Le temple de Wittgendorf
General Summary
Après un dîner des plus curieux à base de ce qui semble être du « poulet » muté, Karl et Rayaar, perplexes, interrogent l’aubergiste. Celui-ci explique, presque désolé, que le poulailler du village est touché par un mal étrange. Bien que la plupart des œufs ne donnent plus de poussins viables, quelques-uns éclosent, révélant des créatures souvent difformes : des poulets dotés de membres supplémentaires ou de têtes surnuméraires. L’aubergiste tente de rassurer les aventuriers en insistant sur la comestibilité de ces bêtes malgré leur apparence singulière, mais Karl et Rayaar perçoivent ici un signe inquiétant de la corruption du village.
La conversation dérive ensuite vers Rousseau, le médecin du village qu’ils ont rencontré un peu plus tôt dans la journée. L’aubergiste le décrit comme un homme généreux qui offre des potions aux plus pauvres pour soulager leurs souffrances. Karl, cependant, se méfie de cet homme mystérieux et, le regard perçant, demande à l’aubergiste s’il a lui-même goûté à cette fameuse potion. L’aubergiste avoue ne jamais en avoir eu besoin, un aveu qui plonge Karl et Rayaar dans une réflexion silencieuse, peut-être envisageant que Rousseau pourrait lui-même avoir un rôle caché dans la situation du village.
Rayaar, toujours amère de la perte de leur barge, cherche à en savoir plus sur la manière dont les hommes du château traitent les biens des rares voyageurs. L’aubergiste, soudain plus sombre, explique que cette confiscation n’est pas une exception. Ils sont les quatrièmes voyageurs à venir ici en un an, et chacun a vu son bateau confisqué, souvent contre une rançon exorbitante. Plus troublant encore, il raconte que ces voyageurs ne sont jamais revenus commercer au village, suscitant une crainte palpable dans sa voix lorsqu’il évoque le château en ces termes voilés. Ce mystérieux destin de ceux qui croisent le chemin des hommes de Wittgenstein glace le sang des aventuriers.
Avec une pointe de compassion, Karl s’enquiert des raisons qui retiennent l’aubergiste ici, malgré la misère qui imprègne le village. Celui-ci, le regard fuyant, explique qu’il est pris au piège d’une dette contractée envers la famille von Wittgenstein, une dette ayant servi à acheter cette auberge. Déserter serait signer son arrêt de mort, car les sbires de la famille le traqueraient pour récupérer leur dû. Karl et Rayaar devinent la lourde résignation de l’homme, pris dans un piège dont il semble impossible de se libérer.
Pour approfondir leurs investigations, Rayaar pose doucement deux pièces d’argent sur la table, un geste discret qui laisse l’aubergiste hésitant. Après un moment d’indécision, il glisse finalement les pièces dans sa poche, puis, baissant la voix, leur confie qu’il existerait des individus en résistance contre l’oppression du château, quelque part, peut-être dans la forêt environnante. Cependant, son visage se crispe de peur lorsqu’il ajoute qu’il ne pourrait rien dire de plus, pas ce soir en tout cas. Il promet néanmoins de tenter de glaner des informations pour les aventuriers, car il a peut-être un contact, mais il leur demande de rester discrets et prudents.Il les tiendra au courant...
La nuit venue, les aventuriers montent dans leurs chambres. Par précaution, ils piègent les portes afin d’éviter d’éventuelles mauvaises surprises nocturnes. La nuit passe paisiblement, bien que dans la chambre des femmes, Angela murmure le nom de Sigmar, le visage tordu dans le sommeil, comme hantée par un rêve sombre. Au petit matin, inquiète, Rayaar l’interroge. Angela raconte alors sa vision d’un temple de Sigmar au nord du village, un lieu à l’atmosphère étrange et oppressante. Prenant en compte les intuitions d’Angela, le groupe décide de se rendre au temple pour enquêter.
À leur arrivée, le temple délabré les accueille dans un silence pesant. Le vestibule d’entrée est marqué par un support d’offertoire en bois brisé, privé de son plateau d’aumônes en argent. Les murs, ornés de fresques représentant les exploits de Sigmar, témoignent d’un passé glorieux aujourd’hui bien lointain. En avançant dans la grande salle, les aventuriers découvrent un autel massif sur une estrade, surmonté d’une statue de Sigmar. L’estrade est éclairée par deux lanternes magiques qui diffusent une lumière continue, sans besoin de combustible, et qui semblent indestructibles dans ce lieu sacré.
Levés vers la voûte, les regards de Karl et de Rayaar déchiffrent une inscription en langue classique, racontant l’histoire du temple érigé sous le règne de l’empereur Boris Iᵉʳ, dit Boris l’Avide. Ils apprennent que ce temple fut construit sur le site d’une bataille légendaire menée par Sigmar. Une partie de l’inscription est dédiée à un certain Siegfried von Kesselring, un chevalier qui, muni de son épée magique Barrakul, défendit héroïquement le temple contre une horde d’hommes-bêtes menés par un guerrier du Chaos. Mortellement blessé, il fut honoré par un enterrement dans la crypte du temple, un événement solennel présidé par le Grand Théogoniste lui-même.
En examinant l’autel de plus près, les aventuriers découvrent une grande clé et un manuscrit en cuir relatant les hauts faits de Sigmar. Sous le livre, Karl remarque un vieux parchemin où il lit une prophétie annonçant la chute des hordes chaotiques lorsque les nains retourneront à Zaiyon, alors qu’une comète à deux queues illuminera le ciel. Cette prophétie semble évoquer un moment de bataille ultime contre les forces du Chaos, et Karl en est profondément troublé.
Poussés par leur curiosité, les aventuriers explorent les salles adjacentes. Dans une pièce où les corps étaient autrefois préparés pour la sépulture, ils trouvent des fragments de bols et des robes rituelles en lambeaux, jonchant le sol dans un désordre sinistre. La cuisine attenante est dans un état similaire, envahie par la saleté, des placards brisés, et de la vaisselle éparpillée. Karl, scrutant un tas d’ossements dans un coin, s’aperçoit avec horreur qu’il s’agit de restes humains, renforçant sa conviction que quelque chose de profondément malsain ronge ce lieu autrefois sacré.
Dans l’aile est, le groupe découvre les ruines de la chambre du prêtre, dévastée par des pillages et d’anciens incendies. La pièce suivante,qui contient des archives, est fermée par une porte solide, que des créatures ont tenté de forcer sans succès. À l’intérieur, ils découvrent des registres de Wittgendorf, relatant des détails sur les récoltes, les naissances, et les décès du village. Les pages les plus récentes mentionnent une tempête catastrophique deux ans plus tôt. La tempête semble avoir précipité la déchéance du village, avec des mutations affectant les animaux et la végétation de manière inquiétante. La dernière entrée date de six mois, comme si la corruption avait définitivement pris le dessus.
Armés de ces révélations, les aventuriers empruntent l’escalier sombre menant à la crypte. À peine atteignent-ils le sous-sol qu’un groupe de cinq mendiants, aux visages déformés par la folie, les attaque avec une violence désespérée. Sans arme, ces mendiants montrent néanmoins une rage redoutable, et Karl, dépourvu de protection, subit un coup brutal qui le projette à terre. Angela, sans perdre de temps, incante un sort de soin à distance qui le ranime, permettant à Karl de se relever pour reprendre le combat aux côtés de ses compagnons. Après une lutte intense, ils parviennent à neutraliser leurs assaillants.
La crypte dévoile alors un spectacle macabre : des niches, autrefois destinées aux prêtres et aux villageois éminents, ont été profanées, les ossements dévorés éparpillés sur le sol. Une unique niche, ornée d’une plaque gravée, est restée intacte. Elle rend hommage à Siegfried von Kesselring, le vaillant templier de Sigmar. Grâce à un sort de télékinésie, Karl parvient à ouvrir la niche sans l’endommager. À l’intérieur repose un squelette en armure de plate rouillée, témoin des siècles écoulés, mais sur sa poitrine repose une longue épée en parfait état, enchâssée dans un fourreau richement décoré de gemmes étincelantes.
Rayaar s’approche et, avec une révérence respectueuse, saisit l’épée qui luit d’une lumière mystérieuse. Elle contemple avec émotion Barrakul, l’arme légendaire de Siegfried von Kesselring, convaincue qu’elle sera essentielle pour affronter les forces du mal qui pèsent sur Wittgendorf et ses habitants.
After a most curious dinner based on what appears to be mutated ‘chicken’, Karl and Rayaar, perplexed, question the innkeeper. He explains, almost apologetically, that the village chicken coop is affected by a strange disease. Although most of the eggs no longer produce viable chicks, a few do hatch, revealing creatures that are often deformed: chickens with extra limbs or heads. The innkeeper tries to reassure the adventurers that these beasts are edible despite their peculiar appearance, but Karl and Rayaar see this as a worrying sign of the village's corruption. The conversation then drifts towards Rousseau, the village doctor they met earlier in the day. The innkeeper describes him as a generous man who offers potions to the poorest of the poor to ease their suffering. Karl, however, is suspicious of this mysterious man and, with a piercing look in his eyes, asks the innkeeper if he himself has tasted this famous potion. The innkeeper confesses that he has never needed it, an admission that plunges Karl and Rayaar into silent reflection, perhaps envisaging that Rousseau himself might have a hidden role in the village's situation. Rayaar, still bitter about the loss of their barge, tries to find out more about how the men of the castle treat the possessions of rare travellers. The innkeeper, suddenly more sombre, explains that this confiscation is no exception. They are the fourth travellers to come here in a year, and each of them has had their boat confiscated, often for an exorbitant ransom. More troubling still, he says that these travellers never returned to trade in the village, evoking a palpable fear in his voice when he speaks of the castle in these veiled terms. This mysterious fate of those who cross the path of Wittgenstein's men chills the blood of the adventurers. With a touch of compassion, Karl asks what keeps the innkeeper here, despite the misery that pervades the village. The innkeeper, with a faraway look in his eyes, explains that he is trapped by a debt owed to the von Wittgenstein family, a debt that was used to buy this inn. To desert would be to sign his death warrant, as the family's henchmen would hunt him down to recover their debt. Karl and Rayaar sense the man's heavy resignation, caught in a trap from which there seems to be no escape. To further their investigations, Rayaar gently placed two silver coins on the table, a discreet gesture that left the innkeeper hesitating. After a moment's indecision, he finally slips the coins into his pocket, then, lowering his voice, tells them that there are individuals resisting the oppression of the castle, somewhere, perhaps in the surrounding forest. However, his face tightened in fear when he added that he could say nothing more, not tonight in any case. Nevertheless, he promises to try and glean some information for the adventurers, as he may have a contact, but he asks them to remain discreet and cautious. He will keep them informed... When night falls, the adventurers go up to their rooms. As a precaution, they booby-trapped the doors to avoid any unpleasant surprises during the night. The night passes peacefully, although in the women's room, Angela whispers Sigmar's name, her face twisted in sleep, as if haunted by a dark dream. In the early hours of the morning, Rayaar questions her. Angela recounts her vision of a Sigmar temple to the north of the village, a place with a strange, oppressive atmosphere. Heeding Angela's intuition, the group decide to go to the temple to investigate. When they arrive, the dilapidated temple greets them with a heavy silence. The entrance hall is marked by a broken wooden offertory stand, missing its silver alms tray. The walls, adorned with frescoes depicting Sigmar's exploits, bear witness to a glorious past that is now long gone. Advancing into the great hall, the adventurers discover a massive altar on a platform, surmounted by a statue of Sigmar. The platform is illuminated by two magic lanterns, which give off a continuous light with no need for fuel, and which seem indestructible in this sacred place. Looking up at the vault, Karl and Rayaar decipher an inscription in the classical language, telling the story of the temple built during the reign of Emperor Boris Iᵉʳ, known as Boris the Greedy. They learn that this temple was built on the site of a legendary battle fought by Sigmar. Part of the inscription is dedicated to a certain Siegfried von Kesselring, a knight who, armed with his magical sword Barrakul, heroically defended the temple against a horde of beast-men led by a warrior of Chaos. Mortally wounded, he was honoured with burial in the temple crypt, a solemn event presided over by the Great Theogonist himself. On closer inspection of the altar, the adventurers discover a large key and a leather manuscript recounting Sigmar's deeds. Beneath the book, Karl notices an old parchment in which he reads a prophecy foretelling the fall of the chaotic hordes when the dwarves return to Zaiyon and a two-tailed comet lights up the sky. This prophecy seems to evoke a moment of ultimate battle against the forces of Chaos, and Karl is deeply troubled by it. Driven by their curiosity, the adventurers explore the adjacent rooms. In a room where bodies were once prepared for burial, they find fragments of bowls and ritual robes in tatters, strewn across the floor in a sinister mess. The adjoining kitchen is in a similar state, overrun with dirt, broken cupboards and scattered crockery. Karl, examining a pile of bones in one corner, realises to his horror that they are human remains, reinforcing his conviction that something deeply unhealthy is eating away at this once sacred place. In the east wing, the group discovers the ruins of the priest's room, devastated by looting and ancient fires. The next room, which contains archives, is closed by a solid door, which creatures have tried to force open without success. Inside, they discover the registers of Wittgendorf, giving details of the village's harvests, births and deaths. The most recent pages mention a catastrophic storm two years earlier. The storm seems to have precipitated the decline of the village, with mutations affecting animals and vegetation to an alarming degree. The last entry was six months ago, as if corruption had definitely taken over. Armed with these revelations, the adventurers take the dark staircase to the crypt. No sooner had they reached the basement than a group of five beggars, their faces distorted by madness, attacked them with desperate violence. Unarmed, the beggars nevertheless displayed a fearsome rage, and Karl, unprotected, suffered a brutal blow that knocked him to the ground. Angela, wasting no time, cast a healing spell from a distance that revived him, allowing Karl to get up and resume the fight alongside his companions. After an intense struggle, they managed to neutralise their attackers. The crypt then reveals a macabre sight: niches, once intended for priests and prominent villagers, have been desecrated, devoured bones strewn across the floor. A single niche, adorned with an engraved plaque, remains intact. It pays homage to Siegfried von Kesselring, the valiant Templar of Sigmar. Karl uses a telekinetic spell to open the niche without damaging it. Inside lies a skeleton in rusty plate armour, a testament to the centuries that have passed, but on its chest rests a long sword in perfect condition, set in a scabbard richly decorated with sparkling gems.
Rayaar approaches and, with respectful reverence, seizes the sword, which gleams with a mysterious light. She gazes fondly at Barrakul, the legendary weapon of Siegfried von Kesselring, convinced that it will be essential in confronting the forces of evil that threaten Wittgendorf and its inhabitants.
After a most curious dinner based on what appears to be mutated ‘chicken’, Karl and Rayaar, perplexed, question the innkeeper. He explains, almost apologetically, that the village chicken coop is affected by a strange disease. Although most of the eggs no longer produce viable chicks, a few do hatch, revealing creatures that are often deformed: chickens with extra limbs or heads. The innkeeper tries to reassure the adventurers that these beasts are edible despite their peculiar appearance, but Karl and Rayaar see this as a worrying sign of the village's corruption. The conversation then drifts towards Rousseau, the village doctor they met earlier in the day. The innkeeper describes him as a generous man who offers potions to the poorest of the poor to ease their suffering. Karl, however, is suspicious of this mysterious man and, with a piercing look in his eyes, asks the innkeeper if he himself has tasted this famous potion. The innkeeper confesses that he has never needed it, an admission that plunges Karl and Rayaar into silent reflection, perhaps envisaging that Rousseau himself might have a hidden role in the village's situation. Rayaar, still bitter about the loss of their barge, tries to find out more about how the men of the castle treat the possessions of rare travellers. The innkeeper, suddenly more sombre, explains that this confiscation is no exception. They are the fourth travellers to come here in a year, and each of them has had their boat confiscated, often for an exorbitant ransom. More troubling still, he says that these travellers never returned to trade in the village, evoking a palpable fear in his voice when he speaks of the castle in these veiled terms. This mysterious fate of those who cross the path of Wittgenstein's men chills the blood of the adventurers. With a touch of compassion, Karl asks what keeps the innkeeper here, despite the misery that pervades the village. The innkeeper, with a faraway look in his eyes, explains that he is trapped by a debt owed to the von Wittgenstein family, a debt that was used to buy this inn. To desert would be to sign his death warrant, as the family's henchmen would hunt him down to recover their debt. Karl and Rayaar sense the man's heavy resignation, caught in a trap from which there seems to be no escape. To further their investigations, Rayaar gently placed two silver coins on the table, a discreet gesture that left the innkeeper hesitating. After a moment's indecision, he finally slips the coins into his pocket, then, lowering his voice, tells them that there are individuals resisting the oppression of the castle, somewhere, perhaps in the surrounding forest. However, his face tightened in fear when he added that he could say nothing more, not tonight in any case. Nevertheless, he promises to try and glean some information for the adventurers, as he may have a contact, but he asks them to remain discreet and cautious. He will keep them informed... When night falls, the adventurers go up to their rooms. As a precaution, they booby-trapped the doors to avoid any unpleasant surprises during the night. The night passes peacefully, although in the women's room, Angela whispers Sigmar's name, her face twisted in sleep, as if haunted by a dark dream. In the early hours of the morning, Rayaar questions her. Angela recounts her vision of a Sigmar temple to the north of the village, a place with a strange, oppressive atmosphere. Heeding Angela's intuition, the group decide to go to the temple to investigate. When they arrive, the dilapidated temple greets them with a heavy silence. The entrance hall is marked by a broken wooden offertory stand, missing its silver alms tray. The walls, adorned with frescoes depicting Sigmar's exploits, bear witness to a glorious past that is now long gone. Advancing into the great hall, the adventurers discover a massive altar on a platform, surmounted by a statue of Sigmar. The platform is illuminated by two magic lanterns, which give off a continuous light with no need for fuel, and which seem indestructible in this sacred place. Looking up at the vault, Karl and Rayaar decipher an inscription in the classical language, telling the story of the temple built during the reign of Emperor Boris Iᵉʳ, known as Boris the Greedy. They learn that this temple was built on the site of a legendary battle fought by Sigmar. Part of the inscription is dedicated to a certain Siegfried von Kesselring, a knight who, armed with his magical sword Barrakul, heroically defended the temple against a horde of beast-men led by a warrior of Chaos. Mortally wounded, he was honoured with burial in the temple crypt, a solemn event presided over by the Great Theogonist himself. On closer inspection of the altar, the adventurers discover a large key and a leather manuscript recounting Sigmar's deeds. Beneath the book, Karl notices an old parchment in which he reads a prophecy foretelling the fall of the chaotic hordes when the dwarves return to Zaiyon and a two-tailed comet lights up the sky. This prophecy seems to evoke a moment of ultimate battle against the forces of Chaos, and Karl is deeply troubled by it. Driven by their curiosity, the adventurers explore the adjacent rooms. In a room where bodies were once prepared for burial, they find fragments of bowls and ritual robes in tatters, strewn across the floor in a sinister mess. The adjoining kitchen is in a similar state, overrun with dirt, broken cupboards and scattered crockery. Karl, examining a pile of bones in one corner, realises to his horror that they are human remains, reinforcing his conviction that something deeply unhealthy is eating away at this once sacred place. In the east wing, the group discovers the ruins of the priest's room, devastated by looting and ancient fires. The next room, which contains archives, is closed by a solid door, which creatures have tried to force open without success. Inside, they discover the registers of Wittgendorf, giving details of the village's harvests, births and deaths. The most recent pages mention a catastrophic storm two years earlier. The storm seems to have precipitated the decline of the village, with mutations affecting animals and vegetation to an alarming degree. The last entry was six months ago, as if corruption had definitely taken over. Armed with these revelations, the adventurers take the dark staircase to the crypt. No sooner had they reached the basement than a group of five beggars, their faces distorted by madness, attacked them with desperate violence. Unarmed, the beggars nevertheless displayed a fearsome rage, and Karl, unprotected, suffered a brutal blow that knocked him to the ground. Angela, wasting no time, cast a healing spell from a distance that revived him, allowing Karl to get up and resume the fight alongside his companions. After an intense struggle, they managed to neutralise their attackers. The crypt then reveals a macabre sight: niches, once intended for priests and prominent villagers, have been desecrated, devoured bones strewn across the floor. A single niche, adorned with an engraved plaque, remains intact. It pays homage to Siegfried von Kesselring, the valiant Templar of Sigmar. Karl uses a telekinetic spell to open the niche without damaging it. Inside lies a skeleton in rusty plate armour, a testament to the centuries that have passed, but on its chest rests a long sword in perfect condition, set in a scabbard richly decorated with sparkling gems.
Report Date
09 Nov 2024
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