TEWR Ep 31 - The Kemperbad Blues

The Enemy Within Revisited Cast:

Gustav Myrthenbaum the Dilettante (Davy White)
Falco the Ratcatcher (Michael Morgan)
Hargrin the Troll Slayer (Kevin Bronakoski)
Bran the Amber Wizard (David Crapper)
Rutger Abend the Zealot (Chris)

​Fragment found from “Tales From the Barren Hills and How We Escaped the Horror of the Hilltop Without a Scratch”
 
On our way from the north our group was moored in Kemperbad and took a much needed break to re-equip from ridding the goblins from Etelka's mines, each of us in our own way. I rested, hoping to shake the accursed ghoul pox and scrub some of the blue that had covered even more of my body. Hargrin disappeared on stone business, procuring proper weapons. Rutger spent some time looking for a boat to take us up to the Barren Hills. His search would ultimately prove fruitless
 
Bran took to the skies and began looking for some clues as how to get us up the river. Nothing of note, most folks are quite concerned about attacks by mutants but because of the Emperor decree the mutants are to be treated as citizens. Some attacks occurred near Castle Wittgenstein. The mutants are using their amnesty to raid and pillage. Unfortunately, this news came in drips and drabs as Bran at the same time suffered from the drops.
 
Having heard this disturbing news I headed to the docks with the others, determined to secure us safe passage along the river.
 
I headed down to the docks to hopefully find some passage to the Barren Hills and possibly to get folks talking about a remarkably blue fellow headed into the hills. The hope, of course, was that the cultists would reveal themselves to Kastor. It took some convincing and stretching of the truth, but we managed to secure one boat headed to Unterbaum. His fee was exorbitant but we talked him down some.
 
That task out of the way we departed to sell off some of the treasure Hargrin had bundled in his blankets. The bag was slit and plenty of the items stolen. We had to drive off the crowd who hovered and made to clean us out of the rest of the earrings. Wretched, poor folk that saw the glinting gold and sparkling jewels as a means to end their impoverishment closed in on us practically drooling. The dwarf pulled out his new butchers tools and brandished those menacingly at the mob. This was enough to discourage the bravest of that backless lot.
 
The thieves made off with our treasures, clearly horrid mutants with huge sized hands and oily slick skin to abscond with such loot. We sold the remainder and had Bran watch one of the notable fences in hopes of catching the thieves and exacting our revenge.
 
In a sour mood we departed for the boat that would take us out of the den of thugs. At the docks we were predictably approached by the cultists. We stated we were off to the Barren Hills without them. They mentioned they'd be watching and be waiting for the “windfall” and accused me of trying to hide out on them. I managed to set them straight and mention that it was they that was being watched.
 
Traveling down river we sailed through the great en-scrolled monoliths. Terrible constructs set in place to defy the unnatural spawn that have been tainted. Bran gave us some wise council as to their origins and purpose.
 
We'd soon forget them however as were impressed by the sight of the Twin Comet falls. Magnificent in their splendor and thunderous in their proclamation to any passing by. While taking in this unforgettable sight we noticed our dwarven companion was fixated on another waterborne feature. A bloated horse carcass trapped in an eddy for who knows how long. You'd have thought the horse had been a dear friend to the Slayer the way he wanted to be re-united with the thing. I am happy to say the rest of the group was united in wishing to sail past the diseased animal.
 
Finally, we got to the falls and the famous locks that would take us to the top of the falls and the inn up above....

by Davy White (aka Gustav)