The Hunt for the Keys part I (addendum)

by Eduarde

Just when I began to have some real fun with Dame Gretchen I nipped back to Drachenheim Manor for a bottle or two from Dandelion's private stock of Chateau la Bois '49. Imagine, I once thought that all of these Eisen Noblewomen were ice maidens... but I really needed some pick me up to revive my strength. After discretely picking the lock to Dandelion's door and removing him of the burden of two tiny little bottles, who should I bump into as I tried to creep out, but Don Carlos de something or other (his surname is almost as long as that Eisen ballad about the Schattenman). The poor fellow was wearing a new buff coat (last year's cut and entirely the wrong colour to go with his boots) attached to which were some gaudy silver dangly things a bit like that table dancer I once saw in Kirk. Was Borstennskoldmund practicing his disguise skill again I pondered to myself...?

Initially I thought Don Carlos was about to request my suggestions on this latest acquisition to his wardrobe, to which I would readily have obliged. But as I was heading back to Dame Gretchen's apartment instead Don Carlos asked me to take a letter for him down to the docks to arrange for it to be delivered to some convent in Castille. On my way down to the Rotstrom I could not help but notice that the letter was addressed to a lady in a convent. Hmmmm, this made me begin to think further.

Convents = Nuns.
Nuns = Women.
Women = Eduarde.

And so obviously, Don Carlos intended me to read his letter too.

So I stopped for a quick coffee at a nearby hostelry where some foolish serving wench left a steaming kettle right next to the letter forcing it open. Quell suprise! Obviously Theus meant me to read this letter...

I must say I was intrigued about this Francesca? How her name melts on my tongue like a Chareuse souffle straight from the oven... No doubt Don Carlos will introduce me to her quitre soon...

Whilst I was intrigued by Don Carlos' reference to the mysterious Wolf Clan (are they allied with the Mad Wolves?), a cunning blind per chance, I was impressed by Don Carlos' discretion in his letter. He made no mention of the family name of the original Barons Drachenheim, the von Stapps, their connection with Steffan the First's Lady Knight, Adelheid Habermann, nor the family's tragic demise in the 1550's. Whilst I could well understand why Don Carlos did not wish to reveal to some Nuns that Dandelion, Hadu and Giancarlo had arranged to do some tomb robbing of the crypts underneath the Drachen Cathedral to acquire the first key to von Stapp's hidden door, I thought why did Don Carlos not boast about Giancarlo's exploit of ascending the steeple and cleaning the gilt cross there? Moreover, perhaps the Nuns might be able to suggest a cure for Dandelion's morbid fear of treading on hallowed ground since that night although for my part I think it would help if Dandelion told us all what he really saw down there?

I did agree with Don Carlos' prudence in not disclosing the series of traps referred to in von Stapp's diary. Although it is much in my mind as to who the sleeping guard is (this never happens in the regt d'Grognards), what the path of blood was, why should one stand on one's ancestors, why stop when we see a leaping Stapp (given that they are all dead this sounds hard anyway) or what the day when the sun stopped shining meant?

Anyway, Franz reckons we now must head off to some ruined Schloss in Heilgrund. Something to do with the Habermanns and the last key. I was about to add a post script to Don Carlos' letter making reference to all of the above when suddenly a gentle waft of perfume reached my noble Montaigne nose. A finely dressed noble lady walked past me, and it all went out of my head....