2 Brauzeit cont.
A most dashing rescue commenced. I was forced to shoot one fleeing cultist dead in the middle of the palace. This caused some amount of chaos but with the captain vouching for me we managed to reach the chambers of Emmanuelle von Liebwitz, Kurfürstin von Wissenland, Gräfin von Nuln, and Herzogin von Meissen the Elector Countess of the Grand Province of Wissenland. None too soon I might add.
I quickly stated my business and convinced her of my good intentions towards Nuln and it's ruler. All present parties were ordered to strip, myself included, and inspected for physical signs of corruption. None were found, so were were safe for the time being. A similar check was extended to all servants, guards, retainers, and members of the household.
Emmanuelle von Liebwitz is a quite agreeable woman. Attractive despite her years (it must be said she doesn't look a day older than thirty, if that), clever, witty, and dare I say, playful. I'd like to think of that night as the start of a long and fruitful friendship. Did we make sweet love on that night? I would never tell and neither would the guards and servants present in the room. Let's leave it at that.
3 Brauzeit
I got a fine seal on a ribbon from my new friend, Herr Junker, the Master of the Seal. It's good for the duration of my stay, no need to get it renewed. Brought a warrant for the ogre's release to the prison and had him released. He was very happy to get out. I offered him a place in my household and he gladly accepted.
After attending some other business, which included checking up on my dwarfs (doing fine - although that would soon change) and First Magister Frimm (who had some rather interesting names for me, including the name of the guard that had tried to murder me, a courtier named Mautzer that had already been checked, and Gregor, envoy - I guess ambassador - form the Moot), before meeting Wolfgang Hertz, the chief of rat-catchers (I guess someone must have such a title in a city as big and rat-infested as Nuln).
One more thing: I had little success with the local dwarfs when I tried to rouse them. Cowards and drunkards the lot of them. Told them as much to their bearded little faces. Only a single dwarf, Sturm Blackaxe joined my cause - and that was because he found my shaming of the city dwarfs amusing rather than for any great love for my cause. Dwarfs.
I would have liked nothing better than to never set foot in the sewers but von Liberungen leads from the front. Into the sewers I went with a few choice companions and Rick watching the exit (he was too big to fit). We went down during the night as it seemed the most likely time to catch the skaven about. Long story short: we found and killed a single rat-man but found no sign of their lair. Not a complete was but rather disappointing.
4 Brauzeit
After a good scrub I returned to my dear Emmanuelle von Liebwitz in the early hours of the morning (more like noon) to present her with my findings: rats in the pantry so to speak. And who do I find in her chamber but another rat? The vile cultist (though I readily admit a most well-trained and handsome man) named by Frimm: Freiherr Mautzer. I called him out. He tried to slink away but the countess would have none of it: a duel would determine right or wrong in this matter. Long and short steels, bare chests, to the death. We fought on the balcony and he was quite the swordsman but Philippe - curse his name - has trained me well and I ran the bastard through and threw him from the balcony.
Note to self: check up on the halfling envoy.
I spent some time in von Liebwitz's charming company, sharing with her my idea: dam the river, divert water into the sewers, flush out the rat-men. She was not as exited as I had hoped. Something something great damage to the city, something something unhappy rich people. I suppose I see her point: if it was my mansion filling with sewage from below I would be most cross.
At the same time, she wanted dead rat-men and their tails to prove it. I had not the heart to tell her no, so into the sewers once more. But before that I took the opportunity to see to my other affairs. My credit was starting to dry up but with with Master of the Seal on my side my writ with Nacht's seal regained its power. Recruitment resumed, the flow of equipment resumed, the innkeeper didn't toss out into the streets, and everyone was happy again. Except Greathammer's dwarfs who had contracted some disease and were therefore of no use.
The city dwarves, however, did come through this time. The head of a skaven, put on a tavern table, was what convinced them to stop drinking and moaning, and grab their arms and don their armor. They may be cowards and weaklings, hardly worthy of being dwarfs, but they have not forgotten the old enemies like we humans have.
5 Brauzeit
On the 5th of the Brewing Month, while the rest of Nuln was busy with Market Day, we descended into the bowels of the city. Von Liberungen, his loyal Thesalva and other henchmen, a contingent of city dwarves (and the Blackaxe), a trio of rat-catchers to guide us. Funny how the rat-catchers had known about the skaven all along but told no one. Because no one wanted to listen. At best you'd get ignored, ridiculed, or chased out of town. At worst you'd get arrested for inciting unrest. Harsh penalties for that in any city.
We rummage around for hours not fading a single rat-man. All day into the evening. It was not until I diverted from the main party with Thesalva and subsequently got a little bit lost that we ran into trouble. It was very dark to begin with and with no daylight we were almost blind. Even Thesalva could hardly see. We stumbled into a pocket of foul fumes we had avoided earlier and bumped into a few skaven. We slew them quickly and stumbled out of the areas, eyes stinging, throats raw.
That's when I realized: the skaven were using the fumes to hide. No one could live within the could of gas so the rat-catchers avoided them. The entrance to their lair lay within. I also most cleverly deduced another fact: the rat-men had used gas on Rock to knock him out. That's why he had fainted. My streak of brilliance did not end with that: I used my lantern to set fire to the gas, burning it away and giving us safe passage.
I'll not bore you with details of the battle that followed. Suffice to say than I and Thesalva took point and slew many rat-men in the pitch-black tunnels. They only light we had was from rocks the skaven carried around their necks, charms that produced a fait green-tinged illumination. Enough for Thesalva and the rats to see by, but not for me. Something wonderful happened then: Ankh-Akh save my actions and knew they were just and he knew my heart was good and so he sent me light to see by.
Wounds we took aplenty. Beautiful Thesalva was felled by cruel blades of pitted iron. I fought with the strength of an ogre to keep our assailants at bay, waiting for the dwarves to come to our aid. They finally did when we were both hovering near Morr's door. I put and end to the skaven menace by tossing an entire satchel of grenades down the main hallway. It collapsed, burying the rat-men forever. With my last bit of strength I hauled my dying sea-elf princess to safety.
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