Sunday, May 29, 2022

The Enemy Within 3

Sessions 6 to 13

Session 6 - To Altdorf

They journey out of the Drakwald and across the Altdorf Flats with Gunther riding shotgun (as Ernst fumbled healing Gunnar), arriving at the vast white walled capitol of the Empire via the Wolftor gate by sunset. They see a great parade with the Emperor at its head in the Konigplatz and Pea's fiddle is stolen in the commotion. Raquel and Traitor fail to catch the thief and Pea heads off to the Grinning Moon somewhat dejected.
Meanwhile Gunther finds himself being signaled at oddly by two strangers, who follow another who signals back to them, into a bar. This third individual turns out to be the bounty hunter Adolfus Kuftsos, although this is a detail they will not discover till much later. An attempt to catch up with them proves no more fruitful than that to catch the fiddle thief, so they head on to the Grinning Moon, though the confusion of Altdorf's teetering streets ensures that this takes longer than they would like. When they arrive they hear that Pea has gone to try find her cousin Bart who disappeared a few days ago (he was last seen playing cards in some tavern down by the docks).
They spend the night in the inn common room and in the morning go to the docks to try find Pea or her cousin. No joy on the Pea front, but they do run into Josef, a barge captain and old friend of Raquel's, who they arrange to meet for drinks in The Boatman tavern later.

Session 7 - The Big Smoke

A trip to the market finds them a fence willing to buy their ill-gotten gains from Erinsclaw (it just so happens Jimmy One-eye knows Gunther's family back in Middenheim).

Their social rendezvous with Josef turns out both useful and eventful, he is traveling to Bogenhaffen with a full cargo of wine for selling at the Schaffenfest and offers to take them on as help, to which they readily agree (they want to get to Bogenhaffen anyway to follow up on the inheritance). Then a couple of pissed nobles create a scene involving Max Ernst, a notorious local protagonist. Raquel, provoked, kills Max Ernst in dramatic fashion and Traitor takes a chunk out Monty Von Ostbrun's face. 

On the way back to the barge (where they will spend the night, the plan being to depart at first light) they are followed by two unfortunates who wind murdered up by some unseen third party armed with a crossbow.

Session 8 - Altdorf to Weissbruck

Following a night of intense dreams they awake on the barge to discover that Raquel's shirt has inexplicably turned pink overnight.

The voyage to Bogenhafen begins, the Berebeli sails out into the Reiksport, threads through the waterways of the Altdorf Flats then joins the canal to Weissbruck. Gunther decides to take this opportunity to begin a new career as a boatman under Josef's expert tutelage. From a passing road warden patrol they hear that a noble and two artisans were killed in the Altdorf docks last night.

Three days later they arrive at Weissbruck, as Gunther ties up the barge he spots Kuftsos for the second time, watching them from the doorway of a riverside inn.


Session 9 - Weisbruck to Bogenhafen

Enquiring at the Inn they hear that Kuftsos is a bounty hunter who arrived the previous day. They check at the other Inns of Weissbruck; The Happy Man and Trumpet Inn but find sign of him.
The next morning their departure is delayed by a River Warden patrol who come aboard and apparently find a cache of Ranalds Delight on the barge. It takes till lunchtime to get underway.

Finally they are on the river Bogen, it is a four day journey to Bogenhafen which takes them past the impressive castle Grauenberg and pillars of thick black smoke from what they later hear is the village of Stust being sacked by Beastmen (they catch a glimpse of a winged humanoid among the trees close to the smoke).


Session 10 - The Schaffenfest

More strange dreams then they arrive in Bogenhafen on the first day of the Schaffenfest.
Gunther purchases smart clothes from a high class tailor and they check in to The Journey’s End.
They head into the festival, an ill-fated beggar advises them to see Mystic Megret who reads Raquel’s fortune: a dark watery place with death.
They visit the Festival Court to pay the fine to have Gottri Gurnisson (a very drunk alcoholic dwarf) released from the stocks.
They see Primus Von Bildhoffen, heir to Middenland, have a beggar beaten to death.
Raquel spots the Zweinhilde coat of arms (an enemy from her past) among the pennants at the Jousting.
They watch Dr Malthusius’ Zoocopia show, Raquel catches his 3 legged Goblin on its first escape attempt.
The Goblin manages to escape on its second attempt, and our northern duo are swept up by the Watch and taken to Festival Court. Dr Malthusias offers to pay 5GC for safe return of the Goblin, Magistrate Richter says the town will match it, Raquel and Gunther accept the commission...

Session 11 - A Dark Watery Place with Death

Racquel leaves Traitor with Sigmund the Watchman and they descend into the sewers.
After hours of wading through and falling in sewage they track their quarry to a bolted chamber.
They break in to find goblin remains in the middle of a octogram inscribed with the words ‘Ordo Septenarius’, bloodstains are pooled around a metal cabinet at the back of the room.
In a gout of thick black smoke flecked with pink and blue a demon manifests in the chamber.
Raquel fires her crossbow at it before feeling in terror.
They retrace their steps and leave the sewers.

Session 12 - The Inheritance

The following morning they head back into the Schaffenfest and visit Dr Malthusias who tells them that Snotty was killed in some warehouse, Raquel tells him that no, the goblin was eaten by a demon in the sewers, giving him the 3 socket pelvis found in the octogram as proof. Then forces him to (partially) pay up  at sword point.

They then call in on Magistrate Richter. He tells them that yes the goblin was killed under falling goods crates in Steinhager warehouse #4. He says he cannot pay them but on request writes a letter for them to present to the council.

A visit to the Council chambers yields another partial reward, while Gunther waits Raquel goes to scope out Garten Weg where Lock, Stock & Barl are located (the lawyers handling the inheritance) - a narrow street of run down houses in the Altstadt, an unlikely locale.

Gunther gets a tattoo of a Purple Hand on his chest, then dresses in his recently acquired finery and they head to the lawyers office where Raquel announces Kastor Lieberung to the secretary. The secretary leaves with the letters and the doors and windows are suddenly bolted from without.

Kuftsos has them in a trap, he arrests Kastor Lieberung, Magister Impedimente of the cult of the Purple Hand in the name of the Emperor, for crimes of consorting with Chaos, murder and kidnapping! Or he would, if he hadn’t been suddenly torn to pieces by something in the street. They find a letter on what remains of his corpse (explaining that this was all a set up to catch a senior chaos cultist), then hasten back to the Inn where they drown their sorrows, until they are unexpectedly reunited with Pea. She has come here wasting time before doing a job that she requests their help with…

Session 13 - The Kleinwald Caper

Morrslieb has risen full, bathing the town in green light as Raquel, Gunther (dressed as Kastor) and Pea head to Kleinwald Manor in the Adel Ring.
Pea has to steal a key while a card game takes place between the servants. She is doing this for Lori Lowhaven as payment for a new fiddle, and is nervous about the whole affair.
The Kleinwalds are not at home, and the servants take full advantage of their absence, only tonight they don't have as many players as usual due to all the Noble and Merchant parties taking place on account of the Schaffenfest.
Raquel wins the game and Pea manages to steal a key.

Fabienne the Steinhager housekeeper, on hearing of Ordo Septenarius tells them they should go speak to Magirius at the Merchants Guild, that's what her master always tells enquirers. She says it's something to do with the Merchant guild and is horrified at their tale of a Demon in the sewers.

Ade, a halfling at the game sent by Lori insists that they all go visit his boss. He and Pea enter the Half Measure Tavern by its low front door, telling the Raquel and Guther to wait by the docks and he’ll come get them.

At the docks they spot the Steinhager warehouse where the Goblin was apparently killed and question the watchmen who claims he beat the Goblin to death with his club. Anton the Goblin Slayer.

Ade then leads them into the Half Measure by an elaborate back entrance through another building and several locked doors.
They meet Lori Lowhaven, 'Aunty', a matronly halfling gangland boss, in her low ceiling office. She offers to pay them to ingratiate themselves at the Crossed Pikes (where the Watch drink she says) and they accept.

The next morning they go visit Magirius at the Merchants Guild, confronting him with the story of  the demon in the sewers and Ordo Septenarius. He offers to take them to dinner this evening where he will explain everything. Raquel puts her sword to his throat and  demands to know the names of the seven inner members of the organization. Terrified, he blurts out Johan Teugen and Franz Steinhager before somehow convincing them to leave.

Part 4


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