The Enemy Within Prologue: A rough night... (Session 10)

On the 03 of April 2026, I ran the 10th sessions of my home Enemy Within Campaign.

Evening, 4th of Nachexen, 2512

On board the Berebeli our heroes discuss their plan for stealing the figure head of the broadalbin and come to the conclusion that actually, this isn't the smartest plan. They have no one experienced with stealth on a river, no tool, and surely the noise of the tools will rouse the boat's watch. Instead, they set out for town to come up with a better idea, and get some liquid inspiration.

Finding a pub in Grissenwald they grab a beer chat with the locals and try to come up with a plan. While the other are furnish Josef with a beer, Diethart falls in with a group of mercenaries on their way up river, and picks up some gossip. According to his new friends:

• "There is a new crew of wreckers west of Kemperbad, nasty buggers too."
• "The Elections in Kemperbad last year were a bit of an upset. Several labour guilds pitched in together to buy a seat on the council, and now town politics is all gummed up. Sets the scene for  future events in Kemperbad, if the Vagabonds choose to spend much time there." 
• "Someones' been buying up all the charcoal produced 'tween Nuln and Kemperbad, and it's been pushing up the price of charcoal in the 'ole o' Reikland. It'll push up the cost of everything soon 'nough. After all, charcoals used in a lot of stuff." 
• "If your stopping in Kemperbad, and have an interest in trade, you could do worse than to pick up a copy of the most recent issue of Commercial Intelligence. It really is invaluable."

Upon his return the others are a second pint in, and when Diethart shares the gossip Erik reveals that he knows Rudolph Spektor, the publisher of Commercial Intelligence. The Vagabonds and Josef put their heads together and eventually decide on a plan. They will daub insults on the Broadalbin, defacing the figure head. The only problem being that none of them know how to write. Instead, Josef shows them the Holy Symbol of Stromfels, explaining that he believes that if daubed on the Broadalbin, it will anger Grandfather Reik. However, he warns them to be extra careful because of the god's proscribed nature.  

So it is that the vagabonds find themselves rowing out and letting the current carry them. Only...the current is a little stronger than expected by erik, who has to really work to get them back level with the barge and finally drift until they are holding the anchor chain. Just as they are preparing to climb the chain however, there are foot steps and then a stream of piss starts to fall into the water near them. 

A man's voice issues from the deck above them, "So who's covering the damage to my barge?"

The vagabond hold their breath certain they are being addressed, and then a woman's voice responds.
"I don't see how that is any business of mine, I didn't pick a fight with the fat bastard, that was all you!"

"Aye, maybe your right, Etelka, but the thing is, if I don't get paid for the damage, I don't see why I should hold to the bargin."

The pissing continues in the silence of the pause.

"I'd advice against that. Our employer is not someone I would choose to anger."
The urination ceases and start again, and then finally comes to a proper end. 

"That is true I suppose, but I am not happy about this. If she doesn't pay up..."

"You'll what? Cry...? Look it's bloody freezing out here, can we please go below?" 
The man grunts, and their footsteps head away. The vagabonds let out their breath, and wait a few minutes, before going about their task, and daubing the white wash all over the front of the barge, properly dispoiling it. Then they row back...completely missing the way in which the single drop of piss that dropped  onto the bow of their boat has corroded the paint away.

Morning, 5th of Nachexen, 2512, bright and early.

The Berebeli is off on its way at sun up, and the slightly hung over vagabonds go about their tasks, Diethart finds his stride as Maria's bodyguard, trying poorly to turn his experience in warfare into something very different with pointers from a woman who has been surrounded by bodyguards much of her life. Connie has it worse, as the girl spends most of her day learning the nicities of how she need to address various people, including her new mistress, and other servants. 

On deck however Erik learns under a more forging and master. He gets to know Wolmar and Gilda Schmitt, and their daughter, Elsa, all while taking on a far greater degree of responsibility that he is used to.

Around mid-day, they catch a grand sight. The Emperor Luitpold, one of the great river boats of the empire, sailing by, and all hands come on deck to see it pass. 

It isn't long afterwards that a second, stranger sight appears. A woman, in fancy under-garment, a lot of make-up, and a very extravigant wig making an absolute pigs ear of rowing down river. As the Berebeli pulls up alongside the rowing boat, Diethard leans over the Gunwale and begins to wolfwhistle, only for it to get caught in his throat and turn into a croak of "Pompai."

The courtesan, Pompai Ricolma,  mis-pulls the oar, and scrawls onto her back in the boat, takes a moment to focus on her rescuer and screams happily "Eeei...Diethard! My Saviour!". There are a few moments of confusion and then Diethard pulls the courtesan aboard. It turns out that she has just fled her "beast of a fiancé" who had taken her one a trip on the Emperor Luitpold.  With all the new commotion, Maria comes on deck, takes one look at what is going on, and goes back below, and Connie and Erik start gossiping. Diethard, as though under a spell goes and fetches some of Josef's personal supply of kemperbad brandy and chats with the courtesan for much of the rest of the day drinking the barge captains personal supply, as he agrees to pay for her travel to Kemperbad.

Going to check on her mistress, Connie gets to learn a variety of new Tilean curses and has opportunity to practice some dodging skills.

Erik fetches Pompai  a blanket and Connies street cloths, what with connie having some nice new livery to wear and is able to learn that Pompai is "an old friend of Diethard".

As the sun starts to go down, the crew pull up to the landing stage at the Three Feathers.  Josef explains that the next day the party will be sailing through The Lorlay, and so they should all get a good night's sleep. Erik and connie point out to Diethard that his job maybe on the line if he keep of drinking and chatting with Pompai rather than protecting Maria. He explains that it probably doesn't matter. because when ever Pompai comes into his life...things just sort of tumble beyond his control, and that he just sort of gets carried along in her wake. 

Erik, being a practical sort, tells Diethard that he will entertain Pompai. 

He immediately regrets this when five minutes later he's drinking Kvas, getting hustled at darts by the girl...and then hits a patron in the leg with his last dart. In the ensuing brawl Erik is able to employ every dirty trick he learnt growing up on the isle of eels in altdorf to lay the man low in two blows.

And then the farce really gets under way.

9pm, 5th of Nachexen, 2512, The three feathers Inn, north of Stirgau. 

Over the hour that follows the three vagabond chat with one another and both Connie and Erik notice a familial resembilance between Pompai and Maria, largely hidden by  their very different approaches to fashion. Diethart remains oblivious to this.

They twig that a somewhat notable noble is on site, and see her chatting with a halfling, and notice a shirtless warrior doing arm wrestling in the corner.

A little later they notice three travelling scholar arrive and head upstairs. And the appearance of a second, odd looking halfling.

At 9,20, they see the shirtless arm wrestler being ordered to bed by a servant, and then a little while later the return of the Noble women who order the warrior to bed. 

Through all this, the vagabond remain much more interested in the mystery of Diethard and Pompai. Some pointed questions by Erik to Pompai reveals that the pair met in averheim, after a battle, and that Diethard was with a friend called Bruno, however Pompai tells Erik that it is Diethard's story to tell.

About this time a Herr and Frau Schmidt of Stirgau arrive, and while their boatmen pitch up and hand a beer, the giggling couple head off to their bedroom, taking neither wine nor supper. 

Then the first corpse of the night arrives...this one, thankfully with Morrian escorts and in a coffin. The Iniatiates of Morr take the corpse upstairs to a private room.

At this point, Maria takes a look at her purse and makes a decision.  She sends connie to hack out a deal to have the soprano sing for the guest, and shorty after, she is u and singing...

At nine fifty, a weather beaten woman comes in, asks a couple of discreet questions at the bar, and then pays for a room. As she is doing so a handsy guard comes over to her...and gets put on his arse.

At 10pm, a servant comes down and orders the noble's party to bed, and as they are making their way to bed, Herr Schmidt come down to order wine. As he is doing so, the vagabonds see one of the servants make their way over to talk to him. He flushes angrily, then pales, and rushes back upstair. 

Maria suggests that she is going to go to bed too, and empties the collection box connie carries into her purse, and all the vagabonds get a look at all the bits of jewelry in the bag, including some lovely pearl ear rings.

And with that the game was done for the day. Everyone earned 100xp, and Erik completed a short term ambition (beat someone in a fist fight) earning another 50xp. I also did some clean up at the start of the session and realised that both Connie and  Erik had completed short term ambitions, so both were a further 50xp better off.

 Self-reflection: I actually kind of bungled this session, in an ideal world, I should have done more to establish Grissenwald, and given them a chance to look around. 

Additionally, in retrospect, I think running rough night may have in this case, been a bad idea. My players aren't very good at taking the initiative, and it is a scenario where it pays to be a nosy git. 

All that said, I am really enjoying running this.