109: Spreading the Word

Hi, mum. Remember we all had to split up and investigate the various items that had been stolen, to see if they were all linked. And we thought they might have been stolen by a priest of Ranald or someone like that. Guido said that we should be efficient about our investigations and he would be keeping track of how long we spent doing them, so we could all meet up again, at about the same time.

Anyway, we ignored him, as you would expect, and I met up with Blume because she didn’t want t do her bit alone. And, to be honest, mum, I didn’t want to do my bit alone, ether, as asking questions and listening to the answers is quite hard.

Anyway, we went to Otmar Zufall’s residence in Geldmund to investigate the antique art going missing. I expect Guido thought that Blume was an expert on art, because she comes from a wealthy family. Zufall’s residence was much grander than Blume’s which annoyed her a bit.

Zufall was a bit of a nob, but he told us about the painting that went missing. It was Mandred Rampant Upon the Howling Hills, by Gerlach Wendler. And it depicted Mandred wearing his helmet, slaying a rat-man.

Zufall said that shortly before the theft there was a black cat walking around his house like he owned the place. And Ranald is associated with black cats, and so this could indicate that more Ranaldan tricks and spells were involved.

We had a look where the painting was taken from, and I had a look around on the floor for dice, but I couldn’t find any, but Zufall should get a new cleaner, because I found some cat hairs.

Then Zufall tried to tell us about the cultural significance of the painting, but I wasn’t really listening. We wondered whether it was going to be displayed on Mandred day, like the helmet, but he said it wasn’t. So, we couldn’t really think of a reason why someone would want to take it, but it surely must be connected to the theft of the helmet.

Fred went to talk to Brother Schlager at the temple of Ulric where a rare book had gone missing. Schlager said that the book came from Ulric’s private library, called the Lore House. They had kept it in a locked cabinet and Fred noticed some scratches around the lock, like it had been picked.

The book was titled, The Middle Mountains Campaign: a History of the Glorious Assaults on Brass Keep in the War Against Chaos, with Some Assistance by Magnus of Nuln which sounds really boring. Apparently it was a very detailed account of the campaign, but it mentioned Brass Keep which, remember, mum, was also depicted on the map that the rat men had stolen from the Templar’s. So there was a connection.

Vinny went to the Collegium Theologica to talk to Dr Isidore Kopernik, a tutor in Astronomy and Mathematics. I don’t think Vinny knows much about astronomy and mathematics, and he only volunteered to go there because he thought he might bump into Janna.

Kopernik was more interested in showing off his collection of antique nose-picks, but Vinny did learn that the notes that were stolen were thoughts and formulae for predicting the movement of Morrslieb for a book he was writing. And we have seen, mum, that the movements of Morrslieb have interested the rat men before. So this could be linked to the other thefts.

Vinny asked Kopernik if bits could fall off of Morrslieb and he said that he believed they could. But when he asked him if he would be able to calculate where they might land, using his notes, he said that there were probably too many variables to be able to tell accurately.

Vinny asked whether any of Kopernik’s students could have taken the notes, and he said he was sure they hadn’t. And then Vinny gave Kopernik some practical crime prevention advice.

Meanwhile, Guido went to see Agnise Fuensterburg in the Collegium library. She said that several books had been stolen, and they had all been chained up. Guido could see that each of the locks for the chains had been picked.

She said that she had admitted a tall Marienburger with a trimmed, blond beard. He had been reading, when she heard a mocking laugh, and when she’d gone to shush him, he was nowhere to be seen and the books were gone.

She said that the missing volumes were White Wolf ’s Range: A Geography of the Middle Mountains by Hieronymous Wundefuesse, 2114 IC

Taking the Shot: Everything You always Wanted to Know About Ballistics But Were Afraid to Ask, by Benevento Cannonero, on the mathematics of ballistics from 2401 IC

And another Tilean book, Walk Home Syndrome: Escaping on Foot, Alfano Lo Sfortunato Tucci’s memoir written in 1356 IC. Tucci claimed he had been prisoner for ten years in a city of man-like rats beneath Nuln.

(I think I would like to have that book read to me, mum, because it sounds like he knows about the upside-down city that I know about.)

Fuensterburg said that tickets for the library were hard to come by, and anyone wishing to get access had to be vouched for. I think Guido decided that Ranaldans were masters of disguise, so he deduced that the only people we could eliminate from our enquiries were tall Marienburgers with a trimmed, blond beard, so that narrowed things down a bit.

I don’t think Guido found anything else out, but I think he was trying to be as quick as he could so he could be back to Hausnung first and tell everyone else off for being too slow.

Meanwhile, Blume and I went to Nordtor, to the college of music, and spoke to Amadeus Tonkunst. He was shouting at all the cast and crew as they were preparing to put on a play, or something.

He explained that he had the only existing copy of an 18th century Tilean comic opera by Giuseppe di Burrataverde, ‘The Moon, The Cheese, and The Rat.’ He said their performance would now be ruined, and they had already sold tickets.

We asked him about the plot and he said that there was a rat and it tried to eat the moon, but it wasn’t meant to be taken literally. Blume asked if it was due to be performed on Mandred day, and he said it wasn’t. So I think all these things were linked, but not by Mandred day.

Tonkunst said he kept the libretto in a drawer in his desk, and that he had the only key. We had a look at it, and it looked like the lock had been picked.

So we all met up at Hausnung and Blume and I were only a few minutes later than everyone else, but Guido still told us off. We decided that black cats and rolling dice were both signs of Ranald, and we thought that perhaps a priest of Ranald could change into the form of a black cat in a similar way that Guido used to be able to conjure up a great eagle, or whatever it was. And we thought the mocking laughter might be the sign of Ranald, or the bloke could have just been in a good mood.

We also realised that there was lots of connections to the Middle Mountains, and perhaps Brass Keep, although the painting was of the Howling Hills. So it seemed that the Ranaldans were working with the rat men, unless they were working against them.

Guido said he refused to believe that they would be working together, and despite the lawlessness of the Ranaldans, they definitely had an honour code that they adhered to, unlike most criminals. Guido said that perhaps they were being unknowingly manipulated. Perhaps they were just doing it for a laugh, mum. And during this conversation, Guido kept writing things in his notebook, especially when Blume was surly or I said something silly.

We were no closer to finding the thief. But we had the idea that we could make it known that we had rat men evidence in Hausnung, and wait to see if someone tried to steal it.

Vinny said there was a noticeboard in Pity Square which the lowlifes (no offence to Vinny) use to communicate. And Vinny could also tell Maurice who has grassed us up a couple of times, and I could tell Alfric half-nose who will sell any information for the right price. And we had that book that the rat wizard was using, so we could present that as a rat man thing, and Vinny said he would show it to Maurice.

So Vinny went to ask Maurice about the thefts, which he said he didn’t know anything about. And told him about our rat stuff. Then he went to the notice board in Pity Square and he worked out that one of the notices meant ‘Magpies looking to flock? Look no further than The Fifth Finger, Westor.’ And he decided that he should go to the Fifth Finger to see what that was about.

Then I went to see Alfric Half-nose at the Bretonnia House Inn, and I told him that we had some books to sell for twenty-five crowns each. He asked me what the books were, and I just made some names up. And I told him that they were at Hausnung, and I told him the address, and said they weren’t guarded, and next to an open window, just in case it wasn’t enticing enough. Although to be honest, I think the Ranaldan thief would probably be able to open the window if he needed to.

Guido went to the temple of Verena and told them that he had some books that he would be willing to donate to their library. And he said they would be welcome to come and look at them, and he gave Blume’s address. And Blume went to the Heaven’s Lament and said the same sort of thing in case Josef was there.

Then Vinny said he was going to go to the Fifth Finger, and so Guido offered for him and me go along to protect him. Guido said he might dress as a priest of Myrmidia, and Vinny told him not to be such a dick, and he gave him some tips on how to behave among the lower classes, which was good because Guido is always telling everyone else how to behave.

Guido said Vinny could be in charge, but only for the time we were in the building. And Vinny said Guido looked too clean and neat to blend in with Middenheim’s seedy underbelly so Vinny rubbed some mud into his face. But when we got there, it turned out that the Fifth Finger was rather genteel, so Guido looked like a bit of a nob who hadn’t washed his face.

Inside it was quite lively, and there was a statue holding a bowl at the door, and a sign said ‘Remember the cut’. Vinny said that we had to put a donation in the bowl, a bit like donating at a temple. And once we had donated we felt the clientele relax a bit.

Vinny spoke to the landlady, a red-haired Kislevan called Nadia. We were pretending not to be with Vinny but the landlady asked him who we were, and Vinny denied knowing us, but I guess it was a bit obvious, mum, and Vinny had to admit we were together. He told her he had read the signs at Pity Square and thought he would come along. He said he followed Ranald in Altdorf, but it was harder in Middenheim with all the low kings.

By now Guido had had enough, and probably wanted to wash his face, and so he drank up and left. Nadia asked Vinny what he was after. And he said he was looking for work, and he also wanted to find a priest who could fix his arm. Nadia said that the priests here wouldn’t do that.

Then Guido came back with a silver coin with a cross scratched on it (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the real one, mum. I think Guido just went outside and scratched it.) And told Vinny to ask about that. I think Guido had annoyed Nadia, so I tried to distract her with that trick I used to do with that coin, mum, you remember. And I think she liked it.

Vinny asked about the coin and Nadia said it was a pretty common calling card for priests of Ranald. Then Nadia asked him what was the favourite thing he had ever stolen. I think it was a test, but Vinny said, ‘Hearts,’ which was a good line and impressed Nadia (he’s a top shagger, mum) and she winked at him.

And that’s about that, mum. I think the whole time we were enjoying ourselves at the Fifth Finger, Blume was sat at home on the chaise longue with her blunderbuss waiting for the thieves to turn up. None of them did, because I think it takes a bit longer than that for news to filter through to the Middenheim underworld, but hopefully they will come soon and we can arrest them. I’ll tell you if they do in my next letter.