Session XVII

General Summary

The fight between Heinrich von Bruner and Maximillian von Aschaffenberg is broken up, the latter is thrown out of the party by Lord Erich von Holzenauer's guards for instigating the fight in the first place, greatly embarassing his uncle, Baron Rickard von Aschaffenberg. 
The arrival of Father Heinrich Gutenberg of the Temple of Verena, in a costume depicting Verena herself, causes some conversation - the blindfold and deep cut of his robes in particular. Father Gunther, the present priest of Sigmar, meanwhile, engages the Gravin Maria-Ulrike into a theological discussion to test her faithand thereby her family's ability to rule. While she manages to get through the conversation just fine, she signals for the group to distract the man and get him away from her. Will approaches Father Gunther, who is, naturally, exceptionally respectful towards any and all Dwarves, and engages him in several questions regarding the gods of the Empire, causing the man to explain everything in great detail as the two walk away from the Gravin.
Skeldon and Morathric investigate a cry coming from the entrance hallway, where the diminutive priestess of Shallya, Celestine Hoch, is trying to push away a drunken Florian Pfeifraucher, who is attempting to 'charm' the woman by talking about how he very much loves for the poor and so and so. While the Dwarf warns him he'll throw him out of he does something of the sorts again, Morathric leads the priestess away and back into the party. With the Pfeifraucher family supporting the von Liebwitz's attempts at power in Ubersreik, the Gravin is much relieved to find Florian hasn't been thrown out, even if she does not like the man in the slightest.
The High Elf, Lorith Silverleaf, made her arrival and was shortly afterward engaged in conversation with by Morathric - the Elven lady seemed to be greatly amused by watching the social drama unfold akin to some sort of scientist observing her lab rats. Meanwhile, the fox-fur worn by one of the ladies in attendance becomes animated, dropping onto the floor and wildly thrashing about. Father Gunther, grumbling and rambling about foul sorceries, ends that particular situation by stomping on the fur pelt, before neatly dusting it off and offering it back to the lady in question.
Baron de Grenouille, sick and tired of anti-Bretonnian jokes, challenges a young noble to a duel, fighting the man in the garden with his fake horse getup still around his hips and all! Much to Skeldon's disappointment, the duel is only fought til first blood, after which the Bretonnian's honor has been satisfied. 
Florian Pfeifraucher tries to get handsy with the Gravin Maria-Ulrike, and the group's attempt at getting him away fails and instead distracts him, causing him to fall against the Gravin who stumbles backward. As she is helped up by Will and a masked noble, Raaf notices that the noble seems to have stabbed the Gravin with a small needle protruding from a ring. As Will and Skeldon try to chase after him, they find that nobody actually knows who this figure is, and he appears to have left the party for the streets. As Raaf identifies the effects of Black Lotus poison as the Gravin faints, Morathric goes up the stairs in search of Doktor Otto Krupp to see if he can help. 
Finding the room Krupp has snuck off into with a barmaid, the High Elf finds an angry husband's hands around the Guildmaster's throat, and after some attempts - including a miscast that loosens all belts and ties on his own attire - he manages to blind the angry man, allowing Krupp to flee the room and down the hallway. Luckily enough, the man's plague doctor costume includes a bag with some very authentic props, and presenting Raaf with two jars of bloodsuckers, the two physicians manage to drain the poison from the Gravin's veins, who soon recovers, if remaining a little drowsy. 
An argument erupts between the priests of Sigmar and Verena about a witch hunter being barred entrance from the library of the Temple of Shallya recently. Priestess Celestine Hoch is awkwardly stuck in the middle. It almost seems as if they are about to get to blows, before the guards manage to de-escalate the situation. 
Florian Pfeifraucher gets in trouble again, this time he is found screaming in anguish about how the elf tried to kill him, while Lorith Silverleaf calmly readjusts her robes, stating he simply had to be taught a lesson after becoming too familiar. Skeldon drags the man off and deposits him in a chair in a corner of the main room. 
A boar is animated in the dining hall, seemingly following an exchange between the Knight of the Order of the Knights Panther that is accompanying General von Dabernick, and the Grey Wizard Christoph Engel. Panic, naturally, erupts, and as the boar charges forward, Skeldon manages to grapple and wrestle with the beast to force it to the ground, punching it before Lord Erich's guards stab it to death - causing it to vanish, promptly, together with the assumed injuries of some guests, everything apparently an illusion.
Commotion next erupts with a footman trying to bar an ill-dressed young woman from entering, who clutches a young, ragged child to her bosom, calling out for Lord Erich to come and acknowledge his son. Gravin Maria-Ulrike speeds to the scene, accompanied by the characters following the earlier attempt on her life, and she pleads for some empathy and giving the woman a fair hearing, while Lord Erich commands for her to go away - favor turns against him as Celestine Hoch is dragged in, the priestess immediately going to care for the young child, and Lord Erich orders her to go to a room upstairs. Rumor swiftly spreads throughout the party of how the Lord Erich has refused to make arrangements for his bastard child - a breaching of the unwritten code of the Empire's nobility for such things, which may greatly impact his social standing. 
The feast continues, but the group manages to see how Lord Erich slips a note into Heinrich von Bruner's pocket, unbeknownst to the latter. Using his magic, Morathric manages to get his hands on the note in question, and brings it to the Gravin. 
Magister,
All is ready for tonight's sacrifice. May the Dark Ones smile on our enterprise and may the von Bruner's be avenged. - Aschaffenberg
While fear first breaks out among some at the idea that it might be some sort of giant cult gathering that the group is attending, they swiftly realize it may simply be an attempt to incriminate and discredit von Bruner and Aschaffenberg. Thus, the group plots. As Morathric and Will distract Lord Erich by asking him about his bastard child - causing the man to grow even more irate than he already was - Raaf plants the note in the man's right pocket, by his napkin. Next, Skeldon 'accidentally' spills a drink over the man's left arm in a conversation with Loretta about his boar-wrestling efforts, the latter more than happy to engage in the group's plot, which prompts Erich to take out his napkin to clean himself - and thus drop the note that has just been planted. This, of course, is immediately noticed by Gravin Maria-Ulrike, who picks up the note and vocally makes this known, before speaking of what a strange thing is written on it. Morathric nudges Father Gunther of the Temple of Sigmar right as he is called over by the Gravin, and he grows furious at the note's contents, immediately going for general von Dabernick with some very choice words on the situation at hand. Quickly, Lord Erich calls for the party to be ended, and the guests vacate the party, trickling outside and into the courtyard. The Gravin, naturally, is quite pleased, with all but the von Bruners outplayed and discredited when it comes to her rivals.
Then, outside, Baron von Dammenblatz approaches, still furious at his belief that the Gravin is responsible for his father's punch bowl related demise, pointing a gun at the woman as he challenges her to a duel, enraged - accompanied by several of his servants, one of them matching the size and build of the earlier assassin... With Morathric moving between the two and refusing to move, things seem ready to escalate as the Elf is shoved aside, before Raaf accepts the duel, taking to fight on the Gravin's part. Morathric quickly arranges for Christoph Engel to intervene, but the duel takes place. 
Turning around, Dammenblatz and Raaf take three steps, turn around, and fire. The Baron is a faster shot, his gun aimed straight for Raaf's head... but all that erupts is smoke, and Raaf's own shot, fired at almost the exact same moment, strikes the man in his right arm. The two Dwarves immediately press the Baron against the ground until Captain Erwin Blucher and Captain Andrea Pfeffer arrive, guards dragging the disgraced baron off. The Gravin promises them a reward when asked about the matter, while the Knight accompanying General von Dabernick is revealed to be Lady Emmanuelle Nacht herself, who has seemingly been keeping an eye out on everything that's been taking place throughout the night.

Report Date

16 Oct 2021