LogTorments of the Righteous-Jason-31

Game log for the 2019/12/01 session of AW: Torments of the Righteous, as taken by Jason

Hike rejects Thaddius Margner's invitation to join the community feast, and makes camp over yonder. She asks Margner to send the apothecary and tells her men to take care of the bodies, by which she means to loot them. She has not yet determined what needs to happen to the prisoners. The Archimandrix invites Lady Cordelia Entwiss and Duchess Chloe to come to her camp and weigh in on the fate of the prisoners. Duchess Chloe has no interest in any such procedings, but Cordelia's willing, and Egon escorts her over.

The Archimandrix's Torchbearers are split on the fate of the prisoners. Some of them feel more strongly than others about the proprieties vs the nature of the work. One of the prisoners, Darmstadt, is too wounded to speak in his own defence, but the other, Konrad, basically says he followed his buddy's lead. Darmstadt wakes up enough to demand trial by combat, so Hike has her men form the ring, gives them each a dagger, and lets them go at it. Konrad has a major size advantage over his former brother, and though Darmstadt is able to lunge in and cut Konrad's thigh pretty bad, Konrad drives his dagger through the top of his foe's head and breaks it off. Then he realizes that wasn't his dagger, and apologizes. Cordelia is not entirely appeased. She thinks both men deserved to be killed. Hike tells her that out in the wilderness, justice gets a little soft. Cordelia, disguested, says she misses her husband, who at least knows what justice is. The Archimandrix shoots Egon a look, and the subaltern shakes his head to say, no, Lord Entwiss is not so much a reliable justice. Egon and his girlie take their leave, to the sound of Cordelia's complaints.

Hike tells Konrad he's with them now, and if he fucks up, she'll fuck him up. Konrad thinks that's fair. The Archimandrix puts her team on watches and tells them to stay clear of the locals, then takes Simone and Inga aside for a chat.

Egon has his followers examining the standing stones and taking rubbings of them, to document the situation. One of the stones is cracked and in a scaffold, so they have to draw that one.

Hike's meeting is inconvenienced by Jens and Fritz, who hover around Inga. Hike scares them away, and then sort of kind of compliments Simone on her attempted ambush. The thing is, Hike already had a plan in mind for the bad Torchbearers, and isn't thrilled that her people went independent on her. Inga sort of joins Hike's side, even though she's guilty here, but Simone complains that Hike is inscrutable, which makes it hard to follow her lead. Hike realizes that Simone needs to be shown some trust so that she can trust Hike in return. Hike changes the subject and asks Inga about her status with the gang. Inga says she's allied with the gang. Simone's not having that - "if you wear a torch, you follow orders." Hike has some trust issues with Inga, though, and presses her to be in or out. Inga wants to be in for the time being, which just pisses Hike off. She offers Inga an opportunity: make it clear to her loverboys that she isn't in the gang, and she'll be welcome to hang out with the gang. Inga likes that idea.

She goes to talk to Jens and Fritz, who need to be brought together. Sadly, Fritz is asleep, so it's just Jens. She explains that she's hanging out but she never signed on as a Torchbearer. Jens doesn't believe her. She asks him to think of her as an independent contractor, but he misconstrues that and asks if that means that Barbarossaburg is where she wants them to build their life together. That's right, the only way he'll accept her version of the plan is to marry him and make Jensbabies. The only way he'll just let her go, and stop caring so much about her status, would be to break his heart, probably by schtupping Fritz. She tells him she doesn't want to be chained, and that she'll leave if he and Fritz won't stop trying to control her. That hurts the poor boy. Love is a battlefield. Jens agrees that he needs to put away his distractions, but in a kind of a mean way. Inga hastily interjects, "without murdering anybody." Sure thing, Inga.

Champion sticks near the townsfolk, though apart from them, making sure that nobody starts the fighting again. He's keeping an eye on things when he hears screaming from out on the moor. He quickly asks the locals if all of them are accounted for, and after a quick round of checks, they agree that they're all OK. Champion then asks if anyone wants to go with him to see what the noise was. Surprisingly, Klemens Kiefer will go. As they move out, away from the well, there's a spot where the terrain shades them from the light of the well. They can still hear the screaming, which makes them think they're not in danger yet, until Champion hears a wet gurgling from something wrapped around, and feasting on, Kiefer's head. It's pushing stalks into every orifice.

Champion wades in and cuts Kiefer loose, though not in time to save either of his eyes. The poor guy drops, with the stalks in him flailing. The monster wraps tendrils around Champion, and where it touches him, it burns. Luckily, there aren't many gaps in his Damerrung armor. Unfortunately, the thing wriggles around and reconnects to Kiefer, and the severed bits start reuniting themselves. Champion changes tactics and tries to get back into the light. He manages to do so, but he realizes that he's not doing much damage. Whatever this thing is, it just puts itself back together again. Champion then changes gears and fights on the spiritual plane, Damerrung-style, and promptly starts losing. It's all he can do to avoid losing an eye, and the things squeezes its way inside his armor. Champion changes tactics slightly and forces himself, and it, bodily back into the light. It begins shaking, flailing, emitting a high-pitched wail, and making a smell like burnt spinach. Champion clamps on to keep it from getting away, accepting horrible acid burns. He starts pulling it off, hoping the light has weakened it, but when tries to pull it off his face and stab it into place, it eludes him and goes back into the dark.

Champion decides he's had enough for now and focuses on getting Kiefer to help, hoping the apothecary can save him. When he arrives, Egon rushes over to sluice poor Klemens down with shining water. It doesn't seem to help much. The townsfolk send for the apothecary, who's up in the Torchbearer camp. Champion also splashes some on himself, hoping to ease the burn, and finds it merely cooling.

Inga returns to her bedroll, which is near Simone, and realizes that her pack's been opened. When she investigates, she finds that the stick figure is gone. Simone whisphers, "Ssssshhh, don't be alarmed." It's not Simone's voice. Inga starts backing out of the lean-to, and Simone flips over and grabs her wrist. When Simone opens her eyes and looks at her, Inga notices that her eyes are no longer dark, they're the same blue as Hegge's. Not-Simone says, "I need you to do something for me," and asks her to go get twigs. When Inga prevaricates, Simone yells, "go into the forest!" People start waking up, and Simone goes back to her normal self. Meanwhile, the call for the apothecary reaches the camp.

The apothecary goes back to B-burg, accompanied by Hike. The militia won't let the Archimandrix into town, armed. She points out there was a demon attack, but they respond that it happened out on the moor. Hike leaves her weapons with them, but warns them that she'll be coming back for them. "How does she even swing that thing?", one of them wonders.

Carl's in town and sees Kiefer brought in. Carl gives Champion some static about taking an untrained civilian out, but Champion feels his cause was just, and one of the villagers agrees, citing the teachings of Saint Barbarossa. Thaddius points out that sacrifices have to be made, and good people were lost in service of Tendahl the martyr. Carl opens his brain to see if maybe Kiefer got infected by something, and sees that there's a darkness within Kiefer, though it can be cast out. The townsfolk are disturbed, both by the idea, and hearing it from a little kid. Carl realizes that he could take the darkness inside Kiefer and put it back where it came from, but the bright place would bear the cost. Carl keeps that to himself, and then the Archimandrix and the apothecary arrive.

Hike asks Champion what the hell he was doing, going out with a rank amateur. Champion says that it's a just charge, but probably one that should be addressed later. Some of the townsfolk don't believe Carl, but he points out that Hike can smell evil. Hike backs up Carl, and now, everyone's convinced that Kiefer is possessed. Klemens Kiefer the Younger insists that his dad was brave and helped Champion, and Champion can't turn his back on him now. Champion tells the kid that he will not turn his back on Kiefer, and he will stand vigil with the boy, but he cannot do anything. Carl asks if Champion's really going to let the man die, since it's his charge to protect people from demons. Champion ignores him. Carl realizes he needs to convince the boy, does so, and then suggests doing the ritual at the well.

Emmaline Kunstler, meanwhile, tells Egon that he has to stop this heresy from going forward. Egon explains that he has to record it. Abbot Matthias steps forward and forbids the entirely process. Those taken by the darkness must be given back to the darkness, and the Damerrung are all heretics anyway. Carl loudly points out that Tendahl the martyr went through the rituals, and he was fine. The Abbot asserts that those must have been lies. Champion says, "A man's life is a gift to him from God, and this man's life is not yours to take." Egon asks Hike where her hammer is, and Hike reminds him that she isn't allowed weapons here. Hike looks at Champion, and then at Egon, and says, "I'll do whatever you want me to do, if you'll get me my hammer." Carl notices a tendril on the elder Kiefer's body moving toward the hand that younger Kiefer placed on him, and shouts, "Champion!"

Champion lunges and drags the kid away. Without the kid shading it, the tendril's exposed to direct light, and the same horrible noises and smells return. The elder Kiefer goes into convulsions. Champion says, "if you will help me, we must act immediately." Hike says she will, if Champion gets her weapon, but he retorts that there is no time for that, and no place in the ritual for a weapon.

When Egon tries to edge away from all this, Emmaline grabs him, and commands him to stop this heresy. Champion points to the nearest villager, gestures toward the Abbot, and says, "Somebody shut that fool up." Thaddius says that in his village, people don't talk so badly about the Damerrung. Egon starts preaching peace, and the townsfolk force Matthias to back down. Emmaline still thinks Egon's a coward.

Champion and Hike grab Klemens and carry him up. Carl boils water. At the top of the hill, they lay him out, chant over him, pour the boiling shining water down his throat, and he starts to convulse, which is hardly unknown in this ritual. Klemens starts screaming, and the demon comes bursting out his chest. Klemens the Younger screams. This is a much smaller version of the demon we fought before, and it immediately runs into the shadow of a standing stone. Carl tries to cover the monster with the holy water bucket. He gets the bucket into position, but some of the tendrils are sticking out, and one of them starts to wrap around Carl's wrist. Carl screams.

Egon's followers pray to control the demon. The tentril wrapped around Carl's wrist lets go, and begins to sway with the chanting prayers. Carl aims the bucket toward the light, but though the tendrils turn silver, they don't burn. "This," Champion says, "is unprecedented." Hike sticks her torch into the bucket. Egon feels a resonance with the bright place. He can feel that he and his flock have cotrolled a demon. Then the burning oil engulfs the demon and it burns. Hike walks down the hill. Klemens the Younger asks Champion if he'll help bury his dad, and Champion says he will.

Inga opens her brain to see what really happened. She sees a silhouette outside her tent. She goes to investigate, but all the sees is a black shape, like the thing is made of shadow, which jumps at her. Then she wakes up, to the sound of praying in the village.

Hike seeks a private conversation with Abbot Matthias. He goes back to the Torchbearer camp with her. He asks what happened up on the hill, and she admits that it was exactly what she expected to happen. Hike doesn't understand why the Abbot puts up with these people. Matthias thought he and Egon could turn the people back to the true faith, but given that Egon is a heretic, and there's a Damerrung Champion running around, this town is given over to heresy. Without Tamiloff's gang, Hike doesn't think she can enforce order. She thinks only the arrival of the Archbishop's party will give them the force to compel order here. Matthias accedes, and tells her to keep things calm and her men in order. He's willing to stay in Torchbearer camp, but he wants someone to keep Egon from corrupting the people. As they talk, Matthias mentions that Egon's demon-quelling chants were all performed naked. Heck, perhaps the people were connecting with the demon. Matthias will make no further attempt to work with the villagers, but he needs Hike to silence Egon. If Hike can do so, Matthis will put in a good word for her with the Archbishop.

The apothecary patches Champion up, while Klemens the Younger asks Egon to perform the funerary rites.

The next day, Hike asks the militia to send for Egon. Egon says he'll meet her on the stairs, under the light. Hike doesn't want to disarm, given that there was a demon in this town yesterday. The guard isn't having it, so she disarms. She talks to Egon about Matthias' concerns, and asks him to "cool it." Egon offers to do so, if she'll protect him. He's got some problems with his followers. Hike suggests that they should come with him. He counters that she should stay with him for a while and observe what he's doing. She accepts, and tells him all about what happened in Nachtburg.

Two weeks go by, and neither the Archbishop nor the Damerrung show up. Hike begins to worry, but occupies herself training Simone. Champion never really expected that reinforcements would arrive. Matthias meets Hike in the village.

Inga meets with Fritz, out in the woods while they forage for mushrooms. His flirtation is appallingly crass. She tells him it's not going to happen. The two of them are friends, period. He counters that she can marry Jens if she wants, but Inga and Fritz both know that while Jens plowed the field, the two of them would be busy with other things. She grabs him by the balls and tells him that she doesn't want what he's pitching. He accuses her of leading him on, but claims that he gets it. Her attempt to let him down easy isn't really received in the spirit she hoped, but Fritz slinks back into camp.

At one point, while Carl's a little outside the village, he sees something on the ground. On closer inspection, it's a little splash of bright pink. It's a plant, growing out of the ground, with bright pink "leaves." He makes note of the location.

Klemens the Younger glues himself to Champion, who starts teaching him how to be a Damerrung squire.

No other pilgrims show up.

Simone tells Hike that she's worried about Inga, who keeps crying out in her sleep, and waking up covered in sweat. Hike recommends drinking.