7: Pub Brawl

Festag 1st Kaltzeit

The session started on Festag 1st Kaltzeit. Everyone was sat round having a cheap lunch at the Hole. In the middle of the banter and polite conversation, while everyone filled Klaus in on events with Anand, Zombrie revealed that he would be moving out, to a residence 'more in keeping with his status'. He had arranged to take a room in the True Kipper, a more upmarket establishment on Stoessel island in Suiddock.

Thijens shared his theory about Anand, that they had been framed to get them out of the way, because they had discovered his eye-smuggling practice, or something. And, proposed that would be a good enough reason to kill him, or at least torch his restaurant.

Bart was called away by urchin-post to the Far Swan in Noordmuur, the ship he had been night-watching. He rushed off and Klaus went along, too. Bart and Klaus arrived as a gang of dockers, accompanied by a lawyer, were taking away one of the crates on a cart pulled by two struggling mules. Jaeger was there looking a bit upset. Bart took Klaus' sawn-off halberd and smashed the cart's rear wheel. The cart over balanced and the crate smashed into the ground, scattering wood and revealing a large stone sarcophagus. The top was etched with strange picture writing, mostly of herons, or something. At which, the dockers became irate and punched his head in.

Klaus managed to bribe the dockers with the price of a new wheel to give up Bart's unconscious body and dragged him back to the ship. When Bart came round, Jaeger asked them to protect the other sarcophagus and feared the dockers might return at any time. Klaus went back to the Hole to try and find everyone.

After some shopping, Thijens went to see Zombrie's new digs at the True Kipper and convinced him to help him learn to read and write.

Haakon went to Wasplaatz to dance for money with his incredible dancing stoat. He also thought about a way of 'dancing' that might give people different impressions of his appearance. Klaus found him there, but after watching a bit of the 'entertainment' decided it might be best if he didn't let on that he knew the strange dancer.

Klaus also went to Stubfoot's and tried to ingratiate himself with the guy that worked there, and to get a meeting with Stubfoot himself. It was explained that Klaus would have a lot higher chance of meeting him if he could put some decent business his way and prove his worth.

Messages were left in some of the likeliest places that everyone should meet up at the Far Swan as soon as possible.

Everyone assembled at the Swan for nightfall. Jaeger left everyone expecting another visit from the dockers. Some sort of defensive plan was put into operation and some people slept some of the time. Haakon dreamt of a new, complete dance that he felt sure would make people look at him in a new light.

Wellentag 2nd Kaltzeit

In the morning, Drexol's lawyer turned up with the mob again. There was a stand-off and much taunting. Jaeger and the lawyer had a heated debate which degenerated into an argument. A Black Cap seemed to emerge from the crowd and tried to resolve the problem. The lawyer was keen to impress Haakon (for it was he, in disguise, of sorts) with some legal technicality. The Black Cap (Haakon, remember) decreed that it should probably need to go back to the courts. After some more arguing and name-calling the impasse was broken as the dockers sloped off. The lawyer said he would be back.

Jaeger decided it might be safer to bring the crate back to the 'museum' beneath Cloos' house. With the help of a few locals you managed to get it on the back of the cart and gingerly made your way to the house in Handelaarmarkt. There, you carefully unloaded and brought it down to the basement. Cloos' basement had been converted into a display area for his many weird and wonderful artefacts. Cloos himself came down to supervise the unpacking of the crate, insisting everyone be especially careful.

All the while, Klaus cased the joint, looking for opportunity and something small but valuable. he was especially drawn to a pair of golden, ceremonial Arabyan curved daggers. After Cloos and Jaeger had gone you all settled down for the night and played a game of cards on the sarcophagus' lid.

Aubentag 3rd Kaltzeit

The night was largely uneventful, until towards daybreak you heard a smashing of glass and footsteps on the floor above. Thijens and Bart rushed out the front to investigate. Haakon and Zombrie stayed with the sarcophagus, and Klaus used the disturbance to swipe the daggers.

Upstairs Bart found Cloos on the floor of his bedroom dying of a heart attack, his distraught wife by his side. However tragic the circumstances, and however distraught she was, Bart couldn't help noticing how young and lovely the lady looked.

Thijens, who had run the other way, discovered an ancient, ragged figure making its escape. He tried to stop it, but took a bandaged toe to the groin, which hurt. The bag of rags then jumped out the window into the ornamental faux Nipponese water garden.

After a few moments hesitation Zombrie and Haakon pursued the Arabyan, bandaged, dried, flakey, flesh-figure (OK, it's a mummy) through the hole it had made in the bamboo fence at the back of the garden. They caught up with it in the lane behind the house. Zombrie hit it hard, a couple of times, but this did not seem to affect it much. Then as Haakon danced, the mummy seemed to fall over for no apparent reason. While it was on the ground Haakon hit it very hard and it stopped moving. They quickly set fire to it and by the time the watch arrived they were having a merry bonfire.

The house was soon in uproar. The watch arrived, including a strutting sergeant who seemed to suspect everyone. Klaus hid the daggers in the garden. The sergeant sent you all downstairs and made you wait for a while. You did take professional pride in the fact that the sarcophagus was still safe and sound.

The sergeant interviewed you all but you gave him no reason to suspect you of anything other than incompetence and smelling a bit bad. When he had gone (most of) you insisted to Jaeger that you be paid for your night's work. He could not believe how heartless and mercenary you were being, but paid up. Meanwhile, Klaus retrieved the daggers and made his own way towards Stubfoot's of Kruiersmuur.

Everyone went home to get some kip before your meeting with van Klincker that evening. You also felt the chill air blowing in from the north and some of you decided to buy coats, which was very sensible.

You all gathered at the Duke in time to meet van Klincker. Klaus and Bart, who had never actually met the man hung out nonchalantly. Not meeting him with much hope that you would get too much sense out of him, you were not disappointed. He seemed vacant, again. His attention often strayed to the door, and several times had to be reminded of the credit notes and other details of what you were talking about. He did have a couple of episodes where he seemed extremely tense and almost enraged, but these were soon replaced by his general spaced-out-ness.

Thijens took advantage of the situation and kind of made van Klincker agree to pay you 1000 Guilders. Unfortunately he didn’t have much money on him and asked you to visit him at his home in the morning. You were unconvinced that you would actually get your money or that he would remember anything at all. He did say he had arranged another appointment and that you could drink and dine on him. Klaus and Bart soon joined you.

After the first half of a very good meal, you noticed a strange fellow burst into the bar. He was dressed, at first sight, in filthy old street-stained clothes, but what on a second look revealed themselves to be the finest silks; they had clearly seen better days. He shouted out some stuff like 'Hilde! Hilde! I've found you at last. I knew I'd find you again.', and everyone in the bar looked round. You noticed that he was addressing the woman who (coincidentally enough) was now dining with your man van Klincker.

The man seemed to have a bit of a breakdown, shouting and screaming at 'Hilde'. She did not look very happy, though she did look attractive, and went over to him. She was curiously attired in exotic leathers with strange writing (that none of you could make out) on. Some of you thought she might be an elf, she was that beautiful, but she wasn't.

Hilde had a brief conversation with the man, which you couldn't overhear, and left him collapsed on the floor crying his eyes out, then she stormed out the back door. Van Klincker looked very embarrassed and made an I'm-a-bit-embarrassed face at you before following her out as fast as he could.

You all saw Guilder signs disappearing as van Klincker left. Thijens got up quickly to follow them, but too quickly. He bumped into a rather large bloke carrying a tray and spilt his eight pints all over his shirt and Thijens' shirt and the floor. To add insult to injury, and in possibly one of the great misjudgements, Thijens said, 'Get out the way, fatty!'. The man turned purple and punched Thijens squarely on the nose.

It was a punch of wonder, a poetical alignment of body and spirit. Thijens sailed through the air, landing on your dining table. The drinks and plates went everywhere, showering you in an array of foodstuffs. The table broke, and Thijens lay upon it, very unconscious. Pub Brawl!

Most of the bar erupted into mayhem. The big guy held up well, despite being hit over the head by a chair, wielded by Bart and being told to be good by a Haakon disguised as a Black Cap, then being assaulted by Bart experimenting with roast chicken-based weapons. Eventually Haakon knocked him over and Bart put the boot in.

Klaus tried to sneak off in pursuit of van Klincker but ran up against one of the big man's big mates who punched him down, too. Klaus regained his senses enough to drag himself away from the melee.

Zombrie tried to jump in to attack the big man but slipped on the spilled food and landed on the floor at the feet of two more of the big man's big mates. He managed to get to his feet as a couple of punches sailed by. He then (in a breach of pub brawl etiquette) started wielding his hammer and sent one of his opponents flying. The fat guys drew their daggers and rained blows down on him, none of them being effective against Zombrie's armour.

Haakon tried wielding some more magic but something strange happened. Something went wrong with the spell. The power that Haakon had experimented with all his life and learned to control by himself did something unexpected. Like clawed hands, reaching out from an impenetrable void and grabbing his skull, things came out of the source of the magic, and momentarily fixed themselves in his mind. Or something. Haakon was too shocked to do much, and simply sat down.

Then the Black Caps turned up. Bart managed to grab Thijens and carry him out the back way. Order was restored. Amazingly, they apologised to Zombrie that a man of the cloth should witness such uncivilised behaviour and promised some of the other brawlers a night in the cells. They looked at Zombrie as if to say 'if we ever see you again, you'll be in big trouble.' Haakon just sat there.