Episode 11 : Grimbol - Sorcerer And Dilettante
 

When Blue Bigfoot left the Inn he saw a figure in the shadows of a doorway. The man looked like he had had too much to drink as he swayed slightly but he was definitely watching the Restless Pig from his vantage point. Also the manner of his dress set him apart from the ordinary locals, this man was well dressed his cloak and hat were of fine material and would cost more than most people in this area could spend in a year. As the halfling watched he raised a flask to his lips and drank. Blue Bigfoot ducked around the back of the Inn to where Vernon Zarck waited, here he told him of the watcher out the front. The pair decided to take him back with them to the hideout in the sewer to get information on the Coven.

The capture of the man was performed fairly painlessly. Grimbol was easily overpowered because he was not pretending to be in an intoxicated state. Grimbol's most noticeable features up close were those of his bulbous red nose and that he reeked of wine. A swift crack across the back of the head felled him, then with one person grabbing his feet and the other his shoulders, the two manoeuvred him down the street and into the sewer proper. The entrance to the sewer was down a blind alley, so that there would not be much traffic. Grimbol was lowered down and they joined the others down here.

Grimbol had a bucket of water thrown over him to wake him up. The interrogation of Grimbol began. Serra Ibin Raaviat cast truth on Grimbol so he could not lie. Grimwold Mindbreaker, Crayg Rydorsson and Serra Ibin Raaviat asked most of the questions, Vernon Zarck and Garack provided the intimidation when needed. The halfling grimaced as he watched. Grimbol told us that we had all been marked for death, but we had been told as much in the scroll earlier this morning. When pressed he also revealed the members of the Coven or at least the nine that had been left once Hashem had finished with the original twelve of them. The members of the Coven in order of importance were,

  1. Brenda Thumb-Daughter - Sorceress and Northman Consul's Wife
  2. Hath the Seer - Sorcerer and Senior Adviser to the City Council
  3. Dram Earthguard - Sorcerer and Son of a East Rose Lord
  4. Asvena Harda-Daughter - dead - Magician and Entertainer
  5. Grimbol the Old - Magician and Apothecarist
  6. Crayg Spicemaster - dead - Magician and Merchant
  7. Koormana Jafnari - dead - Sorceress and Entertainer
  8. Sabritee Jafnari - Magician and Entertainer
  9. Grimbol - held - Sorcerer and Dilettante

Grimbol told us how Brenda Thumb-Daughter was the leader of the Coven and she controlled what it did most of the time. He told how she was the wife of the Northman consul to the city and had desires to bring Middleburg into the fold of the Kingdom of the Cold North. Hath the Seer used his skill to spy on those that would oppose the Coven. Dram Earthguard was a really nasty piece of work with a evil temper and half crazy as well. He had a dagger that would inflict wounds that could not be healed by normal means, you didn't want a dagger fight with him. Grimbol the Old was getting past it but he had a passion for collecting items that were cursed and selling or passing them on to the unsuspecting, his Apothecary shop also provided all manner of potions and poisons for the Coven's use.

Koormana and Sabritee Jafnari were twin sisters from one of the Royal houses in the Eastern lands but who were now fugitives because of there insistent practise of cannibalism. You didn't even want to be invited to one of their dinners as you might have ended up as the main course. Finally there was Grimbol, a man who has fallen in with the wrong crowd and cannot get out, a man now more interested in the wine of his hipflask than much else.

So now we knew the identities of our enemies, we just needed to find them. Grimbol was able to provide some information on possible locations where the Coven met. Grimbol indicated that the Coven House down by the docks was the main area. He indicated that the Ibn-Fatwaani was also a place, the crew were in the employ of the Coven, they transported stolen material, magical goods and illicit material between various ports in the East. They used a ring route course of Middleburg, a city in the Kingdom of the Black Rose and the Far East Kingdoms. Funnily enough the ship used to belong to Hexgora a hundred or two years ago. Also the ship was intensely magical and could be crewed by just a few men, you just needed to be able to instruct the navigation scrying device where you wanted to go and away you went.

Serra Ibin Raaviat casts detect essence, detect channeling and detect mentalism spells on Grimbol to find what magic items he had upon himself. The spell turned up a hipflask by his side, his sword and little more. The hipflask contained a fine Eastern wine out of which Grimbol would be forever drinking, it was also a times two spell multiplier for sorcery spells, this the halfling pocketed. Garack picked up the sword.

The discussion began on what to do with Grimbol, if they let him go he would go straight back to the Coven and report all he had heard as well as our position and he now knew all our faces. If we were to kill him it would be in cold blood. we could not very well keep him here as he would escape nor could we take the man with us as he would be a hindrance and likely give away any surprise we could get. Garack became impatient and thought that he would provide the solution to the Grimbol problem. Garack cut the man's throat, with his dying breath Grimbol called out "Wine, wine!", he was to expire drinking for one last time from his hipflask. The fine Eastern wine poured from the hipflask in endless supply, as always, the halfling holding up the hipflask to Grimbol's lips.

In the sewer we camped for the night, as it seemed to be the safest place in Middleburg at the moment for our group. It would be difficult for anyone to establish our location by magic as one section of the sewer looks like all the others anyway.

The morning brought the city criers, they were putting up notices that covered the events of the previous day. As was expected the notice told of the exploits of Crayg Rydorsson in the court and his demonic escape. The halfling's face dropped as he read of what had happened to his foster parents Harpo and Daisy Strongfellow, according to the notice they were tossed at the Pitt today in the early hours of the morning. There might still be time for a rescue, if the sentence had not already been carried out?

 

 
(c) 1997 One Night in Middleburg Rolemaster Campaign Journal by Ross Stopford  
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