Where our heroes deal with the corruption beneath the construction site, and head further down the treacherous River Reik, to Deisdorf.. THE WATCHER IN THE DARK Resting in the study, the group had recovered from the battle with the water daemon. Baroon having dried his clothes as best he could. Red, awakening at the first signs of dawn, found the group within the ancient wizard's tower, but not before being singed by the arcane trap under the entrance-ladder. Together, the group opened the door, by placing the three iron rods into the dragon-mouthed door. Within the door, they found an ancient library, with an arcane summoning circle. Barely had they entered the room - with Dronk and the others taking pains to avoid stepping on the rich carpet at the entrance - when they heard a strange voice. Turning, they saw a floting eyeball, with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth, speaking in a remarkably human-like voice. The group had some brief conversation with the thing, which seemed to be arguing with itself, before battle broke out. Three cursed swords that were laying on the floor also joined in the battle. The creature attempted to blast Hugo and Drake, who were flanking it, with arcane blasts from its eye-stalks, however, they managed to resist the effects, with great effort. Red charged the creature and began to hack at it wildly with his great-axe, and Hugo and Drake joined in, with Dronk firing crossbow bolts. Cornelius cast a chromatic orb, which hit the beast- but reflected back directly at him, striking him in the chest, where he received minor burns - not to mention the damage to the robes he was wearing. Cornelius cursed loudly, only Baroon could hear over the din of battle. Baroon and Dronk fought off the cursed swords, while Drake smashed another against the far wall. Ere long, the party was victorious, the Watcher-creature a ruined heap of flesh shuddering on the stone floor. None were in the mood for celebration, but took instead to searching the room. Therein, they found a great number of valuable books, some treasures, a note indicating the wizard was looking for a massive warpstone meteroite, hundreds of years ago, that had fallen somewhere in the Empire, and seemed to have been studying this. Red played with a golden orb, on which were etched maps of the world, parts of which he recognized. DIVINE DESTRUCTION After thoroughly pillaging the library, the group attempted to destroy the sigils of Chaos they found in the library, with Cornelius using an acidic spell to eat away some of the runes etched into the summoning circle. Drake spoke to Hilgar, who when confronted with the fact of the ruins beneath his construction, offered to collapse the thing with blasting charges. Before doing so, Dronk convinced some of the dwarves to take a number of the books from within the library. With the ruins thoroughly looted, the party headed aboveground, and watched from a distance as the charges were detonated, destroying the ruins - but preserving the structure of the semaphore tower. The dwarvish chief engineer onsite, Hilgar, delighted, paid the party as promised, and wished them well on their travels. The party bid the workers farewell and headed down the Reik in the Wayward Derelict. Hugo and Drake were steering, with Dronk occupied with managing the sail, and Baroon on watch out front of the boat. Red and Cornelius were left to their own devices. It was morning, the 7th of Sigmarzeit, and a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky. The group felt satisfied from their purge of the ruins, and certainly, it had been a profitable diversion. Drake's thoughts turned to his family, wondering what was going on back in Vodf; Dronk sat near his bottled fruit, visions of a profitable scheme coming together in his mind, one that would give him the money he needed; Cornelius sat and practiced his arcane spells, and occasionally opened the rich, bound volume he had inherited from his father. Baroon meditated, as he confirmed his suspicion that the shield he had found in the ruins was of excellent quality ; Hugo practiced his weapon-craft, and Red ran his finger along the edge of his razor sharp greataxe, peering out into the forest, on the lookout for any threat. THE CRACKED CASK That evening, just before nightfall, they reached the Cracked Cask, a rough-and-tumble fortified river inn, like so many others along the wide waters of the Reik. There, Red regaled the bar with stories of his prowess, both real and imagined, as well as buying the locals and the river boatmen present a round of drinks. Most of the group then proceeded to drink themselves into a stupor, with Cornelius remaining on the Wayward Derelict, along with Dronk initially, unwilling to let his precious cargo out of his sight. Baroon meditated abovedecks. Hugo and Drake paid for rooms at the Cracked Cask. That night, Drake seduced the barman's daughter Miriam, into staying in his bed. The innkeeper seemed unaware in the morning of any improprieties. He told them the plague, first reported far south, in the country of Tilea, then Estalia, now had reached Black Fire Pass on the very borders of the Empire. The Grey Ague, they called it - they said none of the prayers of Shallya, nor the magical efforts of the other priesthoods, could heal it ; some said it was a curse of Sigmar - others a curse by the Ruinous Powers. THERE'S A HOLE IN MY BUCKET The group had a hearty breakfast then headed back down the river Reik. Before long, they reached Castle Reiksguard, home of the Emperor's heir , Wolfgang. There, Hugo and Cornelius bartered to sell their iron ore, at a tidy profit. With little to purchase at the castle, they headed back to the ship, but not before learning from the locals that indeed, Wolfgang was imprisoned within Castle Reiksguard, though they did not know why. It wasnt much further along the river when Baroon spotted a man near the riverbank with a row-boat. He was a guide, a man who would, for a fee, guide them through the upcoming period of rapids "And avoid anything unpleasant, sir". The group decided not to pay, and the guide, bemused, wished them good fortune as they passed. An hour later, they smashed into a submerged rock, that although Baroon noticed with plenty of time, Hugo struggled with the tiller; it was Drake who averted complete disaster, but nonetheless a crack had been made in the Wayward Derelict's hull. The group frantically tried to patch it, finding water pouring in belowdecks. Cornelius used repeated casts of ice magic to try to freeze the incoming water. While initially helpful, over time this caused damage to the boat, further widening the crack. They finally were able to slow it by using spare canvas, and a number of boards and nails. They passed a sleepless night, taking turns bailing out the water accumulating in the boat. THE DOCKS OF DIESDORF The next evening, the Wayward Derelict reached Diesdorf, a small town on the banks of the Reik, where trade in fish and other goods was prosperous. They docked, paid the dock-man's excise fee, and split up - with Red and Drake Blackheart heading immediately to the closest tavern, a filthy dive called the Naked Witch. Hugo von Wolfhardt smoked his pipeweed, reading his book, the 36 Strategems of Luitpoldus, a tactics classic. Baroon lapsed into meditation again, his visions of Sigmar often disturbed by a sudden feeling of drowning, being pulled into a deep, dark watery grave. Cornelius sat abovedecks as well, lamenting the damage done to his fine celestial wizard's robe, and complaining loudly about it to Dronk, who nodded, absently. Really, Dronk was looking for any sign of a contact, and was not disappointed, for before long he saw a hooded man signalling to him with the sign language the Cutter's men had shown him. Here was an agent of the Black-Legs. Tonight at midnight - Dronk responded with the OK, and the main disappeared into the shadows between the buildings. The half moon shone high in the sky that night, and with no cloud, lit Diesdorf with a pale light as the evening turned to night..
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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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