The Enemy Within - Session 116

 05/04/2025

Filthy Lucre

They search the Brood Horror's lair finding human and skaven remains and a tunnel leading steeply down into the depths, which Farfordda knows is blocked. Farfordda finds a Cathyan sword and sling bag, containing, among other things steel calipers which magdalena uses to search through the big piles of shit. Amos and Norgrim search them regardless. A ring, some pennies and a shit encrusted Warplock pistol are found. 

Farfordda cuts the head off the Brood Horror and they bind it to Magdalena's spear which Amos and Norgrim use to carry it. It is after 4am by the time they exit the mine into a damp night. Magdalena spots old Willie watching them, he scurries away shouting demons when she gestures in his direction.

They wake Martina, she is horrified and nervous about Axel being killed - Etelka will murder me! She asks them to hold off telling anyone until Johann has left for the Inn, but no they insist on going to the Gaffer now, but tell her they wont dob her in it. 

Johann is already up and prepping to leave. They show him the great rat head and tell him they went to the mine looking for Axel and found his and other corpses down in tunnels below the mine proper dug by this monstrosity they killed. They say he should blow the mine up. He says this is how they make a living. Can the party not sort it out - he'll pay them. Amos says you need to pay us for what we did already. 

As with Martina he says - so mad old Wullie was right - its ratmen and devils. He tells them how Old Wullie only started saying all this after the Glimmerlead was revealed - that he had been caught skulking about the village one night and next day he showed up maintaining to remember nothing of it and that he'd been to the ratmen tunnels. 

They tell him about the warpstone caves, but he knows nothing of warpstone. Also this is the first time he met the elf, which he is not entirely happy about. Johann decides to send Martina to the Inn instead of himself (which she is eager to do), he will stay and try calm his people - he asks the party if they will deal with the situation - spend a day blowing the entry to the lower tunnels to show his people they need not be scared. In future they will set a guard at night, and yes they will build fortifications as soon as they can. He offers them 10kg of Glimmerlead.

They crash out, waking at 2pm then head to the Pit Prop - (almost) the whole community is here eager to hear the details. Norgrim tells the tale, stressing Farfordda's role to make them less hostile to the elf. Amos asks if anyone saw the green flashes last Grunsnacht and hears yes - it was like green lightning above the broken mountain. Magdalena goes to see Ada, she is distressed by all the tales about some monster in the mines. 

Farfordda goes looking for Old Wullie, but theres no sign of him - he pays closer attention to the signs in his hut, asking if the sign on the Brood Horror's broken manacle is there - yes it is, but the main symbol is this other one. It is about 5pm, 31st Vorgeheim...
 

The Enemy Within - Sesion 115

 28/03/2025

The Horror in the Darkness

They explore the lower mine. It doesn't take them long to discover the recent tunnels dug by the Brood Horror. Farfordda finds Karlinsel's dark spectacles and they methodically investigate each chamber on the lower level before heading into the tunnels. 

It is a real fumble session for Farfordda - he stumbles and cries out while navigating the tunnels. They follow them down into the caverns below where the passages lead between natural caverns shot through with warpstone chips. 

Finally they enter the small cave below the Horror's lair. Magdalena smells it as it smells them. Its bloody slobbering snout pokes over the edge of the cavern above and the party flee. It chases them down the corridor, easily catching up with the 2 dwarves. 

 

Illo from The Horned Rat Companion - copyright Cubicle 7

Norgrim turns to face it with his pick and Amos lets loose with his crossbow. Magdalena and Farfordda join the fray and they have it on the run before anyone is injured. It scrambles back to its lair. Farfordda fumbles again taking a shot and damages his bow. Magdalena smells the gas above and Farfordda lets loose with a fire arrow. Kaboom. 

Amos scrambles up the slope and puts another bolt into the burning beast - but its the fire that does for it... its just after 3am, 31st Vorgeheim

The Enemy Within - Session 114

14/03/2025

The Mine

 Amos keeps an eye on Jakan. Magdalena Speaks to Johann (Mulderbrook) about him, she's worried, dude is suspicious, what is a trapper doing with a sword - she's worried for Ada. Johann is off to Magnus' Rest for market day tomorrow, so he'll see what he can do before he goes. Norgrim spends the afternoon working at the smithy, questions why there's no wall, Josef (the smith) says they should build tracks into the mine and upgrade the place generally. 

Everyone gathers in the bar when the mine shift finishes (Martina and Axel head up to start theirs) Johann arrives to ask folks what they want from market. As folks wire into hare stew, Johann intimidates Jakan into leaving - Amos follows him out and watches as he leaves Oberholzbek heading upriver. It is closing in on sunset. Farfordda arrives, Amos quickly fills him in and he sets off in pursuit. An hour later, closing in on the ford he hears the hideous screeching echoing down the valley, with no sign of Jakan he decides to turn back (failed track & 99 luck roll).

Meanwhile Magdalena takes Ada back to the farmhouse and plays with her now that the threat of Jakan is removed. At the bar Norgrim asks Johann if he could use Dwarf help, yes, so he drafts a letter to be delivered to Coppershiners in Middenheim for Johann to take to the Inn. 

Not long after Farfordda returns the Orc drums start up. Amos goes to Martina's - he tells her about Jakan scoping out her place and she checks the lock on the shack. He refuses a drink and gets a map - he must return it she says. He also gets 20 yards of rope and a flask with 4 hours oil. They decide to get some sleep before heading down the mine and take one hour guard shifts. 

It starts to rain at midnight. Norgrim dreams about being at a wake then competing to be the Grafs Champion. 

They head down to the mine, the orc drums still droning away. First they check out the big cavern on right, mags smells gas and Amos does a circuit looking for other entrances. They head on down to the main cavern by the glimmer lead seam. Magdalena can see that in the cavern below the scaffold has been smashed and the floor is wet. 

Amos climbs down first but drops his shield, its clanging echo ringing around the cavern. The lower rungs are covered in blood and there's been some changes since he was here last night, with fresh rubble on the floor. 

Norgrim descends next, followed by Magdalena and then Farfordda. Magdalena, wearing the Yellow Fang amulet smells, before seeing the severed arm. Norgrim identifies it as Axel’s. They see that there is a trail of blood leading into the recent burst open passage and go to follow. They have been down here for 25 mins, Axel’s wife Etelka has yet to notice he is missing, and unknown to them the beast (rolling 05) is awake…

The Enemy Within - Session 113

 07/03/25

Tall Tales & Trappers

 Before leaving the mine Amos via successful intuition roll can tell Martina is hiding something. He confronts her and she admits a scholar came asking about the mine a few weeks ago - let's chat later she says.

Norgrim hangs in the bar telling tales of his adventures. Fafordda in the shack meditates on the shack - this was a living area before it was used as a store. Magdalena at the farmhouse asks old Mathilda who lived in their shack, Karl she says, and becomes edgy - he disappeared last grunsnacht, was a weird boy, very religious, Axel named his dog Sigmar to wind him up. Magdalena says maybe Ada should stay with them tonight, Mathilda seems offended when they leave.

Amos joins Norgrim at the Pit Prop and asks more about the mine. Karl is mentioned, someone says he disappeared down the mine, other's dispute this. Herr Mulderbrook comes down and starts telling tales of Giants. Amos goes off with Martina soon after she arrives. They start drinking in her shack - she tells him about the scholar (Karlinsel Spedklein) and his bodyguard from Cathay, that the gaffer wouldn't let them down the mine, so they bribed her. He said his research was secret. She took them down a couple of times, then they went down by themselves and never came back. It was a week later Karl didn't come back from a shift. Maybe old man Willie is right, maybe they summoned a demon. Amos suggests they could investigate, and they both fall asleep in her shed drunk.

Magdalena takes first guard. Farfordda casts Lie of the Land, consequently sees the warpstome shot through the stone caves beneath the mine. Norgrim stumbles back to the shack not long after the hideous screeching starts up from the head of the valley. Farfordda takes over for a 4 hour shift, and magdalena returns to duty as Amos is missing and Norgrim out for the count. Farfordda wakes disturbed from a nightmare where he goes down the mine to see the Undersun, waking when Morrsleib gapes down to eat him - he is shaky for most of the morning. 

Amos returns and they make plans over breakfast in the shack (tho Norgrim goes to farmhouse to sort it out). As soon as he is able Farfordda heads off with the intention of spending the day learning a spell in the forest on the far bank. But he badly fluffs his swim roll and loses his bow, then elects to spend the rest of his day getting it back (will return at sunset). Amos goes back to see Martina - how about they go down the mine tonight once Axel has finished his shift - so long as they say nothing to the gaffer. Come back before you do and I'll fetch you a map.

Mags goes to see the Gaffer - they will stay one more night then head back to Dunfurter in the morning. Fine he says. Norgrim goes to the smithy and spends the day repairing equipment at the forge.
 

Come lunchtime Amos spots a trapper wandering into town. He saunters into the Pit Prop. Jakan Is his name, he's come from Lindenheim, mentions that Kepler Karzbudger is staying there (also about monks being ambushed on the road). He asks Amos what he's up to - oh we're up here looking for a dwarven temple. The dude spits out his goats milk and tries to regain his composure, he heads out for a smoke.

 Amos spots that the sword in Jakan's bundle has a sigmarite marking, like those they took from the goblins. Where did you get the sword? Found it by the ambush site on the road. Amos goes to get Magdalena. Jakan strolls about having a look around the village - Magdalena confronts him somewhat, carrying her own sword - she questions him about his sword. Its early afternoon, 30th Vorgeheim…

The Enemy Within - Session 112

 28/02/25

Oberholzbek

They switch watch order so Norgrim gets enough healing sleep, as a result Amos hears someone try the tower door near midnight several times, followed a minute or 2 later by the Bretonnian tutor's voice ‘come away from there!’. 

Magdalena takes last watch, woken from a disturbing dream about being married off to the Graf, except he turns out to be the count of Mousilon and is a giant rat, and she has 2 bowlcut haired kids… 

Meyer sees them off before dawn, giving Farfordda a letter for the Reeve of Oberholzbek and a pouch of coins. He gives Ada a shabby looking soft toy of a ferret, magdalena ties her hair up and they dress her in leather to make her look more like a boy, and draw the ace of diamonds determining that she is in a positive mood, despite all the horror she sees this morning as an adventure.

They take off down the muddy track, Amos has some trouble with his horse so it takes them nearly 2 & half hours to reach the ford. The cross without incident and decide to lead the horses from there on. Following the river gets them to Oberholzbek by mid morning. On route the briefly spot the Two Fingers looming over a hill top and closer the Red Tusk Monument leering over the treetops. 

 

It is a mild and clear but windy day. Several children and dogs rush towards them. Amos does the talking, correctly guessing the town will be more receptive to dwarves. He tells the little boy this is Harry and asks after his dog’s name (Sigmar). Farfordda peels away from the gang as they approach the village to take up position on a pile of logs by the jetty. 

A woman out hanging laundry approaches, this is Etelka, Axel’s wife - have they news of the fighting - her boys left to fight for the Baron? Amos tells her the goblins are defeated but the Baron grievously wounded by a beastman. 

The reeve approaches and greets them warmly, Amos spots and comments on the Grungni pendant he wears (and rolls 06 for reaction). Can we talk somewhere in private? They go to his house where his wife reads out the letter. He tells them he’s never met Baron and he never did anything for us but he’ll do as paid, dropping the taxes would be great. 

They ask him about the piked orc heads they saw on the way here. He says Lucas the barman is a great shot, and not the only one. He tells them the Orcs raised that big monument 2 grunsnachts ago, that last night they were playing drums but stopped when the hideous screeches rang out - these noises they’ve been hearing on & off up at the head of the valley since grunsnacht last. He says he’ll have a shack cleared out for them.

Meanwhile Farfordda follows the river bank up towards the mine, then approaches a shack on the far side of the great finger of rock by the river bank. As he does so a scarecrow like figure rushes towards him - away demon! 

This ragged man paces around him gesticulating. Farfordda sees a very subtle hint of a warpstone pendant emanating from below his clothing. He manages to convince the man he is no demon - the raggedy man says there is a demon in the mine - the child of Herr Tuefulgeist - (his name for Morrsleib), summoned recently by a black spectacle wearing wizard - it ate Karl! He’s been to the rat men tunnels - Herr Tuefelgeist sent him - he whispers to him every night, the end of the world is at hand. 

He runs off and watches from a distance. Farfordda peaks into the shack to see a filthy hovel, but the walls are covered in charcoal scratching of the moon and skaven. He ducks into cover when he sees a woman exit the mine then slinks away to hide in some trees.

 

Back at the farm Amos meets Martina the mine forewoman when she arrives - from her he learns that there was a quake here during the long grunsnacht after mitterfruhl, it was that which exposed the glimmer lead, but caused much of the mine to cave in. She needs an engineer, Amos says he’d like to take a look down the mine - she says later. 

Magdalena stays at the farmhouse to play with Ada trying (successfully) to bond her to one of the local dogs while Amos & Norgim head to the bar, The Pit Prop - there they meet Lucas (and see his wife sewn Ulric wolf banner) who shows them his rifle, then later Axel - loutish drunken husband of Etelka. He nearly gets into a fight with Amos, then is beaten by a drunken Norgrim at axe throwing (who in theory wins 3 silver he never actually gets). 

Norgrim spends the afternoon regaling the bar with tales of his fight with the Graf’s champion in Middenheim. Farfordda does the Tarot in his bush - does the demon in the mine mean harm to the village? maybe. He, Magdalena & Amos confer in the shack that has been cleared for them - they notice sigmarite symbols carved into the interior walls.

Magdalena goes back to the farmhouse for dinner, Frau Mulderbrook repeats the story of the quake and tells her last grunsnacht green flashes were seen in the sky beyond ‘the shoulder’ and huge bangs echoed down the kleifluschtaal like Ulric’s farts. She makes a roll for how Ada is settling in - on the poor side of so-so (60) and takes her out after dinner to teach her how to fight with a ‘sword’ which she takes to much better (11).

Amos heads up to the mine after dinner with Martina and Axel (who is about to start his shift). They show him the glimmer lead face and a 3SL geology roll says it’s not from volcanic activity, he guesses Skaven. He returns to the village. It’s early evening on the 29th vorgeheim at session end. They plan to return to Dunfurter the next day.
 

The Enemy Within - Session 111

16/02/2025

The Holzbeks

As the party approach the castle they see Toddbringer and Holzbek penants fluttering from the towers. Amos and Norgrim try make camp a couple of miles back the way while Farfordda and Magdalena ride up to scout out the castle. A failed roll results in them moving on a mile and trying again, having a camp set up with Ada by 4pm, by which point it is raining intermittently.

Mags and Farfordda arrive and say they come with information for the Baron - they get a Friendly Reaction Roll and are bid enter and wait in the grand hall for Steward Meyer. Farfordda asks the guard (Kant) how long Meyer has worked for the Baron and gets told probably as long as the castle has stood. In the grand hall they meet young Gilbert Eisenhal and his Bretonnian tutor (this time with unfriendly/disinterested roll). The castle seems fairly empty. 

When Meyer arrives he tells them the Baron is away at war with the Blackweb Goblins to the south - Magdalena says what they have to say is private, can they go somewhere quieter? he is skeptical until Farfordda buts in to emphasize the import and so he takes them up the Geschloss Tower. 

Magdalena asks if the names Hals and Greta mean anything to him - he looks worried, he says what of them - they show him the Holzbek Amulet Ada gave them and tell their story. He admits it was he who had Ada sent for. Farfordda asks him why? He tells them its all political and says he'll pay for her to be brought here and for their silence. Farfordda says he's not interested in money, he wants to know why? 

This he explains is a border region, the Baron plans to announce Ada as his heir at a Conclave and betroth her to another family - Middenheim has been a flaky ally of late and so they must take measures to secure themselves. The girl was raised in secret on a farm to keep her safe.

What news of Middenheim Magdalena asks, he says that the Graf after having emerged from his malaise has inflamed the strife between the cults of Ulric and Sigmar and that his heir was apparently killed by sigmarites along with his physician on the road south. 

They ask about the boy in the hall - that is the Baron's nephew and he is here with his mother, the Baron's sister, who does not know about Ada, and in all likelihood expects her son to be named heir...

They say can they bring the girl here and guard her till the Baron returns, he says yes - he can have this tower prepared for them. They must take the castle Huntsman with them and he can lead them in after dark. On the way out of the castle they see 2 of Lady Eisenhal's guard, one of whom spots the Elf.

Ulman the huntsman travels with them back to camp - he has been instructed not to ask any questions. Amos tries to befriend him to pick his brains about the mountains but fails. Magdalena spends some time talking with Ada, trying to calm her and tells her that they are taking her somewhere safe. 

Farfordda goes off further into the woods to consult the Tarot. Did the girl's aunt (Lady Eisenhal) organize the attack - with a low hand he gets the answer no. He can also feel that there were a troop of Orc tracking them who have since lost their trail... Once he returns to the camp he tries befriending Ulman with better luck than Amos - a luck roll determines that the huntsman mostly has knowledge of the area close to the castle, he tells them there are hunters who spend long stretches in the mountains - like Jerolyne the Whistler who occasionally shows at the castle to sell game. No one knows the mountains better than she.

They arrive back under cover of dark and are ushered into the tower once more which now looks more hospitable. Meyer takes Farfordda aside - news has come that the Baron is seriously injured - having inflicted a defeat on the goblins they chased them deeper into the forest - yesterday they engaged them again but a beastman horde entered the fray and the Baron was seriously gored. His forces have retreated back towards Holzbek. It would be too dangerous to take Ada on the road to Holzbek, and now also dangerous to keep her here - so he wants them to take her to Oberholzbek and leave her with the Reeve there. 

Farfordda is skeptical but speaks with the gang and they agree to do it. They will leave at first light - he will give them a letter for the Reeve, 5GC each, with the promise of 10 more (between them) when they get there. They also manage to exchange their 2 draft horses for small ponies for the dwarves, get leather for the girl, an open helm for Magdalena, a crossbow for Amos and 3 doses of healing herbs. 

Steward Meyer speaks with Ada, telling her they are taking her somewhere for her own safety and that she will return to the castle when her father gets here - he rolls fairly well, so she doesn't immediately protest. They lock the tower door and begin 2 hour guard shifts...
 

The Enemy Within - Session 110

07/02/2025

Pretty Thing

Magdalena attends to the girl - she is near catatonic. Mags takes her off to a stream to wash her. Amos skins the wolf and prepares what meat he can from it. Farfordda tends to the horses while Norgrim searches the bodies. He finds 8 emeralds which Amos identifies as fakes (with apparent value of 20 gc each!) and 3 bottles of Eilhart wine. They fail to set up a satisfactory camp and move on a mile back the way. 

By 10pm they are sat by fire beneath an overhang, the valley is lost in fog and it is cold. Farfordda gives Magdalena his warm winter clothes. He manages to distract Ada (tho they don't discover her name till morning). While taking guard that night they can hear wolves converge on the goblin and bandit corpses they left a mile away. 

On the cold misty morning of the 27th while finishing off the wolf Amos manages to get Ada talking as the others attend to each other's wounds. She knows nothing about von Holzbek, her parents were the 2 unfortunates she was with (Greta & Hals) - they were taking her somewhere special. The goblins said they were taking her to some orc chieftain who liked ‘pretty things’ to buy their aid against the vermin.
 

They have barely set off into the fog when Farfordda sees a figure walking obliviously past them. He sneaks after them and seeing it is a bedraggled elderly, or at least middle aged woman he steps out and accosts her. 

Her name is Ingrid, she is a hermit and it soon becomes apparent that she has plenty of information that she’s happy to pass on, or sell. Farfordda offers to read her fortune and with a charm roll she assents. 

They join the rest of the gang and make tea at last night's camp. They all give their names except Amos(Mungrim) and say they were hunting goblins to save this wee girl. She tells them much about the mountains, Red Tusk orc territory, Def Batz goblins - that the ratmen came to Zerlumptberg 3 summers ago, that they use human slaves to log in the valley below the mountain - she tells them that there will be tunnels which empty into the river from the old dwarf holds. She describes the 2 routes there and says she stays opposite Karak Kazarak, not far from the ford. If they look for her again carve some Taal markings into the trees close by. 

She asks will she survive the winter, Farfordda with a low hand tells her yes, but be careful. She trades them 2 doses of Valerian for a bottle of Eilhart and finally (10am) the party get underway. 

They head on down the valley - Ingrid told them Dunfurter belonged to the Holzbeks, so that's the destination. The fog lifts over the course of the day and they camp in the Taubertaal once more. A 99 for Adas condition has her being catatonic. By Midday of the 28th they can see Dunfurter castle at the head of the valley...