Chapter 1: Ill Met in Bogenhafen

Part I

Festag, Sommezeit 1, 2522

As Alynna, Rudegar, and Durak slowly approached Bogenhafen, they turned a bend in the road to find a distraught woman wandering around the scene of what appeared to have been a robbery. Someone had cut down a large tree and used it to block the road, laying in wait to attack a coach that was forced to stop from the obstacle. Three bodies littered the road bodyguards and victims of the ambush. Rudegar stopped their own donkey and cart, and the adventuring party approached the scene of the crime, quickly learning the name of the woman – Elise Magirius, head of a minor merchant family in Bogenhafen.

Considering this an ideal time to make both money and a friend in a new town, the three moved Magirius’ coach and their own stained-glass-window-laden cart off of the road and asked Magirius to wait in her coach as they pursued her stolen papers. She believed the bandits had not taken her for fear of stirring up trouble for themselves in town, knowing that so long as they didn’t kill or abduct anybody too important, the chance of any strong sort of reprisal would be greatly decreased. The driver of Magirius’ cart was still alive, suffering from a crossbow bolt wound, when the adventuring party arrived. Although they attempted to help him, he bled to death.

The blood stained trail left by the bandits was easy enough for the characters to follow, and after a quarter of a mile the party come over the crest of a hill to look down on a small bandit’s camp build between the edge of the clearing where they stood and the forest. Two bandits with crossbows stood sentry around three tents, with a one bandit starting a campfire in the centre. In the distance, and tucked behind a few trees into the forest was a cage. Within this cage, Alynna was able to make out the forms of two halflings. As the three considered their options, Rudegar quickly grew impatient and slipped off one of the sides of the hill and into the forest. Despite his miserable attempt and remaining hidden, and the consequent cursing of his companions watching him helplessly, the bandits’ sentries somehow managed not to catch sight of him.

As Rudegar made his way through the forest and around the camp, he found himself closer to the cage and found a man beside the cage digging a grave for the one responsible for leaving such a bloody trail behind – who presumably died of his wounds on the trek back to the camp. Although the digging man did not notice him, the two halflings caught sight of Rudegar and smiled with delight at their now source of hope. Rudegar, considering the chance too good to pass up, snuck up behind the grave-digging bandit and knocked him into the grave he was digging with a swift strike with a club to the head.

In the combat that was joined by Durak and Alynna, Rudegar was left too long alone on the far side of the camp, far from his allies, and consequently lost his left hand in a devestating blow by one of the bandits. As the sight of a marauding Elf and Dwarf duo entered into the mix, two of the bandits decided to flee for their lives, rather than risk getting butchered. Rudegar, convinced of the fact that his hand would grow back, did not seem to put off by the fact that it had been cut off. The Alynna and Durak thought it best to let him live in his happy illusion.

Despite their pleas to be let out, Rudegar wasted no time during the fight to let the halflings out of their cage, but Durak wasted no time in knocking off the lock with his axe. After a brief introduction, Candlewicke and Matchwicke Greenthistle offered the PCs the considerable sum of five gold crowns a piece in exchange for their safe passage back to Bogenhafen. Thus, the troupe made their way back to the road as it started to rain, with Durak helping a severly injured Rudegar through the hike.

Upon reaching the cart and coach hidden off the road, Rudegar, the Greenthistles, and Alynna were quickly stowed in the coach, as Alynna and Durak hitched their own wagon behind the Magirius coach and harnessed their donkey to the team of horses and loaded up the bodies of the felled Magirius men onto the roof of the coach, so that they might recieved a proper burial. On their way into town, the party was briefly waylayed by a Roadwarden patrol, who were slightly taken aghast by the sight of three corpses tied to the roof of a coach. With a bit of explaining, Rudegar was able to recieve some healing, and the patrol headed off to investigate the bandit camp, in search of something stolen from Grunburg.

As the Durak drove the strange-looking wagon into town, Elise Magiriuses face was enough to get them by the gate. The Halflings quickly took their leave, promising to pay the characters the following morning at the river-side restaurant Bert’s. After helping Elise Magirius home, the adventurers were recommended to stay at Cadbury’s. Elise also warned the Elf and Dwarf characters of the strong prejudices they would encounter inthe town.

After meeting the Cadbury family and having a warm meal and some ale, the troupe retired to their two rooms, and dreamt of the gold they would be recieving the following day… except for Rudegar. He had horrendous nightmares of a red-haired man’s scowling face as a sword swung and amputated his hand from his arm in a blossom of intense pain.

Part II

Wellentag, Sommerzeit 2 – 2522

The following morning the troupe headed to the temple of Bogenauer, patron diety of Bogenhafen. After being paid for the delivery of the stained-glass window and having had Father Feistsohn examine and bandage Rudegars missing left hand/stump, Alynna entered the merchants guild to return the cart and donkey to her brother’s clerk in the town, Friedrich Hauser. Upon hearing that Alynna could not afford to buy back the cart and donkey, Herr Hauser seems to have lost some esteem for her status as a member of the Sylvamere family. After the donkey and cart is collected, the group heads off to the docks to find Bert’s and the Greenthistles.

As they walked through the streets, they caught sight of a rat being sheared clean in half as it attempted to steal the bait from a trap. Shortly thereafter, a mouse darted up, took the bait, and ran back into its hole in the wall.

Past a vomitting drunkard and inside of Bert’s, the halflings pay Alynna, Durak, and Rudegar and then procede to offer them an opportunity for yet another well-paid job. The halflings are concerned and curious to know who is responsible behind their kidnapping, and ask the PCs to follow the members of the major merchant families they suspect, and report back. The adventurers agree, and quickly head off to the Adel Ring, to wait for Herr Ruggbroder, their first target.

After following Ruggbroder to the merchants guild, Alynna fails to try to gain entrance to Ruggbroders office covertly, instead ending up in the office of a somewhat annoyed Friedrich Hauser. Durak and Rudegar take a table at the inn overlooking the Dreieckeplatz, directly across from the Merchant’s guild. While Alynna is in the guildhouse, Rudegar and Durak meet Hargin, son of thorgrim of clan Baldursson – the guildmaster of the Dwarfen Engineers’ Guild in Ubersreik, 100 miles up the road. Curiously, he has an appointment later that day with Ruggbroder. As he leaves, and Alynna returns, Elise Magirius passes by the inn on foot. Startled, she stops and offers a gift to Rudegar in exchange for the sacrifice he made so courageously returning her documents. She explains that within her papers was an exclusivity contract with a neighbouring town, Grunberg. With this deal with the Grunberg teamsters guild, her family may finally be able to raise their status within Bogenhafen. After a quick conversation, she says she will be heading home.

As Elise leaves, the characters notice Ruggbroder and his bodyguards leaving the Merchant’s Guild and heading towards a dining hall in the building beside them, The Golden Trout. Alynna tries to enter through the front, and by lowering her cowl and revealing her Elven heritage, expects to gain entrance. Unfortunately, she must be a member, and so runs off to fetch Elise, with the hopes that she could help her to get in.

In the meantime, Rudegar sneaks behind The Golden Trout and enters through the kitchens. Nobody seems to notice or care that he is there. From the kitchens, he is able to observe Ruggbroder eating dinner with an older man whom he seems to despise. After a long and boring meal, Rudegar leaves just before Ruggbroder. As he is leaving, he notices that the cooks are now slightly suspicious about his presence here, and nobody seems ot know him. Rudegar tries and fails to make small talk with them before quickly making his exit.

Alynna returns with Elise partially through the meal, and buys a membership card for the Golden Trout. For a long while, she and Elise have a long conversation about trade and Bogenhafen, whilst enjoying a delicious meal.

As Ruggbroder returns to the Merchant’s guild, both Durak and Rudegar notice that his bodyguards go around back of the Guildhouse, rather than going inside with their master, as they had that morning. Durak heads behind the guildhouse to keep watch there, as Rudegar takes his place drinking at the table in The Happy Merchant Inn. After relieving himself on the wall, Durak notices Ruggbroder climbing out of a window in the guildhouse, aided by his body guards on the outside. The trio are quick to don roughspun robes before ducking into the alleyways of the town.

After a bit of scrambling, the Durak and Rudegar managed to follow the trio to a poorer part of town, in time to see the disguised Ruggbroder enter into a pretty woman’s home. The bodyguards dispersed themselves, waiting for their master, and meanwhile Durak stood guard out front while Rudegar made his way behind the house. Though he couldn’t hear the exact conversation, Rudegar caught the sounds of a debate which escalated into an argument that eventually culminated in Ruggbroder storming out into the street.
The human dwarf duo then shadowed Ruggbroder back to his offices, before meeting up with Alynna who had just now finished her meal with Elise and was waiting in the Dreieckeplatz, a bit curious about her disappearing comrades. A short time later, Ruggbroders coach pulled up and took him back to his home. The PCs then reported to Candlewicke about the days happenings and recieved their next assignment, Steinhager, before having a few drinks and chatting with some of the locals. As Durak and Rudegar stumbled home, Alynna walked with ease, having not had as much to drink throughout the day as the other two. None of them noticed the look that the toughs were giving them as they ronded the corner, and it was only a few short moments before everyone was knocked out by their clubs.

Part III

Aubentag, Somerzeit 3, 2522

Durak and Rudegar woke to the smell of wet oak and the sound of rain against ceramic tiles and the scratch and squeaks of rodents. After a moment of confusion, they realised that they are hanging upside down beside one another in their smallclothes, in what appeared to be a warehouse. Alynna, still unconscious, hung beside them. The only light seemed to be coming from a few smouldering coals behind them, although they weren’t sure, as they couldn’t see very well. The first to enter their field of vision was a plain looking man with a brown bowl haircut. He examined the three for a moment with obvious disgust before asking where the Halflings were hiding, alluding to the fact that he’d be more than happy to ‘convince’ them to hand over the information. Rudegar and Durak answered with no resistance what-so-ever, something which the man obviously didn’t expect. At this point he stalked off, and as he passed through the door called bad behind him, “Do as you like, they’re useless now.”

The two quickly became aware of two other men in the room who then circled around into the area they could see. These two men were the surviving bandits from their previous raid on the bandit camp. The two men seemed to be particularly bent on avenging their comrades in a most painful fashion, and quickly set to breaking some fingers on Rudegar’s good hand and hacking off Durak’s beard rather messily with a pair of shears. As he was doing so, the two let slip their names – Morgen and Fein. Just as one of the bandits was getting ready to prod Rudegar in the back with a red hot iron poker, an arrow let loose and bit deeply into his right arm.

Looking up above them, standing on a stack of crates stood a cloaked figure with a longbow. Wasting no time, the figure let lose a flurry of arrows, causing the two unarmed and out-positioned bandits to flee for their lives, but not before breaking an unconscious Alynna’s nose. As the figure jumped down from the crates, her hood flew back and revealed the face of a beautiful Kislevian woman. She cut the three down quickly and threw Alynna’s body over her shoulder. Rudegar collected his belongings, although the coin was missing, from a sack beside the door through which their captors left. Durak set to collecting what scraps of his beard he could and considered making an attempt somehow of reattaching the hair.

In military formality, the woman instructed them to gather up their things and follow behind her quickly before the two bandits returned with reinforcements. Leading them through a back door and into the alleyways of Bogenhafen, the women took them straight back to Cadbury’s Hostel. Upon their arrival, Amos unlocked the door and smiled brightly at the woman as she entered with the other three. Rudegar asked the woman her name, and she answered with a single word, “Ada.” When he attempted to thank her for saving them, Ada told him not to thank her, but to thank Theobold, the stable boy and Amos Cadbury’s youngest son. He had been the one who had seen the three of them kidnapped at the corner near the Inn and had alerted her and asked for her help. Not wanting to prolong the conversation, Ada quickly made her way upstairs. As Rudegar let out rooms for the party, Durak stopped by the hearth and threw in the remains of his beard. Thereafter, Rudegar and Durak lay an unconscious Ada in her room before moving to their own, shared room.

The following morning, Alynna, Rudegar, and Durak ate porridge together for breakfast, before Alynna informed her comrades that she’d recieved a letter that morning and would be out on private business for a short time. As Rudegar and Durak headed to the Adel ring to shadow Steinhagen’s coach, Alynna entered into the merchant’s guild to visit the clerk Friedrich Hauser. With the elf gone, the dwarf and human decided to split shifts watching the guild from both the front and back, given their experiences on the previous day. A crier in the Dreieckeplatz spread word of a freshly-buried body dug up from Morr’s Garden found with it’s innards ripped out through a gaping hole in it’s stomach.

As Durak stood guard behind the merchant’s guild, he frightened off a passerby gaping at the sight of a beardless dwarf. Shortly thereafter, a patrol of the town watch came by to have a word with the dwarf, eventually convincing him to move on, after a few subtle threats. Amid the jugglers, beggars, and strawberry hawkers in Dreieckeplatz, Rudegar abruptly found himself confronted with the base-born son of the nobleman with whom he travelled to the Reikland, a man who served as the captain of the guard within which Rudegar was temporarily employed – ‘Lord’ Roland Kultzmann.

Lord Kultzmann, as he prefers to be called, seemed to have fallen out of favour with his father and the sympathisers of his father obese and somewhat dimwitted son born within wedlock. Having made a hasty retreat, Kultzmann asked Rudegar if he and Durak would like to swear to him as armsmen in exchange for a salary and meals/shelter. Given their curent penniless state, Rudegar quickly agreed and as Durak returned, Kultzman gave the two of them a silver coin each to ensure they recieved a proper lunch. He explained to bring Alynna to him when they next saw her, as he would like to ask her to join him when he would follow his father’s entourage back to their Stirland feifdom.

As the two continued standing guard, both of their silver coins were stolen without either realising it. Steinhagen took his lunch at he Golden Trout, and Rudegar made his way back into the kitchens. Durak waited out front. Rudegar watched as Steinhagen dined alongside Elise Magirius, who seemd to be rather disgusted by the older man. Towards the end of the meal, Steinhagen said something that seemed to disturb Elise, and a short time later she ran from the table in tears. Durak, meanwhile, waiting in the Dreieckeplatz, approached Elise as she left from the restaurant. She dismissed her tears as simply being the result of a spicy dish. After a bit of insistence on the part of a newly returned Rudegar and Durak, Magirius revealed that her trade deal with Grunberg had fallen through due to Steinhagen’s meddling.
In the midst of their conversation, Steinhagen approached and asked Elise to introduce her “friends”. She quickly did so before running off again. After a brief moment of uncomfortable silence, Steinhagen boarded his coach and headed off to the docks. The PCs following close behind. Steinhagen then set to examining the warehouses and checking inventory for nearly four hours. During this time, the PCs witnessed a rather large fight between the Stevedores and the Teamsters. The rivalry between the two seemed to run so deeply that it borders on outright hatred. The characters also ran into a halfling that they had earlier asked for directions to Bert. Rudegar and Durak one again followed Steinhagen’s coach as it left.
As they passed through the Dreieckeplatz and neared Gottplatz, Durak and Rudegar ran into Alynna as she was leaving the merchant’s guild. Durak and Rudegar brought her up to speed on Steinhagen’s doings, athough she was quite close mouthed about the appointment that had taken up most of her day. In reality, Alynna had been writing up a contract with Friedrich Hauser concerning an exclusivity deal with exporting the goods shipped out by Steinhagen to Grunberg via the Sylvamere fleet of riverbarges. Though Friedrich’s idea, he included Alynna in his drafting of the agreement as it would be a venture surpassing his ability as a simple clerk of the family. Upon hearing about Elise’s situation, Alynna decided that although it might hurt Magirius, Alynna was not the one who destroyed her Grunberg deal and that ultimately it would be more profitable for her to secure the deal with a larger merchant family.
After their hurried conversation, the three characters followed Steinhagen into the Church of Sigmar. Rather than going into one of the private chapels, Steinhagen curious went into the main church hall and by the time the trio entered into the church, he was having a hushed conversation with a man who looked quite similar to Steinhagen. though unable to make out the specfics of the situation, from what they overheard, the PCs determined that the man was Steinhagen’s brother, and he was trying to convince the man to do something. Unfortunately for Steinhagen, his brother seemed to be bent on “repenting” for something or other. After the elder Steinhagen realised there was no hope, he took his leave. Alynna decided to try to talk with the initiate of Sigmar, while Rudegar and Durak followed the coach.

After a strange and slightly uncomfortable conversation about confessions, Alynna learned that this man was Albrecht Steinhagen, younger brother of Heinrich Steinhagen. His brother had been trying to convinceh im to give up his divine pursuits and return back to the famiy, but Albrecht felt that he needed to atone for the sins of their father. Unwiling to elect to hand out anymore information to a complete stranger, Alynna took her leave after promising to make a donation to the Sigmarite church.

The group met up outside the gates of the Steinhagen manner in the Adel Ring. Having decided that they had gathered enough information, they headed back to Bert’s to report, only to find Lord Kultzmann in a serious conversation with Matchwicke and Candlewicke. He quickly cut off the conversation before listening in on the report given by Rudegar, Alynna, and Durak. While the tree reported, a suspicious looking young urchin came in, showed Candlewicke a handful of coins, form which the halfling took 10 percent. Thereafter the young girl made her way back into the kitchens and past the other beggars sleeping within the disgusting “restaurant” of Bert’s. As they finished the tale of Steinhagen’s day, the halflings seemed more than pleased. Just as Candlewicke dropped the coins into the players’ hands, the bowl-hair cutted man entered with a handful of toughs, calling for them to hand over the halflings.
As the halflings referred to the man as “Bloody Konrad” the PCs resisted and a battle ensued, but after a particularly unnerving sword blow by Alynna to one of the toughs, effectively destroying him with one graceful strike, their morale began to falter. As more of the men went down, unable to injure their foes, the rest made a hasty retreat. As the group left for the Happy Merchant to take up their rooms with Lord Kultzmann, he gave a letter to Alynna from her brother in Altdorf. The letter urged Alynna to stay close to Kultzmann, as he could play a key role in the families mysterious interests in the man’s fiefdom. As they left Bert’s, the troupe overheard Candlewicke calmly asking some of the beggars to “drag the corpses into the meat pie kichens. And Frederika! …sharpen my knifes.”

Conclusions?

The following day, the party was summoned by Kultzmann to attend a meeting in the town hall. Once in the large hall filled with halflings and townsfolk, the group listened to a speech by Matchwicke Greenthistle about the plight of the Halflings and the oppression they must face in this world. With barely concealed hatred, Steinhagen and Ruggbroder put forward motions to reppeal a ban on the Halflings operating pie-selling carts in the city, and more surprisingly – to raise Matchwicke Greenthistle up to the seat on the Town Council, as a representative of one of the great merchant families of Bogenhafen.

Somewhat confused, Alynna, Rudegar, and Durak took part in the celebrations that followed, led by halflings giving out free drink and pies. For one week, the group relaxed and enjoyed the parties that followed the strange Council meeting, where they were hailed as ‘Guests of Honour’ at any party with a halfling present. Slowly the group began to wonder if the Greenthistles had blackmailed some of the houses using the information they’d gathered… although things still remained incredibly unclear.

As Rudegar got over his wounds, he came to know a Dwarven smithy by the name of Garil Greathammer. The dwarf let Rudegar know in an extremely understated fashion (for a dwarf) that while he didn’t care, not everybody was so happy with the appointment of the Greenthistles, and to keep an eye out.

Kultzmann hired a manservant to tend to his and Alynna’s needs, a widower named Loren Zimmerman.

Additionally, Alynna signed an exclusivity contract to carry Steinberg goods from Grunberg to Nuln on the Sylvamere family river trade fleet.

After one week’s time, the party prepared for a breakfast appointment during which they would accompany their patron Lord Kultzmann to meet the newly appointed Matchwicke Greenthistle.