Death on the Reik Chapter 2

Having discussed the events of the last few weeks with Bahlsen, you now find yourselves outside of
the college with some decisions to make. What preparations would you like to make for the long
journey south towards the Black Peaks?

As they are boarding to leave

You pass by a coach depot with the Four Seasons coat of arms painted on its walls and catch a
glimpse of someone familiar as they climb into a coach. Toman and Liebnitz, take an Intuition Test
+30. It takes you a moment, but you are sure that the scrawny looking man is that same one that you
briefly rode with towards Altdorf before your coach was attacked. They make eye contact with you
and seem to hastily duck out of sight into the coach, which quickly pulls away as you are still
processing the sight.

Once departing

You pass through the city walls, beneath the towering southern river gates and out onto the Reik
proper. The days pass without any trouble and you are encouraged by the sight of the newly
constructed signal towers that form a chain all the way down the river.

You pass from one small fishing down to another, the days on the water feeling very peaceful. With
the small fortune you amassed from the wool, you have no issue feeding yourselves along with the
regular catches that Eike makes but you may stop for supplies or a break at any time you wish.

Five days in, you round a bend to a truly awe-inspiring sight. Sat atop a jagged cliff, a monstrous
fortress looms over the river junction. Eike, you have seen this castle many times in your life on the
rivers but all of you have heard of Castle Reikguard, the military headquarters of the famed
Reiksguard Knights.

The closer you get, the more you see. Small glints of sunlight reflecting from polished metal atop the
battlements turn out to be the helms of dozens of fully armoured guards as they patrol. Contrasting
the bright steel, dark iron cannon barrels poke through the crenels.

A short way south of Castle Reikguard, you pass another of the signal towers but this time it appears
to be under construction. The base of the tower seems to be the remains of a far older, partially
ruined structure, whilst the newer tower is covered in wooden scaffolding. Between the confused-
looking mess of stanchions, ropes and pulleys swarm a number of short, bearded, tool-wielding
figures. Clearly, work on the structure is not yet finished.

Kemperbad

The first major settlement on your journey is Kemperbad, somewhere Eike has visited regularly. It is a
peculiar place, a large merchant town that sits atop a 500-foot cliff overlooking the Reik. Below, at
the riverside, is a dock with many barges and boats moored as their crews load and unload goods.
Linking the town above and the dock below are an ingenious system of lifts. Backets and platforms of
varying sizes are suspended from huge block and tackle sets on ropes, and all are raised and lowered
by counterbalances. You spot one or two squat figures tinkering with the mechanisms as the
Reikshatz approaches the dock. Richter squints with one eye closed at the sun. “Looks like we only
have a few more hours of light left. Maybe we should stay here for the night?”

Kemperbad’s docks are alive with commerce, even as the sun begins to set. The lifts are in constants
motion as folk queue at the base. The people moving around you are mostly merchants and barge
hands, but you do spot the odd rough looking character loitering on warehouse corners or a
charlatan convincing passersby to relinquish their hard-earned crowns for a chance at winning a dice
game.

Liebnitz, as you press through the crowds you feel a sharp tug on your hair. Instinctively you reach up
and feel that a lock of your hair has been cut from your head.

Ratte Fever

Toman, you start to notice an itching under your arm that feels sore as you scratch it.

Duration: 14 days

Symptoms: Pox, Malaise, Wounded, Fever, Convulsions

You enter a pleasant tavern with a quiet but content looking clientele. The tavernkeeper is a thin
weasel-faced man but he has a warm smile on his face as you approach. “Greetings! Welcome to the
Reik and Stir. Staying for the night or just for the evening?”

He continues chatting as he works. “Are you staying in Kemperbad or just passing through?”

[If they mention they are going south] His smile disappears, and a concerned expression crosses his
face. “Mind how you go. Avoid the Wittgenstein’s Castle if I were you. It’s cursed, so I hear.”

Leaving Kemperbad

The process for leaving dock has become reasonably smooth after a week of clumsy practice. Eike,
can you take a Sail test +30 to guide the barge out onto the open river.

You have another week of travel before you make it to Grissenwald.

On the evening of the second day, another castle, one far less impressive than the Reikguard but still
imposing, sits back off the bank a short way further downstream. It broods ominously over the river
and you see passing boats hugging the opposite bank. As you pass beneath its gloomy towers, you
hear a voice call out and you see some men waving and gesturing at something in the water.

You see an unfortunately familiar sight bobbing in the water. A body, this one grey and bloated from
decay.

“It’s another wretch from the castle! Keep your distance!”

[If they try to head to the castle] The man on the barge calls out as he sees your course change.
“You’re as good as hanged if you try and go there! Folk say the castle’s cursed and you get a plague if
you go near!”
The Reik eel

All of you take a Perception test, Eike you get +30. You realise that several birds (Reikland Coot) are
calling with a distinctive trill from the shore. [If Eike gets it] You know that means the birds have
spotted a predator.

Take another Perception Test -10. [Success] You hear a faint slap of water from the stern.

The barge lurches violently as something collides with the hull. Everyone take an Endurance Test +10
to avoid falling to the deck. The coot’s calls go silent as out of the dark waters bursts a long, slimy
serpentine grey-green body. The head of the beast has two black marble-like eyes and a thin snout
which opens to reveal a cruel maw of razor-sharp teeth, each as long as a man’s finger. Eike, take a
Lore (Riverways) +20. To your horror, you recognise this ten-foot-long monster as a Reik eel. The
beast rears back and, twisting it’s head 90 degrees, strikes over the railings at you (Eike)

Initiative