# Forum > Play-by-Post Games > Finding Players (Recruitment) > Out-of-Character >  [WFRP] The Bloody Crown OOC XV

## LCP

*The Bloody Crown  OOC XV*

_We are not little men, and there is nothing that we are afraid of except Drink, and we have signed a Contrack on that. Therefore, we are going away to be kings.
-_Peachey Carnehan, _The Man Who Would Be King_ (Rudyard Kipling)
Directory of past threads

Welcome to the fourteenth OOC thread for the Bloody Crown, our WFRP 2E campaign set in the Border Princes. We rejoin our PCs in the midst of a royal intrigue concerning a servant who knows things she shouldn't, while a mysterious man from the Raven Hills tries to recruit them to help find the missing soothsayer of Jarl Rorik Wolf-Risen.



*Rules of Posting*

*Spoiler*
Show

*Activity:*
Expected rate of posting is at least once per day.If you dont post in 48 hours, I will take control of your character to move things along - usually making them agree with the others or stay in the background.If you dont post in a week, I will set your character's Fate Points to zero and start looking for ways to kill them off.

Going on hiatus *with prior warning* is absolutely fine: the above rules apply to unexpected disappearances. Drop me a notification before youre going away/losing your internet access/what have you, and Ill happily play your character as an NPC until you can return. If you disappear without warning, I will start badgering you.

*Rolls:*
Make all rolls using the forum dice roller, either in a spoiler-box in the relevant IC post, or in a separate post in this thread.Some rolls (mainly ones at which you should not know whether you have succeeded or failed, and Tzeentch's Curse for spellcasters) I will make in secret.As a time-saving device, I will roll all initiatives at the start of an encounter, allowing you to get straight to your actions rather than waiting about for each other.

*Combat:*
When in combat, do not wait to post in sequence of initiative: *post whenever you are free to post*. If your actions depend on someone ahead of you in the initiative order, you can leave conditional OOC instructions. I will conduct my rolling for each combat round in this thread, and post an IC summary that signifies the end of the current round & the start of the next.

In combat I will use a grid map, which I will post an updated version of along with each turn's GM update.

*Spoilers*
A spoiler titled 'X Only' is intended only for the eyes of the player playing the character X. Please don't read 'em if they're not intended for you - you could spoil some surprises.


Finally, as a general guideline: *if in doubt, make a post*. Situations do often arise where two people each think they're waiting on the other before they can post. Similarly, if you think you're waiting on someone else, or if you just want to know something before you make an IC post, *ask in the OOC*. Particularly if it's me. I do forget things, and I do need prodding some times to wake up!




*Handy Links & House Rules*

Hit Location Chart - a quick reference for when you want to know where you've hit someone.

*Combat House Rules*
*Spoiler*
Show

Charge Attacks and All-Out Attacks can use the attacker's full Attacks stat.Standard Attacks get +10 to hit.Missile attacks from within a range of 6 yards get +20 to hit. This bonus does not apply to pistols being used in melee.Fortune Points can be used to add +10 to a skill or stat roll.You can substitute your DoS on your to-hit roll for your damage roll - choose whichever is higher.

*Magic In Melee*
Spells with multiple-round casting times require a concentration test every round that the spellcaster is engaged in combat.Magic missiles may not be cast out of an ongoing melee, although they may be cast on the wizards own attacker/s.

*Critical Hits: Medical Attention*
Wherever the rules specify a condition until medical attention has been received, this refers to a _successful_ Heal test.

*Social Skills in Combat*
The following actions are added to the list of combat actions. All of them are Full Actions, but can be attempted as a Half Action at a -20 penalty to the relevant test.

*Inspire*
*Skill Used:* Charm or Command
*Range:* 16 yards
*Targets:* N*Fel bonus, where N = number of advances taken in the skill used. If using Charm, the Public Speaking and Master Orator talents apply as normal.
*Effects:* On a success, your chosen targets gain +10 to a specified skill, characteristic, or attack roll, including fear/terror tests. This bonus applies to the first roll of the given type they make in the next 10 minutes. 

*Co-ordinate*
*Skill Used:* Command
*Range:* 16 yards
*Targets:* N*Fel bonus, where N = number of advances taken in Command.
*Effects:* On a success, your chosen targets may act at your own initiative, or at a chosen initiative step below your own, for this turn only.

*Distract*
*Skill Used:* Blather, Intimidate, or Charm Animal
*Range:* 4 yards
*Targets:* 1 individual
*Effects:* This test is opposed against the target's willpower, and they may automatically pass if it is not in their nature. If passed, the target may not attack you this turn. Any enemy is only vulnerable to this once.


*Mounted Combat House Rules*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Fighting From Horseback*

Mounts act on their riders' initiative step and effectively confer their Movement stat to their rider.A combat-trained mount may make the same attack actions as its rider is entitled to (e.g. if its rider reached melee with a Half Action, the mount is also entitled to a Half Action attack; if the rider has a Full Action, the mount is also entitled to a Full Action attack). Untrained mounts will not attack.When attacking enemies on foot, being mounted grants the Higher Ground bonus (+10%).A mount counts as another friendly character for the purposes of Outnumbering.Opponents in combat with a mounted combatant may choose freely to target either the rider or the mount.One may not use the Dodge Blow skill while mounted.

*Ways To Fall Off Your Horse*

In combat, making any of the following actions may require a Ride check. [M] denotes that Ride checks are not necessary for this action when riding a combat-trained mount; [R] denotes that Ride checks are not necessary when the rider has Ride trained (as opposed to using it as a basic skill).

Charge Attack [M]Disengage [M]Jump/Leap [M]Run [R] (at +30)
If the check is failed, the desired action may not be taken, and a half action is lost. If the check is failed by three degrees or more, the rider is thrown: they will require a Stand action to get back to their feet, and may suffer falling damage if the mount is tall enough.

Should a mount be killed while still being ridden, the rider must make an Ag test. A pass means he falls freely to the ground, exactly as if he had been thrown; a failure means he falls under the mount's body. Freeing himself is a full action, requiring a successful Strength test  he cannot stand or move from the spot where he has fallen until he is free.[/list]



*Fear and Terror House Rules*
*Spoiler*
Show

Ignore the given rules for Fear and Terror. When a character encounters a creature causing Fear or Terror, they must test WP at the start of their next turn. If they fail, consult the following table to find out the result:

Degrees of Failure
Consequence

0-2
-20% on all attacks directed at the source of fear.

3-4
May not attack the source of Fear; must retreat from the source of Fear. If retreat is impossible, may only take a half action each round and is at -20% to all tests.

5+
Must flee *as fast as possible* from the source of Fear; may not take any actions except to run. If retreat is impossible, become paralysed with fear - may take no actions & may not parry or dodge. At the end of the encounter test WP or gain an Insanity Point.



Creatures that cause Terror impose a -20% penalty on the test. Characters affected by a result from this table may test WP again at the start of each following turn to "snap out of it" and cancel all ongoing effects of Fear.

----------


## LCP

*The Broken Reaches Gazetteer*
Our game takes place in a corner of the Border Princes known colloquially as the Broken Reaches. Known for their difficult, rocky terrain and the many small kingdoms that war over the territory, the Reaches are far from any form of civilisation beyond that safeguarded by the local lords. Sheltering in the shadow of the World's Edge Mountains, from the Reaches is it not far to the arid wastes of the Badlands in the south.

Wiki (highly incomplete, player submissions welcome)

Below is the hex map:

*Spoiler*
Show



The scale is set at one hex being approximately 7 miles long. Therefore, the average movement speed of the party for a full day's march is three hexes, although this can be significantly affected by terrain.

I will use a Cartesian coordinate system to refer to hexes. To work out the coordinates of a hex, count up through the hex rows to determine the y-coordinate, and then count left to right along the row itself to determine the x-coordinate. You begin the game in hex (5, 20).

*Geography*
*Spoiler*
Show

* Shepherd's Valley*

Shepherd's Valley nestles in the shadow of some of the largest and most impassable rock formations of the Black Karst. Watered by the few streams that flow down from the Raven Hills, most of the valley is still quite wild: it is only around Duke Edouard's capital of Alvarran that the valley people have given up the shepherd's life for more settled agriculture. Coarse jokes about the precise relationship the people of Shepherd's Valley have with their sheep are common in the lands over the hills.

The road that runs through Alvarran, however, is far more cosmopolitan. Funnelled through a narrow cleft in the Black Karst at Pieter's Pass, whoever controls the pass controls half the trade routes to the south. It is also the safest and best-kept road for people coming from the north: in summer, Alvarran is often crowded with travellers and merchants from the different nations of the Old World.

*The Raven Hills*

Tall, craggy and forbidding, the Raven Hills breed craggy and forbidding folk. Insular and primitive, they have dwelt in the hills for as long as any of the lowlanders can remember. The hills provide poor living, and through much of the Broken Reaches' history the hill tribes have depended upon raiding their neighbours for survival. Many border princes have asserted dominion over them: none have succeeded in changing their nature. More than a few have met their end trying, their bones picked clean by the ravens that give the hills their name.

Life in the hills is short, and the hill tribes have developed a morbid religious sensibility, venerating Morr above all other gods. Some outsiders who have visited have brought back queer tales of strange rituals and customs quite divorced from any worship of Morr known in the civilised lands of the north.

*The Uplands*

Situated on a shelving plateau to the north-east, the Uplands sit with their back to the World's Edge Mountains. On a clear day, it is said that from the towers of Bunthafen one can see the smoking peak of Thunder Mountain - the volcano the dwarfs call Karag Dron.

Like Shepherd's Valley, the Uplands are a gateway to the north. Unfortunately, the road that runs north from Bunthafen runs close to the mountains: merchants from Tilea and the Empire prefer to take the Alvarran road, where they have less chance of being abducted by Night Goblins and do not have to walk in the shadow of an active volcano. Those who do come by the east road come infrequently and in armed caravans. Dwarfs sometimes come with them: the World's Edge are the dwarfs' home territory, and it is said that they were the ones that built the road in the days of their empire.

*The Black Karst*

A forest of sharp-toothed limestone crags, the Black Karst is a strange place. Named for the sooty streaks that run through the stones - perhaps the relics of some ancient fire or volcanic eruption - the rock formations of the Karst jut up from the ground like the broken teeth of a shark, creating a maze of twisting paths between them. Where light can penetrate the natural labyrinth, stunted trees grow in the poor soil, their saplings sprouting in cracks and crevices on the higher flanks of the rocks.

An easy place for an ambush, and an even easier place to get lost, the Karst has been a natural barrier between the warring princes of the Broken Reaches since time immemorial. There is no living to be made in the shadow of the stones, and so they remain a wild place. Those who wish to cross do so either through Pieter's Pass, or by boarding a boat at Putbad and travelling down the Azril.

*The Giant's Teeth*

While the living in the Raven Hills in hard, the living in the Giant's Teeth is non-existent. Taller still than their neighbours, their sharp crags are little more than barren rock, scoured clean from the west by sandstorms coming off the Pale Waste. Precipitous and perilous, they are prone to frequent rockslides. There are no known passes through these hills, and the locals in the surrounding lands tell stories of all manner of monsters living there to frighten their children.

*The Downlands*

The jewel of the Broken Reaches, the Downlands are a fertile flood plain surrounding the broad sweep of the river Azril as it makes its way down from the Karst and into the Bracken Mere. Border Princes have warred over these lands for as long as anyone can remember; fortunately, their 'battles' have generally been too small and petty to do any lasting damage to the land itself.

Sitting in the centre of the Downlands is the town of Savonne. The largest and richest for miles around, it sits on a lode of gemstones that some say the dwarfs first opened up, centuries ago. Dominating the fertile countryside and sitting squarely in the centre of overland and river-bound trade routes, it is the prize all border princes aspire to. Despite the formidable natural defences of the Black Karst and the Giant's Teeth, most of them do not hold onto it for very long.

*Thornwood*

South of the Downlands, the Thornwood sprawls over a far larger region than it ought to. Covering rolling hills and hollows with a carpet of forest, many princes have seen it as a resource to be harvested. Most of them have been disappointed: the trees do not grow as tall or as straight as honest northern trees, and their wood splits and warps at the least opportunity. Most attempts to settle in or around the forest have met with limited success, as the soil is surprisingly poor. This is particularly pronounced in the forest's southern reaches, where the woods are wildest and humans seldom walk.

Despite its ill reputation, the road from Savonne runs south through the Thornwood. Perhaps this is simply because it has no choice, other than to plunge into the Bracken Mere and sink. The recent discovery of gold at Handrich's Cross, however, has given many people an incentive to take the forest road.

*The Bracken Mere*

A vast swamp that sprawls between the Giant's Teeth and the Thornwood, the Bracken Mere is where the river Azril ends its life. By its border with the Thornwood, the marsh remains wooded  - as one goes west, however, the trees die off, giving way to endless reed-beds.

There are no certain paths through the Mere - or if there are, the local guides who know them keep them determinedly secret. Local legend says that the Mere was the site of a great battle in ancient times, and that the bog is still choked with the bones of the fallen. The truth of this is up for question, but the local swamp-skimmers do sometimes dredge up strange bronze blades and rotted chariot-wheels from the mire.

*The Hidden Vale*

Nestled between the rolling hills of the Thornwood and the jagged rocks of the Black Karst, the Hidden Vale represents one last strip of fertile land before the badlands of the south. Although tiny, its size and position make it highly defensible, and the recent discovery of gold at Handrich's Cross has made it highly profitable too.

Funnily enough, throughout much of the history of the Broken Reaches, the Hidden Vale has gone untenanted by any major warlord. Some attribute this to its obscurity, claiming that it is possible for a man to walk within half a mile of the Vale on either side without even realising it is there. Others say there is something unwholesome in the water or the soil that drives people away. The inhabitants of the Vale do have a reputation for congenital madness, but most attribute this to inbreeding.

*The Dead Hills*

Rising clear of the Thornwood's southernmost reaches at the bottom of the Hidden Vale, the smooth, rounded summits of the Dead Hills are a rocky, sand-blown desert. No-one knows why nothing grows there, but one does not have to travel far before even the lichen begins to recede.

People tell tales of the lost city of Nath, of sorcerers of the Black Caliph who blighted the hills with their magic. Others speak of the Lost Library, and the meddling of wizards. Only one thing is agreed: the Dead Hills are a fearful, desolate place where only a fool would tread.

*The Iron Claw Hills*

An arid expanse of scrubland, broken by rocky ridges and low, rolling hills, the Iron Claw Hills are the last boundary between the rest of the Reaches and the Badlands beyond. As such, they are infested with greenskins - namely, the Orcs of the Iron Claw tribe, and their goblin retainers. This is the fearsome clan that spawned Gorbad Ironclaw, and if the orcs beyond the hills were to unite, they would pose a military threat far greater than any border prince. Thankfully, they seem mostly content to fight among themselves - nevertheless, for humans living in the Iron Claw hills, periodic greenskin raids are a fact of life.

*Last Water*

Sheltered by a crescent of high ridges from the surrounding Iron Claw Hills, Last Water is an island of green vegetation and fresh water in the midst of an arid wasteland. So called because it is the last opportunity for travellers to stock up on water before entering the Badlands proper, the black soil of the region is curiously fertile in comparison to its neighbouring lands. A few small streams flow down off what the locals call the Black Hills, making some limited agriculture possible.

The peace of Last Water, however, is fragile. With the Iron Claw Hills before them, the Pale Waste to the west, and the limitless expanse of the Badlands at their back, the people of Last Water must be ever on their guard for greenskin raids. Two narrow roads connect them to the wider world - without these arteries of trade, life in Last Water would be even harder than it already is.

*The Pale Waste*

A waterless desert of blown sand, the Pale Waste is remarkable for being even more lifeless and desolate than the Badlands surrounding it to the west. Few landmarks in the Waste stay in the same place for long. Without a skilled navigator, it is easy to wander for days within a few miles of the same point, and it is difficult to find a skilled navigator who will willingly enter the Waste. 

Among the people of the Reaches, it has a fearful reputation, the locus of all kinds of peasant myths and superstitions. People speak of ancient ruins hidden by the shifting sands, relics of the lost civilisation of Nehekhara. More than one adventurer has been tempted into the Waste by the lure of Nehekharan gold. Few have ever returned.


The above is already known by anyone with Common Knowledge (Border Princes), and easy to learn for anyone who doesn't. Further details about individuals and places will be dispensed on a case-by-case basis, through information-gathering, Knowledge checks, and sometimes by default for characters born in the region. Don't assume that everything is the same as it was described in the original thread!



Inn Prices
*Inn*
 *Private Room*
 *Common Hall*
 *Meal*
 *Wine*
 *Ale*
 *Bath*

_Il Calice D'Oro_ (Mirino)
 16s
 10p
 5p
 1s (bottle)
 2p (stein)
 1s

_The Rooster_ (Sermena)
 10s
 5p
 18p
 1s (bottle)
 2p (stein)
 1s

_The Star of Marienburg_ (Manann's Keep)
5s
5p
3p
3p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

Gavril's Hostel (Painford)
Not available
5p
3p
3p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

_The Duke of Aquitaine_ (Savonne, North Market)
15s
1s 3p
9p
9p (goblet)
6p (stein)
3s

_The Yellow Dog_ (Savonne, The Warren)
6s
8p
6p
6p (bottle)
1p (stein)
n/a

_The Harvester's Haven_ (Savonne, Downs Town) DESTROYED
10s
8p
10p
2p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

_The Red Moon_ (Savonne, The Old Town)
12s
n/a
5p
n/a
n/a
1s

_The Fat Fish_ (Savonne, The Docks)
10s
8p
12p
2p (goblet)
2p (stein)
n/a

_The Bull's Horns_ (Arrow Heap)
10s
5p
18p
3p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

_The Red Man_ (Isolici)
18s
8p
10p
2p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

_The Hammer and Chisel_ (Selsan)
16s
6p
8p
2p (goblet)
2p (stein)
6p

_The Silver Lady_ (Putbad)
12s
8p
8p
4p (goblet)
2p (stein)
1s

----------


## LCP

*Dramatis Personae*

*The Party*






Sieghard
Elsabeth Holt
Ludovic Stubbs
Jarla Schreiber
Bardhyl

*TheSummoner*
*-Sentinel-*
*LeSwordfish*
*RossN*
*rax*


*Spoiler: Followers*
Show

*The Thorns*

A company of foresters and farmers from the Thornwood and the Hidden Vale that signed up as crossbowmen with Sieghard in the aftermath of Magog Ironclaw's invasion. The Thorns have distinguished themselves in several battles and are making a name for themselves among the mercenaries of the Reaches, led by Sieghards most trusted lieutenants - Hanna, Ingwald and Gustaf.

*Tatiana*

A goatherd from the Karst born with the gift for magic, Tatiana (or 'Tattie' to her friends) helped guide refugees from Pieter's Pass to safety in the Downlands. She was rescued from the Broken Moon goblins by Elsa and the party, after which Elsa took her on as her apprentice. Left to her own devices in Savonne, she was coerced by the daemon Tshula-Udiyya into trying to dig up the book of Nagash, which led to her and Elsas trial for diabolism. Subsequently, she lost her eye to an undead wolf when tracking Mother Mala through the Raven Hills with Elsa.

*Olga*

Elsas hireling bodyguard. Small but tough, Olga comes from the streets of Savonne, and seems to know a thing or two about surviving in the city that was once known as Wolf Pit.

*Ida*

Jarlas maidservant. Young and well-mannered, she was recommended by Mouna, the long-serving steward of the castle of Savonne.





*Powers & Principalities*

*Spoiler: The Court of Prince Muzio Sforza*
Show


*Il Principe Muzio Sforza*

Tilean mercenary captain, and Lord of Last Water. Campaigned in Araby before coming to the Broken Reaches. Has crushed his enemies and united the Reaches under a single banner.

*La Principessa Irene Sforza ("la Bella")*

Sforza's wife. Her beauty is renowned throughout the Reaches. Ambitious and often dissatisfied with life in the Border Princes, she frequently takes out her frustrations on those she perceives as socially inferior. Irene Sforza is flawless.

*Daniele Barbaro*

Priest of Myrmidia, and Sforza's only religious adviser. Has a liking for Arabyan coffee, a flexible attitude to the truth, and only a passing acquaintance with religious faith. Nicknamed the "old goat" by Viggo.

*Lord Treasurer Abdul Al-Makir*

Treasurer, tax collector and paymaster of Sforza's forces. Joined the Captain during his Arabyan campaigns, and has a retinue of Arabyan mercenaries. Has a reputation as the man who can get you anything... for a price.

*Giovanni Carraciolo, Lord-Lieutenant of the North*

Commander of Sforza's Tilean pikemen, the Iron Company.

*Esteban de Valdes, Lord-Lieutenant of the South*

Commander of Sforza's Estalian swordsmen, the Brotherhood of Magritta.

*Makeda (deceased)*

Commander of Sforza's Southlander mercenaries, the _ahosi_ of Danxome. Killed by Duke Alvarr at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap.

*Balthus Bianco (deceased)*

Renowned physician, and personal doctor to Irene Sforza. Quietly disposed of after he was implicated in Irene's attempt to assassinate Ludo.

*Gorg (deceased)*

The leader of a troop of Ogre Maneaters in service to Sforza. He seemed to have struck up a friendship with Ludo's brother-in-law Rudi. Was shot down by Alvarr's archers at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap, along with three-quarters of his troop.

*Viktor (deceased)*

Commander of a free company of swordsmen formed in the aftermath of Sforza's victory over the orcs at Manann's Keep. Brave but inexperienced, Viktor died of wounds sustained at the Second Battle of Arrow Heap.



*Rank and File*

*Paulo & Marko:* Doctor Bianco's apprentices.*Salih:* page to Abdul Al-Makir.
Iron Company:*Sergeant Domenico:* the officer in charge of the skeleton garrison at Mananns Keep. Had the command when Hakon Blood-Song made his attempt to steal the Book of Nagash.*Sergeant Giuliano:* the officer in charge of the troop sent to occupy Morrs Seat, where he developed a nasty cough. Adelbert's nemesis, makes fun of him in front of the ladies.*Luca:* Adelbert's nemesis, makes fun of him in front of the sentries.*Beppe (deceased):* Elsa's one-night stand.*Orfeo [deceased] and Cesar:* accompanied the party into Kheneb-Ptra-Urush*Bartolomeo:* one of Giulianos troop; the instigator of much of their bad behaviour towards the _Vrani_ locals.*Mauro:* a one-legged veteran of the company who has been entrusted with keeping the gaol in the castle of Savonne.
Brotherhood of Magritta:*Felipe, Miguel & Valentin*
Danxome _Ahosi_*Oseye & Etunu*
The Sermena Gamecocks*Hartwick Thistlewood:* commanding officer.
The Maneaters*Kulug:* leader of the surviving ogres after Gorg's death.



*Spoiler: The Court of Duke Edouard Alvarr*
Show


*Duke Edouard Alvarr (deceased)*

A stern man of military bearing, Duke Alvarr forged his domain from territory that was previously claimed by multiple feuding warlords. Originally hailing from Bretonnia, he travelled for some time with a mercenary company known as the Storm Swords. He forged a coalition of the northern lords and seized the Downlands from Prince Belehir, but was eventually defeated and slain by the forces of Muzio Sforza after being cornered in his capital of Alvarran.

*Janos Forkbeard*

A native of Alvarran and a survivor of the previous regime(s), Janos Forkbeard was Alvarr's chancellor and chief administrator. After Alvarr's fall, he has been imprisoned by Sforza.

*Henri Ducos*

Duke Alvarr's Master of Horse. Ducos is a taciturn man with a face only a mother could love. Shot Elsa at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap; escaped with the Duke after his defeat there. Missing in action since the fall of Alvarran.

*Eugen Jager*

A lieutenant of Duke Alvarr, nicknamed "Alvarr's Bulldog" by the people of Alvarran. Jager is known for his stubborn loyalty and his harsh discipline. Was taken prisoner during Sforza's lightning attack on Savonne, but returned in exchange for Count Groz's imprisoned soldiers. Missing in action since the fall of Alvarran.





*Spoiler: The Hall of Jarl Rorik Wolf-Risen*
Show


*Jarl Rorik Wolf-Risen (deceased)*

Ruler of Morr's Seat. A great bear of a man with a close-knit retinue of Norscan retainers, he has a reputation as a fearsome warrior. During the siege of Savonne he fought Prince Belehir on the battlements and was grievously wounded, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the siege. Killed by Astoria at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap

*Hakon Blood-Song (deceased)*

Rorik's second-in-command, first encountered by Adelbert in Ravenskird. A bloodthirsty man of action, he has little patience for diplomacy or subterfuge. Most likely the leader of the unprovoked attack on Painford. Driven off by Sieghard and Ludo at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap. Embittered after Rorik's defeat at Arrow Heap, he made a pact with Johannes Klammenberg to steal the Book of Nagash from Manann's Keep, and was killed during the raid.

*Wadim*

Wise man of the Raven Hills, and local adviser to Jarl Rorik. Following the events of Hexensnacht, he travelled back to the Raven Hills in search of the source of his and others' visions, and has not been heard from since.

*Kelda Wave-Born (deceased)*

Encountered by the party leading a small warband of hill-folk in the south of the Raven Hills. One of Rorik's Norscan retinue; seen by Adelbert to change shape into an enormous wolf. Responsible for the death of Viggo's lover Kirsten during the attack on Painford. Killed by Elsa at the Battle of the Burning Hill

*Arne Golden-Hair*

One of Rorik's Norscan retinue, encountered by Adelbert in Ravenskird. Was present at Jarl Rorik's death; escaped with the rest of the Raven Hills raiders. Ludo took his shield. Later returned with Hakon's raiders to Manann's Keep, but survived the attack and was allowed to escape with Sanne Raven-Cry.

*Asgeir Far-Strider (deceased)*

One of Rorik's Norscan retinue, encountered by Adelbert in Ravenskird. Grievously wounded at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap, he survived to return with Hakon in the raid on Manann's Keep, only to be killed by his own followers at the bridge.

*Sanne Raven-Cry*

One of Rorik's Norscan retinue, encountered by Adelbert in Ravenskird. Seems to be the member of Rorik's Norscan retinue with the closest ties to Wadim. Survived the Third Battle of Arrow Heap, helped Adelbert escape with news of Hakon and Klammenberg's agreement, and betrayed Hakon during the raid on Manann's Keep. Caught by Sforzas soldiers leading a band of bandits in the Raven Hills and imprisoned in Savonne.

*Ulfgeir Ice-Eye (deceased)*

One of Rorik's Norscan retinue. Injuries sustained at the Battle of the Burning Hill kept him from participating in the Third Battle of Arrow Heap. He attacked Manann's Keep with Hakon's raiders and was killed along with Hakon.

*Halli Sharp-Tongue (deceased)*

One of Rorik's Norscan retinue, burned alive by Elsa at the Battle of the Burning Hill.





*Spoiler: The Court of Count Eberhard Groz*
Show

*Count Eberhard Groz (deceased)*

A mercenary from the Empire, and one of the youngest warlords in the Reaches. Killed by Jarl Rorik at the Mitterfruhl feast in Savonne.

*Countess Leona Groz*

Eberhard's young bride, taken from among the daughters of the guildmasters of Putbad. Was taken into Duke Alvarr's custody following her husband's death at the hands of the Jarl; subsequently 'rescued' by Captain Sforza during his first attack on Savonne. She has given birth to a son, and named it Eberhard after its father.

*Sergeant Ehrman (deceased)*

A world-weary old soldier, and one of Groz's trusted deputies. Like many of the Count's men he was suspicious of Rorik and his Norscans. The survivors of the Mitterfrulh massacre confirmed he was killed by Rorik's men.

*Pieter Hagendorf*

Another of Groz's comrades-in-arms. Hagendorf is a lot younger than Ehrman and has more of an eye for the ladies. Presumed dead or missing in the aftermath of the Mitterfruhl massacre.





*Spoiler: The Inner Circle of Grand Commander Evatt*
Show


*Grand Commander Matthau Evatt (deceased)*

Matthau and a small retinue of his fellow Knights Mariner seized power in the Thornwood some years ago, carving out a small kingdom around the town they renamed Manann's Keep. He was intent on bringing the word of Manann to the landlocked Reaches, and his eccentricities caused many of his subjects to doubt his leadership.

Evatt's reign came to an end during the invasion of Magog Ironclaw. Piloting a steam-powered landship named _Manann's Blessing_ into the orc army, Evatt was lost - presumed dead - when the steam ship's boiler exploded.

*Ruprecht*

The most senior of Evatt's remaining knights. Survived the battle for Manann's Keep; left for Marienburg to carry news of the Grand Commander's death back to his order.

*Bernhard (deceased)*

One of Evatt's remaining knights. Advocated for pre-emptive action against the orcs of the Iron Claw Hills before the greenskin invasion; was eventually granted command of a raiding party to try to find and kill the orcs' leader. Bernhard and his force were ambushed and massacred in a dry valley near Caerfort.

*Barthold (deceased)*

One of Evatt's knights. Mortally wounded defending the mill during the battle of Manann's Keep.

*Einhardt*

One of Evatt's knights. Encountered by Adelbert in the temple of Manann during the party's first visit to Manann's Keep. Was present during the battle for the town, and seems to blame Captain Sforza for his master's downfall; has since disappeared

*Fritz & Luther (deceased)*

The two youngest of Evatt's knights. From their age they can't have been more than squires when he first came south. Both were lost, presumed dead, during the ambush on Bernhard's raiding party.

*Werner Oberth (deceased)*

A close adviser of the Grand Commander, and the designer of the land ship _Manann's Blessing._ Lost, presumed dead, in the wreck of the _Blessing._





*Spoiler: The Elf and his Advisers*
Show


*Prince Belehir*

An elvish mercenary who drifted into the service of the mad Duke Wulf, Belehir took matters into his own hands and slew his master during the period of anarchy known as the Beheading of the Wolf. Though a reluctant ruler, he held Savonne for several years, repulsing the first attempt of the Reaches' human princes to take the city from him and enduring a months-long siege before succumbing to the second. Alvarr threw him in his own dungeons; he was later freed by Elsa and Astoria d'Evangelisti, and vanished into the wilds.

*Roland de Bohun (deceased)*

Leader of the Red Company, Belehir's old mercenary regiment. During the siege of Savonne, de Bohun led a mutiny against his master when the outer wall fell, and delivered the citadel to Alvarr and his allies. Was killed during Sieghard's surprise attack on the Red Company camp before the Second Battle of Arrow Heap.

*Guildmaster Gisela*

The head of the Guild of Jewellers and Mineworkers. Gisela was very preoccupied with the question of how to regain entrance to the Dwimmulhold since the dwarfs of Clan Dwimmulson sealed its gates, and the activities of tunnelers in her pay may have been responsible for opening up the forgotten passage of the dwarven underway that allowed the besiegers access to the city. After the fall of Savonne she was deposed as guildmaster; her fate is unknown.





*Spoiler: Clan Dwimmulson*
Show


*Rinn Elmendrin*

The leader of the Dwimmulson dwarfs. Led the Dwimmulsons into self-imposed exile in Putbad to gather support among the human lords of the Reaches to oust Belehir from Savonne. Since the fall of the elf, she has stayed above the infighting of the _umgi_.

*Skorgrund*

A cantankerous elder of the Dwimmulson dwarfs. Keeper of the Clan Dwimmulson Book of Grudges (subtitle: May They All Be Boiled In Oil).


*Grunlok:* foreman of the Dwimmulhold's mine and chief of the Clan Dwimmulson muster.*Moradin:* the clan's master gemcutter.*Hegrom:* the clan's master mason.*Zamalind and Zarri:* a wealthy merchant and her bodyguard.*Thrunrik,  Lokri, Berki, Baragil, Skargan and Vardin (all deceased bar Berki):* rangers who scouted the Red Pyramid.*Grunda:* a runebearer who often travels between the Reaches and Barak Varr.*Skargil, Lunn, Rollik, Throndin, Uthgar and Moragina (deceased):* volunteers for Urgrim's expedition to Kheneb-Ptra-Urush.



*Here Be Monsters*

*Spoiler: Children of the Jackal*
Show


*Nakht-Horeb of Lahmia,
aka Nahorek the Jackal,
aka Varag Kol (deceased)*

An ancient vampire and servant of Nagash, raised from beneath the Red Pyramid on Hexensnacht of 2523 IC. Nakht-Horeb claimed to have been a priest of Djaf in ancient Lahmia, and to have been given the Blood Kiss by W'soran himself. He invaded the Reaches millennia ago, and is still dimly remembered in local folklore and legend. Caught in an ambush outside Nath, he was struck with the spear of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush, and is presumed destroyed.

*Johannes Klammenberg (deceased)*

A man of letters from the town of Maylhof, in Stirland. Klammenberg spent a year travelling the Reaches by coach collecting strange esoterica, and crossed paths with the party several times. They since learned he was a necromancer, who resurrected Nakht-Horeb and acted as his agent. Klammenberg was taken captive by Ludo in Last Water, and killed when Gunda and the Falcons ambushed him on the road to Manann's Keep.

*Udolf (deceased)*

Klammenberg's mute bodyguard and coachman. On his 'death', he was revealed to be a walking corpse, taken from the gallows and stuffed with sawdust and preservatives to halt the process of decay.

*Besnik (deceased)*

A Rivermouth boy who was given to Johannes Klammenberg as a servant when he visited the village. Besnik infiltrated the Cult of Morr in Savonne as an initiate, and invited Nakht-Horeb into the temple. Was burned alive by Elsa while trying to escape with the Book of Nagash.

*'Mother' Mala*

Wise woman of the village of Rivermouth. Mala was instrumental in concealing the cannibalistic 'old folk' of the village, and in the devastating ambush that killed a great number of the Thorns when Sieghard pressed his investigation. She and her followers sheltered Nahorek when he fled into the Bracken Mere, and followed him into Nath, appearing to worship him as a god. Now the only survivor of Rivermouth, she has most recently been seen on the edge of the Raven Hills, still claiming to follow the Jackal and denying that he has been destroyed.




*Spoiler: The Accursed Dead*
Show

*Meskhenet*

A long-dead priestess of the hidden temple of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush. Meskhenet used the Book of Nagash she was sworn to safeguard in a desperate attempt to stave off an attacking greenskin horde, and so condemned herself and the inhabitants of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush to the curse of undeath. Her newly-risen compatriots impaled her undead form on a stake, where she remained until she was discovered the party. She charged them with retrieving the book, saying it was stolen long ago by an unknown thief. Ludo has since returned to the ruins again and escaped with her (still-animated) skull.

*Sekhemkare*

The garrison commander of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush, Sekhemkare and his soldiers fell defending their home from orcs only to rise again as undead. He pursued the party into the Iron Claw Hills when they tried to plunder the ruins, but lost them in the night.

*Nicodemus (doubly deceased)*

One of the three founders of the Lost Library. Nicodemus used the Book of Nagash to extend his life well beyond its natural limits, eventually becoming trapped in the sanctum where it was kept as a wraith. Due to his deathless state, he was the only member of the Illuminated Order to survive the ritual that pulled the library into the Realm of Chaos, where he remained until he was destroyed by the party.

*Samira (doubly deceased)*

An Arabyan sorceress, and founder of the Tower of Silence in the cursed city of Nath. When the sorcerers of Nath turned on each other, Samira used the Book of Nagash to unleash the spell that slew the inhabitants of the city and transformed them into hungering ghosts. She remained as a spectre haunting the tower until the arrival of Nakht-Horeb and his followers, when the Jackal used her as a fulcrum to bind the spirits of the city to his will. After the vampire's defeat, she was destroyed by Elsa.






*Spoiler: Agents of Chaos*
Show


*Cacophrax*

A powerful daemon of Tzeentch, Cacophrax seems to have been at least partially responsible for the ritual that pulled the Lost Library into the Realm of Chaos. Having spent an unknown time trying to break the wards on Nicodemus' sanctum, he recruited the party to help him. The intervention of the Huntsman foiled his plan and allowed the party to escape with the book.

*Tshula-Udiyya*

A 'djinn' bound to a clay jar by the sorcerers of Nath, and left there after the city's destruction. Tshula was awoken by Adelbert when the party found themselves trapped by Nahorek. In exchange for delivering them to safety, Sieghard and the Thorns freed her by smashing the vessel she was bound to. 

The escaped daemon made her way to Savonne by possessing a series of hosts, and manipulated Tatiana into attempting to dig up the Book of Nagash. Caught in the attempt by Father Hieronymus and the Iron Company guards, she was thought banished, but in fact possessed Hieronymus himself, lying low and only occasionally exerting her influence. She was confronted and driven out of her new host when the party became suspicious of Hieronymus erratic behaviour.

*The Beast of Harmugstahl*

An aquatic, fire-breathing Chaos Spawn inhabiting the flooded caverns beneath the ruins of Harmugstahl. The beast appears to have once been one of the magi of the Brethren of the Silver Tower, who tried to cast the Library of the Illuminated Order into the Realm of Chaos.

*The Huntsman*

The Huntsman is a daemon of Khorne who occupied a portion of the Lost Library. A hunter of wizards, he seemed to have lain dormant for some time before the party's breaching of Nicodemus' sanctum woke him.





*Spoiler: Green And Mean*
Show

*Magog of the Iron Claw (deceased)*

An orc warboss who rose out of the Iron Claw Hills, leading an army against the territories of Grand Commander Evatt and causing his ultimate downfall. Magog was killed by Sieghard during the battle for Manann's Keep, in which the intervention of Muzio Sforza and his army prevented the orcs from overrunning the Thornwood and the Lost Vale.

*Boss Glimrut*

Chief of the Broken Moon Goblins living under the Giant's Teeth. Glimrut's hench-goblins tried to kidnap Tatiana as a sacrifice to Da Big Wun.

*Da Big Wun*

A wyvern living high in the Giant's Teeth. So far it seems to have been preying largely on stray livestock, and the sacrifices offered to it by the Broken Moon Goblins.

----------


## LCP

*The Common People*
*Spoiler: The Raven Hills*
Show


*Morrs Seat*
*Alin:* An easygoing local who became the go-between between the _Vrani_ and the occupying Iron Company soldiers, leading many to view him with resentment.*Danut:* The smith of Morrs Seat. Well-respected among the community, he is the father of Miruna.*Marjan:* The keeper of the alehouse.*Miruna:* A teenage girl who learned many of the stories of the _Vrani_ from Wadim before his disappearance.*Vesna & Vida:* The towns best healers, two old women who live near the gate.
*Greasy Drop*
*Armin*

A stern but charismatic priest who became the self-appointed leader of the village of Greasy Drop. Armin was hailed as having saved the villagers from famine and bandits, but has an unnerving enthusiasm for blood sacrifice. He calls his god "Ahalt the Drinker", and crashed the Conclave of Savonne to claim the events of Hexensnacht are a sign that he has returned. He began recruiting refugees to his cause, but was apprehended by the forces of Prince Sforza and set to hang in a cage in Manann's Keep.


*Adva:* peasant woman.
Rumour has it that all the inhabitants of Greasy Drop abandoned the village to follow Armin on his pilgrimage to Nath.

*Turnpike Hollow*
*Gautmar:* village leader/bandit chief.*Akela:* wise woman.*Kashto:* inexperienced ambusher.*Nahab (deceased):* particularly inexperienced ambusher.
All residents of Turnpike Hollow are missing, presumed dead.


*Spoiler: The Shepherd's Valley*
Show


*Alvarran*
*Father Vengist (deceased)*

Alvarran's resident priest of Morr. With the aid of his assistant Berthold, Father Vengist tended to the Garden of Morr outside the city walls. He took a dim view of the folk worship of Nahorek, and was unfriendly towards wizards. Duke Alvarr's conquest of Savonne brought Vengist there to mediate between the Duke and the priesthood; afterwards he returned to Alvarran to deal with an outbreak of disease, and is reported to have succumbed.

*Brother Odo*

A fervent grail pilgrim, and the former custodian of the Chapel of Our Lady Victorious in Alvarran. Some might describe Odo as a little touched in the head, but not to his face: he is a large, strong man, with a large, strong voice. Odo claimed he had discovered the remains of the legendary grail knight Sir Leodoric the Just under Alvarran Castle. Having lost his legs to Elsa's magic at the Battle of Arrow Heap, he lost his faith in the Lady, and fell in for a while with Armins followers of the Drinker. His current whereabouts and religious inclinations are unknown.

*Madame Rosmerta Morte*

A barber-surgeon with a faraway air, who is perhaps a bit keen on amputations. Was spotted by Ludo among Armins followers in the south; current whereabouts unknown.

*Herr Leiber*

Madame Morte's entrepreneurial housemate and business partner. Sold 100% legit meat pies.


*Sister Mathilde (deceased):* priestess of Shallya, murdered by a mysterious attacker Johannes Klammenberg, who cut off her hands.*Rabelais & Geiger:* gamblers.*Felix, Ulf & Marquand:* lads about town.*Yonec & Elspeth:* a cobbler and his wife.*Schiller:* a candlemaker.*Mad Gustaf:* a man who claims to be an 'adventurer'.*Baldred, Pepin, Sorin & Skender:* a travelling merchant, his carter, and his two Raven Hills guards.*Donar:* keeper of a farmstead near the city.

*Elmridge*
*Father Jurgen Hechsler*

A Sigmarite priest, Father Hechsler was displaced from his temple in Alvarran when the building was appropriated by Duke Alvarr to construct the Chapel of Our Lady Victorious, and turned to drink. Adelbert found him a placement at Elmridge, with the help of Janos Forkbeard.


*Gant (deceased):* village elder, executed by the party on the instructions of Eugen Jager.*Flitch:* bowyer.*Heloise:* shepherdess.

*Hartmut's Fall*
*Sergeant Marat*

The commander of Duke Alvarr's garrison at Hartmut's Fall. Marat is an old soldier with the scars of many battles - including several missing fingers. Was in charge of the caravan of supplies that Sieghard's militia intercepted _en route_ to Savonne.


*Ortholf:* barber-surgeon.*Thibault:* armourer.*Arnulf:* spearman who helped capture Elsa.*Fauchard:* archer who helped capture Elsa.


*Spoiler: The Uplands*
Show


*Putbad*
*Abbot Tomas*

Head of the Azrillite order, and master of the monastery in Putbad.


*Tobar:* master of the Coopers' Guild.*Sebastian:* high-class servant.*Rupp:* boatman.

*Spoiler: The Downlands*
Show


*Savonne*
*Spoiler: Priests of the Temple*
Show

*Mother Raqiyah (deceased)* 

Savonne's highest-ranking priest of Morr and Augur of the temple, Raqiyah was the nominal figurehead of the city's Conclave of clergy. Briefly imprisoned by Alvarr after the city's fall, she was reinstated and remained in office after Sforza's subsequent conquest. Killed by Nakht-Horeb in the attack on the Temple.

*Brother Liebrecht (deceased)*

Mother Raqiyah's right-hand priest and master of the initiates in the Temple. Killed by Nakht-Horeb in the attack on the Temple.

*Brother Cezar*

Keeper of the Chapel of Morr in Ravenskird. A good friend to Adelbert and the party, the depletion of the upper ranks of the Cult of Morr has seen him move to Savonne to take up a senior role in the Temple.

*Father Hieronymus*

The head of the cult of Verena in Savonne and a member of the Conclave. Hieronymus showed considerable interest in the question of Meskhenet's book, and has helped the party in their research. Despite the loss of one of his two owls (Euthymius and Eustratius) in the sack of the city, the withering of his right hand by the Book of Nagash, and being briefly possessed by the daemon Tshula-Udiyya, Hieronymus maintains a sanguine outlook on life.

*Mother Gaertner (deceased)*

The highest-ranking priestess of Rhya in Savonne and a member of the Conclave. Unlike the other priests, Gaertner was an emigre from the Empire. Killed during the sack of the city.

*Mother Constanza (deceased)*

Head of the Shallyan order in Savonne, and keeper of the Great Hospital of Armengild. Killed by Nakht-Horeb.

*Sister Stefania and Sister Ioana*

The most senior priestesses of Shallya beneath Mother Constanza, responsible for the day-to-day running of the infirmary and the supervision of the Shallyan initiates.

*Brother Jakub (deceased)*

Savonne's representative of the Monks of Azriller, and a member of the Conclave. Killed by Nakht-Horeb.

*Brother Grigore*

The Temple's appointed representative to watch over the Book of Nagash while it was in Manann's Keep, he accompanied the Book to Savonne after Hakon's raid.

*Bertelis*

A young Caerfort boy apprenticed into the Cult of Verena by Adelbert. Bertelis now lives and works with the other (mainly Morrite) initiates of the Temple.




*Jasper Greenapple*

A prosperous Halfling river trader, Jasper Greenapple had many fingers in many pies - one of which was the smuggling of contraband into the city via the old dwarf tunnel. He kept a home in the docks of Savonne, watched over by his fearsome Ogre friend and bodyguard Kragg. Greenapple vanished during the fall of the city to Alvarr's coalition. Kragg was killed and Greenapple's riverside house became a haunt of Rorik's Norscans.

*'No-Nose' Dragos (deceased)*

A vicious thug with a missing nose who took over the dockside underworld of Savonne after Greenapple's disappearance, and was heavily involved in the distribution of Crimson Shade from Last Water. Killed by Sieghard after trying to sabotage the supplies being shipped north to Sforza's army in the Shepherd's Valley.

*Captain Sandu of the Green Dragon*

A riverboat captain whose run-ins with the party have brought him only trouble. Master of one of the fastest boats on the Azril, Sandu was involved in the smuggling of food and supplies into Savonne during Alvarr's siege, and the movement of Crimson Shade into the city after it fell.

*Filomena*

A brothel-keeper who travelled with Sforza's army before he came to the Reaches, and supposedly enjoys good standing with the Captain. Filomena has a fearsome reputation among her workers, and seems to have a deep and abiding dislike for the lady Irene. Starting from Mirino, she has expanded her business first to Mananns Keep and then to Savonne in the wake of Sforzas conquests. She is the owner of the _Happy Serpent_ (Mirino), _Drowned Cat_ (Savonne) and _Pink Peach_ (Savonne).

*Herr Reinholt*

A long-stay inmate of the Hospital of Saint Armengild, Reinholt suffers from delusions that he is the ruler of the Reaches.

*Jacques Langue dOr*

A travelling Bretonnian minstrel, Jacques had sunk into penury in the slums of Savonne after being humiliated by Viggo in a ballad contest in Mirino. Jarla became his patron and elevated him to play for Sforzas court. Despite his personal vanity, Jacques is grateful for the opportunity Jarla has offered him - gratitude he has in the past tried to show through (respectful) amorous advances.


*Hayfa:* keeper of the _Red Moon_ lodging house.*Yanko:* innkeeper of the _Yellow Dog_.*Talibah Al-Khansa:* bookseller in the Old Town.*Thibault Fulk:* bookseller in the Warren)*Lena Knopf and Axel (deceased):* a local historian and her doorman. Axel was killed in the first sack of Savonne, and Lena fled the city after Sforza's conquest.*Griswold:* a drunken beggar who claimed to have seen the Lost Library.*'Mad' Maglyn and Clora:* a moneylender and her intimidating bodyguard.*Burhan:* a young merchant who helped the party get supplies north to Sforza's army, and was poisoned by Dragos in return (he got better).*Varga:* Dragos' right-hand man, missing in the aftermath of Dragos' death.*Jozef and Garrett:* members of Dragos' dockworker gang.*Pietro:* Filomenas mute head bouncer, relocated from Mirino.

*Ravenskird*
*Hook-Handed Rogar (deceased):* a dishonest boatman who tried to trap the party under Gilbertus' manse so he could rob them.*Costin:* keeper of the alehouse and party to Rogar's schemes. Fled in the aftermath of Rorik's raid on the village.

*Arrow Heap*
*Big Rolf:* A village elder very proud of the village's history of independence. Rolf had to be subdued for his own good to prevent him from starting a fight with Sforza's army.A young woman who is *not* called Brunhilde.

*Spoiler: The Thornwood*
Show


*Painford*
*Beatrix Fassbender (deceased)*

Also known as the Witch of Painford. Beatrix was an ex-Magister of the Gold Order who fled Altdorf under unknown circumstances. She was well-liked in the village of Painford where she made her home, having saved them from an insane barber-surgeon who made himself mayor. Though she was widely reputed to be in Evatt's service, she seemed to act independently of his court.

Following a failed attempt to turn her left hand into living gold, Beatrix's body began slowly turning to lead. Driven out of her home by the events of Sforza's conquest of the south, she sought a cure for some time, but her efforts ultimately failed, leaving her in a lead-poisoning-induced coma. Elsa's attempts to complete the cure using her own magic caused Beatrix to burn to death.

Her familiar Ortolanus was an animated simulacrum of a large predatory-looking lizard, made entirely from brass. He died with his mistress.

*Rhadegund*

A sharp, ambitious teenage girl from Caerfort whom Adelbert apprenticed into the Cult of Verena. Feeling abandoned by Adelbert's disappearance, she refused to rejoin him and instead stayed to live and work with the hostel-keepers in Painford.


*Kirsten (deceased):* a peasant woman who had a romance with Viggo. Killed by Kelda.*Marta and Dierk:* a mother and her son. Marta was struck in the head during Hakon's raid on the village and lost her wits, leaving the young Dierk to care for her.*Gavril & Karolina:* the hostel keeper and his wife.


*Spoiler: The Hidden Vale*
Show


*Manann's Keep*
*Steffan Sussman, Steward of Manann's Keep*

A local merchant who made himself a close adviser of the Grand Commander, and was the first to swear his allegiance to Muzio Sforza in the aftermath of Evatt's death. After Sforza's coronation, he was rewarded with stewardship of Evatt's old capital.

*Sergeant Friedrich Fischwillen (deceased)*

A bullying sergeant of Evatt's guards, who had no difficulty changing his allegiance to Captain Sforza following Evatt's downfall. Made an enemy of Sieghard and went to great lengths to sabotage Sieghard's standing in the eyes of Sforza and his officers. Was eventually outwitted and hanged after being framed by Sieghard, Ludo and Viggo as a spy for Alvarr.

*Lottie Cinderhill*

A halfling from Alvarran, Lottie was trapped in Pieter's Pass with many others when the city came under siege, and Duke Alvarr turned out those he could no longer feed. She became a de facto leader of the group that survived and headed south into the Downlands, though they later came under the influence of Armin. After Sforza broke up Armin's following, she was among a number who were left to settle in the Vale. Not a Sermena halfling, she presumably hails from outside the Reaches.


*Herr Ardelean:* a rich miller with a weakness for card games.

*Handrich's Cross*
*Frau Faber*

A gold miner and caravan master from Handrich's Cross, Faber is of Imperial stock. The party encountered her taking her caravan to the Mitterfruhl fair in Mirino, and accompanied her back to Evatt's domain.




*Spoiler: The Iron Claw Hills*
Show

*Caerfort*
*Orderic (deceased):* village elder.*Jacen (deceased):* lodge keeper.*Abelard (deceased):* a young villager who did sentry duty in the tower.*Dhuoda (deceased):* a goatherd.
The villagers of Caerfort were killed by Nakht-Horeb, and taken to Nath as undead servants. Caerfort now stands derelict and untenanted.


*Spoiler: Last Water*
Show


*Mirino*
*Marek*

Owner of _Il Calice D'Oro_. Despite how his inn has thrived from the custom of Sforzas soldiers, he is generally morose and fatalistic.

*Krucke & Mannfred*

A seller of second-hand clothes and Adelbert's former landlord, Krucke is a foul-tempered and greedy old man. One of the only Imperial immigrants in Mirino, he doesn't like the Tileans, or the locals, or women, or young people, or daylight. He lives with his cat Mannfred, who chases dogs for sport.

Krucke received a considerable reward for helping apprehend Johannes Klammenberg, but doesnt seem to have used the money to improve his living conditions in any noticeable way.

*Aisha*

Aisha used to work at the Serpent, until Filomena threw her out for supposedly having the pox. Adelbert took her in, and Ludo found her a job helping Marek at the Chalice. Adelbert's some-time lover, she ran away after the two of them fell out, and has been intermittently sighted with a travelling troupe of actors. She is missing the tips of two fingers on her right hand.

*Natasa*

A friendly goatherd who Sieghard, Viggo and Ludo met through their sparring sessions at Hadil's shack. For a while Sieghard and Viggo competed for her affection.

*Iosif*

A friendly (and smelly) bear of a man, Iosif is Mirino's tanner. He lives outside town where the smell of his work cannot trouble people too much, and was quite impressed when the party brought him the pelts of several Giant Wolves.

*Rudi & Leni Figgins*

Ludo's brother-in-law and older sister. Rudi has become the head cook of Sforza's army, a rewarding post but one that often takes him away from home, much to Leni's worry.


*Mihai:* smith*Chiara:* seamstress)*Kaja & Mirjana:* a peasant boy, briefly apprenticed to Adelbert as a scribe, and his mother.*Shandor:* peasant.*Mirela:* peasant woman, Viggo's one-night stand.*Abelie, Serafina, Nadiyya, Reena, Nuri & Nadia:* prostitutes at the Happy Serpent.

*Sermena*
*Odo Stubbs*

Ludo's father, and the owner of the Sermena iron mines. Self-important and status-obsessed, his relationship with his son is strained at best.

*Petra Stubbs*

Ludo's younger sister. Sharp-minded and well-liked, she helps Odo with the administration of the mines, but is much more fond of her brother



*"Old" Gill Brandyhill:* village elder and proprietor of the inn.*Talbert Tallfellow:* envoy to Sforza on behalf of Sermena's halflings.*Ronald Swanfeather:* mine overseer.*Norbert "Nobby" Burrows:* looks after the inn for Gill.*Theda Bramcot, Eena Tumblebright and Lisbet:* local halflings.*Massimo:* retired Iron Company veteran.*Vincenzo ('Vico'), Alessio, Orfeo and Vittore (all deceased):* retired veterans duped by Klammenberg into accompanying him into the Waste.

*Spoiler: No Fixed Abode*
Show


*Karl the Carter*

A travelling trader who makes a living transporting goods between the settlements of the Broken Reaches. A taciturn man, he seems to know his way around a crossbow.

*Sir Tancred du Bahorel & Chlodbert*

A questing knight from the duchy of Bordeleaux, Sir Tancred has come to the Broken Reaches in search of the Grail. He is accompanied by his trusty page Chlodbert, who is the only one of the pair to speak Reikspiel.

*Thengdrim Ungdrinaz*

A Dwarf Slayer, encountered by the party in Alvarran and then again in Savonne. He blames Elsa for getting him turfed out of the _Gilded Beetle_, when it was in fact all Viggo's fault.

*Maksim Dolokhov (deceased)*

Leader of the Storm Swords mercenary company. An old battle brother of Alvarr's, he left the Duke's service after Alvarr exposed his men to the fire of his own siege engines during the siege of Savonne. His decision to intervene in the Third Battle of Arrow Heap turned the battle in Captain Sforza's favour. Was killed with Alvarr at Alvarran when Sforza refused to honour the Duke's surrender.

*Jurgen Falkenwald & Gunda (deceased)*

Leaders of Falkenwald's Falcons, a troop of sellswords in the Uplands. Betrayed the defenders of Bunthafen to Jarl Rorik and his men, then switched sides again to fight for Captain Sforza when their contract with the northern coalition came to an end. Present at (and possibly responsible for) the death of Duke Edouard Alvarr. Falkenwald fell out of favour with Sforza when he helped Irene arrange an ambush for Ludo, and was executed as a traitor.

*Matthias Teufelssohn & Stenger (both deceased)*

A witch hunter and his henchman who came searching for Elsa.

*Balios (deceased) & Jocasta*

Travelling priests of Taal and Rhya. Their dislike of towns and cities was intensified by the murder of Mother Gaertner during the sack of Savonne. On returning to Savonne to consult with the other priests of the Temple, Balios was killed by Nakht-Horeb. Jocasta remains a wanderer in the Reaches.

*The Knights of the Raven (deceased)*

A band of Morrite templars sworn to exterminate the undead, Preceptor Götz Kleinrabe and his followers rode to the Reaches to answer the Temple of Savonne's call for help against Nahorek. Kleinrabe was confident in his ability to destroy the vampire, claiming to have hunted down seven of his kind. Together with the Thorns, the Morrites tracked Nahorek to the ruins of Nath, where the Jackal proved a far more dangerous enemy than the vampires they had slain before. Kleinrabe and his three knights (Drakken, Sigmund and Ehrl) were all slain, as was their priest, Brother Merrick of the Fellowship of the Shroud.

*Kateryn Moltke (deceased)*

Götz Kleinrabe's squire. Moltke survived the slaughter at Nath by hiding in the ruins, later escaping with Ludo and Urgrim, but was later killed by Gunda and the Falcons when they tried to ambush Ludo on the Caerfort road.

----------


## LCP

*Timekeeping*
This game will keep track of a detailed IC calendar. This will function both to track the time of year, and as a countdown to the end of the game: once three IC years have passed, the game ends. Most major NPCs will have timetables that they will adhere to in the absence of PC interference. Concentrating on one small region may leave you blind to threats evolving outside that region.

Note that this means I fully expect your characters to spend a fair amount of downtime doing unremarkable things, where days or weeks can be glossed over in a couple of posts. Three years of real-time PBP play would take forever! If you have some trade skills or whatnot, and feel like applying them to earn some money in a town you pass through - or anything of that ilk - then go right ahead. If the rest of the group want to go on an adventure and you want to take some time out, then that's fine too, although you should be advised that an adventure might take a long time to be resolved due to the pace of PBP play.

We'll be using the Imperial Calendar, since it is the most detailed. Below are the details of the Imperial year:

*The Imperial Calendar*

The Imperial year lasts 400 days. It is divided into twelve months, with six holidays not considered part of any month. These are picked out in bold.

*Hexenstag*
Witching Day

Nachexen
32 days

Jahrdrung
33 days

*Mitterfruhl*
Spring Equinox

Pflugzeit
33 days

Sigmarzeit
33 days

Sommerzeit
33 days

*Sonstill*
Summer Solstice

Vorgeheim
33 days

*Geheimnistag*
Day of Mystery

Nachgeheim
32 days

Erntzeit
33 days

*Mittherbst*
Autumn Equinox

Brauzeit
33 days

Kaldezeit
33 days

Ulriczeit
33 days

*Mondstill*
Winter Solstice

Vorhexen
33 days



Every Old World culture has many holy days and festivals scattered throughout the year. Details of these can be found in the Tome of Salvation (p.144), a sourcebook on religion and priestly careers. Local practices vary widely, but I'll be trying to remember the big ones and maybe throw in a few regional ones too.

*The Imperial Week*

The Imperial week lasts eight days. 

Wellentag

Aubentag

Marktag

Backertag

Bezahltag

Konigstag

Angestag

Festag



My GM posts will have date stamps - if an IC day goes past and I forget, remind me!

----------


## LeSwordfish

*Ludovic Stubbs*



"Adventurer. By trade. When the opportunity arises."
*WS*
*BS*
*S*
*T*
*Ag*
*Int*
*Will*
*Fel*

28
46
26
36
74
48
37
72

2/2
1/1
1/1
3/3
5/5
2/2
2/2
6/6



*Fortune*
*Insanity*
*Lucky*

2/2
1/1
1/1




*Attacks:* 2 (1/1)
*Wounds:* 14/14 (4/4)
*Move:* 5
*Fate:* 2
*Insanity:* 1

*Skills:* Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry, Necromancy), Blather, Charm +20, Command +10, Common Lore (Halflings, Border Princes), Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow +10, Evaluate +20, Gamble +10, Gossip, Haggle, Perception+20, Pick Lock, Performer (Actor), Read/Write, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Sleight Of Hand, Stealth +20, Speak Language (Riekspiel, Halfling, Classical, Khazalid, Tilean), Trade (Miner)

*Talents:* Flee!, Mimic, Night Vision, Public Speaker, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Resistant to Chaos, Sixth Sense, Streetwise, Specialist weapons training (Sling, Gunpowder), Tunnel Rat, Dealmaker

*Gear:**Spoiler*
Show


*Money*
114GP, 10S,
204GP owed by Sforza.
Monthly Income: 10GC

*Clothes:*
Dashing Clothes (Good Quality)
Warm-weather Clothes (Good Quality)
Normal Clothes
Thorns uniform with cloak
Adelbert's Owl pendant
Wide-brimmed hat
Leather Jack (AP 1, Body, Arms)

*Weapons:*
Sling (Dam 3, 16/32 Range, Half Reload)
Crossbow (Dam 4, 30/60 Range, Full Reload)
12 Crossbow Bolts (Resupplied from Thorns armoury)
2 Silver BoltsSword (Dam SB) 
Dagger (Dam SB-3)
Silvered Sword (Dam SB, Silvered)
Shield (Dam SB-2, +10 to parry, -10 to be hit at range)
Firearm (Dam 4, 24/48 Range, 2 Full Reload, Impact (2d10b1 damage), Unreliable (96-00 to hit is bad news)
10 Shots of ammo

*Equipment*
Tent
Backpack
Blanket
Cutlery
Tankard
Storm Lantern
36 Hours Oil
10 Matches2x Waterskins
Lockpicks
20ft rope
Two sacks
Crowbar

Pony (Lumpin)
When travelling with Lumpin, the pony carries Ludo's Crossbow and ammo, Silvered Sword, and 2/3rds his lamp oil, rations, and water.Terrier (Stoutheart)

*At Ludo's House in Painford*
One sheet of vellum, two candles of dark wax. Rubbing of Madam Morte's broken brooch, rubbing of symbol on Alvarran sword. Obsidian Pendant from the Ravenskird Ruins.
Usually whichever of his clothes he isn't wearing.


*Career:* Tomb Robber > Rogue > Gambler > Rapscallion

*Advances/Stat Changes*
*Spoiler*
Show

Shallya's blessing on Strength, swapped Agility and Weapon Skill.

Free - +5 Int
100xp - +5 Int
200xp - Charm
100xp - +5 Fel
100xp - Luck
100xp - Silent Move
200xp - +10 Ag
200xp - +10 WP
200xp - +10 WS
200xp - +2 Wounds
200xp - Progress to *Rogue*

100xp - Haggle
100xp - Gamble
100xp - +5 Fellowship
100xp - +5 Agility
250xp - Dodge Blow
100xp - +5 Agility
100xp - Charm +10
100xp - Concealment +10
100xp - Flee
100xp - Silent Move +10
100xp - Int +5
100xp - Fel +5
100xp - +5 BS
100xp - Blather
100xp - Progress to *Gambler*

100xp - Streetwise
100xp - Sleight Of Hand
100xp - Progress to *Rapscallion*

100xp - Dodge Blow +10
100xp - Fleet Footed (+1 Movement)
100xp - +5 Fellowship
200xp - Speak Language (Tilean)
100xp - +5 Toughness
100xp - +5 Toughness
200xp - Command
100xp - +1 Wound
100xp - +1 Wound
100xp - Quick Draw
100xp - +1 Attack
200xp - Rapid Reload
100xp - Dealmaker
100xp - +5 Str
100xp - +5 Toughness
100xp - +1 Wound
100xp - Charm +20
200xp - Academic Knowledge (Necromancy)
100xp - +10 Perception
100xp - +1 Wound
200xp - Command +10
100xp- +5 Ag
100xp - +20 Perception
100xp - +5 Fel
100xp - +5 Fel
100xp - +5 Ag
100xp - +5 Ag
200xp - SWT (Gunpowder)
100xp - Evaluate +10
100xp - Consume Alcohol
100xp - Gamble +10
100xp - Evaluate +20
200xp - Ride

(to buy for progression: Lip Reading, Swim)
(available: Ambidextrous, Swashbuckler, Read/Write +10, Search to +20, Gossip to +20, Sleight of Hand to +10, any two Common Knowledges)
75xp Remaining



*Insanity - Ghosts of the Fallen*
*Spoiler*
Show

]_A life of adventure has turned out to include a lot more death than Ludo envisioned growing up in Sermena. Now, when he leads others into danger, he feels the accusing stares of those he couldn't save..._

Ludo feels overwhelming feelings of guilt at allowing others to expose themselves to danger in his place, sometimes manifesting as hallucinations of the ghosts of dead comrades. He must pass a WP test not to volunteer for dangerous tasks, or come to the assistance of friends in danger. If someone dies as a result of Ludo passing a WP test not to help them, he suffers -10 to his WP and Fel for the next 24 hours as he is wracked with guilt.

Once per day, Ludo may forfeit the WP test when faced with such a situation and see the ghost of a dead comrade urging him on, granting him a temporary Fortune Point that lasts until the end of the day.


*Background*
*Spoiler*
Show


*Age:* 54
*Height:* 4'2"
*Weight:* 115lbs
*Hair:* Dark Brown
*Eyes:* Hazel
*Star Sign:* Dragomas the Drake (Sign of Courage)
*Doom:* "Follow not the steps of Dragomas."

The small man fed the small dog a scrap of chicken and smiled up at the two mercenaries. They exchanged glances. Say all that again. Nosewood said eventually.

The small man gave an indulgent chuckle. He was a middle-aged halfling, short, stout, wearing faded breeches and shirt under a battered, brightly coloured jacket, and a wide-brimmed flat cloth hat. "My name, good sirs, is Ludovic Stubbs. Yes, indeed, _that_ Ludovic Stubbs. Born in Last Water, in the lands of Capitano Sforza, grew up under vicious attacks from the undead, the greenskins, and the ratmen of the wastes. Killed a dozen ratmen defending my fathers farm. But that wasnt enough adventure for me, oh no. Back when I was a strapping lad, I needed more. Turned my love for adventure into a love of the open road. Took to raiding barrows and tombs. Hundreds of crowns worth of artefacts I took from them, sometimes right under the nasal cavities of their old inhabitants. Some of those tombs are Morrs own house, let me tell you. Hidden blades, sharp as needles, poisons that have only matured over time. I took jewels from dragons eyes, with barely scorched feet. Im the only halfling to return alive from the slopes of the red pyramid. Im an entrepreneur: I gather, collect, and sell the antiquities these tombs hold. And now I wish to do your little band the honour of joining it.

The two mercenaries gave each other another look. Ludovic pretended to ignore it, and fed the dog a bit more chicken. This here is Stoutheart, by the way. Im sure hed wish to join too.

Where in these lands do _dragons_ dwell? Nosewood began.
Oh. Around and abouts.
For a man with hundreds of crowns to his name, you certainly were unwilling to pay for your own meat. Nosewoods companion, Dullhelm commented.
I, ah, prefer...
Ratmen dont really attack from the wastes.
These ones were, ah, misplaced...
And _nobody_ returns alive from the red pyramid. Nosewood was very firm on this. Ludovic blanched briefly, but seemed to rally and drew himself up to his full height. I did.
No you didnt, halfling. The two mercenaries stood. Weve seen enough. Dullhelm nodded. You can pay for your own damn meat.

Ludovic stood, (pulling the chicken away from the dog) and squared up to the men. I am a legitimate businessmen, and i will not accept these aspersions on my character.
You are a liar, and a grave robber, and we will not sully the honour of our company by...
Please! The impassioned plea caught the attention of the entire bar. Ludovic looked briefly embarrassed, then continued. I want to be an adventurer. All my life ive been sneaking around in old barrows and stealing trinkets from corpses. I want excitement. I want adventure. Wont you let me join?
Nosewood shook his head. We dont take liars.

After the two men had gone, Ludo sat down again. The dog whined at his ankle, and he threw it another piece of chicken with a sigh. Ah well, Stoutheart. he said. We live and we learn.
He drew a scrap of parchment from his pack and crossed Nosewoods Irregulars off a long list. 
"Meeting the Ramkin Swordsmen in half an hour." he commented. "Perhaps they won't ask so many questions."

----------


## -Sentinel-

*Elsabeth Holt*
a.k.a. Beatrix Hildebrand


*Race:* Human
*Age:* 25
*Career:* Apprentice Wizard > Journeyman Wizard > Master Wizard > Noble > Border Courtier

*Description:* Elsabeth is a young woman of average height with short red hair. Her most striking features are her amber eyes and the swirling red tattoos adorning her face. Her travel clothes consist of a well-worn black coat, high boots, and thick leather gloves of the fire-resistant kind used by blacksmiths. When working as a court wizard in the service of Captain Sforza of Mirino under the name of Beatrix Hildebrand, Elsa makes a better effort at grooming, wearing instead a black-and-gold robe designed to look like a military uniform.

As one can expect of a Bright wizard, Elsa is fiery, passionate, stubborn and reckless. She walks and acts like she owns the place and never sugar-coats her words; of her noble upbringing, she seems to have retained only the arrogance, not the manners. Overconfident and eager to prove herself, she is the kind of person who would never back down from a challenge, no matter how foolish or pointless.


*Background:* Born the sixth child of a minor Altdorf noble house that was too impoverished to have any power but too proud to mingle with commoners, Elsas marriage prospects were rather few. Being raised with only male siblings had given her a wild, rebellious temperament that did not help matters. She first revealed her magical potential at age fourteen, when she foiled an attempt to marry her off to a suitor three times her age by setting the mans forked beard aflame. At that point, her parents gave up on her, scratched her off the family tree and sent her off to the Bright College, where wizards from all the Empire and beyond studied the Lore of Fire.

Elsa turned out to be gifted with a strong will and seemingly instinctive control over the red wind of Aqshy, but proved hopeless when it came to anything remotely theoretical, owing to her intellectual laziness and lack of discipline. No amount of chores would keep her from talking back to authority figures, neglecting her studies or sneaking into the boys dormitory at night  in fact, punishing her appeared to make her only more aggressively unruly. Things took a turn for the worse when she got into magical duelling; a tradition that is tacitly encouraged among Bright Order students, but in which she would engage with somewhat excessive enthusiasm, causing more property damage and visits to the infirmary than any other Bright College apprentice in living memory.

Disaster struck near the end of Elsas junior apprenticeship, when she challenged a fellow student, Theo (with whom she had an escalating feud for reasons long forgotten by both) to a secret duel at midnight on the roof of the college building. She turned up at the duel half-drunk and with only tenuous control over her powers. The short but incredibly violent exchange of spells ended with Theo burned to a crisp and Elsa on the run from her masters. The fugitive apprentice is now looking for a place away from the Imperial laws long reach, and the Border Princes seem like such a place.



*WS*
*BS*
*S*
*T*
*Ag*
*Int*
*WP*
*Fel*

41
36
30
41
44
65
73
49

*A*
*W*
*SB*
*TB*
*M*
*Mag*
*IP*
*FP*

1
15 / 15
3
4
5
3 (4)
8
3 / 1





*Skills*
*Base %*
*Link of Psyche*

Academic Knowledge (Daemonology)
65
75

Academic Knowledge (Magic)
65
75

Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics)
65
75

Channelling
83
93

Charm +10%
59
59

Charm Animal
49
49

Command
49
49

Common Knowledge (Border Princes)
65
75

Common Knowledge (the Empire)
65
75

Consume Alcohol
41
41

Dodge Blow
44
44

Gossip
49
49

Intimidate
30 / 49
30 / 49

Magical Sense
83
93

Perception
65
75

Read/Write
65
75

Ride
44
44

Search
65
75

Speak Arcane Language (Daemonic)
65
75

Speak Arcane Language (Magick)
65
75

Speak Language (Classical)
65
75

Speak Read Language (Nehekharan)
65
75

Speak Language (Reikspiel)
65
75

Speak Language (Tilean)
65
75





*Talents*

Aethyric Attunement

Arcane Lore (Fire)

Dark Magic

Etiquette

Extra Spell (Curtain of Flames)

Extra Spell (Inextinguishable Flame)

Fleet Footed

Lesser Magic: Aethyric Armour

Lesser Magic: Dispel

Lesser Magic: Magic Alarm

Luck

Mighty Missile

Petty Magic (Arcane)

Savvy

Schemer

Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying)

Strong-Minded

Suave

Very Resilient





*Armor:* None

*Weapons and clothes:* Dagger, hefty cane (hand weapon), main gauche, common all-weather clothing (quilted shirt, riding pants, black leather coat and boots), good summer clothing (red dress and sandals), noble's garb (military-style clothes in tones of black and gold), noble's garb (slate-grey winter dress with fur lining), Nehekharan costume, ivory bracelet (thanks Sieghard!), dwarf-made copper torc, earrings, fur scarf, and backpack
*Miscellanea:* Good quality rations for 8 days, two saddlebags, three waterskins, tent with room for three, pair of dice, 35 yards of rope, brown hair dye, printed copy of _The Practical Pyromancer, Third Edition_, grimoire of pyromancy, bunch of scrolls from the Lost Library, map of Mirino and the area, parchment, ink, 12 matches, small mirror, 12 balls of sulphur, 8 scraps of tapestry singed by fire, bottle of good quality spirits
*Mount:* Bastard, vile-tempered black stallion

*Gold owned:* 469 gc and 29 p.
*Investments:* 190 gc invested in Suzana's food import business (not included in gold total). Dividends last collected on 16th Pflugzeit (23 crowns, 6 schillings and 10 pennies).
*Monthly wage:* 26 gc and 157 p
*Monthly expenses:* 18 gc (incl. Putbad rent, Olga's wages, good quality food for both Elsa and Tatiana, and stabling for their horses)

*Savonne-Putbad boat prices:* 18 s per person, 24 s per horse (source)



*XP:* 25 / 7125
*Advances:* +10 WS, +10 BS, +10 T, +15 Ag, +30 Int, +35 WP, +15 Fel, +4 W, +3 Mag, Academic Knowledge (Daemonology), Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Arcane Lore (Fire), Charm +10, Charm Animal, Command, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Consume Alcohol, Dark Magic, Dodge Blow, Etiquette, Extra Spell (Curtain of Flame), Extra Spell (Inextinguishable Flame), Intimidate, Lesser Magic (Aethyric Armour), Lesser Magic (Dispel), Lesser Magic (Magic Alarm), Luck, Mighty Missile, Ride, Schemer, Speak Arcane Language (Daemonic), Speak Language (Nehekharan), Speak Language (Tilean), Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying), Strong-Minded, Suave, Very Resilient


*Her Majesty, High Queen Khalida Neferer of Lybaras* (Elsa's snake familiar)
*Spoiler*
Show

A large, black-and-grey viper, sold to Elsa by a peasant woman as a potential familiar to replace Morrslieb the raven. Despite some initial challenges (and many bites), Elsa managed to tame the reptile and eventually establish a mind-link with her. Khalida is a simple, unobtrusive, inquisitive creature and enjoys mice, basking in the sun, making people jump in fright, and Elsa's bodily warmth.


*WS*
*BS*
*S*
*T*
*Ag*
*Int*
*WP*
*Fel*

15
0
10
10
20
10
15
0

*A*
*W*
*SB*
*TB*
*M*
*Mag*
*IP*
*FP*

1
1 / 1
1
1
2
0
0
1 / 0





*Skills*
*%*

Intimidate
10





*Talents*

Natural Weapons

Sixth Sense




*Special rule: Venom.* Any target who loses at least one Wound to an attack by Khalida must make a Challenging (-10%) Toughness test or suffer 1 additional Wound every ten minutes until 1d5 Wounds are taken.


*Familiar Abilities:* Link of Psyche (+10 Int/WP), Lucky Charm (+2 Fortune Points), Magic Power (+1 Mag).

*XP:* 150 / 587.5
*Advances:* +5 WP, Sixth Sense, Lucky Charm, Magic Power.



*Tzeentch's Curse cheat sheet* (thanks TheSummoner)
*Spoiler*
Show

*2 dice*
No Doubles: 90%
Doubles: 10%

*3 dice*
No Doubles: 81%
Doubles: 18%
Triples: 1%

*4 Dice*
No Doubles: 50.4%
Doubles: 46.8%
Triples: 2.7%
Quads: .1%

*5 Dice*
No Doubles: 30.24%
Doubles: 61.2%
Triples: 8.1%
Quads: .45%
Quints: .01%

----------


## rax

*Bardhyl*

*Race:* Human (Vrani) 
*Career:* Outlaw Chief (ex-Initiate of Morr, ex-Priest of Morr (incomplete), ex-Outlaw, ex-Veteran)

*Main Profile*
*WS*
*BS*
*S*
*T*
*Ag*
*Int*
*WP*
*Fel*

33
27
31
32
40
34
39
38

+20
+30
+10
+20
+10
+10
+10
+20

53
47
41
42
55
44
59
58



*Secondary Profile*
*A*
*W*
*SB*
*TB*
*M*
*Mag*
*IP*
*FP*

1
10
3
3
4
0
0
2

+2
+6
-
-
-
-
-
-

3
16
4
4
4
0
0
2



*Fortune Points (remaining/total):* 3/3

*Current Wounds:* 16/16

*Armour:* Helmet, Chain Coif, Sleeved Mail Coat, Full Leather Armour (-10 Ag due to mail armour, not included in profile)

*Armour Points:* Head 5, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 3

*Weapons:* BC Hand Axe (+5 WS, Damage 5), GC Glaive (Damage 5; Fast or Impact and Slow), GC Bow (Damage 3, Range 24/48, Reload Half) and 20 arrows, Dagger (Damage 2), Buckler (Damage 1; Balanced, Defensive, Pummelling)

*Trappings:* Common Clothing, Cloak, Iron Raven Talisman (religious/cultural symbol of Morr)
_Backpack:_ Bedroll, Blanket, Comb, Shaving Kit, Soap, Pewter Tankard, Metal Cutlery, Bottle of GC Spirits, Writing Kit, Scroll Case and 3 sheets of Parchment, Antitoxin Kit and 2 Healing Draughts
_Pouch:_ Deck of Cards, Bone Dice and Tinderbox
_Extra:_ Cooking Pot, Water Skin, 2 weeks Rations, Storm Lantern, Lamp Oil, 10 yards Rope, Tarp and Crowbar (+5 S to open doors and chests)

*Money:* 19 gc, 14 s, 9 p in purse, 75 gc in three separate stashes at hideouts

*Mounts, Pets and Followers:* Band of Outlaws ("Grim", "Cut-Face" Abbie, Max, Ortwin, Afrim, Damjan, Zana, Kreshnik, Panteleon, Waldon), Riding Horse with Saddle, Saddlebag and Harness, Mule

*Skills*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Skill*
*Characteristic*
*Related Talent*

Academic Knowledge (History)
Int


Academic Knowledge (Necromancy)
Int


Academic Knowledge (Theology)
Int


Charm +10
Fel
Public Speaking, Streetwise

Command
Fel


Common Knowledge (Border Princes +20)
Int


Consume Alcohol
T


Dodge Blow +10
Ag


Gamble
Int


Gossip +20
Int


Heal
Int


Intimidate
S


Magical Sense
WP


Navigation
Int


Outdoor Survival
Int


Perception +20
Int


Read/Write
Int


Ride
Ag


Scale Sheer Surface
S


Secret Language (Battle Tongue)
Int


Speak Language (Reikspiel +10)
Int


Speak Language (Vranspel)
Int


Stealth
Ag
Rover

Swim
S





*Talents*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Talent*
*Description*

Lightning Reflexes
+5 Ag to starting profile

Luck
+1 Fortune Point per day

Public Speaking
Affect x10 normal number of people with Charm

Rover
+10 to Stealth when in rural locations

Specialist Weapon Group
Parrying, Two-handed

Streetwise
+10 to Charm and Gossip when dealing with criminal underworld

Strike Mighty Blow
+1 damage bonus with melee weapons

Strike to Injure
+1 to Critical Value of any Critical Hit inflicted

Strike to Stun
See WFRP rulebook, p. 101

Suave
+5 Fel to starting profile

Very Resilient
+5 T to starting profile

Warrior Born
+5 WS to starting profile




*Background*
*Spoiler*
Show

All shall be revealed in time...

*Personality*
*Spoiler*
Show

When he was younger, Bardhyl was self-confident to the point of arrogance, but age and experience have humbled him a little and these days he's more ready to listen to others and to consider alternate viewpoints. Even so, he retains his confidence in himself and his personal connection to Morr, and despite his exile from the Raven Hills, he remains strong in his native faith and genuinely wants what's best for his people. 

Bardhyl is essentially good-natured and has a fine sense of the absurd  he laughs as easily at his own follies as everyone else's. He can be angry and deadly serious, and then suddenly burst out laughing when he realizes how silly the whole situation is. Bardhyl enjoys good food, good company and strong drink. He has an eye for the ladies as well, but he doesn't let any of this get in the way of achieving his objectives. Work first, play later could be his motto, and he expects the same of his budding band of outlaws.

*Appearance*
*Spoiler*
Show

Bardhyll is a little below average height (5'8) with a stocky build (175lbs). He has black hair and sports a full but neatly trimmed beard. He shaves the sides of his head and wears the rest of his hair pulled back into a ponytail, often braided with raven feathers when he wants to emphasize his cultural heritage. His eyes are clear blue and multiple tattoos decorate his forearms and torso. When not wearing his mail coat, Bardhyll goes about in rough and ready outdoors clothing. He is never seen without a wicked hand axe in his belt.

*Experience and Advances*
*Spoiler*
Show

Shallya's Mercy on Int (=31)
Switch S and Int

*Experience (current/total):* 75/6,600

_Initiate of Morr_
+5 WS (free)
BS +5
T +5
Int +10
WP +10
Fel +10
W +2
Warrior Born
= 1,100 xp

_Priest of Morr (Doomsayer, incomplete)_
New Career
WS +10
BS +10
S +5
T +10
Ag +5
WP +20
Fel +15
W +4
Academic Knowledge (Necromancy)
Charm +10
Common Knowledge (Border Princes +10)
Gossip +10
Magical Sense
Navigation
Outdoor Survival
Perception +10
Ride
Strike to Injure
= 2,100 xp

_Outlaw_
New Career (=200)
Ag +10
A +1
Dodge Blow
Common Knowledge (Border Princes +20)
Gossip +20
Perception +20
Scale Sheer Surface
Stealth
Swim
Rover
Streetwise
Strike to Stun
= 1,400 xp

_Veteran_
New Career
WS +20
BS +20
S +10
Ag +15
W +6
Consume Alcohol
Dodge Blow +10
Gamble
Secret Language (Battle Tongue)
Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying, Two-handed)
Strike Mighty Blow
= 1,600 xp

_Outlaw Chief_
New Career
Fel +20
Command
= 300 xp
+A +2
= 400 xp

*Advances needed to complete Careers*
_Priest of Morr_
Mag +1
Channelling, Common Knowledge (any one), Speak Arcane Language (Magick)
Armoured Caster or Master Orator, Petty Magic (Divine)

_Outlaw Chief_
BS +30, T +20
Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Follow Trail, Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue), Secret Signs (Scout or Thief)
Lightning Parry, Mighty Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Sure Shot

*Other Notes*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Star Sign:* Mummit the Fool, Sign of Instinct
*Foretelling of Doom:* Those born of Rhya's cauldron shalt build thee a ravenstone

*Family:* Officially none.

*Contacts:* Captain Sandu, 'Mad' Maglyn

*Map to Hideouts*


*Riding Horse*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Main Profile*
*WS*
*BS*
*S*
*T*
*Ag*
*Int*
*WP*
*Fel*

25
0
38
38
30
10
10
0



*Secondary Profile*
*A*
*W*
*SB*
*TB*
*M*
*Mag*
*IP*
*FP*

0
12
3
3
8
0
0
0



*Current Wounds:* 12

*Skills:* Perception +10 (Int), Swim (S)

*Talents:* Acute Hearing, Keen Senses (+20 to Perception tests)

*Weapons:* None

----------


## TheSummoner

*Sieghard*
*Steward of Painford and Warden of the Thornwood*
*Career:* Captain
*Age:* 28
*Birthday:* 11th Nachexen
*Appearance:* Brown Hair, Blue Eyes, Various scars - most notably a long one on his left arm.
*Star Sign:* Wymunt the Anchorite (Sign of Enduring)
*Doom:* When the bell doth toll, it doth toll for thee.
*Experience:* 75/6975 (Current/Total Earned)
*Notable Kills:* "Honest" Rogar, Warboss Magog of the Iron Claw Orcs, Sergeant Fischwillen the "traitor", Roland de Bohun, "No-Nose" Dragos, Udolf, Kleinrabe (twice), Sigmund (also twice) and Drakken (as Wights), Nakht-Horeb, high priest of Old Lahmia, Child-in-Darkness of W'soran the Master of Death, Thief of Souls, Scourge of the Northern Plain, he who was called the Hound of Nagash

*Main*
WS
BS
S
T
A
Int
WP
Fel

61
59
61
51
57
51
49
54

30/30
20/20
20/20
20/20
20/20
15/15
15/15
25/25



*Secondary*
A
W
SB
TB
M
Mag
IP
FP

3
19/19
6
5
4
0
5
3

2/2
7/7
-
-
-
-
-
-



*Armor Points* - Full Plate Armor
Head:
5

Body:
5

Arms:
5

Legs:
5



*Spoiler*
Show

*Base Stats*
_Main_
WS
BS
S
T
Ag
Int
WP
Fel

31
39
36
31*
37
36
34
29



_Secondary_
A
W
SB
TB
M
Mag
IP
FP

1
12
3
3
4
0
0
2



*Shallya's Mercy

*Starting Skills*
_Human:_ Common Knowledge (The Border Princes), Gossip, Speak Language (Reikspiel)
_Mercenary:_ Gamble, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia), Dodge Blow, Gamble, Gossip (+10%), Perception, Ride, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Swim

*Starting Talents*
_Human (Random):_ Night Vision, Very Strong
_Mercenary:_ Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Sharpshooter


*Stat Advances:*
+30 WS, +20 BS, +20 S, +20 T, +20 Ag, +15 Int, +15 WP, +25 Fel, +2 Attacks (One as Free Advance), +7 Wounds

_Talent-Based:_ +5 Strength (Very Strong)

*Skills Purchased*
_Mercenary:_ Haggle, Search, Speak Language (Tilean)
_Veteran:_ Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow (+10%), Gamble (+10%), Intimidate
_Sergeant:_ Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Command, Dodge Blow (+20%)
_Captain:_ Animal Care, Command (+10%), Common Knowledge (Tilea), Read/Write

*Talents Purchased*
_Mercenary:_ Disarm, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun
_Veteran:_  Mighty Shot, Strike to Injure, Specialist Weapon Group (Engineering, Two-Handed)
_Sergeant:_ Menacing, Street Fighting
_Captain:_ Lightning Parry, Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying)

*Career Changes*
Mercenary -> Veteran -> Sergeant -> Captain


*Skills Available*
_Mercenary:_ Animal Care, Common Knowledge (Kislev, Tilea), Drive
_Veteran:_ Common Knowledge (The Border Princes +10%), Gossip (+20%), Perception (+10%), Secret Language (Battle Tongue +10%)
_Sergeant:_ Common Knowledge (Any Two), Intimidate (+10%), Perception (+20%)*, Ride (+10%), Swim (+10%), Secret Language (Battle Tongue +20%)*, Speak Language (Tilean +10%)
*Requires +10% from Veteran first

*Talents Available*
_Mercenary:_ All Talents Learned
_Veteran:_ Very Resilient
_Sergeant:_ Seasoned Traveler, Wrestling


*Skills*
Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Care, Command (+10%), Common Knowledge (Bretonnia, The Border Princes, Tilea), Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow (+20%), Gamble (+10%), Gossip (+10%), Haggle, Intimidate, Perception, Read/Write (barely literate), Ride, Search, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Speak Language (Reikspiel, Tilean), Swim

*Talents*
Disarm, Lightning Parry, Menacing, Mighty Shot, Night Vision, Rapid Reload, Sharpshooter, Specialist Weapon Group (Engineering, Parrying, Two-Handed), Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun, Quick Draw, Very Strong

*Trappings:*
*Possessions Taken With Him*
_Clothing:_ Noble's Garb (Colors similar to the Thorns' uniforms), 2 Sets of Good Clothing, Common Clothing (worn when traveling, or under his armor), Hooded Cloak (w/ Brass Clasp in the Shape of a Wolf's Head. Dark Blue)

_Weapons:_ Sword (Best Quality), Dagger (Best Quality, tucked in his belt), Shield, Crossbow (20 Bolts), Gilded Spear (Magical, Best Quality) (Stolen by Sforza)

_Armor:_ Leather Skullcap, Leather Jack, Leather Leggings, Mail Coif, Sleeved Mail Shirt, Mail Leggings, Sallet Helm w/ Visor, Breastplate, Plate Leggings, Plate Bracers, Pair of Gauntlets

_Misc:_
Backpack - 2 Waterskins (empty unless traveling), Rope (20 yards), 1 Torch (treated), Property Deeds (Two warehouses, a boathouse, a pier, and the Greenapple house in Savonne), No-Nose Dragos's debt ledger, Blanket, Wooden Tankard, Wooden Cutlery Set, Mess Tin, Cooking Pot, Skewer, Coin Purse #1 (39gc, 3s, 8p), Coin Purse #2 (empty), Iron Strongbox (Locked. 2,100 gc)

_Destrier w/ Saddle & Harness_ (Possessed, mutated, and died)

_Painford, Ravenskird, and the Thornwood_
*Possessions Currently Left in Painford*
Six dogs (Mastiffs formerly owned by Dragos), Chest of Nehekharan coins (Unspecified number - a number of strange gold coins, just like the one the apothecary had shown to Ludo. They represented quite a stash, but they rattled around in the big chest like loose change - if the thing had ever been full, then it was sadly depleted.), Coin Purse #3 (11gc - Nehekharan Coins from Kheneb). Iron Strongbox (Locked. 350gc), Wooden Chest

_Weapons and Armor:_ Firearm, Swordbreaker, Morning Star, 3 Daggers (Looted from the battlefield where Bernhard was killed), 4 Long Knives, Bow (10 Black-fletched Arrows), Sleeved Mail Shirt (Bernhard's)

_Trophies and Personal Treasures:_ Wolf Pelt, Orc War Banner, Red Company Banner, Jarl Rorik's Wolf Skull Banner, Silver Wolf Coin from The Happy Serpent

_General Expenses:_ Food and board covered while in Manaan's Keep. 5p per day fodder and 10p per day stabling for his horse.
4gc per month (Reserved private room at the Happy Serpent)

Everything up to date as of 11th Ulriczeit.

*Spoiler: The Spear of Kheneb-Ptra-Urush*
Show

*Light of Ptra:* In the presence of vampires, the spearhead shines with the light of the sun. It provides illumination based on the proximity of the nearest vampire as below:

*Distance to vampire*
*Illumination provided*

36 yards
Equivalent to a candle

18 yards
Equivalent to a lantern

2 yards
Equivalent to a campfire



Vampires with a weakness to sunlight suffer a -20 penalty to all their primary characteristics when within 2 yards of the spear.

*Dwimmulson Grudge Rune:* All attacks made against Nakht-Horeb, high priest of Old Lahmia, Child-in-Darkness of W'soran the Master of Death, Thief of Souls, Scourge of the Northern Plain, he who was called the Hound of Nagash, can re-roll misses.


*Background:*
*Spoiler*
Show

Sieghard was born in Danford, a village west of the Broken Reaches on what was then the border of what is now Jarl Rorick's land and the territory controlled by Lord Halvard. Danford had little strategic value nor did it have an abundance of resources, so the local lords had little interest in it. For the most part, the only thing the villagers needed to concern themselves with was the local goblin tribes. Sieghard was the third born of five children. His father was a member of the local militia and often told stories of times when the goblins grew too aggressive.

When Sieghard was 12, Danford came under attack, not by greenskins, but by men loyal to Lord Halvard who were running low on supplies in a campaign against one of the other local lords. The villagers tried to defend their home, but they could do little against the better trained and better armed soldiers. Sieghard's father was slain, his mother and siblings either killed or fled. When the raid was over, Sieghard picked through the wreckage. He found a scant handful of coins and an old sword abandoned in the ruins. He swore that one day he would have revenge against Halvard and those who served him.

Three years later, Lord Halvard would be slain in battle against his rivals in The Border Princes. His death would have absolutely nothing to do with Sieghard.

With his home destroyed and family lost, Sieghard joined with a few of the other survivors led by one of the older boys and traveled north. Along the road, they stole as they needed to and even robbed once or twice when they could get away with it. Eventually the group found themselves in a larger town. Some found new lives, Sieghard and a few others joined up with gang of other orphaned boys and continued to steal to survive. He was neither the oldest nor the largest of the orphans, but the fact that he owned a real sword did give Sieghard some status within the group. When Sieghard was 17, he joined a band of mercenaries that had stopped in the town for supplies and was recruiting.

Sieghard had no experience and was a slow learner. He had taken poor care of his sword over the years (and it hadn't been in the best condition when he had first found it). He had carried the blade mostly as a symbol of status and had little idea how to wield it properly. Whether through determination or pure luck (or perhaps the foresight to take up the crossbow after narrowly surviving his first real battle against a band of orcs), Sieghard managed to survive, even when the mercenary company was destroyed on a poorly chosen job several years later.

Having no other skills, Sieghard continued to work as a sword for hire for the next few months. Sometimes with a small group, sometimes independently, he sold his skills to whoever would pay. His fortunes having turned sour yet again, Sieghard found himself headed towards the village of Elmridge in search of new work.


*Useful Links:*
Gambling Rules for The Chalice and the Serpent

List of All Books Taken from the Lost Library
Details About the 5 Mundane Books
And the 3 Sieghard Gave to Al-Makir.

----------


## TheSummoner

*The Thorns*
*Mercenary Crossbowmen (21)*

*Career:* Woodsman (incomplete) -> Mercenary
*Experience:* 100/300 (Current/Total Earned)

*Main*
WS
BS
S
T
AG
Int
WP
Fel

31
46
31
36
36
31
31
31

0/10
10/10
0/5
0/5
0/5
-
0/10
-



*Secondary*
A
W
SB
TB
M
Mag
IP
FP

1
11
3
3
4
0
0
0

0/1
0/3
-
-
-
-
-
-



*Armor Points* - Full Leather Armor
Head:
1

Body:
1

Arms:
1

Legs:
1



*Skills:*
Animal Care, Concealment, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Gossip, Perception, Silent Move, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

*Talents:*
Sharpshooter, Very Resilent, Rapid Reload, Rover

*Advances Purchased:*
+10 BS

*Trappings:*
Crossbow and Bolts (Usually carries 10-20 at a time), Short Sword, Knife, Full Leather Armor, Uniform.

*Notable Members*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Ingwald* - A young man with slightly more education than is useful or convenient for a rural peasant, which he claims he got from a travelling priest. He can read some words and is the member of the Thorns most prone to talking back. As a plus, he is more intelligent than most of the others, and did master the crossbow fairly quickly.*Gustaf* - A hunter from the Thornwood. Doesn't talk much (some like Ingwald make fun of him for being "simple") but is one of the best shots in the regiment - it was him who scored the three consecutive hits during the contest with the Gamecocks.*Hanna* - A young woman from Manann's Keep. Her husband, a much older man, was killed during the battle for the town. Seeing one of Viggo's performances in the town square, she slipped away from her husband's family and signed up before they could object. She's not very good with a crossbow, but is very gregarious and seems to much prefer the company of her new friends to her old family.*Petar* - Brother of Baldo.*Gunther**Kaspar* - Knows how to ride a horse.*Hagen* - Injured while taking the gates of Savonne. Has a mark in the shape of a Raven's wing on his leg from where Elsa used Morrslieb to cauterize the wound.*Silas* - Accompanied the party to Harmugstahl.*Steffan* - Accompanied the party to Harmugstahl.*Thom* - Accompanied the party to Harmugstahl. Nicknamed _Whispering Thom_ on account of his exceptionally loud voice.*Hilde* - One of Elsa's bodyguards when the party went to find Tatiana.*Rike Moller* - Volunteered for the group that lured the Rivermouth ghouls out of Nath and into a trap. Sole survivor of the group attacked by Gunda.*Steffen* - Lured the ghouls.*Karol* - Lured the ghouls.*Marius* - Lured the ghouls.*Linde* - Lured the ghouls.*Kurt**Hamlyn* - Survived Nath, but lost a leg.


*Permanant Injuries*
 One man lost a leg at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap and walks with a false one. Hamlyn lost a leg at to the spirits of Nath and walks with a false one.

*Former Members*
*Ottilda* - A woman from the Thornwood, in her late thirties. Viggo found her returning with a group of refugees from the Dead Hills, whom she seemed to have taken charge of. The other recruits find her a little intimidating, as she refuses to talk of her family or her past, and her arms are scarred with recently-healed burns. She has thrown herself into training with more zeal than most of the others and is frustrated at her inability to best Gustaf at target shooting. Fought bravely in Rivermouth until no one but she and Sieghard were left standing. Sieghard blames himself for not being able to save her.*Goran* - A burly charcoal-burner who Viggo convinced to join the regiment on the grounds that, with his hut destroyed by the greenskins, he had nothing better to do. He's not the best shot in the Thorns, but he follows orders dutifully and has the strength and stamina of an ox. Selflessly threw himself into a pack of ghouls so that others might live. Survived the battle, but later died of injuries sustained.*Lanwin* - A runaway. One of the newer recruits. Died in Rivermouth, shortly after being recruited.*Boldo* - Recruited by Ludo and Viggo in Isolici. Killed by the Red Company while keeping watch for Alvarr's forces outside of Arrow Heap.*Baldo* - Brother of Petar. Died during the Third Battle of Arrow Heap.*Ortwin* - In charge of the cannon. Died at Nath when Nahorek's spirits attacked.*Hans* - Went with Ludo to capture Klammenberg. Killed by Gunda.*Johann Lennart* - Went with Ludo to capture Klammenberg. Initially escaped Gunda's ambush with Rike, but was chased down and killed.*Florin* - A gangly boy of about 17, who entirely believes Viggo's exaggerated account of the battle with Magog. He practically hero-worships Sieghard and Viggo, an inconvenient trait that is made up for by the fact that he is an enthusiastic learner. Grew disillusioned with Sieghard's leadership after the disaster at Rivermouth and abandoned the unit.

+30 Initially recruited.
-3 Killed by raiders led by Hakon Blood-Song in Painford.
+4 Recruited in Painford.
+14 Recruited by Viggo after negotiating for higher pay with Al'Makir.
-11 Killed in Rivermouth or died afterwards from wounds sustained. (Ottilda, Goran, Lanwin)
-1 Abandoned after Rivermouth. (Florin)
+1/-1 Recruited from Isolici, then killed by the Red Company shortly after. (Boldo)
-1 Killed by Alvarr's archers in the Second Battle of Arrow Heap.
-1 Died while ambushing Alvarr's supply wagons.
-1 Killed by Kelda at the Battle of the Burning Hill.
-5 Died at the Third Battle of Arrow Heap. (Baldo)
-3 Died after the battle from their injuries.
+9 Recruited in Savonne.
+9 Recruited while returning to Savonne from Bunthafen.
+13 Recruited in Savonne and from the surrounding farms.
-26 Died in Nath, trying to rescue the villagers from Caerfort. (Ortwin)
-4 Abandoned in the aftermath of Nath.
-2 Killed by Gunda and the Falcons (Hans) (Note to self: Kill Irene Sforza)


*Modifiers for Individuals & Groups*
*Spoiler*
Show

*Ingwald* - +10 Int, Read/Write.
*Hanna* - +5 Fel
*Gustaf* - Follow Trail +10%, Outdoor Survival, Set Trap, Silent Move +10%. BS -5
*Rivermouth Survivors (Hanna, Gustaf & Ingwald)* - +10% to resist Fear and Terror caused by the undead.
*3 Unnamed Thorns who went with Ludo to set fires in the Red Company camp* - Silent Move +10%.


*Company Property:*
*Spoiler*
Show

_General Equipment_
21+ Crossbows
21+ Swords
21 Sets full leather armor (Leather Skullcap, Leather Jack, Leather Leggings)
21 Uniforms (Breeches, Jerkin, Woolen Cloak, Hobnailed Boots)

_Additional Property_
373gc, 7s, 5p (Company funds, kept in Painford).
Barracks in Manaan's Keep and Painford (kept locked when unoccupied)
Banner
50 Tents
30 Crossbow Targets (straw men painted in Alvarr's colors)
_Filomena_ (Cannon)

1200 Crossbow Bolts (Replenished monthly)
12 Cannonballs (Up to 12 replenished monthly)
3 Small Barrels of Blackpowder (Each barrel has enough powder for 12 shots.)

_Spare Equipment_
1 Helmet
21 Breastplates
2 Sets Full Mail
2 additional Mail Shirts
9 Spears
32 Hand Weapons
19 Firearms
4 Nets
14 Shields
Rorik's Shield (Good Craftsmanship)
Rorik's Dagger (Good Craftsmanship)
2 Swords (Good Craftsmanship)

2 Riding Horses
1 Draft Horse
4 Oxen
Cart
10-Gallon Cask


*Accounting Info:* (Pay given on the 1st of each month)
*Spoiler*
Show

_Income_ - 440gc per month; 2/3 of all loot taken (Sforza claims 1/3)
_Pay_ - 20gc per month to Sieghard; 10gc per month to Ludo; 4gc per month to Hanna & Ingwald; 3gc 10s per month to Urgrim; 2gc 10s per month to everyone else. Bonus pay as called for. (Total: 89gc monthly expenses for 21 Thorns)
_Expenses_ - 10gc per Cannonball; 15gc per Small Barrel of Blackpowder (price non-negotiable); Uniform pricing

----------


## RossN

*Jarla Schreiber*


*Career:*  Entertainer / Gambler / Rapscallion / Highwaywoman
*Age:* 27
*Star Sign:* 
*Birthplace:* A Fortified Town in Averland
*Appearance:* 

WS:(51) BS: (57) S:(40) T:(44) Ag:(62) Int:(51) WP:(42) Fel:(64)
A: 2 W: 15 SB: 4 TB: 4 M: 4 Mag: 0 IP: 2  FP: 3 

*Skills:* Animal Care, Animal Training, Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge (The Empire +10%), Common Knowledge (Tilea), Common Knowledge (Bretonnia), Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow, Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip, Lip Reading, Perception, Performer (Actor _and_ Dancer), Read/Write, Ride, Search, Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue), Silent Move, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language (Reikspiel +10%), Swim

*Talents:* Ambidextrous, Etiquette, Flee!, Master Gunner, Mighty Shot, Night Vision, Quick Draw, Sharpshooter, Sixth Sense, Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Gunpowder), Specialist Weapon Group (Throwing), Streetwise, Sturdy, Swashbuckler, Trick Riding.

*Trappings:* Pair of pistols with powder and ammunition for 20 shots, nobles garb (two outfits), mask, riding horse with saddle and harness, common clothing consisting of a shirt, breeches, and worn boots, a tattered cloak, a dagger tucked in a boot or belt,a blanket, a wooden tankard, a wooden cutlery set, a hand weapon (sword) and a purse holding 22 Gold Crowns (gc).

*Physical Description:* Jarla Schreiber is a tall (5'8") and curvy (145 lbs) young woman with a fair face, copper red hair and grey-blue eyes. She is excellently dressed, even if her attire is more outdoorsy than might be expected from Nuln fashion and she wears weaponry with an ease that signals long familiarity. While she is hardly Adelbert's twin there is a certain family resemblance about the nose and eyes.

*Background*
*Spoiler*
Show

When Jarla Schreiber married Heinrich Schaeffer of Nuln she thought she was prepared for life as a merchant's wife. Sure he was old and ugly but he was very rich and the prospect of living in the glittering life of Nuln society was more than adequate compensation, as she told her slightly scandalised brother Adelbert. Half a year later she had discovered three things. First Herr Schaeffer was not just old and ugly he was a cruel and vindictive tyrant who at best treated his young wife as a trophy in society. Second he had many mistresses. Third Nuln society - at least the very stratified part of it her husband allowed her access too - was boring her senseless. One night after having enough, she drugged her husband so he wouldn't wake up, slipped out of her house and ran off for good.

Since then life has been eventful. For a year she toured with an troupe of travelling entertainers, first as a singer and actress but finding to her surprise considerable talent at knife throwing ('Fräulein Rasierer'.) Making her way back towards Averheim she managed to make a small fortune through cons and gambling (another skill gained on those long trips on roads and on barges) and perhaps unwisely began to enjoy life under her own name. Eventually her husband heard of her existence which entailed a retreat from Averheim and her third and perhaps favourite life - a highwaywoman. Soon 'Fräulein Rasierer' was an infamous figure along Averland roads, but eventually all good things had to come to an end and she had to make another departure. Either the law would catch her and she'd swing or her husband would (a worse case by far.)

Jarla had kept a tenuous contact with her family in Grenzstadt (who didn't know of the turn to crime, thought she was an actress and considered that scandalous enough) and it was through this that she learned her brother Adelbert was in the Border Princes. Though it had been years since she had seen him his letters seemed to portray an exciting, dynamic land that had both her beloved brother and was very, very far away from Heinrich Schaeffer of Nuln.


*XP:*
*Spoiler*
Show

Earned: 6,930
Spent: 6,300 [900 (Entertainer), 1,000 (Gambler), 2,500 (Rapscallion), 1,900 (Highwaywoman)]
Current: 630


*Advances:*
*Spoiler*
Show


*Entertainer*
+ 5% Fel (Free Advance)
+5% WS
+5% BS
+5% BS
+5% Ag
+5% Ag
+5% WP
+5% Fel
+ one Wound
+ one Wound

*Gambler*
+5% Int
+5% Int
Blather
Charm
Gamble
Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue)
Read/Write
Streetwise
Flee!

*Rapscallion*
+5% WS
+5% S
+5% T
+5% T
+5% T
+5% Ag
+5% Ag
+5% Ag
+5% WP
+5% Fel
+5% Fel
+5% Fel
+5% Fel
+ one Attack
+ one Wound
+ one Wound
Common Knowledge (Tilea)
Consume Alcohol
Dodge Blow
Lip Reading
Search
Ambidextrous
Sixth Sense
Quick Draw

*Highwaywoman*
+5% WS
+5% WS
+5% BS
+5% BS
+5% S
+5% Ag
+5% WP
Animal Care
Animal Training
Ride
Silent Move
Etiquette
Master Gunner
Mighty Shot
Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing)
Specialist Weapon Group (Gunpowder)
Swashbuckler
Trick Riding





*Adelbert Schreiber*

*Spoiler*
Show


*Spoiler*
Show



*Career:* Scribe / Initiate / Priest of Verena / Scholar / Anointed Priest of Verena
*Age:* 30
*Star Sign:* Vobist the Faint - Sign of Darkness and Uncertainty
*Birthplace:* A Fortified Town in Averland
*Appearance:* 5'7", 135 lbs, brown hair, grey blue eyes, missing tooth.

WS:(51) BS: (41) S:(36) T:(48) Ag:(55*) Int:(66) WP:(58) Fel:(51**)
A:2 W: 16 SB:3 TB: 4 M: 4 Mag: 2 IP: 1 FP: 3 _0_

*Skills:* Academic Knowledge (History), Academic Knowledge (Necromancy), Academic Knowledge (Theology), Channeling, Charm (+10 %), Common Knowledge (The Empire), Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Gossip, Heal (+10%), Speak Language (Reikspiel), Magical Sense, Perception, Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language  (Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Breton), Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Tilean), Speak Arcane Language (Magik), Trade (Calligrapher)

*Talents:* Linguistics, Acute Hearing, Resistance to Poison, Lighting Reflexes, Public Speaking, Suave, Armoured Caster, Petty Magic (Divine), Strike to Stun, Master Orator, Divine Lore (Verena), Lesser Magic - Blessed Weapon, Lesser Magic - Move, Aethyric Attunement, Strike Mighty Blow

*Includes bonus for 'Lighting Reflexes'
**Includes bonus for 'Suave'

*Trappings:* 
Common Clothing, Cloak, Dagger, Backpack, Short Sword, Digging Tools, one weeks rations, ancient copper eye pendant, a necklace/collar made from gold and coloured glass beads, the ends are made to resemble the coiled heads and necks of snakes, a pair of lapis lazuli earrings, shaped to mirror the solar disc motif. 'Kettle hat' helmet. Danxome bronze throwing dagger.

Woolen robes, owl pendant (religious symbol of Verena)

Mail Shirt, pouch containing 142 Gold Crowns, 27 Schillings, 15 Pfennigs.

615 GC (hidden cache) (stolen by Sforza!)

38 GC, 5 Schillings and 12 Pfennigs (hidden cache).

Bella, a small, wiry, bay coloured mare.


*XP:*
*Spoiler*
Show

Earned: 6150
Spent: 6100
Current: 0


*Advances:*
*Spoiler*
Show

+ 5% to Int (Free Advance)
+ 5% to Fel
+ 5% to Int
+ 5% to Ag
+ 5% to WP
+ 1 Wound
+ 5% to WP
+ 1 Wound
+ 5% to Ag
Initiate (second career)
Academic Knowledge (Theology)
Charm
Healing
+5% to Fel
+5% to WS
+5% to BS
Lighting Reflexes
Public Speaking
Suave
Priest (third career)
+ 1 Magic
Magical Sense
Speak Arcane Language (Magik)
Channeling
Armoured Caster
Petty Magic (Divine)
+5% to WS
+5% to WP
+5% to Fel
+5% to WP
+ 1 Wound
+5% to BS
Charm (skill mastery, +10%)
Ride
Common Knowledge (Border Princes)
+5% to T
+5% to T
+ 1 Wound
+5% to S
Strike to Stun
Heal (skill mastery, +10%)
Master Orator
Scholar Career
+5% Int
+5% Int
Academic Knowledge (Necromancy)
+5% Int
+5% Int
Anointed Priest Career
Divine Lore (Verena)
Magic + 1
Lesser Magic - Blessed Weapon
Will Power +5%
Aethyric Attunement
+ 5% Toughness
+1 Attack
Lesser Magic - Move
Strike Mighty Blow
+ 1 Wound
+5% WS
+5% Fel



*Divine Revelations*
*Spoiler*
Show

_Adelbert believes he sees the invisible hand of the gods all around him - whether it is the hand of Verena pointing out the guilty party in a dispute, or the face of Nurgle leering at him from a basket of rotten apples._

Adelbert is subject to visions that are entirely the invention of his own mind, filtered through the lens of his faith. These visions are entirely indistinguishable from the genuine results of his Magical Sense skill, and tend to manifest as gods making their will, presence or power known to him - including the Ruinous Powers.

By roleplaying a vision of your own invention, you can grant yourself a Fortune Point that lasts until the end of the day (to a maximum of once per day). These visions don't have to lead you to 'insane' actions (e.g. Adelbert could see Shallya urging him to help an injured person, or feel the presence of Khorne in a tavern brawl that leads him to try to make peace), but should be understood OOC to be the products of Adelbert's imagination, not any direct communication from the gods. Should Adelbert be prevented from acting on what the vision shows him, he suffers -1d10 from his Fellowship and Willpower scores for 1d10 hours.

You may also receive 'false' visions from the GM at any time. No test will tell you which visions are true and which are false: Adelbert believes them all to be true. Visions from the GM do not grant Fortune Points, but still invoke the penalty to WP and Fel if Adelbert is prevented from acting on them.


*Divine Marks:*
*Spoiler*
Show

_Enlightened:_ Verena grants you a small portion of her wisdom. You gain a +10% bonus to all Academic Knowledge Tests
that you have selected as skills. As well, you may attempt Academic Knowledge Tests outside of your fields of study, albeit at a
20% penalty.


*Background & Personality:*
*Spoiler*
Show

Adelbert was born in Grenzstadt, Averland the second oldest child and only son of the prestigious Schreiber family of scholars. His older sister Gabrielle became a Priestess of Verena and a career in the universities of Nuln, the church or perhaps even the colleges of magic in Altdorf seemed open for the young man. Unfortunatly his father's harmless gambling habit became, well _less_ harmless. The Schreiber family went into debt and while Adelbert's younger sisters retained enough clout to marry well Adelbert himself could no longer afford to study at Nuln. Fortunately he was more than well read enough to become a scribe first in Grenzstadt, then Averheim.

Adelbert is actually a very good scribe especially mastering foreign languages but he is not thrilled by his dull life copying books. At the very least he would prefer to be writing his own work rather than simply transcribing that of others. He has travelled south to the Princes in the hopes of appealing to the vanity of a local noble and being paid to act as their chronicler, and perhaps write a book on the local ruins that would be the toast of Nuln. Anything would be better than his dusty office back in Averheim.

Perhaps thanks to his elder sister Adelbert has a definite interest in the gods and his studied much of them, especially minor and regional deities - though the streak of rogue in him is impressed by Ranald. His personal specialty (other than languages) is ancient history and he is modestly famous in Averland for translating an Ancient Reman history from Classical to Reikspiel.

In person Adelbert is on the short side of average and slender, with nimble fingers (he is justly proud of his clean, flowing style of writing.) He is fond of attractive women, well read ones for preference and is rather vainer than might be expected for a scribe. This has led to him rarely smiling with his mouth open because he is very concious of the front tooth he lost in a tavern brawl when an elegant blonde lady turned out to have been married to a milita sergeant. He has a deadpan, sarcastic and self deprecating sense of humour and tends to value it highly in others.

----------


## RossN

Sorry for the delay! Been very under the weather. 

Regarding Jacques Jarla is a bit nervous about leaving him totally to the mercies of Sieghard so she'll try and shepard him away somewhere safeish to sleep off his drinking.

----------


## LCP

No worries - I've also caught whatever's going around atm, can definitely sympathise!

----------


## LeSwordfish

I'd like to roll Perception to see if we think we've got what Jacques knows out of him: (1d100)[*60*] vs 68.

OOC I don't think there's anything specific we're delving for, I suspect he was just sent north to send word to get him out of the way.

----------


## LCP

He's not looking particularly furtive or secret agenda-y.

----------


## LeSwordfish

In which case I suggest we leave him be, pack him off as early as we can the next morning, possibly with Jarla. and then follow a few hours behind with whatserface. Or perhaps we should go via Arrow Heap to avoid the Royal Party rolling up behind us.

----------


## rax

*@LCP*
How does one go about getting that very snazzy GitP-style picture of Bardhyl into the character sheet post?  :Small Smile:

----------


## LCP

You can grab the image URL by right-clicking on the picture, and then you should be able to just put that in [img] tags.

----------


## TheSummoner

My thoughts were get him so drunk he needs to sleep it off (and has a bad hangover), have Jarla offer to deliver whatever message it was the Sforzas had for him, then leave while he stays in Painford before they have a chance to arrive.

----------


## RossN

> No worries - I've also caught whatever's going around atm, can definitely sympathise!


Thanks.  :Small Smile: 




> I'd like to roll Perception to see if we think we've got what Jacques knows out of him: [roll0] vs 68.
> 
> OOC I don't think there's anything specific we're delving for, I suspect he was just sent north to send word to get him out of the way.


That's definitely my feeling too (and Jarla's IC).

She's a bit protective of Jacques (she is his patron after all) so she'd try and aim for the result that keeps him out of (more) trouble.

----------


## LCP

> My thoughts were get him so drunk he needs to sleep it off (and has a bad hangover), have Jarla offer to deliver whatever message it was the Sforzas had for him, then leave while he stays in Painford before they have a chance to arrive.


Well that's only slightly different to Ludo's plan of sending him with Jarla, but I'll need you guys to resolve which it is before we can move on that far.

If you want to move to the following morning to see how hungover he is let me know - I'm figuring you might want to check in on Gina + tell her your plans first.

----------


## -Sentinel-

Hey, the sourcebook _Renegade Crowns_ is available as a free PDF on a shady Russian website. I've never read this one.

*Edit:* Removed the link to comply with forum rules. I, of course, would never condone piracy, and find it _shameful_ on the part of Google to link a pirated sourcebook as one of its _very first search results_ when you type the title into the search bar! De-index this page immediately, Google, before too many cunning rascals find it.  :Small Wink:

----------


## LCP

I think you'd be best advised to take that link down Sentinel - sharing copyrighted material is definitely against forum rules.

I'd say something about recommending Renegade Crowns as a fun book, but I think this campaign is the best recommendation I can give!

----------


## -Sentinel-

> I think you'd be best advised to take that link down Sentinel - sharing copyrighted material is definitely against forum rules.


Ah, thanks for the warning. I removed the link.





> I'd say something about recommending Renegade Crowns as a fun book, but I think this campaign is the best recommendation I can give!


That, it is!  :Small Smile: 

Very funny sourcebook so far. The writers were clearly having a blast.

----------


## RossN

> I think you'd be best advised to take that link down Sentinel - sharing copyrighted material is definitely against forum rules.
> 
> I'd say something about recommending Renegade Crowns as a fun book, but I think this campaign is the best recommendation I can give!






> Ah, thanks for the warning. I removed the link.
> 
> 
> 
> That, it is! 
> 
> Very funny sourcebook so far. The writers were clearly having a blast.


Yeah, I love that book.  :Small Smile: 

One thing I like is how a single roll on the table can completely change your perception of the setting - a lot of dwarf ruins implies a very different local history to one that has been home mostly to Chaos Cultists!

I'm running 'The Paths of the Damned' campaign on another forum but I was very strongly tempted to try running a Border Princes game.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Does Jarla have access to the Royal Seal? 

Actually given her role would she be able to write an entirely legitimate letter?

----------


## LCP

Yes and yes, I would say. Although of course if that letter ever got back to the Sforzas it would be highly incriminating.

Ludo probably also has some documents from Abdul w.r.t. tax + the Thorns' payroll - but making a fake from a broken bit of wax would be definitely more difficult/detectable than working with the actual stamp.

Worth mentioning as well that people who don't really know much about the Sforzas probably won't know what their seal looks like unless they get a specimen to compare - so it's quite possible that you could get away with any plausibly fancy-looking bit of wax. Getting caught out at a later date would only be possible if they hung on to the letter of recommendation - not impossible but probably not the norm.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Sounds like real seal, fake signature is entirely possible and hard to trace back to Jarla? I will edit some kind of suggestion to that into my last post.

I would like to have Ludo question Gina on the journey.  "Are there any secret passages into the palace and does the lady irene sleep next to an untraceable knife", that kind of thing. I assume the best way to do that is for me to come up with a list, and i will do that tomorrow evening/monday, I am playing games with Lizardmen this weekend.

----------


## LCP

> Sounds like real seal, fake signature is entirely possible and hard to trace back to Jarla?


I would say that's a fair assessment.




> I would like to have Ludo question Gina on the journey.  "Are there any secret passages into the palace and does the lady irene sleep next to an untraceable knife", that kind of thing. I assume the best way to do that is for me to come up with a list, and i will do that tomorrow evening/monday, I am playing games with Lizardmen this weekend.


A list will be perfect. If Ludo's questions are super obviously 'how does one murder Irene' then a Charm test might also be appropriate to disguise his motive - Gina's obviously no fan of her highness but she hasn't given any indications that she'd be comfortable being an accessory to assassination. Excellent choice with the lizards, hola skinks.

TheSummoner, RossN, let me know if your characters will be ready to move on when Ludo's got his list, and who's going where with whom.

----------


## TheSummoner

There's a part of me that thinks leaving the Sforzas unattended in Painford is a recipe for disaster. Probably better for Sieghard to wait for them to come and go and then ride hard for Savonne, hoping to overtake them after they leave (if they go by Ravenskird, he goes by Arrow Heap and vice versa).

Another thought. Sanne isn't in very good condition down in the dungeons. Sentinel, if you dont want her to die down there, might need to arrange a jail break. It seems like it's just the one gaoler down there. Man has to sleep sooner or later.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I was actually wondering if Sanne could be useful for a kill-the-queen plan. If we break her out and get her away she might be a useful scapegoat.

EDIT: Do we need Sieghard in Savonne so soon? Ludo can send Gina off and Sieghard can ride up with the Sforzas.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Another thought. Sanne isn't in very good condition down in the dungeons. Sentinel, if you dont want her to die down there, might need to arrange a jail break. It seems like it's just the one gaoler down there. Man has to sleep sooner or later.


You're suggesting to risk everything Elsa has gained over 2+ years, with little benefit. Getting Sanne out of her cell is one thing; getting her out of the castle is another. In the state she's in, I don't know how many steps she can walk before she collapses.

Even if Mauro doesn't witness the jailbreak, other prisoners will, and may try to foil the attempt in hopes it'll shorten their sentences.

----------


## RossN

Unless Jacques has absolutely shocking information I'm fine with moving on and have Jarla keep him out of everyone's hair escort him back to Savonne. If the royals are returning soon Jarla probably does need to go back to court anyway.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Having a bit of a family emergency so no list of murder questions from me today. Might get them in in time to reasonably timesplit but don't wait for me.

----------


## LCP

Hope it's nothing too serious. Have done a big post moving us on but very willing to timesplit Ludo's questions for Gina whenever.

----------


## -Sentinel-

I think we should give Gina a fake name to travel under. Something Estalian or Bretonnian, as a Tilean name would raise suspicions that she's connected to the Sforzas.

Also, can she speak Reikspiel? I don't remember if this has been mentioned.

----------


## RossN

Is Jarla writing Gina's letter or Ludo? Jarla's happy to do it but I'm not clear on whether she is just finding a seal ring or actually composing it herself.

Also hope it isn't too serious LeSwordfish!

----------


## -Sentinel-

I reported the intruder. Hopefully a mod deletes their post.

They've been doing the same thing in a bunch of other threads. Really weird. Almost certainly a bot given their/its posting rate, but for what purpose?  :Small Confused:

----------


## TheSummoner

Test run of some sort of spambot? Seems like it's copying existing posts to try to pass as human, but context makes it obvious that it isn't.

----------


## LCP

I think it's a fairly common strategy for bots on boards where you can't post links before you reach a certain post count.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Finding it quite hard to think of murder plans. Or, more specifically, ways in which I can make this tie into long-term goals OOC or IC: it's not entirely Ludo's vibe to do a murder without a point. I would imagine that "sneak into the bedroom when Sforza is out, stab her, run away" is reasonably possible with Ludo's sneaking statline.

I kind of wish i'd not had him announce his intention IC - without a plan, he's going to look like a bit of a wally just quietly dropping the idea. Going back further, I think I would have been less "do your worst" about it if I'd known how much of a loose end I was at without the "tainted drugs" idea. Which yes, does feel a bit grubby OOC typing it out.

Perhaps it's better to find a way of slipping to Sforza that she's been taking contraceptives? That might get revenge for Adelbert, and achieve the goal of removing her as a power base (and thus her ability to threaten Ludo's family) without needing to kill her? But, like, maybe it won't. And also, does that achieve anything long-term in terms of our nominal goals of taking over? Could we imply that Nahorek/Mala was responsible?

Alternatively, Irene has always taken her own safety extremely seriously. If we were to make a credible threat to her own safety, perhaps that could affect her behaviour.

If Sforza divorces Irene (is he allowed to?) I wonder if we could find a candidate to take her place, Alicent Hightower style. I think perhaps Ludo should take the documents to Filomena and speak to her about this whole thing - she hates Irene right? And might be willing to get in on a strategy to get her out of the way.

So these are going to be Ludo's questions: sorry if they're a bit vague and more spurs for conversation rather than specific asks.
The Lady Irene and Filomena never seemed to get on. Why was that? Does she have any other particular enemies in Savonne?What was your process for buying this drug for her? Who did you purchase it from? Did they know you were buying it for the principessa?Does the Lady give advice to Sforza? Does he listen to her? Who else gives him advice - who often disagrees with her?How long has Sforza been expecting a child? How long has Irene been protecting against that?How does Irene spend her time when Sforza is away?AND only if Gina has been getting on well with things so far - how is Irene protected? What kind of personal guard does she have?

Here is an initial Charm test for this (1d100)[*67*] vs 92. If Gina catches on to the idea of Ludo trying to depose or kill Irene, he'll say something like "she threatened my family", and only continue if that seems to make her much more comfortable.

I'm not sure how much money to give Gina. How much was she earning as a lady's maid? I assume she's got nothing more than the clothes she's wearing.

And a pure mechanical question: If I do go with plan sneak-and-stab, can we bring the At Your Mercy rules back for that? Sneaking ludo can do, but stabbing not so much.

----------


## LCP

Lots of good questions there. I won't weigh in too much because this is largely about in-character decision making, both individually for Ludo and for the group as a whole. You guys have already had round 1 of this discussion - I suspect it's something that will come up again.




> Perhaps it's better to find a way of slipping to Sforza that she's been taking contraceptives? That might get revenge for Adelbert, and achieve the goal of removing her as a power base (and thus her ability to threaten Ludo's family) without needing to kill her?


One thing I will say here is that while something like this is absolutely possible, you should expect it'll take a sustained effort. Fighting for political favour or disfavour is fighting her on her home turf; she has the most access to Sforza of anyone in the Reaches, and the skills and inclination to use it. You guys know from personal experience how quickly she's bounced back from crossing lines that angered or embarrassed him in the past.

That's not that I'm at all saying it's a bad idea - you have a hypnohobbit and lots of political ammunition. Just trying to make sure the scale of the task is clear.




> And also, does that achieve anything long-term in terms of our nominal goals of taking over?


I think this is a very relevant question in terms of who in the party actually has this goal (and why).




> If Sforza divorces Irene (is he allowed to?)


*Spoiler*
Show




There's no Pope-equivalent to tell him off if he wanted to do that - his biggest problem would probably be with Irene's family back in Tilea.




> I'm not sure how much money to give Gina. How much was she earning as a lady's maid? I assume she's got nothing more than the clothes she's wearing.


She was on 2gc12s a month. She has about 10s on her.




> And a pure mechanical question: If I do go with plan sneak-and-stab, can we bring the At Your Mercy rules back for that? Sneaking ludo can do, but stabbing not so much.


I don't remember exactly how we ran them, but yes, I won't force you to use the core combat rules for assassinating a sleeping human.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Perhaps it's better to find a way of slipping to Sforza that she's been taking contraceptives? That might get revenge for Adelbert, and achieve the goal of removing her as a power base (and thus her ability to threaten Ludo's family) without needing to kill her? But, like, maybe it won't. And also, does that achieve anything long-term in terms of our nominal goals of taking over? Could we imply that Nahorek/Mala was responsible?


Irene once got morning sickness. Sforza sent her to Bianco, but Elsa mentioned to him that this was a good sign if he wanted an heir, and he perked up in interest. I think Elsa could bring it up againin light of Bianco's more recent treachery, Sforza will likely reevaluate the whole incident.





> The Lady Irene and Filomena never seemed to get on. Why was that? Does she have any other particular enemies in Savonne?


My own suspicion is that Filomena was once Sforza's lover during his campaigns in Arabya. If true, it's probably an open secret among the Iron Company.





> And also, does that achieve anything long-term in terms of our nominal goals of taking over?
> 			
> 		
> 
> I think this is a very relevant question in terms of who in the party actually has this goal (and why).


Yyyyep. I know a Border Princes campaign is supposed to be about political maneuvering, but Elsa is actually quite comfortable with her current position. She has just the right level of protection, independence and responsibility. Outright taking over would give her more visibility, and perhaps force the Colleges to send a Master Vigilant after hera runaway apprentice is likely beneath their notice, but a battle-hardened renegade wizard who's one of the rulers of a small polity is a problem. Not to mention that, when the common people are starving, it's perhaps wise _not_ to be the ones being held responsible.

Plus, a regicide is not the same thing as a coup. With our current level of military support, killing Sforza and his wife would only earn us rope neckties, not the throne. The only winner would be Carraciolo.





> There's no Pope-equivalent to tell him off if he wanted to do that - his biggest problem would probably be with Irene's family back in Tilea.


I'm not sure to what extent he still even needs them, though. Have we ever known of them sending him any money or other support during the time frame of the game?

----------


## TheSummoner

> And also, does that achieve anything long-term in terms of our nominal goals of taking over?
> 			
> 		
> 
> I think this is a very relevant question in terms of who in the party actually has this goal (and why).


Sieghard is very much on board with killing Irene (because of the ambush) and he has no love for Sforza, though that doesn't rise to the level of "let's murder him in his sleep." I can easily see how one thing could lead to another though, where the results of killing Irene create a need to remove Sforza which in turn creates a situation where we feel the need to take control to enforce some level of stability.




> Plus, a regicide is not the same thing as a coup. With our current level of military support, killing Sforza and his wife would only earn us rope neckties, not the throne. The only winner would be Carraciolo.


Only if they find out it was us. You also seem to be assuming that Sforza dying means Carraciolo becomes undisputed ruler of everything Sforza ruled. There's no guarantee it'd work like that. For a historical example, when Alexander the Great died, his generals carved up the land he had conquered and split it among themselves.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Only if they find out it was us. You also seem to be assuming that Sforza dying means Carraciolo becomes undisputed ruler of everything Sforza ruled. There's no guarantee it'd work like that. For a historical example, when Alexander the Great died, his generals carved up the land he had conquered and split it among themselves.


Carraciolo would be at the gates of Savonne before Valdes even _learned_ of Sforza's death. And once he holds Savonne, he holds the Reaches, because the only other seasoned soldiers who excel in a pitched battle are the handful of Magrittan swordsmen who survived Arrow Heap.

----------


## TheSummoner

Much like how Belehir held the reaches when he held Savonne, right?

If Carraciolo takes Savonne, he has Savonne. He only has the south if either Valdes and Sieghard bend the knee to him or he takes it by force. And there's no guarantee he'd even try.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I guess just as a headcount, is The PC's Republic of Sieghardia what we're looking for, long term? It feels like something that's nominally been part of the plan since the beginning, but we've never made particular moves on since getting mixed up in all this vampire business. 

Personally, I kind of like the idea, and think some politicking would make a pleasant change from the vampire business (which is fun, don't get me wrong, but I'm willing to try other play styles). However, I think the way I've played Ludo thus far means that he needs to find an unusual turn of ambition, or some external reason, to properly try and climb the ladder. However, Ludo totally has an "in" in that Sforza basically offered him a job after the trial, so I should go and take that job - if nothing else, it lets me get Sforza's ear more closely.

Does Sieghard want to talk to Sforza about the incident with Tshula? If not, Ludo can meet with him after he gets back to Savonne.




> Excellent choice with the lizards, hola skinks.


The lizards performed creditably: they're such a powerhouse army at the moment that even my generalship cannot bring them down. Ton'ki Ho'ti, my lancer Scar-vet, lanced a bunch of trolls.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> Much like how Belehir held the reaches when he held Savonne, right?
> 
> If Carraciolo takes Savonne, he has Savonne. He only has the south if either Valdes and Sieghard bend the knee to him or he takes it by force. And there's no guarantee he'd even try.


Honestly, I think part of the problem is that all Sforza's court are buddies to some degree or another. I can't imagine any serious rebellion against Carraciolo from Valdes, Al'Makir, etc. In fact, maybe that's an action we could take: damage Carraciolo's reputation so that, should something happen to Sforza, the others won't fall in line behind him.

----------


## rax

That's why, if you're planning a coup, you also make plans to frustrate whoever might be the biggest threat to you successfully holding onto power once the main target is removed. Not to mention that you obviously need some military force of your own, which could include subverting anyone _not_ in the Iron Company.

But above all, Sieghard makes an important point about succession. Carraciolo has zero legitimacy as the next in line to rule the Reaches, all he has is (probably) the support of the Iron Company. He may be able to take and hold Savonne with that, but that leaves everyone else to do their own thing, including raising and training troops to fight him if he marches out to reconquer the other areas. If he splits his forces to hold all parts of the Reaches, he leaves himself vulnerable to being defeated piecemeal.

Coming late into the game, I think the chances of a successful coup are far greater than it might seem at first glance, but it's likely true that it's not something the party could pull off with just your own resources.

_Edit:_ Man, you people write posts quickly!  :Small Big Grin: 

If you were to advance a candidate for the throne from the party, my suggestion would be either Sieghard - he's recognizable, a famous warrior, and already holds a leadership position - or Ludo. He's a skilled diplomat and will seem non-threatening to most other candidates, but as long as he's got Sieghard and Elsa behind him, he also has the muscle to keep other ambitious folk in line (once the coup is done).

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Much like how Belehir held the reaches when he held Savonne, right?


The situation is completely different. Belehir was brought to power by the will of the people of Savonne and had no allies outside the walls of the city, unless you count Sforza's enemy-of-my-enemy deal. The Dwimmulsons packed up and left, leaving him without access to the city's ancestral source of wealth. He was opposed by a coalition of powerful armies, most of which (the knights of Manann, the Norscans, Groz' mercenary company and the Storm Swords) have since been almost entirely wiped out. Alvarr's surviving archers, levies and war machines are now Carraciolo's, and the dwarfs and the guilders will likely align behind him for the sake of continuity and stability.

Any army that can pose a threat to the Iron Company would need to be hired outside the Reaches. And if Carraciolo holds Savonne and has the loyalty of Putbad and the dwarfs, he can easily outspend us. He will also control all road and river access to and from the Reaches.

I suppose the people of Savonne could rise up in revolt. It'll likely be short-lived and come to a bloody end about as soon as someone with an actual army marches in, much like the Paris Commune of 1871. And there's no reason why revolutionaries would put _us_ in charge. They likely don't see much difference between any of Sforza's lieutenants.





> Honestly, I think part of the problem is that all Sforza's court are buddies to some degree or another. I can't imagine any serious rebellion against Carraciolo from Valdes, Al'Makir, etc.


Exactly. I don't know if Valdes even has any ambition to rule the Reaches. He likely considers his rule of the South to be a pretty good deal, considering how depleted his company is. Why would he wager everything he has on a bad hand?

Also, consider it from the soldiers' perspective. Most of Sforza's old-timers have been campaigning since Arabya, and are now enjoying a sort of semi-retirement. They probably aren't too keen on embarking on a fratricidal campaign over a land that they already consider conquered. The leader who offers them continuity and the status quo will get more support from them than the one who wants to shake things up.





> In fact, maybe that's an action we could take: damage Carraciolo's reputation so that, should something happen to Sforza, the others won't fall in line behind him.


We could do that, but it's dangerous to undermine your ruler when the nation is already in crisis, unless you have a rock-solid plan to replace him. Are we sure _we're_ the ones in the best position to take advantage of a power vacuum? Or will we just make the Reaches ripe for the taking by outside enemies?

----------


## TheSummoner

It's all speculative at the moment since I don't think anyone is suggesting an immediate move against Sforza, but the Iron Company isn't as invincible as you're making them out to be. They've got numbers and they're probably the most elite close combat unit in the Reaches, but they're also pikemen and thus fairly specialized. Force them into tight confines (for example, the Karst) and their long weapons become a detriment rather than an advantage and their numbers count for nothing. Use guerilla tactics and avoid a direct engagement and there's little to nothing they can do to counter that. That sort of thing.

As for the dwarves, I doubt they'd get involved in something like that ("Not our problem, manling!") and if they did, it's easy enough to remind them of the rumors about Sforza allying himself with orcs.




> Excellent choice with the lizards, hola skinks.
> 			
> 		
> 
> The lizards performed creditably: they're such a powerhouse army at the moment that even my generalship cannot bring them down. Ton'ki Ho'ti, my lancer Scar-vet, lanced a bunch of trolls.


I've been considering giving lizards a try. Recently bought a 3d printer and this (I haven't given GW a dime since the End Times and I don't plan on changing that). Might be a while before I can get everything ready, but I'm planning on doing a few small (maybe 1000 point) armies for game demos at events. Any tips for what works well?

Speaking of events, I'll be leaving for one tomorrow evening. Posting may be limited.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> It's all speculative at the moment since I don't think anyone is suggesting an immediate move against Sforza, but the Iron Company isn't as invincible as you're making them out to be.


Not invincible... just comparatively powerful enough that most of the other remaining armed forces in the Reaches would rather fight by their side than against them. To form a coalition capable of defeating them, you'd need a very strong leader (which Sieghard isn't), an inspiring cause (which we don't have), and tempting promises (which we can't make).

We also have to wonder if, morally speaking, our characters are prepared to plunge the battered, starving Reaches into a new war over our desire to avenge Adelbert.





> They've got numbers and they're probably the most elite close combat unit in the Reaches, but they're also pikemen and thus fairly specialized. Force them into tight confines (for example, the Karst) and their long weapons become a detriment rather than an advantage and their numbers count for nothing. Use guerilla tactics and avoid a direct engagement and there's little to nothing they can do to counter that. That sort of thing.


How do you plan to force them to fight you on your terms? If they hold the mighty walls of Savonne, they'd be fools to abandon them. I suppose we could ravage the countryside until they can no longer afford to ignore us, but... that wouldn't exactly endear us to the people we hope to rule.





> As for the dwarves, I doubt they'd get involved in something like that ("Not our problem, manling!") and if they did, it's easy enough to remind them of the rumors about Sforza allying himself with orcs.


Why would they side with us? If we knowingly served under a man who allied himself with Orcs, then we're as bad as Carraciolo in their book (of grudges).

----------


## LeSwordfish

I mean i feel like if we were doing it right there wouldn't be a war - that would be the point of the setup, to make Sieghard (or whoever) the natural consensus candidate, or at least somebody worth falling in line behind.

Carrociolo has the sort of assumed legitimacy of being Sforza's heir (even if unspoken), but I feel like there's no natural follow-up to him... who is below him as the pike commander? And that person has even less legitimacy. 

Of Sforza's lieutenants, I find it hard to picture Valdes leading a civil war, and he doesn't have the manpower of himself - though I can imagine Sforza's mercenaries falling in behind him. Sussman and Barbaro will just pick whoever they think would win, and I suspect Al'makir could make things very difficult but perhaps wouldn't- presented with a Fait Accompli, I feel like he would keep on with business instead of trying to overturn the boat.

This would make them all difficult to sway against a leader - i can't imagine having any luck whatsoever trying to get them on our sides against Sforza - but equally I think would make getting them on our side if we had already won easier.

----------


## LCP

Responding to questions + clarifications of fact in the game world:




> I'm not sure to what extent [Sforza] still even needs [Irene's family] though. Have we ever known of them sending him any money or other support during the time frame of the game?


It can be a good idea not to provoke powerful people even if you don't depend on them for support. You've met 2 Tilean nobles; you can probably imagine how they'd behave if something similar happened to a daughter of theirs.

_Vendetta_ is a fun word to say.




> Belehir was brought to power by the will of the people of Savonne.


Maybe not super relevant to the discussion, but I would say anyone who said this IC would not be giving an impartial account.




> Any army that can pose a threat to the Iron Company would need to be hired outside the Reaches.


Maybe more relevant: most of the men who made up Alvarr and Rorik's armies are still around. Very few fighting forces suffered anything close to 100% losses in the war; the Iron Company are formidable but there are definitely enough fighting men/women and weapons in the Reaches to challenge them.

If by an army for hire you mean a pre-organised force, then yes, they're not that - but a pre-organised force is going to come with a pre-organised leader. I'm guessing what you guys are discussing here isn't just how to send an invitation to Sforza v2.




> Carrociolo has the sort of assumed legitimacy of being Sforza's heir (even if unspoken)


Similar to the statement about Belehir, I'd say someone who said this IC was picking a side. Carraciolo is second-in-command of the Iron Company and Lord-Lieutenant of the North, but Sforza has made no explicit moves to place him above Valdes in any kind of hierarchy, or to tie him to the succession. He hasn't got noble blood. The practical reality than in the event of a contested succession he'd have the most men is pretty much the only claim he'd have.

Put another way - for Carraciolo to get any real legitimacy beyond might makes right, Sforza would have to acknowledge the possibility that he and Irene could die childless.


Responding to the general discussion: I think you guys know where you each stand on this (barring Bardhyl of course). There's no immediate IC decision to be made, just Ludo gathering information - so I think the thing I would think about is not just where your character would stand, but what they would do with their knowledge of what the others are thinking. Intra-party tension can make for some fun moments, but mainly when resolved through actions rather than reiterated in words. Maybe you have other ways to solve each other's problems, or ideas to alleviate each others' fears - if you do, it would be better to think about those now, when your fellow PCs have raised the issue, than later when those problems have already happened.

I've redrafted this bit a silly number of times, because I don't want to push you guys in any particular direction or show favour to any particular IC argument, so I won't say any more. I'm not encouraging you to split the party - I think we probably had enough of that with Adelbert the spy - just encouraging you to think about how you can address what *all* the PCs want, rather than just individuals.

----------


## -Sentinel-

I'd be willing to contribute to Sandu's fee if needed, but honestly, I think the 12 gc should come out of our recent windfall from the sale of the warehouse. As for how much we give Gina, I think about 5-6 gc would be reasonable. We should also give her a dagger if she doesn't already have one.

I have no further plans in Savonne. As soon as Sieghard joins us (if he intends to), I'm ready to follow Bardhyl in search of Wadim.

----------


## TheSummoner

Sieghard is fine with paying those expenses. Let's make it a nice even 20. 12 for Sandu, 8 for her. Someone else will have to front the money though - Filomena hasn't actually paid yet.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Ludo can cover it, and can also handle taking the deeds back to Filomena. I'd suggest we give Gina 5 crowns of that and the rest to Olga for safekeeping.

I would suggest the warehouse money gets split up the same way as we divided up Dragos' original wealth - i.e. between the people that were in at the kill, including the Thorns. I make that 106 crowns to each of Ludo, Elsa, Sieghard, Jarla (representing Adelbert), Urgi, and the Thorns (i.e. Sieghard's slush fund.) If anyone wants to make a case for why Bardhyl should claim some of that, feel free to, I'm very happy to split it "between PCs" OOC. Is Bardhyl paying his associates? Could we cover their time looking after Gina?

(I'm assuming Urgi is still around in Painford, just out of frame, laughing too. If he's gone incommunicado we can split it five ways instead.)




> Similar to the statement about Belehir, I'd say someone who said this IC was picking a side. Carraciolo is second-in-command of the Iron Company and Lord-Lieutenant of the North, but Sforza has made no explicit moves to place him above Valdes in any kind of hierarchy, or to tie him to the succession. He hasn't got noble blood. The practical reality than in the event of a contested succession he'd have the most men is pretty much the only claim he'd have.
> 
> Put another way - for Carraciolo to get any real legitimacy beyond might makes right, Sforza would have to acknowledge the possibility that he and Irene could die childless.


Fair enough. I was thinking that the old military hierarchy of "he was the old boss's second" would probably give him the semblance of legitimacy that none of the others are willing to take on that might? Whereas if Joe Lunchpail, Carrociolo's second, tries that, Valdez and Al'Makir (and Sussman and Sieghard) would all be more likely to go "hang on, why not me?". Even if the amount of actual might is the same in each case? Or am I being a bit naive here? I am not a historian or politician.

(It also occurs to me that if there was any north-to-south war in the future, Sieghard and his army and his fortified town sit on pretty much the only safe route between them. And that worked out fine for Walder Frey didn't it? I'm only up to season 5.)

Anyway, in terms of actual character goals, Ludo's is actually quite simple: stop Irene from hurting his family. OOC, I also quite like the challenge of this politicking, so am going to make some more cautious steps towards it IC.

----------


## rax

> Fair enough. I was thinking that the old military hierarchy of "he was the old boss's second" would probably give him the semblance of legitimacy that none of the others are willing to take on that might? Whereas if Joe Lunchpail, Carrociolo's second, tries that, Valdez and Al'Makir (and Sussman and Sieghard) would all be more likely to go "hang on, why not me?". Even if the amount of actual might is the same in each case? Or am I being a bit naive here? I am not a historian or politician.


 I don't think there's a general case to refer to here. If Sforza is deposed (and killed) then it might very well unite his old officers behind Carrociolo, but it might also be a signal for each of them to consider whether they want to strike out on their own. The latter scenario could be made more likely by working that angle before unleashing the coup. 

Take Valdes, for instance. He's been made lord of Last Water, right? So for all his loyal service, and the sacrifice of plenty of his men at Arrow Heap, he gets to run a shrinking oasis at the arse end of the Reaches. Not the greatest of prizes, perhaps. Or maybe he can be convinced to start thinking in those terms. 

And how about the Iron Company in general? They're professional soldiers with no war left to fight. What's their future in the Reaches going to be like? How many are starting to think about retiring? How's their discipline now that all they've got to do all day is various forms of guard duty? 

A coup won't come off by itself, nor will it succeed without considerable groundwork and a clear goal in mind. If the party is willing to put in the work, I'm sure there's cracks to be found in Sforza's regime and plenty of people with an axe to grind who'd be willing to support a coup if their price is met.




> Is Bardhyl paying his associates? Could we cover their time looking after Gina?


 Bardhyl's people work for Bardhyl, so no need to worry about paying them. They have their own sources of income.  :Small Big Grin:

----------


## LCP

> (I'm assuming Urgi is still around in Painford, just out of frame, laughing too. If he's gone incommunicado we can split it five ways instead.)


The Dwimmulsons have sent him off on an errand of their own - you won't find him in Painford.




> Fair enough. I was thinking that the old military hierarchy of "he was the old boss's second" would probably give him the semblance of legitimacy that none of the others are willing to take on that might? Whereas if Joe Lunchpail, Carrociolo's second, tries that, Valdez and Al'Makir (and Sussman and Sieghard) would all be more likely to go "hang on, why not me?". Even if the amount of actual might is the same in each case?


Sounds plausible enough to me. The only clarification I wanted to add with my previous post is that the 'semblance of legitimacy' at the first step is fairly thin - people might start asking those questions at the earlier stage too. Not that any prediction of who would behave how would be rock-solid - these are all individuals who'd react individually to the exact circumstances.

Sorry for the slow replies over the weekend all - I downloaded Dwarf Fortress and fell down a semi-literal hole.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> The Dwimmulsons have sent him off on an errand of their own - you won't find him in Painford.


Sure. I think strictly speaking the IC thing to do would be to put the money aside for when he turns up again but I shan't rob Elsa and Jarla of their hard-earned war profiteering/brothel profits - lets divide it by 5 along the same lines again, for 127GC each.

----------


## LeSwordfish

Filomena is a tough cookie to Charm, so I'll re-roll that: (1d100)[*66*] vs 92

----------


## rax

Hey all, just want to let you know that my wife and son have been hit with stomach flu. It seems to last about two days. Right now, I'm okay, but the odds of me not catching it are grim. If I'm unresponsive in the next few days, the flu will be the reason why.

----------


## TheSummoner

> Sorry for the slow replies over the weekend all - I downloaded Dwarf Fortress and fell down a semi-literal hole.


Fantastic game. I hope you're playing it with the original ascii intact. Just remember, losing is fun.

----------


## Thragka

> The Dwimmulsons have sent him off on an errand of their own - you won't find him in Painford.


Hes been spending a lot of time in Helmgart under a nom de guerre.




> "Well, it's not a question of blame, is it?" said the Prince. "It's not a man's _fault_ if he has a sickness - but he can still be a danger to his fellow men."


Hold on, hold on  I thought the miasmas were attracted to sloth, slovenliness and common breeding? Its the same epidemiology as poverty, surely.

----------


## LCP

> Hold on, hold on  I thought the miasmas were attracted to sloth, slovenliness and common breeding? Its the same epidemiology as poverty, surely.


I thought about that when I was writing the post, but I think that's a product of real-world religious thinking in a world without a literal Plague Satan to blame these things on.

----------


## TheSummoner

Surely you mean Plague _Santa_.

Fat. Jolly. Likes to give people gifts. Think about it.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> "It's a shame," he said. "The old man seemed amiable enough. *If he has to go*, who's to say we won't get some troublemaker in his place?" He shook his head. "But we'll have to see."


Uhhhh, this is worrisome. Sieghard should definitely try to probe what Sforza means by that.

----------


## LCP

> The next thing I have that Ludo would like to do is speak to Sforza once he returns to Savonne.


This'd take us a few days forward into Sigmarzeit - does anyone else have anything they want to get out of the way before we do?

I'm assuming Bardhyl doesn't object to waiting a few more days before setting off.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I'd like to spend some time preparing for the journey. I'm pretty sure Ludo has winter clothes but can buy rations and stuff - shall I just help myself at rulebook prices?

----------


## -Sentinel-

> This'd take us a few days forward into Sigmarzeit - does anyone else have anything they want to get out of the way before we do?


I'm good. Beyond the "scan for Chaos" thing, my discussion with Tatiana is just to kill time while the other players do their thing.

----------


## RossN

Happy to move forward.

Jarla will presumably be busy setting up the keep for the return of the royals (or at least giving the odd instruction while the staff does the real work.)

----------


## LCP

OK, I'll move us forward. XP etc. for the new month to come a bit later.

----------


## LCP

Alright, XP time. Merry Mondstille everyone:


Bardhyl
Elsa
Jarla
Ludo
Sieghard

Completing Pflugzeit
100
100
100
100
100

Securing Brina's farmstead from Abdul



25
25

Digging up Ironrod's map

25




Saving Gina in Painford & learning her story



25
25

Exorcising Hieronymus
50
50
50
50
50

Smuggling Gina to Putbad
25

25
25
25

Helping Jak & Stela



25
25

Being mean to Irene



25




All in all not a bad month's work!

It's also come to my attention that since I wussed out on letting you guys level up the Thorns for yourselves, I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with their veterancy level. Considering everything they've been through, I think it's about time we gave them some goodies:

All the Thorns get the 2 WP advances on their sheet.Ingwald picks up Command, Haggle (from all the tax collecting duty you've had him on) and +5 Fel.Hanna picks up Command, +5 WP and +5 T.Gustaf picks up Sure Shot and Follow Trail +20%.
I'm not sure whether their sheet counting 21 of them is up-to-date with the most recent recruiting efforts. If there's a large block of raw recruits unaccounted for then let me know and I'll think about whether they're numerous enough to worry about representing their stats separately.

----------


## -Sentinel-

I can finally buy *Dodge Blow*. Merry Christmas and happy belated birthday to me!  :Small Big Grin: 

That leaves me with 125 XP. Hmm, let's go with *Suave*. It's the last Fel advance I'll be able to buy in this career.


I had kind of half forgotten the business with the dwarfs. I need to do something about that sometime, since our esteemed GM went through the trouble of drawing a map and everything. But there are more pressing matters to attend to right now.

*@ LeSwordfish* and *TheSummoner:* Congrats, Ludo and Sieghard are clearly the MVP's of the month.  :Small Wink: 

TIL: being mean to Irene earns you XP. I'm sure there are no downsides whatsoever.

----------


## RossN

Okay, wow Jarla now has 630 unspent XP.

----------


## TheSummoner

> I'm not sure whether their sheet counting 21 of them is up-to-date with the most recent recruiting efforts. If there's a large block of raw recruits unaccounted for then let me know and I'll think about whether they're numerous enough to worry about representing their stats separately.


Those numbers don't account for the more recent recruiting efforts. I need to sit down and go over the bookkeeping myself when the Christmas rush is over.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I'm away from my books for the moment so can't tot up the price but Ludo is very wealthy so I'll just make a shopping list now - he's going to buy another 24 hours of oil for his lamp, three weeks rations, and a third waterskin.

Let me know if you think Ludo's getting a little heavy on encumbrance- I can't be bothered to do the maths but he's now carrying two swords, two ranged weapons, and a shield. Would it be reasonable to take a pony off into the mountains or would the terrain forbid that?

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Would it be reasonable to take a pony off into the mountains or would the terrain forbid that?


I had Elsa travel all the way to Putbad just to fetch her horse for the trip. We *are* taking the horses.  :Small Tongue: 

*@ RossN:* If I were you, I'd get a skill mastery in Charm. Are you maxed out on primary characteristics for this career?

----------


## rax

Well, I survived the stomach flu but it took two days to overcome the physical exhaustion and brain fog, and that took me right into Christmas, but I'm back on my feet and catching up on events.

I'll get IC and OOC posts up tomorrow as needed. 

Oh, and look - shiny XP to spend!  :Small Big Grin:

----------


## RossN

Happy Christmas all! Too busy to post but I plan on getting a second wind after the hols!  :Small Smile:

----------


## LCP

Merry Xmas all! Glad you survived the flu, rax.




> I'm away from my books for the moment so can't tot up the price but Ludo is very wealthy so I'll just make a shopping list now - he's going to buy another 24 hours of oil for his lamp, three weeks rations, and a third waterskin.
> 
> Let me know if you think Ludo's getting a little heavy on encumbrance- I can't be bothered to do the maths but he's now carrying two swords, two ranged weapons, and a shield. Would it be reasonable to take a pony off into the mountains or would the terrain forbid that?


That is sounding like a lot for a halfling to carry - but bringing your pony should mean it isn't a problem, as long as you keep a shortlist of what's actually on your person.

You should be able to buy all this at rulebook prices except for foodstuffs, which are at a 30% markup right now.

I've thrown in one very brief last scene for this IC day with Jarla, but it should be quick to resolve. Is everyone looking to leave the next day for the expedition to find Wadim?

----------


## TheSummoner

I'm good to move on. I'll get an IC post up tonight and sort out Sieghard's other shopping, but the only thing that might be non-trivial is that Sieghard wants to use his share of the money from the warehouse sale to have a best-quality shield made. He should have plenty of time to arrange that while the others are doing their own things though.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I'm happy to leave ASAP. I'm also going to add a Storm Lantern to Ludo's shopping list, and a set of Good-quality clothing, including a coat suitable for cold weather.

Ludo has owned a pony for a while now and been up and down to Savonne on it a few times. Can I take Ride as an Elite Advance please?

----------


## -Sentinel-

To buy:
-2 saddlebags, for the sake of symmetry. (4 gc)
-A new set of good quality travel clothes. (3 gc)
-A week of good quality rations. (216 p)
-A third water skin. (96 p)
-A bottle of good quality spirits. (36 p)
-2 days of horse fodder, just in case we venture in barren territory. (10 p)
-10 matches. (10 p)
-Firewood, in case we need to make a campfire in the mountains. (No idea how much it costs.)

Total = 8 gc and 128 p, not counting the firewood. Let me know if Gossip checks are necessary for any of the above.


Did we do any accounting for the money we gave Gina?

Also, is Sieghard coming with? I've seen no indication that he followed Sforza's party to Savonne.  :Small Confused:

----------


## TheSummoner

That's because I haven't gotten the IC post up yet. Tis the season and whatnot.

Sieghard will pick up two weeks of rations, a week of fodder, and let's say three torches so we aren't completely dependent on Ludo's lamp.

----------


## LCP

Sorry for the slow posting everyone - we're painting the 1st floor of our house and yesterday was fairly full-on.




> I'm good to move on. I'll get an IC post up tonight and sort out Sieghard's other shopping, but the only thing that might be non-trivial is that Sieghard wants to use his share of the money from the warehouse sale to have a best-quality shield made. He should have plenty of time to arrange that while the others are doing their own things though.


Where's he getting it made?




> Ludo has owned a pony for a while now and been up and down to Savonne on it a few times. Can I take Ride as an Elite Advance please?


Sure, no problem.


I'm assuming that the general idea is to follow Bardhyl west to his base of operations out there. Since I've kept you guys waiting long enough already I'll put together an IC post to get us that point shortly, but feel free to timesplit any conversations you'd like to have had, or to tell me to back up and rewind if necessary. This'll be a journey of a couple of days so may be a good chance for the gang to get to know Bardhyl a bit better around the campfire.

----------


## TheSummoner

> Where's he getting it made?


Probably something he can have handled in the Thornwood. If he can't find anyone locally, he'll try Savonne.
(1d100)[*58*] vs 64 gossip to find someone who can make it.
(1d100)[*43*] vs 54 haggle for the price

----------


## -Sentinel-

> For everyone else, if you can pass SL(Reikspiel) at -30 you can get a rough understanding of what Bardhyls boys are saying in their hillfolk lingo.


Oh wait, is this just one test to understand _all_ the hill folk dialogue to follow?

Because if so, I'll re-roll that. (d100)[*50*]

*Edit:* Damn.  :Small Frown:  Failed by 5.

----------


## rax

Bardhyl will spring for a side of meat and a keg of beer to keep his crew happy. 

Side of (unidentified) meat = 16 p (incl. markup)
Keg of beer = 47 p (incl. markup)
= 5 s 3 p

----------


## LCP

The test is one per fragment of hillchat, not one test and you figure out the whole dialect.

Sieghard will probably struggle to find a master craftsman for a shield in the Thornwood, but he can definitely get one in Savonne.

I'm going to be away for the next 2-3 days and most likely unable to post, so happy new year in advance, everyone!

----------


## -Sentinel-

> The test is one per fragment of hillchat, not one test and you figure out the whole dialect.


Ah, thanks. I'll spend no more Fortune Points trying to understand it.

The Vrani look like an interesting people, and seem to be the only true natives of the Broken Reaches... the only ones with an ancient culture of their own rather than a hodgepodge of foreign cultures. Looking back at the early game, I wonder how things would have turned out if I'd had Elsa seek out employment in Morr's Seat after her first encounter with Kelda. I have a feeling she would have thrived among the Norscans and Vrani. (Although of course, the other PCs had their own preferences and motivations to take into account.)





> I'm going to be away for the next 2-3 days and most likely unable to post, so happy new year in advance, everyone!


Happy new year!  :Small Smile:

----------


## rax

> I'm going to be away for the next 2-3 days and most likely unable to post, so happy new year in advance, everyone!


 And the same to you!

----------


## RossN

Don't have time for an IC post this evening but wanted to say Happy New Year guys!  :Small Smile:

----------


## LeSwordfish

Ludo's lived on the other side of the desert from the hill folk all his life - might he know a very little of the dialect? I'm thinking of, like, traditional greeting, thank you, that kind of thing. Not actually speaking the language but enough to be polite.

Here's a SL:Reikspiel test if you want a roll: (1d100)[*48*] vs 18 - unless bonjour/merci etc is a -0 test, that fails.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> Don't have time for an IC post this evening but wanted to say Happy New Year guys!


Happy 2023!  :Small Smile: 


*@ TheSummoner:* I'm sorry to ask again, but have you done any bookkeeping for the money we gave Gina? We agreed it would come out of the gold from the sale of the warehouse, which you are in charge of.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> *@ TheSummoner:* I'm sorry to ask again, but have you done any bookkeeping for the money we gave Gina? We agreed it would come out of the gold from the sale of the warehouse, which you are in charge of.


I handled the warehouse money and paid Gina - see posts OOC 57ish-60. Filomena gave us a cashbox of dough which Ludo is storing at the Castle. I've already claimed my share, I don't see why Elsa shouldn't take her share as well (127GC).

----------


## -Sentinel-

> I've already claimed my share, I don't see why Elsa shouldn't take her share as well (127GC).


Oh, thanks!

I should try _spending_ it sometime.

----------


## TheSummoner

If I didn't say so before, yeah, I'm fine with the suggestion of evenly splitting the money from the warehouse sale. Use it as you see fit.

----------


## LCP

> The Vrani look like an interesting people, and seem to be the only true natives of the Broken Reaches... the only ones with an ancient culture of their own rather than a hodgepodge of foreign cultures.


It depends what you call 'foreign' and 'ancient'. The northern Old Worlders arrived in the Reaches about as long ago as the Normans arrived in England.

----------


## Thragka

Yeah, and England has no detectable culture.

----------


## rax

> Yeah, and England has no detectable culture.


 This is true. I've been there.  :Small Amused:

----------


## -Sentinel-

> It depends what you call 'foreign' and 'ancient'. The northern Old Worlders arrived in the Reaches about as long ago as the Normans arrived in England.


Ah. I was under the impression that it was more of a constant trickle of migration (with each generation getting an injection of new migrants) than a big wave a long time ago.

----------


## LCP

It's both.

I'm properly back now - am sure everyone else is also filtering back from the hols, but just wanted to put a quick post here to say the ball's in you guys' court - I'm leaving it to Bardhyl both to introduce the rest of his gang and to outline any details of what the plan is from here. It's up to you guys how much timesplitting etc. you want to do.

If there are any OOC questions I should answer let me know here or by PM.

----------


## rax

*@LCP*
Apologies for not posting IC today to move things along, we've been busy fixing up our apartment. I'll get on it first thing in the morning. 

Regarding the plan to find Wadim, my understanding from our PM conversations is that Bardhyl doesn't have a solid lead on where Wadim might be. He's just heard rumours that Wadim has been seen with the goblins and it's unclear whether he's accompanying them voluntarily or if he's being forced to go with them. Is that about right?

----------


## LCP

That sounds right to me. We can say he left his followers back here to investigate the rumours while he was away - if you ask Grim for a report I can write something up IC with a few more specifics.

----------


## rax

A request for an update from Grim has now been edited into Bardhyl's latest IC post.

----------


## LeSwordfish

I had somehow missed until recently that Wadim had been seen with the goblins, I'm very excited to spend more time with da gobbos. I was assuming we were all going to get et by Dire Wolves again.

----------


## rax

And it gives Ludo a chance to pick on someone his own size.  :Small Big Grin:

----------


## -Sentinel-

I think we've got a consensus to go out there and see for ourselves. Not much else we can do, really.

We should leave the horses in the care of Bardhyl's merry band. Goblins would just see them as fresh meat, and there's no telling how horses might react to the wyvern.

----------


## LCP

If that's the plan, I think I just need to know who Bardhyl's bringing from Team Legitimate Business Enterprises.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> From here, he could get a better look at the huge paintings that covered the cavern walls. Directly above the entrance behind him, daubings of orcs and goblins cavorted atop a pile of dead - or at least very miserable - dwarfs and humans. To his right, an enormous black wolf reared up many times the size of the painted greenskins, frightened-looking goblins fleeing across the cavern wall from its snapping jaws. To the left, a similar rabble of lantern-jawed orcs retreated from columns of men, dwarfs, and what looked like children's drawings of skeletons, leaving the goblins cowering in holes beneath the earth.
> 
> At the very back of the cavern was the largest painting of all - a huge, goblin-faced crescent moon, a jagged crack splitting the crescent like a toothy grin. The black wolf rose up beneath it, jaws agape - but where it tried to bite the moon, its fangs had broken. Beneath it, countless painted goblins raised their stick-figure arms as if to cheer. The flickering light from the fires made the whole tableaux seem to shift and dance, casting long shadows over the uneven walls.


From the TavernKeeper thread, the description of the goblin history of beating Nahorek. I'm not sure we should read too much into this, seems equally feasible that the goblins are just attributing Nahorek's defeat by the humans to the Bad Moon but worth bearing in mind in case they actually did achieve something.

----------


## -Sentinel-

> From the TavernKeeper thread, the description of the goblin history of beating Nahorek. I'm not sure we should read too much into this, seems equally feasible that the goblins are just attributing Nahorek's defeat by the humans to the Bad Moon but worth bearing in mind in case they actually did achieve something.


Oh, that's interesting. I completely forgot about that.

I believe the symbolism here is more "the wolf failed to defeat us" than "we defeated the wolf". Still, the fact that goblins have their own folklore about Nahorek is tremendously interesting. I maintain we should attempt diplomacy, unless they attack us first.

I can think of one thing they might want from us - to rid them of "Da Big Wun".

----------


## rax

> If that's the plan, I think I just need to know who Bardhyl's bringing from Team Legitimate Business Enterprises.


 Let's say Bardhyl brings Afrim, Damjan and Ortwin. That gives us two guys with Follow Trail and Navigation.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> I can think of one thing they might want from us - to rid them of "Da Big Wun".


They tried to feed Tatiana to the wyvern. I think they either worship it or at least are pals.

----------


## rax

It's possible that they did that because the alternative is to be eaten themselves. 

Of course it's equally plausible that they think the wyvern is awesome and don't want to be rid of it even if it does mean some of them get eaten every so often.

----------


## -Sentinel-

So I have to roll WP vs. gaining an Insanity Point because of that double 1. Better now than in a life or death situation, I suppose.

Target 83: (d100)[*34*] - Oh, good. But there's still Tzeentch's Curse to worry about.
Fortune: (d100)[*56*]







> It's possible that they did that because the alternative is to be eaten themselves.


That's what I think. IMO, the goblins only keep the wyvern fed with livestock to keep it from feeding upon _them_. If they do worship it, it's a worship driven by fear, like the cliché of indigenous tribes dropping captives into a volcano to keep it from erupting.

----------


## RossN

Sorry for the absence guys, I'm till here but I'm fighting off a nasty and lingering cold that has left me with no creative oomph. I'll try and catch up over the next few days.

----------


## LeSwordfish

> That's what I think. IMO, the goblins only keep the wyvern fed with livestock to keep it from feeding upon _them_. If they do worship it, it's a worship driven by fear, like the cliché of indigenous tribes dropping captives into a volcano to keep it from erupting.


Sure, but lets perhaps express caution when going up to somebody and saying "hey, we can kill your god if you'd like?"

----------


## LCP

Sorry to hear that RossN - hope you feel better soon.

I'll wait for rax to confirm whether or not Bardhyl actually asks Elsa for the spell before resolving Tzeentch's curse - there are some good reasons I can think of why this bunch might want their fire to remain extinguishable.

----------


## rax

IC reply to Elsa is up. 




> Sure, but lets perhaps express caution when going up to somebody and saying "hey, we can kill your god if you'd like?"


 Not to mention that they're goblins. I don't know how closely LCP is hewing to Warhammer lore, but going by the old wargame, greenskins aren't just another kind of human. They really don't value each others lives to any great extent and feeding other goblins to a cool wyvern would be just as funny as giving it livestock or humans to snack on. The common view among humanity is that greenskins are very dangerous vermin, and they're not actually all that wrong about that.

----------

