Entry 5: The 16th Day of the 11th Month of the First Year of the Third Millennium     We have sought for almost a fortnight now, and I believe the rewards are close. The ingredients required by the cure include components that are quite rare and not sold by any of the merchants of this city to whom we have talked. However, there seems to be a following of other warbands inquiring about the ingredients to the cure as well. I have gleaned that these include both those who would profit by finding the ingredients before us and those who genuinely seek to help us cure our men, though even this is more from desire to remove the threat of werewolves being about than to aid us.     We finally arrived in the section of town in which the ingredients were hidden. There was a howling gale blowing, as from our first night in the province, but we were not to be put off by a natural storm. There were two components that needed to be found and mixed in equal quantities with some more common and inexpensive ingredients. We quickly made contact with 'Bob’s Barstards', another band of Marienburgers to our left, and spread the word that any band providing us with equal parts of each of these two components - in sufficient dosage for our use - would be rewarded with a dueling pistol. We shortly learned that local shopkeepers had offered a 10gc reward for any band that brought any ingredient to them, no doubt believing that we would pay a higher price in our great need. We promptly spread the word that we would match or beat any such offer.     To our right, atop a bluff, were the Green Flame Skaven - it’s too bad our focus will be elsewhere or we would find a way to teach them a lesson. We heard rumor that more Skaven were entering across the town, and that there were Witch Hunters about, intent of slaying any who would be infected by my marksmen’s disease. The now familiar band of Middenheimers, calling themselves 'The Wolves of Fenris' also made their presence known in the distant quarters of the town.     We advanced into a temple, finding one element of the cure therein, and took up defensive positions in the cover of those ruins. Our two infected men advanced towards the one slope that rose up the bluff, one of them pausing to search an open grave, in which he found another element of the cure. We had the men who had the cure - Henri Ferrette and one of the infected marksmen - quickly move out of harm’s way into cover in a building without easy access to the rest of the band. The other infected marksman moved up the bluff to confront the Skaven.     We saw this man crest the top of the bluff and advance. I learned later what had transpired and do now tell it for you not from my mouth but his. He reached the top of the bluff and found himself facing half a dozen skaven, including a black skaven and a sorcerer, plus a rat ogre. He quickly realized that there were 2 more skaven atop a tower almost directly over his head, with the leader of the band in a tower beyond. He shouted out over that gale that he needed the cure, and asked them to provide it, even promising compensation. The Skaven acknowledged they had elements of the cure, but demanded that he withdraw and send up someone who was not infected to negotiate. I know not whether the senses of these rats are keen enough to distinguish those with this foul disease - which I cannot dismiss since the disease came initially from one of their kind - or whether they simply deduced that no human would be brave enough to alone enter their midst.     Growing nervous, the Skaven opened fire on the marksman, who quickly transformed into a werewolf and charged the rat ogre. The wolf inflicted good damage, but the counter-charge of the Skaven felled it before it took any Skaven down.     At this point we began to withdraw from the town. In a gesture of goodwill, the other Marienburgers sold us an element of the cure for only 10gc. After recovering the body of the marksmen/werewolf felled by the skaven and realizing we did not have enough elements of the cure to attempt to heal both our colleagues, we sent young Henri Ferrette, without equipment, to negotiate with the Green Flame. We waited with greater belief that he would not return than with hope that he would (much less that he would actually return with elements of the cure). After much time had passed, Henri returned, and had with him 2 additional elements of the cure!     I was, at that point, too happy to inquire how they had been obtained, and I set about preparing the mix and administering healing to my men. I ended up able, I believe, to heal both of them, needed only some of what was obtained from the skaven, plus all other elements that I had.     While we were waiting for Henri, and then also as I administered the cure, my men searched the area, finding 4 shards of wyrdstone, plus 6 gc in the ruins of a local market hall. After selling 3 shards of stone for 60gc, we withdrew from this area of the town.     As we walked towards the outskirts of town, I talked more with Henri. I learned that he had actually seen and dealt with such creatures as the skaven before in Marienburg (skaven in Marienburg!?!), and mentioned that his father and many other tax collectors made use of the vile beasts. He knew how to talk to them, and was able to establish a sort of rapport with their leader, Maximillion, who apparently had lived in Marienburg in his youth. This skaven called Maximillion had apparently worked for a tax collecting family in another sector of the town, and inquired as to whether Henri knew a warlock named 'Malfeasance', better known to humans as Henri Stickler, rebellious son of an infamous tax collector. Our own Henri had heard of this family, though known them not, and he promised to inquire of his father about such a man (who he guessed would be of his father’s age). Impressed with this human, the skaven apparently gave him both elements they possessed of the cure in return only for 'future considerations'.     My heart sank just as Henri’s pride swelled at this announcement. How I wished to be out some sum of gold, or even a dueling pistol, rather than having sold our soul in the form of 'future considerations' to these rat-folk. Only the dark undercurrents of this world’s hidden truths could foresee how this will come back to haunt us in the future, but even my own dull senses scream that this does not bode well for us. We walked on in silence for some time before Henri chose to keep different company.     My thoughts turned to our future as I held company with Jean de Vrai. At his recommendation, I began to see the need for an additional Champion and have sent out word that we would like to hire one. I have become more aware of the presence of men for hire in this area, and I have become better versed in how to uncover information from the shopkeepers and other residents of this region.     I have noticed that my men seem to have gained regard for my leadership, partly due to our devotion to having healed the men instead of banishing them. In our training exercises, the center guard seem to be showing more initiative, and Jean has increased the distance at which he can effectively hit a target with his pistols. I have also spied Henri 'playing' with stray dogs of the area. He seems to have a talent with these curs that matches his apparent ability to establish a rapport with rats. We’ll have to make use of this at some point in the future. Turn the page. Back to the previous page. Close the journal.