The books of Nagash and a new patron
I'd like to think I have many strengths, but not panicking when stuffed into a barrel that barely leaves any wiggle room while underwater for 5 hours is not one of them. I quickly change my mind when I see the conditions we're to be transported under - give me that potion of knock-me-right-the-frig-out please! Tough guy Johan refuses, here's hoping he doesn't start panicking as we enter the city proper and alert the guards.
Some dreamless hours later, I awake in a non-descript warehouse, feeling groggy and sort of out of it. Luckily, the Espen gang are nothing if not the best purveyors of the finest drugs - the feeling quickly leaves me.
We decide on using the good old sewers to make our way to the Orrery, and the Espen crew are kind enough to provide us with a detailed map of the nearby sewers. If it weren't for their utter lack of a moral compass, I could grow to like these guys!
It seems that no matter how powerful we get, the sewers will always be there for us. We haven't exactly wallowed in luxury lately, but the stench in the sewers holds an especially lowly place in my heart. We make our way towards the Orrery, and sure enough, when we peek outside we see a bunch of guards on the plaza outside. I pitch using my street boys to create a diversion for us, and the others quickly agree. Long story short, we're back and my young rascals create the necessary diversion for us to sneak into the keep of the Celestials. Torgil stays on the outside to keep watch.
We're quickly led to the wizard lord's abode, as the apprentice has learned by now that we're pretty much always going straight to the top. Stiglitz looks up grimly as we enter, a slightly haunted look in his eyes betraying his otherwise calm demeanor (at least to me). As suspected, Uri was here. To his credit - and I believe him - Stiglitz did not reveal that we had visited, or indeed any involvement with us at all. He was fairly certain that Uri didn't buy it though. I ask if they had been bothered by the ruling family in any way since then - they had not.
He gets up and walks towards a chest hidden in the back of the room, whispers a few magical chants and then opens it and hands us the amulets that will protect us from all the magical wards again.
As we're talking, we hear a commotion downstairs. Torgil sneaks out and ducks back in, whispering that the apprentice who let us in has been killed by the troops of the Von Gossers entering the Orrery by force. Steel in his eyes, Stiglitz tells us to take care of those damnable books once and for all. Apparently there's a hidden exit in the basement we can use to exit the tower, of course escaping into the sewers (where else?). He turns towards the hallway without a further word.
I've found that the true measure of a person can always be found in a crisis. You could see it in Eldur, when Palidus' essence beckoned him to the dark side, and he refused once again. In Johanna, when she sacrificed her own son when she came face to face with his depravities. And in Stiglitz as he floated down on a disc of lighting to face the massive throng of guards entering his beloved Orrery. We rush towards the the mechanical room ourselves, concealed by the grand wizard's impressive display as he unleashes a veritable storm on the soldiers. The screams fill our ears and a faint whiff of charred flesh reaches us before we make our way down the stairs.
We decide to grab two books each and make for the exit. As suspected, the guards stir as fast as we pick up the books. Viktor takes up rear guard, and I hear him wince as he takes a couple of heavy blows to the back before we make it out. Blood is streaming freely from two massive gashes on his back. He gulps down some potions (we brought p-l-e-n-t-y), and we're ready to go again. 5 books left, so Johan gets to go as well. It goes about as well as last time, but we manage to escape with the books and hopefully our souls more or less (probably less) intact.
With no time to waste, we run back up to the hallway. We see several charred bodies in the hallway, and Johan spots Uri further down. We manage to sneak our way to the exit unseen. Johan runs to get Torgil, and we all meet up back at the warehouse again. The Espen crew are getting jittery, telling us there's been loud noises and shouts from the Orrery for a while, but everything's quiet again now. We quickly let them take us back to the boat, and into the sweet release of nothingness with the potion.
Kurtwallen
We get back north without complications, pay off the Espen gang and meet up with Johanna and Eldur again. The weight of carrying the books of Nagash take a toll on all of us. I watch Eldur from the corner of my eye constantly, trying to seeing inside him, watch for signs of...I don't know what. I'm afraid that Pallidus' grip remains, that the echoes of Malice still poisons his soul, that the books call out to him with promises of power (that are very, very real). But he seems calm. He seems in control. I hope he's ready for the test to come.
Johanna has decided that the village of Kurtwallen is the most suitable for our purposes. So we make our way there on the barge they've acquired. I suggest I go into town first, disguised as a hunter. I make my way in, and the quiet village (where we last caught the trail of lady Hierkeit) is filled to the brim with refugees from the war. That's a slight kink in our plans, but nothing we can't deal with. We take our horses on a detour north, and come riding full gallop into the town, screaming that the raiders are coming and to flee for their lives. The plan works perfectly, and Eldur gets to work. First summoning one of those gigantic fiery blizzards to get the fire going, and then he and Mia starts chanting in a way I've never heard before.
The chanting is deep and guttural, calling upon forces primeval. Mia staggers and falls to her knees, but manages to keep chanting. Eldur warned us that they would be pushed to their limits, but that we should stay away. After a few minutes, their voices sound strained, Mia's voice is reduced to a croak, but Eldur's is still rich and resonant. A small window into somewhere opens and widens, and a gigantic being made out of pure flame enters our world. It towers over Eldur, says something in a bass voice so deep it reverberates in my heart, clearly challenging my brother. Eldur straightens up, his voice booms across the open plaza, clearly commanding the being (an elemental of fire, he told me later) to know its place. After a short battle of wills, the elemental accedes to Eldur's power. The rest of us empty the books from their chests onto the ground. The being approaches, scooping up the books in one giant hand, and then swallows them whole!
After a few seconds, an agonizing moan from the pits of Tzeentch escapes its mouth, and it turns a sickly green. Eldur faces it, his lean body looking like a little rag doll in front of the towering giant. His voice booms out, and after another battle of wills, the portal reappears and the being steps through. Eldur falls to the ground, unconscious.
Worried, I run to him, but he wakes up after a few seconds, the thin smile on his lips clashing with the words that come out. "Do...do you trust me now, sister?" he asks me, equal parts mirth and trepidation in his voice. I laugh and hold him, shouting "YES, you stupid fool! You've saved the world from terrible evil, again! Do I trust you? A million times yes, brother of mine! A million times!!!" I sweep him up and start dancing a dance of pure joy, relieved laughter escaping me as I feel the awful burden of the books lifting. Even Johanna, grim-faced, dearest Johanna, cracks a smile, joining our uproarious and defiant dance against the backdrop of the burning village of Kurtwallen. Viktor opens a bottle of Middenheim Frost Brandy he's clearly saved for a special occasion, sharing it with Johan and Torgil, the lot of them smiling and laughing as well. Our enmity forgotten for a moment, I invite myself to a dance with Torgil as well. For once his face doesn't tour sour, and I steal an embrace before his guard is up. His body tenses, then relaxes as we briefly share this moment where all seems good in the world.
Reality sets in after a while, and while our good spirits remain, we decide to make our exit from the village formerly known as Kurtwallen and head for the woods. We hadn't really made any plans beyond this. It can wait until morning though, as the deer we were lucky enough to spot on the way into the forest is roasted and eaten with the ale we have left before we fall into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
A new patron
We had no specific plans after dealing with the books, but there are plenty of matters requiring our attention. The raiders. The betrayal of the Von Gossers. Lady Hierkeit. The Dark Master. Where to start? We conclude that we should start with the Von Gossers, as stopping the raiders is of paramount interest. Given the count's performance at sea, we don't feel very confident that his ego won't cause yet another disaster.
We need allies. I run down the power players of Salzenmund to the others. The city council consists of the mayor, 6 wardens for each of the city's districts, the high priests of Ulric, Sigmar and Mannan, the captain of the guard and 6 nobles. With Von Gosser as its patron of course. Of the nobles, baron Niske still holds the most sway. He is Von Gosser's rival who lost the bid for elector-count after his family ruling for many years, but he and his family is too powerful for Von Gosser to get rid of them. His family has deep ties to Middenheim, but he's got a reputation for being a fair, just and noble man. I suggest to Johanna that this is the man we should throw our by now considerable weight behind. She agrees, so it's off to Oldenlitz (the seat of his power) to find him, if he's still there.
After an uneventful journey, we near Oldenlitz. On the way, I regale the others with the tale of the Niske family's downfall.
The fall of Lady Elsbeth
Lady Elsbeth Niske's corruption began in the most innocent of ways, an altruistic desire to help the people of Nordland. When famine gripped their Nordland estates for the third winter a row, she felt powerless to do something. The turning point came during the harshest winter in decades, when Elsbeth found young Dieter, a skeletal child clutching his dead mother's hand in a peasant hovel. His hollow eyes haunted her dreams.
She asked her oldest friend and mentor, the court wizard Aldric, if there was something he could do to help. He had once crafted illusions to delight her as a child, and played with her in the snow hovels. He promised he would try. He came back after a few weeks, having found a local witch called Mother Hulda with promising magics that could predict weather patterns, purify blighted soil and even multiply crops. . "Sometimes," he confided, "the old ways hold wisdom the Colleges of Magic have forgotten."
What Elsbeth couldn't know was that Mother Hulda's crooked fingers had long been weaving the threads of Tzeentch's designs, and that Aldric himself had fallen under her influence years before.
Over seven years, Elsbeth's visits to Mother Hulda's cottage became more frequent. The witch's remedies worked miracles—weather charms that brought gentle rains to parched fields, poultices that cured blights overnight, rituals that drove wolves from starving villages. Each success drew Elsbeth deeper into Hulda's confidence. The blue markings that occasionally appeared on her palms were explained away as "the forest's blessing," the prophetic dreams as "a woman's intuition growing stronger." All the while, Mother Hulda was corrupting both student and teacher, playing Elsbeth and Aldric against each other while feeding them both fragments of forbidden knowledge, each believing they alone were the witch's true confidant.
The truth revealed itself at a small dinner at the von Gosser estate, when Aldric, consumed by jealousy over Mother Hulda's increasing favor toward Elsbeth, slipped a potent Tzeentchian elixir into her wine. As the rival family proposed a toast to peace between their houses, Elsbeth's forehead split open to reveal an iridescent third eye. The hall erupted in chaos as Aldric pointed accusingly, "Behold the mark of the Changer of Ways!" As she was dragged away by witch hunters, Elsbeth fixed her gaze—all three eyes—upon the von Gosser matriarch and spoke in a voice that echoed with unnatural resonance: "A dark master will come, leading a sea of the dead. From the sea, the children of the North will fall upon you, and Nordland will drown in blood. You will lose your daughters, your sons, your pride. Nothing will remain but bleak hills, bones and the laughter of thirsting gods."
The scandal was hushed down, as the baron disavowed any knowledge of his daughter's downfall. Such is the blessing of the mighty that the baron managed to avoid having his family dragged down with her daughter - except for the seat of the elector-count.
A new patron?
Now, this is as juicy as scandal as they come - but it's known only to a very select few. I had been able to suss it out through one of my spies at the council, a courtesan who pried the truth from von Gosser himself one drunken night. Naturally, as a dutiful citizen of Salzenmund I did my due diligence in checking the Niske family, fearing he could be at the head of the cult of Valkia we were chasing at the time. I could find absolutely nothing wrong, even going as far as planting a spy within the Niske household who could report no (well, apart from the regular) corruption after several months of work.
I assured Johanna and the rest that I thought Niske is a noble patron - but of course, we should always keep our guard up.
We arrive in Oldenlitz. I assume Niske's closest advisor Friedrich Feigenbaum is still around, so after some gossipwork we find him in, of course, a bar. He's known for a penchant for the good stuff. After some banter, we secure an appointment with Niske 2 hours later. Meanwhile, Johan seeks out his more seedy contacts. He learns plenty of juicy gossip:
- Salzenmund is locked down, seemingly because of the coming Norscan raiders
- Something big happened at the Orrery, no one knows what
- Eldur and myself (but not Johanna and the others?) are wanted, with a 100 gc reward (that seems low, what a stingy bastard!)
- Von Gosser OF COURSE attacked Dietershafen, leading to a major loss
- The remainder of the second fleet is still at Norden
- Any Norscans in Salzenmund are kept under guard
A plan forms
Entering the Niske estate, the rest seem veeery wary (perhaps I shouldn't have told that tale in quite as much graphic detail?), but I'm not too worried. I trust my information. Niske himself is fairly imposing, though not nearly as much as von Gosser. A man in his late 50s, he's clearly led a lavish life as indicated by still having teeth and not being malnourished. Jokes aside, he's fairly tall, a bit of paunch, greying, receding hair, with a warm smile on his face as he greets us. "Well, well, if it isn't Nordland's most wanted", he jokes as we enter. That sets the tone, as we quickly find trust in each other. We share details on how we became Nordland's most wanted, he shares details on his daughter's fall from grace.
Jokes aside, he tells us Elsbeth told him of a cabal reaching to the highest echelons of power before she was put to the pyre. Even with her corruption on full display, he believed her - as our experiences with the von Gossers seemed to indicate. And yet, he is unconvinced of the need to move against them at this time. Regardless of their corruption, the von Gossers are very unlikely to be allied with the Norscans. He suggests we defend our country first, then deal with the von Gossers. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but we're forced to agree.
Niske's been called to defend Staveren by von Gosser. We advise him against doing this. It seems likely that he will be taken out of the game either during the action or immediately thereafter. We instead decide to take the route north west towards the town of Hargenburg. There, the western contingent, led by one Frydal, of the Norscans are expected to arrive within a few weeks. Frydal is (of course) a chosen of Khorne. We decide we should join the scouts on the vanguard, to gather useful intel and perhaps a bit more before Niske arrives with his army.
Back north
It seems our fates and that of north-western Nordland is forever entwined - we've spent more time up there than in Salzenmund! We join captain Hannelore Kroll on the road north. After some days we reach the river separating Hargendorf from the western part of the province. Eldur flies up and notices the Norscan vanguard, including some chaos harpies. We move north towards Hargendorf, fearful of what we might encounter - but the city stands! Captain Kroll and the others move towards the city, while our party decides that we should sabotage the bridge in the south allowing passage across the river. In that way, we can strand the Norscan forces, forcing them to arrive by sea or across the river.
The tiny town of Schlaghugel might have worked equally well as Kurtwallen did for Eldur's ritual, housing no more than 50 souls. Most of those souls are long gone, leaving only the very stubborn, stupid and old. Eldur wastes no time in summoning his fires to burn the bridge to cinders. The toothless old miller is wise enough to not protest.
We go north again and enter Hargenburg proper. We find the city packed to the brim with refugees, having swelled to around 3000 souls. We make our way to the military encampment to find the captain. She informs us the defenders consist of around 400 skirmishers as well as the city militia. The forces are led by one von Kalb, a young noble with a fairly solid reputation from what she could gather. We figure chances are very low that word of our "heresy" has spread this far, so we take our chances and Johanna requests a meeting with von Kalb. He turns out to be young indeed, not many days past 20. Reading the room, he still seems well respected by his officers. After talking briefly with him, it's easy to see why. Clearly very intelligent, he quickly lays out what he knows and his plans for us. We inform him we'd like to pester the vanguard and request 20 of his best men. He looks at us and considers briefly before saying "coming from anyone else, I would have considered the request complete lunacy at best and heresy at worst but...your martial and magical reputation proceeds you", shooting a glance at Eldur.
We row across the river and start moving towards the vanguard. Eldur flies up again and see scouting parties moving out. Long story short, we chase down two of the parties and take them down easily before retiring for the night. Not surprisingly, we're attacked by harpies, wolves and raiders. We take a fair amount of them down, but not without losing some soldiers.
The next morning, we move toward the vanguard proper to get a look at how many they are. Sneaking in, me and Torgil spot around 1500 raiders, more than 100 harpies, 2 gigantic juggernauts, a few sorcerers and Frydal herself. True to Khorne form, she's huge, muscular, bla bla bla horns etc. Even with Niske's army we have our work cut out for us....
Comments
Post a Comment