Chapter 42 - Death's Gambit
General Summary
As they prepare to leave to follow the army of the dead, both Ingrid Kiev and Dmitrei seem out of sorts. Ingrid insists she needs to be by herself, to think things through. Dmitrei, for his part, has been a little obsessed about his victory over the automaton. He cannot stop thinking about how poorly the automaton played, and how in the hands of a better player, the game would have turned out very differently. He pores over his board, trying to develop a defense against what a reasonable player would have done in the automaton's situation. As Ingrid will not be moved either, he says he'll keep an eye on her as the rest of the group moves forward.
Eliyahu sends his raven Abdo to look for the Sensenmann's army, to see what direction they went. They seem to have headed toward Hegenburg, which realizes Dietmar's worst fears - that Matilda's army would join with Death's much larger horde. As they approach Hegenburg, Abdo reports that this seems to have taken place, and that the enlarged army, pipers in tow, is now heading up the road, toward Putzdorff.
As the travel, they come upon a man who is alternately groaning and laughing. Those who are from Wunschau recognize him as Rolf, Wolff the Miller's nephew. He had followed in Death's train until he collapsed from exhaustion, and is now ready to die (though not without some mirth). Dietmar cures him, and Rolf is then ready to travel, and to follow them. He tells them that his uncle and some other notables who were driven from the city joined the host, because they felt they had nothing to lose. Some were even feasting as the frightful army pressed on. They seem to have little concern with the fate of their home town.
The party makes a beeline through the woods, trying to beat the Sensenmann's slow-moving minions to the village, in order to warn its populace. They arrive just in the nick of time, and begin pounding on the gate. When someone responds, Dietmar warns the residents about the danger about to befall them. The warning strikes a chord, but as the villagers appear to begin making preparations, Eliyahu decides to dramatize the situation, and magically conjures up images of the approaching host, and the sounds that accompany them. This turns out to have the opposite effect. The villagers, led by Wilhelm, their elder, become frightened. Seeing that he is Fogarma, they begin to suspect something evil afoot, and decide they are being lied to. Exasperated, the group abandons them to their fate, and heads north, to warn the people of Wunschau. Franz der Schwarzhoffen, however, says that he will try to head off the host by negotiating with the Sensenmann. His companions look at him like he is crazy, but they have no alternative to offer, especially since they are unprepared to enter Wunschau.
So they proceed north, to the bridge spanning the Wunsch, just outside the city. They carefully approach. The first sight that strikes their eyes is a pair of bodies, swinging from ropes outside the gates. Dietmar recognizes one of them as Bedrzich, the bishop's secretary. The reprisals against the old powers have begun, it seems, and Dietmar wonders whether the Flagellants mean to open the gates to the army of the dead. They call up to the guard at the gate tower, and try to get him to warn his fellow citizens, but he will not listen: Gaal is there, in the city, he says, and will surely protect his own. Eliyahu resorts to magic once again, this time, with more success: he enchants the man to warn all those inside the gates, and he appears to proceed to do just that.
There is no word from Franz, so Eliyahu again calls upon Abdo, who sees that the host has taken a turn to the west. It seems that the Sensenmann has turned his host toward Rotz. Fighting exhaustion, they travel through the night to try to reach the seat of the Landgrave.
Missions/Quests Completed
- Citizens of Wunschau apparently warned about the coming devastation
Character(s) interacted with
- Rolf, nephew of Wolff the Miller
- Wilhelm and Käthe
- Wilhelm and Käthe's neighbors
Comments