Topic: Shadows over Bogenhafen: game thread [players only please!]

[commandant]

Mortus can feel her face flush, she looks up at the moon again and the light almost blinds her eyes.   She rubs them, aware of the sweat on her hands and then wraps her arms around herself to protect from the cold.   She really wishes that she had brought some brandy.   The patrol is too far away for her to see.   She wants to go back to the inn but bloody Klaus is getting himself laid of all things, with Max knocked out as well.   She swears to herself.

[Finlay]

“so, do we make a mess? We could try and blame industrial sabotage” In the mean time Julian inspects the room thoroughly, but without making a mess.

[Fandir Nightshade]

"Not someone only you, so far quite (HE HE HE)  like you and i hope we can continue it that way and I don´t want to take my chances that someone else in your troupe might work for the Steinhagers or Teugens, you do realize in what danger we have placed ourselves by telling you this? You also do realize that it would be folly to try the trick two times in a row would it be a fake. We know a little more about the affair so far but I fear right now it is still too little to put the pressure on the ones responsible but we will find out more should we get the support of the Ruggbroders but if not I will leave the city on the morrow as I don´t take to well to the heat that is building up around here right now, the only reason to stay here and try to solve all of this would be an enormous sum of money, I wouldn´t mind including you into the sharing of the money if you help us.  How do you suggest we go on about this? "

[Cannonofdoom]

“so, do we make a mess? We could try and blame industrial sabotage” In the mean time Julian inspects the room thoroughly, but without making a mess.

"You can make as much of a mess as you please, I can't see a blessed thing in here."

Heinrich will keep watch in the hallway.

[rufus sparkfire]

Julian carefully inspects the office. The room is wood paneled, and has two doors: the one they entered by, and another one leading to a different room (Steinhager's son came through this one earlier). A large painting of Bogenhafen is on the wall near that door. Steinghager's large, ornate desk takes up a lot of space in the room. It is covered with papers, and has a locked drawer in it. There is a drinks cabinet in a corner of the room, and several bookcases filled with what look like business ledgers.

Looking for secret doors will require a more thorough search.


Heinrich keeps careful watch from the doorway, but everything is still quiet.

[Finlay]

Can I search the papers and open the locked door and search this reasonably quickly?

Do I have time to find a secret door?

[rufus sparkfire]

[You can search the papers and look for a secret door in five to ten minutes. Breaking open the desk drawer would take a few minutes also. The other door in the room would take about five minutes to open. Of course, you don't know how long you have...]

[Cannonofdoom]

Do the desk and drawer, then we'll decide about the other door.

[rufus sparkfire]

[Fandir]

Greta holds up her hand, "Klaus, stop. You're letting your tongue run away from you, and it's starting to annoy me. I don't know if you're telling me the truth or not, but I want to believe you... in any case, I find your brother very convincing. He seems like an honest boy... which is a dangerous thing to be.

"If I leave now, I might be able to talk to the boss before he goes to bed. He's desperate to learn more about this secret club, so I think he'll want to hear your story. I'll come and collect you in the morning... unless he decides he wants to speak to you right away, which he might.

"The boss will reward you if you tell him something useful. And me too, so don't worry about that. You don't have to bribe me. Stay here, calm yourself down, and I'll see you when I see you."

Greta leaves without another word.

When she's gone, Max comes closer to Klaus, his head down, and says, "Klaus? I'm sorry I spoke out of turn. I thought I was helping... I didn't think what I was doing. I promise not to do it again. Please don't hit me." His voice is unsteady, and he's visibly shaking.

[Fandir Nightshade]

Klaus is kind of stunned of Gretas reaction. He turns his head and looks at Max......

"Well....I am not sure might be the only reason she believed us was you speaking up. Lets go downstairs and find Mortus and hopefully the others....we should also consider fleeing the inn and the city and make preperations for that too." Turning away from Max, Klaus will walk up and down room deep in thought before he goes downstairs to find Mortus. "Max come with me." He snaps before leaving the room.

[commandant]

Having decided that she was not going to learn anything new, being annoyed by the cold and lack of brandy Mortus will return to the inn.   

[rufus sparkfire]

Mortus wanders past the mansions in the Adel ring. It seems like weeks ago when she saw them in daylight - strange to think it was only today. Most of the gates are closed, and she sees occasional guard patrols inside the grounds of some of the mansions. Bogenhafen's richest men stay rich by protecting what they have.

She is near the Steinhager house, which still has its gate open, when four men emerge from the fog. Two of them are expensively dressed, and talking to each other in loud, drunken voices - they are discussing trade deals, though not very coherently. Escorting them are two alert, well armed bodyguards. All four enter the Steinhager grounds. As they do, the older of the two merchants brushes against the gatepost and something falls from inside his jacket. He doesn't notice, but keeps walking. The bodyguards are both looking at Mortus. They seem to decide that she doesn't look like a threat, and ignore her.

Once the four are out of sight, Mortus investigates what the merchant dropped. It's a brief note. For a moment, Mortus is glad of the unearthly light of the witch moon, since it at least means she can see the letters well enough to read.

It says, An hour after sunset at my house, tomorrow. All members of the inner circle are to attend.
J.T.

The words 'Ordo Septenarius' are printed at the bottom of the parchment.

[commandant]

Mortus will stash the note in her purse and hurry back to the inn.   She will go straight to the room.

[rufus sparkfire]

Max obediently follows Klaus - his hair is still a mess, and he's barefoot and wearing only his breeches. He doesn't dare keep Klaus waiting. He keeps his head down, fearfully.

Klaus goes downstairs and into the bar, Max shuffling after him. Mortus isn't there, and neither are Julian or Heinrich.

[Fandir Nightshade]

"Damn....where has she gone? Max what are you doing? Get your boots on and look at you....you look like you are fresh out of the sewers." Klaus will walk over to the innkeep and inquire if he knows where Mortus....the lady with the brandy has gone or if she said anything when she`ll be back. He also asks if there is a backdoor to the inn.

If the Halfling doesn´t know where she went Klaus will impatiently wait for her walking around in the room.

[Finlay]

Ok, search the papers and open the desk drawer. I have a feeling we will find stuff mentioning the order, but not demon stuff.

[rufus sparkfire]

Julian searches through the pile of papers on the desk. Almost all of them are business papers of different kinds, but among them is the letter Julian read the end of earlier. He reads it quickly,

Franz,
Please, do not allow yourself to be distracted by minor problems. Soon, all of our business rivals will be swept away, and we will be rich beyond measure. On the night after the Schaffenfest ends, with the sound of the twelfth bell, our plan will come into fruition.
J.T.



Next, he levers open the drawer. Inside are a number of warehouse inventories. Under those, Julian finds half a dozen blank sheets of parchment with 'Ordo Septenarius' printed on the bottom of them, and a cheap bronze pendant with a stylized '7' engraved on it, surrounded by scrollwork.

There's also a small, leather-bound book with a black cover. Julian flicks through it, but it is in a language that he can't understand.

[rufus sparkfire]

Max flinches when Klaus shouts at him, and runs back upstairs.

The innkeeper tells him Miss Mortus left a little while ago, but he doesn't know where she went. He tells Klaus - with a knowing smile - that there is indeed a back door, which can be found in the kitchen. "I do hope you'll pay your bill before you make any escapes!" he says, with a chuckle.

Max comes back down soon after. He's washed his face and brushed his hair. He has his shoes on, but not his shirt. "My back's too sore to put my shirt on, Klaus," he whimpers, "I'm sorry." His eyes don't meet Klaus's.

[Finlay]

“Well… I guess they will already know someone was here, what with the dog and the door. I hope Max can read this” Julian says as he pockets the black book and the half incriminating letter”

“Shall we risk searching for the door Heinrich? Or searching any other rooms? If we are caught we will be killed, I am sure.”

[Cannonofdoom]

Open that other door.

[Finlay]

Julian starts working on opening the other door, his fingers moving almost frantically as he goes as fast as he can

[rufus sparkfire]

Julian find this door easier to open than he thought. He soon splits the lock open, and sees a short corridor on the other side. It makes a right turn just ahead, and there's another door at the corner. He walks carefully down the corridor, and look around the turning - it stops dead where the courtyard wall must be. Since there's no other door, Julian can tell that there is another room on the inside of the L-shape. He doesn't think there was a close enough door on the courtyard... so perhaps there is a secret door in Steinhager's office? He was expecting one, after all.

Heinrich hears a noise - but it's only an owl hooting. He feels as though they've already been here too long.

[Cannonofdoom]

"Julian!" Heinrich hisses in a whisper. "How much longer?"

[rufus sparkfire]

Heinrich can hear a noise coming from somewhere nearby! He listens carefully, trying to judge the direction: it's coming from a room next to the door that connects the courtyard to the street. The doorman's office? Someone is in there!

[Cannonofdoom]

Heinrich can hear a noise coming from somewhere nearby! He listens carefully, trying to judge the direction: it's coming from a room next to the door that connects the courtyard to the street. The doorman's office? Someone is in there!

Ugh.

Heinrich will investigate the noise, being careful to stay as hidden and silent as possible.


OOC: At this point in the story, Heinrich wanders off alone to investigate a noise, and is eaten by a demon.