"Use caution M'lord, I've reason to believe there are a fair number of Chaos Shrines on the road ahead, this may not be a trap laid by that foul woman..." Nigel whispers to the count, "But if it is the work of Benedikta... I shall kill that bitch twice over for the destruction she has brought to these peoples lives."

He then takes a few steps in front of the count and to his left, so that he is in good position to defend his liege if any threat arises; he scans the area surrounding the site of the recent witch burning for threats and anything else worth noting.


18:34, Today: Nigel Plaskitt rolled 12 using 3d6. Observation 12. Success by 0.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:35, Fri 05 Apr 2013.

The priest nods to Nigel. "All too familiar," he says. He keeps close to the count.

The woman looks up and at the party with tear stained eyes, dark from sleepless nights, and then buries her face into her hands again. A man strides over, previously obscured by your view through the door. He is well dressed, in his forties with dark hair and beard salted with white. His clothes are good, and a sword hangs by his side.

"I am Johann Czapek, Baron of Forstall." He waves his hand to indicate the surrounding estate. His eyes too are deep and dark from a lack of sleep. "We have just suffered a terrible and sad day. What is your business here? Or are you just travelers?"

"There lies my daughter and only child." He said flatly, not waiting for a response.

Grigory immediately assumed that this was Benedikta's work. To convince a successful Baron to sacrifice his only daughter would have required the witch hunter to have incredible sway over the man, and he seemed far more capable than her previous political puppet.

Grigory spoke quietly, keeping his eye out for trouble and a hand on his new crossbow. "Perhaps we shouldn't stay here very long, lord."

The Baron continued, heedless of his own questions, or Grigory, now a slave to his memory. "It was only yesterday, a blonde, one eyed woman came to us. She said she was a Witch Hunter from the Empire. Well, as you know, the Empire care little for us, and so we care little for their authority. I told her as much and her countenance darkened."


"She started to rail on us for hiding here while Akendorf was in trouble, and level all sorts of insults upon my house, building up to her coup de grâce, that she could sense a witch here in my estate. The serfs, who were holed up with me in fear heard the dire news and immediately began to panic. To placate them, I let this, this woman investigate, confident she would not find anything. After some investigations though she... she" and hear he fought back tears "settled upon my daughter Ungrid. I told her that this most not be, that she was a good girl, and worshiper of Sigmar and all the other good gods, but the Huntress indicated various proofs that were irrefutable to my people. That she did not wear any holy symbols [Private to Bjorn Jorgensen: You notice that few, and even recall Benedikta doesn't wear any overtly religious symbols.], that she aided and abetted a girl marked by Chaos, a young one named Agathe that we saw not long ago, and several other ridiculous things."

"They barred us in our mansion, and immediately assisted in the burning of my daughter. She did not even have us there for comfort. Only a necklace, a silver swan, that my wife had given to her for her sixteenth birthday last year. We saw from the window her clutching it as the flames went up around her. We're now looking for that piece of jewelry but cannot seem to find it anywhere."

His eyes fell on Bjorn, apparently for the first time. "A Priest! perhaps you have some prayer that can help me find my daughter's neckalce? Please, it is all we have left aside from ashes. The girl Agathe that we helped, she didn't seem evil either, I swear. Just injured and lost."

Nigel's face hardens at the Baron's tale, his eyes narrow and he hisses through gritted teeth, "Benedikta..."

Though he wants to promise the Baron that Benedikta will die, he leaves the talking to Nikolaas and Bjorn, standing silently glaring at the road ahead.

As the Baron gave his story, the Count's breath caught in his throat; if such horrors could be inflicted here, what could her letters have wrought back home? Nik had stood countless horrors in his life, but for the first time in a long time felt the icy chill of fear creeping up his spine.

When he speaks it is as gently as he can, which lends his words a sort of awkwardness as they come from such a ragged and scarred face. "You have our sympathies, Baron Czapek, if the sympathy of simple travelers might give you some comfort. Please, let us do what we can for you. Pip! Maurice!" His voice suddenly boomed again, "Into the ash with you, and lend your eyes to the search for a silver swan!"

So discharged, he looked back to the Baron with soft eyes though his jaw was set tight. "We know who did this to you, and why; we have been haunted by this witch for miles now, and have also suffered for her mischief. I know it is cold comfort, but we will find her, soon, and she will meet a fate that will give your poor daughter some measure of peace."

He stands aside, allowing Bjorn to offer whatever words he can to such a desolated man, and waits. Soon he would ask about the one-eyed huntress, about the strange girl Agathe, about which direction they went and how long ago; the burden of responsibility weighed heavily on him, and Nik desperately wanted to abandon the caravan to simply slake his rage on his enemy, but there was simply too much to do. Always too much to do.

 The vision of humans letting a self proclaimed witch hunteress do as she pleased seemed the normal for manlings or at least the ones he had seen save those with the caravan.

" The human one eyed woman is a agent of chaos and has worked with the stinking orcs and most likely goblins as well. She flees from us and is trying to get others to do her fighting against these manling heroes. Cant bring your daughter back but we can take care of the stinking imposter."
 He runs his thumb along the edge of his axe and touched the blood against the burned area in a dwarven sign of respect and vow.

The Baron seems to appreciate the Dwarf's gesture "Thank you, good Dwarf. I-I had expected that the woman was not who she claimed to be. It would comfort me to know that she meets her end."

Maurice and Pip scramble down off the wagons to begin searching. However, neither can come up with anything. The boy suggests to Maurice that the necklace isn't anywhere it can be found, implying one of the peasants may have taken the trinket.

"I, too, wish to see Benedikta ended, but she has shown some unholy manner of remaining one stride beyond our reach," he says. "I have not a prayer to ascertain the location of the necklace, but if the thing be in the hands of that witch, I shall have it returned to you once I have meted out judgment upon her unrighteous soul and pried it from her cold, dead fingers. For now, let us give your daughter a proper burial and I shall lay her soul to rest in the arms of Almighty Sigmar, his grace e'er be upon us all."

Bjorn sets to work digging a grave, collecting the ashes, and making other preparations for the post-mortem unction of the child. When all is prepared and the congregants gathered, he begins the funeral.

"Our Lord Sigmar, by His divine grace, as also by the gift of the power vouchsafed unto His holy disciples, this my spiritual chid, Ungrid, is absolved, through me, unworthy though I be, from all things wherein, as mortal, she hath sinned against Sigmar, whether in word, or deed, or thought, and with all her senses, whether voluntarily or invountarily, whether wittingly or through ignorance. If she be under the condemnation of a priest; or hath incurred the taint of her father or mother; or hath fallen under her own taint; or hath sinned by any oath; or hath been bound, as man, by any sins whatsoever, but hath repented her thereof, with contrition of heart: she is now absolved from all those faults and bonds. May all those things which have proceeded from the weakness of her mortal nature be consigned to Chaos and be remitted unto her; Through Sigmar's grace; Amen."

14:14, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 8 using 3d6. Religious Ritual 11.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:29, Sat 06 Apr 2013.

Nigel hears Pip's suggestion of theft and decides to skip the funeral in favor of finding the necklace if he can. His time as a guard has taught him where to find people who deal in stolen goods and he locates some such unsavory peasants, "Tell me who took the Baron's daughter's necklace, the one with the silver swan; there's a crown in it for you if do. No need for the good Baron to know, just give your Liege the comfort of recovering his daughter's necklace."

18:01, Today: Nigel Plaskitt rolled 12 using 3d6. Streetwise 12. Success by 0.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:32, Sat 06 Apr 2013.

Grigory began asking around for the necklace, but didn't have much luck. His new tabbard clearly marked him as an outsider, and he was still adjusting to the difference between the rural peasants of the Border Princes and the city scum he was more used to. He was happy to see that Nigel was making better headway than he was.

09:49, Today: Grigory rolled 14 using 3d6. Streetwise 12.

Most of the peasants honestly don't seem to know much, but one approaches Nigel. "Good sir, I don't wish to point fingers, but the lady there" the filthy man had been clasping his own hands, but here he points to a plump woman in a brown dress hovering near the baroness. "'er name is Migred, an she's acting a bit 'spicious. If'n you ask her, she might now of this necklace."

[Private to Nikolaas von Richtgraf: Maurice watches this exchange and signals to Nik that the man is lying]

From his place by the wagon, Nik simply observes as the men go about their tasks; he would speak more with the Baron later on, but for now there was the simple duty of lending humanity to this unhappy place. His eye catches the canny Maurice, whose obsequious servant's nature makes it easy to approach and listen undetected, signal him from across the courtyard - a simple scratch on the nose followed by a tug on the ear - and instantly the Count is stalking toward Nigel and the ragged man he's speaking to.

"You, there! Yes, you!" He hadn't heard the exchange himself, but stabs his finger toward the man accusingly. "What's that you say? Eh? You have some notion of where to find this trinket, do you? Go on, speak."

I'm a little confused about the set-up, so I'm assuming we've either finished with the funeral or it hasn't actually happened yet. If I'm off here, please let me know.

"He says she might know something." Nigel says indicating to the same woman the peasant just pointed out, "Don't much like the idea of servants stealing... But maybe she just knows who took it."

"Thank you for your honesty." Nigel says, "Now if you'll hold out your hands I'll be giving you that crown."

Nigel watches to see what the peasant has clasped in his hands when he gives him his reward, if he sees the necklace it will not go well for him.

Just as Nigel suspected, he sees a glimpse of silver, really just a link or two in a fine chain, as the man tries to palm away the trinket. Anyone else might have easily missed it, such was the skill of the peasant. Expectantly, though, he holds out a hand for the expected Crown.

You may assume any funerary services are over, and you all are poking around for the necklace again.

"You steal from a noble's corpse and lie to my face!?" Nigel's eyes widen with anger, he draws his sword faster than the peasant can move, and strikes at the peasant's outstretched hand cutting it off.

While the peasant reels from his wound Nigel is quick to grab the necklace from his pocket, takes a moment to regain his composure, then turns and gives it to Nikolaas, "Apologies for the outburst M'lord, this is what the Baron was looking for. Shall I kill the thief or leave him to his wound?"

10:58, Today: Nigel Plaskitt rolled 8 using 3d6. Fast Draw Shortsword 14. Success by 6.
11:03, Today: Nigel Plaskitt rolled 12 using 3d6. Shortsword 14+4(AOA Det.)-4(TA Hand)=14. Success by 2.
11:04, Today: Nigel Plaskitt rolled 9 using 1d6+4. Cuttting damage -1FP for Mighty Blow. 9 x 1.5 = 13 damage to his hand, which should be enough to cut it off entirely.

HP: 12/12     FP: 11/12

The wretch gives an agonized cry and falls backwards. As the Baron rushes over, sword now in hand, he catches the last bit of Nigel's question. "Kill? Why- what did you, Reeve... hand." His question and anger dissolve rapidly, and the tip of his sword gradually falls to the ground. "You found the necklace! I never would have guessed Reeve would do such a thing. He's been a loyal serf."

Tears glisten in his eyes as he reaches out towards the necklace. His wife has also risen and floated over, but most of the peasants are running about in fear, gesticulating wildly.

"Thank you so much, you have my undying gratitude. Please, come in. We are not prepared to receive guests, it has been a difficult few days, but I would offer you what hospitality we may." He beckons them all towards his house, a half timber construction, two stories tall, with gabeles on the roof implying an attic floor as well.

Now would be the time to discuss anything you wish with the Baron, including the map. He would know the area and be inclined to share anything he knows. You should also decide if you're going to offer Reeve any medical care or leave him to bleed out. The Baron and his wife show little concern one way or another for him. Likely, they are drained of emotion and can't really manage anger, shock, or rage anymore.

The Count stands angrily before Nigel and the peasant as the archer explains his questioning, and is then just as surprised as Reeve is by the speed and accuracy of Nigel's slashing blade. His expression changes only slightly, a cocked eyebrow toward Nigel, and when the silver necklace is revealed the other eyebrow raises; he seems unmoved by the screams of the man nearby, and shouts simply "Maurice! Bind this man's stump so he doesn't bleed out. A dead man learns nothing." He drops his tone considerably, and calls out to Bjorn "Perhaps simply a stray from the flock, your Grace; Maurice will keep him alive, but he can do nothing for the pain. I leave that to your judgement."

When the commotion dies down and the party is invited inside the Baron's home, Nik brushes past Nigel as he walks. "Very well done, man, very well done." He pats him vigorously on the shoulder and strides into the building.

The Count does his utmost to be a civil, gracious and sympathetic guest, but his own pressing agenda weighs heavily on his mind - revenge, commerce and mystery were proving to be harsh taskmasters. As soon as is seemly, and perhaps long before, Nik steers the conversation toward Benedikta, Agathe and the mysterious map.

"These lands seem troubled, my Lord," he says over a goblet of wine, "perhaps for a long time. My man Nigel" he raises his cup in salute, "has come across this map that indicates some sort of Chaos influence in the area that has surely lent your people no end of trouble. And then there is the matter of the women - the one-eyed huntress called Benedikta, who we pledge to see brought to justice, but also the girl Agathe. You said she had come and gone earlier; what do you remember of her? These two are connected somehow though I can't fathom how, and the ties to Chaos are simply too many to ignore."

"The Border princes are troubled no matter how you look at it. The barbarous men that use to live here, before the founding of the empire, did all sorts of terrible and strange things, and the remnants are scattered over the region. When the orcs moved in and killed, or drove out the early men, they typically kept away from the barrows and chaos shrines. As a result, many only had to withstand the test of time and there are quite a few in this area."

"One, in particular, The Barrow of Hardfigg, actually lies just off the road. I don't recommend spending a night anywhere close. It's an evil place. Another, Lott's Croft, is about a day by road, and a half a day by trail. If the orcs aren't about, I've heard there are numerous riches there." He takes a sip of his wine before continuing on.

"As for the huntress, I will not suffer her name to be spoken again." There is a hard edge to his voice "But I am comforted to know she will be ended. No 'justice' can bring our daughter back. But, it can help us cope. As for the girl, she was here a couple days ago, she seemed horrible misshapen, red boils everywhere, and somehow injured. Our blessed daughter tried to clean her up, and gave the girl her own bed but, in the morning, she had gone without so much as a 'thank you'."

Seeing the man's hand be severed, Bjorn rushes to grab his equipment and returns to the peasant.

"Let this wound be unto you a lesson," he says in a tone most stern. "You will not e'er be of such providence as this day. With this gift of healing, leave your wiles and conniving behind."

After patching up the wound and lending a prayer of healing, Bjorn proceeds to tell a parable.

"There was a man of ill repute, loathed even by his kin,
And all he did—yea, from his birth—was tainted to the core.
But Grace would have it known to all that, much to his chagrin,
His evil ended far and wide when Death knocked at his door."

Putting his hand on the peasant's shoulder, he says, "Learn from this mistake: Embrace the grace of Sigmar and sin no more, lest the taint of your heart take hold in your flesh and rot you from the inside out."

09:27, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 13 using 3d6. First Aid 15.
09:50, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled -1 using 1d6-2. HP healed.
     Minimum 1 HP in addition to stopping any bleeding.
09:53, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 8 using 3d6. Minor Healing 15.
     Up to 4 HP injury healed—enough (including bandaging) for anyone of total HP 12 of fewer.
10:03, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 10 using 3d6. Public Speaking 13.
     For a good story.
10:03, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 6 using 3d6. Captivate 12.
     Your call on how this works.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:06, Tue 09 Apr 2013.

Nigel sticks around with Maurice and Bjorn while they bandage Reeve's hand and heal him. When they've finished Nigel pulls out a crown, drops it in the dirt next the wounded man, and says coldly, "You did tell me, though unintentionally, who took the necklace; here is your crown as promised."

He then turns and follows the rest of the group into the house, taking time to enjoy the quality food he was not accustomed to eating, then at Nikolaas bidding he retrieves the leather tube from the wagon.

Nigel quickly returns and lays the map out on the table, "The map outlines the area that we're yet traveling towards, but it is only marked with Chaos symbols and skull and crossbones. You confirm what I assumed, the Chaos symbols are undoubtedly shrines and the crossbones are ruins."



"I'm guessing that this is The Barrow of Hardfigg?" Nigel says putting his finger on the mark closest to the road on the route they will be traveling, "And which one of these marks is Lott's Croft? Do you recognize any of the other symbols? If its not too much to ask, perhaps you could identify any of the other marks or other things we should be aware of?"

The Baron gets up and moves around the table to look at the map. "Yes, that is Hardfigg, closest to the road there. You're about four, maybe five days travel from there. Lott's Croft is..." Here he searches the map, tracing a finger across the parchment. "This one here." His finger lands on another symbol, marked by the sign of Chaos and sitting in a forest North of the road. "For reference, we are here." He, pointed to an unmarked space outside of the forest.

"The rest of the barrows I know little about. We're busy enough keeping the orcs away that I don't want to venture into any more danger than I have to."

 The idea of just taking the serfs hand seemed curious to him but he had to guess that Nigel was also looking for a way to regain his honor with a death wish, still he had no care one way or another about the man.

 He did follow the group to the mans house and turned sideways to enter in thru the door  before moving inside and listening to the talk of chao shrines. He smiled grimly at the name of the first and closest possible chance to find his doom but if not there then perhaps the next one on the map.

 "We should go have a look see at the first shrine, see if there is trouble there that we can dust off."

"I don't like the idea of stirring up trouble at an old Chaos ruin, but it sounds like the kind of place that would attract Benedikta and Agathe. And it would be nice for us to bring the fight to the forces of Chaos for a change."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Wed 10 Apr 2013.