Episode 3: The Lesser Evil Report

General Summary

The Gathering Storm Session 3: “The Lesser Evil” 4/25/22
PC’s Jehan Schuster, Sleuth (Andy) Fritz Lander, Apprentice Artist (Sergio) Elodie Azucar, Hexer (Rex) Dieter Desch, Bodysnatcher (Matt H.)
9 Nachgeheim, 2512 I.C. Party gathers around a table in the Thunderwater to debrief one another after their day gathering clues in town.
Elodie heads over to talk to old Lukas Kaltenbach, who is listening to (barely) the drunken ramblings of Eduardo Rodrigues. Lukas is the ferryman who operates the raft across the Ober (and, yes, he does own a boat).
Fritz overhears locals gossipping about the hunter Franz Bieber, who is chilling by himself by the far hearth. Dieter and Jehan were just discussing him. Let’s go bug him!

• Party turns on their legendary charm, and Franz welcomes a bit of conversation, especially as it’s accompanied by another round of Thunderwater Ale.
• Franz knows of the coal merchant, and he does find it odd that Reiner Holtz would have been granted Wechsler’s cart & pony. If Wechsler headed south, he may have “wedded Mistress Oberslecht” (as in, died in the swamp – it’s scary).
• Franz also knows the Holtz family. They’re a lot inbred and a bit odd, but seemingly harmless.
• If your investigation leads you that way, don’t do it without a guide. Franz can do it for 3/- per person, per day. He can acquire some loaner cloaks and lanterns as well.

Before bed, the party wants to harass the odd fellow in the room next to Elodie’s.

• With Dieter hidden in Elodie’s room, Elodie knocks on her neighbor’s door. The forked-bearded fellow opens up, a bit exasperated, but, after Elodie drops some not-so-subtle hints about face-charms, he agrees to accompany the trio to the taproom for a nightcap. (Careful! He has a… wand?!)
• As they head downstairs, Fritz signals to Dieter that the coast is clear for some b&e.
• 
  The odd fellow introduces himself as Niklas Schulmann, a Celestial College wizard from Altdorf’s Imperial School of Magic, here in Stromdorf to study the crazy meteorological patterns.
• Yes, he has a cantrip in place to present a more pleasing countenance because – as he reveals with a wave of his hand – he is naturally bruised, scarred, and a bit disfigured. Stromdorfers have a hard enough time accepting outsiders; his appearance would have made things more challenging.
• He was waylaid a few weeks ago, en route to Stromdorf, by bandits. They gave him the beating.
• Upstairs, Dieter channels some sinister whispers in the air in order to pick the lock of Niklas’s room. Inside he searches the desk, but can’t understand what he’s looking at, save for some parchments that look like maps and one scroll that looks freshly charred. His clothes and personal items, however, look more interesting:
• A pile of ripped, damaged, and charred robes hidden away in a blanket. Many bandages with lots of dried blood. The intact garments all have elements of blue fabric woven into the cloth.

10 Nachgeheim, 2512 I.C. Franz is waiting for the party in the taproom, supplies at the ready. He hastens the group; red skies and the smell of smoke on the air in the direction of the Holtz farm!

• An hour southeast of Stromdorf they arrive at the razed Eigel farm. All buildings were put to the torch, but no human or livestock remains to be found. There are cloven tracks heading into the swamp and one of the building bears a new eight-pointed star painted in blood and feces. Fucking beastmen.
• Any survivors would have headed to the Holtz farm farther south. Let’s go!

When they arrive to the Holtz farm, they hear some crazy-fast mandolin playing on the wind, and overhear a heated argument.

• A blond-haired guy (Franz identifies as Tristan Eigel), is going at it with a short dark-haired guy (Reiner Holtz), who looks a lot like every other pug-nosed, inbred farmer in the vicinity. A mob of Holtzes is gathering.
• Tristan is blaming Reiner for “their” death, while Reiner is yelling that he warned against “stopping.” Party crouches and watches.
• Tristan draws a knife and stabs Reiner, at which point several Holtzes tackle Tristan to the ground and start waling on him. Franz and the party break cover.
• Party meets the clan patriarch, Otto Holtz, and his wife Marie. They apologize for the reception but a recent beastmen attack on the Eigel farm has everyone on edge. Otto instructs cousin Klaus, a massive simpleton, and Fritz, his eldest son, to watch over the horizon for signs of trouble.
• Marie takes Reiner into the farmhouse to bandage him up. Marie casts a plaintive glance at the party. Franz and Elodie look after Tristan against a nearby storehouse.
• Imelda, Otto’s daughter, takes a liking to Dieter. One of Otto’s sons, Otto Junior, is the weirdo walking around the farm playing his mandolin at a frenetic pace.
• While Dieter keeps Imelda busy outside, Fritz and Jehan follow Marie into the farmhouse. After Reiner is patched up and sent on his way, and with Otto going into the cellar to grab a bottle of cider, Fritz and Jehan try to get some information from Marie… the easy way.
• When Otto goes back outside, now distracted by Dieter who feigns interest in farming business, Fritz and Jehan go at it… the hard way. Marie cracks.
• 
  The Holtz and Eigels have spent years making sacrifices of livestock, beer, and the occasional human to the Madteeth Beastman tribe of the Oberslecht. If not, she claims, the tribe would have overrun the valley and Stromdorf by now. She knows it’s wrong… but it’s to protect everyone!
• Now, however, the beastmen have been emboldened, and she’s worried the old “agreements” are no longer valid. But she has a plan… and someone she wants the party to meet.
• With the other Holtzes distracted, she leads Fritz and Jehan to the edge of the farm, on the border of the swamp. By an old dead tree, surrounded by bones and carcasses and festooned with weird symbols and ornaments, they meet a beastman bray-shaman.
• This creature claims that Izka Madtooth, leader of the tribe, is in possession of a “lightning stone” that he thinks grants him power and dominion over the humans. Steal the lightning stone, and the tribe will fracture. It’s the only way.

* * *
The creature going by the name Foaldeath snarls and steps back slightly behind a branch of the Hag Tree as several more people emerge from the underbrush at the crest of the hillock. As it does so, the full height and physique of this bray-shaman is more apparent, close to seven feet tall with low, curving horns poking out from the sides of its large gray hood. Fritz and Jehan simultaneously shudder involuntarily.
The group of newcomers is led by Otto Holtz and Tristan Eigel, the latter holding a bandage against his head. Behind them, several paces back, are Franz, Dieter, and Elodie. Franz has an arrow nocked in his hunting bow, taut and pointed at the back of Otto. Elodie has two hands tightly clasped around her Tilean dagger, wielding it threateningly like a short sword. Dieter keeps glancing over his shoulder, making sure Imelda isn’t following him.
“Marie! What have you done?” Otto’s exclamation is silenced by a hiss from Franz.
“It was the only way, Otto.” Marie is exasperated. “We can trust them to do what we could not! And end this…”
“What. The fuck. Is that.” Elodie curls her hands tighter around the handle of her blade, knuckles turning white.
“So it’s true.” Franz tenses up and there is a menacing creaking of the yew as he pulls tighter on the bowstring. “You’re in league with these beasts.”
“They’ll hang us all by the gallows, Marie. You’re a fool.” Otto sighs, and waits for his wife to look him in the eyes. “They’ll probably execute the children too.”
“The children might be innocent, but you’ve been undoubtedly aided by someone in town.” Franz steps forward and raises his voice. “You’ll all be brought to justice.”
“Is anyone going to answer my question?” Elodie raises her voice even louder.
“There will be no justice to be meted out! When your city and all these human dwellings are razed to the ground!” Foaldeath’s voice is raspy and hollow, as if someone were bellowing into the empty skull of a large animal. “Take the cart and succeed where these simple farmers could not.” It points to the small handcart near the base of the tree. “Simple?” Tristan sputters through a sob. “Who?”
“Bro.” Dieter shakes his head condescendingly.
“It’s true. We tried to enact Foaldeath’s plan when the majority of the herd was attacking the Eigel farm.” Marie speaks quickly. “But they made such short work of them, and were howling back into the Oberslecht so soon, that we had to abandon the attempt.”
“Don’t blame yourself… mother.” Foaldeath purrs, with what might amount to a sinister grin across its elongated face. “You lot were not up to the task.”
“Okay, seriously what the fuck is going – mother?!? Someone start over, and begin by answering my what-is-that question.” Elodie is now waving her dagger in circles.
“Fight to the herdstone, brave warriors,” Foaldeath explains, opening its arms and displaying the full breadth of its twisted, hulking musculature. “Steal the lightning stone, and escape the Oberslecht. Once the stone is beyond the forest, I can turn the herd against Izka the Madtooth for his failure to protect it. Do this, or everything you see will be carrion and ash.”
“I’m still of a mind to skewer that beast and march these scum back into Stromdorf.” Franz rages through gritted teeth. “But if it’s telling the truth…”
“Well? What should we do?” Jehan addresses the party.
“One more question,” Fritz raises a finger into the air and then points in the general vicinity of the bone piles. “Is one of these maybe a coal merchant? And did maybe one of you horrible people find a nice little ring?” * * *

Rewards Granted

Loot: Two loaner oilskin cloaks and two loaner storm lanterns. Two corrrrrruption points (Dieter)
XP: 15 for befriending Franz and gaining his trust 15 for gaining some intelligence on Niklas 15 for preventing the Holtzes from killing Tristan 25 for gaining Marie’s trust and meeting Foaldeath 25 for a sweet sesh
Fritz: 95 Jehan: 95 Elodie: 95 Dieter: 95

Character(s) interacted with

Locations Scouted and NPC’s Engaged
The Thunderwater Inn

• Lukas Kaltenbach, ferryman
• Niklas Schulman, Celestial Mage

Farmland south of Stromdorf The Eigel farm (burnt) The Holtz farm (turnt)

• Tristan Eigel, farmer
• Otto Holtz, farmer and patriarch
• Marie Holtz, matriarch
• Reiner Holtz, Otto’s brother
• Klaus Holtz, Otto’s gargantuan cousin
• Fritz Holtz, Otto’s annoying son
• Imelda Holtz, Otto’s homely daughter
• Little Otto Holtz, Otto’s mute son and mandolin savant
• Various other Holtz children
• Foaldeath, a beastman bray-shaman

The Oberslecht (location only)

Campaign

The Gathering Storm

Protagonists

Report Date

19 May 2023

Related Historical Events

• 2512
  Holtz Farmers Uncovered as Depraved Murderers