Session 07: Deception and Discovery

The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the warehouse as Felrick and Qavitrae crept around to the back door. The rest of their companions waited at the front, prepared to knock in a few minutes to distract whoever might be inside. Qavitrae eyed the small, rusty windows high up on the wall, considering their options for entry. Boosting her up seemed the best bet, but as Felrick struggled to lift the elf, his shoulder gave out, sending a sharp pain through his arm. Qavitrae jumped, managing to grab hold of the window ledge, but her own strength failed her. She fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding landing on her own knife, and lay there, lightly wounded.

Regrouping with the others, they decided on a more direct approach. Wanda pounded on the front door, demanding entry and threatening the occupants with “bleeding and screaming” if they didn’t comply. Her intimidation failed to sway them, and she resorted to hacking at the door with her axe, drawing the attention of a group of uniformed individuals who cried out “thieves!”

Thindruk stepped forward, asserting his noble authority and claiming the warehouse as his own. He insisted the men inside were the true thieves, likely former employees who had locked him out. His lie was convincing enough, and the uniformed men called for reinforcements to deal with the situation.

As the watchmen arrived, the stevedores emerged from the warehouse, claiming they had been hired by a Mr. Bogren to watch over the property. They revealed that another man, a bounty hunter named Kuftsos, had snuck out the back. Felrick, who had been keeping an eye on the rear of the warehouse, spotted Kuftsos making his escape and carefully trailed him through the shadows.

Kuftsos fled on horseback from the Happy Man Inn stable, but Felrick’s well-aimed shot brought the horse down. In the ensuing chaos, Kuftsos managed to slip away into the night, leaving Felrick to deal with the aftermath. The gnome arranged for the horse to be taken to the butcher, claiming the meat and saddlebags for himself and his companions.

Inside the saddlebags, they discovered a letter addressed to Kuftsos, confirming his suspicions about a society and an officer called the “Magister Impedimenti.” The letter revealed that this Magister Impedimenti was using the name Kazzrik Lakkarsson and would be traveling on the Middenheim Road towards Altdorf. A likeness of Lakkarsson was enclosed, and to their surprise, it bore a striking resemblance to Thindruk.

The party realized that Kuftsos was after Thindruk, possibly mistaking him for this Kazzrik Lakkarsson. They decided to continue their journey to Bögenhafen, where they arrived amidst the preparations for the Schaffenfest festival. After bidding farewell to Josef, the boat captain who had brought them this far, they secured lodgings at the Riverside Haven inn.

Determined to unravel the mystery surrounding Thindruk’s identity and the “Eargesture Society,” the group followed the address from the letter to the rundown metalworking district of the city. There, in a narrow alley, they found the “Lock, Stock, and Borrow Lawyers” office. The location seemed odd for a law firm, raising their suspicions.

As they entered the sparsely furnished office, a pale young man greeted them, asking if they had an appointment. The party exchanged wary glances, sensing that something strange or even ominous was about to unfold. With Kuftsos still at large and the true nature of Thindruk’s inheritance unclear, they steeled themselves for whatever lay ahead, ready to face the challenges that awaited them in the city of Bögenhafen.