5 Vorhexen
Nuln was a disappointment. No jubilant minions cheering my arrival - they've all gone back north again to Liberungen. Even Renate and her colorful little boat had gone up the canals. I should be glad, I suppose, but it would have been nice to see a few friendly faces.
No Kurfürstin von Liebwitz either. She had was at her family's lands down by Meissen. So I decided to pay her my respects.
7 Vorhexen
Helped the Lord Seal deal with a grain-related problem. It started with pestilence, but investigation showed it to be related not to a contagion, but spoiled gain. Someone (or somethings) had contaminated the gain stores with sewage. The rat-men again? Or more human enemies? Greedy servants had then sold some of the seemingly fine grains instead of tipping the lot into the Reik. The result: disease.
Sometimes I amaze even myself with my wit and deductive powers.
With this cleared up we're free to proceed.
9 Vorhexen
We kept west of the Reik on our way south. It was a dreary journey. Ill weather, worse roads. In a sense the winter is better up north. There you gets snow and stuff freezes solid. This far south it's sleet and mud. No wonder the Countess didn't bother going back to Nuln!
11 Vorhexen
Ankh fell of his horse a few hour's ride past the village of Owingen. One minute he was fine, the next he was face down in the mud. We got him to the nearest coaching in (Gods he's a big man) and sent for the village doctor. He turned out to a she: an elderly (by my standards even) lady by the name of Sabine Hofstadter, trained at the University of Nuln, sent packing from the city after one too many cries of malpractice.
Ankh has a condition of the heart. It's his size, you see. The human heart is not strong enough to endure such greatness. He's fine - for now - but needs to rest in the sun. But sooner or later it'll happen again - sooner if he exerts himself - and one day, it'll kill him. Who knew the heart was such a complicated thing? A stab or a shit through the heart will kill you - but apparently so will a great many other ailments of the heart.
We had a good long talk, me and the big man. About the sun and life and how it'll all work out as long as we keep to the light. Got hold of an old carriage and sent him back home under guard. He's not fit to travel with us at the moment.
12 Vorhexen
Arrived at Meissen. Not sure what I had expected. Something bigger and livelier? What we got was a run-of-the-mill village clustered around an old family castle. Welcome to the Duchy of Meissen, once part of the realm of Solland. Does that mean von Liebwitz is actually a Sollander? I have to ask her.
Note: apparently there is also a town called Meissen that sits of the River Söll, just a few hours ride from here.
Picked up Bernt Heimler, a down-on-his-luck (read: couldn't get an appointment to present his wares to the Countess, also got robbed of his coin by the very men he'd hired as bodyguards) clothes merchant, and his assistant, young Frederick. I took it upon myself to reverse his fortunes. And the only thing I ask in return: a pretty dress for the elven lady at my side.
Called at the castle. Got settled. Got invited for a fine dinner with the Countess and a bunch of strangers. She already had quite a bit of company - but in the end, she chose the Wigmar.
I got back to my quarters well after midnight, so technically it's the 11th. I was feeling kind of funny. On account of having been poisoned during dinner. Apparently, I could have died. Thesalva told me so. Fortunately for me, Thesalva admitted to having slipped me poison on a daily basis for quite a while. So now I've built up quite the resistance to many common toxins. She's a woman of many talents my elf is.
Now she'll dress like a common maid and go snoop around while I take a really long nap...
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