The missing Earl
The last blog ended with our four heroes carrying out a brutal cash check, during which they realised that they really don’t have any money at all. So they have to get to work in this session, and the four of them head straight to the Jarl’s house. The Jarl is rumoured to have disappeared, and who else in the small town of Fichtenstein would pay as well as the Jarl’s wife, who is worried about her husband.
Less than two minutes later, they are at the door of the Jarl’s house and knock hard on the door. A dark-haired woman opens the door and introduces herself as Franziska. Even without knowing her, our adventurers immediately realise that no one could have eyes as glassy as Franziska’s and that she must have been crying after her husband until just now. Kel takes the opportunity to introduce himself first, only to get straight to the point and ask her about her husband. He had probably gone hunting a few days ago but hadn’t returned since. This is totally out of character and she is therefore extremely worried. Since all four of our heroes have pathetic social skills, they don’t go into their emotions any further, but instead just ask about the reward on offer. This amounts to 200 silver coins, which the four of them could more than use. So they agree immediately and only ask for the general direction in which they should start their search. They only hear Franziska’s answer as they leave, but at least they realise that they should probably search north of the village.
To save some time, they split into two groups. While Löwenzahn and Kel Tuh Las walk across the lightly wooded plain north of Fichtenstein to look for any clues, Theo and Aldric walk along the cliff that runs in a large arc around that plain and drops steeply into the sea. They plan to meet up in the evening on the cliffs north of Fichtenstein. So that they can find each other again or call for help, they agree on a standardised emergency cry that blends in well with the local flora and fauna. Quite understandably, they decide in favour of the cry of a toucan. Now that this regional distress call has been established, the two groups set off in search of it. While Aldric and Theo were hoping for at least a nice view of the Fichtenstein harbour, which was denied them by thick fog, Kel and Löwenzahn have no real ambition to discover anything exciting. So the afternoon passes rather uneventfully and is only interrupted by occasional highlights such as finding a blood maple leaf that can be used as an alchemy ingredient. Somewhat dejected by this rather boring afternoon, the four of them meet up again in the evening near their agreed meeting point. Without a tent or any other outdoor equipment, all they have left is the boggy ground and their favourite dried fish, which they enjoy for dinner. Due to their proximity to the Fichtenstein metropolitan region, our group doesn’t think it necessary to keep a night watch and is lucky that a small group of wolves hasn’t happened to notice their camp.
The next morning is wet, cold and uncomfortable, so the question arises as to why they didn’t just walk back to Udo’s last night for another hour to sleep in a warm, cosy bed. Regardless of this daft decision, the search for the Jarl must now continue, and what better way to fortify themselves in the morning than with a portion of wet and half-soaked dried fish. Thrilled to have breakfast behind them, the four of them set off again, but this time they stay together, as it wouldn’t really be worth splitting up. So the morning passes rather monotonously and they decide to take a breather at a nice little lake. As they do so, they notice a small wooden hut on the other side of the lake, with light clouds of smoke coming out of its chimney. Before anyone has had a chance to catch their breath, Aldric drives them on to take a closer look at the hut.
Even from a few metres away, they notice strange noises coming from the hut. They can’t quite place them, but they sound more like animals than screams of torture or anything else they might have expected. As they get closer and listen more carefully, they can actually hear a mixture of cat meows and roars. Somewhat overwhelmed by this unexpected scene, the four of them stand in a circle for a short time, looking at each other blankly, before Aldric once again takes the initiative and knocks cautiously on the door. Find out what wild discovery they make in the hut next time in Arkanthia Pen and Paper.
