Paths of the Damned, Pt. 2: Rats in the Walls

[Wilphe]

Winifred curtsys, "Father, my association with this task was but a coincidence and I am not sure I deserve such a bounty. However I shall not turn your generosity away, for in life one is more often unrewarded when one consider's oneself deserving, than rewarded when one thinks one does not deserve it. Only the gods can divine our destinies, and I as a woman of good family but poor fortune cannot tell when I shall be in need. Therefore I thank you."

"However, please rest assured that if you have any task for which you are in need of persons of spirit and valor to perform I would beg you to consider us for the task. Therefore I regard this purse not so much a reward for what I have done, but as an advance upon what I hope to do. Alternatively, if you know of any who are need of such as ourselves, please direct us hence."

"There is one more duty we must discharge however," she makes sure they are not overheard and lowers her voice, "During our journey here the wise woman of Untergard disappered from the caravan, we searched for her and found her engaged in some magical ritual. When we approached her she commanded the beasts of the forest to attack us. We fought, but were unable to prevent her finishing the ritual."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

[sblock=OOC for Lot]That's fine. There are 25 gc in the purse.[/sblock]Father Morten smiles at Ottokar. "If you wish it that way," he says. "Although, remember that charity starts locally and personally. You should trust your own judgement more. In your travels, you will see things that the Order of the Torch may only hear whisperings of."

He turns to Winifred and bows slightly in response to her first speech. "My lady." He pauses and listens to her finish speaking, pausing thoughtfully before continuing. "I would feel most grateful for your help should I ever need it and will keep it in mind. As for this ritual," his voice lowers, "what happened when it was finished?"

 

[Wilphe]

"I wish I knew, or perhaps I don't want to know. Anyway, something roared out of the bonfire and flew off. The witch dropped dead and the animals, apparently their ensorcellment broken, dissppeared."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"That's a troubling story. I will make some discreet inquiries and see if anything unusual has happened in the area, but I'm afraid that, if the ritual has been completed, it's likely far too late to prevent it's aims from coming true. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal." He smiles thoughtfully. "If you'll excuse me, I need to return to my duties. I don't know if you have lodgings in town yet — do you? If you do, I will contact you there; otherwise, check in every few days to see if we have work for you. Although I imagine you'll find work soon enough with conditions as they are here in Middenheim." He bows and says his farewells.

As you leave the temple, you notice a pair of city watchmen waiting outside, attempting, albeit poorly, to look casual. The taller one steps forward. "Welcome to Middenheim. The Watch Commander would like to speak with you about the Beastmen you encountered in the Drakwald. If you would come with us, please?" His attempt at friendliness is slightly awkward, and the pair of them look absolutely exhausted.[sblock=OOC]If either of you have anything you'd like to mention to Morten, you can, he'll hear you out, although he has no new information to offer and little time for an in depth conversation at the moment. In the meantime, let's move on.[/sblock]

 

[Wilphe]

"Thank you Father, we have not yet found lodgings, but hope to soon."

Outside: "Well we took great efforts NOT to encounter them, however if we can be of service we will."

 

[Lot]

Ottokar listens to the wisdom of Father Morten.

"What you say makes sense, Father."

He puts a few of the coins back in his bag but hands five to Morten.

"I shall take your advice and try to find those who can best use it. I thank you for the opportunity."

Ottokar bows to the priest and follows Winifred outside. Meeting the guards, he nods solemnly.

"We shall meet and discuss this grave news with the Watch Commander."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

The shorter of the two pipes up. "You should pay more attention at briefings, Johann. They encountered the Beastmen in Untergard." The taller one looks like he's about to clobber the smaller one, but he manages to reign in his anger. With a terse "follow me," he leads you to the Watch Headquarters, a large, plain stone building near the South Gate. The two watchmen escort you to a large office, currently empty. The shorter guard says, "Commander Schutzmann should be with you momentarily."

Sure enough, about five minutes later, Schutzmann enters the room. An imposing man in his late forties to early fifties, Schutzmann is just over six feet tall with close-cropped grey hair and dark blue eyes. He sits down behind the desk, although he does not invite either of you to sit. "Thank you for coming," he says, surveying the two of you with an appraising eye. "My name is Ulrich Schutzmann. I'm the commander of the City Watch, and, with the Graf off chasing the remnants of Archaon's forces, I'm in charge of things around here. Now. I hear you you encountered some Beastmen over in Untergard. I'd like to know where they were, and get an idea of their numbers."

 

[Wilphe]

"Certainly sir," Winifred quickly breifs the Commander on the situation, "As you are no doubt aware, during the war the Imperial Army fought to resist an attack across the bridge at Untergard The town suffered severe damage, and we were amongst those left behind when Imperial Forces moved on."

"Six days ago the towns tracker, Herr Hans Baumer reported that a herd of beastmen of about two hundred was approaching the town from the south. They outnumbered us by more than two to 1, and many of our number were untrained, old, sick, wounded or children. It would have been a massacre, and Captain Schiller took the hard but correct decision that we would withdraw to Middenheim."

"This we successfully did, managing to avoid any contact with them. I myself travelled into Grimminhagen in order to warn them of the beastmen's approach. On the second day of our travels, we came across the remains of a caravn frfom Delbrez ambushed by goblins. That was the only enemy force we came close to encountering."

"If you wish to know more, Herr Baumer also made it to Middenheim, and could brief you more thoroughly. I cannot speak for my companion, but I would happy to accompany any expedition you may have in mind against them."

 

[Lot]

Ottokar steps forward.

"I would also be honored to aid, as well. I have been charged by Father Morten from the Order of the Torch of the Temple of Sigmar to seek out injustice and bring safety to the Empire."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

He raises his eyebrows. "A force that big, eh? Good to know. Not big enough to cause us too much trouble here. Hopefully, the Graf and his men'll catch up with it out there before it ever gets a mind to head this way, though. Well, then, I'll have to talk to this Herr Baumer, too, though. Best to get the report first hand. I'm sure you understand."

Just as he finishes speaking, there's a knock on the door. A clerk comes in and hands Schutzmann a note. He frowns as he reads it, and then turns to the PCs. "Just before you came here, you delivered an object to the Temple of Sigmar and gave it to one Father Morten, is that right?" He barely pauses as he continues. "According to this note, Father Morten was found dead less than an hour ago, with signs of foul play. The object is missing, and it appears that you were the last people to see him alive. I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you for your weapons and keep you here to assist with our inquiries until our investigation is concluded."