144: Return to Altdorf

First thing the next day I took a quick trip around the Two Pfennigs for Wilhelm to pick up Hugo’s track and make sure he had not been hanging around the inn all night. And I followed them far enough to think that he had headed back to where he had come from.

Over breakfast everyone had been discussing the note that Hugo had dropped, but we couldn’t really conclude much from it, although it did look like whoever was employing Hugo was also trying to raise some troops.

We decided to continue on to Altdorf without worrying about the crown prince’s entourage, and after a few days uneventful travel we reached the city, and made our way towards Helstein Manor.

Altdorf is certainly large and busy, and Blume said it had its usual vibe. Although it did seem to be a bit on edge, and I wondered whether this was really normal. We saw a bit of a mutton based scuffle in one of the markets, but Veiran didn’t bother stopping to sort it out. I suppose this wasn’t his city and he had no obligation to keep the peace here.

And Blume wanted to stop to have her fortune read, and so an argument broke out with Greta whether it was harmless fun or witchcraft. And Blume said she just wanted to see if the baron would fall in love with her. Greta said you didn’t need to be a fortune teller to work out the answer to that one.

In the end Blume asked Veiran to get his palm read with her, and he tried to explain that he was on the Graf’s business, and I think that was the point that Blume realised that we had been escorting him on this journey. She had been under the impression that he had just been our bodyguard.

And Blume did cross a fortune teller’s palm with silver and she got the news that ‘The moon shines brightest to those in her favour,’ which sounds like exactly the vague but plausible stuff you would hear from a charlatan fortune teller.

And Veiran was told that, ‘Cloak in the water. The man is crying. Let the leaf fall and everything will be fine,’ which sounded a bit more interesting, but I think a waste of time to dwell on.

Helstein Manor is a large house in the city which belongs to one of the Graf’s most loyal allies, and given over to him as his base in Altdorf when required. The graf, Heinrich, and Katarina were all here preparing for the wedding.

We reported to the baron and told him what we could of the crown prince. Erina went through pretty much everything he had said to us. And she was able to put Katarina’s mind at rest in regards to the rumours of lycanthropy. And she also mentioned what Schutzmann had said of the nine eyes, and told him about the crown prince's tutors. And we mentioned that we were considering that the nine eyes idea had been deliberately planted by the Purple Hand.

Heinrich said that the subjects the nine eyes were supposed to be teaching all seemed quite reasonable (apart from magic), but suggested that perhaps we should have a look at the three eyes who were supposed to be in Altdorf at this time.

Erina also told the baron about Hugo and his links to the Toppenheimers. And I did try to tell her that we should probably keep some information to ourselves. It seems that we were there to help protect the Todbringers, and we should use our discretion as to what information we should trouble them with. There was no point over burdening them with issues we barely understood.

To guard against anything untoward happening at the pre-wedding parade we decided to all split up and find out what we could. We decided that Greta should try to track down Fassbinder and so she went to the Cathedral of Sigmar and the university. Fred would go to the Street of One Hundred Taverns to see what the word on the street was. Blume was made an official member of the Princess’s entourage so she could talk to the various staff and Erina would go to her college, and also check out the library of Verena. And with no connections to anyone in Altdorf, I was to walk the route of the parade to see if there was any potential dangers en route.

Fred invited Veiran to come with him for a drink, and tried to find a tavern which palace servants might drink at. He found one, the Golden Fish, and got the general feeling that the people were happy enough with the upcoming marriage but dismayed at the various conflicts happening across the Empire.

As they left the tavern however, the pub symbol, a golden fish, fell from the sign and landed on the ground nearby, and then, weirdly, it seemed to come to life, looking like a real fish and flapping around in the mud. And then it began to grow. Before it could get very much bigger Fred stamped on it, and the thing cracked in half as if it was made of wood, and turned back into a sign. At least that is what Fred said, but he had obviously been drinking.

As Erina was on her way to the Bright College, crossing one of the Reik bridges, she heard a commotion. And when she went to check it out he saw a stream of animated furniture rushing towards the bridge. It was sort of amusing, to the wizard, until she saw someone get hit by a large bed and killed. And other people were being attacked by the various pieces of furniture.

Erina cast a bolt at an errant wardrobe but it did little to stop the other items. And she saw another wizard from her college channelling power. But before he could cast his spell he got tangled up in a four poster bed, which dived into the river. And that wizard must have drowned. And the rest of the furniture followed into the Reik. Disturbed by the scene, Erina continued on towards the college.

I walked the route of the parade but I don’t think I learned very much. Following a mountain pass it is easy to read the signs and see where the most dangerous areas are and the most likely places to hold an ambush. But in the city everywhere looked the same, and it seemed to me if anyone wished to attack the parade, they could choose almost anywhere and there would be nothing to do to stop it. And the pavilion where we would be watching the parade was little more than a big tent with a wooden fence around it. It was flying the colours of the Reikland, Middenheim, and Nuln.

And once my reconnaissance was done I headed off to the Street of One Hundred Taverns. On my way I passed a shop and noticed it was glowing strangely, and then it buzzed with magical energy. And I found myself looking through it into some sort of unfathomable depths. And then the entire site simply blinked out of existence. That’s Altdorf for you, I suppose.

Meanwhile at the palace Blume was talking to servants and the like getting ready for the wedding. She overheard someone saying, ‘If I were the Crown Prince, there’s no way I’d agree to marry the Wolf Princess. Not whilst the Grand Countess of Nuln remains unattached. This is how we know Karl-Franz must still carry a candle for Emmanuelle, otherwise Wolfgang would march us into Sudenland in order to make it a wedding gift.’

And she tried to find some gossip about the crown prince’s tutors but didn’t get much. And she heard again how Heinrich would be losing out to his sister because of the marriage, but honestly, I don’t think he minds about things like that. But a lot of people have mentioned it. Anyway, Blume decided that if he were of slightly lower nobility then he might realise his future lay with her.