18/08/2016 - The Festival of Light (13)

28 August 1790

Wagon Accident

Horatio heads back to Wizard of Wines with the new coach, driven by Herman, carrying the two ex-convicts. Horatio follows on behind in the cart belonging to the Wizard of Wines. About an hour out from Vallaki, the coach takes a corner and the repaired wheel falls off, causing a nasty crash.

Zombie Attack

Horatio is not hurt in the cart, but as he moves to help the others, two figures stumble out of the forest, dressed in rusted armour and tattered regalia. They look like they died many years ago but they move with a slow hunger to kill. One of the convicts screams in terror and flees. The other and Herman withdraw, but Horatio steps forward and attacks one of the zombies.

The dead soldiers fight better than Horatio expects and he is wounded. He managed to kill and dismember one of them. The other one attacks Herman and he is wounded before Horatio is able to rescue him and finish off the second dead soldier.

Mission Failure

He collects what he can from the wreckage, puts Herman and the remaining convict on the cart and they return to Vallaki. There is no sign of the convict who ran away.

When he returns to the Inn, he finds Doctor Van Der Veldt high on drugs and William looks at his wounds. Horatio tells Magnilda to go sort out the Wheelwrights, he wants the wreckage recovered and repaired.

She is pleased to help and leaves, bringing the young assistant Wheelright back to look at the wounds he has caused before dragging him off to recover the coach.

29 August 1790

Antonio is bedridden recovering for some time. He is looked after by Dr Van Der Veldt and William, with Lucy nursing him a little, but she soon gets bored of this and spends more time with Christian Neptune III, renewing their secret affair.

30 August 1790

Festival of Light

With Horatio wounded too and others not at their best, they plan to spend the next few days recovering. However, they are disturbed by guards going door to door ordering everyone onto the streets to watch.

The party are forced to get involved too. Horatio stays at the door of the Inn, but the rest follow the precession to the Town Square, where a large wicker ball has been rolled into place on some scaffolding.

It begins to rain, but Baron Vargas the Burgermeister insists that the Festival continues. He is accompanied by a huge thug of a man, who appears to be his personal body guard, sporting a large metal arm.

A number of Townspeople line up to throw oil onto the ball as the rain begins to pour down. Baron Vargas tells everyone not to despair, all will be well, despite their glum faces due to being wet and bored.

Don’t Laugh at the Baron

He personally takes a burning torch to light the wicker ball, but as he strides over and tries, the torch sputters and goes out in the rain.

One townsman laughs at this, causing others to giggle. Baron Vargas rounds on the man who laughed and has his large body guard grab him and tie his arms and legs up.

Meanwhile more torches are brought forth and the ball is finally lit, but as it is now very wet, it doesn’t burn very well and gives off lots of smoke. The whole event is a disaster.

The Burgermeister has the tied up townsman roped to the back of his horse and he drags him along as he rides around in a circle, telling everyone all will be well.

Ireena Taken

While Baron Vargas does this, his thug body guard has spotted Ismark and Ireena in the crowd. He walks straight over to Ireena, pushing Ismark out of the way and grabbing her. He then starts to drag her against her will away, towards the Burgermeister’s house.

When Ismark draws his sword, Baron Vargas, a little confused by what his body guard is doing, orders his guards to stop Ismark.

Ismark Arrested

Ismark fights four guards and is able to overpower three of them, but the last one stabs him in the side from behind and he goes down, badly wounded. Ismark is then pounced on by the four guards and put into chains.

Baron Vargas takes his wife and son back to his house, while still telling everyone all is well, and dragging the poor tied up townsman behind him. The guards carry the struggling Ismark away to prison.

Return to the Inn

The party are incredulous at events and meet up at the Inn to discuss what to do. They like Ismark and would like to help him, but there are so many guards on the streets, trying to intercept him before he is taken to prison would be too dangerous.

They instead plan how to break Ismark out of prison, either through blasting their way into the prison with grenades, bribing the guards, or both. They also want to rescue Ireena, bring down the crazy Burgermeister and take over the town.

End of Episode Thirteen