The Owl of Berlin

It's Victoriana time. Everyone is here again. Horray!

We're off to see Axil Schwarzwald, with a promise of information on our sworn enemy.

We travel across the channel to Ghent, and after a train ride and a total of three days, we're in Berlin.

Berlin is a backwater city compared to London. It does have a lot of brick like London, but it also has its charm.

We head directly to the University of Berlin, which is much like the rest of the city. It's very earthy, as they say.

Like most Elderen, Axil Schwarzwald is slender, but unlike most Elderen, his face is worn, and his dark hair is streaked with gray. We find him in his large office.

He confirms that yes, he has information on Vinotonus. But first, he needs our help. One of the other professors, Aaron Bildenburg, has gone missing.

He was a professor of the late middle ages and germanic tribes. He was also a dwarven fellow, and was last seen last month, on the 25th. After, he just stop showing up. The only clue to his disappearance is he was after a rare tome, and said he was going to pick it up, but it isn't clear what the tome was. He spent a lot of time at the university library, as well as his own. Axil provides us with his address and a key to his house.

I ask where a good place to stay in town is, and he says he'll put us up, which is where we all head to next.

Axil's home is comfortable, and the next day comes quickly. Axil has a presentation, but he bids us good luck, and our group heads to Bildenburg's house.

The house is cluttered, with bits of german history scattered all over. Pots and weapons. Coins and ancient tools.

The hallway leads to a sitting room, which we find in a state of complete disarray. The couch is badly damaged, and books are scattered all over the place. There are also some very noticeable blood stains, which lead off into the kitchen.

We examine several books, and find one of particular interest. Brenden Cruinn leafs through it, and notices some of the pages are burnt, especially around a story about Till Eulenspiegel, about how he seduced a lord's daughter and took her away. I recognize the name. He's a middle low german trickster character, who liked to expose greed and vices.

Lord Gavin goes downstairs and takes a look around. It seems to just be storage, and he finds a tapestry of a Lady of Flowers that he finds interesting.

The rest of us, take a look around upstairs, where is bedroom, library, and desk are. Sidney finds a locked drawer, and picks it, finding some documents and a ledger inside. She also finds a box under a floorboard.

Brenden examines the docs and the ledger. One is the will, which leaves most of his assets to the University. The Ledger is of his personal accounts, which shows the tome which we purchased for 100 marks. It does not, however, indicate anything about where he obtained the tome.

Sidney examines the blood trail in the sitting room, and determines he probably died painfully, although he didn't die immediately. From the blood trail it also seems that he fled his abode, heading south.

We follow the trail down the street, with Brenden and Sidney leading the way. Eventually it leads into a wooded area, where a rundown old church is (St. netovinous, renowned as a healer and slayer of undead) Father Amorth seems reluctant to enter the church, but the rest of us continue in.

At the center is a body. Bildenburg's body. Sidney examines his body, and finds a long laceration, as if he was slain with a long jagged blade. Next to his body, "Till" has been written in blood. Sidney looks intently at the body.

Brenden drags the body outside to Father Amorth, and Father Amorth inspects it, and then barely manages to pull the spirit forth. He is able to tease the answer of two questions out of the spirit before it disappears.

How can we find your killer? "He will follow his nature."

"Why were you killed?" "He was not a trickster, he was a demon."

Lord Gavin and Brenden canvas the houses nearby, where they get into an altercation with a very large woman. Apparently she hates beastmen, and Brenden's translation of Lord Gavin's statement didn't help much either. After insulting Brenden several times, it seems Brenden went into a rage, and attacked Lord Gavin.

Father Amorth and I hear an howl, but by the time we get there it's all over.

While this is all happening, Sidney found a small child who thinks English is very cool. After Brenden's incident, she talks to him, and he says he saw an owl like man with mirrored skin, which she has trouble deciphering. But not really.

Sidney retrieves Lord Gavin, but Brenden is taken away by the local constabulary. She finds where he is being held.

Lord Gavin recovers, and he and I go to where Brenden is being kept. Lord Gavin secures Brenden's release, after paying his fine.

Before returning to Axil's house, we check out the university library. The librarian tells me that he had found a seller for Bildenburg. Gutenabend Books.

We give Axil a short version of what happened. We ask if any other upper class folk have been attack, and he tells us the Grunwaldts attacked each other last night. The maid had an interesting story. Apparently the couple had accused each other of various wrong doings, including infidelity and stealing jewelry, before killing each other with salad forks.

The next day, I keep an eye on Axil (as he himself is very well off) while the rest check a few things out.

Sidney psychometrifies the book, and sees a vision. Aaron is reading the book, the pages glow and burst into a small flame. He tosses the book away, and then a man steps out of the book, a man with shimmering skin, large eyes and a hook nose. His tunic is brown, and his leggings are yellow. He unsheathes a long knife, and stabs Aaron with it, who attempts to flee.

Next, they check out the book store Gutenabend, and they inquire about the book. The bookstore owner spins a tale about how he has many men searching for books, and he found that book in a small arabian village.

Father Amorth doesn't appreciate his tale, and after a glance into Father Amorth's eyes, he suddenly is much more forthcoming. He doesn't know exactly where the book was found, but his man Elbert found it. He's still in town.

Ben has to leave early now.

Father Amorth goes to the hotel, and visits Elbert, who is grumpy. He's a hung over dwarf with a great bushy beard. He demands to know who Father Amorth is, and convinces (using his eyes as usual) that he was sent by the bookseller. He gets some more information about the books origins, but it's not very useful, as it seems it was merely won in a poker game.

Axil tells us that the Leiturns are having a party, something about the arrival of their cousin from somewhere, and this seems like where we might be able to find Till Eulenspiegal.

It's being held on a large estate, and we managed to get our way in.

We spot Till whispering into people's ears, and we go to talk to him. He insults each of us, and I suggest we should leave the party and deal with this like gentlemen. Father Amorth and Sidney seem keen to leave the party just on general principle.

We try to figure out how to get him to leave the party so we can deal with him, coming up with three or four different ideas, but each of them are either unlikely to work, or would cause too many problems.

Brenden notices that one couple has headed upstairs, so Brenden convinces me that we should probably send some guards up after them.

Father Amorth comes up with an idea. He causes several young women into his eyes, and then on cue, causes them all to scream themselves hoarse.

While Father Amorth is doing this, Sidney moves in for the kill, while Brenden and I surround him as well. He screams that he's being attacked, but after Sidney stabs him twice with her dirk, his body melts away.

Father Amorth has exited the building, and has sent more guards into the main room to cause more commotion. Eventually there are screams of fire, and we all escape from the premises.

Having dealt with Bildenburg's killer, Axil is true to his word.

Vinotonus is not a god. He is a demon who was summoned by a priest in 300 AD to hunt pagan farmers. Most records were destroyed, but some that were kept by sorcerers and witches survived. He tells us of several holy weapons which would work against Vinotonus.

He also rewards us with a magical item that once belonged to Bildenburg. A staff, which seems to benefit the holders survival, might, and athletics (+3 to each), as well as providing warmth.

Dan never told us how much exp...