8: Escape from Grimpengratz

Backertag 11^th Pflugzeit

The Muddy Mule was actually surprisingly decent for the middle of the marsh and you all got down to some beer drinking. Kris seemed especially keen to drown out any thought of the one-eyed bog daemons. And Max was chatting to Lilith, the halfling barmaid, who was keen to hear about your travels and was getting a bit flirty while her father was in the kitchen making the food. And Max was tipping her generously.

Then Lufthanser and Doctor Balthasar turned up and bought you more drinks. Lufthanser was being friendly again, but was very keen to know what you were doing out in the marsh. Balden told him a load of nonsense, which wasn’t very convincing and Kris told him his drunken life story. Max, feeling the effects of the fight with the bog daemons went to bed early and when Kris passed out dead drunk, only Balden was left to fend off Lufthanser’s continual questioning.

After telling them a story of the tooth belonging to his mum who had a medical condition, Balden eventually told Lufthanser everything, thinking he might agree to help. But he arrested him in the name of Solkan, and Balthasar confiscated the tooth.

Lufthanser put manacles on Balden and some leg irons and then put him in an old stable building behind the inn which was doubling as a makeshift cell, and then chained the leg irons to the wall.

Balden had an uncomfortable night but when he did get some sleep he dreamt of a hill emerging from the marsh, and as he walked up the hill he could see that all the vegetation was weirdly warped and twisted. And at the top of the hill there was a little girl. And then the girl turned into a monster, and he heard a voice whispering in his head, ‘You’re coming to free me, aren’t you.’

Bezahltag 12^th Pflugzeit

At first light Lilith woke Max and Kris and told them that Balden had been arrested for witchcraft and was due to be burned at the stake. Max gave her a shilling, but she might have been telling him this just because she liked him and not for the money.

You went out the back door and crept round to the stables while everyone was still asleep and managed to break the lock with Max’s hammer and spike. It wasn’t much of a prison, anyway. Kris managed to prise Balden’s chains from the wall with his boathook, but he was still chained up. And you told him off for talking to witch hunters.

You could have made a run for it but you were concerned about the tooth and the rest of Balden’s stuff. So Max crept back to the inn and saw Lilith in the kitchen with her father, and he could see Lufthanser and Doctor Balthasar just coming down to breakfast.

Lilith told him that she thought Lufthanser and Balthasar had taken Balden’s stuff up to their room, and she said Max could go up the back stairs to avoid them. Max gave her a couple more shillings and went up. The room was unlocked and Max saw the tooth on the desk. It looked like Balthasar had been examining it or experimenting with it. And you got the piece of paper and Balden’s backpack.

Back at the stables, you sneaked out and crossed the village as best you could, even though Balden was still in chains, under his cloak. And you got to the southern gate which was manned by one bored local. As he was questioning you you heard the village bell signalling an alarm. Balden quickly put the guard to sleep and Kris managed to catch him gently and lay him on the floor.

As you left the village Balden laid some sort of magic traps behind you to put off any pursuers. And after a few minutes you decided it was safe to stop and try to get Balden’s chains off. Max came up with an ingenious way to loosen the bolts and soon Balden was free.

The road now was little more than a track which soon disappeared and Balden decided to consult the tooth again. He did the ritual and got a bearing. And the tooth seemed more animated this time and tried to crawl further in the direction it was pointing.

After nearly a whole day’s travel you saw a settlement in the distance and approaching it, Kris managed to put his foot through a trap and fell about six feet into a water filled pit. He fell awkwardly and lost consciousness, but Max jumped in and held his head above the water.

And three villagers appeared and demanded to know what you were doing. They weren’t too friendly but after a bit of a discussion you won them over, and they said you could spend the night in the village shrine, and they got you some fresh straw to sleep on.

You carried Kris to the shrine. It was dedicated to Taal and it was made of stone and the only old proper building in the village. All the others seemed to be a bit makeshift and it felt more like a camp than a permanent settlement. It was also dry and so you took the opportunity to dry and clean some of your equipment, especially Max’s pistol. Then one of the villagers, Fredereich, came to tell you that you were invited to Wilheim, the headman’s house for dinner.

So Balden and Max went to Wilheim’s while Kris lay unconscious in the shrine. Fredereich was there and you now noticed that he only had one arm. The food was good considering the harsh environment. You learned that the village was so makeshift because it was more of a holding camp for any of the villagers to the south west who had been driven from their lands by blight and beastmen. Usually they moved on to Marienburg or tried to find a life on other farms further afield. The village didn’t even have a name.

Wilheim said that about seven years ago, actually, as he recalled, almost exactly seven years ago, a meteorite fell to the marsh and landed on a nearby hill. Soon after the crops began to fail and much of the livestock perished. This was bad enough, but then a couple of years ago beastmen from the hill began attacking the villages. Now, nearly all the land around the hill was lost.

Fredereich told you that he led some men up to the hill when the attacks first began, and they found a young girl who they said was a witch who commanded the beastmen. And when he tried to smite her his sword was struck by lightning. And that was how he lost his arm. And the villagers retreated, terrifed.

You said that you might be able to stick around for a bit to help with the fight against the beastmen. They said that if you wanted to learn more about the hill you should talk to the local priest of Taal, Kundri, but they said he was a bit unstable.

Guiltag 13^th Pflugzeit

You brought some food back to the shrine, for when Kris regained consciousness, and went to sleep. But first thing in the morning you were woken by Kundri praying. He told you how the land around the hill was blighted and the plants twisted and avoided by many animals.

You mentioned the piper, and he told you that he had met the piper, and that he wasn’t evil, and perhaps you shouldn’t have shot him. He said he could be a friend in the fight against whatever was on the hill. He told you not to trust him, because he was a daemon, but he was the enemy of your enemy. And Balden told Kundri about his dream and Kundri said he had been sent strange dreams too.

Then Kundri saw to Kris’ wounds, and you had the idea that despite your hurry, you would stay in the village for at least a day to help the villagers. You weren’t sure how you could help them with the fight against the beastmen, because none of you were military, but you thought you would be able to help them somehow. And you offered Kundri a couple of guilders for his help, but he said he didn’t need it, but recommended you give it to Wilheim to help the village.