Chapter 1 - The Purloined Bride

General Summary

In the midst of a harsh, Plague-ridden winter, the village of Hauswald has cause to celebrate: Griselda, the daughter of local Vogt Wilhelm, and Arnold, nephew of Kuno the Miller, and the village's most prosperous resident.
The wedding has attracted guests from neighboring villages, and a few more outlandish visitors. A troupe of Augurs has arrived from Rotz , and despite the usual antipathy of the locals, has been hired to perform at the wedding. Among their number is Kirsa, a performer and fortune-teller, who looks to make a little money before her tabor heads off across the Gischt, and into the dangerous parts of Markwald. Romilda, an undine who lives in the Gischt with her mother and siblings, has come at Kuno's invitation, as the widowed miller has been wooing her for quite some time. She is accompanied by her little brother Birdtholomew, who is entering the world of humans for the first time. And from deep in the Markwald Wood comes Theobald, a dark elf, who has been living alone in the woods ever since being expelled from his own realm of Schwarzalbenheim. Theobald has no interest in the wedding, but he has been tracking a band of orcs living in the forest, and in the last few days, saw one sneaking into the village at night. He stands on the bridge, and sees Romilda swimming below. Never having met before, the two fee creatures decide to attend the wedding together.
As they arrive, the wedding is in full swing. The musicians have just finished playing their first set, and the time to toast the bride and groom, the families, and the guests has arrived. After congratulating the newlyweds, Kirsa heads over to speak to Arnold, the groom - a likely mark for her talents. Arnold wants to know about the fate of his marriage. Kirsa pulls out her cards, and tells him that the union is a happy and fecund one, so long as he acts as his own man, and does not let his father-in-law and his uncle tell him what to do. Arnold is overjoyed, and gives Kirsa a generous tip.
In the great press of guests, Kuno chats up Romilda, who introduces him to her new acquaintance Theobald. The curious but clueless miller is astounded, having never met an elf before, and asks him about his life. Theobald trolls Kuno by telling him he was expelled from his home for selling his soul to the devil, but rather than being put off, the miller begins to ask follow-up questions, such as what one might acquire for entering such an arrangement. Before concluding that the deal isn't worth it, the trio are joined by Kirsa. Kuno is overjoyed, as he is simultaneously speaking to an elf, an undine and an Augur - something he could have never imagined before. Kirsa sells Kuno some 'therapeutic' herbs to put under his pillow, and as the wedding party retires inside due to the cold, Kuno asks his three new companions to continue the party at his mill. Here, Kirsa regales him with a story about a dragon who drove some dwarfs from their home, before being brought down by a skillful archer. Kuno asks whether it's possible to sell one's soul to a dragon, but soon, the guests begin to nod off due to the wine and the late hour, and the miller leaves them asleep by the fire.
The next morning, the guests are awakened by the sound of a commotion happening in the village center. Theobald, who does not truly sleep, steals out of the miller's compound and attempts to stealthily approach the crowd, who, as he can see, is angry, and armed with pitchforks, shovels, and other farming implements. They appear to have caught a young Augur named Bruno, and are threatening to hang him. Theobald attempts to ill-advisedly climb up to the roof of a building that looks out onto the main plaza so he can get a better sense of what's happening without being seen, but he slips, tumbles down, and bruises his knee. Worse, the peasants are attracted by the noise, and their attention immediately switches to Theobald. The elf, an unwelcome sight at a tense time, becomes an immediate scapegoat, and is accused of poisoning the wine and kidnapping the bride. Theobald takes to his heels and runs back to the mill ahead of the rampaging mob. Kuno, who has risen by now, asks what is happening, and after Theobald tells everyone about the enraged villagers, the guests become concerned. Soon, the mob is banging on the mill door, and demanding that Kuno turns over his guests to face popular justice. Kirsa hides under the bed, while the other two remain behind the miller, who vouches for his guests' having spent the entire night inside the mill. The crowd forces their way in, saying that the non-human, non-Gaalite guests are not to be trusted, especially since one is obviously in cahoots with her comrade, Bruno, who apparently admitted to being involved under the villagers' intense questioning.
Fearing for his life, Theobald performs an elvish trick and vanishes, appearing on the roof of the adjoining building. Not seeing Kirsa, the mob presses Kuno to account for Romilda, but she has visited the village before, and is more of a known quantity. She joins Kuno outside to try to talk some sense into the crowd, but here, they see Theobald on the roof, and start bringing ladders over to pull him down. At this point, Theobald offers that he has spotted orcs near the village over the last several days, and contends that they were likely the ones that poisoned the wine, and kidnapped Griselda. The villagers demand proof, saying that they won't trust the elf's word. Amid the din, Romilda hears a subdued voice from the other end of the yard, saying that he saw two scruffy men on the bridge into the village in the middle of the night. As she looks around, she sees that it emanates from a sad, old donkey. Astounded, she goes over to confirm that her ears don't deceive her, but the donkey repeats what he said. In response to her questions, he says that his name is Peter and he has always been able to talk, but no one ever bothered to have a conversation with him. Now, his master Kuno is getting rid of him, because he thinks he has become too old to work, but what he really wants to do is to go to Rotz to become a musician, as he is a skilled singer and drummer. Romilda calls out and says there is an eyewitness who saw two men sneaking into the village at night, and that neither was an elf, undine, or Augur. The peasants are still incredulous, but half the crowd breaks off to search the village. The other half continues to rampage through the house, and soon, locates Kirsa, and drags her outside. By their combined efforts, Kuno and Theobald are able to still their anger for the time being. But the peasants say that if they know the real culprits, and if Theobald has indeed been tracking them, they will go and fetch them, if they want to save Bruno's life. With the rest of the Augurs having conveniently fled into the woods after they went to bring them to the justice, their patience runs thin. Theobald promises to bring them the bride, and the orc's head, and the peasants say they give him one day. Theobald wonders why he has gotten himself into this, but Kirsa insists that her friend Bruno must not die for a crime he did not commit. The elf begs for more time, but the peasants are adamant.

Rewards Granted

• Two gulden, one grosch for Kirsa's fortune-telling from Arnold, and 1 gp for her herbs from Kuno
• XP: 62 each

Character(s) interacted with

• The peasants of Hauswald
• Kuno the Miller
• Wilhelm the village Vogt
• Arnold the groom
• Griselda the bride
• Peter the Donkey
• Bruno, Kirsa's friend
• Augurs from Kirsa's tabor
• Birdtholomew, Romilda's brother

Report Date

24 Jan 2021