Travels amongst the Border Princes II (WFRP 2e) IC

[dojango]

Gabriele is an experienced hunter and realizes that the first things that will find the body are wild animals... buzzards and the like. She remembers a jumbled pile of rocks not to far away and the two of you drag the body over and wedge the body in between some of the boulders and throw some brush over it. It won't hide the remains forever, but hopefully it will hold for a day or two. That takes a little time, and the two of you return to the camp. The men on watch see you approach and beckon you over. "Rough night?" one of them asks.

[rax]

"You could say that, but you you should see the other guy," Severin answers somewhat curtly.

OOC: Does Galeazzo have a medic of some sort in his employ? I think we're both heavily wounded now, but if we can get bumped up to 4 Wounds each, then we'll be healing a wound a day instead of one per week.

[dojango]

OOC: You don't know, you haven't asked him about it yet.

[rax]

OOC: But we did travel here with him. Surely we would know already?

[Haval]

'I've had better.' Gabriele will find somewhere that she could sit down and rest. 'Feel like we should have brought some of you boys with us.'

[dojango]

OOC: But we did travel here with him. Surely we would know already?

Galeazzo is the factor who lives here and is better connected. Lorenzo is the travelling merchant you're working with and none of his boys know anything better than basic first aid.

[rax]

OOC: Ah, right. Got the two mixed up!

[rax]

"You wouldn't happen to know if Galeazzo the factor has a surgeon of some sort in his employ here? Bastard on the trail back there stuck a knife in me an' my jack didn't stop all of it," Severin mutters to the guards.

[dojango]

When Severin mentions his wounds, the watchmen leap into action. Someone wakes up Lorenzo who comes up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "A surgeon? Here? I'm sure there are some rude practitioners around somewhere but I don't know... how bad is it?" he asks. Someone runs to fetch Galeazzo and wake him up. He also come out, wearing a night-robe, and looks at Severin and Gabriele and Lorenzo. He shakes his head. "Trouble? Why am I not surprised? There's a midwife who lives up in town who has some skill with poultices and the like. And there's a Shallyan hospice about a week's travel to the east, in the town of Edgemire (S19). Although if you are well enough to make it there, you may not need their services..."

[Haval]

'I'll manage. I can still shoot.' Gabriele replied. 'For what it's worth we got your man some of his money back.'

[rax]

"My guts are still on the right side of me skin, so not as bad as it could have been, but neither of us is in a fit state to go toe to toe with anyone if there's trouble on the way back," Severin answers.

"If you think this midwife might know enough not to make things worse, it couldn't hurt to have her look us over. But we should make sure to be gone by morning - the fellows that tried to rob us claimed they had friends in high places..."

[dojango]

Lorenzo asks Severin and Gabriele, "Are you well enough to ride or are you going to need to ride in one of the wagons?"

[rax]

"I can ride, I think. If I'm wrong, I'll let you know before I fall off me pony," Severin replies.

[Haval]

Lorenzo asks Severin and Gabriele, "Are you well enough to ride or are you going to need to ride in one of the wagons?"

'I'll manage. Just don't expect me to gallop anywhere.'

[dojango]

Lorenzo mutters, "One of my scouts has run off, two more are wounded, half the wagons are filled with junk and we're slinking out at night. Miss Le Houet is not going to be happy about this. Why don't you get an hour of rest and we'll head out as soon as everyone's roused up. We'll leave before dawn to avoid any trouble." With that he starts waking up the rest of the camp. Since the wagons are already packed it's mostly a matter of getting all the animals hitched up and generally pointed in the right direction so the caravan can leave quickly. Fortunately, although Mannslieb is waning it's half-light gives the animals and men enough light to see and after an hour or so starts trudging west into the pre-dawn darkness...

[Haval]

'Maybe. But she might appreciate hearing about the state of this place.' Gabriele will take the opportunity to lie down for a while although they didn't really have time to sleep. When it was time to go she'll lash herself to her horse with the reins wrapped around her arm and rest her bow across her knees. She just had to stay alert until the sun rose.

[dojango]

"She asked me to come here and buy copper for her. I doubt knowing what a craphole of a place this is will make up for it..." he grumbles.

Spoiler

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Toughness tests please

[dojango]

Everyone pushes themselves that day to get as far down the road as possible. There's no sign of pursuit, no messengers rushing after the caravan, and by the end of the day there is a palpable sense of relief. Bastien, the injured driver, is sitting up and smiling again, much recovered. However, Severin finds himself falling asleep moments after the caravan stops for the night and in the morning finds that he has no energy and isn't able to pull himself up, much less spend the day scouting ahead of the caravan. To make matters worse, a thin and miserable drizzle lasts most of the morning, only letting up about noon and after the primitive road has turned to mud. Severin rides in one of the wagons with Lorenzo that day, and the next. But on the third day he finds that he is unable to get out of his bedroll. His injuries, instead of starting to heal have started to turn reddish and inflamed. He lies in the bed of one of the wagons, as comfortable as the others can make him and spends the day in a delirious haze. By nightfall, Lorenzo takes Gabriele aside and says, "Your friend is in a bad way. Spent the whole day muttering and talking to people only he can see. Not sure how best to help him. We're not quite half way to Castle Bremcote yet."

[Haval]

'We should have gone to that healer. He said he was managing. You know the area better then I do. Is there a village or anything nearby?'

[dojango]

"Stralwald is a day's journey to the west. Across the river. You'd know it better than I. There's a military fort maybe three days to the north, they probably have a sawbones or at least a vet there."

[Haval]

Gabriele looks worried. 'I'll not get him over the river like this, but is he going to make it if I take him to the fort?'

[dojango]

Lorenzo puts his hand on Severin's forehead and shrugs. "I'm not a physician, but he's not looking good. Might be some farms or something on this side of the river in the woods. We've had our troubles with the locals, but maybe you'd have better luck? Otherwise we might not have a choice but to push for the fort. You'll make better time on your own then with the wagons slowing you down. I'll have the boys put together a travois tonight so you can try to make faster time."

[Haval]

'What sort of trouble? Or do they just don't like strangers? As long as no one's going to take a shot at me on sight.'

[dojango]

"Ah, you are strangers here. The locals are... were prone to banditry. They would harass, sometimes rob caravans that passed through here. The Duke brought his men down to try and drive the worst of the bandits out, but they just moved... Otto is secure on the other side of the river in the rugged lands there, and Sol has his little fortress and copper mine to try and make his fortune. I wouldn't put it past them to try and steal horses or make off with what they can pilfer at night. But then, they were recently invaded by Otto's bandits, so maybe they will have learned a little empathy?"

Spoiler

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He's talking about the Stralwald halflings, remember the guys whose village you just saved from Otto's men. They have a reputation for turning to banditry themselves to help make ends meet, although the halflings would probably characterize it differently.

[Haval]

'If they've got ties to Stralwald we might do ok. We helped them out over there a while back. I'd like to think they wouldn't try to rob me anyway. You going to follow us Lorenzo? I don't want you getting robbed either given we're supposed to be guarding you.'

[dojango]

He just smiles thinly and says, "You don't really need guards until you do. We'll manage, and once we get past the fort we should be in safer territory. I will pray for your friend, come find me in Bremcote for the rest of your pay. I'd give it to you know, but..." he shrugs. "This was not the best venture we've had."

When Gabriele wakes up the next morning, Severin is conscious and seems to be awake enough to be fed broth and water, but soon falls into an uneasy sleep as he is lashed to the travois. As the merchants break camp, she heads into the forest, following game trails and meandering paths west, in the direction of the river. Towards the late afternoon she crests a ridge and sees the glint of the river in the distance and a thin plume of smoke coming from the woods between her and the river.

Spoiler: Severin

Show

He tosses uneasily, caught in fever dreams. But suddenly he finds himself sitting in the garden at Stralwald. An old woman sits by the tree, knitting. She looks directly at him and says, "Strange fish are caught in my nets these days. Tell me, child, what misfortune has brought you here?"

[rax]

Spoiler: dojango

Show

"Here?" Severin replies in confusion. "Last I knew I was on a travois, being dragged behind a horse. No clue as to how I ended up here... But my misfortune was being stabbed in the gut. Wound's infected, see?"

"Who are you?"

[Haval]

'Wasn't all we were expecting either. Better luck next time I guess.'

When Gabriele's in the woods she'll do her best to keep good time but she's still barely average as a horse rider. Normally she'd go out of her way to avoid a campfire but with Severin and a horse in tow that may not be possible. Normally bandits wouldn't want to announce where they are to everyone wouldn't they? She'll head in the general direction of the campfire.

[dojango]

As Gabriele approaches the area where she sees the smoke rising from, a small figure emerges from the woods. She sees Bert Willows, one of the halflings from Stralwald. He is holding a bow, not drawn, just holding it. "Gabriele?" he asks. "What're you doin' in these parts?"

Spoiler: Severin

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She says, "I am not in the habit of giving my true name out to wandering souls. But if you want to know, you may have a true answer for every true answer you give me. You are a well-travelled halfing. Tell me. Can I trust your kin with my garden, once I am gone?"

[rax]

Spoiler: dojango

Show

"I suppose that depends on what the garden's for?" Severin counters. "Flora and her family seem to care a great deal for it though. Enough so that they stayed to fight when Otto the Hunter sent his thugs to pillage Stralwald."

"If you don't mind me guessing, would you be the one the locals call the Green Witch? A friend of Heraklon's? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"