6: Bookkeeping

I'm not really sure which players and characters were present for this session, except for Klaus who was definitely not there. The session started on the evening of the Aubentag 28th Brauzeit.

Zombrie, Haakon, and Thijens seemed to be trapped beneath the Mamood warehouse in Rijkspoort, near the Indic district. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Thijens swam through the flooded passage and discovered (ie hit his head on) an iron gate that barred any escape. After a couple of inspections, he managed to tie a rope to the gate and swam back to the passage. Everyone pulled and the gate soon gave way.

By now a bunch of Indics were rushing down the passageway, picking their way through the attempt at a barricade you had made. As they got through, the last of you dived into the water and followed the rope towards the canal.

Thijens surfaced first and looked around to see that the coast was clear. Haakon surfaced next, which was odd because he had been the last to leave. Thijens dived back down and eventually found Zombrie struggling under the weight of his pack and mail shirt. He managed to help him to the surface. You made your careful way to a ladder, out of sight of the Black Caps, and from there escaped into the night.

The three of you thought about going straight to Anand to give him the statue and claim your reward (you seemed to think it would be 500 guilders), but something didn't seem right so you decided to go back to the Hole and think about stuff. A few of you suggested that you may have been set up deliberately by Anand, but could think of no reason why.

You may have been sad that your colleague and friend, Hermann, had been claimed by the Seaweed Man, but you all seemed to be putting on a brave face and not letting it show. You told Felix Klugschpirt (the landlord) that Hermann was dead. Felix was a bit upset because it meant clearing out his nook and putting in clean bedding.

You sent a message by urchin-post to the Raj Imahlia that Anand should meet you in the middle of Hoogbrug at midday the next day to exchange cash for statue. You waited up for a long time, for the urchin to return with an answer but he never did.

When you did finally get to your room, you found that Felix had already rented out Hermann's bed to some salty sea dog called Bart who had until recently been serving in the Marienburg Marine (yes, that elite military institution). For some strange reason you seemed to regard Bart as one of your own and decided to involve him in your adventures from now on. It was almost as if he were a replacement in your affections for Hermann.

Morning of the 29th Brauzeit.

Zombrie went to work, keen to impress, it seemed because of his impending initiation into the cult. Haakon talked Bart into helping them out with their meeting on Hoogbrug, agreeing on a detailed sliding scale of violence/remuneration. Thijens went up to Rijkspoort to find Nips who had been left outside the Mamood warehouse and had probably scarpered.

As midday approached, Bart began psyching himself up, using strange chants he had learned in the marines. The three of you waited on the bridge for a while but there was no sign of Anand. Then Haakon felt a sharp pain in his back. He pulled a small throwing blade from his wound and realised instantly that there was some sort of poison on it. He looked around and noticed someone disappearing into the crowd. He shouted instructions to Bart to 'apprehend' him. Haakon sat down, feeling lightheaded.

The would-be assassin did not notice he was being followed until the marine charged him. The two faced each other on the bridge and an expectant crowd gave them room, they could tell it was gonna be a decent scrap. The assassin whipped out two long, thin bladed daggers in a very ostentatious manner, trying a bit too hard to impress.

With two swift thrusts blood began to pour from a deep wound in Bart's arm. He was in great pain. Summoning all his resolve and energy, the marine made a desperate attempt to end the fight early and the blade of his long sword cut through the air. The assassin's head glided through the air, describing a gentle arc as it flew over the side of the Hoogbrug and fell gracefully towards the Reik.

A murmur of appreciation spread through the crowd and a ripple of applause was heard. Bart, and Haakon, realised they needed medical attention and headed towards the Guild of Physicians. The assassin’s headless body finally toppled over and he dropped his cool daggers. Four watchmen decided it would be prudent to move aside as Bart continued on his way.

You were seen to by a young house physician at the guild. He stitched and bandaged Bart but didn't seem very interested in Haakon, although he agreed the wound was a bit odd. He told him to come back the next day, if he didn't wake up.

Haakon was still concerned about feeling faint and went to consult the herbalist at the Fleur de Lys Herbiary on Wasplaatz in Kruiersmuur. She gave him some tea for the fever and a mustard and cranberry poultice for the wound and asked him to return in the morning, just to make sure. Despite her erm... maturity, the young lad from Norsca seemed to be quite smitten. Bart went to have a lie down and rest his wounds in the Hole and was soon joined by Haakon.

Meanwhile, Zombrie went to check out the Raj Imahlia. After staking it out for a while, he went in and asked to see Anand. Anand didn't look pleased to see him, and told him he didn't care about the statue. They had a bit of an argument and it seemed Anand wouldn't be paying for the statue after all, and that Zombrie should not mess with him.

Backertag 30th Kaltzeit

Over breakfast you heard rumours that the Seaweed Man had struck again and that some kids had actually seen him putting another kid into his sack and then running off.

Zombrie went to work, on his way home he popped into the Leaves in the Wind book shop. The shop was quite labyrinthine, and the proprietor couldn't speak. He wrote everything he had to say down on a slate, with chalk. He seemed to be very interested in the Liber Nivea and the scroll, and asked Zombrie to leave them there so that a client might look at them and come back in three days. Zombrie reluctantly agreed.

Haakon went back to the Fleur de Lys, feeling much better. The herbalist was pleased with the way the wound had responded. Haakon asked her about the white powder he had taken from the bedroom at the Mamood Warehouse. She explained it was actually White Lotus, like Black Lotus, which you all knew about, but faster, higher, stronger, and more expensive. Haakon gave her a small amount of the substance for her help. She warned him to be careful.

Over the next few days until the 1st Festag everyone went their separate ways, mostly.

Haakon eventually tracked down Rotter and sold him the Lotus for 100 Guilders. He also took the Anish-Shaibna to Stubfoot's. Stubfoot's man liked the small monkey-head icon that Haakon had picked up at the warehouse and paid him 3 Guilders for it. He offered him only 10 schillings for the statue, which Haakon accepted, glad to be rid of the thing.

Most of Haakon's time was spent perfecting a 'street performance' whereby the man dressed up in strange bright red clothes, and with the help of his pet stoat, also dressed in bright red clothes (acquired from a street urchin's doll) they do a dance and expect people to give him money. He turned a few heads, just off Wasplaatz, but never really managed to pull a big crowd.

Thijens found Nips up in Rijkspoort and took him back to the Hole for food and sleep. He picked up the leather armour he had ordered from the armourer in Wasplaatz, and got matching gloves. He also bought a wide brimmed hat that he thought made him look very cool and tough. He went to Stubfoot's and got rid of all the icons and candlesticks that he had looted from the temple. He has started hanging out outside the Kruiersmuur watch headquarters, learning to read by looking at wanted posters. And he continued ratting at the Hole.

Bart eventually found some work, acting as a nightwatchman up in Noordmuur, on a ship called The Far Swan, that had just come in from Araby, or somewhere. There were two huge crates in the hold that he had to keep safe. It was an easy night's work and Johannes Jaeger offered him the same job for the next night.

The next evening as Bart turned up for work there was a bit of an argument going on between Jaeger and some dockers. They seemed to want to take one of the crates, but Jaeger would not allow it. Once Bart stepped in, the dockers sloped off, but warned they might be back. The problem seemed to be that Jaeger worked for a Herr Cloos of 'Cloos and Drexol', while the dockers were working for Herr Drexol. The legal position was not at all clear and Jaeger told Bart just to do his best to protect the crates. As it happened the dockers did not return and Bart had a peaceful night.

Zombrie attempted to enter the cult of Ulric. He sailed upstream on the 'White Wolf' for a few hours with the head priest. When it looked like they had come to a good place they prayed until morning. As the sun rose, Zombrie was stripped naked (kinda) and sent out into the wilderness. Interpreting the controversial 'weapons provided by nature' stricture, Zombrie took a branch of a tree and turned it into some kind of club. As it began to get dark he heard the sound of a wolf calling from afar, which was odd, because the Grootscher Marsh does not normally support wolves.

The wolf charged out of the darkness and attacked Zombrie. Zombrie hit it pretty hard with his club, which only seemed to get it mad, and it grabbed his arm, drawing blood. The fight, after some of the recent excitement ended up being a pretty tedious war of attrition. Eventually the wolf seemed to win and the brave cleric fell into unconsciousness.

In the morning, Zombrie woke up next to a dead white wolf, surely some sort of sign from Ulric that Zombrie should enter the cult! Zombrie took the dead wolf, and after a number of hours spent looking, eventually found the boat again. The head priest looked to be pleased with his wayward protege and healed his wounds as best he could. He also noticed a strange, single long scar across Zombrie's back and declared it an omen from the god.

The next day, when the cleric had fully recovered, he went with Haakon and Bart to the Leaves in the Wind. There, the dumb proprietor offered him 250 guilders for the books. Zombrie accepted.

You were left in the Hole discussing the job that van Klincker had hired you to do; find the counterfeit 50 guilder credit notes.

The session ended about midday, Festag 1st Kaltzeit. Appropriately, it's getting chilly now. The weather has turned and bitter winds have started blowing off the Sea of Claws. If you haven't got a very warm winter coat, I advise you to get one.