Our tale begins on the rocky forest road from Delberz to Altdorf. Four adventurers, weary of a days travel through the strangely quiet woods, the group reached the Coach and Horses Inn. Relieved to be out of the oppressive forest, the group headed inside where the smell of cooking and the sound of raucous laughter could be heard. Baroon Pratgar, an acolyte of Sigmar, Hugo Von Wolfhardt, an initiate of the Order of the White Wolf, Dronk Cragpush, Dwarven 'Sanitation Engineer' and Cornelius Hainrich. Apprentice of the Celestial College had traveled for the past day, having all waited for the same coach which never arrived in the village of Kupfengrue. In the local inn, over weak beer, introductions were made. To their surprise they all had a similar interest in Altdorf; although other motives were held by some, each had a poster from the Grand Prince Hergard von Tasseninck seeking interested, capable adventurers for an expedition into the Grey Mountains. Having already wasted a day the group set out and walked the road together, for security, and got to know one another. Click Read More to read the rest of this journal entry. THE COACH AND HORSES INN Inside the Coach and Horses, the group were greeted by a fat, jolly innkeeper Gustav Haiderboiger, who introduced himself as the landlord and proprietor. In the common room seated at a corner table was Isolde von Strudelburg, a finely dressed young woman, accompanied by another woman who appeared to be her bodyguard, as well as a mousy-looking woman assumed to be her servant. Also in the Coach and Horses were two coachmen, Gunnar and Hiltz, busy getting drunk, and a bookish man reading from a book called 'Leeches and their Curative Properties'. After a meal and several drinks, Cornelius suggested a game of chance. At this, a finely attired man approached and took off his hat with a sweeping bow, introducing himself as Philippe Descartes, on his way to Altdorf to visit a friend. He overheard the players and wished to join in their game of dice. Philippe initially lost some money, but kept insisting on upping the stakes. Eventually only Cornelius and Philippe remained in the game - and having lost a pretty penny Philippe insisted on double or nothing, and Cornelius accepted. ROLLS OF THE DICE The dice spun and...landed on 6 dragons for Philippe, who grinned, revealing a mouth filled with wooden teeth. Cornelius had rolled 2 peasants, a goat and three unicorns - not nearly enough. As Philippe started to collect his winnings, Baroon examined the dice closely, and with sudden insight, realized they had been tampered with. As Baroon accused Philippe of cheating, he sprung to his feet and drew a pistol, waving it at the party. As he turned to flee, a command of Sigmar struck Philippe and compelled him to drop to his knees. As Gustav ran out from behind the bar yelling and not understanding what had happened, Philippe recovered, only to have Cornelius intimidate him into dropping his ill-gotten gains and fleeing from the premises. During the commotion Dronk seized the chance to steal some tin cups from behind the bar, and grinned contentedly to himself, before popping outside for a 'piss'. A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS As the group celebrated the catching of the cheat, a tall, well-built man with a scar on his cheek, wearing chain mail and loaded with equipment, entered the Coach and Horses. The man introduced himself as Drake Blackheart, a templar of the Order of the Firey Heart. It turned out he was looking for Baroon Pratgar, having orders to accompany him to the Cathedral of Sigmar in Altdorf. Introductions were made, and at this point the now inebriated coachmen tried to bargain with Cornelius, Dronk, Hugo and others, having seemingly run out of coin to pay for ale. Throughout the night, discussions with Gunnar, the less-drunk of the two had taken place, with Gunnar insisting on at least 7 gold crowns per person. However, due to the coachmens desperation and the intimidating comments of Drake and Hugo, Gunnar agreed the party would pay 5 gold crowns - in total. The party also convinced Gustav to give the room paid for by Philippe to Drake; shortly thereafter the party retired for the evening, dreaming unquiet dreams of a insane battlefield where, it seemed, all the people and beasts of the world fought in an endless tableau of blood, fire and death. A DREARY MORNING Dronk, having slept on the floor, was the first to awake. From the window of the room he could see the sky was completely overcast, and a thick mist blanketed the courtyard. "Rise and shine, manlings - its a beautiful day!' he quipped before heading to the common room for a hearty breakfast of smoked pork and fresh bread, where he was soon joined by the rest of the group. The coachmen, however, do not appear. After waiting for several hours, Hugo went upstairs and woke them from their slumber, but it was clear they were nursing massive hangovers. Stumbling outside, the coachmen made their way to the coach. They have little to say, only speaking when spoken to, and only in mumbles. Slowly, they load a large number of boxes onto the roof. At this point the session ended..to be continued next week. "You will arrive along the old road. It winds with a troubling, serpent-like suggestion through the corrupted countryside. Leading only, I fear to ever more tenebrous places. There is a sickness in the ancient pitted cobbles of the old road and on its writhing path you will face viciousness, violence, and perhaps other damnably transcendent terrors. So steel yourself and remember: there can be no bravery without madness. The old road will take you to hell, but in that gaping abyss we will find our redemption.." - Unknown
2 Comments
Riv
5/2/2016 05:44:22 pm
Dude this is awesome! I cannot wait to continue our journey!!!
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David
5/4/2016 05:10:43 am
Hahaha. I love it! You've put a lot of time and effort into to breathing life into The Dark Beneath. For that I cannot thank you enough for allowing me the pleasure to partake in this adventure! I look forward to the next session.
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The WizardIn time, you will come to know the tragic extent of my failings... Past Journals
September 2017
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