Thing to do in Diesdorf When You're Dead, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Things To Do In Diesdorf When You’re Dead
A WFRP adventure by Simon Crowe
Synopsis:
On travelling the road between Altdorf and Nuln the PCs stop in the small town of
Diesdorf. But during the night something strange happens, and one of the PCs wakes up to
find himself a ghost, detached from his dead body! The PCs are going to have to find out
what happened, and whether they can get their companion’s spirit back into his body. But
first what are they going to do with his corpse?
Their investigations will eventually lead them to someone messing around with the spirits
of the dead. Will they be able to figure out how to reverse what they have done? And how
will they deal with the unwelcome presence of a dangerous Witch Hunter?
Diesdorf:
Diesdorf is a small town in the Reikland a few days from Altdorf on the road between
Altdorf and Nuln. It has a population of around 150 people. Extensive farmland surrounds
the town. Whilst most of the produce goes on feeding the town a number of farmers make a
decent living exporting corn to Altdorf. Beyond the fields lies the Reikwald Forest. So
close to Altdorf the forest is fairly safe, and the few local militia have not been called into
action for years, even during the recent Storm of Chaos.
Diesdorf is one of a number of villages and towns in the Reikland governed directly by the
Emperor himself. Although the locals take pride in this fact in practice the Emperor does
not concern himself too much with unimportant villages and one of his advisors deals with
what little matters get raised in the town. An upper class families, the Schadens, own a lot
of the land and collect modest rent from the farmers. They also have some say into local
law.
The town has a number of services, such as a general store, a blacksmith and an inn called
the Three Jolly Boatmen. Being on one of the routes from Altdorf to Nuln means visitors
are frequent and as such these services have grown up. A small temple to Sigmar is
attended by Brother Kaspar Eifer. A shrine to Dyrath (an aspect of Rhya) is also kept
though not attended by a particular priest.
Significant People:
Emil Schaden - The Schaden family have owned large parts of Diesdorf since records
began. Emil is the current man of the house and as such probably the most important person
in the small town. Although he makes frequent trips to Altdorf he does feel some
responsibility for the town and most of the time is willing to settle disputes and matters of
law when asked. In many ways he attempts to emulate other Reikland families who own
much larger towns than Diesdorf. He can often be seen sporting the latest fashions he has
seen in Altdorf.
Brother Kaspar Eifer - Posted to Diesdorf by the cult of Sigmar in Altdorf, Kaspar attends
the small temple of Sigmar in the town. Diesdorf has recently begun growing in population
and the cult wish to make sure the presence of Sigmar is properly maintained. As the only
religious figure in the town, Kaspar is asked as often as Emil Schaden to solve disputes
between townsfolk. A kindly figure, Kaspar is always willing to help those in need, though
most often his help involves reading choice passages from his volumes of Sigmarite texts.
Recent Events:
A fairly unimportant town, Diesdorf has not seen any particularly interesting activity until
very recently. A few weeks ago locals began reporting noises at night coming from the
graveyard on the edge of town. The citizens who also serve as a poorly-trained local militia
were despatched to investigate. Hiding in the trees they observed a hooded man chanting
amongst the tomb stones. The men confronted the man but as they approached he shouted
strange words and from a number of the graves the corpses and skeletons of deceased
townsfolk arose and attacked. The militia defeated the undead but not before a few of their
frightened number were strangled. In the confusion the hooded necromancer fled.
Brother Kaspar despatched a messenger to the temple of Sigmar in Altdorf. Meanwhile the
noises continued at night, though the locals were too afraid to look into the matter again. A
week later help arrived from Altdorf, the witch hunter Gustav Kraus accompanied by a
priest of Morr and a Kislevite bodyguard. The trio arrived at night and immediately made
their way to the graveyard before their presence could be known. They encountered the
hooded man who again raised dead minions to defend himself. The three were far more a
match for the undead than the inexperienced militia. They easily smote the dead and
captured the necromancer.
When the man was taken into the town centre his hood was removed and the assembled
townsfolk gasped in shock. The necromancer was Fitz Eberlein, the town butcher. A
gallows was quickly assembled and Fitz hung. This was only two days ago and his body
still swings in the middle of the town. His butchers shop has been bordered up with orders
from Gustav that no-one is to enter. The witch hunter and his two companions are still in
Diesdorf, watching out for any suspicious activities.
Fitz:
No-one in the village could believe it when Fitz Eberlein was revealed as the Necromancer.
They asked themselves how an ordinary man like Fitz could come to possess such evil
knowledge, and why? In truth Fitz had become a desperate man for about a year, since the
love of his life passed away.
Fitz, a widowed butcher in his early thirties had begun a passionate relationship with Elsa
Schaden, the younger sister of Emil Schaden the main landlord in Diesdorf. Elsa, an upper
class lady could not risk being seen with a commoner and the two kept their relationship
secret. They did well to keep their secret hidden for many months, during which time Fitz
fell more and more in love with the girl ten years his junior. But eventually Elsa, who could
stand the secrecy no longer, confessed all to her brother Emil. Emil knew that the love
between a noble lady and a common butcher would cause a scandal and forbade Elsa to see
her love. Elsa sadly agreed.
Fitz could not believe their relationship had ended. Though he kept their secret he
constantly pined for his lost love. Many times he attempted to see her and talk to her but
every time she forlornly turned him away. Within months Fitz became a sullen, unhappy
man. Then suddenly a terrible accident occurred, Elsa was thrown from her horse whilst out
riding and broke her neck. She was buried in the Schaden’s plot in the Diesdorf graveyard.
Both Fitz and Emil both mourned for their loss.
But Emil did more than mourn. On a number of trips to Altdorf he plunged himself into its
seedy underbelly. Asking around in strange circles he eventually got his hands upon a book
that he believed would allow him to bring back his lost sister. But he could not risk reading
the Necromantic tome himself, and passed it to Fitz, who all to readily agreed to attempt to
bring Elsa back to life. In Diesdorf Fitz worked his shop as little as required to live, in his
spare time pouring over words he could barely pronounce.
In time he got his head round the text. When he felt he was ready he visited Diesdorf
graveyard at night. Summoning his courage he attempted the long rituals required. But the
spell he was trying to cast was difficult to focus, Fitz could feel that a number of the long
dead townsfolk were stirring at his words but he was interested only in the dead Elsa. He
aborted the ritual many times over a number of nights until one night when he was
interrupted by the local militia. His concentration broken the spell went out of control and a
number of the dead rose from their graves. Fitz had no control over them and fled the fight.
Fitz should have felt terrible, his actions had cost three men’s lives, but by this time the
dark tome had corrupted his mind and sunk him into madness. He returned again and again
but the ritual would never quite come right, never raise the dead Elsa. When the witch
hunter’s group arrived Fitz awoke all the dead that he could to defend himself. But these
were no inexperienced local militiamen. They smashed through the undead and captured
Fitz before he could flee. Fitz’s last thought as he swung from the gallows was that maybe
he would see Elsa in Morr’s realm.
Other Happenings:
The following are a number of other, more minor events that are happening in the village.
These have no direct impact upon the adventure but the GM may use them to give character
to the PCs’ time in Diesdorf, or perhaps lay some red herrings.
A few of the townsfolk have been whispering that Brother Eifer has been secretly seeing
one of the farmer’s wives. This is completely untrue, a rumour started by the Dreyers, a
devoutly Ulrician family who are concerned about the influence the cult of Sigmar is
having in the town.
Farmer Hubert Patzer is concerned about his chickens. Egg laying has been down this year
and Hubert is hardly making enough money to get by. He suspects his neighbour and rival
chicken keeper Stefan Jaeger of poisoning his birds. In reality a bird pox has been moving
through the Reikland affecting a number of chickens.
Aldred, teenage son of the shopkeeper Petra Gutmann, bears a large scar across his face. He
maintains he was attacked by an Orc in the woods around Diesdorf, but in reality he fell out
of a tree. Still, his claim has worried a few of the villagers who fear Orc attacks on the
town.
Starting the adventure:
The adventure begins when the PCs arrive in Diesdorf on their journey. It is late and
Diesdorf in the logical stop for the night. They arrive after the fields have been abandoned
for the day and the townsfolk are sitting down to supper in their houses. What few people
they meet appear mostly friendly, giving the PCs a ‘hello’ as they pass and will happily
point them in the direction of the inn, The Three Jolly Boatmen, which is on the other side
of the town.
Passing through the town centre the PCs will pass by a grizzly sight, the recently hanged
Fitz Eberlein. If they ask any of the locals in the street about this the person will shake their
head sadly and mutter that it is a terrible shame. They will mention that a witch hunter
caught this necromancer only two days back, and that the evil wizard was Fitz the butcher.
The PCs will pass a boarded up shop as the pass through the town, a wooden pig sign
indicating it was once a butcher’s shop.
The Three Jolly Boatmen:
Diesdorf’s only inn is a large place with a sizeable bar room, a good sized common room
for sleeping and a number of private rooms. It serves a variety of foods as well as a
selection of drinks including Reikland wines. It is run by Oswald Boll and his family, and
also employs a few locals as staff.
When the PCs arrive the bar is half full. It is easily apparent that in one corner of the room
sit three odd figures around a table, these are the witch hunter Gustav Kraus and his two
companions. The tables adjacent are empty and the other patrons appear to be sitting as far
from the witch hunter’s group as possible.
Oswald will greet the PCs in a friendly manner, though with occasional nervous glances
towards Kraus. He will provide drink, food and whatever rooms the PCs ask for. The PCs
horses are taken to a stable to the side of the inn.
The other patrons of the bar are a mix of travellers and locals. Most are human but there are
a few Dwarfs. Whilst a few locals may be willing to talk to the PCs they will clam up if the
subject of Fitz arises, casting worried looks towards the witch hunter.
The evening at The Three Jolly Boatmen will pass uneventfully unless the PCs start any
trouble, especially with the witch hunter. Gustav is a stern man and will not take any insults
lightly, demanding the PCs back down before he and his companions teach them a lesson.
He will not wish to actually kill the PCs unless they push him too far, by which time he will
not hesitate in striking them down until the others surrender. Assuming no fight breaks out
the group will mostly sit at their table talking little. Gustav slowly drinks ale, Mathias does
not drink at all. Jakob will periodically often order spirits and will greet any who talk to
him.
The Witch Hunter’s Group
Gustav Kraus
A stern Sigmarite witch hunter, Gustav is a veteran of many a fight against Chaos and the
undead. He has been employed by the cult of Sigmar for most of his life, beginning when
he tracked down heretics who had offended the cult. His most notable feat came when in
the course of investigating a dissident group in Stirland he encountered and slew the Strigoi
vampire locally known as the Red Terror. The cult of Sigmar consequently sent him on
important tasks and eventually he was promoted to witch hunter status. Now he is often
despatched from the cult in Altdorf to missions they feel he would be suited to. In his
investigations he is stern and ruthless, suffering not any witch to live. His presence makes
normal folk uneasy, and this is with good reason for he would not blink in burning a village
to root out a single dark cult.
Race: Human
Career: Witch Hunter (ex-Bounty Hunter, ex-Vampire Hunter)
Main Profile
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
68% 61% 48% 50% 51% 50% 72% 48%
Secondary Profile
A
W
SB
TB M
Mag IP
FP
3
18
4
5
4
-
3
-
Skills: Academic Knowledge (Magic), Academic Knowledge (Necromancy) +10%,
Academic Knowledge (Theology), Command, Common Knowledge (The Empire) +10%,
Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail +10%, Gossip, Intimidate +10%, Outdoor
Survival, Perception +10%, Read/Write, Ride, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Shadowing,
Silent Move, Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Reikspiel) +10%
Talents: Coolheaded, Lightning Parry, Lightning Reflexes, Menacing, Mighty Shot, Public
Speaking, Rover, Sixth Sense, Specialist Weapon Group (Crossbow Pistol), Specialist
Weapons Group (Entangling), Stout-Hearted, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Strike
to Stun, Tunnel Rat, Warrior Born
Armour: Heavy Armour (Full Plate Armour)
Armour Points: All Locations 5
Weapons: Best Craftsmanship Sword, Dagger, 4 Throwing Knives, Pistol
Trappings: 10 Yards of Rope, 8 gc
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]