Sunday, 21st October 2012
Chapter 7
Till Death Us Do Part
Part 2
Wurtbad Bound
By now, the party has plenty of reasons to head south along the Old Forest Road. Karin and Lothar still await them at the Ten-Tailed Cat, The fare is 7 gc per day. The complete journey to Wurtbad will take five days by coach.
Eighteen miles south-east of Talagaad, at the southern base of the Talabheim crater, is the village of
Waldfärhte. As Karin and Lothar have been riding all day, Waldfärhte is the farthest they go before resting their horses. There’s an inn at Waldfärhte called The Countess’s Elbow, where the party spend the night.
After Waldfärhte, there are two villages (
Liebstedt and
Warghafen) before the Old Forest Road enters the wooded Färlic Hills.
The PC's meet a group of flagellants traveling south, whom they recognize from the Crusade. They give them food, and the flagellants reveal they had been South looking for a religious artifact - a painting - part of a triptych - (one of three) - showing Sigmar at the tree of hope. They had been sent to look for it by someone named
Krantz.
The Old Forest Road is bumpy, making sleep en route impossible. Not much happens during their time at the various inns, but Mormocar studies the Vampire's (whom he reads is called
Lord De Trois) Journal they found and learns more about the legends surrounding
Nagash and the Vampire Prophesies.
What he found out is presented at the end of this update.
He also read about the Triptych (he looked specifically for this as it was mentioned in the note found in Lord De Trois book) - a series of three paintings by Leonardo da Miragliano, based on earlier paintings by the crusading Tilean Merchant Prince Giovanni Lanfranchi of Remas, - one depicting Myrmidia at the Tree of Hope, one depicting Sigmar at the Tree of Hope - and a third that no-one knows about... the painting of Myrmidia at the Tree of Hope can be found as a fresco on the ceiling of the Temple of Myrmidia in Wurtbad. As for information on Where the Sigmar section is, or the unknown section, Mormocar can find nothing.
During their travels, Konrad is visited by dreams. On the second day out, he dreams
You stand on a vast, white field at the convergence of a thousand intertwined stairways. Above you, hundreds of black stairs stretch infinitely into white space. Below you, hundreds of white stairs descend into a black void. Down the black stairwell a figure approaches - your mother. She looks exactly as you remember her, except she’s made entirely of wood. She stops for a moment at the great convergence and then speaks: “I’m leaving now.” She then descends one of the white stairways.
Konrad follows her down the starirs, the dream continues.
You must run to keep up with your mother, even though she is only walking. You arrive at a still pool, and your mother is gone. Two reflections appear in the pool. One is Karl. The other is you as a young child. Both children reach up to you, the palms of their hands skimming the surface.
He reaches out to pull his childhood self out of the water, and awakens. Throughout the dream, he can hear a puzzled voice in the distance saying,
'I expected a halfling...'
On the fourth day out, the party arrive at the small town of
Hermsdorf. This southernmost settlement on the Old Forest Road is a small logging town with nearly 400 inhabitants. Hermsdorf is built near the crest of a low hill, overlooking the Wurtbad valley that extends 15 miles to the south.
They try to lodge at the smaller of Hermsdorf ’s two inns; the One-Toothed Saw, but it is full. They see a coal wagon is parked beside the stable, in plain view. The landlord confirms that three men who own the cart are staying in an upstairs room, but there is no boy with them. He refuses to give the room number of his guests.
Mormocar goes out alone to check out the coal cart, but the stable lad looking after it challenges him and he fails to intimidate the lad, who shouts for the Watch. Two watchmen come running over and Mormocar punches the lad, and another two Watchmen appear and between the four of them they put him in stocks for assault... after being pelted repeatedly with rotten tomatoes and horse poo, Mormocar finally convinces the Watch to nip into the pub to talk to his mates, who will explain everything. Konrad produces paperwork stating that they are on Empire business, which is none of the Watches business, and that, furthermore, the kidnappers are in the upstairs room. The Watch and the PC's spend 9 rounds trying to kick in the door... once in, the room is empty and the window is open - checking out the window reveals a stream running below it - it looks like the occupants have jumped out. They all go outside to check, apart from Grondi, who stays behind to search the room and finds a man hiding in the wardrobe, who attacks. Grondi quickly knocks him out and sits on him till the others get back from searching for whoever had jumped out of the window.
The stream led to a channel flowing quickly towards the town wall through a hole, cascading down a steep gully into the River Stir, and there was no sign of anyone by the time the PC's arrive. They return to the room where Grondi had captured the man, who was called Jamal.
Interrogating Jamal using Torture is effective, eventually. Jamal remains tight lipped until Konrad starts burning his legs with a hot sword... whereupon he gives up what information he has:
- The boy is to be taken to a town called Helfurt in Sylvania, where he will serve the Dark Master’s plan.
- The location of their hideout in a cave five miles south of Hermsdorf.
Calling the Watch to take care of Jamal (which they did by sticking a sword in him and saying, 'Sentence for kidnapping is death.'), they had a decision to make: Helfurt is a good three hundred miles away, while the cave is five miles away.
They decided to check out the cave. It contains: 3 bedrolls, a boulder stained with dried blood, a sacrificial dagger, stale provisions, and two hand-written tomes containing prayers to Nagash. In the fire pit is a partially burned letter.
They travel onwards towards Hermsdorf - taking the charcoal coach and spare horse that Jamal and his mates will no longer be needing - Ralf getting Karin and Lothar to try to teach him to drive on the way. The fifth night out from Talegaad, Konrad is again visited by a dream - again, the voice in the background says, 'Yaga's thoughts said Konrad was a halfling'... the dream he had was as follows:
You stand on an open plain of black stone. The sky is pure white, and your child-self stands before you, miles away yet almost within arm’s length. A huge raven with featherless, leathery skin descends from the sky and carries the child away in its claws. On the horizon, you can see a garden of stones, in the centre of which stands a withering tree.
He awoke at this point wondering why the voice in his head thought he was a halfling - the only link he can remember being that Rolf had told Madame Yaga that he was called Konrad when everyone else had given a made up name... but could that be significant?
Wurtbad
They start off by shopping at the blacksmiths - one Winston Smith - who buys their charcoal and Ralf's leather jerkin, and sells Ralf a set of full mail armour he had made for a halfling who had never collected it... and recommends his Uncle Winston's Inn - the Jungle Bar - when asked for recommendations. They have a very tasty Curry Goat there, which goes straight through Mormocar, who needs to take some chilled toilet paper to the privvy with him afterwards.
Next stop at Wurtbad is the Temple of Myrmidia. The temple is poorly kept, and only a single priest maintains it - Father Dougal. The
columns are crumbling, and the walls are stained from weather. Few
mercenaries visit Wurtbad these days, but the temple remains a historic
landmark.
The domed ceiling is painted with a famous fresco by
Leonardo da Miragliano, the brilliant inventor and gifted artist. The fresco was Miragliano’s last commissioned work before entering the Emperor’s service.
Fresco - Myrmidia, Beloved Daughter of Morr, at the Tree of Hope
The paint has faded on this fascinating piece of art history. The fresco is based on an earlier painting by the crusading Tilean Merchant Prince
Giovanni Lanfranchi of Remas, a highly skilled artist and devoted theologian 500 years before Miragliano’s time. The Lanfranchi originals are lost, but it’s believed that Miragliano copied Myrmidia at the Tree of Hope from one panel of the triptych. One of the other two depicts Sigmar’s vision at the Tree of Hope, but the third is unkown. The locations of the other two panels is unknown.
Father Dougal asks the PC's a favour - he has a bad back, and there are some jobs that need doing in the temple - if they help him, he will try to help them. The PC's agree, and are given three tasks:
Task One: Clear Cobwebs from the Rafters - Ralf clears the cobwebs in an hour.
Task Two: Replace Broken Tiles on the Floor - they do this together, and it takes a good few hours.
Task Three: Fix a Leak in the Apse Dome - If left unchecked, this leak could result in irreparable damage to the fresco. Konrad climbs up and fills the crack with pitch - this takes 15 minutes. At the top of the ladder he notices a loose brick on the fresco, at the base of the tree. Removing the brick causes a small metal box to fall out - Konrad quickly pockets this.
For helping, Father Dougal tells the PC's the following:
- Lanfranchi collected artefacts and scrolls on his crusades to Araby and founded the order that would precede the Fellowship of the Shroud, a Morrian sect based in Siegfriedhof.
- One of Lanfranchi’s expeditions landed him in Nehekhara by accident, where his army fought against the Zandri Tomb Kings. Lanfranchi later became a renowned Vampire hunter.
- The third, unknown section of the original triptych is rumoured to be buried in Lanfranchi’s crypt in Siegfriedhof.
- A bunch of flagellants has also visited a week or two ago asking for information on the triptych, but he had sent them away without information.
He also offers to pay them for their help, but Konrad refuses payment, and the PC's drive off - as soon as they were out of sight, Konrad pulled out the metal box.
This ingenious little box, made of brass and steel, bears a small tinge of rust. It has runes inscribed on the surface, and Konrad recalled the model as the pattern at the Talabheim crime scene. The box has many moving parts, which can be configured into different shapes. Referencing the crime scene pattern, Konrad solves the puzzle box in about fifteen minutes flat. Inside the box is a tiny scroll with six words forming a circle of Classical script.
Clockwise from the top, the words are:
Portal,
Man,
Blood,
Earth,
Life, and
Mother.
The PC's are now heading to Helmfurt, where Jamal said the boy has been taken. Siegfriedhof is on the way so they plan to call in there on the way.
The journey between Hermsdorf and Siegfriedhof takes nine days. These are uneventful save that Ralf learns to drive, and all the PC's share a dream at the same time:
You are in a dark chamber. Before you rests a stone sarcophagus, its lid slightly askew. A rat emerges from within, followed by another, and another, until the lid is forced aside by a surging torrent of chittering vermin. Rats are everywhere. You awaken just as they overwhelm you.
Karin and Lothar tell the PC's a little of what they know about Siegfriedhof as they get closer
.
On the north shore of Lake Svarsee, the town of Siegfriedhof is built into the face of a rock pinnacle high above the surrounding landscape. Below the new town lie the ruins of Old Siegfriedhof, destroyed by a Skaven assault half a century ago. Now all that remains is an overgrown clutter of charred foundations. Skaven tunnels still exist beneath the ruins of Old Siegfriedhof, but they are flooded and unsafe.
When Siegfriedhof was rebuilt by the Order of Morr, the town was moved to high ground next to the Abbey of Blessed Aethelbert. Of the town’s 300 inhabitants, nearly one third reside within the abbey. The remaining two thirds are composed of farmers, woodsmen, and oblates serving the Order.
When the PCs arrive, they are approached by a motley patrol of four suspicious militiamen. Questions are asked about the PCs’ purpose and destination. The patrol strongly suggests that coach and horses should be stabled at the Widower’s Comfort, which turns out to be owned by the lead militiaman's mother, who charges them 2 GC to stable the two coaches and the spare horse and donkey. Konrad is outraged at this blatant overcharging.
When the PCs reach the abbey, they are met by two silent Black Guards blocking the entrance with crossed axes. They knock. After a moment, Brother Horatius appears and welcomes the PCs into the vestibule.
Horatius questions the PCs and asks their names. During the exchange, a group of black cats brushes up against the PCs’ legs. The PC's stroke the cats. When they ask to see the the Abbot, Horatius asks the party to wait (5 minutes) and they are then shown to a private room.
The PCs are seated before the abbot, who scrutinises them closely from behind his desk. He says,
“These are troubled times for the Order of Morr - and for the Empire. The Undead are restless - not just in Sylvania - but also in the Reikland, Middenland, and Ostland. They recruit servants from the living on an unprecedented scale, foolish pawns who believe their foul masters will reward them in death.”
Konrad is more concerned with corrupt militiamen ripping off strangers by virtually forcing them to pay for overpriced stabling at his mother's inn. The Abbot says he will look into this.
We ended the session at this point :)
***
Notes from Mormocar's reading of Lord De Trois Journal...
The Vampire
Prophecies
Across the Old
World, scholars of ancient Nehekhara work at piecing together the
history of Necromancy.
Many scrolls
and hieroglyphs have been recovered from the Land of the Dead over
time, but these artefacts are often damaged or mistranslated—or
were deliberately encrypted by their authors a millennia ago. The
ambiguous nature of these records has fostered conflicting theories
concerning the origins of Vampirism in Lahmia, the Vampires’ exodus
to the Old World, and the High Priest of the Mortuary Cult who would
become the Great Necromancer Nagash.
In fact,
there is a devoted following of academics working in secret to
uncover the truth behind the Nagash apotheosis legend. After the
Great Necromancer was driven from Khemri in –1650 IC, he seemingly
vanished from recorded history for nearly 500 years. Based on recent
exploration and secondary sources, most historians now agree Nagash
attained godhood, raised Nagashizzar, and fought a major war against
the Skaven during those missing years.
Scrolls
from the Nehekharan city of Zandri link Nagash’s apotheosis to the
five Vampire bloodlines.
The exact
translation of these hieroglyphs is heavily debated, but they seem to
indicate Nagash’s bloodline was cursed by the Old Gods, and
extensive conditions must be met in order to lift the curse.
Interpretations of the curse vary widely, according to the
nationality and religion of the interpreter. This field of
scholarship comprises a hodgepodge of historical half-truths,
rumours, and theological exegesis collectively known as the Vampire
Prophecies.
Of
course, Vampires rarely agree on mundane issues, much less the true
nature of their curse and, more importantly, what must be done to
lift it.
Each
Vampire bloodline has a different interpretation of the prophecies,
but all are devoted to lifting the curse of the Old Gods and bringing
about the Age of a Thousand Thrones.
The Thousand
Thrones were first spoken of by W’soran during the fall of Lahmia,
but little more is known of them by mortals. Based upon the Zandri
Scrolls and the captured memoirs of Vampires throughout history, it
has been surmised that the Age of a Thousand Thrones will be brought
about by a tremendously powerful spell, or profane miracle, that will
bring great changes to the natural order of the world. Vampires will
no longer need to hide from the sun, or even drink blood from mortals
for survival. Mortals will worship their undying overlords as Gods.
However, only one thousand Vampires will survive to see this empire
of darkness, and he who lifts the curse of the Old Gods will rule
them all.
What follows is
a short summary of each bloodline’s theory about the prophecy.
Von
Carsteins
According to this bloodline, Vashanesh (i.e.
Vladimir von Carstein) was the Scion of Nagash who escaped the curse
of the Old Gods. When the Sun God Ptra no longer rules the sky, the
bearer of Vashanesh’s ring will become the overlord of a Thousand
Thrones.
Lydia von
Carstein has discovered an alternate reading of the prophecy
involving the Old Gods of northern belief and soul-bonding rituals
from ancient Lahmia.
Lahmians
The
Lahmians believe Karl is an avatar of Sigmar harbouring memories and
knowledge gleaned from Nagash when Sigmar donned the Crown of
Sorcery. By learning Nagash’s true Elixir of Life formula
and the power words employed by the Necromancer to command the
vampires, Lahmians seek to dominate the Age of the Thousand
Thrones.
Their mistress
Neferata has commanded her daughters to recover the boy and bring him
to the Silver Pinnacle, her legendary tower high in the Worlds Edge
Mountains. The Vampire Queen intends to beguile Karl with a potent
ritual, learn his secrets, and gain the power that will allow her to
enslave all Vampires, as the true Champion of the Night.
Blood
DragonsBecause the first Blood Dragon Abhorash never knew
Nagash, most Vampires of this bloodline do not concern themselves
with the Thousand Thrones prophecies. Blood Dragons are unlikely to
have been implicated in the prophecies, so they dismiss such talk as
the foolish dreams of weaklings who desire a return to former glories
without paying the requisite price in battle. Many Blood Dragons are
so focused on battle-readiness that they have never heard of the
prophecies at all. Occasionally however, they do become implicated in
the schemes of other bloodlines.
Necrarchs
The
spawn of W’soran are extremely well-educated about the Vampire
Prophecies, having access to volumes of research conducted over the
ages by Nagash’s most loyal disciple. Their partial exemption from
the Blood Curse makes Necrarchs rather arrogant, each one believing
he is destined to be the Master of a Thousand Thrones. Necrarchs look
to numerology, astrology, and genealogy for clues about how to lift
the Blood Curse. Lord de Trois, who resides in a tower near
Wolfenburg, and who has written the journal the PC's have found, has
drawn connections between the three returns of Nagash and his own
three stages of transformation.
Strigoi
The
Strigoi Vampires believe Karl is truly Sigmar Reborn, but Sigmar
received the Blood Kiss during his great battle against Nagash’s
army. The kiss purportedly was delivered by a Strigoi vampire who had
rallied under Nagash’s banner when Strigos fell. This connection to
the once glorious Kingdom of Strigos implies Karl must be the
Champion of Night and predestined ruler of the new Vampire kingdom.
However, the Strigoi also believe the bloodlines have become diluted
and only by receiving the Blood Kiss from each of the five major
bloodlines can Karl truly awaken his birthright and lift the curse of
the Old Gods.
