Warhammer Short - Logs

[sleepingdragon]

Sleeping Dragon: months had passed since the armies of Archaon were defeated. Still, months later, the roads were quieter than before the Storm. The forests and mountains were still filled with bands of Beastmen, Greenskins, Mutants, and Chaos worshippers, the remnants of Archaon's hordes, and the people of the Empire still thronged in the great cities, not entirely willing to return home.

Some people were still willing to risk travel. In the hills south of the city of Wissenburg, in the Grand County of Wissenland on the Empire's southern border, was a party of four travellers.

At the head of the party rode a heavy-set man in a wine stained doublet, with greasy brown hair and watery blue eyes. Gottfried Gozengratz was, as was his wont, ignoring his companions and drawing a sketchy map of their surroundings, noting landmarks and the lay of the land in these relatively trackless regions of the Empire. Every now and again he took a drink from a bottle of red wine that stuck out of one of his saddlebags.
Gustav: Gustav swore to himself as he rubbed recent broken red nose. Above his red sore nose is his bloodshot light brown eye along with dark brown hair. He sneered at the bottle, trusting instead fine ale. Needless to say, he may be short, his pale face from long harsh task of his work. In spite of his smallness, he looked strong and tough. Not just because his worn out leather armour that covered his chest and arms.
Tommy Red Hand: At the back walked the small, almost childlike figure of a halfling. Tommy's hair shone copper in the weak sunlight, matched by the glint of a mail shirt and the plain shield slung on his back. A pot & kettle hung from his pack, but he had a sword at his belt with a sling dangling next to it, and looked around with sharp hazel eyes. Hot with walking, he had rolled up the sleeves of his patched shirt, revealing a detailed and finely worked tattoo of a halfling killing a dragon on his upper arm.
Garil: The youngest of the company was a copper haired boy likely not much older than sixteen. Of average build, he wore tattered but relatively clean clothes and leather leggings with marks as if from the bites the bites of small animals. From his backpack stuck out a pole to which a bunch of dead rats were tied, and had a sling by his side, together with a small pouch likely containing rocks. Walking slightly hunched, he had a small but mean-looking dog beside him, which sometimes stopped to sniff the air, likely for signs of prey.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy moved up next to Garil. He glared at Gustav & sniffed. "That fecker's going to fall off his pony if he drinks any more. I don't reckon he knows where the feck he's going."
Tommy Red Hand: edit* Gottfried not Gustav
Sleeping Dragon: "Shut your mouth, halfling. I've barely drunk anything, I'm saving myself for the Blue Boar. We still have five hours to Nordfels, I'd wager. My friend Egil runs the Blue Boar, and they brew the best beer in Wissenland. Dwarf made beer is exquisite." Gottfried gulped down the remainder of his wine and flung the bottle to the side of the track they were travelling on. "Unlike this swill, bah! I can barely stomach it," he said, pulling out a second bottle and fumbling with the cork.
Tommy Red Hand: "You'd drink Greenskin piss if it was alcoholic," Tommy retorted with a disgusted snort.
Gustav: "Beers." Gustav smiled a ugly smile but appreciatively, "Best drink in the world." He quickly frowned, "I would suggest not drinking piss..." Hie eyes crinkled with memorues.
Garil: "I'd save the quarreling and the drinking - for when we're safe behind the walls of a city. "said Garil "Whatever's around in these hills, we'd best be ready to defend ourselves from it if it shows up. ". As he did so, he reflexively clutched the sling at his side
Sleeping Dragon: "With all your nagging you'd think you were my wife," Gottfried replied. "Do you speak of drinking Greenskin piss from experience? You are the right height after all. You slander me anyway, I can stop drinking whenever I choose."
Tommy Red Hand: "Really?" Tommy smiled grimly. "I'd like to see a better time to be sober than out here then,"
Gustav: "Ha!" Gustav with hint of disbelief in the tone. He glanced at Garil, "Bah, we are not simple country milkmaiden who walk down the muddy path..." His eyes glanced around seriously though.
Sleeping Dragon: "I am sober. Do you get drunk after one bottle of wine? I suppose you need different standards at that size." Gottfried took another drink and kicked his pony ahead so he could escape earshot of the halfling.
Tommy Red Hand: "Bastard!" Tommy muttered. "And how come he got a fecking pony then, & we're expected to walk?"
Sleeping Dragon: the party continued on. The land here was rocky, in the foothills of the mountains near the border with Bretonnia and the Dwarfen city of Karak Norn. Despite his continuous drinking, Gottfried seemed to know his way and led them along the path, marked by faint marks of hooves and wheels of traffic that had mostly gone in the other direction, towards Wissenburg.

Shortly after sundown, they began to see signs of a moderately sized village. They rode downhill along the western side of a tributary of the river Sol, passing a few outlying farms where herders kept flocks of sheep. "This is Nordfels, the Blue Boar is where the river ends," said Gottfried. "Egil will be able to put us in touch with someone in Wissenland who can offer us work, he's an old hand at adventuring and I'm sure there are bands of Greenskins or whatever disgusting creatures need killing that are in this region."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy brightened up at the mention of killing.
Gustav: "Goody, always need more coins..." Gustav replied pithy
Garil: "We've killed some pretty big rats, Biter and me."Garil said looking down to his dog "Guess a few greenskins shouldn't be too much trouble. Well, I hope..."he added, as if he feared sounding too cocky
Sleeping Dragon: the party continued on and made their way into the centre of Nordfels. As they went they saw that a number of the buildings were plainly abandoned, burnt out with fire, while others still bore scars of damage, half-hidden beneath new timbers or straw. Near the centre of the village they saw a wide open space dotted with stalls, which were currently unoccupied.

Ignoring these, Gottfried led them to the end of the river where they came to a two storey building of sturdy wood with a sloping thatched roof. "The Blue Boar," Gottfried announced unncessarily
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded in approval at the inn. "Not a hovel, I'll grant you."
Gustav: "No... it is not after all." Gustav found himself agreeing with Tommy
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried handed the reins of his pony to a serving boy and dismounted uneasily. "Where did you think I was taking you?" Gottfried asked, sounding offended as he opened the door.

Within was a large room with a high ceiling supported by powerful beams, which was, for a tavern, surprisingly quiet. The lack of noise was all the more odd, for there was no lack of custom - at least forty people were spread throughout the room, speaking in hushed voices to each other as they sipped wine and beer.

Near the bar was a middle-aged Dwarf with close-cropped red hair. One eye looked to the party and followed their progress, while his second, glass eye stared randomly into a corner in which nothing was happening. "Egil, good to see you!" Gottfried exclaimed, moving towards the Dwarf. Egil the Innkeeper squinted at Gottfried for a while before replying.

"Is it...Gottfried? Marcus' brother? Yes, Gottfried, that's it. This is quite a surprise."

"More presumptuous strangers!" one of the people in the bar shouted. "Like your merchant friend, Wolfgang! You still owe me three shillings by the way, you cheap bastard!"

Another patron, presumably Wolfgang, replied from the other side of the room, "I paid you back Hildrech you idiot! We'd all be happier if you shut your mouth!"
whispering to Gustav, Gustav was well accustomed to gang type behaviour, having served in many jails, and he immediately saw signs of that here. The customers in the Blue Boar were obviously arranged into three groups - one near Egil and the bar, another by the door, and a third near the back of the inn. Each group left several tables between themselves and the other groups, and eyed each other warily
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy frowned for a moment then marched across to the bar. "Now the reunion is out of the way perhaps we can have some beer. I'll have a half."
Sleeping Dragon: Egil nodded and went to quickly pour Tommy a half of beer while the argument between Hildrech and Wolfgang continued.

"You're a liar Wolfgang! You only paid half back, I lent you six shillings to fix that hole in your barn and get your wife's medicine!"

"You filthy cheat!" Hildrech started to shout back, before Egil intervened. "QUIET! If you want to drink here, deal with your money problems somewhere else!"
Sleeping Dragon: *Wolfgang started to shout back
Tommy Red Hand: "Looks like you're all been having problems, judging by what we saw on the way in," Tommy said to Egil. "What happened here?"
Gustav: Gustav merely eyed them all warily before going toward to the bar saying loudly, "I heard that you produce excellent beers. I have a tankard please." He put a firm arm on Garil, dragging him toward to the bar, "Some for him as well." He whispered hurrdily to Garil and Tommy, "Three gangs is not fond of each other..."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy raised his eyebrows.
Garil: "I was about to ask..."said Garil as Gustav dragged him - though his protest sounded half-hearted.
Sleeping Dragon: "Two for me," Gottfried ordered. Egil rolled his eyes and handed mugs of beer to the party. "Everyone is a bit tense," Egil explained to Tommy. "Since they found poor Karel dead, the village has split in three and no one trusts each other, now they're starting arguments over the stupidest of things..."

"Listen, Wolfgang, you can keep the money, if you'd only say thank you it would be appreciated. You never even thanked me you ungrateful bastard!"
Tommy Red Hand: "What happened? Murder?" Tommy asked.
Garil: Garil listened intently as he drank, stopping before the mug was empty to pour the last drops to Biter who savored them greedily before lying down. "Dead? How?"he asked eager to know more throughly the cause of this
Sleeping Dragon: Egil nodded. "Kicked to death, the poor little fellow..."

"And you never thanked me when I paid you back, and now you're trying to cheat me out of three shillings you piece of shit!" Wolfgang yelled back. "If you want some money, get your alchemist to turn lead into gold and leave me alone!"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy gave Egil a sharp look. "Little fellow?"
Gustav: Gustav looked annoyed at the shoutings behind their back. "And no one know who did this misdeed?" He asked with hint of curiousty.
Sleeping Dragon: Egil looked embarassed. "Apologies, Karel the Entertainer was one of your kin. You lot, shut up!" he shouted ineffectually at Wolfgang and Hildrech.

"And who are you to talk anyway, Hildrech?" a man next to Wolfgang added. "You still have my good spade! Three months you've had it, are you not capable of fixing a handle?"

"Shut your mouth Rudiger, you fat idiot!" Hildrech shouted back, picking up an empty mug from the person sitting next to him and flnging it in the general direction of Wolfgang and Rudiger. The mug failed to even reach the table, but suddenly half the people in the room were on their feet grabbing at mugs or chairs and shouting curses.
Gustav: Gustav stood, looked at them with anger, shouting, "QUIET!"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy went very silent. "Maybe there is work for us here then." He pulled the sling from his belt and began to swing it gently back & forth, eyeing the crowd.
Garil: Garil reached for his sling too, but he did not make any overt gestures with it "Be careful we don't make things worse, we're strangers after all."he whispered to Tommy
Sleeping Dragon: the party's intervention was able to prevent a full scale brawl, and Egil soon gruffly ejected the principal troublemakers from the premises. As he came back to speak to the party, a new person entered the Inn.

The newcomer was a tall, solidly built man who bore himself in an imperious manner and wore a silver chain of office around his neck. "Burgomeister," Egil called to him, waving him over. The Burgomeister looked around at the room, shook his head disgustedly, and strode over to Egil.

"This is Burgomeister Gilder, he is in charge of Nordfels," Egil introduced him. "This is Gottfried Gozengratz, an acquaintance of mine, and these are his companions...I don't know your names but you were very helpful a moment ago." Egil would have said more, but at this point Gottfried finished his second beer and ordered more.
Tommy Red Hand: "Tommy Red Hand," Tommy said, nodding at the Burgomeister without any sign of deference.
Gustav: "Gustav, Burgomeister." He said respectfully.
Garil: "Garil, sir."said the young man somewhat deferentially, bowing slightly
Sleeping Dragon: The Burgomeister looked over the party, then went and spoke to Egil briefly before returning. "I understand you chaps resolved an argument here a moment ago," he said in a clipped, aristocratic accent. "I have a proposal for you. There is a quaint tradition in this region which says that if there is a dispute amongst the peasantry, a number of people may be appointed as 'Schlichters' to arbitrate between the various parties. Now there's been some unpleasant business here and it has left everyone in this community mistrusting their neighbours. It is getting quite out of hand. No one from within this town could be considered to be neutral and therefore would not be suitable to try to resolve the disputes. Yourselves...however...I would like to ask if you chaps would like to serve as Schlichters and bring some measure of peace back to this village. You would have my sincerest gratitude. These quarrels that the menials engage in disrupt their work and make them surly and indolent. I will pay you of course. Will you accept?"

[sleepingdragon]

Sleeping Dragon: The Burgomeister looked over the party, then went and spoke to Egil briefly before returning. "I understand you chaps resolved an argument here a moment ago," he said in a clipped, aristocratic accent. "I have a proposal for you. There is a quaint tradition in this region which says that if there is a dispute amongst the peasantry, a number of people may be appointed as 'Schlichters' to arbitrate between the various parties. Now there's been some unpleasant business here and it has left everyone in this community mistrusting their neighbours. It is getting quite out of hand. No one from within this town could be considered to be neutral and therefore would not be suitable to try to resolve the disputes. Yourselves...however...I would like to ask if you chaps would like to serve as Schlichters and bring some measure of peace back to this village. You would have my sincerest gratitude. These quarrels that the menials engage in disrupt their work and make them surly and indolent. I will pay you of course. Will you accept?"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy drew himself up to his full four foot, and looked the Burgomeister in the eye. "How much?"
Gustav: Gustav nodded at the Tommy's question. "Will to do it providing it pay enough"
Sleeping Dragon: The Burgomeister smiled. "Firstly, I will pay for your food and lodging here at the Blue Boar. For every day that you act as Schlichters I will pay each of you two shilings. You will furthermore receive a gold crown each for every dispute you are able to resolve peaceably without need for a ruling from myself. If you're unable to resolve a dispute it will go to a "Marktgericht', a trial which I will preside over. You will receive a gold crown for every dispute you're able to bring out into the open to be formally solved in this way - the peasants love a bit of drama and I believe a good, stirring trial would do wonders for restoring their respect for rightful authority." The Burgomeister laughed, looked down at Tommy, coughed and then continued. "I trust this is sufficient recompense for your labours?"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked at the others for confirmation.
Garil: Garil looked cast quick glances at the others, obviously interested in the offer.
Gustav: Gustav nodded, "I am happy with this."
Tommy Red Hand: "Right" said Tommy with a nod at the burgomeister, "We're in business!"
Sleeping Dragon: "Excellent," the Burgomeister smiled. "I look forward to hearing of your success. If you need to speak to me you can find me at the large house on the south side of the Marktplatz - that's the large market square out in front of this building in case you didn't know." The Burgomeister turned to the rest of the room. "Good people! I have an announcement! These fine chaps here have agreed to serve as Schlichters, to resolve the disputes that are fragmenting this hitherto tranquil community. Hip-hip-hooray!" called the Burgomeister. Several in the three groups looked at each other dubiously, but Egil joined in the Burgomeister's cheer and soon most of those in the Boar were also celebrating and leaping up to buy drinks and toast to the Schlichters.
Sleeping Dragon: "This calls for a drink!" Gottfried announced, rushing over to Egil to buy a round for the party. Soon some of those from the group assembled near the bar were laughing with the party and encouraging them to have some celebratory drinks despite the late hour. A few of those gathered at the other tables came over to join, though the majorities remained separate.
Garil (enter): 19:57
Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (35072) Garil...
Tommy Red Hand: "How many families are involved in these disputes then?" Tommy asked Egil when he had a chance to speak.
Sleeping Dragon: "Most in Nordfels," Egil replied, attempting to serve several different customers at once. This failing, he had to head away and could not elaborate on his comment further. Gottfried returned holding a variety of drinks he shared out with the party. "We can start on this tomorrow, let's just celebrate for now," he said, looking exasperated at Tommy. He leaned down and quietly added. "What's the hurry? We're getting paid by the day!"
Gustav: "I agreed" He cleared another thankard of beers.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy gave him a cold look. "Information can be illuminating when you're completely in the dark." He took the drink.
Garil: Garil drank, though he seemed more concerned with their new job "Should we investigate the...murder first?"he asked in a hushed tone
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded, his eyes darting around the room. "We're probably drinking with the murderers right now."
Gustav: Gustav kept on drinking, clearly enjoying it
Sleeping Dragon: while Gustav and Gottfried drank a few Nordfels peasants under the table, Tommy and Garil circulated in the crowd. Garil learned that the town was split between supporters of two prominent citizens - an alchemist, Steffen Ostlander, and a merchant, Hein Kaufmann, and people feared their supporters would soon be fighting in the streets. Tommy learned that the forests northeast of Nordfels was infested with Greenskins, some of the remnants of Archaon's hordes from the Storm. A few people wondered if they might be somehow responsible for Karel the Entertainer's murder. Others disputed this and said that it was plainly someone in Nordfels who was behind the murder. "Tell you what," said one man, "Gerhard, Joseph and Franz seem to have taken the halfling's death pretty hard, maybe they know something. Pity they're not here tonight, but should be in tomorrow - they're usually here."
Tommy Red Hand: "Are they brothers?" Tommy asked the man.
Sleeping Dragon: "Cousins," he replied.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy asked where the cousins, and Oslander and Kaufmann, lived.
Sleeping Dragon: the cousins lived together on an outlying farm (where, he was told, their children and wives did most of the work while they drank and diced). Ostlander lived in a spacious house on the northern edge of town near the forest, his home notable by the Imperial flag hanging from the roof, while Kaufmann's home was in the southeastern side of town in a wooden building with a large stockroom attached.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy also asked what had caused the division between Ostander and Kaufmann.
Sleeping Dragon: by this time most of the patrons had already left or were beyond the point of conversation, and Tommy had little luck in finding an explanation for this. Egil suggested he could show them to their rooms.
Sleeping Dragon: edit: room
Server Administrator-> Kicking '(35038) Garil' from server... Removing dead client
Garil (exit): 20:43
Sleeping Dragon: Egil showed the party up to their room, lending a shoulder to support Gottfried, who had drunk slightly too much. "Alright, it's like this," Egil said as they went upstairs. "These days, Kaufmann and Ostlander control the entire town. It wasn't always this way - a few years ago Ostlander was the most influential person here. His connections in Altdorf, Nuln, and the Sigmarite Church made him the man to go to, if you needed anything, whether your children were ill or you owed some debts or anything. He'd always get it, for a price. And it wasn't usually money he was after, more favours.

Anyway, after the Storm this all changed and his connections seemed to dry up. When the Greenskins attacked and killed the herd and destroyed the fields, we had to face some pretty hard times. We lost a lot of children and elderly that winter. Then Kaufmann shows up suddenly with goods and food. Nobody knows how he did it, but he somehow got us back on some trade routes and got us through the hard times. He also got himself filthy rich doing this. Ever since then Ostlander and Kaufmann have been competing, trying to drive each other out so they can have free rein over the town. They don't get their own hands dirty of course, they have their own loyals.

The people in Nordfels never liked this plotting and scheming going on between those two, but what can you do? And then when Karel suddenly turned up dead, people got angry, like those ones you saw earlier trying to start a fight. Things have just got worse ever since Karel died, and if people don't find a scapegoat soon well...I have a quick getaway planned for me, and you should too."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy frowned. "So this is the basis for the rift in the town? Earlier you said there were three groups, who's the third?"
Garil: "No one knows how Kaufmann got this wealth? Perhaps there's something fishy with that...."said Garil
Sleeping Dragon: Egil snorted. "The third, it seems, is mine! Don't misunderstand the situation. As much as anything, all the people who live here are trying to gather round someone they think can stop their neighbours from robbing them blind or beating their heads in. Those who are traditional or who have had Ostlander do favours for them previously follow him, those who believe in the power of money and trade gather round Kaufmann. And some daft people seem to think I'm going to do...something, I'm honestly not sure what."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy smiled. "Maybe we can help there."
Sleeping Dragon: "My suggestion - don't let yourselves be seen with Ostlander or Kaufmann directly. They'll probably send people along tomorrow to try to push you along to their point of view anyway."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded in agreement. "We'll watch for it. The murder of Karel... how does that fit into this situation?"
Garil: "Did Karel have any relationship - for good or ill - with these two?"asked Garil "Maybe he got involved in the feud..."
Sleeping Dragon: "If I knew that the Burgomeister would be paying me, not you. All we know is that about a month ago Karel was found in the Marktplatz and had been kicked to death. As far as I know Karel had no strong relationship with either of them and I doubt he'd have been foolish enough to get involved. Karel was only interested in wine, women and song, and not necessarily in that order."
Tommy Red Hand: "Perhaps it was a jealous husband then," Tommy said. "Or maybe he found out something he shouldn't."
Sleeping Dragon: "Anything's possible. I need to go and see to some things. Pleasant dreams." Egil nodded at the party and headed down the stairs
Tommy Red Hand: "Thank you for your help," Tommy said as the innkeeper walked away.
Tommy Red Hand: "This is a strange situation," Tommy said once they had closed the door to their room.
Gustav: Gustav frowned thoughtfully, "It seems there is only three motives... jealous husband, forbidden secret or useage of his death to spark a conflict. This village is like tunderbox."
Garil: "Should we try to talk to some of Karel's acquaintances?"asked Garil
Tommy Red Hand: "There are three cousins who live on the outskirts of the town who we should talk to, they were particularly upset by Karel's death and might know something.
Tommy Red Hand: As he spoke Tommy moved around the room, checking for anything out of place, and taking a good look out of the window.
Sleeping Dragon: Tommy looked out the window but couldn't see any signs of anyone looking up at them or watching the inn
Sleeping Dragon: the next day, the party went downstairs for breakfast - they were at the moment the only people staying in the Blue Boar, so Egil had plenty of time to concentrate and made them an excellent breakfast of eggs, bacon, porridge and thick brown bread washed down with ale. As they were about halfway through their meal, the door opened and a heavily muscled man in a leather apron entered.

"Good morning Sassenhart," Egil greeted him. The man nodded and wandered over to the party. "You are the Schlichters, yes? I am Bruno Sassenhart," he said. His voice suggested a northern origin, perhaps Ostland.
Gustav: Gustav nodded at Sassenhart, waiting for Bruno to go on.
Sleeping Dragon: "I am the blacksmith of Nordfels, my forge is straight down from the Boar," he said. "I wished to speak to you before you begin to hear the troubling lies you will surely hear soon. My good friend Hein Kaufmann is a simple man who is only interested in commerce, not politics. As I'm sure you'll agree, without trade and the hard work of the industrious, we would be nothing. Unfortunately, a certain Steffen Ostlander has construed his very presence here as an affront and challenge, which is nonsense. Sadly, Ostlander seems hostile to all who are not from Nordfels and wishes to have free rein himself. I am not sure why, though any number of things could happen to a mind of someone who spends so much time alone practising...alchemy..." Sassenhart shook his head sadly.
Tommy Red Hand: "Have you known Hein Kaufmann long, Master Sassenhart?" Tommy asked.
Sleeping Dragon: "Only since he arrived in Nordfels, Schlichter."
Tommy Red Hand: "His arrival seems to have been most propitious." Tommy said, carefully.
Sleeping Dragon: "Indeed it was," said Sassenhart, ignoring Tommy's tone. "It's likely some would have starved if not for Hein."
Tommy Red Hand: "We've heard that Master Ostlander was also very helpful to the town in the past, before the trouble with the greenskins and so on." Tommy added.
Sleeping Dragon: Sassenhart frowned. "He was, but he always was overfond of the praise he received for this. Perhaps he is simply jealous that someone else is rightly receiving the thanks of the town for their assistance. At any rate, I have matters to attend to, but if you wish to solve this difficult situation we have, I suggest you focus your investigations on Ostlander and see how you can get him to back down and accept Hein's presence in the town." Sassenhart nodded to the party and made his way back out the door.
Tommy Red Hand: "Before you go, Master Sassenhart," Tommy spoke up, "What do you know about Karel?"
Gustav: Disconnecting from server...
Gustav (exit): 22:13
Sleeping Dragon: Sassenhart frowned. "He was very well-liked here in Nordfels. He wasn't especially close to anyone and lived alone in a shack south of the Marktplatz, but he was good-natured and no coward either. When the Greenskins attacked he helped drive them back and kept people's spirits up with his songs. I don't know why anyone would do anything to him."
Tommy Red Hand: "It seems strange that there is no clue to who did this." Tommy said. "You have no idea at all?"
Sleeping Dragon: "None at all." Sassenhart paused. "Rumour has it that he was recently seeing Granun's daughter, Sieglinde, who works as a maid at Father Tollit's home. She might know something."
Tommy Red Hand: "No others interested in Sieglinde?" Tommy asked. "Jealousy could be a motive for murder."
Sleeping Dragon: "None I'm aware of. Forgive me, but I must get to work," said Sassenhart, departing.
Tommy Red Hand: "Well," Tommy said when Sassenhart had gone. "That's one theory in the river, unless Sieglinde had a secret admirer. We should talk to her."
Garil: When Sassenhart left, Garil, who had been silent, spoke up "Jealousy could be behind it, but perhaps...the murder could have been planned by a third party who wants the two factions to come to blows for reasons of their own. "
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy considered this. "It could well be. There are several mysteries here - the murder of the well-liked and respected Karel, the mysterious arrival of a saviour to the town just when they needed it..."

[sleepingdragon]

Sleeping Dragon: When Sassenhart left, Garil, who had been silent, spoke up "Jealousy could be behind it, but perhaps...the murder could have been planned by a third party who wants the two factions to come to blows for reasons of their own."

Tommy considered this. "It could well be. There are several mysteries here - the murder of the well-liked and respected Karel, the mysterious arrival of a saviour to the town just when they needed it..."
Gustav: Gustav hurmped and said, "Maybe we could look at the site of this murder... Would that give us a clue, you reckon?"
Tommy Red Hand: "It's a place to start," Tommy said.
Garil: "Might as well." said Garil
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy armoured himself, checked his weapons & set off to the Marketplatz.
Gustav: Gustav streched to flex his muscles and "We can ask any potential wintresses...." as he followed Toommy out
Gustav: Gustav been talking to market folks
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy walked around the square, noting where everything was, which buildings were closest & where there were areas of the square hidden from their view.
Garil: Garil likewise asked around for information, but the townsfolk looked somewhat suspicious of him this time and he did not find out anything significant.
Sleeping Dragon: the party headed out into the Marktplatz to begin their investigation. They began to ask around to see if they could learn anything about Karel's murder and how he had been found. Gustav learned that the body had been found by the workshop of Leibniz the carpenter, on the south side of the Marktplatz not far from the Burgomeister's home. The person who had found the body was one of the market traders, Franz Falker, who had straightaway informed the Burgomeister.

As the party drew back together to discuss what they'd learned, a large bald man in robes, armour, and wearing the hammer symbol of Sigmar approached them.
"Schlichters!" he called. "I am very pleased to meet you. My name is Father Adalbert. I wish to speak to you about a pressing matter."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked around. "Of course Father. Can we go somewhere to speak?"
Gustav: Gustav glanced at Father with hint of dusiospsuson
Gustav: EDIT: suspicion
Garil: Garil looked more like he was slightly fazed by the appearance of the priest, but he greeted him respectfully, though he agreed with Tommy they should speak in private
Sleeping Dragon: Father Adalbert nodded curtly and led the party around to the north side of the Marktplatz, where they found the local Temple of Sigmar, a squat, rectangular building with a solid door emblazoned with the holy Sigmarite symbols of the twin-tailed comet and the warhammer. Father Adalbert threw open the doors and walked a few paces to stand in the rearmost pews. The Temple had little adornment, its altar scarcely more than a table. It was plain that the building had been recently repaired.

"Alas, many fine sons of Sigmar were killed here recently during the Storm. We have been able to repair this Temple somewhat, though we remain a very poor parish, and ever grateful for donations." Father Adalbert glanced at a silver bowl near the entrance. "We have had great patronage over the years from Steffen Ostlander, but I fear the richest person in Nordfels has no love for Sigmar or our Empire. Is that not piteous? If not for the divine favour of Sigmar, there would have been none left in Nordfels for Hein Kaufmann to sell to. But he neglects worship and prefers to count his money."
Tommy Red Hand: "Some people in Nordfels appear to have a very high opinion of Master Kaufmann." Tommy said.
Sleeping Dragon: Father Adalbert snorted. "Many fools are often taken in by anything that seems bright and new. I have very deep suspicions of Master Kaufmann, I fear to say. He will not tell anyone who his mysterious 'business associates' are. He would not even tell me when I asked him." Father Adalbert sounded scandalised. "What manner of person keeps secrets on such important issues from a godly man? If Master Kaufmann were to befall an accident, perhaps, would his associates pay us any mind if none of us knew how to contact them? This is nothing to Kaufmann. The seeds of Chaos often find fertile ground with such greed."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked sharply at the priest. "You think he may be tainted by Chaos?"
Gustav: Gustav looked slightly troubled by the mention of Chaos.
Garil: "I feared that myself..."shuddered Garil "This could be behind the strife and miscontent here..."
Sleeping Dragon: "It is possible. In the name of the Empire, I would beg that you look into this. I know that Kaufmann travels to visit his...associates...regularly. I am told he will be leaving town at approximately three hours after mid-day to meet with them. You may wish to follow him."
Tommy Red Hand: "We may," Tommy was non-committal. "Was this what you wanted to speak to us about?"
Sleeping Dragon: "It was. If you wish to speak to me at any time, please feel free to visit. I am always willing to provide counsel to faithful sons of Sigmar."
Tommy Red Hand: "Thank you for speaking to us. Can you tell us anything about the murder as well?" Tommy asked.
Gustav: "After alll, that what we are assuming you wishes to speak to us concerning this dastardy deed. So anything you may know on this matter would be helpful."
Sleeping Dragon: "Of the entertainer? A very sad event, though it can be considered a warning of what will happen to those who devote their lives to frivolity. His body was found in the Marktplatz, though my suspicion is that he was murdered elsewhere and brought to where his body was found. I examined the body myself. He appeared to have been punched and kicked to death, a very cruel and thoughtless end. I suspect an early blow may have knocked him unconscious else he would have called out."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded. "It seems likely. If he'd been attacked in the Marketplatz someone would have heard. You have no idea who might profit from such a vile deed?"
Sleeping Dragon: "I cannot. Karel was a genial fellow who made friends with all. My only guess would be perhaps some angry husband, for Karel was noted for his indulgence in certain immoral behaviours."
Tommy Red Hand: "Was he at all close to either Kaufmann or Ostlander?"
Sleeping Dragon: "No. He had dealings with both, but kept his distance."
Gustav: Gustav nodded, "I see."
Garil: "Perhaps he was killed in an attempt to start actual fighting between the two factions, as each side would accuse the other..." Garil said "Sounds to me like something a devious plotter would do."
Sleeping Dragon: Adalbert looked at Garil sharply. "That is indeed a point. I can think of no one in town who would benefit from such a thing...however there are still remnants of the forces of Chaos in the woods..."
Tommy Red Hand: "That is but one theory," Tommy said airily. "Is there anyone else you can suggest we speak to?"
Sleeping Dragon: "Leibniz the carpenter is a faithful man, and it was near his workshop where Karel's body was found. I would suggest you speak to him."
Gustav: Gustav looked intrested at this detail, "That is useful. Thanks for useful details concerning Kaufmann and the murder itself." He looked ready to leave,
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded & turned to go, dropping a silver shilling in the offering box on his way out.
Gustav: Gustav added two silver sjilling in the box as he left.
Sleeping Dragon: the Priest nodded at the party as they left.
Gustav: "We can go to the carpenter or at least follow Kaufmann. It seems to me that Karel found out something that Kaufmann got into and got killed and dragged to Marketplfax. But that is just an idea though."
Tommy Red Hand: "It could just as easily have been Ostlander who killed Karel though. Or someone else up to no good, or even just a jealous husband & his drinking companions."
Gustav: "That is true, he seems to have many potential troubles and one of them finally got him. Still, hopefully we will get some better idea when car
Gustav: carpenter explained the story."
Sleeping Dragon: the party went to find the carpenter, Leibniz, who they found in his workshop. Leibniz was a tall, gaunt man with greying hair. "Schlichters," he said gravely.
Gustav: "We would like to know if you hear, or see anything regarding the murder of the Halfing, Karel ?" He asked respectfiully.
Sleeping Dragon: "I thought that would be the case. I know very little truly - his body was found by my workshop, but by Franz Falker rather than myself. If Karel was killed near my workshop then it was very stealthily done, but I doubt it from the condition of his body. I suspect he was dragged here - why here I couldn't say."
Gustav: "Hmm..." Gustav, "Did you notice anything that could suggest where he may be dragged from? The direction or something odds?" He asked, "Who is Franz Falker?"
Sleeping Dragon: "Franz Falker is one of the market traders, he found poor Karel's body. Franz told me that he thought he might have been dragged from the south, there were some footprints nearby but then this is the Marktplatz and there are always people passing through."
Tommy Red Hand: "So nothing strange about the footprints then," Tommy said. "Where were you that night? You didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary?"
Sleeping Dragon: "I was here, asleep. I didn't hear anything, though I fear I am a deep sleeper."
Tommy Red Hand: "Do you think it might have any connection with the divisions in the town?" Tommy asked.
Sleeping Dragon: Leibniz scowled. "That scoundrel Kaufmann has been spoiling for a confrontation ever since he arrived. He can hardly abide having someone else in Nordfels who is on an equal footing with him. I would hardly put it past him to kill Karel to manufacture a situation where either he or Steffen were forced to leave town."
Garil: "And Karel was well-liked by all...apparently. Do you know if he had any enemies that might be involved in this personally?"
Sleeping Dragon: "No. I have heard that the Margitz cousins - Franz, Gerhard, and Joseph - have seemed particularly shaken by Karel's death, but perhaps they simply miss his company in the Blue Boar. I certainly can't think of anyone that would have been Karel's enemy."
Tommy Red Hand: "Where were you that night?" Tommy asked. "Did you hear or see anything at all strange?"
Sleeping Dragon: "As I already told you," Leibniz said, sounding agitated, "I was here and saw nothing unusual at all."
Tommy Red Hand: "Thank you for your help," Tommy said with a nod.
Gustav: "Thanks for your helpful words" Gustav agreed with Tommy's assessment.

[sleepingdragon]

Sleeping Dragon: the party left Leibniz' house and made their way back out into the Marktplatz
whispering to Gustav, as the party left Leibniz' house, Gustav heard the sound of raised voices coming from the northeastern section of the Marktplatz
Gustav: Gustav gesutured toward general direction toward northeastern section, "I think I hears some arguement over there.", heading toward it.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy followed quickly, loosening the sling in his belt.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried nodded. "Somebody's not happy," he said, moving ahead with great speed, then occasionally stopping to allow the others to catch up
Edivad: "Quick, let's check. With things so tense in this town we really don't want them to get worse." said Garil following quickly
Gustav: Gustav readies his weapon just in case
Sleeping Dragon: the party rushed along to the northeastern section of the Marktplatz. As they came near to a large building they could hear loud shouting. "What have you done to her!" they heard a deep voice roar as they began to round the corner. "If your fucking 'alchemist' has touched my sweet I swear I'll rip his balls off!" The party turned the corner.

Backed up against the wall was a tall, bony man in a leather jerkin, and two other shorter men. Surrounding them in a half-circle were a half dozen men, led by the speaker, a huge, burly man with an unruly shock of red hair. His meaty fist was nearly the size of a man's head, and he stuck out a fat finger at the bony man. The party could see that the burly man wore knuckle dusters on his hand. "Schlichters," he greeted them insolently. "What a relief that must be for you Werner, relying on a drunkard and a halfling to come and save you."
whispering to Tommy Red Hand, Tommy immediately got the impression that the burly man, for all his threatening posture, wanted either the tall man Werner, or else the party themselves, to be the ones to start any fight that might begin here, and that he was loath to throw the first punch.
Tommy Red Hand: "I'm afraid you have the advantage of us, gentlemen," Tommy almost purred. "Perhaps we should all keep cool for a few minutes while you explain the situation."
Sleeping Dragon: "Did you hear that? The Schlichter is afraid," the burly man said to his compatriots, who laughed. The big man jabbed his finger back at Werner. "I have been seeing a lovely young lass named Elfrida for some time. This fucker's master Ostlander is no doubt aware of that and he hates all us newcomers to town. Elfrida has vanished! She didn't turn up for her work today and no one has seen her! I swear that Ostlander is behind this! Alchemist? Pah! The man is a wizard I say!"
Tommy Red Hand: "Do you have any proof that Ostlander had anything to do with this?" Tommy asked, dropping the attempt to charm the man.
Sleeping Dragon: "Get lost Halfling! I'm one of Master Kaufmann's closest friends, Ostlander wants to strike at him by striking at me!" The big man ignored Tommy and turned his attention back to Werner. "Where is she?" he roared in Werner's face.
Gustav: Gustav looked annoyed and attempt to restore order, "Calm down. Do you want to cause even more trouble?"
Sleeping Dragon: the authority in the Jailer's voice took the big man aback and he took a few steps away from Werner. "Fine, Schlichters," he said slowly. "I'll leave this for now. But if you don't find Elfrida..." the big man made a fist and walked away eastwards towards a big house, his compatriots trailing along behind him.
Garil: Garil looked somewhat relieved that Tommy and Gustav had been able to defuse the situation, but now he looked at the bony man backed up the wall somewhat suspiciously.
Sleeping Dragon: "Thank you Schlichters," said Werner, sounding shaken. "You see what these interlopers are like. Master Ostlander would just ignore them but they cause continuous trouble. I was only walking down the street minding my own business and six of them surround me! Cowards!"
Tommy Red Hand: "Perhaps we can go somewhere to talk," Tommy said. "We would like to know more of what has been happening."
Sleeping Dragon: Werner nodded. "Of course Schlichters. I will tell you now though, I haven't the slightest idea where Elfrida is, whatever that fool Reinhardt says." Werner snorted. "The whole of Nordfels knows that she hates that brute and does everything possible to avoid him, he may have kidnapped her himself and be using her disappearance as an excuse to cause trouble."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy frowned. "This is the first disappearance since the trouble began?"
Sleeping Dragon: "Yes."
Gustav: "Troublesome... Who is this Elfrida? What shes does and where she is living?"
Sleeping Dragon: "I'm not sure where she lives, however she is a maid for the Burgomeister. He would know where she stays."
Gustav: "I see. What Ostlander does?" Gustav asked curiously.
Sleeping Dragon: Werner looked startled. "He is an alchemist, he retired here from Altdorf because it's quieter here."
Tommy Red Hand: "Is there any reason why Reinhardt should accuse either you or Master Ostlander of being responsible for Elfrida's disappearance?" Tommy asked.
Sleeping Dragon: "Because he's an idiot? He is Kaufmann's chief bodyguard and all-round thug. He probably wants to start a confrontation over her disappearance as it will allow them to portray themselves in a positive light."
Tommy Red Hand: "Do you know anything about Karel's murder?"
Sleeping Dragon: "No more than the common gossip. If you ask me, Kaufmann probably had him killed to cause chaos and give him an excuse to try to drive Master Ostlander out of town, but I couldn't prove it."
Tommy Red Hand: "Do you mind telling us where you were on the night of the murder?"
Sleeping Dragon: "I was on duty that night, so I was in front of Master Ostlander's house, playing dice with one of the Master's other guardsmen."
Sleeping Dragon: "I didn't see or hear anything," he added.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded. "Do you & the other guards live at Master Ostlanders?"
Sleeping Dragon: "No, Master Ostlander lives on his own. He values his privacy highly. We live in small shacks down the road from his home."
Tommy Red Hand: "So was Master Ostlander at home that night, the night of the murder?" Tommy asked
Sleeping Dragon: "Yes, Master Ostlander is home almost every night. He finds that the best time to work."
Gustav: Gustav looked thoughtfully and nodded, "I don't have any more questions." He glanced at Tommy, Garil and this mapmaker, enquirying any other questions."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy shook his head.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried shook his head and retrieved a bottle of wine from his bag.
Tommy Red Hand: "Thank you for helping us." Tommy said to Werner.
Sleeping Dragon: "Not a problem, I'd probably be picking my teeth off the street if not for you. Thank you, Schlichters."
Tommy Red Hand: "Try to avoid conflict with Kaufmann's supporters for the time being," Tommy warned. "We will do our best to bring peace to Nordfels."
Sleeping Dragon: Werner nodded and said nothing.
Tommy Red Hand: Once they were away from Werner, Tommy turned to his companions. "We have some time before Kaufmann is due to leave for the woods. We need to speak with the cousins, the lady friend & the man who found the body."
Tommy Red Hand: "I think we should visit the cousins as they were unusually absent from the inn last night." he added.
Gustav: "I agreed, take it at one at the time."
Sleeping Dragon: the party headed off to find the Margitz cousins. They reached their farm just in time to see three men coming out from the front gate, pulling on cloaks. The three were obviously related, and they appeared to be old. The rearmost of the three seemed to have already had a bit to drink as he walked slightly unevenly. "Schlichters," greeted the leader of the three. "Gerhard Margitz is my name, these are my cousins Franz and Joseph. We were just going to nip down to the Blue Boar for a few pints."
Tommy Red Hand: "Maybe we can walk with you?" Tommy suggested. "We're looking into the murder of Karel, the entertainer."
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard stopped in mid-stride. "A fine man he was," he said sadly, wiping at his face with his sleeve.
whispering to Garil, Garil got the distinct impression that Gerhard was nervous
Garil: "What was your relationship with him...?"Garil asked Gerhard as they walked
Sleeping Dragon: "Well we didn't have any great relationship with him, but we often met him in the Blue Boar of course because he played there. Speaking of the Boar, Egil is expecting us so we shall have to leave you. Goodbye for now Schlichters," said Gerhard, nodding at his cousins.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy picked up his speed to accompany the cousins. "Would you mind telling us where you all were the night of the murder?"
Sleeping Dragon: "I think we were at home," said Gerhard. "Having a quiet one. Did you know there are Greenskins in those woods, Schlichters? Someone should do something about it," said Gerhard, pointing at the woods to the northeast.
Sleeping Dragon: "You think you were at home?" Gottfried said pointedly.
Sleeping Dragon: "Do you remember where you were on that night? Please leave us be Schlichters," Gerhard replied.
Tommy Red Hand: "But a brutal murder had been committed that night, & by all accounts you were quite upset when you heard the news, so it would likely have stuck in your memory," Tommy insisted.
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard kept walking and said nothing.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy caught up with him. "We know you're not telling us the whole truth. It would be better if you come clean here & now, otherwise we will have to take more public action."
Sleeping Dragon: a look of panic crossed Gerhard's face. "Aaah, Schlichters...there's no need for that. Come with me, we'll speak in the farm," he said, turning around. His cousins shot ahead and opened the door to a small building adjoining the main barn.
Garil: Garil looked worried "Stay alert..."he muttered
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded & checked his weapons.
Gustav: Gustav glanced at gius weapon once more
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard and his cousins moved into the building, which contained a number of farming supplies. As they entered Joseph reached for a bottle of wine which was perched haphazardly on a barrel and opened it. Lacking glasses, he simply took a deep drink from the bottle and passed it to Franz.

"Aaah, Schlichters. It goes like this. A few days before the whole business with Karel we had, aaah, heard that there was a thief. Yes, a thief here in Nordfels! While we were out in the Boar recuperating after a day's work, this thief would break in and make off with people's valuables! We couldn't stand for this of course. And aah, as it happens that night on our way home we saw a figure using a ladder trying to get in the second storey of a house!"
Tommy Red Hand: "Whose house?" Tommy asked.
Sleeping Dragon: "It was Granun's house. So, we obviously ran over to stop this thieving as we knew Granun was at the Boar."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked at the others but said nothing.
Sleeping Dragon: "And, aah, we pulled the thief down off his ladder and gave him a few kicks - no less than they deserved of course for robbing people - and dragged him off towards the Marktplatz. We thought we'd bring him to the Burgomeister. When we got near the light fell on him and aaah, we saw it was...Karel..." Gerhard drew a shuddering breath. "Schlichters, I beg you. They'll hang us. We didn't mean to kill him, I swear, I swear," Gerhard fell on his knees before Tommy. "Please," he said, his begging punctuated by a loud BAAAAA from one of the lambs in the farmyard.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked down at the blubbering man with disgust. "You murdered an innocent & well loved man who was visiting his sweetheart. And his death has led to more violence between the townsfolk. You can either give yourselves up to the Burgomeister or we take you in. Which will it be?"
Gustav: Gustav perpared himself, eyeing them for any potential dangers or trouble,
Garil: So did Garil, though he looked slightly saddened that things had turned out this way.
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard gaped at Tommy. "If you give us to the Burgomeister we're dead!"
Tommy Red Hand: "Karel is dead, because of your actions!" Tommy spat out. "Throw yourselves on the burgomeisters mercy, but justice must be done."
Gustav: "Indeed, you can however attempt to agrue that you did not know he is Karel. Either way, he is right." Gustav agreed with Tommy
Gustav: EDIT: "Or you thought he was a thief and caught him a lesson"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy narrowed his eyes. "Yes, how was it you were able to see this figure climbing a ladder, but didn't notice he was a halfling, not even when you dragged him down & started kicking him?"
Gustav: Disconnecting from server...
Gustav (exit): 22:05
Sleeping Dragon: "Aaah, we had had a bit too much to drink so it was hard to tell..."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy shook his head. "On your feet & to the Burgomeister now!"
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard sobbed wildly while Joseph ineffectually attempted to break the now empty bottle of wine he carried. Instead it bounced off a barrel and rolled away. "You may as well just kill us now then," Franz hissed at them. "The Burgomeister doesn't give a shit about justice, he'll just hang us to give the town a show. He's already decided that someone has to hang for this."
Tommy Red Hand: "Then at least he'll be hanging the right people," Tommy said.
Sleeping Dragon: Franz made a lunge at Tommy, shoving Gerhard out of the way.
Sleeping Dragon: "Don't kill them for fuck's sake, or we'll have no proof!" Gottfried shouted.

[sleepingdragon]

Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard sobbed wildly while Joseph ineffectually attempted to break the now empty bottle of wine he carried. Instead it bounced off a barrel and rolled away. "You may as well just kill us now then," Franz hissed at them. "The Burgomeister doesn't give a shit about justice, he'll just hang us to give the town a show. He's already decided that someone has to hang for this."

"Then at least he'll be hanging the right people," Tommy said.

Franz made a lunge at Tommy, shoving Gerhard out of the way.

"Don't kill them for fuck's sake, or we'll have no proof!" Gottfried shouted.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried rushed forward and tried to punch Franz in the face, but missed
Garil: Eyes set on Franz, Garil quickly grabbed his sling from his belt and loaded it with a stone, while his dog barked and growled angrily but did not otherwise move.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy lunged forward at Franz with his head down but the man managed to turn away in time so the charge intended for his bollocks just hit his thigh.
Sleeping Dragon: Franz responded with a kick that struck the halfling in the side of the face, but most of the force was absorbed by the halfling's mail coif
Sleeping Dragon: "You won't take us alive!" Franz shouted, though Joseph simply gaped up in horror
Sleeping Dragon: Gerhard cowered in a corner
Tommy Red Hand: "Just knock this bastard down!" shouted Tommy, glaring up at Franz with hatred.
Gustav (enter): 20:03
Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (43716) Gustav...
Server Administrator-> Kicking '(43705) Gustav' from server... Removing dead client
Gustav (exit): 20:10
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav moved up, avoiding a blow from Franz, then reached in and wrapped a burly arm around the farmer's neck, holding him fast
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried reached into the grapple, took hold of Franz's arm, stretched it out, then stamped furiously down on the farmer's elbow, driving all the strength in his body down. There was a horrific crack and Franz fell shrieking with pain. As he writhed on the ground they saw his elbow had been thoroughly dislocated by Gottfried's powerful blow.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked down at the farmer and kicked him in the balls.
Tommy Red Hand: "That's for being a halfling-hating bastard." he muttered.
Sleeping Dragon: "Please, we surrender!" Gerhard shouted wildly. "Don't hurt him anymore!"
Garil: Garil winced at seeing Franz's arm so throughly mangled "That gotta hurt..."he muttered
Sleeping Dragon: Franz obviously agreed, continuing to scream for a few moments before he passed out
Gustav: Gustav merely looked at wounded arm impassively and let the passed out chap out of his grasp.
Sleeping Dragon: the party bound the cousins with rope and dragged them to the Burgomeister with Gustav, the strongest of the party, carrying the unconscious Franz. As they made their way to the Burgomeister's a number of curious onlookers began to follow them, wondering what the Schlichters could be doing. "What did they do?" someone they couldn't identify shouted
Tommy Red Hand: "You'll find out soon enough" Tommy called, then kept walking.
Sleeping Dragon: shortly after mid-day they reached the Burgomeisters, where servants struggled manfully to prevent the crowd from following the party inside. The Burgomeister's home was relatively well-furnished for a village the size of Nordfels, and the party were led to a side room with comfortable leather chairs while the cousins were carted off to speak to the Burgomeister. A serving girl came in to bring the party a platter of bread and cheese and some wine, shaking her head. "People going missing and brawls in the middle of town...things have been eventful since you came to town, Schlichters."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy took a chunk of bread and cheese, grinning at the girl. "Things are going to get even more interesting."
Sleeping Dragon: Shortly afterwards the Burgomeister entered the room. "This was not what I expected, but you've done well to solve poor Karel's murder." The Burgomeister handed each person in the party a gold coin stamped with the Emperor's likeness. "Unfortunately I doubt this will solve the tensions in our community. As you may have heard, earlier today one of my serving girls, Elfrida, went missing. I hope she still lives though I fear the worst. I have already asked the Margitz cousins and they know nothing about this crime at least. And Ostlander and Kaufmann are still at large as well...I hope I am wrong but I doubt the local menials will return to tranquility and industry again until one of those two are gone, or until we can somehow get them to come to an arrangement."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy thanked the Burgomeister for the money, then spoke quietly to Garil and Gustav. "Should we tell him we're following Kaufmann this afternoon?"
Garil: "It might be good for him to know that in case anything happens to us..."whispered Garil
Gustav (exit): 20:55
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy went up to the Burgomeister. "Someone suggested it was worth following Kaufmann when he takes his trips into the woods. We'll be doing that later."
Gustav (enter): 20:58
Sleeping Dragon: the Burgomeister nodded. "Keep me informed as to your progress. If there's nothing else, I need to go and arrange for a Marktgericht, the cousins will likely be tried in two days."
Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (43738) Gustav...
Gustav: Gustav nodded at the mention of Marktgericht in two days.
Tommy Red Hand: "How do you think the townspeople will react?" Tommy asked. "Any possibility of them being sprung or lynched?"
Sleeping Dragon: "The latter is more likely. Karel was well liked in town and the Margitz clan are not. I shall endeavour to prevent any such mob justice of course."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy nodded.
Gustav: Gustav looked dubious for a moment at the chance of safety of these three prisoners.
Sleeping Dragon: the party spent the next little while wandering around and speaking to people in town, trying to learn about Elfrida's disappearance as well as trying to gauge the general mood.

It seemed to them that slightly more people in town trusted Ostlander, who had lived in Nordfels for many years, than the newcomer Kaufmann. Ostlander seemed to have support from those of religious sentiment and the local peasantry, who he had assisted before, while Kaufmann had more among the market traders, tradesmen, and those newer to Nordfels.

Asking around about Elfrida, they learned that, despite Reinhardt's claim to her affection previously, she was not, as far as anyone knew, attached to any man. A patron at the Blue Boar added that she was one of the most attractive women in Nordfels and he doubted that anyone who was seeing her would be able to resist boasting about it. Contradicting this, however, was Mathilde, the Burgomeister's housekeeper, who told the party that, although she had never seen Elfrida with anyone, it had been noticed by other servants that she was often out late at night, which Mathilde presumed was for the purpose of 'inappropriate trysts'.

About an hour before Kaufmann was due to leave, they met one man who claimed to have seen Elfrida walking west the night before. "She was near the old Ranz farmhouse," the man said in a whisper. "Seems like to me that old Berthold's ghost has her."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy asked directions to the Ranz farm.
Sleeping Dragon: the man told them. "Be careful if you're to go there," he said in a hush. "Berthold was a right angry man in life, and I don't imagine it's made him any happier what the Greenskins did to him and his family during the Storm...it'll be many a year before anyone dares to take up residence in that ruin."
Tommy Red Hand: "I'll bet it wasn't a lover the girl was going to meet." Tommy muttered as they thanked the man and left. "Dark influences drawing her to a dark place if you ask me."
Gustav: "We will be careful." Gustav nodded solemnly.
Garil: "I shudder at the thought of what we'll find there..."said Garil sounding very worried "Thugs and townsfolk, we can deal with, but ghosts?"
Tommy Red Hand: "It'll be interesting."
Gustav: "Or it could be useful cove rto ensure that these people stay away from the building..."
Sleeping Dragon: the party headed up towards the abandoned Ranz farmhouse. As they came near they saw that the building had been largely burned out and no one had rebuilt it. The hill was quite high and exposed, and a chilly wind blew past them as they crested the rise. The grass had grown past knee height for a human, and Tommy was covered nearly to his neck. Ahead, they could see that there was no door into the building, merely a shattered outline in the ravaged ruin.

As they walked, Garil felt something hit his foot and he cursed and stumbled. Looking down, he saw that it was a pile of small bones.
Garil: Somewhat uneasily, Garil bent down to look more closely at the bones.
Sleeping Dragon: At first, Garil wondered if the bones belonged to a Goblin or other small Greenskin. However, he soon discovered he was wrong. The bones belonged to a human, probably a girl, of no more than six or seven. Her skull had been split in half with a heavy weapon, most likely an axe.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried wandered over, curious, then looked away when he saw what Garil had found. Uneasily he pulled out a bottle of wine and took a long drink.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy crouched down to look at the bones, trying to work out how old they were.
Tommy Red Hand: "What you reckon Gustav? These recent?" he asked.
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav examined the bones, but couldn't tell how old they were
Garil: "Accursed orcs!"Garil muttered "And who knows what other atrocities were done..."he said in a hushed tone
Gustav: "No idea! Let head for the farmhouse shall ewe?" He steeled himself for the joureny.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy got out his sling and readied it.
Sleeping Dragon: the party made their way towards the farmhouse, watching their steps carefully. Passing over the threshold they came inside. The building had obviously once been divided into several rooms and there had been a loft overhead, however the fire that had gutted the farmhouse had obliterated most of the walls and all the beams that would have supported the roof. Only a few blackened pieces of wood remained, lying on the floor. The ground was covered in ash, though they could see that a path had been swept away carefully and led towards a closed trapdoor in the corner of the building.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked at the others & silently indicated the path & trapdoor. "Ghosts didn't do this." he whispered.
Sleeping Dragon: the party knelt by the door, listening carefully. "There's some kind of squeaking down there," Gottfried said. Garil carefully attempted to open the trapdoor, however his hand slipped and he pushed it up slightly more loudly than he had intended.
whispering to Garil, as he did, he heard the familiar sound of rats below...large ones, he thought
Sleeping Dragon: "HELP!" a woman's voice shouted below, slightly muffled as though it was behind a door
Tommy Red Hand: "Rats?" Tommy mused in a low voice.
Garil: "I know rats when I hear them."whispered Garil "And these are some big ones."he added, one hand laid on his dog to restrain it
Sleeping Dragon: the party headed downstairs, led by Gustav and Gottfried, with Biter, Tommy, and Garil not far behind. They found themselves in a 20 foot long corridor leading up to a big circular room at the end of which was a solid wooden door. "Look out!" the woman's voice shouted from behind the door. As she did, a number of very large rats, about the same size as Biter, flung themselves down from the battered beams at the top of the cellar.
Garil: Garil unleashed a bullet from his sling at the closest rat, but missed
Sleeping Dragon: the rats rushed forward. Only two were able to reach the party in the narrow corridor - one bit Gustav hard on his arm, while the other missed Gottfried wildly
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried took aim and swiped at the rat in front of him with his blade, but only landed a light blow
Gustav: Gustav snarled in return and launched a attack on one of the rat and alas only landed a light blow.
Garil: Biter snarled and growled behind the party, but could not reach the rats.
whispering to Tommy Red Hand, Gustav, over the noise of combat and snarling, there seemed to be a clicking noise from the room beyond that the woman had been shouting from
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy swung his sling & a stone smacked into one of the rats, but his second shot missed. "They'll run if they're hit!" he shouted.
Sleeping Dragon: over the noise of the combat and snarling, from the room beyond where the woman had been shouting from there was the sound of a click
Gustav: Gustav frowned and yelled "There is something beyond that room."
Garil: Garil slung another bullet, but missed again. "Gods, I hate these things!"he swore
Sleeping Dragon: the wounded rats turned and scurried away, fleeing through a small hole in one of the walls, but two more swarmed forwards to attack Gustav and Gottfried. One missed Gustav badly, while the second attacked Gottfried and nearly bit him. Gottfried however slapped at the rat with the flat of his off-hand dagger and knocked the creature away.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried slashed back with his sword, cutting into the rat
Gustav: Gustav launched another attack onto a rat, "We roasted you for foods! I am hungary!"
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy glared at a rat, measuring the distance, but it moved at the last minute & the stone flew over its head.
Garil: Garil kept firing at the rats and missing.
Sleeping Dragon: deciding they had had enough of this fight the rats turned and fled, squeezing through the same small hole as their fellows, though the two that had been engaged with Gottfried and Gustav were slower than the others
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried moved up and made a last slash at the retreating rat with his blade, but it struck far wide
Gustav: Gustav attempted to harm one rat but alas, it manage to avoided it oncoming sharp edge#
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy fired off a last stone, missing the fleeing rat by inches.
Garil: Seeing some space, Biter leapt at the fleeing rat, biting ferociously but missing.
Garil: Garil missed one last time as the rats fleed. "Bah, not a lucky day for me. Sometimes I wish I was a sailor instead..."
Sleeping Dragon: the last rats fled. As they did, the door at the end of the room unlocked and opened, and out stepped a very attractive, though dishevelled, golden haired young woman. "Oh thank the gods, they're gone! I thought they were going to eat me!" the woman rushed out and flung her arms around a startled Gottfried, who was the nearest of the party, and let out a sob. As she came nearer they saw that there was a tear in her leggings near her ankle, though the bite didn't seem to have caught her foot.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy frowned. "Was it the lock we heard clicking?"
Sleeping Dragon: "Yes, I'm so stupid!" she gave another sob. "I should have known better than to come here but...I wanted to see if it really was haunted you see?"
Garil: "Who imprisoned you?"asked Garil, who had entered the room dragging Biter to prevent him from following the rats down the tunnel
Sleeping Dragon: "I imprisoned myself to keep those things out! Please, can we leave this horrible place? I've spent all night hearing those things chittering away, wondering if they were going to find a way in..." she shuddered
Tommy Red Hand: "Next time you visit a haunted house take some company," Tommy said. He walked to the door she had come through & looked into the room beyond.
Sleeping Dragon: the semi-circular room beyond contained a few broken barrels. The dust on the ground in this room had mostly been swept aside.
whispering to Tommy Red Hand, glancing at the door, Tommy noticed that it had no locking mechanism save a keyhole
Gustav: Gustav looked thoughtfully and nodded, "Do you know who else been here, girl? Clearly some-else been here" He glanced around the swept up area.
Sleeping Dragon: "I don't know, I think the priest came here once..."
Sleeping Dragon: edit: the Sigmarite priest
Tommy Red Hand: "Why?" asked Tommy. "And when?" he considered how recently the dust must have been swept up.
Sleeping Dragon: "You'd need to ask him. Please, let's leave this place, I need to find somewhere I can sleep...though I suspect I'll have horrible dreams." The woman gave another sob.
Tommy Red Hand: "Before we take you back I'd like to know how you locked a door without a key," Tommy said with a sharp look. "There's more here than meets the eye. Is this where you've been coming at night?"
Garil: "Not alone..."suggested Garil "You know the people of the town were worried sick about your disappearance..."
Gustav (enter): 23:40
Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (43796) Gustav...
Sleeping Dragon: the woman sighed and pulled loose of Gottfried. "I suppose that kind of thing would get noticed by a halfling. How do you normally lock a door without a key? And what do you want?" Her voice had changed tone completely and was now wary, though calm.
Tommy Red Hand: "We want to know what's going on here, in this supposedly haunted house." Tommy said. "Have you been meeting with someone here?
Sleeping Dragon: "No, halfling, I work alone."
Gustav: "Work? Have you been smuggling or stealing?" He was quick to ask.
Sleeping Dragon: "What would there be to smuggle in this tiny backwater, and to where? Let's get straight to the point. If you hand me in to the Burgomeister he'll give you a pittance and a pat on the hand, and probably lop my fingers off. If you play along with me and pretend I just got too curious, then I'll split my loot with you and I'll get out of Nordfels as soon as possible. What do you say?"
Sleeping Dragon: *pat on the head
Tommy Red Hand: "So you were the one breaking into people's houses?" Tommy said, light dawning. "The thief the Margitz cousins thought they saw climbing a ladder..."
Sleeping Dragon: "What? The Margitz cousins are drunken idiots, I'm perfectly capable of climbing through a window on my own without using a fucking ladder."
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy gave a short laugh. "We know they're idiots, but their stupidity lead to the death of an innocent halfling. Where's this loot you've been hiding?"
Sleeping Dragon: Elfrida smiled at Tommy and wandered into the backroom, then began to fiddle with a panel on the eastern wall. It came loose with a click. "That was what you heard earlier," she said, reaching down to pick up a medium sized lockbox. "The whole 'haunted house' thing is wholly untrue anyway, there was a little girl's skeleton in here the first time I pulled this loose. Bloody creepy, I nearly shit myself. I had to throw it out in to the grass, made me nervous coming in here." Elfrida opened the box to reveal a pile of small valuables such as rings, silver cutlery, coins, and religious trinkets. "I figure you could get about sixty Karls for this. And don't think of trying to take it all and turn me in afterwards for a laugh, I'll know everything I've taken and imagine there are a number of people in Nordfels who'd want their things back."
Sleeping Dragon: *isn't wholly untrue
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy looked at the others. "So the question is, do we take the goods & let the lady go free, or hand her over to justice?"
Server Administrator-> Kicking '(43738) Gustav' from server... Removing dead client
Gustav (exit): 00:07
Sleeping Dragon: "Justice? Do you mean the same Burgomeister I work for? The one who's incapable of looking at anyone who's not an aristocrat without sneering and who likes randomly docking his servants wages? You do realise anyway that even if you don't take it, I can tell the Burgomeister that you seriously considered taking the bribe and that will make him suspect you."
Tommy Red Hand: "And you think he will listen to the words of a proven thief?" Tommy snorted. "I vote we turn her in. I may be a mercenary but I prefer to serve one employer until they've paid up."
Tommy Red Hand: "And," he added. "This isn't a box of cash - we'd have to sell the stuff, & some of it at least is recognisable."
Sleeping Dragon: "You just go to another village or some city and sell it there, it's not hard. You just need somewhere to store it, which is why I've been stashing in it a supposedly haunted house."
Gustav: Gustav smiled slightly, "Heard it before and will hear such things later. In the end, I no longer tend care about such offers. So, I am with Tommy in this."
Sleeping Dragon: "Incidentally, you realise that if you arrest me that that idiot Reinhardt will start a riot to try to save face. I thought you were trying to prevent people from killing each other in the street."
Garil: Garil looked somewhat torn "You...make a good point here. Perhaps we could not have you arrested, to keep the peace, but the people could have their valuables back. Say we didn't know who stole and hid it here.."
Garil: edit: 'Perhaps we can avoid arresting you' and 'the people should have their valuables back'.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy shook his head. "No deals. I don't know about you lads but I'm a fighter by trade. If I'd wanted to become a thief or a fence I'd have done it by now. And I'm getting tired of the sound of this stupid bitch's voice. Why should she get away with it? Come on boys, lets rope her up & get this stuff to the Burgomeister."
Sleeping Dragon: "Do you take orders from this halfling then? The person you're fucking working has been robbing this village and his servants since before I was born, but I suppose it would require some courage to go against him."
Tommy Red Hand: "Don't you pretend you're doing some great work of rebellion!" Tommy spat out. "You stole from the villagers without a qualm!
Garil: "He's right, you're no heroine yourself."said Garil with some vehemence, now obviously leaning more towards arrest "Even if what you said about the Burgomeister was true, and the gods only know, you wouldn't be helping the townsfolk by robbing them even further"
Sleeping Dragon: Elfrida sighed. "Fine. Hand me in to the Burgomeister then, just try to make sure he doesn't steal all the fucking loot alright? And it is true incidentally, try speaking to one of his servants - you know, like me? - and ask them what happens if they're a few minutes late to work or if that woman thinks they're a bit dirty or doesn't like how they talk. But enough then, march me on to your great justice." Elfrida gave a mock salute.
Tommy Red Hand: Tommy sighed. "All rich men are bastards, it's a well known fact, but we still have to work for them. To avoid any of the loot going astray, can you tell us who owns the pieces, & we'll make sure everything ends up with the right people?"
Sleeping Dragon: "Fine." Gottfried pulled out a piece of paper and Elfrida told them who all the items had been stolen from. "Unfortunately quite a bit of it does actually belong to the Burgomeister. So incidentally, if the Burgomeister takes any of this for himself what exactly will you do and how will you prove he's stolen it? It'll be your word and mine against his and I know which of those will win."
Tommy Red Hand: "We'll have to speak to the owners then."
Sleeping Dragon: "Oh, and one last thing, the Burgomeister still owes me a week's wages - I assume he'll try to withhold that if I'm arrested, so make sure he still pays up and I'll give it to you. Even if you are pathetic spineless cocksuckers I'd still rather you had the money than him."
Sleeping Dragon: the party bound Elfrida, gagged her, and covered her with a hood to try to prevent her from being recognised while they brought her back to the Burgomeister. As before, a number of people began to follow the party, curious as to who they had arrested this time
Sleeping Dragon: as the party came nearer to the Burgomeister's more people gathered to follow them. Near the door, Elfrida made a sudden move, slipping her hands nimbly out of the ropes that bound her and reaching up quickly to try to pull the hood off her head.
Sleeping Dragon: before the party could react Elfrida was able to pull the hood off her head. A roar of surprise went through the crowd before Garil was able to pull the hood back down over her head. Fortunately, they were near to the Burgomeister's and they were able to quickly drag her inside, though they saw some people in the crowd dart away and rush off.

[sleepingdragon]

This is a few months overdue but...

*****************************************************

Sleeping Dragon: the party speedily took Elfrida into the Burgomeister's house and handed her over to custody. As the party waited briefly, the Burgomeister's personal herbalist, a bent old woman called Anna Klempen, came and examined their wounds. Outside, they could hear that the crowd had not dispersed, and remained outside the front gate.
Idris: As soon as Tommy had his wound dressed he thanked the crone & moved to peer out of the window.
Gustav: Gustav grunted as his wounds was examined and cared for. He also readies his weapons just in case. "We better prepare for anything." He glanced around with hint of suspicious
Edivad: "Hopefully not many of her friends there..."said Garil worried
Sleeping Dragon: the crowd appeared slightly restless, though they were all unarmed. After a while, they noticed that Reinhardt had arrived and was attempting to stir up the crowd, however only a moment later Father Adalbert also showed up. The priest's voice was so great they could hear it faintly through the closed window.

"The laws of this land are the laws of the Lord Sigmar! If you attempt to thwart rightful authority then the Heldenhammer will smite you! Go back to your homes!"

At this point the Burgomeister entered, looking troubled. "Thievery in my own household! You never know what to expect from menials. I believe Father Adalbert will be able to persuade the mob to return to their homes, but the wisest thing for you may be to leave quietly, via the rear exit. I will go out to speak to them as well when you do so, to take up the crowd's attention."
Idris: "We'll have our pay now then," Tommy said.
Sleeping Dragon: the Burgomeister nodded and gave each of them a gold Karl, then called in a servant to show them the way to the exit.
Gustav: Gustav nodded at the Burgomeister and followed the servant to exit, ready to meet any dangers.
Idris: "What about Elrida's wages?" Tommy said, not moving as yet. "You still owe her a week."
Sleeping Dragon: the Burgomeister looked astonished. "Are you serious? You would have me..." the Burgomeister shook his head. "Fine, if you are so interested in the earnings of a thief." The Burgomeister handed Tommy a small pouch of brass pennies and left the room, shaking his head.
Idris: Tommy slipped the pouch into his jacket. "I don't believe we should touch this money, not yet."
Sleeping Dragon: the party then followed the servant to the back door. The servant bade them wait a moment, heading out to check when the Burgomeister would go outside to address the crowd. He returned a moment later and allowed the party out, unlocking the door and the back gate which was near the southeastern edge of Nordfels. From the sound of things, much of the crowd had by now dispersed.
Gustav: "Shall we go and follow Kaufmann. Hopefully we can get there on time!"
Idris: Tommy nodded and lost no time in walking quickly away from the Burgomeister's house.
Sleeping Dragon: the party skirted the edge of the Marktplatz and headed towards Kaufmann's home, a two-storey wooden house with several small adjoining buildings. As they went, Gottfried gestured. "That must be him," he said, indicating a bald man accompanied by two armed guards. Only moments after Gottfried indicated them, they entered the woods to the north of Nordfels.
Garil: Garil took the lead and tried to help the party not be too noticeable as they followed Kauffman and his bodyguards through the woods.
Sleeping Dragon: They followed as stealthily as they could manage, with Garil taking the lead and indicating to the others when it was safe to follow. As he came nearer Garil saw that Kaufmann carried a small scroll which he looked at every now and then. Suddenly one of the guards stopped and looked around. "Did you hear that?" he said to the other.
Sleeping Dragon: Garil attempted to duck out of the way, nearly tripping as he went, before hitting on an idea. Snatching one of the dead rats off the sticks he carried around, he flung it ahead, causing Biter to rush forward.

The guards looked startled. "What's a dog doing out here?" he wondered, while the other stooped and picked up a stone. "Get out of here!" he shouted, throwing the rock at Biter
Sleeping Dragon: fortunately, the stone only grazed Biter, who retreated. "Come on lads!" Kaufmann shouted to his guards. "If the creature comes back use your swords!"
Garil: "That was close..."muttered Garil to the others as he gestured to call his dog back. He obviously quite worried by having nearly been discovered. Bending down to check Biter to ensure he was fine, he whispered to the others "Kauffman has some sort of map..."he added
Garil: edit: he was obviously quite worried
Gustav: Gustav looked thoughtfully at the mention of the map and glanced at the others, wondering if they acutally remainded hidden.
Sleeping Dragon: the party dropped back slightly as the guards were now warier after this narrow escape. At one point Garil stepped on a branch which broke loudly and he thought they would be discovered, however he rapidly ducked into the undergrowth and avoided detection.

After a little more than an hour of wandering in the thick forest, the trees thinned and Kaufmann and his men entered a small clearing. A rotting wooden cart, covered with moss, was near the centre of the clearing. Kaufmann sat down and pulled out a piece of jerky, eating it thoughtfully, while his guards paced up and down.
Idris: Tommy crouched down some way off, waiting patiently for Garil to give the signal to move off again.
Garil: "Looks like they're waiting for someone..."whispered Garil
Idris: Tommy loosed his sling and readied a stone. "Someone, or something..."
Gustav: "Hopefully, it is not some evil demon..." Gustav replied with a hint of wariness
Garil: Garil shuddered slightly as he loaded a bullet into his sling "By the gods I hope not."
Sleeping Dragon: "Gods, you're frightening me. I need a drink," Gottfried muttered, taking out a bottle of wine.
Garil: "I don't think this is the time..."
Idris: "Booze is no substitute for balls," Tommy said witheringly.
Sleeping Dragon: "You're the expert on substitutes for balls, eunuch," Gottfried replied, taking a drink.
Idris: Tommy gave Gottfried a dismissive look, & turned to the others, speaking in a low voice. "Is there any kind of marker where they've stopped?"
Garil: "I don't see much other than that cart."shrugged Garil
Sleeping Dragon: the party waited a while to see what would happen. After another fifteen minutes, suddenly the trees parted and eight Goblins entered the clearing. Kaufmann's guards put their hands to their sword hilts, but did not actually draw their weapons, while Kaufmann stood and went to greet one of the Greenskins. The leader of the Greenskins carried an elaborate walking cane, and stood chatting amiably to Kaufmann.
Garil: Garil looked almost relieved to see it was 'only' greenskins and not something worse, but it was obvious he still thought the situation grim
Gustav: Gustav eyed these greenskins and started fingering his weapon. He gesuturted that maybe they should try listening to them.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried finished his bottle of wine and quietly drew his sword and dagger.
Idris: Tommy frowned as he counted up the enemy and calculated their chances in an attack. He nodded agreement that Garil should listen if possible.
Idris: As Garil moved off, Tommy indicated that they should avoid fighting.
whispering to Garil, Garil crept forward, sneaking near to the edge of the clearing. This time, the guards had their attention taken up by the Greenskins, who they watched very warily.

"Goldz is good, humie," the Greenskin leader was saying, "but yer'll getz yerself a bet'r deal wit sommit more int'resting. Did yer say thar's Halfling's in yer town? Da boyz could go fer sommit tasty, an' if yer could find us a woman we could have us some fun afore we et her too," the Goblin said.

"There are...no Halfing women in Nordfels I'm afraid Shazgrit, and missing people tend to attract attention. We did see a dog earlier, if we see it again I'll have my men kill it and bring it for you next time. Did you bring the goods?"
Gustav: Gustav nodded in respond, his eyes curious as what Garil will have to say.
Garil: Garil looked increasingly angry as he listened to the Greenskins' words, but he decided to be careful and headed back to his companions.
Garil: "The greenskins asked for women and...halflings..."whispered grimly Garil to the others "They're trading, but I didn't stop to see what they are offering Kaufmann..."
Garil: edit: women...halfling ones...
Idris: At these words Tommy snarled. "If the odds weren't so against us I'd like nothing better than to give these bastards hell. I think the gobboes were probably doing Kaufmann's work for him, making him look like the big saviour when the town was attacked.
Gustav: "Disguisting. Shame you did not hear anything what that bastard was getting in return."
Sleeping Dragon: as they spoke, the Greenskin leader gestured and some of the Goblins moved back into the forest, then returned with a small cart, covered with a dirty blanket. Kaufmann had a quick look under the blanket, then tossed a purse at the Greenskin leader, who snatched it out of the air and began to count the coins.
Idris: "Well that's the answer to what the gobboes get." Tommy snorted, "though where they get to spend it is a mystery. They'd be run out of any decent town. We can warn the priest & the burgomeister that there's an attack planned, so the town is ready for them. I suggest we go for Kaufmann on the way back & get to see what's in that cart."
Sleeping Dragon: after the Greenskin leader finished counting the coins, he bit one of them, then nodded, put it back into the purse, and he and his underlings headed away. As they left they refused to turn their backs to Kaufmann and his guards, simply backing away until they were out of sight. Kaufmann sighed and indicated for one of the guards to take the cart.
Idris: Tommy gestured that they should follow Kaufmann for a time & then attack.
Gustav: Gustav smiled grimly, earer to take revenge.
Garil: Garil nodded, obviously agreeing with the plan
Garil: Garil whirled his sling and shot a stone at one of the guards, but even with the advantage of surprise his attack unfortunately missed
Server Administrator-> Kicking '(2155) Gustav' from server... Removing dead client
Gustav (exit): 22:10
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried lacked any ranged weapons, so he simply darted forward with his sword and dagger at the ready
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav did the same
Idris: Tommy whirled his sling and a stone shot out and hit one of the guards hard in the right arm.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried rushed the nearest guard, but missed wildly
Garil: Garil reloaded and slung another stone. The bullet barely struck a guard in the head, grazing it.
Sleeping Dragon: Kaufmann drew a club, but he hung back, ducking behind the cart
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav rushed forward, slashing the wounded guard in the leg with his blade. The injured Guard was sent dazed to the ground
Sleeping Dragon: the wounded guard stood, drew his blade with unexpected speed, and slashed Gustav heavily. The other guardsman drew his blade, stepping away from the cart, and swung wide of Gottfried
Garil: Barking savagingly, Biter threw himself at one the guards, but could not hit him.
Idris: As Gustav & his opponent fought and weaved, Tommy let fly. This time the stone hit the guard in the middle of his forehead. For a moment he stood swaying, then toppled to the ground.
Garil: Garil fired his sling again, but could not hit the now outmatched guard
Sleeping Dragon: Kaufmann had now drawn a dagger in his off-hand, and charged in swinging his club at the injured Gustav, but the stroke fell far wide
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav attacked Kaufmann, who deflected his blow away with his dagger. The guard then attacked Gustav, but the jailer also blocked it with his dagger.
Garil: Biter lunged again at the guard, but the man managed to barely avoid the dog's jaws
Idris: Tommy launched a stone at Kaufmann, which just grazed the merchant's head.
Garil: Garil sent another stone whistling through the air, just a couple of inches away from the guard. He cursed at his lack of accuracy.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried slashed at the guard, slicing into his leather jacket
Sleeping Dragon: Kaufmann swung his club at Gustav, but it sailed wide again.
Sleeping Dragon: Gustav stepped to the side, dropped his dagger, and reached out with his free hand to grapple the balding merchant, holding him fast
Sleeping Dragon: the guard slashed viciously at Gottfried, landing a hard blow on the cartographer's leg
Garil: Biter bit the guard in the lower torso, but his teeth couldn't get through the leather, leaving the man unhurt.
Idris: good
Idris: Tommy hurled a stone accurately at the guard, hitting him hard enough in the chest to wind him and send him to the ground.
Sleeping Dragon: Gottfried pointed his sword at the fallen, dazed guard. "Surrender or you're dead."
Garil: Garil reloaded his sling and looked menacingly at the guard
Sleeping Dragon: "We surrender, please, Schlichters, don't kill us!" Kaufmann wailed as Gustav put him in a full nelson
Idris: Tommy ran up to look in the cart as the others tied their prisoners.
Sleeping Dragon: now that the battle had finished, they could smell the horrible stench coming from the cart. "Schlichters, I can pay you far more than that idiot Burgomeister, he has no respect for talent."
whispering to Garil, Tommy picked up a stick to lift the dirty blanket. Looking into the cart, he felt his stomach turn. Inside was a messy pile of dead animals and severed limbs of Greenskins - most likely Snotlings - and humans. Here and there Tommy saw heads looking at him sadly.
Sleeping Dragon: Tommy picked up a stick to lift the dirty blanket. Looking into the cart, he felt his stomach turn. Inside was a messy pile of dead animals and severed limbs of Greenskins - most likely Snotlings - and humans. Here and there Tommy saw heads looking at him sadly.
Garil: "What...."Garil was at loss for words as he looked in horror at the contents of the cart
Idris: Tommy dropped the blanket and pulled his dagger. "What the fuck is that?" he asked Kaufmann, pointing the dagger at the man's vitals.
Sleeping Dragon: "It's, ah...sausage meat."
Idris: For a moment Tommy looked nonsplussed, then the horrible truth dawned. "You sick twisted greedy bastard. Hanging is too good for you. I'd hand you over to the people of Nordfels."
Sleeping Dragon: "They'll kill me!" Kaufmann wailed, and at the same time his guard spoke over him. "I don't know what's in that cart, I just carried it around! I'll testify against him if you'll let me free."
Idris: "You knew he was doing deals with Greenskins," Tommy said angrily. "Traitor!"
Garil: "Let's just bring them over to Nordfels so they can get what they deserve."said Garil grimly "And perhaps give these...remains...a proper burial."
Sleeping Dragon: the party brought the captives back to Nordfels and handed them over to the Burgomeister along with the cart containing their grisly evidence. The town was now in an uproar with three sets of arrests in a single day, and the Burgomeister had to offer the party rooms in his own home so they could avoid continuous questioning before the Marktgericht.

Two days later, a spectacular triple trial occurred. Beginning with the least serious crime, Elfrida was tried for her theft. She had obviously decided, especially as she was being tried first, that she would deny the charges, arguing that the stolen goods had been at the abandoned farm independent of her and that the Schlichters had arrested her as part of a broader vendetta against Hein Kaufmann. Several of the servants at the Burgomeister's home were willing to speak in her favour, however against her was evidence from Mathilde and some other servants about her regular nightly activities, as well as several people who had seen her out at night.
Sleeping Dragon: the judge ultimately ruled that Elfrida was guilty of her crime. Next came the three cousins for the murder of Karel. Unlike Elfrida, they were immediately willing to plead guilty, and instead simply asked for mercy as they argued they had committed the act under the influence of drink and that their blows would not have killed a human.
Sleeping Dragon: the cousins were convicted. The judge was ultimately unmoved by their pleas, as their act had been responsible for the recent disorders, and the cousins were sentenced to hang. Finally came the trial of Kaufmann. At the Burgomeister's advice, the evidence of the cart was to be presented...but not in full. The animal and Greenskin parts were instead discreetly disposed of, and the Burgomeister also cut a deal with the guard for a lenient sentence in exchange for his testimony.
Sleeping Dragon: with this spectacular evidence, Kaufmann stood no chance at all. He was sentenced to be immediately hanged with the three cousins, while the guard was required to forfeit his goods and enter the service of Sigmar for the next five years. Elfrida was treated relatively lightly, losing only the two small fingers on her left hand and being sentenced to exile from Nordfels once her wound had healed.

Following the trial, the Burgomeister paid the party an additional 3 Karls each for their success in quelling the disorders in Nordfels. "I will pass your names on to other authorities here in Wissenland. Nonetheless, I would advise that you leave Nordfels now. There will be some who do not thank you for what's happened, and at any rate I hope things will become quite boring around here now that the peasants have been sated with their bit of blood. Thank you, my friends."