Morning of 31st JAHRDRUNG (new moon) found you in cells, the men in one and Agneta in another. She was put into a cell with Eva Worff, the latter requesting 2 bp so that she could prove she wasn’t a vagrant. Agneta gave her this.

A third woman was in the cell, a Marienburger arrested for trading without a permit. Around 20, pleasantly attractive, wimpering slightly, she was soon doing rather more once Eva laid into her. A foreigner in nice clothes was too tempting a target for the bully; Agneta pretended not to notice. When Eva had finished stripping the other woman, and changed clothes, she discarded a wimple. Very old fashioned, Eva didn’t want it. Agneta ignored it. For some time.

The wimple was expensive with gold thread in a border including a device of six shells. It had lining, very unusually, of silk - very expensive. This was detachable, and inside the lining (and invisible and not able to be felt, was a silken Bill of Sale for one crate. To the "Bearer" on behalf of Jan de Witts, agent. Delivery through Holst Cargo & Freight Company, to be delivered to Harlem Warehousing, 60 GCs of elven perfume.

The trial was held by the Ward Court. Sitting was Councillor Marcuse and Magistrate Warner. A man appeared to bail out the now very battered woman. He seemed very angry, talking to her in a Westerland dialect, in hushed whispers. Eva was charged with vagrancy, but proved she was an "upright citizen", owning a ‘retail premises’ close to Agneta’s old home and paid a 2bp fine.

Charges:

• Travelling without a permit
• Trading without a permit
• Trading in a licensed monopoly
• Breaking curfew
• Harassment of city officials
• Trading in an unlicensed commodity, namely special flowers that only open at night
• Trading with buyers unregistered in the trade, namely "cults in the city"
• Tax evasion
• Vagrancy
• Entreating with prescribed heresies

Johannes was found guilty of wasting the court’s time, Aldhelm with two charges interfering with legal procedure (he would open his mouth) and harassment of city officials, and Agneta with two charges interfering with legal procedure (some people don’t learn!), harassment of city officials and breaking curfew. The first two paid a fine, but Agneta selected the stocks, to everyone’s amazement. Inexplicably, Councillor Marcus secretly paid her fine. Aldhelm was also told to appear before a Guild Court.

All PCs were also expelled from Way of the Wolf. Johannes discovered that Master Dietrich is livid. Master Hertwig lectured them: "This is a terrible time for you two to be playing up. Politics. We really don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Go and get lost at the Fair. We’ll see what we can do."

The rest of the party did not appear, but this troubled no one. On the way to a well-deserved drink, Aldhelm realised that you were being followed. Inside the tavern, Aldhelm had the courage to accost the man, who was wearing black and carried a billy club. He left, and did not seem to continue following you. It appeared that he had been sent to follow you "to collect evidence".

Eventually, the party decided to investigate Harlem Warehousing and the crate. Aldhelm learned that it owns and operates storage facilities at the Docks for assorted peddlers, traders and small businesses. Agneta collected the crate and you returned to Aldhelm's’with it. After ruminating on what could be done with 60GCs of elven perfume, Johannes suggested that it might be possibly worth checking that it was perfume. Opening the crate, you found 20 glass vials, very well packed in cotton wadding and each sealed with a stopper and wax. Opening one, it was very unlikely to be perfume. You decided to take one to Hugo Bosch, for him to examine and advise.

When Agneta returned home, a Verenan investigator, Adelle Wachter, had left a message that she wants to see her and will call first thing on 32nd. This consisted of questions concerning Eva Worff, the bully in the cell. Agneta does not ask why she is being asked these questions. Aldhelm awakes to find both Beatrix Topfer and Marlene Feldt awaiting downstairs to take him to the Fair. Beatrix withdraws in a huff.

The party travel around the fair and tournament, but take little interest in events. The burning of the heretics turns from an entertaining highpoint, to something unpleasant as they include a young girl and a child who die slowly and loudly. Probably worse were the speeches. Boring speeches by a number of civic officials, including Arnold von Schacht, praised the police authorities and Brother Archimedes, pointing out the city’s success in fighting "evildoers" and that people can feel safe in their homes.  The priests were little better. Wolfker von Siegenhaus pointed to the need for homeland security and the pre-eminence of the State over civil liberties. Baron Klaus von Meyer broke this trend, recognising the need for eternal vigilance, tempered with sanity. Brother Archimedes was short and sweet - the need to burn out the cancer in our midst, and the end justifies the means.

There was some unrest within the fair. An elf and some mercenaries did a little too well at the archery, and a Reikland noble got too close to winning the tourney. Urgel von Snobbislakt and some ‘friends’ tried to beat you up. Then you were attracted by a hue and cry. It appeared that some gypsies had kidnapped the daughter of a leading member of the Woodworkers’ Guild, one Ludmilla Meissen. Our intrepid heroes stood around for a while, whilst Aldhelm ranted about "gypsies". Eventually, Johannes pointed to a number of blaring inconsistencies in the logic of the authorities’ argument, and an investigation was begun. And then stopped, as our intrepid heroes went to watch the football. When they returned, they realised that a nearby stallholder, Thom Bakkman, who sold imported Nordland carvings was missing both his cart and apprentice. The apprentice, Ferdinand, was traced to the workshop and found beaten and tied up. He refused to say anything. However, some locals, sitting by a hole in the wall, had seen a cart heading down the road. Following you came to a watchpost, who had, in a fit of zeal, stopped it and checked its papers. This gave you a name and a location on the Docks. Arriving there, there was a rough on the door. Aldhelm failed to steal his hat, but was chased off anyway. The rest entered, to find poor Ludmilla "married" to the Nordland merchant by a priest of Taal. Or someone claiming to be a priest, anyway. A fight ensued and Ludmilla was eventually freed. However, whilst our "heroes" had been watching the football, she had been sadly used. It seems that there are followers of a primitive cult that believe in marriage as an issue of male brutality. Everything was hushed up and you were all paid off. Additionally, Aldhelm’s summons before the Guild Court was ‘dealt with’.

That night Agneta was nearly arrested for the murder of Eva Worff, but managed to persuade Adelle that she could not have been involved.

We left the session at the end of the 32nd, ready to pick up on the 33rd with the Guild-day Procession.