6 iron spikes

It's not 'The Enemy Within' without some Ian Miller art. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Googe Drive (37.7MB)   Heroes present were Esmerelda Potter the Shallayan initiate, Herdan Van Helsing the vampire hunter, Jotunn the dwarf veteran, Walter Cinder Corbit the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector.We left the heroes in possession of Castle Wittgenstein's main gatehouse. They had repulsed a sortie of guards led by the craven Lieutenant Doppler and caused their foe to retreat to their barracks. Victorious they had flung the gates open and thirty allied outlaws moved up from nearby woods to join them. The assault on Castle Wittgenstein was off to a good start. Key points from Episode 19 The heroes worked hard to secure the outer bailey (7:10) Sigrid, the outlaw leader, encouraged the group to take the middle gatehouse as quickly as possible reasoning that the guards manning it would soon notice the commotion and raise the drawbridge.  The group organised the outlaws with bows into groups and co-ordinated fields of fire on the barracks to keep Lieutenant Doppler and his guards hemmed in. (12:09) The party swept anticlockwise along the outer bailey walls. Their first stop was the stables where they gave valuable looking horses covetous looks. Their greed was distracted by a worrisome green glow coming from an obscured stable stall. Herdan's curiosity was piqued. He discovered the source of the green glow when confronted by a shimmering stablehand brandishing a pitchfork. The pair chatted and agreed to leave each other alone. The stablehand blamed a black rainstorm that had occurred years ago for his mutated condition.  The band finished reconnoitring the grounds running into a number of mutant servants whom they put on notice to behave. (18:33) Axes and shovels were hefted and the middle gatehouse's side door charged. The dash to the door drew crossbow fire from the barracks. Herdan led the charge shrugging off bolts that clattered harmlessly off his armour. Magnus embedded his pick in the gatehouse door and levered it from its hinges. With one mighty stroke the middle gatehouse was breached (26:00) The band found the ground level deserted and raced up the gatehouse stairs to confront the shell shocked guards. Solomon and Walter provided cover fire with their slings as Herdan and Jotunn waded into the foe. A grievously injured Magnus shied from combat, instead he watched over the outlaws as they secured the ground level. Georg Hegel - Ex-Captain of the Guard ventured from his tower to attack the rear of the group. (29:00) While Magnus may have sought to avoid confrontation, trouble found him when six skeletons from the nearby Captain's tower joined the battle for the ground level of the gatehouse. As the undead lurched across the courtyard they were caught by a hail of arrows from outlaws the group had stationed in the stables, smithy and coach house. Alas the missiles had no effect on their bony enemy. Trailing behind the skeletons was a black armoured corpse surrounded by a shadowy nimbus. Esmerelda, who had provided moral support in the battle against the gatehouse guards, spied the undead from a window and called out in alarm. Herdan, sworn to serve Morr the guardian of the dead, was eager to do battle with his gods enemy and fell back to the ground level. This left Jotunn to battle four gatehouse guards with only the meagre support of the halflings. (33:10) The skeletons could not be considered alive which allowed Esmerelda to clobber them with her quarterstaff. It's a rare moments when the priestess strikes out in anger and given her lack of combat experience her blows were ineffective. (38:13) Magnus guarded the shattered doors at the entrance to the gatehouse. He smashed several skeletons apart before the shadowy form of ex-Captain Hegel swept in to confront him. The undead's deathly cold blade struck Magnus who could not prevent the blow through the fortuitous use of a lucky charm... ... At this moment I had to rescue spring rolls from the oven which left the group on a momentary cliff hanger! ... ... Fortunately for our hero the wight's blade left Magnus reeling on 0 wounds, mercifully avoiding a devastating critical hit. (40:36) Jotunn, outnumbered four to one in the melee on the second level of the gatehouse, managed to fell a pair of guards in quick succession. The remaining guards were so intimidated by the dwarf's martial prowess that they surrendered. The halflings secured the guard's weapons and kept an eye on them while Jotunn raced down the stairs to aid in the conflict with the undead. Alas upon seeing his foe the dwarf was cowed by fear. In contrast Herdan attacked with righteous vigour and speared the wight's arm off. The crippled spectral ex-Captain retreated. (46) The heroes pursued their foe into the courtyard and were met by a volley of bolts from the barracks. They shrugged the quarrels off and remained focussed on the retreating enemy. In a frantic flurry of blows Herdan snapped the wight like a twig. With the creature defeated the warriors scurried back to the gatehouse, but not before they gave a one fingered salute to Lieutenant Doppler and his guards holed up in the barracks. (51:56) Amongst the guards Jotunn had cowed into submission was Sgt Kurtz whom the group began to question. They were interrupted however by a cry from the inner gatehouse where the final outpost of guards standing between the group and Castle Wittgenstein were based. 'What's happening?' they demanded. The group had Sgt Kurtz respond that everything was fine and that Lieutenant Doppler had put down a bandit attack. There was nothing for the inner gate guards to worry about.  Kurtz went on to spill the beans on the castle's defences, residents, guests and layout. His co-operative approach earned him his freedom. Though who could tell what peace a former guard with rotting flesh would find roaming the Empire. (59:09) To thank Sgt Kurtz for his assistance Esmerelda recommended some chamomile tea and jojoba extract for his horrific skin condition, a condition Kurtz blamed on the night of black rain. Lieutenant Doppler could be called risk-averse though to be fair he was badly wounded. (61:37) With the main and middle gatehouses secured and Sgt Kurtz interrogated the group decided to seize the barracks before taking the fight to the inner bailey and castle proper. They rushed the barracks, ignoring the crossbow fire. The entrance was rent asunder under the groups manic blows and the five remaining guards and Lieutenant Doppler were confronted. Jotunn called out a challenge 'Doppler lets end this nobly. You verse me. One on one.' Doppler agreed, inviting Jotunn to step out from cover to confront him. Honourable, gullible or perhaps a bit of both, Jotunn obliged stepping forward and making himself a target. Doppler gave the order to "shoot the bastard." Quarrels were loosed but luck was with the dwarf and none found their mark. (67:12) Jotunn cursed Doppler as a coward and charged. Doppler retreated but encouraged his men, 'Look how injured they are. Why that dwarf can barely stand. This will be an easy fight.' While charging Jotunnn got tangled amongst chairs the guards had set as a makeshift barricade. Combat was joined and once Doppler had retreated out of sight a number of guards broke and ran only to be cut down. Skirting the edges of the melee Jotunn bolted up the stairs in pursuit of the craven Lieutenant. Doppler's pitiful hostage of uncertain identity was trapped within a crow's cage (72:49) Jotunn cornered Doppler in his immaculately furnished rooms. These beautiful rooms seemed at odds with the decay and corruption of the Wittgenstein's. Ruining the splendor was a horribly tortured man trapped within a crows cage. Doppler held a blade to the man's throat which stopped Jotunn in his tracks. "Stand back or I shall kill this important noble hostage! This is Von Tassernick, he went on an expedition to the Grey mountains and vanished and yet here he is. You don't want his blood on your hands." Jotunn negotiated and sheathed his blade. He would escort Doppler and the surviving guards out of the castle. When safely beyond the gates Doppler would turn the hostage over. (77:00) Confident that he was in control, Doppler sheathed his sword. He ordered one of his few remaining guards to fetch a loaded crossbow. As he reached for it Jotunn struck with the reflexes of a cobra, quick drawing his rune blade Barakul he sliced cleanly through Doppler's leg. The magic of the rune blade ensured that Doppler's armour remained intact though the torrent of blood pouring around his greaves left little doubt as to the Lieutenant's fate. Doppler's death saw the remaining guards surrender. The outer bailey was secure.

The mission: seize Castle Wittgenstein and end the Wittgenstein's mad reign. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (27.7MB) Heroes present were Esmerelda the Shallayan initiate, Herdan van Helsing the vampire hunter, Jotunn the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the heroes having successfully navigated the tunnels beneath Castle Wittgenstein. They had been on a reconnaissance mission for the camp of outlaws they were allied to. Now they stood beneath a trapdoor they knew would lead them into the castle's courtyard and the heart of the enemy camp. Key points from Episode 18 A shanty town of mutants could be found within the outer bailey (1:00) With great effort the group hefted a block in the ceiling of the tunnel aside. It granted them entry to the Castle Wittgenstein's squalid courtyard. The block was difficult to move as atop it sat a scraggly mutant cradling a rancid potato. The unfortunate was dismissively spoken to while the party got their bearings. They had emerged in a ruined building in the castle's courtyard and were surrounded by a shanty town of crippled and disease struck mutants. Magnus took pity on the wretches telling them that if they wished to take their chances they could escape by following the tunnel from which the heroes had emerged. Castle Wittgenstein's Gatehouse did little to stop the adventurers (8:05) Huddled amongst the rubble, surrounded by inquisitive mutants the group planned their attack on the keep. They talked at length on how best to employ their poison wind globe before recalling that they had left it hidden beneath the hull of their boat.  Castle Wittgenstein's outer bailey was the scene of this session (12:30) They donned rancid garments to appear like any other outer bailey beggar. Suitably disguised the heroes made their way to the gatehouse, using the shanty town in the courtyard as cover. The inner door to the gatehouse was unlocked and they burst in to confront a single guard reclining at a desk, fetid lips puffing away on a pipe. He had his helm by his side which revealed his horrid rotting visage. The sight shocked the group with Esmerelda shrieking and Magnus throwing up in his mouth. Jotunn and Herdan were made of sterner stuff and charged. It was over quickly with the hapless guard impaled on Herdan's spear mid pipe puff.  The Wittgenstein guards spent their down time playing Yahtzee (19:15) The group raced up the stairs catching the gatehouse guards on the level above unprepared and in the midst of a game of Yahtzee. In response to the groups sudden arrival the guards flipped the table and readied their weapons. A dangerously wounded Magnus hurled himself into the fray and, thanks to a lucky charm, survived. Esmerelda locked down the room baring all exits. It was to be a fight to the death. (22:30) There's a magic sword called Barakul in Wittgendorf that takes some thinking to convert from 1e to 2e. The change to the way armour works makes the 2e version more powerful than originally intended. After some discussion we settled on the way Barrakul interacts with shields and parries. A foes first parry would be ineffective as the warp blade phases through the parrying blade and slices into the enemies arm. Assuming they survive the opponent can parry normally as they change their approach to swatting away the hand holding Barakul. (29:15) As the final guard fell Esmerelda seized the hunting horn, raced to an arrow slit and sounded a single blast signalling their outlaw allies to rush the gatehouse.  (31:50) Herdan took the gatehouse key from a corpse and locked the exterior door just as a squad of guards arrived from the barracks to investigate the commotion. The group contemplated how best to use the cauldrons of lead and water they had seized. (37:57) The guards in the courtyard called to the locked down gatehouse demanding to know what the ruckus had been about. Herdan did his best guard impersonation explaining that he had been excited and had started shouting having won the pot in Yahtzee. In fact he had been so excited that he had sounded a horn to celebrate. When the guards demanded his name Herdan quickly responded with "Hans". I ruled there was a 60% chance that there would be a garrison guard called Hans. Alas the dice were cruel and there was no Hans. The lieutenant leading the guards called Herdan's bluff and his men rushed the gatehouse. They were met by a volley of crossbow fire. (40:15) Esmerelda realised that while loading crossbows may put her on shaky spiritual grounds with Shallya the act itself didn't violate any specific oath. She justified it to herself by saying that all she did was load the crossbows and if the halflings happened to kill someone with them she was hardly responsible. A couple of guards fell peppered with bolts as they attempted to break down the gatehouse door. As they fell the remaining guards breached the entrance and rushed the heroes position.  Lieutenant Doppler was a coward who learned that flails aren't all that great (44:40) Herdan threatened his foes from the top of the internal gatehouse stairs with a cauldron of tepid water and a cauldron of solid lead. He hoped to bluff them into believing each contained boiling liquid. The guards paused allowing Jotunn to pelt them with heavy spears. As they nervously advanced Herdan pushed the heavy cauldron of lead at them. The cumbersome cauldron bounced down the stairs like a giant bowling ball crushing an unlucky soldier. In the ensuing melee the disorganised guards failed to bring the might of the full garrison to bear. In frustration at the way things were transpiring the garrisons commander, Lieutenant Doppler, emerged from the throng to battle the hero's. He quickly found that he was outclassed and was forced into a humiliating retreat. Herdan hacked at the lieutenant's back and the halflings peppered him with crossbow bolts as he fled to the safety of the barracks. Somehow Doppler survived and he and his men hunkered down for a siege. (54:00) With the guards contained the heroes flung the castle gates open allowing their thirty outlaw allies, who they had summoned with a blast of their hunting horn, access to the keep. The heroes had taken the gatehouse. The assault on the castle proper could begin.

Beastmen haunt the Wittgendorf woods. One served as a tracker for the castle guards. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (39.1MB) Heroes present were Esmerelda Potter the Shallayan initiate, Herdan van Helsing the vampire hunter, Jotunn the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the heroes out the front of the Wittgendorf physician's house. It was merrily ablaze and the physician dead, technically by his own hand. The group were somewhat the wiser from the encounter and sought to return to their outlaw allies to plan the assault on the source of the regions troubles, Castle Wittgenstein. Key points from Episode 17 (2:50) The group were troubled by the news of a Norscan taking up residence in Castle Wittgenstein. They tried to work out what their characters would know, without blatant meta-gaming, and leaped to the conclusion that they would soon face a chaos warrior. Sergeant Kratz will punch you in the face (5:00) Returning to the outlaw camp the heroes spied a group of castle guards moving through the woods. These guards followed a dog headed beastman who sniffed the ground and howled excitedly. Fortunately the heroes were downwind of their foe. They hid amongst the forest's rotting foliage and prepared an ambush. The attack opened with a blunderbuss blast catching the guards mounted leader. His horse reared in terror throwing its rider. Crossbow bolts struck the confused guards while Jotunn and Herdan rushed into combat. (20:52) The surprise wore off and soon the guards had Jotunn, Magnus and Herdan surrounded and outnumbered. Things looked grim till the pacifist Shallyan priestess Esmerelda joined the fray. While she struck no blows she did even the odds. (27:50) The battle wore on. Both sides were well protected in heavy armour. A telling blow from Jotunn's armour ignoring blade Barakul would turn the tide but the dwarf could not hit. Esmerelda took a chance and for the first time ever channelled the winds of magic to shock her foe. For months she had bemoaned magics terrible risk to her sanity, but due to the stalemate she threw caution to the wind. (32:41) Jotunn finally landed a blow. Barakul phased through armour, slicing through a guard's torso. The two halves remained neatly encapsulated in the armour. The torrent of blood which doused his foe left none in doubt of Barakul's potency. Jotunn had a unique way of killing heavily armoured foes. (35:48) Combat wound down with the party having the upper hand. There was a sense of inevitability until a desperate guard lashed out and Ulric furied Magnus. The guard's sword embedded itself in the unlucky dwarf who collapsed unconscious with internal bleeding. He fortunately fell in front of the Shallyan priestess who, in the midst of combat, set about frantically bandaging him before he bled out. The Old World is fickle and thus far had reserved all its critical hits for Magnus. The guard's lucky blow was a tragic footnote rather than a turning point as he and his fellows were cut down. (42:50) Herdan and Jotunn carried their crippled companion back to the outlaw camp. In my house rules healing poultices must be fresh so as not to have them freely available. By the book poultices are a mixture of manure, cow urine and other foul things. Esmerelda, being the healer, played this angle up crying "Quick, poo in my hands!" Her healing skills failed to help the crippled Magnus but perversely fully healed the slightly injured Jotunn. Fortunately for the mangled Magnus, Sigrid the outlaw chief called on the power of Taal and the dwarf's wounds closed slightly. (49:00) After lengthy discussion and despite Magnus' horrific injuries the group decided to attack the castle before the missing patrol was noticed. The outlaws were told to gather rope for scaling the castle walls and to prepare fire arrows. Thunder rumbled overhead. The group cursed the GM's foreshadowing of a storm. They wanted to burn Castle Wittgenstein to the ground. (49:38) Magnus proposed a plan to feign retreat and lure the guards into a trap. Jotunn made the point that he never retreats. Later episodes will prove the dwarf's bravado false. (53:20) Before entering the tunnels beneath Castle Wittgenstein the group organised hunting horn signals with the outlaws. Herdan's parting words were "If we are not back in an hour wait longer." The entrance to the tunnels beneath Castle Wittgenstein (56:22) The group were not long in the tunnels before their senses were assailed by screams and grunts echoing about the confined space and seemingly coming from every direction at once. At several stages members of the group glimpsed a disembodied head leering at them from the dark. The halflings at the back of the party were alarmed by a blood curdling shriek perhaps a meter behind them. Walter ran to the front ranks ducking beneath Esmerelda's skirts. Solomon bravely turned to face his foe and glimpsed a horrid visage receding into the gloom. Doubling back the group determined that they were being stalked by a creature that left a trail of slimy sucker marks. A glimpse of the natural caves beneath the castle (64:30) The group followed the tunnels in the direction they believed Castle Wittgenstein lay. The dwarves felt comfortable underground and kept the group on track. At one point the band were assailed by barnacle like creatures with razor sharp lash like tongues, lashworms! Such creatures might have posed a threat to a skulking halfling but the group's front rank wore armour too thick for a lashworm to penetrate. Magnus' armour piercing sword was brutally efficient at slicing the odd creatures from the walls. Former woodsman turned crazed mutant Brutagh (68:16) In time the group came across an icy underground stream. Employing a pole they determined it was 4ft deep making it a concern for short party members. Herdan got sick of the blood curdling screams hounding them and called their stalker out. "That's it. You and me. Lets fight. Come on!" He was surprised when the creature responded cogently from the darkness. They learned their pursuer had once been Brutugh the woodsman. Brutagh told them how to find both underground entrances to the castle before his moment of lucidity ended and he returned to animalistic grunts and howls. Magnus argued that they put him out of his misery but the group left him and pressed on to the castle. (72:50) The warriors leaped across the stream while the halflings shimmied across it via a rope. Following Brutagh's directions they discovered a trapdoor which led into Castle Wittgenstein. Despite Magnus' grievous wounds they took a chance and mounted their attack. Hefting the trapdoor aside they emerged into Castle Wittgenstein's chaotic courtyard.

The physician Jean Ressauex's house. The best house in abandoned Wittgendorf. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (40.9 MB) Heroes present were Esmeralda the Shallayan initiate, Herdan the vampire hunter, Joten the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector.We left the heroes having evacuated the entire cursed town of Wittgendorf on their trading vessel 'The Hammer'. They planned to return to Wittgendorf to deal with the disturbing Wittgenstein family who they suspected of holding a warpstone meteor. Key points from Episode 16 (3:44) On docking in Grissenwald with a boatload of Wittgendorf refugees the group were met by the Harbormaster. Despite his reluctance to take in possible mutants, the heroes used the recent pro-mutant Imperial edict to verbally out manoeuvre the Harbormaster. Esmeralda proclaimed "Has the Emperor not decreed that mutants are people too? As a priestess of Shallya I have vetted each and every villager and can vouch for for the sanctity of both their bodies and minds." The Wittgendorf refugees disembarked and moved into the slums on the edge of town. (7:34) We learnt that the trading rules are inflexible, hard to utilise at the table and not to our taste. So I changed them. They will be there own blog post one of these days. (8:56) The heroes struck a trade deal with Gorim Greathammer, leader of Grissenwald's dwarfs. They had aided the dwarves earlier in reclaiming their coal mine from goblins. In exchange for some timber to shore up the mine the heroes received a contract to sell the coal entitling them to 5% of sales. The first shipment of coal would be ready in a week. Care to travel aboard 'The Hammer'? Alas we are fresh out of strawberries. (16:40) While sailing to Wittgendorf the group pondered turning their boat into a dedicated passenger vessel. It's the Firefly angle the players find appealing. That and it seemed a more reliable way of earning coin than trading. I whipped together some very rough passenger rules that again will likely see its own blog post. (22:02) While sailing Walter and Solomon, the groups halfling chefs, noticed that something had been eating the ships supplies. The boat had a rat problem. Perhaps it was time to invest in a ships cat? Later as they headed into Wittgenstein by row boat the sharp eyed in the group spotted rats jumping into the river in surreptitious pursuit. Jotun suspected Hilda, their outlaw guide, of being in league with the rats based on ... nothing really... he's a suspicious dwarven bastard. The halflings picked of the swimming rats with precision slingshots. Sigrid - Priestess of Taal and leader of the Outlaws (29:00) Hilda, their guide, had suffered the twin tragedies of having her husband taken by Wittgenstein guards on suspicion of collaborating with outlaws and then her newborn had mutated into a green furred spider. As it turned out she and her husband were outlaw collaborators and she offered to take the band to their woodland camp. They made the trip during the day. The corrupted wood was a haunt of beastmen, and they mostly come out at night ... mostly. At the camp they met Sigrid the outlaw leader and Priestess of Taal. Walter's contrarian nature almost argued the outlaws into leaving. "With the village evacuated you have no need to remain to defend your people. You should leave these cursed lands." Esmeralda reminded him that they needed the outlaws help against the castle defenders. Sigrid tells them of caves beneath Castle Wittgenstein and encouraged the group to explore them. The outlaws agreed to assist in any attack on the Wittgensteins. Kurt - a simpleton that ran the local still (40:10) The heroes decided they needed a map of the castle. The only person they knew who had been inside the place was Wittgendorf's physician Jean Ressauex. They set out on a simple snatch and grab. They waited at the edge of the vacant town and crept in at nightfall. First they searched the physician's shed. There they met Kurt the simpleton who operated the physician's still. The still was used to make a strong elderberry spirit that was passed out to the mad mutant beggars of Wittgendorf. Esmeralda convinced Kurt that the group were from the castle and that there was nothing to worry about, oh and could he lend them the key to the house? Examining the still revealed a growth of small waving tendrils near the spigot. Jean Ressauex - Wittgendorf's Physician - still caring for the down and outs (52:24) The group surrounded the physician's house and moved in with SWAT like precision. Jean Ressauex was confronted in his dining room by Esmeralda "J'acuse! We know you are in league with the evil Wittgensteins." Despite his outrage at the home invasion Jean Ressauex told them about the Wittgenstein family, their Norscan guest and guards. The group figured he was feeding them half truths and turned up the heat. Their lines of questioning focused on the warrior from Norsca who never left his armour as well as the apparent terminal injury to the Wittgenstein's Captain of the guard. (61:12) While the interrogation progressed Herdan and Joten explored the house and ventured into the cellar. They discovered a horrendous smell which they countered with the old tunnel fighter trick of soaking a handkerchief in urine and wearing it as a mask. This caused the stench to be somewhat lessened. The cellar was set up as a lab full of pipettes, rubber hosing and surgical saws. Herdan approached a slab of fly covered meat on the cellar table using his lantern to shoo the buzzing swarm away. The meat, to no ones surprise, turned out to be a dismembered human body. (66:20) Esmeralda headed down into the cellar to lend her apothecary skills to the investigation. She opened several vials to determine their contents. From one such vial a grey ooze leaped forth landing on the fly bloated corpse. The body shuddered and suddenly lashing tentacles burst forth. Joten gritted his teeth and put down the thing with two swift sword blows. Esmeralda had seen enough and screamed "Get the Doctor!" Jean Ressauex was manhandled to the body and ordered to investigate it. When asked what he should be investigating the group insisted he "Just use science or something." To everyone's surprise grey tentacles emerged from the corpse and wrapped themselves around the physician's neck. Herdan figured fire was the only answer here. He smashed his lantern on Ressauex and then tipped medical alcohol onto the ensuing conflagration. Ressauex was engulfed and his house became his pyre. Whilst he burned the party managed to catch a glimpse of his rapidly melting face. The speed with which his face melted suggested something was amiss, as if he wore a wax mask to conceal ... well now they will never know. (79:00) The group conducted a rapid search while the house burned around them. The two notes below were found as well as a stash of coins.  Notes found during the frantic search of Jean Ressaux's burning house (84:00) The heroes stood before the blazing building using the ample light to read Jean Ressauex's notes, trying to unravel the mystery of the physician. Esmeralda speculated that the physician had been a love stuck dupe used by the Wittgenstein's. Perhaps he had been concerned for the people's welfare after all. His misguided ministrations had clearly caused much misery to the locals. Everyone agreed the old world was better off without Jean Ressauex.

Castle Wittgenstein looms over the decrepit town of Wittgendorf. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Goggle Drive (32.5 MB) Heroes present were Esmeralda the Shallayan initiate, Herdan the vampire hunter, Joten the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the heroes in the crypts of an abandoned Sigmarite temple on the outskirts of the cursed town of Wittgendorf. They had discovered, through their interactions with Red Crown cultists, that Wittgendorf was the likely site of a sizable chunk of warpstone. The group intended to seize the stone to prevent it being used for foul and corrupting purposes. Key points from Episode 15 (0:50) Ominous hand dug tunnels were discovered in the crypts beneath the abandoned Sigmarite temple. Magnus put his mining skills to work and collapsed them.  (3:10) Further exploration uncovered the towns records in the temple's library. Walter, being the only literate party member, read through Wittgendorf's history. He learnt that the town had once been prosperous but two years ago a ferocious gale had enveloped the lands, the eye of the storm being the local castle. This was followed by a week of black rain. Since then the region had suffered from crop failures and increased mutations. The records also spoke of an expedition to the Barren Hills by the then Baron's son and known astronomer Dagmar Wittgenstein. The expedition had occurred three years ago and ended with Dagmar returning alone hauling a lead lined box. Finally the records provided a full lineage of the local nobles the Wittgenstein's. Ghoulish villagers, when there's no food in Wittgendorf what do you eat? (8:08) The band rested in the altar room feeling reassured by its holy presence. As they settled in they heard voices from the temple's foyer. Solomon crept as close as he dared to eavesdrop on a pair of dishevelled villagers who muttered in low tones about their hunger and complained about the collapsed tunnel into the crypt. As they spoke it became clear that they had turned to cannibalism to survive Wittgendorf's famine. (11:18) The heroes confronted the villagers about their cannibalism. The unfortunates protested their innocence all the while refusing to enter the altar room to discuss things. Even the promise of food could not get them to cross the boundary into the temple proper. Their apparent fear of Sigmar sealed their fate in the adventurers eyes and the party attacked. In the ensuing slaughter a wretch was allowed to flee into the night, the dwarves could hardly catch him. Two headed sheep are much sought-after by the beggars of Wittgendorf. (21:49) The following morning the group considered heading straight to the castle but instead chose to observe the village first. It wasn't long before they saw a cluster of crippled beggars chasing a two headed sheep in their general direction. As the group of unfortunates came closer it was clear that they were afflicted with an assortment of minor mutations. The group usually killed mutants on sight but they held off. Killing every mutant in Wittgendorf promised to be long and bloody work. They gave the beggars a wide berth. (24:42) Wittgendorf's local inn was called the Shooting Star. Despite the early hour is was crowded with locals. A word with the innkeeper let them know that many in the village wanted to leave but couldn't. The innkeeper explained that the commotion they had seen yesterday outside the inn was Lady Magritte Wittgenstein seizing the local Miller who she accused of being an outlaw collaborator. The inn keep also explained that these outlaws harassed the Wittgenstein soldiers from the dubious safety of the woods. The group formulated a plan to evacuate the entire town, all except the somewhat mutated beggars. Perhaps this act would provoke the Wittgenstein's into leaving the relative safety of their castle. After seeing the locals is it any wonder the group didn't trust Wittgendorf's physician? (32:27) The town physician Jean Rousseaux entered the inn, introduced himself and welcomed the group to town. He invited them to dinner that night and sang the praises of Magritte Von Wittgenstein. The group were non committal and the physician left. (37:41) Walter used his public speaking skills to tell those gathered in the inn that the heroes boat would arrive at dusk and that anyone who wanted to leave was welcome to board it. The villagers should tell their friends but avoid telling the physician at all costs. (40:51) As the group set off to get their boat Esmeralda the Shallyan initiate was approached by a distressed woman. It was the Miller's wife. Her baby was ill. She told Esmeralda that the town physician was useless and his aid had worsened her child's condition. Esmeralda agreed to help and examined the child in the safety of the abandoned temple. There she saw that the child was covered in fur and had taken many arachnid features. This was Esmeralda's second encounter with a mutant baby! The child was very ill and not long for this world. Esmeralda broke the news to the mother as best she could. Herdan put the child out of its misery. (49:34) While the halflings fetched the boat the warriors watched the town. Joten spotted Jean Rousseaux waddle his way to the Wittgentsteins castle. Soon after the physicians arrival three heavily armoured guards headed from the castle and made their way to the inn where they menaced the locals. The group raced to the rescue and after a long melee put the guards down. "We will return for you beggars of Wittgendorf." <fingers crossed> (62:39) That evening the locals gathered at the inn. As dusk approached the heroes boat arrived at the dock where Herdan ushered the villagers, and not the towns slightly mutated beggars, onto to the vessel. A days sailing later and the townsfolk were resettled in the slums of Grissenwald. (65:23) Now that she was a safe the grief stricken mother, whose baby was a mutant and whose husband was taken by Wittgenstein guards, confessed to aiding the outlaws. She offered to take the group to the outlaws as long as they tried their best to free her husband.

The heroes would soon visit the unpleasant town of Wittgendorf. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshop's classic campaign The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (28MB)   Heroes present were Esmerelda the Shallayan initiate, Herdan the vampire hunter, Joten the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the heroes standing victorious over the corpse of Etelka, a witch they had hunted for some time before stumbling across her path at Kemperbad's Cat and Fiddle inn. Before her death Etelka had revealed some of her plans to Herdan. She had intended to travel to Castle Wittgenstein where she believed the Wittgenstein family held a meteorite of corrupting chaos magic. Key Points from Episode 14 (0:52) The party discussed how best to deal with Etelka's apprentice Urnst. The scrawny mage had surrendered rather than suffer his mistresses fate. The group bound and gagged the wretch and turned him over to the watch to interrogate. The watch, who had been on hand at Etelka's arrest, helped the group loot Etelka's still warm body and in the process kept half her wealth for themselves. Much coin was liberated and Etelka's dangerous artifacts turned over to the Sigmarite priests for burning. (4:20) At the watch house Urnst was interrogated under the supervision of a cheerful Joten and a squeamish Solomon. Meanwhile Walter mixed with the gawking crowd and spread word that the Champion of Kemperbad had slain a witch. The mob were suitably impressed by the actions of their local hero. Before becoming a broken blubbering mess Urnst revealed that Etelka belonged to the Red Crown Cult, that he intended to betray Etelka and that they had intended to visit Castle Wittgenstein in pursuit of a sizable chunk of warpstone; a meteorite that had devastated the Barren Hills many years ago. In the end Urnst's cover story moved from undercover sanctioned wizard to independent hedge wizard on a mission of vengeance against Etelka. While Joten and Solomon believed the cultist, his motivation didn't matter as he was destined to burn in the fires of Sigmar regardless. (10:25) Haggling ensued and Etelka's jewelry and perfume collection was sold off. Once again the party were rich. Magnus donated a generous 10 crowns to the Temple of Shallya to finance the rebuilding of their temple at Grissenwald. Esmerelda one-upped the dwarf by donating 100 crowns to the same cause. The warriors kitted themselves out in plate mail and Solomon pondered upgrading their boat with a deck sweeping blunderbuss. (12:03) The group discussed the note that had been left pinned to their door the night prior. This note was intended for Herdan's body double Kastor Leiberung. Herdan became understandably worried that Purple Hand cultists were watching him and insisted they leave town.  (17:45) Solomon invested his wealth in cargo. In order to trade he purchased a 'legitimate' traders licence from his criminal contacts under the name Axle Schnitzel. He would have to use this false name when conducting business. The halfling smuggler went on to buy discount lumber that he planned to sell in the ship building town of Grissenwald. [The trading rules proved a complex time sink which I thankfully edited out of the podcast.] In the end 10 trade units of wood was purchased at the bargain price of 160 gold crowns. (22:28) The group talked about leaving Kemperbad in a hurry but instead spent time shopping, haggling and taking on lumber. As this dragged on Herdan was constantly looking over their shoulder in case the Purple Hand struck. Walter re-assured the group that they had plenty of time before the cultists came calling as the warning note had given them at least a week to deliver a large sum of gold to Middenheim. Finally they set sail. Favourable winds meant it wasn't long before they arrived at the miserable town of Wittgendorf. (24:30) Their ships crew were promised a bonus to assuage their fears of approaching the infamous Wittgendorf. They chose not to use the towns docks, instead they anchored out of sight. The group made their way through the forest towards the town and on the way noticed a foul corruption had gripped the land. Trees were twisted and overgrown with fungi while bloated beetles and grubs swarmed across the forest floor. Lady Magritte Von Wittgenstein loves harassing peasants. (30:34) The group hid on the outskirts of Wittgendorf and kept watch. Some distance off Solomon spotted an noblewoman atop a horse, surrounded by heavily armoured guards. She seemed to be conversing with a mob of ragged peasants. Given the distance they could hear only indistinct shouting before witnessing a villager struck down and hauled off in the direction of the castle. (35:17) The group decided to explore the abandoned temple to Sigmar on the village edge. They did so stealthily with Solomon sneaking in and then throwing a rope through a back window so his companions could clamber in. The temple was rundown its floor scattered with bones, rats, rubble, ashes and detritus. Miraculously the altar room remained undefiled. (41:38) Walter read the classic script illuminating the domed ceiling of the altar room. It told the tale of the founding of the temple, for it was here that there had been a key battle between the armies of Sigmar and the forces of Chaos. On this site a Templar of Sigmar, Siegfried Von Kesselring, had slain a Chaos Warlord, an act that shattered a chaotic horde. Alas in victory the Templar had been fatally wounded and upon passing, Siegfried was buried, along with his blade Barakul, in the crypts of this very temple. Walter read the passage and received a vision from Sigmar. (43:20) Walter read aloud a passage concerning the dwarves relationship with Sigmar and as he did so the statue of Sigmar that stood watch over the altar spoke to him. Only the halfling could hear Sigmar's words. The god asked if Walter would be ready to stand against chaos when the time came. The young agitator answered in the affirmative and was bade to find the source of chaos that afflicted Sigmar's lands. The halfling had received a vision from Sigmar! Sigfried Von Kesselring. Templar of Sigmar. (51:30) The heroes ventured into the temples crypts. The crypts themselves had been smashed open and, judging by the bones on the ground, their contents devoured. A glow visible only to Walter led the halfling to a niche marking the final resting place of Von Kesselring. Former grave warden Herdan said a prayer to Morr as the tomb was cracked open and Von Kesselring exhumed. Joten reverently took the long sword Barakul from the Templar's bony hands. The dwarf swore to put it to good use against Sigmar's foes.

This Episode took place in and around the Cat and Fiddle Inn. An inn a bit bigger than this. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshops classic Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying campaign: The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (20MB) Heroes present were Esmerelda the Shallyan initiate, Herdan the vampire hunter, Joten the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the hero's at Kemperbad's Cat and Fiddle Inn. An inn run by crime lord Luigi Belladona. Luigi is Solomon's smuggling contact. Etelka, the witch they had been seeking, had entered the inn with her entourage. She sought a strong warrior to accompany her south to Castle Wittgenstein and so hired on Herdan. As a result Herdan had learnt some of her plans and now the group plotted her downfall. Key Points from Episode 13. Villainous Witch Etelka and her suspicious cat. (01:04) The planning began with a discussion of lobbing a poison wind globe, found last session, into Etelka's room and holding the door shut. The idea was discarded as the group didn't know what the gas would do or if it might hurt others staying in the inn. There was some discussion about taking Etelka alive in order to learn more about the broader conspiracy but they decide not to risk it. There was conjecture that her pet cat was a disguised demon along with concern over Luigi's reaction should they kill someone in his inn. (13:10) The heroes settled on the following plan. Solomon would pretend to be a crusty river captain plan who would offer to take Etelka's party south; no questions asked. Once Etelka left the inn the ambush would be sprung. The town watch would also be informed to ensure no miscreants escaped. Herdan, Joten and Magnus were expected to do all the killing. As an undercover member of Etelka's entourage Herdan is not informed of the plan. He spends a restless night guarding Etelka's chambers waiting for his companions to act. (14:28) The watch are visited during the night and just like the law in the town of Bogenhafen they are surprising accommodating. This could well be the result of Herdan's town wide popularity having become the Kemperbad Champion. The Watch Captain agreed to clear the streets and be present in case things got out of hand. (19:32) The plan swings into motion with Etelka heading downstairs the following morning for a meeting with Solomon the Ships Captain. Prior to this meeting a note was left under the door to Walter's room. It was addressed to Kastor Leiberung (Herdan's look alike). The note promised to further complicate things. (24:08) Solomon's negotiations with Etelka were interrupted by a Purple Hand cultist who cast something at Herdan, which the warrior resisted. Everyone including Etelka looked bemused as the robed figure then dashed for the kitchens. Not wishing to complicate their ambush plans the group let the cultist escape.  (29:05) Solomon extorted an exorbitant sum of coin from Etelka for the hire of his boat. They left the Cat and Fiddle Inn and the ambush was sprung. (30:45) In the plan Walter had one task to do, bring out the warrant for Etelka's execution and announce it loudly for all to hear in the hope that her guards would back off. He neglected to do this so he could focus on breakfast. With Walter's inaction it was up to Magnus to start things. The dwarf stood casually from his position near the inn's door and followed the witch and her group outside. Once on the street he hefted his two handed pick and swung for Etelka's back. Thus mission 'gank the mage' began. A surprise round left Etelka on death's door. (34.49) Walter remembered his lines, drew out the warrant and scared off Etelka's guards. Walter's words were backed by a volley of crossbow bolts fired by the town watch. Etelka's weedy looking assistant Urnst was struck by a quarrel. He weighed up his options and promptly professed to also be after Etelka and that he would aid the hereos in their effortst. Etelka remained defiant. (38:06) Magnus' initial swing of his pick had embedded itself in Etelka's back. He withdrew his weapon and struck again ripping straight through the witches left arm, leaving it so much pulped meat. Etelka swigged a potion in response levitating ever so slightly off the ground before her kneecap was blown asunder by a well aimed sling stone from Solomon. Etelka was no more. Urnst knew the game was up but could do little to extract himself from the mess. (41:05) No one believed Urnst's terrible 'Undercover Imperial agent' story. He was roughly handed over to the Sigmarites for trial. Etelka's cat hissed and spat at the group; guarding her dead mistress as best she could until Jotan cut it in twain with his blade. Harsh but to be expected in the cruel Old World.

The logo I am using for the podcast. This is an actual play recording of Death on the Reik, a chapter in Games Workshops classic Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying campaign: The Enemy Within. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download Episode from Google Drive (35MB) The characters were Esmerelda the Shallyan initiate, Herdan the vampire hunter, Joten the dwarf veteran, Walter the halfling agitator, Solomon the halfling smuggler and Magnus the dwarven prospector. We left the hero's victorious in the foyer of the witch Etelka's tower. The witch herself was long gone. With the help of dwarfs from the shanty town of Khazad Slumbol they had purged the tower of goblins and looted plenty of valuables in the process. Key Points from Episode 12. (1:16) We reminisced about Gutbag the goblin hero from last episode and his missed 'surrender lines' wherein he blamed society for his evils. We discussed ways that Gutbag could have survived and agreed to grant the plucky goblin a second chance. (2:39) Herdan and Joten explored the possibility of recruiting the ex-farmers and former captives of the goblins Hans and Gretl. Herdan uncharacteristically asked 'Can they take an arrow?' A quick reminder of "What would Shallya think?" stopped this line of thinking. Which was for the best because, despite the manic gleam in their eyes, the farmers were poor warriors. (5:12) Magnus broke with his clan citing irreconcilable differences. He turned his back on Gorim Greathammer and his clans drunken ways. While exiled it was considered a minor exile; no need to shave his head and hunt trolls, much to Joten's disappointment. (8:25) The group returned to Grissenwald to hock Etelka's jewellery and silverware at Luigi and Salvatore's. There they haggled with Boris. For once their stories of the 'Emperor's own silverware' didn't work and they were comprehensively out-haggled much to their chagrin. (14:15) Lucky charms were purchased. These took the form of pieces of a mast from a wrecked ship, sanctified by priests of Sigmar as well as blessed river pebbles that if you look at them from the correct angle seem to contain the visage of Sigmar. Brother Hertzis supplied these charms for a suitable donation. They came with his blessing and small passages of scripture which were tacked to the heroes armour. (17:23) The group contemplated turning in Etelka's heretical books to Brother Hertzis but saved them for their favourite book burning priest in Kemperbad. (18:10) Grissenwald's dilapidated and vacant Shallyan temple was discovered much to Esmerelda's shock. She and the warriors settled into the ruin for the night in order to pursue tales of ghosts. The halflings returned to the luxurious Pfiefferroucher hotel, where Walter had arranged to perform.  (21:15) Joten and Herdan did ghost impressions to scare off locals looking for a late night thrill at the abandoned temple. After an uneventful night Magnus, an expert miner, skillfully moved the rubble from the temple stairs. (21:48) The temple's cellar was uncovered and the group were attacked by four skeletal skaven who laired within. One landed a lucky blow on Magnus but otherwise the skeletons were trounced. A mysterious glowing orb full of swirling mist (Poison wind globe) was discovered along with the gnawed bones of a child. (34:20) The watch, known as the Pfieffers and the local Sigmarites were alerted. Esmerelda declared the temple could be reconsecrated but unfortunately as an initiate she wasn't qualified to do it. Alas she needed to move on but promised to tell the temple at Kemperbad to send a Shallyan priestess urgently. (36:30) The party pooled their coin to purchase a boat. The man to see to buy a vessel was Gerlich Fuchs, the racist and misogynistic head of the Fisherman's mission. The un-savvy Herdan was coached on what to say and then sent to negotiate on his own. He hefted the boat funds, a sack of 480 crowns, through the rough streets of Grissemwald's Altdstadt all the while trailed by his anxious companions. Esmerelda contributed 90 crowns to the purchase of the vessel and Walter and Joten 40 crowns between them. Solomon had the largest stake in the vessel and was declared the captain. The group now proudly own 'The Hammer'. (37:48) Gerlich Fuchs sold them a boat called 'The Hammer'. A small fast sailed vessel with little cargo room. Before the purchase the group had hired an expert called Ulric to assess the vessel. When questioned on the vessels worthiness Ulric replied 'Why yes Master Gerlich you have kept this ship in tip top shape'. The sailed vessel was 12m long and could house 30 people in the hold if they all stood. Herdan was assured the rot on the vessel was cosmetic 'Surface rot, cleans right up that does.' (42:40) Two crew, Ulric and Sigfried were hired. The group took it upon themselves to form the remainder of the six crew required to sail the ship. Passengers were booked by the halflings who acted as touts. The boat wasn't kitted out as a passenger vessel yet so they could only comfortably take on four passengers. This made for tight profit margins. (45:08) Ulric and Sigfried harnessed the power of a localised storm, avoided mishap on the river and made excellent time to Kemperbad. They arrived in two days instead of three, which allowed for a profit from the passenger fares. On the way they passed accursed Castle Wittgenstein. The crew warned the heroes that they wanted nothing to do with the location. (48:44) The group were waved through Kemperbad's gates as Herdan was recognised as the local champion. Solomon explained that the poison wind globe was being kept in a box beneath their boats waterline.  (49:35) The group visited Father Erkhart who spoke of Kemperbad's growing independence movement, the recruitment of militia and the general sense of excitement in town. He told them other provinces have defied the mutant loving edict but none had done so as aggressively as Kemperbad. They surrendered Etelka's heretical texts and a potion that part time apothecary Esemeralda couldn't identify. (51:41) The halflings worked their contacts looking for a sanctioned wizard to explain the significance of a ring they had liberated from Etelka's tower. Its crown and beast design intrigued and confused them. They learnt of the presence of Herionymous Blitzen, an astrologer of the Celestial College who was in town. The wizard told them a wealth of information on cults. He also informed them about the stars last night 'the hammer constellation is looking a bit sad right now and is not in its dominant position. While the stars above Kislev, the northern stars, have gone dark.' Finally he identified the purple hand as a likely cult symbol. (60:18) Etelka arrived at the Cat and Fiddle inn while Walter was performing his routine. She was intrigued by Herdan's Champion of Kemperbad status and as a result Herdan had an awkward job interview. (65:15) Herdan infiltrated the witches band and learnt Etelka's plans. She intended to head to Castle Wittgenstein to acquire a meteorite. No doubt for nefarious purposes. (74:27) Walter eloquently introduced himself to Etelka and promised to arrange a meeting with a discrete ship captain who could sail her south. Etelka agreed to meet the captain in the morning. (76:28) Etelka's group, along with Herdan, settled in to their rooms for the night. Herdan had first watch and announced it loudly in the common room so his companions could hear. The party feverishly plotted Etelka's downfall.