Session 29 - The Reconciliation

General Summary

The Week at the Castle

After Rodrick and Uisce are commanded away from Schloss Drachenstelle and after her return at the behest of Mechtild, the Lady Winifred requests the use of Drachenstelle’s chapel. Lord Ingo the Pious graciously agrees to allow her to sequester herself there to pray for the recently departed Manfred. While so cloistered, Winifred notices that Ingo has also been visiting the chapel and trying to stay outside of her field of view. Winifred then approaches Lord Ingo during one of these moments, apologizing for the scene that she caused and how it made her look in front of him; however, Winifred discusses the lack of loyalty portrayed by Rodrick and Uisce with Lord Ingo. Lord Ingo responded to this by pointing out that it is difficult to trust anyone in these times, remarking that people’s vows and oaths are not worth as much as they used to, unless they follow a true calling. Winifred took the opportunity to ask if Ingo would pray with her. He agrees, kneels down, and recites the Lord’s Prayer with her, adding his own ending “Lord, I pray you keep Winifred, your servant, safe and set her on the right path.” Lord Ingo then leaves Winifred to her contemplations in the chapel.
As the week progresses, Winifred notices that Lord Ingo would return each day to see her, sometimes asking if she needed anything. Winifred started to use these moments to flirt with Ingo, finding that Lord Ingo the Pious was smitten with her despite his best efforts to appear aloof. Nearing the end of the week, Ingo stops visiting the chapel, likely to sublimate his feelings for Winifred by creating physical distance.
During her time outside of the chapel, Winifred learns that Edmon has left Schloss Drachenstelle with the mercenary Mechtild, to look for bandits. She also hears rumors that the blessed Spear of Pardus resides inside the castle, protecting the estate from all manner of unclean beasts.
Kaleb spends this time inside his fireplace. Toward the end of the week, he leaves the fireplace and receives comments on how his attire is covered in dirt and soot. He is then told that if he wants his baptismal gown clean, he could take it off and throw it in the hamper, which he immediately does, in front of Winifred. Now running around Drachenstelle naked, Kaleb first starts searching for a new vestments, but instead found a series of crawl spaces that he decides to investigate. He finds crawlspaces, including a path to the fireplace that he had been staying in. Eventually, Kaleb came across a large metal grate that is too heavy to move, but he notices a light coming from behind the grate, as if something was glowing. After trying to lift the grate, Kaleb asks a group of nearby spiders to bring him the shiny object. The spiders are wary at first; however, they decided to help Kaleb in this effort once there were enough of them amassed.
Not long after Kaleb finds the grate, Winifred is summoned before Lord Ingo, who asks her if she knows anything about an army of spiders currently assaulting the reliquary that holds the Spear of Pardus. Both Ingo and Winifred come to the conclusion that Kaleb is likely involved and went to the fireplace to see if they could find him. Lord Ingo then holds out a clean baptismal gown as an offering to Kaleb to get him out of the crawlspace. The plan works. When asked about what he was doing, Kaleb explains that he was investigating the crawlspace when he found a shiny object behind a metal grate that he is trying to retrieve. Instead of reprimanding Kaleb, Ingo asked that Kaleb take on the important duty of watching over both the spiders and the Spear of Pardus, which Kaleb accepts with gusto. He is then given the Spear of Pardus to guard. Having received it, he tells the spiders to return to their routines and begins to imitate a guard patrolling around Schloss Drachenstelle. Ingo does tell Winifred that the spear given to Kaleb is just a decoy.

Looting the Cave

With the battle against the bandits ended, all four of the companions are exhausted. Rodrick and Uisce decide to return to the cave, giving Rodrick the chance to clean and bandage Uisce’s wounds. After doing so, Rodrick decides to collect a sample of the poison from the cauldron and then dump it outside the cave. Finally, he attempts to retrieve whatever Mutti Courage had thrown into the crevice of the cave. As he approaches, he hears a hissing sound coming from inside the hole. Bracing himself and giving himself some more light, Rodrick reaches to move the rock away and finds a snake. The snake immediately bites Rodrick, who is already worn down from the fight, and causing him to fall unconscious. Uisce screams upon seeing this, causing Edmon to come into the cave. The big warrior is able to slay the two snakes that are hiding in the crevice. Uisce is able to stabilize Rodrick’s condition, while Edmon searches the bodies, and finds a pouch full of coins which he passes to Uisce.
While Rodrick and Uisce remain in the cave to rest, Edmon and Mechtild determine the correct path for all the bodies. They decide to burn the bodies of the two travelers, saving them the disgrace of being eaten by scavenger animals, and to decapitate the bandits to collect Ingo's bounty. As they scrambled to deal with the dead, night descended. Soon, Mechtild noticed a group of wolves gathering at the edge of the wood, waiting for the two warriors to complete their work. Finally, Edmon and Mechtild returned to the cave and rest for the remainder of the night. During the night, Rodrick woke with a start, seeing giant faces of the bandits behind the rocks. The image causes him to immediately pass out.
The four companions in the cave awoke the next morning to begin splitting the collected loot. The four agreed that the coins from the bandits would be split evenly, the jewelry would be kept by Rodrick and Uisce, and Mechtild and Edmon would sell the fighting equipment, keeping the money. Rodrick also took this time to apply bandages to Edmon and Mechtild. The group then investigates the vials that they found and determine that two vials are healing ointments while another two are poison. Mechtild and Edmon immediately use the ointments, giving them strength to return to Drachenstelle.
Mechtild then asks to speak with Rodrick, with the two leaving the cave to talk privately. Rodrick responds to Mechtild's questions, telling her that he considers it unlikely that there are wererats among the group that Winifred brought to Ingo’s estate, and gives her insight into Winifred's relationships with Dagobert and Ingo, role in Winifred’s life, and giving Mechtild some perspective on the relationship of Lady Winifred and Lord Ingo, and to explain their protectiveness of the Lady. At the end of the discussion, Mechtild asks Rodrick if Uisce and he would return to Drachenstelle with her and Edmon. Rodrick responded that this would likely result in a death sentence for him and his paramour. Mechtild then offers to go to Drachestelle to ask Lord Ingo if Rodrick and Uisce could be considered a part of Mechtild’s new mercenary company, and then return to the cave and inform Rodrick and Uisce of Lord Ingo’s decision, if only they would stay put for a couple of days. Rodrick agrees, and after a quick preparation, Edmon and Mechtild begin their journey back to Drachenstelle.

Rodrick and Uisce in the Cave

For the remainder of that day, Rodrick and Uisce spent the time around the cave. Uisce decides to take a long swim, enjoying the time outside and away from the cramped spaces of civilization. Rodrick takes the time to update his journal with a record of recent events and ponders the skull pendant that was found braided into Mutti Courage's hair. While writing, Rorick notices a black terrier entering the cave. Rodrick approaches it and quickly befriends it, petting it while working on his journal. When Uisce returns, she expresses some interest in the dog, but tells Rodrick not to worry. The two go to sleep, with Rodrick leaving Thatch to keep watch over the cave entrance for any threats. During the night, Thatch wakes up Rodrick, who then wakes Uisce. They quietly approach the cave entrance, and peer out, only to see wolves in the distance. Uisce conjures an illusion or a bear's roar, which causing the wolves, along with the terrier, to flee. They go back to sleep, but Thatch once again wakes Rodrick, who immediately went to the cave entrance. Outside, he dimly perceives a figure in the dark. After waking Uisce, Rodrick returns and peers outside, but sees nothing. Rodrick looks through Thatch’s eyes while Uisce bathes the entrance with faerie fire to search for the disappeared figure, but they find nothing. From there on, Rodrick and Uisce decide to take watches instead of realying on Thatch, but nothing further happens during the night.

Another Day at the Castle

Before Edmon and Mechtild return to the castle, Winifred spends the day with Lord Ingo. The master of Drachenstelle tells the Lady of the refugee camp outside the castle. He tells her that it was not only the support of people fleeing to Drachenstelle in search of refuge that, but also people from far away that helped protect the castle. He then invites Winifred on a ride through the estate’s lands.
As Winifred and Lord Ingo return to Schloss Drachenstelle, they see Mechtild and Edmon returning from the south. Both groups note a troupe of Augurs being removed from the estate. Edmon excitedly approaches and presents the severed heads to Ingo, but the Lord declares offense on Winifred's behalf, telling Mechtild and Edmon to meet him in the counting house so that he could give them their reward.
As Ingo, Mechtild, and Edmon made their separate ways to the counting house, Winifred takes the opportunity to go through Lord Ingo’s scriptorium. She looks for books on the wererat disease, however she found that there are no books in the library that contained such knowledge. Winifred decides to read instead the history of the von Guningen family that Lord Ingo belongs to, and notes that a strange phrase is repeated frequently throughout the chronicle: Stein, Strick, Gras, Grün - stone, rope, grass, green.
Meanwhile, Mechtild and Edmon make their way to the counting room to meet with Lord Ingo. Along the way they came across Kaleb. Kaleb tells them both to halt, informing them that the passage they are approaching is for spiders only. Edmon remarks that Kaleb looked like a guard and Kaleb finally allowed them to pass, so long as they respected the small crevice that he designated for spider travel only.
The two warriors enter into the counting room to receive their reward from Lord Ingo. While discussing their reward, Edmon regales Lord Ingo with the story of how the bandits were found and defeated, pointing out it was Uisce who led them to the bandit camp and, along with Rodrick, made it possible for Edmon and Mechtild to survive the battle. Mechtild then uses this chance to try and persuade Lord Ingo to allow Rodrick and Uisce to return to Drachenstelle as members of her mercenary group, but Ingo does not seem convinced of the account given by Edmon and Mechtild.
He goes to find Winifred to ask her to remind him how Rodrick and Uisce betrayed her. Winifred retold her story of how Rodrick and Uisce sided with Reinhard over her in her time of need, but that she was not sure where their true loyalties lie as Rodrick had also healed her and those she cared about. With Winifred conflicted on this subject, Lord Ingo decides to ride out the next morning to speak with Rodrick and Uisce.
After her talk with Ingo, Winifred is approached by Edmon to discuss how Rodrick and Uisce helped Mechtild and himself against the bandits. Neither Edmon nor Winifred know why Rodrick and Uisce would aid them. Later, Mechtild arrives, to inform Winifred of the Augurs' eviction. Winifred points out that the Augurs have ties with Reinhard and so it is good that they are being removed from the estate. Mechtild used this as a chance to segue into discussing Rodrick and Uisce, mentioning that they would be willing to apologize to Winifred. Mechtild then asks that Winifred go to Ingo and recommend that Rodrick and Uisce be allowed to return to the Drachenstelle. Winifred agrees to this, but only if Mechtild swears a blood oath to watch every move that Rodrick and Uisce make, reporting back to Winifred if they have any dealings with Reinhard. Mechtild agrees, and takes the oath.
As Lord Ingo prepares to leave Schloss Drachenstelle, Winifred approaches him to ask him to be lenient with Rodrick and Uisce. Mechtild also approaches right before Lord Ingo’s departure to ask if she may accompany him, however Lord Ingo tells her to stay at the castle as he will only be taking his trusted companions.
Kaleb woke up in the morning and began hopping along the wall’s crenulations, continuing his imitation of a guard. Seeing Kaleb endangering himself in this way, one of the guards went and informed Winifred. Winifred immediately went out to find Kaleb and rebuked him for his dangerous behavior, but took no further actions.
After speaking with Lord Ingo, Mechtild and Edmon decide to leave the castle to attempt to sell the equipment looted from the bandits at the refugee camp. Edmon recognizes many of the people as servants in Winifred’s castle. Winifred’s old stablemaster Johann approaches them. The stablemaster buys the bandits' axes from the warriors for one mark each. Mechtild then tried to impress upon the stablemaster the refugees’ needs for arms and armor with the threats existing in the woods, however the stablemaster points out that the threats in the woods are why the refugees came to Drachenstelle as a safe haven protected by the guards. After talking with the old stablemaster further without reaching any agreement on what the two warriors should do with the equipment, Mechtild and Edmon turn over the remaining equipment to the quartermaster of the castle, hoping he could use the material for the castle guards.

The Return of Rodrick and Uisce

As Uisce completed her watch and sat watching Rodrick waking up, she notices a large group of riders approaching. The two companions hail the riders and notice Lord Ingo among them. Lord Ingo steps forward and asks how Rodrick and Uisce came to be at the cave, with Rodrick responding that the bandits who were there previously had asked them in a friendly, but threatening, manner to join them in the cave.The two companions agreed and provided entertainment and medical aid to their hosts until Mechtild and Edmon arrived one week later. With loyalties being stronger to Edmon and Mechtild than to their hosts, and having an incling regarding their eventual fate if staying with the bandits, Rodrick and Uisce decided to help Edmon and Mechtild defeat the bandits. Rodrick also remarked that Edmon and Mechtild would have likely died if not for the aid from the two of them. Lord Ingo asked both Rodrick and Uisce to repeat their story with their hands laid on his sword, which they did, and Lord Ingo seems satisfied with this.
Rodrick goes on to tell Lord Ingo, with his hand still on the sword, that the two companions never had any ill will towards Winifred and were always loyal to her cause, only aiding Reinhard either to help themselves or Winifred with as little risk as possible. If this was considered betrayal, Rodrick and Uisce were truly sorry and would like to apologize to Winifred and return the Freifräulein's familial crown to her. Lord Ingo agrees that it would be good for Rodrick and Uisce to apologize for their actions, and escorts the couple back to Drachenstelle.
As Rodrick, Uisce, Lord Ingo, and the entourage ride back to the castle, Uisce and Lord Ingo discuss the nixes. Lord Ingo asks Uisce to tell what she knows of them to his scribe so that the people of Drachenstelle can better understand the water creatures. As they ride, Rodrick notices the terrier return and points it out to Lord Ingo, who, upon a word from Rodrick, becomes suspicious of the terrier and shooes it away. Finally, as they approach the castle gate, Rodrick and Uisce noticed Kaleb carrying a glowing spear. As the party entered through the gate, Lord Ingo summons Winifred.
While the party was in the bailey of the castle, Winifred arrives. Rodrick immediately falls to the ground, pulling Uisce to the ground with him. Rodrick begins to call out that the two had wronged Winifred and had no intention to do so. However, knowing that their intentions do not negate their actions, Rodrick apologizes for the consequences of his selfish actions. Rodrick and Uisce then produced Winifred's crown and returned it to her. Rodrick and Uisce are then forced by Lord Ingo the Pious to swear service to Winifred over the Spear of Pardus. Winifred accepts this apology and oath, but warns both Rodrick and Uisce that if they betray her again she would personally kill both of them.

Rewards Granted

Table available here:

Missions/Quests Completed

• Winifred makes peace with Rodrick and Uisce
• Mechtild gathers a potentially new mercenary company

Report Date

07 Mar 2024

Primary Location

Schloss Drachenstelle