Chapter 6
Part 2
Exit, Stage Left
This isn't going to be as big an update as usual, because most of the action was on the stage
All of the Heralds were killed, and two of the Elves. Lorianoc, 4 elves and the Vampire escaped - the vampire by turning into a bat and flying off, the Elves by getting out amidst the confusion.
In the confusion, the Vampire dropped a hand written journal on Vampire Prophesies, but it is all riddles and cryptic prophesies and will take a while for Mormocar to figure out.
Mormocar already knows a little about the five bloodlines due to his Academic Knowledge of Vampires - the known bloodlines are the Von Carstiens, the Necrachs, the Strigois, the Blood Dragons and the Lahmians - during this adventure they have encountered vampires from all of these, apart from the Von Carsteins.
Mormocar also knows that the first Vampire, Nagash, went to the Tree of Hope and became a God - as did Sigmar. More info will require reading the book and figuring it out...
Inside the journal was this:
Chapter 7
Death Do Us Part
For five days after the Play, the PC's are questioned and thanked for oonce again saving Karl. They are finally approached by Helmut. Karl has gone off again, and he would like them to follow him...
“Good morning, friends. Karl has gone with the Brother Frederich, a Senior Priest of Morr who sits with me on the boy’s inner council. Karl had a vision that convinced him to visit Talagaad to receive wisdom on a matter of great importance to him - from a seer in Little Kislev. The woman’s name is Madame Yaga…or something like that. Brother Frederich has hidden the boy in a black hearse and is transporting him under the pretext of performing funeral duties. Now, I don’t question the priest’s resources, but I have reservations concerning his competence, and - now that I’ve become implicated in this plan - perhaps his motives too. Though our wonderful boy insisted on travelling unescorted, it would ease my worries if you’d be willing to shadow the coach and ensure his safety.”
So off they went, by coach, to Talagaad (paid for - at least up to Talagaad and back by Helmut).
Driving the coach were Karin and Lothar, who have driven the Wolfenburg to Wurbad route for years. The journey takes six days, stopping off for fresh horses and a bit of shopping in Hergig.
They finally locate Madame Yaga (after forgetting her name) in Little Kislev in Talegaad - she asks their names but they give false ones (everyone gives a made up name apart from Rolf, who says his name is Konrad) and they ask about Karl... but Yaga claims not to have seen any boy recently, and gives them a bunch of dodgy sounding predictions such as,
“The sign of the Raven hangs above your head like a sword. Break the bird’s wing, given a chance, and your doom may be postponed.”
and “Explore every cave, for one will contain unguarded treasures. Sleep not on your back, or you may choke upon your tongue.”
and "Your mother liked pies" (to Rolf)
but as they are leaving, Yaga goes rigid and says,
“Wait, I do see a boy, and he’s in great peril! The men with faces of coal have taken him from the garden of Morr. If you hurry, you might reach him in time!”
The PC's asked where the nearest Temple of Morr was, and headed there.
The temple consisted of a domed mausoleum surrounded by rows of winged, skeletal statues bearing scythes. The temple was protected by an iron fence covered in black roses. The outer gate was open, and a lone watchman guarded the entrance to the mausoleum within. Konrad told the guard that they were working for the Empire, and they were allowed in.
Inside, a crowd of priests, watchmen, and city officials stood in a wide circle talking loudly and ignored the approaching PCs. Laying in a pool of blood at the centre of the room was a murdered Morrian priest. The crime scene had been cordoned off while the watch cleaned up.
Looking at the dead priest, the PC's noted:
His legs were crossed and his head turned sideways, one hand folded over his breast and the other extended to his side. Mormocar recognised this as the oft-sculpted pose of Myrmidia, the Tilean Goddess of War. A famous old fresco at the Myrmidian Temple in Wurtbad depicts the Goddess standing in this pose before the Tree of Hope.
The bloodied index finger of his outstretched hand pointed to the southeast, where a crumbling statue of the Tree of Hope stood.
A series of geometrical shapes had been drawn on the floor in blood.
They were asked to leave the scene at this point.
The other clue they had from Yaga's prophesy was "Men with faces of coal" - it is common knowledge in the Empire that "Coal Face" refers to Charcoal Burners, and their guide tells them that there are a lot of charcoal burners camped at the burnng Pit just south of Talegaad, and he leads the PC's there.
There, they are told by one of the Charcoal Burners:
“There were some burners who shared a tent, but they didn’t seem to do much work. Two or three, I reckon - I didn’t really pay them any special mind. Just recently, two of ‘em packed up their gear and headed south by wagon. A third burner passed through the camp a few hours later with a boy we figured was his son, though we’d never seen him afore. Seeing his friends had left already, he went after ‘em on horseback. Seemed to be in a hurry. He headed down thattaway, south on the Old Forest Road, I think?”
The PC's returned to the coach and agreed a price to go South down the Old Forest Road...
End of session.
cant believe Daniel has survived this long
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