Summary 01

Ferlangen is a small walled town, with a strong town wall. Whilst it is clearly well maintained, those in military or engineering careers noticed that it is not built to withstand a modern siege. In particular, the towers are square, rather than modern round or angled designs, and there is no buttressing or skirting to the wall. The town is surrounded by small, relatively independent, farms. The road to Erengrad continues beyond to the north and east, but you are told it is in very poor repair. Directly to the north, along a plank road, is the port of Salkalten, which has a vile reputation amongst all you have met. Another plank road leads south towards the mountains, and the capital of Ostland, Wolfenburg. Otherwise, there is just dense forest.

Ferlangen has a small external caravanserai by the gate. It has obviously been recently renovated. Mungo spent his time here arranging provisioning. The town has only one gate, in the south wall. Prominent above the gate to the town is a carving of the Ostland bull's head and the inscription "Halten was zu halten ist", which reads "Hold onto whatever can be held". Ferlangen is the seat of the von Raukov family. You had to swear an oath to Sigmar to gain entry.

You now know that Ferlangen is famed for two things; Sam Bugman's brewery and as a centre for the antique trade. Less famous is its centre as a slave trade town, and as a source for some drugs from the north. Whilst slavery is technically illegal, it does occur in The Empire. However, much of it is rather less evil than it might first appear. There are many individuals that suffer persecution and certain merchants provide immigration services to those needing to escape. Ferlangen offers a gateway between the north and south of this part of the Old World, and a focal point for entry and exit into The Empire. These people might be Kislevans travelling into The Empire (and beyond) or Imperial citizens travelling to Kislev. Kislev might appear a far from pleasant choice, but to those in debt, wrongly accused of criminal offences or hounded as heretics for their beliefs, it is a new opportunity. Nobles in the Kislevan hinterlands are always in need of good workers, and are willing to ignore past misdemeanours and offer reasonably tolerant belief systems. Of course, this being the Old World, some of the slavers also deal in completely illegal forms of slavery.

The Ferlangen antique trade is discrete, and shops are effectively well secured warehouses. A privately employed security force, the Antikehüten, guards this section of the city. They are thugs and reputed to be extremely ruthless.

The region is also known as an area of local banditry and family feuding. However, normally this is done within social constraints. The depredations of the Cult of the Howling One are the talk of the town, and of concern to almost all the citizens. No-one seems to be aware of the purpose of the group, nor its apparent gratuitous use of murder. Some link them to Ulricans, but this might be general prejudice. The townsfolk accept a certain amount of localised thievery, but this is far too serious and they are demanding action. Much talk can be heard about what Valmir von Raukov will do, and of the lack of success of his efforts to date. You have also heard the name of Jurgen Muntz, whose mercenaries are simply bandits.

Prince von Raukov is the true Elector. The title was stolen by that puppet of the Grand Theogonist, but he will get it back even if it means civil war.

The von Raukov family is too noble for its own good. They will put the unity of The Empire before the needs of Ostland, and leave us with the von Tasseninck family who cannot stand up for the province.

Valmir von Raukov still smells like a Kislevan to me. Better we get Grand Prince von Tasseninck. He is a good Imperial, a Sigmarite and he has a proper name.

Nordland has reached an agreement with the elves of the Laurelorn Forest to invade Middenland. The Grand Prince won't allow fellow Sigmarites to be destroyed by a bunch of heathens and sub-humans.

Nordland is launching border raids against us again; why doesn't this new Grand Prince stand up for us and send in the army? A few good battles would soon deal with those Norscan scum.

A heretic is scheduled to burn in public.

Some poor trinket scavenger who was dealing outside the Merchants' Guild is to be burned as a heretic for dealing in tomb robbing.

Some physician was thrown out of the Guild for killing some noble.

At last the city authorities are going to do something about the Antikehüten and have them withdrawn. You don't know who they are? They are a group of thugs hired by the antique merchants to frighten decent citizens away from travelling in their part of the city.

Apparently, the Emperor tried to persuade the Electors to agree to the payment of his poll tax as an actual population tax, rather than the current central agreement based upon population and trade estimates. The Grand Prince and the other electors refused to have Imperial census takers and tax collectors roaming their lands. We get screwed either way.

There has been a revolution in Erengrad. It now calls itself the Free City of Erengrad and has elected a group of Communalists to govern its people. This has started a civil war in Kislev, and the Tsar is dead.

The Merchants Guild and the Silversmiths/Goldsmiths Guilds are apparently in dispute.

You declined to stay at Frau Busch's Boarding House, with the witch-hunters, and set about discovering the whereabouts of the Professor. He had not left by coach. Following up the "K" clue in the Merchant Guild sealed letter, you find that there are members holding two first names, three surnames and one with both. These are Kolomon Tauler, Kurt Ferdel, Marl Kreitz, Jurgen Kimmelman, Anton Kristov and Klaus von Kolditz. There are two employees Konrad Sander and Conz Keusch.

Kolomon Tauler and Marl Kreitz were both little more than pedlars, friendly and apparently innocent. Kurt Ferdel is currently in Wolfenburg on business. Jurgen Kimmelman is essentially a farmer and absent landlord of a number of large hemp plantations and other farm produce. No-one was too sure of his exact whereabouts. Anton Kristov is an import-export agent with Kislev, whom you managed to convince you were setting up in competition to. Klaus von Kolditz is a powerful merchant in the town, and turned out to be the person who arranged for the Professor to be transported to the home of Jaie Schraeder at the Physicians' Guild in Wolfenburg. The professor left on the morning of the 24^th Nachexen. You did not follow up Konrad Sander and Conz Keusch.

The Physicians' Guild were of little help, but one new practitioner has commenced practice within the town, as of 1^st Jahrdung, but he does not match the professor's description. His name is Derich Kölderer. You visited him, under a 'pretence' of an ill Brian, and found him a veteran of the Ostpreussiches and apparently innocent. One other interesting event concerning physicians, is the retirement of Doktor Sepp Hoger and the mysterious death of Angelika Pallenberg, the Pallenbergs being a family of local nobility.

A number of apparently independent events seemed to occur around you, or to you. The beer in your inn - The Might of Sigmar - was poisoned with Manbane. One patron died, and Brian needed medical help. Oskar had his pocket picked, or to be precise did not. The Watch caught the thief, as Brian raised the hue and cry successfully. Pot shots seemed to be haphazardly made to shoot you, even though crossbows are illegal. One page of the book of Khaine was removed and burnt as you believe you know who is responsible for the shots - after Brian pointed out that it was not too sensible to stick it onto an arrow. Obviously, suffering from too much thinking, Brian then decided that he could lead the PCs in a fight with a group of thugs who decided to assault them. The group was from a local band, calling themselves the Bear Claws. Heidi - the templars have caught up with you - suggested a Kislevan link, as the bear is the symbol of Kislev.

Karl Helpmann proved to be very useful again, providing a list of "slaver" merchants. These are Hanzi Brunfels, Abrikosov Fugger, Wim Harsherin, Klaus von Kolditz, Anton Kristov, Marretta Schongauer and Norbert Tucher. You were contacted in the street by an agent, and led to the Verenan cleric Hektor Rauffman. He offered you 100GCs - 50GCs up front - which Lothar accepted, to clean out a slaving safehouse. Checking that there was a cleric so-named, you find yourselves, with the witch-hunters, outside the farm as we start. It is late afternoon on the 8^th Jahrdrung.

Brian 70

Jakob 60

Oskar 60

Lothar 55

Brian needs to make a Cool test, to avoid gaining 1 insanity point for his Critical injury.