Summary 03

You spent an eventful afternoon (the 17^th Jahrdrung) in the town. Whilst your first thoughts were concerning the kidnapping of Marla Hengist, Danderich Flisshausten found another job for you working for the temple of Sigmar. Oskar and Brian were packed off to investigate the kidnapping whilst Jakob and Lothar went to the so-called Cathedral of Sigmar.

Taking in a small guided tour of the temple, you were both impressed by the Wolfenburg imp but got down to business. It involved the peculiar case of Barthel Bugenhagen. Barthel was a respected local seer, accepted by the Cult of Sigmar since he preached the need for everyone to work to a common goal in defence of The Empire. However, some three years ago, he began to act strangely and rant about something he called an 'Influencing Machine' and a 'World Plan'. Eventually, he had to be removed for his own safety (or so they said) and a religious court determined that he be placed into the ministrations of the Cult of Sigmar. He was held in a cell in their temple, but escaped three days ago. It appears that one of their own initiates freed him. He is under arrest, claiming that he was told to do so by voices in his head sent by what he refers to as an 'Influencing Engine'. You were asked to investigate since you are 'experts' in the unknown, but got very little information and eventually moved on.

You were then contacted by Ewalt Wrangel, the leading cleric of Mórr concerning some missing bodies. As a means of paying for its upkeep the Temple for All Gods has a catacombs used to bury the dead. For a reasonable fee the dead can be interred here with rites carried out by the Cult of Mórr and any other legal deity of choice. Whilst not traditional in Ostland, burial enjoys periodic phases of being in fashion. On an inspection of the catacombs Ewalt found a number of bodies missing. He reported this fact to the authorities who promised to investigate. He has heard nothing, and sought you out. You initially feared necromancy, ghouls, undead armies or body snatching, but via some good sleuthing found a much more mundane solution. The temple is maintained nominally by Azmus Beham, a licensed seer. He realised that a simple means of making more money was to sell the space previously sold to earlier dead. Therefore, he simply tipped one room of bodies into the underground river that flows beneath the temple and began to sell new space. You found that according to the records of the temple (housed with the cult of Mórr) more bodies have been buried under the temple than can be accommodated and that last year a number of very old bodies were washed up on the banks of the river and buried by the cult. There was also widespread dysentery in the city last year due to pollution of the river water although no cause was found. A job well done as Azmus was carted off to the Consistory Court.

In visiting the Temple of All Gods, you looked around the place and found a well-used altar to what appears to be a peculiar aspect of Shallya. When you pointed it out to the cult, they thought it not the goddess, but vowed to investigate. It reminded you of an icon in the Professor's office at the Collegium. Lothar made an offering to a human god, he took to represent luck and both snooped around the various gods. There was a wolf icon there and a giant frog that intrigued Jakob. You also visited a shrine to the Heroes of Ostland. Here you learned of Levudal.

A minor puzzle concerned your being asked if you knew the whereabouts of Franziskus Kappeler, "Prince of Khypris". This seemed to make no sense with anything. You did discover that Khypris was a kingdom in the Border Princes, but fell to goblins or other Princedoms many years ago.

Lothar kept reminding everyone you met that the serial killer was due to strike. He was rather unpopular.

Two Black Cloak anarchists were found dead on the morning of the 18^th, and the gang war shows no signs of letting up. You ensured that Hilde was well guarded.

You visited the Ulrican shrine, and there learned that the initiate believed much of the wolf iconography throughout Ostland related to a wolf spirit that Ulric caught and ate, thus absorbing the spirit. But then he would say that.

Returning to the main adventure, you visited the house of Jaie Schraeder, which was rented. The managing agents, Blau and Stradanus, offered little useful information apart from the fact that Schraeder was a good tenant.

Searching the house elicited little as the Watch had put everything valuable into "protective custody". The fire gutted one room (the main bedroom), but did little other damage. A drawing of a howling wolf drawn in blood was on the guest bedroom wall. Blood was in the hall, and drag marks led up the stairs. There was a small study/library, but the books and papers had all been cleared. There was a small household shrine, but that was also missing.

Hilde Muntz - Christina's friend - offered some real assistance when she found out that you were looking for people who knew Schraeder. Gerd Breytenbach is not actually dead as believed. He is currently hiding in the Shallyan temple, having been given refuge by Hilde as he had helped the Black Cloak Lurkers Below on a number of occasions. The house was attacked whilst he was away with the Black Cloak Lurkers Below. He does know that Professor Stradovski arrived to see his master, and that they left together the following day. The message concerning Schraeder's father was a fake. He does not know where they were going, but he overheard them mention the manor at Levudaldorf, which he also knows his master had visited there on guild business on a number of occasions. He disliked his master, who was a cruel man in private, and he suspects that he was doing vile things to the maid Louisa as she had been acting peculiarly over the last few months.

The only social activities that Schraeder was known to engage in was worship at the Sigmarite cathedral, the occasional visit to the Temple of All Gods and that he was a member of the Order of Occidental Fellows. The latter is apparently simply a fellowship association for middle class professionals. They own a small tavern called The Occidental Gentleman, whose back rooms are used for functions. Members are an assortment of merchants, craftsmen and professionals. You followed up these leads without any real success.

Asking around, you found out a little about Levudaldorf and Grenzburg, which lie to the east and might be future destinations. The road east is a plank forest road.

Levudaldorf: The village is named after the famed leader of the local tribe, who fought along with Sigmar. By the standard of normal provincial villages it is supposed to be reasonably impressive, mirroring the best found anywhere in The Empire. There is also a fortified manor house. Count Konstantin von Pirkheimer is the overlord of Levudaldorf, and a large part of eastern Ostland. He is a very important political figure, and very powerful, being just below the Grand Prince in power. He is known to be a harsh man, but also well educated and a supporter of the pursuit of knowledge. He employs some wise men, and offers a place of learned retreat for those academics who have fallen on hard times. His wife died many years ago, and he particularly supports the improvement of medicine in her name. The Physicians' Guild in Wolfenburg has a number of bursaries paid by the Count. He is a member of the Zeugen sect of the Cult of Sigmar. They believe in breeding Sigmarites to defend the Empire, although cynics see this as less of a sect and more of an excuse to have sex widely. He has two daughters and a son.

Grenzburg: This is essentially a fortified monastery of the Order of the Purging Hammer templar order. The order is made up of those who have lost everything to chaos and is respected as an order open to all enemies of the Fell Powers. Grenzburg lies close to the Empire-Kislev border.

Inns: The Forest Inn lies before Levudaldorf, and there are two inns between there and Grenzburg. There is an inn-border post beyond the town.

Meanwhile Oskar and Brian discovered that the kidnapped girl had been released unharmed, and spent most of the day with Christina and Hilde. They were very bored indeed at the girl-talk.

It is the morning of the 19^th Jahrdrung as we start, assuming you are ready to set off eastwards after the Professor. However, we finished the session with half a day of the 18^th remaining, so you have time to do anything else that you might wish.

The city is divided into a number of sections:

• Trade Streets: Wolfenburg is the centre of the Ostland pewter trade, and its main street Zinnwaren Straße reflects that in name. However, the city has no particular commercial specialism, and thus no dedicated streets to any particular activity. Most shops consist of a ground floor workshop (where manufacture is carried out), a second floor storage (and possibly display) area, and third floor living apartments. More luxurious shops consist of larger living areas, individual rooms for apprentices and greater distance between the workshop and other areas. All shops are identifiable by universal signs indicating their business. Residential housing fills in behind the larger thoroughfares, and acts as home to many of the journeymen and poorer masters.
• The Docks
• Caravan Yard
• Town Square: The town square is dominated by a statue diorama containing 'Magnus the Pious' and 'Sigmar the Great' overseeing the 'Holy Sigmarite Empire'. Here can be found town criers. You heard the official town crier announce a bounty on the head of each Howling One thug and that the so-called Public Lottery was illegal. There were also a number of laws that you were reminded about. A private crier was calling an advertisement for a secretary and bodyguards for a travelling academic from the University of Altdorf. This interested Jakob, who took details.
• Temple District: The following temples are located within Wolfenburg: Mórr, Myrmidia, Sigmar, Shallya and Verena. There are small shrines to Taal and Ulric, and one to 'All Gods'.
• Market
• Estates: Like all cities, there are a number of large residencies located in their own grounds, and cloistered away from the rest of the city.
• Ethnic Neighbourhood
• Citadel

Brian 80

Oskar 60

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

Jakob 60

Lothar 60

You must both lose D2 points off your social level for the fiasco at the Pedlars Guild warehouse

Oskar's horse has taken a net loss of 2 Wounds (after Lothar's ministration)

Oskar has lost a total of 2 Wounds

Oskar and Brian have an extra 112 shillings in pay, and can cash in their tokens. However, they must also shell out 10/- in general food expenses from this.