Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Absent Friends

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.

Well, we’ve had a right palaver around here and no mistake. “What’s that?” I hear you ask – and while it’s not germane to the topic at hand, I really do have to do something about these voices I keep hearing, after all, it’s not as though you’re real, is it? – “Have the Skaven besieged the keep? Has some ghastly nether-worldly horror come crawling unspeakably into the privies?” Not this time, I’m please to say – though there’s always tomorrow. This time it’s worse.

Saltzpyre’s cat has gone missing.

Now, I couldn’t really care myself. Cats come and go as they please without so much as a by your leave, and it’s not as though they can’t take care of themselves. Load of stuff and nonsense, basically – the dratted thing will return when it feels good and ready, and not before.

Sienna, of course, doesn’t see it that way, and is refusing to undertake more serious business until the dratted moggy is found. Keeps walking the mountainside with half a fish and what I can only assume she supposes a beguiling manner. Wouldn’t be surprised if Kerillian’s been joining her, though of course she’d never admit it. In the contest of elf-senses versus cat sneaking, I’ll take the latter all the time. As for Saltzpyre? Well, he’s walking around with that all-too familiar fragile solemnity that suggest that below the surface the waters are running deep. Another one who’d never admit anything, but he does jump at the tiniest sound, his eye briefly frantic before he realises he’s being observed.

Bardin, mind? He says he hasn’t eaten the cat, and I guess we’ll just have to believe him … if only because of what’ll happen if we don’t. To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a dwarf indulging thusly, but when we’re talking about an individual who’ll eat boiled troll, fermented cheese and candles – candles, mark you! – one can’t help but keep a bit of an open mind, you know?

Kruber’s the only one spared this madness, what with him having taken it upon himself to hie away to Ubersreik to pay respect to his folks. Refused all help, he did, even though the roads between here and there ain’t exactly the safest right now.

But Kruber’s Kruber, and all things considered I’m even less concerned about his safety than I am that dratted cat’s. Hard to believe that when all this started, I took him for the least of the Five, but now? Feel’s like he’s the glue that hold this cantankerous bunch together.

He’d better come back all right, or there’ll be trouble like you’ve never seen.