S1E1: Ubersreik adventures/If Looks Could Kill
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Henryk (Bill) noble
Guard/Sentry…the Gambler |
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? (Tony) Fisherman…absent |
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Mallorhan (Brian) wood-elf
Messenger |
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Gary (Matt) Guard/Sentry |
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Sister
Agnes (Duane) noble
Nun, prayerful worshiper of Shallya |
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Katja (Geoff) noble
Entertainer/Singer…an attractive wench…distractor…absent |
Days later: The barge slowly plied the River Verfelfluss, heading south toward Grausee. Henryk avoided looking over the railing, fearful he’d start dry-heaving again. “Why’d you accept a job on a boat?!” Gary sat on a crate, using his dagger to clean his fingernails, “You saw our ‘dandy’ employer. Rutger Reuter’s Mercantile. I’ve heard of their business throughout Ubersreik. Young lad. Naive from the looks and sound of him. We aughta be able to milk him for more than the one gold promised.” Agnes clasped her hands in prayer as she reminded them, “We promised to guard these building supplies bound for his camp down river. Help out at the work camp. Simple labor that doesn’t require you brutes to strain your little brains.”
Mallorhan interrupted, “Yeah, yeah. But what gives with
that old woman on the front of the boat?” Indeed, an elderly gypsy-looking woman,
draped in a woolen shawl, rocked to and fro upon a 3-legged stool. The elf
strained to hear her mumbling. “Something about ghosts, curses, and a swamp
monster.” Henryk remembered his lore, “I’ve heard tales of the haunted swamps
west of here.” All jumped when the woman’s voiced raised, “Sigmar! Protect us
from the beast of Ortschlamm.” Gary winced in pain having jammed the dagger too
far under his nail, “Holy shit. She scared the piss outa me.”
And that’s when the cabin door opened and Rutger stepped
forth, in his colorful cape. “Good day to you! I’m delighted to have you
aboard. Don’t pay attention to that old mystic, Vadoma. The barge master,
Reiko, insisted he bring his grandmother along. He and his crew are Strigany;
VERY superstitious lot. You can thank her for you being hired. None of these
gypsy folks would agree to the work you accepted. Make yourself useful during
the journey and I’ll notice. With reward. I’ve big plans for the area: a mill
and tavern to start. You could earn yourself serious coin if you prove your
worth.”
Rutger wiped his pale white brow, unaccustomed to sweat,
and retired back inside his cabin. Leaving Reiko to take charge, “You heard the
boy. Lend a hand with the sail. You elf, up in the riggings. Real work now
before he has you moving those stones WE refuse to touch. Grandma says they’re
cursed. Ranged in a circle they is. Grandma insisted she come along. Bad dreams
I’ve had. Omens she says.” And that’s when the crows-nest lookout yelled,
“PORT! Damn you, port NOW!”
The tiller was jammed right to kick the rudder left. Gary
was yanked forward as he held onto the sail rope as the sheet suddenly filled
with wind. The elf fell from the riggings with a “thud”. Dazed but not broken
as the billowing sail broke his fall. “CRASH!” “SPLASH!” Barrels toppled free
of their once-secured lines. The crew struggled to keep their footing at the
sudden jolt. Everyone looked forward…slow to realize the 3-legged stool was
empty. “Man overboard!”
Mallor was already on his feet and scrambled to the
railing. He paused to grab one end of a coiled rope before he jumped into the
river. His nuts retreated when soaked by the freezing-cold glacier melt water.
Reiko barked orders to Gary to gain control of the sails; his focus first on
his barge run aground. Agnes stood at the railing saying prayers before aiding
Henryk who grabbed the other end of Mallor’s rope.
Time seemed to slow for everyone: the barge had slammed
against underwater rocks and was now taking on water. Vadoma bobbed in the
water, stunned by the cold. The elf struggled to catch his breath as his arms
flailed in the water. Agnes and Henryk stood as sentinels at the railing, waiting
for the elf to reach the woman. Only Gary saw the strange ripple headed toward
those in the water. Long moments as his brain processed the image. Then time
sprang forward, “PIKE! 10-foot pike swimming at them. Look at its teeth! Pull
them aboard!”
Mallor found his swim-stroke and reached Vadoma before
she went under. Agnes and Henryk began to heave their line. By now, the elf
realized the boat was too far away. His best chance was to swim for shore. Meanwhile,
Gary abandoned the sail rope and rushed to the railing. He found a grapple-hook
used to pull the barge ashore. It now became fishing gear. Maybe it was Agnes’
blessings, but the thrown hook (09) snagged the pike’s gills. Only then did the
Strigany crew come to his aid, to help haul in dinner.
Reiko angrily barked orders, “Forget the damn fish.
Offload the crates and supplies. Maybe we can float the barge free.” Except, Rutger
had one sailor carry him to shore to stay dry, then directed 2 sailors to lug a
heavy padlocked chest to shore. Which slowed the offloading. They just managed
to offload the last crate when the barge broke apart and was swept away in the
current. If looks could kill; Reiko fumed at his loss as he hoisted his
grandma on his back and began the slow walk to the camp. The crew and new hires
lugged the cargo. 2 hours in a thick fog that blanketed the river and the
shoreline. Mallor used the time to ask the mystic about the stones. “Wasn’t the
river encounter enough warning?! Leave them else you curse yourself and your
family.”
Finally, they reached the camp. Rutger eagerly introduced
his foreman dwarf, “This is Thulgrim, my engineer. He will pay you.” Mallor had
recognized the short-form of a dwarf and raised his cowl to cover his ears as
he moved away from the group to avoid confrontation. The disgruntled Thulgrim looked
with contempt at his boss then to the new hires, “Well? You were hired to work;
so, get to it. Now’s not the time to sit on yer arses nor beg for money. Earn
yer pay first.” If looks could kill.
They were spared when a woman stepped out of a tent.
Rutger introduced her, “This is Johanna, my business partner. She’s a local who
suggested this site for our mill. Her planning and management are second to
none.” Johanna just smiled…with her teeth clenched. If looks could kill.
Which only raised a sneer and spital from the dwarf, “Partners?! In crime.
Incompetence. Just look at these sorry excuses for laborers you brought. You’ll
be lucky the mill doesn’t sink into the swamp.”
Discontent within the camp. Some were beginning to wonder
how much bullshit Rutger was piling on their plate. Full of promises;
honey-tongued little devil. As they unpacked the crates, Henryk asked, “Did
anyone else see that peasant exit Johanna’s tent? As if he was sneaking away
north. I get the feeling the partnership isn’t going well.”
With the fog and mist hiding the sun, nighttime seemed to
take forever to arrive. “Now, can we get paid our daily wage?! Rutger promised
double pay for rescuing he and his supplies. [Henryk bluffed] That comes to 3
gold each.” The dwarf laughed, “That boy promises a lot with an empty coffer.
Best I can pay now is 10 silver each. The rest is locked up in the chest you
brought ashore. And each boss holds a key. You’ll have to wait till morning
when they drag their arses outa their bunks.”
The rest of the evening was filled with drinking and
gambling; Henryk provided the dice. An easy lot to fleece considering the
Strigany a paranoid lot, distracted by Vadoma’s stories about the beast in the
swamp. The only problem: these workers were also waiting to be paid. Best they
could put on the table were pennies. Henryk only won 4. What he lost was sleep
due to his hangover and nightmares. A fiery background to the stone slabs as
mist curled about them. Then huge claws dragged across one stone as a full moon
made its presence. Henryk jolted upright in his bunk when a great red eye
peered over the stone. At least sister Agnes removed his fatigue with a prayer.
The next day:
Breakfast was gruel slopped on a plate. “The Strigany will lay brick and mortar
for the mill. I need you to start clearing those stone; that’s where Johanna
plans to build the tavern.” Vadoma’s ranting had gotten to most. Only Gary and
Henryk worked on the stones as the other cowards… It took 3 hours just to
topple 3 of the 6 perimeter stones into the neighboring lake. The lunch bell
was a welcomed relief, as Henryk bellowed at the others, “Back of the line.
Real workers first.” At least they let sister Agnes cut line after she prayed
for their recovery from exhaustion.
As they resumed work, Gary suggested, “Slow down. We
don’t want to finish too quickly. Save the center 9ft stone for tomorrow. Let’s
get paid before we finish.” Dinner couldn’t come soon enough. “Where is Rutger?
We want to get paid!” Tulgrim hadn’t seen him since lunch. So, Mallor checked
his tent. Only to find queer 3-toed footprints that led to the cattails lining
the riverbank. After pocketing a key hung around Rugter’s neck, the elf cried
out, “Over here.” Blood drenched Rutger’s white smock. His right arm ripped
off. The Strigany workers quickly made protective signs across their hearts as
they cried out in fear, “The beast slayed him. Vadoma told you to leave the
stones be. You’ve cursed us all!” Reiko directed his fellow men to start
packing the wagons, “We’re done here!”
Once again, the elf stayed back as Agnes, Gary, and
Henryk answered Johanna’s call, “10 gold crown to the brave souls who bring me
the head of the monster what slayed my partner.” The tracks paralleled the
river a short distance before turning inland toward the swamp. Gary puzzled as
they tracked, “The impressions are irregular. Not as deep as you’d expect for
such a fabled large beast.”
And that’s when they heard noise ahead. Crashing sounds
of something barreling their way. Suddenly, from the treeline, 3 frightened men
appeared. Obvious they were not charging to attack. Rather, running from
something. That something appeared: a LARGE lizard! [basilisk… Its
looks could kill] Henryk gathered up all his courage [failed miserably] and
bolted in retreat [talents: Strong Legs and Flee], “I only have to be faster
than the slowest of you!” And from the looks of it, one of the 3 men running at
them qualified as dinner for the beast.
Henryk was the first to re-enter camp, soon joined by
Gary and Agnes. “Where’s Johanna? We want our pay NOW.” But Johanna was busy
pleading with the Strigany who were already rolling out of camp in their
wagons. “I can’t bother with you now. Besides, that damn dwarf ran off with the
pay-chest.” (If looks could kill) They glared at the elf who stayed
behind, “How’d you let him get away?!”. They were able to follow the drag marks
of the chest which ended at the shoreline. “Looks like he had an accomplice
waiting with a boat.”
At least Reiko let them
join him on his wagon. The other Strigany scowled at the men who had loosed the
beast. Gary questioned the barge master as to the dwarf’s possible home.
“Rutger hired him in Ubersreik. I’d have to guess he resides in the dwarven
district of Dawihafen.” It was a long week ride north. Plenty of time for them
to grow angrier at the loss of their pay, “Wait till I get my hands on that
dwarf!”
It took another 2 days
in the Dawihafen district to find Thulgrim. Fortune they had staked out the Axe
and Hammer Tavern. He had the tankard tipped skyward drowning his beard as
they sat beside him. “Thought you could get away with our pay?! Gold or hide,
your choice although I’d prefer gold. The elf tells us dwarven hide is almost
worthless.” Surprisingly, the other dwarves around the bar could care less of
the encounter beside them.
Thulgrim wiped his chin as he accepted his fate, “You got me boys. You gotta understand, nothing personal against you. My beef was against those cheating bastards, Rutger and Johanna. Years ago, they defrauded my dwarven clan. Robbed us blind. Stole my kids’ inheritance while I was gone. Vengeance I sought. But I had nothing to do with killing the boy. That was Johanna’s doing. I learned she hired 3 thugs to fake murder by the fabled beast. Karma the beast actually showed to kill them. Meanwhile, I’ve spent most of the coin paying off my debts incurred from those scoundrels. Best I can offer you is 3 gold each.”
Next Session: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2021/06/s1e2-ubersreik-adventuresslaughter-in.html
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