Episode 21: It's Your Funeral Report

General Summary

The Enemy Within: Enemy in Shadows Episode 21 - “It’s Your Funeral” 11/13/2020 Post-Game Notes   Day 76 - Wellentag, 28 Erntezeit, 2512 IC   Berebeli leaves its mooring spot just southwest of Weissbruck and limps up-river to Gramdorf.

• On the way, Josef shares some Reikland lore about the origins of Gramdorf (“town of grief”), and one of the largest Morr’s Gardens in the Reikland.
• “You lads ever hear about the Night of the Restless Dead..?”
• Gilda informs crew that the herbalist she had hoped to visit in Weissbruck, Elvyra, had packed up to attend the Schaffenfest. Gilda still needs more valerian and faxtoryll.

In the evening, Crew docks and visits the All Sorrows Inn.   The taproom, a weird kind of funerary theme park bar, is packed.   God spots Gustav waiting for them at a table in the back.

• Binroy presented himself to Fr. Erwin Trauer this evening as a traveling Morrite offering his assistance. This was well-timed, because…
• There are now two funerals tomorrow. In addition to Doktor Ledermann, who is expected to garner quite a crowd, the Baroness Holswig-Schleistein just passed away, and her retinue, including the new Baroness, is eager to get the woman in the ground as soon as possible.
• Gustav will be looking for proof that Doktor Ledermann was, indeed, a practicing necromancer. He also wants to look out for any associates who may also be dabbling in the dahk ahts.
• Requests the Crew’s aid in scoping out what is sure to be a massive crowd. Try to split up, if at all possible, and pretend not to know Gustav or each other. A large group of out-of-towners will likely garner suspicion.
• Temptations. If they can prove that Lederman was a necromancer, and provide some quiet assurances to Trauer that the matter has been dealt with before anyone in town is the wiser, Gustav believes the Cult of Morr in Gramdorf will be most appreciative.

Recon at Morr’s Garden

• The Crew scopes out the village and the road to the Garden. It leads northeast, towards Imke, and is cut into a slope of the hill that leads towards the noble estates in the barony.
• The Garden is, indeed, massive, with a twelve-foot stone wall at the entrance, and equally tall iron gates around the perimeter. There is a light on in the ground floor of the sexton’s house, but Crew decides to wait until tomorrow to make inquiries.

Back to the All Sorrows Crew re-enters one a time and engages with the bartender, Siegbald Heisig, separately, pretending not to know one another. Aim is to uncover some intel on the good doktor.

• 
  Godabert learns that Doktor Ledermann was purported to be a bit of a philanderer.
• Beau gets little help from Siegbald, but he catches sight of a foppish gent at the bar who is nervously peering at him. Beau decides to position himself near this fellow while combing the taproom for salient bits of conversation.
• Kris, playing the part of a concerned mourner, learns that Ledermann’s practice now falls to the doktor’s apprentice, Christof Burcke.
• Karl, in full-on Hung Carlson persona, gets Siegbald chatting about the Baronesses, both the recently departed and the newly instated.

Kris starts acting out, in a pretend drunken manner, about the “saint!” that was Doktor Ledermann, clearly trying to egg on the foppish gent. It works, and, the man gets up to leave in a huff.

• Kris blocks the gent’s way out of the bar in an attempt to garner more information, still playing the part of drunken mourner. The man’s irritation turns to nervousness before he finally barrels out into the cold. Crew loses track of him.

Before hunkering down for the night, God takes a stab at fortune-telling. His four connected visions, while vivid, seem… misleading somehow…

• A red rose / held up by a naked blonde woman / a happy toddler swinging around her doll / and a friendly baker who snaps God out of his reverie by clapping bread flour in his face
• Good news everyone! Great fortune!

  Day 77 - Aubentag, 29 Erntezeit, 2512 IC   In the morning, Kris helps Josef secure materials for boat repairs while the other three visit the town for supplies.

• Karl buys new leather pants
• Josef dismisses Kris around 1:00, provided Kris brings a bottle of that tasty local schnapps back to the Berebeli this evening.

Around 1:00 PM, townsfolk and nobility begin gathering for their respective funeral processions outside the All Sorrows.   God and Karl head to the Morr’s Garden early; Kris and Beau plan on following the procession.

• It’s clear that there’s some conflict regarding whose funeral should be first. The Ledermann wagon takes off, and the Baroness coach follows quickly behind.
• A comical, not-so-solemnly paced pair of processions hastens to the Garden.

At the Garden, God and Karl spread out, in triangular fashion around the center chapel, with Gustav at the vertex.

• God and Karl each pick portions of the crowd to focus on.
• Karl identifies the Ledermann widow and her sons, but is rebuffed when he tries to offer condolences.

The processions arrive with the Ledermann wagon in front. Guards for the Baroness immediately block the gateway and insist that the wagon be moved and the Baroness’s retinue be permitted first.

• Things get ugly as Ledermann mourners, vastly outnumbering the assembled nobility, start yelling to be allowed entry. Kris contributes to the rabble-rousing, and someone runs off to get the county warden.
• Inside, the commotion draws the attention of the early arrivals, and many of them move towards the entrance, including Fr. Trauer and Binroy. Karl and God’s targets move away from the chapel as well. At some point in here, shenanigans were afoot among un-tracked personae.

Fr. Trauer, with the assistance of Captain Schaler, leads both coaches, and both groups of mourners, into the Garden where, after a conversation with Greta Ledermann, he announces that the doktor’s service will be first.   Beau and Kris join into the canvas of attendees. There are a lot of people...

• Kris identifies the foppish gent from last night in the back of the chapel.

At 2:45 the Ledermann funeral begins with prayers by Fr. Trauer. A few minutes into the ceremony, and an attractive blonde woman dragging a toddler by the hand screams in anguish and throws herself on the altar with Ledermann’s coffin.

• While she’s crying about the love she shared with the doktor, and being spurned when he found out she was pregnant, the two Ledermann sons drag her away and toss her outside the chapel portal.
• It starts to rain, and the Baroness’s contingent, both due to amusement at the scene and in an effort to stay dry, push into the chapel.
• Godabert notices Fr. Trauer wince in pain and grab at his shin during the fracas.

Ceremony continues and, at 3:15, the elder Ledermann son begins delivering a eulogy. Just then, the spurned woman returns, this time noticeably sans toddler, and launches at the son, sobbing about being cast off and ignored.

• Fr. Trauer, noticeably sweating, collapses. Godabert rushes to his aid.
• A mysterious figure in the back, being monitored by Kris, stumbles suddenly as if bitten on the foot.

Binroy completes the Ledermann funeral and sees to the placement of the doktor’s coffin in the family tomb while a bunch of other crazy shit goes down.

• Karl sees the foppish gent take off towards the east and shadows him.
• The mysterious figure, tracked by Kris, heads limping to the north. Kris pursues.
• Godabert, with Karl’s anti-toxin kit, heals Fr. Trauer of what is identified by Gustav as black lotus poisoning. Trauer starts up, suddenly alert, and exclaims to God, “that was no child!”
• Beau, alerted to Kris’s pursuit, heads north as well.

The Baroness’s funeral begins and the Ledermann mourners begin to clear out and escape the rain.

• Beau catches up to the stranger who has stumbled. When Beau gets close, he sees the stranger crumble a flower in his fingertips causing a bolt of black energy to coalesce into a dart that lodges itself, painfully, in Beau’s leg.
• Beau knocks the fool the fuck out.
• Kris notices that, as soon as the Ledermann family left the family tomb, four shady dudes emerge from behind the gravestones and unlock the tomb. He investigates.
• Beau drags the manacled stranger, now identified by Gustav as Christof Burcke, the doktor’s apprentice, back to the chapel.
• Karl overhears the fop arguing with the blonde woman behind a tree. “Of course it was a halfling! I wouldn’t work with an actual child!”

After a very quick ceremony and a hasty introduction of the new Baroness of Holswig-Schleistein, the nobility begin clearing out as well.

• The four grave-robbers emerge from the Ledermann tomb confused and anxious. They split up and start combing the Garden.
• Beau notices that the Ledermann family, now in the company of two laborers (including one giant of a man) are agitated and they start off in a pack back towards the family tomb.
• The Baroness’s body is interred in their family’s tomb.
• 
  Karl leaps out, rapier drawn, and intimidates the hell out of the conspiring duo.
• The fop is Albrecht Wengener, a successful playwright from Altdorf who is the illegitimate son of Doktor Ledermann. His mother was spurned when she became pregnant.
• The woman is Ute Maler, an actress hired by Wengener to disrupt the funeral and humiliate the Ledermanns.
• The “child” was a halfling actress… and perhaps something more.
• Karl displays uncanny swordsmanship and carves a crimson “K” onto Albrecht’s forehead.

Christof Burcke has died, due to black lotus poisoning. Gustav starts to explain who he and Binroy are to Fr. Trauer.

• One of the graverobbers, aware that he is being pursued by Kris and Beau, stumbles over uneven ground and is overcome. With the Ledermann’s giant behind them, he confesses to Kris and Beau that they were hired by Christof to take the doktor’s body out of the tomb, replace it with a fake body, and bring the dead doktor to Christof’s office.
• But the body wasn’t in the tomb! The coffin from the funeral ceremony was filled with contraband!
• Greta Ledermann, aware that Beau and Kris may have heard too much, but that they also may be able to help, hands Beau a parcel of Ranald’s Delight, instructing him to help locate her husband’s body, and keep her operation secret from the nonsense involving Christof and her husband’s dark dalliances.
• Beau is onboard.

With Gustav, Binroy, and Fr. Trauer coming to terms with what has transpired, and now introduced to the “red herring” duo of Albrecht and Ute, Kris, God, and Beau start combing the grounds.

• Beau spies one of the other graverobbers peeling back a tarp from an unburied coffin over by the toolshed.
• When he gets closer, the lid of the coffin bursts outward, and out climbs the very confused liche of Doktor Ledermann.
• The graverobber runs away with the liche in pursuit. Beau and God are likewise terrified and they scamper off in separate directions.
• God bursts into the chapel, “Liche! Doktor! Over! There!”

Gustav mops shit up with a Scythe of Shyish spell. One swing, and the undead is toast. Turns out newly risen liches, especially ones not resurrected in the proper environs, aren’t much of a threat.   Later that evening, Fr. Trauer thanks the Crew not just for saving his life, but preserving the sanctity of Gramdorf by quickly and quietly disposing of the necromantic taint.

• It’s not in his power to cleanse corruption from mortal souls, let alone heal the physical body, but both of those requests are rare, if not uncommon, miracles visited by followers of Shallya.
• He gives the Crew a letter intended for Mother Rubenstein in Bögenhafen. He is asking that she perform one miracle on behalf of each of the four Crew members as a personal favor to Fr. Trauer.

Interlude:   The taproom of the All Sorrows seems just as busy as the night before, if not more so. Locals are still abuzz with the scandalous scene at the Ledermann funeral, trading pantomimed renditions of the scorned lover throwing herself on the coffin and of Father Trauer falling on his pompous ass during the commotion. More than a few finely dressed nobles are raising glasses while waiting out the rain, their liveried coachmen and men-at-arms given leave to enjoy a pint or a sausage roll (provided they aren’t taking up valuable table space). This seems to be what the Inn was made for: a warm, well-stocked gathering place where the formalities of funerary ceremony could be forgotten in favor of celebrations of life and cheer.   Binroy, a hand on his full belly and a big smile on his face, narrows his eyes slightly and leans back in his chair, soaking up the warmth from the nearby hearth. “Another successful endeavor Herr Weil.” He raises his glass first to the Master Wizard and then circles it round the table to include the Crew. “Thanks in no small part to our allies. Cheers, friends.”   “Confirmed that Doktor Lederman was a necromancer of no small ability.” Gustav smiles. “His apprentice was never someone to worry about.”   “Tell that to my fucking leg!” Beau interjects.   “What I am somewhat concerned with,” Gustav continues, “is the fact that someone hired that wee assassin to silence Herr Burcke. Necromancers and their secrets, you know. The arson at the medical office this afternoon was clearly related to the murder. The rain came on too late to prevent the loss of any additional evidence… And we still don’t know if anyone else was involved with swapping those coffins. But Father Trauer trusts our conclusions, and, clearly, was quite grateful for your assistance.”   Godabert is, not uncharacteristically, unconvinced. “This letter is valuable then? I’m not much of an adherent to Shallyan practices, but I’m still somewhat concerned that this won’t carry that much weight with Sister Rubenstein.”   “Mother Rubenstein.” Binroy’s eyes are almost completely closed now. “And the goddess of healing and the god of the dead have a lot more in common than you’d think. If anyone can help you, it’s the head of largest Shallyan temple in the Vorbergland.”   “Good enough for me.” Karl shrugs. “The only question is whether I ask her to do something for my hip or my…” Karl scans the table and lowers his voice a touch. “...my head? You know?”   Suddenly the great oak double doors fly open and a gout of cold, damp air races into the tavern. Framed in the entry, his face barely visible through a bedraggled sop of hair, with rivulets of water streaming down his beard onto his ample belly, is Josef Quartjin.   “Whoa. Captain Josef is pretty wet.” Karl extends one finger from his mug-hand in the direction of the door. “D’you suppose he’s been working on the boat this whole time?” “Were we -- and by ‘we’ I mean ‘you’” Beau looks over at Kris. “Supposed to help him finish repairs?”   “All under control.” Kris swivels in his seat and raises his hand to get Josef’s attention, signaling with a wave that the crew of the brave Berebeli has a table reserved near the back of the taproom. “Josef!”   The boat captain breaks into a wide sneer and hastens his step towards the group’s table, knocking aside merchant and noble alike with his girth. Kris twirls a chair with a flourish and makes a show of clapping the dust from the seat with his other hand.   “Is he… happy? To see you..?” Gustav brings his tankard up just under his nose, raises his eyebrows, and whispers, “Because he looks…”   “Cross! Just cross!” Josef claps his meaty paw on Kris’s back and seats himself at the table. “I’ve been on the north side of the Bögen for hours, lads! With a barrel of boat tar -- which I obtained for a very good price, mind you, Kris, you’d do well to accompany me on my next negotiation I have some things to teach you about the business of business as it were -- waiting for the silly sod to set back across the damn river!” Kris produces an empty plate from somewhere, wheels it in front of Josef, and, with a flourish, serves up a warm venison sausage cradled in basket of crusty bread.   “That’s for now, Josef.” Kris spins a full mug of ale over to the captain. “And so is this.”   “Thank you m’boy.” Josef takes in half of the mug in one quaff before raising the pitch of his voice and continuing, in a mocking tone, “Oh the river’s too wild just now master, oh the fog’s a bit too thick, oh me look at the rain coming down!” Josef finishes the rest of his beer. “Just cross the bleeding river y’sniveling snotling fondler! Cross! Oh this sausage looks delicious.”   “This…” Kris pulls a bottle of schnapps out from his cloak. “...is for later.”   “You lot.” Josef’s greedy eyes roll from the food to the bottle. “Are the best crew an old lockscraper could ask for! Now, pardon my lateness and pardon the interruption. I see you’ve reunited with your friends from Weissbruck?”   * * *

Rewards Granted

XP:

• 25 points for stopping Christof Burcke
• 25 points for exposing Albrect and Ute’s charade
• 15 points for dealing with undead Doktor Ledermann
• 10 points for maintaining Greta Ledermann’s secret
• 10 points for securing a letter from Fr. Trauer for Mother Rubenstein
• 5 points to Kris for a stirring performance in the All Sorrows, rattling Albrecht’s cage
• 5 points to God for saving Fr. Trauer’s life with a well-timed dose of anti-toxin
• 5 points to Beau for absorbing the Crew’s first sorcerous blast of pain and subduing Christof
• 5 points to Karl for flamboyantly arresting Albrecht and Ute
• 25 points for a swell time and no critical injuries!

• Godabert: 115
• Beau: 115
• Karl: 115
• Kris: 115

  Loot:

• Parcel of Ranald’s Delight: 18 doses.
• Letter of Recommendation for Mother Rubenstein, signed and sealed by Fr. Trauer

Character(s) interacted with

Locations scouted and new NPC’s engaged:   Gramdorf, The All Sorrows Inn

• Albrecht Wengener, playwright
• Siegbald Heisig, proprietor of All Sorrows

Gramdorf

• Father Erwin Trauer, priest of Morr
• Ute Maler, actress
• Greta Ledermann, drug smuggler
• Reiner and Dieter Ledermann, smugglers
• Einzel and Kautabach (the giant), smugglers