Citizens of Freiburg part III

by Franz

Report for Eisenfürst Fischler

My Dear Eisenfürst,

I am sure you are aware of most of these situations already, but it appears that there is a lot of trouble brewing. We have heard that Eisenfürst Sieger has crossed the river into the Mondavi lands in Vodacce. In the North, the isolated Montaigne forces have crossed into Posen, and Fauner has vowed that none of them will leave alive.

I am not sure what funds you can muster, but I know that if we could finance the army's return to Montaigne we would earn great favour, as well as avoiding another bloodbath on Eisen soil.

As for Sieger, well let him try his luck in Vodacce. I doubt many of his men will return.

In Freiburg we have had a turn of luck. We had conspired to play a trick on Herr Erhart to lure the Nightbringer to his mansion (or should I say "fortress"?), for which Pistol needed to go to the mansion to work the "deal".

While he was in the mansion, he spied the very woman we have been looking for this past little while--the sister of the Vodacce woman that died in our arms. It turns out that this woman, Teresa Fazetti, is to marry Erhart. Yet despite her beauty, Erhart keeps her a prisoner in his home rather than showing her off, which is his usual manner.

As part of our information gathering on Erhart and the woman, Pistol managed to persuade us to throw him a bachelor party at the Gilded Lily. Why I ever agreed I will never know, but the Avalon's tongue is glib and he has a way of presenting the most unpalatable plans as if they were sweet. I soaked in a bath the whole following day to try and cleanse myself, but I fear that I have been soiled beyond the ability of water to wash away.

It was interesting, though not that surprising, to see the band of cut-throats and ruffians that Erhart brought as his guests, and I'm sure that a fire would have been applauded by the Wachhunde. Of course, it would be a very silly thing to organise an "accident" in an establishment run by Vodacce without their agreement...

After a few drinks Erhart's true nature showed through, and he waxed quite lyrical is his disdain for, well, pretty much everyone. He called us hopeless interfering do-gooders, called the unfortunate refugees of the War losers, victims, and fodder; boasted about how he would sell the perpetual light machine to lots of other fools for vast sums of money; and so on. It was quite educational.

Our friend Dandelion withdrew from the party at the last moment, to my displeasure--if I had to suffer an evening with Erhart I think everyone should have shared in my "joy". He told us later that he had used his Porté sorcery to check on the location of the perpetual light machine, only to find it locked in some warehouse. He was unable to determine where the warehouse was because a pair of large dogs persuaded him that it would be better for his health to leave again as quickly as possible.

We have concocted a plan to smuggle the vial to her in her bridal bouquet. The Avalon Pistol claims he can disguise it beyond any chance of recognition except by Teresa. I suspect he will be using his trickster sorcery.

Giancarlo and Dandelion have located the florist, The Blooming Rose, and have arranged to have a "gift" placed in the bouquet, which will be delivered on the morning of the wedding. Giancarlo tells me that the proprietor was very careful to clean her hands after she left a very carefully sealed rear section, and that as she entered the front of the shop there was an odour strongly reminiscent of the black sap of the Schwartzen Walden. I wonder what dangerous horticultural experiments she is performing?

Later Giancarlo and Don Carlos were out walking Giancarlo's pet rat Bob and managed to upset a noble named Buchenhalter, also known as "the beast of the Bering Strait". He challenged them both to duels, and they foolishly accepted.

The duel between Buchenhalter and Giancarlo was first, and did not last terribly long. Despite Buchenhalter's dracheneisen, I expected Giancarlo to have the upper hand for he is quite an accomplished swordsman, but Buchenhalter made quite short work of him. At the end Giancarlo fled the field, but Buchenhalter kept with him and dealt another blow. Giancarlo then took to a tree but that failed to stop Buchenhalter who dealt a last blow sending Giancarlo plummeting to the ground unconscious.

Not to be topped in disreputable action, Pistol bustled in before Buchenhalter could deliver the death blow, declared Giancarlo dead, and had him carried away before Buchenhalter could act.

Buchenhalter was badly wounded, but had an appointment set with a surgeon before he returned to fight Don Carlos, and looked completely recovered when he once more took the field.

This duel was truly of epic proportions and Don Carlos should have been proud to die this way. They battled back and forth for the longest time before Buchenhalter gained the upper hand and it became certain that he would emerge victorious, and Don Carlos would live forever in legend!

Of course, such is Don Carlos's luck that he will live, but his fame has once more been stolen by his brother Don Ferdinand. As he fell to the ground unconscious Pistol once again pushed forward to disrupt the duel. He claimed that it was Don Ferdinand in the duel rather than Don Carlos, and in the ensuing confusion Don Carlos "mysteriously disappeared".

So once more Don Ferdinand is covered in glory that should have belonged to Don Carlos, but at least our companion lives (albeit with some shame).

The next few days promise great excitement, which is not necessarily a good thing...

Your servant,

Franz Karl von Tannen, Baron Drachenheim