Oberholzbek
They switch watch order so Norgrim gets enough healing sleep, as a result Amos hears someone try the tower door near midnight several times, followed a minute or 2 later by the Bretonnian tutor's voice ‘come away from there!’.
Magdalena takes last watch, woken from a disturbing dream about being married off to the Graf, except he turns out to be the count of Mousilon and is a giant rat, and she has 2 bowlcut haired kids…
Meyer sees them off before dawn, giving Farfordda a letter for the Reeve of Oberholzbek and a pouch of coins. He gives Ada a shabby looking soft toy of a ferret, magdalena ties her hair up and they dress her in leather to make her look more like a boy, and draw the ace of diamonds determining that she is in a positive mood, despite all the horror she sees this morning as an adventure.
They take off down the muddy track, Amos has some trouble with his horse so it takes them nearly 2 & half hours to reach the ford. The cross without incident and decide to lead the horses from there on. Following the river gets them to Oberholzbek by mid morning. On route the briefly spot the Two Fingers looming over a hill top and closer the Red Tusk Monument leering over the treetops.
It is a mild and clear but windy day. Several children and dogs rush towards them. Amos does the talking, correctly guessing the town will be more receptive to dwarves. He tells the little boy this is Harry and asks after his dog’s name (Sigmar). Farfordda peels away from the gang as they approach the village to take up position on a pile of logs by the jetty.
A woman out hanging laundry approaches, this is Etelka, Axel’s wife - have they news of the fighting - her boys left to fight for the Baron? Amos tells her the goblins are defeated but the Baron grievously wounded by a beastman.
The reeve approaches and greets them warmly, Amos spots and comments on the Grungni pendant he wears (and rolls 06 for reaction). Can we talk somewhere in private? They go to his house where his wife reads out the letter. He tells them he’s never met Baron and he never did anything for us but he’ll do as paid, dropping the taxes would be great.
They ask him about the piked orc heads they saw on the way here. He says Lucas the barman is a great shot, and not the only one. He tells them the Orcs raised that big monument 2 grunsnachts ago, that last night they were playing drums but stopped when the hideous screeches rang out - these noises they’ve been hearing on & off up at the head of the valley since grunsnacht last. He says he’ll have a shack cleared out for them.
Meanwhile Farfordda follows the river bank up towards the mine, then approaches a shack on the far side of the great finger of rock by the river bank. As he does so a scarecrow like figure rushes towards him - away demon!
This ragged man paces around him gesticulating. Farfordda sees a very subtle hint of a warpstone pendant emanating from below his clothing. He manages to convince the man he is no demon - the raggedy man says there is a demon in the mine - the child of Herr Tuefulgeist - (his name for Morrsleib), summoned recently by a black spectacle wearing wizard - it ate Karl! He’s been to the rat men tunnels - Herr Tuefelgeist sent him - he whispers to him every night, the end of the world is at hand.
He runs off and watches from a distance. Farfordda peaks into the shack to see a filthy hovel, but the walls are covered in charcoal scratching of the moon and skaven. He ducks into cover when he sees a woman exit the mine then slinks away to hide in some trees.
Back at the farm Amos meets Martina the mine forewoman when she arrives - from her he learns that there was a quake here during the long grunsnacht after mitterfruhl, it was that which exposed the glimmer lead, but caused much of the mine to cave in. She needs an engineer, Amos says he’d like to take a look down the mine - she says later.
Magdalena stays at the farmhouse to play with Ada trying (successfully) to bond her to one of the local dogs while Amos & Norgim head to the bar, The Pit Prop - there they meet Lucas (and see his wife sewn Ulric wolf banner) who shows them his rifle, then later Axel - loutish drunken husband of Etelka. He nearly gets into a fight with Amos, then is beaten by a drunken Norgrim at axe throwing (who in theory wins 3 silver he never actually gets).
Norgrim spends the afternoon regaling the bar with tales of his fight with the Graf’s champion in Middenheim. Farfordda does the Tarot in his bush - does the demon in the mine mean harm to the village? maybe. He, Magdalena & Amos confer in the shack that has been cleared for them - they notice sigmarite symbols carved into the interior walls.
Magdalena goes back to the farmhouse for dinner, Frau Mulderbrook repeats the story of the quake and tells her last grunsnacht green flashes were seen in the sky beyond ‘the shoulder’ and huge bangs echoed down the kleifluschtaal like Ulric’s farts. She makes a roll for how Ada is settling in - on the poor side of so-so (60) and takes her out after dinner to teach her how to fight with a ‘sword’ which she takes to much better (11).
Amos heads up to the mine after dinner with Martina and Axel (who is about to start his shift). They show him the glimmer lead face and a 3SL geology roll says it’s not from volcanic activity, he guesses Skaven. He returns to the village. It’s early evening on the 29th vorgeheim at session end. They plan to return to Dunfurter the next day.
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