There are no such things as skaven, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
!
- A typical Ashendorfer children’s rhyme
There are no Such Things as Skaven...
is a short adventure best suited for characters in their first or second careers, but
it can be easily modified to suit any group. The structure of the scenario is loose, directed more by character actions
than by events. The adventure is set in a small town near Nuln, but with minor modifications any Imperial town could
be used.
This adventure best lends itself as the PCs’ first real encounter with the mythical Ratmen known as Skaven. But it works
just as well with a party that already knows the Skaven are more than just a subspecies of Beastmen or bedtime stories
told to children. The mood of this adventure is one of hidden threat and mounting tension.
Ashendorf is a small Imperial town with a tragic history.
Some hundred and fifty years ago all the town’s wells were
suddenly contaminated with the plague. Death and suffering
tormented the townspeople as the plague quickly spread
within the small community. And the unavailability of
drinkable water made things even worse. Unbeknownst
to the people, the plague was planted in the wells by the
Skaven. When all seemed lost the Ratmen secretly
approached some of the town’s most influential men and
forced them to make a devil’s bargain with them.
town and the tragic events of its past were eventually
reduced to little more than a popular myth. This myth is
still remembered today, and every year the residents hold
a special festival called the Marionetten Fest to exorcise
the evils of their past.
As the town survived so did the coven of men who had
struck the ghastly deal with the Ratmen. And this liaison
with the Skaven has been sustained through the decades.
As time passed, sons replaced their fathers and a harmless
secret society of rich men transformed into a cult
worshipping the Horned Rat, the Dark God of the Skaven.
They named themselves Ordo Triangulus, after the
triangular symbol of their deity. Whereas the unholy pact
with the Skaven was initially made out of desperation and
necessity, the Ordo of today pays homage to the Horned
Rat and serves the vile Skaven. The current head of Ordo
Triangulus is Konrad Rottmeier. He is an ambitious local
merchant who plans to take the cult to the next level.
Within a few days the water in the wells was clear and
drinkable again, and no more people were getting sick.
But, the morning after the next time Morrslieb was full
the price of the bargain dawned on the leaders. Most of
the town’s children had disappeared during the night. Grief
ravaged the town and many left the cursed place never to
return. But, given time, Ashendorf was able to recover.
Thanks to its prime location prosperity returned to the
It is traditional for the cult to secretly meet the Skaven
every year during the Marionetten Fest. And this year is
no exception. Only this time the meeting is of special
importance to Ordo Triangulus as Konrad Rottmeier has
conjured up an evil scheme. The Cult wants to undermine
the authorities by striking against the hated Church of
Sigmar.
mutations are a telltale sign of a pact with the Ruinous
Powers. Furthermore, they will claim that Sigmar is not
a true god and his priests are nothing more than avaricious
heretics. The following uprising will weaken Nuln’s defences
and allow Ordo Triangulus and the Skaven to take further
action.
Nuln’s Great Cathedral of Sigmar is in need of repairs.
The incessant soot from the city’s forges and foundries
has soiled the Cathedral. In order to raise the money
needed for purification the Church has set up wooden
statues all over the city. The reason for the statues is their
function as offertory boxes. These statues have been carved
by the very best craftsmen, and they represent various
historical figures focal to the Church of Sigmar and the
Empire. There are twelve statues in total including Sigmar
himself, Magnus the Pious, and Mandred the Ratslayer
among others. It is a hot topic in Nuln at the moment
whether Valten should be added among them or not. The
addition of Valten would bring the number of statues up
to thirteen.
While in the vicinity of Nuln the PCs are attacked by a
Bounty Hunter who has a wanted poster with their names
on it. The Bounty Hunter is foiled easily enough, but the
encounter raises an important question: who would post
a bounty on their heads? The next day they receive a letter
from Lord von Drachensturm who claims he can have the
contracts on their heads cancelled.
Wolfgang von Drachensturm is a man who has dedicated
his entire life to uncovering the Skaven conspiracy. About
two weeks ago he learned from his sources in Nuln that
a cult called Ordo Triangulus was planning something.
The bits and pieces of information were vague at best but
pointed to the small town of Ashendorf. Von Drachensturm
quickly dispatched his most trusted agent, Isidro Armantero,
to investigate. It has now been two weeks and von
Drachensturm has not heard back from Armantero even
though he was supposed to report back three days ago.
The noble suspects foul play and needs someone to go
find his agent. He promises to get the bounty lifted if the
PCs go to Ashendorf and find out what has happened to
Isidro Armantero.
Thirteen is also the sacred number of the Horned Rat. In
Konrad Rottmeier’s distorted mind this was a sign from
his god that now is an opportune moment to strike against
the patron deity of the Empire. For this purpose Ordo
Triangulus has secretly created a coining apparatus to forge
Karls. After some initial trial and error, they are now able
to mint Karls, albeit at a rather slow pace. The gist of the
plan is that the Cult has obtained some Warpstone Dust
from the Skaven and plans to work the corruptive substance
into the fake coins. They plan to make a few hundred of
these coins and then distribute them into the offertory
boxes. The priests of Sigmar will unknowingly handle the
contaminated money and become horribly mutated as a
result. At the same time, Ordo Triangulus will launch a
smear campaign against the Church, claiming that the
The PCs travel to Ashendorf where they will investigate
several leads, possibly run into some side encounters, and
discover subtle clues hinting at the mythical Skaven. Finally,
during the Ashendorf Marionetten Fest, they will find
Isidro Armantero, foil the plans of Ordo Triangulus, and
have a deadly encounter with the very real Skaven.
The adventure begins in Nuln. At a moment you deem
fitting Dante Cruziani, a Tilean Bounty Hunter, approaches
the characters. This encounter can take place anywhere.
Choose a place that best suits your purposes; it could the
docks, a tavern, a nobleman’s garden, or perhaps even a
small temple of Shallya or Verena.
This encounter is meant to leave the PCs confused. They
should be left wondering who has put a price on their
heads, and will there be more attacks coming. After the
run-in with Dante you can have them notice similar wanted
posters in common venues like the Deuz Elm (
see Forges
of Nuln p.20
).
With an
Easy (+20%) Perception Test
the PCs notice
Dante Cruziani approaching them with two henchmen
(
use Sell-sword stats, WFRP p.235
). As they come closer
(or block the doorway etc., choose the most dramatic
option) Cruziani whips out a wanted poster. The poster
clearly features crudely sketched pictures of the PCs as
well as approximations of their names with a 10
gc
bounty
promised on each of their heads. With a contemptuous
smirk the Tilean says:
“Finally I have-a found you, you evildoers! Surrender now
and I will-a spare you from the humiliation.”
If (and most likely when) the characters don’t immediately
surrender, he laughs, draws his crossbow pistol and shouts,
“So be it criminals!”
A fight ensues. The Sell-swords will
fight until severely wounded or until one of them, or
Dante, is killed. Then they will flee or surrender. Dante
Cruziani is a different story. The Bounty Hunter believes
he has been blessed by Ranald himself and cannot be
defeated. And, oddly enough, the Tilean is freakishly lucky.
You should really emphasize Cruziani’s never-ending luck.
Have him hit with his crossbow pistol while shooting
blind, accidentally dodge strikes he doesn’t even see coming,
or casually hit crucial parts, like straps or buckles, of the
PCs’ equipment. His good luck could also manifest as
bad luck for the characters. Their bowstrings snap, or
swords get stuck in their scabbards or struck items. Dante
Cruziani is easy enough to defeat but it should feel like
an uphill struggle as fortune keeps smiling upon him. You
could even give him 1 Fate Point in which case, instead
of dying, he survives against impossible odds and returns
to haunt them later. Or, in a more ironic twist, Dante
Cruziani’s never-ending luck could finally run out at the
most crucial moment.
Career:
Bounty Hunter (ex-Student)
Race:
Human (Tilean)
Main Profile
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
29 40 32 28 40 32 33 38
Secondary Profile
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
1 13 3 2 4 0 0 Spec
Special:
Lucky - Dante is freakishly lucky. He has the
number of PCs + 3 Fortune Points. Optionally, he could
also have 1 Fate Point.
Skills:
Follow Trail, Intimidate, Outdoor Survival,
Perception, Search, Shadowing, Silent Move, Speak
Language (Reikspiel), Read/Write
Talents:
Marksman, Rover, Sharpshooter, Specialist
Weapon Group (Crossbow, Entangling)
Armour:
Leather Jack
Armour points:
Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0
Weapons:
Crossbow Pistol with 10 Bolts, Foil, Net
Trappings:
Manacles, One Set of Good Craftsmanship
Clothing, Bunch of Wanted Posters, Cologne, 8
gc
good money to be made by snaring deserters. He traveled
to the Empire and was able to achieve some success and
make a name for himself.
In truth, Dante Cruziani is probably one of the worst
Bounty Hunters in the Old World. But he has one thing
going for him: he is incredibly lucky. It seems Ranald
himself walks by his side.
Description:
Young Dante Cruziani was a disgruntled
engineering student living in Remas, Tilea. On one night
of particularly heavy drinking he accidentally exposed and
subdued two wanted criminals and turned them in. The
whole thing was actually one freaky accident that involved
some carelessly heaped beer barrels. But that did not stop
Dante Cruziani from thinking it was all his doing. The
adrenaline rush was something he could never get from
engineering. So, despite his family’s protests Dante Cruziani
left the university to pursue a life of bounty hunting.
During the Storm of Chaos Dante learned that there was
Because of the success he has had due to his luck Dante
has come to think he is actually incredibly competent.
Therefore, he is cocky, overconfident, and willing to try
his luck against any odds.
Dante Cruziani is a rather dashing young man. He has
a Tilean style pointy-beard and long, black, curly hair.
Dante is dressed in a typically Tilean way; his clothes are
colourful and always of good quality. He wears a big hat
decorated with a pheasant feather. His crossbow pistol is
his weapon of choice.
A day after the Tilean’s attack a man dressed in good
quality clothing approachs the PCs. He is a messenger
bringing a letter from Lord Wolfgang von Drachensturm.
The man states his business and hands them the letter.
Give the players
Handout #1
. If they refuse to go, another
man will approach them a few days (and another Bounty
Hunter attack) later. If they still refuse, they will never
hear from Lord Drachensturm again, and Bounty Hunters
will stop bothering them after a few weeks.
Ratmen and all their Vile Kin
. The bare stone walls are
covered with elegant tapestries depicting Sigmar and
Mandred the Ratslayer. Above the hearth there is a dark
hued painting of strange rat like creatures emerging from
darkness with their fangs bared. The painting has an
ominous quality to it. Wolfgang von Drachensturm is
sitting behind a massive desk and rises to meet the
characters. They can’t miss the loaded pistol on the table.
Lord Wolfgang von Drachensturm’s house is about three
hours’ ride from Nuln. The austere two-storey mansion is
not very welcoming. The windows are barred and a high
iron fence surrounds the estate. Only one gate allows entry.
Three vicious bloodhounds guard the grounds and bare
fangs at the PCs. An armed Valet welcomes them and
escorts them to Lord von Drachensturm’s study. With a
Routine (+10%) Perception Test
they notice that there
seem to be very few servants. Also, any character with
appropriate skills such as
Silent Move
or
Shadowing
notices
that the floorboards squeak with each step as to make
sneaking more difficult.
“
Thank you for answering my invitation ladies and gentlemen.
You have my apologies for any inconvenience this meeting
might have caused you. As I am sure you value your time as
much as I value mine, I will spare you from all the unnecessary
pleasantries and idle chit-chat. Instead, I will be up front and
state my business. I can make the bounty placed on your heads
go away. But, in return, I need you to do something for me.
Are you interested in hearing my proposal?”
Wolfgang von Drachensturm is a man who is not afraid
to use heavy-handed means. Nor is he very subtle. Once
he realised something must have happened to his agent
he sent a word out to his intelligence network to keep an
eye out for suitable candidates to investigate the matter.
He specifically wanted outsiders (like the PCs) who are
not involved in any local scheming. Once the PCs were
spotted, von Drachensturm had contracts put out on their
heads to create a problem he could then solve for them.
The Lord’s study is rather gaunt. A big hearth keeps the
room warm. A huge bookshelf with litters of books and
strange objects dominates the wall behind the man. With
a successful
Average (-10%) Perception Test
they will
notice such books as
Wilhelm Leiber’s The Loathsome
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]