.

"Oh," he said, "Sir... Bertelis, wasn't it? I met you on professor Lorrimor's funeral. What brings you to this village?"

[MrAbdiel]

Bertelis looks briefly taken off guard; eyes failing to recognise the squire before him - but then his robin’s egg blue gaze flicks to the man’s horses, and that equine reference seems to backfill the hole in his memory.

“… Yes. Yes, I remember you. You are the - .. ah, the common-born knight, yes? I remember you. I see you’ve taken a long, meandering way back from the burial as well.” Slowly, he begins catching on. “Are you all coming that way?”

[Morovir]

Looking around at the sorry state of the village, Glod is inclined to agree.

"You may be right about that, manling."

Listening to the man in the watchtower, Glod's ears prick up at the man's name.

"Rauschenberg, eh? I recognise that name - did you happen to be at a manling professor's funeral recently?"

[dojango]

Jasmine turns to the knight and says, "The Lord of the Foxwood is back. If'n that don't strike terror inta yer bones, you're braver than most. Or you ain't heard of him. He's a mutant pirate that useta run wild upriver a few years back. Everyone thought he's dead, but we just hanged a pirate that swore he saw him holdin' court in the woods again. River Lord Captain von Sydow don't believe it, cause it would look reeeaall bad if he weren't kilt back then, so he's tryin' to ignore it. Since him and I ain't on good terms at the moment, I came here to suss out the truth of the matter. And look here, if it ain't old Gimgroth himself!" Jasmine waves at the dwarf in the doorway. "Heey, Gimgroth! You remember me from the old Malmford ferry? Hah, remember when I useta splash you with the oar on hot summer days! You always looked so grim and serious and overheated in yer armor with ol' Lorrimor. Good times. Anyway, you say the master of the tower knows summat about the pirates? Can I meet with him for a moment to pick his brain?"

[wilphe]

Wighard reappears at the base of the tower, there is a young woman stood behind him and keenly following the conversation Aye, that I was. As I think we all were, save Siobhan here.

What brings you to these parts besides pirate hunting?


Wighard is of middling height and unremarkable apperance with neat brown hair.

He is clad in near black leathers that have seen a lot of use - and no doubt much staining but his choice of colour means that doesn't show up so well.

He carries a new looking battleaxe that Glod will recognise as dwarfcraft and wears holy symbols of both Shallya and Morr - as well a broach bearing the image of a burning slug.

He also has the pouches and pockets of seemingly random stuff that one associates with a spellcaster or kleptomanic hoarder.

[MrAbdiel]

Bertelis glances across to Wighard, and Gimgroth with a communicative stare. The companions were not used to strokes of good luck - but they knew these three; and better, they came with the implicit approval of the mutual friend they all trusted.

One last gift, professor..?

But more immediately, they had been more than slightly convinced the river pirate story was false. They had been about to leave Emil to recover the suffering people, only for him to be pulled apart by boathooks as the tower, denuded of its monstrous defender, would have been looted. How many threats were here, for poor Westvein? The slain master was one - now this Lord of the Foxwood... And, perhaps, something still lurking in that gully. Their service here was not done; but atleast they had more hands, now.

"Perhaps we ought to invite them in, my friends. This arrival is an opportune gift - perhaps the good professor has extorted a favor from Ranald for us, in the realm beyond. There is certainly much to discuss."

[wilphe]

Undead pirate?

Wighard glances up at the Raven

Caw! Caw!

It be rude to keep them standing outside like they are trying to tell us the good news about their deity of choice.

Come in, the Grand Ecuyer will see to your steads.

I will see what I can do for breakfast, but I warn you there is no bread and my knifework, fine as it is, is confined to flesh

[farothel]

Bruno had learned to ignore those jibs about him being common born. He was just as good as them, if not better. And clearly there was work to be done around here. Jasmine was a riverwarden, so she would be less knowledgeable about searching through the woods. And while it had been a while since he had been a roadwarden, he still knew how and even while being a squire he had been running around in the woods.
"I'm on my way back to my family," he said, "but I don't have a fixed date I have to be there. So I can help you guys out. And for those who don't know me: I'm Bruno, Baronet Richter."

He looked at Wighard.
"They don't have an inn in this village where we can get some breakfast?"

[wilphe]

Wighard bows slightly Another noble, that makes 3 he looks at the halfling I am afraid I did not catch your name ma'am, though any friend of Gimgroth is a friend of mine and then at the dwarf It is Glod is it not?

I tried the inn when I got here; the one yokel inside was snoring his head off and the place stank like a Mousillon cheese wrapped in a pitfighters jockstrap

So we accepted his lordship's hospitality

He points at the severed head of the beast resting on a spear by the stables

That, didn't work out so good for him

[dojango]

"Name's Jasmine. Jasmine Featherblossom, Investigator. Wait. So you're saying you killed the lord of the tower? Noblecide? That's a very serious crime." Jasmine inspects the head of the beast more closely. "Well, I suppose him being a horrible mutant might be a mitigating circumstance. And I guess if you're also a noble it don't count. So I suppose it's OK. Well. I could use a second breakfast. If there's nobody in the inn, show me where the kitchen is, I'll see what I can do."

[bramblefoot]

Spoiler: glod and wighard

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your eyes are drawn to the half-open treasure chest in the corner. you can sense power emanating from the chest

Spoiler: jasmine

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the kitchen is fully stocked, and cooking is easy enough to scrounge something up

cooking goes well and there is a big heaping breakfast available within 30 minutes

[MrAbdiel]

Inside, with the seven (plus Siobhan) around the table, the discussion is more free. Bertelis explains a little of the Company's journey so far - the troll-things they killed in Trundheim, the weird slug-beast that had possessed and warped the mine, and the battle against the beastmen that followed. Emil takes over, dovetailing his details into Wighard's explanation.

"...I think we all suspected that Master Armata was the killer, himself; and he somewhat confirmed it for us when he attempted to kill us. After we dispatched him, I decided I would stay here in Westvein as a kind of... community organiser, liquidating Armata's assets and feeding them back into the afflicted villages around the area. Perhaps, even, get a descent shrine to Morr set up, and have the bones of all these victims moved to its garden. But now I'm hearing the river pirates may be real; and we're unsure if the gully that we were told about was a lie by Armata, or is indeed home to another threat to the people here. Since you're here - and I know you're good people, since you're Lorrimer's people - maybe you wouldn't mind helping confirm the safety of Westvein and the villages around her? I'm certain that, at least, the pirates have a certain portion of their loot that can afford not to be distributed back to the river-folk it was reaved from."

[Morovir]

Glod nods at Wighard:

"Aye. Glod, son of Glod, son of Thungni only knows how many more Glods."

He gives a wry laugh, that dies on his lips as his gaze falls upon the half-open treasure chest in the corner. Moving his hand over the grip of his axe, he approaches the chest.

With his free hand, he opens the chest fully...

[wilphe]

I'm not a noble, but Sir Bertelis is, as is Baronet Bruno, who I believe outranks him.

Milord Emil here will no doubt hate to be called that, but he's going to have to get used to it because he's doing the job.

The late Lord Armata was a bit more than a mutant, I suspect he was a vampire, specifically a Strigoi, as he appeared entirely normal until he tried to kill us.

Now there was a job offer in Talabec to come here and kill a beast; but we don't know if that was just a ruse to bring prey to the village or that the beast was real and Armata couldn't kill it himself.

Based on how our fight with him went, something he couldn't kill is probably really dangerous or really elusive


We did get directions from a dying woodsman that had encountered the beast in a gully - so that seems worth checking out.

Undead river pirates - that's a second problem

There is also the issue of the late lord's Library which Milord Emil would like to sell off to finance rebuilding the town and I feel needs to be screened and catalogued because I can pretty much guarantee there's some nasty stuff in there.


Now fortunately, the third problem can solve the second, because that library is worth a ton of crowns and word will get around, especially as how the lord's mortal servants escaped.

It might be the most valuable asset on the Reik right now and certainly the worst defended.

Your Lord of the Foxwood might well come to us, especially if he runs into some of the late lord's servants.