LogTorments of the Righteous-Jason-19

Game log for the 2019/06/23 session of AW: Torments of the Righteous, as taken by Jason

Barbarossa is back in Nachtburg, living with the Margners. Tendahl's back in his workshop. Carl found his own way back to town.

Hike is in Schwartzhoele, waiting to escort Archbishop Kreuzman.

Inga's in jail. The dissidents she was harboring are also in jail, but they've separated them. There's some horribly filthy, raggedy, sewer-stinking fellow in the cell with her. At one point she hears a scrabbling noise, and realizes it's that guy, inching toward her on the floor. He asks if she's Mistress Inga, and identifies himself as Otto. He's in there because he has many powerful enemies. Or so he says. He also says that in her, he sees a friend. She ignores him, so he comes closer, reaches out, and touches her. She tells him to keep to himself, and he explains that he just had to be sure she was real. If she can get him out, Otto will dedicate himself to her, for life. He want her to look into his eyes. She figures he's probably going to murder her in her sleep, though possibly only after they're free. But... she looks into his eyes.

Suddenly his eyes seem really far away. Then he gets excited. "Ooooh, Einer will come to help you, yes! But be careful about Einar, he is very dangerous, yes." Otto firmly believes that once Einar helps her, she should kill him.

Shortly after, Einar comes to visit her, though he doesn't enter the cell proper. She tells him everything and admits that she doesn't really know what to do. He believes that she was coerced, and he's willing to plead her case with Deacon Flaubert. She tells him that would be very helpful. Einar leaves. Otto chortles.

Hike's living in Der Flammenkamber. Jens and Fritz are both pining away over Inga. Hike makes fun of them for getting drawn into Inga's world of trouble and asspain, and tells them to drink more.

The next morning, the Torchbearers need to hit the road. Several of them are gone, but one of Kreuzman's functionaries shows up and asks if they're ready to go. Hike explains that she needs to check with the Watch and make sure her people aren't in jail. Hike checks with the law and finds Captain Schmitto on duty. He did not arrest her men. He suggests that they're AWOL in a whorehouse or some such. She believes him. She explains about her tight schedule and asks for the help of the watch in tracking the men down. He's game, and he takes her to Sergeant Heinkel's post at the jail. Heinkel's under the table, beaten all to crap. Hike suggests an alarm. Schmitto concurs and asks Hike to guard the stairs.

Inga hears the sound of a scuffle. Pretty soon, it resolves into a Torchbearer rescue party, busting her out.

Barbarossa comes to and thanks the Margners for hiding him. Thaddius Margner is not a loyal man by nature, but Barbarossa has basically come back from death twice now. Thaddeus figures this guy will suffer some setbacks but never, ever lose. He will therefore make sure that the town vet does her duty by his lord. Barbarossa also calls for dry powder.

Thaddius goes to Tendahl for powder. Tendahl will happily make gunpowder for the revolution, but he won't rush it. Instead, he explains that wants a future where the Church is gone - not just for a day or a week, but forever. Taking the time to prepare the powder helps ensure that future. Tendahl also offers any other help they want. Margner leaves 1-barter with Tendahl.

Thaddius gives Barbarossa a knife, a musket, and two rounds, and suggests that they could hide him for the moment out at the sacrificial rock. Thaddius will bring Naia the town vet to deal with his wounds. Barbarossa goes out there and waits, but Naia does not appear, because the demons get her. This just makes more Thaddius more anxious to stop the lottery.

Carl's trying to lay low, so he doesn't get caught up in any of the funky shit going down in this city.

Barbarossa wasn't really up to trekking about the woods, and his wounds have opened. He's not going to last long unless he gets some help. He makes it back to the Margner root cellar. He asks for someone to bring Sonja to him, which weirds Thaddius out a bit. They bring her in with a bag over her head. When she sees where she is, she rushes over to treat him, but he rejects that sort of healing. Now he will do what he must. She declines. She will not allow it, because he is her champion, and she needs his protection. During their conversation, Barbarossa mentions the withering disease that seems to accompany her healing, and that gives Thad a wiggins. Anyway, she says that she'll bring him a healer. She tells him to eat a potato and walks out.

Sonja then goes to bring Tendahl. She tells him to bring his tools to help someone, but refuses to say Barbarossa's name, because you never know who's listening. Carl. Carl calls out that he's not there. Tendahl goes with her but gives her an unwanted lecture about the importance of preserving some semblance of civility in the village.

Anyway, Tendahl examines Barbarossa. If he doesn't take a lot of time, he's going to end up with crappy healing, and also, it will require experimentation. Tendahl sets to with a will.

Inga tries to tell her rescue party that she doesn't want to escape because then she'll never see the Flammenkamber again. Jens grabs her and tells her that if he comes with her, she'll never have to work again. She tells him that if he loved her, he'd let her go. He says something about being stabbed in the heart, locks the door, and makes to depart. The other woman in the cell, who'd been quiet up to this point, yells that Inga must be insane, so Inga tells her to go ahead and leave if she wants. The woman doesn't want to, because unlike Inga, she has nowhere to go. Inga doesn't want to go, she wants her place back. She tells Jens to find a way to free her legally. Otto, on the other hand, will happily depart his cell. He grabs her and gets in her face, tells her she will never regret this, and runs out.

Hours later, waiting for Schmitto to return, Hike sees Magnus poking his head out of hiding. Gerhardt peers out from behind her. Hike tells them they're in so much trouble. They seem to be expecting Hike to help them out, but she's telling them to sit still. They tell her to meet them in the stableyard and back down. Then she hears people arguing, as some old dude comes up the stairs. She tells him to stop right there. "You would not hurt Otto, would you?" She doesn't budge. Apparently, this breaks Otto's heart. Schmitto shows up, and Otto runs off down the corner. "I think I found my men," Hike says. Capt Schmitto and Hike go downstairs, and find that the Torchbearers have locked themselves in a cell and started trying to batter a hole in the wall so they can escape. She turns to Schmitto, who asks for the keys, and then Magnus pulls them out of his pocket. Hike goes to smash the door before they escape, with Schmitto's permission, and a couple strokes later, she's kicking down the door. She does not choose to draw a Munchkin card.

The Torchbeaters/inmates have gotten one brick of the wall loose. Magnus and Jens turn to the authorities and make sheepish gestures. Gerhardt boosts a couple kids through the small hole the Torchbearers made, which pleases Schmitto not one little bit. Hike lays down some law, and her men drop their weapons.

Schmitto's on the fence about how to handle this. Hike appeals to the idea that they were on a pre-departure bender and not really competent, so there's no point trying to hold them prisoner. Schmitto nods and says that since NOBODY ESCAPED, there's nothing to worry about. Heinkel's a little slow on the uptake, but when he sees the look on Hike's face, he professes to know nothing. No harm, no foul. The kid's mom, still clinging to Gerhardt's leg, will be taken back to her cell.

The troops make their way back to Der Flammenkamber, where Hike refuses to discuss the problem beyond "some of the boys were drunk and stupid." They hit the road, with Hike assuring the Archbishop that it was just a matter of over-indulgence of ale. That is not technically a lie. When they leave, Hike noticies an unusually large number of guards on the gate.

Meanwhile, back in Nachtburg, Tendahl's cauterizing Barbarossa's flesh and riveting bits back together, then doing the close joining with fine wire. Thread? Smiths know nothing of thread. Sonja watches and feeds Barbarossa potato slices. Barbarossa now has a metal plate replacing a couple of his ribs. Our Favorite Dammerung is no longer at risk of death, but he's a mess of a human being.

The next day, there's a lottery. Barbarossa tells Thaddius to have other people watch the lottery but to move him, so that he can't bring unwanted attention on his host. Margner refuses, saying that he's well-hidden here. Barbarossa believes that part, but worries that Margner's become too much of a true believer to be patient. Barbarossa gives him a few pistols, even though there's no powder yet, as assurance that the time will come for the revolution. The Dammerung also asks his minion to be on the lookout for a shotgun or broadsword, which reminds Thad that he did see Carl with some pretty serious weapons once...

Back in Schwarthoele, Inga gets her day in court. Einar comes to see her, and she immediately tells her that some people tried to free her and she refused. Einar's brain crashes and he has to reboot. Then he explains that Deacon Flaubert will intercede on her behalf, but they require a show of cooperation. Specifically, they want her to testify as to how Master Jung forced her to participate in his scheme. Otto reminds her to help him out once she's free. He crawls over to her again and asks her to look into his eyes. Sure, great idea!

The guards come to get her that night, and she asks the guards about Otto. None of the know. He's been there forever.

She returns to court. Lord Eisenbach looks alert, though a little bored. Deacon Flaubert is there as well. Einar pleads her case and talks about how she was recently saddled with a large debt, which Jung had exploited, and so was able to coerce her to do things she would never have done on her own. They ask her to swear to God that this is true, and she knows that this is the easiest, and possibly the only way, to avoid trouble. She goes for it. Her performance is a masterpiece. Even Jung would have come away feeling like he did it. They tell her to approach, accompanied by a guard, and the Lord tells her she did well, but she should have come to him sooner. Der Flammenkamber is an institution in this town, and he wants her to keep Deacon Flaubert up to date on who comes, who goes, and who says what. That will be a condition of his clearing of her debt. She tries to convince him that he should insert one of his own men to do the job, but he reasons that the owner would be the best spy, since nobody would ask why she's there. Then she asks them to release her manservant Otto. They're happy to release Otto. Sure. They free them both.

In Nachtburg, the bell starts to ring, and people gather. Carl decides to attend this time.

On the road, the procession reaches the point where Hike ambushed Togren, and later, encountered the Dammerung. The Archbishop asks if this is the spot where Hike allowed the Dammerung to ride past. Hike asks if he really wants to have this conversation so close to Nachtburg. He does - he just wants to be sure he can trust her, so he needs to hear the story from her. Hike knows they wouldn't be having this conversation if someone hadn't told the Archbishop what happened, so she comes clean. She explains that she felt confident the Kingsguard could handle the Dammerung. Kreuzman worries that everyone has a problem with the Dammerung, and Hike chimes in that she agrees, because Barbarossa was insane. Kreuzman charges her with making a decision that cost lives, and she makes it clear that she knew that might happen, but she wanted to spare the lives of her men. Then they hear bells. The Archbishop decides that he considers this matter closed, but that he expects more details about her activities in the future.

People are packing into the chapel, which is surrounded by Kingsguard. Everyone in town is there - the Kingsguard have compelled attendance. Carl looks around and feels that Tendahl is the biggest threat, because he's got a crazy look in his eyes.

Hidden away, Barbarossa hears hubbub, and the bleating of goats. He opens his brain, hoping for a sign as to when it will be time to act. He hears the bell still, but now there are many bells, in the chorus that brings people to service in the Capitol.

In town, the Archbishop wrinkles his nose and says he doesn't want to be party to this, so he'll wait outside.

Tendahl and Carl participate in the lottery. Everyone throws their tiles into the vessel. The Deacon gives it a shuffle, pulls a tile out, and gets Tendahl's name.