The Travellers Tales of Otto Von Weirdigan

[Otto]

The Goodlund Chronicles

Lieutenant Xavier Tiley watched the rush from the Musuu position, towards the Mechanist Lines.
The Musuu split their infantry into two distinct groups, cavaliers and grenadiers, the heavily armoured cavaliers surged toward the line, while the riflemen provided covering fire from the rear.

The Mechanist forces opened fire, steam repeaters chewing up earth and into ornate armour, the Musuu forces were made up of human cavaliers and half ork like riflemen, smattered with the odd dwarf, seemingly covered in fur.

"These charges are becoming more frequent" observed Tiley
Three figures stood upon a bluff, overlooking the Skaratheran shale beach, concealed by Dragontech military grade chameleonware.
Gundadd stood silently taking everything in.

"There’s going to be a big offensive, their testing each other" replied the large mechanoid in Celestial Guardsman armour, the android part of his brain, beyond his soul matrix analysing the tactic possibilities.

Going Native

A daze settles over you.
You find it strange that you are sitting on a sturdy wooden chair in the middle of your earthen, stone kitchen.
Adrianna potters over the stone sink, washing some fresh vegetables.

"You’ve gone native" you hear the haughty bastard, as you spoke with him the previous day in the post office.
"Yes I have" you mentally reply, for weeks you’ve toiled, helping with the construction of your house and similar buildings in Goodlund.

Ivelliian’s influence had meant that Goodlund had now been designated a garrison town, a large fort was being built on the riverbank, meaning that the sleepy riverside town was growing into a prosperous place.
Mind you one and a half million sovereigns certainly helped.

You think back to the letter Zorranson sent you:

From Acram Zorranson to Otto Von Weirdigan,
Otto I am writing to congratulate you on your safe return of your wife Adrianna.

Your work on the steam cars has proved extremely successful, the cars are fabulous and turnout to the races is beyond our wildest expectations.

In a small appreciation of your efforts I enclose a bankers draught for the sum of three million sovereigns.
As you specified one half of this sum has been written to the town of Goodlund, the remaining half to yourself.

Otto when I write that this is a small token of my appreciation I do not say this lightly, you yourself personally experienced the curse that has long cast its long and stagnant shadow across my family.

Since my distant ancestors were cursed we had tried every conceivable potion, remedy and ritual to free us, nothing but false hope and the occasional reprieve was gained.

A few generations would pass with little in the way of the signs, and then the next generation would bear the mark.

In journeying to the place from which the curse originated I had firmly believed that which I had fought for so long would consume me, in fact I almost welcomed it.

Indeed it did consume me, but your rescuing of the child, an act I thought given the circumstances to be pure folly however was the cleansing of the taint.

Forgive me Otto I'm rambling, I shall conclude by saying your have mine and my families heart felt thanks.

Yours faithfully
Acram Zorranson

1.5 Million Sovereigns! That is a lot of money! Otto marvels.

"Otto" a soft voice called you back from your thoughts.

He looks up from the paper he has been reading.

'Yes dear?' He says with a loving but slightly ironic lilt.

'The news in the paper isn't very good, in fact it's damn worrying' Otto thinks to himself as he smiles at Amdea.

[Otto]

The thought is a startling one; Gothica is on the verge of a global conflict.
The paper being one of Mechanist Imperial bent is well and truly sabre rattling stuff, saying that the primitive Orientals had been thoroughly thrashed at the Battle of Scarpa Straights.

In reality your inter planetary sources had informed you that both sides, had withdrawn with the Mechanist Imperials having learned the hard way that their enemy was all the more capable of giving them a bloody nose.

You follow Amdea through to the lounge, sitting in your great big Embery Wood chair.
Amdea joins you.
Looking out of your great bay window, down upon the village, funny you think to yourself, your house is built upon the spot where Uzurl attacked the invading ork snipers, the hill now part of the village and the plot for your house.

Looking down upon a greatly expanded Goodlund, you watch the sun burn red below the horizon.

(Make a Use Device Roll)

Use Device of 21

[Otto]

As the evening passes, a content darkness settles over Goodlund.
You awaken from snoozing, your secreted sensors triggering alarms in your headware.

I rush to the bedroom window.
'What the hell is happening?' I think to myself.

Automatically search routines run through your head-ware, drawing together the fragments of information relayed by the sensors.

The conclusion is that there is some activity in the town square, which is out of routine for the village.

"Otto, what's wrong?" says a soft voice from behind you.
Turning from the window you see Amdea in her nightgown.

Bugger, Otto thinks to himself I didn't want to wake her.
I don't know love, but I'll find out!' stay here and fire up the communications platform please my dear. I'll be right back'
Otto steps out into the street, hugging the shadows.

Hide 19

"Be careful darling" she says softly as you head quietly out of the door.

Making your way slowly down the hill into the main streets, you are encouraged by the yellow glow of the gas street lamps.
Heading around the streets, you reach the town square, as you do so you see lights from within the open door of the Temple.

[Otto]

I will not allow myself to be seen, Hide of 16.

I will hide behind the large bushes that grow neatly in the square.
What can I see going on from where I am?

The temple door is ajar, with a sliver of light.
However not far enough open to see within, you conceal yourself behind the bushes.

Bollocks, Otto mouths to himself.

He sneaks up closer to the half open door and peers inside.

Spot of 18

You see some of the locals, seemingly looking around the temple.

Are they locals though? Do I recognise them?

They are locals, including the head Priest and constable.

'Evenin' Father Richards, PC Adams' Otto appears in the doorway to the church.

'I heard the commotion, is everything ok?' Otto says as he walks slowly and cautiously towards them.

[Otto]

"Evening Otto" says Father Richards with some relief, Constable Adams is crouched looking at the grooves between the stone slabs upon the floor.
"It seems someone’s been 'avin a look round" he says

'Really?' Otto exclaims as he bends down to look.

Spot of 19

"Stuff and nonsense" says Mayor Tarny "Just someone snooping around, why do we have to blow things out of proportion?"

You attention is drawn to the Constable, who says nothing, he seems to be examining something.
Your headware had closed into it nightly sleep and restore cycle, reactivates, clarity flooding into your vision, your sight extends to a microscopic level examining the object of Constable Adams attention.

Held between his thumb and forefinger is a shard of green glass or crystal, your vision sweeps to the grooves between the floor slabs, which seem to have been filled with this glass or crystal.

'I wonder' Otto thinks to himself.

I will have a look around to see if any of the slabs has had the glass/crystals removed. I will be subtle about it though as I don't want too many people seeing if there has been a breech in the church.

Spot of 28 a crit of 20!

Do I spot anything?

[Otto]

Analysis proves that the integrity of the slabs have remained the same, also with crystal fragments scattered under the pews, indicates that the crystals have been added after the slabs were laid.

Turning your headware flicks through visual modes, you stop your eyes from widening, as ultra violet shows litany scowled across the wooden walls, invisible to the naked eye.

'Looks like there is nothing here to worry about.' Lies Otto;

Intelligence test of 21

'I'll have a cursory check of the rest of the building with the constable, it looks like some pranksters idea of a joke.'
'We'll handle it from here.'

Leadership of 18

Do they fall for it?

"You see Richards, Otto's here, nothing to worry about, pranksters" says Mayor Tarny unsteadily happy to dismiss sinister thoughts from his head.
The Priest looks pained "I suppose you right, thank you Otto"

Constable Adams remains quiet, he's now stood and looks around, taking in the temple.

'Not a problem Father, we'll just have a quick look around'

I'll head up to the altar with the constable. And just chat generally to the PC until the rest of them bugger off!

The priest looks around reluctantly before leaving after a hurried mayor.

[Otto]

"So Otto what do you really think?" says Constable Adams

What does the scrawl say?

(Make an Arcane Theory Roll)

Arcane Theory of 16

You have no understanding of the scribblings, its not that it’s some deeply arcane magic, but that it’s written in a foreign language that you have no comprehension of.

I pull out a pad from my great coat with a pencil attached to it. I write down the language on it.
'What do you make of that Sam?' Otto asks PC Adams as he shows him the note pad.

Constable Sam Adams looks at the writings, a quizzical look crosses his face.
"I haven't the faintest idea Otto, where's it from?"

‘Well mate, this scrawl seems to be written over the walls, invisible to the untrained naked eye. And it seems to be connected to the crystal glass in the tile grooves which you so deftly spotted!’ Otto smiled with approval. ‘What it pertains isn’t good’

Otto pulls a pack of something out of his greatcoat…….
'However these are.' He produces some Vonjacobsmegacreamcrackers that he starts to eat noisily.
'Want one?' He asks with his mouth full holding out the packet.

"So someone has broken into the temple, scattered this glass on the floor and written gibberish on the walls in invisible ink" summarises Sam as he declines Otto’s crackers with a gesture. ‘Have you been drinking?’ he peers at Otto appraisingly.

At that point your headware indicates that a presence has entered the grounds of your house.

'Trouble at mill, come on!' Otto says with a note of panic in his voice.
Scattering the crackers in his wake, he runs out of the church hopefully with Sam in tow. Once he leaves the church he produces the shotgun from his greatcoat and runs like hell towards home.

Constable Adams stops at his office, retrieving his revolver and sprints up the hill after you.

[Otto]

Rounding the corner to your gate, you hear the familiar growling of one of your Altairan Smooth Hound crosses, has got something.
Your own Smooth Hound genes stir, momentarily a feral urge crosses the primal part of your brain.

Cautiously moving through the gate, you see one of the muscular cross breeds, mauling something small, your Headware zooms in on object revealing it to be cloth.

What is the piece of cloth?

A thin light weight material, black in colour, which one of your hounds is most reluctant to relinquish.

Gerrof Enalis!' Otto grumbles at the smooth hound as he looks at the material.

Examine of 25

'Amdea!' Otto shouts

Your front door opens
"Otto what’s the matter?" she says, Raz stands next to her, nuzzling her leg.
The material is similar to silk but considerably stronger, your head-ware accesses various data files.
Woven Giant Spider Silk!

As if sensing the drama, Raz starts to howl.
"Always was the noisiest of the litter" you mutter, trying to concentrate on the silk.

'Thank Von echelon she's ok!' Otto thinks to himself in relief.
'This is spider silk' he says aloud.

Don't the Drow use this?

Scan the area around us all. Computers 28

'Looks like we have a snooper around here dear.' Otto says.

The Drow do indeed use Giant Spider Silk, thermal imaging reveals heat sources in your grounds.
Raz Hound is noisily agitated, while Enailis Hound if being offish!!

You think back to the experiment, since Tiny's changes you allowed SID to investigate, after the Live Ship debacle you, he took Smooth Hound DNA from you and crossed it with Tiny’s genes, producing a litter of Smooth Hound Crossbreeds that where overly muscular, tenacious and healed very quickly.

That's a great Idea mate! I take it I have a mild psi connection to them?
Can I see what they saw???

It’s the quirky kind of thing you'd do!

Make a Wisdom Roll?

Wisdom of 20 un-natural.

You can't see what they've seen, but you know that Enailis intercepted someone; he has lacerations to his shoulders, which upon inspection are already healing.

How many of the hounds would you have bred, and amusingly what are the other names?

Make an Arcane Sciences Roll?

[Otto]

Well, it’s only been a year so there would have been only one litter of five. They are as follows:

Enalis: Considers himself the Alpha male, and tries to be aloof of the rest of the litter. Etc, fill in the blanks! Ha ha ha!

Raz: Complete schitzo, has been known to attack his shadow and in one instance smashed the downstairs kitchen window when he thought his shadow was getting a drop on him! Often known to leave unpleasant surprises in the most unwanted places!

Alabaster: For obvious reasons, Otto still has a lot of guilt with regards to the original one. This dog seems to keep its distance from Otto, although is still loving.

Randle Von Estigan: A very cautious and some would say nervous dog. But shows an innate ability with stealth and tracking, when backed into a corner though he has been known to be very dangerous!

Rosie: She is the calming influence amongst the chaotic personalities above. The most level headed and practical dog that is the alpha female in truth!

Otto and Amdea have built an extension on the house to accommodate them in a barn like building.

Arcane Science of 17

[Otto]

Your Band of Puissant Connection activates, built into the adamantium of your forehead the Technologist Glyphs shine electric blue.
Your innate connection with the hounds is heightened, as you gain a glimpse of Enailis's memory.

Your see two maybe three, black dressed figures moving slowly and quietly through the gardens.
Your gain no idea of sound, but Enailis launches himself in to the fray first barrelling into the nearest figure and grabbing his leg.

The figures are lightning quick, but the captured figure can't shake Enailis free, until in doing so he loses a large patch of his trouser cloth.
The figure turns drawing a short, thin curved sword and slashes Enailis across the shoulders; the figure seems surprised in that the hound much like his
Namesake just carries on.

By this time Alabaster and Raz have joined the fray charging around the gardens after the figures that disappear into the night.

Inspection of the wounds and the images you saw indicate a thin blade of extreme keenness.

Rosie has adopted her customary place beside Amdea, while Enailis stands surveying the garden; Randle is sniffing around with Alabaster, with Raz now doing a circuit of the garden, barking at the top of his voice.

Check to see if Randle hasn't picked up more about the intruders.