THE SAGA OF HEIDI FELLHAMMER


DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Tyrella Horizondweller: a Lady Sea Elf, an Entertainer, and Person of Dubious Morals.
Cavindel Horizondweller: a Gentleman Sea Elf, her Brother, a Hunter and Marksman.
Marcus van Vock: a Gentleman Student of Arcane Lore, and would-be Wizard.
Heidi Fellhammer: a Lady Dwarf, and Hammer Aficionado.



THE STORY SO FAR

Heidi Fellhammer has been recruited by Roderick, an Imperial Witch Hunter, to investigate the affairs of one Selena Reiva, a lady of some importance in Marienburg. Accordingly she has placed herself in the lady’s employ, being hired to safeguard the young Mr van Vock as he goes about her business. The lady has also employed the Horizondweller siblings to assist in these endeavours.

The first of these has been to acquire a book comprised of metal sheets that the lady lost to pirates. These pirates were aboard a vessel called the “Black Witch” and this vessel has recently been sighted becalmed in the middle of the ill-famed Doodkanaal. Investigations in a local tavern, the “Jolly Boatman”, revealed that the beer in this area was of surpassingly low quality, also that a gentleman named Alfonse van Oosten could provide the group with information as to the location of the Black Witch’s crew. However, not wishing to pay the rather steep fee, the group chose to investigate the wreck themselves.

The vessel proved to be home to blue-skinned goblins, who were all marked with a disgusting fungal illness. After several skirmishes with small groups of these creatures, as well as a spherical, three-eyed, fang-toothed red monstrosity in the hold and a suspiciously uninfected shaman up on the deck, the group were able to ascertain that the book was not aboard the ship. They did find old decayed robes that clearly had not belonged to the goblins, and a key with three pearls set in the end in a triangle. The three spheres in a triangle motif was repeated throughout the ship, in the rust patterns and in a curious metal amulet.

The palpable taint and rot on the ship, not helped in the case of Marcus and Heidi by being showered in rancid entrails as the three-eyed creature they were battling exploded upon death, made them want to leave quickly. Heidi managed to get the worst of it off with canal water, although it didn’t seem to bother Marcus.

PART TWO

The group now returned to the Jolly Boatman in order to consult once again with Mr van Oosten. He advised them to go to Snijder's Way and look for a red door. When they asked him for clarification he regretfully informed them that he had no more information.

Sadly, Snijder's Way proved to be devoid of red doors, even after lengthy investigation, and the group came to the conclusion that the helpful Mr van Oosten may have been a rogue. Heidi was particularly aggrieved by this and promised that a dire vengeance would fall upon him.

On their way back, their attention was drawn to a disturbance nearby. Heading towards the sounds of alarm, they reached a scene of utter confusion involving a large and angry crowd, suspicious black robed figures, and a bemused-looking young man with a fresh and livid wound on his chest in the shape of the twin-tailed comet of Sigmar. The only black-robed figure to still be alive when the group arrived was pulled apart by the crowd as Heidi attempted to crush his skull, and the jubilant crowd then hoisted the young man onto their shoulders and carried him off, proclaiming him as Sigmar Reborn.

Left alone in the square, the group decide to investigate the blacksmith’s shop from which the young man emerged. They found several odd things, including a branding iron made in the shape of the famous twin-tailed comet, a wardrobe containing sinister black robes, and amulets depicting a curious Z-like rune. The local watch then arrived and asked them a few questions about the situation. Once the group had told them all they knew about the situation, they were allowed to leave.

They returned then to the Jolly Boatman, and discovered to no-one’s surprise that Mr van Oosten was absent. Enquiries as to his whereabouts revealed that he had been seen talking to a local merchant at Reinier’s Rope. Marcus bought the informant, a young lad, a beer and the group made their way to the ropemaker’s.

Once again however they had fallen victim to a smooth tongue, the lad turned out to be the ropemaker’s son bent on mischief. The ropemaker himself was infuriated by his son’s actions, possibly fearing the consequences. Another lead had turned up in the tavern, a gentleman offering information in return for having an unfortunate by the name of Dob beaten up for non-payment of debts, but the group declined on the grounds that this was almost certainly another scam.

Instead they headed down to the docks, to ask questions about the Black Witch and its crew. Here they learned that the ship was almost certainly occupied by the goblins when it floated into town, more interestingly that a witch hunter named Osric Falkenheim went aboard the ship to investigate a few days before they did.

It was becoming apparent to them all that their experience aboard the ship had left them with some nasty symptoms, so they split up in order to seek medical attention. The Elvish siblings were able to acquire suitable, and rather expensive, unguents from their Elvish patron without charge, and Marcus visited the Temple of Shallya to seek their assistance.

Heidi however went first to the Temple of Sigmar to consult with her patron, the witch-hunter Roderick. After he was told of the day’s events, he asked her to investigate both Miss Reiva’s metal book and the young man outside the blacksmith. He also had information about the mysterious three circled symbol and Osric Falkenheim. The former is the symbol of Nurgle, God of Plague, and the latter is indeed a witch-hunter, a follower of the God of Vengeance Solkan, recently exiled from the Empire and currently domiciling at the Golden Lotus Dreaming House.

After a brief conversation with the priests of Sigmar, in which she learnt that the local Grand Theogonist was taking the new claims of Sigmar reborn quite seriously, she headed off to see her own priests. While they could not heal her, they did offer her the use of a relic to help her through the illness. They were a little disappointed at the meagreness of the donation she could offer however.

The next day the group met up again. Marcus was immediately deluged with demands for increased payment, considering the inherent risks in crossing a witch-hunter, as well as the payment of expenses for curing the disease. While normal payment for the unguent had been waived by the Elves’ patron, this did not deter them for claiming for it anyway. Heidi for her part demanded an equal payment for herself, refusing to get less than the Elves. After some argument, a deal was concluded that still left Marcus in possession of a sizeable sum of the expenses he had asked for from his employer.

They then travelled to the Golden Lotus, an address recognised by several of the group as being a notorious drug den. It was decided that Marcus would attempt to inveigle his way inside, with Heidi as backup, while Tyrella and Cavindel would wait outside as backup. By the simple expedient of paying the bouncer, Marcus and Heidi were able to affect an entrance, and soon found Osric lying in a drugged stupor. When they awoke him, he was wild and irrational, accusing Marcus of being a demon and therefore refusing to give them the location of the book. Heidi then sent Marcus away in order to discuss the matter with Osric in private. He was much more forthcoming then, and told her that he had left the book with a Light Wizard named Handl, at the Temple of Alluminas. He then gave her directions to the Temple and both she and Marcus departed.

The group then made their way to the Temple, where the attendant there directed them on to "Baron Henryk's College of Navigation and Sea Magics". At the college they had to bribe a surly porter in order to get to speak to a wizard, unfortunately of the Celestial school, who directed them back to the porter who then told them to try the Three Barrels Inn.

Here it emerged that “Handl” was just a pseudonym used by all the Light Wizards when dealing with outsiders. They were, however, quite helpful and explained that they had the book upstairs. It was apparently a book of prophecy, written in an ancient southern language spoken by the first necromancers as well as the original Light wizards. The wizards here were in the process of translating it, and agreed to hand it over to the group once the translation was completed. Furthermore that one of the group would sit in during the translation in order to safeguard it. The first on duty was Tyrella, and both Marcus and Heidi took this opportunity to leave the inn to be about their own errands.

Heidi first took a trip to the Dwarvish priests, where she handed over the gold she had received from Marcus as a donation to the Dwarvish gods. Then she began to make her way over to the Temple of Sigmar, there to consult with Roderick again.

En route she was intercepted by four huge scimitar wielding thugs, who demanded that they accompany her to meet their boss. After an exchange of threats she agreed, at which point one of the figures revealed himself to be the boss, Mr Singh. He then asked her to hand over the Eye. Naturally she refused, having no idea what he was talking about, but he was quite insistent. He was concerned that this Eye might fall into the hands of Cassidy, a Grey wizard wearing a brass mask, who he clearly considered to be a dangerous villain. When Heidi maintained her stance on the matter, he suggested that she might change her mind and if she did so, he could be contacted on Candle Wharf. With that, he and his three followers melted away into the darkness.

Heidi then continued on her way to the Temple, and brought Roderick up to date. When she returned to the Three Barrels Inn, she told the others what had happened to her. Marcus too had an odd tale to tell. He had met up with a sinister wizard wearing a brass mask, who introduced himself as Cassidy. This wizard demanded that he acquire the Eye from Heidi and hand it over to him, or face dire consequences. He was able to learn that the mysterious Eye was some sort of gemstone.