The Prophet of Grunwald - Session 7 - Take Us to Your Demon Books!

River Warden Jaromir brought the companions into the Red Orc and began interrogating them, although his bluster was cut short by Olesya's glare (and a sudden drop in temperature). He revealed that he had ordered the port closed and a search for the beast that had slain the Lebziak family would begin shortly. He also admitted he was seriously undermanned and extracted an offer of assistance from Olesya. It also came to light that the entire crew of the ferry that brought Yuric to town had been slaughtered on the river -- apparently by the same beast.

Olesya sought more information and asked Jaromir to bring her to a library. He suggested the personal library of Viktor Carro, one of the town's prominent citizens (and a former mayor who, Jaromir reports, wishes to be mayor again). The Carro home stood right next to the Red Orc facing the town square (and was, Yuric remembered, the house Stephanie Grasserman had tried to go to for shelter when she was separated from her family, only to be rejected).

Jaromir led Olesya, Yuric, Berend, and Siegfried to the Carro home, which forced them to push through the growing crowd in the town square. They noted the Rosabella and Father Thomas were both still present and preaching to the crowd.

Although Viktor's ancient valet Rupert attempted to hold them at the door, Jaromir pushed his way into the Carro home. Viktor Carro was hardly pleased to see a panoply of miscreants arrive in his home, but backed down after they identified themselves as Jaromir's deputies.

While Yuric noted a large number of valuables in the library, Olesya hit the books. Although the library collection was largely mundane, she did find some references in tomes of local history and forest bestiaries of occasional brushes with Chaos forces in the town. Everything was vague stories, however, extremely short on specifics. Passing references to nightmarish creatures called flesh hounds caught her attention, but these seemed far more monstrous than the dogs in the Lebziak home. Finally, she interrogated Viktor himself, who confessed the only tomes with more detail would be in the main Temple of Sigmar in town.

Olesya, followed by Yuric, Berend, and Siegfried, made her way to the Temple of Sigmar, arriving about one hour before sunset. Although a healthy number of people seemed to be bent in prayer outside the temple, only a few were in the main chamber itself. There, the companions were greeted by the young acolyte Gerald, who quickly called over the main priest, Father Manfred. (It was at this point that Yuric asked that they be taken "to your demon books.") Although seemingly open, Father Manfred was clad in the armored robes of his order and held a more-than-ceremonial hammer.

Olesya explained that they were acting on River Warden authority and needed access to the archives to prevent a threat to the city. Father Manfred wanted to know more, saying he should be protecting his flock and seemed to question the party's status as deputies. Nevertheless, he indicated they should follow him through a passage, purportedly to the archive.

As the four "deputies" followed Father Thomas, only Yuric noticed that the priest was muttering a prayer under his breath and that his hammer was beginning to glow with power. Yuric reacted using his best negotiating technique and delivered a strong rabbit punch to the priest's wrist -- sending the hammer clattering to the ground. He then swept the weapon up himself, in time to see the last vestiges of the holy glow fade from it.

Father Thomas, for his part, called out -- loudly and clearly this time -- for help.

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