This whole walk-through is bogus! As a participant of Emirikol's tabletop group I can tell you he's being way nicer than he is face-to-face! No insanities, diseases, or party deaths yet? The party hasn't been robbed, roughed up, or put on trial by the inquisition? No cursed items or mutations? What the heck? I protest!!

Emirikol, based on your PbP geniality our next tabletop session better be a journey to the gumdrop forest to ride unicorns!

Hanna immediately moves towards the real healer, Sister Sonja. "May Shallya bless you and heal all those that you tend. Is there anything that I may help with here? Does Shallya's light shine upon these poor people?"

Piety

new post tomorrow

@Hanna: Although sister Sonja is blind, she seems to be doing a very adequate job of helping, you quickly realize that she is a mere Zealot to Shallya. The makes the appropriate peace-dove symbol and mercy prayers for the wounded. She is somewhat exhausted from her constant prayers and you ask her to sit down. She is incapable of performing miracles.

A Sigmarite sister in her forties, Sister Sonja has dark grey hair, a
hooked nose, and milky-white eyes. She wears simple white robes,
and a crudely whittled wooden hammer on a string dangles about
her neck. A fever took her sight ten years ago while she stayed
over at the manor during a pilgrimage from Ubersreik to the High
Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf. She took it as a sign from Sigmar to
stay here and watch over the little shrine until her vision returns.
She generally stays in the hospice, tending to the needs of the sick
there, though her ministrations tend to consist of half-remembered
quotations from texts about the life of Sigmar – of little practical
help.
Sister Sonja is blind, but not naïve. Since Korden’s illness took a
turn for the worse, she’s beginning to suspect that things are not
exactly as they seem around Grunewald Lodge.

She tells that the doctor has a very effective herb for fighting disease.

She indicates that you should check out the herb garden ot make sure that everything is in order.

She also tells you that should anything happen to her, you will be the protector of the mad dwarf's hammer. For guidance on that hammer, you should visit Sigmar's holy place.

She is
convinced that almost every member of the manor staff is guilty
of some sort of immorality. She regards Otto Geizhals and Olver
Gand as particularly sinister and will lecture the PCs at length
on Geizhals's sloth and the fact that Gand is an antisocial loner
who prefers the company of his dogs to humans. The only person
in the lodge with whom she has truly formed a friendship is Korden
Kurgansson, , the dwarf smith, and his illness has made her increasingly
worried and suspicious.

You question the wounded and sick here. They were attacked by Beastmen who seem to have set up their camp outside.

Korden Kurgensen - Kurgansson mostly just mutters incomprehensibly, but he may utter

interesting tidbits of information. If overheard by the characters
when Doctor Sieger is present, the physician dismisses his mutterings
as the rambling of a lunatic.

"Th'eyesees all! Th'eye sees al/!N
"What a pretty flower. T'sleep now. Sleep."
"Hide th' hammer! Th 'eye can't see what t'blind eyes know. II
MStone1er-bones, stone1er-bones, ye'll be bones 'neath the stones ... II
(A debased rendition of a dwarf children's song.)
"Books, wine, 'n sleep. No, no! Books, wine, 'n sleep! Tis evil. All
wrong."
"Don't let 'em shave me beard ... don't let 'em near! Never trust them barbers!"

"Me ancestor's fist is the only thing they fear!"

You don't gain much else from the others.

You notice that several of the staff come in at various intervals to check on their fellow workers. There seems to be a bit of comradarie and support from the others. They do gossip a bit about your and your allies' presence however and frequently give suspicious glances your way.

@ Zelda and Deidrich: YOu get the impression that you should come back later when the librarian is not here to check the place out further. While here, Gregor Piersson pokes his head in for a moment and ignores you while saying to the librarian, "Everything alright in here?" He glances at you suspiciously and then leaves.

@Deidrich: The Librarian says, "I should report you to the Lord for not working. Aren't you here supposed to be looking at the architecture or look over business affiars? If you cannot see how the books are CLEARLY organized. Over THERE is the business section and over /THERE/ is the books on archetecture. YOu will find the original documents to the building, I believe, over /THERE/ which should be a good comparison. Sheesh!

@Zelda: There appear to be some quaint books on elves. They have nothing to do with actual elves. It more discusses superstitious views about wood elves and how they supposedly steal babies and take them into the forest. By Orion's Might! Elves haven't done that for at least 50 years!

..

more shortly

Introducing Apprentice Wizard Daedalus; Celestial Order

Str: 2 To: 3. Ag: 3. Int: 3. Wp: 4. Fel: 3

Skill: Intuition; trained.

Advanced skills: channeling, spellcraft, Magic Sight.

Specialisations: detect lies

Talents: add 1 fortune to Celestial Order actions at cost of 1 additional power; Instinctive; Determined.

4 extraactions: Omen, Siftwing, First Portant of Amul, Shooting star.

Status: Poor

Daedalus has fled his hermits/ cave in the woods, seeking sanctuary and protection at the lodge. Grateful for the Lords protection he has kept a very low profile but has offered his services as a gardener to make himself useful; he can see the current gardner is in need of his advice. ( hope this is ok GM; if not please put him where you want him to appear)

Zelda makes a quick but dignified exit hoping to follow Pierson without being noticed. Stealth Check: 2 challenge? 2 conservative, 1 characteristic, 1 fortune (i've lost count but am hoping there is one in the pool i can have) Result: 1 success, 2 boons

If he notices her she will attempt to chat him up Charm: 2 challenge, 2 conservative, 1 characteristic, 1 trained: result: fails utterly but 2 boons.

Diedrich grumbles and leaves the library. What an annoying little bastard. He'd have to check out the library once the company was better. He headed back down to the great hall with a sigh. The wizard wasn't much of an investigator, but he figured he could at least casually walk the grounds

((Apologize, just not sure what Diedrich should do here))

Hanna heads for the herb garden to check on the herbs that are being used to heal the sick.

@Hanna

Garden & Garden shed
The garden is large and not well cultivated. The flowerbeds have
gone to seed and are full of leaves and dandelions. The lawn is
overgrown, and characters have to wade through long grass to get
anywhere. A fetid pool, choked with leaves and green scum, is in
the south-east corner of the grounds. There is also a small orchard
of several sickly-looking apple trees in the south-west corner of the
grounds. Shaded by these trees is a quiet cemetery, with a dozen
small, unmarked gravestones. This is where those who die at the
lodge are buried if they cannot be easily transported to the shrine
of Morr in Geissbach village for burial.
In one corner of the garden is a small wooden shack, filled with a
variety of gardening tools, potted young plants, and a wheelbarrow.

Clues
Near the shed, there is a small herb garden, a drab collection of
flowerless plants ravaged by slugs and caterpillars.

Make - Average (2d) Education, Medicine, or Nature Lore check to identify the herbs.

@ Zelda: Gregor Piersson is a slightly built man in his late 30s, with receding

black hair slicked back with oil. He dresses in the neat uniform of
a butler and usually maintains an impassive composure. His day
to day duties are those of a steward, and as such, he is ultimately
responsible for the running of the manor.

You find him doing his duties around the manor..but at some point of giving directions, you notice that a note he passes to Gunnar Wetzel (that Wetzel absentmindely drops) says ^{_{"Goose is good."}} You see him pass similar notes to the Doctor, and the other members of the internal house staff except for Gertie (Lord's personal maiden), Todd, Hendrick and Achsaffenberg himself.

YOu need to make a (1d) guile check to fool the staff that you're actually checking up on archetecture and business (which did you choose?)

@Deidrich:

The GreaT hall
This huge room is dominated by a great oak dining table surrounded
by large wooden chairs. Ostentatious silver candlesticks
are arranged on the table. Along the wall, logs crackle gently in an
impressively large fireplace. A grand flight of stairs sweeps up to
the first floor of the manor. Around the walls, the stuffed heads of
bears, wolves, deer, and boar are mounted on oak panels. Some of
the trophies are of more exotic prey: a leering, ugly, green head with
a crooked nose is decorated with pheasant feathers and labelled
Chieftain of the Reikwald Goblins. Further down the wall is what
first looks like a large goat’s head, but which on closer inspection
bears cruel, sharp fangs.
The main entrance to the manor house opens into the hall, and this
extravagant chamber is the first thing to welcome visitors. The dinner
will be held here.

The staff is prepping for dinner in the GREAT HALL. Casually asking the staff

reveals:

The dinner
In the evening, the manor staff will gather to eat dinner in the great hall.

Below is the plan and there are placards with names on them on the feast table.

Dinner is in about 1 HOUR.

Table Placards: Lord Aschaffenberg will seat himself at the head of the huge table. The
following staff also attend (listed in the order that they sit clockwise
from the lord): Doctor Sieger, Captain Anders Blucher, Otto Geizhals, Olver
Gand, Bertoldt Granhof, Heiko Dieter the wagoneer from Ubersreik,
the player characters, and Vern Hendrick (who sits to the
right of the lord). Sister Sonja has sword to dutifully remain in the hospice to look after the three
patients who remain there.

Pieter Koch and Sven Bleuler will be on guard duty outside, and the other guards, Ernest Bohne and Manfred Klammerer, will eat and rest in the guard room, in case the lodge is
attacked again.

The kitchen is a spacious room with red brick walls rising up to a
high ceiling. There is a sweltering fire burning in one of the two
huge fireplaces, with spits over the flames, cooking haunches of
venison and a whole goose for tonight’s meal. The aroma of roasting
meat is mouth-watering. A large table dominates the room,
covered in all manner of kitchen implements, sharp knives and
cleavers, trenchers for the evening meal, and a cauldron full of
chopped vegetables.

The chef Karla Wagner is at work in the kitchen
preparing food. Karla Wagner is a stocky woman of 35, with fierce blue eyes, flushed
cheeks, and brown hair tied in a bun. Close up, her breath stinks of
strong wine. She wears white chef ’s clothes, stained with blood and
food. She has been the chef at the manor for four years, and unusually
(perhaps even suspiciously, considering the rest of the manor),
she is both good at her job and enjoys it. Karla also has a weakness
for alcohol and helps herself to glasses of Pritzstock Reisling
throughout the day.

Quizzing the drunkard chef requires a (1d) Charm check.

Behind her is the door to the wine cellar. (2d) Stealth to get past her.

If you would like to try to sneak back into the Library when the librarian

is in the privy, make a (2d) Stealth check.

If there is anyplace else you'd like to go or particular people to talk to, let me know.

..

@Daedalus: We'll introduce you next round during the dinner.

jh

Zelda approaches Piersson waving a clipboard under his nose full of reasonable sketches and notes of the rooms she has visited and some architectural details.

"I wander if you are aware of how much work needs to be done here? As the Lords Steward you must realize he will need to spend a lot of money to bring this place back to anywhere near its former glory? Still it has a quaint charm don't you think..?"

Guile check: 3 conservative, 2 characteristic, 1 challenge (1 extra characteristic due to talent ) Result:4 success with 2 delays.

Hanna examines the herbs, trying to identify their medicinal uses.

using a fortune die

Education

Rolled: 4 Characteristic, 1 Fortune, 2 Challenge

Result: 1 Challenge, 1 Boon

(wow, rolled 4 challenge on 2 challenge dice )

@zelda

Generally, you cannot use green/red stance dice in Story mode. In this case I'll allow it. With 2 delays, it seems it won't be until after supper until Gregor has a moment to speak with you. You'll just have to wait, as he's too busy right now preparing for the dinner, etc.

You should probably let the cook know if you're having venison or goose for supper.

Any other areas you'd like to check out or people you'd like to speak to?

@hanna

Hmmm. This garden is a mess. There is some faxtoryl here (see liber infectus), but other than that, you aren't sure what Sister Sonja was talking about. She is blind afterall . Maybe it's something else.

It appears that all the graves here are properly situated in Morr's eyes.

What else would you like to do?

Supper is coming up. Do you think you'll have the venison or the goose?

I'm going to have the venison. If there is time before dinner Hanna would like to visit the Shallya shrine.

((No idea what Diedrich will do here...he is good at none of those things.))

@ Hanna: At the sigmar shrine...

The small shrine is little more than a wooden shed constructed
over a brass triptych bearing an image of Ghal Maraz, a twin-tailed
comet, and a skull with a laurel wreath. The triptych is weathered,
and a thick green patina mars its surface. The icon of Ghal Maraz, a
full-size replica of a warhammer, looks positively filthy.The shrine is suspiciously run-down and dingy, appearing abandoned.

Occupants: The shrine is empty, but for a single prayer candle that looks to have seen recent

use. [GM's note: Only Sister Sonja visits regularly for a quick

prayer, although today she is too preoccupied with tending to the wounded in the hospice.]

Make a (1d) Observation and (1d) Piety check here.

You can also revisit Sister Sonja after dinner if necessary.

You notice that there is some activity on the walls. The guards seem somewhat bothered by activities OUTSIDE the walls. Not excessively so..but they've probably heard noises.

FAXTORYLL

Made from the distilled essence of woodland fl owers, when correctly
prepared, this thick clear liquid can be smeared on wounds to
help stop the bleeding. Loses eff ectiveness after just a few days.
Eff ect: Add Δ Δ to a recovery check against a disease with the
Wound trait.

((No idea what Diedrich will do here...he is good at none of those things.))

Fortune favors the bold . Diedrich is a Grey wizard..an illusionist..a trickster and sneak wizard. I'll give him a bonus 1 white to guile and stealth during these checks if you'd like to try them.

As basic skills, anyone can attempt them.

..there is also "The Sitting Room", although you think that may be the place where the face in the window appeared...

Observation

Diedrich will attempt to sneak back into the library. Hopefully that annoying Librarian wasn't there. Though, he was not as swift as he would like.

Stealth

Rolled: 3 Characteristic, 1 Fortune, 2 Challenge Result: 1 Boon

@Hanna:

Something odd. The
shape of the hammer is not an accurate depiction of Ghal Maraz,
rather it looks more like a traditional warhammer.

In reality, the hammer icon is not an icon at all. It is the ancestral
warhammer of Korden Kurgansson, hidden in plain sight by Sister
Sonja made to look like a plaster icon.

As you are the only other person besides sister sonja who knows

where this hammer is. You can remove it or leave it here for

safe keeping. If you remove it, make a (1d) Athletics check

and take the "Kordren's Hammer" item card.

The hammer is a fine

piece of dwarfen craftsmanship, its steel head inscribed with runes
denoting its clan lineage and granting it power against daemons.

The hammer is an ancestral relic and failure to return it to its owner
or his clan in a timely manner will merit an entry in the great Book
of Grudges of the dwarfs. Since the owner is an insane, ranting,

lunatic in the hospice, perhaps it may be safer here.

The true icon of Ghal Maraz is still in place behind it and that the

hammer is, despite its grimy state, in excellent condition.

NEXT SCENE: The dinner.