bigger they are

8/6/2019 Bigger They Are

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Fan Material for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay : The Bigger They Are...

THE BIGGER

THEY ARE...Written by Mac Dara Mac Donnacha


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INTRODUCTIONThe Bigger They Are is set in the town ofKenselheim, which can be set almost anywhere

in the Empire. The adventurers are hired by anobleman to eliminate the local magistratesjudicial champion, an Ogre Pit Fighter, so thathe can challenge the magistrate to trial bycombat in order to reclaim his ancestral lands.The Ogre is a fearsome opponent, however, sothe characters will have to think carefully abouthow they will defeat him. This adventure isdesigned for characters on their first or secondcareer, though it can easily be tailored forplayers on their third career (just make Mentageven more fearsome). Less experiencedcharacters will have to be more inventive in

dealing with the Ogre, while others may be ableto beat Mentag through sheer force of arms.Socially inclined characters can conceivablycomplete the adventure without having to entercombat at all.

CAST OF CHARACTERSMentag the Undefeated

Mentag is a happy Ogre. He gets all the foodhe can eat, the occasional fight (though rarely adecent one), a nice comfy barn to sleep in andloadsa gold. Sure, the hummies in town tend tostare at him like he has two eds or sumfink, buthe likes the way they run when he roars andpretends to be mad. Mentags best friend isToddles. Toddles takes care of getting the foodand keepin the Maj-ee-strayt hummie happy.Mentag does the fightin. Toddles also does allthe cooking. Mentag hasnt said anything causehe doesnt wanna hurt Toddles feelings, but hedoesnt really like the way he cooks the meat.

He makes it all black n crunchy, while Mentagprefers his food to have a little blood on it.

Race: Ogre.Careers: Veteran, (ex-Pit Fighter).

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire),

Common Knowledge (Ogres), ConsumeAlcohol, Dodge Blow (+10%), Gamble,Intimidate, Perception, Search, Speak

Language (Reikspiel).Talents: Disarm, Fearless, Frightening,Specialist Weapon Group (Flail), SpecialistWeapon Group (Parrying), Specialist WeaponGroup (Two-handed), Street Fighting, StrikeMighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Wrestling, Very

resilient, Very Strong.Armour: Full Leather Armour, Sleeved MailShirt, Helmet, Plate Bracers.Armour Points: Head 3, Arms 5, Body 3, Legs1Weapons: Hand Weapon (Axe), Main-Gauche.Trappings: Half eaten chicken, 12 gc.Appearance: Big. Really, really big.Quote:I likes a gud fight now an den, long asits not durin lunch. Or dinner, or breakfast.Course, used to be tha lunchin an fightin wereone an the same, but Toddles says that mighupset sum of our more squeamish employers.

You hummies don know a good meal when yesees one. Is why yur all so skinny!

Toddy Shufflefoot

Toddy and Mentag met two years ago. Toddyhad been seized by the watch of a small villagefor selling fake lucky charms (one of hiscustomers was thrown from a horse and diedless than ten minutes after buying a luckymanticore spine from him). Mentag was in thesame small cell, arrested for accidentally

snapping the neck of one of the farmers whodaccepted a challenge to wrestle him in a four-on-one fight. Both were scheduled forexecution the next morning, but managed toescape using Toddys quick wits and nimblefingers and Mentags brute strength (and abilityto take a crossbow bolt in the ribs withoutslowing down). Since then the Shufflefoot hasworked as Mentags agent, making sure he getsa fair price for his services and keeping him outof trouble.

Toddy left the life of a Moot farmer behind eight

years ago, determined to see the world.Unfortunately the world turned out to be a fairlyunpleasant place and Toddy has the scars toprove it. Hes learnt to live by his wits and tonever trust anyone. The only people he caresabout are Mentag and his pet dog Savage, whohe found sitting in front of a ruined farmhousejust before arriving in Kenselheim. Hell leaveeither of them if it looks like his own life could beon the line, however better to mourn someoneyou care about than be the one mourned.

Race: Halfling.Careers: Charlatan, ex-Rogue.

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Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge(Halflings), Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle,Perception, Performance (Storyteller), Search,Sleight of Hand, Speak Language (Halfling),Speak Language (Reikspiel), Trade (Farmer)Talents: Flee! Mimic, Night Vision, PublicSpeaking, Resistance to Chaos, Savvy, Schemer,Seasoned Traveller, Sixth Sense, SpecialistWeapon Group (Sling).Armour: None.Weapons: Dagger, Hand Weapon, Crossbow

with 20 bolts.Trappings: Assorted outfits (jumbled mix ofcommon and best craftsmanship clothes, hetends to pick randomly when dressing), Deck ofCards, Wooden Cutlery, Bone Dice, FeatheredCap, Healing Draught, 32s in a pouch tied to hisbelt, 27gc in three pouches stitches into the liningof his clothing.Appearance: From a distance Toddy appears tobe a wealthy young halfling, his yellow jacket andfeathered cap hinting at a carefree, youthful spirit.Once you get closer you notice that the jacket istravelled stained and oft-repaired, with many

small tears that have been stitched closed, muchlike his face, which has numerous small scarsfrom previous close encounters. He eyes anyonewho approaches him warily, instantly noting anyweapons they might have. Only his hat seemsnew, a fresh peasant feather jutting out at a highangle.Quote: Its a good deal. If you want to argueabout it some more, maybe you should take it upwith Mentag. No? Good. Ill want to see themoney up front we dont work on faith.

Erwin von OberholtzerTwenty years ago the von Oberholtzer familyruled the town of Kenselheim and the surroundinglands, until Erqwins grandfather squandered allthe families wealth on wine, women andgambling. The von Oberholtzers were forced tosign over all their lands to a council of merchants,but were given two decades to pay off the debtand have their title restored. Erwins fatherworked himself into an early grave to both raisethe money owed by the family and ensure his sonreceived the education required of a nobleman.

Upon his death Erwin took up the challenge,determined to restore his family to its rightful

place and claim the title of Baron for himself. Forthe past four years he acted as a liaison betweenvarious nobles and merchantmen, securingfinancing for ambitious military endeavours orwinning advantageous trading rights in exchangefor a cut of the profits. In pursuit of his goal he

has been completely ruthless, betraying friendsand family alike. Finally he paid off the debtthrough a merchant house in Altdorf and returnedto Kemselheim, but when he made his claimbefore the local Magistrate he was refused. Hehad anticipated that this might happen, however,and had acquired the services of a swordsman toact as his champion should he be forced tochallenge the Magistrates decision. Unfortunatelythe Magistrate has a champion of his own andErwin is not sure his man can take him. Not oneto give in lightly, Erwin is now looking for somedeniable assets (thugs) to help him eliminate the

competition and allow him to secure his rightfulclaim to the Barony.

Race: Human.Careers: Courtier, ex-Noble.

Skills: Academic Knowledge (History), Blather

+10%, Charm +10%, Common Knowledge (theEmpire) +10%, Gamble, Gossip +10%, Performer(Musician), Read/Write, Ride, Speak Language(Reikspiel) +10%.Talents: Dealmaker, Etiquette, Public Speaking,Resistance to Poison, Schemer, SpecialistWeapon Group (Fencing), Specialist WeaponGroup (Parrying), Suave.Armour: Leather Jack.Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0.Weapons: Foil, Main Gauche.Trappings: Trunk with 5 sets of Nobles Garb,112gc, Jewellery worth 30gc, two servants and a

valet, Gunther.Appearance: In his late twenties, all of hisclothing is excellent, but he knows he cannotafford to buy new clothes of the same quality untilhe secures his inheritance, so he usually wearsthe same simple outfit in the colours of his house,black and dark green.Quote: I only want that which is rightfully mine. Iwill do whatever I must to free Kenselheim fromEtzburgers unjust rule.


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Ruben Etzburger

The Etzburger family were once servants of thevon Oberholtzers, one of Rubens uncles actingas the last barons steward. It was this steward

who negotiated on the von Oberholtzers behalfto pay off their debts and it was he who arrangedfor the repayment clause in the agreement. Hewas a loyal servant and truly fond of the vonOberholtzer family. His nephew cares nothing forthe nobility, however. The burghers ofKenselheim have administered the town fortwenty years without the aid of some arrogantnoblemen. Ironically he has turned the town intohis own little kingdom, ruling over it with thesurety of any lord. He is not a cruel man and hisdecisions are for the most part wise ones (thoughnot necessarily popular ones), but he has

convinced himself that no one else is fit to ruleover the town. To that end he has hired Mentagto defend his position and his rulings, even if itmeans increasing taxes to pay for his service.

Race: Human.Careers: Politician, ex-Merchant, ex-Burgher.

Skills: Academic Knowledge(Law), Blather,Charm,Command,Common Knowledge (Kislev),Common Knowledge (the Empire) +20%, Drive,Evaluate, Gossip +10%, Haggle, Perception,Performer (Actor), Read/Write, Ride, Search,Secret Language (Guild Tongue), SpeakLanguage (Kislevian), Speak Language(Reikspiel) +10%, Trade (Merchant).Talents: Coolheaded, Dealmaker, Etiquette,Public Speaking, Strongminded, Suave, SuperNumerate.Armour: None.

Weapons: Best Craftsmanship Sword, BestCraftsmanship Dagger.Trappings: 200gc, 50gc in jewellery.Appearance: Slightly overweight man in his mid-thirties, his beard and hair are always perfectlygroomed. He is always surrounded by at leastthree town guards and a handful of servants andcronies, various merchants and burghers seekinghis favour. (Use the stats on page 235 of theWarhammer Rulebook for the Town Guards.Quote: The Oberholtzers had their chance. Thepeople of Kemselheim have prospered in theirabsence, and I have no intention of handing over

the fruits of our labour to a pompous youngstranger, no matter what his family name mightbe.

Savage the Dog

Savage is a small, annoying dog. All that needsto be said really.

Race: Dog

Skills: Follow Trail, Perception +20%, SwimTalents: Flee! Keen Senses, Natural WeaponsAppearance: Very small, with scruffy, fleainfested fur. Tends to bark wildly whenever hesees a stranger. Occasionally bites the ankle ofany elves he sees.Quote: Grrrrrawrff!

Gunther Faernmaus

Gunther left his home in Salzenmund in Nordlandafter he killed his brother in a fight over a woman.He fled to the Border Princes where he joined amercenary band. For the past ten years he hasfought, looted and pillaged his way through theBorder Princes, Tilea and Estalia. He was inBilbali in Estalia when he first heard about the

Storm of Chaos ravaging the Empire. He returnednot out of a sense of patriotism, but because hefelt that someone with his skills would probablybe in high demand during such troubling times.Taking passage aboard a merchant ship headingnorth, Archaons forces had been defeated atMiddenheim by the time he reached Altdorf. Hewas not discouraged, however, as he isexperienced enough to know that there will beplenty of opportunities for profit in the near future.He is currently working for Erwin in order to makesome quick money, but is merely biding his timeuntil something better comes along. If Erwin does

secure his claim he may decide to stay awhile.Hes been considering killing him and taking hismoney, something that would be more worthwhileif Erwin secured his inheritance.

Gunther isnt in the least bit afraid of Mentag. Heis utterly ruthless and surprisingly fast with hisgreatsword, but his one weakness is hisoverconfidence.

Race: Human.Careers: Judicial Champion, ex-Veteran, ex-Mercenary.


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Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire),Common Knowledge (Tilea), Consume Alcohol,Dodge Blow, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate,Perception, Ride, Secret Language (Battletongue), Speak Language (Reikspiel), SpeakLanguage (Tilean), Swim.Talents: Disarm, Night Vision, Specialist WeaponGroup Flail), Specialist Weapon Group (TwoHanded), Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure,Strike to Stun, Very Resilient, Very Strong.Armour: Full Mail Armour.Armout Points: Head 3, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 3Weapons: Greatsword, 3 Daggers, Flail,

Handaxe.Trappings: Bottle of Good Craftsmanship Spirits,10 yards of Rope, Book of Pressed Flowers takenfrom every battlefield he has ever fought on(worth 10gc to someone interested in botany),23gc.Appearance: 61 tall, almost always in hisarmour and never seen without a weapon. Formost of the adventure Erwin has him confined tohis room to keep him out of sight, which leaveshim in a foul mood.Quote: This shouldnt take long.

PLOTSYNOPSISAs the adventurers arrive in the town ofKenselheim they find a pit fight in progress. Thetownsfolk are gathered around the pit, cheeringon the town champion as he butchers threerecently captured deserters from the Imperialarmy, who had sought trial by combat overhanging. The champion is Mentag, an ogre pitfighter. Also present is Toddy Shufflefoot,Mentag's halfling 'agent' and friend. After the fight

Erwin von Oberholtzer approaches theadventurers. He explains that Kenselheim andthe surrounding lands once belonged to hisfamily, but that his grandfather lost them twentyyears ago due to a gambling problem. His familywas given twenty years to pay off their debts orthey would lose their lands forever. Erwin haspaid off the required sum, but the local magistrateand de facto ruler of the town Ruben Etzburgerrefuses to recognise his claim, as he has nodesire to give up his power and influence. Themagistrate uses his power to force the townsfolkto do his bidding, and without a noble to protect

their interests there is no one to intercede on theirbehalf. Normally anyone who wished to contest

one of the magistrates rulings could demand trialby combat, but Etzburger has hired Mentag to beon hand to answer any such challenges. VonOberholtzer has but three days to have his claimrecognised, after that it will be too late. He hiresthe adventurers to get rid of Mentag, stating that

he will then challenge the magistrate himself. Hedoesnt care how they do it, as long as Mentagisnt able to fight three days hence. He offersthem 10gc each in advance, increasing to 50gceach once he is installed as the rightful ruler ofKenselheim. It should be clear to the adventurersthat challenging Mentag in the ring would besuicide. Even ambushing him with their superiornumbers wouldnt guarantee them success.Other options include attacking him while hesleeps or burning down the barn he lives in withToddy, then attacking him when he stumbles out,trying to drug his food, hiring him to perform

strenuous manual labour (Toddy hires him out tofarmers and the like in order to supplement theirincome) and then attacking him when he isexhausted, or turning the townsfolk against himwith a smear campaign. Another option is towork through Toddy, although he wont accept abribe (the magistrate is paying him too much), thecharacters could capture him and force Mentagnot to fight. Killing Toddy may have the sameaffect, as Mentag will be overcome with grief andwill flee the town (though if he knows thecharacters are responsible he will do his utmostto kill them first). These options will only become

apparent if the adventurers realise how closeMentag and Toddy are.

Assuming the characters succeed in takingMentag out of the picture von Oberholtzerchallenges Etzburgers refusal to accept his claimover Kenselheim. Without Mentag to fight for himEtzburger pays one of his guards to answer thechallenge. Rather than face him himself, as hesaid he would, von Oberholtzer reveals his ownchampion, Gunther, a judicial champion andvictor of many battles. The fight is short andbrutal and von Oberholtzer is soon clearing out

the magistrates office. He informs theadventurers that he will meet them tomorrow togive them the rest of their pay. Unfortunately bythe time he meets with them he has changed hismind, deciding that he no longer needs theirassistance. He isnt a fool, however. He makessure to have Gunther and some of the townguards present when he tells them the bad news.While the guards have no love for their newmaster, they do like to get paid and all are afraidof Gunthers skill with a blade. The characterswill have to accept that they wont be getting theirgold.

Youve been struggling through the river of mud


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that was a road for over two hours now. Its beenraining all day and youre wet, cold andmiserable, but thankfully you can see the town ofKenselheim up ahead. A stick-thin figurewrapped in a cloak limps out of the guardhouseas you make your way to the small gate set in the

wooden palisade. After looking you up and downhe grunts before waving you past and scurryinginside.

As you make your way through town in search ofan inn you begin to hear a dull roar above theconstant pounding of the rain. Turning a cornerinto the Town Square, you find what looks like theentire population of the town gathered around ahuge pit. On the far side of the crowd a woodenplatform overlooks the arena, upon which stand agroup of men and women dressed in firs,observing the spectacle below. You make your

way through the crowd until you reach the edgeof the pit. Within two figures face each other.One struggles through the thick mud at thebottom of the pit, desperately trying to hold ontothe rain-slick haft of his halberd. You can barelymake out the blue and white livery of aMiddenheim guardsman beneath the thick layerof muck covering him from head to toe. Twoother men dressed in the same uniform lieagainst the pit walls. One sits motionless, hishead lying lost somewhere in the sludge below.The other struggles vainly to keep his internalorgans from spilling form his chest, his pitiful

wails barely audible over the roar of the crowd.

Their opponent is a huge wall of flesh andmuscle. Two bare scar covered arms wield aweapon in each hand, a short bladed sword inone, a thick, heavy meat cleaver in the other. Arusty and battered breastplate barely stretchesover a wide, round belly and an open-facedhelmet looks like it was forced onto the warriorsthick, horribly ugly head. Standing almost ninefeet tall, the Ogre doesnt seem slowed by themud at all, or the spear jutting out of his left leg.The crowd screams for the kill, while the richer

burghers on the platform look on, wagering on theoutcome.

Suddenly the Ogre lunges forward, batteringaside the halberd with his axe. TheMiddenheimer barely has time to scream beforethe cleaver cuts through his helmet and into hisskull. Raising one foot the Ogre kicks the corpsefree from his weapon, before turning to the stillwounded guardsman. With a single thrust of hissword he finishes it, much to the appreciation ofthe crowd.

As the screams of the crowd die down you spot asmall figure moving towards the front of the

observation platform. At first you took him for achild of one of the affluent spectators, but as hepulls himself onto a high stool directly above thepit you realise that he is a halfling. His fine yellowcoat and feathered hat make him look a wellmoneyed, if tasteless man, yet he seems out of

place amongst the wealthy townsfolk. His voicecarries surprisingly far over the still shoutingtownsfolk.

Once again the courageous Mentag theUndefeatable has dispensed the judgement ofthe gods upon the unrighteous! And once again,goodfolk of Kenselheim, let us show ourappreciation for Magistrate Etzburger forproviding us with this evenings entertainment!The crowd roars once more as the halfling turnsto a short, piggish looking man standing on theplatform. Dressed in heavy robes and flanked by

three guards, Magistrate Etzburger gives thecrowd a dismissive nod of acknowledgementbefore turning to leave with the other merchants.Today we have seen three traitors to the Empirereceive their fair punishment for their cowardice.Their trial by combat has only served to confirmtheir guilt, for would not Morr have stayed hishand, or Ulric strengthened theirs had they beeninnocent? The crowd screams again, thoughwith somewhat less enthusiasm many seem tobe drifting back to their homes, though someseem to be staying to watch four men try to helppull the Ogre out of the pit. The halfling seems to

realise that he is running out of time, so he startsto speak more quickly as he wraps things up.Yes ladies and gentlemen, justice is done, anddont forget, should anyone wish to see anotherdemonstration of Mentags great strength andskill, he is available for hire! Heavy objectsmoved, stubborn objects smashed, perfect forany of your labour intensive chores! At this pointit is clear no one is listening, so he jumps downfrom his stool, appearing somewhat dejected.

The PCs may be curious as to what justhappened. If they ask of the nearby townsfolk

(easy (+20%) gossip test) they will be told thatthe three men were deserters from theMiddenheim Guard, who fled the city when theStorm of Chaos approached. They were foundwandering through the woods near the town. Thetruth of the matter is that the three men weremembers of a unit that was cut off from the city byArchaons forces. After struggling through theDrakwald for months, constantly harried by smallbands of beastmen and living off what little foodthey could forage or hunt, the last three survivorswere captured and found guilty of desertion twodays ago. Knowing they would by executed theydemanded trial by combat, an old custom whichis recognised in many parts of the Empire.


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Unfortunately for them, the ruler of the town,Magistrate Etzburger, has hired an Ogre Pitfighterto answer all such challenges. He has found thatit has reduced the number of challenges to hisdecisions dramatically.

Should the PCs want to talk to any of the otherpeople present at the pit they may attempt to doso now, though you should point out that all seemanxious to get indoors and out of the rain.Magistrate Etzburger and the other wealthyburghers have already made their way to hiskeep on the far side of the town square, and theguards forced to stand watch outside arent in themood for casual conversation. Mentag is busyseeing to his after-fight feeding, which seems toconsist of most of a large cow (for starters), buthis agent, the halfling Toddy Shufflefoot, is amore talkative mood. A routine (+10%) gossip

test with him (or a challenging (-10%) one withone of the guards or the other townsfolk, whowant to get home) will yield the following:

Degrees ofSuccess:0 Magistrate Etzburger hired Mentag

to answer any challenges to hisdecisions. Shufflefoot deals withMentags financial considerations,the Ogre doesnt seem to trustanyone else.

1 The Magistrate more or less runs thetown. He was appointed by the townmerchants. The position usuallygoes to the wealthiest merchant inthe area. Hes held the position foralmost a decade now.

2 A noble family once ruled the town,but they lost all of their money yearsago and had to sell their lands to thelocal merchants. They left the townsoon after.

3+ Rumour has it that someoneclaiming to be the rightful ruler ofKenselheim went to see theMagistrate last week, trying to getthe family lands back. Supposedlythe Magistrate laughed him out ofthe room.

The PCs can stay in the Copper Keep, a large innbehind the viewing platform over the pit. Stayingin the common room will cost 8p per night, aprivate room will cost 12s. The Magistrate hasincreased taxes recently (to pay Mentags wages,as it happens) so the innkeeper (ErichSteingartmann) has had to raise his prices to

make up for it. The same can be foundthroughout the town - raise the price of any itemthe PCs may want by a few coins.

Whether they stay in the Copper Keep or findsome other shelter, they are approached about

an hour later by Erwin von Oberholtzer. Thisyoung nobleman noticed the PCs arrival. Hequickly made some inquiries and realised thatthey are from out of town. He decides toapproach them, realising that a small group ofmercenaries might be just what he needs. Hecant trust any of the locals, as they might gorunning to the Magistrate. At this point he hasnothing to lose.

As you are discussing your plans for tomorrow, awell dressed young man walks up to you. Hisclothing is well tailored without being extravagant

and he lacks the arrogant demeanour you havecome to associate with nobles towardscommoners, yet he has a sword at his side andthe unconsciously graceful stride of a duellist.Reaching your table, he inclines his head slightlybefore speaking, his accent that of a Reiklander.Please, allow me to introduce myself. My nameis Erwin von Oberholtzer. I was wondering if Imight buy you a drink, while you listen to abusiness proposal I have for you?

Erwin explains that his family once ruledKenselheim and the surrounding lands until his

fool of a grandfather spent all their wealth ongambling and women. The Oberholtzers wereforced into debt, and they had to hand over theirlands to a group of merchants as collateral. Thefamily was given twenty years to repay what theyowed. Erwins father worked himself to deathtrying to pay the debt, at which point Erwin tookon the task. Finally he has the gold he needs topay off the last of the debt, but when he went tothe Magistrate to make his claim Etzburgerrefused to recognise it. It would appear that hehas grown to like his position of power and hasno intention of giving it up. With Mentag working

as his champion no one can challenge him. Hehas increased taxes and enforces his rulesruthlessly. The other merchants toady up to himin order win his favour and avoid his wrath. If vonOberholtzer cant press his claim within the nextthree days his lands will pass to the merchantsfor good.

Erwin is willing to pay the PCs 50gc each if theycan remove Mentag from the picture. He will givethem 10gc each now and the rest once his landshave been returned to him. He doesnt expectthem to defeat Mentag in the pit, it should beclear that that would be suicide. In fact, hedoesnt care how the PCs get rid of him, as long


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as he is clearly gone. Injuring or delaying himwont be enough, as the Magistrate will just delaythe fight until he is able to compete (theMagistrate can postpone the fight for up to aweek to find a suitable champion, but vonOberholtzers claim will still stand). Therefore

Mentag will have to be either killed or forced toleave Kenselheim for good. Once this is done,von Oberholtzer will challenge the Magistrate,and fight anyone the Magistrate can find to standfor him (this is a lie. Erwin has hired a judicialchampion to fight for him, but he wants to appearmore noble and righteous before the PCs).

The PCs may decide to check up on Erwinsstory. A standard Common Knowledge (theEmpire) test or an easy (+20%) AcademicKnowledge (Law) test will tell them that his storyis certainly plausible. Enquiring about the Von

Oberholtzer family or Magistrate Etzburgers rulerequires a standard Gossip test.

Degrees ofSuccess:0 The Oberholtzers were the rulers of

Kenselheim, but few peopleremember anything about them.Most of the townsfolk were justchildren when they left. MagistrateEtzburger has increased taxes anddoesnt like people disagreeing withhim.

1 The Magistrate is hard, but he is fair.His judgements are usually evenhanded, and the town has done wellunder his rule. Most folk believe thathe is lining his own pockets,however (this is untrue).

Erwin von Oberholtzer arrived intown a few days ago andimmediately brought his claim for theancestral lands to the Magistrate,who denied it.

2 Elsa Steingartmann, the innkeeperswife, was a young woman when theOberholtzers left, but sheremembers that the last Obeholtzerlord was a drunken wretch. Hespent a lot of his time away inAltdorf, Middenheim or Talabheim,where it was rumoured he lost thefamily wealth in gambling dens.

Von Oberholtzer has a few servantsand arrived on horseback, but hasno carriage and only a smallentourage. He is letting rooms from

Mother Puttkammer, which ischeaper than the Copper Keep.

3+ Amongst von Oberholtzers servantsis a warrior, a huge man who has thelook of a northerner about him. He

was wearing full mail and had agreatsword strapped to his back.This is Gunther, Erwins bodyguardand champion. Gunther will fight forErwin if the Magistrate refuses togrant his claim.

It should be made clear to the PCs that attackingMentag openly would be a bad idea, he is easilydangerous enough to take them all on in a fight.Even if the entire party consists of warriors atleast one or two of them will probably be killed (orlose fate points) if they attack him directly. They

need to find some way to either weaken him orget rid of him.

Mentag and Shufflefoot live in an abandonedbarn outside of town. The townsfolk didnt like theidea of an ogre living in the middle of town (Youmight wake up one morn an find yourself et!).Shufflefoot keeps a small dog he calls Savage.While Savage is unlikely to scare a snotling, hisirritating yapping whenever strangers approachthe barn serve as an affective security system.Shufflefoot is no fool, he knows that if theMagistrate has any enemies they might decide to

hurt him by removing his champion, which is whyhe sleeps in the loft above Mentags stall. Whennot fighting in the pit or working for one of thelocal farmers (who sometimes hire Mentag toperform some heavy lifting) both of them canusually be found here. Toddy is usually cooking,roasting a large side of beef over a large fire infront of the barn, with Mentag eating the lastserving. Savage can be seen staring at one orthe other, hoping for scraps (Mentag never leavesany. Toddy occasionally tosses him a piece ortwo). If the PCs decide to talk to them Shufflefootwill generally be wary but polite, while Mentag will

ignore them, grunt, or tell them to ask Toddles.Hes happy to let Shufflefoot do all of the thinkingand talking for the pair, as long as he gets plentyof grub and the occasional chance to beat up orkill someone. Hes smart enough to realise thatthey have a good thing here.

The PCs have three days to figure out how todeal with Mentag. This should give them plentyof time to observe the odd couple and come upwith a plan of action. A few possibilities are listedhere, but players have the ability to come up withsomething totally unexpected, so be prepared forthe unexpected.


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Bribes/Threats: Bribing Mentag wont work, ashell just ask Toddy what to do. Shufflefoot ismaking a lot of money here, so much that it isunlikely the players will be able to convince him toleave town without a fight. Trying to bribe him willonly tip their hand, making the halfling more

cautious. On the other hand, Toddy has beenexpecting trouble like this for some time now. Ifhe thinks that they are in any real danger hellleave rather than take the risk. It will take morethan a threat to convince him, but if it is backedup with an attack at some later point, the PCsmay be surprised to find that Mentag and thehalfling had skipped town the next day.

Drugging/weakening Mentag: The PCs may tryto weaken Mentag before going up against him.This can be done in a number of ways. DruggingMentag will be difficult, as Shufflefoot prepares all

of their food himself, and they get their water fromthe stream that runs behind the barn. Any poisonadded to their food raw will probably be destroyedduring the liberal roasting the halfling gives it(requires a very hard (-30%) Prepare poison test).If the PCs dont have any poisons with them theycould search the nearby wood, a challenging (-10%) Outdoor Survival or Prepare Poison test willallow them to find some herbs and fungi whichcan be mixed together to create a mildly annoyingtoxin. Anyone ingesting this foul paste mustmake a Challenging (-20%) toughness test ortake a 5% penalty on all Weapon Skill, Ballistic

Skill and Agility tests, as well as suffer the needto move ones bowels at least once every tenminutes. Usually the taste and smell would besufficient to warn someone not to eat anythingthis had been added to (though a Very Difficult (-30%) Trade (Cook) test could disguise itsomewhat), but Mentag will eat anything.

If the PCs can distract Toddy long enough theycan easily convince Mentag to eat anything theyoffer him. This is especially true of lightly cookedmeat, preferably still bloody. Mentag is tired ofToddys fondness for overdone food, and will

gobble down any rare meat presented to him,even if Shufflefoot objects.

Another way to sap some of Mentags fightingstrength would be to hire him to perform anexhausting task, such as helping them cut downand move trees from a section of the forest.Mentag is strong enough that he can keep onworking for hours without getting tired, but evenhe will start to feel the strain if they hire him for anentire day or two of work. Working with him insuch a situation would also be the perfectopportunity to slip him some poison in his food ordrink, as Toddy will quickly grow bored watchingMentag work and will drop his guard. If the PCs

can keep Mentag working through one day (aboutten hours) without much rest he will suffer a 5 %penalty to his Strength and Agility. If they cankeep him working for two days the penaltyincreases to 10%, and he will also suffers a 5%penalty to Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill. If the

PCs can find a particularly inventive method ofincreasing Mentags exhaustion, you mightconsider increasing the penalties to 15% and10% respectively and 1 Attack. Hiring Mentagwill cost 6s a day, but if one of them can CharmShufflefoot they can convince him to allow themto overwork Mentag, making him work for morehours and with fewer breaks. The difficulty of theCharm test to bribe him depends on how muchextra they offer him, every extra shilling givingthem a +5% bonus to the test. If they succeedincrease the penalties for each day by 5% andalso reduce his attacks by 1.

Mob Rule: The PCs could try to turn thetownsfolk against the Ogre. Some are angrybecause of the increase in taxes, others just dontlike the idea of having an Ogre living amongstthem and eating enough meat a day to feed afamily for a week. Many are just looking for anexcuse to lash out tensions in the town havebeen growing of late. Convincing enough of themto riot will take time and subtlety, however. A fewharsh words about Ogres at a tavern, a complaintabout rising prices at the marketplace, anything toincrease the discontent amongst the locals will

help, but if they arent careful either Toddy orMagistrate Etzburger might realise that someoneis stirring up trouble.

Starting a riot will require a total of 10 degrees ofsuccess on Gossip tests. You should make thetests easier if the PCs can think of anyparticularly malicious rumours to spread abouteither the Ogre or Shufflefoot, or even MagistrateEtzburger. Each character can make one testeach day. If any character fails by more than20% the Magistrate or Shufflefoot noticesomething is wrong. If the PCs can distract

Shufflefoot (by hiring Mentag, for example) thenthey are only noticed if one of the PCs fails bymore than 30%. If they are noticed, theMagistrate sends three of his guards with ordersto give them a good beating and kick them out oftown. Should the PCs overcome the guards theywill have to go into hiding or flee Kenselheim,especially if they kill one of them.

If the PCs do manage to raise an angry mob, theywill have to lead it to Mentag. If they do not do sothemselves the crowd will falter at the sight of thegigantic warrior. A single bellow from the Ogrewill be enough to send them scurrying back totheir homes. A few hours later the PCs will


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receive a visit from the town guards, as describedabove. If the PCs do lead the mob they will haveto get past Toddy, who will try to reason with thecrowd. He has no wish to unleash Mentag on hisemployers subjects, especially as he isnt surethe Ogre would win. If one of the PCs has the

Public Speaking or Mass Orator Talents they cantry to make an opposed Charm test againstToddy. Other PCs can help (supportivecomments, yelling death to the Ogre! etc), eachsuccessful charm test giving a 10% bonus to theopposed test. If the PCs win, the crowd chargesforward, catching Toddy by surprise. Mentag willstart lashing out left and right, killing peopleindiscriminately.

You may want to run a few rounds of combatbetween the PCs and either Mentag orShufflefoot, but the force of the mob will quickly

force them apart. Unless the PCs strike aparticularly telling blow against Mentag he willsurvive, but Toddy will be killed by the mob.Seeing his only friend killed will send Mentag intotears. Knocking the nearest villagers aside hewill pick up the halflings severed head and runbawling into the woods.

Even if Toddy and Mentag should somehowsurvive or escape, they decide that they haveclearly outstayed their welcome and leave townas soon as they can.

Shufflefoot: If the PCs realise how importantToddy is to keeping Mentag under control theymay decide to take him out. More morallyinclined PCs might decide to kidnap him and holdhim until von Oberholtzer has a chance to makehis claim, this is actually a more reliablealternative, as once Toddy is killed they will haveno leverage over the Ogre. If they hold himhostage Mentag will refuse to fight under anycircumstances.

If Shufflefoot is killed Mentag will go intomourning, hiding in the barn and refusing to

leave. However, once von Oberholtzer makes hischallenge the Magistrate will try to convinceMentag to fight for him, telling him that vonOberholtzer murdered Toddy. The gullible Ogrewill believe him, charging into town and bellowingin rage. Von Oberholtzer will flee in terror, lastseen galloping away on horseback with Mentagright behind him.

If instead Shufflefoot is disappeared, (whetherdead or alive), without revealing what hadhappened to him, Mentag will be filled with worryand will mope around the barn and town. If thePCs leave him be the Magistrate will convincehim to fight, telling him that its what Toddy would

want him to do. The PCs could convince him toleave town, however. A successful easy (+20%)Charm test would be enough to get him to headfor the next village, where Toddy is waiting, ifthey can come up with a plausible reason for himto have left without saying goodbye.

Assassination: Of course, the simplest option isto attack Mentag and kill him. Martially inclinedplayers may decide to make an all out attack, buthopefully the demonstration at the start of theadventure will be enough to convince them thatthat would not be a good idea. Hopefully they willhave found some way of weakening him, buteven if they havent there are a number of waysin which they can tip the odds in their favour.

The most obvious approach would be to killMentag while he is sleeping. The biggest

obstacle to this is Savage. The little mongrel is alight sleeper and will start barking madly if henotices anyone approaching. If he succeeds onany of his opposed Perception tests to notice thePCs entering the barn, but not by enough to beattheir Silent Move tests, then he has woken upand will not suffer any penalties on further tests.Shufflefoot also sleeps in the barn and has set upsome simple security precautions. The maindoors of the barn are shut and barred at nightand two ropes attached to a collection of pots andpans are tied to them. The bar can be removedwith a Average Pick Lock check, with a

Challenging (-10%) Silent Move test opposed byHard (-20%) Perception tests from Mentag,Shufflefoot and Savage. Opening the doorswithout raising a racket requires another opposedtest, but this time the Silent Move test is VeryHard (-30%). If the players somehow find outabout the makeshift alarm beforehand and haveaccess to the right tools (Lock Picks) they can tryto remove the ropes with a Challenging (-10%)Pick Locks test. The planks of the main doors arefar enough apart that they can slip some of thetools through to cut the ropes.

Instead of coming in through the main doors theycould try climbing up to the loft entrance, whereToddy sleeps. Climbing up is Easy (+20%) andthe entrance isnt locked (Toddy plans to use it asan escape route if there is any trouble), but it isrigged with the same alarm system as the doorsbelow. Trying to remove this alarm will be a VeryHard (-30%) Pick Lock test, as the character willhave to do so while somehow bracing himselfagainst the outside of the barn. If the player failsby more than 30% he should make an Agility testto avoid falling.

If they manage to sneak up on Mentag they get tomake an attack against him while he is Helpless,


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doing an extra d10 damage. While this wouldusually be sufficient to kill a human, Ogres are fartougher creatures. Mentag may well survive andwill not be in the best of moods.

If a fight breaks out Toddy will stay in the loft,

firing his crossbow from above after lighting uphis lantern. If Mentag goes down or if someoneclimbs up into the loft he will escape through theloft entrance. If he makes it to the woods (ninetyyards distant) he is unlikely to be caught, but hewill have no intention of returning to Kenselheim.He could turn up some point in the future though,in an effort to gain some measure of revengeagainst the PCs.

If the players find the prospect of sneaking intothe barn to daunting, they might try setting it onfire and waiting for Mentag to come out.

Unfortunately the recent rains have left the woodof the barn damp and difficult to light. Even ifthey do set the roof or outer walls on fire, this willonly warn Mentag and Toddy that they are underattack. They will ready their weapons and chargeout the main doors, Toddy firing his crossbowwhile Mentag charges the nearest visibleopponent. If the characters think to block off themain doors then they will try to escape throughthe loft entrance or if necessary Mentag will try tohack his way trough the barn wall. Once the firehas been started anyone inside the barn will haveto start to make Toughness tests after three

rounds (see page 136 of the Rulebook for detailsof Suffocation).

If the PCs can get inside the barn they canquickly set fire to the straw piled high inside.Mentag uses a pile of straw as a mattress, and ifthe PCs can catch him while he is still sleepingthey might be able to set him ablaze. They couldthen retreat outside, possibly blocking off themain doors as they go (possibly with a cartborrowed from town). Anyone inside the barnwill have to make Toughness tests againstSuffocation, and may suffer damage from the

Fire. See the rules on page 136 of the Rulebookfor details of fire damage.

There is a decent chance Mentag or Toddy willmake it out of the barn alive, at which point thePCs will probably have a fight on their hands(unless they choose to flee). The fire will haveattracted attention from the town, and in fourminutes two of the town guards will arrive,followed two minutes later by three more. At thispoint it doesnt matter however, as Toddy(assuming he is still alive) will have decided thatKenselheim has gotten too hot. Hell take thenext opportunity he can get to leave town withMentag and will refuse to let him fight in the

meantime, insisting that his wounds are tooserious and that he needs time to heal. He willeven disguise Mentags injuries to make themlook worse than they are, wrapping him in bloodybandages until he looks more like a Mummy thanan Ogre. Whether he is dead or alive, the PCs

will have taken him out of the fight.

Von Oberholtzers claim: On the third day Erwinwill challenge Etzburgers ruling against him,invoking his right to trial by combat. If the PCshave removed Mentag from the picture (one wayor another) the Magistrate will desperately seeksomeone to fight for him, even offering one ofthem 30gc if one of the PCs looks particularlytough. Eventually one of his guards volunteers(his greed overcoming his common sense). Inresponse Erwin reveals Gunther, his ownchampion. Gunther will quickly cut down the

hapless guardsman, who fails to get pastGunthers guard even once. As soon as the duelis concluded Erwin will strip the Magistrate of hisposition and will order him exiled fromKenselheim. He will then begin to move into thekeep. If the PCs seek to pressure him for theremainder of their payment he will assure themthat it will be forthcoming. He just has to finishsecuring his new position as lord of the town, goover the book, find the key to the treasury etc.He will ask them to come to the keep the nextmorning, when he will give them the rest of theirreward.

If Mentag still lives and is willing to fight, things gorather differently. Erwin still makes his challengeout of desperation. If Mentag has beenweakened seriously (actually wounded) theMagistrate will schedule the challenge to takeplace in a weeks time in order to give him time torecover. He cannot delay the challenge by morethan a week, and Erwins claim will still be valid,despite the fact that the deadline for him to makehis claim will have passed. If the PCs weakenedMentag through some other less obvious means(tiring him out through work, poison etc) the fight

will go ahead immediately. Either way, Erwin willnot be pleased, and will refuse outright to pay thePCs. The fight will be close, especially if Mentagwas weakened, but eventually the Ogresstrength and size will win out. MagistrateEtzburger will order Erwin and his followers toleave Kenselheim and never return.

Payment: Assuming the players go to the keepthe next day to receive the remainder of theirpayment they will be met by one of Erwinsservants at the front entrance. They will beescorted up to Erwins new office by two of thetown guards (Erwin retained their services afterexiling Etzburger) after they give up their


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weapons. The PCs will probably be upset aboutthis, but they will not be granted an audienceunless they do so. The guards dont bothersearching them for hidden weapons, however.They arent particularly fond of their lord and dontfeel inclined to be overly thorough.

If they agree to give up their weapons read thefollowing:

Von Oberholtzers servant leads you up to thenext floor of the keep. Two of the town guardsfollow behind you, though they look more boredthan intimidating. You find another guard sittingon a stool outside Erwins new office, his halberdleaning against the wall. The servant stops andstares at him expectantly. The guardsman giveshim a blank look until he realises that he isexpected to open the door. Muttering something

under his breath he stands slowly, snatches uphis halberd in one hand while pushing open thedoor with the other.

Entering the room you find Erwin sitting behind amassive oak desk, which is absolutely covered inledgers and books. He glances up at you andindicates you should take one of the seats placedin the centre of the room before going back to theaccounts before him. Standing in his armour toyour left is Gunther, his greatsword strapped tohis back. He gives you a cold smile as you moveto your seats before moving to the door to close it

behind you.

As the last of you sits down Erwin finishesreading and sighs. Im afraid I have some badnews, he says. I know I promised to pay youmore money upon completion of your services,but I fear I must beg your forgiveness. It wouldseem that I was a little rash in allowing RubenEtzburger to leave town so quickly. After lookingat his records it would seem that he hasembezzled a great deal of money from the towncoffers while in office, clearly one of the reasonshe raised taxes so much recently. I seem to be in

the unenviable position of inheriting a town indebt. He smiles wanly. It would seem that myfamily is cursed to be forever in arrears. As it is Iwill have to raise taxes beyond those demandedby Ruben just to maintain the status quo.Obviously there is absolutely no way I can payyou the remainder of your fee, my duty to thetown outweighs my own financial obligations. Iam so very dreadfully sorry.

Von Oberholtzer is lying through his teeth.Ruben never stole any of the towns money,Erwin just made up an excuse so he wouldnthave to pay the PCs. He does intend to raisetaxes though he wants to increase the guards

pay and numbers in order to buy their loyalty. Ifthe PCs ask him when he will be in a position topay them hell become evasive, insisting thatthere is no way to know when hell have themoney.

There are too many variables, you understand.How well the harvest is this year, whether thetroubles with the forces of chaos continue nextyear and how badly it will influence trade etc. Itwill probably be years before I can reasonablyafford to pay you.

At this point it should become clear to the PCsthat Erwin has no intention of ever paying them.If they continue to press him he will insist thatthere is unfortunately nothing he can do. He willmaintain an easygoing manner as long as theydont become abusive, at which point he will have

them thrown out.

The players may harbour thought of revenge, butErwin is now safely ensconced inside his newkeep, surrounded by the town watch and hisclearly lethal bodyguard. If the players are smart,theyll accept it as a typical day in the Old World.If theyre not smart theyll probably end up in thepit facing Gunther

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