Episode 2: It's Just a Bit of Rain Report

General Summary

The Gathering Storm Session 2: “It’s Just a Bit of Rain” 2/20/22   PC’s Jehan Schuster, Sleuth (Andy) Fritz Lander, Apprentice Artist (Sergio) Elodie Azucar, Hexer (Rex) Dieter Desch, Bodysnatcher (Matt H.)   8 Nachgeheim, 2512 I.C. The party bids farewell to Egon, who joins the Gravin’s retinue as her temporary judicial champion (undoubtedly until she finds someone more competent; Egon should eat well in the interim).   Mixo takes the quartet along the Teufel road downstream towards Stromdorf

• The weather becomes increasingly tempestuous, with frequent lightning strikes appearing off to the east.
• Mixo is forced to abandon the group at Stromdorf’s West Bridge. The wooden bridge is swaying violently in the storm, and waves from the Teufel frequently wash over its surface.
• Mixo gives them two oil-cloth cloaks and scribbles down a map of the region. “One hour on foot to the east, guys. You’ve got this.”
• The four dash across without incident (save for a Fritz faceplant – “I’m okay!”)
• Trudging through the storm, the party sees the tall iron gates of the Morr’s Garden southwest of the town, and some sort of ruined structure atop a hill south of the town, and north of the Blitzfelsen hills. Much lightning.
• At Stromdorf’s Reikland Gate, some smooth-talking assures the sentries that the four are simple travelers eager to try the town’s renown Thunderwater Ale and definitely not traders or ne-er-do-wells.

Party does some general reconnaissance on their way to the center of town and the Thunderwater Inn & Brewery, making note of the raised boardwalk elevating much of the town’s important buildings and thoroughfares above the wet, sucking mud of the minor streets and houses.   Party enters the Thunderwater Inn & Brewery, a musty, smoke- and sweat-filled tavern packed with locals.   Party checks in with Hans and Friedrich Brenner, sons of the owner, Sebastien. Elodie and Dieter enjoy the signature ale (and promptly get fucked up), while Fritz falls for the live-tadpole-in-the-stein gag, served up as a mug of “Marshwater Ale.” Fritz is a good sport; the boys dig it; friends!   Friedrich seems really interesting, and Elodie tells him so. She chats him up.

• A dwarf named Thurgrim throwing coins around? Sounds familiar. A good few dwarves cruise through here to sample the beer, but none stay long.
• The Burgomeister, Philip Adler, has shut himself away in the civic mansion – he won’t talk to you guys. Things started getting weird when the Emperor ousted the Jungfreuds from Ubersreik, but things really changed a few weeks ago. He’s mourning the death of his wife and won’t see anyone. Captain Kessler essentially runs the town now.

Jehan secures two private rooms, then takes a pint of Thunderwater over to a table occupied by a friendly-looking mustachioed drunk, Eduardo Castillo Rodrigues, at your service.   Eduardo tells his story – an adventuring sailor from Estalia, he traveled across the Great Ocean to the jagged shoreline of the Scorpion Coast in far-off Lustria. There, he discovered a City of Gold but was chased away by horrifying lizard people. He barely escaped with his life, and on his return voyage, he was attacked by Janine de Belleville, pirate captain of The Unicorn and forced to walk the plank. He swam many leagues to shore, pursued by sharks with heads like hammers! He wandered through Bretonnia, and into The Empire, finally landing in Stromdorf where he has been for… months? years? …how long has he been here..?

• Jehan judges that he’s mostly telling the truth (or thinks that he is).
• Eduardo doesn’t know anything about Thurgrim, the dwarf.
• He remembers the coal merchant, Wechsler, and his distinctive white pony. A few weeks ago, he passed out in an alley opposite the Stewpot. Someone drove off with the cart & pony towards the east gate, alone, just after midnight. The next morning, Olaf, Wechsler’s bodyguard, left by himself in the direction of the Ferry Gate.
• Elodie joins the duo and asks about Adler. His wife? Oh no, she died years ago.

Fritz has a buxom serving wench deliver a tray of ales to a table of merchants. They appreciate it and invite him over.

• Fritz convinces the trio that he is a well-known sculptor from Altdorf. Dr. Hartlieb Schneider seems impressed, and explains why his companions, Marcel Gerber and Hanko Mucke are generally agitated. The Burgomeister, Adler, went from sending too much tax money to his Jungfreud friends in Ubersreik to neglecting his duties entirely. Now Captain Kessler is the de facto leader of the town.
• Gerber is noticeably wealthy. Boasts that half the people in the town work at his tannery.
• Mucke looks like he’s seen more prosperous days. Snidely suggests that Adler’s seclusion has more to do with Frau Brenner drowning herself in the town well several weeks ago than it does anything else.

Dieter takes his ale and goes up to their rooms. Then does a little sneaky recon.

• Upstairs consists of a lofted common area looking down onto the taproom; one wing of private rooms; one wing of rooms/offices belonging to the Brenners. That second wing looks like it connects to the brewery.
• The rooms look out either onto the street, or onto a central courtyard that separates coach entrances and a brewery shipping area.
• Curiously, one of the guest rooms has had some recent renovations – a series of metal rods, pipes, and straps extending from the roof to the courtyard level, and penetrating into the room itself.
• Dieter sees Franz Bieber, the great hunter, enter through a kitchen door with a freshly caught deer. Bieber then takes his customary seat right by the fire and receives his ale.

Before turning in for the night, Klaus Brenner, the brewer, makes an appearance. He overhears the party asking Hans & Friedrich about Wechsler, and he butts in.

• Wechlser is several days late with his promised coal delivery. He sold a load here two weeks ago, and should have been back by now. If you find him… tell him we’re close to switching over to those Hagercryb merchants.
• Fritz acquires some garlic.

The party knocks on the door belonging to the weird metal building additions, and a young man with a forked beard opens the door a crack. Just enough to politely tell them that they have the wrong room.

• Elodie detected a whiff of something magical about the guy. Maybe it was just all the ale, but it almost looked like the features of his face shifted slightly before coming into focus.

  9 Nachgeheim, 2512 I.C. Party splits up to follow up on some leads, then agrees to meet back at the Inn to compare notes.   At the Stewpot Hostelry, Elodie meets Keila Cobblepot, the halfling proprietor and gourmand.

• Wechsler was indeed a guest here on the night in question. He always stays here when coming through town. He left very early in the morning though. Around 5:00 AM!
• Elodie suspects that she’s lying.

Around the Marktplatz, the party learns a number of things.

• Burgomeister Adler is indeed closeted up in the Town Hall mansion. He only sees Captain Kessler, and rarely at that. If you seek an audience, you’ll have to come back with the Captain.
• The statue is dedicated to a local hero who helped repel an undead incursion during the Vampire Wars some 500 years ago.
• The well is considered cursed after Madriga Brenner drowned herself in it. Oh, you think maybe she didn’t drown herself?
• Off the square, the herbalist Hildette Krass keeps an untidy shack chock-full of dried herbs and supplements. She feels Elodie is a kindred spirit.

At the Wissenland Gate, Jehan talks to the sentry.

• He remembers Wechsler’s white pony, as the merchant always came and left town from the Reikland Gate. But two weeks ago, late at night, Reiner Holtz led that cart & pony out the eastern gate and off towards the Holtz farmstead. He had a couple new kegs of ale in the cart.

  * * *   Fritz rejoins his compatriots at their table after propping up his beautiful gypsy boots by the hearth to dry. He stretches his feet out and wiggles his toes while calling for another round. “Livina, my dear, my toes are wet but my tankard is dry!”   “She’s only going to help you out with one of those problems, Fritz.” Dieter smirks and sops up his venison ragout with a crust of bread. “But points for persistence, mate.”   “Ahhh she has the hands of a baker, she does!” Fritz leans in, a wide grin on his face. “Or a master sculptor! Imagine the footrub, ya?”   “Here’s to buxom women kneading our muscles like dough.” Elodie raises her glass of wine. “And seeking comforts where we’re able!”   Jehan raises his glass of sherry and puts it immediately back down on the table. “Yes, well, we’ve a job to do, so maybe we can finish this little debrief and discuss next steps? I’ve no desire to spend more nights in this bathtub than are necessary.”   “All business, Mr. Investigator.” Elodie empties her glass of wine and quickly lays claim to Jehan’s sherry. “And did you investigate the Burgomeister as I suggested?”   “As intriguing as this bit of Stromdorf political scandal might sound, it doesn’t seem like it’s pointing towards Wechsel.” Jehan lowers his voice and gives Elodie a wave of permission to finish his drink. “And, let’s remind ourselves… the Guild in Ubersreik has 30 gold coins waiting for us if we bring back their merchant.”   Dieter cocks his eyebrow and raises a finger. “What about the influx of magical energy that Christophe asked us to look into?”   “Well, Christophe isn’t paying us, is he?” Jehan is still all business. “Besides, would any of us even know what that looks like?”   All eyes turn slowly to Elodie. She finishes Jehan’s sherry and clears her throat. “I made friends with a local herbalist who I’m pretty sure is a witch, and I interviewed Keila Cobblepot at the Stewpot, concluding that she’s lying or covering up for Wechsler, all while finding time to entertain the flirtatious advances of that handsome hunter over by the fire. So. Fuck you.”   “Oh, he seems very interesting, ya.” Fritz gives Franz Bieber a little wave that goes unacknowledged. “Those blue eyes. Very striking. Maybe you can convince him to send you another glass of wine, hm? Or bottle?”   “Fine, so we table the magic mystery and the political drama for now.” Dieter changes the subject. “Explain to me again… who are the Holtzes? And how do we find them?” * * *

Rewards Granted

Loot: Two extra oil-cloth cloaks   XP: 10 for negotiating the West Bridge (all) 5 for playing along with the Marshwater Ale bit (Fritz) 20 for some fine information-gathering at the Inn 20 for some equally fine information-gathering in town 30 for some grand in-person rpg’ing   Fritz: 85 Jehan: 80 Elodie: 80 Dieter: 80

Character(s) interacted with

Locations Scouted and NPC’s Engaged   Stromdorf The Barracks (location only)   Stewpot Hostelry

• Keila Cobblepot, proprietor

Dr. Schneider’s Surgery (location only)

• Dr. Hartleib Schneider, Physician

Town Hall (location only)

• Curt Saxer, Watch sentry

  Marktplatz   Well   Monument to Olaf Stichelm   Temple of Sigmar (location only)   Thunderwater Inn & Brewery

• Hans & Friedrich Brenner, barmen (sons)
• Klaus Brenner, brewer
• Marcel Gerber, owner of the tannery
• Hanko Mucke, merchant
• Eduardo Castillo Rodrigues, drunk and raconteur
• Mysterious forked-bearded guest
• Franz Bieber, hunter

Herbalist’s Shack

• Hildette Krass, herbalist

Ferry Gate

• Wunibald Palme, Watch sentry

Wissenland Gate

• Wilmar Herber, Watch sentry