TEWR Ep 25 - Let Sleeping Ogres Lie

A meaty tale of dwarven demise and halfling pies.

Photo credit: By Jeroen Kransen [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Enemy Within Revisited Cast:

Gustav Myrthenbaum the Dilettante (Davy White)
Falco the Ratcatcher (Michael Morgan)
Ripwise the Halfling Chef (Savage)
Hargrin the Dwarf Trollslayer (Kevin Bronakowski)

We traveled to Kemperbad with Badigon's freight of brandy. The journey was not kind to Smof and myself, the cool weather and the worsening Ghoul Pox leaving us both infirm. By the time we arrived in Kemperbad Smoff was so laid out that the loyal brute could only groan and lay prone. Falco, using the herbs he had collected on our journey tried his best to concoct something to aid us, but his broth was merely bitter and tepid. I'll have to teach him the benefits of proper note taking.

I must say, I thought that finally arriving in Kemperbad would have done something to improve our notoriously surly captain's mood, but he remained completely unchanged. Barking his orders and telling us to be off to do our business and be back before dark.

We loaded the Ogre onto a palette and had him moved to the local hospice of Shaylla where the kind ladies there applied plasters and administered their ministrations. Upon seeing me and my weakened state they also took sympathy on my poor soul and took me to bed. Our companions, seeing that we were well taken care of, went off to see to their own business. I rested hours and felt the better for it though I admit I did worry for my friends well being in the city.

When I met back up with them, they had met with the most fascinating little folk with the most glorious, enlightening, and aged pies: Master Ripwise Riverbank. It would turn out he needed to travel up river in order to find his sister. Our luck was to change, for the better and the worst. Badigon, having unloaded his wares and his friends had abandoned us. Could have had the decency to leave his boat behind. I have some very mixed feelings about his departure. Perched on our gear was Ripwise's companion, Hargrin, the Troll Slayer. His tell-tale orange mohawk was shaped with rank fat and it's odor was detectable from more than a few yards.

After some time we secured a barge to take us up the river towards Grissenwald and the Black Hills...

In Grissenwald we encountered a sad lot. The local area, it would seem had been subject to raids to the surrounding farms. The dwarfs from a local mine had fallen into misery and drink. Shadows of their mighty selves. The Reiklanders of this remote place seemed convinced that the dwarfs  were behind the dark work of torching the farms. We would learn that the dwarfs  had sold their mine to Etelka and then spent the money on ale. Ripwise discovered that his sister, Dumpling, was indeed around, last being seen in the service of Etelka only weeks ago.

There was absolutely no convincing these people that the sale of the mine and the recent attacks weren't related in the slightest and that this witch wasn't behind the grievous attacks. It would seem that the task of convincing them otherwise would fall upon our weary shoulders....

by Davy White