Mark: 0:14

Welcome to RPG Blokes, the Lishmaster live play. This one is for Jon alone, it's for Fact Hunt. His character remained in La Maison Talle, along with mine actually, Wayland, so it's for me too, but I'm going to be a bit schizophrenic with this. I'm going to be GMing and I'm going to be playing Wayland a little bit. This is an additional one-on-one session to bring Jon and Fact Hunt up to date with their characters to where we are with the other guys, and then we'll play the endgame sessions. Welcome back to Warhammer Jon. It's been a while since we did the session zero, and that is literally the last point in which you played this, isn't it? I think, wasn't it?

Jon: 0:53

Oh, we did the intro. We got as far as Maison Tile itself. We had the journey running into the definitely beastment of a weird, bratty nature.

Mark: 1:04

That's right. You met those on the road.

Jon: 1:06

Yeah. And then finagle his way in with the librarian and others. That makes it on tile itself.

Mark: 1:12

Yes. So you'd done that, but they were expecting you guys to leave because they'd given you your duty. You've got your zone in which you have to go and then try and find as many of the tombs belonging to the blue-blooded bandits as you can. They didn't really want you to hang about, but... books yes they pull this on themselves they have the most wonderful library and this is an old library this monastery has been here for centuries and they have a librarian who you made some effort to get on with i remember father padre and you've got the head of the the monastery here is a john louis dintrans john louis dintrans doesn't get to know you don't leave with the others as they hit the road so wayland holds on for you because if you know whatever you discover that gives us an added advantage on our mission you're going to need to travel safely to the frugal horn valley and frugal hoffen it's a good day and a half's journey through the mountains you're not going to be left to do that alone so wayland being a ranger i'm here i'll hang around i'm not very bookish you won't find me in the library but i'll find something to do when you haven't left a couple of the monks start to panic a bit because you were the last group you're off, That's dumb, but you're still here. So initially you'll have to deal with some junior monk asking if you're okay, are you unwell?

Jon: 2:33

My constitution does not allow for too much outside activity. Road to the pub can be quite a task. However, I'm convinced that with such extensive works, there will be plenty for me to rise with.

Mark: 2:49

We ought to have a chat with Father Padre about this. It's not what we were expecting. You just stay here. We'll arrange breakfast for you, and we'll see whether Father Padre can come and see you.

Jon: 3:01

Well, I wouldn't want to disturb a man of such import.

Mark: 3:03

No, no, no. Breakfast has been had. It's already 5.30 in the morning. We need to get him from the library now. We'll get some food for you, of course, as well. After a while, they do bring some things for you, and Wayland would look at this food and know it's all been for it. A lot of man-hours has gone into providing food. There's a lot of monks here, 30 or 40 of them. And Waylon would comment, we're obviously using up additional resources for them. I'll make sure that we do our part and help with this kind of stuff. And then maybe that'll help them feel a bit better about you staying here.

Jon: 3:33

Likely less things that are still rigging you'd be afraid.

Mark: 3:36

Yeah, well, it is all vegetarian here, but I can find other stuff if you want. I don't think they'd appreciate me bringing in any carcasses. I'll stick to what they eat and I'll go out and see what I can do to help. That's my job for today. So leaving you then to be alone in your accommodation cell. And Father Padre, who's been disturbed from his routine, I mean, the bloke looks about 70, he's probably had the same routine for the last 60 years, they don't look happy. And the junior monks scuttle off, they don't want any of this, and he just stands there and says... What are you still doing here?

Jon: 4:08

Oh, well, see, I'm not much of a one for outdoors, but I figured we're one of the greatest minds of the Empire and the extinct...

Mark: 4:17

You signed up for this. You signed up for this job. Isn't that the greatest minds, did you say?

Jon: 4:23

Of course. How else could it not be so? Such extensive work to your command. And you'd be the only person with any true mastery of such terms. And I was really hoping to avail myself of your... great knowledge and be able to maybe find the things that others have missed i'm sure, in my limited experience adventurers are more brawn and muscle they would have overlooked the greatest resource available that of knowledge.

Mark: 4:52

And uh you'll be right nobody comes here to to look through the books they come here to get on the road they're they're outdoors types john louis has done his research properly i'm sure but you expect to find that we've not been able to find or he's not been able to find this bloody book oh.

Jon: 5:10

But did he actually bother to ask you.

Mark: 5:12

Well i'm.

Jon: 5:13

Really bothering you.

Mark: 5:14

Not so much so to speak i mean it's his book it's his research i think it's a complete waste of time if you ask me now.

Jon: 5:23

That is a very very valid viewpoint but if we got the task over and done with, by picking out the things that were obviously overlooked or not even looked for in the first place. and of course the credit or you know if you did wish to sidestep any credit that would be entirely your choice but getting your name in his mind as a resource rather than someone to be overlooked.

Mark: 5:51

His master was far more competent muscaday he's only been head of the monastery for the last three weeks oh got.

Jon: 5:59

Nothing to.

Mark: 6:00

Prove to him with a snapper your people have left.

Jon: 6:03

That's because my My worth is not in...

Mark: 6:08

Well, I saw your ranger walk off in a different direction.

Jon: 6:11

Oh, he'll come back. He's good at that.

Mark: 6:13

Well, he can come back and take you up there.

Jon: 6:15

That's the plan.

Mark: 6:17

Well, when?

Jon: 6:19

Well, as soon as we find something of worth. I wouldn't actually be any used to them going along. The idea is that if you would be so hinders to guide my untutored steps through your library... library.

Mark: 6:35

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's not how it's going to work. I've got stuff to do. You stay out of my way. We can be in the library together, seen but not heard.

Jon: 6:44

As it should be.

Mark: 6:46

Yes.

Jon: 6:46

As I was at all.

Mark: 6:47

Indeed. All right. And you'll be gone in the morning, right?

Jon: 6:50

If I can find anything of worth, yes. And if I cannot, well, obviously that failing is on my part and no one else's. But if there's quite a time and I could avail myself of expertise, it would be...

Mark: 7:03

Well, finish up and let's get going then.

Jon: 7:05

I'm finished.

Mark: 7:06

And he takes you through the monastery, the old library, part of the monastery that houses that. And it's small, but it has a huge amount of books in. Some of these books are very big as well, so it's well kept.

Jon: 7:18

Well, it's Warhammer, so they've got chains and skulls everywhere.

Mark: 7:22

And it's local history and most of it written by monks here. People have come to this retreat in order to study and to focus and to devote their life to knowledge or to the monastery itself, which is a tile monastery so a lot of it relates to the land and to the the cult of tile to i'm saying small but it's relatively cramped with the amount of books in here and he's already you could tell he was working on something he's got some books out he's reading and he walks over to those well it'll be candlelight lantern light here because there's not a lot of light coming in through through windows and.

Jon: 7:55

It'll go full-on gantle.

Mark: 7:56

He don't want to be disturbed by you He's spent too long of the day already having to deal with somebody that he didn't expect to be dealing with. So he doesn't look very approachable. Whether you think you can ask him something or not, I don't know. So tell me about you and libraries, how much experience has Faxon had in his young life in places like this?

Jon: 8:14

This is his home ground. This is where he particularly lives when he was back at the college. Once he's found out whatever their filing system is.

Mark: 8:23

Your main problem here then would be the language. Not everything is Bretonium, far from it, but there's enough here to make that a barrier to some extent. So we say you know a little bit of Bretonium, but that is the limit, in fact. And that is, if anything, that's what you'd need for him to be helping you with.

Jon: 8:40

He'll try and find if there's a translation guide, like a phrasebook or... Something like that.

Mark: 8:46

Okay. Let's make what would be the Warhammer equivalent of a library use role. What do you think? Just a basic intelligence.

Jon: 8:54

He's got skills related to that. I think it was research.

Mark: 8:58

Must have an intelligence role anyway on your language skill.

Jon: 9:01

55.

Mark: 9:02

You're not quite there. Father Padre, just at one point. Oh, I've had enough of this. Right then, what do you need?

Jon: 9:10

Okay, well, it's just a couple of prompters on titles for words and things like that, or old world equivalent.

Mark: 9:16

He's very unpleasant about it, tramping around in here like this, says, you know. But he does put you on the track. He gives you that aid at that point.

Jon: 9:24

I'm fangirling so hard for this guy.

Mark: 9:28

There was a bit of an info dump when you met with John Louis, but you've got the stuff here now anyway that refers to the blue-blooded bandits and everything to do with them. During the course of this day, because hours are passing here, John Louis, Dintrans, the head monk, will eventually be aware that you're in the library and you've not gone where you should have gone. And he pokes his head in and politely just nods to you and doesn't disturb and walks back out again. But about 15 minutes later, Father Padre is called out. He just looks at you and says, yeah, I told you he wouldn't be happy. And he leaves you in the library by yourself at this point.

Jon: 10:03

I would like to take a look at what he's working on. Not to pry, but just see if there's anything that he does stumble across that might be of use.

Mark: 10:12

He is looking at something... Which seemingly is unrelated. It's to do with recent history. A man called Kemler. How much do you want to read of that? Are you just looking at what's open at the moment and a few scribbled notes that he has?

Jon: 10:25

I'm not going to turn pages.

Mark: 10:27

Okay. What you can see is reference to the wandering man of the mountains within his notes.

Jon: 10:36

We saw someone.

Mark: 10:37

You saw him. Yeah. You saw him on the mountains on your journey.

Jon: 10:41

Following morning, it was like a distance away.

Mark: 10:44

Yes, that's right. So the legend of the wandering man of the mountains, I'm not quite sure whether you reported it and you were told of that legend. He seems to be cross-referencing with somebody called Heinrich Kemmler. He comes back about 10 minutes later, red face now, this bloke, he looks more annoyed than you've ever seen him look. And he just comes up to his work and he puts it all together, puts it in a book, slams the cover shut, says, I have to do this later. He walks out.

Jon: 11:09

Is there anything I can help with?

Mark: 11:10

Believe me, there is not.

Jon: 11:12

It's the least i can do for the time you feel out you.

Mark: 11:15

Can't help with this i've got five minutes so have a look what you're after he has a look at the research you're doing and he seems quite impressed with what you what you pulled together and anything he hasn't told you yet.

Jon: 11:26

Why did they get buried uh arranged their own burials beforehand that that is weird i've not heard of that outside of the tomb king it's always for the families but if they were disgraced as a result of these at then they shouldn't have been able to bring these resources there and if they weren't disgraced then everything goes actually much further up which actually makes it not just some bandits but more of an organized group or possibly and he'll lower his voice and, Possibly something more sinister, something chaotic.

Mark: 12:08

You are seeing clues that potentially there was some form of chaos element within the organization of the Blue-Blooded Bandits. They were decadent. They could be Saloneshi.

Jon: 12:19

Yeah, but then we'll stay at home in a big room with lots of people.

Mark: 12:23

Yeah, that's right. You don't need to go far, do you?

Jon: 12:25

I suppose. Were people taken? Were they killed? Because that would involve maybe a sacrificial element.

Mark: 12:32

Some people were taken or went missing. They were considered to be recruited at the time, but there were other people that thought they were taken for ritual purposes. The other parts of this that you were told at the meeting are quite clearly there for you to read. Group of nobles grew bored with life and kind of just wanted the excitement of becoming bandits and living their lives in a slightly different way, but they had quite some power until they were put down by the Duke of Parabon at the time. The burial mounds that they made for themselves mimicked and looked very similar to the ancient ones of old. So even though the blue-blooded bandits were only 300 or 400 years ago, they were making burial mounds that appeared quite similar to ones thousands of years before.

Jon: 13:12

That was the old faith.

Mark: 13:14

Yeah, more the old faith kind of thing. So the day goes relatively fast, I guess, for you, because you'd enjoy this kind of stuff. Most people in the library would drag a little bit.

Jon: 13:23

Are you kidding? He and I are of one mind in this.

Mark: 13:26

By the end of the day, then, you'd be invited to the evening meal. oh.

Jon: 13:30

Five more minutes.

Mark: 13:33

Wayland hasn't come back because Wayland kind of, gets an idea during the day that if he comes back, he's going to be asked to take you away and to catch up with the others. So Waylon's savvy enough to know that perhaps you need a little bit more time and stays out in the wild. You're not sitting at the head table now, you're sitting in amongst the monks and Padre is at the head table with John Louis and a few of the other senior monks. There's a vow of silence here within the mill anyway, so it's unlike yesterday, this is a very quiet affair because they don't officially have any visitors at this point. it's up to you if you want to break that if you want to speak to anybody during the social gathering.

Jon: 14:11

My guy's not the most sociable in any case again I did base him quite a lot on me yeah that was the idea I was always taking the book along to the pub and stuff like that so yeah glamorous yourself.

Mark: 14:23

He's meant to be your there you go so.

Jon: 14:25

That makes sense exactly, So, yeah, he'll be going through whatever notes he, because he will have definitely taken an armful of them that goes through his sibling, make sure he doesn't get marked on anything. He wouldn't have taken library materials out.

Mark: 14:39

John Louis will speak to you at the end of the day. It just seems that your ranger has not returned this evening, so if he does so by this morning, I do expect you to now follow your guru. I hope you have found everything you are looking for.

Jon: 14:55

I've definitely made a start. Your Father Padre is a font of information. Really, I couldn't have made any progress. But because of the works you've got here and his direction...

Mark: 15:10

It is rather unusual, you see, because we are used to employing less academic people for such roles, and I appreciate your curiosity. But there was enough information given at our meeting yesterday for you to achieve what I have asked you to do.

Jon: 15:24

What I want to try to do is try to give him a bit of an info dump to show my time wasn't wasted. I don't know if my fellowship will back up.

Mark: 15:35

The trouble is, as an alter ego, that fellowship is way too low for you, John.

Jon: 15:40

No, no, that's the fun of it.

Mark: 15:42

Let's play this out then because John Louis is not being charmed by you, but he's not an unpleasant guy. So he says, this is all good. This is all good. But hopefully your man will return since the morning and see you can then hit the road, as you say.

Jon: 15:55

He did mention sort of paying his way by bringing some to contribute towards our upkeep. I'd sit on his thumb. It was for good reasons.

Mark: 16:05

Si, si. Well, have a good night's sleep, and we shall see you again at breakfast. Now we know you are staying. We shall have breakfast ready at the appropriate time for you.

Jon: 16:15

That's very fine. And I'll take my leave and go to the library. Okay.

Mark: 16:23

No harm in that. So Padre is not there this evening. So if you're working really late, then you would hear a storm. flashes of lightning kind of coming through what limited space there is in the windows whatever window space there is being taken up by piles of books as well it does cause a strobe-like effect within the library itself and strangely there's there is thunder but after a while where you're expecting rain there is no rain this weather phenomenon does seem to be attracting a certain amount of tension and waking up a lot of the monks that would have already retired and gone to sleep I'll.

Jon: 16:59

Make sure the doors are closed so they don't see candlelight, and I'll just carry on.

Mark: 17:03

Okay. Yeah, it goes on for a good 10, 15 minutes, and you hear people. There's a group of monks just outside the monastery, not too far from the wall in which your side of the monastery is, that are looking and watching the display. The lightning strikes appear to be high up in the sky, arcing down into the Frugalhorn Valley. So where your group have gone?

Jon: 17:25

They're currently camping, aren't they?

Mark: 17:27

They're on the road camping.

Jon: 17:28

I listen to the podcast.

Mark: 17:29

I'm a fan. Pretty good. They are. So on timeline-wise, they're camping with the two dwarven prospectors. That's it. You eventually retire and go to sleep the next morning.

Jon: 17:41

I'm expecting to be voted out in the morning.

Mark: 18:04

Oh, I see. You're not going to your room. You're going to stay.

Jon: 18:07

I might fall asleep face first into a book.

Mark: 18:11

We'll make it up this test then and we'll see.

Jon: 18:13

89.

Mark: 18:14

Okay.

Jon: 18:16

Can I re-roll that?

Mark: 18:17

Yeah, you can use a fortune point on that.

Jon: 18:19

Still not good. 49 is.

Mark: 18:22

No. So you go to sleep. You just fall asleep. And you're woken up in the morning by a junior monk that's come to make sure the place is all right. It's one of his duties. and he taps you on the shoulder. You have missed breakfast. I am sorry to tell you.

Jon: 18:40

Okay, I will panic, but not about breakfast. I'm immediately collating whatever bits of information I've got.

Mark: 18:48

Patrick comes in behind him. He says, oh, relax, your man hasn't turned up. Well, you sent him to back over to Hoobers, right?

Jon: 18:55

He said he was going out for food.

Mark: 18:58

Yeah, likely story. Right, well, you've got another day by the looks of it.

Jon: 19:01

Because there's no way I'm going to make a journey by myself. He's useless.

Mark: 19:07

Yeah, you wouldn't survive that. So yeah, you have to wait. You're not being treated badly by anyone really. And even Padre, today he softens a little bit. You would have a chance to involve him a little bit more in what you're doing. Get his insight and his help a little bit more freely today. He seems definitely more amenable to that today than he did yesterday.

Jon: 19:27

I will mention that there are other travellers. It's not just an adventure. He'll try subtly without saying that he was looking like me and mention that as we were travelling here, we saw a fellow travelling by himself. It was some distant way we didn't converse.

Mark: 19:44

He looks at you with so much suspicion, he just raises his eyebrow. Did you now? You read my notes, didn't you?

Jon: 19:51

Okay, I did go on to you.

Mark: 19:52

The Man in the Mountains.

Jon: 19:53

I don't know. Honestly don't know, but it does fit with the information that I can. I didn't go through your notes. I've not heard the name Kemla before.

Mark: 20:04

Kemla, the Lich Master. You've not heard of him? He looks annoyed. You know, annoyed not because of you for once, perhaps, you're thinking. And he looks up, he says, you saw that storm last night?

Jon: 20:17

Yeah, I know.

Mark: 20:19

Yeah, he said, that put the wind up in trans for sure. Wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, I don't think.

Jon: 20:25

Do you not get dry storms in mountains? Is that not?

Mark: 20:29

No, no, no, no, no. no that wasn't a natural storm no chance you know what magic causes stuff like that.

Jon: 20:38

No.

Mark: 20:40

Necromantic magic, that's what it is. Damn it, I can do with your help. I'm never going to get this research done in time.

Jon: 20:46

What do you need?

Mark: 20:49

He says, this guy, Kemler, he's got history here. 40 years ago, he was on the run from the authorities over in Nuln. Yeah, well, Kemler, he said he began his career over a century ago. He studied in the University of Nuln, but he was possessed of a solitary and secretive nature and he grew interested in arcane magical arts which a man for force have to practice it alone in any civilized place necromancy magical transmutation of the shape and substance of living things and many other horrors and over the years he grew in power and sank in depravity that is until the secret laboratory and his lodgings were discovered by the authorities he fought his way clear and they didn't arrest him and he fled and he found his way into the mountains and the wizards the powerful wizards at the time well they they missed their opportunity they tried they tried to get him while he was on the run using the semaphore system and then he came into the mountains and to escape and then he came upon here our little Monastery, La Maison Talle where we received him courteously I remember it very well I think he found a safe place for some time, I think he believed he was safe he was wrong because Rene, God rest his soul. The master of the La Maison Talle at the time, he was a powerful wizard of some sort himself, and the news had already reached him, although he hadn't told the rest of us, he took Kemmler off guard attacked him. They fought by a mortally wounded Kemla. Wouldn't have been possible without some of the old magics that he used. Kemla ran from here and into the mountains, and while they came looking for him, search spiders were sent not just from the Empire, but from Bretonnia too. But nobody found his body. It was assumed that he must surely have died in the mountains, and his body eaten by wolves or other beasts. It doesn't seem like that's the case. well i'm researching i'm researching this again for the master and i'm i'm afraid this might make you a little bit angry if i tell you this but i think you should know three weeks ago, rene de muscadet the old master died but on his deathbed he had a vision a vision of kemler returned in his vision he saw one of the tombs if not the greatest one of the tombs of the blue-blooded bandits. He was using this tomb, Kemla, within this vision to empower himself. Some of the old magics, maybe some linked to some of the chaos gods or to the magical power that they amassed when Din Tran came and listened to his master's vision and took it very seriously on the behest of his master. Din Tran has decided to try and locate the tomb the vision has said that Kemla is in. And that's why he is really tasking all of you to go looking for these tombs in order to find Kemla.

Jon: 24:02

Why would that stop people from doing it?

Mark: 24:06

Well, Kemla's a very dangerous man. He'd be still alive 40 years on. Well, let's just say the group that find Kemla are the ones that don't return. You like it now?

Jon: 24:15

Well, it would be nice to have been prepared for this.

Mark: 24:18

This transcends your preparedness. This is a threat to the Empire itself. If he raises an undead army he will march on the empire and this storm last night well i i saw the look on didn't chance face he knew that's the start of it a power the power to raise a storm like that can only come from one place considering the visions and your friends seem to be walking straight into it.

Jon: 24:44

Respectfully when the agents of the empire came along did they bother looking through any of Rene's belongings for any useful information, because if he managed to send Kemla packet, it's entirely possible there'll be some information.

Mark: 25:04

Yes, that's what I'm looking for. I'm being tasked with this. Now the race is on, I've been looking for quite some time as well, the last week or so. Not had a great deal of success. I could do with your help after that storm last night.

Jon: 25:17

It's flutter, flutter.

Mark: 25:19

Okay. this is not common knowledge either none of the other monks know this they just think it was a pretty pretty lightning storm i've been tasked with trying to find out a bit more and it appears that you're here to help me now, All right, let's get to work then. I'll tell Dintrans that I've roped you in. He won't like me sharing this information with you, but I just don't think it's...

Jon: 25:41

Do you want to tell him?

Mark: 25:43

Yes, I'll tell him. Don't worry. I must admit you're taking it quite well. Your friends there have probably walked into the area where Kemmler is active.

Jon: 25:53

Now I can catch them up and assist so that we've got some more information.

Mark: 26:00

Catch them up? you are the optimist aren't you uh okay so you spend another day and so as far as our one-on-one sessions we're sort of bringing it closer to the point where the others the other guys are so you're spending another day here researching with him and the clues lead to the personal journals of renee damaskaday and during the day also i'll come back wayland will report back and he would take an opportunity to speak to you outside the library and he said i say i've reported this but But I've encountered more of those rat men out there. And they seem to have an interest on this place. There's a persistent group. I was tracking them for a while too. They seem to be circling the valley. They have an interest in something here. Don't know what.

Jon: 26:46

Well, apparently the storm was entirely natural. They might be attracted to the energy.

Mark: 26:51

But that was coming from the Frugal Hall. And I was up out the valley and I was looking across. And that was striking down on the mountain itself. Our friends won't be there just yet. But they would have got a good view of it too. we.

Jon: 27:01

Do have to catch up with the others but equally i desperately look at a few things that were left behind to confirm theories.

Mark: 27:11

I've not been told we have to leave in the morning if there's anything to go by we could probably play another night here if you need you'd be working later gang with you in the library i.

Jon: 27:19

Mean yeah he will put extra hours in.

Mark: 27:21

So what you do find out is that it was an object that was used by Muscadet that was stored in the crypts of the monastery. And he only refers to it as a box. And this box holds power that he was able to unleash. It does seem a very specialist thing to have been able to achieve by the way he describes it and with great danger involved. But he was able to use this box to take the Lishmaster by surprise. And then he was able to apply another blow to the Lishmaster. He used something called a Staff of Withering, which... took away his physical and mental powers to the point where a muscadet would consider it would have been impossible for him to recover if.

Jon: 28:10

He was fully alive if he's studying necromancy.

Mark: 28:14

So you'd discover all those things you'd be getting on well with father padre at this point and all of this information needs to be brought to to dintrans and he needs to put it together with what he knows, at the end of this day there is another lightning storm this one's closer it's down in the frugal horn valley in the village of frugal horn or just on the outskirts of it and almost certainly our guys are there in frugal horn this is a huge lightning storm the power that this is generating well if it is being used as dintran suspects to raise undead from old battlefields and from the tombs themselves there could be a very very large amount of undead being formed from such energy. It's huge power okay that's good then so you're there so another day goes past you notice within the evening meal that there's a lot of nervousness although you you're aware that it's a it's a need to know basis what's going on the monks are picking up on something here you know that there is a feeling of impending doom it's not so friendly people are on edge and padre is more serious than he's ever been you know he's he's not moaning about things his character's changed a little bit and john louis don chans looks deep in thought at the meal and very concerned and worried certainly not helping so you you're here for another night and then the next day you would continue researching so what i'll do is bring this to an end right okay cheers have a good day see you later.