Franz Lohner's Chronicle — Times of Tribulation
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Blessed Sigmar - and I don’t say this lightly - but my cup runneth over.
Good news, Franz. Start with the good news. It’ll make you feel better.
Well … we found Sienna, or rather the rest of the Ubersreik Five did. Or at least, we found something that looks like Sienna.
When it comes right down to it, if you set an asrai waywatcher and a dawi ranger loose on the hunt it’s not a question of “if” but “when”. Should have done it yonks ago, but I didn’t want to distract Bardin from his family business, nor intrude on Sienna’s privacy. That’s me, always thinking I know best. I’m glad Olesya’s not here to rub my handsome nose in it. Not that she’s any better, manipulative old besom that she is.
You’re havering, Franz. Get it written down. You’ll feel better once it’s on the page.
Anyway, like I was saying, the rest of the Five found Sienna lying in the snows up near imaginary Tockstadt, one foot already over Morr’s threshold and muttering in tongues. They gathered her up and got her back, but not without a few nasty looks in my direction. Yes, in the business of Sofia Fuegonasus I was as much Olesya’s catspaw as the rest of them, but I don’t blame anyone for not believing it. I mean, how many times have I sent them into harms’ way without painting the bigger picture? And that this was something to do with Sofia, I don’t doubt for a moment, because while Sienna’s on the mend … she’s not quite right.
Don’t get me wrong, our Sienna’s always sailed close to the wind. Whether anyone likes it or not, the younger, angrier Saltzpyre had a point when he accused her of being a witch. Magic’s dangerous, and pursuing it recklessly leads you into all sorts of trouble. Even the most disciplined wizard is racking up karmic debt … and for an addict like Sienna? Well, bad things were bound to happen.
You see, I didn’t find out until later that the rest of the Five had skimped on some of the details of how they found Sienna. The halo of blue-green flame about her body. The skeletons that burst from the snows to attack them when they drew nearer. Protecting her, or so Kerillian said, drawn by her mutterings. Not that a handful of rotten bones had any chance against my lot, but that’s scant consolation. There’s a word for the sort of wizard who raises the dead, even unconscious, and it ain’t a nice one.
It gets worse. Saltzpyre, who more than anyone knows a necromancer when he sees one, would have put Sienna out of our collective misery then and there but for the others. Knowing that Kerillian would never stand for it, he clobbered her first - making a lie of one of my recent assertions, I suppose - then squared off against Bardin. Would have been the end of the Ubersreik Five then and there but for one miscalculation on Salty’s part. Given how a necromancer did for Kruber’s old regiment back in the day, he assumed Markus would be right behind him. And he was, in a manner of speaking. With a rock.
Turns out it takes more than labels and superstition to shake Kruber’s friendship once it’s earned. Good for him.
That left three of five in the snows, and yours truly summoned to help cart the unconscious bodies back to civilisation. That’s how desperate it was. I don’t venture into the field any longer, not if I can help it. And let me tell you: Kerillian might look like a bundle of twigs tied up with twine, but she’s not without weight.
Sienna’s up and around again now, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad. She’s definitely not herself. I’ve not seen hide nor hair of a wholesome flame since our return. It’s like her bond to Aqshy is just … gone, smothered by the cold of necromantic magic. Not that she seems bothered. In fact, in most ways she’s still the Sienna I’ve known since that dark Ubersreik night. A bit more forgetful and unfocused, perhaps, but that might just be my imagination.
She’s not talking about what happened to her up in the mountains, and I’m damned if I can work it out. Did she choose this? Is it something to do with Sofia? With the early Geheimnisnacht? (Which is still lingering about, thanks for asking.) Or … and I’m just guessing here … is it something to do with whatever has Olesya so spooked about the Ring of Nine Daemons? Damned if I know. I’m just gonna be watching Sienna good and close, and trying to remind myself that not all necromancers go to the bad, or at least not all at once. There’s that vampire lassie, for one, and I’m sure there must be other examples.
I mean, there has to be, right?
But even if there’s nothing wrong with the wider world, these are dark days for the Ubersreik Five. Salty’s cooled down a bit and pretending to give Sienna the benefit of the doubt, but he has murder in his eyes more often than not. It’s only the fact that he got played for a patsy by Be’lakor that’s holding him back - we’re none of us unmarked by dread powers nowadays. And Kerillian? She’s not going to forget getting lamped any time soon - nor Salty’s attempt at bringing Sigmar’s Mercy to the snowbound Sienna. Bardin and Kruber are playing peacemakers for the moment, but who knows how long that’ll last? Catrinne, the lads and even Salty’s cat are all keeping well out of it. Wish I could do the same.
You could say that the Ubersreik Five are experiencing a bit of a wobble and a big old shortfall of comradeliness. Hopefully the worst is behind us - at least until something else goes wrong - but suffice to say I am not running a happy ship right now. And if a captain’s running an unhappy ship, he’s got no one to blame but himself.
As for me? I’m going to trust Sienna’s still sufficiently herself, right up to the point that I can’t.
I’ll deal with that as and when it comes. Sometimes, that’s all you can do.