(or failing that, loudly, but extract children I will) and then just leave it alone... Unless there are some members of the families in question that are on the kill list. Falstaff''s info on the families and the relationship between them is... interesting. There''s Norns, of whom currently there are none present. There''s Kleineschatzes, who are nominally headed by Adonis Kleineschatz but in practice answered to the old crone I drove insane a little earlier. Aside from Adonis, who is apparently a half-brother of late Norn (Dowager Norn initially married a rich ritter who ended up mysteriously dying from stomach illness soon after signing a will that all of his sizeable warchest is to go to his dear wife if he crooks first), there is also Gertrude (that''s the name of the old crone, I have some interesting luck with that name for some reason) and Hilda, the youngest of Kleineschatz (not sure what is her deal, but according to Falstaff she is a big homebody and maybe fills in as wife for Adonis, which would explain why Kleineschatzes are so bugfuck insane if aunt-nephew incest is norm for them). There''s Hansliches, who are currently headed and consist of Hanslich Junior, who is yet unmarried. I did gank his daddums along with Norn. There''s, much to my surprise, Ambercrombes, who appear to be a splinter branch of Champagne Ambercrombes. That family currently consists of a geriatric baron, his wife and three sons ranging from mid-thirties to early twenties. None of them married, though Falstaff just shook his head when I asked why. Those are ones situated in Norn county. Aside from county-ruling Norns, the rest are all barons.
(Nornburg is straight on the border of Norn and Fonz counties, and for some reason, Fonzes elected to keep their main presence in Nornburg instead of developing some other town in their county as their seat of power), each having a selection of children ranging from five to twenty. Fourteen people in total, counting them, their wives, their children and a couple of more distant relatives. There''s Brikhiters who own the keep in the bogs. They consist of the patriarch, his wife, his two sisters and between them all, seven children. Out of which only ONE is technically legitimate, and the rest six are incest-borne bastards. Baron Hanz Brikhiter definitely prefers bedding his sisters to bedding his wife, because Falstaff indicates baroness is treated barely better than unwanted guest. There are Dachaufreissers, who are arguably the most unremarkable out of them all. Bog-standard noble family with two children. Though there are rumors that Dachaufreisser bloodline is prone to bouts of unstoppable rage... Finally, there are Hexenjaegers, whom... are interesting. According to Falstaff, this house is basically this world''s version of Belmonts, only kinda evil. Or, well, VERY evil. Apparently, at their height of power, they "unofficially" decided who was allowed to "have" magic and who was not in Kraut. They are nowhere near that much power now, and the house is represented by a sole baron who survived three wives without having a single child between them all to survive their first year. Which may or may not be due to the unconfirmed but prevalent rumor that "true Hexenjaeger" heirs are nursed on blood instead of milk.
...Gotter im himmel!..</dfn>" - yelps the girl, amply forgotten by morons and sensibly taking advantage of that time to cover up her breasts again. She backs away, crawling across the bed as I stalk past her, bend and lift Hanslich by the throat.
Farvas bistu vakh azoy shfet?</dfn>" - I repeat my question in Kraut, think for a moment and add - "<dfn title="Keep your voice quiet if you like to live.">Haltn deyn kul shtil aoyb ir vi tsu lebn.</dfn>"
Der maner farvalter hot mikh bafoyln tsu baleytn iunge harn...</dfn>" - she whispers haltingly, clearly struggling not to break down into tears of terror. Huh. She was ordered by majordomo? I guess I have a bonus target tonight then. No way I can let someone ordering children into beds to live.
Gey mir tsu der maner farvalter.</dfn>" - I order her, following the order by snagging her collar and lifting her on her feet. Carefully, obviously, this one is gonna be one of the survivors.
Geyn aroys durkh di tir arop az koridor, aun nokhgeyn di manshan vant biz ir dergreykhn di steybalz. Zag vart "kudsh" aun mentshn dart veln dir helfn. Gey.</dfn>" - I tell the shaking girl and she turns around and runs towards the exit haphazardly, trembling like a falling leaf on the go. Really nailing the whole "inscrutable monster" vibe tonight, I feel.
(mostly, I''m reasonably sure Hanslich and his nameless fellow were not the only two of them who took liberties with domestics), I try not to draw it out too much and mostly just crack their skulls with handy benches or ram their own swords through them. Wonder why here of all places. Putting up an ambush in the corridor would be more advantageous for them. ..Wait. IS that?...
Antshuldikn!</dfn> Frau Gillespee.... am you man?!"