The Enemy Within - Death on the Reik part 5

Grissenwald. Home town of Etelka Herzan, known witch and consort of chaos.

Here's a link to part 4 of our groups Death on the Reik play through. 

We left the protagonists in Kemperbad where they had encouraged the local independence movement in reaction to a pro mutant Imperial proclamation. After stirring the pot they planned to head south to Grissenwald in search of the witch, Etelka Herzan. The hero Herdan had also won a pit fight tournament becoming the Champion of Kemperbad.

Heroes present were Walter the halfling agitator, Esmerelda the Shallyan initiate, Solomon the halfling smuggler, Joten the dwarven veteran and Herdan the vampire hunter.

Key points from part 5

• 2:40 Herdan woke from a long night celebrating his win in the pit fights. A patch of hair on the back of his head was missing. He feared voodoo in his future.
• 4:25 Esmerelda was presented with a conundrum while fulfilling her Shallyan initiation at the Kemperbad temple. During her nightly vigil she was visited by a woman about to give birth. Helping as best she could she had the misfortune of delivering a mutant child. She surrendered the babe to the Shallyan priestesses to do what they though best. Shirking responsibility ensured Esmerelda's conscience remained clear.
• 13:35 Crime lord Luigi offered Solomon a job smuggling stolen Kislevian silver. Solomon turned him down as the goods were too bulky for him to manage without owning his own boat. 
• 20:05 Taking a river barge south to Grissenwald the group were hailed by a river patrol. The river wardens warned the heroes to steer clear of the plague struck, cursed town of Wittgendorf along with its castle. The river patrol showed the group a mutant corpse they had fished from the river close to the wretched town. It was an unsettling sight as the tentacle covered corpse had been badly tortured.
• 44:45 The group arrived in Grissenwald. While at a local tavern they were accosted by two drunken dwarves who proceeded to hurl abuse at the halflings. "Bake us a cake ya wee pansies!" was their general line of insult. They could not be talked down, not even the offer of free beer could placate them. A fight broke out. The drunks were soundly thrashed and once the watch arrived, were thrown into a cell.

  

  Dwarves can be pricks sometimes.

• 63:05 Discussions with the locals discovered that the Dwarf mine in the Black Peaks had been purchased by Etelka, the witch they sought. The dwarves now lived in a shanty town Khazad Slumbol and caused grief for the good people of Grissenwald. The locals blamed the dwarves for everything including recent attacks on farmsteads. All this despite having no proof whatsoever.
• 66:40 A beer map of the farms surrounding the nearby Black Peaks was scrawled across a tavern table and the party determined the farm most likely to be struck next. The raiders were due to attack that night.

  

  Gorim Greathammer - gold obsessed drunkard and leader of the dwarves.

• 72:00 The party paid a visit to Gorim, leader of the dwarves of Khazad Slumbol. Jotun encouraged them to regain the trust of the locals by heading out to defend the farms from attack. He called on dwarven pride and Gorim responded well. The dwarves headed out with purpose, they had nothing left to lose.
• 79:30 The dwarves headed to a farm that could potentially have been attacked while the heroes manned the defenses of another. They planned as best they could, organising buckets to fight fires and determined the best vantage points for the coming onslaught.

  

  Crooked Maw goblins. Poor bastards never stood a chance.

• 86:50 Just past the witching hour a half dozen goblins mounted on wolves charged the farm house. They hurled burning torches at the buildings but what little fire they caused was swiftly extinguished by the halfling bucket brigade. Wolves leaped the farm fence and surrounded Herdan and Joten in the yard. A group of goblins broke down the farm house door but were met by a wall of pitchforks and spears wielded by determined farmers. Despite being horribly outnumbered the warriors held their ground, Jotun in particular seemed impervious to damage in his plate mail. Together Joten and Herdan slew enough goblins to cause a rout. More goblins were slain as they attempted to flee. The farm house was saved.
• 131:20 Becoming the Champion of Kemperbad had done wonders for Joten's confidence. Thanks to the assistance of his wing man Walter he won the affections of the farmers daughter.
• 136:10 Late the following morning the group met up with Gorim and his dwarves. The stout folk became furious when they learned that there were goblins in their mines. They marched with the heroes to Etelka's tower.
• 137:45 On the approach to the mine the group came across an injured dwarf prospector surrounded by goblin bodies. It was Shane's second character Magnus, who joined the party in the assault on Etelka's tower.