Episode 37: "If He Dies, He Dies" Report

General Summary

The Enemy Within: Death on the Reik Episode 37 - “If He Dies, He Dies” 5/30/24 Post-Game Notes   Day 110 - Aubentag, 28 Brauzeit, 2512 IC Late evening; picks up as the Crew returns to The Cask Falls

• The Crew is conveyed back the the tavern, where they discuss the Gravin’s offer. Beau makes the decision to defend the Gravin in her trial by combat. To do anything less would have been very un-Beau-like.
• Crew agrees to include Gertrud in the Crew for at least as long as the trial. She’ll be paid the 5 GC from Gustaf with no expense to the Crew.
• Beau chats up an attractive blond woman in leather armor at the bar, Livina Franke, launching right into the foolproof pickup line, “You like fighting? Me too.” He has better luck after he buys her a beer. They soon get on the topic of martial prowess and favored weapons, and Beau discloses that he isn’t accustomed to two-handed weapons.
• Godabert chats up the bartender and learns that the locals aren’t overly interested in the particulars of the imminent trial, just excited to have a trial by combat taking place in a few days. A lot of excitement of late, especially with those corrupt watchmen, the Sanguine Brotherhood, having recently been identified and executed. Did they root them all out? Suppose so.
• Kris chats up a pair of wine merchants from Eilhart and a dwarven traveler with a taste for sherry. Hears rumors about some no-good dwarves causing problems with the locals down Grissenwald way. And the mutant edict makes no sense! Especially with all the trouble of late. Dead mutant corpses keep washing ashore south of Kemperbad.
• Karl gets pulled into a conversation with two members of Alfonzo Kappon’s gang, Leonardo and Matteo. Turns out the ganglord is behind bars and scheduled to be sentenced for execution in a few days. Since Karl will be in the courthouse tomorrow… find a way to discover which cell is holding Alfonzo – that’s all – and the ganglord will owe Karl a favor. Agreed.
• The Crew surveys the courthouse environs later that night: lots of guards, both from the Watch and state militia, and an oval ring is being prepared. No way to determine Kappon’s whereabouts from the street, and too much patrolling to make sneaking in a viable option. Back to bed.

 

Day 111 - Marktag, 29 Brauzeit, 2512 IC Gustaf Rechtshandler and some liveried guards show up, receive the good news that Beau accepts the challenge, and they head off to the courthouse for the trial certification.

• At the courthouse, work is underway preparing the combat ring, as well as a grandstand for important audience members.
• Kris pretends that he has imminent diarrhea and needs a bathroom. He plans to infiltrate the south courtroom to look for Kappon.
• Inside, in the north courtroom, the trial certification is underway, directed by Magister Hannes Richter. The aggrieved party, led by Baron Eberhardt von Dammenblatz, is on one side of the chamber, seated near his champion, the burly Kislevite Ivan Drago. Interestingly enough, seated next to Ivan is Livina, Beau’s conversation partner from last night. The Gravin and her retinue are seated across the aisle.
• Richter reviews the charges and decision to hold the trial in Kemperbad. Combat will be until one combatant can no longer continue. Both champions are asked to approach and be inspected by Petra Steinmetz, the Verenan priestess.
• Karl and God take the opportunity to try and infiltrate the cellblock. God ducks behind Karl and picks the lock on the door to the cell alley, and Karl niftly ducks inside. He is immediately greeted by Kappon behind cell #3, and they exchange knowing winks. A drunk in a holding cell next to Kappon seems alarmed by Karl’s presence, and his caterwauling alerts a guard. Karl blathers away and dodges suspicion back inside the chamber. God leaves the chamber to find Kris in case he needs help with locks.
• Representing the defense, the Gravin’s party has the right to declare armor. The Gravin defers to Beau, and even after Ivan’s taunt that “Real men fight stripped to the waist in nothing more than leather boots and breeches,” Beau opts for full leather armor, skullcaps included.
• After a sly whisper from Livina, Ivan, as champion for the aggrieved, declares the choice of weapon: “Only choice for real man, the zweihander.” Richter directs the court’s men-at-arms to secure the armor and weapons.
• Meanwhile, Kris tries to gain entry into the locked south courtroom. He somehow convinces a passing clerk with an asinine story about a missing cloak and a pet bird to unlock the chamber. They bob around the pews squawking “Kappon” until God shows up. The clerk tells them that there aren’t any prisoners in this cell alley, and the stealthy pair beat it.
• Outside the courthouse, the Gravin tells the Crew to stay safe, and meet back at Sfartz’s before sundown for supper. Tell Gustaf if there is anything you need, and he’ll get it for you. One coach and driver is at your disposal. The Crew gives a long, eclectic, and evilly suspicious list to Gustaf (who doesn’t seem put off in the slightest) and then they hop into their coach to tail the two departing Dammenblatz vehicles. God vandalizes the coach, much to the driver’s dismay.

  They follow one into the dwarven quarter, parking out of sight. Kris follows the occupants, two Dammenblatz servants and three guards, into a posh dwarven armory.

• While the guards are shopping with Orem, the proprietor, Kris makes friends with Dremmel, the apprentice. Kris has plans to pimp out his leathers and maybe put some nasty surprises into Beau’s voluminous footwear.
• The Crew’s coach pulls around, picks up Kris, as they plan to follow the Dammenblatz coach…

  Interlude:   “Follow that coach!” God hisses, an uncharacteristic gleam of violence in his eyes. “But, you know, from a distance. Calmly.” God composes himself a bit.   “Beau, let me see your boots.” Kris motions for Beau to take off his footwear. Beau, with a shrug, complies, and pops off his leathers. A rank odor quickly escapes into the tight confines of the coach.   “Sigmar be damned!” Gertrud gasps and clutches for the door handle, eager for air. The coach swerves down a sidestreet, following the Dammenblatz car towards the southern merchant quarter.   “Stop – what’re you doing?” Karl, perfectly accustomed to Beau’s footsmell, and fetid confines in general, tries to prevent Gertrud from opening the door of a moving vehicle, but a moment too late. The door swings open, Gertrud gasps for air, all while a young mother scoops up her child and yelps, dodging out of the way.   The horses, alarmed by the yelling, skips into the center of street. Despite his best efforts at controlling the careening coach, the driver snags a loose cobble and a wheel snaps off with a crack. The coach lurches and crashes to the ground, Gertrud and Karl tumbling out (but sustaining no injuries, thank Sigmar). The remaining three passengers, buffeted and disoriented, but none the worse for wear, are greeted by a deep voice, prying open the opposite door to aid egress.   “There are easier ways to determine where Baron Dammenblatz is keeping his champion, I would assume.” A great bear of a man reaches out a stout arm to help Godabert out of the coach and onto his feet. Beau and Kris peel out in turn. “My question is, why would you willingly expose yourselves to a group that has already had so much success incapacitating your predecessors?”   “I don’t – I don’t know what you’re talking about, Herr…” Godabert is dusting himself off as he eyes the stranger, a thick white-bearded man with leathery skin, his magnificent black hat topped by impressive white plumage. “Wait, I know you…”   “From the party in Ubersreik.” Beau rarely forgets a face. Especially ones who seem like they could use a punch. “You’re that witchhunter.”   “Matthias Hubkind, at your service.” The massive Sigmarite bows slightly. “And, yes, we have met before. You lot performed a heroic deed after the Holzenhaeur affair some months ago. You were on the side of the angels then… which made me curious about your involvement here in Kemperbad, in tomorrow’s trial.”   “You slaughtered a house full of people, some of them were perfectly –” Karl speaks matter-of-factly, without a note of judgment in his voice, recounting the events.   “They were mutants. All of them.” Hubkind snaps back. “Twisted creatures of chaos, and they needed to be put down.”   “Hey, my friend, not sure if you’re up on current events, but…” Kris, with a smirk, butts in.   “I’ll have no mention of that cursed edict. As far as myself and my disciples are concerned, we ever perform the service of Sigmar.” Hubkind surveys the scene. A crowd has gathered. “And, speaking of those duties, we are interested in seeing a fair commencement of this trial tomorrow. If you have a deathwish that extends beyond young Mr. Baphett here, know that the Dammenblatzes are fortressed in the Schnitzel Manor just south of here. If you have half the sense I had assumed you did, you’ll head back to the Sfartz Manor and prepare yourselves for the morrow. I hope to see you…” He pauses to give Beau a steely glare. “In front of the courthouse tomorrow.”

* * *

Rewards Granted

XP:

• 10 for gathering and (over-)sharing information at the tavern (all)
• 15 for accepting the judicial champion offer (Beau)
• 15 for gaining entry into the cellblock of the courthouse (God)
• 15 for identifying Alfonzo’s location and talking his way out of trespassing (Karl)
• 15 for successfully spying on Dammenblatz’s guards and making a friend at the armory (Kris)
• 30 for a slick session

  Godabert: 55 Beau: 55 Karl: 55 Kris: 55   Loot:

• 5 GC apiece (10 for Beau)

Character(s) interacted with

Locations scouted and new NPC’s engaged: Kemperbad

• Georg Sfartz, wealthy merchant hosting the Gravin and her retinue

The Cask Falls

• Livina Franke, purported bounty hunter (and agent of Baron Dammenblatz)
• Leonardo Pucci, gangster in the Kappon gang
• Matteo Grimaldi, gangster in the Kappon gang
• Gerolf and Audrey Buchmann, wine merchants from Eilhart
• Duuk Emberbelt, dwarven traveler

The Kemperbad Courthouse

• Magister Hannes Richter
• Baron Eberhardt von Dammenblatz
• Ivan Drago, the Baron’s judicial champion
• Petra Steinmetz, Kemperbad’s head priestess to Verena
• Alfonzo Kappon, ganglord (and current jail detainee)

Orem’s Armory

• Dremmel Firebringer, dwarven apprentice armorer