TEWR Ep 4 - Fleeing Altdorf

by Gustav

The Enemy Within Revisited Cast:
Gustav the Minstrel (Davy White)
Athos the Wood Elf Hunter (Shane Martin)
Grimmir the Dwarf Runesmith (Dan)
Smof the Ogre Maneater (Sedrick Galamonte)

We were woken early in the morning by our captain and my good friend Josef Quartin. It would seem that the rakes having their “run in the slums” met with a most unfortunate (though not undeserving) end. Talk on the streets was that one of them had his head done in by a most terrible blow. Josef and Grimmir both fearing we had been framed and that the murders were staged to look like they had been committed by our ogre, Smof, we fled for Josef's boat, evading the Watch at every turn. Once stowed below we made off down the Weissbruck Canal to Bogenhofen. 

Smof played a dock hand to a tee, his cover impeccable. He'd have done fine as a mummer in some of Nuln's playhouses. His mustachio was a marvel and I wear my own in his style these  days to remember him...

The Weissbruck Canal

Altdorf is both the Heart and the Bowels of the Empire. One does not miss the stink of that city when on the open water and it takes hours to spit the last taste of the filth from ones lungs. 

The trip to Weissbruck was quiet enough and there was plenty of time for observing and note taking. The ogre tried his hand at fishing, literally. Throwing punches and trying to scoop the fish from the river. Athos was inscrutable,but had a hard time ignoring the spectacle. Grimmir was encouraging, I think it was mostly to take his mind off being in the boat. Dwarfs, being made partly from stone make very poor swimmers and tend to sink when placed in water. 

Weissbruck

We pulled into Weissbruck and unfortunately Smof lent a heavy hand causing the boat to rock and cracking the railing. As we worked on lashing the boat to the mooring Athos recognized a tough observing us. The same shadowy figure that was approached by a couple of odd toad-lickers making weird motions at my own person back in the Capital. This thug disappeared into a dockside tavern and Grimor decided to see what he might be up to. The rest of our group waited for the all safe signal and joined our companion for dinner. 

Athos kept guard, as it is known, though perhaps not commonly, that the Fey Folke can see through wood. See my chapter “On Elfs Seeing Through Wood but Not Grasses. The Benefits of Thatch” 

After our dinner in the inn we retired to the Berebelli fed and drunk. Always a wonderful state of being, and as close to the gods as I've ever been. 

I had a wonderful dream. The air was filled with the smells of cooking goose and roast boar. Suddenly the boar was on fire and the great hall's laughter turned to the screams of panic. I awoke to a sleeping berth filled with wood smoke and ogre. A nightmare from a child's bedtime story. 

I miss goose immensely...

Smof, hauled me from the boat. Two men were lobbing canisters of oil onto the boat from behind some crates, clearly determined to do us in. Athos was hit and frantically trying to smother a fire that had caught his leg aflame. Grimmir, as well was hit and the crude missile caught fire. I was luckier, being doused with the oil but the flame was extinguished before the missile's deadly brew soaked me.

Smof, with a roar hurdled himself over the railing and onto the dock. The crates offered no protection from his mighty hammer and one of the men was thrown into the far wall. The other thug dropped his oil and set himself alight.  Yelling, I followed Smof, emboldened by his absolute dismissal of, and risk to, his own person. I grabbed the burning man and pitched him into the canal. A bolt whistled through the air and I felt a terrible burning on my neck. Smof had pulled me to him and had I remained in my previous spot I would have shared Kastor's fate, a bolt buried in my neck. His massive form shifted and shielded me completely from our rooftop assailant. It was at that time I noticed Athos had put out his flaming leggings and stood steady. His arrow loosed, was followed by a shout and the skidding of slate shingles. There was the sickening sound of a body falling from a height.

Exhausted, we took in the bloody scene.

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