S3E1: Death on the Reik - Salvage Rights enroute to Weissbruck

Leaving Boganhafen: As dockworkers battled 2 fires (warehouses 13 and 20), the group used the confusion and chaos to slip aboard the BereBeli barge to pull in the lines and push off, into the river Bogen current. As the barge began to swing haphazardly, Gary ridiculed Brandiwyn, “I thought you knew how to sail the thing!” At least the bargemen Wolmar and Gilda woke to take control, “Why so early? The sun hasn’t risen yet.” Brandi offered, “Just thought Joseph would want an early start. Get his ware to Weissbruck first, before the merchants dragged their post-festival goods overland.”

Henryk (Bill) noble, Guard now Witch-Hunter

Brandiwyn (Tony) riverman now RiverWarden

Mallorhan (Brian) wood-elf Messenger

Gary (Matt) Warrior Guard now Cavalryman

Sister Agnes (Duane) noble, nun now Warrior Priestess of Shallya

Katja (Geoff) noble, entertainer now Bounty Hunter

On-the-Job-Training: It was a 3-day sail back to Weissbruck but this time with the river current. Henryk used the time to resume his disguise, worried Altdorf Road Wardens might still be on the lookout for “the man who killed that noble.” As Gary tried fishing over the railing, Brandi apprenticed under Wolmar to learn a few sailing tips. By dusk they were already tying lines to the Crossrut docks. “First lesson: we don’t sail at night as you can never see rocks, sandbanks, or other river obstacles.”

Another dockside bar where Joseph offered the first round. Where other patrons scoffed at the emperor’s decree, “If there ain’t no mutants, then what killed the crown prince’s ‘Skilled Adventurers’ who signed up to journey into the Grey Mountains?!” Another rebuffed, “Beastmen ain’t mutants. And survivors say it was beastmen shooting lightning out of green sticks.” Still another, “You fool. Beastmen are too dumb to handle such weapons. Besides, we have our own problems what with bandits harassing our road trade.” Joseph made note to add Crossrut to his trade route. Agnes made note to seek out the Altdorf prince advertising the Grey Mountains’ adventure.

Primitive Fletching: Once again, sunrise was announced by Joseph’s loud snoring. The proverbial morning rooster-crow, except Joseph failed to wake till they were already hours sailing towards Weissbruck. Suddenly, as lookout in the crow’s-nest, Gary called out, “Long tree-branch hanging low over the right riverbank! Looks like a body clinging to it. Correction. 4 crossbow bolts decorate his back! Be on watch for attacks!” Henryk hefted the gaff to retrieve the body to Agnes’ protests. “What?! The boy is already dead.” Brandi helped steer the barge closer to pull the body aboard. And immediately pilfered his pockets. Agnes noted the lack of bloating, “He hasn’t been dead that long.” Gary inspected the bolt fletching, “Primitive but not goblin.”

Agnes interrupted Brandi about to dump the body back into the river. “What sister? It’s the way of the river. Let Bogen take him.” Joseph appeared on-deck to agree. And that’s when they rounded a bend. And saw another barge about the size of their own hung up in an eddy about 25 feet from the shore. “Look for survivors! And be on lookout for ambush.” Joseph refused to draw near the other barge for fear of also getting caught in the eddy, “Anchor here. Use the skiff to check it out.” With Mallorhan and Agnes as rearguards in the BereBeli crow’s-next, the others climbed into the skiff to row towards the derelict. Agnes sang out, “Someone’s aboard! I saw an axe-handle before it dropped below the railing. Could be a survivor with the axe imbedded in his gut.”

Silence, except for the swirling water slapping at the derelict. Till an owl hoot interrupted the solemn moment. [INT 03] Henryk cautioned, “Poor excuse for an owl. Keep an eye out; it came from that tree over there.” Henryk tossed his grapplehook over the railing to draw the skiff nearer to then climb aboard the barge and take guard as the others followed. Gary climbed, then knelt beside 2 bodies aboard the barge, “Older man and woman hacked to death. No sign of the axe, sister mentioned.” Katja climbed aboard.

And that’s when tree branches high along the shore danced as a winged-man took flight! A crossbow in its human hands aimed at the BereBeli. Mallorhan was faster; his arrow hit the harpy in its leg. But that’s when 2 more birdmen stepped out of hiding aboard the derelict and attacked Henryk with surprise. Henryk failed to dodge the one birdman with an axe imbedded in its skull: [critical] its claws shredded a chunk of his left armor sleeve, followed by its beak [critical] jarring the same arm to almost numbness. Likewise, the other feathery birdman attacked with a sword that Henryk barely blocked with his bow.

Katja climbed around crates to attack the axe-head birdman, while Gary leveled his pistol at the feathery one. The bullet destroyed a crate but at least the birdman ran in fear. Meanwhile, Brandi tied up the skiff and was about to climb aboard, when tentacles rose from the swirling water. The riverman just gulped full lungs of air before he was pulled under water.

Agnes chanted a blessing that caused the airborne harpy [failed Cool] to dip its wing, turn, and fly away. Which gave the elf freedom to aim at the thrashing waters near the other barge, waiting for a clear shoot at the tentacled beast once it rose again. And Brandi was doing his best to make that happen as he madly stabbed with his short-blade. All the while his lungs slowly started to ache from the long minutes underwater.

Aboard the barge, Katja cornered the feathery foe and slew it. Chaos all around, Henryk yanked the axe from his foe’s head and cleaved its neck. He rushed to the railing to grab the grapplehook which he threw at the thrashing waters. He was hoping to hook a tentacle but hooking his ally was another potential target. At least pull him to the surface. But Gary was more direct in his actions: he removed his armor and dove into the water with his sword thrust forward. Moments too late, for the octopus-man enveloped Brandi with 2 tentacles to pull him towards its beak to bite down on his left leg. [critical] The pain was unbearable, forcing Brandi to gasp for air only to suck in water. He went limp as he began drowning.

Which was kind of a good thing. The octopus-man released him to find another target. And Katja complied by climbing down into the skiff for a better vantage point. A tentacle rose from the water, about to strike her, when Mallorhan loosed a readied-arrow that pinned the tentacle to the side of the skiff. The octopus-man thrashed to free itself to then swim deep into the eddy, abandoning its attack. Which allowed Gary to rescue Brandiwyn and bring him to the surface. Agnes pumped water out of his lungs till Brandi gasp for air. Only then did the sister treat everyone’s wounds. Luckily, those that had swum in the water did not suffer disease. Nor did Katja or Henryk suffer more corruption having witnessed the chaotic beasts. [They were lucky to hold their own mutations at bay… for the time being.]

Salvage Rights: A search of the barge found a manifest listing its crated supply of wool. Agnes found the captain’s records, “The barge is registered in Schilderheim, further up the Reik. Joseph called across the river, “Too risky to tow. You’ll have to sail it yourself. As for salvage rights, you’ll have to file in Altdorf. 25 gold just to file; another 100 gold to claim the ship. Which is still a bargain considering such ship normally costs 450 gold. Of course, you’ll also owe me 10% fees for your first year in operation. My part of the salvage. I’ll even let you join me in my current trade route and business.”

Brandi may have apprenticed under Wolmar, but he wasn’t THAT confident he could sail the barge by himself. But luck appeared in the form of a 15-year-old Strigany hideout. Brandi found Renata below deck, hiding in a barrel. “I hid from the birdmen. Then heard another fight. Are Fritz, Lucretia and their son Albrecht still alive? I grew up on the water; I can help sail the barge at least as far as Weissbruck, my home.”

It took a half-hour to get things in order before both barges raised anchor and joined the river current. Wolmar came aboard to ‘measure’ Renata’s skills while continuing Brandi’s training during the next 5 hours sail to the Gromdorf docks. Local bar gossip included grief about the emperor’s decree regarding mutants. Along with, “I hear a crown prince is being held prisoner by the emperor for his outspokenness about mutants. Is that the same prince who sought adventurers? Was he defying the emperor's orders and purposefully targeting mutants in the Grey Mountains?” Another, “Hell, I heard the village of Teufelfeuer just south of Altdorf was burned to the ground by a witch-hunter who claimed it infested by mutants.” Looking at Henryk, the man added, “He wasn’t arrested. Claimed his actions just since notices hadn’t been posted yet.” Still another spoke about the emperor Franz bedridden with illness, “God forbid; his heir Wolfgang is an incompetent fool.” Henryk perked up when he heard, “There are riots in Mittenland as the followers of Ulric are turning on the true followers of Sigmar.”

Weissbruck: Another day sail and training till they pulled up to the familiar dock and Blackgold Bar where the BereBeli was almost torched by the crossbowman Herr Adolfus Kuftsos in his quest to rid the land of Gary, aka Kastor Leiberung. Renata gathered her belongings and said goodbyes as this was her home. Wolmar also exited to rejoin the BereBeli crew. Joseph said his goodbyes too, “Without papers, you cannot sail the shortcut canals to Altdorf. You’ll have to sail downriver to Carroburg to then enter the River Reik to sail into the capital. I’d recommend selling the wool in Carroburg to avoid heftier taxes in the capital. That way you’ll have the gold to register the ship in your name before other claim-jumpers get wind of the salvage operation.”

As Gary approached the Weissbruck harbormaster, 2 men approached to ask, “Know where we can find crates of wine?” Gary was about to suggest Joseph’s barge, till he paid attention to their body-language. Their left pinky almost picking their nose as they waved their right hand against their right temple in a ‘cookoo’ gesture. He repeated the signal then accepted their handshake (which left purple paint on his palm) as they added, “Cost about twenty-thousand gold.” Gary tried to play along as Kastor, although the verbal exchanges were nonsense. When they left, he signaled Mallorhan to follow…discretely. The elf tracked them to another bar within the city; yet, when he returned with support, the men were gone.

Meanwhile, Brandi had his own agenda: a dinner date with the herbalist Elvyra he’d met at the Schaffenfest. OK, drinks at a bar near her shop. Agnes asked to join him which drew Brandi’s joking surprise, “You’re suggesting a 3 some?!” Except Elvyra was not at the Happy Man Inn. With directions from the barkeep, they found her quaint cottage, but a smashed side window raised an alarm. Brandi tried the door, but it was locked. “Elvyra? You OK?” Silence. He climbed thru the broken window then unlocked the door for Agnes.

They searched the tossed kitchen and parlor before Agnes found a blood-stained note, “Final warning! Deliver the goods to the Red Barn by sunset tonight!”

As Brandi returned to the Happy Man Inn to learn about this “red barn”, Agnes rushed back to the docks for the others. Fortune they were not staggering drunks, thus able to mount a rescue mission. They joined Brandi who informed, “Plenty of red barns, but the one we want is across the canal. Home of the first settlers who established the city.” They found a riverman who rented his rowboat for the crossing.

Faint light leaked out of the dilapidated barn doors. Brandi snuck forward and could hear snoring on the other side of the doors. Peeking thru the gaps in the siding, he could make out the form of someone asleep in a chair tilted against the door. Henryk and Mallorhan snuck forward; Henryk helped the elf climb up to the hayloft and its open door. As the others plotted their actions, they did not realize the elf was already shooting at targets at the far end of the loft. They did not realize 2 other men stood watch over Elvyra tied and gagged in a chair. They did not realize their fortune the elf missed, considering a single arrow would only wound and raise an alarm.

Silently ticking off his fingers, “3, 2, 1”, Brandi quickly opened the door causing the inside chair to fall backwards. Henryk clasped his hand over the surprised guard’s mouth and drug him outside as Brandi closed the barn door. With Gary’s blunderbuss in his face, the frightened man was more than willing to talk. “Tall man from Altdorf paid us to grab her. Didn’t ask why; just supposed to deliver her unharmed. Paul can tell you more. He’s got her up in the loft as we await a boat.” Brandi rattled off instructed for the man who’d already peed his pants.

They escorted him inside where he called out in a shaky voice, “Paul, come down and take watch while I go pee.” Paul reluctantly descended the ladder, “It’s a frigging old barn. Just pee in the corner.” His next words cut short as Gary thrust his blunderbuss in his face while holding his index finger to his lips. He whispered, “Call your buddy down.” Paul meekly complied, “Ziefried, the boats here. Time to go.” The men were quickly apprehended and handed over to the witch-hunter. Who displayed his torture device to threaten, “Forget the night. Return home and never say a word about the girl or us. Unless you want this ‘pear’ rammed up your bung.”

Elvyra was quickly untied, allowing her to confess. “I am known as Liza in Altdorf. I thought I left all that behind. I was skilled at…. poison. But I grew tired of the profession and decided to start a new life elsewhere. I guess the guild doesn’t take kindly to my absence. And my knowledge of who they targeted. Thanks for an offer to ride on your barge, but you’re headed north. I’d just as soon go south. I understand I could get lost in Ubersreik with all the chaos growing in that city. I’ll gladly reward you for my rescue. Just name it. Whatever potion or herb I can brew is yours.”

Next Session: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2021/09/s3e2-enemy-withindeath-on-reik.html