The Enemy Within Campaign Journal (Spoilers)

[TheSword]

Alexis von Falkenburg
Scion - Career 1 Noble

Son of a Middenheim Noble
Father sounds like the quintessential noble jackass a powerful politician and authoritarian. Fled a forced marriage and now trying to make a name for himself outside the patronage of this overbearing father.

Motivation: Glory

Short Term Goal: To meet up with his manservant in Altdorf

Long Rerm Goal: Receive a medal of commendation from the Emperor himself.

 

[TheSword]

Session One: Dark Words from Dark Wings

The party continued their journey by road from the mill site, south towards Altdorf. They soon joined the river Talabek and the Altdorf-Talabecland road, with only 50 miles to go to Altdorf.

At the junction, three road wardens and their sergeant were nailing a handbill to a signpost for Altdorf. The handbill advertised the Grand Prince of Ostlands need for mercenaries to join his expedition. The sergeant was a stern but fair man, names Magnus Pflaster. Listening to their explanation for their prisoners, Pflaster took their statements and listened to the testimony. Alexis pointing out the holes in Stieglers I’ll desperate defense and Luch’s tricking her into incriminating herself.

Justice was swift and the brutal, with the thugs hanged for murder and Frau Stiegler executed by pistol for conspiracy to murder. However Pflaster did make clear he would need to return the wagon to the Stiegler family, along with her body and a full report. They were welcome to take the Basalisk corpse. As a concession for their service they would be able to take the two horses from the wagon as the road wardens would use their own. Captain Pflaster also mentioned that Victor didn’t look too good, and his sister Anida was at the next coaching in, on her way to Altdorf. At a loss for what to do with the massive basilisk corpse, Alexis did his best to direct which bits would be most valuable. The internal organs, the head and the skin - Which Hilda did an expert job of removing “just like a big fish she said”.

It was only six miles to the Coach and Horses Inn and the party arrived they mid afternoon to find the place cosy and warm. The Inn Keeper Gustav Fondleburger was welcoming but familiar, and was clearly fond of gossip. With a crow that mimicked his words. The coachmen by the bar were well onto their third round of drinks. It didn’t stop Luchs leaning on promises of protection to negotiate the coachmen down to 2 /- and the promise of Sigmar’s protection for a coach journey to Altdorf. A little gossip from the innkeeper revealed that the emperor had released an edict declaring that mutants were citizens of the empire and that his sister was secretly incarcerated at the great Hospice at Fredericksheim. Both sounded pretty implausible.

Luchs, suspicious as always, gave a young man reading in the corner the third degree, discovering he was a medical student on his way to study in Altdorf. The doctor Anida Pflaster returned to the common room from treating another guest and the no nonsense physician agreed to see to Victors wounds in exchange for transport to Altdorf. While they went upstairs Hilda and Alexis played a few rounds of Kings with the Bretonnian Phillipe Descartes. They were just about to enjoy another bottle of wine when something strange was happening on the other side of the bar.

The crow landed on a sconce behind the young student and peered over its shoulderraspy words coming from its beak. “Rashpelleggh zurujzd malloshk Tzeentch” the last word blistering the air. Simultaneously all the glass candle covers shattered and the flames turned a vibrant blue. The student squawked with surprise and fear whispering “what have you done”. Dropping the book, it’s false cover falling away, pink smoke began to billow out of the pages, a strange tentacled, clawed, beaked thing climbing out of the open spine, growing to the size of a man.

Hilda swore, drew her sword and charged at the horror of pink flesh steeling her resolve. Alexis following close behind and jumping on the bar to get past the gobsmacked coachmen. Luchs saw that the daemon was engaged with little space to do more so turned his intention to the student who was reading the damned book. The young man hurled a curse at Luchs, some dark spell, but fumbled the words and in return Luchs brought his sword on the witch. Picking up the book the young man smashed the window to escape but before he could Luchs dispatched him with a blow to the head.

Meanwhile Alexis and Hilda were hacking at the daemon like they were themselves possessed. Every blow struck true as if guided by the hand of Sigmar himself. When the final blow was stuck and the two halves flopped to the ground the party were disgusted to see blue forms crawl out of the pink skins and renew the attack. Smaller blue versions of the previous beast, but no less horrible.
Still they keep hacking and slicing until both creatures expired in puffs of greasy black smoke. Meanwhile Luchs had dived through the window to recover the book - ‘De Vitae Occultis Daemonii’ burning it as quickly as he could strike his flint - fire that burned with a roaring pink flame. He then hoisted the young student over his shoulder and out to the woods to string him up, writing I his neat hand “so end all witches” on a note pinned to his chest.

As Alexis pointed out that the crow that had said the strange words was still there. It flew down from its perch cackling and laughing in a very un-crow like way and flew out of the open window.

XP Awards

50 for roleplaying
15 for seeing Johanna Stiegler got justice
15 for defeating the daemon

 

[TheSword]

This was a short session as Victor’s player couldn’t make it. This is the first official start of the Enemy Within campaign. Making heavy use of the grognard boxes that suggest ways to alter the story for those who have seen it already.

 

[GuyBoy]

"With Viktor bravely bearing the pains of serious wounds, every jolt of the wagon caused pain as we travelled the poor roads towards distant Altdorf, our prisoners tied inside. Sigmar favoured us, and we met a group of road wardens whose captain, being invested of the Elector's authority, did judge their heinous crimes, executing the lady by pistol and the swamp bullies by hanging from the nearest tree. He also told us that his sister, a doktor, was at the nearby coaching inn and would surely treat Viktor; we would doubly need this inn for the road wardens had to impound the coach to return to the Stiegler family.

"We reached the inn and secured rooms for the night, also negotiating a good price for a shared coach ride to Altdorf on the morrow and, further, meeting Doktor Adina who agreed to treat Viktor for his wounds. The three of us took repast in the common room, with Alexis and Hilda engaging in a card game with a smooth-talking Brettonian. I, as a servant of Sigmar, took no part in gambling, but the perils of the evening were to go far, far beyond any loss of coin at cards! Also in the room were the innkeeper, a noblewoman of haughty mien, her maid and her female bodyguard. The Bretonnian, two coachmen, a crow (which we thought to be the innkeeper's pet) and an unctious medical student, travelling to the university in Altdorf, and reading a tome that purported, by its cover, to be about the medicinal use of leeches. In such scenes, the evil of Chaos can creep......

The bird, mimic of the human voice, read foul words from the book and grim forces were brought to our world: a stinking, sickening swirl of putrid ping daemonic essence was summoned. The student was a witch! Hilda sped into action, attacking the beast, followed quickly by Alexis. Unable to reach the daemon, I attacked the snivelling witch. All of us showed courage in the face of horror; my two brave companions, smiting it down, and smiting yet again when two smaller cerulean abominations sprung from its corpse. Meanwhile, I slew the witch and set holy fire to his foul grimoire. Sigmar, I thank thee for being with us this perilous night."