The Enemy Within Prologue: Separate ways. (Session 14)

  On the 23rd of May 2026, I ran the 14th sessions of my home Enemy Within Campaign. 

11th of Nachexen, 2512,  The edge of the Reiker Marshes

The Vagabonds run the reikermarshes, with Yela Holtsgutter as their huffer.  Shortly after setting off , as they pass Castle Reikguard, they witness an eagle. It rises out of the reeds carrying something. The snake, for that it what it is, twists and strikes at the eagle. Moments later the eagle falls from the sky, dead, landing on the deck, dead. The serpent quickly slithers overboard, into the water. 

Later in the day, as they creep though the marshes, they see a family of river trolls in the distance, moving in a sedge bed.

Evening brings them to Fielbach.

12th of Nachexen, 2512, Fielbach.

The Vagabonds set out on what while be the last leg of their journey.

River traffic gets thicker, and signs of civilisation are everywhere.

Not least of which is a river patrol shipsword, that comes along side. The Riverwardens come aboard and question the characters. They are quick, competent, efficient, and only a little bit corrupt

Style the riverwarden after the Pitt crew?
I don't know what you mean...

And then the Vagabonds are in Altdorf, and go their separate ways with promises to keep in touch...

13th of Nachexen, 2512, Isle of Eels.

After some shopping and making a sensible long term investment of the excess wealth he's picked up, Erik makes his way to home for a short visit. He passes though an Altdorf in riot. Revolutionaries have taken hold of Zoat Park, and a four way battle seems to be raging in the streets. The Fish, and the Hooks are at each others throats. Normally, the state army would step up and banish the rioting, but a mysterious 4th force is in the frey, and they seem to be out for hook and state army blood.

Past barricades and fires, Erik walks out to the east end; until he finds his way over the causeway, up to the barricades at the isle of eels. There he chats with family, is non-committal about the revolution, and see's a fair number of high quality handguns in the hands of people who barely know how to use them.

15th of Nachexen, 2512, street of one thousand taverns.

Diethard, who has remained in maria's body guard around the city bumps into Antonnio "Garlic" Morreti, a member of The Sabres of Glory, and gets dragged along to meet with his old comrades.

Diethard finds himself embraced by Bruno Seltz his former sergeant, who pushes some Kvas into Diethard's hand. They talk about what is happening in Altdorf. It becomes quickly clear that the Blades of Glory are intentionally stirring up trouble in Altdorf. Seltz tries to persuade Diethard to return to the company, that the money is good, and that it is coming straight from the Trott's "cause Zenechar's youngest daughter is married to the Jungfrued's Sigismund von Jungfreud's eldest son" and that their planning something. 

Diethard points out that taking on the emperor is dangerous. Seltz acknowledges this, "Yeah...but we ain't. Wasn't an imperial decree that stripped the Jungfrued's of Ubersreik. It was a vote in the Reikland diet, and that means this fight is with the Prince of Altdorf, not the Emperor or the Prince of Reikland. That's why it's altdorf state troops, not the state army of the Reikland that took Ubersreik. That means he can't necessarily expect aid from the other nobles of the Reikland. A lot of them aren't happy with the way it happened, and then you have the Trott's and the Jungfreuds.  Old zenechar's got a lot of mercenaries at his disposal. Professional killers like us, at least six companies. Meanwhile The jungfreuds, they have a state army of ubersreik, who it sounds like disserted on mass to follow their Graf into exile, and the state army of Black Rock, who are maybe even more loyal and seasoned against orcs. It ain't enough to win...but it's enough not to loose while we build allies."

It is at this point that Absolem Trott arrives dragging an Altdorf state soldier into the tavern, bleeding prefusely, drops the man on the floor, knee stomps him (which seems a little unnecessary given that the man will likely bleed out in minutes at this rate.) and then makes his way over to Bruno. 

After greeting his sergeant; he recognises Diethard, and tries to pressure Diethard into joining The Sabres of Glory in their campaign of street violence.* But Diethard turns him down, explaining that he's "started to make a reputation, and that at some point I'd like to return and serve in some other way."

17th of Nachexen, 2512, The chapel of the order of the Golden Boar. 

Thoroughly freaked out by life at the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse, especially the presence of Genevieve Dieudonné, Connie goes to see Sister Brunhilde Von Holzkrug at the Chapel of the Order of the Golden Boar, in part for hope of news of her father. 

For a short period in her youth, she had lived with the order, before running away to be a thief.

Sister Brunhilde Von Holzkrug invites Connie in, offers her tea and cake, and explains that after recent events in Ubersreik, she recieved a letter from connie's father.  Has instructed Sister Brunhilde to secure Connie a private tuitor, and enroll her in the university by any means necessary, as a way to keep her safe, given current events.** Following her acceptance of this offer, Connie is whipped across town, and enrolled in the university. She starts to make friends with the inkies, and spends a very significant portion of her time learning.

1st of Jahrdrung, 2512, Late on Luitpoldstrasse.

After a run with Josef, Erik is back in town. Drunk, and making his way to his lodging after seeing folk on the isle of eels, when a bag is put over his head, and he is beaten and chained. 

2nd of Jahrdrung, 2512, very early. Somewhere.

The hood is removed, and a smiling blonde toff on the other side of a table starts asking a very disoriented Erik questions about his connection to various people on the Isle of Eels, of his connections to P.L.A.N.T., and especially his connection to Alice Nutter in Kemperbad.

Erik keeps it together, denies any knowledge, as the man prattles on demonstrating a deep knowledge of Eriks life. Towards the end, the blonde, jovial spy offers Erik work, serving the emperor by feeding information on PLANT to him, but Erik refuses. Then the beatings start again

2nd of Jahrdrung, 2512, Dawn. The Street of a thousand taverns.

Erik is dumps from a moving cart onto the cobbles, hood still over his head, grasping onto the only real bit of information he was able to gain while held, the name Zuntermain.

7th of Jahrdrung, 2512, Just past midnight

After a night of drinking, that ended with Connie getting jumped and robbed by the league of Karl-Franz; Connie is woken by intense pain in her foot. Sitting up, she sees a black cat darting out through into the next room of her digs.  Just as she is about to get a real shout on at the cat...her door is kicked in. A masked man rushes in with a pistol in hand, raises it, points it at her, pulls the trigger, and boom.

The pistol detonated, destroying the mans hand, and taking his face off...

A good session the players learned a lot about each others characters. The whole group earn 100xp for the session, and 150xp for the end of the adventure..

Next session we'll be jumping back around 12 hours to the first proper meetup of the Vagabonds in a while, before returning to the attack at connie's digs.

* Diethard is offered a chance to change to Braggart for 0xp, which he did not take

** Connie is given the opportunity to become a student for 0xp, she accepts.