The day after
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In the last blog, our four friends visited Fichtenstein for the first time. Instead of taking care of new quests or acquiring new equipment, the four of them prefer to get straight into the social life of Fichtenstein by throwing a big party in the local bar ‘Theke’. In the last blog, our players’ blood alcohol levels were already in a medically critical range and their new friend Ulrich (who had actually been banned from going out by his wife Helena) was already in other spheres. Fortunately, their beer keg is coming to an end and Udo has already announced that he won’t be serving any more. So they empty their glasses one last time before Aldric, Theo and Kel Tuh Las stagger off to bed.
And Löwenzahn? Löwenzahn still has a little mission ahead of him, as he had agreed to take Ulrich home in the afternoon. But this turns out to be more difficult than he expected. Löwenzahn struggles not only with his own body, but also with Ulrich, who is always running away and giggling. The giggling in particular doesn’t necessarily help to get him into bed secretly and without attracting attention. Accordingly, the plan fails with a crash (in the truest sense of the word) when Ulrich takes a short power nap while trying to unlock his door and makes contact with the door handle with his forehead. He didn’t even have to unlock the door, as his beloved Helena pulls it open not a second later. She had probably been waiting for her runaway husband and immediately begins with a deafening clamor. Löwenzahn briefly tries to save something and calm Helena down a little, but this seems hopeless and so Löwenzahn finally goes to bed and leaves Ulrich to his fate.
As expected, the next morning starts poorly. Hungover and empty-eyed, our four don’t make their way into the dining room of Udo’s ‘bar’ until around midday. He can clearly see their misery and presents them with a more than decent breakfast. Freshly baked bread, salted butter, juicy slices of ham and hearty cheese are piled up on their plates. There is also hot tea and even freshly squeezed orange juice, which Udo has made from some of Kel’s orange trees. This breakfast really revitalizes our group and after a while they no longer just sit motionless and staring into oblivion in the dining room, but start to make plans for the day. Kel Tuh Las has a particularly urgent matter to resolve: the welfare of his orange trees. Löwenzahn, on the other hand, is keen to visit the church and learn about the religious values of the land. Aldric is more interested in the group’s equipment and wants to visit Hellebard Dunkel’s small general store as soon as possible, while Theo is also interested in new equipment. However, he is drawn to Rosvita, the herb woman of Fichtenstein.
Kel is the first to get out of his shell and stumbles out of the back door of Udo’s ‘Theke’, still a little bemused. His orange trees are still uprooted and leaning against the wall where he left them yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, he can’t find a shovel and trots disappointedly back to Udo. Udo can’t help him with a shovel either, but sends him to Herzfried Oben, the pastor of Fichtenstein. As he occasionally has to bury people, he should actually have a spade or a shovel. This is also the keyword for Löwenzahn, who also wanted to go to church. So together they walk the short distance across the market square and into the small wooden church. Rays of sunlight make their way through the cracks in the building and shine through the dusty air. The gaunt man who emerges from a small wooden shed, which is probably the confession chamber, looks just as pale and gray. The old man introduces himself as Herzfried and immediately begins to give his blessing. Kel doesn’t want a blessing so much as a spade for his orange trees. However, he politely waits a moment and does not interrupt Herzfried during his ritual. He is immediately rewarded for this, as Herzfried actually has digging tools and sends Kel to a small shed in the graveyard.
As Kel makes his way towards the shed, Löwenzahn asks the priest what the religious foundations of the church are. Herzfried then explains to him that three families are worshipped throughout the kingdom of Zazyrus, as well as the small protectorate of Thauros and the northern land of Rhatcyl, all of whom have a very special relationship with their children (the humans). The Alben are known for harmony, happiness and optimism. They care so much about their children that they only ever want to spoil them and avert all danger from them. The Cluven family, on the other hand, expect full commitment from their children and preferably work until they drop. They are the source of ambition and ensure that their children are always challenged. The Skrats are the family of despair. They see their children more as their entertainment and want to feast on their suffering. The families are in constant debate about how to treat their children and thus determine their fate. Those who pay homage to the Alben usually do so in the hope that they will treat them particularly well, whereas people who worship the Skrats hope to be spared by their family more often than their fellow human beings.
Just as Herzfried has finished his explanation, Kel returns to the church armed with two spades. He thanks Herzfried and explains that he will have them back in no time. However, Kel Tuh Las also has a question for Herzfried. He has seen a surprising number of freshly tipped graves in the small cemetery and now has the burning question of how this came about. Herzfried lowers his gaze to the ground and says: “Unfortunately, you won’t find out until the next Arkanthia Pen and Paper blog.”
