IC:2 A lost love

[Leitz]

Diego shook his head at Louis. "I'm from the village, but my mother was not a part of the crowd. Fraulin Kurstnen and Mother get along well, and this is her home. She stayed in the chapel to be available if needed, but this place is hers."

He set about helping everyone split some ham, cheese, and an older loaf of bread. The apples were fresh and crisp.

"The village will take care of itself," Diego said, laughing. "Mother will see to that. I doubt the lady," he nodded to the chaplain, "will care to return. I will certainly berate her if she does, and Mother will as well."

Diego grabbed a fishing pole from near the door, and turned to Louis, unsmiling. "Please, take good care of her. You may not think much of me, or my village, but Mother and I will visit harm upon any who do ill to our friend."

With that he turned, and then called over his shoulder. "Supper will be awhile, but fresh fish is my specialty."

- - -

Evening approached, and Chaplain Kurstnen stirred fitfully. However, it was more the tossing and turning from a bad dream than physical pain.

Diego returned, with three large fish and a sack of bread and vegetables. He set about making a small fire in the fireplace, and then cleaned the fish and cut up the various bits of food. As the scent of cooking filled the cabin, Chaplain Kurstnen pushed herself up, pulled the blanket close, and said, "Wer bist du?"

Diego dropped the pot of veggie stew he was about to put on the fire, and ran to the Chaplain's side. "Du bist lebendig!"

They had a quiet conversation, and speak much closer than priest and penitant. After two minutes, Diego leaned back, pointed to Louis and Kerecsen, and said, "Diese Männer haben dich aus der brennenden Kapelle gerettet. Die beiden sind reingegangen und haben dir die Brust genommen."

Chaplain Kurstnen nodded to the Adventurers, and spoke in basic Italian. "Thank you, gentlemen. Diego says you saved my life, and I am grateful. Please, enjoy my home as if it were your own. Diego is a wonderful cook, and will help you as best he can."

If any of the PCs speak German, feel free to use Google Translate. I did.

[shaidar]

Louis replies in latin

"My italian is mediocre at best. It is every honourable gentleman's duty to assist a woman in distress, and it is my pleasure also. I am Louis du Bois, milady" he smiles and sketches a bow "I must admit that I am intrigued how you ended up the target of a terrible murder attempt, and by a priest no less."

[Rex]

Farid

In Latin, "I am Farid Hatoum, of the Ottoman Empire. I apologize but I am just learning Italian and my Latin is much better, although my Aramaic and Arabic are even better. How are you feeling?"

[Leitz]

When Louis spoke in Latin, Chaplain Kurstnen gave a start, and an unconscious glance at her hope chest. She sighed, held Diego's hand, and said in excellent Latin, "He will not understand, and I do not know how I feel about that right now. The direct answer to your question is that Padre Fredrico worships at the alter of his ego, and took grievous offense when I said unkind words about his holy symbol. You might wonder why someone trained at the Vatican was banished here. I don't know, but guessing is easy."

She looked Farid up and down, without judgment. "I do not speak your native tongue, nor am I familiar with your culture. Please, accept my gratitude, though, for your part in my rescue. All of you, thank you. I feel much better than I would had you not come along."

[Rex]

Farid

"No concerns my lady, I am a guest in your lands. I will make do. How may we be of additional service?"

[Leitz]

When Farid asked about what else they could do, doubt crossed Chaplain Kurstnen's face. Diego kissed her hand, and then stood. He spoke in Italian. "They seem to be good men, and good in a fight. Maybe they could help your husband?"

She looked at him with concern; he shrugged and replied, "Ich bin in einem Bordell aufgewachsen, das weiß ich natürlich."

Bowing, he added in Italian. "And I will serve you to the best of my ability."

The English version doesn't doesn't quite cover it, Diego used the formal, plural, "you"; he is speaking of two or more people, and it is spoken as an oath.

Chaplain Kurstnen nodded, stood, and then looked at the group. "Prepare the lanterns, please. It will be a long night."

She moved to her hope chest, picked it up, and set it on the dining table. Using a key, strategically placed where men shouldn't look, she unlocked the lock. Without opening it, she also pressed on three of the nail heads. She looked at the group, and spoke in Latin. "My grandfather told me tales of a disparate group of his closest friends, and the good they did. The only things they had in common were a desire to make the world a better place, and fluent non-church Latin. I see him, and his friends, in you."

She opened the chest, and began pulling out sheaves of paper and maps in rolls. "These are his notes, he built this house to observe the castle across the way. One of his friends had served there, but was ill. Grandfather promised to watch over the heirs, and guide them. My grandfather passed away three years ago; he left me this house, and the duty to fulfill his promise."

"My husband knew of my duty, and became Captain of the Guard at the castle. I have not heard from him in over a year, bandits moved in and have the lord of the manor under their control." She paused, and looked at each of the group in turn. "If you are who I think you are, will you help? I and Diego may not be enough to right this wrong."

[Rex]

Farid

"As it happens we are here to help. God works in mysterious ways as they say."

[shaidar]

Louis smiles

"A group that speaks Latin and goes around doing good deeds? Such a wild fancy madame" he winks "That is certainly nothing to do with why we are here, and we certainly did not come here to check on the bandits." his smiles broadens into a grin. "You certainly have my sword in undoing these bandits and freeing the lord, and your husband." he looks at the others "We need to gather information and make a plan."

[Rex]

Farid

"Two plans I think, the first always goes sideways at some point and it is best to have an idea of what you are going to do when that happens."

[shaidar]

Louis

"We need to read through the notes for any useful information and potential points of entry, but we will need to make sure anything we plan to use is still valid now. We should also make contact with madame Laverne, she may have additional information about the bandits and the castle, more so if her girls visit the castle."

[Rex]

Farid

"Agreed, all excellent places to start."

[Leitz]

A quick perusal of the maps, and documents, shows that the area supports the castle at a basic level. Most of the population are of Italian descent, although there are a few Tirolian families here and there.

The map of the castle shows that it is well defended, double walls and a difficult approach. Other maps show references to caves, and a couple are mapped out, but there are a dozen more that have no information.

Chaplain Kurstnen pointed at the valley. "Small groups of bandits ventured through here, they moved quickly, and Rudolfo was unable to capture any of them. The terrain gives them the advantage, and many in the population do not support the castle, even though the Lord is just and fair."

She looked at Farid. "I believe someone who dresses like you came last year, and I have not heard from my husband since."

In that she has admitted not knowing about Farid's culture, it is reasonable to assume she is speaking in broad Ottoman-like terms.

When Louis spoke of Madame Laverne, Kurstnen looked at Diego. "Sie wollen wissen, ob deine Freunde etwas über das Schloss wissen, kann ich es ihnen sagen?"

Diego nodded, came forward, and said, "What would you like to know?"

[Rex]

Farid

In his newly learned Italian, "She mentioned someone who dresses like me. Possibly a year ago. Have you seen them around recently? Any more details on them, that you can remember? Any info on the local caves, where someone might hide out or a back door into the castle perhaps?"

[Leitz]

Farid

In his newly learned Italian, "She mentioned someone who dresses like me. Possibly a year ago. Have you seen them around recently? Any more details on them, that you can remember? Any info on the local caves, where someone might hide out or a back door into the castle perhaps?"

You're working against a language and time barrier, but it's still very possible. Roll Lore vs 4, add any Boosts or Fate Points you like. Success gives you a good bit of information about the person, Succeed with Style will tell you who he is, which will give you even more information.

Diego looked at the caves marked on the map, and nodded to Farid. "I've been in most of those, not very deep. This one, and that one, go far, but it would need climbing equipment, and some swimming. If you're asking about the bandits, I doubt they know about the caves. We use them to hide in, and no one would tell the bandits."

He shook his head. "The castle has no back door, but if you can climb, or have a tall ladder, it can be done. Most of the defense is based on the difficulty of the terrain around the castle. However, there are camps outside of the castle, the Lord, or in this case the bandit leader, doesn't let a lot of people inside."

"Maybe two dozen bandits? All sorts of weapons and dress, so not a regular military unit. Even one or two like you, and him." He pointed to Kerecsen.

[Rex]

Farid

Lore +4 [_4d6]=(3+1+1+1)=6
0, -1, -1, +1, +4 = 3

If the individual is considered Military in any way my Stunt Lore Military Specialist gives me another +2

I am going to use a Fate point and Invoke my "A Worthy Foe Should Be Respected" Aspect and re-roll.

Lore +4/+6 [_4d6]=(2+5+4+2)=13
-1, +1, 0, -1, +4 = 3 again, should have gone with the +2.
It is either a 3 or 5 depending if my Stunt counts.

[shaidar]

Don't forget you've got a free +2 or reroll

[Leitz]

Your stunt counts, do you want to use the Boost?

[Rex]

Yes I want to use the boost. Do I have another free re-roll?

[shaidar]

A quick perusal of the maps, and documents, shows that the area supports the castle at a basic level. Most of the population are of Italian descent, although there are a few Tirolian families here and there.

The map of the castle shows that it is well defended, double walls and a difficult approach. Other maps show references to caves, and a couple are mapped out, but there are a dozen more that have no information.

Chaplain Kurstnen pointed at the valley. "Small groups of bandits ventured through here, they moved quickly, and Rudolfo was unable to capture any of them. The terrain gives them the advantage, and many in the population do not support the castle, even though the Lord is just and fair."

She looked at Farid. "I believe someone who dresses like you came last year, and I have not heard from my husband since."

In that she has admitted not knowing about Farid's culture, it is reasonable to assume she is speaking in broad Ottoman-like terms.

When Louis spoke of Madame Laverne, Kurstnen looked at Diego. "Sie wollen wissen, ob deine Freunde etwas über das Schloss wissen, kann ich es ihnen sagen?"

Diego nodded, came forward, and said, "What would you like to know?"

Louis

"I realise their information will be limited, but anything they can tell us about the position and layout of the camps and the movements of the guards will be useful, including things like the location of the privies, as they are usually avoided and less guarded than other areas." he pauses for a moment, thinking, before continuing "Anything they might have overheard about the lord and his men, where they might be being held, how many there might be. We have two options for in and out, fighting or sneaking. It's doubtful we can fight our way in, but if we can sneak in and free the lord and his men then we might have the numbers to fight our way and out deal with the bandits permanently."

[Leitz]

Yes I want to use the boost. Do I have another free re-roll?

I think the Boost was just from my math win, so you have spent one Fate Point for the reroll, and the Boost was free. This particular Stunt does NOT require a Fate Point. No re-roll that I'm aware of.

What all that, I believe you have a total of 7. Concur?