warhammer frp - 2nd edition - plundered vaults

7/3/2019 Warhammer Frp - 2Nd Edition - Plundered Vaults

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P lu nd ere d Vaults

Desig n a nd W ritin g: Ben Counte r, Graeme Davis,

B rian E . K irby, N athan G reavey, and C arl Sargent

Addi ti ona l Mate ri al : Kate F lack a nd C hris P ram as New Ed itio n Upda te s: Brian E . Kir.by

Development : Ch ris P ramas Edit ing: Eva n S ass

Gra ph ic D e sig n a nd An Direction: Hal Mang oldCover An: Ka rl Kop in sk y Interior An: T ony A ckland, R uss N icholson, T ony P arker

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= =W elcom e to Plundered V O l l I e s , th e firs t ad ven tu re an th olo gy fo r

the new edition of Warhnmmer Fantasy RolqJlay. Coming upwirh

ad ven tu res is a lw ays th e G M's b iggest sru rnb llng b lock , so w e

w anted to provide som e good adven tu res fo r the new ru les righ t

away . Plundered Vaul ts conta ins s ix ready-re -p lay scenar ios . Three

o f th em ar e u pd ates o f classics fro m th e o rig in al W FR P-era, w hile

the o ther th ree are brand new . All of them pull you rig h t in to the

grim world of perilous adv en tu re tha t is Warhammer.

111e o ld ad ven tu res are G raern e D av is ' Rough N ig ht. at th e T h re e

FfIlfhm (w hich o rig in ally ap peared in ~i7biteDwmfMagazi l le

#94), Ca r l S a rg e n t's Gmpso fWmth ( wh ic h o rig in ally a pp ea re d

in White Dwa. if Magazi ne #98), and the Harm ti llg Horror (which

o rig in ally a pp ea re d in the Restles: Delld adventure anthology).

Brian E . K irby u pdated all these adven tu res to .the new ru les . M r.

K irb y a ls o p en ne d Fo r Lou« or MOlley .one ofthe n ew a d ve n tu re s.

T he o th er two a re B e n C o un te r's Carr ion Ca ll an d N ath an

Greaver ' s S iu g P or Your Slipper. These adventures co ver a . ran ge o f

p la y s ty le s, f rom i nv e st ig a ti on [0 intr igue to hor ror to comba t .

B efo re you d ive in , le t. m e m ake a few comments. First, w e h av e

tried to keep these adventures f a ir ly g e n er ic as fa r as rim e and p lace

go . A ll o f th em can b e u sed ina varie ty o f locales and in just abo ut

any era of the E mpire 's h is to ry . They d o no t assu me, fo r exam ple ,

tha t the Sto rm o f Chaos has com e to pass . Th is m akes them easy

ro drop in to your cam paign , w henever it's se t. Y ou sh ou ld c on sid er

th e. s ettin g o f yo ur cam paig n b efo re ru nn in g th ese , h ow ev er-if

you add an encoun ter here or there to rein fo rce yo ur ch osen tim e

and p lace , it'll m ake the in tegra tion of these adventures in to y ou r

game that m I.l ell e as i e r,

You shou ld a lso consider how you w ant ro h an d le s oc ia l s kills

w hen funn ing these adven tu res. Throughou t, you 'll find calls fo r

C harm and G ossip Tests . You'll a lso see m any other spo ts w here

su ch rests co uld b e m ad e, b ut aren 't sp ec ifica lly called fo r. T he rig ht

balance of ac tua l ro lep lay ing and d ice ro lling is de lica te , and o ne

e ve ry g ro u p must se ttle o n fo r itself Som e groups nev er ro ll fo r

so cia l sk ills, p referrin g to le t ro lep lay in g d eterm in e th e o utco me o f

e ve ry e nc ou nte r. T ha t's a f in e a pp ro ac h, p artic ula rly if y ou r p la yers

are verbal by natu re . Som e play ers aren 't so g .o lden tongued , bur

they m igh t w an t to p lay ch arac ters w ho are . F or th ese fo lk s, it 's

m ore th an a pp ro pria te (0 l et t he ir skills do the convlnclng.Thls

isn't to sa y th ey sh ou ld n't a tte mp t to ro le pla y, b ur d on 't p en aliz e

ch ara cte rs b ec au se th eir p la ye rs a re n't g re at ta lk ers.

If yo u p lan to run 7 l ! J , ( ) l I g h the Drakll.ll i ld f rom the core book and

m ov e in to Paths of th e Damned: Aslm oftjlfiddmh~im, s ev er al o f

t h es e a dven t ur es ca n be used as a s eg ue. T Ile tw o tha t w ork best

ar e Car rio n Call an d G ra pe s o fWm th . C arr io n C all can easily b e

slorted in afier the c lim ax of 1hrough .the Dmkwtildhut before th e

PC s reach M iddenheim .T t w ou ld sure ly be no surprise to find a

tra ve lle r s la in b y Beastrnen in the D rakw ald! The setting of Grape.

o f Wra th , Prirzsrcck, is co nv en ien tly n ear M id den heim alread y. A llit takes is a red herring to get the . P C S OUt of the city and you are

good to go .

If you are scarring a n ew c am pa ig n, S in g F or YoI~r Sr.pper is a good

choice . It startscut a s a s traig ht-u p k id na pp in g Story. b ut th en

v ee rs rig ht in to "Warhammer territory. Ifyo ur p layers are used to a

m ore g en eric s ty le o f f an ta sy RPG. c h is a dv en t u re can show them

ho w WFRP is qu ire a d iff ere nt b ea st. Fo r Lou« or Money can be

used the sam e w ay, and for sim ilar reasons.

Enough ta lk! Time ro p lay . W e ho pe you en joy Plundered Vaul ts .

Stay tuned for m ore adven tu re in Paths of the D am ned: Ashes of

MJddenhtim!

Chris PramasD ecem ber 31 ,2004

Cred its .........•................•......•....•........ I

Introduction .. .• . . .. .• .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .•. . .. .••. . ..••. 2

The ~apes of W rath 3Beginning the Adventure , ....•......... ,.,...•. , .. , , 3

The V illage of Priwtock 4

Running the Adventure " , ......•..........• , ...•.... I. J

The Wizard in the Woods " ,., Ij

The Adven tu re rs ' Lair , .................• , , ......•... 17

Concluding th e Adventure , .....• ,' 19

For Love or M oney 21

Synopsis .....•...• , , " , 21

Mitt1e.tesdorf .•..... , ..•.. , , , .....• " 22

Pan One: Th e M erch an t's D au ghter 24

Pan Tw o: In to the Woods , " 30

Pan Th ree: Th e B e a s t Revealed " 34 -

Aftennath ., , , " " ., , r!

The Ha untin g H o rro r 3 8Introduction ~

The Locations .. " . ......•. , ,",., , 39

Continuing the Advenrure 48

Rough N ight at th e Thr ee F ea th ers 49Events , ..............•. , " ....•. , , ..51COnc ludin g th e Adventu re 56

N on-Player C haracters , ......•.............••....... ,.56

Carrion C a . l l 'l 1 l i ' • • • ' ' l 1 l i • • '" . ' ",!III ' ••............ '•• ',. ,6 0Background 60

The S tory Unfolds .. " " .. "" , " 61

Mtennath ,. 72Denizens of Schloss V onreuter .. , " . , " 71

Sing For Your Supper 76Gtning Started if

Red Herrings ,., " " '"" , " 78Th e PlOt Begins 81

The Nosey Neighbour " , ,., "., , , 82

Hot on th e Trall." ....•., ,." , " 8 3

The P lo t Thi ck en s 85

The Wimess , , 86

Stark 's Shop , .....•...................... 8li

S howd ow n ........•......•............................................ 8 9

COnclusion 91

Dramat is Personae" , , " , " 92

2



The G ra pes o f Wra th

The Grapes ofWrath is a scenario for characters (ideally 4~6)who should be JUSt beginning their second careers.

The adventure isset in the vine-growing village of Prlrzstock,

which is southwest of citecity of Middenheiro (though the

village could be relocated nearly anywhere in me Empire mat isconvenient for your campaign). M.ore important than location is

the time of year, since events of this adventure take place during

the annual grape-harvest at Prirsstock (sometime during the

month of Ernreseit or "Harvest-Tide").

M ap 1 on page 5 shows the layout of the villages southwest

of Middenheim. At the start of the adventure, me PCs are

assumed to be travelling by coach towards Middenheim along me

Altdorf-Middenheim road. The woods throughwhich the road

runs are known to harbour evil and chaotic creatures (particularly

after the Storm of Chaos), so coaches travel quickly without

stopping.

The coach That the pes are travelling in has three other

passengers: Elise and Bertha lung, and their bodyguard, Gunder.

Both women are young (19 and 17 respectively), blue-eyed

blondes of good breeding. being daughrers of a prosperous Altdcrf

wool merchant.

Gunder is a giant of a man, but a bit dim. His brow is thick and

sloping and his massive jaws seem ro jut further forward than

his twisted and Barrened nose. He is clad in a leather jerkin and

armed with a huge woodcutter's axe.The girls are travelling to

M iddenheirn co visit a cousin. They are well-mannered and are

used to being treated politely (especially when Gunder is inattendance).

THE CRASHThe journey iswithout incident umil the coach has jusr crossed the

junction with the Grubentreich road, a few hOUIS before sunset.

From out of the trees ahead and travelling about IS feet above the

ground, an evil-looking skull with glowing eyes comes hurtling

towards the coach. Shouting a prayer to Slgmar, the coachman

drops the reins to cover his eyes, while the horses scream and rear

up in terror. As they bolt wildly to avoid tile Hying skull, the horses

careen the coach against the trunk of a massive oak, and the whole

thing overturns, smashing both right-hand wheels in the process.

Anyone on the roof of the coach must make a Fear Test in order

to be able to do anything other than quiver with fright. Ajump

from the coach should be created as a distance of 6 yards. Hanging

onto the coach will require a Strength Test-success results in the

character taking a Damage 3 hit that ignores armour, while fallure

means that the character falls 4 yards and is flung dear. See W1FRP,

page 138, for details on jumping and falling.



The G rap es o f Wrath

Having had no real warning, all those within the coach must make

a Challenging (-10%) Agility Test to avoid taking a Damage 3

hit mat ignores armour. As the passengers begin to disentangle

themselves, one of them (chosen at random) sees me skull peering

into the coach. After a couple of seconds me skull flies off, but any

character not still inside the wreck will see it heading west over me

trees. For a further description of me skull, consult the Bestiary at

the end of this adventure.

The coach is beyond repair; only two wheels remain intact, and both

axles are smashed. Hedric the coachman is lying in the road battered

and bruised, bur otherwise unhurt. Gunder, alas, suffered fatal

injuries during the crash, when a t runk containing Elise's bali gowns

feU from the luggage rack and broke his neck. Two horses have run

off, a third has a badly fractured leg, and the other stands shivering

nearby. The two girls are very upset but will be calmed by reassuring

words. They wUI not be calmed by Hedrics wide-eyed babble abour

the "swoopillg, r ed -~ d mons te r. fr om t hef or thw .f ro un n o rt h! "

A CHOICE OFAcrIONS

111e party has a number of options available. They could sray pur,

but this would mean a night in the forest. Hedric will point Out

that no other coach is due today, and in any case, would not S[OP

for fear they were h.i.gbwaymen. The group could head for the

nearest coaching inn, The Mutant's Head, but since it is over 20

miles away, it could not be reached before nightfall (some 3 hours

away). The third choice, and the one favoured by Elise and Bertha,

would be to set off towards the village of Grubenrreich, The girls

have relatives there who would put the PCs up for the night

and lend transport for their return journey [Q a coaching inn.

Furthermore, the girls are sure the adventurers will be rewarded for

their safe escort.

lr is about 10 miles to Grubentreich, and, walking at the girls' pace

of 3 mph, could be reached soon after dark. Given the girls' refusal

to even consider any other plan, this is the best course of action.

Hedric, a brave fellow who takes his responsibilities seriously,

undertakes to ride the one remaining horse to the coaching inn

and inform the Roadwardens ,

The PCs can reach Grubenrreich by the end of the day ifcl1.ey

make a determined march, although Bertha may slow them down

a little towards nightfall. Any good-looking male PC who carries

Bertha over the last half-mile or so will win her sincere gracitude. (A

successful Fellowship Test will also win a friendly kiss on the cheekl)

GRUBENTREICH

The village itself comprises some 88 simple country folk, whomake a moderate living from agriculture and livestock. No map

is provided as the layout of the place is unimportant to the

adven rure,

Mathilde and Eduard Jung-aunt and uncle to the gi.rls-run

the Black Sheep tavern and will be pleased with the PCs for

having rescued their nieces. As a token of gratitude, me party will

be allowed free accommodations, food, and drink for the flight.

(Unfortunately, the inn's two guest rooms have already been taken,

but the main tavern is clean and warrn.)

If the PCs don't mention the flying skull, one of me girls will, This

may happen while the bar is still full of locals, or last thing at night,as Eduard locks up the tavern. Talking with me locals brings nothing

more man sceptical COmments about "bumps 011 the hend" obtained

during [he crash. Eduard, however. is not so dismissive. The

description of the crash backs up me rwnour he heard two days ago

from Werner Geizhals, a wine merchant returning from the nearby

village of Pritzscock (sec Maps 1and 3a).

According to Geiz.hals, (who is now in Middenheirn), the villagers

gave him [he impression that the village was cursed, that the

corpses of the dead had risen from the ground and were prowling

around the outskirts of the village, and, more specifically, that

"phantom , } lying skull s were h f l. 'I In ti lig th e woods. MJung will broach

the subject when the tavern is empty. It ha s occurred to him

that me skulls ought to be dealt with before they start to botherCrubentreich, and. who berrer to deal with them than the recently

arrived adventurers? If the PCS look like they do not intend to

investigate, lung will elaborate on the rumour, saying that the

skulls are thought to be guarding some long-lost treasure hoard. (If

Bertha has s hown signs of liking one of the adventurers, Eduard

will make the story even more artracrlve, hoping to make me PCs

leave before any romance can developl )

As chance would have it, three of the inn's guests will be travelling

through Prit:zstock the following day; namely, me farmer Hans

Krug with handymen Pie te r K la rnmerer and Albrecht Krupp.

These three retired early, but are returning to Leichlinberg (via

Prirzstock-e-see Map 1 ) tomorrow. Th e PCs could doubtless get a

lift co the village on Krug's carts if they wished.

The PCs need to rise early to ask Hans Krug for a lift (so woe

betide those who over-indulged on Eduard's hospitality). The

farmer agrees willingly enough, but asks for Ishilling each as

payment. He can be bargained down to 6 pennies each, bur being

poor he tries to make money whenever he can. If your players

really need encouraging to go investigate, Eduar-d will pay the fare.

They need have no further concern about Elise and Berrha: Eduard

assures them that he will personally escort them to Middenheim

on the next coach.

The 15-mile journey [Q Prirzsrock rakes about 3 hours on Krug's

carr. The only other way that me characters could make the trip is

on foot, as there are no horses available for hire or sale. The farmer

and his assistants know nothing of events at Prirzsrock, having jusr

returned from a long selling trip to Middenheirn.

Pritzstock is a small bur wealthy village of 48 souls (and their

children). Map 2 details the local area and Map 3 shows the

village proper. In addition [Q a farmhouse, each household has

a large fermenting shed where casks of wine are stored and the

grapes are pressed. Bottles of the better vintages are usually kept in

cellars beneath me farmhouses.

Livestock Is limited to a few pigs, goats, and hens. The latter are

allowed to wander freely and spend a lot of their lime scratching

around the northwest area of the village, since this is where people

are buried and me worms grow fat as a result.

Surrounding the village are vineyards grown on man-made terraces

that have been cleared from the forest; the wine produced provides

the sole source of income for the inhabitants. Prirzsrock Reisling is

a light delicate wine that is gaining in popularity throughout the

Western Empire. In recent years harvests have been particularly

good and the village has prospered as a result: buildings and carts

4



The G r a p e s of Wrath

~~

Wum~IT~~

' l f l .J *

*

Areas A and B on Map : z ar e

detailed in the m ain tex t.

j



The Grapes of Wrath

are ina good State o f repa ir, an im als are sru rdy, and the people are

w e ll f ed . S u rp ri si ng ly (to so me) [he vlllage does no t have an inn,

a nd so cia lisin g ra ke s the f or m o ff re qu en r "wine-rastings" a t one

h ouse o r an om er; this is a very c losely knit com munity . B y far m e

m ost p op ular sessio ns take p lace at me hom e of Henrl-Phill lppe

R oeh ereau , th e B urgo meister, or M ayor, o f P ritzstcck ,

T Ile v illage is at its busiest during m e grape harvest, and the tim ing

o f th is is cru el a l to ti l e v illa ge's c o n ti n ued p r as pe d 0/ . Th e g ra p esm ust be p icked w ithin a 7 -day period , if the wine is to be at it s

b est. Ju dgin g JU St w hen to start requ ires years of ex perien ce , and

m e adven tu rers arrive just rw o days befo re the harvest o f th is year 's

c rop must begin if m e w ine is no t to be ruined, M ig ran t w ork ers

from m e surrounding areas have yet to arrive bu t som e w ine

m erch an ts h av e alre ad y visited. The grapes have been assessed , and

prospects look good-prov ided the harvest s tarts on rime,

PAST A ND P RE sE N T

The orig ins o f the current troub les lie 3 years in the past. A young

A ltdorf w ine m erchan t, Stefan M aranaeur, began an affa ir with

H e nri-P hillip pe 's w if e, E lis ab et, U n fo rtu na te ly , H e nri-P hillip pelearned of their re lationsh ip , hav ing chanced upon a love le tter

(from Stefan) to h is w ife . If he had been ab le to ac t im mediate ly

th ings w ould have com e to a head , as H enri-Ph illippe confron ted

h is w ife in a typ ica l B reronn ian rage. As it w as, E lisaber w as aw ay

in A 1 td orf, p re su mab ly w ith h er lo ver, g iv in g H en ri-P hillip pe 's

burn ing rage tim e to tu rn to ice and 6ll his though ts w ith revenge .

.A m onth late r, H enri-Ph illippe sen t h is w ife to A lrdorf w ith

m oney to purchase new c loth es , E l ls abee readily ag reed , see in g a

further opportun ity to m eet her lo ve r. B u t Henri-Phillippe had

other p lans fo r Stefan , and had simultaneously invited h im to

Pritzscock, without Elisabet's k now led ge, o sten sibly to taste a new

wine . S e e f a n d uly arriv ed , an d a day Sp ent d iscu ssin g b usiness

ended w ith one of Hem I-Ph H i pp e's f am o u s wine tastings, to w h ic h

th e rest o f th e villag e w as also inv ited.

As part of the ev enin g's co nv ersario n Stefan learn ed thae Elisabet

had gone to Alrdorf C ursing h is luck , Stefan m odera ted h is

drinking in an ticipation of an early start, com menting m at he

'~mlStreturn next morningandattmdto important bIUi1IeS$.That

n ig ht, h ow ev er. Henrl-Phlll lppe attacked S te fa n a s h e s le pt,

c lubbing him senseless . Rochereau dragged the body daw n to the

cella r w here a sp ecia l alco ve h ad . b een p rep ared . H av in g ch ain ed

Stefan to m e w all, Henri-Philippe waited un til m e young wine

m erch an t reco vered. W ith care and p recis ion Henri-Philippe men

began {O seal the a lcove w ith stone and mortar, obl ivious to me

d esp erate p lea s fro m S tefa n.

FIna lly m e w ork w as com pleted , leav ing H en ri-P hilip pe satisf ied . H e

h ad left a b arre l o f w in e w ith in reach to ease S[efan 's thirst, planning

th at Stefan w ou ld ex perience a slo w d eath fro m starv atio n ..A ll m at

rem ain ed w as to d isp ose of Srefan s h orse ..W lm m e v illag e still

sleep in g o ff m e effec ts o f th e w in e, H enri-P hilip pe h ad n o tro ub le

slip pin g ou t un no ticed. Scattering Stefan 's be lo ng in gs b y m e w ad h e

le t th e h orse lo ose an d retu rn ed to Pri rzsrock,

Th ree d ays late r, Ste fan 's sad dle an d. p ack w ere spo tted. E veryo ne

had assum ed he had lef t early w ithou t w aiting to say farewell,

D esp ite a search organ ised by m e M ayor of P rirzsrock , h is body

w as n ev er fo u nd ,

For a w hile the d isappearance , and presum ed death , o f m e youngw ine m erchant caused m uch ta lk and anxie ty in m e area. H owever,

with no further inc idenrs to fue l specula tion, m e nam e of Stefan

Maranaeur w as fo rg otten , o r a t least tha t's w hat Henri-Philippe

hoped and rh ou gh e A nd so things m ight have been , save fo r one

p er so n: S te fa n's tw in brother, Dieter.

A t m e time o f S te f an 's irnprisonrnenc, Dieter Maranaeur was

near ing the end of 2. s uc ce ss fu l w o od 's a pp re ntic es hip at

M id den heim . Yet, as th e d ays ofSte tiin ·s o rdeal p assed , h is broth er

began[0

suffer in m uch m e sam e w ay. Linked by kinship, Dietera t 6rs t su fficed sleep less n igh 'ts bu t w ithin a w eek show ed signs of a

sev ere w astin g d ise as e. S oo n a fter, m e ap pren tic e wizard col lapsed

in to d elirium , and as h is co nditio n w orsen ed . th e p hysic ian s feared

fo r his l if e. Sudde n ly (i.e .., a t the m om ent of Stefan 's death), th e

m onth-long illness vanished and D ieter began to r ec o ve r, O n ly

then was he to ld of his b ro ther's d isapp earan ce w hile o n a b usin ess

trip to Prirzsrock,

In m e three years that have passed . D ie ter bas learned of h is l at e

brother's affair with Elisaber (fwm lerrers h e fo un d at Stefan's

A ltd orfre sid en ce ) a nd rh e In vira rio n f rom Henri-Philippe.

D is cu ss in g th es e rnarters, alo ng w id ! th e m ysterio us illn ess, w ith

h is s up erio rs, D ie te r h as fin ally m an ag ed to p iece to geth er th e

n ature of his bro th er 's dem ise.

D ie ter, n ow a m aster w izard of th e B righ t Order, has com e to

the village consum ed by m e idea of revenge. D riven by his own

(slightly irra tio na l) b elie fs , D ie te r is also affec ted by the spirit o f

h is d ea d brother; Stefan Maranaeur now exerts a ha tefu l fo rce from

beyond the graveand D ieter is being in fluenced to ru in P rirzsrock

an d k ill Ro cheteau ..

Th e w izard 's firs t m ove w as to scou t the loca l coun try and find

a safe base fo r him self and h is h ired bodyguard , Knre Schultz.

This is when he gOt Iucky, a fte r a ro sh io n. In a c av e w ell-h id de n

by vegetation they d iscovered num erous hum an and hum anoid

sk ulls , g rim rem nants o f an an cient battle . D ieter a t o nce sen sed

tha t they w ere m agical in som e w ay. A fter experimentation, Dieterlearned tha t they cou ld . be con tro lled , to som e ex tent at least.

Since then he has been un leash ing them to a ttack m e village of

P rirzstock , they are a p erfec t w ay o f terrifYin g m e villagers an d

forcing them to abandon the p lace. W hat D ie ter doesn't k now is

tha t m e magica l qu alities of m e. skulls are d ue to trace elem en ts

of warpstcne present in th e c av e. W ha t neither Dierer nor th e

residen ts o f m e v iU age k now is mat m ere is already a group of

adven tu rers investiga ting the d istu rbance-a group tha t is lik ely to

m ink tha t the PCs are in league w ith the W izard!

Th e rem ain der o f m e ad ven tu re is se t o ut as f ol low s. A f te r s et ti ng

the in itial scen e as th e P Gs arrive in m e v illa ge , there is a section on

NPCs in Pr ir zs tc ck : wh a t they do, w ho they are , w hat they know

and suggestions on how they will resp on d to v ariou s P C actio ns

an d c on ve rsa tio n. T his. is fo llo we d b y descriptions o f D ie te r, K urt,

an d th eir cav e; d etails o f th e o th er ad ven tu rers' cam p are alsog iv en ,

An im po rtan t asp ect to th e ad ven tu re co ncerns tim e: D ie ter will

e ff ec dv e ly w i n if th e g rape h arvest is p rev en ced .Th e atm osp here in

m e v illag e w ill b eco me in creasin gly d espera te as m e d ays pass .

ARRIVING IN PRrrZ STOCK

Th e rought rack from G ruben treich em erges from the forest co

reveal asmall v alle y, in re nsiv ely cu lziv ate d w ith ac re u po n a cre

of hea lthy-look ing v ines. If the party is trave lling w ith H ans

K rug they w ill hear a grum of surp rise . If they enqu ire fu rther

m e farm er w ill stare his curiosity tha t nobody is w ork in g th e

6



The Grapes of Wrath

_ ..._ - --. _ t"L,'_..J2 p _ 1 .l , _ Y _ _ J ' f l . . . . . - _ a p . . . _ _ _ _ _ .,., " '_ .-:::- --" -:.::-_ 0. . . . "..;...-/ ' - . . . . . _ . . . . . . " ' " " "

'i-' •..;." ............../'' 1- <, "

/,/ ,6'- ",\

/- Ar x -,I ; r.;q . '® - \ ' \ . . .

/ ,~'W .. . . . . . . . . . ._

I { - < ........

I .... 1 0 , '

I ~ \ \

( f ® \\w

II .~ I ,1 1! III\\

\

Yonb

Key Household

Aschaffenbc:rg

2 Baldur ich

3 " Bleurer

4" Flciss

j Gudetain6" Kallman

7" Klop

8" Rueter

9 Rocleteau

10 Semmdwciss

IJ Surhardt1:2· Uderlast

w Well Location

- --

- ' Q a . . . <,

-" In dic a res a ten an t farm er o f Ro cb etea u

N um bers ra , rb, 2, 3 and 4

on Map 3 3 . a re de ta il ed in th e

m a in te xt.

~(QW

~~m~~~~4}

Areas A , B , C , D and E onMap 4 a re a ll d e ta il ed in th em a in te xt.

7



The G r a p e s o f W r ath

v in eyards, The GM shou ld assum e thac the PCS arriv e on D ay 0;

e ve nts a re t im e d. a cc ord in gly .

A rriv in g in th e v illag e p ro per (acro ss a w ell-m ain ta in ed b ut ra th er

inadequate d itch ), the PC S w ill be struck by bo th its p ro speriry

and qu ie tness . P rirzstock 's loca tion served to pro tect it f rom the

S torm of C hao s. L ife la rgely con tinued as norm al here w hile

thousands d ied in nearby M iddenheim . The v illage has seen a. few

arm y p atro ls and had som e foo d requ isitioned , bu t has rem ain ed

largely un to uched . Furtherm ore , a coup le o f houses have crude

p lank s nailed across the w indow s, and large sprays offlow ers on

th e f ro nt d oo rs . A s uc ce ssf ul C ha lle ng in g (-10%) Commcn

K now ledge (the Em pire) Sk ill Test w ill reveal they are "nanny 's

fin gers" g en era lly co nsid ered to w ard o ff ev ilsp irics. T he d oo rs o f

th ese h ou ses are a lso in scrib ed w ith m ean in gless sym bo ls; b ut it

re qu ir es a s uc ce ss fu l S ec re t Signs (R an ger) Sk ill T est to apprec ia te

tha t they a re i nd ee d m e an in gle ss .

Trsvelling further w ith K ru g o r g en era l in vestig atio n w ill rev ea l

th at a ll th e v i:l1 a ge rs a r e artendinga m eeting ou tside the house of

H enri-Ph illippe , The scene is qu ite con fusing . w ith m any peop le

speak ing and shou ting at on ce . Th ing s w ill qu ie t dow n w hen

stran gers are sp otted , an d at th is stag e th e v illag ers will be w ary ofn ew co me rs a nd a ct a cc ord in gly .

T ak in g a dv an ta ge o f th e lu ll, H en ri-P hllip pe will speak . "Look,

there's 110point a r g u i n g 1II.I#l wive a ll c alm ed d ow n a nd call d t s c l < S S

r h i ' l g s ra tional ly . A f ld there 'sno sense blaming people to ishoutea ta« . n

A t th is th ere is a g en era l m urm ur o f d issen t, b ur H en ri-P hillip pe

continues. "Eueryon« g o home an d w e'll m eet again ill a coup lco ]

h o u r s . "Th is is m et w ith broad approv al and the v illagers beg in to

d isperse . If the PC s arrived w ith K rug . m e farm er and assistan ts

w ill d rop them off and con tinu e on the ir w ay (bu t no t befo re

v isiting th e local sto re to f ind OU t what's go ing on).

O nc e th e m ee tin g is c on clu de d, H en ri-P hillip pe will b e f re e to

g reet the parcy , and reference sho uld b e m ade to h is descrip tion in .th e N PC lis tin g.

R E C E N T EVENTS

A little over a m on th . ago a ch ild , See! B aldurlch , cam e runn ing

in to the v illage hav ing seen "a ghost» in the w oods (see Sight ing

I on M ap 3a, and Sed 's en try in the N PC llsung). See l is w eL l

k now n in the v illage fo r h is vario us ta ll ta les and th is one w as

p ut do wn to im ag in atio n. H ow ev er, a few w eek s la ter, Iso ld e

G ud erian w as O Ut c ollectin g fru it w hen sh e n oticed a sk ull s li:tin g

on a branch . The sku ll d id no t move bu t w hen she re tu rned w ith

a coup le o f m ilitiam en the sku ll had gone ( s e e S ig htin g, 2). T he

v illagers d id n ot tak e her seriously . H ow ever, th ree days ago tw ofarro w ork ers , Sig isrn un d H alsb re t an d Knud G ro pen fro rte ur, b oth

claim ed to have seen a "g low ingsku ll" floa tin g in the w oods w hile

o u t w o rk in g ( s e e Sig hting 3). 'Th is w as tak en seriously , bu t a full-

sca le search b y th e m ilitia fa iled to rev eal an y clu es.

F ina lly , on the m orn ing of the po ,' a rriva l, E rietta Surbard r w as

attack ed , aga in w hile w ork ing th e v ines. Three o ther w orkers heard

her scream and rushed over to w here , E ri e rra w as Ia sr s ee n . T he y

d iscovered her unconscious and b leed ing , bu t w orse still, a sku ll

w as resting on her body (see Sig htin g 4 ).. T he sk ull ro ok eo th e a ir ,

b ut in ste ad o f a tta ck in g H e w o ff in to th e fo rest. E rie rta w as carried

b ack and now lies in m e Rocheteau house , a ttended by E lisaber,

An a lrea dy frig hte ned v illa ge h ad . g ath ere d to " do s om eth in g"when it w as no ted tha t Sig ism und H alsb rer (one of m e w itnesses

i n S I gh t in g 3), w as m issin g, A search oEche v illage has fa iled to

find h im an d th is h as u nn erv ed th e V illag ers fu rth er. (A ctu ally ,

a v ery s ca re d S ig ism u _n d lef t secre tly befo re daw n. H e had no

re la tives in m e village and decided to pack h is bags and run .) W ith

the grape harvest due to beg in in 2 d ays tim e, th e v illag ers are

n ow w orried ab ou t th eir liv elih oo d: they are frigh tened to go in to

the f ie lds, and m igran t w ork ers are sure to hear o f even ts and stay

away .

AU the above is common know ledge , bur the po , are likely ro

o bta in a m ore co heren t v ersio n fro m H en ri-P hlllp pe, Sp ecu la tio n

in the v illage is rife and it w ill be recalled how a young w ine

m erchan t d isappeared a few years ago . In add ition , there are

v ario us ru mo urs /e xp la na tio ns o f re ce nre ve nrs :

The graves ofdead w arrio rs f rom an ancien t ba ttle have

b een d is tu rb ed b y clearin g th e fo rest. Lo cal. tu mo ur, b ased

on tru th , has it tha t a Chaos hoard from the D rakw ald

Forest w as sla in over to the sou thw est. Perhaps som e w ere

ab o sla in n ear P ri t zs to ck ?

The sku lls have been sen t a s a pun ishm ent from the gods

fo r no t m ak ing proper sacrifice in respec t o f the recen t

e x c el le n t h a rv e st s,

Henr i -Phi l l ippe is som ehow invo lved in order to buy land

cheap w hen aU th e v illagers have left o r been k illed .. Who

e lse h as th e c ap ita l to b uy la nd ?

The last Tum ou r is the b lack est and w ill on ly be spok en if th ings

are g ettin g v ery b ad (an d H en ri-P hillip pe isn 't a ro un d).

The v illagers are a lso angry tha t the m ilitia has no t don e anyth ing

to stop the sku lls and th is has crea ted som e bad fee ling betw een

peop le. JU St w hat the m ilitia (fou r Farm ers and a w arrio r) are

supposed to do nobody say s, bu t tha t doesn 't sto p them from

compla ining,

TH E INHABITANTS

N ote : M any of the v illag ers have the s k il l T ra d e (Viatner).

'Th is is s im ilar to the Trade (B rew ing) sk ill, bu t app lies on ly to

w i ne s, i nc lu d in g knowledgeof v ine g .ow ing and o ther aspectS of

w inemak ing .

H E N R I . .P H n . r . r P P E R O C H E T E A U

H enri-P hlllppe is a la rge , Stou tly bu ilt 42-year-o ld m an , w ith an

o live com plex ion and shou lder-leng th b lack hair . A decade of good

liv ing has m ade h im sligh tly overw eigh t bu t he still en joys robust

hea l th.

O rig in ally a w in e.m erch an r fro m B reto n, H en ri-P hllllp pe v is ited

the area on business and recogn ised the excellen t po ten tia l o f so il

and clim ate fo r cu ltiva ting a B rero nn ian grape . W ith borrow ed

m oney H enri-Ph ilippe purchased a substan tia l am ou nt o f land

from the locals (ar a fa ir p rice) and se ttled In th e area 1 4 years ago .

Th ese lo ca ls n ow w ork th e land as tenan t farm ers. The new vine

soo n go t estab lished and , hav ing p aid off the in itia l loan , H en ri-

P h illi pp e h as en jo yed i ncreasi o g p ro E ts e ve r s in c eo

H e m arried E lisab er, a lo ca l g irl, tWO y ea r~ a fte r a rr iv in g, b ein g

attrac ted by her good look s and innocen t na tu re . H ow ever, since

learn ing of the affa ir w ith S tefan M aranaeur he has been very b itte r

rew ards her, and now trea ts her as a .servan t rather than a w ife . H ealso b lam es E llsab er fo r n or b earin g an y ch ild ren , a facr n oticed

8



The G rapes of W rath

by the rest of the village, who believe this to be the reason for me

marriage's failure.

Henri-Phlllippe is very much [he typical Breronnian, given to

exuberance and "theatrical" displays of emotion. He has a lor to

lose if the harvest does not go ahead on time and will welcome the

PCs as potential rescuers. He will therefore offer 750 g c if the party

deals with the skulls before the harvest begins. For each harvest

day lost the money on offer will fall by 1 00 gc. He believes thar the

skulls have indeed come from some disturbed battlefield; perhaps

all that's needed is co seal up some tomb en trance to stop the skulls

getting our. During their period of hire PCs may sleep in the

fermenting shed and will receive free food and drink.

If you are using this scenario as part of a campaign you may wish

to have Rochereau offering a percentage profit from the harvest

as payment. A good harvest will ner Henri-Phllllppe 5,000 gc in

one year's time, rising by 1000 gc for each extra year the wine is

matured, (fuJl maturity being reached in five years). Rocheteau will

open negotiation at 15% bur may be bargained to 20%. The parry

must state how many years they wish to wair and individuals must

return at the appropriate harvest-time to collect their share of the

agreed sum. For each harvest day lost, Rocheteaus profit falls by

10%.

The C ella r

Rochereaus house is nor mapped, but searching the cellar wUI

reveal fairly recent brickwork behind one of the large wine barrels

(there is only l' of space be tween wall and barrel).

If asked about this, Rochereau (who may be wondering whar

people were doing rooting in the cellar since the only entrance

is via the kitchen) will state that the alcove was sealed [0combat

damp. Dwarfs or those who make a successful Trade (Mining)

SkUI Test will notice that the brickwork is less than 5 years old

and that there is no sign of damp anywhere in the cellar (which,

Rcchereau will note, is proof that it was a sound idea).

Getting into the sealed alcove is difficuJt. Lack of space prevents

me use of a sledgehammer. If me wall is eo be knocked down then

the large (heavy) wine barrel must first be moved or smashed. If

access to the alcove is gained, a desiccated body can be seen, one

hand chained to the wall. A wine barrel and ladle are next [0me

body. [f me body is searched a letter ca n be found. Part of the

letter has been eaten by mould; the remaining text is as follows:

H ow J\luch I hav e m i s s e d yo How much longer

c a n we keep u p th e p r e t e n c e ? One da y w e will st Ue ly b e

u n c o v e r e d . 1 h ardl y: d ar e s e e you w hen you visit fo rf ea r t ha t the: look inmy eyes w i l l . r e v e a l t il e l ov e in.myheart . Can you not s e e . t he -way I t remb le when ou r h a n d s

meet in greeting, do m y eyes not fo llow you. when~

The letter, naturally enough, is from Elisaber Rocheteau.

Re action to E ven ts

If. during the course of the adventure, Henri-Phillippe comes face

to-face with Dieter Maranaeur, he will tum pale, as if seeing a

ghost. He had no idea that his victim had a [win and will assume

Stefan somehow managed to escape. 'The GM may wish to have

Heari-Phillppe break down and confess at this polnr, perhaps

running lnro the cellar in temporary madness to check on th e

"cell." Alternatively, Henri-Philippe mighr be overcome with anger

mat his enemy still lives and attack Dieter immediately, saying

somerhing like, "Y ind [ don 't know how yO /~ did it bu t you're TlO &

goi ng t o e s c a p e d£ath It s econd time . "

However, if confronted with the evidence oEhis crime (i.e., a body in

me cellar) Rochereau will anempt [0bluff, bribe, or fight his way our.

Henr i - Philippe Roc he te au , M a yo r o f P ritzs to ck

Careen Merchant (ex-Tradesman)

Race: Human

Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (Brerounia, the Empire),

Drive, Evaluate + 10%, Gossip, Haggle +10%, ReadlWtit.e,

Secrer Language (Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Breton,

Reikspiel), Trade (Merchant +10%, Vincner)

Talents: Dealmaker , Savvy, Super Numerate

Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)

Annour Poin.rs: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs °Weapons: Dagger, Hand Weapon (Sword; usual ly kepr at home)

Trappings: Purse with l O g e

9



The

EUSABET ROCHETEAU

E lis ab er is 33 years o ld and of slender build , w ith p la ited

b londe hair and deep b lue eyes. She is a qu ie t countrywornan

w ho says little w hen h er h usb an d is around . H er paren ts, now

d ead , p ersu ad ed h er to marry Rochereau, and for a . while the

m arriage w orked , desp ite the face she w as a lw ays overaw ed by

Herin-Philippe's ex trav ag an t p erso nality . O ver th e last few yearsth ou gh , h er h usb an d has b ec om e i nc re as in g ly domineering, Nor

surprising ly , she has becom e unhappy as a r e su l t, I n p art, s he

b lam es herse lf fo r no t bearing any ch ild ren and tries to m ake up

for it by behav ing as a du tifu l w ife .

Th e d isapp earan ce o f Stefan affec ted h er d eep ly , h er g rie f m ad e

w orse b y h av in g to be kep t h idden . She still remembers their affair

and often daydream s tha t her lover w ill re tu rn one day and m ake

her happy again . She still keeps the few lette rs tha t he secre tly gave

her hidden in a hatbox in th e bedroom .

Reac tio n to E ven ts

E lisabet knew thar Stefan had a tw in bro ther, bur her reac tion

on seeing Dieter will be tha t her w ish has com e true . She stU l h as

e no ug h s pirit to try and k ill H enri-Ph ilippe if she learns the tru th

abou t Stefan 's death . Otherw ise shew ill do her u tm ost to get h im

e xe cu te d f or m u rd er,

E lis ab et R oc he te au , S pu rn ed W if e

C are er . S erv an t

Race: Human

Skll1s: B lather, C om mon Know ledge (the Em pire), D odge B low ,

E valu ate , G oss ip , P erce ptio n, R ea dfW rite , S ea rc h, S pea k

(R eik sp ie l), T ra de (C o ok )

T ale nts: A cu te H earin g, E tiqu ette, E xc elle nt V is io n, L ig htn in g

Re f lexe s , S r rong-m lnded

A rm our: N one

A rm our Po in ts: H ead 0, A rm s 0, B ody 0, legs 0

W eap on s: D ag ger

Trapp ings: Purse w ith 2 gc , l5 s, l3 P

PA RZIV A L TRISTA N A scH AfFEN BERG

A sch affenb erg is a g oo d-Io ok jn g 22-year-o ld m ale : 6 ' 2" tall, blue

eyes and pearly w hite tee th . Parzival is the son of an A J td orf n ob le

(lead ing to the false v illage op in ion tha t he is a bastard son of the

E mp ero r), an d is half w ay th rough a tw o-year sray w ith the m illtia

here (o f w hich he is in charge).

Pa r ziva l r e a ll y wants to b e a k nig ht b ut h is fu th er, a frien d o f

R o ch et ea u , i ns is te d h e g e t s om e e x pe ri en ce o f" ad v en ru ri ngn

6..rstand

s en t h im (Q P rir zs ro ck to o rg an is e th e m ilitia . H is f ath er b elie ve s th is

w ould be an e a s y int roduct ion to a dv en tu rin g. P ar ziv al h as s pe nt m u ch

o fh is tim e tra in in g th e m ilitia (a ll 4 m em bers) in a d va nc ed m a rc he san d d rills . T he re st o f th e tim e h as b een sp ear co urtin g th e local beauty ,

of Wrath

I so ld e G u de ria n. A t a ll tim e s Parzlval d is pla ys th e c la ss ic s ym p tom s o f

the noble born : he is rich, v ai n, a rr og a nt , a n d t ed io u sl y c h au v in is ti c.

Paraival v ie ws th e s ku ll attacks as a g i.ft f rom the gods, allowing

h im ro show his w orth a t lasr. U nfortunate ly , the sku lls have no t

played fair and he has no t even seen one, Jet alone fought one . H e

is m ore concerned w ith gain ing g lo ry and w ill therefo re greer any

plan to go sku ll bash ing w ith en thusiasm , H ow ever, as he is w ell

aw are th at th e m ilitia is being b lam ed for nor do ing enough , hew ill c o-o pe ra te w ith any p la n th ar lo ok s lik e it w ill y ie ld re su lts

(p rov id ing he has a h igh-pro file part in it). D esp ite h is annoying

personality , the PC s w ould do w ell to get h im on the ir s ide .

Th e miliria under h is com mand consis ts o f Josef Bleuier, Manfred

F leiss , H an s-F rie dric h K illm an , a nd G un re r S em m elw eiss .

P arziv al T ris ta n A sc ha ff en be rg , M i litia L ea de r

C are er : S erg ea nt (e x- Sq uire )

Race: Human

Skills: A cad em ic K no wled ge (G en ealo gy /H era ld ry), A nim al C are ,

A nim al. Train ing , C harm , C om mand , C om mon K now ledge

(th e E rn pire l, D od ge B lo w, G ossip , Rid e, Sp eak (R elk sp eil

+10%)

T ale nts: E tiqu ette , S pec ia list W eap on G IO Up (C av alry), S trik e

M ig hty B lo w, V ery Resilient, w . 1 .r ri or B o rn

Armour: Medium A rm our (H elm et, M ail Coar, Fu ll l ea th e r

Armour )

Armour P oin ts: H ead 3, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 3

W eapons: H and W eapon (Sw ord) and Shield

T ra pp in gs: N ob le 's garb, jew ellery w orth 4 0 gc , Hgh r wa r ho r se

(Friedrich)

IsOLDE GUDERIAN

Isolde is a rav ish ing] y beau tifu l 20 year o ld w i th b la ck h ai r, g re en

eyes, and a perfectly proportioned 6gure . She is w ell aw are of the

effect her p resence has on the m en-fo lk but b ides th is know ledge

under an air o f innocence. She open ly w ears a sm all g old b ro och

that w as a g ift f rom Paraival,

A ny hum an or e lven m ale adven tu rer w ith a Fellow sh ip of 40%+

w ill ger her serious in terest since she is seek ing a husband ro tak e

her aw ay from P ritzsro ck , b ur sh e w ill H irt w ith m ale ad ventu rers

in g en eral. Sh e d oes this in pan to see th e reac tio n o fP arzi v al , h er

cu rrent "b oyfrien d." H e ha s lon g b oasted of h is m artia l p ro wess,

and she w ould like to pur ir to the test.

P ar h is p art, P arziv al w ill c ha llen ge to a duel any m ale getting

to o frien dly w ith his w om an . U nless tau nted , P arziv al w ill n ot

engage ina duel to the death . Th ings cou ld get very bad for the

adventurers if Parzival is k illed in such a m anner; Rochereau w ill

d isp atch n ew s to A ltdorf a t once and the GM should foUow th is

up as he th ink s f it. In any case , Iso lde w ill p ra ise Parzival if h e w in s

(an d d isco ntin ue H irtin g), an d comforthim if h e lo ses. A fter all, h em ight be an arrogan t bore, bu t he is a nob le.

10



The G rap es of Wrath

Isolde's encounter with a skull is Sighting 2 on Map 3a. Her only

other information is that it appeared to be the skull of an animal,

perhaps a badger or somerhlng similar (in face, ISolde saw a Skaven

skull). She is nor sure, but if asked, she will sa y mat the eyes of

the skull were glowing dimly. If taken back [Q the area she will be

unable to locate the specific tree. Searching the area will not reveal

anything of inreresr.]

Iso ld e G ud erian , L ocal B ea uty

Career: Peasanr

Race. Human

Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire), Concealment,

Drive, Gossip, Outdoor Survival, Performer (Dancer), Row,

Silent Move, Speak. (Relkspiel), Swim, Trade (Cook)

Talents: Ambidextrous, Flee!, Rover. Savvy

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0. Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Dagger

Trappings: Jewellery worth 100 ge , pU[se with 6 gc , II s, 27 P

WUDER L E c H A R . T

Wuder appears as a grubby, drunken village idiot. In we bese

tradi tion of village idiots , he sits on fences sucking st raws and winking

knowingly at passers by. 'The young Wuder arrived in Prirzsrock as a

migrant worker 10 years ago, and stayed when the harvest wa s over.

He began ro actstrangeJy.3 years later and is now completely insane.

Luckily, the vi llagers rook pi ty on him and f e e d him scraps.

Wuder wanders freely around the whole area of Pritssrock,

roaming deep into the forest when the mood takes him. He will

talk to anyone who gives him food, and loyally follow anyone who

gives him something shiny (like a silver shilling). Wuder's speech is

almost incomprehensible. For a start he no longer has any ceerh, he

is ofren drunk and/or delirious, but more imponandy; he speaks a

mixture of Reiksplel and Dark Tongue! PCS who know me Dark

Tongue language will recognise it on a successful Perception Skill

Test; a successful test by other PCs will simply reveal that Wuder is

speaki ng a mixture of several languages.

As a young man Wuderwas interested in rhe rumours concerning

a battle site in the area. He spent hours searching the forest and by

chance came across the cave containing the warpstone (and skulls).

\Vuder began to dig where the skulls lay, hoping to find some

treasure, All he found was a bit of rock and would have dug deeper

had nor one of the skulls moved! He fled clutching the rock, which

was kept as a lucky charm. He now uses it in place of his teeth to

help chew tough bits of food.

w.'lrpsmne does not make for a lucky charm aodWuder's brain

began [0suffer as a result. He lost many of his skills, while at

the same his speech began to include elements of Dark Tongue.

However, Wuder's body benefited from the Chaos source, getting

increasingly tough and resilient as me years have passed. With his

brain corrupted, Wuder is immune to the effects of Bear and no

longer feels any pain. All these attributes will be lost permanently

IfWlIder iseparated from his bit of warpstone for more than a

day; becoming in all respects a normal idiot. He cannot be cured

of hi s insanity by any standard means.

IfWuder loses his "lucky charm" (and he won't give it to anyone

without a struggle), he will get very upset. Soon afterwards he will

set off back to the cave to obtain another piece. Being so attuned

to Chaos, he will have no trouble locating it; curious PCs may

learn something to (heir advantage. However, if he does get a new

piece of warps tone, he will change in new and different ways.

Wuder Lecbart, Village Id io t

Races Human

SkUIs- Blather, Consume Alcohol, Silent Move, Speak (Dark

Tongue, Reikspiel)

Talents: Fearless, Night Vision, Resistance to Disease. Resistance

to Poison, Sixth Sense

Armour: None

Annour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs aWeapons: NOlle

Insanities: The Glorious CorruptionTrappings: Bottle of alcohol. bowl, piece of warps tone, rags

II



The

Note: Wuder will permanently lose 8 WOUJ1ds and me following

skil ls and talents if separated from his "Lucky Charm"

for more man 24 hours: Fearless, Resistance to Disease,

Resistance to Poison, and Speak Language (Dark Tongue).

OrHER VILLAGERSMap 3 lists a l l me households in Prirzsrock, and any villagers nor

listed above have the following typical profile:

Typ ic al V illa ge r

Career: Peasant

Race: Human

Skills: Animal Care, Animal Training, Charm Animal, Common

Knowledge (the Empire), Concealrnent, Drive, Gamble,

GOSSip, Set Trap, Scale Sheer Surface, Speak (Reikspiel),

Trade (Vintner)

Talents: Fleel, Hardy, Resistance to Disease, Very Resilient

Armour: None

Annour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Dagger

Trappings: Pouch with l d l O s, 2dlO P

Typ ic al M i lit iamen

Career: Militiaman

Race: Human

Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (the Empire),

Dodge Blow, Drive, Gamble, Gossip, Ourdoor Survival,

Perception, Search, Speak (Relksplel), Trade (Vintner)

Talents: Ambidextrous, Nighr Vision, Specialist Weapon Group

(Two-handed). Strike Mighty Blow

Armour: Light Armour (Leamer Jerkin)

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0

Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club) and Shield

Trappin.gs: Uniform, pouch with IdlO s, 2dlOp

Details on some of these Villagers are given below:

Sed Baldurich

See! is a quite obnoxious, snotty-nosed young boy. He was playing

in the woods when he saw a skull at Location La on me Sightings

map, and ran back frightened. However, having been warned "time

of Wrath

and time again" not to play so far from the village, he lied about irs

position, claiming that he saw it at Location lb.

Under close questioning, the pes may make a Cha1lenging

(-10%) Perception Skill Test to realize that See! may not be

telling them the entire truth. Ifchallenged, See! will admit to the

deception. If See! takes me party to Area Ib more than once, pes

should be allowed a Navigate Skill Test to notice mat the location

is different (See! is only seven).

See! saw a skull beading away from him, that is all. However,

his imagination has elaborated this quite a bit, "breathing fire,"

"howling," "covered in horns and spikes," and so on. Since the

young lad half believes this by now, let the PCS determine the

rru rh of the matter.

Nor long after his encounter, Sed wrote a letter to his uncle Otto

Baldurich, a journeyman wizard of the Light Order studying In

nearby Middenheim, Seel described the skull to his uncle in me

same exaggerated language he uses with the adventurers and begged

Otto [0"help save rhe town." As he never received a response, Seel

promptly forgot about the marten He has no idea that his uncle

Otto--who bas a soft spot for his nephew and was already seeking

to strike OUt on his own-took the letter quite seriously and is now

encamped with his compatriots in me woods outside town.

S ig ismund Ha ls br et

One of me witnesses to Sighting 3, Sigismund has since decided

to pack up and go. He worked at the Reuter household and

inspection of his room (a corner of the hayloft), will. reveal that

all his clothes and few belongings have also gone. His employers

considered him a lazy worker and are not roo distressed about his

disappearance.

KNun GROPENFROTTEUR

Knud is the ocher witness to Sighting 3, He works for the

Kallman farm and is somewhat stupid, needing co be prompted

often in order to reveal me little he knows. He and Halsbrer were

our working when they sported a skull heading towards them.

Sigismund started running bur Knud waited to hir it with his pet

shovel, "Clod," For whatever reason, the skull turned and flew

back into [he trees, Knudcarries his shovel everywhere and even

rakes it to bed.

Er ie tt a Su rha rd t

1 1 1 i s young woman currently ties unconscious in the Rochereau

house, tended by her mother and Elisaber Rocheteau, She will

recover consciousness in about 2 days but will still be weak fromblood loss. A successful H e al S kill Test will result in her regaining

consciousness a half-hour later and will also reveal that she was

bitten twice. Note that neither her mother nor Elisabet will allow

any grubby lirrleadvenrurer to grope Erierta's body and must be

convinced either of the individual's medical training, or the need

[0discover information about the arrack.

Erierra was attacked by surprise and her only recollection is a

"gleaming white face with red eyes~ (Sighting 4 on Map 3a).

More information can be gained from her "rescuers," Wru1cla and

Hilda Klop, and Imogen Uderlasr. They heard a scream and ran

over to help, but on seeing a skull on Erierta they immediately ran

back. Their courage returned when they saw the skull Hying off

into the forest.

12



The G rap es o f Wrath

N ote : W anda and H ilda are tw ins andconrlnually repea t what th e

other has ju st s aid and/or confirm the tru th of the sam e srarernent.

L u do vic and M a thilda R eu ter

This snobb ish coup le runs the only store in th e V illa ge . I te ms

com monly needed by farm ing fo lk are stocked at norm al prices

a nd , s in ce rJle v il la ge i s quire p ro sp ero us, they also sro ck so me

fancy goods as well, T hes e are in va riab ly u se les s; fo ld in g ca rdtables, toast rack s, garden gnom es, and so on . These item s are so ld

at 25% more than th e n orm al p rice .

M ath ilda is the v illage gossip and know s m any "tru ths» abour

p eop le in and aro un d P rirzsto ck :

H en ri-P hilip pe h as a m istress in A ltd orf an d M id den heim .

(F alse : h e o nly h as a m istres s in Middenheim.)

A sc haf fen be .rg h as b ee n d is ow ned f or a n " in dis cre tio n."

(False : b ut h e d id g et a serv an t g irl p reg nant.)

K nud C ropenfro rreur is w anted for murder in

Middenheim. (False : K nud h as n ev er b een [0

Middenheim.)

El i sabe r Rochereau B au lH s lo vers b ef ore h er h usb an d.

(False.)

•

G unter Sernm elw eiss spends a lor o f tim e in the p ig -shed .

(True: he 's a m iser and hoards m oney in the pig -pen .)

Iso ld e G ud erian g Ot h er g old b ro och b y "b ein g n ice." (False.)

A nd so on ...

M ath ilda has no tim e for legends, m yths, and the lik e. ]f ask ed

abou t Stefan M aranaeur (un lik ely ), she w ill recall h im as a good-

look ing w ine m erchan t from A Irdorf, "... an d they do say he had

a woman in every place be did busi ness. " If stuck for a true b it o f

g ossip M ath ild a w ill in variab ly m ak e som eth in g u p (o f a typ ically

u .n s avou ry n a tu r e) ,

Ih e p es h av e b eh aved in te llig en cly th ey sh ou ld fin d them selv es

hired [Q deal with the prob lem of the skulls soon af ter reaching

t he v il la ge . 1111: PC s have "YO d ay s af ter a rriv in g b efo re th e sta rt

o f [he harvest is due, and un til this tim e the villagers have no rea l

need to ventu re beyond rhe boundary . If the sku ll p rob lem still

rem ains. villag ers w ill n or w ork the v in eyard s u nless g uard ed b y

a person al esco rc th eir liv elih oo d m ay su ffer burit's b ette r th an

b ein g k illed . E ven if th e P C S are w illing and ab le to guard the

v illa ge rs it w ill h av e little e ff ec t a s fa r a s th e h arv est is co nc ern ed ,

since w ithour rn ig ranr w orkers (scared olfby rum ours and the

sku lls w est and east), the am ount of grapes harvested w ill be

negl igible .

Th e m ilitia, led b y P arziva l, is a t m e P CS' disp osa l. H ow ev er,

u nlik e th eir le ad er , they b arb ou r n o d esire to g o sk ulL -h un tin g.

Parzival w ill therefore instruct them to m ain ta in a w atch along the

villag e b ou ndary . P arziv al w ill b e a ll ro o eag er to eng ag e th e sk ulk

Th e ad ventu rers w ill p ro bab ly fo rm th ree o bjectiv es: g ainin g

in fo rm atio n a bo ut a ttac ks (d ea lt w ith p rev io usly ). rryin g [Q

c ap tu re a sk ull, a nd a tte mp tin g to lo ca te w here th ey are co ming

fro m. Th e last tW O are d ealt w ith b elo w.

CAPTUR ING A S K U L LThis is no t an easy task . The in itia l p rob lem is th at th ere is sim ply

no th ing to cap tu re . Over m e last m on th or so , o nly fo ur sig hn ng sh av e OC CU tl·OOp lu s th e on e w hich w reck ed the co ach). L ike ir o r

no t, the PC S w ill have [0w ait for a sku ll to come to th em . B e atin g

the u nderg ro wth aro und P rirzsro ck is u nlik ely to h av e a ny e ff ec t.

U nknow n to the PC s, the skulls are fo llow ing a tim etable laid

dow n by D ie ter . M ost o f the last m onths ' sigh rings have been m e

res ults o f D iete r's ex perim en ts in c on tro l; m ov in g, h id in g. w atc hin g,

f ollo win g, a nd atrac kin g, T he a tta ck o n E rie rta m ark ed rh e end of

D ie ter's ex pe rim en rs , A fte r th e atta ck , D iete r h ad th e s ku ll re tu rn

to inspect it fo r dam age. H av ing done th is D ieter sen t sku lls [0rake

up positions north , w est, and east o f the v illage. These w ill be in

po sitio n by ap pro xim ate ly 3:00 p m in th e afterno on fo llo win g th e

attack o n E rierta (i.e., the d ay th e P CS arriv e), an d are d iscussed in

the T im etab le o f E ven ts. Sig htin gs o f fu rth er sk ulls w ill d ep end o nD ie ter's tim etab le an d an y activ iry on th e p arr o f the P CS.

A ssum ing the parry has a sku ll in sigh t then it c an b e ca ptu red

J US t L ik e a ny o th er c re atu re . H ow ev er, if th e s ku ll is f ig htin g, pes

w ill need to use a net or som ethlng sim ilar s ince it is not possib le

to simply grab ho ld of one (jusr as it's not possib le to grab ho ld

o f s orn eo ne's sw ord a rm ). Various sk ills m ay be tried and the GM

should consider each on its m erits. It's not im possib le to cap tu re a

sku ll, bu t neither is it like ca tch in g a b all.

U SIN G A C APT UR ED SKUll.

Sk ulls cann ot b e in rerro gared b ut m ay co me in u sefu l n ev erth eless .

The behav iour o f a cap tu red sku ll depends 01] its s ta te . If a ctiv e

1 3



The Grapes of Wrath

the skull will do whatever Dieter tells it. If passive the skull will

keep on trying to carry Out its last instructions. If the skull is in a

dormant state, the PCs may make use of its orientation ability (say

by using it as a compass or by putting it on a lead), or attempt to

gain control (and perhaps use it (0 follow other skulls). Further

details are provided in the Bestiary. However, the villagers will not

be [00 happy ar the prospect of 11magical skull, no matter how

tame, Bying around the village.

IfWuder Lechhan approaches within 5 yards of 11 dormant skull

it will sense his bit of W11tpstoneand try to move cowards it. 1fit's

able to move, the skull will B y slowly up to Wuder (who will watch

in fascination), and then snuggle up to him like a pet cat, getting

as close to the warpstone as possible.

TRACKING A SKULL

Although the skulls do nor travel fast, they are able to B y , which

makes convennonal use of the Follow'I'rai! skill impossible. Their

ability to fly and small size allows them to lose themselves in the

forest fairly easily. Under no circumstances will.Dieter's lair be

discovered by chance, the area to search is too big and the cave

entrance roo well hidden for that ro happen. Inventive PCs may

work out various plans to follow a skull and the GM must again

judge each on its merit. The skulls have a Flying Movement 8 and

they never tire, so they are difficult to follow for long distances.

Characters running full-tilt in [he forest must make a Challenging

(-10%) AgilltyTest every round to avoid t.tippingover rOOlS,

smashing into low branches, and so on. Characters that fail fall

down and must use the stand action (0 regain their feet. Such

delays COStprecious time and likely allow [he skulls to escape.

TIM E TABL E OF EVENTS

This timetable breaksdown the events of the adventure, from theday the PCs arrive (Day 0) to Day 9, when it' ll be over one way

or another. The timetable is, of course, subject ro change, either

because of PC activity or if the GM wants to increase the pace of the

adventure, Dieter's motivations are of direct relevance to the activity of

[he skulls, and the GM should refer to his description for fuller details.

Day 0(af ternoon)

One skull takes up a vantage position 0 / < 1 mile north of Prlastock

to watch over the village and vineyards. One skull takes up a

position 2 miles west of Pdtzstock by the road, and another 5

miles east of Priezsrock, also by the road. The west and east skulls

are programmed to attack any humanoid they see, but to break

off the attack if the victim Bees.The north skull is programmed tosit and wait, Dieter assumes active conrrol of this skull every 30

minutes in order to gaze upon the area. If villagers are working the

fields, Dieter will keep control and have the skull arrack, IfDieter

can see nothing of interest he will set the skull [{J can tinue waiting.

011 the first occasion Dieter SPOtS adventurers (via a skull) he will

investigate further, but will not arrack unless provoked.

During the night Dieter will assume control of the north skull

every 4 hours and will then !iy i t around the area to spy on

activities in the village.

Days I an d 2

Dieter will keep up the "watch-and-wait" pattern.

Dieter will have the north skull sneak to the village and attack a

lone individual fo r a couple of rounds.

As Day 3, but Dieter will try and arrack an on-duty militiaman.

He will also have the skull attack a second person while the injuredlookout is being attended to.

DayS

At the end of the day Dieter will initiate his first nighr arrack. TIle

skull will go from one house to another, breaking windows and

briefly attacking the occupants, attacking some six houses in total.

Day 6

Under increasing pressure from "Stefan," Dieter will have the

north skull arrack the Rocheleau house, entering via the chimney

if the windows are boarded, or battering a door open if the

chimney is blocked. Elisaber will be ignored, but Rocheteau will.be

attacked and, if possible, killed. You may wish to have this arrack

rake place as Rocheteau and the parcy are discussing what codo

over meal or drink.

If Rocheteau is dead the skulls will restrict their activities to

sropping work in the fields. If he is stiLIalive, then before dawn

Dieter will also have a skull scrape a.message in.the ground outside

his house, "Death to Rochereau," and the events for Days 8 and 9

will rake place.

DayS

Dieter will recallall skulls in preparation for a mass attack, so some

work in the vineyards is possible. However. at dusk he will have

one of the skulls B y over with a message in its mouth, "Hand over

Rocheteau by dawn and you may go in peace." The message will be

delivered to one of the adventurers,

Day 9

At da.wn Dieter wiU have all 4 skulls laying Siege to the village,

If Rochereau is waiting to be handed over (presumably bound

and gagged), the skulls will perform a very messy execution. If

Rocheteau is not so delivered, anything rhar moves will be attacked

and killed but the skulls will concentrate their efforts into findingl

attacking Rocheteau.

The skulls will systematically search each house in tum: One active

skull will attempt to gain entry, while the other 3 watch and wait.

On gaining entry the skulls will attack anyone inside, finishing

their arrack by causing as much damage as possible, including

setting houses alight by knocking over lanterns, etc. Dieter will

keep up rhis siege until al l houses have been searched or Rochereau

iskilled, replacing any skulls that are destroyed in the process.

His final act will be to nave the skulls carry burning torches to the

fields in order to destroy the vineyards aswell.

Once the village has been razed to the ground then Dieter will

consider his revenge complete, irrespective of whether Rocheteau

is still alive. His final.act will be to have a skull inscribe the words

"For Stefan" in the ashes near the Rochereau house.

1 4



The G rapes of Wrath

Map 4 shows the under.ground lair of Dieter Maranaeur and

his mercenary bodyguard. Kurt Schultz. The cave is some

7\1l .miles northeast of Prirzstock (marked A on Map 2). The

entrance is very well hidden and effectively impossible to loeare

by normal searching on a small scale. However. if the party ba san approximate fix on the cave (say \4 mile radius), a line-search

using the whole village will prove successful (if the villagers can be

persuaded).

Even if the pes fail to find the cave entrance they may discover

something unusual, Characters making a Hard (-20%)

Perception Test will spOt carefully concealed bundles of wood

dotted about the forest. Orro Baldurich and his companions

gathered and placed these bundles near the cave in the event

they decide to smoke our Dieter and his bodyguard. The wood is

therefore dry bur contains a lot of green stuff to produce smoke.

Assuming the parry locates the cave and keeps it under

observation, the following facrs will be revealed during the day

(excluding changes due [0play):

3 skulls arrive at about 1:00am and 3 skulls leave shortly

after.

A rough-looking fighter type leaves ar around dawn and

returns dlO-3 hours later. sometimes with some game

(usually rabbit).

In the early evening a wild-looking man emerges, has a

stretch and a few deep breaths, and returns to the cave afrer

taking a short walk. He is followed by a skull which Hits

from tree to tree wherever the man goes. This individual

looks very ragged round the edges, with. marred hair and

greasysmbble.

Of course the parcy must make sure they are not spotted by any of

rh e cave's inhabitants. It is also possible that the parry is spotted by

the Middenheim gang, who have posted a watch some 200 yards

away to the northwest of the cave (only 30 yards away during

the night). Any sigluing will be immediately reported to Otto at

Location B on Map 2 (detai ls of Ono Baldurich and the other

adventurers can be found in the next section).

If Dieter learns of individuals outside he will, if given time, use a

skull ro investigate. He normally has one waiting passively in the

cave while the other three are out. If at any time it looks like he

wiU be attacked me wizard. will terminate control of any skulls

fa r away and begin to assert control of skulls in the cave (but thistakes rime).

Both Dieter and Kurt will realise me cave could become a trap and

will wan t to act quickly, As soon as Dieter has a full complement

of skulls. he will use them to initiate an attack. Once all the skulls

are engaged he and Kurt will emerge and act appropriately. Only

when Dieter is attempting co gain control of a skull (or is in active

control of one) does he need to spend time in concentration.

If subjected to a surprise attack in the cave, the two men will

simply make the best of it. Dieter will again try to assert control

over skulls in me cave rather than wait for skulls already under his

command to return. Dieter is driven by an obsession and willlighr

to the bitter end. Kurt is simply a mercenary and will surrender if

reduced to 2 Wounds or below.

It is possible for the party to deal with the wizard withour resorting

to violence. If they have knowledge about tefan's death and can

persuade Dieter they have dealtwith Rocheteau then a truce might

be arranged. Dieter will want proof, but will be willing to send a

skull ro investigate.

TH E EFFEC TS O F SM O KE

Ir is quire possible for me pcs ro decide on using lire co drive

out those in the cave. Gathering suitable material wilL take about

2 man-hours, and in their search, the bundles already prepared

by the Middenheimers may be spotted as described above. Ifdr y

wood is used then people in the cave will be forced to leave after

about 30 minutes. If "greenwood" is used much more smokewill

be produced. forcing people to leave in 10 minutes. If they stay

beyond these times. the normal rules for suffocation apply.

THE CAVEA R E A A

Two candles provide fainr illumination in me passage leading

into the cave. The passage shows signs of footprints if a successful

FoUow Trail Skill Test is made.

The passage turns at this point, and on the south wall a skull can

be seen resting on a ledge. A candle rests on [he skull and has

covered it with melted wax.

This is a normal skull but has the pell magic alarm cast on it. APerception Test will reveal that me footprints stay dear of the

skull. The spell will activate if a creature.comes within 2 yards,

infor:ming Dieter that intruders are present.

The passage opens up beyond the skull ro reveal a large candle-lie

cave to the right and a cloth screen mead. Unless forewarned,

Dieter and Kurt will have a torch burning in Area Eand the light

from this will appear under the curtain. The party may hear me

men talking or snoring depending on the time of day and how

cautious they have been.

A R E A C

This area is used as a store oEiron rations 311dwater barrels, about

6 man-weeks worm in total. Torches, candles, ere, are also here,

Dieter and Kurt are self-sufficient in food and water, bur Kurt still

goes out hunting fresh gan1e. A small individual could hide behind

the stores but would be automadcally spotted if the stores were

utilised.

A R E A D

About 32 human, beastman, and rarrnan skulls are laid in this area

in a weird pattern. The cave was the site of Chaos activiry but was

abandoned long ago. Depressions can be seen in the sand where

10 other skulls were laid. Some 6 inches below each depression,

buried in the sand. is a small nugget of warpsrone. That is , there

should be. One of me depressions actually shows signs of digging

1 5



and the piece of warpstoue under the skull is missing. removed

byWuder Leeharr aboue a decade ago. Altogether the 42 pieces of

warpsrone weigh about V 2 lb.

Four of the skulls are now under Dieter's control; the other six

are in a heap to the south (the result of failed attempts to gain

control). Obviously these numbers will alter if skulls are destroyed.

If Dieter is trying to gain control of one of rh e remaining skulls, he

will be found in this area.

This area is soaked with magical enecgy, as a Very Easy (+30%)

MagicaJ Sense Skill Test reveals. Casting Rolls made within the

cave receive a.+1 bonus for each l d l 0 rolled.

Behind a sackcloth curtain is the living quarters of Dieter and Kurt. A

torch provides light. The only furnishings are makeshift beds.

Dieter and Kurt spend most of their rime in here. When neither

have anything ro do (which is often) they play draughts. UnderDieter's instructions Kurt is making a simple chess set from odd

bits of wood. Dieter reckons that teaching Kurt chess would help

time pass for another month.

When not OUt hunnng (which he does around dawn), Kurt is busy

whittling. Dieter is often resting but during the day can be found

in a trance-like state as he concentrates on controlling a skull (20%

chance). At night the chance of finding him controlling a skull

drops to 10%.

Dieter will also have a skull in here as extra prorecrio n, The skull is

normally passive so it would take Dieter Iound [0establish active

control. and anomer round [Q give it a new set of insrructions if

desired.

D IE TE R MARANAEUR

Approaching 30 and of medium build, Dieter is beginning to look

fairly mad. He has not washed, combed, or shaved for two weeks,

and hi s only set of clothes ar e creased and dirt-ridden.

Despite his appearance, Dieter is (Initially) reasonably sane, apart

from hi s obsession with ruining Prirzsrock. However, under the

influence of me cave and Stefan's spirit. the bright wizard willbecome increasingly unstable as the days pass. This is reflected in

me behaviour of the skulls----ea.cly on they simply frighten people,

but are later used to arrack and kill,

If captured (and Rochereau is still alive) Dieter will not reveal

much without being tortured. If broughr face-to-face with

Rochereau, Dieter will fall into a mad rage and attempt to kill

him. If Rochereau has already been killed then he will be proud of

his ac t i v i t le s , claiming that it was just retribution for the death of

h is brother.

D ieter an d th e S ku lls

All previous sighnngs were part of Dieter's experiments, The attackon the coach was to see ifDieter could control a skull while he was

away from the cave. As a result of these experiments Dieter knows

most of what is described in me Bestiary. However, he does not

know that a metal barrier will negare control or that a dormant skull

orientates itself with respect to me cave and, having done so, will

attempt to rerum home. Under normal circumstances Dieter would

have probably investigated me source of the skulls' power, but in hi s

presem stare of mind, rational thoughts are not common.

A cimerable of Dieter's use of ehe skulls has already been given.

This reflects h is tw in desires to ruin me village and kllI Rocheceau,

modified by his increasing madness. As described in the Besuary,

Dieter ca n have up to 4 skulls under hi s control. These are

normally deployed as follows:

1: Stays in the cave near Dieter a s a personal bodyguard.

2: FLits around the north of Pritzstock generally waiting for

Dieter to assume active control.

3: WaitS and attacks travellers on the road to Lichlinberg,

4: Wahs andartacksrravellers on rhe road [0Grubentreich.

If any of these are destroyed or negated Dieter may initiate control

of anomer skull in the cave as described in the Bestiary. In

running the skulls me GM should remember chat only one can act

inrell igenrly at anyone time (i.e., me one controlled by Dieter).

Th e others will blindly carry out their last instruction. Dieter is

able to co-ordinate the activities of aU 4 skulls either by directly

controlling each in men, or by having the three passive skulls

follow the act ive skull.

In addition to rhe events tirnetabled, Dieter also recalls the skulls

at about midnight. Since the skulls lose their power if they're away

from the cave for too long, Dieter must replace skulls on dury

wirh fresh ones. The flight from Pritzstock to the cave is 1 hour,

so initially the PC s will have a 2-hour window during which no

skulls are around Prirzsrock.

D ie ter M a ra naeu r, V en gefu l Twin

Careen Master Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard, ex-Journeyman

Wizard)

Race: Human

16



The G rapes o f W rath

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Magic +10%, Runes), Channelling

+ 1 0%, Common Knowledge (the Empire, Kislev, THea),

Gossip +lO%,lntimidare +10%, Magical Sense +10%,

Perception, ReadJWrite + 10%, Ride + 10%, Search, Speak

Arcane Language (Arcane Elf, Magick +20%), Speak

(Classical, K i sl ev ia n, R e ik s pi el , T il ea n)

Talents: Aethyric Artunemenr, Arcane Lore (Fire), Dark Magic,

Fast Hands, Lesser Magic (Magic Alarm. Move, Silence),

Lightning Reflexes, Mighty Missile, Petty Magic (Arcane),

Resistance to Magic, Savvy, Suong-minded

Anoour: None


Weapons: Quarter StaffTrappings: Backpack, grimoire, printed book, writing ki t

KURT ScHuLTZ, SEll-SWORD

Kur t is a typical mercenary, al l brawn an d no brain, who wBI go

where [he money is. His cousin Albrecht is a wizard's apprentice

in Middenheirn, which is how Dieter came to hear of Kurr and

engage his services. Dieter pays Kurt to protect him, find food,

and perform any other needed tasks.

Kurt regards Dieter as a bit of a nutcase. Whilst he knows little

of the wizard's grudge against Prlrzstock, his mercenary ethics

mean he doesn't much care either. He is not willing ro lay down

hi s life for the wizard, and if he and Dieter are trapped in the

cave Kurt won't think twice about fleeing, hoping [0bargain with

any attackers (revealing information about Dieter in return for

being se r free). Kurt wiJl claim thar he doesn't know what the

skulls get up to, being employed to simply guard the wizard, He

will maintain that he had no idea that the skulls were being used

against people.

If asked about the wizard, Kurt will say that he can only control 4

skulls in tota l and of ten spends time in a t rance. Any other information

that doesn't implicate hi m in illegal activities will also be &eely revealed

(Kurt knows he's a wizard of the Bright Order, for ins tance) . Kur t has

no comprehension of th e f iner points of skull control.

IfTorrured, Charmed, or otherwise coerced, Kurt may reveal the

following facts:

The wizard has a grudge against Prirzstock.

He has a bigger grudge against the Mayor.

He's using the skulls to kill th e Mayor,

And ruin the village.

The grudge has something to do with his brother's death.

The wizard's brother used to work in the Village.

Kurt Schultz

<:areer:Mercenary

Race: Human

Skills, Common Knowledge (the Empire, 111ea), Dodge Blow,

Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Perception, Ride, Secret Language

(Battle Tongue), S pe ak (R elk sp ie l, T ile an )

Talents, Disarm, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very Strong,

Warrior Born

Axmonr: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt, Full Leather Armour)

Armour Points, Head I, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 1

Weapons: Crossbow, Shield, and Spear

Trappings: Healing draught, to bolts

A s mentioned earlier, the player characters and Dieter

Maranauer are nor the only outsiders in the Pltzstock area.

The lair of these other adventurers is marked Location B on Map

2. The map can be found on page 5. 'The Middenheirners also

keep a watch on the wizard's cave from a vantage point 200 yards

northwest of Location A during the day, and 30 yards away during

the night.

The lair is simply a well-hidden glade, close to a small spring. A

full search of the area will reveal me glade, bur Simply walking past

wiU nor.

Otro Baldurich and his companions have been in the area for just

over a week. Otto has thus far been unwilling to enter the cave in

force, since he does nor know how powerful the skulls are. This

is not sining particularly well with Gregor, who would prefer ro

charge in immediately, Of course, any activity by the PCs will

force the group's lund,

At anyone time the deployment of [he Middenheimers will be asfollows:

M roO EN H ElM E R D EP LOYMENT

Roll Disposition

4 In the lai r, 1 at the cave-watch

3 in the lair, 1 at the cave-watch, lout hunting

2 in the lair, 2 at the cave-watch, 1 our hunting

1 -4

5-8

9-10

Otto and Gregor will always be found in the glade. During the

night, each of the 6ve will take rums keeping watch,

These adventurers will be quite wary if they're discovered in their

lair and will attack if the PCs do anything "suspicious" (which is

open to the Garnemasrer's interpretation). If the guard on cave

watch is spotted, he (or they) will immediately flee to inform the

others. The distance between the watch-post and lair is about

half a mile, and the guard will cover the ground in about 10

minutes moving at standard rare.

If the main group is alerted to the presence of people near thecave, chey will move up to see what is going on, arriving some



The G rapes of Wrath

30 minutes from when the PCs were first seen by whoever was

watching Dieter's cave. In this case, the players will be seen as

being in league with Dieter and treated accordingly. Otto will

have the others move to spring an ambush, but if it looks like the

PCs and wizard are heading for a fight, he will delay attacking

until one side has won (and presumably been weakened by their

effort). If the P C S are trapped in the cave by the Middenheimers,

you may wish for Otto to propose a deal, For example, if the PC s

leave their weapons behind, they will be allowed to leave the caveunharmed. Otto will only give the parry 5 minutes to decide,

and if the PCs do not agree, he will order the others to begin

smoking them out (See The Effects of Smoke). As mentioned

previously, the Middenheimers have prepared suitable wood

for this very purpose. It will take 2 of them only 15 minutes to

gather it rogerher,

If events lead to combat, the Middenheimers will fight until. Otto

and Gregor are pur down, then the ~est will retreat, Should the

pacry agree to his terms, 0TO will allow rhern to leave. (unless, of

course, you decide that the [roll slayer doesn't support that idea).

None of the five have 3.ny inkling about the warpstone, although

Orro is relatively certain that dark magic is involved. Should it be

uncovered, he will recognize the warpsrone for the evil that it is

and will want to rake it back [0 the city so thar ir can be properly

disposed of.

THE MmDENHEIM B A N DDerails of and statistics for Otto's band of adventurers are listed

below.

OTTo BALDURICH

Many of m e residents of Prinsrock know See! B aldurich as the

obstreperous nuisance thar he is. His uncle Orro, however, has

never made that connection. This may be partially due to the fact

that he has not seen his nephew in some years, although he ha s

had a soft SpOt for m e boy since he was born. So when his nephew

sent him a letter requesting his help, Otro was quick to act.

Technlcally, Otto ha s not yet linished his studies in the Light

Order, bur the Jetter provided the final impetus for him to pursue

what he had already been considering--a life of advenrure. He,

hi s friend Gregor, and three thugs they had hired for the excursion

set out for Prirzsrock to rescue the village from the rather vaguely

worded menace hi s nephew described.

Orro purposely did not go directly to P rirzsro ck in order [0prevent

whoever was threatening the village from learning of their presence

(a sound strategy that bas worked [0perfection). He and the restof his band have been in the woods outside town for a little over

a week, and only discovered the cave where Dieter and Kurt are

holed up two days ago. Understandably, Orro has had to restrain

Gregor from rushing in, a task that is growing more difficult with

each passing hour.

Physically, Orro looks very much like a larger version of his

nephew. They share the same hair and eye colour, and Otto even

wears hi s hair in the same pageboy cur ,

O tto B a ld uric h, C on ce rn ed U n cle

Career: Journeyman Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard)

Race. Human

Skills: Academic Knowledge (History, Magic +10%), Channell ing

+10%, Charm, Common Knowledge (Dwarfs , the Empire,

Norsca), Gossip +10%, Magical Sense + 10%, Perception,

ReadIWrite +10%, Ride, Search, Speak Arcane Language

(Magick +10%), Speak (Classical, Khazalid, Norse, Reikspiel)

Talents: Arcane Lore (the Heavens), Aethyric Ammernenr, Fast

Hands, Lesser Magic (AeehYIie Armour, Dispel), Mighry

Missile, Petry Magic (Arcane), Resistance to Magic, Strong-

minded, Very Resllienr

Armour: None


Weapons: Quarter Sra£f

Trappings: Backpack, grimoire, link of chainmail, primed book,

small silver hammer, writing kit

GREGOR SKELGARD

Gregor had nor planned on becoming friends with Orro=-rhe

first time he met the journeyman wizard he tried to bean the man

with a tankard for daring to interrupt his drinking-buc [he tWO

crossed paths so often that the Dwa rf e ve nt ua ll y let down hi s

defences. Although they have known each other for years since

then, Gregor has never revealed the secret shame that led hi m to

become a gianr slayer ... nor does he intend. [0.

Wben Otto mentioned chat he wanted [0leave Middenheim to

seek adventure. Gregor practically packed his bags for him. The

tentative nature that hi s friend ha displayed thus far, however, has

not been sitting well with the Dwarf. For despite his friendship,

Gregor's shame is still deeply rooted and he longs for the escape

mat death will finally bring him.

Gregor, like most slayers, has shaved a.IJ the hair off hi s head except

for a single stripe down the middle, which is spiked and dyed

right orange. On one side of h is s k ul l is a tattoo of the Hammer of

Sigmar; on the other is the pick of Grungol.

G reg or Sk elg ard , G ian t Slay er

Career: Giant Slayer (ex-Troll Slayer).

Races Dwarf

Skills: Common Knowledge (Dwarfs. the Empire), Consume

Alcohol +10%, Dodge Blow + 10%, J ntirnldate + 10%,

Speak Language (Khazalid, Reikspiel), Trade (Smi rh),

Ta.lents: Disarm, Dwarfcrafr, Fearless, Grudge-born Fury, Hardy,

Lightning Reflexes, Night Vision, Resistance to Poison,

1 8



The G rapes of W rath

Specialist Weapon Group (Flail, Two-banded) , Street Fighter;

Strike [Q Injure , Stout-hearted, Strike Mighty Blow, Sturdy

Armour: None


Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-handed Axe), Hand Weapon

(HandAxe)

Trappings: None

HIRED MUSCLE

Robb, Wilhelm, and Robert are me three thugs hired by Orto and

Gregor. They are in this strictly for the money, and are willing to

put themselves at considerable risk to receive the remainder of

their pay (l00 gc) .

Although Robb and Wilhelm are twins, in truth there is little

physical difference between the three men: each is a large, hulking

brute who confidently uses violence as a means [0solve almost

every problem. TIley will not think ofberraying the men who hold

their purse strings; in fact, they usually prefer to think only when

absolutely necessary.

R obb , W ilhelm , and R obert

C ar ee r. T hu g

Race: Human

SkiUs: COnSlU1l(~Alcohol , Com rnon Knowledge (the Empi re),Dodge Blow, Gamble, GOSSip, Intimidate, Secret Language

(Thieves' Tongue), Speak (Reiksplel)

Talents: Disarm, Fleet Pooted, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw,

Strike to Injure, Strike to SrlU1,Very Strong

Armour: Medium Armour (MaU Shire, Leamer Jack)

Armour Points. Head 0, Arms I, Body 3, Legs 0

Weapons: Hand Weapon (Mace), Knuckle-dusters.Trappings: 5 gc

The P C S may have played rh e adventure as an exercise in hack-

'n'-slay, killing Dieter, Kurt, and m e Middenheirn band. In

this case, most everyone in Prirzstock will be delighted-e-although

Se d Bardurich's father will demand an explanation as to why they

killed his b rc die r= -a nd rh e party will be r ew a rd e d a s agreed (and

over Herr Bald urich's objections). On the other hand, if the PCs

fa ll to StOP the skull attacks and do not discover that Stefan was

murdered, men there will be misery al l round. In th is case, assume

the Middenheimers eventually storm the cave (having first dealt

with Kurt), raking Dieter back to the village and the warpstone

back to me City of the White Wolf

If the PC s bring Dieter [0t he v il la g e, i t wUI cer tainly liven things

up: Henri-Phillippe could get very scared or angry, followed

closely behind by a hysterical murderous rage from El isabec , Note

that bringing a dead Dieter back to Pritzsrock will sdll cause

Elisabet to react.

If, by whatever means, Henri-Philllppe is found [0have murdered

Stefan Maranauer , then Parzival Aschaffenberg will insist rhat

he be sent to Altdorf for trial. The same will apply [QDieter and

Kurt. With the evidence of a body in his celiac, Rocheleau will be

found guilty and executed. His estate will then pass [0Elisaber.

Punishment of Dieter and Kurt will depend on what they did

during the adventure.

Trials in Altdorf often rake a long time and so legal calls to the PCS

as witnesses may be sooner or later according to th e GM's desire.

At [he end of the adventure the PCs may have 42 pieces of

warpstone. JUSt what happens when all the lirtle bits are brought

together is len up to you. They may not guess that the splinters ofrock are warpstone, in which case it may come as a nasty surprise

[0 find a Skaven raiding party on their [rail a few months larer

(or alternatively, when individuals start growing a third eye, begin

sprouting extra limbs, and so forth).

EXPERIENCE POINTS

The following "P awards (per PC) are suggested for this adventure,

but modify these to suit the circumsrances of your campaign.

I. Ro le p la yi ng i n P rl tz st oc k : j~0 xp

In addition to playing their character consistently, you should

rake account of the quality, diplomacy, and incisiveness displayed

19



The Grapes of Wrath

w hen talk in g to th e p eop le o f P rirzsto ck , Sen sib le p lan s fo r g l'ttin g

in fo rm ation and in telligen t use of inform ation shou ld be especia lly

rewarded.

2. Dealing W ith th e Sku ll A tt acks : 10P )0 X p

Aw ard ex perie nce p oin ts fo r cle ver ta ctic s th at exploit t h e s k u ll 's

w ea kn ess es. O th er fa cto rs d ese rv in g c re dit in clu de m ob llls iag th e

v illa ge rs in a n e ff ec tiv e w ay , tr ac kin g me s ku ll s to their SOUIGe, an d

w ork in g o ut th e vario us lim itatio ns o f th e sk ulls ..PCS shou ld be

th ink in g ah ead o n ho w t he v i ll ag e an d h arv est c an b es t b e p ro te cte d.

3. Dealing W ith D ie ter a nd Ku rt: J ~40XP

Rushing the cave as soon as they arrive is no t th e best way of

earn ing xp (un less, o f course , the PC s have dealt w ith m e skulls

and are a .im ing for su rprise) . C ap tu rin g D ieter. K urt, o r bo th

shou ld earn m ore po ln ts, as shou ld any tac tic tha t m akes them

surrender w ithou t a sw ord being draw n.

4. D ealing w ith Otto B aldurich and His

Compatr io ts : to -to x p

Th is w ill p ro bab ly m ean a fight. No poim s shou ld be aw arded jf

the M iddenheirners defea t the players o r rake Dieter and Kurt on

th eir o wn .

.5 . Saving th e Harvest: Jx p p e r full day saved

(max J J )

W ith a su cess fu ! resolution of t h is a dv en tu r e, Prit :ZStock's harvest

c an c omm en ce .

N o fa te poin ts are aw arded for th is adven tu re.

THE DEATH SKULlSTIle Death Skulls consis t of H um art, Beasrrnan, an d Skav en s k ul ls

which h av e-d ev elo ped p ow ers d ue to p ro lo ng ed e xp os ure to

warpsrone. Norma! skulls do no t react to warpstonein t hi s m a nn er , it

requhes speCia l chantings and riruals so on afte r th e crea tu re's d eath to

p ro duce th e effecr,

"The skulls have no innate in telligence bu t can be used to carry ou t the

d ire ct a nd Indirect commands of a co ntro llin g sp ellcaster. A sku ll m ay

be In on e o f fo ur staees.

A ctiv e: (in dica ted b y th e eye so ck ets g lo win g b dg bt~ red)

w h en ev er [ he c on tro lle r is in d irec t c om m an d.

P a ss iv e : ( in d ic a te d by a dim. red g low in the ey e s ee ke rs ) w h en

th e s ku ll is c arry in g OUt p r e- se t i n st ru c ti on s .

Dormann when a s k ul l. is n eith er u nd er d irec t o r in dire ct

co ntrel, 1 n t h is s ta te a s ku ll w ill s ee k: c o r etu rn c o th e " C ha os -

c av e» imm ed ia te ly . " Th e s k u JJ will S im ply o rien ta te itse lf to fa ce

th e c av e if it is p re ve nted f oo m retu rn in g th ere fo r so me re as on ..

T he a ctu al ro ra do n (if n o [ ch e c au se ) is o bv io us jf me skull is

observed w h ile m o vin g IIa bo ut. A s uc ce ss fu l P erce ptin n Sk ill

Test is need ed to n otice th e effec t if th e s ku ll Is m ov ed w ith ou t

b ein g w atc he d. T his o rie ntatio n e ffe ct w ill b e o ve rrid de n jf a

lo ca lised so urce o f C hao s (say ; a sm all fragm ent o f w arpsto ne), is

b rough t w ith in 5 y r u x l $ of a dorm ant sku ll. In th is case the skull

will tr y to get 1'0 the nearer p iece fo r as long as i.t rernalns wiehin

th e sr a re d r an ge ..

• Dead. when die s ku ll r ea ch es 0 Wounds or has been aw ay froma source of Chaos fo r m ore man 24 hours. from chis po in t the

s ku ll b ec om es qu ite " no rm al."

A sk ull's u su al con ditio n is d orm ant. To ach ieve co ntrol a caster m ust

first be w ith in I y a w of m e sku ll, m en spend a half action to m ake

a C hanneling Sk ill Test. A failed test m eans that rhe s ku ll " die s.~ If

control is e sr ab lis hed , th e skul l b ec om e s a tt un ed to the spel lc a sr e r . . I t

can then b e m ad ep msiv e by giving it Instructions to follow. Of .(lctivc

by continuing direct command. A n ind iv idual m ay have up to 4 sku lls

f ol low in g p as si ve instructions at anyone tim e . A cdve eonrro l o f any of

these 4 can be ach ieved afrer a full acdon ha s b ee n sp en t concenrrarlng,

a sp elle as ter m ay th eref ore flit b etw een p as siv e sk ulls, m ak in g ea ch o ne

activ e as h e do es so . at will,

In its active sta te a

SKU U . se n c is v is u al

signals back to irs

connollec When

conrrollin g a s ku ll

a n i nd iv id u al must

remain eemplecely

re la xe d a nd

co mp ose d. A ny

p h ys ic al m o v em e nt

will immedia te ly

!legate ccnrroi.as

will f i tUedce$ts versus

Fear and the like .

The comm and range is 6 miles and com mand lasts fo r as long-as the

sp elle as ret c an m aln ta ln co mp le te concentrarlon, The s p el lc a sr er may

use the skuU to PoU ow direct com mands or "re-program" th e s ku ll

to carry our anew set o f instructions (re-p rogram ming rakesa ful l

action).

Puly skul l will becom e dorm ant if it becom es separa ted from i . 1 S

conrrollec by more than 6 m iles, o r if co mple tely shie ld ed fro m its

co n t ro lle r by a m eta l barrl e r fo r m o re than 1 ro u nd,

The Dea th Sku lls

Skills: D odge B low t1 0%

'ThIenrs< Fearless, F rig hte nin g, H o ve re r, N atu ra l Weapons,. Nigh t

Vision

Armour: None

Armour Polnrse Head 0..Arms -, Body-, Legs-

W eapo ns: Teeth

20 =



For L ov e o r M o ney

For LWI! or M oney is a snore adventure that takes place in and

around the small town of Mirtleresdorf which is situated near the

southwestern corner ofWissenland, several days' journey upriver

from Wissenburg. Although a number of potential reasons will be

provided as [0why a party of adventurers would be in a location

that far from the centre of the Empire, Gamemasrers should

feel free [Q move the town to any other Imperial setting that's

somewhat off the beaten path.

The adventure is suited for characters in their first careers, and can

be completed within a few gaming sess ions.

=~=

Not long after finding a suitable inn inMirderesdorf the PCS

will make the acquaintance ofBerrram Bedienste te r , the

manservant of one of the town's few nobles, Bela Dusrermann, Herr

Dusterrnann, it turns out, has a daughter named Julianne who has

run away with the leader of a group of band irs. Dusrermann had

recently sent some local youths {O retrieve her, bur the bandits made

short work of them and the noble believes that the PCS will be of

sterner mettle.

After gathering some information around town, the adventurers

will be able to track the bandits to their lair in a series of caves

about a day's journey away. Once they arrive, they find that rnosr

of the rogues have been brutally slaughtered. The one survivor is

julianne's beau, Rudiger, who is only able to te ll the PC s that his

band never had a chance against the attackers, who seemed to have

materialized from nowhere.

Nowhere, it turns Out, is 3ser ies of runnels leading to the other

side of me foothills, dug by a group of Skaven. The Skaven, who

have Julianne 111 tOW,attempt [0 persuade the adventurers that

they were promised Julianne, and that they are simply taking what

they are owed. Jul.ianne is nor able ro provide many derails to the

adventurers after she is rescued, as she is [00 busy being violently

ill. Although it appears that this is a result of pregnancy , the. truth

is far more sinis ter :

Bela Du terrnan did in fact make a deal with the Skaven in order

[0 fimher his Studies of Chaos=-srudles that are about [Q bear frui rwhen julianne transforms imo something fa r &orn human ,

However, a n that is sdll in the future for the PCS. Bela Dusterrnanns

Story, on the other hand, began a number of years ago ...

WHAT CAME BEFORE

A YOUTH OF Pru :V IL EG E

Bela Dustermann was always curious. As the youngest of four

boys growing up in 3. moderately wealthy family in Middenheim,

Bela quickly distinguished himself from his elder siblings with

his insatiable hunger for knowledge. He wanted to know why

21



For L ov e or M oney

the s.kywas blue, why Dwarfs were short, and why he had [0go

to bed at nightfall when he reaUy,really, really wasn't tired. His

parenrs thought he would make a wonderful scholar, perhaps even

a lawyer.

Then Bela became a teenager. And while his curiosity didn'r abate

in the slighresr, he was now more inclined to unravel the mysteries

of alcohol, women, and how one might be used to procure

the other. TIle Dusrermanns were lenient with their youngestchild-perhaps a touch more than they should have been. One by

one. Bela'sbrothers graduated and became respectable men with

respectable careers-s-and still Bela continued his "explorations."

AUit cook for Bela's fortunes to sllitt were a dagger, a woman, and

a night he would forever be unable [0remember. When he awoke

the next day he was in his room, covered in blood, a cold corpse by

hls side. Before he could be discovered, he rook a set of clothes, a

bedrolJ, and as many gold crowns ashe could carry.

T H E D E s c E N T INTO CHAOS

For the next fourteen years, Belawandered the Empire, living mostly

by wits and guile. Finally, he was able [0find something as big as hiscuriosity-and he drank in his fill. He learned all he could about the

way the world worked and the darkness that lurked JUStbeneath the

surface. In time, he learned of the wonders of Chaos, and soon after

he began to explore ways to probe the dark arts.

Itwas during his travels that Bela met Bertram Bedienscerer, a

fellow wanderer and follower of the Changer of Ways. The two

became fast friends, and together they sealed in Mltderesdorf

posing as noble and servant. They used Mirderesdorf as the

base for their wandering, exploring ways to advance Bela's laresr

obsession-the mutation of flesh. In the eastern reaches of

Wissenland, Bela and Bertram found what they needed-a lwnp

of warpstone. Unfortunately, they were unable to abscond with

their find before the warpstones true owners, a pack of Skaven

from Clan Moulder, discovered them. In order to keep their lives,

Bela made a bargain: he would only take a sliver of the stone, and

he promised the Skaven that he would create a mutant creature

such as the Skaven had never seen before. Bela was lucky char these

Skaven were from CLanMoulder; other clans would simply have

slaughtered them. TIle Skaven agreed to the plan, hoping such

experimenrarron on Humans would aid their own crossbreeding

schemes. They gave Bela and Bertram a deadline: they had one

year c o deliver the prize.

A TICKING CLOCK, A TWISTED PLAN

Bela though t he would have a better chance of success if he

conducted his experiments on someone who was young enough

to survive them and old enough to already have strength of his

or her own. So he visited an orphanage run by Shallyan priests,

posing as a rich philanthropist whose daughter had died from

the pox. He offered a generous payment to the orphanage in

exchange for a new 16-year-old "daughter" named Julianne. The

girl was delighted to escape the dour orphanage and returned

with Bela and Bertram to Mlrtleresdorf Bela began to feed her

porionsto

"build up her strength." Naturally, these potions werelaced with warpstone and other arcane ingredients. After many

months Bela began to detect the hoped for changes. They have not

manifested externally as of yet, but Bela is certain that Julianne's

rransformation is imminent.

Of course, Bela has no idea exactly what will be unleashed once

the transformation begins in earnest. But he does know [;\VO

things: The experiment will LikelykiU the subject, and iJit doesn't,

he has no intention of turning it over to the Skaven, IfJ u t lanne

survives the transformation, Bela must be able to study her to

further his research. Otherwise, it would all have been for naught.

Bela has considered the ramifications of his actions and he is willing

to accept them. However, something has happened that may ruin

Bela'scarefully laid plans: Julianne has fallen deeply in love.

= =

M itrleresdorf was founded [Q provide the region's farmers with

the opportunity for perman.enr residences within a protected

community while simultaneously drawing more people to the

area. The first meaSULChas been largely successful, although there

are still a few farmers who prefer to create their own small but

functional homes outside the walls in order to be closer to their

crops ( s e e Location 4: The Dregs).

The town has nor proven to be much of a draw to those outside

the surrounding area, and there are quite a few houses that are

vacant and in disrepair. This isespecially true of the northwestern

area of town, as it is the section furthest from any of the dty gates.

Two groups that have raken up residence are traders and

rneechants. Although they make up a small portion of the total

population, they currently dominate the town's limited political

system. The town has a single Councillor, who isgenerally put

forth from the merchant class and confirmed by a vote of the

entire populace. While a farmer certainly could campaign for

the position if they were unhappy with the current Councillor's

practices (an unlikely event, as most Councillors are savvy

enough to conduct their duties without angering their largest

constituency), the time requirements necessary for the job are

enough to discourage most of them.

Aside fTOmoccasionally presenting the intereses of Minleresdorf

abroad, the Councillor basically serves as the town treasurer. He

is responsible for paying Imperial taxes, paying to maintain ciry

streets and walls, paying the town's small contingent ofWatchmen,

and making certain [hat there are enough crowns coming in from

the residents to cover those and any other unforeseen expenses.

In addition to the largely Human population, Mirderesdorf

has proven to be popular with Dwarfs. 'This is not altogether

surprising, as both the Black and Grey Mountains are nearby. In

general, the Dwarfs tend to keep to their own business and their

own kind, and their interactions with. Humans are few.Elvesand

Halflings sometimes travel through the town, but rarely stay long.

There are no dedicated temples of any kind within the town, The

farmers prefer to give their devotions out in the 6elds, and most

everyone else prefers to pray to their gods at private altars within

their residences.

PL ACES OF NOTE

Here are some of the places of note in Mirtleresdcrf You can place

other locations rnenuoned ln the adventure (e.g., the smithy, theapothecary's shop) as you sec fit.

22



For Love or Money

I.Ma in Gate

'The main gate is a se t o f rw o h ea vy ,. iro n-b an de d w oo den d oo rs

approximate ly ten fee t acrossand a d ozen fee·, h ig h th at o pen s

to bo th the dock s (su Location 9"lhe D ock s) and the Im peria l

Road (serLocation 5: Main Road). The d oo rs are alw ays o pen

dudng the day and m onica red by tw o m em bers o f the W atch , w ho

stand on either s ide of the en trance . A t n igh t, the gate is c lo sedan d secured by w ay of tW O large w ooden logs tha t are slid in to

p lace . V isito rs can be adm itted to tow n by rousing a m em ber of

the W atch , w ho can . le t them in th rough a sm alle r door se t w ith in

[ he g a te .

For in fo rm ation on the W atch , see the sidebar on page 25.

2. The M ark et

The M irtle resdo rf m ark e t is a large open area. n ear the cen tre o f

tow n w here trad ing occurs . On m ost days of the w eek on ly a few

d ed ica ted sou ls w ill be found here , se lling food , trink e ts , and

s un drie s fro m a fe w s ca rre re d sral ls , E very Lev yd ay an d K in gd ay;

h ow ev er, th e M rrtle res do rf m ark et is a h iv e o f a .c dv i[ },. a s f ar me rs

and m erchan ts . a lik e com e out in drov es to se ll the ir w ares . As

m ight b e expected , the m ark et busiest shortly afte r the harvest.

Th e area . is a lm ost en tird y d eserted a t n ig ht.

J . S ou th Gate

Th e so uth g .a te lo ok s OUt on the sou thern f ie lds and the D regs,

a nd p eo ple tra ve lli ng to and from those destina tions use it m ost

of ten. It lo ok s th e sam e 3S th e m ain g ate , ex cep t it does no t have

a .sm alle r, inse t door and on ly one m em ber of the W atch guards it

by day. A t n igh t, the gate is c losed and barred ; v is ito rs w ho arrive

af te r n igh tfall m ust en ter th ro ugh the m ain gate .

4. The D regs

The farm ers w ho preferred exped iency to pro tec tion are

re sp on sib le fo r th e c re atio n of th e D reg s; in stead o f liv in g

inside th e town, they crea ted . the ir hom es w ith in the shadow of

M it tle re sd orP s w a ll s. T he se . s ma ll houses rend (Q b e s ho dd ily b uilt,

though functional enough for the farm ers rhar l iv e in them.

Due to t h ei r l o ca ti on, th e Dregs-rend to b e m ore su scep tib le to th e

elem en ts. O n ra in y d ays, th e din s oo n tu rn s to a m o ra ss o f m u d. In

w i nrer, the m ud hardens to .3. c o n s is re n cy a lm os t a s in pe ne rr ab le a s

th e s to ne w alls . T he WOC Sto ff en ce f or its f ew re sid en ts , h ow e ve r, is th e

practically p alp ab le s te nc h th at arise s & om th e are a d urin g tile s um m er

m on th s-s -a n u nf ortu na te e ff ect f ro m th e la ck o f p ro pe r s e-v ag e

f a ci li ti es . I t i s this l as t i n d i gp j ty th at earned the D r e g s its n arn e .

j. Ma in Road

Al though it is co nsid ered an Im peria l ro ad , it has b een som e rim e

since the m ain road lead ing to M inleresdorf has seen any k ind of

m ain tenance. In a few p laces the track is no m ore than a paralle l

se t of ru ts , a lm ost co mp le te ly o verg ro wn b y w eed s an d g rass ..T he

road fo llow s the R iver So l a long its en tire leng th . To the north , the

ro ad le ad s [Q W lssenburg and then N uln , [Q th e s ou th , it sputters

to a h alt s om ew he re in th e B la ck M o u nta in s.

6. The M erry H alfling

A lthou gh there a le a num ber of inns w ith in M iu leresdorf, the

M erry H aU 1i.ng stands head and shou lders above the o thers . Th is

is d ue In no sm all part to the fac t that the proprie to rs are nor one ,

bu t [\1'0 merry Hal f in gs , A n Ja and K arl K erdebrew , In add ition to

m ou th -w aterin g m eals , (h e K ertleb rew s also p ro vid e b ette r th an

adequate lodg ings, w ith beds in the priva te room s tha t are actua lly

q u ir e c om f o rt ab l e.

23



For L ove or .Money

The inn is easy to find, as it is located near the main gate; its

namesake can clearly be seen on me palmed, swinging sign. sitting

on a rock enjoying a sausage.

7..Farmers' Ga t e

Unlike the larger main and south gates, the farmers'gate is a

simple, reinforced wooden door that opens amidst the fields

surrounding the town. It is not guarded, although it is lockedcome evening time; only residents are permitted to own or make

copies of the key.

8. The Lord s and Lad ie s

Alrhough no actuallords or ladies live within the palatial

homes that are foun.d within this section of town, some of the

"common" folk (pretty much anyone below the merchant class)

didn't take kindly to the wealthier citizens setting themselves

apart from the rest of the town. In their view, the folks.who

settled there must consider themselves a better class of people

than everyone else-which was sometimes true-and so the

commoners began to refer to the area as they would members of

the gentry.

Over time, the bad blood directed at those who lived in the area

died down. but the name stuck.

9. The D oc ks

Exactly two piers make up the Mirtleresdorf docks, There had. been

a third, but it was so infrequently used that it was allowed to fall

into disrepair. It's rare that mere are more than tWOboars docked

here at anyone time. The ferry docks here, when not in use..

10. Ferry

Although it is infrequently utilized, mere is a ferry that can shuttle

passengers to the eastern bank of the River Sol by way of a Sturdy

wpe that is allowed to drop below the water's surface when not in

use.Travellers approaching Mirtleresdorf from the east srde of the

river will need to shout across unril they catch the attention of the

ferryman; no one is stationed at that end.

111efare is I "per leg" elmer direction; cans and especially laden

horses are 1 s each.

II. F i e l d s

The fields that supply Mirderesdorf with its food are spread

OUtto a distance of over a mile outside th e town. During the

day, a good portion of the fields will be alive with activity,

withfarrners either getting ready to plant, planting, pulling

weeds, or harvesting the fruits of their planting. Night is much

less active, although it is not altogether uncommon to 6:nd

farmers diligently chasing away any rodents who threaten their

livelihood.

r 2 l I 3 . Smith's B o d y / B a n d i t s ' C a v e

Both of these plot-specific locations can be placed wherever you

prefer. The bandits ' cave should be about a day's journey north-

northeast ofMinleresdorf and the smithy's body anywhere along a

path between the cave and the <own.

Both the smith and the cave will be discussed in more detail

withinthe COntextof the adventure.

Ihis is the first scenario for your adventuring parcy and they

need a few reasons why they have set off together, or if they

Simply need a reason to be Out in the wilds of the Wisseniand, here

are a few hooks you might use to get them onthe road:

A merchant ismaking a delivery to Mrrrleresdorf and StopS

in the town where the PG; reside. The guards he'd hired

spent their advance getting so into theircups thar me only

thing they could protect is a privy. The merchant finds the

PCs and hires them as fill-ins.

The PG; headedsouth after the Storm of Chaos, as it seems

a whole lot safer than the northern provinces.

One of the PCs has a relative in Mirr leresdorf who is ill and

requires their assistance; Similarly, the relative could have

just died and the player stands to inherit.

The PCs have offended a noble in their home town and

need a place to lay low.

The PCs have been following a suspected cultist; the trail

has grown cold a few days outside the town ..

The PG; are actually looking tojoin the bandits, but need

to discover where they're holed up.

Regardless of how and for whatever reasons the adventurers gOt

there, they should arrive at the main gate of Mitderesdorf near

dusk.

WELCOME!Th e adventurers should have no trouble spotting the members

of the Watch-th.ey're the (\",0 young men wearlngarmour and

carrying cudgels at either side of the main gate. Although they

appear to be all business a, first glance, one of the two waves and

breaks into a friendly grin.

While th e Watchman who didn't wave takes care of dosing the

gate for the night, his companion r~quesrs a shilling per person

to enter in order to "finance the .maintmanu cf the walls. "There

is also a charge of 5 shillings for each can or heavily laden horse.

Without prompting, the friendly Watchman will say to the group,

"I : be il lg rowmd the ellmi1.lg , chances are ]OI/I l be s~e kj ng a 'warm

bed, a h at m ea l, o ra b it o f b oth . E ir h~ rw a)l you'd be we ll s nv ed a. t

the Merry Hrll jl il lg , r igh t down t h( rO rld."Should they ask, he'll

point out the way and tell them which sign to look for.

ROOM AT THE INN

By the time they arrive at the Merry HaUling, mere are already a

dozen people either waiting for or in the process of eating their

meals. The dining room is rather modest, and the sounds of

overlapping conversation create a din that makes llstenlng to mote

than one conversation impossible.



For L ov e or M o ney

No sooner do me characters get 3. good glimpse of the place than

Anja Ketdebrew, who is tending bar, tells them to grab an empty

table.

'There is an empty table near the entrance [0[he kitchen, which

the adventurers can grab. Depending on whom you want the party

[0 interact with first, youcan place Ned, Louis, or Grad at an

adjacent table. Bertram is leaning on the bar, keeping a casual eye

on the entrance. He'll make a mental note of the PCS as [hey are

seated, but then turn his atrendon back to the door.

Not long after they've taken their sears, Karl Kertlebrew will come

om of me kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.

Karl greetS the PCS enthuslasncally "Oh , visit!m.' It's so l le r y n ice to

have visi tors . You' ll be wanting to h nv e d in ne r; th en , y es ? O f c ou rse ,

why e l se wou ld YOII be sitting d ow n? So, drinks thm? Ah, w ell YOII

/ vol ll d have mked Auja fo r th os e already, wouldn't Jo/I 've? Right, so

d inne r; d ri nk s, whn t e ls e?W i ll JOII bcstal'ing the n ig } ;t , shen !"

L-odging is reasonably priced at 1 gc per person for a two-person

room, and includes both breakfast and dinner. Lunch is an

additional 6 p, and fine alcohols are available for below-market

rates.

AT THE M E R R yHALFLINGBeing the most popular inn in town, the Merry Halfling gets

more than ir s share of colourful characters. Those in attendance

the night the adventurers arrive are described here, as are the

Kertlebrews, These characters can be used in further adventures if

desired.

G R OD T HU ND ER FIST

Grod is in Minleresdorf on business-he's trying [0recruit anyone

willing to fisk their skins for a few crowns to travel with him back

to the ernbarrled Dwarfen city of Zhufbar. It rums out that not

many people have been willing to take up the mission, since gold

will be of little use when they've been slaughtered by Greenskins.

Naturally, Grod is a bit discouraged, bur he's not about to go back

empty-handed.

The Dwarf has been in his share of barrles, and looks it. Aside

from the battle scars that decorate the majority ofhis extrernities,

he also has a sizeable bald patch on the back of his head-the

result oflosing part of his scalp.

G r o d Thunder f i s t

Career: ShieldbreakerRace: Dwarf

Skills: Common Knowledge (Dwarfs), Dodge Blow, Navigation,

Speak Language (Khazalid, Reikspiel), Perception, Scale

Sheet Surface, Shadowing. Trade (Miner)

THE WATCHMost members of the Warcn are young men who are either not

needed in the fields or are sons ef a merchant family who areserving in order to gamer some "real world experience." Since they

only rarely have to draw their weapons inanger, mel' rend to be

friendly with outsiders until they are given reason to act otherwise.

Typica l Wat chman

Career: WatdUIl30

Race: Human

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Law), Common Knowledge (the

Empi re), Dodge. Blow, Follow Trail, Cossi p +10%, Imimidare,

Perception, Search, Sp ea k L an g ua ge (Reikspiel)

Talents: Coolheaded, Disarm, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike [QStun,

Sturdy, VeF)' Resilient

AnnOU(: LighrArrnour (Leather Jack)


Weapons: Hand Weapon (Cudgel) and Dagger

Trappings: Lantern and Pole, Uniform

25



For Love or M oney

F R E E Z H U F B A R !It's p oss ib le th at y ou r PCs w ill d ec id e th at th ey 'd ra th er face

Ionger odds and get pa id less in order to help G rad battle the

Ore and Goblin hordes in Z hutbar, w hich is a cad ou tside

the sC <lpe of th lsedven tu re . If tha t's the case , you m ay w ant

K arl o r A nja to mention [ha t G rad is no t the f i r s t D warf w hoha s c om e th to ug h Mirtleresdorf in o rd er [0 6J1 d~ru its to

libera te th e em battled D warfen strongho lds-c-bu t no on e

w ho 's lef t h as e ver re tu rn ed ,

If th ey 're still n ot d eterred , fee l free to im pro vis e a re as on fOJ

G rad to rem ain in tow n long enough fo r th e PGs to take on

B ertra m's lin le "erT il..I1 d," H e co uld c orn e d ow n w ith a n illn es s

(a viscious h an go ve r, p erh ~p s?), b e w a.itin g f or equiprnenr to

b e. r ep aired , an d so o n,

If th ey do go off w ith G rad , it 's tim e to get om m e graph

paper and starring m apping . Zhufbar is a b ig p lace .

Talents : Coolheaded , Dw arfc raf t, G ru dg e-b orn .F ury , N i gh t

V isio n, O rien ta tio n, S trik e M ig hry B lo w, Strik e to in ju re ,

Strike to Srun, Sturdy

A rm our: M edium A rm our (Mail C o at, H e lm e r, Full Leather

Armour )

A rm our Po in ts : H ead 3, A rm s 1, B o dy .3, L eg s .3

W eapons; H and W eapon (A xe), D agger, and Shield

Trapp in .gs: M ap of W orlds Edge M ounta ins, purse w ith lOge

loUIS I..aACROIX

Louis is v isiting fo r as m uch p leasure as he . c an affo rd to pu rchase

w ith o th er p eo ple 's m on ey . If it in vo lv es a v ic e, L ou is is in te re sted ,

if it invo lves m ore than one, Lou is rank s rhern in order o f p rlo riry ,

A lthough he fancies h im self a lover and no t a f igh ter, in rru th he

is n ot m uch of e lcher-s-he w ill qu ick ly tu rn ta il if he sen ses tha t he

can 't b lu ff h is w ay OUt of a tigh t spot,

The B reronn ian is ra ll, dark , and handsom e enough ifrhe ligh t is

righ t. H e dresses as a f op , but a dose look at h is c lo th es rev ea ls th at

th ey a re b eg in nin g [0b e t hr ea dwo rn .

Louis laCroix

Careen Rogue

Race , Human

S kills : B lath er, C harm , C om mo n K no wled ge (B rero nn ia),

E valu ate , G am ble , G ossip +1 0% , P ercep tio n, P erfo rm er

(S to ry te lle r) , S ea rc h, S ec re t L an gu ag e (T hie ve s' T on gu e),

S pe ak L an gu ag e (B reto n, R eik sp le l)

Talen ts! A cu te H earing , Fled , Luck , Pub lic Speak ing , Shah

Sense

A rm our: Ligh t A rm our (Leather Jerk in )

Armour Points. Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0

W eapons: H and W eapoo (D irk )

Trapp ings: B ack Pack , W inesk in , P urse w ith 1gc an d 9 s

NED WEISS

Ned is one of the tow n smichs-s-and unheknownsr to th e to wn

re sid en ts, a parr-time bandir. Ned stops in to the M erry H aIB inga coup le lim es a w eek to see if there are an y merchants o r n ob le s

w ho have recen tly arrived or are getting ready to leave tow n .. [0

e ith er case , h e tries to engage them in " friend ly conversation" in

order to g lean whetheror no t they are w orth w aylay ing w hen

rhey get ou tside the c ity .

W hen th js turns ou t [0 be the case, he heads OUt rorhe bandi t

cave tha t sam e even ing in ord er to g ive Rudiger th e information.

N ed alw ays m ak es certain IO be back ar h is fo rg e b ef ore the

ambush is sp rung , lest h is ro le ln th e a ttack b e rev ea led . T hu s,

he portrays h im self as m ore sim ple than he is; he is constan tly

making menta l notes abou t those w ith w hom he speak s.

N ed is youn g an d physicaU y fit, with a th ick scru ff o f b londe hair.H e tends to w ear h is lea ther apron even w hen nor at h ts shop , and

h e is p erp etu ally sm ud ged w ith so ot. H is o nly o th er d istin gu ish in g

fearare is a ta ttoo of a go ld crow n being pierced by an arrow over

hi s le ft b reast- the m ark of the b and ies ,

Ned We is s

Careen Tradesman

R ace: H um an

Sk lllsr.A nim al C are , C om mon K now ledge (the Empire), Drive ,

G o ss ip , H ag gle , E va lu ate , P erc ep tio n, R ea dlW rire , S ecre t

L an gu ag e (G uild T on gu e), Trad e (M erch an t, S mith ), Sp eak

Language (Reikspiel)

Talents : Dealmaker , H ard y, V ery Streng

A rm our: Ligh t A rm our (Leather Jack )

A rm our Po ln rss H ead 0, A rm s 1 , B ody I, Legs 0

W eapons: H and W eapon (H am mer)

T rapp ings: Leather A pron , Purse w ith 7 gt

BERTRAM BEDIENSTETER

A lthough he poses as B ela D usrerm anns servan t, B ertram is

ac tua lly h is go od fri.e lld . W hile B ela has concen tra ted on the

m agica l arts , B ertram stuck w ith w hat he know s b est: physica l

v io len ce . A lth ou gh h e h as learn ed restra in t d urin g h is trav els w ith

B ela , it tak es p rec io us lrrd e co en rag e h im .

B ertram look s every inch th e dour m an he is, H e does n ot sm ile,

and there are frow n Lines perm anen tly erched on h is face. H e is a

b it ra iler than av erag e, w ith a stocky fram e. Since he also happens

[0be a killer, th ere is v ery Iirtle th a r scares h im . T his in clu des th e

adventurers .

26



For Love or Money

ertram Bediensteter

areen P ro ta go ni st ( ex -P it Fighter )

ac e. H u man

k ills : C om mon K now ledge (the Em pire), D odg e B low , G ossip ,

H ~ gg lc , In rim id are, R id e, Speak L a ng u ag e (Re ik sp ie l)

len ts: D isarm , M en acin g, R esistan ce to P oiso n, Sp ecia lis t

W eapo n G rou p (Fl a il , P a r ry i ng , T wo -h an de d), S tre et

Figh ting , Strik e M igh ty B low , Strik e to In ju re . S trik e to

S tu n, ·S tro ng -m in ded , V ery S tro ng '

n .our: M edium A rm our (M ail Sh irt, Leather Jack )

rm our Po in ts: H ead 0,Arms

I, Body 3, Legs 0apons: H and W eapon (Sw ord), B uck ler, D agger

Pursewith 5 g c

H E KETTLEBREWS

n ja and K arl K ertleb rew m et over a decad e ago w hen they w ere

o th rry ing the lr hands as adven tu rers aw ay from the M oot.

ither o f them had been very su ccessfu l, an d each h ad d ecid ed

e pa ra te ly th at it w as p ro bab ly time to re rum back to their

m elan d. T hey decided to keep each other company ontheir

journey , but something funny happened on the w ay to

M oot-they never arrived , As th ey tr av ell ed , K a rl d is co ve re d

h at A nja en joyed brew ing , w hile she d iscovered tha t he w as an

e ll en t c o ok . They consp ired to open an inn together, and fare

onsp ired fo r them to fa ll in love . They s et tl ed i n M i tr ie re sd c rf

it was close to th e Moot bu t not too dose, opened the Merry

have been m e proprieto rs o f the best inn in tow n

r s in c e .

ja and K arl bo th loo k lik e typ ica l H alflings and have sim ilar

racteristics. Aoja a lm ost alw ays h as a.mug in o ne hand or the

h er, w h ile Kar l is a lm ost a lw ays w earin g an apron upon w hich he

s co nstan tly w ip in g h is h an ds.

Ket tl eb rew

re er: M e rc ha nt ( ex -T ra de sm a n)

c e: H a lf li ng

k ills: A cad em ic K no wled ge (G en ealo gy /H era ld ry), A nim al C are ,

C harm , C om mon K now ledge (H alfU ng s), D rive , E valua te ,

G os sip , H ag gle , P erc ep tio n, R ea d/W rite , S ec re t la ng ua ge

(Guild Tongue) , Speak L an gu ag e ( Ha lf lin g, R eik sp ie l) ,

Trade (B rew er" 1 0% , C ook , M erchan t)

'Ialentse Dealrnaker , Lightning R ef le xe s, N jg ht V is io n, R es is ta nc e

[0C hao s, Sp ecia lise W eap on G ro up (S lin g), Su per

Numer a t e

A rm ou r: L igh t A rm our (Leather Jerk in )

A rm ou r Po in ts: H ead 0, Arm s 0, Body I, Leg s 0

W eap o.n s: D ag ger, C ro ssb ow {b en eath b ar)

Trapp ings: 1 0 boles, P u rs e w it h II gc

Karl Kenlebrew

Career: I nn k ee p er ( ex -S e rv a nt )

R ac e: H a lR in g

Skills: A ca de mic K no wle dg e (G en ea lo gy /H erald ry ), B la th er,

C harm , C om mon Know le dg e (The Em pire , H a lB in gs ),

Dodge B l ow , Ev al ua te , GOSS ip + 10% , Haggle . Percept ion,

Read lWdt e, . S ea rch , S le igh t of H and , Speak Langu age

(HaJa ing, Reikspiel), Trade (C oo k +20% )

T alen ts: A cu te H earin g, E tiqu ette, L lg htn in g Rel:!exes, Nigh t

Vision, Resistance to Chaos , Specialise W eap on G ro up

( SU n g ), S u av e

A tm our: L igh t A rm our (Learher Jerk in)

A rm our 'P o in ts : H ead 0, A rm s 0, B ody I,. Legs °W ea.p o.o s: H an d W eap on (K itch en C Leav er)

T rapp ings: G ood Quality Clothing, Purse with lOge



For L ove or M oney

MEETING THE LOCALS

If the PCs do not make an effort to meet some of the NPCs

beforehand, one of your choosing will casually saunter over

to them when they have neared the end of their meal. !fyou

decide to use Louis, the Breronnian will pull up a chair next to

any female character (if there are no females, he'll sit next to

whomever doesn't look tOO rhreatening). Louis w L U be happy

[0wax rhapsodic about his many varied adventures, such as the

time he outran 3 band of Irnperial cavalry whilst mounted on

an elephant. All of Monsieur laCroix's tales are eJ!:aggeratcdin

this fashion, and he is an expert improviser, able to concoct a

plot element that explains a rather unbelievable part of his story

with something even more Ludicrous. At the same time he will

be trying to get lnto the pams of any of the females of the group

and onto the bar tab of anyone else.

Ned is more genuinely Friendly than LaCroix-but only because

he sees thePGs as a potential boost to his def ini te ly - il l ic ic

income. He is willing to speak to the adventurers about the rown

in general and his business in particular. If any of the PCs are in

the market for Dew equipment, or have metal armour or weapons

in need of repair, Ned will gladly give them the location of h ls

shop. He can also provide information on the Kertlebrews {"Nic/!

f olk s; w ou ld n't th in k o f h av in g d in ne r o ut a llywhC1 'Ce ls e.• " Bertram

( "H err D usterm an ns m an. D oesn 't talk m ilch . ), and Grad ("Ever

heard ofZhl lfbar? Y o l l wil l b ef ore t he n igh t' s ove r. ' ). H e doesn't

know very much about Louis, since he's not been in [Own very

long, but he does know that he talks about himself loudly and

often.

Grod doesn't even bother taking a sear before starting h is pirch.

Read the following to your players:

« Y ou lo ok lik e a f ea rs ome band, • •h e s ay s. '7 t's h ar dy

folk like you thaI w e "eed ill orM r to rid Z hujbar of

the Greenskins . If it's m O l l e y you 'r e I ook il lg fo r, we 'l l

g lndly pay it. If iti d an ge r y ou craVl, we'll give if t oyoui n abundance . !fit's t he g rea te r good yo ,t 'T e l ook in ' t o

mpport, YOfllt find no g oo d grtflter tha n tllis on e. A re ye

liPfor itr

Prolonged discussion on rh e topic will reveal that Grod is heavy

on the passion, but light on the details. There's no real plan to

retake Zhufbar, per se, other than simply throwing waves of

fighters at the enemy. And though he promises the PCs that

they'll be paid 100 gold crowns each, he only has 10 gc on hiperson. If the characters refuse him outright, he'll be visibly

dejected, and wU ! ask what brings the adventurers to town. If

the characters show interest, h e'l l t el l them of al l [he wonders

Zhufbar has to olfer (which currently is not much, unless you're

a Dwarf).

Bertram does nor approach the characters, and will answer in as

few syllables as necessary whatever questions they might have.

Until. ..

PA RD ON T HE IN TE RR UPT IO N

After a few minutes of conversation, the door opens with a hang.

Standing in the doorway is WiI, a local youth who has obviouslyseen better days. He's sopping wet, his clothes arc torn, and he

is bleeding from what appears to be a serious scalp wound, He

quickly scans the room and locks his eyes on Bertram.

"}'im.'"he yells ashe heads directly for rh e man. "} 'Our master sent:us

on afool 's errand: \fie u ie nt i nt o t hose woods an d t hey s lmlghtercd us to

a m al l! Now you' ll pay!~Wjth that, the boy takes out his dagger and

brandishes it in Ber r rams direction.

Bertram has no retort [0the accusation-he simply unsheathesthe sword that's strapped to his back. Wi! is tOOyoung and roo

hot under the collar to know that he's hopelessly outmatched. He

feints once, twice, and then moves in to strike. If the adventurers

decide not to interfere, Bertram dodges our of the way of the

arrack, and leavesa bloody slice on Wils chest.

Within the next minute, Bertram will connect rw o more irnes,

th e latter hit bringing Wi! to h is knees. Bertram lifts his blade

for the killing blow but is interrupted by Karl before he ca n let it

fall. "Ber tram, wait!" [he Halfiing shouts. "The b oy d id n' t k ll ow allY

bet te r! Leav e him be."'The servant pauses, his blade ready to make

its final stroke, and then he puts the weapon up.

If the PC S do interfere. Karl will interrupt the fighr in the samefashion almost as soon as one of the adventurers brings OUthis or

her weapon. Either way, no one should be dying at this point.

"YoII 're rig ht, a s a lu /a y), K ar l •.Bertram notes. "S071l1!01l1! better TIm

fo r th e s ur geO ll."Ned leaps Out of hi s chair at the suggestion-for

accompanying the surgeon will allow him [06nd om how much

WU's friends were able ro find our before they were arracked,

OUTSIDESaVICES REQUIRED

Bertram studies the scene for a moment, as if to ensure that no

one else is about to come at him, then puts away his sword, picks

up h is mug, and walks to the PCs' table. "My apologiesfor that ; ~

he begins. "It's 110t veryp roper , sheddi ng b lood in.fr0l11 of visitors,especially Oil t he ir f in t t veni .ng ill our town . S till, YO l ld on t s eem tb«

t ypes tha t a re sen si tiv e t o t he s igh t. And it wou ld a pp ea r th at m y

mast er s ti ll r equ ir es ou ts id e servi ce s t o hel p h im ret ri eve t ohn t: he' slou.

W ou ld y ou b e interested!N

Chances are good your PCs w ill wam Bertram to explain exactly

what it is he's talking about, but Herr Bediensrerer will gi.veam

precious fe w d erails . H e will tell them that h is employer is Bela

Dustermann, 3. respected noble in Mittleresdorf who is seeking the

reacquisition of an item that he's lost. Should they accept the job.

his master will pay them 20 gold crowns; should they return the

item, they will be paid an addicionallOO gc .

Whether or nor the parry shows interest, Bertram promises that hewill return to the inn the next morning. "11 1 1 1 1 s t te ll m y mas te r th e

rlCWS immedi at el y. Un ti l t om o rr ow . "

Not soon after, the surgeon arrives and takesWil away for care.

He will nor allow his patient to be questioned until ' 'afterhe'sbeen

SI!W lllp. "

Most of the other patrons will decide to call it a night at this

point, but the PGs can still find out some information about

Bertram's employer: Bela Dustermann is indeed both a noble and

respected, the offer Bertram made is indeed genuine. and the item

in question is something personal that the PCs would be better off

asking Herr Dusrerrnann about.

The rest of the evening passes without incident (unless, of course,

your pes create one).

2 8



For Love or M oney

e nexr m orn ing , B ertram is a lready po lish ing off the remnants

f h is b reak fast w hen th e PC s arise. Sh ou ld th ey b e read y toaccepr

he offer o f em ploym ent, he will give them the advance on the .

pO t a nd lead the group to Dusrermann's house ,

ow THE O rnER H ALF L I V E srr D usterm an n 's house is re la tive ly m odest fo r som eone of h is

It is tw o s to re ys rall, h as ab ou t 3,000 squ are fee t. o f sp ace

n the in rerlo r, and sits o n aboue a quarter acre o f land ,

rtram opens the lock s on the g ilte and the fron t doo r h im self .

he door opens in to the rece iv ing room , w hich is easily the larg est

ln the en tire house . From here there is a door on the lef t,

ich . leads to the k itchen and d in ing area , and a door on the righ t

ha t leads to D usrerm anns priva te study . The room is com ple te ly

pen to the-second aOOf; a se t o f s teps leads to a balcony tha t

nc irc les the en tire room . PC s w ho are from far aw ay areas o f the

m pire m ay spar a few o bjec ts d 'a rt f ro m th eir reg io n. C learly ,

rr D usrerm an n h as b een w ell trav elled ,

r tr am r ells t h e a dven t u re rs ro w ait an d quiedy slip s in to th e

rudy . H e retu rns soon af te r and ask s them to go in,

he study runs the enrire leng th of th is side of the house . The

oom has a f irep lace , a desk , a sideboard , a num ber o fchairs , and

n y, m an y b oo ksh elv es . B ela Dusre rrnann i s a l re adypouring

w ine of d is tingu ished v in tage in to as m any cups as [here ar e

m bers o f the party , p lus on e fo r himself H e break s in to a.

ervous grin , and m otions them to the sea ts .

DUSTERMANN

ft D usrerm ann look s every inch eh e m iddle-ag ed nob le . H e has

lack hair g oing grey at the tem ples, a face [hat is g ro win g m ore

ngu lar w ithage , and a belly tha t is go ing to f lab. It's dear that h e

s lo st a step or tWO p h ys ic al ly , b u t hi s m in d is s til l m e rc il es sly

u te . D u sr er m an n is n orm ally v ery c alc ula tin g a nd parient, bu t

rrent c ircu mstan ces h av e m ad e h im a to uc h n erv ou s.

a Dus te rmann

J ou rn ey ma n W iza rd (ex -A pp re ntice W iza rd )

c e: H u ma n

Ic i1 Is: A cad em ic K no wled ge (D aem on olo gy , M ag ic +1 0% ),

C hannelling , C om mon K now ledge (B re tcna la , the

E m pire ), G os sip , M ag ic al S en se , P erce ptio n, R ead /W rite ,

S ea rch , S pe ak A rc an e L an gu ag e (Magkk), S pe ak L an gu ag e

(C la ss ic al, D a rk T on gu e, R eik sp ie l)

a len ts : A eth yric A tru nern en r, C oo lh ead ed , D ark L ore (C hao s),

D ark M ag lc , P erry M ag ic (A rcan e), Savvy, Strong-mindedn oW "r N on e

A tm .ow " Poin ts : H ead 0, A rm s 0, B ody 0, Legs 0

W eapollli: H and W eapon (D irk )

Trn pp in gs: Tw o G rim oires, G oo d Q uality C lo th in g, P urse w ith 1 00 g c

THE FIRST "TR.UTH"

Once they 've sa t dow n, D usterm ann w ill hand them Their d rink s,

srand next to the firep lace, and beg in h is tale. Read the followtng

to th e p la ye rs :

"1hank YOII fo r ([omillg.Bertmm m rn tiomd th at he

t hough t yo tt wou ld be qU it e abl e to c omple u my ! it tla t as k.

I w ou ld no t have SC1lt rh( } seyOWlg boys to do men s w or k,

b'lt lin a fr aid 1 d id n't h a ll t! m i lc h c ho ic e. It} my rhwghtt!7,

yo u see.She'snmoff"

The m ajo riry o f w h at Dusterrnann te lls [h e p arry a t this poinr is

tru e: h is d au g.h te r,.}u lia nn e, h as ru n aw ay to be with a m an she

ca lls the love of her life , Rud iger K altb lu r, the lead er o f a grou p

of band its w ho have been prey ing on trave lle rs to and from

M lrrle re sd oef fo r se ve ra l y ears. D us re rrn an n s ay s th at h e su sp ec te dh is daugh ter s im ply had 3. case of puppy lov e, w hich sh e would

ev en tu ally h av e g otten o ver. Unfortunately, he m ade the m istak e of

expressly forbidding herto see th e m an ev er ag ain -sh e ra n o ff th e

same night h e iss ue d h is u ltim atu m.

A ll o f th is is true , bur D useerrnann is Leav in g ou r som e im portan t

parrs : Ju lianne is no t h is daugh ter, and is transfo rm ing in to Jess

o f one w ith ev ery passing m inu te . H e is runn ing ou t o f tim e to

g .et her W Ider con tro l befo re the band of Skaven he cur a dea l

w ith show up to collect th eir d eb t. Dustermann wHIplayoff his

nervousness as fear fo r h is daugh ter, bu t it is th e th rea t th e Sk av en

pose tha t k eeps h im up nigh ts .

29



For L ov e o r M o ney

KEEPINGTHE L I E s STIWGHT

Here are other pertinent details that Dustermann can dole our,

should the pes pucsue a particular Lineof questioning:

Wil an d his friends were the first to attempt to locate the bandits.

Dusterrnann does not take Bertram and go [0find the banditshim elf because he believes Rudiger would be able to kill the

two of them easily.

This isabo why he hasn't asked for the Wateh's assistance.

Dusrermana can show the PCs a portrait.

Most everyone in town thinks that the bandits are in the woods

to the northeast of town, but nobody has ever been able to find

them. Asking around town is probably me best bet.

Dustermann is originally from Middenheim; perhaps th.ey've

heard of the Middenheim Dusterrnannsi (The Duscermann

family fell into disrepute due to Bela's activities, they left

Middenheim the same year their son did. The PCs will have

never heard of them.)

Duste rmann used to be an adventurer like the PCS; he seeded

In Mirtleresdorf a few years ago and now trades rare books.

Julianne most certainly had friends in town, but Dusrermann

never really knew them that well. He believes she knew the

rown apothecary, Dasha Malarova.

Dusrermann believes that his neighbours suspect something

is amiss, but he is trying to keep his current misfortune under

wraps-s-hed prefer word not get our that his daughter ran off

because he couldn't keep his attention off hi s books.

The sooner the PC s get her back, me better.

M A K I N G TH E D F A L

If the PCS seem noncommittal, Dustermann will give them an

advance oflO gold crowns. Should a particularly fair-minded

player point out that they've already been given an advance,

Duscermann will act distracted and note, ' 'Well, ylJll s o r t. s e e m to

b l!expu ii ! flced , and perhaps yO I l c lJ u id t ea ch Rud ig er t ha t IOI / I ! does

illd~ed hurt. ~Should the PCs exploit the opportunity, they'll beable ro get yet another lOge our of the noble--but only after they

pledge to do the job.

Should the PCs' mercenary instincts get the best of them at this

juncture, Dusrermann does very litde to defend himself from

attack other chan trying to pur furnirure between himself and the

adventurers. instead, he cries out to Bertram, who immediately

retrieves the Watch. The PCs will be summarily arrested and

thrown in ja i l . Should you not wish for the entire adventure to

fall ofF th e r ail s at this point, Dusre rmann can "assume" that the

PCS were proving their martial prowess and promise to drop

the charges against them-as long as they swear to retrieve hi s

daughter (at a reduced rate, of course).

Once an agreement is made, Dustermann looks relieved. He

informs the group that Bertram will smp in to the Merry Hal1:ling

every evening until they've returned. Por propriety's sake, they will

hand over Julianne to him there.

After the details are worked out, Dusrermann will call Bertram

back in. As his servant is opening the ftont door, Dusrermann

speaks to them once again. "Ibanl: YOt , fo r YOl lr hi!lp. Jill eonfiden:

you can fig ~h is .Bur p leas« hurry J hav e the f ie lj ng some thhlg e er ri bl «

is g oing to happtn to my daughter. "

Bertram tells the group that they should know the way back to the

inn, and that he will stop by this evening. He does not wish them

good luck.

Is still early in the day when the adventurers finish speaking

with Herr Dusterrnann, so they can begin poking about

immediately, They start out with two solid leads: WH, the

only survivor of the previous expedition, and Dasha, the (Own

apothecary.

TH E HEAD ST RONG YOUTH

TIle PCs c an tra ck down Wil by asking about him directly or byasking afrer the doctor who treated him, an elderly surgeon by the

name of johann Stern. Th e derails the youth can provide; however,

are a bir sketchier, He and his five friends didn't do awhole lot of

information gathering before simply deciding to search the wood.

until they found something. Trouble was, something found them

fiIS£. Their second day in, they were ambushed.

Wi! never even goe a look at his attackers, as they "shot at the

would-be bounty hunters from the cover of the underbrush;

he ran for his Lifewhen the first volley brought down two of

compatriots. He will reluctantly admit that he cook the blow co

the head as he dove into the river.

A few questions about his friends and their preparations willbe all the PCs need ro realize that the boys were completely

outmatched from the start=-mosr of rhern had no armour of any

SOrt,they mostly used farm implements as hand weapons, and

most had never done more than get in a few backyard brawls.

Despite this, Wil is eager to assist the PCs. The doctor will note

that the youtb. will not be well enough to exert himself for at

least a couple days ("Y ou m ust be carcfill w ith h ea d u /o uu ds . ') . If

Bertram inflicted any other damage at the Merry Ha181ng, this

time will be even longer.

Should the youth's obvious inexperience not deter me PCs from

taking him up on his offer, they willlikely regrer ir Later.For

one thing, Wi.1almost never shuts up-a nervous habit that will

render useless any attempts at srealrh, In personal interactions he

can be expected [0behave in exactly the wrong way-when me

pes are trying to be persuasive, he'll be threatening; when trying

to intimidate, he will be fearful. Finally, he is practically useless

in a fight and will most likely turn tall when things get tight.

Ifthey don't think ro ask of him during their visit, Doctor Stern

will ask that they thank the smith on hi s behalf. " K e p » th e b o y ' s

m ind off the pain, hI! d id, w hat w ith ail thlJS( q uestions he toas

askin', "The questions, should they follow up, were aU about the

bandits: where they attacked, ifWil gOt a good look at them, and

so forth.

30




HE ApOTHECARY

sha Malarova has been Mirtleresdorf's apothecary since

migrating from Klslev 20 years ago. She is short, verging on

with black hair streaked with grey done up in a dishevelled

un. Despite her years in COWIl she still bas traces of her homeland

f the PCS do not ask after Julianne before meeting Dasha, the

othecary can tell them a ll the details noted previously. In

dition she will note that the young woman had come into her

hop a few days before she had disappeared in order to purchase a

wder that alleviates nausea.

he will not think of it unless rhe PCs ask, but Dasha will

member [nat Herr Dustermann had asked her for something

help him sleep-he confided mar he had occasional bouts of

nsomnia and thus he needed a supply that would last him for

ome rime, This was not quire a year ago. " I i magine he did nor

v e ne ed f or m ore . "

n addition to the information she can provide, Dasha hascellent access to herbs and draugh ts (rrear these as one step more

ommon than usual). She does not sell poisons of any son, as she

oes not condone their use.

HE MIssING SMITH

le adventurers will probably be able co cell that something is

misswhen they reach the srni thy only to find that no one appears

be minding me store. The door [0me barn is open, bur there

s no fire. It also appears mar whoever was here last left in a hurry,

though nothing appears to be missing.

they are taking in the scene, a bedraggled boy named Toddomes bursting out of the small house attached to the workplace.

e is visibly disappointed that me PCs are not who he expected

[0be; after a moment, he brightens again. "Have yo It seen

hat rhe PC s will find our-.....-alongwith numerous asides from

e boy about how he's an orphan, how he likes to help Ned even

hough he's little, bow he wishes he had a pony and so on-is

at the smith carne back to the forge late last night. packed some

hings and ran off toward the main gate. Todd asked Ned where he

going, only to be told ro shut up and go back to sleep. "Then

a in , h e's a lmos t a lway s s ay in g th at. 'S hu t l iP , T od d. Don 't t ou ch th e

t iron , T od d. S to p s ta bbin g th « fro g w ith a p oke r. Todd. ' He a lmos t

eu er le ts m e have a ny [un."

hould they poke around a bit, the PCS will note that although

ost of the weapons are hung on me walls, a few of them have

to the ground-as ifsorneone had knocked them over in

heir haste to g.rabon e.

1eadventurers will be able to find any weapon at shield crafted

om metal that is normally common Of greater in availability.

spite Todd's protests to the contrary. he will be unable to stop

PCS if they decide cotake the items wirhout paying.

QUICK B I T E F OR T HE R OA D?

PCS won't be able to find anyrhing new by going back to th eerry HalHing, as no one there has seen Ned since he lefr there

THE TALK AROUNDTOWN

Regardless of whom t he a d ven tu r er s speak an d the order in. which

they speak to t hem , they ar e likely to want to leann about four

things: the bandits, Julianne Dusrermann, he r father, and his

servant. Many of me NT 'Cs will have specif ic information aboutthese topics, but there are some pieces of the puzzle that can be

revealed no matter who me::characters are interviewing.

You're free to dole these pieces out asyou see fit: all at once, a bit at

a time, or even nor at all. They call add a bit of meat to me Story,

but leaving them OUtcan speed matters lip considerably ifyou'd

prefer to keep things at a brisk pace.

The Bandits

They began harassing travellers a couple years ago.

They are smart~they don't arrack every group of travellers,

maybe one OUt of every three; this makes them more of a

nuisance and less of a threat.

They seem to only arrack those with ample funds.

'Theymay have help in town.

In fact, Rudiger used ro live in rown and may have been a

farmer (no farmer will admit to knowing him, however).

Bel a Du st ermann

He arrived in Mirtleresdorf about a dozen years ago.

He trades books by appointment only; most collectors

correspond about items they're looking for before coming to

inspect them personally.

Every few years, he and Bertram go away for a few months

at a time; he usually returns with some new acquisitions.

He only brought Julianne to Mirtleresdorf a lime over a

year ago---rumour has it that he adopted her after his own

daughter died tragically. No one has any concrete details

about me firSt daughter (as mere isn't one).

J u lia nn e Du ste rmann

She is sweet, and very polite.

She iswell liked in town by all who know her. Few know

her well, however.

She is m.ankful to Bela for taking her away from meShallyan orphanage; she considers him her true farner.

She seemed to be a lltrle on edge as of a few weeks ago. She

and her farner were "disagreeing,"

Bertram

Very little is known about him: he arrived with Bela.

He is often seen abour town withour Bela, bur Bela is never

seenwithouc Bertram.

He is practically emotionless, a cold stone. No one is quite

sure what he's really like, but many are afraid to cross him.

3 1



For Love or M oney

last evening. Should they wait there until evening in order to talk

to Bertram, he will want to know why they are sitting there and

not finding out what happened to Herr Dusrerrnanns daughter.

Should they want coquestion him further, Bertram will tell them

everything [hey wish to know (aside from the truth), although his

aggravation will increase witb. every question he answers.

All of the other NPCs who were there the prior evening will be [here

when the PCs return. Their morlva t ions will not have changed.

WE FORGOT TO AsK •••

Should the PCs go back to the Dusrerrnann residence when

Bertram is there, he will refuse [hem enrry-s-rhey have their {ask

and they should set to it. If they brazenly attempt [0hop me gare

during broad daylight, the Warch will conveniently notice them. If

they are stealthy about it and manage to break in, Bertram gets the

Watch as soon as the PC s are detected.

BACK TO THE MAIN GATE

Sure, the Watch noticed that Ned was leaving in a hurry. "Was sure

jum py abou» sornuhjng. B arl!/y w aited for th« doo r to op en bifo re hewent running out. "IIasked, the Watchman on duty will note that

he wenr south along the main road-and he was armed.

WOL VB TO THE SLAUGHTERBy this rime, the pes should probably realize rhar Ned Wdss

might be more than JUSt t he town smith. Because of the hurry he

was in, he didn't do a fantastic job covering his tracks. Anyone

making a successful Eas y (+20%) Perception Test will notice that

someone veered from the path and headed for the river around. a

half-hour south on the Main Road. A successful Routine (+10%)

Follow Trail Test allows Ned to be tracked.

The trail does in face lead to the river, and the PCs will notice a

makeshift r a . f i : ha s been pulled up on the opposite bank. Th e party

will have to go back to the Ferry to get across, as the river is too

powerful (0swim. Once on the east side, they will have 00problem

relocating either the raft or the trail left behind by the smith.

Too LATE!

After the adventurers have travelled for a couple hours, they will

begin to hear birds. Soon after, they will discover a half-dozen

ravens gorging themselves on a corpse that's lying face down on

the ground. The scavengers have already done quite a job on the

body, but it's obvious that it's the smith. It's also apparent that the

jagged sword blade protruding from his back was probably what

killed him.

Anyone searching the body will find two things of note; a rattoc

and a hastily scribbled note. The tattoo is over his left breast, and

depicts a coin being pierced by an arrow. Only characters wirh the

Secret Signs (Thief) skill will be able to read the note, in which

are brief descriptions of every member of the party!

MORR'S HARVEST

As they explore the area around the body, the adventurers will

notice that the land gets rockier nearby as it rises into a series of

low foothills. Further investigation (or a successful Perception

Test) will reveal a cave in the foothills that is partially hidden

from sight. Once they have gotten closer, the party's noses will be

assailed with the stench of blood.

11Ie scene inside the cave is so gruesome that anyone who enters

it must immediately succeed at aWill Power Test or gain one

Insanity Point.

There are a total of eight corpse.s in the cave. Half of them look as

if they were killed while they slept, based on the fact that they are

all lying on pallets and all of them have similar wounds that appear

to have been caused by someone stabbing them with a bladed

weapon and then twisting the weapon in the wound. Three ather

corpses died with weapons in their hands, although all of these

have had their heads removed and thrown against the wall. All of

the corpses have the pierced coin tattoo that Ned was sporting.

The last of the bandits has his head and shoulders stuck in a hole

near the back wall of the cave. Examining the body reveals that

there is scm life in it. Th.is is Rudiger.

Rudiger had the somewhat fortunate riming co have been "making

water" when he heard the screams of his men being attacked. He

rushed back in time [0see mar half of his men were already dead

and me love of his life was being dragged away. He tried to fight

his way to her, but he was outmanned and outmatched-he took a

number of wounds before the attackers vanished at the back of the

cave. He had managed to discover this hole, but had been unable

to go any farther.

The bandit leader is umepemanr about his illegal activities ( "We

stealfrom them! that call afford it. j, but is heartbroken at [he loss

of Julianne ("We w as to h e m ar rie d'). He did not get a good look at

their attackers, but they were man-sized and made noises the like

of which he'd never heard ( "L ik e a g a.te with a r us ty hinge, they was.

Squcakin'. ').

Rudiger will refuse healing if offered ("Goes noth il / ' t t l/ i l/ e jor. " ) ,

and will succumb to hi s many wounds within a few minutes if heis not treated. Should the party rend to hl s wounds, he will follow

along to pay his penance for his life of crime-until the party

encounters the Skaven. Then he will charge headlong at them

and prompdy be killed. Part of the reason me bandits were so

successful was because the majority of them were crack shors. Toe-

to-toe combar was never their forte, and proved their undoing.

THE TuNNELs

If the adventurers either examine the hole that Rudiger was

sticking out of or search the rear section of me cave, they will

discover a veritable network of holes that leads to a more carefully

sculpted series of runnels. "This was how the Skaven were able

to catch the bandits unawares. 1 f asked, Rudiger will say that he

thinks he saw Julianne disappear into the hole he subsequently

collapsed in.

I. Murd er H oles

These four holes are where the Skaven entered the cave to make

their attack. They are quite small, requiring anyone wishing to

travel through them to crawl. They will be able [0 regain their feet

once they get to me main tunnel.

2. Living Quarters

"This was where the Skaven slept, are, and-as the pcs wiU soon

smell=-relteved themselves. The PCs will be unable to determine

32



For Love or M oney

th e nature of the attackers by exam in ing the room , o ther than the

F act th at th ey evidently c ar ed l it tl e about w hat they ate or matter s

o f personal hyg iene . H ow ever, a little b it o f pok ing abo ut revea ls a

v ia l th at h as b een recen tly d ra in ed . Thiswas Julia.nne's last nausea

cura t ive .

3. Trap

T he S ka ve n knew tha t the ir h ideou t w ould even tua lly b e fou nd ,

and so rigged th is particu lar sec tion to co llapse on top of th e

u nw ary . Th e trap was no t m ean t to kill (a lthoug h it is certainly

p o ss ib le it will h a ve t ha t d f ec t) -m e re ly to g ive the ra t-m en tim e

to intercept an y intruders.

Each m em ber of the party must succeed at a Perception Test

u po n p assin g t'h is section \tor th e sak e ot s ur pt is e, y o us b ou ld

make th is co 1 1 i n s ec re t) . T h e . B rs t c h aracrer to f a il m e ro U has

sprung the trap , causing a large amount of ro ck s a nd dirt to fall

upon bo th h im and th e p eop le im media te ly In from and back of

h im ,lfany ..

T he c ha ra cte r w ho trig ge re d th e trap m ay m ake an A gilityTest to

jump OUt of the w ay of the falling debris ; ad jacen t charac ters m ake

a Roudne (+1 0%) Agility T es t. F ailu re re su lrs in th e c hara cter(~ )

taking a D am ag e 3 h it. A ffec ted ch arac ters are a lso p in ned an d

muse b e d ug O Ut b y th eir c om p atrio ts .

4. E X i t

T he e xit [0 the o ther side of the f oo th il ls h a s been panially

c olla ps ed in o rd er to slow do wn pursu it. Th .e PCs w ill see m at

there are a . few gaps near tne tOP of the sp ill, and shou ld b e ab le [0

rem ove enough rubb le to c lim b om in abou t an hour o r so .

MEETING THE ENEMY

AI; th e PGs will so on fin d o ut, Ju lian ne m ak es trav ellin g at an y

pace f as te r th an a walk a lm ost im po ssib le an d st.ealili comple te ly

ou t o f the question .. So the adven tu rers shou ld have no prob lem s

either f ollo win g th e e mil th e S ka ve n l ef t b e hi nd Of ca tch jng up to

rhem o ve r th e course o f the next-day .

H ow ev er , tile Ska ve n a re being m indfu l o f pursuit, an d willprepare them selves once they sense the party is g etting dose .

SkavenTunnels

K rudt, the ir leader, w ill be w aiting w ith a b lade po in ting at

ju llann e's th roa t w hen m e adven tu rers fina lly earch up w ith . them .

Th e th ree o th er Sk av en will try to use the cover to the ir advan tage ,

bur they do no t have th e ad van tag e o f su rp rise h ere .

It is e ntirely p oss ib le th e PC s h av e n ev er en co un tered Sk av en

b efo re . If m is is th e case, play up the horror of see ing such m an -

sized ra trnen and m ake each charac ter tak e a W ill Pow er Test o r

g ain an Insaniry Poin t. Rem em ber, m ost fo lk in th e Em pire th ink

th e Skaven ar e bu t a l eg e nd .

When th e PGs corne inro Sight, the Skaven leader Lightens hi s grip

on hi s prize and th rea tens her w ith . the kn ife . Th e Po. ca n clearly

see th at sh e's n ot in fantastrc s hap e: sh e stands wirhan e ff or t a nd

her fa..e appears to be w racked w ith pain .

"You fo ll ow . Wh y? " Krud c w i ll ask . If the Po. po int o ur th at

the Skaven is curren tly ho ld ing m e reason , rhe Skaven w iL l b e

d ow n rig ht p et ula nt. "O u n. O l in ! P romi se d, p romi se d to ' 1S!"Fw:mer

d iscu ssio n o n th is p oim will no t y ie ld m uch m ore detail, as Krudr

co ntin ues to su gg est th at Ju lian ne is th eir rig htfu l p ro perty . "H e

promimi. O n« year! O n« year now ! ~ take!!'

If the party seem s m ore in ten t on ta lk ing rhen figh ting , K rudr

will be happy to ob lige until th e rest of the Skaven are in place ,

and th en he attack s. If the party Spo ts the other S ka ve n m o vin g

into posirlon, th ey w ill attack im m ed ia te ly , sh oo tin g w ith . th eir

slings, and ehenswitching to h an d w eap on s. Krudt will no t

in ten tio na lly h arm . J ulia nn e u nd er a ny c irc um stan ce s-s he 's fa r

r oo v a lu a bl e.

Shou ld th e p ar,ry le t them go, K ru dt w ill tak e Ju lian ne and the rest

o f h is party back to h is Skaven bre th ren . Ju lianne w ill undergo her

tran sfo rm atio n an d w ill m ak e th e ad ven tu rers regrettheir choke at

som e po im in m e fu tu re .

KROOT, RATMANLEAnER

Krud t lo ok s a ty pic al Skaven: abou t S V z tall and covered w ith

brow n fu r. H e w as ehere w hen B ela and the o ther Skaven m ade

the deal m at ha s le d co J ulianne Duseermann'scuerem state,

bu t he doesn 't k now enough Reikspiel in o rd er to ex plain th e

situa tion . In any case , gen ing Ju lian ne back to h is superio r is h is

p rim ary g oa l.



For Love or M oney

Krudt

Career: Sneak

R ac es S ka ve n

Sk ills: C om mand, C oncealm en t, D odge B low , Follow Trail,

N av ig atio n, O utd oo r S urv iv al, P er ce ptio n, S ca le S he er

S ur fa ce , S ha do w in g, S ile nt M o ve , S pe ak L an gu ag e (Q ue ek is h,

Relkspiel), Specialist Wea po n G ro llp (Sling, T hr ow in g), S wimTalents. N ight V ision, M ighty Shot, Rapid Reload, Tunnel RaJ

Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)

Armour Poinrs. Head 0, Arms 1, Body L,Legs 0

Weapons; Hand W eapon (Sw ord), Shield , Sling, 4 Throwing Stars

Trappings: 10 Sling stones

S K A YENWARRIORS 6)N one of the other Skaven in: r hisg roup speaks Reik spiel, They are

e ac h b etw e en 5 an d 6 feet tall w ith b row n or b lac k fu r a nd filth:y

l ea th er a rm o ur .

Skaven War r io r s

Skills: C oncealm ent, Outdoor Surv ival" Perceptio n, Scale

S heer Su rface, Silen t M ov e, Sp eak L an gu ag e {Q ueek ish J,

S pecialist W eap on G ro up (Sling), Swim

Talents: Night Vision, Tunnel Ra t

A rm our: L ight A rm our (Leather Ja.ck)


Weapons: H and Weapon (Sword), Sling

Trappings: 10 Sling stones

On c~ m e, Skaven a re d ,e ah W im .' .th e PCs .~~.iIl.otice something

qwte disturbing: Ju lia nn e a pp ea ~ to be In the l at e smg e';

of pregnancy. In fact, they m ay even believe thar she is in the

early srag es of labour, since she w ill screamcur .in p ain at reg ular

in te rv als .. 11 1 e ac tu al c au se o f th is is the final transform ation thatis

changing her from a humanoid in to a powerful C ha os b ea st.

WRONG ROOM.

If th e parry goes back [0th e Merry HaUl ing, a S ka ve n will break

inro their. room (o~ the room containing th e fe we st of them, if

theyte in more than o ne ) th ro ug h a w in do w , lo ok in g fOf Julianne.

"Where she? Where?" Once it's dear that she 's not there, the

Skaven w ill draw its sw ord, look at w ho it's facing, then decide

against it. Should they chase it, the Skaven will lead them to the

Dusrerrnaen estate, w here th e assau lt will have already b egun .. Go

straight to the Sk irm ish on the Steps,

The f i -i ght e ned girl, in h er in frequ en t b ou ts o f!u cid ity ,. c laim s m ar sh e

an d Rudige r never co nsu mm ated th eir lo ve fo r each o th er. H ealin g h er

will. provide her som e respite from the pain , but she is too far alo ng in

her change to be saved. She refu ses anyone w ho w ants to do m ore than

a cursory examination, which w ould yield n othing in an y case.

THE WAY HOMEAllowingjulianne to w alk w ill slow the party down considerably,

as sh e wiU be overcom e by nausea every 15 to 20 m in utes .. I n th is

case, th e journey back w ill take tw o days (one to rhecave and one

to th e riv er). C arry in g her w ill. be the quick er, cutting off about

half a day, Unforrunarely, rhe character stu ck w ith th e u np leasan t

duty of slinging Julianne over his shoulder will have to endure her

scream s and bouts of vo miting .

M eanw hile . the rem ainder ofrh e Sk aven band soon discov ers the

rem ains ofK rudt and th e others, Their leader, S tem , w as prepared for

th is eventuality ; he plans on tak ing the other 7 m em bers of hisgroup,sn eak in g in to to wn after n ig htfall, an d rak in g Ju lian ne b y fo rce.

34



For Love or M oney

Omsa PossrsnrrrssLike as nor, your parry will do somerhlngnor covered within the boundaries of this adventure. While a certain improvisational skill will

help in most situations, here are a few likely actions your pa.rry could take, and a suggestion to deal with it:

IT the parry decides 710t to go to the Merry HaUling when they get back and go directly co the D us te rm an n re sid en ce, assume mat

Bertram is JUSt then on his way to the inn. Bela can burst out of the door after his servant meets with me adventurers.

Should they [10[ a.ccept Herr Dustermanns offer to guard his house for the evening, a single Ska:ven will visit them once they'Ve gone to

sleep for m e night. Further detai ls on c h i s encounter will be found in the Wrong Room section on page 34.

II the parry suggests that maybe they should bring the doctor to treat Julianne, Bela will look as if the idea hadn't occurred co him

before, bur then hail it as a fine idea. The good doctor will be the f irst unfortunate vic tim after Ju] janne's rransformaricn,

There's still no real evidence of wrongdoing on Bela's part (aside perhaps from consorting with Skaven), so if the parry were to attack

Herr Dusrermann openly at this point, the Watch would show up as described earlier.

IT any member of the parry wants to defend the house from the inside, Bela will not object; however, he expects them to stay out of

his chambers so be ca n concentrate on his work.

TH E SECOND"TRUTH"

Bertram wiU be waiting for the adventurers at the Merry

HalHing. He will briefly check Julianne to ensure that she hadn't

taken any wounds. give the parry the remainder of their gold,

and then carry the girl off to Bela. In al l likelihood. the pes will

have a few choice questions for Herr Dusterrnann, questions char

Bertram has no patience to answer. He'U bid them to come along

if they like.

Once they get inside the gate of the Dusrerrnann estate, the master

of the house will come bursting out [he front door and take his

daughter from Bertram. His relief is genuine, although nor for the

reasons the adventurers may mink.

Should they tell him about what Krudr had said, Bela will look

shocked, and then ashamed. Read the following to the players:

"~ h41166om~? T nell6r t Xj !e cud . .. but I s houl d ha w

k n l 1 W 7 l . What thr beast toltJy o u WftS iNked what I toM him.

l kr tr am a nd Ihad gone trawlling to bring my dtrughte r to

my hum~ when th e CrtittUTtS l lJ4y!diJ 141.7hty thTttttn1ed

to kill al l o f 141•• bUll WftS able T O stTilt~II bargain. I h ad

heard oftlm ~ animals b6 fo" . m ull knew thal if I wert tooffir tkm something t h e y coultJ HS~ wt might IIIl e s c a p e with

(JUT skins. S o . • . Ilkd. I ha w some s ldO in cra ft ing JlDtionsand ... othtr draughts. and I pr 'omis~d thtm II b rtw Tha t

WQU/ J iJt&r~_th~iTstrength an d stamina. I t ql tJ them that

the ingrtdinrtr; II" quite rare. lI,uI that I t lJOu lt Jne~d a ]tIlT

to m a~ II single baIGh, a nd th at I WOtJd tkmonslTtJU ho w

itco,Jd bt m m I e . O f course. I had n o in tm tid n o f t/Qillg

any s uc h t hi ng , but now 1forr t h e y m~an to colkct th~tkbt.

l fr n .y l o v e -s i cl e dtrughter hadn't mil of f w ith th ai r u f f i a n . !might no t h t t t M Imoum t h e y ~ MIlT. "

Bela wilJ beg o£ffurther questions. saying mat he has to tend

to his daughter's illness. If they ask about the "pregnancy,"

Herr Dusterrnann will assure them that she is most definitely

not pregnant, and that the Skaven more than likely "gn,ve her 0.

potion, as IZ message to me. [ call c re a te a ll a n ri do t« ; but I must be

q uic k .• u

Before he goes back Into his house, Dusterrnann has another

thought: Perhaps me adventurers could defend his house? The

Skaven are not l ikely [0give up easily. and may assault the estate in

some numbers. Dusrerrnann does nor want Watch involvement,

as they ar e likely to want answers to questions he does no r want co

waste time answering, and they are not as skilled as me adventurers

in any case. He will offer them double what they've already made for

JUSt this night's work. This time, however, there is no deposic=-rhe

PO; have to make certain the Dustermanns survive through me

night.

ENDGAMEUnbeknownst [Q Bela, the Skaven have snuck into Mirtleresdorf a

number of times in order to study his house and how they might

get into it. They come into the city by breaking down the Farmer's

Gate and leaving two of their number to distract the Watch by

al ternately fighting and leading them on a merry chase through

most of the north-western pan of (Own.

Slerd and me [est of the band will study how the adventurers have

themselves placed around the house. II he notices mar they are

bunched together in any particular area, he will send three of his

number against them, then break into the house from me opposire

side.

SK IRM ISH ON TH E STEPS

Slerd has brought a total of seven other Skaven with him for hi s

assault (all of which use the scats provided previously). Two have

been left: to distract the Watch, and he sends another three against

the greatest number of adventurers. This leaves him with two, nor

including himself.

Depending on me number ofPCs and their State after their

previous encounter with Skaven, you may wish to adjust the

number of foes in the final battle. The goal of this scene is not the

slaughter of the pes.

3 5



F o r Love o r Money

Sierd ismore cunning than the average Skaven, and has a number

of bare patches in his fu r [0prove that he's bartle-rested as well. He

intends to take Julianne and slay Bela or die in the attempL

Slerd , R atm an C omman de r

Career: Sneak

Races Skaven

Skills: Command, Concealment, Outdoor Survival, Perception,

Scale Sheer Surface, Shadowing, Silent Move, Scale Sheer

Surface, Speak Language (Queeklsh, Reikspiel), Specialist

Weapon Group (SUng,Throwing), Swim

Talents: Night Vision, Mighty Shot, Rapid Reload, Sure Shor,Tunnel Rat

Armour: Medium. Armour (Mail hirr, Helmer, Leather Jack)


Weapons: Hand We.1pon (Sword), Shield, 41hrowing Stars

Trappings: Map of Duster mann's house

If the PCs have nor totally committed themselves against the three

Skaven Slerd sent at them in twO rounds, he will.lead a charge

against the stragglers. hoping to overrun them. With superiority in

numbers, it's almost a certainty that the Skaven leader and some

of his entourage will gain the house-where they will run into

Bertram.

If the PCs have completely taken the bait, they will hear IWO

things that will draw their attention back to the house: breaking

glass and a high-pitched scream. Should that not get them moving,

they will hear the sound of steel on steel a couple of rounds later.

When they get into the house, they will see that Bertram is doing

his best to hold off Slerd and his followers (indeed, he should

bring down at least one of their number), but he ls being steadily

forced back up the steps. As the adventurers move toward the

steps, Julianne will scream again. This only motivates the Skavea,

who press Bertram even harder.

As the PCs attack them from the rear the Skaven will succeed in

pushing Bertram into Bela'schambers, where they will see...

THE FINAL TRUTHBela's lab is a rectangular room about 6 yards by 10, with the

entrance in the southern end of the western wall. Bela is standing

over Julianne, who is being restrained 011 a stone slab in the northern

part of the room. Julianne isobviously in considerable pain, and

Bela appears to be mumbling some sort of incantation over her.

When the fight bursts into the room, he w i l l look at the PCs with

fear in his eyesand yell, "1hey' ve come for her ! P t e a s e , protect her ! 111

pay whnt l!ve ryol t umnt ; j u. st pro tl !c t hal"

In actuality, Bela is hoping that the PCs and the Skaven will do so

much damage to each other that be and Bertram will be able to

rake care of the rest.




After twO rounds of combat, Julianne manages to snap her

restraints. As she gelS to her feet, the last vestiges of her humanity

Literallyslough away. Her skin falls from her body, revealing the

scaled beast beneath. The distended belly that they PCs rnosr likely

thought was due to pregnancy is actually a gigantic third mouth

that howls in inhuman fury. There is a loud cracking noise asshe

realigns her spine so she can stand at her new height of almost

seven feet.

Anyone unfortunate enough eowitness the transformarion is

obliged to [like a W iU Power Test or gain 2 Insanity Points.

Ic isentirely possible that combating Bela, Bertram, Slerd, the

other Skaven, and the beast that wasJuHan.ne a ll at once will be

more than the adventurers can handle, To give them a 6ghdng

chance, you will probably want to use Julianne asa leveller who

can soften up some of me other foes. Otherwise, she will simply

arrack whoever is nearest.

Once Julianne has risen, Bela will cast spells every round until

engaged in melee, at which poim he will do his best to defend

himself with a hand weapon-all me while calling upon his

Chaos parron to aid him. With hi s dying breath he will curse theadventurers, telling them that "The Changer o/W oys sus yo II, he

ktl()UlI Y()II_alld he shall halleYOII."

J UL IA NN E T RA NSF ORM E D

This is me Chaos beast that was once Julianne. No vestige of the

girl remains.

J u lia nn e (m u ta te d fo rm )

Skills: Intimidate + 1 0%

Talents: Arnbidexrrous, Fearless, Frightening, Natural Weapons,

Night Vision

Special Rules: Chaos Mutat ion; Scales.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 1 , Armsl , Body 1, Legs 1Weapons: Claws

Of course, once the fighting has ended the Watch will arrive

(if things are going badly for the PCS, have rhern arrive

while the combat is still in progress). They will rake one look ar

the carnage and prompdy detain the PCs. Once the Watch begins

rooting through Bela'spersonal belongings, however, the PCs

will be released. They will be told that although the citizens of

Mirrleresdorf are very thankful for what they've done, they would

much rather prefer it if thePCs would go about their business ...elsewhere. Other people in town will consider the PCS as fearless

killers, and will speak in hushed tones when in their proximity.

The bodies of the Skaven, Bela, Bertram, and the beast that once

wasJulianne will be placed on a pyre and burned. And although

me Dusterrnann estate is supposed to be off-limits pending an

invesrigation, a mysterious lire is set [he night after the parties put

its owner to the sword.

No one makes much of an effort to pur it out.

EXPERIENCE POINT AWARDS

Each player should receive 150 experience points for completing

the adventure, plus 25 to 50 additional points for admirable

roleplay. You can also award the PCs an additional Fare Point if the

last encounter was particularly challenging for them,



The Ha tm t in g Ho rr or

Ith]sadventure the PCs enter a strange, disturbing house,

occupied by Undead a nd b ew il de ri ng enchanted objects ..Theyg~in 1 n forma tic n ab 0 Ut the h is ro r y of th e how; e (and possibly

other adventuring concerns) from wrirtee sources and conversing

with a Ghost, the servant of the last owner of the place, the wizard

Ludovicus Hanike. Hanike dabbled in Chaos, and the Haunting

Horror of the title stalks the house, having killed the wizard who

summoned it. The PCs have to fight and defeat this enriry of

Chaos. 'The Haunting Honor isa challengmg adventure because

it features a good amount of combat in unusual circumstances,

The PCs are unable to seek outside aid, so they must make do

with their own resources. It is thus recommended for characters

approaching the end of their first careers or beginning their second

careers,

This adve~rure begins with the di~covery of a secret d.ool

(see.Placing the Adventure for ideas as to where rhis

door might be located). Although the door is locked when the

adven curers discover it, i sb0uld proveq u.i teeasy to break it

down wi tha Very Easy (+30%) Strength Test,jf fo r some reasonthe pes aren't able [0wax the lock open with an Easy (+20%)

PickLocks Test, When opened, a passage is revealed, stretching

off into the gloom. It is 1 yard wide, and continues fo r quite

some distance (80 yards). However, as the players p.og):e~s, the

passage rapidly becomes very misty, reducing the visibility, while

rhe air starts to nun dank and musty. There are faint sounds of

earsscuttling and some unknown creature scratching chitinous

claw. on hard stone. The mist grows thicker, developing an

almost definable presence. When the PCs begin to get really

jumpy, the mist suddenly dears ahead of them, revealing that

the passage terminates in a smooth stone shaft with an iron-rung

ladder set into it. At the top of the 12-yard sha& is a wooden .

trapdoor. When the PCs try to open it, they will find h: i s

unlocked, opening into room 1 of the house above ..

=

GM lNF oThere are some special points of importance that the GM needs to

keep in mind while running this adventure.

PuClNG THE A D V E N T U R E

It isliirly e a s y to set the adventure almost anywhere. The house can be

in a town or a small village.It may actually exist outsideof any normal

settlement and be a place unto itself;dimly glimpsed through themists

and 1Pgsthat swirl in some isolated forestarea... In the latter case, the

PO; w i l l probably ge t in through the &ontdoor asopposed to the

basement (which the scenario presumes), but this makes Iitt1editfetence.

INTo THE UNKNOWN

The house where the action takes place is a strange, magical

place. If the pes try to report the goings-on, or the locadon, to


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/warhammer-frp-2nd-edition-plundered-vaults-559ab979d38b0 40/98J 9

T he H au ntin g H orro r

the authorities, the house simply cannot be

found. The trap-door which led to it is

no longer mere, a trip down me street

the windows looked our onto shows

that me house is nor there, no one

in the area has ever seen

the place, and so on.

lfthe PCs return

to it, managing

(somehow) to

get out of it and

then back again,

they will be able to

lind it-but nor if

there isanyone else

with them. That's

just the way the

place works ..If

PCs (or playersl)

get paranoid about this, that's fine. This place is haunted in a

very strange way and there isn't any conventional logic about

it. Because of their long association with Johann the Ghost, thePCs have built up an affinity with life beyond the g,ave. This has

somehow brought them into the world of magical, supernatural,

and Aethyric energy inhabited by the Haunting Horror. Now they

have to meet and overcome it, or never be able to return to their

own time and homes.

on a second look rhrough a Window, see it slipping back in time

outside, as it were! More irnportanrly, the PCs can see and hear

what is going on outside, but they canner be seen or heard

by the inhabiranrs of the town.

Add improvised details to the descdptlons

of rooms below-sudden chitterings or

sc ra rchings in the distance, chill gusts

of wind, a faint moan as muchsensed as heard, and so on.

Don't overdo lr , bu r a little

un expec red extra de tail can

keep the PCs frightened

and tense during the

adventure, which is

the general idea.

L IG HTING AND L OCKS

Unless the [ext specifies otherwise, rooms are lit with small wall-

mounted lamps. These look like oil lamps but they do not, in fact,

consume any oil , The}' bum oil normally outside the house, should

me PCs take any. Doors in the house are unlocked unless the [ext

says otherwise.

ATMOSPHERE

Conveying the correct atmosphere in this adventure is crucial.

The location is a house out of rime, a real anachronism. Irs

decor isantique, cobwebbed and dusty, sinister and Gothic in

ornamentation. When the PCs look out of the windows, they

see mists interspersed with gli.mpses of the village or [own they

were recently visiting-but it seems different, smaller and older.

The people wear old-fashioned clothing, [he vehicles are more

primitive, the colours faded and weak . The most effective ploy of

al l is to have the PCs glimpse the town as they know it at first bur,

AVOID ING

S T A S I S

Do not allow the PCs [0get into an "open this door, check this

room, resr, open another door...' routine. In the text you willfind numerous illusions and strange effects. U se these as a basis

for other, harmless, events that will worry the PCs--scutding

furniture, something half-seen around a corner, and so on. J f the

pes take a ridiculously long time over everything you may have a

suitable "wandering monster" appear to menace them. Skeletons

and Zombies are very much in keeping with. the place!

LEAVING THE HOUSE

You can play this [\'10ways. The simple way is to determine that

the PCS cannot leave at all until they have destroyed the Haunting

Horror itself. Windows and doors cannot be opened or broken

down, and the passage where they gOtin only leads them back to

the house again.

The second possibility is to let the PCs leave the house once. It is

best to allow them to leave through the front door, so they step

our into the street. It isfoggy and misty outside, and as the mist

dears the house behind is gone. They can find it again by going

back to the secret door, but the second time around they will be

stuck within the house until they have destroyed the Haunting

Horror. This option allows a strategic retreat and a rush for extra

equipment and supplies. The PCs will emerge into a historic

version of the town or village they had left, and after a minute or

two will they reappear into the "modern-day."

I. SP AR E ROOM

This is where the PCs emerge. This room is mostly full of lumber,

rolled-up carpets, and junk. It is dusty, dirty, and unlit.

2. SIT TIN G ROOM

Armchairs with dust covers, cloth-covered tables, and dusty rugs

fill this room. In the middle of the east will is a large painting

with a heavy giJt frame. The painting shows a distressing scene of a

foully mutated Chaos Beastman standing over the bloodied bodies

of twOslain warriors atop a blackened hilltop. The Beastman has

a goat's head and the legs of an ox, and wields a huge two-handed

sword.

When the PCs enter this room, there is a horrid gurgling sound

from the direction of tile painting. Blood goms from the bodies

in the picture and hits the twO nearest PCs with jers of rich, warm

blood (each PC must make an.AgllityTest or get hit in the face,

suffering a -20% penalty to Agiljry for the next 2 rounds due

to partial blinding). The Chaos Beasrrnan then steps out of the

picture, leaving (he two bodies behind him in the scene; their

hacked bodies seem to writhe, and fresh blood pulses from themdown to the Roor.



The Ha un tin g Ho rro r

Ludov i cus Hanike'sTown Houser.iI

S E C O N D F L O O R

eB~~~~~~ gu : :

GRO_UND F L O O R

.. . - . ; ; : . ~.- ~ . . . . . . . : : r . "-"--Z

- . . . , . . . _ ~-. - _ .

- ; : # ~ - ~ i F - ~ - ~ ~'.-~ ~.. . ,' -~

--~~- . . . .~-

~> ./"

- - - -,--

2 4

1 ATTIC

o 1 ~ 8

Y a r d s

i2

8Q

Window • r::a'i

Door-=-

Stain; ..

Tro1pdoor (Floor) li'

Firep lace . ! f i i ? £ I l



T he H au nting H o rro r

The Thing from th e Painting

C areen B ru te

R ac e: B e as tm an

Skills, Concealment, D od ge B lo w, F ollo w T rail. In tim id ate ,

O utdo or Su rv iv al, P ercep tio n, Sh ado win g, S ilen t M ov e,

Sp eak Lang uag e (D ark To ng ue)

T alen ts: K een Sen ses, M en acin g, Ro ver, Sp ecia list W eapo n G ro up

(Two-handed)

S pe cia l R ule s: Chaos Mu ta tions : A nim alistic Leg s an d H orns.

S il en t a s till! Beasts o/th e W O ods: Th e B eastm an g ain s +20%

co Silen t M ov e Tests an d +10% to Concealrnenr Tests.A rm our: Ligh t A rm our (Leather Jack )

A rm our Po in ts: H ead 0, Arms I, Body 1 Legs 0

W eapons: G reat W eapon (Tw o-handed Sw ord) and H orns (S8 -1

damage )

W hen the pes kill the B eastrn an , it ra ises its h ead an d b egin s

issu ing a th in , w ispy cloud of grey sm oke from its th roa t,

accornpanled by a slow , m ournfu l how l. A s it s low ly d isso lves in to

th e air, the tem peratu re drops sharp ly and the room becom es very

cold.

3. GUEST ROOM

Comfor t ably decora ted, bur very dirty and dusty , th is room has

no th ing to interest the PC s apart from a silv er cak e stan d on a

m ahogany table . The cake stand is w orth 1 5 g c and the tab le 50

ge . but they are bo th rather bu lky (encum brance of 40 an d 100.

r es p ec ti ve ly ) .

4. GUEST BEDROOM

1111' door to this unlit roo m is lo cked (pick Locks Test o r a

Strength Test to open). The room itse lf has a bare w oo de n flo or,

ta ble a nd chairs , w ardrobe , com mode, and bed . B eside the bed

is a s ma ll b ed sid e c ab le w ith a b ras s c an dle stic k, w hic h h old s a

yel lowed tallow c a nd l e . .

When m e P Cs en ter, m e can dle su dd en ly sp lu rrers into f lam e . .A

b on y f ig ure , which cou ld no t be seen befo re , sits bolt upright in

th e b ed . It stares at the pes, its jawbone dropp ing open and a d im

blue g low issu ing from the eye sockets. The PC S have to make a

Fear Test a t m e Sigh t o f th is.

The crea tu re in the bed is a Skeleton , but one w hich channels

cenaln m ag ica l p ow ers resid en t in the house . Each round of

com bat it w ill c reate the illusion of sk ele ta l hands w rapped around

the rh roar o f one of the Pcs; an ln tellig ence Test is n eed ed [0

realize this as a n i ll us io n . If th e rest is failed , the illu so ry h an ds w iU

slowly s t rangle the H Eeout o f the PC , dra in ing 1 Wound per round

(regard less o f To ug hness B onu s o r A rm ou r). Th is effecr p ersis ts

u ntil th e Sk elero n is destro yed . Th e Skeleton w i l l fig ht no rm ally in

addition to g en era tin g th e illu so ry b an ds.

Th e can dle w ill ad d fu rth er to the prob lem s of the p c s . Ro ll a d IOeach round, On a roil o f 1 -5, the cand le will f la re v er y brighdy an d

genera te an illusory Skeleton artack ing one of the PC s. The PC

affec ted m ust m ake an Intelligence T est o r b eliev e th is [0 b e re al,

an d arrac k th e illu sio n.

In all c ase s, se lec t tile P C v ic tim s o f s pell-lik e e ffe cts ra nd om ly

fro m th e g ro up .

Skeleton

S kills: N on e

T alen ts: F rig hte nin g, U nd ea d

S pe cia l R ule s: Mindless: T Il e S ke le to n h as n o lo ce Uig en ce ,W lII

Pow er, o r Fellow sh ip . and can never tak e or fa il Tests based

o n t he se C h ar ac te ri st ic s.

Shambling: The Skeleton canno t tak e the run action .

A rm our: Ligh t A rm our (Leather Jerk in and Leather Sku llcap)

A rmour Po in ts: H ead 1, Arms 0, Body I, Legs aW eapons: H and W eapon (Rusry Sword)

If the PCs get the chance to search the room, stuffed underueath

the p illow of the bed is a p la in g old sig net rin g w ith an aqu am arin e

s ettin g w o rth 15 ge .

5 . K I T C H E NThe smell o f roasting meat comes from th is room , and an Easy

(+20%) Perception Test a t the door w ill revea l the sound of

a r eg u la r s qu e ak - sc re e ch n ois e fro m w ith in , like mat of metal

g rin ding o n m eta l.

In sid e th e ro om a re w ork tab le s an d utensils o f m an y k in ds. 'T he

room is d om inated b y a h uge w oo d-b urn in g sto ve an d a l ar g e f ir e

g ra te b es id e it w he re a m eta l sp ir is being tu rned by one of the (\"0

Z om b ie s p re se m. T he re is a l ar ge . am o rp h ou s, w r it hi ng mass o f m ea t

o n th e s pit. Prorruding fro m th e surface o f th e meat , l o ok .i n g l ik e

fidal fea.rurt'S undernea th stretched v i ny l, a re silently screaming faces,

H ands and f ingers w ith in the colum n of m eat seem to be sc rabb l ing

a t i ts s ur fa ce , d e sp e ra te ly t ry in g to escape . P Cs seeing this m ust m ak e

a Will P ow er Test or gain 1 I ns an ity P oin t. T he re is nothing they ca ndo to help w hatever is w ith in m e m eat. and w ill have to deal w ith the

Zombie s firsr, anyway .

Skills: None

4 1



The H a un tin g Ho rro r

Talents: Frightening, Undead

Special Rules: MindLess: Zombies are animated corpses with no

mind or spirit of rheirown, They have no Intelligence, Will

Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fuiI Tests based

on these Characreristics.

Shambling: Zombies are relentless but slow. They canner

take the run action.

ArmOIU": Light Armour (Leamer Jack)

Armour Points: H ead 0, Arms 1 , Body 1 ,.Legs 0

Weapoos: Hand We,apon {Meat Cleaved

The Zombies attack with their meat cleavers and when they move

away &om the spit it keeps on turning of irs own accord ....

There isnoming valuable, or of any real Interest, in the kitchen.

The fires in the grare and the stove are magical,. and do not

consume an.ywood. I f anything 1 5 lit from these fires, it will go out

as soon as it is removed from the kitchen.

6,7. S T O R E S

These storage chambers contain sacks, tins, boxes, jars, and beetlesof foodstuffs, mostly turnedto dust by age. Some of the jam jars

bear labe1s:"Wm. Kappelrnuller & Son, Delber-t,1315"......-.over

20 0 years in the past.

8. DINING ROOMThis large chamber conralosa teak dining table with 10 chairs

around it, and a pair of side tables wirh silver serving dishes,

a.silver soup tureenvetc, (silver plate only, alas). There are

silver, crystal, and china place settings on (he table, and brass

candlesticks. which are cobwebbed and dusty.

Nothing will happen immediately when the PCsemer the dining

room. Lure them in by referring ro the crystal, china, and silver

in the place. When most of the PCs are in the room they will

be subjected to attacks. by the two large carving knives on the

serving platters, and the candlesticks. As these animated objeers

By through the air to attack, rhe dining room dcor slams shut (so

aneyPCs outside cannot help those inside).

An ima ted U tens ils : Large Ca rv ing Kn ives (2),Large Candles ticks (2 )

SkiUs, None

Talents: HovererSpecial Rules: Mindles«: These animated objects have no

Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never rake

or fail Tesrs based on these Characteristics.

SudJmDeath Crits:These objects have no bodies in the

traditional sense. When they suffer a Critical Hit, use the

Sudden Death Critical Chan.

ArmOIlt: None

AnnOIlt Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0

Weapons: Both types of animated utensils inflict Damage equal to

their SB

A successful Evaluate Test determines that two of the crystal

water jugs are rheon!y valuable items in the dining room, These

fWO fragHe objects are worth 15gceach. Otherwise, rhey wlL!

end up with brgely inferior china and eadng utensils ehar are

pracdeally worthless.

9. SMOKING ROOMThis comfortably lived-in room has thick (but "any) carpets,

dilapidated Iearher armchairs.a walnut drinks cabinet, and a

writl ng desk. Along one wall there is a s he lf laden with jars of

tobacco (labelled as "Halflynge Weede," "Arabie Blacke," and so

on), plus a tray of pipes. There is no hint of peril or danger as rhe

PCseoter.

There are some valuable items here which the pes can takeif they look around: a silver cigarette case worth 10 [C, a

sandalwood tobacco box with inlaid mother-of-pearl worth 8 gc,

and, in the drinks cabinet, 6 silvergoblets each worth 8 gc.The

drinks cabinet, however, also holds the one bizarre danger in this

room.

When the door to either half of the cabinet is opened, a wooden

manikin slides out on a wooden tray. This is an automaton,

made in the form of a young Araby boy with a hookah pipe.

Ir is atrached to an opaque bell jar rhar swirls with smoke and

sparks of blue flame. The bcy-auromaron puffs a smoke ring,

which Bares brightly and transforms into a Minor Fire Spirit,

which then attacks rhe PCs. The Fire Spirit looks akin to a mal]

of Araby , but h is body is made of smoke and fire and he Boats

through the air asIf welghdess,



The H aunting H orror

Minor F ir e Sp ir it

Skills: None

Talents: Fearless, Hoverer

S pe cia l R u le s. Flami llg S trikr : The melee attacks of a Minor Fire

Spirit are Damage 4.

I mm un e to F ire : A Minor Fire Spirit is immune [0al l f ire-

based attacks and spells.

S lIdd en Death Cr it s: The body of a Minor Fire Spirit is smoke

and Banle bound together by magical force. When he suffers

a Critical Hit, use the Sudden Death Critical Chart.

Armour: None

Annou.r Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: See S pe cia l R u le s,

The automaton only produces one such Spirit, although it

continues to blow smoke rings, the smoke in the belljar slowly

thinning om.

When the PCs have destroyed the Minor Fire Spirit, the smoke

will be almost aU g one, and inside the belljar can be seen the

severed, half-rnurnmified head of a young woman. Her lips move

several times before the PC nearest [Q the automaton bears her

whisper, " th l! ho rror , t he haunt in g hor ro r, t h~ s il en t s cr eamer ."The

head then fades away into nothingness and the automaton slides

back into the cabinet. If rhe PCS open the cabinet again, they will

.have to go through the same routine, including lighting anotherMinor Fire Spirit. all over again.

The writing desk has almost nothing of interest on it, only some

old worthless sheets of vellum and a primitive quill pen. The ink in

the inkwell has dried long ago. The rest of the desk appears to nave

been cleared away, and two of the three drawers on the right band

side of it are empty, save for dust. In the middle drawer is a key,

which firs the doors at location 12. This key is crafted from bone;

it is a Skeleton Key.

10. CLOAKROOMThis unlit room contains live cloaks (of no value, being aged and

moth-eaten) hung on pegs, spare boots (also in poor condition), a

mop and bucker, and similar items. One of the robes has a pouch

in an inside pocket which contains 14 gc dated 2329 and which

bear the face of Magnus the Pious.

II. SMALL READING ROOMThis bas a comfy armchair, a reading [able with two chairs, and

a small bookcase. There are several copies of the Lawyers' and

Scribes' Newsletter (for Jah.rdrung through Sommerzeir 2308)

lying around, and several score leather-bound books. There is

a book open on the reading table, and, rather unusually, an

ornamental, enamelled suit of plate mail armour mounted on a

stand in the northeast corner.

TIle PCs will obviously expect the suit of armour to animate-and

attack them-players are paranoid about such things-so, of

course, it is actually totally harmless. However, one of the books

here, Doktor HO l ls /meeh t' sManual o f Tor tt lr es o f Amby has become

infested with a malicious Chaotic spirit. When the PCs enter it

will rise into the air, open itself, and in a sonorous voice will begin

to intone the following text:

' 'SLAM! t he d oo r: I ll /t ie d the wre tchrs in to m eet their

Jate (I). t he b ra nd s wer e h ot a nd s ea re d t hl!fl es h (2), th e

I vr is t- br ea km gripp~d the ir bon es (3), t lJ ekg -beaters 111I lIk

them s cr eam in a go ny (9). O n the rack th~ sm am s grew

/ ol ll kr a s the h ~a d o f t he th ig hb on t p op pt d f tom il1 sockl!t

d11ii tendons tort and r ip ped apa rt . B lood f ro th td 011 th e

ltps o f th l! conl ll li sing v ic tims . .. "

Various effects happen as this (ext is red ted: (1) and (2) on the first

round, (3) and (4) on the second round. These effects are:

1. The door slams, locking the PCs in. A Very Hard (-30%)

Pick Locks Test or a Hard (-200/0) Strength Test will berequired to open it.

Two hot metal branding irons materialize within the room

and attack rw o (randomly selected) PCs. The effective scats

for these branding icons are:

2.

Anim ate d B ran din g Iro ns (2 )

Skills: None

Talents: Hoverer

Special Rules: Mindless: These animate objects have no

Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take

or fai l Tests based on these Characteris tics .

S ud den D ea th C rit» :These objects have no bodies in the

traditional sense. When they suffer a Critical Hit, use the

Sudden Death Crirlcal Chart.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: The animated branding irons inBicr Damage equal to

their SB+ 1.

3. Randomly select two PCs from the group. Each must make

an Intelligence Test or else believe that their hands are

manacled by horrific handcuffs, pierced by metal screws

that are slowly tightening into their wrists! If this effect is

believed, the PCS concerned take I Wound (regardless of

Toughness Bonus and Armour) and. suffer a -5 penalty to

WS and BS, cumulative, each round. Lost WSlBS wiJl be

regained afterwards at a rate of 5 points per hour.

4. RandomJy select [WO PCs from the group. Each must make

an Inrelligence Test or else believe that strong metal bonds

are shackling them, and that iron rods are beating their legs.If this effect is believed, these PCs have their Movement



If the PCS can overcome the creature, the torture manual will drop

to the ground, lifeless; the ongoing (but not accumulated) spell

effects will srop at the same time.

All books here are at least 170 years old, and most are of minor

interest (none are old enough to be valuable). However, some are

of note.

The H aun ting H orro r

Characteristic reduced to 2 and lose '1 Wound per round

(regardless of Toughness Bonus or Armour). Movement

returns to normal as soon as the i llusory effect ends.

During this rime there is nothing the PCs ca n do. On the third

round the voice grows shril ler, and takes on an edge of insanity,

as finally the spirit of Chaos that has become tied co the book

materializes within the room. This is a Lesser Aethyric Entity, not

powerful, bur hateful and vile, and PCs must make a Fear Test

upon seeing it. The entity materializes as a wizened Dwa r f with

tentacles for arms, which end in pincers. The Dwarf-entity has a

crest along its chest which parts at the sternum to form a V-shape

leading up to its shoulders. This crest is of green, scaly skin that

drips purulent filth onto the ground. It has legs and feet like those

of a frog.

Lesser Aethyric Entity

Skills: Dodge Blow, Perception, Speak Language (Dark Tongue)

Talents: Fearless, Frightening, Natural Weapons

Special Rules: Chaos Mutations: Animalistic Legs and Tentacle-like

Arms.

Armour: None


Weapons: Pincers (Natural Weapons)

The firsr volume is an account of the exposure of a coven of the

Writhers in the Dark cult in the city of Ubersreik, in which the

leader was one Hans-Friedrich jinkerst, in the year 2228.

A second volume gives an account of the spreading of the Skaven-

worshipping Poison Claw cult from Skavenblighr through the

northern Tilean City States, across the Black Mountains and inro

the Empire, the work of the Tavell i family being instrumental in

this.

A third volume is 3. history of a noble Middenheim family, the

Cespensts. It lim [he long and distinguished career of many males

of the family as Bounty Hunters, Witch Hunters, and Knights of

the Inner Circle. The names Johann (2165-2203), Jurgen (2188-

2239), Joachim (2210-2182), Johannes (2232-2374), and Johann

(again, 2255-2302) are Ilsted, and the third Johann of the List,

born 228·<1, is also noted as having a fine career to date.

111c PCs may take the view that something very strange is going

on here: that's the general idea you want them to get.

12. TH E DooRS AND

THE G REAT STAIRSThe doors are made of iron-shod black wood with leering gargoyle

faces carved on the panels. They can only be opened with the



T he H au nting H orro r

Skeleton Key from area 9. Behind the doors Lies a flight of wide

wooden stairs. A low stream of mist from the landing above

c as ca de s d ow n the steps, fading into nothing at the bottom.

Climbing up through the swirling vapours is hard work, like

walking through water, and the PCS' footsteps wiU make muffled

echoes. On the landing, facing rh e top of the stairs, stands a giant

hourglass (the glass cannot be broken). Fine golden sand trickles

slowly down from the upper half. Above it hangs a clock. It shows

11 o'clock as the PCS approach it, and each rick is foHowed by a

low sepulchral moan.

I~.RITUAL CHAMBER

This room is decorated in violently opposing colours: red and

brown on one side, pastel blue and yellow on a second, black and

silver Oil a third. lmedocking penragrams and pentacles decorate

th e Boor. The genera l appearance is of a jumble of confused ritual

paraphernalia, which is exactly what this is.

Despite the sinisrer appearance, there is no danger in entering

here, and neither the room nor its contents are magical in any way.

This should, however, serve to unnerve the players, and offer rhern

some clues as to what sort of thing they are up against.

14. TH E GHOST OF

BERNHARDT SIEBERT

This room looks like a large siccing room cum bedroom, with some

tables, desk, chairs, and a large four-poster bed. A smoking jacket

and a robe are hung up together with a long rnuld-coloured scarf

on a hat stand, and above them a floppy hat wid, pheasant feathers

stuck in its headband ar a jaunty angle. There is a collection of

ilver ornaments on a mantelpiece, which may attract the attention

of greedyPCs.

When they enrer, however, a Ghost marerializes sitting at the base

of the four-posrer bed, and addresses me PCs sadly. Bernhardt is

not hosrile. On seeing aim, however, the PCs have [0make a Fear

Test, despite the fact that he ha s an innocuous enough appearance.

Bernhardt says in tones of sombre foreboding, " Y o l l l - e here , then .n

He continues "Mor e v is ito rs . Y ou l oo k s o yo un g. A no th er g ro up o f

lost souls, Impposl' , H and be rums his face sadly away, nor looking

at the PCS. They can now ask him questions about his enigmatic

remarks, and indeed about th e house. The information Bernhardt

knows and what he will probably say are given below. Feed this

information to pcs depending on me questions they ask.

Bernhardt used to be the manservant of the WizaId Ludovicus

Hanike, who used to own this [Own house. So far as Bernhardt

knows, some terrible misfortune befell the wizard during a magical

ceremony. He. has no idea exactly what happened since he simply

" wo ke li p 0111' da y to find I WlIS dl'ad, "as be puts it. Precisely because

Bernhardt does not know how he died and is desperately curious

on this score, he is restless in death and Stays in the house as a

Ghost. However, he is unable to get to the attic (room 22 and up);

in life, his master never allowed him to go up there, and even in

undearh he cannot make himself try to pass the definite magical

barrier he feels there.

Bernhardt can tell the PCs that his master had a major interest in

cults of Chaos and accumulated much information on them andthe people who hunted them. Ludovicus received many visitors

in secrecy and conducted many experiments. This, of course, is

ambiguous=-rhe PCs will not know whether Ludovicus was a

Chaos cultist or allied with those who hunted them.

Bernhardt knows that, over the years, presences have accumulated

in the house. He is surprisingly vague on the derails, but then

he himself has begun [0 fade, growing weaker, and increasingly

finds himself Straying absentmindedly outs ide into a grey realm of

emptiness where his senses are numbed. In the house, he feels anaching sadness and discomfort. He senses that his master is still here

In the artie, bur cannot reach him. Bernhardt feels that rhe PCS ... At

this point he fades away, pointing towards the attic. (to room 22).

This informarion will give the pes something to think about. The

silver ornaments, incidentally, have an Encumbrance value of 4a

and are worth 2a g c .

15 . G U EST BED ROO MThis small bedroom used to be Bernhardt's room, and is extremely

neat and tidy, although dusty. There is nothing valuable, or of

any interest here. The door is locked, bur can be opened with a

successful Pick Locks or Strength Test.

16. P R I V YThis room contains tWO commodes and a wooden bucket with a lid.

17. WEAPONS /

TROPHIES ROOM

111is room, and the one beyond the open door, contains many

weapons and trophies from the hunting days ofLudovicus Hanike

(before he became a Wizard) and his friends. Mounted spears with

pennants, a pair of lances, swords, and ornamental shields share

wall and table space with stuffed birds, bears' heads, stags' heads,

stuffed foxes, a huge grey wolf's head, and other similar exhibits.

The dangerous member of this assemblage is the stuffed bear

lurking in the southwest comer, which will attack anyone coming

within a yard of it.

S tu ff e d B e a r

Ski lls : None

Talents: arural Weapons

Special Rules: Mindless: The Stuffed Bear has no lntelllgecce, WiU

Power, or Fellowship, and can never rake or fail Tests based

on these Characteristics.

Slldtil!lI Dea th C ri ss :The ruffed Bear has no vitals .. When it

suffers a Critical Hit, use the Sudden Death Critical Chart.

Anuour: None

Armour Points: Head a, Arms a, Body a,Legs aWeapons: Claws

4 5



The H au n tin g H or ro r

The PCs are in for a tough tim e here , A fter 1 round of combat w ith

th e bear, a s ui t of plate mail armour c om e s t ru n dl in g in from th e

ad join ing room ly ing beyond the half-open door. N ore thar this

an im ated arm our does no t a ttack un til the bear beg ins to figh t.

A n im a te d A r m o u r

S ki.IL ;: D o dg e B lo w

Talen ts: Strik e M igh ty B low , Strik e to In jure

Specia l Rules: Mindless: The A nim ated A rm our has no

In te lligen ce , W ill P ow er, o r Fello wsh ip, an d can n ev er tak eo r fa il T es ts b as ed o n th ese C ha rac teristics .

Suddm D~(lth Criu: The A nim ated A rmour has no v itals .

W hen it su ffers 2. C ritical H it, use the Sudden D eath

C ritic al C h an .

A rm our, H eavy A rm our (Full P lace A rm our)

A rm our Po in ts, H ead 5, A rm s 5, B ody 5, Legs 5

W eapons: H and W eapon (Sw ord) and Shie ld

The arm our w ill anem pt to get around the PCS and b lock the

d oo rw ay -p re ve ntin g th em es ca pin g. T he b ear, m ean wh ile , w ill a rrac k

w ho ev er is n ea res t, h av in g n o o bje ctiv e o th er th an to k i ll eve ryone .

If the PCS can manage [0 deal w ith these rw o, in the ad jOin ing

room they w ill find a splendid stone statue of a H alfling, w itha p laqu e th at reads, "G eo rg i G utstu lfe r. Fa iIh fu l Serv an t." Th e

model g rips a dagger in its stone hand , which c an b e e as ily

e xtra cte d f rom the s ta tu e's g rip . T his d ag ge r is of Best Quality.

18. L I N E N CtJ1.>BOARD

Th e sh elves h ere ho ld m orh -earen to wels, sh eers , p illow cases, an d

m e lik e. Al l are d usty , spo iled, an d quite u se less.

19. H O USEHO L D STOR E

This sm all sto re ho lds Rask s of fue l oil, small lamps, boxes o f t al low

cand les, dusters, a m op and bucket, and o ther sim ilar househo ld

item s. You can allow PCS to tak e any such.itern from here , if the)'

w ant to .

On a. successfu l Percep tion Test, m e PC s no tice th ree dusty green

v ials h idden amongst the househo ld goods ..Tw o of m e borrles have

broken sea ls and are dried out inside, but the th ird 's seal is in tac t.

This is a h ea lin g d ra ug ht.

20. MAIDs' CHAMBERS

H anna and Theodora , the househo ld m aids, a re long dead bu t the irsouls and bod ies sdll rem ain . A lthough they are Zom bies, their

bodies have no t degenera ted as yet. H anna sits in an arm chair in

their s ittin g ro om a nd T heo do ra sirs ina r oc ki ng c ha ir , s ou n dl es sl y

rocking over a nd o ve r. Both ho ld m eir faces in their hands, and

w ea r m a id 's u nif orm s. They d o n ot sp ea k, o r o th erw is e ac kn ow led ge

[ h e e n tr an c e of'rhe PCS. Ooly if to uc hed w ill th ey rea ct, th ro win g

th em selv es at th e PC who touches them in a paroxysm of hatred and

fury. Only at t hi s s ta ge will t he ir F ea r e ff ec t t ak e e .f fe ct . t h ei r stars

are rhe sam e as the Zom bies in Location 5 ( se e p ag e 41) .

Ifth e P CS o vercom e th e Z om bies an d search this area, m ost of th e

ite m s a re typical of w hat one w ould expett-a s ew in g b as ke t, lo ts

of'skeins o {w oo l (a ged an d fa ded ), a. book of p re ss ed R owe rs . a nd

suchl ike . However, Hanna was a k l ep tomani a c, an d tu cked at th e

back of one draw er in a chest o f d raw ers is 3. pigskin p ou ch w ith

l ea the r d raws t ri ngs , wh ic h c on ta in s 8 g c (dared 2312), two chrysoberyl

e a rr in g s wo r th 1 5 gc total, an d a gold signee r ing worth 20 [c .

21. GUARDS

This is a la rge, cerem onia l cham ber, and the door to it is locked

(Hard (-20%) Pick. Locks T es t o r C h alle ng in g (-.lO%) Strength

Test to o pe n). If it has to be broken 0epen , then obv iously the

g u ar ds w i th in will have full warn ing that the PCs are abou t to

en ter an d cann ot p ossib ly b e su rp rised.

When the pes get to see ir , the room is bare . The w alls are

polished (bu t dusty and d irty) w ood , and the fum iru re ha s al l

been cleared ou t. N oth ing rem ains, save fo r a pentacle tha t has

been inscribed on the floor, ha lf in th is room and half in room 22.

D eta ils o f rh is are g iv en th ere .

The H aunting H orro r hasstadoned rw o M utants here to prorec t

t he e nt ra nc e (0 the stairw ay that leads up to the attic , th e final

res tin g p la ce o f L ud ov ic us H an ik e,



4 7

T he H au ntin g H orror

Skills: Concealment, Perception, Speak Language (Dark Tongue)

Talents: Flee!

Special Rules: Chaos Muta tions: Muranr #1 has Scalesand Three

Eyes. Mutant #2 ha s a Snout, Thick Fur, and Tentacle-likeArms.

Armoun Scales (#1) and Thick Fur (#2)

Armour Points: Head 1,Arms 1, Body 1,Legs 1

Weapons: Hand Weapon (Spiked Club)

2 2 . TH E STAIR CHAMBER

The pentacle, half in this room and half in room 21, is extremely

ornate and inlaid with carved runes and silver. It is almost

impossible to open the door and enter this room without entering

the circle, pes will certainly contort themse lves horribly as they try

to work our very complex memods for geeLingacross the pentacle:

yet all this is all quite unnecessary, since the pentacle is quire

harmless and can be walked on with no effect.

The room is quire bare, the only feature being the wooden spiral

staircase leading up. Looking up the staircase shows that it ascends

into inky darkness and, irrespective of the nature of the light

source used, ascending pes will never be able [Q see more than a

few paces ahead of them on me stairs.

The stairs go up into an area that, like the rest of the house, exists

outside space and time, but not actually linked with it in the

normal sense. It takes 10 minutes of climbing to reach the landing

at the [ O P , during which time ir grow cold enough for the PCS'

breath to frost in the air. There is an abnormal silence as they

ascend, and then, as the PC s reach the landing and the door before

them, a b rie f s na tc h of a horrid, throaty, gloating chuckle. If any of

the PC S attempts to open the door, itwill swing away from them

of irs own accord with a loud crash, remaining open until all of the

PC s have entered-when it will silently dose behind them ...

As the door doses any light sources the PC s are carrying are

extinguished, plunging them into darkness. This lasts but for a

brief moment, however, as the room is suddenly lit by the torches

along the walls bursting into life.

2 3. P RE PARAT ION ROOM

This room has a row of three throne-like chairs, set underneath

a sloping ceiling on the east side of the room. On each chair is

placed a plain grey robe, and between them lie tWOsmall tables

each bearing a plain gold bowl (total value of both bowls is 40

g c l , a sealed vial of rosewater, and a white linen hand towel. These

items are of rirual significance only, and have no special values or

properties otherwise. The P C S call be allowed to play with these

items, dress up in the robes, steal the gold bowls, erc., before the

owner of the house arrives. Stage Ludovicus' appearance when they

are getting unsure of what [0do, and before they head for the door

on the far side of the room.

Ludovicus Hanike materiallzesss a Ghost and the PCs must

immediately make a Fear Test. He appears as a man in hi s early

30s, wirh long black hair and dark eyes, dressed in light coloured

robes and with hi s hands held folded before him. The ghostlyfigures lips move, but no sound emerge."from them (a PC with

Lip Reading will figure OUtthat the Ghost is issuing a warning

on a successful skill tesr, Only fragments of speech and individual

words can be picked up-"srealer," "horror," "consuming,"

"darkness," and the like). Slowly, the voice becomes discernible,

but at the same rime other things happen. The sound of a swirling

wind grows in the room, and it begins to knock objects about.

Anything loose will be affected, whereas held or secured items,

such as packs or weapons, will nor. The room grows very cold, and

the figure of the Ghost appears progressively outlined in tiny Becks

and crystals of ice.

The Ghost's voice finaUybecomes audible, wheezing painfully as

irs chest heaves with the effort of speaking.

It does not respond to any of the pes actions or questions. Instead

it says, ".._Inst o nes to c om e. I br ou gh t it here, and now you must

destroy it or p l! ri sh . You c anna : e sc ape. This is absolutely true; the

pes are trapped in the house until they meet the final enemy; the

stairs behind the P C S have disappearedinto the mist and anyone

who breaks the door down and attempts to run down them will

reappear back in this room.

The Ghost continues, and now, as it speaks, irs appearancechanges. It starts to age, irs hairline slowly receding and irsskin

becoming wrinkled and old. Ir s posture grows stooped and irs

hands gnarled. As it reaches the end of its utterances, its hands

part in a gesrure of beseechrnent and a thin trail of grave dust seeps

from them to the ground. '1m eddled out of tim e, in thl! raw stllif of

C ha os . I t stalke d m e, it h as h eld me b er « u ntil no w, it comes to destroy.

T h e H au ntin g H or ro r h I lS me i ll its g r i p . "Now the ghostly figure's

"skin" begins to peel away, and writhing worms protrude. from

dust-dry gaps in rile flesh of the figure. "1tim ill i t s cLutches, it will

I nk l! y ou r s ou ls to o; it g r t l S p S souls m id sq ueezes them to em ptiness, "

and then the figure screams. The scream is silent, hanging in the

air, a cone of misery frozen in space, radiating numbness and

horror. An ice-taloned black claw appears and wraps about the

Ghost, crushing it with the sound of paper crinkling, destroying

Ludovicus' soul.

After this appalling exhibition, the doors [0 the room beyond fly

open and the PC s are sucked through by a howling gust of wind.

Each PC must make an Agility Test or else fall over and land in

the room on rhe Hooc

2 4. TH E HAUNT IN G HORROR

This chamber appears as a long corridor-like room, with rows of

paintings on the long walls. The P C S will nor have very much

time to look at them immediately, however, so their description is

deferred here.

The "occupant" of this room is a Ghost, but one which can fully

materialize from the Aerher. A Fear Test must be made when it

isseen. However, it is not Human, and has no resemblance to

Human form. Its "body" is a large green-grey sac covered with

rope-like blue veins, and has a vicious keratinized beak protruding

from the centre, drooling acid. Below the sac is a fringe of

crimson lntesrine-like structures that drip slime on the ground

as the monster moves. On cop of the sac is a pair of eyesralks,

each bearing a single huge unblinklng eye that protrudes from

a toothless mouth surrounded by thick black fur. Inside the

intestines, faces can be seen pushed against the curer membranes,

their mouths frozen in silent screams. The P C S may even recognize

some of the faces of the dead writhing within the creature's innardsas foes they have slain.




The Haunting Horror has twO long renracles with which it lashes

at the PCS. Each tentacle is 8 yard long, and ends in skeletal

"hands" ripped with razor-sharp talons.

However, the physical threat this horror represents is the least of

its dangers. It radiates an elernenral malice and hatred, and PCs

will know intuitively that it does not JUSt kill people, it will pluck

their Sallis like fruit and suck them dry!


Skills: Perception +20%, Speak Language (Dark Tongue,

Rei ksp iel)

Talents. Fearless, Frightening, Lighting Parry, Natural Weapons

Special RuJes:AddAttack: 'The Horror's three attacks are irs

tentacles and its acid-dripping beak. If a PC is hit by the

beak, an Agility Test must be made or else +2 is added to

the damage caused due to the effect of the add.

Comb us ti bl e B lo od : The Horror's blood is infused with fire,

and causes any surface it lands upon co burst into flame.

Anytime the Horror takes a WOUJld, the character who

SHuck the blow must make an Agility Test to avoid the

resulting spray of ichor. Failure to do so will result in an

additional dID Wounds (ignoring Toughness Bonus and

Armour) every round until the fire is extinguished. Other

than the means of its appearance, the lire is not magical

and can be put out like any other flame.

Armou(: None

ArmoUl" Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0

Weapons: See Acid Attack

When the Horror is killed (or suffers a seriously disabling critical

hit which will amount to the same thing) , it thrashes abour,

spraying acid, blood, and slime allover the place. As the creature

writhes in its death throes, its infiammable bodily fluids raise

such a conflagration that any character without the smarts to

back off will begin raking 1 Wound a round (ignoring Toughness

Bonus and Armour), a figure that increases exponentially.

Once the area around the Horror catches 6re, the rest of the

room rapidly follows sult, The PCs will eventually realize that

they have two choices: leave and live, or stay and burn.

As they pass the paintings, allow each player with the skill to make

aVery Easy (+30%) Perception Test. Any who succeed notice

mat the various scenes depicted in the paintings are inmotion, as

if they were viewing them through a window. The players should

recognize that one of the paintings shows the street of the town

or village where they were before entering the house (they may

also recognize other scenes which will be described in more detail

in the Continuing the Adventure section). Ifyou reaJly want

the players [0go through a portal, you can use some of the other

paintings to begin generating Zombies, Skeletons, or other undead

to cut off their escape route.

Should the PCs jump through the painting depicting the street

outside, they'll appear there without any 1l I effects (save for the

incredulous stares of a ny passers-by you decide wi messed the

marerialisatlon). The other choice for the players is to run back

out through the house, with the fire following fast behind them.

Regardless of how they make their exit after defeating the

Horror, they will not be able to get back in. Of course no one is

inclined to believe their story and no trace of the house, nor of

Ludovicus Hanike, can be found ...

EXPERIENCE POINT AWARDSThe F ollo win g x p awards are recommended:

• For overcoming th e enemies up to (bur not including) th e

Haunting Horror: 10 0 xp each.

For role-playing the encounter with Bernhardt: 20 x p ea ch .

For trying to avoid waste-of-time combats (Zombies in

the kitchen, erc.): 25 x p ea ch .

For overcoming the Haunting Horror: 100 x p Ilnd 1 Fa u

Point each.

Yon should also give a bonus S O xp to each PC if they all

manage [0get OUt alive.

The pictures in room 24 presem a perfect link. to your next

advenmre--simply make only one painting act as a portal.

If you'd like to give the PG a bit more leeway, you can describe

any number of scenes both familiar and strange. For example, the

players could. see the. village where rhey were raised, a Chaos Gate

spewing forth foul mutants .•mountains, a forest, deserts, even the

hearth of an inviting inn, Particularly sinister Gamemasters might

decide to have the picture depict the town as described in room 24

and then drop the players off wherever they choose.

The PG also have a few seeds for future adventures mat they may

have picked up during the course of the adventure. They have some

books from room 11 which derail old Chaos cults, and the names

and lineages therein could provide them with the chance to go Ch.aos

tracking. Here is a great start for aspirant Witch Hunters. Alternatively,

you can decide that these books belong to a different reality. The cults

have died out, or the books fall to dust outside the house.

Of COUIse, The Haunting Horror leaves enigrnaric elements

unresolved. What was the Horror itself? What was its history as

a servitor of Chaos? What research did Ludovicus conduct and

might the PG come across other evidence of them? Answers to

these matters have been deliberately left out of the adventure,

because this leaves you free to decide if you want these matters

resolved. If you do, these details can be added to suit the scale, and

number, of adventures you wish to run next.



Rough Night at th e T hree F ea th ers

T

h i . S . adventure is set in a river or roadside inn, situated almost

anywhere in [he Empire (though the Relkland works best). Itinvolves me PCs in several plor lines Simultaneously and the GM

will need [0check through the advenrure carefully prior [0play.

GM ' s I NTRODUCT ION

'The main riling to remember about ro.is adventure is that an awful

10(of things are happening ar once. There are several separate but

interwoven plot 'Sgoing on-it 's a busy night even for a bustling

inn! You will have ro keep crack of a lot of unrelated events and

make sure chat the right things happen ar rhe righr time. The

Event'Ssection will help you, but you should read through. the

adventure 3 couple of times before running it to make SlLIe chat

you know what's happening-how the players unravel what isgoing on is their problem.

Needless to say,some of the events from different plots may well

end lip clashing with each other. Also, things will be changed by

what the pes decide to do at any particular time. The plors are

presented below, and in the Events section, as they should happen,

assuming norhing goes wrong-when things do go wrong, use

your imagination to work out precisely what happens. It looks a

bit daunting at first, but it's no problem once you start .

Honestly.

Of course, you may decide to run each plodine separately as an

individual mini-advenrure. There's nothing to stop you doing this

if you want, and you will get a number of adventures for the priceof ane--it 's completely up to you.

PuYER S' IN TRODUCTIO NTo get this rough night started, read the following to your players:

I t' s been « long d o y ' s tr av e' a nd th e s un is jllS t b eg in ll; ng

to go down tJS y ou s ee an inn in the distanct !.As YO " draw

closeT,JDII s ee th e s ig n o fth rte /Mth er s h an gin g o ua id e,

aruJ notice th at th e p ku e is " T I I I S U I l L J y b u s y . 1here is a k lr ge

lind ornate «Jachpulkd tip ouTSide, lind urvan~ome

in liv qy -a rt b usy in g r Jm nse Jrm w ith v ar io us tru nk s a nd

chms tJS l iv e ri ed men- at -a rms l ook on .

bwde, th e ; "" is bust ling. s~nts Me hurrying to muJ

f r o . muJ th , in nk ee pe r is engrossedi l l conl/matUm wi th

a scr ibe who car ri esa l Iis ib ly b ,dg ing pUTSe .I t is folly tmminutes b i for t JDII are abk 10 Iltl1"l1ctil attmtion.

" we lc ome . " h e s lty s at la st. - I'm s or ry to h av e kept

JDtI wditin gfo r so lo ng , b ut a syo u ra n Stt. we have II

distinguished gl lest tonigh~fhe Gmuin Maria-Ulrike

v on L itb ew itz of A mb on «;n, no k ss-l1 1ld th en! an ! s o

many arrangements 10 b e m ad e. I h ard Ly k now w he th er I nl

com ing orgOIngw i th it all. Now, thm-you want a room?

W hat am Iayi"g. of c O l i n e yo u d o. A h. e x c u s e me agai n,

I'll o nly b e a m om en t. Q

l ' b t l wa il f or tlr lo th er few m in ute s a s h e d ir ec ts a tr ain

oJservants to the Gml/i7l 'srooms.

':Sosorry, Qhf I I t J S a s h e rrhmTs toyou, "It rtaliy is mad

tms everung."

49



Rough Night at th e Thr ee F ea th er s

The no tes on the m ap on page above shou ld be self-exp lanato ry

Room s a- j are doub le room s, w hile m orns k-. a re s in gle s. N ot'e th atth e G rav in has tak en over an entire wing, so tha t room dwiJl be

k ep t em pty at her o rders , If the adven tu rers book a doub le room ,

they will b e g iv en g or f

The Throo Peasbers has ten sing le room s and ten doub le rOOIllS.

A t presen t five of ,he doub le room s, (a-e on the p lan), are be ing

occupied by the G rav in and her parry . The w hole corridor has been

s ea le d o ff, w ith rw o m en-a t-arm s posted a t the po in t m ark ed x to

m ake sure tha t the G rav in is n ot d istu rbed .

The o ther room s are a ll f ree--m e PC s h av e a rr iv ed f airly e arly in

the even ing , and the inn has no t yet s ta rted to fill up . A Sing le

rOOlD COStS 1 0 s per n igh t, a doub le room COstS 1 5 t,and a p lace in

{ he do rm i to r y COstS lOp. A ll p rices in clu de su pp er an d b reak fast.It i s p o s si b le to cram one ex tra person in to a sing le or doub le

o

'. ,." . ' ,,' . "

room , bu t they w ill have to sleep on the floor and a. surcharge will

be m ade for rhernequal to h alf t he cost o f the room .

PLOT SUMMARIESAs no ted ab ove, the re are severa l th in gs rak i n g p i ace a t once

ton igh t. The fo llow ing p lo t sum maries shou ld help you to keep

tra ck o f th in gs .

PLOT I: A M A T I 'E R OF lMroR.T

Partof the ion has been tak en over by G r av in M a ri a- U lr ik e von

Llebew nz of A mbo sste in , a n iece of C ountess Em rnanuelle o f

Nuln, and her retinue-c-half-a-dozen men-at-arms, a lawyer , a

Jud ic ial C ham pion , and . various servan ts , She is on the w ay [Q

K ernperbad for a trial, hav ing been accused of im moral behav iour

and com plic ity in the death of a guest a t one of her a : u n r 's

l eg en c ia ry p arties , T h e G r av in in ten ds to ex e rc ise h er an cien trig ht o f tr ia l by co mb at, b ur ag en ts working fer B aron Orro von ,

jO



5 1

N ight at the Three F eathers

Dammenblatz ofWissenburg.her accuser. are OUt [0 disable

Bruno, her champion. How they go about this will be seen.

PLOT 2: C oM PR OM ISIN G PO SIT IO NS

Gravin Marla-Ulr ike is nor the only noble in the inn tonight. Also

staying there-bur incognito------ishe young GrafFriedrich von

Pfeifraucher, the third SOD of Count Bruno ofWissenland. He is

accompanied by Fraulein Hanna Lastkahn a daughter of one of

the wealthy boarbuilding families of Grissenwald; the (\"'0 have

been conducting an illicit affair for some time, and have taken a

room in the inn under me name Herr and Frau Johann Schmidt.

Unfortunately, they have been recognised by one of Gravin Maria-

Ul ri k es s er va n ts , who was once employed in the Pfeifraueher

household. A blackmail attempt will follow.

PLOT 3 : A F A C E FROM THE PAST

Gusraf Rechtshandler, the Gravin's lawyer, is a graduate of the

University ofNuln, where he was brieRy a member of a secrer

society known as the Ordo Ultima. The Ordo was a from for

a Chaos cult following Slaanesh, and Rechrshandler left when

he discovered that it was nor simply an innocent secrer society.

However, he never progressed far enough to discover the link

with Chaos. Rechrshandler went on to great professional success,

leading to his current position of favour with the von Liebewltz

family, bur now the cult wants something from rum, and one of

their agents approaches him in me inn.

PL OT 4: CREAT ING A S C E N E

Fraulein Hanna Lastkahn ( s e e Plot 2) is betrothed to Herr Thomas

Prahmhandler , the heir to another of Gr is se nwalds wea lt hy

boatbuilding families. He ha s been informed of her mal l with

GrafFriedrich by a servant in the Lasrkahn household. and will

burst into the inn. very drunk and accompanied by three hired

mugs. He intends to catch them in the act and horsewhip the

young noble, regardless of the consequences.

PLOT j: AsHES TO A sHES

A I J this is happening on the very same nighr that a group of

smugglers have an imporranr cargo [0put on a waiting boar. The

boat. unfortunately, isn't waiting. It scraped a lock downriver, and

has losr half a day being repaired. This means that the smugglers

must hide their cargo in the inn and wait for the boat [0arrive in

the morning. With an ordinary cargo, this wouldn't be a problem.

but their contraband is human. He isJosef Auf... .egler, an agitator

from Airdorf, wanted for inciting rebellion. He was treated with a

coma-inducing drug, and the smugglers are disguised as Inidates

of Morr , ostensibly taking h im home for burial. The drug was

timed to wear off once he was safely on the boat, bur because of

me delay he will wake up during the night.

PLOT 6: A FISTFUL OF G OL D CROW NS

Ursula Kopfgeld. a bounry hunter, isfollowing the smugglers. She

was very close (0Aufwiegler when he "died," and is convinced that

something fishy is going on. She has followed the smugglers to [he

inn, and is wairing for the chance to act.

PLOT 7: YOU 'VE G OT TO PICK A

POCKET OR TwoTo add to the confusion further. G lirn b rin O d ds oc k s, a Halfling

Thief isvisiting the inn, and will attempt to steal anything he

can during the night, Some of his movements are set down in the

Events section, but any time you don't knO\~where he is, he's all

yours [0use...

This is roughly what witl happen during the night ..Remember,

though. chat me course of events [aid our here can be

disturbed by what the adventurers do and where rhey are at any

particular time.

And, of course, they will also be disturbed by what you want to

happen. Feel free [0 tweak. bend, stretch, or mutilate these plots as

much asyou want. After all, who's going to know?

9:00PMThe adventurers arrive at the inn.

Bruno isseated at table a, arm-wrestling with one of the men-at-

arms. Others are gathered round the table, drinking and shouting

encouragement. Bruno defeats his opponent easily, and will accepr

a challenge from anyone for Stakes of 1 gc or higher. Each bour of

arm-wrestling is resolved as an Opposed Strength Test.

There are a few of tile Gravin's men-at-arms and servants generally

milling about in the barroom, and they may be persuaded to talk

to the adventurers by a few drinks or a successful Gossip Test.

They know that the Gravin is going to Kemperbad to deal with

some legal matter. Should a PC achieve tWOdegrees of success on

a Gossip Test when talking to one of the Gravin's servants or men-

at-arms, it is further revealed that the matter has to do with the

death of a guest at a parry held by the Gravin's aunr, the Countess

Emmanuelle von Liebewitz of Nuln.

The adventurers are permitted a Common Knowledge (the

Empire) Test to have heard of the Countess' legendary parties;

this isan Easy (+200/0)Test for Nobles and me Etiquette talent

also applies. Any PC achieving 3 degrees of success wiII already

have heard some gossip about the incident, which took place

about a month ago. The deceased was Baron Sigismund von

Dammenblatz, an elderlyminor noble from the Dunke1berg area.He was found dead, face down in a punch bowl, and now his son,

Baron Eberhardt von Damrnenblatz, is accusing the Gravin of

causing his father's death through poisoning or witchcrafr.

Nobody in the Gravin's party believes [he accusation-the general

consensus of opinion is thar the Baron drank himself unconscious,

and then slumped comatose into the punch bowl, where he

drowned.

Also in the barroom is a grinning Halfling, who sits at [able

b toying with a pack of cards. He will be willing [0play with

anyone who offers, for Stakesof 3. shilling a game. This Is Glimbrin

Oddsecks, and he is scoping out [he inn's patrons for later lighr-

fingered attention,



upstairs without supper or even a drink; it is dear that they

only have eyes for each other. The boatmen stay in rhe bar,

sitting at table a, and will be happy to chat and swap yarns with

anyone. If questioned about their passengers, rhey will say that

they are Herr and Frau Johann Schmidt, a newly wed couple

from Gcrsseowald. The boatmen are aware of the couple's real

identities, but have been well paid to keep quiet. Characters who

succeed at a Hacd (-20%) Charm Test will be able [0uncover

the truth; likewise, ehe boatmen will reveal the truth if offered atleast l Oge to do so .

R ou gh N ight at the Three F eathers

9:10PM

Three travellers come in out of the rain. They rake off their heavy

cloaks and hats and hang them up by the fire to dry, then book a

double room for the three of them and order three hot meals. They

go and sit at table c, and keep to themselves, crying not co becomeinvolved in conversation with anyone. These are the cultists of the

Ordo Ultima (see Plot 3).

9:20PM

A servant in the Gravin's livery comes downstairs and speaks to

Bruno, telling him that the Gravin wants him to StOP me arm-

wrestling in case he injures himself. Anyone at the same table or an

adjoining table can overbear what he issaying, and characters with

the Lip Reading skill and a clear line of Sight can also "overhear"

with a successful Skill Test. Bruno stands up abruptly, towering

over the servant, and tells him In 00uncertain terms to mind his

own business. The servant retreats upstairs.

Scant minutes later the Gravin comes downstairs, accompanied

by three servants. She goes [0Bruno's table, and orders him to his

rccrn (room d;. He obeys sulkily. A servant orders supper for the

Gral 'Ln'sparty. 111etroops and the bulk of the servants eat in the

bar, and meals for the Gravin, the champion, and half-a-dozen

servants are sent upstairs.

A small boat arrives, carrying four people: a well-dressed couple

in their early twenties, and two boatmen. A room (roomfl is

booked in the name of johann Schmidt, and the crew of theboat is pur up in rhe common room. The couple disappears

9:35PMA coach arrives from the north, bearing the livery of Carrak

Lines of Alrdorf It has three passengers. all in the black robes of

Morr, who ask for a double room (room l) for themselves and

their charge. 1hey are conveying a body for burial, and ask to

be allowed to keep it in their room. The barman is uncerrain,

and calls rhe landlord. He doesn't like the idea, but some gold

discreetly changes hands and they get a secluded room, well away

from the Gravin'sparty. They head for their room immediately,

carrying a coffin and telling the landlord not to worry if thereis any noise from their room, as they are required to pray

over the body from midnight until dawn. The rwo coachmen

stay in the barroom for most of the evening, before retiring

to the dormitory; the coaching company, which has a regular

arrangement with the inn, pays their keep.

9:50FMUrsula Kopfgeld arrives at rhe inn 011 horseback. After seeing

her horse stabled, she enters the barroom and books a Single

room (room r) for the night. Despite her appearance, sh e seems

friendly enough, and will converse happily with anyone. If she is

questioned abour her business, she wiUclaim co be working for

the Kemperbad town council, laking a message [0Nuln. She will

nor revealany derails about her supposed mission, saying that it is

confidential.

At some time during the early parr of the everling, you might have

one of me minor male NPCs-a servant or man-at-arms-make

an improper suggestion [0her. She Hat tens him quickly and

efficiently, and the landlord steps in to prevent a brawl from taking

place. If one of the PCs makes an improper or insulting comment

to her first she will react in the same way, using all of her unarmed

combat abilities. She will not draw a weapon, and the landlord and

sraff of the inn will step in after 2 rounds, aided by as many of the

inn's other patrons as necessary.

IO:OOPM

A liveried servant comes downstairs from the Gravin's rooms,

and orders all her party to retire for the night, since they will

be starting at first light tomorrow. Reluctantly, the various

servants and men-at-arms finish their drinks and drift off to the

dormirory.

At about the same time. " chmidt" comes down to the barroom

for a bottle of wine. As he is on his way back to his room, he is

approached by one of the Gravin's servants. A healed but inaudible

exchange takes place, and Schmidt hurries back upstairs. looking

very angry. The servant beads off to the dormitory. Characters

52



Rough N ight at the Three Feathers

with the Lip Reading skill .may (with a successful test) be able to

discover that the servant is threatening co tell someone something

abo ut "Schmid t," but th a t is all.

IO : IOPM

Bruno Franke returns to the barroom, grinning broadly and

looking around with exaggerated caution [0make sure that noneof the Gravin's party is s ti ll r he re , He orders a mug of ale, telling

the barman to "keep 'e m comif lg, "and sits down at table 11 with the

two boatmen, who ace still there ..After a few minutes an arm-

wrestling contest starts again. Ursula watches for lI. while, and then

challenges Bruno, putting 6 ve crowns on the {able.

Bruno demurs for a few m om ents, bur then accepts the

challenge ..A small crowd gathers as the contest begins. First,

Bruno's arm begins to go down-he was being gende with the

lady-but he quickly applies more of his strength and the contest

begins in earnest. Neither contestant moves-a sheenof sweat

breaks out on Bruno's forehead, but it is an even match. Then

Ursula's arm wavers, and Bruno-no l.onger rhe gemleman-

pours on the power and forces her arm slowly but surely down to

the table.

Although he has won, Bruno looks at Ursula. with a new respect,

and the tWO of them spend some rime talking-and drinking

rogether, Bruno will not accept any more arm-wrestling challenges

tonight.

A few minutes later, a tray of fresh drinks is taken to Bruno.

There is nothing unusual in this-ale has been going steadily

to his table since he sat dowu-s-bur this time one mug of ale is

dmgged. It is intended for Bruno, but you should take care that

he doesn't actually drink it, since he .has things ro do. later on in

the evening. Instead, a minor NPC or one of the adventurers

should pick up the tainted mug. The ale is laced with a poison

called Oxleaf A wary character might notice the smell of it with

a successful ChaUenging (-10%) Perception Test. Whoever

dri n ks the poison must make a Toughness Test or pass OUt in

I d 1 0 rounds , If an. NPC takes the drink, assume he or she fails

the res r .

If and when the victim of the drugged ale passes our, Bruno will

make some comment about people not being able to hold their

drink, and if any of the adventurers are looking in the direction of

the bar, a suc ce s sf u l Perception Test reveals that one of the St.aif

suddenly looks worried and leaves. If the adventurers pursue this

individual, you should ensure that he gets away in the darkness of

the courtyard.

IO:I jPM

One of the "initiates" comes down and speaks to the landlord. On

a successful Perceptiou Test, a few Crowns will be seen changing

hands, and a successful Lip Reading Test will reveal that the

"initiates" are expecting a boat to arrive ar some rime during the

night, and that me landlord is to tell them the moment it arrives.

The "initiate" returns to their room.

As soon as rhe "init iate" is our of the bar-room, Ursula goes to

speak to the landlord-successful use of the lip Reading skill will

reveal that she is asking. the landlord about them, and that he is

relling her what they told him. A few more coins change hands,

and Ursula goes back to Bruno's table.

IO:2 j J .>M

One of the Gravin's servants comes down and orders Bruno to

bed, saying that the Gravin has checked his room and found him

missing. He goes sheepishly to his room.

IO :4QPMGus ra f R e ch rs h an d le r comes down [0 the barroom, dressed in a

nightshirt and a silk dressing gown. As he does so, one of the three

cultists leaves the table and heads upstairs. Rechrshandler orders

a brandy, and takes ir back to his room (room r). A few minutes

later, the other rw o cultists go upstairs to rheir room (room b).

IO:4jPM

One of the cultists goes to Rechtshandler's room. He knocks

on the door, and the lawyer answers it afiera moment. There is

IIbrief exchange of words~toolow to hear-s-and the cultist is

admitted. A minute or so later, raised voices can be heard (listeners

in the passage or in adjoining rooms CaD . make a Perception

Test; characters listening at. rh e door ca n make an Easy (+20%)

Perception Test). Successful e av es dr op p er s h ea r R ec hr sh an dl er 's

voice saying that he will nor submit to blackmail, and the other

saying that he ha s no choice. Abrupdy, everything goes quiet.

IO: jOPM

Rechcshandler opens the door of his room quletly, and looks

outside . .If there is anyone in the passage, he will remark that he

thought he heard somethlng outside, and dose the door, checking

the passage again five minutes later. If the coast is dear, he will

drag the cultist's body into the passage .. If the PCS are not in their

room at this point, he will deposit the body there-completely by

chance-s-ifnor, he wiU leave it in the store cupboard.

I I :OOPM

"Schmidt" comes downstairs, looking drawn and worried. If the

PCs are still in the barroom, he approaches them and asks one of

them to take a message to the dormitory for him. offering lOge

for the character's trouble. 111e j ob is to tell one of the Gravin's

servants-s-a Hans Erpresser= ...that Schmidt wants to see him. If the

pc, are not in the barroom at this time, "Schmidt" wiU hire one of

the boatmen or coachmen to carry the message. Having paid the

messenger, "Schmldr' returns to his room.

Erpresser goes to see "Schmidt." He knocks on me door, and

is admitted srraighr away. There is a s in g le thump from within

the room (a Perception Test for listeners at the door, or IIHard

(-200/0)Percepdoll Test for listeners in the passage or adjoining

rooms) as " Sch mid t" k ills the servant. A few moments later,

"Schmldr" cautiously opens his door to se e if the passage is

dear, and will attempt to dispose of the body in the same way as

Rechtshandler (see I0;50pm).

I I: IjPM .

A message is delivered to the pes by one of the Gravids servants,

requesting them to visit the lawyer's room. He explains that the



R ou gh N ight at the T hree F eathers

travelle rs in room bare b lackm aH ing h im , and offers the PCS 250

gc [0d ispose of them , W hjle Rechtshandler i s t al k in g to th e P CS,

U rsu la K op fg eld leav es th e b ar "to check 011 ber horsen-acruaLly sh e

is spy ing ou t the room used by the sm ugglers ,

If th e pes accep t Rech rsh an dlers o ffer, th ey w ill fin d rh ar th e

c u lt is ts ' r oom is not lo ck ed , sin ce th e tW O rem ain in g cu ltists are

w aitin g fo r th eir companion to re tu rn -they have no t yet become

concerned abour h is long absen ce . If the P Cs attack im media te ly ,th e c ultis ts w ill be s urp rise d (th ey are n't e xp ec tin g s uc h tro ub le ),

If any no ise goes on fo r 3 r ounds or m o re , g ues tS fro m a djo in in g

room s w ill com e to investiga te , spend ing one round knock ing on

the door and then en tering the worn to see w hat is go ing on ,

There is a grea t harn rnering on the inn 's m ain door. The land lo rd

refuses to a p en ita t 6rs t, bu t i rseerns tha t the knocker is p cepa r ed

to break it dow n if necessary , A fter a few m inu tes the door is

o pen ed , an d in co mes a . welJ-d ressed -b ut fairly d ru nk -yo un g

m an , an d th ree larg e an d ag greSS iv e-lo ok in g th ug s. 1 11 e y ou ng man

dem ands to know w hether a Fried rich lion P fe lfraucher is here,ask ing everyone in the barroom in loud and angry tones, W hen

ev eryone has to ld h im rharthere is no one stay ing in the inn under

that nam e, he pauses fo r a m om ent,

" W e 1 4 h is boat 's moored f)11t$ide, ~ h e s ay s, "Sf) I mpp (m : w e ' l l jIm:

h av e to go a rid lo ok f or h im . G en zle men :" H e w aves h is th ree thu gs

upsrai rs, and a braw l break s ou t as t he s ta ff tries to srop him, a ided

by sev era l o f the inn 's pa trons. W hether o r no t the PC sare in the

b arroom ar th is tim e, you shou ld arrange fo r the braw l to reach

thern.and fo r one of the PC S to lose a . dagger il l th e confusion-s-

th is w ill b e im portan t la te r on ,

lf Tho rn a s P r ahmha nd le r- fo r it is he-m akes it u psta irs, he w ill

system atically b reak d ow n ev ery d oo r until he is s topped or un tilh e f in ds v all P fe if ra uc he r, If h e su cceed s, th ere w ill hea terrible

and no isy scen e as two of the thugs ho ld the nob le dow n and

P rahm hand ler horsew hips h im . The third thug ho lds the w eep ing

young w om an and forces her to watch, A t som e tim e during th is

ev en t, U rsu la w ill re tu rn to the barroom . She w ill au to rnarically

i nv e st ig a te a n y d is tu rb a nc e. If th e braw l teaches the upper sto rey

an d lasts fo r m ore than three rounds up there, four o f the Gravln's

m en-a t-arm s (unarm ed and unarm oured , o f course) w ill co me to

invesrigareand w i ll j oi n thestaff an d o th er p atro ns in try in g to

puc d ow n the d is tu rban ce ..

II : . sOPM

If th e tw o rem ain in g cu ltists are still a liv e, they w ill v is it th e

law yer 's ro om , w here a v io lenr argum ent w ill tak e p lace , B y the

tim e anyone com es to see w haris go ing on , Rechrshand ler w ill be

dead and there w ill be no one else in th e room , w hich is bo lted

from the insid e, The cu ltis ts lef t v ia the w indow , and spend abou t

B ve minutes on the roof m ak ing the ir w ay back to their ow n room ,

M ean wh ile, U rsu la K op fg eld g oes to her room , lock in g the d oor.

MIDN IGHT

There is a trem endous shou ting and scuff ling from the sm ug glers '

room , The land lo rd tries to preven t anyone g oing in , exp la in ingw hat th e " In itia tes" to ld h im abou t the ir need ing to cond uct

serv ices over the body th roughou t the n igh t, H ow ever, after a

few m inu tes he decides he m ust speak to rhern , and w ill be g lad

o f a ny on e's c om p an y. !uhe approaches the door o f the room,

every thing suddenly goes qu ie t, One of the "initiares" opens rhe

door w hen the lan dlo rd . k no ck s, a nd apologises fo r th e n ois e,

promising to tr y to b e qu ie ter during the rest o f th e n ig ht. In th e

room , rw o " in iria res '' can be seen Sitting firm ly on a th ird , The one

at the door exp la ins tha t the ir b ro ther som etim es has these spasm s,

b ein g p arti cu la rly s en siti ve to v ib eadons on The. O ther S ide . Itmakes him a B r st -c la ss p ri es t of More, bu t can be inconvenienr,

Th e la nd lo rd g oe s aw ay , p uzzle d.

The no ise w as caused b y th e sm ug glers' ch arg e w ak in g up as th e

effem of the drug w ore off , and the ir e ffom in keep ing him

quie t, If the PC s accom pany th e land lo rd to the room , they m ay

realise tha t there are now four " in idates" ! If they m ention th is ,

the land lo rd w illrell them that they m ust be m istak en , and w ill

be very unw illlng -requ iring a successfu l H ard (-20%) Charm

Test-to go back to the room or to a llow anyone else to do so , If

anyone does go back to th e ro om , rhey w ill f in d th re e " in itia te s»

there ; the sm uggIers have kno cked th eir m arge unco nsc ious and

hidden him under a bed ,

I 2 : IOAM

G Hm brin heads fo r the dorm ito ry . The boatm en and coachm en

also re d re o

I2 : . 20AM

There is a lo ud fem ale scream from m e G rav in 's w in g ..When th e

pes arrive on the scene , they find a num ber of servan ts and. others

crow ded round the door to B runo 's .room -he has been found

dead , w ith a dagger em bedded berw een h is sho ulders , Eve .rybody

is roused from their beds and sum moned to t he b a rr oom -a tthis point, ir w ill becom e obvious tha t ocher peop le are dead or

missing,

The innkeeper, by this time, h as m a na ge d to convince himself

tha t there is a m urderer on the loose , and adv ises everyone to lock

themselves in the ir m om s and nor m ove until day l ight , when he

can sen d fo r th e Ro ad ward en s,

B efo reev eryo ne g oes b ack to bed , the G rav ln d isp lays th e dagger

with w hich B runo w as k illed ; it w ill look strangely fam ilia r to the

ad ven tu rers , s in ce it is m e . one tha t w as sto len from one of them

abou t 20 minutes earlier, If the ow ner o f the dagger does no t

ow n up stra igh t aw ay , one of the inn 's staf f (the one w ho sto le it,

n at ura lly ) w llJ saythat he rem em bers see in g an id en tica l d ag gerin rh e c ha ra cte r's p os ses sio n, T he P C will th en b e c ha lle ng ed to

produce the w eapon , bu t w ill, o f course , be unab le to do so , A n

ominous murmur develops in the room , and you shou ld do your

best to co nv in ce th e p layer e h a c h is charac ter stands a good chan ce

of be ing lynched , If the charac ter tries to talk h is w ay OUt of

trouble b y c la im i ng thac the . dagger w en t m issing during the braw l

a t m idn igh t, they will h av e to su cc ee d at a Hard (-20%) Charm

Test-peop le p refer the sim ple explanarlon tha t the charac ter

m urd ered B ru no ,

After a ll th e accusation an d prcresrationsofinnocence have died

dow n, the G rav in rises ,

" J am aiuhorised b y > fI .y aunt,h

sh e says, 'to exercise her Jmperialr ig ht o Jd is pm5 il lg common jllstiu, ilfld it , s eems a s well th ilt I s hO / tl d



Rou gh N ight at the Three Feathers

d o s o b er « ~ sp ec ia l~ S;lICI! I a m th e m ost p ro min en t w ro ng ed p arty

Therefore.j rule that this g ro up s ha ll b e r oc ke d in their 1'00111 II/tit

t he mor nin g; whe n 1 s ha ll d ec id e f ur th er . A ll w ea po ns a nd e ql lipmen t

s ha ll b e re mo ved fro m th e ro om . a /ld j shallpost a guard at th e

d oo r a nd b en ea th th e window Yotl. however, D-she poin rs a t the

st rongest - look ing warrior-rype PC-- "I sentence to replace my

murdered c hnmpio « u nt ii it shallp lease me to decide otherwise. . .A

murmur runs round the bar, bur no one questions her ru ling .

The body is handed over to t h e " i ni ti at es " by the G rav in , w ho

re qu es ts [ he m to lo ok a fte r it u ntil daw n. T hey ag ree [0do so , and

it is taken to the ir room , w rapped in a b lanket. as are an y oth er

bod ies tha t have been d iscovered so f a r .

The PCs will be locked in the ir room , w ith rw o of the Gravin's

m en-at-arm s ou tside the door and ano ther two beneath the

w indow . You shou ld m ake it dear tha t th ere are [00m an y p eo ple

in the bar fo r them to be able [0e sc ap e a t th is s ta .g e. All their

w eapons and o ther equipment are rem oved by the Gravins men-

a t-arm s. The character w hom the G rav in bas chosen a s h er new

cham pion is tak en to B runo's room (room d) an d lo ck ed in.

A fter abou t half an hour, everyone goes back to bed .

1:20AM

A s erv an t c om es to th e PCs ' room to say tha t the G rav in w ants [0

calk to them . They are tak en to her room (room a) by four o f the

m en-a t-a rm s, stopp ing along the w ay to c ollec t th e n ew ch am pio n.

Th e G rav in is w aitin g for th em , still fu lly d ressed . A fter o rd erin g

t h e men -a t- arm s 10 w ait o utsid e, sh e sp eaks to th e P c s .

"T m sorry it teas Iltlussaty t o hav e yol t l oc kt ld Itp, " sh e sa ys, "bta

it s eeme d to b e th e o n~ w ay to c alm e ver yo ne d oum. J belieue

yo u a re innoc en t- s- no ( J II elUwdd be so s tu pid a s- to l ea ve h is OWlI

d ag ger b ~h illd a s a c lu e. A nyw a)\ w e h av l! u ntil d aw n to d isc ou er

who actunliy kille d B ru no . I 'm su re th at D amm en bla rz is b eh illd

it alt-n71 go il lg to Kempubad tofight II lawsuit again;t him. IfI 'm r ig ht , t he n h is a ge nt s l II ill try t o k il l my new champion"-sbe

favours this charac ter w ith an iro nic smile-HBllt t hi s t ime JOIIwill

a ll b e wa it in g. T h e gl/ard w ill be lift on YOllr room for th e sakI!of

appMral)ces, bllt YOll wi ll s pend flu r es t o f th e n ig bt ill Bruno 's room.

O n e w ea po n o f Yo ltr cb oic « w ill b e re tu rn ed to ea ch 0!y(JIl-710, 110

more th an o ne. 1 d O Il't I IIm't YOIl try in g to m ake a b re ak f or it. Weil,

then , le t' sge t mov ing -there Im't milch o f t he n ig ht li ft. »

Th e pes are each g iven one item from their w eapons and

equ ipm ent, and locked in B runo 's m om . The m en-a t-arm s re turn

(0th eir p osts g uard in g th e P C S ' room and B runo 's room . There

is to be no light in the room , so the PCS are ob liged [0sir in thed ark ness, w aitin g fo r so meth in g to h ap pen . E ach ch arac ter sh ou ld

m ake a Will Pow er Test; those w ho f a U fa ll as leep befo re th e n ex t

e ve nt h a p p e ns _

2:00AM

A soft scrap ing no ise com es from the chimney, Any c h ar ac te r

w ho is still aw ake w ill hear it w ith a successfu l Percep tion Test.

Sleep in g ch arac ters th ar m ak e a VeJ:YHard (-30%) Percept ion

Te s t are w oken by the no ise .

If the PC s rush to investigate or g ive any o ther Ind ica tion tha t they

are aw ak e, the n oise w ill Sto p ab ru ptly . If th ey k eep qu ie t, so meo ne

w ill com e dow n the ch im ney and in to the room . C haracters w ith

N ig ht V isio n w ill reco gn ise th e f igu re as on e o f th e inri's servin g

staf f. T he serv an t, w ho can bare ly see in th e d ark ness, will creep

c aref ully to wa rd s th e b ed . relying on mem ory and care to avoid

f al li ng o v er a ny th in g . If h e is atta ck ed , th e s erv an t will a ttem pt ro

escape through the w indow or up the chim ney , and the tw o guards

posted outside the room w ill com e in a t th e 6.rst sound o f a ny

d istu rb an ce, C haracters w ho are asleep w hen the serv an t en ters th e

room can make a Perception Test row ake up on the first round

of com bat, bu t o therw ise can rak e no actions. The test shou ld be

m odified depend ing on how much noise is b ein g m a de . S le ep in g

ch arac tersau ro matica lly w ak e up th e seco nd ro un d if they h av en 't

already.

Ifthe servan t is cap tu red , the guards w ill b ind and gag h im , co

aw ait th e G rav in 's p leasure in th e m orn in g.

D aw n break s. The G rav in ca lls everyone dow n to the barrooma ga iJ l, b ur th ere is no answ er co the land lord 's knock ing on the

door o f the sm ugglers ' room . The door is forced open , and a

scen e o f carn ag e is rev ea led. A ll th ree " i nirlares" are d ead , an d th e

coffin w ith which they en tered the inn has been broken open and

contaics a fresh ly d ead , h eadless b od y. U rsu la K op fg eld is a lso

m issing , and her horse has been tak en from the stab le.

O nc e ev ery on e-h as as se mb led , th e G ra vin b rin gs o ut th e s erv an t

cap tured by the PC S and exp lains tha t he was in the pay of B aron von

D am rn en bla rz, a nd is re sp on sib le f or B ru no 's m urd er a s w e ll a s th e

attem pred m urd er o f h er n ew ly ap po in ted ch am pio n. S he ru les th at

th e s erv an t is to b e l oc k ed lip and handed over to th e R oad wa rd en s a r

th e first o pp orru nity , an d th en ev eryo ne g oes o n th eir w ay . [t's been a

bu sy n ig ht, an d o ne that n o o ne w ill fo rg et .in a h urry .

5 5



Rough N ight at the Three Feathers

EXPERIENCE POINT AWARDS

E xperience palm s shou ld be aw arded for the fo llow ing :

Fo r h elp in g catch B ru no 's m urd erer: 30 xp (tick

F or d is po sin g o f th e c ultis ts : 1 0 x p j or ea ch h etp blg PC

F or b ea tin g B ru no a t a rm -w res tlin g. 5 xp.

F or ra kin g direct action [Q Stop Prahrnhandler before he

reaches Pfeifraucher : 10 xpsfor eachparticipatillg Pc.

There are m any o th er things the PC s can do to b rin g th e a dv en tu re

[Q a satisfactory conclusion, fur roo many to list here . For the

re ma in de r o f th e a dv en tu re , allow 10-30 points fo r quality of

ro le -p lay in g p er in div id ua l P C (ln re lllg en ce .w lr, a mu se me nt

va lue , d ip lo macy and tac t, e rc .) and 25-50 po in rs per PC for group

atta in men t o f g oals in th e ad ven tu re .

WHAT NEXT?If yo u want [0get on w ith "he m ain adven tu re , the G mvin ruighr

allo w h er n ew "ch am pio n" to go on his w ay, exp la in ing tha t he

w as on ly in tended as balt to [JaP m e m urderer and she can do a

lo t better fo r a ch am pio n an }'\v ay ... Sh e will, h ow ev er. g iv e th e

parry 50ge each fo r the ir asslsrance , an d m igh t p rove to b e a .u se fu l

contact in the future.

On rhe o ther hand , you cou ld develop the adventure b y h av in g

her insist tha t her new cham pion accom pany her [0Kempe rbad .

H e w ill b e paid 5l~er day p lus k eep . w ith a bonus 0[250 l' ifshe w ins the case . The rest o f the p arry Call jo in h er esco rt, b ein g

paid 1 gc per day p lus k eep . They ca n trav el in th eir b oar O Eth ey

have one) w hile the Gravins par ty t a k e s t he r iv e rs id e : r oa d. Th e

jo urn ey to K em pe rb ad will b e u nev en tfu l= -u nless yo u want to

have ano ther o f D arnrnenb larzs agen tS m ake an anem pt on the

cham pion 's life a t ano ther inn-and the G lav in 's p resence will

ensure tha t the adven tu rers are no t troub led by the Ro adw ardens

o r o th er o ff ic ia ls .

W hen th ey arriv e a t K em perb ad , tb e" ch am pio nH

will b e p la ce d

in the arena w i th one w eapon and one su it o f arm our of his/her

choice ; to face von D am rneab latz's cham pion (w e the pro file fo r

a P it Fighrer). The com bat is to f irs t b lo od , so th e first c ha ra cte r

to lose W ounds loses the bou t-and the case . As soon as one

comba t an t is w ou nd ed , th e so ld iers o versee in g th e tria l w ill ru sh

[0s ep ara [e [ he m . If th e ad ven tu rer w in s, Grav tn Mar ia -U lr lke wiU

b e d elig hted , an d will buy h im anyth ing he asks fo r on the day

a fte r th e tr ia l. If the PC loses the G rav in w ill be fined , and the

adventurers will be d ism issed from her presence, A sw. i f r exir f rom

Kernperbad may be a g oo d id ea ...

Gam e sta tis tics fo r th e various NPCs a r e co ll ec t ed h ere fo r easy

r ef er e n e e,

Gravin Maria-ULrike

C aree r: N ob le

R a. ce : H um a n

Skills; Cha rm , Command, C om mon K now ledge (the E mpire)

+ 10%, Consume A lc oh ol, G am b le , Cossip, ReadlWeire ,

R id e, S pea k (Reikspiel) +10%

Talents. C oo lh ea de d, E tiqu ette , P ub lic Speaking, Savvy , Spec ia l is t

W eap on G ro up (Fen cin g, P arry in g)

A rm our: N one

ArmOIK P oin ts : H ead 0, Arm s 0, Body 0, Legs 0

W eapons: M ain G auche

Trap pin gs·: To o n um ero us to m en tio n

Bruno F rank e

Career: J ud ic ia l C h am p io n (ex-Pit F i gh t er , e x -V e t er an )

Race; Human

Sk ills: C om mo n K no wled ge (th e E mp ire), C on su me A lco ho l, D od ge

Blow + I 0 % , G a .m b le , G o ss ip , In tim id ate +1 0% , P e rc ep ti on ,

S ec re t la ng ua ge (B artle Tongue) , Speak (Rei k sp ie l )

Talen ts: A mb id ex tro us, D isarm , Sp ecia lis t W eap on G ro up

(Fencing, Flail, Parrying, T wo -h an de d), S trik e to Injure,

S trik e M ig ht}' B lo w, Stro ng -m in ded , V ery R esilien t, V ery

StrongArmour: Medium A rm or (Sleev ed M ail C oat, Fu ll LeatherArmour)

Armour Pointsi Head 1, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 3

W eapons, F la il, Fo il, G rear W eapon (Tw o-handed A x.e), H and

W eap on (Sw ord ), K nu ck le-d usters , M ain G au ch e

Trappings' Healing draught, 10 yard s o f ro pe

Gustaf Rechtshandler

Careen Scho la r ( ex -S tu de nt )

Races Human

56



Rough Night at the Three Feathers

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Arts, Law +10%, Philosophy),

Common Knowledge (the Empire + 10%, Esralla,

HalfHngs), Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Gossip, Perception,

Read/Write, Search, Speak Language (Classical +10%,

Reikspiel + 10%)

Talents: Etiquette, Excellent Vision, Linguistics, avvy, Seasoned

Traveller, Super Numerate

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Hand weapon

Trappings: Jewellery worth 250 gc , rwo law textbooks, writing kit,

7S0gc

The G ra vin 's S erv an ts

Career: Servant

Race: Human

SkiUs: Animal Care, Blather, Common Knowledge {the Empire),

Dodge Blow, Drive, Gossip + 10%, Haggle, Perception,

Sieighr of Hand, Speak (Reikspiel)

Talents: Etiquette, Flee!, Fleet Footed, Lighmlng Reflexes, Very

Resilient

Armour: one

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Dagger

Trappings: Good quality clothing (the Gravin's se rvan ts all wear

her livery), pewter tankard, tinderbox, storm lantern, Lamp

oil

The G ra vin 's M e n-a t-A rm s

Career: Bodyguard

Race: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Dodge Blow, Gossip,

Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Speak (Reikspiel)

Talents: Coolheaded, Disarm, Hardy, Specialist Weapon Group

(Parrying, Throwing), Street Fighting, Strike to Srun, Very

Strong

Armour: Light Armor (Leather Jack)Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body I, Legs °

Weapons: Buckler, Hand Weapon (Sword), Knuckle-dusters

Trappings: 20 s

" In itiates o f M o rr"

Career: Smuggler

Race: Human

Skills: Common KnowLedge (the Empire), Drive, Evaluate,

Gossip, Haggle, Perception, Row, Search, Secret Language

(Thieves' Tongue), Secret Signs (Thief), Silent Move, Speak

(Reiksplel) , Swim

Talents: Coolheaded, Streerwise, Strong-minded

Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)Armour Points: Head 0,Arms I, Body 1. Legs °Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club) and Dagger

Trappings: Robes of initiates of M6rr, 2 gc

U rsu la K op f g eld

Career: Bounry Hunter

Race: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Fol low Trail, GOSSip,

Intimidate, Outdoor Su rvl val , Perception, Search,

Shadowing, Silent Move, Speak Language (Reiksplel)

Talents: Ambidextrous, Rover, Specialist Weapon Group

(Entangling), Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very

Strong

Armour: Lighr Armour (Leather Jerkin)

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1. Legs 0

Weapons: Crossbow, Hand Weapon (Sword), Net

Trappings: Manacles, 10 bolts, 10 yards of rope, 50 gc

Josef Aufwiegler ("Mr. Body")

Careen Agitator

Race: Human

57



Rough N igh t at the Three Feathers

Skills: Charm, Academic Knowledge (History, Law), Baron Frie dric h von P fe if ra uche r ('9" oh ann Schmidt")Concealment, Common Knowledge (the Empire), GOSSip,

Perception, Read/Write, Speak Language (Breton, Reikspie l Career: Noble

...10%) Race: Human

Talents: Fled, Public Speaking, Srreer Fighting, Suave, Very

Resilient

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms.0 , Body 0, Legs 0

Weapons: NoneTrappings: None

Coachmen

Career: Coachman

Race: Human

Skills: Animal Care, Drive, Common Knowledge (the Empire),

Gossip, Haggle, Ride, Navigation, Perception, Secret Signs

(Ranger), Speak Language (Breton, Reikspie l )

Talents: Hardy , Savvy, Seasoned Traveller, Specialist Weapon

Group (Gu:npowder)

Armour: Medium Armor (Mail Shirt, Leather Jack)


Weapons:. Blunderbuss, Hand Weapon (Club)

Trappingss Instrument (coach horn), power and ammunition for

10 blunderbuss shots

Boatmen

Careen Boatman

Race: Human

Skills: Blather, Common Knowledge (the Empire) + 10%, Charm,

Consume Alcohol, Gossip + I 0 % , Read/Write, Ride, Speak

Language ( Re ik s pi el ) + 1 0%

Talents: Acme Healing, Etiquette, Luck, Specialist Weapon Group

(Fencing, Parrying), Super Numerate

Weapons: Main Gauche and Rapier

Armour: None

Armour Polnrse Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0

Trappings: Jewellery worth 250 gr, noble's garb, 200 gr

Fraulein H anna Lastk ahn (" Frau Schm idt" )

Careen Burgher

Race: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire) + 10%, Drive, Evaluate,

Gossip + 10%, Haggle, Perception, Search, Speak (Relkspiel

+lO%,Tilean)

Talents: Acute Hearing, Dealmaker, Savvy, Suave

Armour: None


Trappings. Good quality clothes, 10gc

Thomas P ra hmh an dle r

Careers Merchant (ex-Tradesman)

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire, Kislev), Consume Races HumanAlcohol, Gossip, Navigation, Outdoor Survival, Perception,

Row; Sail, Secret Langua.ge (Ranger), Speak Language

(Reikspiel), Swim

Talents, Excellent Vision, Orientation, Resistance to Disease,

Seasoned Traveller


Armour Points: Head 0, Arms I, Body 1, Legs 0

Weapons' Hand weapon (Club)

Trappings: Passenger boar, 2 s

Skills: Animal Care, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire),

Drive, Evaluate ...10%, Gossip, Haggle. Perception. Read!

Write, Secret Language (Guild Tongue), Speak Language

(Reikspiel), Trode (Merchant + 10%, Shipwright)

58



R ough N ight a t the Three Feathers

Talents: Dealrnaker, Super Numerate, Strong-minded

Armoun Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs °Weapons: Whip and Dagger

Trappings: 56 gc

P ra lunhandl er 's Thug s

Career: ThugRace: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Consume Alcohol,

Dodge Blow, Gamble, Gossip, Intimidate, Secret language

(Thieves' Tongue), Speak Language (Reikspiel)Talents: Disarm, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw, Strike to Srun,

Very Resilient, Very Strong, Wrestling

Armour: Medium Armour (Mall Shirt and Leather Jerkin)


Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club), Knuckle-dusters

Trappings: None

Dammenb la ta 's Agent

Career: Bounty Hunter

Race: Human

Skllls: Common Knowledge (the Empire), FollowTrail, Gossip,

Intimidate, Outdoor Survival, Perception, earch,

Shadowing, Silent Move, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

Talents: Rover, Specialist Weapon Group (Enrnngling), Suave,

Srrike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very Resilient

Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body J, Legs 0

Weapons: Dagger and Hand Weapon (Mace)

Trappings: 3 doses of Mandrake, 6 doses ofOxleaf

Ordo Ul tima Cu lti sts

Career: Initiate

Race: Hurnan

Sk:ilJs: Academic Knowledge (Astronomy, Theology), Charm,

Common Knowledge (the Empire), Gossip, Heal, Perception,

ReadIWrite, Speak language (Dark Tongue, Reikspiel ..l 0%)

Talents: Public Speaking, lightning Reflexes, Resistance toDisease, Resistance to Magic. Very Strong

Armou[": None


Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club)

Trappings: AUthe cultists have the symbol of a letter 0enclosed

with a letter U tattooed on their left breast.

G limb rin Odd so ck s

Career: Thief

Race: HaJfling

Skil ls: Academic Knowledge (Genea!ogyfHeraldry), Charm, Common

Knowledge (HaI8ings), Concealment, Evaluate,Gamble,

Gossip, Perception, Search, SecretSigns (Thief), SilentMove,

Sleight of Hand, SpeakLanguage (Reikspiei),Trade (Cook)

Talents: Flee!, Night Vision. Resistance [0Chaos, Specialist

Weapon Group (Sling), Srreerwise, Super Numerate


Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs °Weapons: 2 Daggers

Trappings: Lock picks, sack, 150 gc in jewellery (stolen), 25 gc

Three Feathers Staff

Career: Servant

Race: Human

Sldlls: Animal Care, Blather, Common Knowledge (the Empire),

Dodge Blow, Evaluate. Go ip + 100/0. Perception, Search,

Sleight of Hand. Speak Language (Reikspiel).

Talents: Fleel, Etiquette Fleer foored, Lightning Reflexes, Very

Resillenr

Armoun None


Weapons: Improvised

Trappings: Serving tray and cutlery

59



Carrion C a l l

This adventure can. take place in any remote locale of me

Empire. The PCs are travelling for some unrelated reason

when they come across a heartbreaking scene-a young man,

Gustav Vonreuter, lies dying by the side of the road, apparendy

attacked and lefr for dead by a band of Beast men. His final wish

is that the pes inform his family of his death, for which GUStav

promises a handsome reward. Of course, it isn't char simple.

Unbeknownst (at first) to the characters, Gustav Vonreuter is a

Ghost, sent by his necromancer father Ondurin Vonreurer to

lure travellers to the family estate, chloss Vonreurer, Ondurin

intends [0use them for his horrendous necromantic experiments,

and the PCS must secure as iranee from the rest of the Vonreurer

household if they are to face Ondurin and make it out alive.

111e advenrure is quite linear up until (he point where the

pes learn something is terribly, terribly wrong. The rest of th e

adventure depends on the choices they make-primarily, which

of the Vonreurer family they trust ro help them against Ondurin.

The adventure's main location is Schloss Vonreuter, a huge and

crumbling estate of abandoned hallways and dead ends. which is

surrounded by forest and far from the closest town. Apart from

that, it can be anywhere in the Empire the pes happen to be. The

adventure has a srrong Gothic horror feel, with a debased family,

madness, fathomless evil, and plenty of shambling Undead.

Ca rr io n Ca ll is best suited for characters reaching the end of their

Starting Careers. Less experienced characters will have a hard

time with some of the Undead creatures, while more experienced

characters may have spells available to them that would endanger

some of the adventure's Story elements. Many of the foes in this

adventure have [he Frightening or Terrifying talents, so it's a good

idea to brush up on the rules for Fear on Terror on pages 197-198

of the WFRP rulebook,

=

Ondurin Vonreurer is the latest in the Vonreuter line, a dan of

sorcerous dabblers and black magicians stretching back into

the history of the Empire. Ondurin is we last such practitioner in

ills branch of we family. As a youog mao Ondurin, inspired by [he

teachings of his elders but disillusioned by the hidebound tradition

of their srudles, struck OUton his own, promising himself mat his

own studies of magic would have practical and meaningful results

rather than the absrracr book-learning of his ancestors. His specialitywas necromancy and his mania was the re-animation of dead flesh.

Ondurin became obsessed with the way undead flesh could be

moulded and combined as it never could in life.

The young Ondurin had money and intelligence. What he needed

was material. He bought an old house, a manse once owned by the

Feirsinger family that later became the heart of Schloss Vonreurer,

He took advantage of irs isolation to conduct ever more sinister

experiments, He boughr corpses from grave robbers, collected

examples of rare and unusual animals, and practised reanimating

60



61

C a r r i o n C a l l

them and grafting them together. Ondurins early experiments

were frusrraring. He was not the equal of his ancestors, and his few

creations were stupid and weak. He began researching more and

more esoteric sources-the ramblings of madmen in the prisons

of the Empire's cities, discredited diaries from travellers to Araby,

Lusrria, and the Sourhlands, and forbidden books obtained at

great expense from the libraries of the Church of Sigmar and the

Colleges of Magic .

This was all very well, but Ondurin became convinced (hat [0truly

achieve his goals he needed more than just knowledge. He needed

a higher standard of raw material. To pur it simply, he needed

living subjects. This was a trickier enterprise than experimenting

on the dead, for while there are many willing to make money from

a dead body there are few prepared to sell me living. So Ondurin

set about acquiring his own subjects, inviting those who lived

nearby into his mansion and drugging them, or occasionally hiring

crooks to kidnap travellers on the road. By crus time Ondurin was

well into middle age and realised he, too, would need someone

to pass his knowledge on to, and so from one of these occasional

victims he made a wife, Sanne, crudely brainwashed and bent to

Ondurins will. She bore him five children-Gustav, Wilhelmina,Jonah, Sorbello, and Anya.

Ondurin was too liberal with Gustav, allowing him to ride out

from Schloss Vonreuter, Gustav rejected Ondurins attempts to

impart his necromantic secrets and one night rebelled openly,

threatening to bring the witch hunters down on evil old Ondurin's

head. Ondurin killed his son without hesitation, and using some

of the most complex ritual magic he knew, bound Gustav's soul.

Ifthe boy would not obey him in life, he damn well would in

death, Ondurin vowed not to make the same mistake with his other

children, confining them to me Schloss and trying to break their

wills until they were as pliable as Sanne. Outing these years Jonah

went insane and Ondurin confined him to a locked room, intending

to study hi s madness. Wilhelmina and Sothelin accepted their

fatbe('s dominance and so On durin favoured them, unlike the wilful

and disobedient young Anya. Ondurin could not break her, so he

treated her worst of all, leaving her neglected and traumatised.

Meanwhile, Ondurin had added rambling passage-.vays, ill-shaped

rooms, and dead ends to me old house, forming the sprawling

estate of Schloss Vonreurer, Here he imprisoned Jonah along with

any still-living subjects he captured. He sometimes even let his

experiments run free, for me use of necromantic magic had so

rwisted the mansion mat escape wa nearly impossible.

Despite this progress, Ondurin felt he needed more subjects.

He was sure he was close to unlocking secrets of necromancy

that would awe his hidebound ancestors, but he needed to keep

working. So he devised a plan to bring travellers directly to Schloss

Vonreurer, where he could nap them in the maze of the estate,

pick them off at leisure. and bting rhern down to his laboratory.

He commanded Gustav's ghost to enter a body he had created, and

devised the ruse that brought many unsuspecting do-gocders and

adventurers to his home.

Buc unknown to Ondurin, Gustav's will was gradually weakening

the spell mac commanded him. And eventually, a cerrain band

of adventurers was brought to the house, whom Gustav's spirit

intended. to help escape ..

S c E N E I:TH E ROAD TO RUIN

YtJuspot Jometh ing just past It bend in the road. A young

m an lies b y t he sU k o f th e p ath . Y ou se « h is h as S lif fo "d

tcn-ible llJOUnm. massiu« gllSheshi his ches tand stomlldJ. He

WlS a handsome. fit youth bu t n ow h is liflbiood is seeping

into tk mud. 7hm t was obuiousIJ It vicious jight here-the

man's S II JO r d ,t s b lade b roke n. / it s n ea r h is hand and th t

mu d is ch ur ned w ith f oo tp ri nts. H e l o o k s lip at you with tk

last of hi s strength an d tries to speak.

Characters who help the young man learn his name is Gustav

Vonreuter, He was returning home when vicious Beastmen attacked

him. They cut him down and chen returned to the dark forest. A

successful Heal Test reveals that he is on deaths door and beyond

help, There is nothing the PCs can do for him now, except to fulfil

his one last wish.

'1 am a d ea d m an . l ac ce pt t ha t. But my fmn iI J .. .

please, you hal lt ! b em a f r imd to a dyi1lgs t ranger. now

just do one t lJ ing 111t17r for m e. M ;y f am il y h om e, S ch um

Vonrmter. is ju st a fiw days e(lst from hm. Take this ,

rig f om il y s ea l ... itwiD pTOIIt! to r lJ t7n thdt yo u teO th e

tr/l. /h. . . go fhm mu J tell th rm w ha t ha s h ap pm ed lOIbtir

son. uO thnn and lei tIxm griell t ! . . . H

Gustav shakily hands the PCS his famiLy seal, a palm-sized iron disk

on which is embossed me syrubol of the Vonreuter family,. anaxewith a snake wrapped around it. To characters that insist on getting

something out of running thJs errand, Gustav says his family are rich

and the characters will be rewarded gready. Once he h a s made sure

the pes understand what he wants them to do, Gustav falls back to

the earth, blood running from the corner of hi s mouth. His last f e , .v

breaths are ragged and Laboured, and then he dies.

PCS with Follow Trail find a . few tracks leading into me forest on

a successful test, but the trail goes dead a short distance from the

road. This is because (as is unknown to the characters) there were

no Beastmen in the first place.

"Gustav" is, in trurh, one of On durin Vonreuter's necromantic

creations, a likeness of GUStav possessed by Gustav's ghost. Theghost is enslaved by Ondurins magic and has been forced to

carry out this ruse several times, luring many travellers to Schloss

Vonreuter, Ondurin is a skilled necromancer, so the likeness is

perfect and completely realisdc=-rhere is no reason, other than

natural suspicion, for characters to think Gusra v isanyrhing other

man a dying man with one last wish.

The PCs must now choose whether or nor to honour Gustav's

request and if so, when. Perhaps the tragic death of a young man,

orrhe promise of quick reward for little effort, will spur them on

to Schloss Vonreurer quickly Perhaps they will leave the errand

for some other time, especially if they were travelling Oil more

pressing busines . Eventually, it is hoped. they will head for Schloss

Vonreuter, If they do not, they will have no idea what horror chey

narrowly avoided,



Carrion Call

S c E N E 2:

M E ET THE VONREUTERS

It is bU t evening by th e tim e y on r ea ch th e h om e o f theVonrmfer finnily. Schloss VoIZrt'liter is for rfflt()flcd from fhl'

c/osest road , rtachlld by a w in din g tra ck th nt w h it is m r0 1tg IJ

dmIt', do.rkforest. Approllchillg th~bous«fhi forest give!

wa y to fI wid~ dear ing . i n wh ich s it s Schloss Vonrrotr:r.

Tb« Vonrrotr : rafnte uias once a s i ng " ! g r nl ld hOlisG built

in fh l old Imperial style with dark stOllC and high nrched

w i7 ld o ws . B I IT O llerthe decntUs wjng an d outbotae: have

bel'li adtkd so thl! estate is IIOW cOllfllsillgjumblr: oJsryks,

pikd up agnil lS l t he walls oJrhe stern old bouse. MOSTOf the

l'Sfatr:is dark l with lights Dilly b um blE in thl' windows o ffhl ' o ld home. Two tqrcbes light thl: main. door; and you.mIt

tooman emergefrom th e house. An age;'lg and pa le IWmtlll

wit h ap i nched , litled f o e e . sh e hurria towards.you.

"Please, nshe asks . "Have yo u c om e I vith news o fm y so n? "

This is Schloss Vonreuter, and the woman is Sarine Vonreurer,

mother of Gustav and wife of the head of the fiunily, Ondurin

Vonreurer, Sanne reacts to the news of her son's death by turning

silent and sinking co her knees, ar which point Ondurin strides our

of the house to see ro his wife and talk to me characters.

Th e man is o ld b t~ 1in f in ~ h ea lth , w ith lo ng g rey in g

hair and a barrel chest. H is S Im I f iu e sof te llS s ligh tl y as hI !

'01/S0/~shis wife, bl'.foTI!ilm ing to

YOII.

"M y name. i s Ondur in Vonrmtcr, and this is my wifo.

Sal in e, ~he S I 1 y s ill t1d~"pand so no ro us u ok ». "Gu sta v is

my son. I lake ityou havl! come to tr:llus hI ! f I Ii ll no t bl!

rl!hlrtlhzg t o Schloss Vonreuterr

Ondurin Vonreurer is dearly sorrowful abour the death of his SOli but

it does nor shock him as it does S an ne. T he world is a harsh one, he

asserts, and the Empire is a dangerous place for anyone who has a taste

for adventure, Ondurin says he always knew that the independenr and

waywa rd Gustav would come to harm one day. He a sk s ro see the.seal

Gustav gave them, and once he h a s s e en it Ondurin invites th e PC S

into me house-c-it is only right that he give them a nighr's hospitality

so he ca n reward them properly in the morning.

Ondurin leads the characters into the hall of the old house at the

centre of the estate. Inside lc is even more rerniniscenr of the old

Empire, with dark wood panelling worked into elegant Gothic

lines, stone Hoors smooth with age, and an air of anriquiry and

fading wealth. The house seems large and draughty, and the only

servant here is Lothar, Ondurin's manservant. Ondurin sends

Lothar up me grand [win staircase to fetch "the children," and thefamily is assembled to hear the bad news.

Sanne is silent a s O n du rin intro duces h is family. "Ibis

is m y so n. Sothdt», "he says, illd:i.clttillg th e tau, dn,k-

h aire d y ou th , w ho nods briefly i n grmil lg . "Sothelin is

Gustav's youllge, brother; " explailtS tI " old man.

N O ' . " t h e in dic ate s a p etite. b lo nd ~ g ir l, b arely in to h er

latc tUlIS, who wou ld be p retty w ere sh e 1I0t qui tr s opol e

an d draton, N ext to her lhll ltis all older gir4 bCflut ifo ' wi th

t/4rk lustrous hair t1l1i JiJ I lips-she is holding the hand of

a th ir d g ir l w ho is onlyjive or s ix } /l ar s o ld . "Ibis is Allya, n

s a y s Vndurin, i nd i ca ti ll g ,h( pal li d g ir 4 ''alld Wilhl!imiTUl

here is Illy eld est. H er ch ild is my grmuldanghrer E ie na ; ~The girls CIIrtsey.

With the family assembled, Ondurin tells them of Gustav's death.

He asks the characters to explain how Gustav died. The Vonreurer

women play their parts well, crying and wailing on cue. With

the ugly business of breaking the news done, Ondurin invites the

characters to eat with then so they can toast Gustav's short life

with the family. Ignoring any protestS, Ondurin orders Lorhar ro

set more places at the table.

The meal is simple, bur hearty and plentiful. The characters and

the Vonreurer family, except for the child Elena, all sit down to eat

a dinner of sausage, boiled potatoes, and cabbage. The m ea l b eg in swith Ondurin leading a coast to GUStav with a very agreeable red

wine. Ondurin then asks the characters about themselves and

their exploits, giving them an opportunity to relive their past

adventures. TIm is a timewhen the characters can observe the

Vonreurer family, and start to get some idea of how they act and

the relationships between them.

Ondurin is very much the head of the family, and leads the

conversation. He completely dominates his wife Sarine, answering

questions for her, cutting her oft: and glaring at her if she speaks

without being spoken (0. Sorhelin, Ondurlns son, is brooding and

monosyllabic and not much of a conversationalisr,

TIle two daughters, Wilhelmina and Anya, are more interestedin what adventures the characters have had, Wilhelmina makes

62



Carr ion C a l l

eyes at me most handsome adventurer, and acts impressed by any

reported ex:ploits-in spite of the news of her brother's death she

is confident and as Hirrarious as she can get away with. Anya, on

rhe other nand, just wants to near about the Empire beyond the

walls of Schloss Vonreure r , WUhelmina will tease Anya at every

opporruniry Ondurla lets her get away with it, but will be stem if

Anya. answers back.

If the conversation turns to GUStav,it emerges that hi s death is littlesurprise. Gustav wa s wayward, choosing to go our advenruring

instead of helping maintain the estate. Itwas only a matter of time

before messengers came to the bouse with news ofhis death. Sanne

remains visibly upset but the rest of die family feelGUStavwas

lost to rhern long ago--he was JUStroo headstrong, roo ambitious,

convinced he could find his fortune galloping around me Empire

while all he ever earned himself was an early grave.

Once the meal is done, Ondurin summons Lothar to take the

characters to the guest rooms prepared for them. Lorhar, courteous

bUJ not particularly charry, leads the characters through the main

ball and into the jumbled, confusing pa.rtof the estate, where

i l l-Erring corridors jut off at mange angles and it is very easy to

get losr. The characters have two connecting rooms with as many

beds asthey need. Lothar apologises gruffly that these are the only

rooms suitable, as me rest of the estate is plagued by damp. The

rooms are well appointed and comfortable enough but they have

no windows.

Once the characters settle in. Lorhar locks me door and shuffles

away. The PCs may protest about being locked in, but Lothar says

that it's for their protection. ru the sound of his footsteps recedes,

silence descends on Schloss Vonreurer, If the PCS shout for Lothar

or the Vonreurers, there is no response. The lock cannot be picked

from the inside, but three successful Strength Tests can break the

door open. This is an Extended 'Iesr.

If the PCs go to bed, Gustav's ghost wakes them up in the small

hOUIS.1 £ they try to leave the chamber and explore the mansion,

Gustav's ghost appears as they open the door. 10 either case, Scene

3 begins.

S c E N E 3: GUSTAV RETURNS

1ht a ir tu rn s n uld tn ly C t J I d an d II sh immtr ing l igh t

b leMs th ro ug h th l! d o or in to th t r oom, b am hlg th t r oom

in a fo in t b lu is h g lo w. 1 ht g lo w «JakSCI!S into a h um an

fonn-me form of GUStllfl Wm rn atr , th e s am e m an you

la st s aw d ead b y the sitk of m e road. His ghos tl y. fo rm i s

covmd in s tra ight scan as if he h ad b ,e ll p ar tiaU y d is semd

b y an anatomist . wi th #7flight cuts and r ig ht a ng le s r arwd

in to h is S ilv er y s k in . H is mQUmopm s a lld c lo se sd umb ly

unti l f il lo l ly you bear hisfa; nt wire, echoing lIS iffrom Il

distana«:

H M J fa me t w ;s h( J yo u tll; sm mgers ... yo u m lut fo e this

p/nu, but f am er com mands the dotk things in m e l l I O Q t / J ,

alld 10 le av e yo u w in h av e tof oe e h im . .. A vl! ng e me I l1 1daU

m ose who hl!lu"d hm beft" you. Save youn t/ vt s . .. I amso so rry, b ut f am er lu td m e, lued m y sou l, an d he w ill d o

th e s am e to y ou ... "

Gustav's ghost beginstofade. Characters who ask a pertinent

question quickly enough might be rewarded with a vague answer

from Gustav, but a few seconds later he fades from view and is

gone. "Thecharacters have now received a dire warning from the

dead. What they do next is up to them.

EXPLORING Souoss VONREUTER

Ondurin had Schloss Vonreuter designed and built to be as

confusing a warren as possible. His magical experiments have

warped the place even further: and it ofren seems like the corridors

rearrange themselves. He sometimes lets his necromantic

experiments out of his lab so he can observe them hunting one

another through the maze of corridors and rooms that surround

the old house ill which he and most of his family live. The

characters rooms are in the centre of this frustrating labyrinth->

they can find their way back C O the main hail with a successful

Intelligence Test, and from there either outside or up the stales

to the rooms of On durin's rwo daughters, bur otherwise they are

limited to blundering around unril they find something.

The PCs realistically have three choices: wander around until they

chance upon something, head om of rhe estate through the main

entrance, or make for the rooms of Ondurins daughters. If they

Opt to JUStblunder off into the darkness, after a few dead ends

and wrong turns they come across Jonah Vonreuter's room (think

of'jonah as a punishment for characters who don't have a plan) in

Scene 8. The grand staircase in the main hall leads up to a landing

with rwo exits..From behind one door can be heard little Elena

singing softly (Wilhelmina's room, Scene 6) while a cold draught

blows under the other door (Anya's room, Scene 7). Characters

who choose ro go outside and make a run for it go to Scene 4.

The nature of Schloss Vonreurer is such that initially these are

the only choices available to the PCS.To go anywhere else they

need help from one of the family members, who long ago learned

how ro navigate the estate. The PCs will have to work OUt which

one they should trust. They may ultimately have to face OndurinVonreurer himself, but they can't get to him or his necromantic

laboratory just by blundering about in me dark.

Ondurins manservant, Lamar, iswandering the estate during me

night and can be used asan Impromptu encounter if the characters are

having it.roo e a s y , or if they are standing around wondering what to

do next, Lamar is fiercelyloyal [0Ondurin in spite of the harrowing

magical procedures he ha s undergone. Lothar issupernaturally mong

and resilient, bur quite slowand not very bright.

S c E N E 4:

OuTsIDE TH E EsTATE

It it cold and b /u k o uts id e, lit only b y a crescent' moon.

T h e fU in dw hip s d ow n m ttlly th ro ug h th ~fores t l ind Schloss

Vonretlur looms b lo ck er th an me n ig ht slty above you.

} 'Ouspy something i ll f ht filrl1st th ro ug h whic h y ou jim

c ame. T tv o ti" y r ed p in pr ic ks s hin e b t! tw ee ll th t! m ts , thm

anomer pair, and anot he r, umi! ,ht! whole f o r e s t lums

infottd w ith them . W ith a starI,y ou " alis e th ty a rt! t he

r ye s o fh un d" ds o fcmuur es , s hin illg m n i t ! V O l 4 l l t / y ill th e

d ar k. 1 he fo re st te em s w ith th tm , aU w aitin gfo r y oll to

approach. T h e sinister glow o f meir ty es c an O l llym ean . o n et hi ng : t he sea re 110 nptural erratum.



Carrion Call

PCSwho makes a successful Challenging (-10%) Perception Test

see just what Ondurin Vonreurer controls there: Undead Wolves.

These creatures-s-their stinking fu r matted and mouldering, bones

poking through their skin, eyes blazing red-haunt the forest

around the estate, along with the shambling skeletons that remain

of Onducin's earliest victims. IndividualLy these creatures are little

threat bur characters who persist infighting them are swamped by

their sheer numbers, dragged down, and killed. Characters might

6ght a quick skirmish but should be very aware that conrinuing todo so will lead to their deaths.

Ifthe characters choose to skirt around Schloss Vonreurer, they

SpOta duster of tombs in the shadow of the estate..

Just v is ib le ill the fo in t 7J11) ()nl igh tou Stt a clusttr of

sm alJ b uild in gs o fpa le f1Ulrble, l i ke miniat fl rt t emple s

IIntkr the brooding s hadow o f Sch lo ss Vonr tu lt 1: Wi~

worn !deus and pedimmts catch the moonl igh t; a long

wi th moss -mCTUSted columns and S'tIItUes.

Characters who wish to brave the tombs go to Scene S-othenvise

their onLyrealistic options are to return to the house or light to

their deaths in the jnfested woods.

S c E N E j: GUSTAV'S TOMB

Severtil tomb s o f w ry i" g siuJ sta nd in a d "ster. 'lhey

art b ad ly o ve rg rown and th rir m ar ble w al ls a re b lo tch y

w ith m ou ld .

There are live tombs in all. Theseare the crypts of the family

that once Livedin me house mat became Schloss Vonreuter,

Ondurtn neglected me tombs, using one to store Gustav's bodyand ignoring the others. 'The dead of me previous family, the

Feirslngers, still lie in the tombs, and me head of me family Sven

Feirsinger isso offended at the evil that has come to the house he

built mat his spirit still curses the name of Ondurln Vonreurer,

TOMB I

T he la rg est to mb . a nd the m ost ela bom tt. h IlS two

statues of Im peri4 1 kn ig hts h old in g u p the p ed im tll/. T he

y ellr s h allt w orn awa y th eir fimuns but the inscr ip tion

abol lt the t Il rmshed bronu door remains:

Helga Mirs inger24.07-2443

Mother, Wife, Belmltd

This is the tomb of Helga Feirsinger. 'The door is heavy and

corroded, but can be moved with a successful Strength Test.

This tomb was c le arly m a d e wit h l in le e xpen se s pa re d.

The walls insw are (arved with figum , their heads bow ed

in mourning . T h e y were once painte4, but th e p a in t o nly

remains ill f o G l u , with the m t hlllling peeled off d,u to the

dAmp. Mo"M is el ltry wh er t, its smelJ c /J olti ng . T he rt a rt

p lac ts for . f o n u m 10 b e p la ce d. b llt a ny f I o w m h ave lo ng

since w ith erd ;tw ay to not h; 'I g. The s ingl e t :OJ l ins it s on a

ra ised sla b-th e ha rd wo od co ffi" h as su rvived th e rig ou rs of

tim e. b ut th e fin in gs a nd h in ges h ave ru sted dWilY.

Within the coffin is me body of Helga Feirsinger. Only her

skeleton remains-s-a few threads of silver and gold are all thattell of me finery in which she was buried, the rest of her clothing

having rotted to grey rags. Characters successfully searching her

coffin lind a silver mirror that were buried with her, worth 15 gc.

The gold threads , should anyone gather rhern up, can be melted

down into gold worth Igc. However, searching in this way

disturbs her corpse and angers the spirit of her husband, Sven

Feirsinger (who broods in Tomb 2).

TOMB 2

T his tomb is pla in a nd b l o c k y . with littk

o rn am en ta tio n. I t lo oks lik e th e n ew est of th e t lJm/ls. and

though still f1Ulnyyears oM it has s tood up welJ to the years.The inscription 0IItT th e d oo r is sti lJ d e e p a nd legible:

Svm FeirsinF

At l a s t , an en d t o s orr ow s

2394-2468

Sven Pelrslnger, me last of his family line, is interred in this tomb.

His spirit isdeeply offended by the evil Ondurin has brought to

his borne and, if me PCs have treated the lest of his family with

respect, he can hint at what the characters might still have to

face. The door is sealed and requires a successful Hard (-20%)

Stre.ngth Test to open.

'Ib is to mb is a s pla in h llid e IlS it is Oll tSide .with

n oth in g b ut a sin gle sto ne sh elf a Io ng th e b ack w alJ o n

w hich U es a stu rd y b la ck w oo d ro ffin . J ust visible lining on

t he s he lf b es id e t he r of fi n is th e si lve ry o tltlin e o f a pmon-

an e lt kr ly , b ea rded mati w ith a n eye pa tch , w ea rin g th ~

battered rtmnants o f leather armour a nd c ar ry ing a sword

sC4 l! ba rl ka a t h is wais t . The ghost ly figure l o o k s up a t y ou .

" Ve rm in , ~ h~ sp it s. " So h e h a s sm t I1 UJ reof his spawn

to to rm en t u s, } t lS t b ec au se J im d ea d d ots n't m ea n Iwon't

make yo u s u J f o r . You and the oM man , " H is handflies to

th e h i/to /his sw ord .

Sven assumes the characters are more members of the Vonreuter

family, here to desecrate his rornb and do gods know what co his

body. He knows if the pes have disturbed the bodies ofrus wife or

daughter, and believes that characters who have done so must be in

league with Ondurin. If the characters have disturbed the bodies

or do nor cry ro convince Sven that they are not on Ondurin's

side, Sven will slash at them with his ghostly sword, roaring in

frustration as it passes harmlessly through them, Sven cannot leave

the romb and cannot harm the characters, but that won't stop him

from crying, cursing them in his futile attempts to kill them.

PCs who protest their innocence and are convincing about it can

get Sven's attention, as long as they have treated me bodies of his

family with respect. Sven built the house that later became Schloss



Carrion Ca l l

V onreurer, a handsom e m ansion for h im and his fam ily ro live in ,

with th e p ro ceed s fro m a su ccessfu l ad ven ru rin g career, H e lo ved ills

w i f e Helga very much, b ut sh e n ev er r ecovered from th e death o f th ei r

two-year-old d au gh te r, I lo na . Helga herself died of a broken heart rw e

years la re f an d Sven held on for m any years after that, fin ally d yin g a

lonely o ld m an. H e does not r egrer h is life-he had a good wom an

w ho lo ved him, a ft er a ll, which he thinks is som ething fe\v m en can

s ay ,...- bu .t h e a bh or s w h at h ap pe ne d.to

his hom e. O ndurin V orueurerrook ie over an d built m e m o ns rr os ir y o f S eh lo ss V o nr eu te r a ro un d it.

Sven do esn ~t k now ex actly w hat Ond urin and his F.unily do in there

but he knows i, is evil-he ha s h eard th e screams of Ond ua ns v ic ti ms

and can f e e l the evil m agic pulsin g from w ithin the house. Itis this

n ec ro m an tic e ne rg y thar h as k ep t S ve n's s pir it h er e in ste ad o f1 er ti_ ng

him m ove o n ro join his w ife and child , O ndurinev en used th e to mb

of.Svens brother, K a r l , to h ou se something essential to whateve r evil

he is cooking up . Ondurins Unde ad c re at io ns r an sa ck ed t he tom b of

Aeehil lianis , Svens o ld E lv en ad ven tu rin g co mp an io n. Sv en ha s seen

Ondurin o utsid e th e h ou se, alo ng w ith hi s brute of a son and harpy of

a daughrer (by w hich he m eans So thelin and W ilhelm ina) but he isn 't

aw are o f an y o th er f.mW y m em bers.

Sven w ishes he could help the characters face Ondurin , but thereis nothing he can do from beyond the 'grave. H e desperately

wants to see his w tfe and child buried som ew here else, how ever; It

doesn 't m atter w here, so long. as it is som ew here free of the k ind

of evil m at infu ses Schloss V on reuter, Sven doesn 't n eed hJs body

reburied-s-he will no t have it said that he ran aw ay from anything,

even in death . B u t he does nor wan t the souls of hls w ife and child

trapped, or w orse, by Ondurin 's evil.

If m e pcs m ake it our o f Sch loss V onreurer w ith the bones of

H elga and Ilona and then rebury them somew here less evil,

they w i l l h av e f ulf ille d S ve n Felrsingers la se w is h a nd s alv ag ed

som ething good from the horrors o f the V on reuter fam ily 's crim es.

111tl}' receive no material rew ard for th is-dead m en don 't hand

ou r purses of gold ...=bue can fest in the know ledge m at they have

done som ething good in the face of evil.

TOMB 3

A s m a l l . dtficatt t(nnb, this ha s mjfomi gr ta tl j fonn

fIN yean . 1M m m - b l e h a s bun f o m d IIfHtrl b y owrgrowing

f o l i d g e and c r u m h l e d by rmnpant mou ld . Dna this tomb w a s

d 4 t : 0 r a t t d wilh e lA b o 1 "t lY s cr o l lw o r k b u r now it is on rhebrink

of crwnbling to d u s t . TIN inscription is m x J u J nnd illegible.

1 hls tom b is me oldest in the gJoup, and it houses the body of

Ilona Felrsinger, w ho w as rwo years old w hen she died . The door is

lo ose an d falls to th e g ro un d if a . c ha ra cte r tr ie s to o p en . i t,

7 he tom b is in If bo d state. v tge ta t ion hi lS crept in

th ro ug h m tc la in the Willisan d th ( fi'" tllrt/inf/ t ha t onae

a t i o n 1 4 a the walh are all but obliurtrtd.. A stune tIIble Dna

f /dO .d in t he WItte o f t hi s tQmb bu t it has halftoll4 pml and

a lin y (OJliI l h il i s ud of f and no w Utl againsrtmr WIIJl

T he co ffin co ntain s th e tin y sk eleto n o f Ilo na Felssin ger; N oth in g

rem ains of the clo thes she w as buried in . Searching m e coffin e m u sup a sm all clockw ork toy, a lirde m etal horse m at gallops on the SpOt.

when its SpI" ing is w ound. The toy 's clock work insides are rusted an d

th .e toy does not w ork , Ir is of very fine D warfen m anufacture and

'.':., .. ' - - " ~ .. :. :~"; ... " : + . , : : ~ : " . : . : ~ . _ . - ~ •

•• • ... -,j. ~ :•• ; ~

~~410 • ,." •-,." •

... :".:.',,:'

< . . . : : : ; ~~i· ,4 ..... ~ ; .... + •

.. . . -~~," ~", ..

. '.• : l·~

. . . ' i : ~ . ' " ~ . .,,-,' . . . . . : . ..~

~j,.. : • •

'E----"--''----."'"1,

r : - , I,

.~ .;.

."_' ..

can be sold for 50 gc bu t characters w ith the foresig ht rog er it fixed

by a Dwarf c ra fts man (w h ic h will COst abou t 25 g c ) can then sell it

for 1 00 g c . H ow ev er, search in g th e co ffin lik e this d isturbs m e body

o f this little girl an d an gers th e sp irit o f h er fath er, Sv en Felrsin ger,

TOMB 4

Th« door an d h alf th e r oo f o f th is tomb haV l btm tom

off. I t is a ruin- time is no way of ai ling what ilmight

have / co /t ed ! ih t whm bui/I.

This tom b, w h.ich once housed the body o f the E lf A ethilllan is,

has been broken open and ransacked by Ondurins Undead w ho

w andered out of the forest. Aethillianis w as Sv en Feirsin ger's o ld

adventuring com panion, w hose body Sven recovered and buried

properly m any years after the E lfs death .

In sid e, th e to mb is a w reck . Th e splin tered rem ain s of the coffin lie on

th e Hoor along w ith debris, tangled . undergrow th, and a few bones. A

su ccessfu l Se-a.ro h Test d oesn 't tu rn u p an yth in g u sefu l b ut w i l ! cause

t he chara ct er to realise that there-are a few m ere bo ues here than could

be accou need for fro fit ju st on e body (since som e are f r o m . th e U n de ad

th at ran sack ed th e to mb an d d estro yed A eth illian is ' b od y).

TOMBS

'!his tomb is 1 1 s imp le box shapt of mmbk, without

ro /w nm o rplili11lent. 1hue is 110 i1umplion in the spate

abow the door_ It smns to 1)4slightly bett~ Ittpt than tht

olh~ tombs, bu t it is st il l ovtrgrown lind grimy.

65



Carrion Call

This tomb was originally that of Karl, Sven Feirsinger's late

brother. Ondurin Vonreurer took out Karl 's body and put the

corpse of his son Gustav in there instead, to make sure that

the body was well away from the attentions of his necromantic

creations within Schloss Vonreurer, The door isfitted with a lock

much newer than the rest of the tomb-it rakes 3. successful Hard

(-20%) Pick Lock Test to open it.

The m u l / I d oo r o pm s w it h a s qu ea l o f TUlt ed h in ge s.

7 he a ir im id e is fo ul an d sta le, ntu! the tomb h as c ka rly

b em n eg le ctt d. I ns id e th e fOmh, rh eflo or is line" d w ith rill

d ropp ings , d us t, a nd debris. and in the centre of the room

is a m ised blo ck o f marble o n w hich sits a co ffin o f da rk

woo d, p lA in e xc ep t fo r t he V on re ute r fomil y c re st :

This is the tomb of Gustav Vonreuter, Ondurins unfortunate son.

Characters who open the coffin find Gustav's corpse, dressed Like

the Ghost who visited them but now Iinle more than a mouldering

skeleton (although this body has been dearly been there for

less time than those in the other tombs). The body is, bizarrely,

wrapped in a heavy chain, sti ll shining brightly silver in spite of

the state of the body. This chain can be removed. fa.idy easily and

contains a lot of silver-it isworth 30 g' to a tradesman who can

melt i t down, such as a jeweller.

If the chain is removed, Gustav's ghost suddenly appears at the

foot of the coffin.

"7hank you, .friends. B y umh ack lillg m y b od y yo u

have w tllkm ed m y f others speD o wr m t, if O l dyfo r a J ho nwhik. I griew that I should haw bun mtd to lur« yo u to

my f athe r's h ome , just III h e I "r td aD th os e po or so ul sf or

whom I r :o uld d o n oth in g.

" My tim e here is short so 1 w iD be III b ri tf a sIdart.

M y fa th tr . O n d,lr in l tO n rt ute :r .w is he s t o u s« y ou in h is

. " exptrlmm ts. H e nSfd me, too, and Jd id not s urui ll t.

N either w ill you. H e trapped m y soul in a body he creattd

a nd forced m e to g o old a nd I ,," tra vellers like y ou to thishouse. Father 's l1f11gi~meam I i'6 mem be r 1m aru !l ess bllt

I do know that you will mver make it t hr ough the wood s

whik fir th er s till c omman ds th e crtt1J7I"S that infm them .

Y ou w ill h av e to .foce fothe r a nd d estro y h im , b ut I f oa r

y ou c an no t d o it o n y ou r OMI. I can help y o" no mort bU I

p er ha ps o ne o f m y b ro th er s o r s is ttr s fO I l- bu t wha tt IJ tT y ou

do, do not trust 10ndh. That much I rtmnnlm ... »

As y ou w ll tc h, th e s pir it b eg in s to f i d e .

Once Gustav's Ghost is gone there is nothing of interest in the

comb aside from the coffin and the corpse.

S c E N E 6:

WILHELMINA'S CHAMBERS

Youhear a ch ild s ing ing I I 1 l IlTSt :TJ rhyme, slightly of f-key.

T h e sound ~omt!S. fromb e y o n d a d oo r a t th e e n d of th e corridor

Im d you canfle/ t h e warmth o f a hea rt y fi re f oJm beh ind it.

Wilhelmina and Elena livein these chambers, and provide

one means of getting the characters out ofSchJoss Vonreuter.

Wilhelmina can lead the characters through Ondurins necromantic

laboratory and out through the hidden tunnel, but she demands ahorribly high price for doing so. Elena, meanwhile, promises an even

easier way out, but will instead berray me characters. Wilhelmina's

door is unlocked-in fa"t, she is very welcoming indeed.

1 11 ed oo r o pem o nt o a w tll -I lp po in tt d s uite o f r ooms ,

drmed out in whiu silJrswith a d e e p . l us h c4rpe t a nd

e xp em iv e fo rn ish in gs i n t he B re to nn ia n s ty lt. T he a ir i s

w arm an d p erfilm ed. the I;ttlt girl. Ekna, sits on fhl I4 rgt

f ou r- po sl tr b td s in gi ng i dl y whi le W il he lm in a is l it h er

dresser. She s u m s around at y ou r a pp ro nc h, a nd y ou Set th t

i s wMr; 'l g o nl y 4f l i m s y night:shirt.

"W eD ,yOU '" o ut o /y ou r r ooms . I s eef oth er n u z y no t

h all( a ll his f on a fo r 4 1L "

Wilhelmina (who Likespeople to call her "Mina") is coquettish

and seductive. She latches on co the most handsome party member

she noticed earlier, flutters her eyelids, and generally makes herself

inviting. Wilhelmina can help the characters get out of Schloss

Vonreurer and readily offers [0do so. She can, she says, take rhern

through "father's playroom" and through his hidden tunnel out

beyond the woods. However, she isconfident the characters won't

be able to find their way out on their own (she is correct about

this) and will onJy help them if they do something for her first .

Wilhelmina is obsessively jealous ofher sister A.nya.She will lead

the charactersOUt

of Schloss Vonreurer if they kill Anya and bringher head to Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina does not think this is wrong

66



Carrion Call

or strange-she thinks it is perfecdy natural to hate someone

enough to wanr them dead. She'd do it herself if she didn't think.

her father would be angry. Wilhelmina sees Anya as wicked,

deceitful and spoilt, and does not budge from this viewpoint no

matter how unreasonable it seems. Only Anya's violent death will

satiSfY Wilhelmina, and she will be in. the debt of whoever kills her

sister.

Wilhelmina retires to her bedchamber to allow the characters to

mink chis one through. Once she is gone, Elena approaches me

characters. Elena appears to be a sweet lirtle girl and says mat

they shouldn't trust Wilhelmina, instead offering to rescue the

characters herself Elena h a s spent long days playing in the estate

and knows every inch of it-she can get the characters out withour

them having to do anything as horrible as killing Anya.

If the characters choose to kill Anya, Wilhelmina sticks to her

word and, after carefully placing Anya's head on her dresser, leads

the ch aracrers rh rou gil. rh e tangled inreri or of th e esta te to the

laboratory (see Scene 10). Anyone who participates in such cold-

blooded and calculated murder, however, must make a Will P ow e r

Test or gain an Insanity Point.

Characters who choose to go with Elena are led to the laboratory,

roo, but with rather Lesspleasant results. Anyone touching

Elena, such as by holding her hand, realises with a jolt of disgust

that she is cold to the [Ouch. Elena isn't a little girl at all, but

the reanimated body of a dead child, who is curious about

what will happen when Ondurins experiments are let loose on

the characters. Elena was made by Ondurln as a present for

Wilhelmina, and Elena is every bit as cunning as any of me other

family members.

S c E N E 7: A N Y A '5 ROOM

Th« a ir is c hilly towa rd s th is md o f th e c or rid or. F rom

b eh in d a si ng le d oo r y ou ra n h ea r f oin t w ee pin g.

7 he door opm s ont» a sm al/, (o ld room . T he fi,m iture is

a mix~re of old t J n d b ro ke n, a nd th er e a rt s ta in s o f d tzmp

on the WI ll is . A g la ss ks s w iru/ ow loo ks out on the f o rb id ding

woods OlltsUU. Anyn, Ondu rin's y ou ll ge r d tz ught tr , s it s o n

the bed crying 10 hmelf. She looks a TO u11d tS she h/!An the

d oo r o pm 1 1 1 u i . ! tI 1m I lt y ou ;'1 surprise.

"You .. . you 're s ti ll l1 live . .. u

Anya knows that her father intends to use the characters as

marerial for his necromantic experiments, since several hapless

travellers have met the same fate. She is therefore surprised ro see

the characters alive and out of their rooms. Once she has gotten

over me shock, she will be glad that they are still amongst the

living. She was crying because it pains her to see another band of

travellers die horrible deaths at the hands of Ondurin.

Anya readily offer:s to help the characters escape on the condition

that they take her with them. Anya is terrified of her family,

especially her father-Ondurin loves Wilhelmjna far more

than her and Anya is sure she will end up like poor Gustav.

Unfortunately, Anya can only lead the characters to Ondurlns

chambers (she doesn't know how to get into the lab), where they

will have to destroy Ondurin, thus breaking the spell on the

woods and allowing them to escape. This is far more difficult thatfollowing Wilhelmina through Ondurin's lab. If the characters

agree to rake An.ya with them she leads them through me house to

Ondurins chambers (Scene 9).

Anya is a good-hearted but downtrodden and traurnatised character.

She ba s lived all her llfe in Schloss Vonreurer. never venturing

beyond the woods that surround the estate. She is terrified of her

fathe~, having witnessed what he can do fir:st-hand. She knows

what happened [0 Gustav and she is certain that sooner or later

Ondurin will chain her to his operating table and dissect her likehe does his other victims. However, Anya has never given up hope

that she mighr escape. Once she realises the characters are alive, she

considers them (correctly) to be her only hope of ever gening away

from Schloss Vonreuter. She is fascinated by the Empire beyond the

estate, haVing learned about some of ir from Ondurins books, and

longs to B e e into i ts lands of civil isation and adventure.

S c E N E 8:]ONAH'S PRISON

> - O U turn t1 c or ne r d nd c ome d G r o s s a sho rt , s tt ep

s taircase: There is a door I1t Y lt top w ith stllm rl heavy iron

bolts holding it in pl4ce. There li re 1 10i «lrs . b ut th e d oo r

c l1 n t kf tl li te ly 0 11 lyb e opened f rom thi s s id e. The a ir h er e

is cillmmj and coU Ilnd th e lan tems 011the waDsfocker,

covering evnything hi shif ting shadows.

Y ou c an h eI Ir a f ain t sc rtlb blin g b eh in d t he d oo r, a nd

thm a 'J O ic e.b oa rs « a nd foint.

" Is s om eone thue? PU ase, help m e ... for the 10 1Mof fhe

god s, h el p me . .. . N

Beyond chis sinister door is Jonah Vonreuter, the insane son of

Ondurin Vonreurer, No one else in the family ever talks about

Jonah, and with good reason: He is dangerously unstable, even

compared to me rest of me family. The characters don't know that,however, and so Jonah has a chance of persuading them to let him

OUt.

Jonah is a filth.y, unkempt, and malodorous individual, dressed

in rags. Ifme characters open the door they will be greeted by a

second door, this lime of sturdy iron bars, set just inside rhe room.

This means mat Jonah can't get OUt even when the outer door is

opened. The barred door bas a heavy padlock that can be picked

or smashed (requiring a successful Pick Locks Test or Strength

Test)-should the characters want to.

Jonah, of course, wants to escape. He has Lived in this small artie

room for most of his life and desires freedom more than anything.

The characters represent his only real chance to get out and he

tries to persuade them to free him. He offers to help them in any

way they want, and if they demand help in getting out of Schloss

Vonreurer he says he can get them OUt past the haunted woods

withcur having co face Ondurin or, indeed, fight anyone---h.e

claims to know of a secret tunnel. Ondurin uses to go out and

rerrorise the nearest settlements. Jonah will seem reasonable and

sane. Characters who refuse his requests point blank, however, will

be met with a barrage of abuse.

Jonah makes a convincing victim. Characters might well decide he

has reason enough to be their ally, and could free him as he asks.

This would, tragically, be a grave mistake as Jonah is utterly insane.

Jonah whoops with joy as he is freed, dancing down the stairs

and capering around the corridors. After a few moments of this



C a r r i on Call

he grabs a lan tern off the walls and sm ashes it on the H oot so

the burn ing lantern oil se t'S ligh t to the w ooden walls and H oor.

H e does th is again and again unless the PCs StOP h im , b ec au se

no th ing p leases h im m ore than to set Schloss V onreurer ablaze ,

T he in itia l fire can be co nta in ed w ith umely a ct io n . H ow ev er ,

if Jonah succeeds in sm ashing at least twO l an te rn s, S ch lo ss

V onreu ter ign ites , flam es leap from w aU ro w all, and sm oke chokes

t h e c o rr id o rs . pes w ho b lu nd er around th ro ug h th e b urn in gnightmare bum p into Lorhar (if they haven 'r a l ready), who is

coming to lind out w hat's happened . The leap ing flam es w ill

d is trac t Lorhar, so the PC scan m ake it back to the M ain H all

without in te rfe ren ce a s Lothar v ainly tries to StOP th e in fern o. Th e

s uffo ca tio n ru le s (s ee WFRP, page 136) appl;y (0 an yon e th at Stays

behind in we burning parr of the house. Once th e f ire g ets g oin g.

th e PC s muse raceagalnst th e d oc k to m ak e go od their e s ca p e . .

You should describe the prog ,ess o f the lire as they m ove from

scene to scene, p laying up the th rear and the need for speed in

the se c i rcums t ance s .

Once Jonah has gone or been subdued, th e P C S might want to

tak e a l oo k -a t h is ce ll (assu ming it isn 't o n fire). They ca n fin d

no th ing save for som e w ell-gnaw ed ch ick en and pork bones, a p ile

o f s tink ing rags that Jonah uses 'a s a boo , and the b uck et tha t serv es

h im a s a rollet..N eedless to say , none of th is is w orth any th ing.

S c E N E 9:

O N D U R I N ' S C H A M B E R S-- -

A l1UWtVt OIlkendoor r o om s u p ah~ad. It i s inmjb~d

w ith nm es that seem to s qu in n awa y f rom tht tyt, rifusing

to be r ead . There is IIfa in t hum ill t he thi ck , g r e a s y air.

A nya can lead th e ch arac ters to Ondurin's chambers . This is likely

to b e th e lo catio n ofthe adv entu re 's . c lim ax -a b arrie w ith th e

n efariou s On durin V onreu rer h im self, n ecro man cer, pa tria rch , an d

m u lt ip le m u rd e re r.

"WIJo daresr bell ow s a foml'liar. rtsOll4nl voice es

t he ;/Qor c reak s open . The ehambm ill$itk a rt lit by a fin!

tJUIt Mgt! in an opm hear th , " t fo rr wh ich sirs Oni/win

Vonrrut tr , beh t owr a !mtlSil le h it kb ou nd b oo k / aid o ut

o n h is d:tsk. Bookshel ve s cowr the walls, ffncked with

moukk rin g tI olumn . D if on nl! d ""atum. SlUffid lindm fJU llte d, h an g fr om th e c eilin g o r s ta nd o n th e f lo or .

~Yot,d~s a y s On t /u ti n t ia rk f: y. r i si ng fr om h is seat. '7

seeyo u ha w rejuud my hospitality. B ut then you ar r no t

fom ilinr w ith m y art; the igno ran t art Ojkll fllZrful when

conJtonted with true b ea ut y. Wh en y ou wukmand. youwill welcome th ~ ch an ce to b ec om e m ore th an y ou a re .8

O nd urin .f ully in te nd s to see th e ch arac ters k illed o rcap ru red , and

ta ken c lo wn ro the laborato ry fo r re-an im ation and other m ore

unnatura l experirnenrs ..Howeve r , itw ould p lease h im m ore to

see them go w illing ly and so he w ill, if the charac ters g ive h im

a chance , exp lain to them why he does w hat he does. Ondw :in

is , o f c ou rs e, Insane bur he believes in what he is saying and it

w ill o ffen d h im that no one else th inks the sam e. It is therefore

in ev itab le th at" so on er ra we r m a n larer, t he s it u at io n will come co

a h ead, un less the c ha ra cte rs a re a ll crazy and d ep ra ve d e no ug h to

d esire fu ru res a s m in dles s, U nd ea d a bo rn in ario ns ,

Ondurin V onzeu ter think s of h im self as an artisc, H e. tak es

m un dan e liv in g th in gs and. m akes from them w onders worthy of

adm iration . Everyone else. indud ing the PCS, seem s to h im to

hav e m ean in gless liv es, g ;u bb y little so uls , and p oin tless fu tm es.

H e is do i.ng them a favour by tak ing them and changing them in to

sornerh ing new by means of hi s n ecro man cy , If o nly p eo ple w ou ld

th in k ab ou t thin gs from h is point of v iew they would understand,

and sure ly then there would be hundreds of peop le beating a

path to Sch loss V onreu tee so they cou ld be transfo rm ed . B ut a las,

people are sm all-m inded and ignoran t, and so Ondurin m ust lu re

them to his esta te to vis! t hi s art upon m em o

O nly d an gero usly in sa ne c ha ra cte rs will se e Ondu r ins rantingsas

an ythin g o th er th an th e w ork in gs ofan irretrievably e vi l m in d .

Shou ld they try to argue with h im , h e b ello ws in su lts ar them andb eg in c as ti ng necrorn an ric sp ells at th em . T he c hara cte rs migh t

elect to charge and attack h im at any tim e, w hich has m uch the

same effect.

Ondurin is a h ale and health y man i n s pi te of h is age , bu t h is

p rin cip le w ea po n Is h is m agic. H e will use ev ery thin g in hi s

arsenal-e-lf a charac ter gets c lose enough to h it h im he w ill tend to

back offand c on tin ue c as dn g, If h e h as a ch ance, he'llusevarlous

summoningspells to c rea te U nd ea d creatures to p ro te ct h im se lf .

Thereare plem yof raw rnarerials in h is cham ber,

A fu rth er co mp lic ario n is Sa rin e, O nd urin 's w i f e : , who isIn

Ondurins bedcham ber lead ing off from thestudy ..Sanne

is com plete ly do m in ared by her husband , and W it look slik e Ondurin w ill d ie m en she w ill try ro save him.

Sanae is feeb le com pared to Ondurin (a nd p ro ba bly to

the characters as w ell) bu t her in tervention could buy

Ondurin enough cirne to g ec off'auceh er spe ll o r rwo,

Sh riek in gh orribly , San ne w ill d iv e b etw een h er h usb an d

and the characreranacking h im , w illin gly s uf fe rin g

h or rib le w o un ds to keep the a ttack er away fw m her

husband . Sannes death is a horrib le th ing but sadly ; if th e

c ha rac te rs a re to d estro y O nd urin , it will b e d iffic ult to

avoid.

Ondurins Chambers

[ ~ i " J I i I I i

(2 )

[illIf Ondurin is defeated , h is con tro l aver the w oods

a ro un d S ch lo ss Vonreueer will be ended . The U ndead will

collapsein to inan im ate p iles o f bones and the fo rest'S willb e p assab le o nce m ore. C haracters v entu rin g OUt through

68



Carr ion Call

Ondurins Labora t o ryJ YARDS

{.operating .. r

'.y theatre :~:

P a ' .q~~~: : ,e = J = , "

, , ' 0 .

m e woods are bu t a coup le o f steps away from escap ing Sch loss

Vonreurer .

On du rin s ch am bers are w ell ap po in ted . H e h as lirrle o f o bv iou s

v alu e= -S an ne h as n o je we lle ry , f or ln sta nce -e -b ut a s ucc es sf ul

Seatch Test rum s up a Sne se t o f w riting im plem ents w orth 25 [c.

Sharp-eyed charac ters m ight m ink m ere is som e m oney to be m ade

OUt o f O nd urin 's s tu ffe d an im als, es pec ia lly th e m ore fre ak ish o ne s,

an d th ey w ou ld b e rig ht. C haracters w illin g to c ar ry m e s ru ff ed

an im als o ut o f Sch lo ss V onreu ter can se ll a. f iv e-le gg ed d ee r f or 2 5

g e , a . tw o-headed road for 1 0 gc,and a stu ffed puppy w ith a th ird eyein the m idd le o f its fo rehead for 15 ge . Th e mOSI v a lu a bl e p o ss es si on

O nd urin h as, h ow ev er, is h is N ecro ma ntic g rlm oire, 1 1 . 1 i s tom e of

blasphemy is worm 350 ge-bu t find ing a buyer and closing the

deal shou ld be a risky ac tiv ity . W itch H unters w ould show no m ercy

ro a ny on e d ea lin g in sum forbidden know ledge, and m ay even

p ose as co lle ce ors o f s uch fo uln es s to tra p th e ch ara cte rs , R uth les s

ch arac ters can also keep m e g rioloire an d u se it, fo r th e k no wled ge

c on tain ed w ith in , th ou gh d an gero us , is v ery p ow erfu l. R elig io us

au th orities, h ow ev er. w ill be ev en h arsh er o n ch arac ters w ho use

such a book than on those w ho try to se ll it.

S c E N E 10:

ONDURIN'S LABORATORY

A m nssio« iro n d oor sta nd s a t the bo ttm ll o f 11 damp,

s lim y s to ne s ta ir wa y. Y ou m ust b e w ell b en ea th th e g ro ulld

by now-the air is c o M nn tl w et a nd th e fe w lan tern s ca st

wenk , f li ck e ri ng l igh t.

T h« d oo r s lid es o pm litJ O ur a pp ro ac h a nd y ou n re

lift in no d tJ ub t tha t this is the lair of a m adm an. C ages

l in e t he wn /L s , eMh cOI IM in il lg some monst rtms horror

t ha t l eap s s laver ing t o isfe et a s it s pie sy ou . O n e c re atu re

Is II l l ightmare o f cani ne bodi es jUsed t oge the r. ;11patchy

f il r peel il lg o ff to m len l re d wet musc le s benea th a tl d its

mRll} pa ir s o f ye llo w b ur nin g e ye s sta rin g m ad ly a t y ou _

A nother w as once a H um an bur has had so m uch m uscle

tissue graf ted on to it th at it is a lumb er in g m is sh ap en

monster; wi th rom th e flatrlres of itsf ace obscu red b y

th kk b /~ ed in g c ab le s o f m us cle . TU /o nn ac ia ud c or ps es

s lith er a lo ng th t flo or o f a no th er c ag e. g n aw in g a t th e

bars. 110 f li ck tr o f illte ll ig tn u b eh in d th eir d ec ay in g e y e s .

7 he s te nc h o f c or ru ptio n m ixe s w ith th e a cid ic ta ng o f

chemic.als.

In th e c en tr e o f 'h e r oam is a l arge rai sed s l ab t ha t

w a s o nc e while ma rb le , IWW s ta ined dark red -b ro tm l b y

countless dissect/oIlSI1tid o p,nmo llS . N ,a r th e ta ble . a

mass ive rust ed i ron I n l e T jlln f rom a hole in th e j la gr to nt1 .

'I he o nl y wa y to th e exit lit th e fo r,n d o f th e ro om is p ast

th e ca ga. L it b y s trange sulphurous censer:mat hallg from

th t c eilin g. th t d ar k, d tm k S IO l ttc eUn r is II v is ion o f he lL

T he ch arac ters can reach Ondurins la b b y f ollo w in g W ilh elm in a

or E lena . W hat happens w hen they get there depends largely on

w hich fam ily m em ber led them [here .

T Ile U ndead crea tu res (m e C anine Z om bie , m e Lum bering

Zom bie , and m e Em acia ted Zom bies) in the cages are held safely

there un less the doors are opened . The lever in the centre o f m e

room opens all the cell doo~ if it is p ulle d, th e c re atu re s will get

our and se t abou t rend ing anyone in the room to p ieces .

W ilile lm in a w ill le ad th e ch ara cters th ro ug h th e la b-th e

m on stro sities m at slav er a t h er as sh e p asses will no t in the least

b it pertu rb her. If the characters are w ith her they can safe ly

pass th rough the lab into the o peratin g th ea tre u nless th ey d o

so meth in g v ery stu pid (lik e pu llin g th e lever). B ack ch aracter

en tering th is room and see ing these horrib le creatu res m ust m ake 3,

successful Will Powe r Test o r ga in a n In sa nity P oin t.

E lena, on the other hand, is curious to see what w ill happen if

the m onsters ge t to a ttack the characters . She will scurry [0melev er an d p ull it, re leasin g th e m on sters. S en sing a fe llo w U nd ead



Can ionCa l l

A RTU S' J OURNAL

Day 14The j o u r n e y b ack is alm ost d on e. W e arc al l exhausted and h un gr y. D ie te r i s c lo ve n a n d s ic kl y, I f ea r h e w il l n ot last th e jo ur ne y. T ho se

d amn G r ee n sk in s g av e as good as t he y g o t, Iu pp ose . B ut a t le as t itis nearty o yer. W e w ill so on be back at Baron He ir nl le r's l an ds tor e co ive ou r r eward s. We11~ , too, if I s ay s o my se lf .

Day 17We were h eld u p b y H e lm u t in sistin g we sto p to b ury D ieter. I to ld h im he w a s JUSt a ~ scholar w ho dw elt too m uch on

s en tim en t, b ut h e re plie d, " Yo u a rc a h ea rtle ss m an , &tw, e ve n f or a m e rc en ar y." P er ha ps he is righ t. W e have al l suffered and w e l on g toreturn [0clvi.1 isation.

DayI8Mo re d amn ed d el ay s. Some fo ol g ot himself left for dead by B eastm en on the road. W e tried to help him , bu t he didn 't m ak e it. He said

hi s family w a s rich and that if w e to ld them he w a s d ea d t he n w e w ou ld b e rewarded. Ig r eed th at we s ho uld h ea d t o hi s f amily 's home -i t' snot m uch O Utof our w ay a n d w e m i gh t beg s ome f oo d and lo dg in gs fo r a n ig ht. T wo p ay da ys in a r ow d oe sn 't s ou nd like too bad a deal to

m e.

Day:zo

The ol d man didn't seem to tak e the d eath of h is s on to o b ad ly . The la d w a s an adven tu re r, a n d there's enough of us die o ut t he re s ur eenough . I s uppo se I'll be lucky if anyone bothers to find K arla to tell h er w hen I die. Th e fellow g av e u s a hearty meal an d I n ot ic ed ac ou ple o f th e lads e ye in g u p h is p r et ti e r d augh t er . I to ld th em w e'd s oo n h av e e no ug h money to g o w c :n ch in g t o th ei r h ea rt's c on te nt .

I t's e v en ing . The lig hts a rc b urn in g to w and the family s eem s t o h av e lo ck ed u s in.N o on e co mes w hen we c al l. F in e d amn h o sp it al it y.

The lads think it might be a tra p. C ou ld be th ey 're rig ht. W hatev er th ey're plann in g, m y lads a rc to ug h en oug h to tak e o n th is b un ch ofbackwate r inbreeds .

c re atu re , m e m o ns te rs w ill n ot attack E lena-E len a w ill sk ip

a ro un d th e ro om p la yfu Jly , s in gin g h ap pily a s th e c ha ra cte rs fig ht

fo r their lives.

S ho uld th e characters end u p b arding th e inh abitants o f th e lab ,

their best tactic is p rob ably to g et b ack ou t o f the lab an d seal the

d oo r beh in d m em o

Characters who search t he r oom f in d s ev er al b lo o d- en cr us te d

m ed ic al im p le me nts . V ery sh arp a nd o f h ig h q ua lity , o nc e c le an ed

up they can fetch up to 25 gc f rom asurgeon.

In a l oc k ed c u pb o ar d a re s e ve r al g l as s j ar s w i th ho rr ib ly ma l fo rmed

an imals suspended in p r es e rv a ti v echemica ls . Some o f th em a re so

deformed as - to de fYdesc ri p ti on, and one look s l i k e it m ig ht b e s om e

mu ta te d, u n de rd ev e lo p ed p a ro d y o f a h uman b ab y . T he se is quite

horrible to l oo k a t b u r, a sw i th a n yt hi ng b iz ar re , t h er e w i ll be someoneo ur t he re w h o w ill b uy th em - th e c ha ra cte rs c a n o ff lo ad th e an ima l

s amp le s f o r a t ot al o f 1 0 gc a nd m e " hu m an " o ne w ill g o fo r u p to 20 gc.

T he flo ors o f m e c ells a re c ov ere d in e xc re me nt, ro ttin g m ea t, b its

o f b on e, a nd o th er n ois om e c ra sh . T h is m ak es se arc hin g th em

p ro pe rl ya H a rd (- -- '2 0% )S ea rc h T es t .. 1 1 1c ce ll th at h eld t he m a ny -

h ea de d- d og z or n b ie c on ta in s a n a lm o st in ta ct s ev er ed w oman 's

a rm w it h p ai nt ed f in ge rn ail s, w h ic h is s til l w ea ri ng a s ilv er b ra ce le t

w ord! 1 0 gc. T he c ell m at h eld th e s lith erin g zo m bie s c on ta in s m e

rag ged rem nan ts of a set o f travelling clothes, and am on gst them a

so ile d b ur still p ard y le gib le le ath er-b ou nd jo urn al. O nly rh e la st

few en tries can be read. Th e pag es are torn an d stained dark w ith

b lo od, an d the w ritin g is in a crud e, un edu cated h and . See the

A rtus ' Jo urn al sideb ar fo r the text.

P ast th e firs t ro om o f th e la b is a la rg e o cta go na l ro om : O nd urin 's

ope ra t ing th ea t re .

]his lorgt , t ight -l it /cd room is the heart tJ f the horror:

Dozen : o fp rt se rt le d body par ts hang on dmins fimll the

cei[itlg--arms. l e g s . heads, all with gha st ly M te -g re y s ki n (md

d ripp ing a foint drizzle ofyeJ /tJwing preseruative liquid. A

pal» of raised slobs. crusted with bkJodand sCIlrredwith deep

b l n d e morks, SllInd side-by-Siile in the centre o ftb e r oom.

Monocles dt th e h ea d d nd jim o f t he s la bs mggea m41 those

operated on had to b , held inp lo ee a s they lilt!"d issected A

mas s o fc ompkx machi ll 4r y r t f m d s between tbe sinh., its many



Carrion Call

t l4brsIlIId c o g s s ta ined wi th gore . ' Ibe whok T'O(JIn

reekso fpowtr fo l chemicals . t h t ir .f iuMs di1Tl f) s t

ovtrpllWlring.

UndergroundRiver

J YARDS

I I

1 h is ro om is .in de ed O nd urin 's op era tin g thearre,

w here h e dissected crea tu res an d fu sed th em into

th e m on stro sitie s h e k eep s in th e lab . U nfo rru na td y,mere is one creature mat is n ot k ep t c ag ed -th e

g ua rd -b ea st c ha r Ondurin created to d ea l w ith

intruders into h is lab. As m ig ht b e exp ected , th e

presence of th e cha rac rers w ill w ak e th is e r ea ru re ,

The gua rd - be a st will appear if m e c harac te rs g o

m ace than halfw ay in to the room , such as to inspec t

th e slab s o r th e m ach in ery stan din g b etw een th em .

Th~ cha i1 u a bDw you r M lld s j an gk . a n a lmos t mus icAl

so un d a s if a s ud de n b re ez e wa s stirring them. W ith a ~t

th ud a ht4 d foils to tb e j I o D r , t ra il ing s tr ingy blAck hair .

I ts e ytS S IIa p opm a nd ro ll m z z i / y . A h and sla ps to the floornext to il. th tn an other, thm a k.g, un til m ot» than a MU ll

b ody p arts lit in lin oorJ ng pik. 1 htn, w ith II horr ib le um

s lu rp in g s ou nd . th t p ik r rd rs u p a nd r tamln gts its tlf in to

l in a lmost -humd ll oi d shap t. a hU1 lCMdspanni ng n ight l7 lim

of d i ss tc ted bodies . It s cL usttrs of fia thu d on tM floo r a s is

lurches t lJ W a r d s you.

IfW tlheLm ina is w irh m e characters an d survives rhis encounrer,

she w ill s ho w m e c ha ra cters a c av ity in the fa r w all w here one of

th e stones tha t m ake up m e w alls has apparently fa llen our. This

sm all ho llow con tains a swirch tha t causes the fu rtherm ost w all to

sw ing our w ith a grind ing of stone, revea ling a l ong , dark , slimy

p assag e lead i n g grad ually d ow nw ard s. A successfu l S earcb Test w illa lso rev eal th is cav ity , bu t o nly b rav ely feelin g aro un d in sid e w ill

re ve al th e s witc h.

T his tu nn el is dank and dark , bu t it rep resen ts one of the best

ch an ces th e ch aracters hav e of g ettin g Out o f S c h lo s s Vonreurer,

T ho se b ra vin g it go on to Scene 11.

S c E N E II:

UNDERGROUND R I v E R

T he sO l md o f r ush in g w ate r e ch ots d ow n th t n am JWtunnel. Up aluad ,Iu t un ll el op t7 lS ou t i nt o a l argt Cd ll t.

earwd acros s the tunnel by a fost -f lowing undergrrnmtl

r is er : T ht a ir is mois t a nd th t c tilin g d rip s ic t- t: old wate r.

O n the f o r silk o f tIN r iv tr , th t tu nn tl w ntin U lS into th~

d ar lm es s. T he r iw r r oa rs in to a s temin gly n atu ra l exit,

wh ich i s b locktd by t hi ck . nut/ng iron bars.

Th e riv er b ro ke th ro ug h th e t un n el r el at iv e ly recently Ondurin

b arre d t he riv er's exit to p re ve nt a ny wilful e xp erim en ts f ro m

escap ing by jum ping in ro the river and le tting them selves be sw ept

aw ay dow n its course . 1 his m eans that charac ters canno t be sw ept

aw ay b y th e river, bu t th ere is a d ow nsid e-s-rh e riv er is p olluted

by run-off from Ondurin 's labs and anyone fa lling in w ill find

t hem se lv e s c h ur ni ng in a . f o u l n e cr oman t ic S[!!';....

This underground river crosses the tunnel at righ t ang les. The

channel CUtS th ro ug h th e tunnel, so m e charac ters need to get

across t he . r iv e r s om eh ow if they are to get to the far end of tile

tunnel, H ow they do this is u p to them . JU St s wim ming m e river

requ ire s a Hard (-20%) Swim Test. U sing ropes or other means co

cross the fiver can m ake this t as k e a si er .

C h ar ac te rs f ai li ng a Swim Test in . t he riv er ar e swep t up in it s swiEr

w aters an d driv en ag ain st the b ars b lo clcin g the exit. Once they get

th eir head s ab ov e w ater again ch ey [cau se so mething th ey co uld n't

see from m e shore : b loa ted bod ies and hacked-o ff portions of

corpses choke the exit, he ld there by the force of the rush ing

riv er , a nd th e c ha ra cte r is now im mersed in th is h ideous s~nk ing

necromantic detritus. A ny PC experienc ing this fou lness m ust

m ake a successfu l W ill Pow er Test or gain an Insan ity Po in t. On

m e plus side, once swept (0 th e river e x it c h ar ac te rs can c la w t he ir

w ay a cr os s to the far s ide w ithou t fu rther Sw im Tests.

The runnel s lopes gradually upwards from the far side of the

river. A fter a few m ore m inu tes it em erges in to som e ram er bleak

m oo rlan d, ju st b eyo nd th e in fested fo rest. T he ch aracters hav e

finaJly escaped Sch loss V onreu ter-bu t no t the Vonreurer family

themselves.

S c E N E 12:

LIKE FATHER , L I K E SON

One m em ber of the V onreurer fam ily rem ains unaccoun ted fo r:

Sothelln. If th e PCs have been lucky and go tten ou t o f Schloss

V on reuter w ith ou t m uch diffieulty, you can have Sothelin appear

as they B ee fro m th e (p oss ib ly burning) estate.

With th t h armtc tl fortrt ju st b eh in d y ou , y ou eme rg t

o nto lin lI re a o fb ka k moo rla nd b ro /tm by roeltyoutcrops.

A s tif f b rte ze whis tk s dCrolSth t moo rs , p lllt f fa nd s o f d ea d

m ts l ind s tag7ldn t poo ls . As you kavt th~ flrtst th ere is a

d etp r hy thmic s ou ,u Labo lJ t y o u- -to o la te , y o u r ta /is e it is

th~b~, tt jng of great wings .

A m ass iv t b la ck sh ap e. lik t a n m tm no us ro ttillg b ird

o jprey . fo tps c lumsil y 0 " " y ou r h ta d 1 1 1 ' " thlTds to th tground in fro nt o f yo u. T ht 1 tt1 lc h of r ottin g m ta t ro lls

o wr y ou lin d y ou re alis e this must be a ll ot he r o fOnduri n't

txp tr im tn ts- -a ,n amw u nd ea d c arr io n b ird , s ta rin g a t

y ou w ith g lin tillg b la ck tyti fa abOvt an t1Ior1TIIJUS bOlle-

whitt b ellk , s ha rp a nd c nu l:



Carrion Call

Perched 011 t he b ird' s back i s Sot he li ll ~n reut er ,

accoutred its iffo r W(lr in a suit of black ; , y m a nn ou r, a

I 4nce in Ollt hon d Im d II shi el ti ;n t he o ther .

U / am my f itth er 's o nly s on •• h e c a l J s ove r t he kni fi ng

w in d and the bm ting of his steed's wi ' I&S . "S o itfalls 10

me 10 a ve ng e th e d is ho nour y ou hav e d on e 10 us ! Yo" hav e

ilu ulttd m y f itm i/ y a nd tmns gr es se d its laws! limr lives

belong to m y f o,l]", a nd / sh all deli,," them 10 him!"

Sothelin lowers h is viso r, ( ou ch es h is kmc e a nd , w ith a

mass iv e bel li o f t he b ird' s w ino. dwge s f orwards .

Sothelln Vonreurer is as insane as his father, imagining himself

to be the defender of an ancient and noble family's honour. He

intends to kill the characters and bring their bodies back for his

father to do with as he will.

If Anya or Wilhelmina is with the characters. Sothelin will attack

them Ersr, yelling OUt [hac they are treacherous harpies who

besmirch their family name. Furthermore, lf Sothelln is informed

of his father's dearh (such as by a confident character tauntinghim) he Hies into a rage, dropping his shield and lance, jumping

down off .hls Cardon steed and arrempting to grapple with the

bearer of the bad news at the first opportunity.

lfSothelin is removed &om his steed, [he abomination continues

to arrack but flies off if wounded. Sothelin, however, will have to

be slain.

VENGEANCE D E L A Y E D

It's entirely possible that the PCS will be in rough shape by the time

they escape from Schloss Vonreurer, Depending on the choices

they made, they may have already fought multiple combats over

[he course of the evening and taken debilitating wounds. If this is

the case, or if you simply would like a long-term antagonist for the

P c s . do not have Sorhelin and his carrion attack the PCS right away.

Instead, assume the enraged Sothelin failed to lind the PCS in the

dark and so vowed to hunr the interlopers down and make them

pay. Ifhis father was slain and/or the estate burned down, Sorhelin

becomes completely obsessed with raking his vengeance.

Exactly how Sothelin attempts to fulfil his vow is up [Qyou.

You can simply use the carrion attack encounter previously

described some time later, when the PCs are engaged in a

different adventure. Sothelin will. of course. show up at the worst

possible time and the PCS will no doubt be surprised when the

Vonreuter family arises to smite them again. Alternately, you

can use Sorhelin as an even longer-rena foe. He can become a

mastermind who engineers all sorts of di.fficulcies for the PCs

while himself remaining in me shadows. Itmay cake the PCs

months or even years [0discover who their secret enemy is and in

that time Sorhelin is sure to follow his father Onto the path of the

necromancer.

outbuildings the characters did nor find. Moreover, Ondudn's

enduring legacy could be his knowledge. After decades of

monstrous experiments he built up a formidable library of

necromantic secrets, JUSt begging to be rediscovered and pur [0use

by some impressionable young wizard or wicked sorcerer.

And finally, while the characters may have cut down the

Vonreurer family tree, there is no teUing whar branches they

lllay have missed. The family saw fit to forger one of their SOllS,

Jonah-who is to say there are 00 more? Moreover, the family

has generarions in th e past, roo, and given the necromantic

tradition Ondurin seems to have inherited, ir is possible that

his ancestors ate still Living (or at least, not dead). Perhaps the

Vonreurers have an ancestral plot somewhere else in the Empire,

containing the tombs of old Necromancers-monstrous, ancient

creatures awoken by the characters' actions at Schloss Vonreurer,

Ca rr io n Ca ll need only be the beginning in an epic campaign

to foil the plots of the ancient and imrneasurably evil Vonreurerclan.

Once me PCs have escaped Schloss Vonreurer, a couple of days

of walking will bring them to a road to civilisation. The exact

circumstances wiU depend on where in the Empire the adventure

has taken place, bur the characters should not be tOO fa r from safety.

The aim of Carrion Call is for the characters to survive and escape,

but thar does DOt mean they have left Schloss Vorireuter behind

forever. Depending on the events of the adventure there could

well be one or more members of rhe Vcnreurer family left alive,

perhaps Ondurin Vonreuter himself. If the characters did not have

to face r u m in Carri on Ca li then it is possible, indeed probable.

that they will see him again as he seeks revenge for whatever

chaos the characters wrought in his home. Jonah and Wilhelmina

could likewise be dangerous foes for the future. Sorhelin's use as a

antagonist has already been discussed.

Even if the family themselves do not turn up again, Ondurin

Vonreurer has done more than enough evil to have it live on. There

are still Undead monstrosities kept at Schloss Voneeurer-s-even

if the estate burned down they could have survived in cellars or



C arrio n C all

Ramer more immediately, there is a good chance thatWiLhelmjoa

or Anya will have got out of Schloss Vcnreurer along with the

characters. Wilbelminais treacherous and untrustworthy-she

will fir in quire happily with a band of cutthroats or swindlers,

bur anyone else she wil! rapidly abandon (preferably after gerring

w hat she can our of them with seduction and Lies).Anya, however,

is trustworthy. Though traurnatised by her years exposed to the

horrors of S c hl os s Von r eu r er , she will recover, and will probably

serrle in the next large town the characters come ro o She could even

Game stars for me various members of the Vcnreurer clan

follow. You should not need stars for the Ghosts of Custav

Vonreurer or Sven Peirsinger.

A nya V onreuter, Pure H eart

Career: Noble

Race: Human

Skills: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire) +10%,

Gossip +I 0%, Performer (Musician), ReadfWrite, Ride,

Speak Language (Reikspiel) +I 0%,

Talents: Acme Hearing, Et iquette, Luck, Night Vis ion, avvy, Schemer

Armour: None


Trappings: Moth-bitten dress, purloined history books

E len a V on reu ter, C hild o f th e N ig ht

Careers Noble

Races Human

Skills: Charm +10%, Gossip +10%, Performer (Musician), Silent

Move, Speak Language (Reikspiel )

Talents: Night Vision, Undead, Unsettling

Armour: None


Weapons: None

Trappings: Stuffed Toy

join the characters, becoming an adventurer in her own right. Bur

that, of course, would be another Story entirely.

ExPERIENCE POINTS

Each PC receives 150 xp for successfully escaping from Schloss

Vonreurer and another 50 xp if they confronted and defeated

Ondurin. You can also award another 30-50 xp to each player for

good roleplaying.

Jonah V onreuter, Forgotten Son

Career: Grave Robber

Race: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Drive, Gossip +10%,

Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Secret Signs

(Thief) , Silent Move, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

Talents: Exce l lent Vision, Fleel, Resis tance to Disease, Strong-

minded, Very Resilient

Insanities: Firebug

Armour: None


Weapons: None

Trappings: None

Lotbar

Career: Bodyguard

Race: Human

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Dodge Blow,

Intimidate, Percept ion, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

Talents: Disarm, Hard, Street Fighting, Strike to Stun, Sturdy,

Very Strong

Special Rules : I t ' s A l i v e ! : Lorha r has been altered by Ondurins ritual

magic. While this has enhanced his Srrengm and Toughness

considerably, it ha s also caused severe mental damage. Lorhar's

Inrell igence and Fel lowship are th us sub-standard and he has

lost the use of several skills and talents he used to have.

Armour: None


WeapolU: Hand Weapon (Cudgel)

Tmppings: Moth-eaten uniform



Carrion Ca l l

Ond urin V on reu te r, P atriarch a nd N ecrom an ce r

Careen Master Wizard (ex-Apprenrice Wizard, ex-Journeyman Wizard)

Race: Human

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Magic +10%, Necromancy + lO%),

Channelling, Common Knowledge (the Empire, Kislev),

Gossip, Intimidate, Magical Sense, Perception, ReadfWdte,

Ride, Search, Speak Arcane Language (Magick), Speak

language (Classical, Kislevian, Reikspiel)

Talents: Aethyric Arrunernenr, Dark Lore (Necromancy), Dark

Magic, Lesser Magic (Aerhyric Armour, Dispel), Mighty

Missile, Night Vision, Petty Magic (Arcane), Resistance co

Disease, Savvy

Special Rules: S ide E f fec ts : Disfigurement (mortified skin over

heart), Weakness

Insanities: Delirious Saviour

Armour: None


Weapons: Quarterstaff

Trappings: 3 Grimoires

S an ne Vo nre ute r, B ru ta lis ed S po use

Careen Valet

Race: Human

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Blather,

Common Knowledge (the Empire), Evaluate, GOSSip,

Haggle, Perception, ReadIWrite Search, Speak Language

(Beeton, Reikspiel)

Talents: Acute Hearing, Eriquerre, Fleet Footed, SeasonedTr av e ll er , S u av e

Armoun None

Armoue PoiJIts, Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0

Weapons: Dagger

Trappings: Elegant but dared clothing

Sothelin Vonreu te r , Loyal Scion

Careen Squire

Racer Human

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Animal

Care, Animal Training, Charm, Common Knowledge

(the Empire), Dodge Blow, Gossip, Ride, Speak Language

(Reikspiel) + lO%,Talents: Etiquette, Night Vision, Specialist Weapon Group

(Cavalry), Strike Mighty Blow, Warrior Born

Armour: Heavy Armour (Full Plate Armour)


Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Lance, Shield

Trappings: rung with family crest, Carrion mOWH with saddle

and harness

Soth elin 's C a rr io n Mou n t

Carrion are Undead beasts from the distant sou rh , Ondurin's reach

must have been long indeed to procure Stich a f eU mo un t for hi s

son.

Skllls: None

Talents: Flier, Frightening, Natural Weapons, Undead

Special Rules: Dray Beast: A Carrion can handle encumbrance

values equal [Q its Strength Characteristic x 30.

Mindless: A Carrion has no Intelligence, Will Power, or

Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based on these

Characteristics.

Shambling: A Carrion is relentless bur slow. It cannot rake

the run action, even when Bying.

Armour: None


Weapons: Vicious beak

Wilhelmina Vonreuter , Femme Fa ta le

Career: Noble

Race: Human

Skills: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire) + 10%,

Gossip +10%, Performer (Musician), ReadIWrire, Ride,

Speak Language (Reikspiel) +10%,

Talents: Etiquette, Luck, Savvy, Schemer, Srrong-rninded. Suave

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °

7 4



C arrio n C all

Weapons: Dagger

Trappings: Mom-bitten dress, purloined history books

ONDURIN'S MINIONSGame stars for (he Ondurin's Undead creations follow..Should

the PCs go into [he woods before Ondurin's death and encounter

Skeletons, use the stars on page 231 of the WFRP rulebook.

Canin e Zomb ie

SkiUs:None

Talents: Frightening, Narural Weapons, UndeadSpecial Rules: Mindless: The Canine Zombie has no Intelligence,

Will Power, or Fellowship , and can never take or failTests

based on these Characteristics.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Teeth

D ire Wo lv es

Skills: None

Talents: Frightening, Natural Weapons, Undead

Special Rules: Mindless: Dire Wolves have no Intelligence, Will

Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based

on these Characteristics.

Sav ag e Char ge : The fierceness of their attack can overwhelm

melee opponents. Dire Wolves can make two attacks during

a charge attack.

Shambling: Dire Wolves are relentless but slow. They cannot

rake the run action.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Teeth and c laws

Emac i a ted Zomb i e s (2)

Skills: None

Talents: Frightening, Undead

Special Rules; Mindless: Emaciated Zombies have no Intelligence,

Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests

based on these Characteristics.

Shambling: Emaciated Zombies are relentless but slow. They

cannot take the run action.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club)

Lumb e rin g Zombie

SkiUs: None

Talents: Frightening, Natura l Weapolls. Undead

Special Rules: Mindless: The Lumbering Zombie has no

Intell igence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take

or failTests based on these Characteristics.

Shambling: Th e Lumbering Zombie is relentless but slow. It

cannot rake the run action.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Claws

Ondu rin 's Gua rd -B e a st

Skill.s: NoneTalents: Natural Weapons, Terrifying, Undead

Special Rules: Bi zar re AJ ia tomy: The Guard-Beasr is a disgusting

amalgam of body parts only vaguely humanoid in shape.

Use Sudden Death Critical Hits onlj; as the normal Critical

Effects simply do not apply.

Mindless: The Guard-Beast has no Intelligence, Will Power,

or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based 011

these Characreristlcs.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Claws and teeth

7 5



Sing For You r Supper

Si71gfor Yol~r SlIppU is an in ves tig ativ e a dv en tu re is id eal fo r sm allto m ediu m g ro up s o f p layers, w ith ch arac ters in their f irs t o r

second careers.

As th ere are m ultip le p lo t th read s an d in form atio n to this

ad ven ture , it can p rov e a ch allen ge to ru n. GMs should read

th ro ug h th is adventure several. times before committing [0 it. It

w ill ra ke s ev era l sessio as to 6n ish th is ad ven tu re , an d th at's if th e

p layers k eep the ir heads abou t them .

Th is is an urban-basedadvenrure set in the city cf N u la , a lth ou gh

it can be set in any city or large (ow n in th e E m pire . 1 1 1 e adventure

lo ca tio n n eeds th e presen ce o f a w aterw ay suitab le fOf carryin g

b arg es o c o rh er w ate r- bo rn e traffic, p lu s a larg e en ou gh p op ulatio n

to ju stilY m ultip le b utc her s ho ps.

BACKGROUNDH err Fleischer, a nouveau rieh« m aster bu tcher. has becom e w ell

known and wealthy by open ing h is third butchery iH town, He is

a ttem pting to m ove in m ore influential s ocia l circ les b y f un din g

som e chari tab le w ork s v ia the tow n council and by donating

food and m .o ney to the local tem ple of ShaU ya. Recen tly , he w as

invo lved in a publicargument with Emil Stark (one of his mos t

influential riv als) o ve r tra din g lice nse s in the town. Stark has set

Out to d estroy the trad e char F le is ch er h as g ain ed , as h e b el ie ve s

that Fle ischer chea ted ana big supp ly con trac t over rw o years

a g o, l ea d in g to h is ru in and (in Stark 's m ind) the death of h iswife .

A s parI o f h is vengeance , Em il Stark has decided to destroy thelove of Fle ischer's life , h is daugh ter H anna . Stark is a cu ltist o f

N urgle and has been add ing "som eth ing special" (g round up

N u.rg lin gs ) to P leis ch et'ssa llsa ges fo r w ee ks . F urth erm ore , S tark

ha s managed [0en list the aid of a M utan t with a p ow er fu l magical

a bi li ty , a nd this creature has lu red H anna Fleischer into the

cl u tches 0f th e deranged b IIrchee

Throughou t the course of this a dv en tu re , th e PC S d i sc ov er S ta rk 's

despicable acts, experience the en tranc ing pow ers o f the M utan t

M aeia , and eat an aw fu l lo t o f sausages. C lever characters can

com e out o f th is adven tu re w ith fa t p UL Se sa nd [h e th an ks of Herr

Fle isch er. Fo olish characters m ay be resp onsible fo r th e spread of

Nurglish in fe ctio n a cr os s Nuln,

PLOT OUTLINEAs [his is an investiga tive adven tu re, m uch depends upon the

actions of the PCs. If they are thorough and keen , it shou ld be no

prob lem to gu ide them thIough the p lo t. H ow ever; it is o ften th e

case in RPGs tha t the lim thing the PCs do is the Last rh .ing the

GM expects,

T he fo llo win g p lo t o utlin e g iv es an id eal stru ctu re fo r Y O U I s es si on s t o

f ol low , b u t if y ou r p la yers v ee r o ff th e p ath , d on 't panic. E ac h s ec ti on

o f th e a dv e nt ur e c on r ai ns tip s on w hat to do to get things on crack.

Take your tim e read ing th rough . the p lo t and be prepared to

improvise if necessary .



Getting Started: The P C S arrive at the Reiks Plan after

noon, and look through the various jobs advertised upon

the Deurz ELm.

• Red Herrings: The PCsinvestigare the missing puppy (red

herring), labourers wanted (red herring), and the missing

earrings (gaining minor information for main plot).

The Plot Begins: The following day, the PCs visit Fleischerand are commissioned to lind his missing daughter.

The Nosy Neighbour: Fleischer's nosy neighbour gives

the PCs some dues about Hanna's lover (Hans) and a

mysterious suitor seen under Hanna'swindow. They

also learn about j ev . .dlery thefts, and a wondrous Tilean

soprano. ALI the P C s need do to learn this issweet talk a

79-year-old, and pay for a meal at Chez Louis ...

Hot on the Trail, The PCs investigate Fleischer's chain of

butcher's shops. They learn about a series of mysterious

break-ins, Fleischer's rival Stark, Hanna's sudden weight

gain, and more about her lover. Pesky Street urchins asking

for money plague them.

The Plot Thickens: The P C s investigate one of the

butcheries after hours, and discover evidence of sausage

meddling and other shenanigans.

The Witness; The pes track down Hanna's friend Carta,

the last person to see her before she went missing. She

points the P C S towards the Gunner's Arms, and mentions

the wonderful soprano who was singing there that night.

•

•

•

•

•

•

The Gunner's Arms: The P C s meet Wolfgang and Leopold,

rwo dissolute nobles looking for their missing friend Rudi.

They are directed cowards the Town Hall. On their way,

street urchins plague thern.

The Town Hall: The PCS learn mote of Stark and

Fleischer's rivalry, and Rudi's run in with Stark.

Stade's Shop: lhe PCs visit Stark's shop, and seem ro hit adead end. The pesky street urchins return and extort money

OUtof the P C s in return for "the din» on Stark. TIle P C S

find Hanna in a foul, mutated state. They must decide what

to do with her.

• Showdown: The PCs return to Stark's shop for the final

showdown!

ADVENTURE STRUCTUREThis adventure is separated inro important scenes, which. mirror me

plot oudine. Each scene describes the key information the players

need to learn, the NPCs present, and the setting. Some also include

optional information, which the P C S mayor may not be able to

learn, depending 00 their questions and what has already transpired.

After this comes the Dramatis Personae, a list of al l the NPCs

and their backgrounds. This section contains pertinent game

information, as well as tips on roleplaying each character.

Finally comes the maps and handouts that you'll need to run the

adventure. These are al l suitable for phorocopying,

'T"'he best way to initiate the events of this adventure, assuming

J. the PC S are looking for work, is[Q

have them go to the ReiksPlatz. TIlls Is the main square in Nuln, where itinerate adventurers and

wanderers gather to look at the notices posted on the Deutz Elm. the

huge tree mat grows in the square. The idealway to start me action is

to have the P C S arrive inNuln in the earlyafternoon, whether they

disembark from a barge, get off a farmers wagon, or arriveon foot.

Key Inf orma tio n

The PCs shouldlearn about all four jobs posted on the

D eu rz E lm ,

TIle PCs ar e unable to visit Herr Fleischer today, asit is past

noon (the advert says "no callers after noon").

The PCS should feel free [Q pick any of the jobs 00 offer.

OptionallnforrnationObservant P C S may notice Greta FIscher rush 3;'vay from the

Reiks Platz to th e Gunnels Arms (seeGre ta 's Se cre ts , page 80).

PCS who follow up on the "missing earrings" meet Frau

Oppenheimer and learn her secrets (SeeThe Missing

Earrings, page 79).

As does 7hro llgh .he Drakwald, the adventure in the WFRP

rulebook, this one features sections of shaded boxed text for you to

either read aloud to your players or paraphrase.

The c rowd j o stk s (mil p us he s aUa rou ,u i y ou . Mo st s eem

to b e m ov in g to wa rd th e h ub o f th e c i# J>h e & i ks P !.d tz.

This i s (J ! .d rgecobb led s (l' um i n whose (NItre a gnlt rud

me g rows. D ouns of no tices are p in ned o n ;/$ truTJ/t flI)dc rowds o f t he uspffllle and unemp fq ye d c ir cle it Ioo/t;'lgfor

jobs. While s om e notic es a re y e llow w ith a ge . mo st s em I to

be foirly new.

If a literate PC chooses to read from the tree, give the players

Handouts LA-ID (seepage 96). Otherwise, 3 student who is beside

the nee reads out some of them (0th e uneducated masses around

him (h.iskindness does nor go unnoticed by an astute pickpocket,

who indulges in a little learning himself a few minutes later).

Amongst I he no tic e s abou t the chtlapestale in tatun an d

adver ti smztn lS s tA t ing that iss a m ans lifo i n t ht l Imper ia lA rm~ f ou r mmag es c lT re hy ou r e y e .

LA : Printed on good quality card with a gilt trim:

L ARGE R EWARD

Boni fa z has gone M is si ng .

P le as e h e lp f in d my Sickly Great Aunts

t iny puligree puppy .

Sh e doesn't know he 'sm i s si "gye t. P leaseHelp.

I nf ormat ion to :A rne Zimmerman clo the Gmn Bottle

Inn, Haupts trass« .

T1



Sing For Your Supper

This handou t leads to the even ts o fTh .e Dog Mob, p ag e 79.

IB: Carefully hand-written on cheap paper ;

14bourers Tfquired for 1M/e rn iweek s o f lig ht w o rk at the

~st Gate.

GO OD PAY. GO OD ALE. GO OD FO OD.

S"Caplllin WetZelberge of/he \%Jrh .

This leads to the even ts o f The W est Gate, p ag e 79 .

IC: Hand-written on good cards

MISSING

One pair 0/ ea.rrings ; ,1 th t vidtJiJy o f C hez L O l u s '

Restaurant.

REWARD fo r p er rinm t in fo nn ar io n o r r tf Unz of items.

Conta ct F ra u Oppmhe im e r. N o rd str as se

This leads to the even ts o f The M issing Earrings, p ag e 79.

IV: Printed on Good quality paper:

Fk ische r} Famous Furrm, " Ib « S au sa ge o f c ho ic efor

t he O f f ic e rs fwdM en o f t he Im peria l S ch oo l o f G un ne ry. •

H EL P WANT ED

Several infeU;ge ll f and T t S I J U " i f i l / i lUiividUl1is rtqtliTfd

for a m atter o f 101M delicacy.

Exc ell em rate s o fP 4 Y. A pp ly in p en on to H e rr F k i.s rh n;

J 82L in ks P ark. N o cn lk n a fte r n oon . N o tim e w astm .

PC s canno t fo llow th is up today , as it is af te r noon . Shou ld they

a[ tempr [0go [0 1 82 Link s Park , s im ply describe a rude bu tle r

tu rn ing them aw ay.

( Se e p ag e 96 fo r V ersions of these non ces tha t you can pho tocopy

an d g ive to the players.)

A fter the parry has d igested the no tices , the crow d parts and a

f igure in im posing b lack and w hite robes can b e s ee n c lim bin g

on to an im prov ised Stage (the back s of tw o of her m in ions). Th is

ste rn -faced w om an in her m id fo rties S tares at the crow d and The

hubbub d ies dow n. Once the o n lo o ke rs . h a ve almost fallen silent,

sh e sw eep s h er arm o ver th e cro ";d w ith t wo f in ge rs outst re tched.

At this polnr PC s may make an Easy (+20%) Commen

K now ledge (the Em pire) Test to rea lize she is a preacher of

S ig rnar, H er arm then snaps back to her side and she heg ins to

speak in a loud vo ice .

S in ne rs ! S in ntr s b ewa re ! Ou r L P r d S;gnuzr hW4t/lhing

y o u . . EVt1l11OW I1 J I ! pe ak H is g lo rio us Emp ;r e is c raw lin g

w ith th os e w ho JQ (} u/dm a s h it to dust a nd rtn de r u s

doum I1 J j " r I r . k k r for th e naml!iess 1/Iomtto.s1ti.eshdJ inhabit

night11lttm! : t&u!

(At t hi spO i nt t he p reache r po in ts dt t he to llgheJT

h o k J l 1 g P C.) HfW e you not c on sidmd th at y ou r w e:a po ns

a nd a rm ou r a lo ne w ill n ot sa ve y ou l Y o" C41I be broughl

k n u b y the, rinkst of creatltTeS! (This br ings g l l f f a w s of

l aught er f rom th e crow d, som e of who poin t a t th e PC

in question.) O r ]Oil! (Po in ts a t a young w om an in the

crowd. ) Hl1.ve)QUflo shame! DO]OII /Ult / mow th at y o.u r

actions wenkrn JjJ. all! (A t this the young w om an blushes

an d hurries o ff th rough the square .)

The preacher 's comm ent is m ean t asa w arn ing to the tough PC

that size is no , the on ly w ay to judge an enem y-there is m ore

upon th is su b j ec r in the f in a l s e ct io n .

If any of the PC s try to foU ow the young Wom an, have them m ake

a Percep tion Test. If successfu l, th ey see her enrer t he G u n n er 's

Arms, a nearby lavern, through th e rear d oo r. S ee Greta's Secrets

o n . p ag e 80 fo r m ore on th is.

The preacher ran ts on fo r another tw en ty m inu tes ca lling on

" good ly f ol k and brave hea rt s" and co nstan tly ad mo nish in g th e' '@miwdsaymofevi/' 'but s he n ev er points again a t any of the

P CS. A fter sh e h a s f in is h ed sh e steps dow n o ff the back s of her

m in ions, w ho then stagger to the ir fee t and start to go round th e

crow d co llec ting donations fo r her mlssion. The moment th e

"enter ta inment" is over m ost o f the crow d dissip ates bu t som e

rem ain to slip a penny or two onro the w ooden co llec ting p lates o f

[he p r ea c h er 's a pp re n ti ce s .

Once the app ren tices have gone around the crow d and collected

d on atio ns fro m th e s pe cta to rs , al l th ree of th em leave [0 lind

a no th er re ce ptiv e a ud ie nc e to conver t ,

The PCS now have a c ho ic e o f f ou r p os sib le in ve stig atio ns (fiv e,

if th ey 'v e n oticed G reta). T hey are :

The D og M ob. The PC s m ust go [0 th e G reen B ortle Inn

o f H au ptstrasse (1 5 minutes aw ay, m id dle c lass area). See

page 79.

The West Gate. The PCS m ust gP , am azing ly enough , to

the W est G ale (ha lf an hour aw ay,. reasonab ly safe area). See

p ag e 79.

The M issing Earrings. The PCs m ust go to the

Oppenhauer E sta te on N crdsrrasse (25 m in aw ay, h igh class

area). See p ag e 79 ...

Chez Louis. The pamust go to C hez L ou is, as m en tio ne d

on the Oppenhauer advert (1 0 min a w ay ,. h i gh c la ss a re a).

S ee p ag e 82.

Greta's Secrets, The PC s m ust fo llow the m ysterious Greta

afte r sh e f lees fro m th e p reach er's accu sa tio ns (1 2 m in utes,

high c l a s s a re a). S ee p ag e 80.

Of course , p layers be in g d if ficu lt, they m ay w ant to go shopp ing ,

p ick pockets , o r do any o ther num ber o f inane th ing s. It's a b ig

ctiy, after all, w ith lo ts o f p ossib le d lsrrac tto ns. If theyshow no

in terest in th e p lo t, allow them to do w hatever they lik e un til

even ing , then use the even ts o f The Fis.bennan 's Rest on pa .ge 8 1to g et th em in vo lv ed .




THEDooMOBThis scene is simply a red herring.

T h « GTem Bot tle l nn . is m obbed w ith MUns of ntltr

do we ll s s ta tu i ing o lt ts ilk tJ h lU ti" barr iCtJded/ r o n , door.

A lmo st e ve ry one o f t he a ssor te d t fa gabond s and sm,fu rc hi ns i n th e c rowd is h old illg a p up py o r in so me ( lU es a

folly-grown dog. T h« n ois efr om th t cr ow d is t err ib le and

t he gmemt t /m ,t0 1'OUT o f t he mo b Mm" t improv e when

af iig htmt d /g o! ti tl Kmal l in an U P P " wbuUJw aims a

b ll 4ndubu ss a t t he c rowd.

The man s ho ut s, "Go awa y! I tim,'! knota what y eT a ft er ,

but I d O T l t have it!"

S ev er al o f t he mor e 111V1'Y h ld iv id ua ls lo pe o ff b ut mo st

0/ th e crolvd m r y mId s ta rt s ho ut in gfo r He" Z immerma n.

7 h e Inn kt ep er / go fe rron fo .s ed and soon the c rowd rai se sa

chan t o / "Zimmerman , Zimmerman. ~1he i1m l tu pe r t hen

s te ps b eh it uJ / he w indow a,,4 out of view for a m om ent, as

the chant gets /gudtr. .

Any PC with Sixth Sense has an urge to get away at this moment,

for seconds later a chamber pot is emptied from a nigh window

onto the street and the crowd below. The chanting ceases--

replaced with laughter or stunned silence depending whether or

nor the individual was "rained" upon. PCs in the area must make a

successful Agility Test or get hit with the flying filth.

1he Inn ke ep er " tu rn s 10 th e w in do w a nd s cr ea ms o ut

at t he t op ofhis Itlngs, " The" ain't no Z immm nan staying

here. Now ,ka, o ff o r r u (a IL the Watch! '"With that, he

s lams th e w in dow s hu t.

The mood of the crowd begins [Q rum ugly at this point, and the.

PCS would be.wise [0leave. Not only are they risking the attenrion

of a number of pickpockets drawn [0the commotion, bur in less

than rwo minutes rime a patrol of the City Watch. arrives, having

been summoned by one of the Green Bottle's sraff

Give the PCS a chance to get away j£ they want. Otherwise, let

them hear the whistles from the Warch and try to fight against the

tide of a panicking mob.

The notice about Bonifaz the "pedigree puppy" was apparently a

hoax, and one the staff of the Green Borde Inn is nor I.aughing

about.

TH E WFSTGATEThis scene isanother red herring.

Captain Werzelberge is the Watch Captain on duty, and his office

is in a converted cell in the base of one of the city walls' towers.

Before getting into the specifics of the job, he notes that lodging

in tents is provided and workers receive three hearty meals a day

and. a mug of ale for every hour of labour. 'TIlepay is only 4 p per

day, but there is no COSt of living for the duration of the week

and a 1 s bonus for those who work a full week. When pressed

about the work, he explains that it is dredging a blocked sewer

outlet that runs into the river and installing a few gratings-just

to keep "things" out. He is used to people turning down the offer

of easy if not pleasant work, so he won't be surprised ifthe PCs

do also. If they are intent on doing this work, encourage them

to quit sooner rather than later by giving them a tent that leaks

when it rains and straw pallets full of fleas. If that doesn't work,

a couple of disease tests ought to do the trick. They are, after all,

wading in sewage.

TH E M ISSING EARRING SAs the PCs make their way towards Nordstrasse, the sk y gets

darker and douds threaten min (play this up, as there is nothing

like a paranoid PC!). Characters may make a Very Hard (-30%)

Common Knowledge (the Empire) Test to recall that the name

Oppenheimer comes from the East and in particular the former

province of Sylvania. Frau Oppenheimer and her house are

well known by the locals in this middle class part of town, and

inquisitive PCs are provided with guarded warnings and jokes

about the Oppenheimer house. Comments generally fall into tWO

camps:

" Th e O p pe nh eim er h ou se , e h? I wou ld n't g o t he re , ma te -s he 'smp po se d t o bc a w itc h. "

" O ld ttlles- sh e's lI oth in g b nr a h arm le ss o ld w id ow . T ak e n o

h ee d o f t he k id 's s to rie s. "

By the time the pes arrive at the house, they should be of rwo

minds as to whether or nor to actually go in and ask about the

missing earrings.

Key I nf ormati on

Frau Oppenheimer explains that she was enjoying dinner

at Chez Louis when the cabaret started. Ir featured an

excellent Tlleansopranc,

At some point during the performance-she is not sure

when-she must have taken off the earrings and then they

were stolen.

She can recount the entire menu and what arias were sung,

but nothing about who was in the restaurant or even who

waited on the table.

The earrings were pearl drops with a garner setting, They

were worth about 100 ge , and have immense sentimental

value as they were a gift from her late husband. "Go t t hem

from de~pest/nd, dOll't y ou k now? "

Optiona l I n fonnat ion

She knows Rudi,

She might pay the PCs to rake a note of congrarularions [0

Rudi for his part in throwing a rowdy Emil Stark out of a

charity ball funded by Fleischer,

TH E OPPENHE IMER HOUSEThe Oppenheimer House is a narrow, three-storey building set

back from the street, with a long garden full of twisted growths

in front of it. The tumbledown house is crammed between its

neighbours and as the PCs look at it a slate falls from the roof The

house sits decaying between newer and better-maintained homes

and the from gare practically needs to be barged down [0provide

access to the path leading to the front door. Picking their wayalong the rubble- and dead-branch-strewn path is a [ask in itself. If

79



Sing Fo r You r S u p p e r

pulled. the mouldy bell-rope snaps and the bell falls down. lr peals

a mournful note as it hits the ground-e-scaereclng a pair of ravens

who were hidden amnngst a crop of Ha rn e coloured mushrooms

near the wall.

Once the door creaks open a pale withered lady in nne but fuded

dark silks peers our and regally demands, "Who dis f l. lrbsmy rest i"

If the PCs haven't starred looking for rellgtous symbols and garlic

atthis point, they may well be made of the stuff of heroes. Try to

keep me players guessing whether she Is or isn't a creature of r h e

night chroughouethe encounter.

If the pes explain who they arevshe looks them up and down and

Invites them in to her home. The.yare led downa poorly lit narrow

corridor past faded and mouldy paintings of pasrceal scenes

(mostly ofgrear forests and plceuresq ue ruins) . They finally arrive

in a small sitting room with a roaring fire, and Frau Oppenheimer

sits down and demands [.0 know what the PCS know of her

missingjewellery Youshould portray her as a doddering old bat

who has pretensions ofgrandeur, bur who can still be as sharp as arazor when need be.

Encourage the PCs [0question Frau Oppenheimer about the

earrings and where she.may have left them. No matter how

searching their questions, however; they are unable to discover

more than rh e facts in Key Information.

If the PCs mention they are working for Herr Pleischer (if arthls

point they are or even if they return at a larer polnt) she becomes

more animated and trills, ' /1.hy~s,th ~ goo d H err F ieischu. W hat a

marudlous art isan he is indml----s.,lchfine m ea ts , th ou gh a l ittle too

r ich f o r my agedpa l ett e. . Jf ia r: Howev er . h e d oe ! wOlldeifitl thit'gs

fo r fho!e dear su ie et . orphans. I was at a jim.cti(}Jfo! h i s r e cen tl y; do .r lt

yo u know, and t he re t oa s such a j il To re toward$ the m d of t he cvm ! .D ea r Rud i, a d ar lin gb o) l s en t th at awf lll H er r S tllr k p ac kin g .. Su .( h

a g alla n. t a ct. D oy ou k nm jJ , J haven 't seen him in ages-I realty ',l11St

send my c ar d. so on . "

If rhe pes offer ro rake Frau Oppenheimer's card to Rudi she

furnishes them with the address of the Gunner's Arms and a

couple of shiIl1ngs fo r their trouble and bids them farewell. This

putS them in conracrwirh Wolfgang and.Leopold and the Story

they have to tell (seeThe Gunner's Arms on page 86 for more on

this).

GRETA ' S S E C R E T S

The woman who. ran from the Reiks Plarz is Greta Fischer. Her

embarrassment comes from her paranoia. over her affair witha

married man, Dieter, a drayrnaa for rhe local brewery. It is this

she wishes to keep quiet.

At a certaln point, the PCS may come to think that Greta has

information germane ro the mala plot. They can learnquite a.

bit about Ma-da della Miragliano (see page 93) if they question

Greta intelligently. Greta. can most easily be found in the

Gunner's Arms.

The moment the PCs stan to question Greta, she becomes

uncomfortable and starts ,0 look guilty. She is convinced that

they have been hired by Dieter's wife to put her off seeing the

drayrnan agaln, irrespective of the rack Pes' line of questioning

takes.

Should the PCs press on with their questioning, she can be

convinced to reveal th.e Key Informasicn, though she does try to

stay quiet about her involvement with Maria della Miragliano at

first.

Key Informat ion

Greta has maaagedto

get herself involved with the ploysof Maria della Miragliano (see page 93), who has provided

her with some small trinkets from her cache of ill-gonen

wealth.

She was working in the kirchen a few nights ago when the

Tilean singer was working. She saw the soprano walking

between the eables, st.i11singing and helping herself to the

patron's jewellery.

What amazed Greta WasaUmembers of the audience,

including the staff. were asstill as statues.

During the ada Maria turned and noticed Greta and

she froze. Almost at once the performance was over and

people seemed to react normally and applauded,

Maria came up to Greta later that ntghraad offered her a

lovely pair ofpearl earrings (Frau Oppenheimers) if she'd

stay quiet.

Greta accepted the bribe and has since pawned the

earrings. She has now entered into a business agfeemem

with Maria and is acting as the lookout for rhe soprano

during her the.fts.

• Maria only sings ill places where Gr'eta works, so she can

bar the door to prevent somebody unaffected by the song

coming in unexpectedly. If Greta sees someone ata table

who is unaffected, she distracts them by bringing a wrong

order to the table.

She does not know where Maria Lives.

See 'I1!e Gunner's Arms on page 86 for more details on thetavern.

8 0



S in g For You r

B y now, the pes should have spent the first day of the

adventure dealing with the various red herrings and

information opporrunlties that have come their way. Now they

have sewed in, it is time to get the main plot under way:

Should they fail to visit Herr Fleischer of their owo accord, use theevents of1he Fishennan's Rest 00 this page to get them on track.

TH E SAUSAGE M A N CAN

Links Park is easy enough to find. It is a pleasant, tree-lined avenue

overlooking a narrow public garden. Number 182 is a medium

sized and unimposing building compared ro the others on this

street. A long chain hangs outside (a successful Perception Test

reveals that the chains links are bright and new and that me paint

on me front door is new also) and upon pulling the links a bell

rings far offinside the house ..A short wait later a thin, soberly

dressed man opens the door and enquires the Pcs' business.

He leads rhe characters down an empty corridor (wich a furtherPerception Test, the PCS notice empty spaces where paintings

once bung) to a servants' diuing room next to me kitchen. The

dining room has one long table with a couple of benches against it.

The b ut le r leaves into the kitchen and a red faced woman appears

through the same door carrying a tray covered in mugs of strong

ale and a plate with a heap of sausages on it.

' 'Help youne/vtI> Ps n y s th e cook. "Ht'O IIf) d tJubt be hapPJ

to S4 eyou all; h e ' s bem aU{foJJyunhapPJ time past ftw tip,s."

Wiili that she leaves before anyone can ask her a question. Once

the pes have finished the excellent sausages, the butler leads them

[0a small study where a sweating, corpulent. bearded. figure sirs,

The butler introduces Herr Fleischer to the parry and then he leaves.

He" Fkischer sta,uIs up Imd m oum foJ ly says. "O h.

praise Sigm arl G ood. I kntw som eone w ould amWtr the job

offir. WeI/, I 'd bet te r get to it then.

"!am G eo rg F leisch er a nd I w an t you to foul my

d ar lin g d au gh te r. H an1l4 . S he 's b em m is sin gf or th rt e u y sa pd I lig hts n ow , a nd I tkln 't /t1UJW what to tkl. I lU ed yo u to

ask fl7 (J llh d an d fin d w htrt sh e's go ne. I tkln 't tm dmwu l it,

I really don' t. She' s such a g oo d g ir l! S he 'd n eve r ru n o ff "

For payment, Herr Fleischer offers 5 ge per character up front

with reasonable expenses covered and a further 25 gc each for the

safe return of Hanna. Note that Fleischer can be bargained up an

additional 5 gc with a successful Ha gg le T es t.

ANY FURTHER Q _ UESTIONS?

Due to hi s distraught state of mind he is not thinking properly,

but for every successful Gossip Test, he adds one of the following

details:

"I last saw Hanna when she was on her way to her favourlte

restaurant with one of her friends, Carla Lindt. I asked

C;lIJa me next day where my daughter was, but she replied

that Hanna must have gone home early. That was the last

Carla saw of her."

"1 suppose you could try asking round at my shops. I've done

that already bur the boys might have forgotten something.

Try the neighbours, merchants-anyone! Somebody mustknow where she is. 1don't know ifit is connected, but my

oldest shop has been broken inca a couple of times in the last

few months. According to Erich, the butcher mere, nothing

has ever been taken. Iuppose the Watch must have chased

them olr Erich could let you know more, Ihink."

"Oh, I should give you this locker so you know what

Hanna looks l ike. She has a matching locket with a picture

of me in ic. I commissioned them the month after her

mother died, these seven long years ago ... "

Fleischer seems lost in reverie when the butler politely knocks on

the door and informs the PC s that their audience is at an end. He

swiftly leads the PCs out and leaves them outside the front door.

He gives them the address of Fleischer's newest butchery and looks

them up and down.

"Don 't c ome b ac k u n t il YOII baue good n ew s fo r th e M asu r, ., he says

curdy, and slams the door before anyone can say a word.

TH E FISHERMAN 'S RE sTShould the PCs have failed to take up Fleischer's advert, have them

stay at an inn called the Fisherman's Rest that nighr. ln rhis scene,

the characters (hopefully) save Fleischer from two muggers and are

offered the chance to "earn some real money" th e next day.

The Fisherman's Rest is a.waterside inn popular with travellers, fisher

folk, and individuals looking for casual work. It is a shabby lWO-

storey building overlooking me wharf nea r me dty walls. Out from a

heavily built young man is rolling a barrel of ale from a c ar t a n d into

a side door. This is Dieter the drayman. He returns 3. few moments

later to get another barrel off' the carr and take it to me inn.

E ven th ou gh th e int. is somtwhat d ilapidaud it is

b u s t l i l l g wi th t rad__,he i l a J ! C I l T T J t r a y s o f ak t J17 tmgh t he

t hr ongi ng c rowd, and tI seemingly n tv ef '- endil lg SI Ipp ly o f

stew kaws in b ow ls.from th e sid e b ar.

A t you look round the com mon room, o ne m an

s tand s out amongs t t he pat rons o f the bar. He 's dres sed

in t he r ic h c lo th es o f a s uc ce ss fo l mmhl lf lf a ll d h il S bee nlo ud ly d em a1 ulin g a k fo r some tim e. 1 he b arm an h as so

for r e, fo se da nd IJOciforous/ykmands th at h e ka ves fh l!

premises. as h e~ a d ru ,tk m d is gra ce .

A fte r a f ew j ib es.f rom th e c us tome rs. w ho a re tlo t quite

asfo r g 01 1ea s h e is. th e m an thm turns dnmkndy on his

heel and s ta ggm towarrls th e doorlDllJ. As the drunkm man

make s h is W I ly to ka tJ t, h is f in t c lo th es a nd in eb ria tio n

a ttr llc t th e a tten tio n o f th e tw o Ims avo ur y t yp es w ho a rt

n un in g th eir ta nlta rd s n ea r th e d oo r. O n ce th e d nm k p asses

th ro ug h th e d oo r o ne o f th e m en imme dia te ly f o l l o w s . A f e wmoments later th e st,o nd fo O ow fin islm h is d ri,J e m ul a lso

kaws. The f l U t o f t he t ll tl lm aD s tu tl ious ly l oo 'l taway. I t

s ee rns th i s i s not tof1111lcommonaround hert .

81




ThePCs should have several potential leads to foUowup now,

Should, they lack direction, have Marguerite Garten, Fleischers

neighbour, approach them. Should they decideto

start askingaround, make Matguerite's house the first one they approach. Either

way.she should be thevery next NPC rheyencounrer,

Other than Frau Garten,the PCs can question .avariety of neighbours,

all of whom claim to know nothing about Herr Fleischer.'Theonly

other source ofinformati.on in this area.isin a local g1a5S\vorks. .

Here the PO; may learn of Hanna's lover if they are cleverin their

questioning. See Otto's Glasswo,rks on the next page for more on this.

Some groups may rush off to investigate Fleischer's chain of

shops straight away. If this is the case, run the enccunter with

Marguerite, and then simply skip to Hot on the Trail on page 83.

YOti can return to this section later if need be. . .

MARGUER ITE GARTENOverlooking the alleyway rhar runs past the back of the Fleischer

home (and past Hanna's bedroom window) is the home of

Marguerite Garten, the woman who seems to know every bit of

salacious gossip about anyone in the district,

Key Inf onn atio n

Hanna isseeing Hans, from Ono's Glassworks.

• A "rival lover" serenaded Hanna for three nights before she

vanished.

It is apparent ftom looking our Herr Fleischer's kitchen mat FrauGarten's window looks directly illto me garden of the Fleischer

Fleischer travels down the srreer and is overtaken a block a way.

He is shoulder-charged. by the first footpad into a side alley. The

second mug then rushes into the alley as well. Ifany of the PCs

have gotten up to fo l low, they s ec t hi s mugging taking place.

Sympathetic PCs maywell help our at this point. Unscrupulous

PCs may tcy (0mug the muggers. Assuming the PCs get

involved with the muggerS and mat they drive them off, the

drunken merchantgrabs his now bleeding head and fumbles

fo r a handkerchief to sraunch rhe Row of blood. Before they

have time to ask him any questions he faints dead away and any

nearby PC may make an Agility Test ro catch him before he

hits the cobblestones. if the test is successful, the man gradually

comes to and drunkenly congratulates the PC in question. Mer

staggering to his feet he produces a small crumpled business card

(Handout 2) and smB's it into the PC's hand along with a couple

of shil! ings.The man stares at the PC with bloodshot eyes half

dosed and says:

' '(HicO / 1 1 1 1 1 1 /lJe l1 follow like yo«. HolJ.!do Y O I I and

yourfoCllds jitllrym rning II coin o r tl110,(h I M_y c ar d bas

I»;/, address 011 it. S ee m e tomo rr ow ; yes?"

With mat Herr Fleischer srumbles toward the main street and halls

a passing sedan chair to get carried home. Hope.fuUy the po; go to

see Fleischer the next day and the adventure men proceeds to the

Sausage Man Can on page 81.

house. Frau Garten is always willing to [ell everything she

knows-for a price. In this case she has been looking for an excuse

togo to the restaurant Chez Louis (see Cbez Louis, below; fo·rmore on this) and she has needed aga l l an r gentleman to cakeher

there. This iswhen ehe PCS start drawing straws ...

She has a prior arrangement with Lyserte, who works for Louis,

and she can get a table whenever she wants. In exchange for me

dinner, paid for by [he party, she'll provide the followlng pieces of

pertinent information, some of which is even true:

"Hanna F le is ch e r was mrhlg a young man f rom Otto's

Gll'lS.!works. "True-this. is Hans.

"Herr Fleischer appafen s.1 § ,hcfuad on a recent co utm ct to

.I he Imp er ia l S ch oo l o f Gwm.e ry . " Palse=-ehls isa rumour

propagated by Stark [0discredit Fleischer.

"Th re e n ight s i n .a. rota Hanna w a s serer/,aded b y a 1 IIa ndressed in a w ide hat and dark cloak. This happf!lJ(:d jrut

bifoTl ! shl ! d isappeared. Perhap; t/)C cro on er w as H an s, bitt

/ d ot/t th in k h ll 'fill sil/g. "True-s-this was Maria della

Miragliaao.

"FI.4ischel"~ I I u s a g e . a.reso popuffll" b U i 1 I l S e th e h er bs h e uses are

rare onesfrom Kisleu . ." False-the herbs are mundane, but

Stark's "additive" is from a little further north than Kislev,

C H E Z LOUISChez Louis is the most exclusive restaurant in town. At the start

of each season the waidng list for a table can be seve ra l weeks

and even Countess Emmanuelle herself was refused a table-justthe once. It is fabled for its fine fresh produce and remarkably

82



expensive brandy (this is 3_ form of protest by Louis, the chef and

owner, over the extortionate taxes on Breronnian spirits.)

Depending on their funds and social class, the PCs mayor may

not be able to get lnro Chez Louis. The PCs may be here to

investigate the claims of Greta Fischer, to bribe Frau Garten, or [0

track down th e missing earrings. Whatever the case, they need to

pick up at least the Key Information.

Key I nf o rma t io n

People have recently been robbed of their jewellery here.

• The "Tilean Songbird" (Maria della Miragliano) has been

singing at Chez Louis.

If the PCs arrive before the restaurant opens (around 6 PM ),

they'll 6nd the place locked up. Investigating the rear of the

building reveals a surly youth who self-importandy demands to

know what the PCs are doing skulking in the alleyv v.ay. Ifquizzed

the youth Imparts two pieces ofinformation inexchange for a

small bribe, or if successfully intimidated:

Several guests had their necklaces or earrings taken while they

were eating Or so they say. Louis was mortif ied and offered

everyone who was robbed apologies and personally arranged for

a senior off icer of the Wareh to attend th e scene of the crime.

Greta Fischer did work here bur quit her job some two or three

weeks ago, apparendy after an argument with Louis. (Louis

sacked Greta because she wa s always hanging around the from

door before [he cabaret and no r at her post in th e kitchen).

EATING AT CHEZ LOUIS

If the PCS come back during business hours they are refused entry

unless they are a ll wearing Good or Best Craftsmanship clothes.

A large gentleman who looks after the door "encourages" them

to leave if they cause a scene. Assuming they are polite and well

dressed then they are admitted and met by Lys etc e, th e hostess,

who slinks over ro them in the height of Breronnian couture and

leads them to a nearby rable.

Should they have arrived here with Frau Garten (see Marguerite

Garten on pa.ge 82) they are led [0a table regardless of their

clothing, as "the lody is vOl lch il lg for them . nProperly charmed, Frau

Garten can arrange for the PCs to speak co Louis via. her friend

Lyserte. The minimum the PC S can spend is 6 s pe r head, for bread

and water (and disdain from the wait staH'). The maximum is

limited only by their brandy capacity

Once they are seated the PC S can get an audience with Louis in

several different ways. They can try to bribe a waiter or charm

Lyserre, The best approach, h ow ever, is to eat a meal an d then

express a desire to compliment the chef. Louis is particularly welldisposed to them if they flatter his sense of innovation or style.

As Long as the PCs remain polite. Louis pours himself a g la ss o f

cognac and sits down at their table, Louis ruournfully explains mat

tWO women were robbed last night. Both had their jewellery taken

while they were eating and nobody saw a thing. Louis adds, "Ifoel

a l ec tle f oo lis h m yse lf , b ut m ah eye. wer e fi dl o f tea rs d 1~ eto a bealltifi"

rendition ofVolidini's Lament .rImg by o ur ama zin g s opm ilo . My she

has poweifilllilngs, I/O?"

If the PCS ask about the soprano, Louis says, "Her name i sMori a de / . l a

Mimgliano. Y o l . m ay a ve h en rd o f h er, 1 I 0 ? She hI lSbeen work ing here noto

f or a co up le ofmonsb: and I think she mjoy. the intimnle ntmospheT"eof

a sma ll r es taumn t r at he r t hat l t he ope ra .My se lf , I am ill lo u« w ith su ch awoman, but a la s s he I Il !11e ro ti ce :me , e ve n when s he i s de/ iv ewd her ft e. "

Orro's GLASSWORKSOn the lane mat runs past the Fleischer home is a low building that

radiates heat from its doorway. The font part of the shop, although

very warm, is not as unbearably hot as the rear part of the building,

where me kilns for making the glass reside. Otto Uhl, the proprietor,

happily introduces himself when the P C S arrive and ta lks animatedly

about the different types of glass and m e techniques used in hi s

workshop. He knows very lirtle about Hanna, other than the fact

that she is Herr Fleischer's daughter. However, he Introduces his

three apprentices, who might know more. Karl an d Uwe know little,but Hans sheepishly admits this scene 's Key Informa.don.

Key I nf on n at io n

• Hanna has been seeing Hans for rhree months, in secret .

Hans is worried abour a "rival sulror" who's been seen

serenading Hanna.

Pe s invesr igating Fleischer's shops can discover more about

Hanna, as well as Emil Stark, Fleischer's rival (and the villain

of this adventure), You should try co ensure the PCs vis it thenewest butcher shop, then Albrechre 's, and then the oldest shop,

to make sure me Row of information is correct. [f at any point you

feel [he action is flagging, you can have The Street Urchins (see

page 85) turn up.

UTER'SSHOP

Fleischer's latest venture is located at the edge of the nicest part

of town. Since it's the shop nearest to his home, he spends more

time here than at his other shops, personally overseeing day to day

operations. He established thls butchery to carer to the wealthy,

since only they can afford the specialty cuts and rare meats me

shop specializes in.

Key I nf on n at io n

Uter, me butcher, doesn't know Hanna very well.

Carla's address.

The address of Albrechre 's shop.

Optional Infonnation

Hanna might have eloped with her lover. (This is false.)

1his butchery i s nes tl ed am(mg.rt the be&r e lm s o f shops

on a short side street. 'Thesmall shop i s brightly painted

on the outside and the P l 1 l l r b l e counter inside is spnrkllng

a nd h ard ly I CO n s used . A sm il ingf oUow i n a straw hat and

s tr iped apron turns alu/.greetsyo u a s yo " en ter th e sh op.

-G()(){/da y an d wtkome! W hot can I ge t f or y ou? "




If th e PCs ex pla in . th at th ey are w ork ing fo r H err Fle ischer, Urer

b eco mes v ery so mb re , "O h y e s . Hanna mi ss in g, e h? Ter ri bl e bus in es s,

th at . S he 's a lo ve ly g ir f. I 'v e o nly met hera.fow timesbta she doesn' t

seem the s or t t o 11m away. Let's 110pCha t is nLl it i s, yes?"

Ifany of we po; as k w heth er th ey n otice d a change inHanna

re ce ntly , h e says, "No change in herpersonality. T o be hones t I didn't

rca lly kno.w her. Ya1l k ll ow- -n lw f l. Y' b es t 11M t o g et i ll vo lv ed you re JaUf

bass'sfomily. Ifyall'd like, g o a nd see Aibrechte lit th e o ld s ho p. He'swor ke d f or Her r FMsc he r m ilc h /f}nger than I h av e:

Uter can add no m or-e as he sa id-he dcesn'r really know H anna

that well , H e provides we PC s with the location of AI brech te ' s

b utc he ry a nd says that th e o th er b utc her rnighr know m ore . See

A lbrech te 's Shop for m ore .

H ow ev er, H an na 's frie nd Car la call b e track ed d ow n easily en ou gh .

Franz, the delivery boy at w e shop , says that C arla liv es a fl : '>i streets

aw ay an d h e describ es th e h ou se . He k no ws w here sh e liv es b ec au se

he 's de l ive r ed to th e h ou se b ef ore . (S ee C arla 's Howe on page 8 6.)

H e also has som e inform ation on the disappearance of H anna. If

b rib ed , h e'll say i n a c o ns pi ra to ri al tone, albet JIt she'sei()ped with

.her fancy man. " F ra nz w o n't elucidate any m ore and seems ashamed

h e's ev en sa id this m ilch .

AL.BRECHTE'S S H O P

This shop is roughly half an hour aw ay from Fleischer 's home,

and is thus not a frequ ent v isit fo r th e merchant, It is situated in a

s ha bb y b ut s af e n eig hb ou rh oo d.

Key Information

H anna w as seeing a lad nam ed H ans.

E m il S ta rk doesn't h av e a ny customers,

• Th.e address o fE rkh's shop .

Optional in format ion

• Stark was a com petito r, bur since he lost his w ife h is

b usin ess h as failed.

7here is a mar kt d d fj fo reMe b et rw el l U te rs S pa rta n

tmd spark ling ckm! s hop and ibis o nt. A sm J1 1leroudis

crammed imide a (i d a lmwt ewryone is SlJunbbling about

theprice ojt he meat :A wiry oU mn~ is CIIJt;'lg l amb c ho ps a s yo u e nU I :

He l o o k s up ftom h is w ork 11714 s ap , " I'li ~ with you in a

m inute. 4 ier I jillilh thi s ." He sh ll /f ir s q / fthrough acuna il llI.lUi r etu rn s a ftw mamen ts l a t e r . He re ap pe on fr om o ut th e

bock S 1 1 z m : k l i l g his l i p s mid with boou-soa lud breath he s a y s ,

"He/ lQ.Irll Aihrechte, tuhat:can I do fo r y<mr He g rip s th e

counter tightly, l ik e h /s h ol di ng 0 1/ t o itf or balan ce .

What th e po; won 't r ea li se ae th is po int is tha t Albrechre h as o nly

one leg . The high coun ter s tops them from seeing th is.

Once the pes exp lain w ho they are and fo r whom they are

w o rk in g , A lb re ch te is happy to h elp . H e says, "I drend to think hot»

Herr F le is ch er mu st b~ fo el in g, S he i s a , b eau.t iJ 7 .lyO ll ng woman and

yOIl do hear m ch stories about how it im 't taft to w alk the streets even

in broad ddylight. My cou si n i n We is sbmck 1 1 ) 1 1 $ m in dillg h is a wnbusiness w hen .. , "

A lbrechre loves the sound of his ow n voice m ore than anyth ing

else and he is alw ays deligh ted to dow n too ls to gossip w ith

customers . "1'011k now, ~ h e s ay s, "Her r F le is ch er s o ld hou se IIIIlSjllJt

around the com er alld he alld Han na wer e tl lway s ill t he , hap helpi ng

. iJ1110r deaLing with customers. It's filllny rho.llgh,"headds, "I haven't

s ee n B aI lN t1 -o r h er g el lt lema n f rk lld fo r s ome time . I he y wer e a lway s

gOirlgfor walks d01ll11 pas t l ur e to (he p.ark..n

One of the customers p ipes llP, '54.lbrechte,why don't do llJ all afa vo ur a nd g o to ·/l/o'l'kor Herr Stark's B·,ltc!;e.ry!You carl gossip all day

in h is s ho p. "To w hic h a no th er c usto me r shouts, "Yes. bllt Ollly I :OS

S ta rk hasn' t go t any Ct lS tomers l"

If ask ed m ore abou t H anna's b e au , A lb re c ht e s ay s, ''/ th in k h is

name WIlSHar ls .Y es , Ham , t ha t's it. I 'm a fr aid t ha t' s n .l ! I .kl lOw.

R emembe r: th e b es t way to find H anna isto k~ ep faith wifh O ur Lady

of M erry. H anna w ill be w ell , 0 long as She look doum upon her;»

Should anyone ask abour H err Stark , A lbrechre says, / lb, poor

Her r S la rk , H is b us in es s h as s uf fo re d so . His wife's d etlJ h h it h im h ard

and he jllJt neuer seemed to recouer.~

Albrechre can a ls o p ro v id e [he address of Erich's Sh op (see b elo w)

ifn eeded .

E R I C H ' s S H O P

It tak es perhaps 1 5 m inures o f w inding streets and crow ds to reach

th is e sta blish me nt fro m Albrechre's p lace. Fle isch er is prou d o f th is

es tab lish men t, a nd so makes time to visit,

Key Info rmat ion

Hanna's been gening a hit fa t recenrly

Albrechre's p lace was broken in to , no t th is one ,

O ff h ou rs, A lb re ch re c an b e f ou nd at th e G ree n B ottle Tavern.

Albrechre can g ive them a key to h is p lace.T he a dd re ss of Th e G reen Bottle Tavern. (see page 85).

Th e Okklt: f 1t ll bl is hm t ll t i n F le js ch er~ empi re i s s iN l4 ft d

in II str ee t lin ed w ith tra dm nfflof a llltin t4 -w ea ve rs lie

next to f o h m 0 1 z g e r s and katherworleers nrxt to bladmniths.

As you a rr ii s: JOtJ not « t he shopk eepe rs a repa ck in g up

for the day. An sssistan: cauhes YOllr ep a s h e u nho ok l th t

large l l I o o d m J p ig sig n ftom f)u fJ itk th e s hop . " Ea rf: yc i o s u i g

todaf ht says, "Ib« Gullnery school's 'tid evtry bit ~ meat

we g o r . Passin' ou t parade they s aid. W eD , they. is well

/mown f or ,heir d rin ki1 / I s up po se ... •

Th e flu ste red b utch er's app ren tice in tro duces h im self as Karl . If

ask ed abou t H anna. he says, " Y ea h, I k now Hann a. Did n't k now

she lutl1l11issillg-nobody t~Llsus nppml ti~es .a llythi .l /gyO l llmow, She' s

a p re tt y g ir L b ut s he 's 1I0t really my type, espeCiaLlyas she'sgot it bitfllt

roulldy ..A stu te PC s m ay th ink rhar H anna is p regnant w ith . H ans'

child . Let them , as it o nly a dd s to th e sh oc k late r.

The head bu tcher for the site , E rich , has been to ld the PO; may

visit an d has been instruc ted to help them . If he hears the PC S

m ention that th is establishment w as broken in to, he looks shocked

a nd sa ys , "Not this . bt uche ry . / k eep t he p la ce wei ll oc ke d I tp a t n ig ht.

You' re t hi nk ir lg o fA lbr echt e' sp ln ce . He " F le is ch er mu stha ve b een

cOlifilSeddlle f() hi s g r - i q f Speak to Atbrechfe. O ff houn, JOII 'l l fi lld

him at tht G reen Bottle, drinking his lvttges a wa y. a lic e h ~'s ha d a f o U l

dr in /e s . / 1n sure he 'l ll et YOII h ave th e k ey fO h is s ho p. "



TH E S T R E E T URCHINS

At any point there are some dozen or so street urchins playing

or fighting in the alleyway and the surrounding streets near

Fleischer's shop and home. Some of the assistams give food to

them to make them move on but this onlyenccurages them [0

come back,

These street urchins are important, because they ultimately rell the

pes where Hanna is. but for now, play them ascheeky, arrogant,

and food-obsessed guttersnipes.

Key in fo rma tio n

A woman dressed up as a man has been singing under

Hanna's window.

Opt iona l i n fo rma ti on

The urchins are often used to carry messages.

The urchins will remember who the pes are, for more

"donations."

A sly an d j iltll] lo okin g group o/sm et ciJ ild ren ha s bun

tyl1ingyou for som e tim e. Fino/Iy. they s eem r ea dy to mak e

the ir moue . Whilst W t main body of fht S 1 1 1 4 1 1 gang hangs

b ac k, j ab be rin g t o e ac h o th er I tn d mak ill g SIlide comment»

ahout yo"r o lo thes, I t taU la d w ith a ra gged hltt stl1pS

forw ard. " I irar :p r askill' ab" ut th e butcher} dau ghter a U

over toum" he says. "WtIJ. if its gorsipyer after. reckon rue

mig ht j es t b t th e f ol k to speak to. . . Costya, tho!"

The leader of me group iscalled Hanke. He and his gang hang

around a ll over town and see many rhlngs, In exchange for a few silver

shillings he can tell the PCS about me Singerat Hanna's window.

"Rich lady,Yedh. Dressed up ill a ma il s ha t and c loak . S he s in gs Ip a t th e

butcher'splac« SOIt1/! !lights. b ll t s he n . m t done that fo r d ay s n ow .n

He doesn't know the identity of the woman, though he hints that he

could find out more and arrernpts to extort whatever he can.out of

the Pcs. The longer the conversation goes on. me doser the other

children get, until the PCs aresurrounded by nose picking, jabbering.

begging little scoundrels. They treat Dwarfs asequals, but loudly

whisper insulting things about Elves behind their hands.

The pes should now suspect mar Hanna ran away with her

lover. or is somehow involved with the Tilean Songbird. As

the Story proceeds, the pes can find the place where Stark has

been grinding down Nurgllngs to infect Fleischer's sausages. This

and other grisly discoveries propel the plot towards irs conclusion.

T H E G R E E N BoTTLE INNAlbrechte's rnvorite haunt isnow much quieter outside than it

was previously (sec The Dog Mob on page 79). There is nothing

unusual or notable about this tavern. Albrechre can be found

inside the smoky interior of the common room. wedged behind

a long table in the corner. On the bench against the wall lies a

Stout stick (he has gotten so drunk he le.&his wooden leg at the

butchery and had roscrounge a makeshlfi crurch), Once again he's

Sitting in such a way chat the PC s cannot see he has a missing leg.

Key ln fo nn atio n

Three times in the past month his shop has been broken

inro,

Whoever irwas left gobbets of meat behind,

They are free to investigate, as they're working for the boss.PCs must be given the key to the shop.

When he sees the PCS. he says, "Hey. it's yOt l folks. H ave J O lt fllmd

he r yet! 1 hope yolt f in d h er h ea lt hy , a s n ob od y sh ou ld h alll! to 1 11 .t lip

w ith w hat m y n epba u from T alflbheim hd d to p z,t I tp with. Do YOII

know that w hen he WIlS b 1ly in g a shirt sOllubody flctllltlly ... n

No doubt the PC S interrupt him and mention that Herr Fleischer

and Erich have said they could get the key. If the PC S buy the old

soak a pint, the key isforthcoming. Otherwise, the characters must

spend half an hour llstenlng to one of'hls interminable stories

about missing relatives in far-flung places...

However, if they ask about the break-ins, Albrechre becomes

slightly more lucid and tries coexplain:

"Thr ee t imes t he pas t c oupl e o f mon tl Js , I 'l lt o pened

Ip t he shop dlld fo und thinG J o ut o f ord er: It lo oked like

someone c /. imbed thlJ wail out ba ck, got into the shed, and

s to le a flw s au sa ge s. T he I tr an gt th illg ;s t ha t e ac h t im e

J foulld b lood and Ilflw gobbets of fosh 0/1 t he f lo or , b ut

" othing o f real vaille u su e ve r taltm. It is a lmos t / ik e t he

th ie vtt a rt 'I Si ng t he sh ed t o nm t he ir own bus in es s! "

BACK AT THE SHOP

Once they have the key. encourage the players [Q investigate

the shop as fusr as they can. This scene should feel spooky and

macabre, so feel free to ham it up.

Key ln fo nn at io n

Whoever has been breaking in somehow had possession of

Hanna's locket.

TIle street outside the butchery is much quieter in the evening

and the shop unlocks easily.The main parr of the butchery is alarge rectangular room with three steps leading up to the chest-

high counter, which flips back easily enough to reveal the curtain

covered doorway and the area behind the counter where the sales

staff work.

TIle second area behind the curtain leads out to a small yard with a

high wall on three sides terminating with a shed.

The shed is more of a windowless room, with a hatch in the roof

[0 admit light and air. The door ls unlocked and inside the Large

wooden slab-table and the hand cranked mincing machine make it

obvious that this is the heart of Herr Fleischer's business.

TIle slab is a wide beam of wood with a channel that runs down

the centre and bucket beneath it. Amongst the hundreds of

8 5




sausage links chat hang from the ceiling, there is one chain of eight

that are the latest of Stark's creations. Anyone with Magical Sense

feels uneasy as they get closer to the sausages, but they won't know

what's causing it or why. Feel free to taunt wizards with sounds of

Rorwyrms wriggling in the Aethyr nearby.

As the PCs look around the room, have them make Perception

Tests to notice three things:

The hatch in the ceiling has a metal frame that is so rusty

rhar it can never close properly. This would provide easy

access to any thieves.

Behind a barrel of sawdust (used to soak up excessblood

on the floor) lies what looks like a bloodied human leg.

Anyone seeing this r nus r make aWill Power Test or gain an

Insanity Point.

Next to the bundle of Stark's sausages hangs a small

locket. This is the twin of Herr Fleischer's locket and has a

miniature of Hanna and her father painted inside it.

The hatch was indeed the way Stark came in the first time but

due to his bulk he had difficulty getting out. Consequently, he's

employed Willi (his cultist flunky) to do the climbing for him. Theleg isthe wooden one that Albrechre needs to walk properly. He's

so drunk he's left it at his work place and will really regret itwhen

he wakes up. Stark placed Hanna's locket next to the sausages as a

sick joke. He really isn't all thar wirty.

Bynow, the PCS should be thoroughly worried abour Hanna's

whereabouts, perhaps even suspecting that she has been made

into sausages. Should they rerum to Fleischer's house and tell him

this, he weeps at the thought, but orders the PCs out to find am

every last scrap of information about Hanna's fate.

Should they return to Albrechte, he drunkenly tells them to get on

with finding things out, and [0bring his leg over if they have a chance.

Allow them ro wrack their brains for a while. If they fail ro

remember that they haven't yer questioned Carla, feel free to

remind them.

C ARLA 'S H OU SEThe Lindt family home is easy enough to find and exactly as Franz

has described it, A short Bight of steps leads to the fronr door and

a heavy bell rope hangs beside it. The house is three storeys high

with tWOwindows on each Hoor and a neatly [ended garden to therear bordered by a low wall.

If the PCs failed to ask about Carla in the butcher shop, a few

successful Gossip Tests about town can [urn up the address.

Should the PCs try to reach Carla before they have investigated

Albrechre's shop in The Plot Thickens, a servant opens the door,

and explains that the Lindrs are away, but should be back any day.

Otherwise the scene unfolds as described.

A few minutes after the bell is rung, a pretty young woman with

a tear-stained face opens the door. She asks the PCs to identify

themselves and stare their business. Once the PCs explain why

they are there, she looks over her shoulder and steps Out under the

portico and doses the door behind her.

"l t im Ca rla on d J havell 't Ittn dtar Hann a f or dttys

n ow ." th e s ay s, m o pp in g a u ar awa y. oW( h ad suc h a n ice

time at th e Gunners Anns when tbere was t he cabar tt .

But lion Sight o f h er d ur in g th lf d an cin g th at ( ar ne laer

an d I l S fumed she must halle kft /0 tak( in fh ~ air outritk.

7her t i oe r« so mOllY young Offi(t!TS thm, " s he adds wistju/Jy.

"Ih m la ter. w hm J WIIS l ea ll ing w it h darl ing Wo l fo -my

hands om l! ~ co r; t- th e" wa s a l l thM tmp le as an tn es s.

S omebody h ad b ee n r ob be d appar en tly . a lady in w aitin g to

the COUJ1/~S. A uoman lilte th at p ro ba bly lo st h er 1 1( (lt la ce

a lld th ,e n b lam ed s omeon e e ls t- eh e b itc h!

Key Information

Hanna was at the Gunner's arms.

Carla didn't see what happened to Hanna ..

Op tio n al f uf o rma tio n

The Tilean Songbird was singing at the cabaret.

Carla genuinely doesn't know where Hanna is, bur fears "something

awful" has happened TO her. Her famHy is keeping her in until

Hanna isfound, meaning Carla can 00 longer see her darling

Imperial Gunner, Wolfie (this iswhy she's crying). ]Jasked about the

Tllean Songbird, Carla can confirm that the soprano performed as

part of the cabaret. Carla issomewhat vacuous. but honest.

TH E G U N N E R 'S A R M sThe Gunner's Arms isa decent tavern frequented by many junior

officers from the Imperial School of Gunnery. A small wooden

replica of a cannon hangs outside the main door and is frequently

"borrowed" by students from the university. A retired gunnery

officer established the tavern some teo years ago, and it isa popular

haunt with noblemen who want to play at being soldiers. 111e

furniture is Spartan and barracks-style, and the place isin good

order and very dean. The long bar occupies one side of the flagstone

Boor and a large banner of the Emperor's personal heraldry adorns

the wall behind the low stage at the fi u end. A successful Common

Knowledge (the Empire) Test or Very Easy (+30%) Knowledge

(GenealogylHeraldty) Test identifies the banner.

Non-military characters in the Gunner's Arms suffer a -10%

penalty on Charm and Gossip Tests with the clientele.

Greta Fischer works here as the barmaid (seeGreta's Secrets page

80 for more on her background). Should the PCs think to question

her, she eventually confesses to her involvement with the Tilean

Songbird. If asked about Hanna on the night ofber disappearance,

she [ells [he PCs that she thinks she may have seen her arguing with

a young clerk (the Keeper of Permits no lessl) from the Town HaU.

' 'Somt th ing about dancing in Iml ice ll sedpremises, J t hi l1 k . "

WOLFGANG AND LEOPOLD

There are rwc other patrons of the Gunner's Arms who may attract

the attention of the PCs. They are both well-dressed and well-drunk young men, talking loudly in llpper class accents. "More

86




SOIiP a nd a le , s ir l" they demand. /llId b e q uic k a bO l lt it!" These two

are Wolfgang and Leopold, yowl1; nobles on a mission to punish

their livers before their inheritances run out.

Key Information

They know Rudi .

Rudi has disappeared.

Rudi had a load of sausages.

Optional information

• Rudis address (leading to Handour 4: The Stained Letter).

If approached these two are sneering to social inferiors, friendly

toward anyone who seems to be a noble, and utterly smitten with

any pretty female who comes past their [able. They were talking

about their missing friend Rudi. "HiJ de spica bk b utkr w alk ed o ff

w ith a ll t he f oo d in ou r / ()dgi l lgf , "Leopold asserts. Ifthey are asked

about Rudi, or shown the card fw m Frau Oppenheimer (gained

from The Missing Earrings on page 79), Wolfgang says, "H e ha s

probably jtlSt f O lmd h imsel f (J.youIIgjiLLy an d is s ee in g h ow s he t ak es

the j um ps for a w eek or so. "

A successful Routine (+10%) Perception Test reveals [hat they

don't really believe rhis, If the PCs come across' as honest types,

Wolfgang and Leopold ale wllling to trust them. They really

do 0r know what ha s happened (0 Rudi and they want to find

their friend, especially since he owes them months of back rent.

Between them they'll offer the PCs 1 0 gc JUSt to keep an eye open

for Rudi , Leopold also notes, "He came home "W itha loa d o f lov ely

! dus a ges J l ls t before he d isappeared, wh ich was a b it 1 t7 z likeo ld Rudi .

It 'IprobabLy nothing, bu t J thoughf I 'd m e nt io n it just ill COJ~ .Wf

h avm't c le ar ed h is r oom since he left either. n

Ifconvinced by a noble or a pretty woman, or a Hard (-20%)

Chann Test for anyone else, they allow the PCS to come to their

lodgings to search Rudi's room fOI;clues. The search won't cake

long, since Rudi had gambled almost everything of note. The only

thing in his room other than dust and a simple bed is Handout 4 ,

which you should give to the players now.

Wolfgang and Leopold know nothing about Hanna or the young

clerk.

T H E T O W N H A L LThis scene provides the PCs with some information about

Fleischer's rival and clarifies Rudi's involvement in all chis. Any

followers ofRanald or otherwise shady characters have a hard time

at the Town HaU. Criminals are not made to feel welcome here,

Key Information

The Permits Clerk knows nothing about Hanna Or her

disappearance.

Fleischer had an altercation with Emil Stalk at a fundraiser.

A dashing young noble threw our Stark.

Stark and Fleischer ale rivals, and Stark is losing.

T h e Town Hal t is a I nI Xe impo sin g b uil di ng t Ilk in g u p

alm on one whok side o f the &iks Pli tt z. I s colomllldedf ro nt l ea ds 10 a p air o fl nr ge d ou bk d oO r !fo ll lk ed b y two

men in th e liv ery pft he WH tr h. ]tlSt i ns it k t he doo rwdY

lie s a lon g d esk a nd be hind it a haras sed Ioo king fo ll ow i71

t he s ombr e c lo th es o f a s cr ib e. H e is rtading parchments,

signhlg some, l lI1dpass ing o thers to IZ " nail b oy w h( ) is

a lmos t h id de n b eh in d I h~ s ta rk o fp ap er s h e h ol ds .

A s y ou arriv« the 1110'1 l o o k s u p.fr om b eh in d ,b e tklk

a ll d sm ik s 1hi .n Jy .He cough s a ll d soy s. uWekome. citiZnlJ. 1

am the Ke~tr of Perm i ts . I t W 0 1 , u J b e m y p lea srue to assist

you ." H is tone of voice cUrarlyimplies th at h e r ea l" doe sn 't

mean tuh at h e h as just said.

If the PG as k about meeting Hanna at the Gunner's Arm, the

clerk says, '1U)OJillSpectillg thep rem is es , a s thep ropr ie to r s eemed to

lack several vital permits emm#nl to thep ro pe r a dm in is tr ati on o f a

t at /em , i nn , o r b awdy hO I< ! I! .eeing t he r ib al d d on cil lg a nd ti ng in g in

aplace ~vithoura1/. Entertainments Charter WO J tOOmuch to bear , so

I a ttemp te d t o sw p the i L l e g a J activities. AIOJ , th e raucous rrowd easily

drowned 1)1{.( my IO Il I!voice, so Ileft and In ter serl ll !da ll injunaion 0'1

the tavern. A tim ely pa ym en t o f certain monies has s in ce r esol ved thesituation to my satf .sjactioTi."

If the PCs mention they are working for Herr Fleischer. th e clerk

groans and sits down, looking ve.ryunhappy indeed. He dismisses

the small boy, who staggers off down the corridor, barely able to

see above the stack of scrolls he's carrying.

The clerk looks LIp from behind the desk and says, "Herr Fleischer

is indeed a good ma ll , a gl!lll!rOI<! an , and fa bepL'1ftCt/.ybo nes t, a

link-keen, shalLIlli?J O y ? W hat, m ay fask, has h~ sentyo It hue fo r

this time? Is it another ga li l f il1lct io ll to help the homeless c hil dr en ? W e

really do apprecii l .te what be ha s done for the poor; but the /m t ClJt:1It

was a b it u fo . d eb ac le I I) S 4Y t lJ e l ea st ;. .. Lmean; WI! prac tf .ca lly had to

c all fo r t he W l " z .c h tob en h e an d H err S to rk h od tha t a rg llm e7 l~ -.[r caLl ydon't w is h to i ss ue a l ic en se if W! will how s ud ) p robl ems aga i7 l. "



Sing ForY our Supper

'TIle PCs may be a little c on fu sed h ere , 'T Ile Clerk is assum ing m at

m e pcs are m essengers o r em ployees of H err Fleischer o n a no th er

one of [he butcher's g en ero us p ub lic s erv ic e e rra nd s,

If they pu r h im straigh t o r even b lu ff h im , he e laborates on the

r ec e n t c h a ri ta b le functicn o rg an ize d b y H err Fleischer, "Four mOI.I.ths

ago, 11chl lr ity euent wi th dancing lind fine foods WIIJ held in the Mum

Hall for th e r ai si ng o ff il l/ ds t o a id th e c i . t y i pOOT.Everyone who W t 1 S

anyone W I 1 S the", i l l c l m i i Ilg some of the court lIobles, but IlblS, n o « the

C01l1lt1!SS,During .rhi. VIIlJplell£llflt evening; where:t:(fehbeuifitcwr IIlIlS

/ ll Imed and npp lf ll ld edby th~ gums,. one Her r S tt Jr k swodup (It th e e nd

f llld f. (J(Jkthe stage. From there he pY()m:ded to Il1mbmte Herr Fleischer

ebou» h is g re ed and CfIlCity t o s ome u /omnn. S lI lr k then. swore he W(J I I. ld

g e t even wi th F ld ; :ch(T .Formnl1 tt :ry,ol le o f the y a t l n g gen tl er nm wok

e xc ep tio n to S ta rk ! Imwpmm tt: d word s a nd e jfc te d th is b oo rfr om t he

h all- i- ta a mm;h d es er ve d r ou nd ri f app/mlSe, "

Sh ould the PC S ask fo r dera ils on H en Stark , the c lerk co nsu lts

h is f il es , "I t WOII!d appea r rho .tHe rr S ta rk is a 1I1t1$ur but ch er bur

h is t ra de ba I been diminished. A pparm try, his m ain rival for fhe

bater-ahem-cut of the mark s« is Herr F le ischer , Some say F le ischer

h as b ee n mcc ess fid d ll t: to h is b ette r n ame b ein g I l£ so cia ft !dw ith n il

tho u g ood deeds f or the po or and needy, btlt Ih ll lle hMr d it s aid tbat

there were some bribe. involved. N01lSWU, of course!"

Ifask ed abou t the iden tity o f th e w om an from Stark 's d iatribe , the

clerk ca n offer no m ore help , Furtherm ore he doesn 't k now w ho m eY ou ng blo od w ho d ealt w ith Stark is, b ut h e says, "Try a u Gunners

A rm s. T he re a re a l W I 1 J 5 j O lmg nob le s i n t ha tp ln u. " Th is sh ou ld lead

th e PCs to W olfgang and Leopo ld if they have noralready spoken to

them (see Th e Gunner's Arms o n p ag e 86 fo r m ore on th is).

For fu rther qu eries, rhe c lerk recom mends rhat the -PC s ask H err

Stark i n p ers on . The clerk k now s nothing abou t rhe robberies,

A ll the leads shou ld now polnr tow ards Em U Stark . The PCs

m ay have w ild theories abou t w hat is go ing on, bu t on ce th ey

lind Hanna, the [rum shou ld prove even stranger chan ficdon,A f te r a n in co nc lu siv e interview w ith S tark , the stree t u rch ins can

g iv e th e P C S m e vita l in fo rm ation they need . to f in d H a nn a. As me

ad ven tu re is m ov in g to ward s its climax, y ou sh ou ld try to increase

th e p ac e efthese n e xt s ce n es .

STARK'S F I N E M E A T ST he n ote i n Rudl 's hom e m ay lead m e pcs to S ta rk 's p la ce . If this

is th e case, ru n the scene as normal, b ut d ela y m e What StarkD oes N ext even ts unrll the charac ters have v isited the Tow n H all.

Th is scene shou ld fed lik e a d ead en d fo r m e ch arac ters . If they

a cc us e o r th re ate n Stark, try to k eep S tark outraged, b ut n orm als ee m in g, S ho uld they p ush th in gs into p hy sic al v io le nc e, S ta rk b olts

fo r h is p assag e in to (h e sew ers, releasin g th e rn urared R ud i to slo w

m e PC s down as he makes h is escape, M ore d eta ils o f th ese ca n be

found in Stark's Fine M ea,u-Reprise on page 90, Assuming th is is

n or th e c as e, h ow ev er, proceed w ith th is sc en e a s w r itte n,

The JiK !~o nc e r ea d S ta rk ; F in « Men k, bu t the paint is

p ee lin g a nd .th e t imb e r bmMth Tl(JUI sh ow s th ro ug b, J he

diJA_pidAud t w O - s t o r e y bllilding I i 4 s n ex t to a n a ba nd on ed

c ham/ le I'S a n d th e s ilk o f II wan ho ust th at b ac ks onto , the

wharf Jhis is m ost tkfinirely not II nice parr of toJUII . and

th e b ro ken w il leU Jw!pat ch ed up wit h n m g h tim ber o n the

s/'op front Oldy I I I k J to the air of decay alld dilapid4tion.

The poorly lit I ht Jp has a rougl J CUrttli11 I qJ arat in g the

shop proper f rom th~bfltc/'oy. As yo u enser &h , s hop, t he

curtain is dmwn back and a mMSilJto/ fo t SllItnting bald

man a pp ea rs fr om b J! hin d t he c ur ta in . H e g ri ns a t oo th les s

sm ile m id w ipa bloodfrom h is h an ds o nto h is a pro n,

wHelio.nh t: says cheer iry, "p ia J l? r nfur. is it! O r are ]011here for som~thj l1gelse?"

Key Inf ormatio n

• H e adm its a "spa t" with Fleischer,

H e d id know Rudi, bu t c la im s to have apo log ized ,

H e cla im s no t to k now where H anna is.

Stark liesco nv in dn gly ab ou t H an na . "[simply don't know tober« she

couLd be, " he s ta te s unequivocally,

C oncern ing Rudi, he says, '/l h, ye s, I u /a s sr ea te d ra th er r ou gh ly b y a

y O l l n g man of tba: name, if I r ec all c orr ec tly . I was a ng ry a t j i , · s t . bu t

later l.hnd .0 admit that itWlIS my own I l I c k of decorum . th at l ed to

the l?IJe!I ts in ques tion , 1a ve since apolo giad to R1,di ,"

R eg ard in g H e rr F le is ch er , he says, " it's true. w e had a spat. ]hat's all

i n th e p ns.t . r h o l l g h . Now nil [usr try';,,! to ge t 0 1 1 lv ith my lif t. 1sue

110 tim e fo r fo ud s, "

Only one top ic gets under Stark 's sk in : h is w ife . Shou ld there be

any reference m ade to her, S ta rk p ale s v is ib ly a nd a sk s t he PCs to

leave , as he has an urgen t appomrrnenr,

WHAT STARKD o E S NEXTThe PCS m ayo r m ay n or b eliev e Stark 's claims. Whatever rh e case ,

once he be lieves they ar e g on e, h e w rites a th re aten in g le tte r to F le is ch er

(Handou t 3) an d p ays o ne o f H an ke 's lad s [0del iver it fo r him,

If th e pes are w atch ing m e shop they see Stark hand the le tte r to .3

street kid, The urch in then speeds off,

S tark then prepares h is back . up p lan , in case th e PC S re tu rn (th is

in vo lv es h is d og and s om e s pe cia l s au sa ge s; see Something Is

Rotten on page 89),. H e then prepares the ho le in to the sew ers fo r

hi s getaw ay and uses h is amulet of control to sum mon M aria de lla

M irag liano to the sho p, Th is.a ll tak es abou t tw o hours , a f te r w hich

rim e a ny w atc hin g pes s ee th e Tilean Songbird arrive at the shop ,

look ing a l ir de odd ,

STREET URanNS ...AGAIN

H ungry fo r m oney; H anke sees the lette r from Stark asa ch an ce

to make easy c as h. H a vi ng received th e lette r, he and h is gang seek

out th e PC S an d o ffer rh em th e le rre r, H anke can 't read bu r he can

conf irm that Stark d idn 't pay enough to deliver it so they kep t it

and are willing to sell it on.;

Furtherm ore , m e street u rch ins have no ticed tha t S tark has been

secre tly v isitin g a p articu lar h ov el. T his is H an na 's p riso n, b ut th e

lads don 't k now that, They just know he look s very gu ilty w hen

he goes there , Th is k now ledge requ ires a b igger paym ent, as th eseu rch in s are u sed to fleec in g p eo ple. '''Eu mister, ! .s aw whe re tb a: fo r

88



Sin g For Y our Supper

bloke went. I might be able to remember, b 1 l l a s I 'm so h ling ryJ ain 't

tbil lk in'strl1ight. "

Key Information

Handout 3

Location of the hovel where Hanna is kepr,

T H E H o V E LHanna is being kepr in a rundown hovel in the very poorest parr

of town. The boarded up door co the one room shack can be

broken down with an Easy (+20%) Strength Test. Inside (he

room is a pile of rags and old sacks. Hanna lies whimpering on the

aoor under this makeshift blanker. One foot is visible chained ro

an iron spike hammered into the ground. If anyone pulls back the

covers they muse make aWill Power Test or gain an Insanity Point

from witnessing her horrible transformation.

H a 1 l l 1 l 1 1 J 1 t Sb e c o m l ! h ; d 4 0 I lS ! y m u t a u d . H e r b od y J H I S

tUlIlbkd ill s iz e and opm fos te ri ng s om we! !Pv il e fl ui ds .f rom h f!T

rotting bod) Her b lo nd e h air is 1IIa lUd 10 I Jrrhead with pllS

f ind [ "l lJ e t lnd h f! T1# ~ i s c lo~d and c ru st ed 01lf!T with f i l t h .T h r o u g h 1 m - b l n d t m l t t i swollm l i p s s h e m l m l b l n , "Daddy h a s

s e n t )fill, h a s n 't h e ? H t t p m e ! B y S h n U yn 's M m y , I J I! t p m t! '!he

fin mai ls bad S I U / . S O g e shttr~ donI! this to me . nA l t h o l l g h shr is

fold to behold, itseem: thttt II s p a r k ofh f !T humanity r tmdim .

K ey information

Stark's sausages have caused her to mutate.

She was lured here by "magic songs."

Hanna very brieBy talks in a delirious manner, moaning about

"The sausages . .. so greedy.. . "and "Songs ill' m y head .. .1IIagicsongs.. .

couldn': s t o p m y s e l f . . "With that she fainrs dead away, as the

exhaustion of crying costay conscious has been too much for her.

The PCS must now decide what to do with poor Hanna. Simply

putting her OUt of Iter misery is the casks. answer but there is

more [0be gained by taking Iter to one of the temples in town.

Obviously, the temple of Shallya is the best option. If told about

Hanna and her condition, the Shallyans are willing [0come our

ro the shack (they are often on missions in the pooe part of town

anyway). Failing mar, the PCS can LiftHanna if rhey make a

stretcher from the sacks and use a couple of boards &om the door

of the shack. This method may well get the PCs noticed by zealotsor just [he causal bystanders of [he city and from that there may be

all kinds of complications.

Whatever happens, so long as someone can look after Hanna, the

PC~ca n continue [Q hum down Stark. Emphasise the fact rhar the

clock is ticking and they should get after Stark as quickly as possible.

ThePCs have now reached th e finale of he adventure. They

must stop Stark sending h is infected sausagesabout town, and

[hey must capture him, too. Th e foul fate ofRudi is discovered, the

Tllean Songbird iscaptured, and Stark gets h is JUStrewards ,

SOMETHING Is ROTTENThe PCs should know that Emil Stark is behind the disappearance

of Hanna. By the time the trail leads back to Stark's Fine Meats,

it should be nighttime. Before you run rhis scene, be sure the PCs

know chat Stark's sausages are hideously infected, and carry the

chance of causing other folk to suffer Hanna's fare. The Story picks

up outside Starks Fine Meats.

As J"U look about olllskk his buil4mg, you lIote Stark~

siihmwtu in the upnaUs window. A ' Il li ci t look about s h o w s

thllt nobody is in th e s Im p doUIIIJIltirs an d thl!street is nnpty.

The pes can cry to break in quierJy or noisily. They can get

through the front door with a successful Pick Locks Test or a

Routine (+10%) Strength Test.

Since the pes visited him last, Stark's paranoia has gor the better

of him. He has pur his dog in the shop and placed a collar

round its neck with a small bell attached. When he hears the bell

ciJlging, Stark pulls the ming in his room that leads through the

Boorboards to a dozen links of his "special!")'sausages." The string

releases the sausage links, which ('Ill to the counrestop. The dog,

of course, seeks to snatch up the tasty treats. Unless they want

another Hanna-sized monstrosity on their hands, the PCS must get

the sausages away from the dog before the rainred meat isingested.

As ytJ1l p e l t , . h J 1 Q t h e g l o o m of t h e shop , you l Io ti ce II

tuTitching chaln ofSllllSllges drop . from thl' ce il ing toWtlrds

f I J I ! COUllkrtQp. A ll of a s-t« Identl lvhite d o g d o rIS o ut o f t he



Sing For You r Supp er

darkness , mArcbes up t h~ s qu in ni ng li nk s. a nd b oun ds o ff rh ~

cQlUlt~rlopalld out a small w indow iT It J J ~ s id e o f the buildillg.

A bell on I/;e d o g ' s colw mar ks i ts joumey alo1lg tbe cobbles.

The PCS now have th e option of giving Stark all of their attentions

or chasing the dog. The side window is too small for even a

Halfl ing to fit through, so the PCS must run around the side of

the building to begin chasing the dog. Should the hungry poor or

the dog eat the tainted sausages, it would be. a very bad thing. If

the characters don't figure: this out 011 thelr own, have them make

Intelligence Tests ro remember mar me sausage causes rnurarion.

Should the PCs nor follow the dog. skip straight through [Q

St:u:k's Fine Meats-Reprise, below.

CHASING TROUBLE

The dog funs towards a main street, where it dans and weaves

amongst the nighttime crowds and revellers, trying to lind

somewhere to eat its prize. Catching the dog requires not just

speed, but reflexes. TIle chase is resolved as an Extended Routine(+10%) AgiUtyTest. Each pursuer can test once per round and

must gain a total of 6 degrees of success to catch the dog. These

can be accumulated from round to round (a PC might achieve L

degree of success the first round, 3 the second, and 2 the third, for

example, which would be enough to catch the d og ). T he P Cs may

be able to catch the job in less than a minute, but this is valuable

time lost. If after 12 rounds the PCs still haven', caught up, rh e

dog dives under a handcart on a street corner a n d g row ls at anyone

who comes dose. The sausages ca n be pulled from the dog's mouth

with a successful Weapon Skill Test or the dog can be made to

surrender them voluntar i ly with a successful Charm Animal Test.

A PC with Charm Animal can also convince the dog to find

Stark with a successful test. The dog leads them to the barge on

the wharf in this case. Otherwise, it simply follows them back to

Stark's fine Meats.

STARK'S F I N E MEATS-REpRISE

The shop is now open and [he light that was on upstairs has been

extinguished, Picking their way through to the back room, the

pes are confronted with a horrirying sight. On rhe floor is a Ur

lantern, providing the llghr as Stark eases his bulk through a rough

hole in the rubble strewn Boor. Between the PCs and STark is a

flapping berenracled monsrrosiry-c-this is poor Rudi, whose mind

has been twisted by the horrors of his mutating body. Stark holds

high aboveh is

head a small medallion that glows with a faint green

light. ' 'Rud i, a tt a ck ! " he says. "DeSlr!)Y them!" And with that, the

corpulent butcher drops out of sight. The PCs now have a real

fight on their hands. Rudi is a slow but fearsome opponent. All the

PCs must make a Fear Test, as Rudi is Frighten ing,

When Rudi dies, his tentacle arms thrash about and smash the

lantern. spllling burning oil over the wall of the timber shop.

Within moments th e shop is ablaze. With Rudi dead and the shop

ablaze all around them, there: is only one thing co do--foLlow Stark

into the sewers.

BENEATH THE CITY

The hole Stark made in the Boo r of his shop is roughly 1 yard indiameter and coated with a foul looking slime. It leads directly

90




down onto a spo il heap , w hich b lock s the m idd le o f a low sew er. A

m anic laugh can be heard off in the darkness a long w ith the sound

o f sp la sh in g fe et.

T he se we rs a re a lmost c om pletely d ark , so u nle ss th e P Cs all h av e

N i.g ht V is io n, th ey n ee d a lig hr so urce o f so me k in d, Sin ce th ere are

p le nty o f b urn in g tim be rs n ea rb y, a cru de to rc h is e as ily ac qu ire d,

T he se we r is a p ip e so me 2 yards (l square) in d iam eter and i t runs

s tr ai gh t w i th a g en tle g ra die nt d ow nh ill. E very 4 yards or so a sm all

sid e p ip e lead s u pw ard s b ack ttl th e city a bo ve. A fte r s om e 20 yard s a

s im i la r s e ct io n from th e rig ht jo in s th e sew er an d fro m th is d irec tio n

the sam e m aniaca l laugh can be heard . Stark has led the PC S in to a

trap, as he is stand ing near an exit point into th e riv er an d w ith him

is hi s faithful cu ltist, W illi (w hom the PC s m ay rem em ber as one of

th e street th ug s to m ug H err Fle ischer) . W LU i has b een w aitin g here

w ith h is c ro ssb ow s in ce S tark w arn ed him o f th e P C S' v is it e arl ie r.

The m om ent S tark passes b y, W il li r ai se s hi s w eapon and tak es

a im in to the darkness. H e has 5 bo lts altoge therand fires the firs t

w hen the PCS em erge from m e fork in the sewer; If th e P Cs d on 't

h av e th e p resen ce o f m in d to e xt in g ui sh t he ir L i g h t source , Willi

g ain s a + 10% bonus to hi s B S w hen shoo ting at a to rchbearer. The

d is tance from W illi to the fork is 30 yards (15 s qu ar es ). D u e to th eslip pery f oo tin g a nd th e c ra mp ed nature o f th e se wer it is im po ssib le

to ru n h ere . Furrherrnore, e v er yo n e's M o v em e nt C h ar ac te ri st ic is

te mp ora rily re du ce d b y 1a nd c ha ra cters th at attem pt a c ha rg e arrack

mus t fim pass a Chal lenging (-10%) A gilityT est o r faU down .

Once W ilU has f ired a ll bu t h is last bo lt, he retrea ts th rough the

broken sew er gra te and in to the shallow w ater o f the river, If th e

PC s m anage to rush h im , he im mediately fires once and retreats to

th e riv er.

THE BARGE

S ark by now has m anaged to get aboard a barge tha t is moor ed

to the w harf, and is in the process o f un ty ing the vessel from its

m o orin g. W ill i, jf h e s urv iv es, is h id den in the shadows by [h e

w ater's edge , po indng h is last bo lt a t the. en trance to the sew er.

M a ri a d e ll a M i ra g li an o is tie d to th e b arg e's mast an d sh ro ud ed u nd er

a b lan ke t. S he is Stark's secret w eapon , W hen the PC s arrive, Stark

te ars th e b lan ke t o ff h er a nd cries , " Ma ria , y ou w itch , u se yo ur ioice--«

stop them!" Maria turns h er te ar sta in ed fa ce to wa rd S tark a nd croaks,

"No , I /o !" S he s hrie ks h orrib ly a s S ta rk raises h is am ule t h igher and it

g low s w i th an u ne arth ly g re en li gh t. M a ria 's e ye s g lo w a s im ila r s ha de ,

h er f ac e contorts, an d th en sh e b eg in s to sin g. H er v oice is lik e th e

song of angels and every PC m ust m ake a Challeng ing (-1 0% ) W ill

Powe r T es t o r s ta nd transfixed b y h er so ng , u nab le co d o an yth in g

ex cep t d ro ol. If th e P CS char fajJ chis te st h av e a ny F ortu ne P ain ts lef t

to da y, th is is a g oo d s po t to sp en d th em .

S tark and W illi now attem pt to d eal w ith an y ch arac ters th at

re sis te d M a ria 's s on g. T ho se transfixed remain so until Maria

stops sing ing or Stark lets go of the am ulet. If th e P C S can gecth e amulet aw ay from Stark , M aria tak es no further parr in the

co mb at. Sh e w as co mp elled to begin with, and now only w ishes to

se e S ta rk g et h is c om eu pp an ce.

H op efu lly , m e P c s pu t an end to Stark's m adness fo r a ll tim e. rf

they search h is body , they find 20 gc and a lerrer (Handout 5). It'd

be best fo r all concerned if the am ule t fell in ro the river during the

fighc, If it d idn 't, sm arr P Cs w ill ge t rid of it qu ick ly , as lcsa thing

o f C h ao s.

=~=

SOwith the enem y vanquished and the heroes innocent o f a rs on

(ar leasr as fa r as rhe C ir y W a tc h is concerned), the P CS m ay

w ell co nsid er th at a ce leb ra tio n is in o rd er. G eo rg Fle isch er is true

[0h is w ord and pays a fu rther 25 gc (plus lip to )0 gc in expenses)

to each p layer fo r the "sav ing" of h is d a ug h re r an d th ey each get a

further pound of prim e Nulner Wu rs t s au sa ge s for their t rouble

a lthough som e of the PC s m ay decide they have seen enough in

the w ay of sausages fo r a very long rim e . ..

That need no t be the end of Sing Fo r Your S'Jpper, h ow ev er, a s

{here are s ev era l p lo t th re ad s that can be used as the basis fo r

fur ther adventure, What of rile fo llow ers o f u rgle, fo r exam ple?

Th e PCs m ay have found a lette r on Stark 's body from his a lly in

fu r off Alrdorf W hat w ill they do abou t th is? The PCS also know

t ha t S ta rk 's tainted sausages were so ld in A lbrechre's shop on at

least th ree o ccasio ns. D id th e in gestio n o f th ese sau sag es h av e

an y effec t or w ere th eir n um bers tOO sm all? M ig ht o th er M utan ts

plague Nuln b ec au se o f S ta rk 's m a ch in a ti on s ?

Wha t will the PCs do about M aria della M iragH ano? The PC s m ay

h av e d isco vered th at sh e's a crim in al b ur h er ro le in Stark 's sch em e

w as done under the com pulsion of m agic . A ssum ing they never

mentioned h er je we lle ry th eft'S to th e W atc h C ap tain , g rac io us

PC s m ay decide to let her go-a lady w ith such grace , charm an d

an im pressive pair o f lungs can alw ays make a go ld crow n or tw o.

If th ey do le t her go then the parry will have m ade an ally fo r life

and guaran teed best sea ts in the house nex t tim e they are at the

O pera . M ore zealo us P C S m ay rea lize rhar she 's a M utan t and thus

touched by C haos, desp ite her good look s. Such charac ters m ayp re fe r a fie rie r f in ale fo r M aria d ella M irag lia no .

Then there is Stark 's dog . Any PC thar b ef rie nd ed th e a nim al

d urin g the ad ven tu re 's c lim ax h as a new best friend . The dog is

w aiting ou tside the PC 's inn , It runs up to the character and yaps

excited ly . C erta in ly am ong an im als , it w ou ld seem that loyalty is

e as il y b o ug h t!

lJ1C PCs m ay also wonder what al l the com motion abou t Bonlfaz

the m issing puppy w as abou t? Boni faz is th e code nam e for a

spy w ork ing fo r a Breronnlan nob lem an. Who know s w hat the

m es sa ge w as all a bo ut?

L a st ly , t h er e is rhe question of H anna's fate . In a f airy ta le , H a nn a

w ould beat her transfo rm ation , reun ite w ith her fa ther, m arry

H an s, an d liv e h ap pily ev er af te r. Bur [his is n o fa iry t ale. H an na

spends m any m onths a t the Tem ple of hallya b u t N u rg le 's

infection is too deep-roo ted to reverse. W ith sad hearts , thepriestesses o f the tem ple tum H anna over the C hurch of Sigm ar

an d Hanna is n ev er seen ag ain ...

EXPERIENCE POINT AWARDSS in g F or Yallr Sllpp~ris a deta iled adven tu re w ith m any po in ts o f

in fo rm atio n a nd e nco un te rs . It is thus best to use the A bsrracr

M ethod of E xperience P oin ts (see WFRP, page 211), awarding

each PC 100 xp for each 4 hours of p lay tim e, w ith a maximum of

300 xp . You can also g ive our 20-50 xp for good ro lep lay ing and

inventive tactics.




This section contains background and roleplaying information

_. on the significam characters of the adventure. Game stars

have been provided fOI Emil Stark, Rudi, Maria della Miragliano,

Willi, and Kurr , since the PCS are likely to encounter them in

combat situations. The rest of the NPCs are only likely to talk

to the PCS, so stars fo r them shouldn't be necessary. Sbould

your players do something wacky (say, acrempt to rob Otto's

GlaSS\-vorks),you should be able to find appropriate stars in

Chapter II of the WFRP core rulebook , - - -

D.IETER

Role: Drayman

In.Brief: Greta's lover, cheating on his wife.

Typical Quote: "Grem iobo?"

Description: Dieter is a well-built man in his early fordes.

He delivers barrels of al e from the local brewery to several of

the inns, taverns, and restaurants in the dry ..This gives him

unprecedented access to [he scandals and secrets of the citizens.

Recently, he has started an affajr with Greta Fischer, who works

for several of th e inns in town as a cleaner. Dieter has not been

too careful in keeping rhis under wraps and he now fears that his

wife may have found Out, but so fur she has said nothing.

G RETA FISCH ER

Role: Guile-ridden Accomplice.

In Brief: Kitchen maid, Dieter's lover, minor criminal.

Typical Quote: "My b us ba lld may be deod, bllt lin n ot. "

Descriptions Greta Fischer is a pretty widow in her earlyth irties.

Her husband died six years ago during a riot over firewood tax

in the city square. Since then Greta has had an unhappy lovelife, moving in with one bad sort after another. Recently, she

starred an affair with a draymen who delivers barrels to several

of the inns where Greta works. Dieter is married but this hasn't

stopped the two of rhern continuing their illkit a.ffait.Greta is

now paranoid that Dieter's wife will find out about the affair and

force Dieter to PUt an end to ir , Since the age of seven Greta has

been affiicted with deafness. She was lucky enough to survive we

grey ague when it swept through her nome village, but it took

her hearing. fu; she can speak well enough, many people don't

realise that she can't hear, although in conversation she does tend

to stare pointedly at the face of the speaker while she lip-reads.

Only this has made her immune to Maria's song, and she has

turned this to her financial advantage.

G EORG FLEISC HER

Role: Patron and Victim.

In Brief: 48 years old, burcherandrrader, nouveau riche,

b lac km ail v ic ti 11 1 of Em iJ Stark, father of Hanna Fleischer.

Typical Quote: "The wild boar and peppeT is exquisite, Madam,

a nd 'w o uld go w ell w ith fh is UtlSQII's vegetables. "

Descriptioru Georg doesn't realize JUSt how much Emil Stark

hates him and JUSt how far his revenge will go. Georg's wife and

Hanna's mother died almost a decade ago and Georg has had to

raise Hanna on his own since then. Since his business dealings

take up most of his time, he and Hanna have grown apart over

the years to such an extent that he no longer really knows his

own daughter.

H .ANNA FLE ISCHER

Role: Daughter and Kidnap Victim.

In Brief: Spoiled 17-year-cld, daughter of Georg Fleischer,

girlfriend ofHans.Typical Quote, "Help me, help me. Urgi ll . . . "

Description: Hanna is Georg Fleischer's daughter and the apple

of hiseye. She's recently been seen in th e company of Hans

Oldenlitz, bur now she's been missing for three days. She is

currently a prisoner of Emi l Stark and is bound an d gagged in a

hovel. She's also become terribly mutated after being fed Stark's

special sausages.

MARGU ERITE GA RTEN

Role: Neighbourhood Busybody.

In Brief: 79-yeac-old crone, snoop.

Typical Quote: " Lju s« h ap pen ed to b e f oo killg o ut. m y w in do w a tm idn igh t w hen l saw tbe s trangest th ing . "

Description: Marguerite Garten is the local curtain twitcher,

What she knows is sought after by spies and rumourmongers,

and what she doesn't know isn't worth knowing ..She lives in a

room above the shop once kept by her long-dead sister, right

next to Otto Uhl's, Her bedroom window looks direcrlyover the

alley behind we Fleischer home, and she has seen and heard the

Singer on several occasions. Previously she ha s noticed Hanna

and Hans together and she is aware [hat Hanna must now have a

new suitor, one with we voice of an angel.

RUOIHoLST

Roles Mutant Henchman.

In Btief: Young noble, gambler, and carouser turned creature of

Chaos.

Typical Quare; «As yo« c omman d; ma ste r. "

Description: Rudi was once a gadabout noble playing his part

amongst the city's young elite. He wasa regular caller 011 Frau

Oppenheimer, often looking inon his "relative from Sylvania."

Although their blood lies were tenuous at best, Rudi flattered

the old dame and won her affection. She bought him more than

a few dinners out an d turned a blind eye when he "borrowed" a

few trinkets to fund his gambling addiction.

On the night of the charity hmdraiser, Rud! "escorted" Herr

Stark out of we Town HaL!and threw him into we gutter. Starkfollowed Rndi home that night and the fo!lowing day he had a

packet of his special sausages delivered to Rudis lodgings with

a nore (Handout 4) . Rudi read the note after'll drunken night

gambling and woke his valet to make him cook some of [he

sausages for a late supper. This was the final straw for his man,

who left the next day, stating that he could 110 longer work for

a gentleman who was perpetually drunk and gambled away his

family's fortune.

Within days Rudi began to transform. First he outgrew his

clothes, as his weight vastly increased. Then he developed sores

all over his body. When he couldn't take it anymore, he fled

his home under the cover of darkness, afraid of what he was

becoming. Emil Stark watched him leave and he invoked theamulet that Father Nurgle had gifted him. Rudl came under

92



Stark's control and now resides in tile back of his butcher's yard,

rotting and mutaeing into something that makes a mockery of

the human form.

Rudi HOlst

Career: Noble

Race: Muranr

SkWs: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire)

+10%. Consume Alcohol, Gamble, Gossip, Read/Write,

Ride, Speak Language (Reikspiel) +10%

Talents: Etiquette, Hardy, Public Speaking, Specialist Weapon

Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying),Very Resilient

Special Rules. Chaos Mu tat ion s; Grossly Fat, Short Legs,

Tentacle-like Arms

C lo ud o f F lie s: Rudiis surrounded by a buzzing cloud of

Hies that feed oil hi s open sores. Melee opponents suffer a

-10% WS penalty.

NUTglls Resilience: Rudi's new form grams him a + I 0%

bonus to his Toughness.

Armour: None

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs °Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword)

CARLA L INDTR oles B est Friend.

In Brief: IS-yev-old party girl with a penchant for military men.

TypicaJ Quote: "Lets "aile one more drink before we go rhe

cabaret!"

Descrtprlon. Carla Lindt is me pretty daughter of a well-to-

do merchant family. The gi.d is a rear away and a bit of a lush.

She is roo much for her mother to handle and gives the distinct

impression mat she is a good time girl impressed only by rich

handsome men. Her father is away in [he country looking into

some business affairs.

M A R I A DELLA Mm..AGLIANO

Role: Siren.

InBrief: "Tilean Songbird", jewellery thief, unwilling servant of

Emil Stark.

TypicaJ Quote: "Gmsie, gra zi e. ~

Descriptions Maria della Miragliano is a famed opera soprano

in her home nation ofTilea, but she is less well known in the

Empire. Due to a recent incident i.ovolving a series of robberies

of rich opera lovers, she has fled to the southern parts of the

Empire and is carrying on as only ahigh-class kleptomaniac

can. She is in her early foctles but looks younger. She was born

a Mutant, although to look at her you would never know. She

cannot really speak normally due [0her mutation-she simply

manages to get two or three words OUrbefore squawking like abird. She was born with the larynx of a harpy and thus when she

sings she can enthral an. entire audience and leave them dazed

(ideal, considering how she finances her rich clothes and gourmer

dinners). Although certainly nor evil, Maria has been a little

overzea lous in her quest for money and jewellery. She is crying to

fighr her restless lingers but so far has been unsuccessfu l ,

Stark has placed Maria under his control several times in the

past. Recently; he has compelled her to sing to Hanna at night

to encourage the taint of Chaos from the infected sausages to

work on her faster. Maria was compelled to stand in me alley

behind me Fleischer residence and sing to Hanna ..Once Hanna

bad started to change, the magic of the song lured Hanna into

Stark's clutches. Maria was fuJly conscious of what was gOiJ1g

on. bur due ro the amulet she was unable to stop Stark. Stark

then promised Maria that she was free to go once he had Hanna

safe and sound. The singer is a woman who is driven by her

kleptomania an d now, due to Stark's amulet of control, her

hatred of the butcher as well.

Mar ia dell a Mirag li ano

Career: Entertainer

Race: Mutant

Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire, Tilea)Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Gossip, Lip Reading -1-20%,

93




Perception, P er fo rm e r ( Si ng er ) + 10%, Sle ig h. o f H an d,

S pe ak L an gu ag e ( Re ik sp ie l, Tilean), Swim

Talents: Lighting Reflexes, P u bl ic S p ea ki ng , Savvy, Suave

Special. Rules: S ire n SOJ lg ; W h.en she w ishes, M aria can sing

a n e ncha n ti n g song. Those who hear it must make a

Challenging (-10%) WiU Power Test o r s ta nd tra ns fix ed

b y h er so ng, un able [Q do anything. F urth erm o re , v ic tim s

d on 't re me mb er anything bu t m e haunting beau ty of

M aria's so ng .. This effec t las ts as lon g as M aria sing s,

A rm our: N one

Armont Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0 , 'LegJI °Weapons; None

M-\TTERSPITTLEGLEE

Roler " Spec ia l I n gr ed i en t. "

In B rief: D aem on ofNugl.e , nor bad rasrlng w ith the righ t

seasoning.

T yp ic al Q uo te: "Pus Jim,. bac k int o it, yOIl fo t r . 1 a J ! /ill notgoing to

grind myselfU

Description : M atte rSp itdeG lee is a fou llicde D aem on and

depraved servan t o f "Papa N urgle ." H e alw ays enjoys his v isitsto the world of m en and do ing the b idd ing of h is m aster.

MatterSpittleGlee is proud that little b its of h im brough t abou t

such beautiful change in Hanna an d Rudi, H e loves to raunt

poor Emil Stark and alw ays m akes sure to sing his heart our as he

g oe s in to th e g rin der. IF any th ing should happen to the burcher,

M arterSp itt!eG lee w ill be sad to lo se suchan e xc el le n t h o st .

H A N s OLDENIJTZ

Role : Suitor,

In Brtef H annis secret boyfdend , hard w orker, 18 y ea rs o ld .

T yp ic al Q uo te: " Ytth , I h ea rd s he h as g on e. I d on 't k now 1 IJ 1,a tto

d o ... Y cmk nlJ 1v , [ am .th in kin g o f a s kin g h er f ot he r ... th e b ig

q uestio n ... w hen I have my o um s ho p n ex t y ea p."

Descriptlom H ans is an appren tice of Or to U h l, a g la ss blo w er

whose shop is tW'D d oors do wn fro m Fleisch er's larg est sh op . H an s

and H anna have been see ing each o ther secre tly fo r th ree m onths

n ow . H an s isabsolutely sm itten w ith H anna and w ill happ ily help

the PC S to the ex ten t o f ge ttIng in the w ay and constan tly quizzing

th em o f th eir p ro gre ss.

FRAU OPPENHE IMER

Role: C rearu re o f the N igh t?

In B rief: N oble from Sylvan ia , lost her earrings, f riend of Rudi,

T yp ic al Q uo te : " Th« Empire ha s changed so m uch since / u/as a

youllg lady. "Description : Frau Oppenheim er is a fix tu re on the Nuln social

scene, and has been as long as anyone can rem em ber. H er fam ily

is from Sylvan ia, w hich has led to m any dark rum ours about her.

A lth oug h h er fi.ne .ry is ag ed an d fad in g, she re tain s a reg al bearing .

E M I L STARK

Ro le : V i ll ai n.

In B rief: K idnapper o f H an na, riva l o f H err Fleischer, cu lrist o f

Nurgle .

Typica l Quote. "Halle another sill /sage, my dear. You' ll l/ ever g !less

thl! secret i!igffdi ent . .. "

Description : Em il Stark has had a run of bad luck and he know s

e xa ct ly w h o 's to b lam e: G eorg Fle ischer. A r 45 years o f age , Stark

has decades in the bu tcher's trade under his belr , bur h is once

th riv in g sto re is n early b an kru pt th an ks to Fleisch er's "d irty tricks ."

Stark also b l am es his rival fo r h is w if e's d ea th tw o y ea rs a go .

The w ay Em il sees it, if Fleischer had been L e s s greedy w ith the

contracts to the G unnery Schoo l, m aybe h is w ife would have go t

the expensive m edical trea tm en t she needed . Once she w as dead ,

al l Emi l cou ld do w as po ison the docto r w ho failed (Q s av e h er L if e.

N o one ever m ade the connection [Q th e d octo r's su dd en death

and h is lasr m eal o f Stark Sausages. K illing the docto r cou ldn 't

hring his beloved w ife back , bu t it at least m ad e S ta rk fee l b etter.

His c lev er u se o f c alm ed food f or m u rd er ou s p urp os es brcughrStark

co the a tten tio n o f th e Lord o f D e ca y. F ath er Nurgle m arked h im OU t

as a m an w ho cou ld prom ote his fi.lthy w o rk in rh e c it y. T h re e m o n th s

ag o Emil had a strange dream . H e saw hi s w ife an d sh e appeared

h ap py an d w ell, apar r fro rn a pustule on her neck. S he e xp la in ed th at

sh e wa s in a fa r better p lace an d th e Good Pathl:Tw as lo ok in g a fT er her.

Miraculously, she w as pregnan t, and she claim ed the ch ild w ould be

in the house w hen he w oke up . .The pustu le on her neck then erup ted ,

g tv in g r is e [Q a to rren t o f g ib be rin g an d screa min g tin y f ig ure s th at

d an ce d g le ef ul ly andrushed towards Stark . ..

H e awoke in a co ld sweat in the early hours of the m orning , andhe noticed charon the end of the bed there w as som eth ing thai

s no re d c on te nt ed ly to itself. Emil f um b l· ed . f or t he t in d er bo x

and lit the cand le beside rhe bed . On the end of the bed sa t a

grossly f a r, ra t- s ized , m ottle d g ree n ball o f e vil w ith a strange

am ulet a ro un d ir s neck . It was a Nurgl ing, a m in or D aem on

in the serv ice of the Chaos G od of D ecay and Pestilence . H e

prodded the fa t litde creatu re and its g lo win g red eyes o pen ed

slo wly . T he N urg Iin g s lee pily sa id , "G-rind me lip dnd f led m e to

th em , fo th er. "At th. ls pcinr Emil Stark's mind snapped and he feU

w rith ing to the floor in an a popl ec ti c . fi r. Once he h ad r ec ov er ed ,

h e fo un d he had som ehow gone ou t to h is b utch ery b elo w hi s

ho use an d was p aJ[ w ay th rollg h m in cin g the l it tl e b e in g . It

tw isted in the grjnder, s ing ing a happy chan t and g igg ling all thetime as it was m in ced in to raw meat .

A sa ll ow faced Ernli knew what he needed to do. H e p laced the

Nurg ling meat in to a bag , w en t to the bu tchery of h is m ost hated

riva l, and broke in . Then he added the N urg ling rnear to the

sausage rnlx , threw jn a few handfu ls o f herbs to d isgu ise the tasre ,

and m ade the tain ted m ix in toa chain of sausages. M er hanging

the SlIusages on" a hook in the co ld sto re , he tid ied up and left fo r

ho me .. O n tw o o th er o ccasio ns, Willi helped him w ith the break-

in s an d placin g th e tain ted sau sag es. Fath er N urg le h as con tin ued

to bless h im w ith new "sons" as Stark enacts h is fou l p lot.

Em il Sta rk

Ca re er ; A r ti sa n ( ex -T ra de sm a n)

Race: H um an

Sk:illi: A nim al C are, C om mon K now ledge (the Em pire), D rive,

E valu ate, G ossip . H ag gle , P erce ptio n, R ead /W rite, S ec re tL an gu ag e (G uild T on gu e), S pea k L an gu ag e (R eik sp ie l),

94



b

Sing For Y our Supper

T ra de (B u rc he r + 10% ,. Me r ch a n t)

T alen ts: D ealm ak er, S av vy , Very Resilient

Armour: L igh t A rm ou r (Leath er Jack )

Armour Points: Head 0, Arms I, Body 1, Legs °W eapons: H and W eapon (C leaver)

Tnppingl i · : NI l' lI !: 's A rmdet o f Cont ro l: Th is coin -sized am ule t is

th e sh ap e o f th e fly-ru ne ofNurgle and hangs from a filthy

string . Only those w ho have sw orn to serve the Lord of

D ecay can use . Such fo llow ers o f the P ly Lord can m enta lly

dom inate Chaos creatu res and M utan ts fo r short p erio ds o f

rim e. Stark u ses th e amulerro con tro l Rudi and Maria,

OrrOUHL

Ro le : N e ig h bo u r.

In Brief Hard w ork ing tradesm an, em ployer of Hans, Kar l , and

Uwe .

Typical Quote : ' 'Someday SOOIl, HaIlS will wk e otar and [ ca n

retire . "

Descrip tion. H err Uhl is the owner o f Otto'S G lassw orks, H e is

well k now n an d lik ed a.m o!1 W;t rh e com munity . H e know s that

H ans has a girlf riend bu t doesn't k now who it is. Otto is p lann ingo n r et ir in g in a y ear or so an d p lan s to sell th e shop to Hans . He

a ls o em pl oy s tWO a pp re n ti ce s, Karl and U we. These 12-year-olds

are troub lesom e and bo isterous and w ould ra ther be p laying

o utsid e th an w ork in g rhe l if e o f apprentice glassblowers .

WILLI AND .KURT

R ole , F oo tp ad s

In B rief : Local thugs; W illi is a lso a Ch ao s c ul ti st .

Typical Quote : "I b l e~d jn ' i oe ll " [thump] " t ol d yo II" t hump] 'iI/hat's

yOlltS is miner [ thump]

D escrlp tions W illi and K urt are typ ica l young thugs. They prey

011 the w eak and run aw ay from anyone w ho puts up too m uch of

a figh t. If you use m e in itia l m u gg in g e nc ou nte r (The Flshermane

Rest on page 8 1 ), it is im portan t tha t W illi ge ts away.as he is a

cu lrlsr o fN urg le an d is a fo llower o f Em U Stark . K \lH is J U S t a

normal . opporrunlsr ne'er-do-well, an d o ccasio nally w ork s w ith

W illi. K urt doesn 't k now that W illi is a cu ltist.

Willi and K un

Careers Thug

R ace: H um an

Sk ilh ;: C om mon K now ledge (the Em pire), C onsum e A lcohol,

D od ge B lo w, G am ble, G ossip , In tim idate, Secre t Language

(Th i ev e s' T ongue ), Speak Language (Relksplel)

T alents : A cu te H earing , D isarm , Lighming Reflexes, Quick Draw,

Resistance to P o is on , S tr ik e to Stun, WresilingArmou. . r : Lighr A rm ou r (L ea th er Jack)

Arm our Po ints : H ead 0, Arms 1, Body I, LeW; 0

W eap on s: H and W eap on (C ud gel), K nu ck le-d usters

T rapp ings: H ooded C loak

WOLFGANG AND LEOPOLD

Ro le .: Y oungb lood s

In B rie f. Rak ish yo un g n obles, f rien ds o fR ud i.

Typical Quote : "Wha. f It boor. L~tsl en u e t hi s p ig pm fit once. n

D escrip tion : W olfgang and Leopo ld are bo th lesser nobles

resid in g in th e city. They are inv etera te g am blers an d layabouts,

Rudi w as the th ird of their lin le g roup and a som ew hat stabllis lng

in fluence. Since he has gone m issing, tak ing h is bu tler w ith him ,

they are unsure w here their lives are going,

a

:0onifaz !Ja;; gene mi;;6ing,

'Pfea6e bell' find my5iddy Great Aunt's

tiny pedigree puppy.

5!Je doesn't kncre .!Je';;mi6;;ing yet.'Please nell',Jnformatien to: Arne Zimmerman c/o

e!Je Green :SoUle :1 l1n, naupt&tro66e.

O n e p air Q f earn'I IBs i l ll l ie vicini ty o tc r re J J L o u i s ' IJ{j!staUt'Il l/ t.

'R1:!W}I .'R!J)orpert:illclIt injorm(ltioll. O r return rfltcms.

COl /t a c t ' 'F r a u 0 ppu l lf idme : r, !No rt fs t ra s se

?rtISSINq

LAloNrllYS Ylf11drel fir Jl week.if'gflt ",ark. Jlrthe }PiSI fj'#le.

gaO:7J Y ' . v r y. gOO"D .czs: gOOYJ P-:OO'D.S e l f c;,fl4in }~e=lleTJJ! iflM }~rdl_

Ha ndou ts ra, rb, rc and rd

dl lk ischefsFamous PUrIm,

7 7 J e S u r I s u g e o { dJoicefor the O/ficm a D d Mea of th e

ImpmaJ S c b o o 1 of GUIJDel}'

HBLPWANTBDS e v e r a l intelligent aa d resomcefa.I i ndiv idua ls r equ i red fu r

l matter of some . d e l . i e a c y . .

Excdleot tate:! o.fPlY. Apply in pe~.11 to Heq P l e i s c h e r . ;1 82 Linb Palk . No dlIltrs.after 1 1 O O n . No tim e ~

95



Handou t 2

qeorg 'Fleischer

J \1 a 1 . t e r 'B u tc h e r ~ 1 { a re [uti a S p e c ia l t y

Handou t 4

' : ; . S T A R K 'S FIN E .M EATS'

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warhammer frp - 2nd edition - plundered vaults

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