15467430-WFRP-Plundered-Vaults-A-Grim-World-of-Perilous-Adventure

8/7/2019 15467430-WFRP-Plundered-Vaults-A-Grim-World-of-Perilous-Adventure

1/98


2/98

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 SargentAddi 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 assGra 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 arkerCanography: S hawn B rown , C ha rle s E llio t, 'H '

~ Developm ent M anager: Kate F lu ck Pro je ct Manage r: Ewan Lamon tH ead of B lack Industries: S imon Butle r

A B la ck In du strie s Publication P tt bl is hi ng l ogoand a ll a ss oc ia te d r ac es and rac einsignia, marks, f lames , characters, i llustrat ions ,and im ages from the ~ rhammer universe aree ith er , TM, a nd /o r Games WorkshopL td 2 00 0- 20 04 , v ar ia bly r eg is te re d i n th eUK and o th er c ou ntrie s a ro un d th e world .ALi r ights reserved.Green Ronin and the G reen Ranis : logo ar e

Trademarks of Green Ronin PubL ishing , LLe,and are u sed w it h permi ss ion.

Product Code: 60040283003ISBN: 1-84416-264-8

First published in2005 by BlackIndustries, an impr.int ofBL PublishingBL PublishingG am es W ork shop . L tdW illo w Ro adNot t inghamNG72WSUKNo part o f this publ icat ion may b e r ep ro d uc ed ,s tored In a re triev al system , or tran sm itted in an y fo rmb y a ny m ea ns, e le ctro nic , m ec ha nic al, photocopying,recording or otherwise without the priorp erm is sio n o f th e p ub lis he rs. Permission is g iv e nto copy t he h a nd o u ts o n p ages 95 and 96 forp erso na l u se o nly . Copyr igh t Games Workshop L imi ted2 00 5. A ll R ig hts Reserved GamesWor ks hop, th e Games Work shop logo.Warha rmnel; Warhammer Fan ta syRol ep la y, t he Warhammer Fan ta syRoleplay logo, Black Ind!l .Stries, the BlackIn du strie s l~ go , B L Pub lish in g. T he BL

Black Industries World Wide Web site:www.blackindusrries.cornGreen Ronln World WIde Web site:www.greenronin .comPlaytesters: Tlm Carr, Bruce Radick, JessLebow, N ic ol e L in dr oo s, E v an Sass, JamesA itk en , J oh n J oh ns on , Robert Lawson,K im P ra tt, Sim o n B ud er, K ate F la ck ,E w an L arn on t, E rik M o ge nse n, N elso n,C h ris L uc as, lo ris B e rre ns, C h e W e bs te r,

G ab ri o T o le n ti no . Pete G r ad y, I an Revill.

I
http://www.greenronin.com/http://www.greenronin.com/http://www.blackindusrries.corn/


3/98

= =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 rthe new edition of Warhnmmer Fantasy RolqJlay. Coming upwirhad ven tu res is a lw ays th e G M's b iggest sru rnb llng b lock , so w ew anted to provide som e good adven tu res fo r the new ru les righ taway . Plundered Vaul ts conta ins s ix ready-re -p lay scenar ios . Threeo f th em ar e u pd ates o f classics fro m th e o rig in al W FR P-era, w hilethe o ther th ree are brand new . All of them pull you rig h t in to thegrim 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 eFfIlfhm (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 din White Dwa. if Magazi ne #98), and the Harm ti llg Horror (whicho 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 anGreaver ' s S iu g P or Your Slipper. These adventures co ver a . ran ge o fp 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 etried to keep these adventures f a ir ly g e n er ic as fa r as rim e and p lacego . A ll o f th em can b e u sed ina varie ty o f locales and in just abo utany 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 easyro drop in to your cam paign , w henever it's se t. Y ou sh ou ld c on sid erth e. s ettin g o f yo ur cam paig n b efo re ru nn in g th ese , h ow ev er-ifyou add an encoun ter here or there to rein fo rce yo ur ch osen tim eand p lace , it'll m ake the in tegra tion of these adventures in to y ou rgame 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 killsw hen funn ing these adven tu res. Throughou t, you 'll find calls fo rC 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 htbalance of ac tua l ro lep lay ing and d ice ro lling is de lica te , and o nee ve ry g ro u p must se ttle o n fo r itself Som e groups nev er ro ll fo rso 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 fe 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 yersare verbal by natu re . Som e play ers aren 't so g .o lden tongued , burthey m igh t w an t to p lay ch arac ters w ho are . F or th ese fo lk s, it 'sm ore th an a pp ro pria te (0 l et t he ir skills do the convlnclng.Thlsisn'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 ech 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 andm ov e in to Paths of th e Damned: Aslm oftjlfiddmh~im, s ev er al o ft 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 bestar e Car rio n Call an d G ra pe s o fWm th . C arr io n C all can easily b eslorted in afier the c lim ax of 1hrough .the Dmkwtildhut before th ePC s reach M iddenheim .T t w ou ld sure ly be no surprise to find atra 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 aregood 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 goodchoice . It startscut a s a s traig ht-u p k id na pp in g Story. b ut th env ee rs rig ht in to "Warhammer territory. Ifyo ur p layers are used to am 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 themho w WFRP is qu ire a d iff ere nt b ea st. Fo r Lou or Money can beused 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 ofMJddenhtim!

Chris PramasD ecem ber 31 ,2004

Cred its ........................................... IIntroduction .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. .. . ... 2The ~apes of W rath 3Beginning the Adventure , ............. ,.,.... , .. , , 3The V illage of Priwtock 4Running the Adventure " , ................ , ....... I. JThe Wizard in the Woods " ,., IjThe Adven tu re rs ' Lair , ................. , , ......... 17Concluding th e Adventure , ..... ,' 19For Love or M oney 21Synopsis ........ , , " , 21Mitt1e.tesdorf ...... , .... , , , ..... " 22Pan One: Th e M erch an t's D au ghter 24Pan Tw o: In to the Woods , " 30Pan 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 .. " . ....... , ,",., , 39Continuing the Advenrure 48

Rough N ight at th e Thr ee F ea th ers 49Events , ............... , " ..... , , ..51COnc ludin g th e Adventu re 56N on-Player C haracters , .......................... ,.56Carrion C a . l l 'l 1 l i ' ' ' l 1 l i '" . ' ",!III ' ............ ' ',. ,6 0Background 60The S tory Unfolds .. " " .. "" , " 61Mtennath ,. 72Denizens of Schloss V onreuter .. , " . , " 71Sing For Your Supper 76Gtning Started ifRed Herrings ,., " " '"" , " 78Th e PlOt Begins 81The Nosey Neighbour " , ,., "., , , 82Hot on th e Trall." ....., ,." , " 8 3The P lo t Thi ck en s 85The Wimess , , 86Stark 's Shop , ........................... 8liS howd ow n .......................................................... 8 9COnclusion 91Dramat is Personae" , , " , " 92

2


4/98

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 isthe time of year, since events of this adventure take place duringthe annual grape-harvest at Prirsstock (sometime during themonth of Ernreseit or "Harvest-Tide").

M ap 1 on page 5 shows the layout of the villages southwestof Middenheim. At the start of the adventure, me PCs areassumed to be travelling by coach towards Middenheim along meAltdorf-Middenheim road. The woods throughwhich the roadruns are known to harbour evil and chaotic creatures (particularlyafter the Storm of Chaos), so coaches travel quickly withoutstopping.The coach That the pes are travelling in has three otherpassengers: Elise and Bertha lung, and their bodyguard, Gunder.Both women are young (19 and 17 respectively), blue-eyedblondes of good breeding. being daughrers of a prosperous Altdcrfwool merchant.Gunder is a giant of a man, but a bit dim. His brow is thick andsloping and his massive jaws seem ro jut further forward thanhis twisted and Barrened nose. He is clad in a leather jerkin andarmed with a huge woodcutter's axe.The girls are travelling toM iddenheirn co visit a cousin. They are well-mannered and areused to being treated politely (especially when Gunder is inattendance).

THE CRASHThe journey iswithout incident umil the coach has jusr crossed thejunction with the Grubentreich road, a few hOUIS before sunset.From out of the trees ahead and travelling about IS feet above theground, an evil-looking skull with glowing eyes comes hurtlingtowards the coach. Shouting a prayer to Slgmar, the coachmandrops the reins to cover his eyes, while the horses scream and rearup in terror. As they bolt wildly to avoid tile Hying skull, the horsescareen the coach against the trunk of a massive oak, and the wholething overturns, smashing both right-hand wheels in the process.Anyone on the roof of the coach must make a Fear Test in orderto be able to do anything other than quiver with fright. Ajumpfrom the coach should be created as a distance of 6 yards. Hangingonto the coach will require a Strength Test-success results in thecharacter taking a Damage 3 hit that ignores armour, while falluremeans that the character falls 4 yards and is flung dear. See W1FRP,page 138, for details on jumping and falling.


5/98

The G rap es o f WrathHaving had no real warning, all those within the coach must makea Challenging (-10%) Agility Test to avoid taking a Damage 3hit mat ignores armour. As the passengers begin to disentanglethemselves, one of them (chosen at random) sees me skull peeringinto the coach. After a couple of seconds me skull flies off, but anycharacter not still inside the wreck will see it heading west over metrees. For a further description of me skull, consult the Bestiary atthe end of this adventure.The coach is beyond repair; only two wheels remain intact, and bothaxles are smashed. Hedric the coachman is lying in the road batteredand bruised, bur otherwise unhurt. Gunder, alas, suffered fatalinjuries during the crash, when a t runk containing Elise's bali gownsfeU from the luggage rack and broke his neck. Two horses have runoff, a third has a badly fractured leg, and the other stands shiveringnearby. The two girls are very upset but will be calmed by reassuringwords. They wUI not be calmed by Hedrics wide-eyed babble abourthe "swoopillg, r ed -~ d mons te r. fr om t hef or thw .f ro un n o rt h! "A CHOICE OFAcrIONS111e party has a number of options available. They could sray pur,but this would mean a night in the forest. Hedric will point Outthat no other coach is due today, and in any case, would not S[OPfor fear they were h.i.gbwaymen. The group could head for thenearest coaching inn, The Mutant's Head, but since it is over 20miles away, it could not be reached before nightfall (some 3 hoursaway). The third choice, and the one favoured by Elise and Bertha,would be to set off towards the village of Grubenrreich, The girlshave relatives there who would put the PCs up for the nightand lend transport for their return journey [Q a coaching inn.Furthermore, the girls are sure the adventurers will be rewarded fortheir safe escort.lr is about 10 miles to Grubentreich, and, walking at the girls' paceof 3 mph, could be reached soon after dark. Given the girls' refusalto 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 innand inform the Roadwardens ,The PCs can reach Grubenrreich by the end of the day ifcl1.eymake a determined march, although Bertha may slow them downa little towards nightfall. Any good-looking male PC who carriesBertha over the last half-mile or so will win her sincere gracitude. (Asuccessful Fellowship Test will also win a friendly kiss on the cheekl)GRUBENTREICHThe village itself comprises some 88 simple country folk, whomake a moderate living from agriculture and livestock. No mapis provided as the layout of the place is unimportant to theadven rure,

Mathilde and Eduard Jung-aunt and uncle to the gi.rls-runthe Black Sheep tavern and will be pleased with the PCs forhaving rescued their nieces. As a token of gratitude, me party willbe 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, Thismay 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 nothingmore man sceptical COmments about "bumps 011 the hend" obtainedduring [he crash. Eduard, however. is not so dismissive. Thedescription of the crash backs up me rwnour he heard two days agofrom Werner Geizhals, a wine merchant returning from the nearbyvillage of Pritzscock (sec Maps 1and 3a).According to Geiz.hals, (who is now in Middenheirn), the villagersgave him [he impression that the village was cursed, that thecorpses of the dead had risen from the ground and were prowlingaround 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 broachthe subject when the tavern is empty. It ha s occurred to himthat me skulls ought to be dealt with before they start to botherCrubentreich, and. who berrer to deal with them than the recentlyarrived adventurers? If the PCS look like they do not intend toinvestigate, lung will elaborate on the rumour, saying that theskulls are thought to be guarding some long-lost treasure hoard. (IfBertha has s hown signs of liking one of the adventurers, Eduardwill make the story even more artracrlve, hoping to make me PCsleave before any romance can developl )As chance would have it, three of the inn's guests will be travellingthrough Prit:zstock the following day; namely, me farmer HansKrug with handymen Pie te r K la rnmerer and Albrecht Krupp.These three retired early, but are returning to Leichlinberg (viaPrirzstock-e-see Map 1 ) tomorrow. Th e PCs could doubtless get alift co the village on Krug's carts if they wished.The PCs need to rise early to ask Hans Krug for a lift (so woebetide those who over-indulged on Eduard's hospitality). Thefarmer agrees willingly enough, but asks for Ishilling each aspayment. He can be bargained down to 6 pennies each, bur beingpoor he tries to make money whenever he can. If your playersreally need encouraging to go investigate, Eduar-d will pay the fare.They need have no further concern about Elise and Berrha: Eduardassures them that he will personally escort them to Middenheimon the next coach.The 15-mile journey [Q Prirzsrock rakes about 3 hours on Krug'scarr. The only other way that me characters could make the trip ison foot, as there are no horses available for hire or sale. The farmerand his assistants know nothing of events at Prirzsrock, having jusrreturned from a long selling trip to Middenheirn.

Pritzstock is a small bur wealthy village of 48 souls (and theirchildren). Map 2 details the local area and Map 3 shows thevillage proper. In addition [Q a farmhouse, each household hasa large fermenting shed where casks of wine are stored and thegrapes are pressed. Bottles of the better vintages are usually kept incellars beneath me farmhouses.Livestock Is limited to a few pigs, goats, and hens. The latter areallowed to wander freely and spend a lot of their lime scratching

around the northwest area of the village, since this is where peopleare buried and me worms grow fat as a result.Surrounding the village are vineyards grown on man-made terracesthat have been cleared from the forest; the wine produced providesthe sole source of income for the inhabitants. Prirzsrock Reisling isa light delicate wine that is gaining in popularity throughout theWestern Empire. In recent years harvests have been particularlygood and the village has prospered as a result: buildings and carts

4


6/98

The G r a p e s of Wrath

~~

Wum~IT~~' l f l .c J **

Areas A and B on Map : z ar edetailed in the m ain tex t.

j


7/98

The Grapes of Wrathare ina good State o f repa ir, an im als are sru rdy, and the people arew 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 oneh ouse o r an om er; this is a very c losely knit com munity . B y far m em ost p op ular sessio ns take p lace at me hom e of Henrl-Phill lppeR 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 ingo 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 sb est. Ju dgin g JU St w hen to start requ ires years of ex perien ce , andm e adven tu rers arrive just rw o days befo re the harvest o f th is year 'sc rop must begin if m e w ine is no t to be ruined, M ig ran t w ork ersfrom m e surrounding areas have yet to arrive bu t som e w inem erch an ts h av e alre ad y visited. The grapes have been assessed , andprospects look good-prov ided the harvest s tarts on rime,

PAST AND PREsENTThe orig ins o f the current troub les lie 3 years in the past. A youngA ltdorf w ine m erchan t, Stefan M aranaeur, began an affa ir withH 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 lyth ings w ould have com e to a head , as H enri-Ph illippe confron tedh is w ife in a typ ica l B reronn ian rage. As it w as, E lisaber w as aw ayin 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 'sburn 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 ithm oney to purchase new c loth es , E l ls abee readily ag reed , see in g afurther opportun ity to m eet her lo ve r. B u t Henri-Phillippe hadother p lans fo r Stefan , and had simultaneously invited h im toPritzscock, without Elisabet's k now led ge, o sten sibly to taste a newwine . S e e f a n d uly arriv ed , an d a day Sp ent d iscu ssin g b usinessended w ith one of Hem I-Ph H i pp e's f am o u s wine tastings, to w h ic hth 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 Elisabethad gone to Alrdorf C ursing h is luck , Stefan m odera ted h isdrinking in an ticipation of an early start, com menting m at he'~mlStreturn next morningandattmdto important bIUi1IeS$."Thatn 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 thecella r w here a sp ecia l alco ve h ad . b een p rep ared . H av in g ch ain edStefan to m e w all, Henri-Philippe waited un til m e young winem erch an t reco vered. W ith care and p recis ion Henri-Philippe menbegan {O seal the a lcove w ith stone and mortar, obl ivious to med 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 eh ad left a b arre l o f w in e w ith in reach to ease S[efan 's thirst, planningth at Stefan w ou ld ex perience a slo w d eath fro m starv atio n ..A ll m atrem ain ed w as to d isp ose of Srefan s h orse ..W lm m e v illag e stillsleep 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 leslip pin g ou t un no ticed. Scattering Stefan 's be lo ng in gs b y m e w ad h ele 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 nehad 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 bodyw 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 StefanMaranaeur w as fo rg otten , o r a t least tha t's w hat Henri-Philippehoped and rh ou gh e A nd so things m ight have been , save fo r onep 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 wasnear ing the end of 2. s uc ce ss fu l w o od 's a pp re ntic es hip atM id den heim . Yet, as th e d ays ofSte tiin s o rdeal p assed , h is broth erbegan [0suffer 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 asev ere w astin g d ise as e. S oo n a fter, m e ap pren tic e wizard col lapsedin to d elirium , and as h is co nditio n w orsen ed . th e p hysic ian s fearedfo r his l if e. Sudde n ly (i.e .., a t the m om ent of Stefan 's death), th em onth-long illness vanished and D ieter began to r ec o ve r, O n lythen was he to ld of his b ro ther's d isapp earan ce w hile o n a b usin esstrip to Prirzsrock,In m e three years that have passed . D ie ter bas learned of h is l at ebrother's affair with Elisaber (fwm lerrers h e fo un d at Stefan'sA 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 ithh is s up erio rs, D ie te r h as fin ally m an ag ed to p iece to geth er th en 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 tothe 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 fh is d ea d brother; Stefan Maranaeur now exerts a ha tefu l fo rce frombeyond the graveand D ieter is being in fluenced to ru in P rirzsrockan 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 finda 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 nby vegetation they d iscovered num erous hum an and hum anoidsk ulls , g rim rem nants o f an an cient battle . D ieter a t o nce sen sedtha 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 ofP rirzstock , they are a p erfec t w ay o f terrifYin g m e villagers an dforcing them to abandon the p lace. W hat D ie ter doesn't k now istha t m e magica l qu alities of m e. skulls are d ue to trace elem en tsof warpstcne present in th e c av e. W ha t neither Dierer nor th eresiden ts o f m e v iU age k now is mat m ere is already a group ofadven tu rers investiga ting the d istu rbance-a group tha t is lik ely tom 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 ngthe in itial scen e as th e P Gs arrive in m e v illa ge , there is a section onNPCs in Pr ir zs tc ck : wh a t they do, w ho they are , w hat they knowand suggestions on how they will resp on d to v ariou s P C actio nsan 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 wille 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 inm e v illag e w ill b eco me in creasin gly d espera te as m e d ays pass .

ARRIVING IN PRrrZ STOCKTh e rought rack from G ruben treich em erges from the forest coreveal asmall v alle y, in re nsiv ely cu lziv ate d w ith ac re u po n a creof hea lthy-look ing v ines. If the party is trave lling w ith H ansK rug they w ill hear a grum of surp rise . If they enqu ire fu rtherm e farm er w ill stare his curiosity tha t nobody is w ork in g th e

6


8/98

The Grapes of Wrath

_ ..._ - --. _ t"L,'_..J2 p_ _ 1 .l , _ Y _ _ J ' f l . . . . . - _ a p . . . _ _ _ _ _ .,., " '_ .-:::- --" -:.::-_ 0. . . . "..;...-/ ' - . . . . . _ . . . . . . " ' " " "'i-' ..;." ............../'' 13-


9/98

The G r a p e s o f W r athv 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 erinadequate d itch ), the PC S w ill be struck by bo th its p ro speriryand qu ie tness . P rirzstock 's loca tion served to pro tect it f rom theS torm of C hao s. L ife la rgely con tinued as norm al here w hilethousands d ied in nearby M iddenheim . The v illage has seen a. fewarm y p atro ls and had som e foo d requ isitioned , bu t has rem ain edlargely un to uched . Furtherm ore , a coup le o f houses have crudep lank s nailed across the w indow s, and large sprays offlow ers onth e f ro nt d oo rs . A s uc ce ssf ul C ha lle ng in g (-10%) CommcnK now ledge (the Em pire) Sk ill Test w ill reveal they are "nanny 'sfin gers" g en era lly co nsid ered to w ard o ff ev ilsp irics. T he d oo rs o fth ese h ou ses are a lso in scrib ed w ith m ean in gless sym bo ls; b ut itre 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 tetha 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 lth at a ll th e v i:l1 a ge rs a r e artendinga m eeting ou tside the house ofH enri-Ph illippe , The scene is qu ite con fusing . w ith m any peop lespeak ing and shou ting at on ce . Th ing s w ill qu ie t dow n w henstran 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 Sr h i ' l g s ra tional ly . A f ld there 'sno sense blaming people to ishoutea ta . nA 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 pecontinues. "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 tod isperse . If the PC s arrived w ith K rug . m e farm er and assistan tsw ill d rop them off and con tinu e on the ir w ay (bu t no t befo rev 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 tog 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 EVENTSA little over a m on th . ago a ch ild , See! B aldurlch , cam e runn ingin to the v illage hav ing seen "a ghost in the w oods (see Sight ingI on M ap 3a, and Sed 's en try in the N PC llsung). See l is w eL lk now n in the v illage fo r h is vario us ta ll ta les and th is one w asp ut do wn to im ag in atio n. H ow ev er, a few w eek s la ter, Iso ld eG ud erian w as O Ut c ollectin g fru it w hen sh e n oticed a sk ull s li:tin gon a branch . The sku ll d id no t move bu t w hen she re tu rned w itha coup le o f m ilitiam en the sku ll had gone ( s e e S ig htin g, 2). T hev 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 othclaim ed to have seen a "g low ingsku ll" floa tin g in the w oods w hileo 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 asattack ed , aga in w hile w ork ing th e v ines. Three o ther w orkers heardher scream and rushed over to w here , E ri e rra w as Ia sr s ee n . T he yd iscovered her unconscious and b leed ing , bu t w orse still, a sku llw 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 carriedb 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 tofind 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 nore la tives in m e village and decided to pack h is bags and run .) W iththe grape harvest due to beg in in 2 d ays tim e, th e v illag ers aren ow w orried ab ou t th eir liv elih oo d: they are frigh tened to go in tothe f ie lds, and m igran t w ork ers are sure to hear o f even ts and stayaway .AU the above is common know ledge , bur the po , are likely roo bta in a m ore co heren t v ersio n fro m H en ri-P hlllp pe, Sp ecu la tio nin the v illage is rife and it w ill be recalled how a young w inem erchan t d isappeared a few years ago . In add ition , there arev 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 haveb een d is tu rb ed b y clearin g th e fo rest. Lo cal. tu mo ur, b asedon tru th , has it tha t a Chaos hoard from the D rakw aldForest w as sla in over to the sou thw est. Perhaps som e w ereab 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 godsfo r no t m ak ing proper sacrifice in respec t o f the recen te 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 landcheap w hen aU th e v illagers have left o r been k illed .. Whoe 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 ingsare 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 ingto stop the sku lls and th is has crea ted som e bad fee ling betw eenpeop le. JU St w hat the m ilitia (fou r Farm ers and a w arrio r) aresupposed to do nobody say s, bu t tha t doesn 't sto p them fromcompla ining,

THE INHABITANTSN 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 tow i ne s, i nc lu d in g knowledgeof v ine g .ow ing and o ther aspectS ofw inemak ing .H E N R I . .P H n . r . r P P E R O C H E T E A UH enri-P hlllppe is a la rge , Stou tly bu ilt 42-year-o ld m an , w ith ano live com plex ion and shou lder-leng th b lack hair . A decade of goodliv ing has m ade h im sligh tly overw eigh t bu t he still en joys robusthea 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 itedthe area on business and recogn ised the excellen t po ten tia l o f so iland clim ate fo r cu ltiva ting a B rero nn ian grape . W ith borrow edm oney H enri-Ph ilippe purchased a substan tia l am ou nt o f landfrom 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 vinesoo 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 eoH 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 gattrac ted by her good look s and innocen t na tu re . H ow ever, sincelearn ing of the affa ir w ith S tefan M aranaeur he has been very b itte rrew 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


10/98

The G rapes of W rathby the rest of the village, who believe this to be the reason for memarriage's failure.Henri-Phlllippe is very much [he typical Breronnian, given toexuberance and "theatrical" displays of emotion. He has a lor tolose if the harvest does not go ahead on time and will welcome thePCs as potential rescuers. He will therefore offer 750 g c if the partydeals with the skulls before the harvest begins. For each harvestday lost the money on offer will fall by 1 00 gc. He believes thar theskulls have indeed come from some disturbed battlefield; perhapsall that's needed is co seal up some tomb en trance to stop the skullsgetting our. During their period of hire PCs may sleep in thefermenting shed and will receive free food and drink.If you are using this scenario as part of a campaign you may wishto have Rochereau offering a percentage profit from the harvestas payment. A good harvest will ner Henri-Phllllppe 5,000 gc inone year's time, rising by 1000 gc for each extra year the wine ismatured, (fuJl maturity being reached in five years). Rocheteau willopen negotiation at 15% bur may be bargained to 20%. The parrymust state how many years they wish to wair and individuals mustreturn at the appropriate harvest-time to collect their share of theagreed sum. For each harvest day lost, Rocheteaus profit falls by10%.The C ella rRochereaus house is nor mapped, but searching the cellar wUIreveal 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 wharpeople were doing rooting in the cellar since the only entranceis via the kitchen) will state that the alcove was sealed [0combatdamp. Dwarfs or those who make a successful Trade (Mining)SkUI Test will notice that the brickwork is less than 5 years oldand 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 preventsme use of a sledgehammer. If me wall is eo be knocked down thenthe large (heavy) wine barrel must first be moved or smashed. Ifaccess to the alcove is gained, a desiccated body can be seen, onehand chained to the wall. A wine barrel and ladle are next [0mebody. [f me body is searched a letter ca n be found. Part of theletter 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 longerc 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 eu 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 smeet in greeting, do m y eyes not fo llow you. when~

The letter, naturally enough, is from Elisaber Rocheteau.Re action to E ven tsIf. during the course of the adventure, Henri-Phillippe comes faceto-face with Dieter Maranaeur, he will tum pale, as if seeing aghost. He had no idea that his victim had a [win and will assume

Stefan somehow managed to escape. 'The GM may wish to haveHeari-Phillppe break down and confess at this polnr, perhapsrunning lnro the cellar in temporary madness to check on th e"cell." Alternatively, Henri-Philippe mighr be overcome with angermat his enemy still lives and attack Dieter immediately, sayingsomerhing 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 dath It s econd time . "However, if confronted with the evidence oEhis crime (i.e., a body inme 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 ckCareen 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 NumerateArmour: 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


11/98

TheEUSABET ROCHETEAUE lis ab er is 33 years o ld and of slender build , w ith p la itedb londe hair and deep b lue eyes. She is a qu ie t countrywornanw ho says little w hen h er h usb an d is around . H er paren ts, nowd ead , p ersu ad ed h er to marry Rochereau, and for a . while them arriage w orked , desp ite the face she w as a lw ays overaw ed byHerin-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, Norsurprising ly , she has becom e unhappy as a r e su l t, I n p art, s heb lam es herse lf fo r no t bearing any ch ild ren and tries to m ake upfor 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 ew orse b y h av in g to be kep t h idden . She still remembers their affairand often daydream s tha t her lover w ill re tu rn one day and m akeher happy again . She still keeps the few lette rs tha t he secre tly gaveher hidden in a hatbox in th e bedroom .Reac tio n to E ven tsE lisabet knew thar Stefan had a tw in bro ther, bur her reac tionon seeing Dieter will be tha t her w ish has com e true . She stU l h ase no ug h s pirit to try and k ill H enri-Ph ilippe if she learns the tru thabou t Stefan 's death . Otherw ise shew ill do her u tm ost to get h ime 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 eC are er . S erv an tRace: 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 gRe f lexe s , S r rong-m lnded

A rm our: N oneA rm our Po in ts: H ead 0, A rm s 0, B ody 0, legs 0W eap on s: D ag gerTrapp ings: Purse w ith 2 gc , l5 s, l3 PPA RZIV A L TRISTA N A scH AfFEN BERGA sch affenb erg is a g oo d-Io ok jn g 22-year-o ld m ale : 6 ' 2" tall, blueeyes 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 theE mp ero r), an d is half w ay th rough a tw o-year sray w ith the m illtiahere (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 fR 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..rstands 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 isw 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 cho 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 WrathI 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 fthe 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, allowingh im ro show his w orth a t lasr. U nfortunate ly , the sku lls have no tplayed fair and he has no t even seen one, Jet alone fought one . H eis m ore concerned w ith gain ing g lo ry and w ill therefo re greer anyplan to go sku ll bash ing w ith en thusiasm , H ow ever, as he is w ellaw 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 annoyingpersonality , 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, ManfredF 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 rC 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 eM 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 rArmour )

Armour P oin ts: H ead 3, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 3W eapons: H and W eapon (Sw ord) and ShieldT 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 GUDERIANIsolde is a rav ish ing] y beau tifu l 20 year o ld w i th b la ck h ai r, g re eneyes, and a perfectly proportioned 6gure . She is w ell aw are of theeffect her p resence has on the m en-fo lk but b ides th is know ledgeunder an air o f innocence. She open ly w ears a sm all g old b ro ochthat 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 eher aw ay from P ritzsro ck , b ur sh e w ill H irt w ith m ale ad ventu rersin g en eral. Sh e d oes this in pan to see th e reac tio n o fP arzi v al , h ercu 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 gettingto o frien dly w ith his w om an . U nless tau nted , P arziv al w ill n otengage ina duel to the death . Th ings cou ld get very bad for theadventurers if Parzival is k illed in such a m anner; Rochereau w illd isp atch n ew s to A ltdorf a t once and the GM should foUow th isup 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


12/98


13/98

TheNote: 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 norlisted above have the following typical profile:Typ ic al V illa ge rCareer: PeasantRace: Human

Skills: Animal Care, Animal Training, Charm Animal, CommonKnowledge (the Empire), Concealrnent, Drive, Gamble,GOSSip, Set Trap, Scale Sheer Surface, Speak (Reikspiel),Trade (Vintner)

Talents: Fleel, Hardy, Resistance to Disease, Very ResilientArmour: NoneAnnour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs Weapons: DaggerTrappings: Pouch with l d l O s, 2dlO PTyp ic al M i lit iamenCareer: MilitiamanRace: 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 0Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club) and ShieldTrappin.gs: Uniform, pouch with IdlO s, 2dlOpDetails on some of these Villagers are given below:Sed BaldurichSee! is a quite obnoxious, snotty-nosed young boy. He was playingin the woods when he saw a skull at Location La on me Sightingsmap, and ran back frightened. However, having been warned "time

of Wrathand time again" not to play so far from the village, he lied about irsposition, 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 betelling them the entire truth. Ifchallenged, See! will admit to thedeception. If See! takes me party to Area Ib more than once, pesshould be allowed a Navigate Skill Test to notice mat the locationis 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 theyoung lad half believes this by now, let the PCS determine therru rh of the matter.Nor long after his encounter, Sed wrote a letter to his uncle OttoBaldurich, a journeyman wizard of the Light Order studying Innearby Middenheim, Seel described the skull to his uncle in mesame exaggerated language he uses with the adventurers and beggedOtto [0"help save rhe town." As he never received a response, Seelpromptly forgot about the marten He has no idea that his uncleOtto--who bas a soft spot for his nephew and was already seekingto strike OUt on his own-took the letter quite seriously and is nowencamped with his compatriots in me woods outside town.S ig ismund Ha ls br etOne of me witnesses to Sighting 3, Sigismund has since decidedto pack up and go. He worked at the Reuter household andinspection of his room (a corner of the hayloft), will. reveal thatall his clothes and few belongings have also gone. His employersconsidered him a lazy worker and are not roo distressed about hisdisappearance.

KNun GROPENFROTTEURKnud is the ocher witness to Sighting 3, He works for theKallman farm and is somewhat stupid, needing co be promptedoften in order to reveal me little he knows. He and Halsbrer wereour working when they sported a skull heading towards them.Sigismund started running bur Knud waited to hir it with his petshovel, "Clod," For whatever reason, the skull turned and flewback into [he trees, Knudcarries his shovel everywhere and evenrakes it to bed.Er ie tt a Su rha rd t1 1 1 i s young woman currently ties unconscious in the Rochereauhouse, tended by her mother and Elisaber Rocheteau, She willrecover consciousness in about 2 days but will still be weak fromblood loss. A successful H e al S kill Test will result in her regainingconsciousness a half-hour later and will also reveal that she wasbitten twice. Note that neither her mother nor Elisabet will allowany grubby lirrleadvenrurer to grope Erierta's body and must beconvinced 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 andHilda Klop, and Imogen Uderlasr. They heard a scream and ranover to help, but on seeing a skull on Erierta they immediately ranback. Their courage returned when they saw the skull Hying offinto the forest.

12


14/98

The G rap es o f WrathN ote : W anda and H ilda are tw ins andconrlnually repea t what th eother 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 terThis snobb ish coup le runs the only store in th e V illa ge . I te mscom monly needed by farm ing fo lk are stocked at norm al pricesa nd , s in ce rJle v il la ge i s quire p ro sp ero us, they also sro ck so mefancy 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 ldat 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 abourp 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 inMiddenheim. (False : K nud h as n ev er b een [0Middenheim.)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 edabou 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 hada woman in every place be did busi ness. " If stuck for a true b it o fg ossip M ath ild a w ill in variab ly m ak e som eth in g u p (o f a typ icallyu .n s avou ry n a tu r e) ,

Ifth e p es h av e b eh aved in te llig en cly th ey sh ou ld fin d them selv eshired [Q deal with the prob lem of the skulls soon af ter reachingt 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 rto f [he harvest is due, and un til this tim e the villagers have no rea lneed to ventu re beyond rhe boundary . If the sku ll p rob lem stillrem ains. villag ers w ill n or w ork the v in eyard s u nless g uard ed b ya person al esco rc th eir liv elih oo d m ay su ffer burit's b ette r th anb ein g k illed . E ven if th e P C S are w illing and ab le to guard thev 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 thesku lls w est and east), the am ount of grapes harvested w ill benegl 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 thevillag e b ou ndary . P arziv al w ill b e a ll ro o eag er to eng ag e th e sk ulkTh e ad ventu rers w ill p ro bab ly fo rm th ree o bjectiv es: g ainin gin fo rm atio n a bo ut a ttac ks (d ea lt w ith p rev io usly ). rryin g [Qc ap tu re a sk ull, a nd a tte mp tin g to lo ca te w here th ey are co mingfro 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 plyno 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 tlOO(p lu s th e on e w hich w reck ed the co ach). L ike ir o rno t, the PC S w ill have [0w ait for a sku ll to come to th em . B e atin gthe 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 laiddow n by D ie ter . M ost o f the last m onths ' sigh rings have been m eres 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 ofD 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 rnto inspect it fo r dam age. H av ing done th is D ieter sen t sku lls [0rakeup positions north , w est, and east o f the v illage. These w ill be inpo sitio n by ap pro xim ate ly 3:00 p m in th e afterno on fo llo win g th eattack o n E rierta (i.e., the d ay th e P CS arriv e), an d are d iscussed inthe 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 redJ 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, pesw ill need to use a net or som ethlng sim ilar s ince it is not possib leto simply grab ho ld of one (jusr as it's not possib le to grab ho ldo f s orn eo ne's sw ord a rm ). Various sk ills m ay be tried and the GMshould consider each on its m erits. It's not im possib le to cap tu re asku 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


15/98

The Grapes of Wraththe skull will do whatever Dieter tells it. If passive the skull willkeep on trying to carry Out its last instructions. If the skull is in adormant state, the PCs may make use of its orientation ability (sayby using it as a compass or by putting it on a lead), or attempt togain control (and perhaps use it (0 follow other skulls). Furtherdetails are provided in the Bestiary. However, the villagers will notbe [00 happy ar the prospect of 11magical skull, no matter howtame, Bying around the village.IfWuder Lechhan approaches within 5 yards of 11 dormant skullit will sense his bit of W11tpstoneand try to move cowards it. 1fit'sable to move, the skull will B y slowly up to Wuder (who will watchin fascination), and then snuggle up to him like a pet cat, gettingas close to the warpstone as possible.

TRACKING A SKULLAlthough the skulls do nor travel fast, they are able to B y , whichmakes convennonal use of the Follow'I'rai! skill impossible. Theirability to fly and small size allows them to lose themselves in theforest fairly easily. Under no circumstances will.Dieter's lair bediscovered by chance, the area to search is too big and the caveentrance roo well hidden for that ro happen. Inventive PCs maywork out various plans to follow a skull and the GM must againjudge each on its merit. The skulls have a Flying Movement 8 andthey 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 falldown and must use the stand action (0 regain their feet. Suchdelays COStprecious time and likely allow [he skulls to escape.

TIM E TABL E OF EVENTSThis timetable breaksdown the events of the adventure, from theday the PCs arrive (Day 0) to Day 9, when it' ll be over one wayor another. The timetable is, of course, subject ro change, eitherbecause of PC activity or if the GM wants to increase the pace of theadventure, 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 Prlastockto watch over the village and vineyards. One skull takes up aposition 2 miles west of Pdtzstock by the road, and another 5miles east of Priezsrock, also by the road. The west and east skullsare programmed to attack any humanoid they see, but to breakoff the attack if the victim Bees.The north skull is programmed tosit and wait, Dieter assumes active conrrol of this skull every 30minutes in order to gaze upon the area. If villagers are working thefields, Dieter will keep control and have the skull arrack, IfDietercan see nothing of interest he will set the skull [{J can tinue waiting.011 the first occasion Dieter SPOtS adventurers (via a skull) he willinvestigate further, but will not arrack unless provoked.During the night Dieter will assume control of the north skullevery 4 hours and will then !iy i t around the area to spy onactivities in the village.Days I an d 2Dieter will keep up the "watch-and-wait" pattern.

Dieter will have the north skull sneak to the village and attack alone 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.DaySAt the end of the day Dieter will initiate his first nighr arrack. TIleskull will go from one house to another, breaking windows andbriefly attacking the occupants, attacking some six houses in total.Day 6Under increasing pressure from "Stefan," Dieter will have thenorth skull arrack the Rocheleau house, entering via the chimneyif the windows are boarded, or battering a door open if thechimney is blocked. Elisaber will be ignored, but Rocheteau will.beattacked and, if possible, killed. You may wish to have this arrackrake place as Rocheteau and the parcy are discussing what codoover meal or drink.

If Rocheteau is dead the skulls will restrict their activities tosropping work in the fields. If he is stiLIalive, then before dawnDieter will also have a skull scrape a.message in.the ground outsidehis house, "Death to Rochereau," and the events for Days 8 and 9will rake place.DaySDieter will recallall skulls in preparation for a mass attack, so somework in the vineyards is possible. However. at dusk he will haveone of the skulls B y over with a message in its mouth, "Hand overRocheteau by dawn and you may go in peace." The message will bedelivered to one of the adventurers,Day 9At da.wn Dieter wiU have all 4 skulls laying Siege to the village,If Rochereau is waiting to be handed over (presumably boundand gagged), the skulls will perform a very messy execution. IfRocheteau is not so delivered, anything rhar moves will be attackedand killed but the skulls will concentrate their efforts into findinglattacking Rocheteau.The skulls will systematically search each house in tum: One activeskull will attempt to gain entry, while the other 3 watch and wait.On gaining entry the skulls will attack anyone inside, finishingtheir arrack by causing as much damage as possible, includingsetting houses alight by knocking over lanterns, etc. Dieter willkeep up rhis siege until al l houses have been searched or Rochereauiskilled, replacing any skulls that are destroyed in the process.His final act will be to nave the skulls carry burning torches to thefields in order to destroy the vineyards aswell.Once the village has been razed to the ground then Dieter willconsider his revenge complete, irrespective of whether Rocheteauis 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


16/98

The G rapes of Wrath

Map 4 shows the under.ground lair of Dieter Maranaeur andhis mercenary bodyguard. Kurt Schultz. The cave is some7\1l .miles northeast of Prirzstock (marked A on Map 2). Theentrance is very well hidden and effectively impossible to loeareby normal searching on a small scale. However. if the party ba san approximate fix on the cave (say \4 mile radius), a line-searchusing the whole village will prove successful (if the villagers can bepersuaded).Even if the pes fail to find the cave entrance they may discoversomething unusual, Characters making a Hard (-20%)Perception Test will spOt carefully concealed bundles of wooddotted about the forest. Orro Baldurich and his companionsgathered and placed these bundles near the cave in the eventthey decide to smoke our Dieter and his bodyguard. The wood istherefore dry bur contains a lot of green stuff to produce smoke.Assuming the parry locates the cave and keeps it underobservation, the following facrs will be revealed during the day(excluding changes due [0play):

3 skulls arrive at about 1:00am and 3 skulls leave shortlyafter.A rough-looking fighter type leaves ar around dawn andreturns dlO-3 hours later. sometimes with some game(usually rabbit).In the early evening a wild-looking man emerges, has astretch and a few deep breaths, and returns to the cave afrertaking a short walk. He is followed by a skull which Hitsfrom tree to tree wherever the man goes. This individuallooks very ragged round the edges, with. marred hair andgreasysmbble.

Of course the parcy must make sure they are not spotted by any ofrh e cave's inhabitants. It is also possible that the parry is spotted bythe Middenheim gang, who have posted a watch some 200 yardsaway to the northwest of the cave (only 30 yards away duringthe night). Any sigluing will be immediately reported to Otto atLocation B on Map 2 (detai ls of Ono Baldurich and the otheradventurers can be found in the next section).If Dieter learns of individuals outside he will, if given time, use askull ro investigate. He normally has one waiting passively in thecave while the other three are out. If at any time it looks like hewiU be attacked me wizard. will terminate control of any skullsfa 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 andwill wan t to act quickly, As soon as Dieter has a full complementof skulls. he will use them to initiate an attack. Once all the skullsare engaged he and Kurt will emerge and act appropriately. Onlywhen Dieter is attempting co gain control of a skull (or is in activecontrol of one) does he need to spend time in concentration.If subjected to a surprise attack in the cave, the two men willsimply make the best of it. Dieter will again try to assert controlover skulls in me cave rather than wait for skulls already under hiscommand to return. Dieter is driven by an obsession and willlighrto the bitter end. Kurt is simply a mercenary and will surrender ifreduced to 2 Wounds or below.

It is possible for the party to deal with the wizard withour resortingto violence. If they have knowledge about tefan's death and canpersuade Dieter they have dealtwith Rocheteau then a truce mightbe arranged. Dieter will want proof, but will be willing to send askull ro investigate.TH E EFFEC TS O F SM O KEIr is quire possible for me pcs ro decide on using lire co driveout those in the cave. Gathering suitable material wilL take about2 man-hours, and in their search, the bundles already preparedby the Middenheimers may be spotted as described above. Ifdr ywood is used then people in the cave will be forced to leave afterabout 30 minutes. If "greenwood" is used much more smokewillbe produced. forcing people to leave in 10 minutes. If they staybeyond these times. the normal rules for suffocation apply.

THE CAVEA R E A ATwo candles provide fainr illumination in me passage leadinginto the cave. The passage shows signs of footprints if a successfulFoUow Trail Skill Test is made.

The passage turns at this point, and on the south wall a skull canbe seen resting on a ledge. A candle rests on [he skull and hascovered 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 theskull. 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-liecave to the right and a cloth screen mead. Unless forewarned,Dieter and Kurt will have a torch burning in Area Eand the lightfrom this will appear under the curtain. The party may hear memen talking or snoring depending on the time of day and howcautious they have been.A R E A CThis area is used as a store oEiron rations 311dwater barrels, about6 man-weeks worm in total. Torches, candles, ere, are also here,Dieter and Kurt are self-sufficient in food and water, bur Kurt stillgoes out hunting fresh gan1e. A small individual could hide behindthe stores but would be automadcally spotted if the stores wereutilised.

A R E A DAbout 32 human, beastman, and rarrnan skulls are laid in this areain a weird pattern. The cave was the site of Chaos activiry but wasabandoned long ago. Depressions can be seen in the sand where10 other skulls were laid. Some 6 inches below each depression,buried in the sand. is a small nugget of warpsrone. That is , thereshould be. One of me depressions actually shows signs of digging

1 5


17/98

and the piece of warpstoue under the skull is missing. removedbyWuder Leeharr aboue a decade ago. Altogether the 42 pieces ofwarpsrone weigh about V 2 lb.Four of the skulls are now under Dieter's control; the other sixare in a heap to the south (the result of failed attempts to gaincontrol). Obviously these numbers will alter if skulls are destroyed.If Dieter is trying to gain control of one of rh e remaining skulls, hewill 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 thecave receive a.+1 bonus for each l d l 0 rolled.

Behind a sackcloth curtain is the living quarters of Dieter and Kurt. Atorch provides light. The only furnishings are makeshift beds.Dieter and Kurt spend most of their rime in here. When neitherhave anything ro do (which is often) they play draughts. UnderDieter's instructions Kurt is making a simple chess set from oddbits of wood. Dieter reckons that teaching Kurt chess would helptime pass for another month.When not OUt hunnng (which he does around dawn), Kurt is busywhittling. Dieter is often resting but during the day can be foundin a trance-like state as he concentrates on controlling a skull (20%chance). At night the chance of finding him controlling a skulldrops to 10%.Dieter will also have a skull in here as extra prorecrio n, The skull isnormally passive so it would take Dieter Iround [0establish activecontrol. and anomer round [Q give it a new set of insrructions ifdesired.

D IE TE R MARANAEURApproaching 30 and of medium build, Dieter is beginning to lookfairly 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, apartfrom hi s obsession with ruining Prirzsrock. However, under theinfluence of me cave and Stefan's spirit. the bright wizard willbecome increasingly unstable as the days pass. This is reflected inme 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 revealmuch without being tortured. If broughr face-to-face withRochereau, Dieter will fall into a mad rage and attempt to killhim. If Rochereau has already been killed then he will be proud ofhis ac t i v i t le s , claiming that it was just retribution for the death ofh is brother.D ieter an d th e S ku llsAll previous sighnngs were part of Dieter's experiments, The attackon the coach was to see ifDieter could control a skull while he wasaway from the cave. As a result of these experiments Dieter knowsmost of what is described in me Bestiary. However, he does notknow that a metal barrier will negare control or that a dormant skullorientates itself with respect to me cave and, having done so, willattempt to rerum home. Under normal circumstances Dieter wouldhave probably investigated me source of the skulls' power, but in hi spresem 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 arenormally 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 controlof anomer skull in the cave as described in the Bestiary. Inrunning the skulls me GM should remember chat only one can actinrell igenrly at anyone time (i.e., me one controlled by Dieter).Th e others will blindly carry out their last instruction. Dieter isable to co-ordinate the activities of aU 4 skulls either by directlycontrolling each in men, or by having the three passive skullsfollow the act ive skull.In addition to rhe events tirnetabled, Dieter also recalls the skullsat about midnight. Since the skulls lose their power if they're awayfrom the cave for too long, Dieter must replace skulls on durywirh 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 noskulls are around Prirzsrock.D ie ter M a ra naeu r, V en gefu l TwinCareen Master Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard, ex-Journeyman

Wizard)Race: Human

16


18/98

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, SpeakArcane 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: NoneArmour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0Weapons: Quarter StaffTrappings: Backpack, grimoire, printed book, writing ki tKURT ScHuLTZ, SEll-SWORDKur t is a typical mercenary, al l brawn an d no brain, who wBI gowhere [he money is. His cousin Albrecht is a wizard's apprenticein Middenheirn, which is how Dieter came to hear of Kurr andengage 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 littleof the wizard's grudge against Prlrzstock, his mercenary ethicsmean he doesn't much care either. He is not willing ro lay downhi s life for the wizard, and if he and Dieter are trapped in thecave Kurt won't think twice about fleeing, hoping [0bargain withany attackers (revealing information about Dieter in return forbeing se r free). Kurt wiJl claim thar he doesn't know what theskulls get up to, being employed to simply guard the wizard, He

will maintain that he had no idea that the skulls were being usedagainst people.If asked about the wizard, Kurt will say that he can only control 4skulls in tota l and of ten spends time in a t rance. Any other informationthat 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 hasno comprehension of th e f iner points of skull control.IfTorrured, Charmed, or otherwise coerced, Kurt may reveal thefollowing 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


19/98

The G rapes of Wrath30 minutes from when the PCs were first seen by whoever waswatching Dieter's cave. In this case, the players will be seen asbeing in league with Dieter and treated accordingly. Otto willhave the others move to spring an ambush, but if it looks like thePCs and wizard are heading for a fight, he will delay attackinguntil one side has won (and presumably been weakened by theireffort). 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 sleave 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 beginsmoking them out (See The Effects of Smoke). As mentionedpreviously, the Middenheimers have prepared suitable woodfor this very purpose. It will take 2 of them only 15 minutes togather it rogerher,If events lead to combat, the Middenheimers will fight until. Ottoand Gregor are pur down, then the ~est will retreat, Should thepacry agree to his terms, 0ITO will allow rhern to leave. (unless, ofcourse, you decide that the [roll slayer doesn't support that idea).None of the five have 3.ny inkling about the warpstone, althoughOrro is relatively certain that dark magic is involved. Should it beuncovered, he will recognize the warpsrone for the evil that it isand will want to rake it back [0 the city so thar ir can be properlydisposed of.

THE MmDENHEIM B A N DDerails of and statistics for Otto's band of adventurers are listedbelow.

OTTo BALDURICHMany of m e residents of Prinsrock know See! B aldurich as theobstreperous nuisance thar he is. His uncle Orro, however, hasnever made that connection. This may be partially due to the factthat he has not seen his nephew in some years, although he ha shad a soft SpOt for m e boy since he was born. So when his nephewsent him a letter requesting his help, Otro was quick to act.Technlcally, Otto ha s not yet linished his studies in the LightOrder, bur the Jetter provided the final impetus for him to pursuewhat he had already been considering--a life of advenrure. He,hi s friend Gregor, and three thugs they had hired for the excursionset out for Prirzsrock to rescue the village from the rather vaguelyworded menace hi s nephew described.Orro purposely did not go directly to P rirzsro ck in order [0preventwhoever 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 overa week, and only discovered the cave where Dieter and Kurt areholed up two days ago. Understandably, Orro has had to restrainGregor from rushing in, a task that is growing more difficult witheach passing hour.Physically, Orro looks very much like a larger version of hisnephew. They share the same hair and eye colour, and Otto evenwears hi s hair in the same pageboy cur ,O tto B a ld uric h, C on ce rn ed U n cleCareer: 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, FastHands, Lesser Magic (AeehYIie Armour, Dispel), MighryMissile, Petry Magic (Arcane), Resistance to Magic, Strong-minded, Very Resllienr

Armour: NoneArmour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0Weapons: Quarter SrafTrappings: Backpack, grimoire, link of chainmail, primed book,

small silver hammer, writing kitGREGOR SKELGARDGregor had nor planned on becoming friends with Orro=-rhefirst time he met the journeyman wizard he tried to bean the manwith a tankard for daring to interrupt his drinking-buc [he tWOcrossed paths so often that the Dwa rf e ve nt ua ll y let down hi sdefences. Although they have known each other for years sincethen, Gregor has never revealed the secret shame that led hi m tobecome a gianr slayer ... nor does he intend. [0.Wben Otto mentioned chat he wanted [0leave Middenheim toseek adventure. Gregor practically packed his bags for him. Thetentative nature that hi s friend ha displayed thus far, however, hasnot been sitting well with the Dwarf. For despite his friendship,Gregor's shame is still deeply rooted and he longs for the escapemat death will finally bring him.Gregor, like most slayers, has shaved a.IJ the hair off hi s head exceptfor a single stripe down the middle, which is spiked and dyedright orange. On one side of h is s k ul l is a tattoo of the Hammer ofSigmar; on the other is the pick of Grungol.G reg or Sk elg ard , G ian t Slay erCareer: Giant Slayer (ex-Troll Slayer).Races Dwarf

Skills: Common Knowledge (Dwarfs. the Empire), ConsumeAlcohol +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


20/98

The G rapes of W rathSpecialist Weapon Group (Flail, Two-banded) , Street Fighter;Strike [Q Injure , Stout-hearted, Strike Mighty Blow, Sturdy

Armour: NoneArmour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-handed Axe), Hand Weapon

(HandAxe)Trappings: NoneHIRED MUSCLERobb, Wilhelm, and Robert are me three thugs hired by Orto andGregor. They are in this strictly for the money, and are willing toput themselves at considerable risk to receive the remainder oftheir pay (l00 gc) .Although Robb and Wilhelm are twins, in truth there is littlephysical difference between the three men: each is a large, hulkingbrute who confidently uses violence as a means [0solve almostevery problem. TIley will not think ofberraying the men who holdtheir purse strings; in fact, they usually prefer to think only whenabsolutely necessary.

R obb , W ilhelm , and R obertC ar ee r. T hu gRace: 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 StrongArmour: Medium Armour (MaU Shire, Leamer Jack)Armour Points. Head 0, Arms I, Body 3, Legs 0Weapons: 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. Inthis case, most everyone in Prirzstock will be delighted-e-althoughSe d Bardurich's father will demand an explanation as to why theykilled his b rc die r= -a nd rh e party will be r ew a rd e d a s agreed (andover Herr Bald urich's objections). On the other hand, if the PCsfa ll to StOP the skull attacks and do not discover that Stefan wasmurdered, men there will be misery al l round. In th is case, assumethe Middenheimers eventually storm the cave (having first dealtwith Kurt), raking Dieter back to the village and the warpstoneback to me City of the White WolfIf the PC s bring Dieter [0t he v il la g e, i t wUI cer tainly liven thingsup: Henri-Phillippe could get very scared or angry, followedclosely behind by a hysterical murderous rage from El isabec , Notethat bringing a dead Dieter back to Pritzsrock will sdll causeElisabet to react.If, by whatever means, Henri-Philllppe is found [0have murderedStefan Maranauer , then Parzival Aschaffenberg will insist rhathe be sent to Altdorf for trial. The same will apply [QDieter andKurt. With the evidence of a body in his celiac, Rocheleau will befound guilty and executed. His estate will then pass [0Elisaber.

Punishment of Dieter and Kurt will depend on what they didduring the adventure.Trials in Altdorf often rake a long time and so legal calls to the PCSas 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 ofwarpstone. JUSt what happens when all the lirtle bits are broughttogether 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, beginsprouting extra limbs, and so forth).

EXPERIENCE POINTSThe 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~60 xpIn addition to playing their character consistently, you shouldrake account of the quality, diplomacy, and incisiveness displayed

19


21/98

The Grapes of Wrathw 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 gin fo rm ation and in telligen t use of inform ation shou ld be especia llyrewarded.2. Dealing W ith th e Sku ll A tt acks : 10P )0 X pAw ard ex perie nce p oin ts fo r cle ver ta ctic s th at exploit t h e s k u ll 'sw 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 ev 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 dw ork in g o ut th e vario us lim itatio ns o f th e sk ulls ..PCS shou ld beth 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 ~40XPRushing the cave as soon as they arrive is no t th e best way ofearn ing xp (un less, o f course , the PC s have dealt w ith m e skullsand 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 themsurrender 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 pTh is w ill p ro bab ly m ean a fight. No poim s shou ld be aw arded jfthe M iddenheirners defea t the players o r rake Dieter and Kurt onth 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 harvestc 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 lswhich h av e-d ev elo ped p ow ers d ue to p ro lo ng ed e xp os ure towarpsrone. Norma! skulls do no t react to warpstonein t hi s m a nn er , itrequhes speCia l chantings and riruals so on afte r th e crea tu re's d eath top ro duce th e effecr,"The skulls have no innate in telligence bu t can be used to carry ou t thed ire ct a nd Indirect commands of a co ntro llin g sp ellcaster. A sku ll m aybe 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 enth 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 ctco 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 ceth 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 isobserved w h ile m o vin g IIa bo ut. A s uc ce ss fu l P erce ptin n Sk illTest is need ed to n otice th e effec t if th e s ku ll Is m ov ed w ith ou tb 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 alo ca lised so urce o f C hao s (say ; a sm all fragm ent o f w arpsto ne), isb rough t w ith in 5 y r u x l $ of a dorm ant sku ll. In th is case the skullwill tr y to get 1'0 the nearer p iece fo r as long as i.t rernalns wiehinth 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 thes 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 ustfirst be w ith in I y a w of m e sku ll, m en spend a half action to m akea C hanneling Sk ill Test. A failed test m eans that rhe s ku ll " die s.~ Ifcontrol 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 tcan then b e m ad ep msiv e by giving it Instructions to follow. Of .(lctivcby continuing direct command. A n ind iv idual m ay have up to 4 sku llsf ol low in g p as si ve instructions at anyone tim e . A cdve eonrro l o f any ofthese 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 neactiv e as h e do es so . at will,

In its active sta te aSKU U . se n c is v is u alsignals back to irsconnollec Whenconrrollin g a s ku lla n i nd iv id u al mustremain eemplecelyre la xe d a ndco mp ose d. A nyp h ys ic al m o v em e ntwill immedia te ly!legate ccnrroi.aswill f i tUedce$ts versusFear and the like .The comm and range is 6 miles and com mand lasts fo r as long-as thesp elle as ret c an m aln ta ln co mp le te concentrarlon, The s p el lc a sr er mayuse the skuU to PoU ow direct com mands or "re-program" th e s ku llto carry our anew set o f instructions (re-p rogram ming rakesa ful laction).Puly skul l will becom e dorm ant if it becom es separa ted from i . 1 Sconrrollec by more than 6 m iles, o r if co mple tely shie ld ed fro m itsco 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

VisionArmour: NoneArmour Polnrse Head 0..Arms -, Body-, Legs-W eapo ns: Teeth

20 =


22/98

For L ov e o r M o ney

For LWI! or M oney is a snore adventure that takes place in andaround the small town of Mirtleresdorf which is situated near thesouthwestern corner ofWissenland, several days' journey upriverfrom Wissenburg. Although a number of potential reasons will beprovided as [0why a party of adventurers would be in a location

that far from the centre of the Empire, Gamemasrers shouldfeel free [Q move the town to any other Imperial setting that'ssomewhat off the beaten path.The adventure is suited for characters in their first careers, and canbe completed within a few gaming sess ions.

=~=Not long after finding a suitable inn inMirderesdorf the PCSwill make the acquaintance ofBerrram Bedienste te r , themanservant of one of the town's few nobles, Bela Dusrermann, HerrDusterrnann, it turns out, has a daughter named Julianne who hasrun away with the leader of a group of band irs. Dusrermann hadrecently sent some local youths {O retrieve her, bur the bandits madeshort work of them and the noble believes that the PCS will be ofsterner mettle.After gathering some information around town, the adventurerswill be able to track the bandits to their lair in a series of cavesabout a day's journey away. Once they arrive, they find that rnosrof the rogues have been brutally slaughtered. The one survivor isjulianne's beau, Rudiger, who is only able to te ll the PC s that hisband never had a chance against the attackers, who seemed to havematerialized from nowhere.Nowhere, it turns Out, is 3ser ies of runnels leading to the otherside of me foothills, dug by a group of Skaven. The Skaven, whohave Julianne 111 tOW,attempt [0 persuade the adventurers thatthey were promised Julianne, and that they are simply taking what

they are owed. Jul.ianne is nor able ro provide many derails to theadventurers after she is rescued, as she is [00 busy being violentlyill. Although it appears that this is a result of pregnancy , the. truthis far more sinis ter :Bela Du terrnan did in fact make a deal wi

15467430-WFRP-Plundered-Vaults-A-Grim-World-of-Perilous-Adventure

Documents

Transcript of 15467430-WFRP-Plundered-Vaults-A-Grim-World-of-Perilous-Adventure