LogTorments of the Righteous-Jason-21

Game log for the 2019/07/28 session of AW: Torments of the Righteous, as taken by Jason

Carl returns to Nachtburg, knowing that Tendahl survived. He passes through town square on the way to Tendahl's cart, and bumps into Archimandrix Hike. She's got some free time right now, because the Archbishop has retreated in order to pray. She reminds young Carl to avoid the Archbishop. Hike then tells Carl about Sonja and asks if the lad knows where she is. Carl can tell that Hike's asking because she intends to do some harm to the witch. Hike asks where Carl's going, and Carl explains that he's checking on Tendahl's stuff while he's away. They chat about Tendahl, with Carl being evasive while Hike plays dumb. She decides to go with Carl to check out the savvyhead's smithy.

The villagers have torn the village apart looking for Tendahl. Deacon Engsauer is trying to figure out what to do next.

When Hike and Carl arrive, they find Thaddius Margner hiding out there, hiding behind a barrel of metal scraps. When he sees Hike, he asks where Lord Barbarossa went. Hike assures him that Barbarossa died, and Thad declares that his Lord's sainthood is assured. Oh, and Carl drops the fact that Tendahl is out of the well. Carl accidentally drops a "we" that clues Hike into the fact that someone else was at the well, and the tension mounts. Carl knows that Hike is a threat to him, and he's trying to find a way out. Luckily, Thad decides to announce to the Archimandrix that now is the time for the faithful to rise up and kill the Archbishop. She tells him he's bound to fail and that Barbarossa was a madman, and tells Carl to come back to town with her. Carl does so, but then ducks back into the wagon, warns Thaddius that Hike will warn the Archbishop, and grabs some metal to snack on. Then the two of them return to town.

She goes to where the Archbishop is staying, trying to keep Carl with her.

Tendahl wakes up out on the moor, with Sonja. He makes a very poorly conceived attempt to proposition her, and she slaps him and assures him that her favor is given, never taken. (He takes -1 forward with her.) He decides to try to sneak into town and find the younger Klaus Mechner.

Egon Lichttrager has been given a task: find out what Inga knows about the situation in town, see if she's being forthright, and pass it on to Deacon Flaubert. He goes to Der Flammenkammer to talk to her, walks in, and seats himself at the best table. She serves him an absinthe, and comes away with 3-hold on him. He invites her to sit and asks about her day. She knows this is the town leadership checking on her obedience to their terms. She starts trying to find the right way to tell him that Jung's in her basement. As she talks, Egon notices that one of the barmaids, Sasha, is spending a lot of time waiting on the table right behind her. They talk about making a move on Thursday while she hands him a note that says, "tonight." She spends one of her hold to compel Egon to make this work the way she wants. Egon finishes his drink and runs off to Deacon Flaubert.

When he gets there, he tells Deacon Flaubert that they have to act tonight to take care of the problem at Der Flammenkammer. Flaubert sends for Captain Schmitto, and when he arrives, Egon briefs Schmitto in, though the Deacon seems nonplussed at that. Flaubert orders Schmitto to take Egon with them on their little op, and then it's the Captain's turn to be nonplussed.

Inga goes and talks to Otto about the problem. Otto ends up talking about poisoning Jung while his intended victim listens. This is not good planning. She gets Otto to go upstairs and empty the grease traps, and then tells Jung that she's getting him out tonight, and he must be ready. He will, since he has very little else to do.

Inga spends the rest of the night keeping the place in order, and then, it's game time. Jung doesn't like the idea of going out the way he came in, right back into town, but she tells him that he'll meet a contact who will get him out of town. She sends him with Marko to keep him safe.

Hike and Carl find Engsauer talking to Archbishop Kreuzmann about how to proceed - do they need another lottery, maybe? Kreuzmann asks who Carl is, and Hike says he was Tendahl's apprentice. She then asks whether Tendahl throwing himself down the well might not be appeasement enough, but Engsauer knows that going down the well doesn't render a person dead. Hike suggests that since Barbarossa definitely got killed and went down there, he might count, but then goes on to tell them that some of Barbarossa's disciples are planning mischief. Kreuzmann says that Engsauer that the answer is simpler than that, and he should pack. Engsauer says he'll need some time but he'll start right away. Carl makes to leave, the Archbishop says, "hold him," but Hike misses the grab, looking silly. She ends up chasing after him. Their chase takes them into Tendahl's junkyard.

Carl gets injured by a boobytrap but gets to the shotgun before Hike catches up.

Tendahl's trying to sneak through the ditch around the town, but someone hears him and knocks him out with a blow to the head. When he comes to, he's trussed up and sitting on a rock. He sees two Kingsguard and one of the townsfolk discussing whether the village will reward them for capturing Tendahl. Just then, someone yells for the guards to seize the boy, and Tendahl catches a glimpse of Carl running toward the shop, with Hike and more guards in pursuit. Tendahl checks his bonds and determines that the knot they were tied with is one that can be loosened if he feeds rope back up through it, so just maybe, he could wriggle loose. His legs are also untied, so if he ran for it at the right time, he could get away, and use the junk in his yard to cut his bounds. Of course, Carl may be leading people there. There may also be a gap in the way the two guards are looking out, if he timed it right.

He waits for it and then runs. He wiggles his hands loose as he runs, but the guards are in hot pursuit. He runs for the wagon, passing Deacon Engsauer and others as he goes.

Carl tries to lock the door on Tendahl's cart behind him. He grabs the shotgun just as Hike kicks the door in. She sees Carl pointing the shotgun at the floor in front of her, and he tells her that he's doesn't want to go with the Deacon. Hike assures him that they don't want him, they just want his silence. She can also see that the shotgun isn't in proper working order, and she further knows that she can probably slap the shotgun out of Carl's hands before he fired. Just then, Tendahl comes barreling around the corner, pursued by Kingsguard. Tendahl knocks over one of his fuel reservoirs, tosses a match, and creates instant flaming hell. This whole place is now 3-harm area. Hike jumps back, knocks over some junk, and gets trapped. Tendahl tries to leap over the flaming junk that fell on Hike and gets to the other side, unpursued, but badly burned, and once again at the edge of death. Carl sees that the door of the wagon now leads into a flaming inferno. He tries to fire the shotgun into the floor, to make himself a way out under the wagon, but it's damaged, and blows up in his face. He enters the bright place instead.

Hike shouts for the nearest guard to help her. He asks for her hammer. At first, she thinks he means as a way of extricating her, but then she realizes that he means she should give it to him in exchange for his help. She does, thinking she'll get it back later, and he uses it to lever her free and then pulls her out. on the way back to town, she tries to do a deep brain scan on him, fails, and causes him to collapse and then die. She takes back her hammer. The guards around her see nothing wrong and completely believe her story.

Tendahl runs for the cottage where the remaining Dammerung live.

Inga sends Jung off with Marko. Egon, on the other end of the tunnel, tells Schmitto that he has to be there, since Inga's expecting him. Schmitto sends other men to hide in the shadows, waiting. The hocus hears some rustling, and then a sword pokes through the ivy, and then two dudes come out. Egon recognizes both of them and sees that Jung has the sword. Also, Jung isn't exactly stoked to see Egon. He claims to be a friend, but Jung recognizes him as one of Flaubert's men. Egon is so convincing that Jung believes that the rebel conspiracy includes the clergy, which theory is proven wrong when Schmitto's men spring out. Egon waves Marko away. Jung yells, "traitor!" and tries to run the cleric through. He gets a wound in before the guards swarm him. The guards kill Jung in the process of apprehending him, and then ask Schmitto what to do with him. Schmitto says to take the head and leave the rest.

Egon returns to Flaubert and tells him Jung is dead. Flaubert says Lord Eisenbach will be pleased, and tells Egon to get treated by the official physicians.

Egon then goes to Der Flammenkammer and tells Inga he needs to talk to her alone. Otto tries to eavesdrop but Egon ignores him, and assures Inga that her pest has been dealt with. Otto announces that Egon killed Master Jung, which gets the attention of everyone in the bar. Egon tells Otto to keep his mouth shut, and Inga dismisses her pet madman to go downstairs. Unfortunately, Inga phrases her point in a way that confirms Jung really was there, which creates a lot of hubbub, and a couple people leave right away without finishing their drinks. Egon's kind of disgusted, but he also really likes the way Inga serves him booze, and stays for a drink.

As he slakes his thirst, he lectures her about the horrible spycraft of what she just did. He doesn't seem to make much of an impression. He then asks her about the tunnels under her place, and she tells him, though she asks him to keep it secret. He toasts her and leaves.

Hike makes her way back to Kreuzmann, singed but functional. She reports that the boy scarpered, Tendahl appeared, Tendahl set the place aflame, and went missing. Kreuzmann decides that it's time to depart. That's when Engsauer returns and announces that Tendahl lives. He thinks that apprehending him might settle the town, but Kreuzmann tells him that if people are returning from the dead because of that well, this place is evil, and it must be cleansed. They are leaving now. Hike passes the word to her gang. Gerhardt doesn't want to leave without Barbarossa, but Hike points out that Tendahl came back from the well without him. The Torchbearers prepare to leave.

Tendahl fetches up at Himmler's cottage. He explains to the Brother and Schmidt that Barbarossa is dead and that he's losing confidence in his ability to close the well, because the town is falling apart. They question Tendahl's commitment. He promises them that his will shall not be found wanting. If they can protect him and buy him time, he will close the well. They tell him to stay put, and they bring back the veterinarian's apprentice, Lisel. She's skeptical about all this, but Tendahl gives her the full pitch: he can save this town and close the well, but he needs her help. She's able to stabilize Tendahl, heal him a little, and tells them all that the Dammerung are the first people to give her hope for this village.

The Kingsguard and the Torchbearers pack up and get ready to march to the gate. Many of the townsfolk have gathered to see what's up with the fire and make sure it doesn't spread. If they realize there's an excommunication going on, there will be enormous trouble. People start crying for the Churchfolk to take them with you, and Kreuzmann tells Hike to dissuade them. She shouts, "go back to your turnips, you fucking peasants!" and scares them. The townsfolk begin to panic as the Torchbearers pull the torches down.

Carl emerges from the bright place at the vet's cottage, and sees her coming back, with blood on her hands. She recognizes him as Tendahl's apprentice, so when he asks if the savvyhead is OK, she blindfolds him and takes him to where Tendahl is hiding. She does warn him that they need to stay out of trouble for a while. Then she hears the yelling, and Carl tells her the town is excommunicated.