Chapter ten.
the sirens of Sardinia.
In which our Heroes set sail for Rome but suffer a Major Maritime Mishap.
Dramatis Personae:
Katerina, Grafin (Countess) von Ulmfeld from Bavaria
Ruprecht , Ritter von Schlan, of the Austro-Hungarian Diplomatic Corps
Rittmeister (Captain) Maximilian von Ström, of the Austro-Hungarian Lancers
Louis LeBrun - A French Inventor
Frau Elsa Berg - An Austrian Nursing Sister of the Order of Cassandra
Captain Kenneth Campbell, of the British Black Watch regiment
Karl Bergman - An Austrian Explorer & student of Esoteric Orientalism
An excerpt from the diary of Katerina, Countess von Ulmfeld.
November 1871
“We reached Marseilles, without further ado and had a joyous reunion with Louis who was glad to see us alive and well after our Exploits.
We set sail for Rome the next day and were enjoying a peaceful crossing until an unfortunate encounter with Faerie of the Unseelie Ilk. Sirens appeared in the water and before anyone could stop them, Karl, and a priest travelling to Rome were in the water and swimming towards the Faerie!
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| The Sirens of Sardinia |
I ran to ring the ship’s bell and ward off these unnatural creatures but was dismayed to find that the clapper had been removed and I could find no object to use to make a loud enough noise!
With quick thinking, however, Elsa cast a forgetfulness spell making Karl forget what he was doing in the sea and enabling us to rescue him. The priest , alas, was beyond our reach and was lost beneath the waves.
We had not outdone the Unseelie yet, however, and through spite they, conjured up a great storm upon us. The ship was quite wrecked upon the shores of Sicily and many were drowned, including Max’s batman. Being washed up on the shore, we salvaged what we could and made for the nearest habitation where we were graciously entertained in a barn”.
Host’s notes:
This Chapter ran in Autumn 1998.
Worthy of High Merit: Teri (Frau Elsa Berg) for quick thinking that saved Karl Bergman from the Sirens.
Chapter eleven.
a Riparian Decampment.
In which Our Company are captured by Garibaldi’s Redshirts and narrowly escape from an Invitation to Dinner.
Dramatis Personae:
Katerina, Grafin (Countess) von Ulmfeld from Bavaria
Ruprecht , Ritter von Schlan, of the Austro-Hungarian Diplomatic Corps
Rittmeister (Captain) Maximilian von Ström, of the Austro-Hungarian Lancers
Louis LeBrun - A French Inventor
Frau Elsa Berg - An Austrian Nursing Sister of the Order of Cassandra
Captain Kenneth Campbell, of the British Black Watch regiment
Karl Bergman - An Austrian Explorer & student of Esoteric Orientalism
An excerpt from the diary of Katerina, Countess von Ulmfeld.
November 1871
“Finding that the locals were unable to help us in procuring a boat to complete our journey, we set off overland towards a larger town where, we were told, we would find aid.
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| Garibaldi's Redshirts |
Crossing a valley at midday, however, we found ourselves surrounded by red-shirted bandits who insisted we accompany them to their lair. We met Mr. Garibaldi in person, whom it must be admitted was very civil, but who locked us in a room until dinner should be ready. I fear that our recent exertions had left us full of mistrust and we plotted to escape without waiting to see what our fate would be.
The least guarded exit led directly to the river and, perhaps made overconfident by our adventure in Prussia, we made haste to escape via this route using luggage as boats. We did not manage to escape without notice, however, and Captain Campbell’s batman was killed in the following gun-battle. This upset my Ladies’ Maid, Annette, greatly as she had grown fond of him over the past few days. Alas, she was never to recover from this grief as she was shot where she sat in the trunk, bewildered, alarmed and upset - I would I had never taken her on this voyage but then, who would have thought such things would happen.
Abandoning the trunks to avoid a waterfall, our Intrepid Band spent the night, weary and wet, sheltering in a rude sheep fold. Fearing that Mr. Garibaldi would be displeased by our abrupt departure, we set off at first light n the hope of finding civilisation. Praise be to God that we did so and finally found a comfortable passage to Rome and safe, warm quarters”.
It is strange that the Countess failed to mention that Ruprecht, Baron von Schlan, was badly wounded in the leg during the escape from Garibaldi.
Host’s notes:
This Chapter ran in Autumn 1998.
As Host it was gratifying to see that over several chapters I had built up the players’ paranoia to such a level that they fled from what was a completely innocent invitation to dinner.
It was after this chapter that a running joke amongst the group was the establishment of “The Most Secret and Honourable Society of Luggage Helmsmen”.
Worthy of High Merit: The rarely mentioned NPC servants who perished in this and the last chapter RIP.
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