Distractions then departure
Awakening after another drunken night in the Wolf's Teeth tavern, Grundi and Mordrin nursed hangovers while the party made their preparations for the journey south to Delberz. Berthold and Siegfried were to go out to investigate getting places on a coach. Just before they left young Athelus, initiate of Sigmar, arrived with a message for Berthold: he was being offered a job by Father Greimold at the temple of Sigmar. The young scribe was torn between loyalty to his adventuring companions, and the thought of a cushy life.
Berthold and Seigfried soon discovered that the cost of a coach was prohibitive and decided that the party was going to have to walk. Siegfried noticed 2 people haggling over a ring not unlike the one he'd sold to a fence the previous day, and discovered that it had been worth some 10 times what he'd received for it. And Berthold and Seigfreid both also overhead someone talking about Karl, the librarian at the Collegium Theologica, who'd just plain disappeared a couple of days ago. Both characters decided to keep this information to themselves.
Their task completed, Berthold hastened to the temple of Sigmar. He met Father Greimold and explained to the priest that he couldn't accept the man's offer of employment. Greimold praised the young scribe's loyalty and courage, and offered him Sigmar's blessings, but nothing else [Andy fluffed 2 Fel rolls by too many degrees of failure for comfort].
Meanwhile Mordrin had decided to pay a visit to the Chapel of Grungni to pray for good fortune on the journey and to find out what the dwarfen community was planning to do about the shrine he had found in the sewers. On the latter he found that a proper expedition was being planned to locate the shrine and then to decide what to do. He was invited to join this party, but, just like Berthold, he had to decline. And, just like Berthold, he was praised for his loyalty and courage, and offered Grungni's blessings, but nothing else.
Mordrin also met a messenger from Firengul- his contact with his smuggler brother's organisation. Firengul wanted to meet the young runerunner that evening, but Mordrin had to send back a reply saying that he'd be out of Middenheim for some time.
These distractions sorted, and the party's equipment piled on the shoulders of the sturdy dwarfs so that no one was overencumbered, the PC's set off late that morning. They arrived at the gate of the southern aqueduct to discover that Kaltenbach and his crew- including the mysterious Beyer- were on duty. Covert thieves' signals passed between Seigfreid and Beyer to inform the latter that the PC's were acting on the information passed on the other day.
Meanwhile Kaltenbach looked the PC's up and down, and demanded 2gc and 10s toll, adding the explanation that it was for the ongoing repairs to the war-torn city. The party were sure that this was a con. Siegfried aired this opinion loudly, looking for support from those behind him waiting to pass out the gate. The man behind him gave him a look as if to say you might be right, but I'm not getting involved. Most of the PC's noticed Beyer frantically signalling for them to just pay up and get going. Something about this left Siegfreid once more utterly convinced that this Beyer was, in fact, a woman. Grundi stumped up the cash Kaltenbach was demanding, and the party moved on without further incident.
The stench of death was ripe in the air as the party set out for a second time to cross the burnt-out wasteland left by Archaon's besieging horde. Corpses of Flayerkin still dotted the city walls. Work parties could be seen hard at work cleaning up the detruitus of battle. Palls of thick smoke hung in the air here and there from great funeral pyres. Several hours later the PC's encountered a party of militia. After a brief interrogation as to their identities and their intentions, they were allowed to pass. They moved on and the Drakwald quickly swallowed them up.
The rest of that day's journey passed uneventfully under a chilly drizzle. Deciding to make up as much time as possible, the party pushed on for a couple of extra hours and camped out at the side of the road.
Berthold had found the previous day's hard march more taxing than the others so that he delayed the departure the next day. Still the party were making good time on the last leg of their march to Delberz. Then they heard a couple of human voices arguing loudly just round a bend in the road. Pausing only for a brief confab that resulted more in confusion than in clarity, Mordrin and Grundi pushed on round the corner to see what was what, Alane and Berthold followed up cautiously, awaiting developments, and Seigfreid slipped into the woods out of sight on the left.
Turning the corner the 2 dwarfs saw 2 men standing arguing while 2 bodies lay on the ground. What's going on the dwarfs asked. The 2 humans just turned and looked at the PC's. At that moment the sounds of movement were heard in the woods to the left and right behind Alane and Berthold. Mordrin's sixth sense went off.
Ambush!- the young dwarf shouted.
Related@RD/KA!
From Middenheim to Delberz
- #2 Fate's dark hand
- Index:- My little Old World: Ashes of Middenheim
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