4: The Spaltestein

Everyone woke up. Johannes spent the next few days out of the session, and attending some sort of academic institution which will no doubt benefit him in the future.

It was Wellentag 27th Brauzeit morning and the start of a new week. Everyone seemed in a good mood to start the week, and the sun was shining. Nobody, surprisingly, was diseased in any way. Zombrie went off to the Temple of Ulric and got some cleaning in, he also got a bit of a lecture from the head priest about his sloppy conduct and how he should buck his ideas up if he wanted to serve Ulric. Thijens went to do some ratting below the Hole in the Wall. Hermann had a chat with Rotter who arranged to meet him that evening with a nice job. They decided it would also be a good opportunity for Hermann to take the boat out on his own and see if he could handle it. Klaus and Haakon went up to the Duke of Parravon and waited for people to turn up.

A few rumours were heard. Some of which involved Zombrie in some sort of heroic struggle with the forces of evil, which Haakon and Klaus were a bit annoyed about. There were also rumours that the cellars beneath the Guildhall were now haunted. There were rumours that the Seaweed Man did it. There were rumours that Visser's apprentice, Gustav Taalin had murdered his master and dumped his body in the canal, and then killed his household and also started the riot. You guessed that perhaps Taalin was the guy who was guarding Ana, and who had been attacked by Ana's wraith giving you time to escape.

After a few drinks at the Duke, Haakon and Zombrie went to seek an audience with Prof. Gruybaar. Amazingly he agreed to see them and seemed to recognise Zombrie, who he was convinced was doing a 'good thing' the night of the riots. Gruybaar seemed pretty confident that the PCs would sort out the haunting in good time. He explained that it had already killed three, a watchman, an usher, and a student and the cellars had been cordoned off. Haakon and Zombrie negotiated a load of medical supplies but didn't fix any sort of payment for the work, though Gruybaar said the rewards would be fair.

After more drinks in the Duke everyone headed back to meet Rotter. He told Hermann there was a package waiting for them in Paleisburt at the Kallis embassy. Haakon knew (somehow) that Kallis is a kingdom of Ind. Hermann agreed to be paid 20 Gu. for the job and offered his 'crew' 2Gu 10s. Hermann, after a bit of a shaky start, got the boat pointing in the right direction and was soon sailing across the city. You docked in Paleisbuurt, in a rather expensive quay, and only just managed to avoid denting 'The Grismarie'. You paid the berthing charge and leaving Thijens and his dog on guard, made your way to the Kallis embassy. Thijens found no rats on the boat.

Paleisbuurt Embassy Row, is a nice wide street with loads of large houses on. You found the Kallis embassy and checked out the tradesmen's entrance. Out the back of an annex, you picked up a small crate with instructions to take it to Anand Amraj at the Raj Imahlia restaurant in Indierswijk, and took it back to the boat. It was plain sailing this time and Hermann seemed to be getting the hang of this boating thing. Halfway to Streusel's wharf, where you had decided to head for coz it's kind of near Indierswijk, Klaus noticed some strange pink liquid dripping from the crate. Although told not to open the crate, Zombrie and some others managed to convince Herman to prise it open very carefully. Eventually Zombrie got it open and found four eyes (two matching pairs, you think) packed in melting ice. You decided to put the lid back on and pretend you never opened it.

You tied up, double parked on the Red Mist. Its skipper, Lodwig Kraamelanger, wasn't impressed until you offered to pay him 8s for the privilege. You left Klaus on board to guard the boat, because he didn't want to have to walk past the Visser residence again and headed off to the Raj Mahlia restaurant. As you passed Visser's, Thijens noticed a watchman and a mysterious black clad figure looking at you from the window of the upper floor.

You got to the restaurant and were invited in by some Indic guy who didn't speak Wastelander. He showed you to a table in an alcove of the restaurant and seated you. As you waited for Anand, the waiters brought out loads of food which you thought was pretty good, although you hadn't had Indic food before. Halfway through the meal, Anand turned up, thanked you for the errand and took his crate. A few minutes later, he came back and thanked you pointedly for not being overcurious and carrying out your job to the letter. He also said that you could return in two days at dusk and he might have a job for you. Meanwhile, Thijens took care that there was no bits of eye in his byriani.

You finished your meal and made doggy bags for Nipper and Klaus. Meanwhile, on The Grismarie, Klaus was making conversation with Kraamelanger and was told he might be able to find work at The Sands. He also managed to find some of Rotter's cheese. When Kraamelanger went to have a drink in The Sands, Klaus had a quick look over the Red Mist but found nothing of interest, and no evidence it was leaking much.

You all got back to The Hole safely. Hermann met Rotter and got paid the agreed amount and so he paid his crew their cut and bought them a beer. Rotter also mentioned that he might need Hermann and the crew to sail to Carroburg or somewhere in the near future. You all went to bed and had a restful night.

The morning of Aubentag 28th Brauzeit, you all woke up and the sun was shining. It looked like it would be a fine day, if a little cold. Zombrie decided to study the Liber Nivea instead of coming down to breakfast. He spent a few hours on it, and decided that although the book looked like a conventional manual of herbal remedies, towards the end of the book it got strange and esoteric and some of the language was unfathomable. Zombrie then rushed off to work eating his Indic leftovers as he went.

Everyone else had breakfast and discussed what they might do about the hauntings beneath the Guild of Physicians. Hermann went up to the Kruiersmuur shops and bought a warhammer. Klaus went to Stubfoot's pawnshop and managed to sell his comb and brush set. Haakon tried to have an idea but couldn't manage it.

Thijens went ratting under The Hole. He found a couple of dead rats that had been gnawed and torn up a bit. he decided he had never seen anything quite like it before and had no idea what had killed and/or eaten them. The guys at the Kriersmuur Borough Office of Sanitation and Hygiene didn't have much of an idea, either.

As well as polishing the steps, Zombrie was told to dust the Spaltestein. The Spaltestein is some sort of holy artefact, said to be the only remaining piece from the shards created when Ulric did smite Manaan verily with the mountain and created the Manaanspoort See. It is said to offer protection from demons and their ilk. The idea that the Spaltestein could be used against Ana's wraith may have crossed the poor initiates mind as he dusted.

In the afternoon everyone went to the Temple of Morr, over the Daankkanaal and got an audience with one of the priests. He seemed to take you seriously even though you couldn't come up with a scientific description of the Wraith and agreed to visit the Guild of Physicians presently. You knew that when a priest of Morr says 'presently', it can mean anytime this year.

Zombrie told everyone about the Spaltestein (kind of) and everyone tried to convince him to steal it. He went back to the Temple of Ulric and tried to get the head priest there, Father Leofwik, to let him borrow it. They prayed together and the head priest told Zombrie that although he couldn't condone the moving of the Spaltestein, he must follow his instincts on the matter. He also warned him that the item must not be damaged. That was enough, and Zombrie quickly grabbed the stone and took it with him.

You all assembled by the physicians' guildhall and marched in. There were two guards on the steps going down to the cellars and Klaus ordered one to report to Gruybaar, which he duly did. You all made your way down the steps and then through the cellars to the caverns and passageways below. You found the body of a Black Cap with his features contorted in terror, which Hermann and Klaus looted.

Despite Klaus and Haakon having been there before, you soon got lost and wandered aimlessly around for some time. Then, without warning, Ana's wraith glided towards your rear, through the gloom, surprising you. She sunk her hands into Hermann's head and he began to feel weak, powerless to stop her. Thijens reacted quickly, legging it down the passageway as quickly as he could, taking the party's light source with him. He was soon joined by Klaus and Haakon.

In a seemingly prophesied moment (judging by the rumours you heard earlier), his loins girded by the Spaltestein and with the spirit of Ulric raging in him, Zombrie stepped forward and faced the wraith alone. In the darkness, only the wraith's brightly glowing eyes could be seen. Zombrie slapped it with his stone and it seemed to have some sort of effect. The wraith let Hermann go and turned to fight the initiate. After a short struggle, Ana's wraith was gone, leaving no sign of her tormented and tragic existence.

Back up in the guildhall many doctors and students, lead by Professor Gruybaar, were very interested in studying Thijens, Klaus, and Haakon for their classic signs of fear and terror. Gruybaar wished for you to visit him the next day to collect your reward.