47: The Spirit of Saint Olovald

Aubentag 23^rd Sommerzeit

You woke at Gart’s Farm quite late in the day, and you wondered whether to press on over night, but, guided by one of Dietrich’s dreams, you thought that there wasn’t much chance of Flosse being able to have followed you, so you decided to stay longer at the farm.

Berta and Balden were feeling a bit off from having crawled through the latrines, so the other three of you took your turn to watch. You noticed that Mellori didn’t sleep, though, and he seemed to be watching you as much as watching out.

On last watch, Max noticed as the sun came up, Balden groped around for the glass, and he watched the sunrise through the glass, or something.

Marktag 24^th Sommerzeit

Max had a word with Artur about him joining your company and explained that you had a sort of investigations company in Marienburg and you made quite a good living from it. And Artur said it was certainly more exciting than sitting in a temple all day or patrolling the waterways.

You set off early, and as you went you spoke to Mellori about getting a lift on an elf boat. Mellori seemed to backtrack a bit and said he hadn’t promised you a ride, and had just said that you might be able to have one. And he said that you had to be careful when interacting with the Eonir, and you needed to be diplomatic. And then he said you were often not very careful about what you said or how you said it and that would’;t stand you in good stead in the Laurelorn. And then you insulted him a bit which kind of proved his point.

He said he would be heading south into the forest from here, and if you were still in Leihafen when he passed through on his elven boat, then he would pick you up. So you asked him for the hundred guilders for the glass, and he offered you two small ‘starstones.’ Dietrich had a look at them and thought that they might be quire valuable and so you decided to take a risk on them. But Balden said that the glass might lead to a greater treasure. Mellori said it wasn’t that sort of treasure but one only the elves could understand. And so Balden sort of reluctantly handed over the glass and Mellori left you.

When you reached Dunkelkiefer you made your way around it without entering the town, despite you having left it on decent terms. And you reached Schaphof and the Stone Chicken and spent the night there.

Backertag 25^th Sommerzeit

You set off early again for Leihafen. You had to cross Sentinel Heath where you had encountered the three ghost women. This time, in the drier weather, the floods had receded a bit leaving the track clear, and you decided that you could risk keeping to the track, away from the ghosts’ watery grasp, and you made it across unmolested.

And towards evening you reached Leihafen and noticed there was a large ship on the harbourside, the Spirit of Saint Olovald. You went to talk to the captain about passage to Marienburg, and he said the cabins were all taken, by ladies from Erengrad, but you could sleep in the hold and help out on deck, for three guilders each, and they would be leaving at first light. You agreed but decided to spend your last evening ashore at the Queen’s Grace.

In the Queen’s Grace you saw the three ladies. They looked like a mother and her two daughters, one about twenty and one about twelve, and they were dressed very expensively.

You spoke to the landlady and she said the Olovald had come in that day and there was clearly some sort of disagreement between the matriarch and the captain about when to leave. The noble lady wanted to leave immediately but the captain said they had to wait for the tide, and the light. And so to make up for lost time they would be navigating Manann’s Teeth, the most treacherous stretch of water on the Nordland coast. And the landlady pointed out the ship’s navigator who was sat along the bar, drunk as anything.

Dietrich introduced himself, Max, and Artur to the ladies. Berta and Balden were still too ill to spend the evening drinking. The ladies were obviously too posh to speak to you but when they learned you were to be fellow passengers they relented a bit. Maie du Farrier was a Bretonnian-Kislevite noble and her family were on their way back to Bretonnian via Marienburg, to marry Marie-Claire off to the Baron de Quelquechose, and that was why they could not afford to be late.

Dietrich asked about the baron and she explained that he was not a day over sixty, and you could see that Marie-Claire was not looking forward to the nuptials. Max told her that at least she might not have to bear the marriage for too long, and she burst into tears.

Bezahltag 26^th Sommerzeit

First thing in the morning you boarded the Olovald. Max asked the crew about navigating Manann’s Teeth and they said they should be fine as long as you pay your respects to Manann, and they asked if he had given the god a coin. And so Max hurriedly threw a penny overboard. And he asked about any other superstitions and they told him they would be catching the moon in a bucket at midnight.

Then he went to visit the navigator. He was looking the worst for wear but seemed confident that he would be able to plot the course. Max didn’t really trust that he could, but knew something about navigation and insisted he help with the course. But the navigator did know his stuff, and the Olovald sailed through the most treacherous stretch of water on the Nordland cost without any trouble at all. And so they had a drink to celebrate.

So you spent the day doing menial chores aboard, like swabbing the deck and cleaning the bilge. Artur knew how to sail so did proper work, and tried his very best to look like he knew what he was doing, and impressed the rest of the crew.

You were invited to the captain’s table for dinner, but it was extremely cramped and so Maie suggested you have one sitting for the ladies (and Berta) and another sitting for the gents, and so you did that. And as you were still behind time, you sailed into the evening, and it was dark before you finally got to rest.

In the middle of the night you all woke to the sound of a strange chanting and you looked above decks to see a group of figures on the forecastle doing some sort of ritual. You were a bit concerned, but suggested they might be trying to catch the moon in a bucket, and sure enough, a few moments later they hauled a bucket up and seemed satisfied that the moon was caught, and so you went back to sleep.

Guiltag 27^th Sommerzeit

The next day there was more of the same. But while swabbing the rear hold, Dietrich spotted a big, posh coffin there, decorated in the Kislevan style. He had a quick look into its magical winds and could tell that there was no dead body in it.

At captain’s table that night, Dietrich asked what was up with the coffin, and the captain explained that it was carrying Maie du Farrier’s uncle back to Bretonnia. So that evening you went to the hold and opened the coffin, which opened easily. Dietrich saw a pair of eyes looking at him, and so shut the coffin again. After a bit of a think you opened it again and discovered a live Kislevite.

The body explained that he was Piotr Zabback, an officer in the Queen’s Guard in Erengrad, and had been forced into the coffin by Marie-Claire. It was clear that he and Marie-Claire were lovers and he said that the plan was to eventually pose as her bodyguard after she was married. He said she had threatened to drown herself if he didn’t agree to come with her. But he said Marie-Claire’s mother would have him killed if she found out. You couldn’t decide whether it was romantic or mad but you said you would keep his secret and help him out if he needed anything.

When you went to sleep that night you realised you hadn’t asked him what they had done with the body of Marie-Claire’s great uncle. In the night, Artur awoke to the sound of some sort of struggle and then a splash. He woke Dietrich and Max and they went to check the coffin. It was empty, but as you were heading above deck you bumped into Piotr coming the other way. He explained that he had been disturbed by the sailor on watch, who had accidentally fallen overboard.

Max immediately shouted man overboard and there was a flurry of activity as the seamen woke and rushed to turn the boat around. The crew worked out that Luc was missing, and it was soon pretty clear that you didn’t have a hope of finding him. Then the crew noticed Piotr and demanded to know who he was. And pretty soon they had mobbed him and tied him up as a murderous stowaway.

He explained that you were his friends, and you were quick to correct that to distant acquaintances. Then the du Farriers turned up and Marie-Claire rushed to Piotr and began wailing. And Maie was livid and demanded the captain perform summary justice. You insisted that he have a fair trial, but the captain said he was the law on board his boat. You strongly argued against Maie’s insistence he be dealt with right now, but eventually the captain was convinced to throw Piotr overboard. And so you watched as the crew nudged him over the side.

Marie-Claire ran to Max and begged him for help, and so Max threw Piotr a bit of rope. But as he still had his wrists tied it wouldn’t do much good. And Artur grabbed a boathook and managed to hook him, but he was half submerged.

And you suggested that you could donate something to his widow and children if they let him live, and the captain said that his widow would appreciate fifty crowns. Marie-Claire said that she could have five hundred crowns, but Maie said that she wouldn’t be getting a penny.

This whole time Piotr was still in the water and he didn’t have long left. One of the sailors grabbed Artur’s arm and told him to let Piotr go, but Artur tried to haul him aboard. But he couldn’t manage it, and although he gave a silent prayer to the dark spirits of the sea, Piotr’s body came loose from the boat hook and sank.