LogTorments of the Righteous-Jason-26

Game log for the 2019/10/13 session of AW: Torments of the Righteous, as taken by Jason

Hike's decided to go looking for Danziger. Inga's also asked her staff to keep an eye and an ear out for the poisoner. It doesn't actually take more than a day for Linus and Marko to track him down. It's late the next afternoon when Linus returns and starts whispering in Inga's ear, telling her he's got Danziger in the basement. Hike walks over to Inga, instantly scares Linus away, and asks what's up. Champion also goes over and calmly insists, over Inga's attempts to deflect him, that he's also going to see what she's got in the basement.

The moment Inga ungags him, Danziger begins yelling for help. Hike walks over, puts an arm around his neck, and covers his mouth. Inga says she's going to ask him questions, and Hike warns him to play nice. Danziger says he was made to do it by someone from the Caer, but he doesn't know names. Inga tries to figure out how she could get the truth from him, and figures her best shot is to guarantee protection for his family. Danziger says that he was specifically told to kill the Damerrung, by a weedy man with a limp. This person came into the inn to tell Danziger to do it. Inga asks Champion what he wants to do, and the brute says that Danziger must be kept alive to testify in the future.

Egon walks in and asks Linus where Inga is. Linus doesn't precisely give up her location, but he makes it easy for the local spy to piece together that she's in the basement. As Egon tries to figure out how to get Linus on his side, he realizes that Linus hates Hike so badly that any foe of hers is a friend of the barman. Things are a little tense.

Back in the basement, there's a bit of wordless communication between Hike and the Champion, which leaves the Champion thinking that maybe Hike could be his ally as he seeks justice.

In Nachtburg, Tendahl spends the last of his barter on food, but he's got the work moving. The block and tackle to move the stones is in place, people are working, and the stone from the top is at the bottom. However, as they try to stand the stone from the bottom up at the top, they hear a loud crack. It doesn't break, but that stone is cracked. It's going to break sometime soon. Worse, once it's in the hole, everyone begins to hear a whispering sound, like a thousand voices whispering. This is what happened last time a demon came out- but now, light comes streaming out of the well, burning a hole through through the sky.

Back in Schwarzhoele, Egon decides to go see Deacon Flaubert and warns him that Champion is going to be a problem, and they need to either resolve the crime or move the walking fortress out of town. Egon also mentions that he might need someone to quell Lord Entwiss. The Deacon says that Lord Eisenbach grows impatient with the lack of results from Inga, and they're past the point where anyone's going to do anything for Egon. It's time for Egon to do things for Lord Eisenbach. Egon opines that Inga might not be worth the trouble of maintaining her, and the Deacon says he can make that case to Lord Eisenbach, who they will be seeing momentarily.

In the basement of Der Flammenkammer, Hike tells Danziger that she's going to take his wife and daughters to the capital. She won't tell him where, though, until he testifies or otherwise comes through. Danziger accepts. Hike tells her gang to pack up and get ready to go. The barmaids also tell the Champion that Egon is looking for him.

Hike goes to Danziger's address, where she was expecting to find his family hiding and waiting for a specific knock. When she arrives, she finds the door open, and the latch broken. She can hear someone rooting around upstairs, and someone else rooting around downstairs. She goes to check on the upstairs man, and tries to approach him, but a creeking stairstep gives her position away. She tells him that she needs one prisoner, so it can be him, or his friend. Just then, she hears someone yell, "I found them!" She goes downstairs, trying to seem casual, as though she was his comrade and expected, and finds him dragging Danziger's wife out with a blade at her neck. She swings her hammer and pops the thug's head like Gallager hitting a watermelon.

When Hike goes up to the main floor, she finds the upstairs guard trying to sneak out. She says, "Flaubert?" and he says, "Flaubert." She tells the guard to go back and report that the family was gone when he got there, and that he doesn't know what happened to them or to his friend. The guard agrees to say his dead comrade betrayed them.

Downstairs, everyone's scared and sobbing. Hike turns on her light and uses the secret knock, and tells the family that she's taking them to the capital. They're already packed and ready to go. She has them cover up in hopes of getting through the gate unnoticed. Hike has no trouble getting them out, accompanied by a team of Torchbearers. News of a Torchbearer party going to the capital has created a sort of impromptu caravan, which makes it easier to hide the family. As they're leaving, Jens says, "holy shit, what's what?" They look and see a pillar of light coming from the location of Nachtburg.

While waiting to see Lord Eisenbach, Egon opens his brain, hoping for inspiration regarding his Inga problem. His only inspiration is that Lord Eisenbach is likely to see her as a problem, and the man who solves his problem will be rewarded.

Egon finds Lord Eisenbach pacing in his chamber. Flaubert has thoughtfully misrepresented him as "having news from Inga," when in truth, he's only got news that Inga's place is continuing to generate more trouble, what with the dead Damerrung and so. Egon sort of leads him along to giving the order that the Damerrung should be led out of town. That leaves the question of why, though. Eisenbach wants to know why Inga would kill a Damerrung, and Egon doesn't know. What both men do know is that Inga was supposed to provide information, and hasn't. Egon suggests that she should be exiled, but the Lord thinks she has potential. Egon thinks she has none. Eisenbach temporizes and decides to consult Flaubert, though he tells his pet subaltern that he values his counsel. Just then, out the window, they see the beam of light out the window. Egon opens his mind to the bright place, and immediately senses that the road to the bright place is open.

The citizens of Nachtburd, or at least those are the tor, fall to their knees and begin praising Saint Barbarossa. On the moor, Carl sees something dark slink away. The light makes this place habitable. Tendahl's worried about the crack in the stone, though. He doesn't think it can be fixed. They'd need a new stone, of the same composition as the original. Tendahl briefs Thaddius in on the work that needs to be done to stabilize the stone. Tendahl moves to the bright place and settles in. Carl finds a good place to look in the bright place and see if Tendahl comes out.

Tendahl does. He comes climbing out of the well in the bright place, and sees a cloudy sky, with buildings in the distance. The are people around, and as Tendahl climbs down, someone from the bottom of the hill has gone up to greet him. The stranger calls out to Tendahl, who wishes him well.

Carl, for his part, comes out of the bright place ... wherever the Mother sends him. He's thinking he's going to find a new stone for the people of Nachtburg, which is thoughtful of him.

Hike's gang are a little rattled. Jens says, "Well I'll be damned, the son of a bitch really did it." She gives her gang 2-barter to take care of this errand to the capital and then return. One of the crew says, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of them," in a way that suggests a lot of rape. The Archimandrix punches him square in the face, and a general melee breaks out. Everyone's in armor, so for the most part, it's not a big deal, but Hike is a brutal fighter and beats the offender to death. Simone assures her that she'll take care of the family's safety. Hike thanks her and says she needs to stay and be ready to explain the pillar of light to Kreuzmann.

Inga hears a hubbub out on the street. She makes sure Danziger is adequately comfortable but can't escape, then goes up to investigate. Someone comes in and tells everyone to come see, and they all see the pillar of light. Inga looks in the bright place, and it's sooo bright that she's struck blind. Champion feels a wrenching in the interface of his two selves and knows he must, absolutely must, go to Nachtburg and see the source.

The city is in a panic, which makes it harder for her to go looking for Egon.

Egon sees Lord Eisenbach get up and walk out, so he assumes he's dismissed, and goes to see to his flock. As he's making his way out, he finds Hike, who tells him there's been a sign, and also that Flaubert is the source of their problems. They go to Egon's place and sit down, Hike with her hammer on her lap. Egon claims that Flaubert is setting up everyone at the Flammenkammer. They're just getting the conversation going when Carl, in the form of a 12-year-old boy, walks in. Hike seems completely unsurprised, which convinces Egon, finally and completely, that she's a witch. Carl tells Hike that Tendahl succeeded and won't be coming back. Now she really wants to tell the Archbishop what she knows. Egon's willing to follow her to the capital. Carl doesn't want to go with them, though, because he's planning to stick in Schwarzhoele. He decides to see if Inga would take him on.

Inga goes in, and Sasha tries to help her by washing her eyes out. Inga's eyes are entirely white now, no iris, no pupil. That trips Hike out a little. Inga sends for a doctor. When the Champion returns, he asks what matter of sinner would have fallen so low as to be struck blind by the greatest miracle in our history. Carl walks in, and when Inga realizes who it is, she gives him a messy hug. Egon interrupts their reunion by telling Inga that Flaubert wants to kill her. They talk about all travelling together. When they explain that they're going to the capital, Champion can't believe it. Inga does realize that getting to Nachtburg and setting up shop would be an amazing business opportunity. Hike decides that now is the time to mention that Flaubert knows Inga is not loyal.

The Champion asks if maybe there's a quid pro quo, where he helps her deal with her problems in exchange for escort to Nachtburg, but she's not interested.

Carl asks if Hike knows of any quarries. She knows of stone quarries in Eisenbach, and one where they dig it out of a mountain crag near Schwarzhoele.

The doctor uses absinthe to cleans Inga's eyes, which hurts unbelievably, and disgusts everyone around them, but works.

The Champion decides to join Hike's gaggle just to see if it helps the cause of justice, since has no confidence in his ability to solve the riddle on his own. Carl goes with as well. They all go through Inga's tunnel to the wilderness, accompanied by pretty much everyone from Der Flammenkammer.