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As we accumulated funds, we took riverboats up and down the Rhine to neighboring cities. Hans learned new formulas and found sources for many valuable ingredients. I urged everyone to spend time in the monastic libraries, learning whatever saints their virtue permitted. Our now-traditional night patrols enhanced our reputation in many places, as well as defraying all the costs.

Once we had located sufficient alchemical sources, Hans sold his more valuable potions (which we had carefully hoarded) and bought new components. This was the start of "Muller's Fine Elixir and Potions, Limited," a profitable alchemy business. We would patrol at night, buy components by day, and then during the healing interludes Hans created new potions. These new potions could be sold at a profit, allowing us to buy more components and start the cycle once more.

Our goal was sufficient wealth to outfit everyone with good weapons and armor, and to create a reserve stock of potions for use in battle. Alas, boredom got the better of us. We listened to the pleadings of a foreign trader in Mainz, who begged us to recover an illuminated Gospel. Venturing into the wilds, we found the Gospel easily enough, but were almost eaten by hungry wolves, not to mention petitioned by a rapacious bishop for money we could ill afford. Alas, we could afford a fight with his retainers even less, so we agreed to his demands!

Returning to Mainz, we happened to notice at the inn that a freelancer was hiring adventurers. We inquired and discovered he had a warehouse full of spiders. Thinking to ourselves, "How much trouble could spiders be?" we accepted. Needless to say, at the warehouse we found ourselves in the fight of our lives against spiders at least four feet tall and fast as the wind! After these close shaves with death we returned to our traditional activities, only to find ourselves ambushed by pirates on our next riverboat trip! We survived, continued our original pursuits, and finally had accumulated sufficient funds to outfit everyone with their preferences of armor and weaponry.

Feeling stronger than before, we ventured into the wilderness once more, this time seeking the castle of an evil robber-knight. The combined reward among various merchants and pharmacists for his death was over 50 florins! We encountered a variety of monasteries and castles, some nice, some not so nice, before we finally reached the half-ruined citadel the raubritter called home. Camping outside, we besieged him, defeating group after group trying to enter or leave. Finally he sallied forth in person to challenge us. By this time, his followers had almost abandoned him. Still, it was a tough battle, especially when we discovered that our arrows had virtually no effect on his plate armor! In the end we staggered away, half dead but victorious! We immediately camped to restore our strength before making the dangerous trip back to various sponsors for our rewards.

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