4-11 Klarmont - The sweet smell of being crushed by predatory plants

 Broneslav leaves the room he was in and heads back to the corridor with the sweet smell coming from it. The smell gets stronger as he goes down the corridor and there is some vegetation or root matter on the walls that appears to glow faintly. The light gets stronger the further he goes down the passage. Suddenly, he realises that the vegetation has moved. The passage is blocked in both directions. As the roots swing closer to him, he swings, severing several (2 DAM), but it is not enough to stop the others closing fully on him. They begin to crush him (1 DAM). He cuts again but his movement is too restricted and the plant continues to squeeze (1 DAM). His next attempt is better and several of the squeezing roots are severed (2 DAM). This eases the pressure temporarily, but his desperate attempts to cut free are not yet enough and he feels a rib snap (1 DAM). The pressure continues and he starts to weaken badly as the roots crush the breath from him (6 DAM cumulative). Finally, he manages to get a better grip on his sword and slices hard. The roots fall away and he falls to the ground, his breath coming in tight painful gasps. The damn plant had nearly done for him where warriors and monsters had failed!

He binds up his wounds and heads back up the passage towards the meeting hall. It is now empty, and he is able to search the area. He finds two secret doors. One leads to the passage that Anton Radu had followed to his doom. The other leads to a cell where an elf is chained to the wall. The cell stinks and is unlit apart from the light from Broneslav's shield. The elf looks half dead, but his eyes open and blink hard in the light that Broneslav brings.

Broneslav quickly learns that this Elf is Estaish, a member of the Duke's Elvenguard and a witness to the evil perpetrated by the Veiled Society. With Broneslav's help, he is able to limp back to the room where Zweis Radu lies bound but no longer unconscious. There Estaish reclaims his gear before he and Broneslav make their way outside with Zweis as their prisoner. Battered and bruised, the pair take their captive to the nearest Watchhouse. The pair are soon telling their tale to a Tribune of the Watch, while Zweis looks on them with hatred in his eyes. Unfortunately, the testimony of a member of the Elvenguard and the papers that Broneslav has brought with him are more than enough to condemn anyone, even someone as wealthy as Zweis. The verdict is clear and is confirmed when watchmembers have searched the underground meeting room and its associated rooms.

Broneslav (Level 4)

Epilogue

A week later, most of the Veiled Society members have been arrested. Some escaped, but their power is broken and the most important members of the Society are dead or in irons. The court case will take a while, but there is little doubt that even the surviving members will soon face the headsman's axe. Moreover, the entire Radu family has been declared anathema for their leadership of the Veiled Society and their incitement of the riots in the city. Their wealth has been confiscated and those that could not be proven to be directly involved have been exiled with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

A week later, Broneslav has recovered from his fight thanks to the ministrations of the family healers and a week of total rest. Milka, she of the white skin and rose red lips, has been round to see him several times, her eyes wide with wonder at the change wrought in him in just four months. It was clear that she believed he was now a man and not the boy she had challenged to take the Shearing Ceremony. Unfortunately for her, he had changed in other ways too, and the soft pleasures of her prattle were no longer for him. He had a goal in life now. He saw that he could make a difference and that his interest lay with those who sought to do likewise, rather than those who chattered about how the neighbours wore last year's fashion. And he was going for a drink with the Tribune of the Watch this evening. Who knew where that might lead?

Postscript

That's the end of B1-9 In Search of Adventure. I really thought the Sirenflower was going to do for him just as he had succeeded in taking down the Veiled Society! However, Broneslav got out of its clutches and saved the day. I can't believe it took me this long to get back to these adventures, but I just stumbled over a mapping issue and it stopped me in my tracks. I finally just ignored the issue, so the maps in the last few posts have not been precisely what I wanted but they are serviceable. Perfection is the enemy of done, as I am wont to say, and it is true.

So, where next for Broneslav? Answers on the back of a £10 note to the usual address please. I'm currently thinking of moving on to the X-series adventures with X1 The Isle of Dread being the first. I'll need to spend a bit of time putting together the maps for this, but it particularly appeals because I still have my original copy from when I first got D&D but I do not recall ever playing it. The other option is to head off to The Temple of Elemental Evil. I recently got the Goodman Games reprint of ToEE that comes as a 2-volume hardcover set in a slipcase with a reprint of the original adventure plus a 5th edition updated version. It is glorious and makes me want to run the whole thing, although I feel like it is a campaign that I should begin with a new character from level 1 so that I can experience it properly. We'll see which option I feel like, when I stop being swamped at work and have a brain to think with again.

4 Klarmont - The light at the end of the tunnel

 As Broneslav starts to open the door ahead of him, he hears footsteps rushing past. He pauses and lets the person get a short headstart before he carefully puts his head round the door to see what is going on. He sees the man with the wooden mask opening a secret door in the wall. Broneslav decides that he has a good chance here, so he quickly removes his robe so that he can move more freely, before stepping through to follow the man.

He hears loud voices raised beyond the secret door. As he reaches the door, there is a familiar strangled cry. Someone has just been stabbed! He draws his sword and pushes the door open hard. The scene that confronts him is a familiar one by now. A middle-aged man holds a sword to the chest of a younger man. The man with the wooden mask lies dead on the floor, his lifeblood pooling around him. Some of that blood is still on the middle-aged man's sword.

"Stop him!" the younger man yells, "He has killed our father!"

At this point, Broneslav realises that the man on the floor is Anton Radu, head of the Radu clan. That means that the other two must be Zweis (younger) and Cartha (middle-aged) if he remembered correctly.

"Put the sword down, Cartha," he ordered, "the jig is up."

"Pah," scoffed Cartha, "I'm done with your meddling in this. Your time is up, not mine!"

He swings his sword away from his younger brother and launches a frenzied assault on Broneslav. Cartha's sword cuts Broneslav (2 DAM) before he can react. Broneslav returns the favour with a long cut down Cartha's arm (2 DAM). Zweis takes this opportunity to try to stab his brother in the back, but is knocked back. With a swift stab, Cartha slices a gash in Broneslav's leg (2 DAM). This is enough to put Broneslav off, and his next blow goes wide. Cartha uses this opportunity to slice another chunk of flesh from Broneslav (2 DAM), while fending off yet another attempt at fratricide by his brother. The three then settle into a series of attacks and ripostes that are easily blocked, before Broneslav finally gets through Cartha's defences again (2 DAM). This is enough to slow Cartha down, but not enough to put him down. Meanwhile, he is easily able to fend off Zweis' attacks until Zweis lands a lucky blow (1 DAM) that is quickly followed by another lucky blow (1 DAM). Cartha falls lifeless over the body of the father he had murdered.

Breathing hard, Broneslav eyes Zweis, wondering if this brother will now turn on him.

"So," says Zweis, "thank you for helping me out of a sticky situation. Family is absolutely the worst, dontcha know. I'm guessing you know about the Veiled Society, what with being here and all. What I'm wondering is if you could see your way to joing us. With my brother and my father out of the way, there are several opportunities available within our command structure. As a scion of a merchant family (Yes, I recognise you, Torenescu) I'm sure you can see the advantages for both of us. What say you?"

"Yeah," replies Broneslav, "That's not going to happen. I see you for who you are."

Zweis looks disappointed.

"Well, how about I give you this box of gems, and you walk away from here?"

"Nope, I have all the wealth I need. Now, put down your sword and come peaceably to the guard with me."

Zweis looks defeated. He hunches his shoulders slightly and begins to crouch. Then he launches an attack. Broneslav is not caught out at all. He hammers Zweis on the side of the head (2 DAM) and steps easily to the side, to avoid Zweis' attack. A follow-up blow with the pommel of his sword smashes the young man to the ground unconscious. Broneslav checks he is ok and then ties him up. No point in taking chances.

When he searches the room, he finds papers detailing the Veiled Society's doings and their contacts. Looking at some of the names, he realises that this will rock the upper echelons of Specularum society. He also knows it could have been much worse if the Veiled Society had spread its tentacles further afield.

Further searching of the room nets the box of gems that Zweis had promised as a bribe. Cartha's and Zweis's swords are both good quality, so he takes those and a fancy ring that Cartha is wearing. Furthermore, there is a pack containing a mail shirt, sword and bow). These do not look like the sort of gear that the Radu family leaders would wear, so it suggests that someone else has been taken by them.

Deciding that he needs to see if this person is still alive, Broneslav makes sure that Zweis is properly secured and sets off to search the rest of the tunnels.

4 Klarmont - All robed up and nowhere to go

 After stuffing the unconscious men into the cupboard, Broneslav took robes and a hood and put them on. It seemed reasonable to him that anyone coming through here was probably part of the group he was after, and that he would gain the element of surprise by wearing the clothes they expected people to see others in.

The question, though, was where next? The door he had just come through would not open again, and there seemed little reason for anyone to return to the mead hall wearing the robes, so that meant there must be another way out of here. He searched carefully, noting dirt and scuff marks on the floor leading under the wall opposite the way he had come in. It did not take too long to find a way to open a secret door in that wall. Beyond was a tunnel under the houses beside the mead hall.

"These people must really like tunneling!" he mused as he reached a junction. From ahead, he could hear faint voices. The passage to his left was apparently silent. Now, why would there be another tunnel here? And should he find out or should he see what was up with the voices ahead? Broneslav mentally flipped a coin, and followed the passage ahead of him towards the voices.

As he reached the end of the passage, it opened into a larger chamber with a couple of dozen people dressed in red robes and black hoods in it. Broneslav stayed back in the darkness of the passage and watched. A man in a red and gold robe was standing on a dais at one end of the room. Unlike the others, he was wearing a wooden mask instead of a hood. His voice echoed hollowly out of the mask.

"Now is our time! We shall take back the city from the traitors while they are still reeling from our campaign against them. The people will side with us because they know we are right! Our enemies will be crushed and the Duke will be forced to kneel before us. Those who oppose us are weak. Those who betray us are traitors. Like that one!"

The man in the mask pointed to one of the assembled people.

"That one must die for disobeying our orders!"

With that, the crowd of robed people fell on the unfortunate individual. Distracted by their brutal death, Broneslav did not see the man in the wooden mask leave the room. There must have been a secret door behind him, but Broneslav was not about to try to fight his way through twenty people to find out. Well, nineteen now, but the point still stood.

He backed off down the tunnel and decided to try the other branch. It ended at a door with a tunnel off to his left. A sweet, sandalwood smell drifted down the corridor to his left and he felt a strong desire to head down there. He tried the door. It opened easily and he went through.

4 Klarmont - The Blue Water Mead Hall

 Leaving Simion at the senator's, Broneslav headed home to clean up. After that, he decided to follow up the lead that the orator had given him. Also, the fighting had given him a thirst. A flagon of mead would not go amiss and the man had said there was due to be a meeting, so he really felt like dropping in there.

The streets were full of unrest as he worked his way back towards the docks but he managed to dodge trouble along the way. Barely, at one point, as a riot broke out, but nipping down an alleyway and onto the next street along did the trick. As he pushed open the door of the shack that was the Blue Water Mead Hall, he actually really needed that drink.

He sat at a free space in the corner and looked the place over. It was dark, with half a dozen common tables and benches for the patrons. No booths or cushions in here, and the floor was covered in sawdust.  There was no bar in the main room. The tavernkeeper ducked through a curtain at the back of the place to fetch beer through from another room. There did not seem to be food on offer here. The place was moderately full with dock workers and sailors, by the looks of them.

The beer that the tavernkeeper brought Broneslav was thin and not particularly tasty. He sipped it and watched the tavernkeeper duck in and out of the back room. There was another curtain next to it, and it was a long while before he say anyone go through that one. The man looked much like the other patrons here, but there was a sense of purpose in the way he ducked through the curtain. Broneslav waited but the man never returned. In the meantime, another man disappeared through the curtain.

It was time to find out what was going on here. Broneslav slipped quietly through the curtain just behind the other man. He opened the door and entered a short hall with a stable door at the other end. The top half was open and two people in robes were lounging beside it. A section of the wall to his right was just closing as he stepped into the hall.

"Ish thish th'way tuh th' toilet?" Broneslav slurred as he staggered a bit towards them.

"Straight through the door there," replied one of the people. A local by his tone.

"Whu? Thish way?"

Broneslav staggered over towards the open door. The men sneered at him and stepped aside to let him through. As he got level with them, he erupted into action, slamming one man's head against the wall and punching the other in the gut. Neither man had a chance to react before they were unconscious on the floor. He did not kill them because he was not sure if they were 'innocent' bouncers or in on the secret.

A quick search found a secret door in the hallway leading to a room barely big enough for more than a couple of people. Broneslav opened it and dragged the unconscious men through. Within the room was a cupboard and a bench. Within the cupboard, he found red robes with black leather hoods hung up. This appeared to be a robing room of some sort and there was no obvious way out. Nevertheless, he closed the door behind him, bound and gagged the men and stuffed them in the cupboard. He could release them when he returned or one of The Veiled Society members would if he failed here. They would be stiff and sore, but at least they would be alive.

I can't believe how long it has taken me to get back to this. I got hung up on mapping one of the rooms in this section of the adventure, and it killed my flow. Ah well, back to it, eh? After all, Broneslav is nearly at the end of this story arc.

4 Klarmont - Ambush!

 People in hoods leapt out from side alleys with daggers in hand. The beggars tightened their circle around Simion and prepared to defend themselves. In the first clash, seven of the beggars fell and three of their opponents. Broneslav leapt to the attack, deciding that this would be the best form of defence, especially as his crew was outnumbered. Seeing the carnage wreaked by the attackers, he broke the peace bond on his sword. He's worry about the consequences later. Three more of the ambushers fell as he cut his way through them.

A last attacker dashed through the hole made by his accomplices and attacked Simion, whose quick duck to the side saved him from harm. Simion's return blow failed to land.

With the ambushers now focusing on Simion, they forgot to defend themselves from Broneslav who focused on the person attacking Simion. His mighty blow cleaved the man in two. The follow through felled two more ambushers. This was too much for the remaining ambushers, who fled, pursued by the remaining beggars.

The aftermath

"Are you ok?" Broneslav asked.

"Yes," replied Simion, "We should get out of here."

"You're right, but first I need to check this man. He seems different from the rest. Better armed. More skilled."

Broneslav quickly checked the man's body. It turned out he was a red-headed man dressed in good quality mail and wielding a high quality mace. He was also wearing gloves of a strange design with sigils on the knuckles. Broneslav took these and the mace, quickly checked the other deceased, and cleaned his sword before sheathing it. He retied the peace bond.

Simion and Broneslav rushed through the back streets and were soon at the senator's house. Simion thanked Broneslav and handed him a purse containing 500 Royals. He left Simion at the senator's and considered his next move.

4 Klarmont - A Package

 The next day dawned rainy and grim. The Duke was massing soldiers to deal with the civil unrest. The populace was tense. It was a delicate situation and would not take much for things to go bad very quickly. However, for Broneslav it was business as usual. A message had arrived from Theosius.

Given that he was expecting trouble, Broneslav donned his armour, and slung his shield on his back. He belted his sword on but left the peace binding intact. For this, he would have to rely on his fists and a couple of hidden daggers if things got lethal.

The walk down to the docks went quickly. He could feel the tension in the city though. People were barely paying attention to their work, and many were just standing around on street corners talking quietly. It would not take much to trigger another riot, he thought.

The Jade Sea was a medium-sized cog like many in the harbour. The gangplank was guarded by a wizend old sailor with ragged trousers and bare feet.

"What d'ye want?" snapped the sailor as Broneslav approached. Manners and diplomacy were clearly not part of his skill set.

"I'm here to collect a package. Theosius sent me."

"Wait here!"

The old sailor trudged off. A few minutes later, he returned with another man in tow.

"Here's your package, ye lubber."

Broneslav looked confused. It took a moment to realise that the man was the package. He recognised this man as Simion Torenescu. Simion was from a different branch of the family, but was known to Broneslav because he was a statesman and part of the city government. Broneslav introduced himself.

"Ah, well met, young Broneslav. I trust you will convey me to Senator Eipistlo's house with all discretion."

Broneslav nodded assent and indicated that Simion should follow him. He knew the way to the senator's house and had mapped a route through the city in his head beforehand. Once clear of the docks, that route should be discrete enough, and, perhaps, easier given that his package was ambulatory.

The pair moved off the gangplank and onto the docks. Suddenly a gang of ragged roughnecks emerged from among the crates of goods that had been unloaded.

Broneslav's hand went to his dagger and he braced himself. Before he could draw, one of the men had dropped to one knee.

"Lord Simion, our sovereign master Prince Dimitrios, Ruler of the Beggars, sends us as his solemn oath of homage to the Torenescu. Receive us into your service, if it so please you."

This was news to Broneslav. He had never even heard a hint that the Torenescu family was allied with the Beggards.

Simion laughed gleefully. His face was wreathed in smiles."

"Welcome, Beggars, one and all. I gratefully accept your homage and accept you into my service. Come. We must go and quickly."

The party now numbered a dozen and was not going to be easily concealed, which had been Broneslav's first plan. Speed would now be of the essence.

The beggars formed up in a circle around Simion and Broneslav led the way. They walked quickly, ducking down alleys to avoid crowds that could permit assassins to get up close or that might slow them down. The journey was going smoothly. Too smoothly.

As they walked down yet another street that was empty of people, suddenly people in hoods leapt out from side alleys with daggers in hand ...

3 Klarmont - Hot trod

 As the young warrior leapt to his feet, he looked around. The orator was not in the one-room house which looked like no one actually lived there. A trapdoor in one corner of the room suggested to Broneslav that this was a secret entrance for the Veiled Society. They already had form for liking digging tunnels so it would not surprise him.

The trapdoor swung open easily. He took a quick look and then dropped through it, landing easily ten feet below. No one faced him or sought to stop him. Far down the passage below, a light bobbed, obviously carried by the troublemaker. Broneslav sprinted in pursuit, stumbling a little in the dark. However, he reached the end of the tunnel without incident. A ladder led upwards to another trapdoor that was just closing.

He launched himself up the ladder. At the top, the trapdoor resisted his initial attempt to open it. He took a deep breath, braced himself and then shoved harder. It flew open with a huge thud as it hit the ground. Broneslav agilely rolled up and through the trapdoor to face the rabblerouser he was chasing. The man froze in the act of trying to drag a chest towards the trapdoor.

The orator's hovel

Breathing hard from his sprint, Broneslav launched himself at the man. His iron-hard muscles pounded the slippery character to the ground and pinned him there. The man looked terrified, but there was nothing he could do. Broneslav was just too strong for him.

With space to think, the young hero looked around. He was in another one-room house like the one he had just been in. Clearly a way for the Veiled Society to cross the city without encountering the watch. There was no one else there, so the youthful warrior fixed his captive with a steely gaze that had seen more death in just a few months than most saw in a lifetime. The man recognised the danger he was in and started babbling his confession even before Broneslav could do anything.

"It was the Veiled Society! They paid me to do it," he blurted out, "Here, take the money, It's in my pouch. Just don't kill me, please!"

Broneslav ignored the offer of cash. He had enough of his own not to worry about a bit more just yet.

"Tell me more!" he growled.

"I don't know a lot. I just went to the meetings and was told to stir up some trouble. I don't know who anyone else is. Everyone wears robes and hoods. I couldn't even tell you how many are human. Look, if you want to find out more, the meetings are at the Blue Water Mead Hall on the waterfront. We are due to meet tomorrow night. There's a secret entrance just round the corner. You can find the others there. Might even catch Zachariah Boestes and Akarios the Shipwright there. They're the ones that killed Lucia Vorloi. I had nothing to do with that."

Broneslav grunted. Yes, he would go there on the morrow. He did not mention that one of these men was already in captivity. But first, he needed to deliver this man to the Tribune. This was a threat against his city and he would not permit this Veiled Society to destroy things.

3 Klarmont - I predict a riot

 His head ached after his trip to the wharf front where the taverns selling the wine had been. There was no way he could have sat in them without drinking and it had got a little out of hand in the fifth one. Fortunately, no one had taken exception to his presence or tried to mug him, so that was positive, if nothing else was.

One thing disturbed him. There had been ugly words said about Stephanos Torenescu. The commons seemed to be blaming Stephanos despite the Watch stating unequivocally that he was not even a suspect. Broneslav suspected that the Veiled Society might be stoking the fires here. This would bear investigating which meant more time down in the wharfside taverns. Broneslav headed for the kitchens to fortify himself with the greasiest fry-up he could persuade cook to prepare.

Filled with food guaranteed to prevent any ill effects from beer, Broneslav headed back to the wharfside taverns. He instantly noticed that the mood there was ugly. Tempers were frayed and arguments were frequent. Lucia Vorloi and Stephanos Torenescu were hot topics of discussion with many opining that he must have murdered her or had her murdered.

As the day wore on, people began gathering in the streets. Broneslav observed from the sidelines. It seemed to him that there must be people circulating and stirring things up, but he could not spot them. It got clearer when a man stood on a wagon back and started shouting to the crowd about the murder. The crowd turned and paid attention to him. A hush spread out over it as people focused on the speaker. There were occasional shouts of agreement. The man's speech laid the blame for Lucia's murder firmly at the feet of the Torenescu. Furthermore, he claimed that the Torenescu were behind the Veiled Society too.

Broneslav wandered the district and heard similar speeches in various places. Clearly, the Veiled Society was aiming to stir things up. It could be no coincidence that peopler were making the same speech in different places. By late afternoon, he had heard enough, but had not found the man he was seeking. He wondered if he might speak to one of the speechifiers in private a bit later. With that in mind, he decided to head home and return a bit later. No doubt there would be more of this sort of thing going on then.

His route home took him through a marketplace. The stalls were closed or closing down but there were still a lot of people here. They were listening to a man standing on a cart in the middle of the marketplace.

"And I tell you these Torenescu are dangerous," the man shouted to the crowd, " Do they care for you? No! Do they care for the safety of the common workers? No! They do not pay their share of taxes and they steal the food from your children's mouths to fatten themselves in luxury!"

There were shouts of agreement and the crowd was clearly ready for a fight. Broneslav edged towards the exit of the marketplace, trying not to draw attention to himself. As he did so, he heard a clatter of horses' hooves. The Duke's cavalry had arrived, ringing the marketplace.

Silence descended.

Despite the large crowd of people around him, Broneslav suddenly felt very alone when the cavalry turned up!

Three riders rode towards the centre of the marketplace.

The leader shouted, "In the name of the Duke disperse now!"

He got no further. A rock thrown from within the crowd struck the side of his helmet and knocked him out. As his body hit the floor, more rocks followed, another cavalryman fell, and then the remaining cavalry charged with naked swords. What followed was carnage. Cavalrymen and their horses were dragged to the ground by members of the crowd. Members of the crowd were trampled or cut down by the cavalry. The screams of the injured and dying quickly filled the place.

The orator jumped down from the cart and moved as quickly as he could through the crowd. Broneslav raced after him. A mounted member of the watch saw him and tried to ride him down. Broneslav ducked around the horse and was pushing his way through the brawl before the rider could turn and pursue him. The orator had a good lead now and it was hard to see him, but Broneslav still managed to keep an eye on the man.

Ahead, halberdiers from the Duke's garrison were closing off the streets leading into the marketplace. It looked like the area was going to become a killing ground.

The orator had reached the edge of the market place, and Broneslav saw him open the door to a small house and duck inside. The door closed and Broneslav was hard pressed to reach it, but he managed. It was locked by the time he got there though. Cursing, he stepped back and looked. The windows were shuttered on the inside. They would be easier to open than breaking down the door. He wedged his dagger in the gap between the two shutters and lifted it. The bar across the window held a moment, but then Broneslav's strength told and it shifted. The judicious application of one broad shoulder to the shutter, combined with moving the bar saw Broneslav tumbling through the newly opened window just as the shouts and screams of the combatants in the marketplace reached a new high.

The young warrior leapt lithely to his feet, ready to face the orator.

2 Klarmont - A mystery solved ... sort of

 When Broneslav announced himself at the Watch, the Tribune was relatively quick to see him. She took charge of the additional evidence that he had brought with him and listened to his story. It was clear that she was taking this seriously.

"So," began Broneslav, "I think we have a conspiracy to frame my relative for the death of Lucia Vorloi. I'm not sure why they were burying her in the basement though. That bit does not make sense to me. This group, The Veiled Society, wishes to stir up trouble for some reason and thinks that embroiling the Torenescu's in a feud with the Vorloi's will help achieve that end. All this digging tunnels just seems weird though. I don't get that."

"Yes," confirmed the Tribune, "That is what we have learnt from the man you caught, and the prisoners you rescued confirmed it too once we checked with them. We need to investigate this because it seems like a threat to the Grand Duchy and we cannot allow that. I can tell you that the man you captured is a dock worker, who was hired to kill Lucia Vorloi, but that he claims to have little idea of who hired him or why. It was just a job to earn some easy money as far as he was concerned. Thank you for your efforts. If you come across anything new, please report it. In the meantime, do try to stay out of trouble."

Connecting the dots, Broneslav now understood why there was pitch on the ladder and that also explained the connection to the wine he had found in Turano's guesthouse. His knowledge of trade in the city told him that it was sold only to a few waterfront taverns. With any luck, he might find the other man in one of those taverns, and that might be a lead to the bosses behind this murder. As someone without an official warrant, he reckoned he might pass for a civilian and mostly harmless, where the watch would just put others' backs up simply by being there. Time for a drink.

2 Klarmont - Under Turano's Guesthouse

 Broneslav pushed on through the tunnels and finally reached the end of them. They terminated suddenly with two incomplete passages that led from a last cellar. A large pile of dirt along the southern wall of this cellar showed that work had been ongoing until interrupted by the city's and Broneslav's investigations. Digging tools and wheelbarrows provided further evidence for the activity. They looked like they had been hastily abandoned. Perhaps the diggers had fled when they heard the guards coming, and had not returned. In the south-east corner of the room, there was a ladder leading up to a trapdoor.

With his investigation of the tunnel complete, Broneslav decided to try the trapdoor. This looked like the most likely place for a point of entry, compared to all the other cellars he had found, so there might be clues up above.

As silently as he could, Broneslav climbed the ladder and edged the trapdoor open a crack to spy out the area above. He heard nothing and could see no one. Flinging the trapdoor wide open, he leapt through the gap and rolled into the room, ready for a fight. There was no one there and he felt rather silly.

Looking around, Broneslav realised that he was in a one one-room cottage. The single room contained a bed, a chair and a desk. All had seen better days. Muddy tracks on the floor led from the door to the trapdoor.

He searched the room. A bottle of wine from the Trouscan Estates stood on the desk. It was half empty, or half full, depending upon your level of optimism. There was a black hood in the desk, of a type he recognised from his encounter with the two men from the Veiled Society. A few red hairs clung to its inside. The desk also contained a map of this area of the city. Several houses were marked on it: Fortunato's house, The Rattlebone Inn, Zweis Radu's house, and Baron Vorloi's guest house. Curiously, the house he stood in was not labeled. This suggested it was a base, and not a target, to Broneslav's suspicious mind.

Gathering the evidence together, Broneslav left the cottage. As he left, he found himself in town plot. The cottage lay behind a larger house in the plot. A man of substantial girth was butchering a pig in a workshop in one corner of the plot. Broneslav approached him.

"Excuse me. Is this your house?"

The man looked up suspiciously.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here? This is private property!"

"So, it's your house then. Who are you?"

"Whaddya mean, who am I? I'm Turano the Butcher. Everyone round here knows me. Who are you and what are you doing on my property?"

Turano waved the butchering knife threateningly at Broneslav, but not too threateningly, because he recognised the disadvantage that his lack of armour gave him.

Broneslav introduced himself, and his surname had an instant effect. Turano calmed down a lot. Broneslav then explained about the tunnels. Turano was clearly annoyed and shocked but he took it well when Broneslav told him that he needed to report this to the Watch and that they would almost certainly be round to check it out.

"Must have been that travelling blacksmith, Skevlos," Turano declared, "I rented the house to him, but he left yesterday. I don't know what's going on here, but I hope you manage to get to the bottom of it. I don't need that sort of trouble in my guest house."

Broneslav took his leave and headed for the Watch office. Perhaps they had further news from the man he had captured and this evidence would solve the mystery.

2 Klarmont - Underground again

 Considering his options, Broneslav decided that further investigation could wait while he visited Theosius the craftsman to find out what was needed. Then he would return and see if he could find out anything more.

Theosius, it turned out, did not need him immediately.

"Rum do, all this wit' murder o' Vorloi's niece," Theosius stated, "An' tryin' ta mix his lordship into it too. Not good. Now I've checked ye out, I'll send ye a message when I need ye. We've a bunch o' small jobs as might suit someone of your talents. Might just be lifting and carrying, Might be summat a bit more active. We'll see 'ow things fare."

Nodding his agreement to this, Broneslav left Theosius and returned to Goodwife Thanato's house, from where he entered the cellar and made his way back to Vorloi's basement. Thence, into Vorloi's house to search around again. He found nothing more in the house, but climbing back down the ladder into the cellar, he put his hand in something sticky. Checking it, it turned out to be pitch or something very similar. Clearly, one of the murderers had left traces of it on the ladder. But where had he got it on him? Broneslav's brain failed him (bloody dice!) and he could think of nowhere to start investigating that, so he decided to check the extent of the tunnels. There might be more clues there.

As he followed the tunnels, he realised that here was a group determined to literally undermine Specularum. His explorations found further cellars and more tunnels, but no more people. There were signs of people having been there, hastily abandoned shovels and wheelbarrows, but the people had clearly been disturbed by the guards' own investigations in the Vorloi cellar.

Broneslav quickly realised that these tunnels were limited to just this area. It made him wonder whether others existed around the city and why the Veiled Society was bothering. It was a lot of effort to go to for no clear purpose. Villains, eh? All grand schemes and no thought for efficiency!

His musings were interrupted by a chuckling sound as he entered a larger chamber covered in debris. It had once been the cellar of a house, but now it was filled with burnt out beams and was choked with rubble and dirt. A glowing, person-shaped light floated through the room. The sounds seemed to come from it. Broneslav paused warily, sword drawn, but the light ignored him and passed form the cellar. With it the sound disappeared too. He wondered who the ghost had been, but his ponderings were suddenly interrupted.

Something had grabbed his leg! Looking down, he saw it was a hand, and then several others thrust out of the ground, followed shortly by the rotting bodies they belonged to. The scent of the grave wafted to his nostrils as he felt himself being pulled down. He swung his sword hard. The zombie's head flew from its shoulders and the body slumped back to the floor. A second blow removed an arm from a second zombie. This zombie used the piece of floorboard in its other hand to smash Broneslav in the side. He grunted in pain as it hit with maximum force (4 DAM) but still dodged around the other zombie and avoided its attack. With a muttered curse, Broneslav swung high and his sword cleaved the injured zombie's head. It fell, twitching, to the floor. Then he stepped in close to the last zombie and removed its head too.

Spitting blood, he surveyed the room for more threats before bandaging his wound and preparing to continue his investigation.

2 Klarmont - Lore and Order

 Broneslav's discoveries caused uproar and Goodwife Thanato's house was soon packed with Watchmen, several of whom were sent into the cellar to investigate the tunnels.

Broneslav and his captive were taken to the Watchhouse to be questioned. Seated on a rough wooden chair behind a rough wooden table, Broneslav felt nervous, like he was the criminal here. He knew his family connections would prevent any miscarriage of justice, but it still felt more nervewracking than his first serious sword fight.

However, it turned out not to be that bad. The Watch had a priest of the Church of Karameikos present who vouched for Broneslav's version of events after communing with the gods. With that done, the Watch asked Broneslav to accompany a Tribune of the Watch to the scene of the crime, there to relate what he had seen and show how events had occurred. Two priests accompanied the Tribune, presumably to bear witness.

The Tribune

The Tribune led them to a house near Goodwife Thanato's. It was clearly the home of a well-to-do merchant or similar. Upon hearing that this was a the home of Fortunato Vorloi, Broneslav immediately recognised the name and guessed that the woman in the cellar was probably his daughter Lucia. More importantly, she was also the niece of Baron Vorloi. That did not clear up what was going on here, but it at least showed that there might be political motivation behind it. The involvement of the The Veiled Society, which he had previously been unaware of, suggested some kind of underground power struggle in progress.

As they entered Vorloi's house, they saw signs of struggle. Furniture was turned over and scattered on the floor. A search of the house found the entrance to the cellar in the kitchen. A signet ring lay on the floor near the cellar entrance, near a short length of bloodstained rope. Examining the ring, Broneslav noted that it was a Torenescu signet ring. He struggled to comprehend that any in his family could have acted in this extreme fashion. Even the vain Stephanos, whose advances Lucia had recently spurned, did not strike him as a man to resort to physical violence like this. His revenge would be more political.

The young warrior pondered for a moment. It seemed that no one had seen him pick up the ring, so he could hide it if he wished. His conscience got the better of him.

"I found this ring near the trapdoor," he announced as he handed it to the Tribune, who also took charge of the rope. The Tribune gave Broneslav a funny look. Was she not used to people being honest?

Further searching of the house found a bloody dagger. The Tribune spotted some red hairs dried in the blood. Bloodstains on the floor were intermingled with another brownish liquid.

"Interesting," mused Broneslav, "The man I captured has red hair. And, look here! The bloodstains have been smeared and rubbed away a bit. It looks like the victim tried to write something in her own blood ... BAD ... BAO ... RAD ... RAO? Hmm, hard to see what it is meant to say. No doubt all will become clear in due time."

"We have the information we need from here. I shall return the evidence to the Watchhouse," declared the Tribune, "Don't leave town, Torenescu. This ring suggests one of your kith or kin was involved, though we have cleared you personally, and we shall need to speak to you again."

The Tribune ushered Broneslav out of the house and locked the door behind her. Broneslav stood on the street and considered his options. Should he go late to his appointment, or dared he take time to investigate further first?

2 Klarmont - Mud, glorious mud

 Broneslav considered his options and decided to explore further before delivering his prisoner to the Watch. The man's companion could be waiting upstairs to kill him as he climbed through the trapdoor. Moreover, the Watch would be all over this place once he reported the body, so he would not be able to explore further. Better then to explore further and find an alternative exit where he could backtrack to the house and perhaps surprise the other murderer.

Broneslav pushed the man ahead of him into the tunnel.

"Try to run," he declared, "and it will be the last thing you ever do."

He was relying on the man's bound hands and a measure of fear to keep the man slow and in order. That and the small tunnel should make life easier.

The winding tunnel opened out once more into a rather larger chamber filled with ankle-deep mud. The roof was shored up with beams and planks but mud still seeped between the gaps and dripped on those in the chamber. Three half naked, wretched looking men were shoveling while three armoured Hobgoblins kept guard. Suddenly, one of the men saw Broneslav and his captive. He dropped his shovel and waded across the chamber as fast as he could.

"Help us! Please help us!"

The foul guards immediately drew their weapons and charged. Broneslav quickly unslung his shield and kicked his captive into the middle of the room as the Hobgoblins neared him. His sword sliced through the air and in three swift strokes he had killed all three Hobgoblins, their lifeblood staining the mud red.

The prisoners fell to their knees in the mud.

"Thank you, thank you. We have been kept digging here against our will for ages. We have not seen the sun since we were captured! Will you help us to safety?"

Broneslav gave the men the Hobgoblins' swords and instructed them to guard his prisoner as he led the way back to the surface.

The group made their back to Goodwife Thanato's cellar where Broneslav directed them all up into the old woman's house.

"I have found the cause of the noises you heard, Goodwife Thanato," he announced, "It was not ghosts but evil-doers whose purposes I am unclear about. This man is one of them. He and his accomplice were set to bury a young woman under a house north of yours. Be so good as to call the Watch while I guard this man and learn what I can of these others whom I rescued."

The old woman scuttled off after the Watch and returned shortly with two Watchmen in tow. Broneslav explained his errand into the cellar, and the events he had borne witness to. He told of the body in the cellar and how he had found his captive burying it. Throughout all this, the captive was much less voluble and threatening, but there was still a calculating look in his eyes. Perhaps these Watchmen had not been bribed, but it seemed certain that others would have been. The man was maybe waiting for one of these.

Upon hearing Broneslav's tale, the Watchmen agreed that one of them should fetch a superior officer. There was much to investigate here. One of the Watchmen left and ordered Broneslav to wait until the officer had returned.

Keeping his lunchtime appointment in mind, Broneslav asked that a message be sent to his father and to Theosius the craftsman about what was going on. It seemed unlikely that he would make the appointment yet, now that the Watch was involved.

2 Klarmont - Under the floors

 With nothing to indicate which direction he should choose, Broneslav headed north. The passage was very low, barely four feet high, so he wound up crouching and crawling along it. As he progressed, the odour of ordure became stronger and stronger. It was enough to turn a person's stomach. He soon found the cause. Down a small side passage, the floor of a cistern had collapsed and the small room at the end of the passage was now a stinking mass of rotting, runny sewage.

Broneslav backed up quickly and continued northwards. At a Y-junction in the passage, he turned left, but then had to back up again when he reached a dead end. The passage to the right led to another junction. He could either climb down the ladder there to a passage heading south or continue north. He headed north once more. Ahead, he could see light filtering through gaps in the crates stacked against the exit from the passage. He stopped at the entrance and tried to peer through the gaps. He could hear the sound of digging and voices.

"Come on. I think this is deep enough. Let's get it buried and go." A man's voice.

Another man, "No, I want to make it a bit deeper. Nobody must ever find this but us."

The digging noises continued.

"Well," thought Broneslav, "That sounds shady as the depths of Limbo."

With that thought, he leapt into action. Thrusting powerfully through the crates that blocked the passage, he charged into the room. The cellar he was now in was lit by a lantern and filled with cured meats hanging from the ceiling as well as crates and sacks along the walls. As well as the tunnel he had entered by, there was another tunnel leading out of the cellar to the north-east.

Two hooded men stood with shovels in hand and a suspiciously corpse-like bundle beside them. Broneslav punched one of the men in the face, knocking him backwards. The other man sprang for the ladder to the trapdoor above and scuttled up it like the hounds of Hel were chasing him. His companion followed. Broneslav leapt after him. He grabbed the man's leg and pulled hard. The man lost his grip on the ladder and fell heavily to the floor. He did not move after that.

Climbing the ladder with the other man possibly waiting at the top seemed risky, so Broneslav chose to investigate this cellar. He checked the man first and found that he was merely unconscious. This hooded stranger would have a large lump on his head when he awoke. His nose was also bloody where Broneslav had punched him. Seeing that he was still alive, Broneslav hogtied the man and turned to the bundle the two men were burying. It contained the corpse of a young woman. Fresh. This boded ill.

A groan caught his attention. The man he had captured was coming to. Broneslav squatted next to the hogtied man.

"Who is this and what are you up to?"

The man spat blood and looked him in the eye, "You'd better let me go, or it will go the worse for you."

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"Seriously, kid, let me go or the Veiled Society will give you a good seeing to. Your pappa may have bought you the fancy kit, but you ain't nothing compared to us."

"Really, you think I'm afraid of a bunch of lurkers in the shadow who murder young women?"

"I'm warning you, kid!"

"Fine," Broneslav concluded, "Maybe if you won't talk to me, you'll talk to the authorities instead."

The man continued to threaten him, but Broneslav paid no heed. His only concern was whether he should finish checking out these tunnels or take the man to the authorities immediately.

2 Klarmont - A task

 The next day, a letter was delivered to Broneslav's house.

"Son, there is a letter for you from Aleksandar Torenescu," announced his father as if Broneslav had not seen the messenger arrive and announce just this same thing. The look on his father's face was one of pride. It had never been likely that his own son would come to the notice of the leader of the Torenescu clan. And certainly not at such a young age!

The letter, written by a functionary and not the great man himself, commended Broneslav for his actions the day before and offered him some employment with the clan. He was to report to a local craftsman and woodworker called Theosius this day. Theosius would have tasks for him that would benefit all of them. The appointment was fixed for lunchtime.

"Looks like I have some work to do here, father," Broneslav told him and handed the letter over for his father to read.

At the same time as he did that, there was a commotion at the door. An elderly lady was frantically trying to get past the door guard and yelling something about ghosts in her cellar. The guards were holding her back but she was clearly in a terrible state. Recognising her as one of the family's clients, a poor old woman called Goodwife Thanato, who had previously worked for Broneslav's family in some function or another that he could not remember, Broneslav went to find out what was going on. Dealing with the family's clients was the sort of job that usually fell to the youngest adult, so he was making a virtue of necessity by actively looking into this, and he might earn credit with the family for doing so instead of waiting to be told to do it.

"Sir, there are ghosts in my cellar. Please do something. I fear for my life!" She cried when she saw him.

Musing that it would be a poor thing if the family left its clients to fend for themselves with the lack of resources they all had, Broneslav reassured the woman that he would investigate. He asked her to wait while he gathered what he might need for the job. With any luck, it would be just rats and he could employ a ratcatcher to sort them out, but recent experience had taught him that things were not always that simple.

As they walked back to her hovel, Goodwife Thanato explained between sobs that she had heard voices from her cellar. They were muffled but distinctly human or humanoid.

"I fear they are demons wishing to take me to their infernal lairs, good sir."

When they arrived, Broneslav promptly climbed down the rickety ladder into Goodwife Thanato's cellar. Removing the cover from his shield, he was able to see clearly by its light. He was standing in a dirt cellar. It was dry and smelled earthy, funnily enough. A rat, disturbed by his entrance, scuttled to the south-west corner and disappeared from sight behind one of the many sacks piled along the walls.

There was no way the rat's scuttling and sqeaking could sound human, so he began a thorough check of the cellar. His sharp eyes quickly noticed that two areas of the cellar showed unusual wear. Although the hard-packed floor did not yield signs of footprints, the dust and dirt had been disturbed in an odd pattern in the north-west corner and towards the centre of the south side. Pulling sacks away from the wall at these points revealed small passages leading away into the dark. These were no rat runs. So, there really was a mystery to solve here. The question was, which direction should he try first?

1 Klarmont - The Festival of Lucor

Although this next adventure takes place in Specularum, the capital of Karameikos, I have not yet made a map of my own for it. It's on the list! Details about Specularum can be found online fairly easily. Threshold Magazine has an issue dedicated to the city, and the Vaults of Pandius have various pages describing it. There is also a map of the city on the Vaults of Pandius. Feel free to read this narrative in conjunction with these sources, which largely conform to the background I am trying to stick to, although my game will differ in detail because Broneslav is not necessarily a reliable narrator.

Broneslav had enjoyed the chance to relax for a while, even if he did have to get involved with the family business for part of it, and he was looking forward to the Festival of Lucor. It took place every year on the official first day of summer. It promised to be a good one this year for the weather was especially good and omens suggested that there would be a bumper harvest.

Broneslav Torenescu, Aged 16

When he emerged from his house, the festival was in full swing already. Music played, acrobats, mimes, and other artistes performed. People were talking excitedly and wandering around in their best clothes. Those who had the money bought sweetmeats from market stalls, while other more impecunious types snaffled them where they could. These latter suffered the blows and buffets of outrageous fortune when caught, while the stallholders from whom they pilfered cursed them. The smells of sewage, grilled meats, spiced breads, sweat, wine and beer all mingled into one glorious odour that informed Broneslav's nose that he was home. He wandered the city and drank in the sights and smells.

As he sampled a spiced bun from a nearby stall, Broneslav noticed the crowd in the street pushing back to the buildings on either side. The noises faded and were replaced by bells and chanting. Statues carried by several people swayed above the heads of the crowd. Priests of Traladara followed behind, carrying a sedan chair on their shoulders.

"The procession is coming," came from the throats of many bystanders. The excitement was palpable. Here came the statue of Lucor that would be floated out to sea. Broneslav knew that it was a distant relative of his who would lead the Procession this year, Lady Magda. That must be her in the sedan chair.

Suddenly everything went quiet as the procession stopped. Three men were arguing in the street ahead of the Procession.

"What?" said a small, plump man to the leading cleric, "You Torenescu scum think you own this street! There's room for all of us and no need for your overbearing ways here."

The lead bearer looked contemptuously at the other man, "Out of the way of the Procession of Lucor, Radu rabble."

A tall, lean man who stood beside the plump man sneered at the bearer and spat on the statue of Lucor, "That old fool? Don't make me laugh!"

The lead bearer struck the tall man with his rod of office and knocked him into the filth of the street. The smaller man tensed and put his hand to his dagger.

At this point, Broneslav intervened. Stepping between the two factions.

"Sirs," he said to the two troublemakers, "I think it best that you make way for the procession. Or would you like to take this discussion outside the city where we can, umm, 'discuss' more freely?"

He moved his hand to the bound sword at his side, and the gaze of the two men followed this movement. They took in the well-used weapon and the coldness in the young man's eyes. Then they thought twice. Even as young as he was, Broneslav looked like more trouble than a pampered temple cleric.

"Hah," sneered the smaller man, "You think you're something, don't you? We'll deal with you later."

The two men scuttled off.

"Thank you, young man," said the lead bearer and the procession carried on its way.

As the sedan chair passed him, Broneslav noticed the Lady Magda appraising him. She nodded in his direction and then disappeared out of sight as the crowd refilled the streets.