The Enemy Within - Journal Entry for Second Session

The Enemy Within - Journal Entry for Second Session

Taken from the journal of Gratoren Gorintor

Being the adventures of:

Conrad Feld - Male Human Outrider, Middenlander

Helvaine Thorpe - Female Human Servant, Middenlander

Elise - Female Human Zealot, Marienburger

Gratoren Gorintor (Grat) - Male Dwarf Toll Keeper, Ostermarker

Raymund (Red) - Male Human Rogue, Marienburger (now masquerading as Kastor Lieberung)

Rake Wallburn -  Male Halfling Agitator, Averlander

Siegfried - Male Human Pitfighter, Averlander

Angestag, 31 Jahrdrung, 2512 - On the River Reik

Our plan was to have my friend Josef, who runs a small cargo boat on the rivers, take us down the Reik, past Frederheim, to the lock at Weissbruck, then up the Bogen to Bogenhafen, where he was planning on going to the fair that will be starting there.

Josef has a slow witted lad, Piotr, to help sail the boat.  Elise volunteered to help but she didn’t look like much of a sailor.  Not that I was in any shape to pay much attention.  Isn’t she from the Wastelands?  Do they even have rivers there?  I do remember hearing it is someplace on the coast.  

Conrad spent his time fishing and then we had a lively discussion as to whether we should eat the fish, sacrifice it, or let it go.  Normally I would vote to eat it, but the thought just made me sick to my stomach.  

After leaving Altdorf we sailed down the Reik for a day.  The trip was a nightmare.  Every boat we passed set our boat to rocking, and the continuing splashing of the river against the front of the boat was maddening.  Dwarves build bridges to cross rivers.  We do not sail on them.  I think Conrad was right, we should have risked the forest road, plague or no plague.

After an interminable day we tied for the night.  At least it stopped some of the rocking.  

We decided to set watches but nothing bothered us. All we saw was a couple of boats slinking down the river with no lights showing.  No doubt smugglers.

Festag, 32 Jahrdrung,  2512  - at Weissbruck, and on the River Bogen

The next morning Conrad seemed a bit twitchy and I wasn’t any too happy to be casting off again either.  He kept trying to calm his horse but I think he was upsetting her if anything.  I know he wasn’t making me feel any better about this trip.

About mid-morning we came up on the lock at Weissbruck.  Once through the lock we pulled into the dock as Josef said he had some cargo to pick up.  I climbed onto the dock to get honest stone under my feet again and looked around.  The town looked to have a population of no more than 200.

While we stood around on the dock Conrad and Rake noticed the same big burly guy that was associating with the two odd, now dead, characters that had accosted Red in Altdorf.  We followed him into the Blackgold Tavern to talk with him about how he followed us from Altdorf and how he got here before us.  Unfortunately we lost him and our questions went unanswered.  

Conrad and I went to buy oats for his horse and got back just in time to see Josef and his lad rolling two barrels of what apparently were smoked eels up onto the boat.

As we took off we all watched intently for any sign of the BBG (big burly guy).  We didn’t see him standing on the far side of the river where we all appear to be looking.

We headed up the River Bogen and the travel was slower, as we were now heading up a river, instead of down one.  And it was even rougher as we talked back and forth.  I felt sick again.

After another very long day we tied up for the night.  We set up watches again, after readjusting the watch schedule when I remembered most humans can’t see at night worth beans, although Elise seems to do much better than the rest.  On first watch Elise and Red noticed two small boats sneaking up on us.  They kicked everyone awake.

It appeared there were two people in each boat.  And it ended up that the BBG was leading them.  He yells for us to give him “that devil Kastor or we’ll burn your ship to the waterline!”

Kastor, I mean Red, kept trying to reason with them, but the fact that he also kept shooting his crossbow at them tended to deflate his arguments.  He wasn’t hitting any of them and neither was I.  Rake with his sling did hit them a couple of times and Conrad with his longbow scored several hits.

As their boats got closer they started throwing fancy torches up on the deck that I immediately started running after and throwing into the river.  If there is anything I hate more than being on a boat it’s being on a burning boat.

Crazy Elise reached out and caved in one of the attacker’s heads with her flail, and then proceeded to jump into their boat and crush the other guy.

Helvaine, not to be outdone, jumped into the other boat, and after a rocky landing, smacks the BBG a couple of times with my shield, that she had “borrowed” off the deck before jumping into the boat.  The BBG jumped over the side to get away.  Red finally skewered him with a crossbow bolt as he went into the water.  He was badly wounded, but even after looking we didn’t find the body.

We did manage to save one of the attackers.  He said the BBG, whose name appears to be Adolphus, hired the rest of them in Weissbruck to catch this bad guy named Kastor.  

We checked the boats, and ended up with the two rowboats, 2 suits of leather armor (a bit the worse for wear), and some fancy torches.

We also realized we really didn’t have anyone who could patch up Conrad who had taken a bolt in the arm, but luckily it wasn’t much more than a graze.

Wellentag, 33 Jahrdrung (Mitterfruhl’s Eve),  2512 - In Bogenhafen

We took off the next morning and reached Bogenhafen about noon.  It is a big city with a population of more than 5000.   Even more now that the Schaffenfest is in full swing.  

We turned the remaining attacker in to the authorities and then found a likely inn.  As in one with a good stable attached.  Conrad seems very protective of his horse.  I don’t like riding horses much better than riding on a boat.  We rent 2 rooms for 10 schillings each at the Wasted Kestrel.  

Conrad decided to take his horse out of the city and let it get some exercise after being cooped up on the boat for 3 days.  The rest of us decide to check out the fair.  After finding an armorer to fix the armor we ended up with.

We had some meat pies and drinks bought by “Kastor”.  Then Rake noticed a pit fighter he had hired in the past, who appeared to be involved in a judicial combat. His name was Siegfried.  Apparently he was accused of stealing a piglet.  Reputedly to train up to be a Battle Boar.  

Both Siegfried and the other criminal were being sewn into tight greased leather garments with the hammer of Sigmar emblazoned on the front and the scales of Verena on the back.  They each had a large shield that they wielded with both hands and used both to defend and attack.

Rake said Siegfried wasn't too bright, but supposedly he was a good fighter.  We had Rake wind up the crowd and then Red and I placed bets on Siegfried.  Red bet a crown and I bet 5 shillings.  

The fight started out badly for Siegfried and I was afraid we had made a mistake.  The other criminal jabbed him hard in the leg with the tip of his shield and made him limp a bit, but after an exciting fight, Siegfried squeaked out a victory.

As we were impressed with his fighting, and our wins, we invited Siegfried to have a drink with us, and eventually, to come back and share one of our rooms as it appeared he had no place to stay.