A song of Ice and Dice

Smoldering ruins. Burned flesh and bone. Smell of blood and iron. The population of Norden is severely decimated. People are either dead, wounded or scattered to the countryside. Priests arrive steadily, healing the wounded, helping with burials and restoration of the cemetery. We however have no time for such things. Loose ends must be tied up. Remaining Death Jesters and Gregor Steiner must be apprehended and burned. Johanna and I see things with the same clarity here. Cleansing through fire. Cleanse the world of certain people and avoid further chaos and bloodshed. Maybe the witch hunters are on to something and I think I can help. Death Jesters are outlawed. Steiner supposedly sailed for Salzenmund not 2 days ago. We get a handsome reward and this compensates somewhat for what we lost in coin during our capture. Spirits run high.   Piet however decides to remain in Norden and will be given a role in the second fleet. Good man lost. The Elf is gone too. No one knows precisel

From the journal of Johanna Schwarz 10. Sigmarzeit, 2499 Your strengths are always also your weaknesses. If you have a strong right arm, you will inevitably end up relying on it on more occasions than you should, leaving your left flank underused and untrained. A clever opponent will not overlook such chinks in your armour. In many of the fights we have been in, the wood elf Talian has been our most deadly weapon, weaving webs of blood through the enemies with his dancing blades. And now, this strength is turned to weakness, as he is gone. He has left us during the night, without explanation, and I fear what the lack of his presence will signify. Torgil is understandably heartbroken, although he tries – unconvincingly – to put on a brave face. Not only has his father figure left him, but he also did not deign to take him with him on whatever elven business made him abandon us at this dark hour. We will have words, if ever I lay eyes on him again. We are deep in the den of vipers, and h