Blogging A to Z 2012

7/27/2019 Blogging A to Z 2012

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Blogging WFRPA to Z

The Complete 2012 Collection

as written by

Timothy Stone and Ben Scerri


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Forward

by TIMOTHY caffeinated STONE

You are in possession of the complete collection of A to Z posts for the 2012 Blogging A to Z

Challenge as written by myself and Ben Scerri ofversamus:we roll.

When I embarked on the A to Z challenge this year I started out knowing that I was going t

be absent for a week of April. I recount my thoughts on this added challenge in the

retrospective on the following page.

Warhammer Fantasy Role Play is a role-playing game in its most classic sense. Not a vide

game or MMORPG the likes ofDragonAge: Origins or World of Warcraft, but a game tha

requires archaic objects like pencils and paper, flesh and blood friends, a table and often

chairs, odd shaped dice, and just a dash of social skills to laugh at off-color jokes and look

another person directly in the eyes.

have blogged often about my introduction to WFRPand my reintroduction at the release

he 2nd edition.

The A to Z Challenge allows me to dig a little deeper in the mechanics and lore of

Warhammer. And I have become a better player and referee of the game because of it. Wh

2011 took a mechanical and design tack with the setting fiction, this year Ben and I focused

more on the pure setting fiction (with a few instances of the mechanical game elements

surfacing as inB is for Blather).

hope you enjoy this collection of posts from 2012. Ben and I hope that you will visit our

blogs to add your comments to original posts as well if you missed the challenge.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, WFRP, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, artefacts,

lustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either , TM and/or Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2012, variably regist

n the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their

espective owners. All other texts are Timothy Stone or Ben Scerri 2012 unless otherwise noted.


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anothercaffeinatedday.com

Blogging A to Z 2012 Retrospective

by CAFFEINATED MAY 6, 2012

2012 was my second year in the Blogging A-to-Z challenge. I learned about the idea fromGrognardia 1 las

year. James' effort focused on his Original D&D campaign known asDwimmermount2 (which posted nig

$50,000 in Kickstarter last month). I jumped in with my own effort on role-playing games (RPGs) focusin

on Warhammer Fantasy Role Play, or WFRP.

WFRP is a license of Games Workshop, currently published by Fantasy Flight Games. The world of WFRP

a low fantasy, 15th century Germanic and Arthurian setting featuring elves, dwarves, halflings and a myri

of beasts, magic, and dark magical foes.

quickly found that I not only enjoyed the challenge, but I was becoming more familiar with the setting a

ar more comfortable writing and extending the setting for my own games. My entries in Blogging A-to-Z

2011 also won me some recognition the WFRP community, including aBest of the Fans Award3 from

Adolphus Altdorfer, the nom de plume of Magnus Seter at The Altdorf Correspondant4,

Thus the fire was lit and I began planning my effort for 2012. Only I had a problem on the outset: a Europ

Vacation. While I could have figured out a way to beg, borrow and steal data connections in Italy, I knew was going to busy. I had several ideas to handle my absence. The first was to just pre-write my posts and

queue them. The second was to engage others. I issued a call to the WFRP community of bloggers, a smal

one to be sure, and got immediate interest.

n the end, 26 entries later, I can declare SUCCESS. Ben Scerri ofversamus; we roll5was a tremendous

help, blogging on the other side of the world from Australia. Ben not only provided support in my planne

absence, he provided near or half of the ideas for Blogging A-to-Z 2012. Thank you, Ben!

We got to share with the visitors our enjoyment of the WFRP setting (there was less system focus posts th

2011) with a wider audience. But I think that Ben and I also can share a hardship in blogging, literally on

opposite sides and poles of the Earth. We settled on GMT posts. For me that meant that my posts appear

hours before midnight in the US and "yesterday" for Ben. I think in retrospect the lesson to pass to "A-to-

Z'ers" is: if you're going to co-blog the challenge, stay local and within six hours plus-or-minus GMT.

Anything approaching 12 hours creates a "I'm awake, your asleep" communication blackout. If you must,


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hen plan at least a day ahead for all communication and last minute changes are not allowed.

Thanks for visiting and see you next year... indeed.

References

Grognardia

http://grognardia.blogspot.com/ )

Dwimmermounthttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/dwimmermount )

Best of the Fans Awardhttp://altdorfer.blogspot.com/2011/05/wfrp-best-of-fans-9.html )

The Altdorf Correspondanthttp://altdorfer.blogspot.com/ )

versamus; we rollhttp://versamus.blogspot.com/ )

Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2012/05/06/Blogging-A-to-Z-2012-Retrospective


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is for Azyr

by CAFFEINATED APRIL 1, 2012

Scholars are drawn to the words: Astrometeorological Thaumaturgy, the magic of the stars. Masters of th

Blue Wind of Magic, Azyr, are the Astromancers, or as the commoner might say, white knuckled and

weating in fear of a darker future glimpsed in a black irises of a passing master of the blue wind, Celestia

Wizards.

Astromancers or Celestial Wizards are adept star readers, weather manipulators, and tellers of the future

nsult them is to toss them in lot with Strigany charlatans called "fortune tellers"). They are most often se

n Altdorf in clean and, often of the finest cloth, tailored midnight blue robes; such are the rewards toapprentice, journeyman and master astromancer alike in the employ of the rich seeking knowledge of the

uture. Both a boon and curse, astromancers are duty bound to honesty and complete transparency. To le

he hour and circumstance of your sponsor's death must be told, if asked.

Astromancers look for signs in all things around, above and below. The Celestial College's most public of

omes, if only for the magics most common use, describe Elemental, Mystical and Cardinal schools.

A practitioner of the Elemental school is known to conjure storms of electrical energies from the very Aetierce winds, even curse and doom persons. Mystics are masters of precognition, even minor abilities hav

been witnessed in speaking with birds or causing the sun to break on a rainy day. Cardinal astromancers

he mystical practices with the elemental, striking a fearful balance often sought on the battlefields of the

World.

The Celestial College in Altdorf is known for its stringent admission exam, though rarely are those with th

Aethyric abilities outright dismissed, remedial education may be in order. However, strong relations with

Order of Light will often find wanting applicants with a letter of introduction to the Order. Astromancers

also enjoy excellent relations with the Cult of Verena, many Celestial Wizards being faithful adherents to

cult.

Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2012/04/01/


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B is for Blather


As a blogger often musing about role playing games, I have recounted at least once that, just shy of 11 yea

ago, I decided to sell my game collection. Yet, I held aside one collection of titles: WFRP 1e. WFRP is the

game that captured my imagination promising "a grim world of perilous adventure." Moreso, WFRP did n

ake itself seriously. The tone of the game in 1986 was irreverent and fun.

Many things about the game mechanics of first edition embody this tone, but when I pause, run down the

of 'B' possibilities, the skill ofBlather is ever present.

Blathering can be used in almost any situation in order to gain time. Blatherers simply invent a complete

tring of nonsense, ranting on and on whilst their victims stand dumbfounded, wondering whether the

blathering character is insane, intoxicated or possibly dangerous.

WFRP 2e, released in 2006, does not change this wonderful skill, but appropriately adjudicates the action

of the player within the skill test mechanics.

The skill of Blathering in context of WFRP game rules, and very often many others if by a different name,

et firmly in the collection of social skills.

Social skills, the accompanying mechanics and the adjudication vary in games. WFRP takes the traditiona

tance in the "rules as written" to boil it down to an abstract dice roll versus the Non-Player Character (NP

ubject the verbal assault. The argument for the abstract is a balancing one: if the player is not quick on h

or her feet, maybe not even possessing real world social skillswhether timid or just uncomfortable takin

he stagethen the dice roll absolves the player of "role-playing it out." A sort of jump cut where the rest

he table is screaming "Get on with it!" Yet, I have often found myself seeking the desire to roleplay it out

ask for bonuses, or penalties, to my dice roll based on my performance. One then is provided the best of b

worlds.

And lest I blather further



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versamus.blogspot.com.au

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: C is for Crime

by BEN SCERRI MAY 17, 2012

t wont come as a surprise to many that, among the myriad problems facing the Empire, Crime is rampant. The Empire being a rela

and of plenty causes its citizens to always want more. From the grandest nobles, to the lowest scum, everyone is out to make a few

xtra Crowns. However, in a land as corrupt as the Old World, it is easy to see how one would be forced into crime.

Crazy laws abound in the urban cities, giving rise to laws detailing the manner of ones singing, or the length of their blades. One suc

aw details how all privately owned merchant vessels docking into Altdorf must moor in to Empress Annettes Quays unless there is

oom available. Another, secondary law, states that such moorings will cost two shillings per foot of length per day to dock there. S

ny merchant wanting to make ends meet is robbed half blind under the law when he goes about his business!

No wonder we have instances like the Pudding Tax Revolt of 2433!

Naturally, in a world where crime is rife and the law confusing, the only ones who win out are the lawyers. Lawyers attend the great

olleges of the Empire to learn their profession and seek the gold it reaps. When they are finished, they are thrown into a horrible w

f politics and back stabbing (almost bad enough that it should be taken to the courts!). However, life for the lawyer is far sweeter th

heir charges.

That is, of course, so long as they dont get posted as a Traveling Judge. The Traveling Judges represent an effort by some and a

unishment by others on the rural settings of the Empire. Great learned men, carried on thrones on the shoulders of their

menservants, arrive in villages and parishes all over the Empire and dispense justice in the only form available to them. Death.

Whether it is a petty crime, or a murder, the Traveling Judge will decide the punishment and his word held as absolute. The defenda

will have to pay a fine, lose a limb, or lose their lives. When they enter a village the criminal underground stops moving.

Of course, they are still better than having a Witch Hunter run through the place

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-c-is-for-crime.html


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D is for Daemon Slayer


f Blather is an iconic skill in WFRP, few careers paths in WFRP are more iconic than the Slayer career pa

aken by dwarfs of the Old World.

Slayers from the outsidethe outside being merely anyone not seeking to charge a troll, giant, or daemon

are insane and impossible to miss in even the most crowded street of Altdorf. Typically, a slayer is seen on

wearing a leather jerkin (or often bare chested) and sporting a stiff mohawk dyed in a flaming hue of oran

The Daemon Slayer represents the nigh failure of a lifetime seeking honor in death following a personal,

even clan, shaming event.

Among dwarfs made a cuckold, displaying cowardice, breaking an oath, producing or showing poor

craftsmanship or just being unable to clear ones name of a crime, taking the Slayer's Oath is a path to

edeeming one's honor. This is a sure route to death for the Oath has only one resolution: death in slaying

he enemies of the dwarf race. These enemies include Trolls, Giants, and Daemons, the agents of the Ruin

Powers. Lesser enemies the likes of the rat race Skaven or allies of such enemies will meet the edge of a

layer's axe without consideration of ranking in the oath.

To be sure trolls get first attention. The massive greenskin creatures are aggressive terrors, above ground

and moreso below ground in the dwarven holds of the Old World. Failing to find closure to hiseven her

Slayer's Oath, a slayer often takes a new suicidal path seeking greater enemies, whether greater honor ma

be in debate, to satisfying the Slayer's Oath. The dwarf at the end of the path, surviving seemingly

nsurmountable odds, is the Daemon Slayer.

No manifestation of the Ruinous Powers embodies more terror in man. Yet the Slayers relish the chance t

ace them, seeking the corrupted wizards, necromancers, and Chaos' chosen warriors that daemons favor

more likely manipulate for greater ends of destruction. On the battlefield, slayers will congregate, formin

bare-chested assault platoons often charging directly at trolls, giants and daemon hoardes without

command.

But while branded insane and found drunk, or on the way to drunk, and rightly so, a slayer's honor is

without peer. A Daemon Slayer at your side in a venture fraught with the worse of peril is to know that 20


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he Empire's bravest could not match in bravery, if suicidal, or axe and sword.



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Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: E is for Elector CountessEmmanuelle von Leibwitz


Few personalities in the Old World truly encapsulate an entire social class. Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz, however, tru

epresents the spoiled rake stereotype.

Occupying the both Countess positions available in Wissenland (that of Elector Countess of the province, and of the City State of Nu

he Countess is by far the most powerful person that side of Altdorf. However, uncharacteristically ofmostnobility, she is attemptin

he throw away most of her lands giving Wissenland to the Toppenheimer family so that she can be rid of the bores of provincia

matters. In the absence of these worries, she would certainly be aiming to throw many more of her illustrious parties and balls (man

which are said to last days, or even weeks!).

To put it short, however, the Countess could be seen as Nuln personified a bright jewel in the crown of the Empire, strong and

nduring, yet wasteful and flamboyant, with just enough excess to get the newssheets talking. With apparently 10,000 completed

utfits in her wardrobe, no one could doubt the strength and wealth of the cultural capital of the Empire.

But, even though the Countess is a much loved socialite, this middle-aged woman has a dark side. She is notorious for her hatred of

po-faced burghers and for countless scandals involving whatever young, fresh faced, handsome man crosses her path. To cover up

hese dealings, and to maintain her hold on her beloved jewel the City State of Nuln the Countess has established several group

secret police and spy networks that run through the city (many of which are unaware of the others, so as to prevent corruption).

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-e-is-for-elector.html


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F is for Flaming Sword of Rhuin


High born or commoner alike, walking the streets of a major metropolis the size of Altdorf, Nuln,

Middenheim or Marienburg 1 will have seen the Flaming Sword of Rhuin. Moreover, any former conscript

even old grognard or lifer of the Emperor's armies, asked on the dirt roador what passes for a road of th

mallest hamletwill tell you of seeing a Bright Wizard conjure the Flaming Sword of Rhuin.

Bright Wizards, masters of the Red Wind of Magic,Aqshy, more commonly known as pyromancers, study

he Lore of Fire. Bright Wizards are highly trained, and highly sought after, wielders of the martial magic

ire. While spells known by masters can destroy armies in conflagrations sourced from pureAqshy, no spes more personal as the Flaming Sword of Rhuin.

Only Journeyman and Master Wizards of the Bright Order are powerful enough to conjure the sword of

lame. When the spell is cast, a fiery sword materializes in the grasp of the wizard. Like the mundane stee

words of soldiers, the Flaming Sword of Rhuin requires the wizard to engage in close, personal, bloody,

mortal combat. For the brief moments the Flaming Sword of Rhuin is manifest, Bright Wizards can cut

hrough enemies of the Empire, mobs of zombies, or even just a group of common street toughs. Many of

atter flee in urine soaked breeches at the appearance of the Flaming Sword of Rhuin, and rightly so. In

battle, great and small, Bright Wizards have been known to draw energies from within from the pure

adrenaline rush of cutting down attackers in close martial combat to wield the Flaming Sword of Rhuin fo

hours, leaving in their wakes ruinedfoes; each to a man, beast, or mutant bearing maiming or mortal

cauterized wounds.

References

Marienburghttp://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2011/04/15/M-is-for-Marienburg )



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versamus.blogspot.com

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: G is for Geheimnisnacht


Every year, on a particular night, citizens of the Old World shut their doors and windows, snuff out their hearths and quiver in fear,

huddled together, and pray for the dawn. This night is Geheimnisnacht - Night of Mysteries - when the dreaded Chaos Moon, Morrs

s full and closer than ever to the world whilst Mannslieb also reigns in the sky.

During this Night of Mysteries mutations spring up, Chaos abounds, and Necromancers roam the world reaping their deadly tolls. It

niversally dreaded time among the sane, and the holiest of holies for those with a dark soul.

Geheimnisnacht is only the Reikspiel name for it, however, as each culture on the planet recognises its importance and holds it as a

ime above all others. Winters Eve, ArUzkul, Twilights Tide, andpossibly the Dark Elves Death Night (in which Witch Elves

courge their cities for sacrifices to their evil god of murder, Khaine).

With the proximity of so much warpstone, it is not surprising that the eerie glow of the Chaos Moon causes the just to hide whilst th

estial roam free in an ecstasy of worship for their vile gods

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-g-is-for.html


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H is for The Handmaidens


The eight winds of magic can be in harmony or discord. In harmony, the winds unlock High Magic, rumo

o only wielded by the High Elf Masters. In discord the winds are unpredictable and known asDhar or Da

Magic, but also easier to wield by man. In between exists the magic practiced by wizards of all orders and

capabilities. Across this spectrum of magic it is easy for spells to go wrong.

A spell that goes wrong can have lasting impacts on the psyche of a wizard. Maybe subtle at first, but it is

hat by releasing magical energies a wizard's lapsed training or concentration brought on by cracks in the

psyche can conjure daemons that feed on a particular wizard's wind.

The Handmaidens are such a poltergeist of the Celestial and Gold wizards, masters ofAzyr or Chamon

winds. It is rumored The Handmaidens are the souls of burned witches. The sane, relative to how long th

wizard has been visited by The Handmaidens, say they first hear The Handmaidens as wings flapping or

alons tapping or scraping. Soon, The Handmaidens begin appearing in doorways, windows and portals a

eathered and blind shades. Wizards haunted by The Handmaidens soon fear the sound and appearances

The Handmaidens eventually begin merciless attacks. Wizards that have been haunted, some finally insan

rom attacks, or driven to their deaths, have been found bleeding, or bled, from hundreds of black iron na

embedded in their flesh.



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Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: I is for Isha


sha, the Elven Mother Goddess, is considered by all Elves to be the creator of their race. However, due to the unique methods of div

nterpretation and reverence, they also consider all other female Mother Goddesses as being a part of Isha, or perhaps Isha as a par

greater representation of the concept of the Mother.

sha is the Goddess of the harvest and of natural bounty, mother of the earth and bringer of fertility Much like the other female de

f the Old World. Evidence of Isha can be seen in other deities such as Shallya, Rhya, Valaya, Esmerelda, and Hyacinth, and vice ver

Given the nature of Old World worship, the collective thoughts of one deity are seen in the other, and vice versa.

As Teclis inferred when he taught safe magic to the magisters of the Empire, all gods are merely projections of emotion and collectiv

hought in the Aethyr. He put forward (however lightly) that perhaps all human gods, and the miracles they bestow, are sourced fro

he same place as the foul Winds of Chaos. This thought is, of course, heretical under the current theological thinking in the Old Wo

But it is no less true.

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-i-is-for-isha.html


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J is for Journeyman Wizard


Earning the status of Journeyman Wizard in one's Order is both freedom from and fealty to the Order.

As an apprentice, a wizard is assigned to a Master Wizard, dealing with burdensome course work and in

constant study (as well as just running errands of the Master's choosing). When deemed by the Master to

eady for the level of Journeyman, wizards are licensed by the Order to practice its magic and instructed b

he Master to study in "journey," bound by oath to remain more than fifty leagues from Master at all time

n this capacity, the Journeyman Wizard remains a representative to the wider world of his Order.

Transgressions of the Journeyman are reported directly to the Order and the wizard's Master can be held

iable by law should the wizard find his or her self of interest to authorities, or worse, Witch Hunters.

Journeyman Wizards learn a trade, offer magical services, or seek adventure--often of a grim and perilou

kind; for in great risk can be greater reward--and are eager savers of earnings. These savings are necessar

or at the end of a Journeyman Wizard's journey is re-admittance to the Order's College in Altdorf. This r

admittance is expensive, sometimes arbitrarily so based on the Master's assessment of the wizard, person

or family wealth, the journey, even the journey's length and its reward. Before becoming a Master Wizard

hemselves, Journeymen Wizards will be tested, both in mastery of the Order's wind and his mettle for thOrder's politics.

Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2012/04/11/J-is-for-Journeyman-Wizard


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Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: K is for Knight of theBlazing Sun


Few Knightly Orders capture the imaginations of the Old World like the Knights of the Blazing Sun. Whether it is their fantastically

rnate armour, their dazzling mirror shields, or their newcomer god, it is anyones guess. The simple fact is, during a siege or attack

ouching in or parish, the Knights of the Blazing Sun always seem to pop up and settle the score.

Originally a secular group from Carroburg, the Knights found their way to Estalia en route to crusade in Araby. However, the town i

which they were staying soon came under attack from their foes and their deaths were assured. Suddenly, the great statue of Myrmi

oppled and slew hundreds of the Arabyan forces, allowing the Knights to take them in open combat. They returned to the Empire fi

ich and worshipping a foreign god.

But the Goddess of Tactical Battle is a good suit for the Knights of the Blazing Sun Myrmidia offers insights into battlefield tactics

reat wisdom. There is no wonder why this wise goddess is beginning to replace Ulric on the lips of waiting soldiers

But now, decades after their conversion, the Knights still roam the lands of the Empire, often alone and foregoing the comforts of th

hapter house, seeking out the meek and the helpless with polished shield held aloft and the flaming courage of Myrmidia to keep th

ountrymen safe!

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-k-is-for-knight-of.html


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Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: L is for Lucky Charms


The peasants (and in many cases, the nobility) of the Old World are a superstitious lot. Given the nature of the Warp and the

ncertainty of the existence of material gods, however, this is perhaps the wisest of stances. As such, the culture of the Empire, and

ndeed beyond, has breed a massive economy dealing in Lucky Charms.

Lucky Charms can take all manner of forms - rune stones, the finger bones of Saints, small straw dolls of the family or god, and so

orth. The one thing that ties them all together, however, is the faith placed in them by their owners. Whether through some kind-ey

nlooking god, or because of the random whims of the Aethyr, it is not uncommon for these Lucky Charms to have a seemingly tang

ffect. Of course, the reason you didnt get your head split open couldbe because the ground is slippery after the rain, or it couldbe

ecause your Lucky Charm made your enemy slip. You can never know

What you can be sure of, however, is that there will always be charlatans selling false relics for a quick Crown or so. And further, the

ools of the Empire will always buy them.

References

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-l-is-for-lucky.html


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M is for The Moot

AP RIL 14, 2012

t is not uncommon for the races of the known Old World to know tolerance and prejudice in equal measu

Sometimes however the prejudices are just the tempered expressions of outright hatred for long standing

eal and perceived grievances for the race in question.

Halflings bear these prejudices in great measure, second only to Elves, for The Mootland, or just "The Mo

The Moot is an idyllic land of rolling hills, verdant pastures, and bountiful fruit orchards and vegetable

gardens. It all makes for an untroubled lifestyle for Halflings and the harvests are enjoyed by the Empire

arge during Pie Week1, where the food and culture of the Halflings are celebrated.

et how the Mootland was given to the Halflings--and the Electoral seat too--sets unwell with Stirland an

Averland Electors and natives. The Mootland was carved from best farmlands of the two provinces by the

Emperor Ludwig the Fat over 1500 years ago. To listen to any Averlander or Stirlander trace property righ

n family genealogy tell the hidden story: should the time come to reclaim the lands from the Halflings in

ome unfortunate calamity, papers can be produced to properly restore "rightful ownerships."

And the Halflings are well aware of the festering sores of the Averland and Stirland Electors and are on

vigilant guard, politically, martially, and culturally. However, one threat seems to ever be encroaching on

The Moot, more difficult to stand against each year: Sylvania to the North and the World's Edge Mountai

on the East.

The vampire counts of Sylvania muster armies of undead for various campaigns against enemies in the

Empire and for terrifying wars with the greenskins of the mountains. The conflicts spill over into The Mo

And while the vampire counts do not pay much attention to the Halflings of The Moot, greenskins often f

hemselves seeking more opportunities to pillage and burn in retreat from some lost battle if for the sake pillaging and burning, nothing more. And with each conflict, while the map borders never change, the rea

borders tighten as Halflings refuse to return to lost villages.

References

Pie Weekhttp://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2011/04/19/P-is-for-Pie-Week )


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Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/die/2012/04/14/M-is-for-The-Moot


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Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: N is for Nagash


f one were to ask: Who is the villain of the Old World? Many would reply with Archaon. This is, however, an incorrect answer.

Archaon is merely a vessel for the Chaos Gods, primordial and elemental forces that are opposed to Order and common conceptions

ivilisation. They are not evil, and the Empire is not good. They are merely polar opposites on a Lawful-Chaotic spectrum. Therefore

ne might point to the Orks or the Skaven and their respective leaders. Again, they are merely opposing ideals.

The answer would be: Nagash, first and greatest of Necromancers.

Born in ancient Nehekhara, Nagash was a noble son who fell in with the respected Mortuary Cult (servants of the Lord of the Dead w

erved to ready royal corpses for burial). He became obsessed with death and the avoidance of it, and, after encountering (and

orturing) several Dark Elf sorcerers, he learned the secrets of Dhar and of the power of Warpstone. Armed with the diabolical

nowledge, he cursed the lands of Nehekhara and the Old World by unleashing the race of Vampires on them. He became the first li

nd reduced the cradle of human civilisation to a home for the undead

However, he was caste out from his own home and, after several forays against the Skaven, was eventually destroyed by a baleful

Aethyric blade. This, however, was not the end. Nagash has died and resurrected numerous times, fighting Skaven, Chaos and even

God King Sigmar Heldenhammer!

His spirit rests currently, but who knows when next this foul monster will arise

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-n-is-for-nagash.html


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O is for Ostland

AP RIL 17, 2012

Ostland is nigh synonymous in the Empire with the Forest of Shadows. Lying on the northern borders of

Empire beyond Middenheim, Ostland cradles the Middle Mountains in forest and wind swept grasslands

before the borders of Kislev.

One approaching Ostland from passes over the Middle Mountains will often be struck by the awesome

orests stretched out before them. Whether green in the spring and summer or bursting with colors in

autumn, even the rich browns and grays of bare hardwoods in winter, are strikingly beautiful, especially t

charcoal-burners. Unfortunately, Ostland's beauty from a distance hides the ugliness of war.

As Chaos hordes sweep down from the north, through Kislev, into the Empire in great campaigns of

conquest--and then often in brutal retreat--Ostland suffers. Archaon's great campaign of 2522 IC ended i

defeat at Middenheim and left Wolfenburg, the great capital of Ostland, in ruins. It is said over 90% of th

population of Wolfenburg died in the siege. Camps of refugees still cling to the walls of the once great city

Archaon's armies in retreat left large number of stragglers in the ruins of Wolfenburg and new camps of b

Empire sanctioned privateers as well as foolhardy treasure hunters seek to reclaim Wolfenburg for Empe

and Elector (or only part of it for riches).

Ostland's Elector has moved the government to the port city of Salkalten on the Sea of Claws where he ple

with Emperor for real troops to secure Wolfenburg. Unfortunately, the Emperor cannot spare more troop

Already several companies garrison the border with Kislev having followed the retreating Chaos armies to

he border. More troops would only raise alarm in Kislev, already sensitive from previous Ostland claims

border territory.

Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/die/2012/04/17/O-is-for-Ostland


22/33


Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: P is for Praag


f you had to say one thing about Praag, it is that it is cursed. Utterly, utterly cursed.

The city sits on the River Lynsk, bordering to the north the Troll Country, and to the south Kislev. Due to this location, it is often the

irst stop for the Kurgan hordes invading the Empire. As such, Praag suffers every time.

During the time of Magnus the Pious, when the Great War Against Chaos was raging, the city of Praag was hit harder than it ever ha

efore. The walls were surrounded by the damned, and the soldiers on the inside were out matched. However, their stout Kislevite

hearts weathered the worst of the war and managed to keep the city standing for several weeks. That was, until Magnus was on the

march.

Knowing they didnt have long, the Kurgan hordes mustered for one last push. And the walls and gates of Praag fell, and the Winds o

Chaos blew through the streets, twisting the landscape and scarring its people. When Magnus finally made it to the siege, he crushed

Kurgans surrounding the city and pushed through their broken lines to see the fate of the doomed city. What he saw was not meant

e.

Men were fused with the stone walls of houses, and cobbled streets ran with blood from between the cracks. Trees howled at those

round them and the windows of the houses grew eyes and glared through those who saw them. Praag was a bastion for Chaos, and

nce proud people were slaves to Chaos, or dead.

Magnus ordered the city burned, and, once the war was over, fled back to the Empire, thinking the end of Praag was assured. Howev

he Kislevites endured. They rebuilt their city, brick by tainted brick, and rose a new Praag on top of the old. They had no idea it was

ainted That was, until strange things started happening. The main market street started displaying strange writings every mornin

eemingly made from the cobblestones itself. Dark figures followed civilians at night, but never got closer. Dark howling could be he

n the Square of Kisses in the darkness. And yet, Praag lives on a magnet to the forces of darkness through the Old World.

f you want to read more about Praag, I guess this is as good a time as any to make an announcement. I am currently writing a

evised version of Praag (that is, revised form what is in RotIQ), and I will begin posting about it regularly on versamus after this

month. It is planned out as a massive source-book for the city, filled with everything you could ever want to run a campaign in a

errifying urban setting!

Original URL:http://versamus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/blogging-wfrp-to-z-p-is-for-praag.html


23/33


Q is for Quaysh


Quaysh is known by common names such as True Magic and High Magic. It is the weaving of all colors of

magic into powerful spells that only the High Elves of Ulthuan are able to wield.

t is speculated that when Magnus the Pious consented and chartered the magical colleges of the Empire

High Elf teachers recognized that man was not capable of wielding High Magic. Instead the teacher's cho

o identify in man individual attunement to the eight winds. Mastering a single wind of magic was seen as

he easy path and less likely to fry the brain in the primitives (as the High Elfs saw mankind). The newly

ordained magic users aided in defeating the Chaos armies for Magnus.

The High Elfs returned to Ulthuan and continued to weave Quaysh for their own purposes, whether benig

great or martial. And no purpose is more important than understanding and maintaining the Vortex on th

sle of the Dead in Ulthuan.

Little is known of the magic origins of the Vortex save that the High Elf Masters that crafted it still reside

within it in a suspended animation. What is known is that it serves a singular purpose of draining the exc

magical energies that threaten to destroy all the world. The High Elves acknowledge a time before man,

dwarf, and Chaos where a great star faring race known only as the Old Ones ruled. The Old Ones maintain

powerful magical gates in the polar regions of the world. The Old Ones were defeated a great war, or so it

hought, and the gates collapsed, releasing the magical energies in great floods of energy. The High Elves

old understood that the magical energies would destroy the world and learned quickly how to weave it, bu

he great excesses could not be managed, save drained from the world.

So the Vortex may represent the greatest example of Quaysh and its power. As only the High Elves wield t

magical winds in harmony through Quaysh some might say saving the world at the same time. Whetherelflessly or not is another debate.



24/33


R is for Rune Magic


Of all the races throughout the Old World, no one seems more beset by decline than the Dwarves (or Dwa

f you prefer the alternate spelling). The High Elves and their kin the Druchii war endlessly over gods. Th

Wood Elves are beset by Man encroaching on the great forests, and the Halflings are crowded in their idy

and ever, shrinking reservation.

And yet the dwarves, stalwart allies of man and ever bitter toward elves of any stripe, are driven from the

mountain homes by enemies too numerous to mention. And magic remains both a boon and bane to them

As a boon, dwarves are highly resistant to magical winds and energy, yet this boon is their bane as they

cannot wield magic as other races can. However, in ages past the master craftsman of the great dwarven

clans found that they could bind magical energies into runes. Thus was born Rune Magic.

Only dwarven craftsmen appear to be capable of this magic, not even elves appear to have the same talen

hough it is known that High Elves have a similar runic magic (whether it behaves the same way is unkno

or if whether it was stolen from the dwarves is another matter).

The secrets of rune magic are closely guarded by the craftsmen that work the forges. Apprentices are chos

at a young age if they are recognized to possess the affinity for magical winds (though not the same affinit

ound in man and other races as dwarves are incapable of the "witch sight," the direct perception of the

magic winds constantly flowing through all things).

Objects such as rings, shields, talismans, and weapons can be bound with terrifying power of the magical

winds in runes that can be invoked by the words represented in the runes. The martial tools of rune magi

are highly sought throughout the Old World.

Rune Magic is very time consuming, especially given the dwarven craftsmen tendency toward perfection.

having a sword or hammer engraved with runes of power can be the balance in your

avor. Sigmar Heldenhammer's great warhammer Ghal-Maraz, or Skull Splitter, was such a weapon.



25/33


S is for Shallya


Shallya is the Goddess of Healing, Mercy and Childbirth. Often depicted as a young, beautiful, and crying

maiden, Shallya is the daughter of Verena, Goddess of Learning and Justice and Morr, God of Death and

Dreams.

Shallya is served in the Old World by a clergy of all women. The priestesses are hosts, caretakers, and hea

n nearly all the shelters, orphanages and hospices of the Empire and beyond. These places serve and hon

Shallya though the strict quiet and peace maintained in the service of those in need. Many priestesses are

also midwives and hear prayers during childbirth or the planning of families.

n the capacity as healers, the temples often see the injured in hospices and prayer rooms. For a small

donation, many cuts, scrapes and broken bones receive care. For a more modest donation, intercession o

behalf of Shallya may be provided in healing rites.

The Old World's armies recognize Shallya's importance in caring for soldiers and muster priestesses in fie

hospitals. Her priestesses know that while Shallya may not heal all from battle, they provide what comfor

hey can to the injured. They consider their most important task on the field of battle one of witnessing fo

peace through the goddess' symbol of the pure white dove.



26/33


T is for Teufelfeuer


Devil's Fire. Odd name for a settlement. Ironic that the settlement's name would be its fate as well.

n 2511, by the Imperial Calendar, Fabergus Heinzdork, witch hunter, templar for the Cult of Sigmar, bur

Teufelfeuer to the ground and its settlers at the stake, to a dog, with it. The crime as summarily adjudicat

by Herr Heinzdork? The village was rumored to have taken up the practice of eating raw meat. Heinzdork

benignly questioned the settlers, but discreetly dispatched a rider officially requesting the settlement to b

urrounded and quarantined. While waiting for his instructions to be carried out, Heinzdork also purchas

much of the village's wine stores as Teufelfeuer was renown in the Empire for great wines--some might ar

exceptional wines rivaling Bretonnia!

The settlement remained a charred and overgrown distraction on the road to Altdorf for several years. In

2215, the plot was resettled, some by relatives of the former settlers and new indentured families enlisted

entrepreneurs hoping to rebuild the vineyards that had fallen to neglect. Today, a full seven years later, th

ettlement is at best able to support subsistence farming and the vineyards still largely unproductive.

Whatever truth of the reasons for burning Teufelfeuer, the witch hunter's speculation on the wine made h

ich for a short time and opened doors to politically connected priests in the Cult of Sigmar. Until the win

an out. Then following a rather public paranoid ranting about corruption in the court of the Grand

Theologist for the cult, Fabergus Heinzdork, was found crushed to death by his coach in the stables on his

modest, but in great disrepair, estate. It was ruled an accident. Herr Heinzdork's estate was sold off to his

numerous creditors.



27/33


U is for the Under-Empire


Under the feet of man, dwarves, halflings, vampires, necromancers, and those few elves that walk the lan

of the Old World, exists a foul enemy spreading decay and pestilence across the world: the Skaven.

f you were to visit the sanatoriums the Empire it would not be hard to find someone to tell you of the "ra

hat walk upright." Of course these men and women are in the sanatorium for a reason and the authoritie

hat put them there are quite happy to keep them there.

However, the Under-Empire is real. Only the dwarves can speak to its scope and many will tell you that it

web of tunnels cross under deserts, mountains, and great oceans. The dwarves fight a constant battle with

he Skaven in their mountain homes. Many holds have been lost to the Skaven, becoming part of the Und

Empire. Even now the Dwarven capital, Karaz-a-Karak, guards against the Skaven invasion.

Only the elves can speak to how they guard against the Skaven in Ulthuan, but they do not share. The ins

will tell you that High Magic prevents the Under Empire from bringing decay to the High Elves and Wood

Elves. Maybe they are not so insane after all.

The Under Empire and its network serves the Skaven in many ways. It provides access to the halls of king

he cellars of brothels or just access to the great sewers of human settlements where plots of pestilence an

poison are seeded. It serves as a network to move slaves and armies to new tunnels or battlefields. Often

unnels serve as simple mining shafts in search of new sources of warpstone, a mutagenic ore highly prize

by the Skaven. Its largest of burrows provide temples to the Skaven's foul god the Horned Rat or to nests

aising their next generation.

Whatever the end game of the Skaven, its Under Empire provides a nigh impenetrable edge shared by

members of the Council of Thirteen, the loose collection of Skaven clans that attempts rule through

paranoia, but more often rife with infighting and outright assassination.



28/33


is for Van Hal


More than a millennia has passed since the Great Plague swept across the Empire in 1111. Millions perish

and were buried across the land in great pits. Geheimnisnacht, the night of mysteries, would reveal howe

hat the dead did not rest. Following a great meteor storm that grave night the dead begin to walk in the

County of Sylvania. Clawing out of the loose ground and over each other to soullessly return to the streets

emples, and homes across the land; many naked, all rotting, and each murderously determined.

t was this night that Count Frederik van Hal (some spell it Hel), a secretive necromancer, saw opportuni

and seized it. Binding the listless dead to his command he started a campaign that sought to purge Sylvanof Skaven that had invaded in the wake of the plague. The campaign a success evolved into one of terror.

Refugees poured across the borders of neighboring duchies and diplomatic efforts to send Empire troops

deal with the undead and Vanhal, as the necromancer came to be known, fell on deaf ears. Sylvania was

ceded to Van Hal's reign.

Vanhal, following his "civil war," used his undead army to build Vanhaldenschlosse, or Castle of Vanhal.

uled from Vanhalenschlosse and built large rooms and studies dedicated to necromancy. Van Hal was

assassinated by his greatest apprentice, Lothar van Diehl. Van Diehl controlled the armies of undead for a

hort time, but Vanhal's spirit haunted the land and soon led a band of Sylvanian Knight's to

Vanhaldenschlosse driving Van Diehl to exile. The armies of undead, leaderless--Vanhal's spirit was too

weak to bind them--dispersed across the land in witless bands. The people found them easy targets and s

etook the land from the undead, if for a short time.

Scholars, some courting the heresy of not accepting official historical accounts, speculate that Vanhal was

pawn of a mysterious and manipulative Prince Vladimir. These heretical scholars say that Vlad von Carste

irst Count of Sylvania, is the same Prince. Vanhal lived over 700 years before Count Vlad is first mention

n historical tomes in 1797. It is not a stretch to see the heresy, at the very least a libel. These same schola

uggest the truth lies in tomes hidden in the ruins of Vanhaldenschlosse near the Grim Wood in the heart

Sylvania.

Original URL:


29/33

http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2012/04/25/V-is-for-Vanhal


30/33


is for Warpstone


Known more commonly in the Empire as wyrdstone, warpstone is an extremely dangerous mutagenic

ubstance. It is an extremely rare ore said to be solid magic.

ts appearance in raw form is said to be varied, even shifting, in shape, but all accounts state that it posse

an inner glow of a sickly yellow-green. Scholars suggest that raw warpstone is the manifestation of all win

or colors, of magic, constantly absorbing and radiating magic back into the environment. The property of

absorbing magic appears to be its most dangerous aspect. Left to absorb, undisturbed, it becomes solid D

or Dark Magic, and thus conveying its reputation as a mutagen.

While rare, it is highly sought after by magical scholars in study, often heretical study, alchemists in the

ransmutation of mundane elements to gold, and by the Skaven whom use it both as a drug and a tool in

dark experiments biological and martial. The rarity, legend, and demand, make even small amounts high

valuable.

Whatever the origin--or availability--of wyrdstone, one only needs to know that it is highly toxic to all thi

ave the Skaven. No one curious about wyrdstone need look very far for written stories of those that have

encountered the substance growing an eye in the palm of the hand touching it, or new mouths, or simply

becoming a shifting mass of boneless flesh, sinew, and fluid. Fates all but possibly the last soon find their

body and soul cleansed in fire, often tied to a stake.

Original URL:http://www.anothercaffeinatedday.com/blog/default/2012/04/26/W-is-for-Warpstone


31/33


X is for Xnen'Ledh, Lesser Daemon of Slaanesh


t is said that every being has a True Name. Knowing the true name of any beast, man, elf, dwarf, or halfl

s said to grant complete power over of that being. In matters of magic and the Aethyr this knowledge is

ought after often at great expense and great punishment.

Xnen'Ledh[1] is the true name of a Lesser Daemon of Slaanesh, the Chaos Lord--or Lady--of Pleasure,

patron of all things beautiful and seductive. Xnen'Ledh is actually two beings, Xnen and Ledh, that go by

more common name of The Blonde Sisters. The name belies an insidious ensorcelling power to enthrall

hose that should cross Xnen'Ledh's path.

Xnen'Ledh presents a powerful illusion of normality that begins to fall as their thralls become more

entwined in their seductive games. When the illusions fail, Xnen'Ledh's dark leathery wings are said to be

irst revealed. The thrall may now begin to understand that the dark angels have fully entwined them in a

dark plot of which there is no escape but death. In the final form their opposite bone white pincers are

evealed. It is often that the thralls find themselves at the end of their usefulness as the pincers cut deeply

a blood feast to Xnen'Ledh. A particularly useful and beautiful thrall might very well experience this deat

embraced by The Blonde Sisters in carnal finality that leaves the body a drained husk.

The Blonde Sisters are inseparable and readily identifiable by those knowing what to watch for. Xnen'Led

ravels to the great cities of the Old World using their tempting and seductive appearance to weave plots o

uch complexity no mortal could ever perceive the end game, all in service of Slaanesh.



32/33


is for The Yellow Fang


The agents of the Ruinous Powers hide everywhere. They hide in the shadows cast in alleys from pyres bu

o cleanse the souls of their confederates.

t is expected that these agents form cults serving their dark masters and The Yellow Fang is quite typical

hese cults. Dedicated to the Skaven's god The Horned Rat, the Yellow Fang operates out of Carroburg,

Middenland. Members often tattoo themselves with a yellow fang or pull an eye tooth to hang from a

necklace hidden under a shirt or collar--so common are missing teeth in the Old World this act goes

unnoticed by almost everyone.

The cult works closely with their masters, the foul rat men, but harbor a secret at the very top of the cult t

amounts to betrayal. Working to bring decay and despair to the Empire and hasten its collapse for the

Skaven, The Yellow Fang plots to master and overthrow the Skaven should the end game occur. The confl

s a natural one considering the betrayal found within the Skaven's own ranks.

The Yellow Fang has worked its way into moderate positions of political power in Carroburg and have

expanded to Altdorf and other cities. These new cults are expected to pay tribute to their Carroburg spons

n providing both slaves for the Skaven's Under Empire and as sacrifices to the Horned Rat. This ring of

kidnapping removes the attention generated by such acts from Carroburg to the other cities and the new

members eager to please.



33/33


Z is for Zombies


Zombies[1] are by far the most well known undead creature of the Old World. War, plague, and just day-t

day death leave the raw materials for necromancers of all stripes to raise and master mere slaves to crush

armies.

From the vampire counts of Sylvania to upstart wizards of a Ruinous Power in Bretonnia the chance of th

common Old World citizen to have not experienced an encounter with these creatures is almost none. Mo

often the masters of the walking dead meet their deaths at the hand of brave individuals and mighty hero

n the service of the Emperor. Depending on the power mustered over the zombie by the necromancer, th

ombie may simply collapse or begin to aimlessly wander. It is not unknown to find bands of 10 or a 100

ombies roaming the fields, hills or forgotten graveyard after the death of a necromancer. These are the

easiest to destroy and farmers can make short work of them.

t is the zombie hoard that is controlled by the necromantic magic of a vampire count that is most feared.

Often quick and seemingly endowed with an intelligence to react to changing battlefield conditions, these

hoards instill terror in villages and towns facing them.


Blogging A to Z 2012

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