Episode 6: Lord of Ubersreik, part 2 Report

General Summary

Prequel to The Enemy Within Episode 06 - “Lord of Ubersreik, part 2” 6/7/2019 Post-Game Notes   Day 8 (eleventh day overall; fifth day on the job) Continued, picking up around 8:15 pm at the Holzenhauer party:   Party Intrigue (8:15 pm - 12:00 am)

  • Shortly after Doctor Otto Krupp’s arrival, Lord Erich asks Otto’s opinion on the vial of powder confiscated from Saponatheim: concludes that it is an emetic drug.
  • The Baron de Grenouille arrives wearing a makeshift horse around his waist alongside another Bretonnian, Sir Pierre D’Labarque.
  • Godabert wants to follow up a discussion with Lady Karstadt-Stampf and Josef. Told that this maybe isn’t the best place...
  • Father Heinrich Gutenberg of the Temple of Verena shows up in drag, dressed like the goddess he worships.
  • Two lawyers show up -- an older male, and your pal Osanna Winandus.
  • Florian Pfeifraucher starts drunkenly harassing Sister Celestine, the young sister of Shallya. Godabert does his best to intervene on her behalf, but is repeatedly rebuffed. Eventually Conrad vB rescues her.
  • Your pal Kurt Prochnow (guildmaster of the Boatbuilders and Chandlers) shows up with Marta Muller, guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild.
  • Godabert receives a compliment from Captain Pfeiffer for his handling of the Saponatheim situation. Makes vague mention of the “strange circumstances” of their conscription, but gets distracted as more weird shit starts happening at the party.
  • A high elf envoy, Lorith Silverleaf, stops traffic and turns heads when she arrives. Kris finally has some success in engaging in conversation with someone… but ends their discussion abruptly by inviting her to have some beers with dwarves.
  • Christophe animates the fox-fur stole of a noble, causing some consternation in the gallery. Kris bravely kills it, and continues patrolling the party with the garment speared on the end of his sword.
  • Beau’s bounty hunter senses start tingling whilst walking the garden; something fishy about that well…
  • Erich’s brother shows up (“finally”) and Erich immediately pulls him in to a private conversation in which he flashes the vial of Saponatheim’s powder.
  • Father Gunther (Sigmar) and Father Heinrich (Verena) get into a loud argument in the reception room; Kris unable to ascertain the problem.
  • A “guest” arrives dressed as a Sigmarite flagellant. Soon apparent that this is not a guest when he screams in horror at the room full of “demon worshippers.” Godabert and Kris manage to extricate him from the house. The Panther approves.
  • Beau corners Doctor Krupp and introduces himself (not for the first, and definitely not the last time) as “The Middenheim Mauler.” We also get a taste of one of Beau’s new signature catchphrases: “Maybe you’ve heard of me…”
  • Florian gets painfully rebuffed by the high elf Lorith.
  • Christophe animates the wild boar trophy in the gallery. After it injures a noble, Kris gets its attention away from the partygoers and Godabert stabs it from behind. They replace the re-killed trophy on its pedestal. The Panther approves.
  • Karl, in his guise of Hung Karlsen, makes nice with the Gravin’s party. They talk about gambling, make fun of poor people, and inquire about scoring some weirdroot.
  • Beau gets Karl as backup and they inspect the well. They think they see/hear something inside.
  • Get a lit piece of kindling from kitchen to drop into the well. Drops and sizzles out.
  • Beau could have sworn he saw something shadowy moving from the direction of the well to the rack of beer barrels and over the garden fence. The intrepid duo peer into the well, and Beau slips. Good news: Karl catches him. Bad news: he can’t hold him, and they both fall into the well. Worse news: Karl succumbed to some whispery emanations from the well and accepted a corruption point (in vain).
  • Investigating the bottom of the well: opposite the fresh water effluent is a rough opening in the wall. It’s a tunnel entrance that slopes up slightly from the water line into utter darkness.
  • Spotted by Godabert: one of the serving women in the reception room conspicuously puts down her tray of drinks and snacks, smooths out her skirt, fixes her hair, and steals into the gallery.
  • Where is Falkenhayn?
  • Karl and Beau get some dwarves’ attention, and they help the “stupid manling fucks” climb out of the well. Borgun Foambeard accuses them, almost immediately, of tampering with his beer. One of the kegs has some barrel wax scratched off and a plank pried upwards.
  • Beau calms Borgun down and they have a nice little heart-to-heart. The dwarves had recovered a sewer map from a brigand that distressingly seemed to have much of the Khazalgirt sketched out.
  • Karl goes inside to recover his stashed clothes from a second floor sitting room so he can ditch his soggy breeches.
  • Meanwhile a servant woman crashes the party clutching a child to her chest, screaming for Lord Erich to acknowledge his son. Erich is horrified, and the Gravin strides into the room smugly insisting that the poor girl be given leave to speak.
  • Kris and Godabert intervene with the steward and herald, who are trying to remove girl, and basically ratchet up the confusion.
  • Eventually she agrees to leave, escorted by Holzenhauer guards. Lord Erich has made himself scarce.
  • Beau heads in to the kitchen to dry off by the fire. Smoke starts to build up suddenly and within seconds halflings and humans alike are coughing and running out of the kitchen, some escaping to the garden, and some to the gallery.
  • Has anybody seen Baron Heinrich von Falkenhayn?
  • Upstairs, in the sitting room, Karl’s acute sense of hearing alerts him to the unmistakable sound of fucking coming from the adjoining bedroom.
  • Pops in: Dr. Otto is banging a waitress.
  • Lord Rickard Aschaffenberg, feeling a little better after vomiting for an hour, tries to rejoin the party.
  • Beau dramatically, in one swift motion, pushes Borgun aside and throws a beer barrel over, rolling it in the direction of the open kitchen door. He bounds after it and smashes that goddam keg like it’s his job, spraying foamy Skullsplitter into the fireplace.
  • He hears what sounds like breaking glass on the other side of the wall, in the dining room.
  • Goes back outside while more of the smoke clears.
  • Some dude enters the party during all the confusion. Looks scruffy.
  • Baron de Grenouille gets into it with an annoying noble who makes one too many anti-Bretonnian jokes. This eventually leads to a first-blood duel in the garden. The Baron makes short work of his opponent, who leaves the party disgraced.
  • Lord Aschaffenberg is perceived to have dropped a note and an incriminating playing card whilst removing a handkerchief from his pocket. Note is an oddly written message regarding a sacrifice and cultist leanings. Rickard hotly denies it; Godabert suspects Erich, and tells Captain Pfeiffer as much.
  • Andrea and Godabert pull Rickard into the servants’ corridor and agree to make no further mention of this. Lord Erich may warrant investigation.
  • Kris sees Falkenhayn, from behind, stumbling away from the party and heading outdoors. Two women who make eye contact with him recoil in disgust.
  • When Godabert inquires with one of the women, she says the masked Falkenhayn snarled at her.
  • A row breaks out upstairs: the scruffy gent is the husband of the serving-girl, and he’s got his hands locked around Dr. Otto’s throat.
  • Tippy Toe! The Wrecking Crew plus CvB intercede and kick out the husband. Dr. Otto and the woman leave as well. The Panther approves.
  • A shout from the garden! A dead body is uncovered under a hedge. It’s… Baron Falkenhayn?!
  • A shout from the dining room! A servant comes stumbling into the gallery clutching his right wrist. Before Kris’s eyes, the hand grows thick brown fur.
  • More people come running out of the kitchen, at least three of them exhibiting rapid, dramatic mutations.
  • Bug eyes
  • Distended fingers
  • Skeletal emaciation
  • Chaos ensues, and the wrecking crew do their best to evacuate the house while other watch and house staff restrain the four mutated guests.
  • General von Dabernick and Captain Pfeiffer assemble an emergency meeting in the reception room.
  Interlude:   In the reception room, General von Dabernick loudly clears his throat. Behind him, the gallery floor begins swarming with an assortment of watchmen, Altdorf soldiers, and at least one unmistakably black-hatted witch-hunter.   Captain Andrea Pfeiffer’s attempts to control this impromptu meeting are interrupted by a few lingering merchants and nobles.   “We just want to know, Captain Pfeiffer, if we are safe to…” The burgomeister mumbles nervously through his entreaty, with Frau Karstadt-Stampf over his shoulder, agitating with instructions and demands.   “Herr Maler, I assure you, we’re going to take care of everyone.” Andrea responds as calmly as she can.   The General clears his throat again. Louder. “Captain Pfeiffer.”   Frau Karstadt pushes aside the ineffectual Maler. “We live here, Captain! If someone or something is going around terrorizing residents of The Hill, murdering members of noble families, we need to know what you’re doing about it!”   The Knight Panther leans over and whispers something into the General’s ear. The knight then strides out of the reception room into the gallery.   In the corner of the reception room, seemingly unaware of the attempts at organizing a discussion, is Captain Erwin Blucher. He is sweating profusely and seems on the verge of full-on hyperventilation. He was in the dining room when the wave of mutations struck and still seems quite shaken up.   Father Gunther Emming yells accusingly across the room at Frau Karstadt. “And on behalf of the rest of the residents of this city, WE need to know what has been going on behind these walls of decadence and impiety!”   “How dare you! How dare you insinuate --” Hellin makes motions towards the Sigmarite priest before her purser, Josef, puts a hand on her shoulder and calms her down.   “Where is Lord Erich?” Andrea looks around the reception room, then points at two members of the watch. “See that Lord Erich and any remaining members of his retinue are sequestered in one of the upstairs bedrooms for the time being. We’ll need to speak to them. And in the morning we’ll send someone to speak to his brother. I know he left the party some hours ago with that servant girl…”   “Captain Pfeiffer!” The General’s shout is punctuated by the brusque arrival of Sgt. Rudi Klumpenklug, shoved into the reception room by the Knight Panther. The assembled group quiets down just in time to hear sickening sounds of execution coming from the gallery. The Knight takes off her helmet, revealing the fact that she is a tall, attractive woman.   “Lady Nacht..! I’m sorry, your ladyship, I did not realize…” Captain Pfeiffer makes a slight bow.   “Yes, yes, presenting the Lady Emannuelle Nacht, voice of the Emperor here in Ubersreik.” The General is happy to have the floor finally. “Our soldiers are taking control of the Niederstadt House, Captain Pfeiffer, but YOU seem to have some affairs to handle.”   Andrea, instantly composing herself and regaining her authority, shouts to Rudi: “Yes. Sgt. Klumpenklug, you will assemble teams of two to three watchmen and escort the last guests back to their homes.” Before Hellin can respond, Andrea raises a hand. “The watch’s priority right now is to safeguard the Morgenseite.”   “You heard the captain, boys…” Rudi looks over at Godabert, Karl, Kris, and Beau, all of whom had been anxiously awaiting orders.   “No, sergeant.” For the first time, Lady Nacht’s voice resonates through the house, calm and low, but with an unmistakable air of command. “These four are needed here.”   “Yes, well…” Andrea looks quizzically at Lady Nacht for a beat, then turns her attention back to Rudi. “You have enough men, I trust, Sgt. Klumpenklug?” Rudi nods, but casts a steely gaze over to the party before turning to leave. Maler, Stampf, and a few other minor nobles are escorted out of the room and out of the house.   “If I may, Captain?” Karl boldly speaks up. “There are some things about this evening that I think you should know…”   Karl, Kris, Godabert, and Beau recount their observations: the figure in the garden, the Falkenhayn impersonator, the tunnel in the well.   At the conclusion of their briefing, Captain Pfeiffer looks over to Beau. “I should have listened to you earlier. My apologies, Constable.”   Godabert speaks up: “If you want us to track the impersonator, you know, or investigate the tunnel… or the figure who hopped the fence?” The other three members of the party simultaneously turn their heads towards God, all of their eyes slowly widening with a whaaaat the fuuuuck expression.   “They won’t go alone.” All eyes turn to Borgun Foambeard, the venerable dwarven brewer. “If this trail does indeed lead underground, they’ll need someone who knows the below-city.”   Christophe Engel, the grey wizard, nods towards his compatriot, the Bretonnian knight Sir Pierre. “I shall accompany them as well,” says the knight.   “Wait, wait.” Borgun’s apprentice, Thurngill, butts in. “Borgun, you’re needed back in the Dawihafen. Let me go in your stead. It would honor me to represent the dwarves on this mission.” They exchange a knowing glance, and Borgun accedes.   The General perks up. “Well, now that this is settled. Father Gunther, with me. I am very interested to learn what Herr Hubkind has uncovered.”   “As am I General, as am I.” The priest joins the General and Lady Nacht as they prepare to leave the reception hall.   Kris suddenly speaks up: “You know, your holiness and your generalness and your, um, your ladyness… if you need help investigating the house, I can, um… I can help? I have a method for testing the food. The food and the drink in the dining room.”   “You do?” Father Gunther raises his eyebrow in interest.   “Yes! It involves, um…” Kris looks over to Captain Pfeiffer. “They have horses here on the property, yeah?”   The General shakes his head dismissively and they stride out of the room. Christophe, after a brief exchange with Sir Pierre, joins them.   Andrea comes over to the party. “I know this is already above the call of duty, boys, but I’m stretched thin. And before Father Gunther starts making dangerous accusations against some of the noble families in this city, we should figure out what really happened here tonight. Tell me what you need, and be ready to head out within the hour.” She turns to confer with Sir Pierre and Thurngill but, remembering something, adds “And this goes without saying, but a good report from me regarding this mission could go a long way towards shortening your civic obligations…”  

Rewards Granted

XP: 115 to each PC, broken down as follows: +90 to all for successfully keeping the peace at the ball from 8:15-12:00 (ten points for each of the following):

  • Dealing with the flagellant
  • Putting out the fire
  • Discovering the tunnel
  • Dealing with the jilted husband
  • Dealing with the mother of Erich’s alleged bastard
  • Smoothing things over with Rickard re: the note
  • Evacuating the house
  • Deal with animated fox and boar
  • Learning about the sewer map
  • +25 to all for slick roleplaying.
  Gearing up:
  • Gear for investigating the tunnel: rations, rope, torches, and flint.
  • Kris preps three healing draughts.
  • Godabert runs back to the RMI to grab his bow.

Character(s) interacted with

Locations scouted and NPC’s engaged: Select party guests, (including add’l details gleaned from the second half of the evening):

  • Hellin Karstadt-Stampf and her purser Josef
  • Captain Pfeiffer and Captain Blucher
  • Lord Rickard Aschaffenberg and Maximillian Aschaffenberg
  • Heinrich von Bruner and Lady Galina
  • Conrad von Bruner and his slutty date
  • Lord Siegfried von Saponatheim and retinue
  • Borgun Foambeard and Thurngill Flagonfiller
  • Erich von Holzenhauer (the host)
  • Christophe and his scantily clad noble friend, Florian Pfeifraucher
  • Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebewitz of Ambosstein and her retinue
  • General Jendrick von Dabernick and a Knight Panther
  • Burgomeister Ernst Maler
  • Sigmarite priest, Father Gunther and Shallya priestess Sister Celestine
  • Baron Heinrich von Falkenhayn and his date
  • Doctor Otto Krupp
  • The Baron de Grenouille and Sir Pierre D’Labarque
  • Kurt Prochnow and Marta Muller
  • Osanna Winandus and another lawyer

Campaign
The Enemy Within
Protagonists
Report Date
02 May 2023

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