Anshelm and Tiberius do experience some difficulty returning to Dachau using the road. At each of the three tolls they encounter, when Anshelm attempts to demonstrate the merchant’s guild insignia, the guards question him at length. These guards are familiar with Ells, but they do not know Anshelm at all. Nevertheless, after some hard questioning, and partly because Tiberius has a writ of passage, the pair are allowed to return to Dachau by the time the town bells ring six o’clock.
As they are let into the town gates, well before curfew will close them for the night, they overhear two guards:
First Guard: Another one?
Second Guard: Yes, early this morning.
First Guard: And hacked to death, just like before?
Second Guard: Just like before.
First Guard: Who was it this time?
Second Guard: Johann Mizer. The bastard.
First Guard: Serves him right.
When out of sight of the guards, Anshelm turns to Tiberius.
ReplyDelete"Did you hear that? Perhaps we won't have to rely on a clever tongue to get us out of this. I suppose the merchants' hall is the best place to discover of what it is they speak."
Tiberius agrees to go to the Merchant guild hall immediately.
ReplyDeleteThis takes little time. You know the way to the hall. But it is after five bells and the hall is locked.
ReplyDeleteHow late is the Pig open? I think we want to try finding out some information on the recent murder there.
ReplyDeleteThe Pig is open until 10 bells.
ReplyDeleteJoseph/Tiberius: please pick one name to post under.
Also, are there other inns, taverns or areas where people might gather in the evening between here and there? Any places that might serve a more upscale crowd than the Pig?
ReplyDeleteAnshelm
ReplyDeleteYou remember Hornung's beer garden?
I do. If we decide to do so, is getting there going to take us far out of our way back to the Pig?
ReplyDeleteDachau has a population of about 3,900 people. No part of Dachau is more than 1200 yards from any other part of Dachau.
ReplyDeleteRecall that an ale at the beer garden cost a gold piece.
OOC: So noted. I knew Dachau was small, just wasn't sure how small.
ReplyDeleteIC:
"While Helmunt might appreciate our presence back at the Pig, perhaps we would have better chances of finding out what might have happened to Mizer by having an ear out at the beer garden where we took the job. Folk there might know him better than the crowd at the Pig."
"Yes, and it might be better to stick together. To the beer garden!"
ReplyDeleteYou find the beer garden is very much like you remember from last night. The place is much more full than it was, and the fire is less stoked. You're each served an ale from a beautiful, compelling woman with dark eyes, who takes your gold piece with a disarming smile.
ReplyDeleteTiberius smiles at the server while handing her a gold piece. He asks, "I was hoping to meet a friend here, and I wonder if you've seen him? His name is Johann Mizer."
ReplyDeleteSmiling back at the serving woman, Anshelm places another silver in her hand.
ReplyDelete"'allo, lass, we were supposed to meet a friend of ours here, herr Mizer by name. Have you seen him around this night?"
No worries about repeats. They happen. The world will ignore them when they do.
ReplyDelete"Johann? Not tonight." She chuckles. "That poor bubbie works too hard." She'll spin deliciously and return to her duties.
"Perhaps mixing with our present company will yield better results?"
ReplyDeleteAnshelm rises and tries to look nonchalant, moving near the fire and making a show of warming his hands, then to a window or other opening and looking outside, etc. Making a circuit of the room. He's trying to pick out any conversation that might concern violence, murders, Mizer...or us!
I guess Tiberius will do the same, except he'll concentrate more on the ladies.
ReplyDeleteAnshelm and Tiberius,
ReplyDeleteCommonly, as you try to listen, you hear nothing of interest, except the goodness of the beer, irrational humor among the patrons, teasing of the barmaids, shouting, laughing and so on. Like any bar.
Perhaps you should speak directly to someone and ask a question.
Tiberius goes up to one of the many beautiful women in the beer garden and strikes up a conversation, mostly about harmless, everyday topics. After a couple of minutes of conversation, and if he gets a friendly reaction, he'll ask a question about the murder of Joseph Mizer, and if he's related in any way to Johann Mizer. Otherwise, he'll move on to another woman and repeat.
ReplyDeleteAnshelm will try to find someone who looks relatively well-to-do and try to strike up a conversation.
ReplyDeleteTiberius,
ReplyDeleteYou discover that Joseph is Johann's brother. But upon asking about the murder of Joseph Mizer, the barwench will break out laughing.
"Murdered? He wasn't murdered! One of his horses was butchered in his stable, was all! There's been someone killing the poor beasts now for weeks. Where have you been?"
Anshelm,
You overhear this (most of the garden does) and you break off listening to some fellow talking about his plan to move his cattle to a higher meadow this week, and join Tiberius.
Tiberius joins the barwench with a roar of laughter. "I must have misheard, that's what I get for listening to gossip on the street!"
ReplyDeleteAnshelm smiles as he joins his companion.
ReplyDelete"Ah, thank goodness," he says. "We were very worried for our friend." Feigning compassion, he continues, "The poor beast! Has anyone got an idea of who's doing these awful things?"
Her expression darkens,
ReplyDelete"No one knows anything! Whoever's doing it, they're invisible."
At that point, she'll be shouted at: "Marras, where are you?" shouts the bartender, and she skips away.
OOC: Do we know anything about Joseph Mizer?
ReplyDeleteNothing I haven't already said.
ReplyDeleteFrom the other thread, we're finished for the day?
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you, Alexis.
Go ahead and add any plans for where either Anshelm or Tiberius want to go next; technically, they are happening about 3 hours earlier than the country thread. But the day has been somewhat crazy.
ReplyDelete[will do]
ReplyDeleteAnshelm waits for Hornung's patrons to turn their attention back to what they were doing before the laughter.
"Invisible attackers!" he says to no one in particular, but loud enough for someone at one of the nearer tables to hear. "Seems a bit fanciful, no? Someone should get to the bottom of it!"
Anshelm makes his way back toward the table he and Tiberius shared, swaying a bit to feign drunkenness. Does anyone seem to be watching?
Tiberius goes up to another woman and repeats the above process, but this time, instead of asking about the "murder", he asks about Johann Mizer, his character, his business, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteThe bartender will approach Tiberius and ask if it his intention to drink or to disrupt the wenches?
ReplyDeleteTiberius apologizes and lets the wench get back to work. He'll rejoin Anshelm.
ReplyDeleteContinued on the next thread.
ReplyDelete