Episode 8: A Meeting with the Wizard Report

General Summary

Prequel to The Enemy Within Episode 08 - “A Meeting with the Wizard” 9/6/2019 Post-Game Notes   Day 9 (twelfth day overall; sixth day on the job) Continued, picking up late-morning at the Red Moon Inn   Party sleeps in and enjoys a leisurely breakfast at the RMI when they are approached by merchant Kurlass Meingott, who buys them a round.

• Kurlass is part of an Ubersreik quintet of merchants pooling money with dwarf Barlin Silverbeard for a choice deal on dwarven-forged iron from Karak-Azgaraz.
• Kurlass thinks they are being scammed and implores the noble Watchmen to investigate
• Kurlass gives the party the names of the other merchants and leaves, feeling better about unburdening himself

Godabert and Beau head to Reineger’s in the Precinct after lunch for equipment

• Purchase a booby-shaped buckler for Karl; a small shield for Kris; and a large shield for Beau

Karl and Kris head to the Boatsman’s Guild after lunch to interview crewman for the Lena-smuggling operation

• Receive a note from “C” that a crew has been hired and they are to head to Cordelia’s post-haste
• Somewhat alarmed that the buzz in the taproom is equal parts theories regarding the city-lockdown and rumors of the imminent smuggling operation of a young girl to Tallerhof

Party assembles and goes to Cordelia’s, where the herbalist takes her through the back room and into a secret passageway to the Wizard’s Tower. Torches and oil lanterns light up, leading the way, through a buttery, into an entrance vestibule, and up the main winding staircase until they reach a library.

• Sir Pierre, arm in a sling, greets them with wine
• Christophe is finishing some business with two young Morr initiates who leave shortly after the party arrives
• Christophe to the party:
• grateful for saving his dear friend and the city;
• troops from the castle accompanied by sewer jacks went back down to that lab and torched the joint.
• Yes, Skaven are real, but no one will admit to that.
• He has an appointment with the new head of the Ratcatchers’ Guild, Herr Wahlund, because Christophe thinks he knows more than he’s letting on.
• Happy to answer any and all questions about tomorrow night’s operation but, first, needs assurances that the party will answer his first question truthfully: who do you really work for?

Party is forthcoming: Jekel; Watch conscription; interest in Lena’s books Christophe appreciates the honesty and begins with the truth about the smuggling op:

• All a set-up; the river barge is a floating tinderbox held together with very flammable coal tar
• There is no Bretonnian brandy on the other end of this arrangement
• “Lena” will not be getting into the boat but, rather, a crass little gnome by the name of Glimbrin Oddsocks who, thanks to his natural connection to the Ulgu, can masquerade as Lena effectively enough
• At a pre-ordained time, Glimbrin will set the barge on fire, leaving the bones of a young woman in the compartment, and swim back to shore
• If all goes well, word has spread to Lena’s hunters that she is on that barge, and they will come too late, only to find the ship aflame and the blacked bones within the hull.

Christophe then fills in the gaps into Lena’s backstory, countering Jekel’s version of events

• Lena was a wizard’s apprentice in Altdorf whose magister was killed by a group led by a former student
• Lena discovered Magister Adolphus dying on the floor of his solar, and he told her about the secret location of a grimoire that she had to rescue and get safely out of Altdorf
• She took the book, along with another book of spells, and got out of Altdorf with the assassins hot on her tail
• Upriver, she befriended a dwarf named Sturgil who agreed to accompany her to Ubersreik, where he had kin, and to help get her across the Grey Mountains to Bretonnia.
• They found Christophe through Heske Glazer, and the conspirators arranged to have her hidden in the Chapel of the Grail, under the protection of Sir Pierre and Hugo, until they could safely get her to Parravon
• Sturgil was found dead in the river; a few days later a large Kislev thug
• Ernst Zimmerman was working on the modifications to a river barge hold to conceal Lena; he passed some design work on to his apprentice Tomas Klauson
• Tomas had a gambling problem and, to pay off debts to the Lowhaven clan, he sold them info on Lena’s whereabouts (unclear what he told them exactly; in a later interrogation, when the info proved useless, Klauson accidentally killed and partially eaten)
• Ogres and Lowhavens attacked the Chapel of the Grail; Hugo near death; Pierre wounded, but Lena safely re-located to Cordelia’s
• A few days later, some mercenary-types started inquiring around the Marketplatz for the location of “Christophe” and “Lena;” when Heske Glazer heard this, she pinned the riot on them in order to get them locked up (or worse). Christophe apologizes for the misunderstanding. “But you can understand our confusion.”
• Also at this time the protectors moved Lena to Madame Beaumarteau’s, worried that the mercenaries hired by the assassins had made a connection between Lena and the Wizard. She is there still.
• Word from Altdorf is that, while they are still investigating Magister Adolphus’s death, there is no buzz about his former student Lena, and her family is not looking for her. Christophe assumes the assassins would prefer that the authorities not know about her involvement, since they want to get their hands on that grimoire.

Christophe explains the value of the book in Lena’s possession

• She has one grimoire of Bright Order spells (valuable, but not worth killing over)
• She has one grimoire which is the stuff of legend… spells that are used to govern an artifact crafted centuries ago by an Ulthuan wizard named Sardriane, who was part of Teclis’s warband back when that Elven mage helped found the Colleges of Magic.
• This artifact, which translates roughly to “The Deck of Many Things,” looks like a standard Reikland tarock deck, and was probably influenced by Sardriane’s travels among humans, his newfound love of gambling, and the worship of Ranald.
• When used in concert with the spells, the Deck, it is said, is capable of summoning the most powerful boons and benefits, as well as the most terrible and demonic of curses.
• No one has heard from Sardriane for almost two centuries. Another legend states that, wherever this Deck is now, it is shy one card…
• The spells in the book require the use of what humans would call “Dark Magic.” It manipulates Ghyran (Wind of Life), Ulgu (Wind of Shadow), and Shyish (Wind of Death).
• Christophe has the book and will protect it.

Now, as to the Party…

• Christophe wants to know how they planned to shirk their Watch duties for two to three days (more if the plan to go all the way to Tallerhoff and back was still in the works). Maybe he can help with an alibi…
• Christophe and Pierre wanted to award the Party’s bravery and arm them for future endeavors: tests their party unity, and then offers one of four magic artifacts (Amulet of Thrice-Blessed Copper; Gloves of Nimbleness; Horn of Banishing; Bow of Marksmanship). Party selects Bow.
• Christophe has some work to do tonight and tomorrow morning… meet him in the upstairs back office of the Boatsman’s Guild two hours before sundown tomorrow. Party will need to leave Ubersreik during daylight hours, if possible, because of the city-wide lockdown.

Back to work for the night shift, Party meets Rudi outside the Raspy Raven. Rudi is spiffed out more than unusual -- new feathers in his cap, looks clean-shaven (except for that mustache), his jerkin looks brushed, and he’s sporting the medal he received yesterday morning. Seems irritated.

• Plan was to walk the beat, but Party goads him into investigating the Dunkelfeucht.
• Rudi relents when his leadership is questioned, and he marches them quickly through the Dunk, all the while calling out loudly their route and benign intentions.
• When they get to the dock, the party notices something lurking below the surface.
• Beau “accidentally” pushes Rudi down the incline to the river’s edge, where Rudi’s clumsiness and outrage elicit a lot of noise.
• From out of the mist-covered depths of the Teufel arises a massive river troll, holding a broken ship’s anchor in his right hand. He rips into Rudi, practically tearing his arm off.
• The brave PC’s engage, and using a combination of athleticism and charged advantage, they manage to beat the beast into submission. When it turns to retreat into the water they bludgeon it senseless.
• Godabert drags the barely conscious Rudi out of the river and tries to staunch his wounds.
• The other three drag the troll ashore; Kris breaks the watch lantern over its body, igniting the oil and frying the creature. Beau finishes it off with a massive crack to the dome.
• The denizens of the Dunk edge closer as the troll burns and Rudi gasps for life.

  Interlude:   “How does this keep happening? And how are you four always at the center of it?” Captain Pfeiffer, exasperated and clearly sleep-deprived, re-enters her office where the four of you have been seated and patiently awaiting her return. It’s well past midnight, and you’ve already eaten all the venison jerky and bretzel that Andrea had stashed away for nights when she’d have to work late.   She closes the door slowly, collects herself, and walks over behind her desk. “Riots, monsters in the sewers, and now a Sigmardamned river troll who has left one of my few remaining sergeants half-dead.”   “Yeah, I fucking hate this town,” Beau mutters under his breath.   “What’s that now?”   “Oh -- um, how is our noble Sergeant Klumpenklug?”   “The doctor said he should live. But they’re already talking about having to amputate that arm… Listen, for the second night in a row, you’ve done a great service to the city of Ubersreik. And I’d love to tell you that you’ve earned another morning off, but we’re short-handed and the people are still in a panic. If there’s any good to come of this, it’s that rumors are spreading quickly out of the Dunkelfeucht in the last few hours attributing this “Teufel Terror” to the murder of Falkenhayn. And now that it’s dead, some folks might start to calm down.   “Those of us who know the truth, on the other hand, are starting to wonder if there’s something really wrong around here… And all while the General and her Ladyship are in town…   “Anyway -- as I was saying. We’re short-handed. Rudi is on the shelf, and when I tried contacting Captain Blucher for support from his troops, I can’t get through. No one seems to know where he is.   “Go home and get some well-deserved rest. Meet me here in the morning before your shift and, if I can’t figure out something else before then… maybe I’ll be accompanying you on your rounds. Dismissed.”  

Rewards Granted

XP: 50 points for killing the Teufel Terror; 10 for immediately coming clean with Christophe; 15 for earning max points in Christophe’s question game; 25 for a swell session (+5 extra to Karl for I forget what… some random response).

• Godabert: 100
• Beau: 100
• Karl: 105
• Kris: 100

Character(s) interacted with

Locations scouted and NPC’s engaged:   Kurlass’s fellow merchants: Kahl Trubald, Hitzkoph Hinzfaller, Theda Juwelier, and Emagunda Handler (names only; various offices/warehouses along the docks) Barlin Silverbeard and his gang (name only; location unknown) Wizard’s Tower (via secret entrance from Cordelia’s) Wahlund’s Ratcatchers’ Guild (name of location only)