Session Sixteen

The sixteenth session of Adventures of the Dragon Crag was on the 16th January 2022.

## Party Members Present

* Brandr Sigurdson
* Snorri Morgrimson
* Relnwe Adiath
* Professor Meino Osterhaus (Late)
* Aleksi Lehtonen
* Ranulf Schwarz (Late)

## Synopsis

### Two Weeks Off

We were all pretty drained after our foray into the Ruins, so we decided to take a two week break to see to our own business in Deadgate and Skalfs Hold. We spent much of this time selling off all the loot and goodies we pilfered in the Ruins but we also got our creative mitts on.

#### Selling things

We had a bunch of loot, some of which we used as materials for smithing. We sold a lot of it to Grundi (who's a bit of an ungrateful bastard by the way), but Rel had a plan to sell some leather off for more than it was worth. She and Snorri went to Zambor's Well and convinced four miserable adventurers to buy the lot as everyone needs a spare set of leather armour. We sold the lot for 8gc and Snorri immediately put his 2gc on the Leather Boys not coming back from the Ruins in the Golden Mug.

#### Getting our Creative Mitts on

Snorri made a weapon called an Azthrund and worked on Our House; Brandr made an excellent warhammer and sent a missive to Clan Thorekson, explaining the deaths of their naughty members; Aleksi talked to some children and was beaten with a stick by Stefano until he could hit better with sticks himself; Rel made a map of the Ruins we had explored thus far and was also beaten by Stefano's stick, although she did it until she could dance and prance away from said stick; the Professor disappeared for a couple of days and came back smelling more of books than he usually does.

### Of Nikolai and Criminal Kislevis

#### Missing Nikolai and Finding Ranulf

Since we had arrived together on the caravan from Zenres, Aleksi had been mumbling about some missing bloke called Nikolai. As we sat around the table in the mess, Aleksi told us of this Nikolai he searching for. Nikolai was Aleksi's cousin and was sent forward as a scout from their Kislevian home to look for food and trade routes because, as we all know, Kislev is up the shitter. However, Nikolai had disappeared. Aleksi also told us of a man name Casimir, the Master of the Deadgate Orphanage who told him that the Ice Maiden may have something to do with Nikolai's disappearance. Just as we were having this conversation, Ranulf showed up at the door and told us that he had 'accidentally' been taken in by a crime family. Anyway, we decided to help Aleksi look for his cousin.

#### A Gateway to the Truth

Snorri thought that there might be some records of Nikolai's entry in Deadgate as everyone one had to pay a toll to get in. Thus, we headed to the Western Gate that led to Dragon Tail's Pass. There we talked to one of the guards who said he would help us. Aleksi told him Nikolai's name and said he arrived about 3 months ago. The guard then fetched a book nearly as large as himself (we were not allowed to look in it) and found Nikolai's name in this large ledger. He said that Nikolai had come into the city in a caravan last year on the 20th of Fornhekes and has not since left. Aleksi then decided to reveal to us that Casimir, the man who had helped him earlier, wanted to speak to him again. Thus, it was decided that Aleksi and Rel would head to the orphanage, whilst the rest of the party went to Dotri's Caravan Office to see if we could find out if Nikolai had any caravan compatriots who might help us find him.

#### Deadgate Orphanage

Aleksi and Rel headed to the orphanage where they were shown to Casimir by one of the orphans. Casimir called Aleksi impatient as Aleksi had asked some child to look into the Ice Maiden for him. He then said he had news: he had heard tales of someone being held. On the outskirts of Deadgate there is a place that Dmitri of the Ice Maiden uses as a warehouse for things he wants kept secret. Casimir said to go there to either 'question' or steal information. Aleksi asked where this information came from and Casimir told Aleksi to be discreet. Casimir said he became friends with Nikolai because he was the only other Kislevian who was not a criminal or an awful thug. He also said that they had both known the warmth of Olga. Casimir said that Nikolai had sought refuge at the orphanage as he had beef with Dmitri - the Ice Maiden crew attempted to rob Nikolai, Casimir then began talking about taxation - Dmitri is a fence who circumnavigates the tax on loot from the Ruins, probably by using a secret entrance, and who has connections with other fences including the Meanest Dwarf. Casimir took issue with Dmitri, not because of his tax-free tunnels, but because Dmitri's a grade A cunt.

#### Dotri's Caravan Office

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang went up to Skalf's Hold to Dotri's offices. There we met with Grundi Fennisson and told him of our search for Nikolai. We asked if he had any information on the other people who came in on the caravan. He brought out a large ledger and the Professor asked a boring question about the indexing system because he's a massive nerd. After a brief argument about indexing systems, Grundi brought in two dwarfs who had been on the caravan with Nikolai. They identified two people who were close with Nikolai: Reinhardt Borman and a man named Begehren. At this point Ranulf sidled off, probably because he couldn't stand the Professor's interminable chat about indexing systems.

### A Wizard and a Warehouse

We reconvened at Our House where we found Ranulf digging in the basement. and discussed what we had found. After much deliberation were decided to go to Dmitri's Warehouse.

#### Small Pricks and Wizard Tricks

The warehouse was far to the west ion the outskirts of Deadgate. Here there were several large warehouses where goods from the caravans got processed before it went into the city itself. We saw the warehouse in question and the Professor came up with a cunning plan. He asked for a hair from each of us and was naturally presented with four pupes. Then he approached the warehouse. The building was made mostly of wood but had a stone foundation. It had a few entrances. The Professor knocked on the largest - a cart entrance. There was no answer so he knocked on one of the smaller entrances. A man answered the door and the Professor asked him if this was the Public Records Office. The man said "no, fuck off." He did not have a Kislevi accent. The Professor knocked again and said he'll pay 2gc if he will show him the way to the Public Records Office in Skalf's Hold. The man gleefully agreed and shouted to others in the warehouse that he'll be back in a sec. The prof then said he needed a piss in an alley and he attempted to cast a spell - a spell which he inevitably failed. He was blasted against a wall and the man from the warehouse rushed over to see the prof on his arse. He asked who attacked him and the prof said that he has the clap and the piss was too much for him this time. At this point, the rest of us block the entrance to the alley. The man turned to run away out the other end of the alley and Rel and Aleksi gave chase. Rel nearly caught up while Aleksi tripped over the Prof because he spent two weeks getting hit by Stefano's stick. Rel chased the man down another alley, but Snorri and Brandr had circled round to block his escape. Rel used her bow to sweep the man's legs out from under him and his head quickly approached Brandr's moving warhammer. His skull was slightly dented.

#### Fun in the Basement

We wrapped the unconscious man in a cloak and took him back to Our House. We took him to the basement and theatrically set out torture implements in front of him. Aleksi began the questioning. He asked if they had any captive kislevians. The man said no, but they did have captives who were held outside Deadgate in a forest camp where they also kept their loot. He said the camp was well guarded. Then things got silly. Snorri threatened the man with his pistol and the Prof magically made himself look like the man. As a result, the man went quite mad and we had to to execute him. We disposed of the body in the night.

We were left with some burning questions: is Nikolai in this forest camp? What did the Professor really do with those pubes?