Just as the river barge was due to leave Altdorf, Gabby remembered that he had given a scribe a considerable sum of money to “replace” his “lost” medical degree. He and Harry set off in some haste to collect the degree, leaving the barge captain and the rest of the party in a state of some agitation. Gabby took some time completing his quest, and the river barge had begun floating downstream by the time he and Harry returned to the port.
After some shouting and fist-waving, the river barge pulled over and the two laggards were permitted to board. The first stage of the journey to Bogenhafen was spent arguing on the poop deck.
Early on the afternoon of the first day, passing roadwardens hailed the boat and warned the adventurers to be careful because bandits had been seen downstream. In spite of this warning, the day passed peacefully enough (except for the arguing).
At night the barge pulled into shore and the adventurers posted a watch. Gabby and Ploncie took the first watch, and these two observed a figure with a crossbow sneak up to the boat. A shouted warning sent this figure scurrying away, and the rest of the night passed without incident.
The next day passed reasonably quietly. Mika smelt smoke at one point, but nothing came of it. That evening the boat approached Weissierook, a town famous for its wine and mines. The adventurers disembarked and made their way to a local inn, the “Black Gold”. At the entrance to this inn they spotted a stocky fellow with a crossbow, a figure who bore some considerable resemblance to an assassin they had observed killing two cultists from a rooftop in Altdorf. The party made their way towards this figure, who slunk away and disappeared into the crowd.
The party entered the inn and began sampling the local ales. Gabby spent some time spinning yarns for the locals about the party’s adventures, while Snorr and Ploncie earned a few gold coins with some drunken singing and dancing. A late and rowdy, but otherwise uneventful night passed.
The next morning, the adventurers departed the inn a little the worse for wear. They were somewhat alarmed when they returned to the boat to find that the captain, Josef, had disappeared. The cabin was unlocked and contained scenes of a struggle. Three louts had been observed lurking on the dock, so the adventurers approached them to ask what they had seen. The louts were rude, but reasonably cooperative, until Gabby started loading his crossbow – at which point they became downright aggressive. A knife was drawn and insults flew, Ploncie punched the knife-wielder in the face and a brawl erupted. The adventurers kept their arms in check until the mysterious crossbowman appeared and shot Kastor in the backside. Kastor went down with a shrill scream and a fight to the death was suddenly on. Gabby ran to fetch the law.
At some point in the fight the louts began to flee. Most of the adventurers took advantage of the rout to strike at the knaves, except for Ploncie – who was daydreaming about becoming an outlaw chief and having pleasant thoughts about camps in the woods, daring raids against an evil sheriff and toasting marshmallows over an open fire.
The crossbowman did not flee, but fought to the bitter end. He died claiming that “the empire is strong, and your evil plots will never succeed” – a cry which somewhat confused the adventurers. A note on the crossbowman’s body included a description of Kastor and a record of his recent movements.
As the adventurers stood around wondering what the crossbowman had meant, and discussing who would make the best Will Scarlett or Little John to Ploncie’s Robin Hood, Gabby returned with the law. The adventurers, the only figures left standing, were promptly arrested and taken to the station for questioning. After giving statements a doctor was sent for and some pretty severe wounds were treated. A roadwarden reported that Josef had been found bound, but unharmed, beneath the deck of his boat.
Once the law and the medical profession had finished with the adventurers they were released. Ploncie immediately lead Kastor to a tannery, where he purchased enough dye to change the apprentice armourer’s hair from yellow to dark brown. Further disguise options were discussed, but the town had few facilities and the adventurers had even less inspiration. It was hoped that a change of hair-colour would be enough to put other would-be assassins off the scent.
As Ploncie and Kastor were off purchasing and using dye, Snorr tried to recruit an outlaw gang. He found one fellow willing to join the gang in exchange for money. Gabby thought bribery was not the right approach, and attempted to persuade this fellow to join the gang for love instead. The recruit promptly made his excuses and departed.
On his way back from the tannery Ploncie spotted a poster advertising for brave adventurers. He took this poster down and returned to the inn where his fellows were waiting and bickering over outlaw recruitment tactics. Ploncie showed them the note and then took Mika with him to apply for the job. It transpired that the job was to assist a local mining company in clearing out an abandoned mine. Surveyors who had visited this mine recently had been shot at by figures with bows hiding in the depths. The adventurers were offered 160 gold coins (with 20 GC upfront) to scout out the mine, and promised a large bonus if they successfully cleared the current inhabitants out.
Plans for forming an outlaw gang were briefly put on hold, and after some discussion about what to do with the more seriously wounded party members, the adventurers set out for the mine.