TEXT:  
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Lead Developer: Sean Connors 
  Art direction: Roger Barnett (http://rogerbarnettanimation.com/)  
  Production and Layout: Jussi Alarauhio 
  Illustrations: Jussi Alarauhio (www: http://undermound.deviantart.com/),  Roger Barnett,  
                               Brian JC ~ (www: http://azrune.deviantart.com/) 
  Graphic Design: Jussi Alarauhio and Roger Barnett 
  World Map: Jesse "Gitzman" Burke (www: http://www.gitzmansgallery.com/) 
  Cartography: Brian JC, Jussi Alarauhio, Roger Barnett 
  Writing: Ralph Seller, Rikard Fjellhaug, Jussi Alarauhio, Sean Connors, Lauri Maijala, Jay Hafner 
  Proofreading: Jay Hafner, Gert Van De Slijke, Lauri Maijala, Ralph Seller, Jussi Alarauhio 
  Feedback and Assistance: Lauri Maijala, Gert Van De Slijke, Rikard Fjellhaug, Lester Crow, Sean Connors,  
   
   
        Jay Hafner, Ralph Seller, Roger Barnett, Jude Hornborg, Luke Parkins 
  Website: Jude Hornborg 
   
   
  Email the Liber Fanatica guild at Liber.Fanatica@gmail.com  
      Visit the Liber Fanatica website at http://www.liberfanatica.net  
  Disclaimers 
  This compendium is completely unofficial and is no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd or Fantasy Flight Games. 
   
  Warhammer  Fantasy  Roleplay  ©  Games  Workshop  Limited  1986,  2005.  This  edition  ©  Games  Workshop  Limited  2010.  Games 
  Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, the foregoing marks' respective logos and all associated marks, logos, places, 
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  products and illustrations from the Warhammer World and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game setting are either ®, ™ and/or © 
  Games Workshop Ltd 1986‐2009, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. This edition published under 
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  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.    
   
  Credits 
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The General Section 
  Foreword   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  4 
  Trade and Smuggling in the Reikland  
   
   
  5 
  Rules for trading; for its risks and its profits   
  Honour or Contempt  
   
   
   
   
  17 
  Tools for behaviour both social and antisocial  
  The Law of the Empire  
   
   
   
   
  25 
  A treatise on the history and practice of the Imperial law  
  The Sharp End of Justice  
   
   
   
   
  41 
  A look at executioner careers 
  The GM’s Section 
  Ubersreik by Night  
   
   
   
   
   
  49 
  A window into life behind the scenes 
  Secret Signs  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  63 
  An inquiry into secretive means of communication 
  Wanted  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  68 
  A WFRP campaign, Part I 
  Appendix: Expanded Equipment List 
   
   
  90 
  The Pullout Section 
  Original WFRP 3rd edition cards and handouts for this volume  
  can be found on the Liber Fanatica website: LiberFanatica.net  
  Table of Contents 
  Liber Fanatica 8 
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
  By Ralph Seller 
   
  The Reikland is the trading heart of the Empire, with 
  goods flowing in, and out, from all parts of the 
  Empire and beyond. It is also linked, by the river 
  Reik, to Marienburg, the City of Merchants, the only 
  city greater than the Imperial capital, Altdorf, as a 
  centre of mercantile interests and money. 
   
  Presented here are two systems for the gaming of 
  Trade in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, particularly 
  for those players who wish to play Merchants. The 
  first system involves little or no bookkeeping, so it is 
  termed the Simple system. The second system 
  involves the most bookkeeping by the player 
  involved, so it is termed the Advanced system. The 
  player(s) and GM can decide which system best suits 
  their game and gaming style. Both systems start with 
  some Common Rules, which will be laid out first. 
  Finally, there are rules for Smuggling and Fences, the 
  illegal side of Trade in the Reikland 
   
  To be a merchant is not a question of which         
  career you belong to. Obviously, some                  
  careers are more useful than others because of the 
  skills that they make available, like Agent, Bailiff, 
  Burgher, Steward, and of course, Merchant. Instead, 
  to be able to trade as a merchant, you must be a 
  member of a Merchant Guild in a small town or 
  bigger. Trading means selling more than 1 gc a month 
  in goods, without being a member of the required 
  guild. So selling a dozen looted swords, unless you 
  were prepared to take only 1 gc for them, would mean 
  being a member of a Weaponsmiths’ or Merchants’ 
  Guild, or taking them to a fence. 
  1. A Village has under 100 inhabitants, a Small Town 
  100-1000 inhabitants, a Town 1000-10000 
  inhabitants, and a city 10000 or more inhabitants. 
  2. To qualify to be member of a Merchants’ Guild a 
  character must pay a 1 gc membership fee and 
  have one or more of the following based in the 
  settlement of the Merchants’ Guild: a Townhouse, 
  a Warehouse, and / or a share worth at least 10 gc 
  in a ship, barge or waggon train. A Small Town 
  guild membership needs only one of the three, a 
  Town two of the three, and a City all three. GM’s 
  can feel free to penalise members of Small Town 
  Merchants’ Guilds  who try and trade in Cities, 
  with an extra misfortune dice. Villages do not 
  have Merchants’ Guilds. Merchant Guild members 
  must pay 10% of their profits each month to the 
  Guild. 
  3. Any beginning character who starts with the 
  Tradecraft skill is assumed to be a member of that 
  guild already. If the skill is acquired later, then a 
  25 sp membership fee must be made to join that 
  guild. Likewise 10% of the profits from that trade 
  must be paid to the relevant guild. From the 
  example of trying to sell the twelve looted swords 
  above, if a character had the weaponsmith 
  Tradecraft skill and Weaponsmith Guild 
  membership, they could get the full 3 gc for the 
  swords if they sold them, allowing for haggling of 
  course, but would lose 30 sp to cover the guild 
  10%. 
  Trade and Smuggling in the 
  Reikland 
  1. Common Rules 
  Trade and Smuggling in the 
  Reikland 
   
       A list of costings for the above items: 
  Townhouse:  6 gp                 Availability:  Plentiful     
  Running cost:  30 sp per month 
  Good Townhouse: 18 gp   Availability:  Common             
  Running cost:  2 gp per month 
  Best Townhouse: 30 gp        Availability:  Rare             
  Running cost: 5 gp per month 
  Opulent Townhouse: 90 gp Availability:  Rare          
  Running cost:  15 gp per month 
  Rich Townhouse: 300 gp      Availability:  Exotic         
  Running cost: 50 gp per month 
  The costings include land and contents. The running costs            
  include the cost of servants and all other expenses, including           
   
  food, commensurate with the status of the dwelling, and            
   
  are used in the Simple Rules. 
  5
  
   
   
  In this system the business is covered by four cards 
  similar to Nemesis Organisation cards, labelled Small 
  Business, Medium Business, Large Business, and 
  Trading House. Characters start with a Small 
  Business and work their way up the four cards. The 
  cards have nearly all the requisite information on 
  them and are relatively self-explanatory, including 
  money earned, as well as the requirements for each 
  business. 
  On the cards Stability always starts at 8, and 
  Growth at 0. Every time a business changes to 
  a new card, whether up or down, Stability 
  resets to 8 and Growth to 0. 
   
  Once a month a roll is made for the Growth of 
  the business. It is a Charm or Guile roll, and 
  stance dice can be used, up to the characters 
  maximum, representing the business strategy 
  adopted by the character. The number of 
  challenge dice used is detailed on each of the 
  business cards. A misfortune dice is always 
  added to this to represent the skills of the 
  opposition. 
   
  In addition, further fortune or misfortune dice 
  may be added to the roll at the GM’s 
  discretion, according to the actions of the 
  character or circumstances. Neglecting the 
  business, bad business decisions, adventure 
  results that undermine business and/or 
  greenskin armies sweeping the area 
  unmolested etc, can all result in extra 
  misfortune dice being added to the pool.  
  Conversely, good business decisions, 
  rescuing a rich merchant’s daughter from 
  those greenskins, opening up new avenues of 
  business etc, can all add fortune dice to the 
  pool. Smuggling or other dangerous but 
  profitable business activities can add one or 
  more fortune dice to the pool, but must add 
  the same number of misfortune dice to represent the 
  danger. 
  1. 
  If the roll is a success, the Growth tracker 
  advances one space. 
  2. 
  If three successes result, the Growth tracker 
  advances two spaces. 
  3. 
  If the roll fails with two challenges outstanding, 
  the Growth tracker goes back one space. 
  4. 
  If two boons result, they give a one space 
  improvement in the Stability tracker, or a 
   
   
   
  A list of Costings  
  Large Warehouse: 20 gp 
  Availability:  Common 
  Small Warehouse: 6 gp 
  Availability:  Plentiful 
  Merchant Ship (Large): 120 gp Availability:  Rare     
  Running cost: 10 gp per month 
  River Barge (Large): 12 gp 
  Availability:  Rare           
  Running cost: 2 gp per month   
  River Barge (Small): 9 gp 
  Availability:  Common    
  Running cost: 150 sp per month   
  Riverboat: 6 gp 
  Availability:  Common    
  Running cost: 150 sp per month       
  Waggon: 50 sp 
  Availability:  Common  
  Cart: 20 sp 
  Availability:  Common 
  Draft Horse: 75 sp 
  Availability:  Common 
  Mule or Packhorse: 25 sp 
  Availability:  Common 
   
  Running costs of all these items can be ignored in the 
  Simple Rules. The running costs of warehouses, 
  waggons, horses, carts etc will be detailed in the 
  Advanced Rules.    
   
  Property prices, in Marienburg, though not running 
  costs, are five times those quoted above. Whether house 
  or warehouse, the scarcity of viable 
  land in Marienburg, makes property 
  very expensive. 
  2. Simple Rules 
  6
  
   
   
   
  Contact which gives a two fortune dice bonus to 
  next month’s Growth roll. 
  5.  
  If two banes result, the Stability tracker 
  decreases by one. 
  6.  
  For each Sigmar’s Comet rolled, the Growth 
  tracker may be increased by one, or one less 
  challenge dice taken on next month’s roll. 
  7. 
  For each Chaos Star rolled, the Stability tracker 
  may be decreased by one, or an extra challenge 
  dice added to next month’s roll, at the GM’s 
  choice.   
  As stated before, the Advanced Rules involve a lot 
  more paperwork, but for those with the inclination, 
  they provide a lot of satisfaction in actually growing 
  the business by sourcing the opportunities to make 
  money. They also provide GM’s with plenty of 
  opportunities to get parties into unusual situations, 
  whether involving combat or not, or places that they 
  may not necessarily go to. 
   
  The Reikland  Settlement catalogue details the 
  settlements in the Reikland that can be traded in. The 
  size of the settlement indicates which of the Location 
  cards are used for that settlement. Marienburg, 
  Altdorf, and Stromdorf have their own Location 
  cards, otherwise the Village, Small Town, Town or 
  City Location card are used. These cards list the 
  amounts of goods that can be traded in each 
  settlement and determine how often this is possible. 
  Thus, an entry under the Abundant category on a City 
  card which reads 3 x 150 would mean that 3 
  Abundant trade goods cards would be drawn, each 
  having 150 units. 
    
  There are eighteen Item cards representing the 
  different types of trade goods available to trade. 
  These list the costs of the goods according to the 
  wealth of the settlement, though this may be modified 
  depending on the Notes in the Reikland  Settlement  
  catalogue. The trade goods cards also list the type of 
  container, and its encumbrance, that the goods come 
  in. There should be four copies of each Abundant 
  availability trade goods card, three of each Plentiful 
  card, two of each Common card, and one of each 
  Rare card, to make a reasonable deck for each type of 
  availability. 
  1. On entering a settlement to trade, a merchant must 
  present his credentials, from the merchant’s own 
  guild, to the Merchant Guild of the settlement. In a 
  village the credentials may be asked for by the local 
  traders. Trading without presenting their credentials 
  to the local Merchants’ Guild will result in the 
  merchant being thrown out of town by the Watch, 
  and/ or confiscation of their goods. 
  3. Advanced Rules 
  The Competition 
  All buying or selling rolls, whether on speculative trade 
  or to set up contracts, are always contested rolls. 
  Therefore, here is a Generic Merchant card to help GM’s 
  with these 
  contested rolls.  
  Obviously, this 
  merchant card can 
  be customised to 
  fill specific 
  circumstances by 
  increasing or 
  decreasing stats, 
  skills, a.c.e. or the 
  action cards 
  available for the 
  Merchant. 
  7
  
   
   
  2. The availability of trade goods to buy will depend 
  on the settlement (see Reikland Settlement file). 
  Otherwise, dicing for their availability proceeds as in 
  the Common Rules (page 5). If an availability is 
  successfully diced for, then the number of Trade cards 
  for that availability are drawn, up to the number on 
  the Location card. If one or more Sigmar’s Comets 
  are rolled on the availability dice roll, then the first 
  card drawn (and each subsequent card for each extra 
  Comet) will be the more expensive version of the 
  Trade Good on each card. There are no expensive 
  versions of the Salt Trade card, so that Comet 
  will be ignored. Obviously, if a Sigmar’s 
  Comet is used as a success or boon, it cannot be 
  used to generate more expensive trade goods 
   
  3.To see if there is demand for Trade Goods in any 
  particular settlement, a similar availability roll for 
  each Trade Good card is made that the merchant 
  wishes to sell. However, for this, the difficulty is one 
  challenge die for Abundant and Plentiful goods, two 
  for Common or Rare goods, and three for Exotic. 
   
  4.When a merchant decides to buy, he makes a 
  purchase roll for each Trade Goods card just as in the 
  Common Rules (page 5). A merchant does not have to 
  buy the entire amount of a Trade Goods card, though 
  the GM has discretion on this. 
   
  5.When a merchant decides to sell, the maximum 
  amount of each Trade Good card he can sell in one go 
  is the maximum amount of one card of that 
  availability on that Location card. The more 
  expensive version of each Trade Good card counts as 
  a separate item for this purpose even though it uses 
  the same Trade Goods card.  The dice roll to sell is 
  the same as that to buy, but the result is different. The 
  four successes and the failure with bane results are 
  swapped over, and the two or three successes and the 
  failure results are swapped over. 
   
  6.The Merchant career ability card could severely 
  unbalance the trade rules. However, it is designed to 
  be used mainly on Tradesmen. Against other 
  Merchants, it would be much less effective. 
  Consequently, the card can only be played, in any 
  settlement, only once a game month, and on only one 
  Trade Goods card. It can be played more times than 
  that, but only once in any particular settlement. This 
  rule only applies to buying or selling Trade Goods 
  cards, and also to Contracts. 
   
  Contracts 
  Unless a merchant is happy to just trade goods from 
  one settlement to another themselves – whether by 
  mule, packhorse, cart, waggon or barge – sooner 
  or later, they are going to want to set up long term 
  contracts to buy and sell between settlements. The 
  advantage of this is that, once the contract is set up, 
  the merchant can largely ignore it as long as they 
  have a suitable set up to service the contract (i.e. 
  employees). This is particularly useful to characters 
  who want to spend time adventuring as well as being 
  successful merchants. 
  1. To see whether it is possible to set up a contract in 
  a settlement, to either buy or sell, when testing for 
  availability, add another challenge die to the roll. The 
  GM is perfectly at liberty to decide that a particular 
  settlement is so desperate for trade that this extra dice 
  can be ignored. Stromdorf at the start of The 
  Gathering Storm is a perfect case in point. 
  2. Contracts can be either one year in length or two 
  years 
  3. When testing to buy or sell, a one year contract 
  adds another + to the dice roll, a two year contract 
  adds ++ to the roll. Again, one or more of these extra 
  dice can be ignored, if the settlement is desperate for 
  trade or particular commodities. Expensive varieties 
  of each Trade Good card always add a further + to 
  the dice roll. 
  4. Once a contract reaches the end of its length, the 
  whole process must be gone through again, including 
  availability, as circumstances may have changed in a 
  year or two. 
  8
  
   
   
   
  Transport and Costs 
  Unless a merchant is going to transport their wares 
  on their own back, they will need some form of 
  transport and places to store their wares before they 
  are transported to their destination. The total costs for 
  the running ships and barges are detailed in the 
  Common Rules section. 
   
  Waggon or cart drivers and muleskinners cost 25 sp 
  per month, or part thereof, to employ. One driver per 
  waggon/cart, and one muleskinner per five mules, 
  must be paid for. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Each mule, horse, and driver or muleskinner costs  
  16 sp per month to feed and house on the road. 
   
  Guards or marines (ship/barge) might also be a 
  worthwhile investment. They cost 50 sp per month in 
  wages and 18 sp to support on 
  the road/barge/ship. Marines 
  take up 25 Encumbrance 
  each on a barge or ship. 
   
  Any driver or muleskinner on 
  the road without at least two 
  guards will lose 25% of their 
  cargoes, not profits, each 
  month to pilfering or 
  banditry. 
   
  Any barge without at least 
  two marines or ship without at 
  least 10, will lose 10% of their 
  cargoes each month to 
  pilfering or piracy. 
   
  Any warehouse without at 
  least three guards will lose 10% 
  of all goods that are bought or sold 
  in that settlement. Warehouse guards only cost wages 
  but not support costs. 
   
  Any warehouse(s) in a settlement where trade goods 
  are imported or exported without the merchant being 
  there full time must have an accountant (bookkeeper) 
  to deal with the money and check the goods coming 
  in or out. An accountant costs 125 sp per month but 
  does not cost any support.  
  Profits 
  Once all the costs per month are added up (not 
  including townhouse costs), as well as any asset 
  purchases such as warehouses or transport assets, 
  they are then taken away from the gross profits from 
  speculative cargo and contracts to calculate the net 
  profits for the month.  
  Means of Transportation 
   
  Transport Capacity 
   
  A mule or packhorse   
   
  40 Encumbrance.                      
   
  A draft horse   
   
   
  50 Encumbrance. 
     A cart or waggon doubles the amount of encumbrance that can be 
  carried by an animal, with a cart being pulled by up to three mules or 
  horses, and a waggon by up to six draft horses. Up to one driver will not 
  affect the amount of encumbrance transportable, any further passengers 
  will. 
   
      
  A riverboat  
   
   
   
  500 Encumbrance 
      
  A small barge   
   
   
  1000 Encumbrance. 
     
  A large barge   
   
   
  2200 Encumbrance. 
     
  A merchant ship  
   
   
  6500 Encumbrance. 
  Mules, horses, carts and waggons with a load, can cover about thirty 
  miles a day, as can barges. River boats can cover about 35 miles a day. A 
  ship will cover about 55 miles a day on the river Reik up to Altdorf, and 
  about 110 miles a day when out at sea. 
  9
  
   
   
   
   Once the net profit is worked out, a further 10% is 
  lost for the Merchant Guild cut. Finally, round down 
  to the nearest 50 sp, as there are always tolls, bribes 
  etc to be paid for. The result is the final profit which 
  the merchant can use as he wishes. 
  Moneylending 
  Moneylending is a further way to make 
  money for the merchant. There are two ways to do 
  this: 
  1. Lend amounts to clients without any security. This 
  draws an interest rate of 20% every three months or 
  18% after the Merchants’ Guild cut. However, every 
  three months, total up the amount you have loaned 
  this way before taking your profit. Now throw four 
  misfortune dice. For every challenge that results, lose 
  12.5% of the money loaned, to defaults by bad 
  debtors. This type of lending must be done by the 
  player merchant themselves or they must employ a 
  separate accountant to deal with this type of lending. 
  2. The safer way is to loan money with security. To do 
  this you must have at least 100 gc, and you may 
  increase the amount to be lent by 100 gc a time. The 
  return is 20 % per year, or 18% after the Merchant 
  Guild cut, or 1.5% per month, after any accountant 
  costs, if any. This a great way for GM’s to introduce 
  interesting plot elements into a merchant characters 
  life, particularly political plot lines. The accountant at 
  whichever warehouse the moneylending is being done 
  from, can usually deal with this, up to 500 gc. After 
  that, a separate accountant must be hired to do the 
  lending. 
  Unless the character has invested in a suitable place 
  to store this money in their townhouse or warehouse, 
  such as a Dwarfen strongbox or a safe, then the GM 
  can feel free to throw a challenge dice every month, 
  and if a Chaos Star results, then thieves have stolen 
  all the money. 
   
   
  Trappings 
  Merchants very much value how the 
  outside world sees them, particularly other 
  merchants. Therefore, the following rules 
  apply to characters who are members of a 
  Merchant’s Guild: 
  1. 
  Once a merchant is earning over 10 gc a 
  month in net profits, after the Merchant Guild 
  cut, they must own at least a Good Townhouse 
  and either a Large Warehouse or two Small 
  Warehouses, where their Guild is based. 
  2. 
  Once a merchant is earning over 25gc a month 
  in net profits, after the Merchant Guild cut, they 
  must own at least a Best Townhouse and two 
  Large Warehouses. Only one of the Warehouses 
  and the Townhouse needs to be where their 
  Guild is based. They should also be operating 
  now from at least a Town in size. 
  3. 
  Once a merchant is earning over 75gc a month 
  in net profits, after the Merchant Guild cut, they 
  must own at least an Opulent Townhouse and 
  four Large Warehouses. Only one of the 
  Warehouses and the Townhouse needs to be 
  where their Guild is based. 
  4. 
  Once a merchant is earning over 150gc a month 
  in net profits, after the Merchant Guild cut, they 
  must own a Rich Townhouse and six Large 
  Warehouses. Only two of the Warehouses and 
  the Townhouse needs to be where their Guild is 
  based. They should also be based in a City, like 
  Nuln or Altdorf. 
   
  5. 
  Once a merchant has reached level 1 above, 
  they must own at least one set of good clothes, 
  and by level 2 must own at least one set of best 
  clothes. 
   
  10
  
   
   
   
    
  6. 
  By level 2 above, a 
  character, when acting as 
  a merchant, should 
  always stay in the best 
  establishments possible 
  when away from home, 
  unless they cost 1 gp a 
  night or more. By level 4 
  above, that should be the 
  minimum cost per night.  
   
  If characters who play 
  merchants do not follow these 
  rules on trappings, I suggest 
  GM’s look at the Business 
  cards from the Simple Rules 
  for numbers of misfortune dice 
  to give them, when dealing 
  with merchant or gold class 
  NPC’s on a business basis.  
   
  GM’s should also insist that, if 
  a character is exporting trade 
  goods for over 1000 
  Encumbrance a month from a 
  Town or City, they must have 
  at least a large warehouse there 
  (or a small warehouse if over 400 
  Encumbrance). As always, it is preferable that 
  GM’s work with their players when siting 
  warehouses, so that they make sense and work in 
  the context.  
   
   
   
   
  Ragnar warmed his feet in front of the 
  roaring fire in the hall of his house, on 
  the Hill in Ubersreik, while he drank 
  deeply from the tankard of 
  Thunderwater Ale. Who would have 
  guessed that only a year previously he 
  had been lucky to earn a few brass a 
  day, shifting cargo on Ubersreik 
  docks. 
  Still, you can’t keep a good Dawi 
  down, and he had earned enough from 
  his long acquired mercenary habit of 
  looting, last year, to purchase that 
  transport business in Hugeldal at a 
  very significant discount. Save peoples 
  hides from a nasty death, and they 
  suddenly can’t do enough for you. 
  Stromdorf had been easy meat. They 
  were so desperate for trade, that he 
  had been able to negotiate two year 
  contracts to supply them with coal and 
  wood , and sell their products, 
  including this rather good manling 
  ale, in Ubersreik and Altdorf. Easy 
  money! 
  Doing the Magical Colleges in Altdorf 
  a major favour, had also opened up 
  further sources of revenue. When your 
  partner in the transport business is 
  one of their number, never hurts either. 
  The contracts there, had allowed him 
  to purchase this rather fine manling 
  house. 
  Ragnar contemplated the fact that he 
  was now a successful merchant in 
  Ubersreik. But he couldn’t rest on his 
  laurels; there was further gold to be 
  earned, and influence to be gained. It 
  never hurt that several influential 
  people in the town now owed him 
  money, and there was that possibility 
  of sending iron from Auerswald to 
  Altdorf or Marienburg. However, for 
  that he would need to buy some barges 
  and they weren’t cheap to buy or run. 
  That could all wait for the spring, 
  however, and thank Grugni he wasn’t 
  freezing half to death on Ubersreik 
  docks, like last year. No, Ragnar 
  smiled as he contemplated the smell of 
  his cook’s������������������������� 
  l����������������� 
  Finally: all fractions of 
  silver pieces should be 
  rounded to the nearest silver 
  piece (sp). Merchants do not 
  deal in brass coinage! 
  11
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Where there is money being made, there is always 
  somebody who wishes to profit from other peoples’ 
  endeavours, generally in the form of taxation, tolls, 
  duties etc. These people may be Town Burghers, the 
  Priesthood, the Army, the Nobility or the Emperor, 
  but they can all impose their own tariffs on trade in 
  one form or another, and the more expensive the 
  goods in each category, the higher the tariffs. This 
  inevitably leads to smuggling as individuals try to 
  avoid these tariffs and make money even faster but at 
  considerable risk to their finances and/or lives. 
   
  These are also the type of people who do not want to 
  deal with the rigmarole of joining Merchant’s Guilds 
  and paying guild fees. This is the first type of 
  smuggler and the type we will deal with here. Drugs 
  are included in this category, but the legality of Weird 
  Root, Mandrake Root and Black Lotus may vary in 
  different regions and settlements. In some towns, the 
  authorities are blissfully ignorant about these 
  substances, whereas in most cities, they are better 
  known and likely to be illegal, although 
  enforcement of punishments over their 
  use may be lax.  
   
  In the new cards sheets, there is a separate 
  Drugs item card to be used  
  just like the Trade Goods 
  cards, but only when 
  smuggling.  
   
  Going 
  Beyond 
  the 
  Pale 
  The second type of 
  smuggler is the smuggler of 
  highly illegal goods as 
  opposed to untaxed goods. 
  In this case, highly illegal 
  goods includes warpstone, 
  chaos tomes or 
  artefacts, necromantic tomes or artefacts, and slaves. 
  Dealing in these types of goods should always be 
  roleplayed with prices and consequences set by the 
  GM. Apart from slaves, dealing in these types of 
  goods is generally very small scale because, while the 
  rewards are astronomical, so are the risks. 
  Smuggling 
  Smuggling is handled along the same lines as the 
  Advanced Trade rules, but with some changes and/or 
  additional rules. GM’s are at liberty to substitute 
  roleplaying for any of these processes, and should 
  probably do so at every opportunity. 
     Smugglers do not have to be part of a Merchants’ 
  Guild to trade in smuggled trade goods. Merchants 
  who are caught smuggling, will always be thrown out 
  of their Merchants’ Guild, unless large sums of 
  money are spent making the problem go away before 
  it comes to the attention of the Merchants’ Guild. A 
  scenario like this should always be roleplayed. 
   
   
   
  A smuggler must first 
  find the goods to smuggle or 
  a buyer for their 
  smuggled goods. To find a 
  supplier/buyer is always a 
  Daunting Guile roll, unless the 
  4. Smuggling  
  and Fences 
  12
  
   
   
   
   settlement has the Trade classification, in which case 
  it becomes just a Hard roll. This becomes one 
  category easier if the Smuggler has bought or sold 
  smuggled goods in the settlement before, unless they 
  have been blackballed. If a Chaos Star is rolled on a 
  successful test, the supplier/buyer will wait until the 
  next opportunity on the Settlement Card before 
  dealing with the smuggler because of Watch attention 
  etc. If two Chaos Stars are rolled on a successful test, 
  or one Chaos Star is rolled on a failed test, the 
  Smuggler is blackballed and will be unable to find or 
  sell smuggled goods in that settlement for at least a 
  year. Again, the GM could play this out as a visit 
  from a large party of thugs at an inopportune moment. 
  The GM should add Fortune or Misfortune Dice to 
  the roll, to reflect good roleplaying or good ideas in 
  finding the supplier/buyer, by the player(s). 
   
  Once a supplier/buyer has been found the types of 
  goods available/wanted are diced for normally, except 
  for each category there is one extra challenge dice. 
  However, in terms of goods available, only one card 
  per availability is drawn – it is always of the most 
  expensive variety of that trade good, but it costs the 
  same as the basic trade good, and only half the 
  amount of each trade good is available, rounding 
  down. For each Sigmar’s Comet rolled, another card 
  in that availability is drawn. Likewise, the goods 
  wanted will always be half the usual number, rounded 
  down, but the sale price will be the correct (more 
  expensive) amount for the goods. Again, for each 
  Sigmar’s Comet rolled on each test for demand, the 
  amount of goods wanted should be doubled or tripled 
  etc.  
   
  The roll to buy or sell is also handled the same way as 
  in the Advanced Trade Rules, except that an extra + is 
  added to the dice pool in each case. Also the GM 
  should roll the dice pool, secretly, for his player. The 
  reason for this is quite strait forward, as any Chaos 
  Stars rolled will have negative consequences, which 
  should not be readily apparent to the player. For each 
  Chaos Star rolled, when buying smuggled trade 
  goods, half the trade goods, rounded down, will 
  actually be the cheaper version of the trade good, 
  although there will always be one barrel, crate, sack 
  etc. that is the correct trade good.  
   
  Likewise, when selling smuggled goods, one Chaos 
  Star may mean either that the local gang or 
  dockworkers/teamsters guild will take a 25% cut of 
  the sale price, or that the Watch raided the buyer after 
  the trade and the Smuggler is now blackballed in that 
  settlement for a year, GM’s option. Two Chaos Stars 
  on a sale will mean that the Watch have captured the 
  smugglers shipment and they have lost the lot as well 
  as the shipments mode of transport. Obviously, the 
  results of these dice 
  pools can result in 
  some very 
  interesting 
  roleplaying 
  opportunities – 
  hence the secret 
  rolls. 
   
  Fences 
  Fences are the 
  people characters 
  go to to offload stolen 
  goods or large quantities of goods that come to more 
  than 1 gp. 
   
  In a village or small town, to find a fence is a 
  Daunting Guile test, and a Hard test in a town or city.  
  Again, roleplaying this could be a lot of fun.  
   
  Once a fence is found, the player(s) should still have 
  to roll an Easy Guile test every time they want to use 
  the fence, and a failure indicates that the fence is not 
  available or not interested, whereas a Chaos Star 
  indicates that the fence has skipped town and they 
  must start all over again. 
   
  The price offered by the fence is only 40% of the 
  normal price, or 20% if the goods are stolen and 
  13
  
   
   
   
   particularly well known and / or HOT. This price can 
  haggled over as normal, resulting in price 
  ranges of 20-60% and 10-30% 
  respectively. Again good / bad 
  roleplaying can be rewarded with 
  additional fortune / misfortune dice. 
  If you are using the generic merchant archetype above 
  for a fence, increase the intelligence of the fence 
  to four. 
   
   
   
   
   
  The settlements listed here read roughly from Marienburg down to Nuln, north to south of the Reikland. 
  Within each cluster of settlements, there is a main settlement listed first after which the smaller ones are 
  listed in alphabetical order.  
   
  Settlement         Size             Wealth        Source                                                     Notes 
   
  Marienburg 
  City 
  5 
   Trade               Fish (A), Perfumes (P), Exotics Flour (10) Metals (11) 
                                                                                          Sweeteners (C), Timber (3) (R)     See Location Card 
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  Schilderheim  
  Town 
  3 
      Trade, Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Fish (A), Perfumes (P), Exotics Flour  
                                                                                                               
   Metals  Sweetners (C), Timber (R) 
  Eilhart 
  Town 
  3 
   Alcohol, Grain, Flour            
  Holthusen 
  Town 
  3  
   Alcohol, Cloth, Grain, Flour            
  Rottfurt 
  Village 
  1 
   Cloth 
   
  Helmgart 
  Town  
  3  
   Trade, Metals 
   
  Bogenhafen 
  Town 
  3 
   Trade, Alcohol, Timber 
  Ardlich 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour            
  Finsterbad 
  Village 
  3 
   Alcohol, Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Grubevon 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour            
  Herzhald 
  Village 
  2  
   Timber            
   
  C. Grauenburg Fortress 
  4 
   - 
  Reikland Settlements 
  14
  
   
   
   
    
  Settlement 
  Size             Wealth       Source                                                     Notes 
   
  Weissbruck  
  Small Town 
  2 
   Trade                                                       
  Delfgruber 
  Small Town 
  2  
   Coal, Metals 
   
  Altdorf  
  City 
  5  
   Trade 
   
   
   
   See Location Card 
  Autler  
  Village 
  2  
    Fish, Timber            
  Braunwurt 
  Village 
  1 
   Cloth 
  Bundesmarkt 
  Village 
  1  
   Grain, Flour            
  Dorchen 
  Village 
  2 
   Grain, Flour            
  Frederheim 
  Village 
  1  
   Grain, Flour   
  Geldrecht 
  Village 
  1  
   Fish, Timber            
  Gluckshalt 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour            
  Grossbad 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour            
  Hartsklein 
  Village 
  1 
   Pottery            
  Heiligen 
  Village 
  2 
   Grain, Flour            
  Hochloff 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour            
  Rottefach 
  Village 
  2 
    Alcohol, Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Schlafebild 
  Village 
  1 
   Alcohol, Grain, Flour            
  Walfen 
  Small Town 
  2 
   Fish, Grain, Flour     
          
  C Reiksgard 
  Fortress 
  4 
   - 
   
  Ubersreik 
  Town  
  4 
   Trade, Coal, Metals 
  Buchendorf 
  Village 
  2 
   Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Flussberg 
  Village 
  2 
   Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Geissbach 
  Village 
  2 
   Grain, Flour            
  Hugeldal 
  Small Town   3 
   Metals 
  Messingen 
  Village 
  3  
   Grain, Flour, Metals            
  Stromdorf 
  Small Town 
  2 
      Alcohol, Fish, Leather   
   See Location Card 
  Wurfel 
  Village 
  2 
   Grain, Flour            
   
  Auerswald 
  Town  
  3 
   Trade, Metals 
  Dresschler 
  Village 
  2  
   Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Hahnbrandt 
  Small Town 
  3 
   Coal, Metals 
  Koch 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour, Metals            
  Sprinthof 
  Village 
  2  
   Grain, Flour, Luxury Foods            
  Steche 
  Village 
  2  
   Fish, Grain, Flour       
  15
  
   
   
   
   
        
  Settlement        Size             Wealth       Source                                                     Notes 
   
  Grunburg 
  Town 
  2  
  Trade 
  Hornlach 
  Village 
  2 
  Fish, Timber           
  Kleindorf 
  Village 
  1  
  Fish, Grain, Flour            
  Silberwurt 
  Village 
  2 
  Grain, Flour            
  Worlitz 
  Village 
  2 
  Grain, Flour            
   
  Dunkelburg 
  Town 
  2  
  Fish, Grain, Flour  
   Cloth Flour Hides Metals (C), Perfume Salt (R)  
  Ruhfurt 
  Village 
  2 
  Grain, Flour            
            Flour (C) 
  Schattental 
  Village 
  2  
  Grain, Flour 
   Flour (C) 
  Diesdorf 
  Small Town 
  2 
  Grain, Flour 
   Cloth Flour Hides Metals (C), Perfume Salt ® 
   
  Stimmigen 
  Town 
  3 
  Trade, Grain, Flour 
   Cloth Flour Hides Metals (C), Perfume Salt (R)   
   
  Kemperbad 
  Town  
  4  
  Trade, Alcohol(B)  
   Cloth Flour Hides Metals (C), Perfume Salt (R) 
  Berghof 
  Village 
  2          Grain, Flour 
   Flour (C) 
  Brandenburg 
  Village 
  3 
  Alcohol(B), Fish              
  Jungbach 
  Village  
  3 
  Alcohol(B) 
  Ostwald 
  Village 
  3 
  Alcohol(B)                       
  Stockhausen 
  Village 
  3  
  Alcohol(B)                       
   In the Notes column where a commodity is noted 
  with a letter after it, this is the availability for that 
  commodity in that settlement. When buying or selling 
  in that that settlement, the price of the commodity is 
  one wealth higher or lower depending on whether the 
  commodity is rarer or more common respectively. (A) 
  means Abundant, (P) Plentiful, (C) Common, (R) 
  Rare. In the case of Marienburg, a number after the 
  commodity is the price in Marienburg where it is rarer 
  than the norm. 
   
  In the Source column, Trade means all trade goods 
  are available for buying. If there is no Trade in a 
  settlements Source column, then only the 
  commodities listed may be bought. Where 
  commodities are shown after Trade, in a settlements 
  Source column, those commodities will always be 
  available in that availability if necessary to the 
  exclusion of other commodities. Source columns 
  which have Alcohol(B) in them, indicate that the 
  second alcohol card drawn will always be the more 
  expensive variety, whether Sigmars Comet’s have 
  been thrown or not. 
   
  Marienburg has been included because of its 
  profound influence in and on the Reikland.  
   
  The Fortress category in the Size column is a special 
  case. They are the size of a Small Town but trade 
  goods can only be sold in a Fortress, not bought. The 
  small town size of a Fortress just gives the maximum 
  amount of each availability that can be sold there.  
  16
  
   
   
   
  17
  
   
   
  18
  
   
   
   
  19
  
   
   
  20
  
   
   
   
  21
  
   
   
  22
  
   
   
   
  23
  
   
   
   
  24
  
   
   
   
  by Rikard Fjellhaug 
   
  First, let me introduce myself; I am Henning 
  Morgenstern, a Judge of Talabheim, and a member 
  of the Litigant Guild. Who would be better suited 
  to write a treatise about the judicial system of the 
  empire than one who has spent his entire life in the 
  City of Laws? Innumerable are the hours I have 
  been in session in the halls of the Grand 
  Courthouse of Edicts. I have held courts and issued 
  verdicts hundreds of times and sent myriad 
  criminals to the gallows.  
   
  I, Herr Morgenstern, will hold judge over the 
  history of law in the Empire. Law in the Empire is 
  a complicated arcane art. And mastery of the law is 
  as rigorously difficult as the study of magic. I have 
  compared notes with my esteemed colleague and 
  Master Wizard Erwin of the Amber order of the 
  Royal Academy of Talabecland, and it is fair to say 
  that, in intricacy and complexity, these arts share 
  many similarities. The recording of laws and 
  written rules dates back almost 25 centuries, and 
  has now become a quagmire of overlapping rights, 
  obscure laws and conflicting verdicts .  
   
  Since the time of Sigmar’s reign, the judicial 
  system of the Empire has been elaborated from 
  simple tribal customs to the feudal laws concerning 
  property and ownership, and to the quattuor 
  doctors, the rise of universities and judicial 
  facilities, and the emergence of a legal constitution. 
  Brilliant minds in philosophy and practical 
  thinking have written suberb documents and books 
  like Syntagma, and the eminent Corpus Juris 
  Civilis by Fredrick Gothofredus.  
   
  For the time being, the developing law system is 
  undergoing yet 
  another Imperial 
  Reform under the 
  enlightened rule of 
  the Most 
  Illustrious 
  Emperor Karl-Franz .  
   
  Princeps Legibus solutus  
  The Emperor is not bound by the law and free 
  to make whatever laws and regulations he 
  wishes. This ancient claim is challenged by the 
  demands of Imperial rights, a legal constitution 
  that will abolish the old feudal laws that are still 
  practiced today in most of the Imperial courts in 
  our wide and great Empire.   
   
  Since the eleventh century, the creation of the 
  Prime Estates by the Elector Counts have limited 
  the Emperor’s authority on passing laws, and 
  today, any edicts must be passed through the Prime 
  Estates, where it will undergo examination and 
  scrutiny by competent men skilled in the art of law, 
  such as myself. 
   
  The old Regalia, the first constitution, were created 
  during the reign of Magnus the Pious and governed 
  a comprehensive list of matters including public 
  roads, tariffs, coining, collecting punitive fees, and 
  the investiture – the seating and unseating of office 
  holders – as well as restructuring the Order of the 
  Witch Hunters directly under the Throne’s 
  authority. 
   
  The Law 
  of the Empire 
  25
  
   
   
  Landfrieden and the Reichsreform 
  (Imperial Reform)  
  Magnus the Pious did not only re-unite our great 
  Empire, but also passed the Landfrieden edict, or 
  the Imperial Peace. The edict was a serious 
  attempt to prevent a situation similar to the Age 
  of the Three Emperors to ever happen again and 
  to hinder feuds between nobles escalating into 
  wars or even civil wars. But it also tied the 
  Emperor’s subordinates to a legal system of 
  jurisdiction and public prosecution of criminal 
  acts.  This gave more authority to the Imperial 
  courts that now handle most of the feuds between 
  the nobles. 
   
  In the year 2370, Emperor Leopold ratified the 
  Landfrieden, which is now called Ewiger 
  Landfriede or Perpetual Public Peace, and 
  established the Reich (The Empire) as a single 
  body of law and a kind of a monopoly on the 
  legitimate use of physical force that excludes feuds 
  as means of politics between vassals and nobles. 
   
  The seceding of Marienburg in 2429 led to a 
  political crisis in the Empire as it showed clear 
  weaknesses in the Electoral system, for any 
  Emperor is dependent on the support from Elector-
  Counts, and have to bargain and cede powers and 
  privileges to Electors in order to gain their support. 
   
  A dependency like this can gradually weaken the 
  Emperor’s office, and that is exactly what 
  happened to Emperor Dieter IV; in order to get 
  leverage against other Electors, he “sold” 
  Marienburg and granted them independence from 
  the Empire in exchange for gold that would fill the 
  then almost empty treasury of the Empire. Despite 
  many claims, Emperor Dieter IV was not a 
  particularly weak Emperor nor was he greedy. He 
  had become elected to the office at a moment when 
  it was practically bankrupt and without much 
  authority or power.  
   
  These events lead to an Imperial reform in which 
  the Imperial tax was strengthened to ensure that the 
  Emperor would never again have to go to such 
  drastic measures as Dieter IV had to. In addition,  
  it restrained some of the privileges of Elector 
  counts; for instance, the Emperor could now 
  expect the Elector counts to raise and pay for 
  their own armies and fight directly under the 
  Emperor’s banner. The Reform also granted more 
   
       The Shallyan Reformists 
  In the century before Magnus the Pious, there was a rise 
  of a Shallyan movement, the Order of the Tears of Pity.  
  Its missionaries wanted to stop the widely used 
  executions of peasants for even the most petty of 
  crimes. As the motto among the ruling nobles these days 
  states, Spare the axe, spoil the peasant. However, 
  instead of killing or mutilating the lost souls, the 
  Shallyans wanted to build penitentiaries and 
  reformatories in an attempt to reclaim them.  
   
  In 2319, they won their greatest victory when Emperor 
  Magnus the Pious was convinced by their deeds and 
  issued the Lex Imperialis Salvationis et Misericordiae, 
  the Law of Imperial Salvation and Mercy. Thus, the idea 
  of a new kind of a penitentiary system was born – one 
  bearing some similarity to the  Krinkleheim Institution 
  for Troubled Youth outside Nuln, and the mining penal 
  colony of Middenheim.   
   
  Sadly, the idea is not widespread, but actively resisted in 
  many parts of the Empire. And in these dark days that 
  we now live, the sisters’ hard work is slowly eroding 
  away; the once powerful Lex Imperialis are dissected to 
  pieces and rendered ineffective by scheming nobles. 
  Among the decaying penitentiaries you will still see 
  crumbling statues made by prisoners in honour of the 
  founder of the Order of the Tears of Pity; Hildegarde.  
  But for the destitute and beaten prisoners, it serves as a 
  sad reminder of times past, where prisoners where cared 
  for and the sisters walked the corridors easing their 
  troubles.  All they can expect now is the brutality of the 
  jailors and a very short life in misery and disease.    
  26
  
   
   
   
  27
  
   
   
  court sessions and find a fitting verdict without 
  breaking a sweat. For in a sense, a party caught for 
  serious offences are practically at the mercy of the 
  GM acting through the legal court. Irrespective of 
  the rules you implement when handling the 
  situation or how ingenious your players may be, it 
  all comes down to the GM.  
   
  Yet no simple dice roll should ever decide the 
  outcome of a trial although it may even the odds to 
  some degree, or even influence the possible 
  outcome slightly. But, surely, as the GM, one might 
  like to avoid sentencing the player group to death 
  by a simple roll of dice?  
   
  So, instead of doing so, it is possible to create an 
  episode similar to those found in the Gamemaster’s 
  Toolkit, like the Trial, or 
  you can use the one in 
  this article to tailor your 
  own court episodes. 
  Another source of tools 
  for gaming a trial is the 
  article Honour or 
  Contempt in the present 
  volume, particularly the 
  “H-tracker” tool provided 
  in it.  
   
  Local Flavour 
  Roughly speaking, the legal courts of the Empire 
  can be divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze tiers, 
  reflecting both the standing and crime of the 
  offender. As each court within its tier has its own 
  procedures, doctrines and customs, players accused 
  of crimes can never fully expect what will take 
  place, nor can they know for sure what laws or 
  practices are about to be applied, or even how the 
  court sessions will be held. This will give GMs 
  plenty of leeway to construct their own courts 
  proceedings, and to include whatever they deem 
  necessary or interesting in a trial.   
   
  One trial may be made up by an impatient but 
  bored noble using his own throne room as a court; 
  he might be more interested in hearing tales about 
  the players’ adventures than listening to lengthy 
  legal procedures. And, if the players manage to 
  entertain him, they might be set free – to the shock 
  and astonishment of the offended party. 
   
  Another kind of a trial could have a tribunal of 
  judges made up of the towns’ elders, who will take 
  their time listening to accusations and objections 
  alike, occasionally nodding off. Such trials can last 
  forever with plenty of recesses to take naps or tend 
  to troublesome bowels. At times, the elderly judges 
   
         Judicial Champions 
  in some parts of the Old World (and even the 
  Empire) the ancient custom of trial by combat is 
  still recognized as a legal procedure, and favored by 
  old-fashioned nobles with a martial streak.  Most 
  trials by weapon are to death, or to one of the 
  combatants surrender. A fighter that fights on the 
  behalf of somebody in a trial of combat is called a 
  judicial champion, and sometimes is employed by 
  nobles to fight their trials. Since the type of used 
  weapons is chosen by a judge, a judicial champion 
  is often skilled in wide variety of weapons, and 
  quite competent at what he does. A good rule is 
  never to accept a trial of combat against a noble 
  since that means fighting a judicial champion that is 
  at least far more skilled than any fighter a humbler 
  man afford, not to speak of the humbler man 
  himself… 
  Players keen on pursuing the title of a Judicial 
  Champion should consider the pit fighter or the 
  mercenary as starting careers. But veterans and, 
  particular, duellists make for excellent judicial 
  champions. But basically anyone with the Weapon 
  Skill trained and at least two weapon skill 
  specializations can become Judicial Champions. 
  The title can also be given as a reward by a noble. 
  28
  
   
   
   
  could well hold speeches and reminiscence of 
  younger days when people were more polite. In 
  such trials, showing respect, patience and playing 
  along may be the key to get a favorable outcome. 
  This can be quite fun – and even more so if the 
  players have hired a rather expensive lawyer. 
   
  Again, other trials might be quite unusual. In 
  certain rural areas of the Empire, the involved 
  parties are allowed to fight it out among 
  themselves, usually without weapons of any kind. 
  The one standing left is the blameless winner of the 
  trial, while the looser is found guilty, and will have 
  to spend a few days in jail to heal up and to pay the 
  winner a sum of money that were agreed upon 
  beforehand.       
   
  By My honour I speak the truth 
  The law systems in many places of the Old World 
  are very much a systems of honour in which the 
  honour, social standing and credit rating of a person 
  weigh heavily not only in a court, but even in 
  situations like when watchmen or a roadwarden is 
  about to arrest an offender. It’s quite possible for 
  skilled adventurers to talk their way out of 
  getting  arrested. Needless to say, it takes a lot to 
  get a noble arrested for practically anything short of 
  heresy, and even then, their good standing gives 
  them a favourable stance in the court. It is even 
  possible that an uncle or a brother of the accused 
  sits in the court, or at least in the same feast table 
  with its members...  
   
   Imperial Law and Imperial courts 
  (gold tier) 
  This level basically deals with revenues, 
  security, regulations of sorcery (crimes against 
  magic) and the 
  rooting out of 
  Chaos cults. In 
  other words, major 
  things that can 
  threaten the nation 
  itself. In addition, 
  most of the civil 
  cases between 
  nobles are held in 
  the Imperial 
  courts. 
   
  Due to Imperial 
  reformation, the Imperial courts now have the 
  mandate to bring in or even arrest an unruly 
  noble, but the Imperial courts are still hesitant 
  to do so in fear of losing their new gotten 
  privileges. But even so, more often than not, 
  this seems to replace the feuds that before 
  were too common among squabbling nobles. 
   
   
        Travelling Judges  
   
  In many cases, travelling judges are nothing short of 
  failing lawyers, that have taken the unpopular task of 
  journeying the land holding courts at small villages and 
  counseling roadwarden. They have a license to govern the 
  law in a stretch of land, and can do all the things a proper 
  judge can do.   
   
  Travelling judges usually travel upon a palanquin carried 
  by their bodyguards. This arcane and very theatrical 
  practice is said to instill proper awe in the common folk.  
  This appearance – which might easily be seen as comical 
  in more civilized environs – is further underlined by a 
  ridiculously huge book, which acts as a seating during the 
  trial in which his feet shall not touch the earth to avoid 
  sullying the judgment.  
   
  In case the palanquin and the huge book are not enough, 
  the travelling judge attire is completed with by an 
  unwieldy staff of justice and an ornate hat both of which 
  signal his profession most visibly.  
   
  The presence of a travelling judge can hardly go 
  unnoticed by player characters either; they love to draft 
  by-passers like adventurers into ad-hoc juries, and some 
  are even competent or dangerous enough to spring an 
  ambush trial on unsuspecting players.         
  29
  
   
   
  Players that find themselves on trial in an Imperial 
  court are in big trouble. Only the most serious of 
  offences are ever taken to the Imperial court, and 
  most are held in the capital of Altdorf, even though 
  every provincial capital has their own Imperial 
  court. Of all the courts, the Imperial courts are the 
  ones with the most consistency, and the least 
  variations when it comes to practice and customs.  
   
  But even at this level, the practices will be subject 
  to local and cultural variations, although not to such  
  an extreme degree as in the silver tier. An Imperial 
  court is steeped in formality, and everyone 
  appearing in its sessions will try to make the best 
  impression they can. For the judges of Imperial 
  courts are a small, exclusive group of powerful 
  individuals appointed to their lofty position by the 
  Emperor through the office of the Imperial 
  authority itself. That does not mean that the 
  Emperor alone appoints judges to the 
  Imperial courts – Elector Counts may 
  appoint, on behalf of the throne, judges 
  in their own provincial Imperial courts.   
   
  The common title of a judge in the 
  golden tier is High Judge, but this can 
  vary from province to province, and, for 
  instance, in Middenheim they are called 
  Law Lords. Holding a trial in the 
  Imperial courts usually takes months if 
  not years. But occasionally, a trial can be 
  over in a few weeks, particularly if the 
  outcome of the trial seems obvious.  
  Hopefully, only rarely will player 
  characters be subjected to trial in an 
  Imperial court. In a case like that, the GM can still 
  use the trial template to run a trial in Imperial 
  courts, but the grandeur and the stakes that are 
  involved should be played up, since, if proven 
  guilty of whatever heinous crimes the PCs are 
  accused of, they will be executed!  
   
  Disputes between nobles or even Elector Counts are 
  always held in Altdorf if possible, where endless 
  rounds of discussions, accusations and objections 
  can hold the court occupied for years.  
   
  A civil trial between nobles ends with a resolution 
  in which the nobles involved has to swear to uphold 
  the Ewiger Landfriede Charter, no matter what the 
  verdict says. Failing to do so is to declare intention 
  of hostility towards the throne and the Emperor’s 
  authority. This in turn can be looked on as an act of 
  treason. Hence, most nobles try to avoid involving 
  Imperial courts when settling scores between 
  themselves. Very recently, the Emperor acted on the 
  Perpetual Public Peace edict to grant a free charter 
  to Ubersreik as a punishment for the noble house 
  Jungfreud’s aggression towards another noble 
  house. But recent rumours seem to indicate that the 
  Emperor has changed his mind again and the Free-
  charter will be revoked.     
   
   Provincial Law and  Regular 
  Courts (silver tier) 
  deals with civil and criminal matters: 
  crimes against property and persons, 
  and civil suits. In this category, one will 
  find a wide variety of practices and 
  methods. Ranging from courts where 
  nobles, high cult officials and prominent 
  burghers sit in court, to rural feudal 
  courts where just one noble lord sits in 
  judgement.  Since this tier deals with 
  numerous crimes and since the pressure 
  on the legal system is high, trials tend to 
  be a quickly affair, lasting rarely more 
  than a week. It is in this tier that one 
  will find most variety in how a trial is held. 
  Accordingly, the punishments are as imaginative as 
  they are diverse and cruel.   
   
  Petty courts (bronze tier) 
  represent the low scale for criminal offences, 
  drunkenness and other minor offences, which fall 
  under the jurisdiction of watch sergeants and 
  30
  
   
   
   
  captains, who can even hold their own courts. 
  Typically, any arrested adventurer will first have 
  their case tried in front of a watch captain. If he 
  deems their crimes to be eligible for a greater 
  punishment, their case will be tried in a regular 
  court, as opposed to a Watch Court. 
   
  Whatever the court, there is no distinction between 
  criminal cases or civil cases.  Meaning that pressing 
  charges can be a risky affair if the court favours the 
  accused . 
   
  Specialty courts: Guild Courts & 
  Temple courts  
  Guild Courts deal with guild conduct and tries 
  to police its own members to follow a set of 
  guild rules. Any member breaking those rules 
  risk damaging the reputation and public trust of 
  that guild, and it must be ensured that such 
  actions stop as quickly as possible. 
  Punishments range from fines and restitution to 
  a loss of apprentices and expulsion from the 
  guild.  
   
  Most trials for heresy, blasphemy and offences 
  against a cult’s property or its god are tried in 
  public temple courts, and more often than not, 
  the trials end in conviction and burning of the 
  heretic. Other 
  punishments include 
  immurement in 
  catacombs, or 
  strangulation followed 
  by beheading and 
  burial. Being subjected 
  to a trial in a temple 
  court is a harrowing 
  experience as pyres are 
  often prepared while the 
  trial is in session. It is to 
  temple courts most 
  Witch-hunters drag their 
  hapless victims    
   
  Guilty until proven innocent 
  Anyone accused of crimes in a court is in big 
  trouble because they have to prove their innocence; 
  failing to do this will lead to them being sentenced. 
  In theory, anyone accused in a court can make 
  appeals or plead their case all the way up to the 
  Elector Count, which usually then takes place in an 
  Imperial court.  
   
  This generally takes months, and it is not 
  The Law within the Law:  
  The Witch Hunters 
  When Magnus the Pious bound the Order of the Silver 
  Hammer to the throne and disbanded the Lord 
  Protector’s post, The Witch-hunters came under the 
  Emperor’s own authority and bound by Imperial law.  
  Today Witch-hunters are official state-sanctioned and 
  funded inquisitors of the Empire, working for the 
  Empire and in the name of all the cults.  
  Since the Order of the Silver hammer is still a sigmarite 
  order in charge of training new witch-hunters, many 
  have religious training as well. There are two broad 
  categories of Witch-hunters: The Templars of Sigmar; 
  and the secular, provincial Witch hunters. Both groups 
  are hardened veterans not to be trifled with. 
  A Witch-hunter answers to a Witch-hunter General, and 
  there are currently three generals, General of south, 
  General of the North, and General of the west, which all 
  hold their territories in an iron grip.   
  A Witch-hunter’s role is to rot out chaos wherever and 
  in whatever form it may be found.  And they have the 
  right to arrest any citizen they suspect, interrogate and 
  even torture a person to get a confession. They have the 
  right to burn a suspect once a confession is given. 
  Failing that he must try the accused in front of a jury,  as 
  he is not authorized to run his own trials. This is usually 
  a temple court, and the Witch-hunter has almost free 
  reigns to convince the jury and peers of the suspect’s 
  guilt.  In almost all cases, the witch-hunter wins.  
   
  31
  
   
   
  uncommon that overzealous or merely overworked 
  local officials have already carried out the sentence 
  by then. 
   
  For most minor crimes like drunkenness or bar-
  brawl, a night in the gaol and a fine up to 10 silver 
  is usually sufficient. But more serious petty crimes, 
  like resisting arrest, blasphemy and other 
  unacceptable behavior can be rewarded with 
  serving some time in the stocks or pillory.  This can 
  be complemented with old fashioned beating or 
  whipping, where a number of lashes are set by a 
  judge or Watch-captain.  
   
  For rule orientated GMs 10 normal lashes deals one 
  wound, and for every ten lashes handed out, A Hard 
  Resilience or Toughness check should be made to 
  avoid getting Fatigue points. If subjected to many 
  lashes a character might faint or even die. Suffering 
  from more lashes than a character’s Toughness 
  score times ten, will automatically 
  inflict a Critical wound.  
   
  It is quite possible to avoid the 
  physical punishments by accepting a 
  much larger fine, usually between 
  10 to 50 times the original fine. 
   
  For more serious crimes, like the 
  one you will find in the silver tier, 
  the punishments gets indeed more 
  grim and horrible for the accused. 
  Here you can use your imagination 
  to conjure all sorts of nasty and 
  painful punishments, including 
  branding, flogging ( more severe 
  version of whipping), cutting of 
  limbs, tongues, fingers, eyes, ears 
  and noses.  But what’s important to 
  remember here is to find a 
  punishment that fits the crime, and 
  with punishment I mean corporeal punishment.    
   
  For petty theft, everything from cutting of a finger 
  or digit, to an entire hand is quite common.  People 
  found guilty of blasphemy, or using their oratory 
  skill to agitate and disturb the public peace, might 
  risk getting their tongue removed.  A forger might 
  have his eyes removed so he will never be able to 
  forge another document. Somebody convicted for 
  arson might have his feet or body branded by hot 
  iron. With other words punishment to fit the crime.   
  Female perpetrators, are usually shown more 
  leniency, unless of course she is a witch.    
   
  The Mark of Shame  
  a special case is the act of branding a mark into 
  someone’s forehead, neck or shoulder or even back. 
  This is a mark of dishonesty, and anyone with a 
  branding mark is not to be trusted, and anyone with 
  the Folklore skill, will immediately recognize the 
  mark for what it is.  Branding can be used in 
  addition to other punishments, in particular if the 
  From a Diary of a Travelling Executioner  
  (A licenced sharpjudge)  
  17 sigmarzeit, 2519 
  Summoned and arrived in Stromdorf to administer 
  Justice. To man aged 30, a Tilean, five lashes and a fine 
  for public drunkenness, increased to 20 lashes after he 
  threatened with a duel. To a woman spinster age 35, five 
  lashes for blasphemy, took pity and applied the strokes 
  with a light hand. To a man aged 20, and simpleton, 
  torture and beheading for chaos-worship and necromantic 
  scaring. Blade was sharp: one blow. Food at the inn was 
  bad, but their ale was good  
  Punishments to Fit the Crime 
  32
  
  33
  
   
   
  prevent the victim from dying until the 8. night.  
  Customs & Execution  
  Most punishments are a public affair, which adds to 
  the humiliation of corporeal punishment. Carrying 
  out the punishment is often an odd mix of formality, 
  where duty bound law enforcers and stern judges 
  read the crimes of the guilty, to the glee and hysteria 
  of the crowd. With sermonic formality a 
  spokesperson, usually a judge or noble, tells the 
  crowd the verdict and punishment. In opposition to 
  the spectators, the judge, jury and executioner are 
  not expected to feel joy when performing their 
  tasks, or at least to express it when doing their duty. 
  If anything, the rite involving the completion of the 
  punishment is to cleanse the guilty from his wicked 
  ways. In carrying out the sentence, this purification 
  rite is very important, and in a way, it is the reason 
  why the particular punishment has been chosen.  
   
  Public executions always draw a large crowd, and 
  here, the purification rite is of utmost importance. 
  This is reflected by the custom by which the 
  perpetrator is allowed to speak out about their deeds 
  and express their regrets. Although it does not help 
  the convicted to escape the punishment, it is 
  considered a victory for the law if the criminal does 
  so. It shows that the system works, and it pleases the 
  executioner, who will then have a degree of 
  certainty that the convict indeed deserves the 
  punishment. “We send you not as a tainted criminal 
  to Morr’s Realm, but as an 
  erred repentant. Let the God 
  of Death be the final judge of 
  your actions”. That sentence 
  or variations of it is often 
  heard by the judge before a 
  hangman tightens the noose 
  or a sharpjudge readies his 
  sword or axe. 
   
   
  The Practice of Shallya’s Mercy 
  To be sentenced to death usually means you will die 
  either by hanging or beheading. Other more unusual 
  methods exist like drawing and quartering. But the 
  most prevailing is hanging or beheading, which both 
  require two different set of executioners, the 
  hangman and the sharpjudge.   
   
  On occasion an execution does not always go as 
  planned; the rope might snap and leave the criminal 
  gasping for air. The sharpjudge might miss his target 
  or only wound the target.  If the event that causes 
  the execution to go wrong is spectacular or ominous 
  enough, someone in the crowd might start to yell 
  Shallya’s Mercy. If the sudden change in the course 
  of events is seen as a sign from beloved Shallya to 
  spare the wretched life of the offender, others will 
  join in chanting the words, too.  
   
  In such cases, the judge and has a difficult choice to 
  make between following the procedure and risking 
  Shallya’s wrath (or worse, waking the mob’s anger) 
  and letting the prisoner go and risk the Court’s 
  disdain. In most cases in which the crowd chants as 
  one, the executioner and enforcers of law have no 
  choice but to let the prisoner go – after all, the gods  
  have spoken.  Because of this practice, the Court 
  often employs the most skilled of hangmen or 
  sharpjudges to avoid invoking Shallya’s Mercy. A 
  recent invention is the use of contraption or 
  machines to avoid such errors to happen. But such 
  inventions are still very unreliable and, in some 
  cases, as dangerous for the user and spectators as it 
  is for the person to be executed.     
          
  Holding Trials  
  As mentioned earlier holding a trial can be scary 
  and difficult to run, both for the players and 
  Gamemaster alike. But since there is hardly any 
  standard of how to do it, no trials need to be similar. 
  This gives the GM a lot of space to construct courts 
  according to one’s own preferences. However, there 
  34
  
   
   
   
  are some features that 
  are common for all 
  trials.  
   
  1. 
  Place to hold 
  court. 
  This go without 
  saying, but you need a 
  place to hold your trial, 
  and any place that 
  holds a trial is called a 
  court. Whether it be a 
  public outdoor plaza, or within the sacred hall 
  of a temple to a courthouse in a city, or even 
  the castle of a duke. Key elements is to have a 
  place to restrain the accused (usually a jail), 
  ready nearby.  
   
  2. Judge, jury and peers 
  next you need people to sit as judges and 
  announce a verdict. With the exceptions of gold 
  tiers courts, this can be everything from a 
  nobles, high ranking priests and prominent 
  burghers that sit in a jury passing judgment, to 
  feudal courts where only the count sits as judge, 
  or a council of elders.   
   
  3. Lawyers & attorneys  
  in the old days it was custom to either speak 
  your own case or use people with oratory skills 
  to plead your cases. With the growing of legal 
  institutions such as universities and the growing 
  complexities of the law, speaking on the behalf 
  of either side in a trial has become a profession 
  in its own.  They are called lawyers and are 
  often hired to speak on the behalf of the 
  accused or the offender.  
   
  Since they are educated to know the law, 
  lawyers and attorneys are usually very 
  expensive, too expensive would the common 
  man say, which seldom has the money to pay 
  for the attorney.  While not necessary to have to 
  run a trial or defense, even an inept lawyer 
  will be of some help to the accused.  
   
  4. Drama and lights 
  when running a trial use your storytelling 
  skills to make it memorable and enjoyable. 
  It’s an excellent opportunity for you the 
  GM to teach your reckless players a lesson or 
  two.  This is your chance acting through the 
  court to correct your players’ bad behavior and 
  scare them a bit. Be sure not to miss that 
  opportunity, let them sweat a little, hold a stern 
  speech about misbehaving adventurers, scorn 
  them for their reckless behavior and blatant 
  mistakes, and when they are about to lose all 
  hope or get really annoyed, let them go. Let 
  them win to fight another day.  Or condemn 
  them to a life-time in a mining penal colony.  
   
  In fact, conviction of a crime could make a 
  great start on a new campaign. As they are 
  shipped away to a gloomy future, the ship sinks 
  and the prisoners are washed up on a strange 
  island.   
   
  When your players are on trial you have a 
  unique opportunity to take your campaign in 
  whatever direction you want. A verdict in 
  disfavor of your players doesn’t mean to spell 
  doom to your characters, it’s simple a new 
  chapter in your great campaign. Avoid 
  sentencing them to hanging or immediate death, 
  send them away, maybe the powerful governor on 
  Rijker’s isle need them to explore the lower 
  dungeons of the castle in search of a missing 
  guard, who knows what lurks down there?  
  Great adventures can begin with the verdict “I 
  sentence you to a life-time…” 
   
   
   
   
   
  35
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  36
  
   
   
   
  The Episode Template Trial.  
  Included in the Gamemaster’s toolkit, there is a trial 
  episode template that helps GMs to run a trial. 
  Below, you can find a similar episode to help you 
  create your own trials. It also serves as an example 
  that an episode like this does not 
  have to be complicated at all. 
  Remember that what follows is a 
  rough template and you may include 
  more rules whenever the need arises.     
   
  The Trial Episode  
  Overview : The party or one of its 
  member is accused of breaking and 
  entering and stealing from a good 
  merchant. The party, or the offender, 
  were caught by the watchmen as 
  they attempted to leave the manor 
  where the deed has supposedly been committed.  
   
  A trial is declared to determine their guilt or 
  innocence, and the players must prove their 
  innocence or face severe punishment, which could 
  include flogging, dismembering or ten years in 
  penitentiary, or a combination of all. 
   
  Behind the scenes: the party did indeed break an 
  entry into the merchant’s manor, but not to steal 
  (well that also, but it’s called loot) but to find 
  evidence that he is a chaos cult leader, using chaos 
  magic and rituals to make himself rich and to 
  destroy the competition.  
   
  Unfortunately the player characters failed to find 
  the hidden chaos temple and were left only with 
  circumstantial evidence. 
   
   
  ACT 1: accusations fly (silver tier). 
  This act establishes the nature of the trial and the 
  punishment. Whatever instance is working against 
  the player characters in the trial presents the case, 
  introduces the evidence and begins the accusations.   
   
  At this point, you should make a progress tracker 
  with equal number of spaces divided by an event 
  space, the one side representing innocence (green) 
  and the other guilt (red), four or five 
  on both sides should be enough.  
   
  In this case, the PCs token should be 
  placed one or two spaces into the 
  guilty side, as the merchant is a 
  rather powerful individual in the 
  community, beside he has hired a 
  rather imposing attorney, AND they 
  wear caught with a substantial part of 
  the merchant’s silvery. 
   
  Alternatively, you can use the H-
  tracker, the use of which is explained 
  in Honour and Contempt, to keep track of the 
  situation in the trial and to add the dimension of 
  audience reactions if applicable in your 
  trial.    
    
  The majority of this act will play out 
  through a series of social exchanges and 
  mental skill checks. IF the PCs want to deny the 
  accusations they may have to use their Charm or 
  Guile skill. 
   
  But in this case, the players are advised not to deny 
  anything by their lawyer, who in truth works for 
  their employer; a worried merchant who hired them 
  to investigate his shady colleague. The idea is to 
  connect the players to the crime scene, so when 
  they spring their own accusation against the 
  offended merchant, there will be no doubt that they 
  indeed were present at the scene.   
   
  The scene ends when the PCs are called to defend 
  themselves 
   
   
  more rules whenever the need arises.     
  37
  
   
   
   
  Act 2: objection 
  The PCs must prove their innocence, or that 
  they had good intentions. This act will be the 
  players chance to move their token on the 
  progress tracker toward innocence. They can do 
  this by arguing their case during the trial, 
  pleading for additional time to acquire evidence 
  or in this particular case, accuse the offended 
  merchant for consorting with chaos and using 
  black magic.  
   
  This is a very risky strategy. But the only one to prove 
  their innocence and intention behind their actions.  
   
  Depending on the items they stole this can set them in 
  a favorable position, or not.  A forbidden tome will 
  surly help their case, but a silver stake depicting skulls 
  will not, although the merchant’s taste would be 
  questioned. Unless any tangible evidence is produced 
  for the court any accusation against the offended, will 
  indeed be looked down upon, and damage their case.  
   
  Despite all the silvery, valuable paintings and fine 
  carpets and other loot, nothing proves that the 
  merchant is a Chaos cultist; the outcome of the trial 
  looks grim indeed for the intrepid adventurers.  
   
  In one last attempt to postpone the inevitable their 
  lawyer ask for a few hours to gather more evidence. 
   
  behind the scenes: the players already suspect that the 
  good merchant has a secret compartment somewhere 
  in the manor, and that he has recently summoned a 
  demon, a demon which not fed regularly with human 
  hearts will break free. And they have already 
  intercepted one delivery of corpses to his house.   
   
  The players taking a large risk, gets a few hours to 
  prepare their defense. But the stake is now even 
  higher, if found guilty of spreading false heresy they 
  will meet the gallows.  
   
   
  Act 3: the Verdict  
  The trial reaches its conclusion. The judge might 
  already have made his mind up, but surprise 
  evidence might be presented in this act to swing 
  that verdict in a new direction. A last chance to 
  affect the progress tracker with new evidence, 
  surprise witnesses or compelling speeches.  
   
  In this particular case nothing seems to show up, but 
  somehow the offended merchant seems sweaty and at 
  unease.  
   
  Behind the scenes: the players persuaded their lawyer 
  to keep some of his guys on the merchant at all times, 
  make it obvious that he is watched through the entire 
  recess. The Merchant and indeed Chaos cult leader 
  found it hard to do anything while being spied upon, 
  beside his house is under guard by the watchmen until 
  the trial has reached its verdict. Leaving in the middle 
  of the recess, would seem suspicious, especially now 
  after the players have accused him of grand heresy.   
   
  As the players are declared guilty in their crimes and 
  for accusing the good merchant for false heresy, they 
  are sentenced to death by hanging at the first dawn of 
  light.  
   
  As the judge reads the verdict with spit and venom, a 
  guard enters the court, telling about a great disturbance 
  in the merchant quarter. The players’ sits back 
  knowing exactly what is going on. In a few minutes 
  they will be asked to help the good town of 
  Bögenhafen to rid it of a demon that are set loose, set 
  loose from the good merchant’s cellar. Now if that 
  isn’t compelling evidence what is?  
   
   
     
   
   
   
  38
  
   
   
   
   
  Possible complications 
  This example might not be the best outcome to the 
  trial or even plausible. The only complications that 
  will occur depend on the plausibility. What if the 
  players did not know of the demon in the hidden 
  temple? Or even plead for a recess? Or that the 
  demon was not due to act before long after the 
  verdict and the hanging had taken place what then?  
  It all comes down to plausibility and narrative 
  storytelling. You don’t want the players to be 
  hanged for trying to do the proper thing right?  Any 
  loose threads from the story can be used to aid the 
  players.  
   
  As mentioned the party had successfully stopped a 
  deliverance of human hearts to the merchant in a 
  previous investigation, maybe they succeed 
  connecting that to the merchant. In such case the 
  court has no alternative than to investigate it 
  further, and possibly find the hidden temple. 
   
  When creating trials in which you want the players 
  to win, always make sure you have something to 
  fall back on, like a last minute evidence or surprise 
  witness.  In cases which you are not sure whether 
  you want your players to be found guilty or 
  innocent, let them play it, and let the dice land 
  where they fall.  
  Material Sources for the Inquisitive 
   
  WFRP 3rd edition (all products) 
  Tome of Corruption (GW 2006) 
  Sigmar’s Heirs (GW 2005) 
  Apohcrypha 2 (GW 2000)  
  WFRP 1st edition (GW 1995) 
  The Enemy Within (GW 1991) 
  39
  
   
   
   
  40
  
   
   
   
   
  By Jussi Alarauhio 
   
   
  In the Old World, carrying out justice is a line of work 
  on which few wish to embark. Very few indeed 
  become an executioner by their own choice. Yet 
  someone must do it, and the authorities have their 
  means to persuade enough individuals to perform this 
  ghastly service. 
   
   
   
  Hangman 
  To the average denizen of the Empire, the word 
  executioner evokes the image of a hood wearing brute 
  dragging his sobbing and pleading victims up the 
  ladders to the noose, pelting them with coarse threats 
  and insult on the way. This image is due to the 
  profession of the hangman.  
   
  A servant on the lowest rung of justice, a hangman 
  takes care of menial tasks necessary to carry out 
  justice, such as forcing prisoners before a judge, 
  pulling them up the ladders to be hanged, and 
  branding or mutilating convicts. On routine days, he 
  must also maintain the gallows, wheels and gibbets, 
  catch stray dogs and pigs, and cart off any 
  unidentified bodies from the most sordid back alleys 
  to be delivered to the priests of Morr.  
   
  Furthermore, the corpses of criminals put on display 
  to the public need to be guarded. One never knows 
  when a corrupted barber surgeon decides to learn 
  more about the human anatomy, or worse yet: a 
  practitioner of witchcraft or necromancy happens to 
  wander in the area, looking for the recently deceased. 
   
  There is always a lack of suitable workforce in the 
  field, and almost anyone may end up a hangman. 
  Practically anyone who agrees to perform these 
  gruesome tasks for a meager pay or just does not have 
  a choice will do; ex-convicts, tramps, rejects, 
  mercenaries, foreigners and even the unhinged have 
  been commonly recruited as hangmen.  
   
  For obvious reasons, the profession bears a severe 
  social stigma. If one is outed as an assistant to an 
  executioner, interaction with people outside one’s 
  immediate family and colleagues becomes strained, to 
  put it mildly. In most taverns, inns and marketplaces, 
  known hangmen are treated like air. In others, they 
  are driven away at the tip of a long stick. There is also 
  a reason as to why hangmen like to wear hoods when 
  performing before the public: the everyday tasks of a 
  hangman take him to the very streets where he is most 
  unpopular and risk him meeting the very people on 
  whom justice has been painfully inflicted.  
   
  While the Empire populace certainly does not protest 
  executions in general, it harbors an ambivalent 
  attitude towards those who perform them. The 
  common people simply cannot or do not want to 
  imagine why anyone would take the job of a 
  hangman. The fact that such a career may be forced 
  upon an individual has little impact on the perception 
  that hangman’s business is that of torturing and 
  killing helpless victims. Despite the fact that 
  mercenaries are often regarded as mere paid thugs, 
  even they are viewed with less animosity than 
  hangmen. After all, the victims of a mercenary’s 
  violence are given a fair chance to fight back – most 
  of the time. 
   
  It is no wonder that a perceived injustice, sympathy 
  for the convict, or a botched execution may invoke 
  the murderous wrath of the poverty stricken masses. 
  Careers 
  of 
  the 
  Executive 
  Branch 
  Careers 
  of 
  the 
  Executive 
  Branch 
  The Sharp End of Justice 
  -A Look at Executioner 
  Careers 
  41
  
   
   
  Many a hangman has met a violent end in the hands 
  of an angry mob simply because of a minor mistake 
  like letting a convict slip and fall off the ladders when 
  leading him up to the gallows. 
   
  Regarding the notoriety of the profession – and the 
  fact that a considerable portion of hangmen have a 
  criminal background – it is not surprising that many 
  hangmen end up rubbing elbows with members of the 
  criminal underworld. Some of them even turn body 
  snatchers or tomb robbers; others accept bribes from 
  convicts for performing soft-handed punishments.  
   
  But, since hangmen nevertheless cling on to the 
  proper society by performing their services, they 
  often act as a paradoxical link between the world of 
  crime and the world where justice reigns. In effect,  
  hangmen are individuals who have a view on the 
  behind the curtain of respectable society. Quite 
  naturally, a hangman is often a treasury of street talk, 
  rumours and gossip. 
   
  Sometimes, a hangman is deemed to possess enough 
  skill to become a sharpjudge. This is a real 
  opportunity to climb the social ladder, but success 
  does not come easily in the field of executions. The 
  training period of a sharpjudge is closely monitored 
  by a priest of Verena, and for many hangmen, the 
  pressure is simply too much to bear.  
   
  Indeed, the mental strain is severe enough for many 
  experienced sharpjudges, too. Fumbling an execution 
  has gruesome and dangerous consequences; riots are 
  known to have erupted due to a mistake by a 
  sharpjudge, and the fear of failure haunts the dreams 
  of all but those with nerves of steel. But in many 
  cases, it is drunkenness or a herbally numbed mind – 
  the treatment for frayed nerves – that eventually 
  causes a disaster. 
  Sharpjudge 
  Once a man is made an executioner, few choices exist 
  for him by way of future careers. It is hardly 
  surprising that executioner professions tend to 
  become 
  hereditary; 
  often, 
  the 
  offspring 
  of 
  executioners simply are not accepted to receive 
  education or training for another line of work. In the 
  Empire, the profession of the executioner often 
  remains in the same family for several generations. 
  This is the case in larger towns and cities in particular.  
   
  In established executioner families, some of the sons 
  of executioners may train the profession by starting as 
  a hangman. In such cases, the nastiness and risks 
  involved in the duties depend on the wealth of the 
  family; the wealthier the family is, the likelier it is 
  that the executioner in training will not have to 
  socialize with the dregs of society, that is, the 
   
  Travelling Justice 
   
  Smaller towns and rural communities cannot, by and 
  large, afford a permanent machinery of justice. For this 
  reason, they need to invite a travelling judge or wait until 
  one passes through. One member of the retinue of a 
  travelling judge is the sharpjudge.  
  However, outside his jurisdiction, a sharpjudge may 
  only practice his profession if he carries a licence to do 
  so. Licences are written by Priests of Verena (for a fee) 
  in  temples in state capitals or Freistadts. An unlicenced 
  executioner can only be employed by judges in special 
  circumstances and only after an examination of the 
  individual volunteered (or more often, coerced) to 
  perform the required deeds.  
  A licence is a testimony by a Verenean Priest that 
  states that the bearer has satisfactorily performed all the 
  conventional responsibilities of a sharpjudge under the 
  eyes of the Priest and bears no marks of corruption upon 
  him.   
  It is often most convenient for a sharpjudge to travel 
  as a part of a travelling judge’s retinue. In this way, he 
  will not only benefit from the legal authority provided by 
  the judge, but such an arrangement will enable him to 
  enjoy his privileges in areas where such demands from a 
  lone executioner might be met with hostility if not 
  outright banishment from the community.  
  When travelling alone, it is usually wiser for a 
  sharpjudge to keep his profession secret from the 
  populace and leave town as soon as his task is done. 
  Similarly, it is not usually wise for a sharpjudge to seek 
  common lodgings with his hangmen.   
  42
  
   
   
   
  hangmen. This is because their future profession is on 
  a step higher than a mere hangman: the sharpjudge is 
  the executioner proper, the man who delivers the 
  coupe de grâce, as the Bretonnians like to say. 
  The word sharpjudge refers to the executioner 
  responsible of beheading the convicted. Sometimes 
  called headsmen, sharpjudges are best known for the 
  tool of their trade, the sword of execution. After years 
  of service, these tools may gather a reputation that 
  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 
   
  For obvious reasons, sharpjudges tend to become well known 
  members in their communities. Some of them are well 
  remembered indeed  even after their careers have ended. 
  Come, surely you recognize names like Johannes Angstmann, 
  the Mad Butcher of Middenheim? Alfred Bövel, the 
  conscientious sharpjudge of Nordland? How  about Simon 
  Hauptkassier and his successor, Karl Hengdieb, the feared 
  headsmen of Altdorf? Of course you do.  
   
  Yet there are some that have made their careers stand out in, well… surprising ways. Here are three of 
  them. 
   
  I 
  Executioner Extraordinaire 
   
  Bretonnian executioners are well known for their skill with the sword. One such talented professional was 
  Gilles Le Tain, a youthful, blond, Bourgognian headsman who made a spectacular career for himself 
  under Marius Leitdorf, the unhinged Lord of Averland. It was the nobility, in particular, who were 
  impressed by the courtly and tactful manner of Le Tain. On one occasion, Le Tain was summoned to 
  behead a Myrmidian knight who had provided military counsel to the leader of a peasant uprising near 
  Agbeiten.  
   
  Led to the block, the knight did not kneel, but instead, he gave a solemn speech that held the audience in 
  perfect silence. The knight then declared that he would not kneel even at the moment of his death — 
  immediately after which Le Tain stepped before him and swung his sword, decapitating the Myrmidian 
  quite tête à tête, while he was still standing, thereby preserving his honour untarnished.  
   
  It was, however, during the Halfling Rebellion of 2502 when Le Tain had had enough of Elector Count 
  Leitdorf’s eccentricities. Standing on the execution platform, he had been tasked with putting the 
  ringleaders of the Halfling Levellers to the sword. Yet this time, Le Tain decided to give a speech of his 
  own; he stated with grave rhetoric that “a people who can make pies like the Mootlanders cannot consist 
  of corrupt conspirateurs”.  Some reported afterwards that there was a hint of surprise on Le Tain’s face as 
  he himself was placed on the block with the Halflings. Yet the after fame of the Chivalrous Sharpjudge has 
  not shown signs of waxing – not among the Mootlanders  at least. Hence, the pie le Tain of Moot is baked 
  with a dark rye crust under which is  hidden a golden  heart, a stuffing of  egg yolk and honey.   
  43
  
   
   
  overshadows even the notoriety of their wielder , who  
  is then referred to by the name of the sword. One 
  famous example is the Righteous Drinker, the sword 
  of the Bövel family of executioners.  
   
  Although 
  sharpjudges 
  are 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  practicalities of executions, they rarely participate 
  hands-on in the actual proceedings, except if the 
  sword is to be used. Most of the time, they oversee 
  the process and signal commands to their assistants 
  by murmured words and ceremonial gestures. Thus, 
  sharpjudges are not viewed as quite as disgusting or 
  brutal as their servants, the hangmen.  
   
  Sharpjudges may even become local celebrities 
  although, even then, they are hardly celebrated. In 
  smaller towns, however,  the situation is different; 
  capital punishments are few and far between and, in 
  such places, the resident sharpjudge cannot afford 
  hired help and has to perform most if not all of the 
  duties normally delegated to one or more hangmen. 
   
   
  The Silver Lining 
  Since the services of a sharpjudge are absolutely 
  necessary, shrewd individuals in this line of work 
  have succeeded in bargaining certain privileges for 
  themselves. If a family retains the profession for more 
  than one generation, and if they are able to take full 
  advantage of their privileges, they may succeed in 
  gathering a considerable fortune. 
   
   
     One particularly disturbing case regarding the 
  pollution of justice came to light in Pfunzig, Averland, in 
  2483. It is generally held that becoming a sharpjudge 
  became significantly more regulated after the events of 
  that year, now remembered as the Scandal of the 
  Unlicenced. 
      
  From the 2460s onwards, a sharpjudge named 
  Karl Holzpan became known as the most trusted wielder 
  of the executioner’s sword in the whole of Averland. His 
  first performance was an emergency case; the 
  executioner of Pfunzig had recently died. The man to be 
  beheaded was a spreader of disruptive doctrines. As an 
  ad hoc solution, Holzpan, a non-local mercenary, was 
  asked to do the job. Given the opportunity, he took it, 
  and he took to it in the correct manner, both efficient 
  and unflinching. After this, no one cared about the past 
  of this man nor did he rush out to tell anyone about it 
  himself.  
      
  By the time of his sudden death, he had accrued 
  an immaculate career of over two hundred decapitations. 
  Unlike the average headsman, Holzpan was not prone to 
  perform drunk or hung-over. A lean, not unpleasant 
  looking and soft spoken man, Holzpan possessed an 
  uncanny talent and precision with his sword. Almost  
   
   
  uniquely for a man of his profession, his humble and 
  serious manner inspired respect both in the authorities 
  and the Vereneans who employed him.      
    
   At its arrival, Holzpan’s death was met with 
  surprise – understandable in a case where  a person dies 
  by accidentally decapitates himself by falling on his own 
  razor-sharp sword. As Holzpan was a bachelor with no 
  known relatives, the town paid for his burial and 
  prepared to hand down his sword to the heir of his 
  occupation.  
   
  However, when an aspirant executioner wiped off the 
  dark oil that covered the blade, he discovered some very 
  stranged inscriptions. Research into the text revealed that, 
  instead of relieving the town from its corruption by 
  punishing the wrongdoers, the erstwhile servant of 
  justice had sent off the poor souls to the abhorrent god of 
  murder, Khaine.  
   
  While the discovery explained some of the odd 
  antics Holzpan had displayed during executions, it was 
  horrifying and embarrassing enough to inspire the 
  following words by the Most Illustrious Master of the 
  Pages, Arch Lector Heinz-Georg Glaubenslehre: “not 
  even the Great Flood of the following year was enough to 
  wash away the stain of his blasphemy”.    
  II 
  The Scandal 
  of the Unlicenced 
  44
  
   
   
   
  In their hometowns, sharpjudges are usually entitled 
  to a ladleful of grain from every grain load that enters 
  the city. From the executed, the sharpjudge may take 
  the clothes from the belt upwards, including 
  everything fastened to the belt,  whereas hangmen are 
  entitled to everything under the belt. However, since 
  hangmen are not officially servants of justice, their 
  ”privileges” are not official either and often 
  neglected.  
   
  Although they certainly are unwelcome company in 
  any quarters, licenced sharpjudges are entitled to free 
  lodgings in lawyers’ guild houses. It is possibly due to 
  the reputation of lawyers that there is never a lack of 
  helpful citizens to point a sharpjudge where to find 
  the lawyers.  
   
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  a 
  resident 
  sharpjudge 
  is 
  given 
  accommodation in a down-market area of the town or 
  city. There, near to a garden of Morr or next to the 
  stockyards, he will be out of sight until needed.  Yet 
  as a man who may have to be called to perform his 
  task on a member of the nobility some day, he is not 
  banished to live among the common rabble, but rather 
  in some non-residential area.  
   
  In addition to the tool and emblem of his trade, the 
  executioner's 
  sword, 
  sharpjudges 
  tend 
  to 
  be 
  recognisable to the perceptive. As a consequence of 
  their right to most of the clothing of the victims of the 
  capital punishment, the apparel of a sharpjudge may 
  be strikingly fine; colourful doublets, slashed sleeves, 
  feathered hats and unpatched socks - much finer than 
  their social class would allow. Sometimes, to avoid 
  embarrassing cases of mistaken identity, sharpjudges 
  are not allowed to wear their most expensive clothing 
  when off duty. In such cases, a breach of this ban can 
  result in a sizable fine merely at the word of an 
  irritated nobleman.  
   
  A Life of Duty 
  At the block, skill must indeed be applied. A two-
  handed sword is not for the clumsy when precision is 
  required. Improvisation is not popular, and a failure to 
  see the task through with one blow is followed by a 
  financial punishment – if the sharpjudge is lucky.  
   
  However, a successful career as a sharpjudge requires 
  more than the ability to swing the sword. Efficient 
  interrogation and many types of punishment require 
  understanding of the human anatomy. One important 
  skill is, for instance, how to stop bleeding. For this 
  reason, the poorest of the poor often seek the counsel 
  of a sharpjudge when a bone needs to be set, a limb 
  needs to be relocated, or when an arm or a foot needs 
  to be amputated. In addition, since executions take 
  place in the public eye, sharpjudge’s work requires 
  tact, timing and discipline.  
   
   
  III 
  A Voracious Worker 
   
  It was in the good old days in the Grand Principality of 
  Ostland when Garbelos, an ogre, was given the 
  responsibilities  as an assistant to the sharpjudge of 
  Ferlangen.  
   
  For one winter, Garbelos toiled, and while he did, 
  restraining violent convicts, intimidating prisoners during 
  interrogations or performing any heavy labour were no 
  problems at all. Commoners viewed the hulking 
  executioner with healthy respect. There was no pelting of 
  the servants of justice with pebbles or rotten vegetables. 
  Public protests were voiced in mild and polite tones.   
   
  In the end, it was not the lack of ability that caused 
  consternation among Garbelos’ employers. Quite the 
  contrary: even  one of the least agreeable tasks of the 
  executioners, the cleaning of the bones of notable cadavers, 
  was performed by the ogre with unprecedented rapidity and 
  diligence.  
   
  It was merely the detail that the cleaned bones frequently 
  bore signs of gnawing that alerted the authorities to 
  unpalatable work practices. Furthermore, a colossal 
  cauldron was discovered under the city pillory where 
  Garbelos’ dwellings were located. It was evident that the 
  ogre had been taking work home, and bones had been 
  cleaned with more gusto than was acceptable by human 
  standards. After a long and grave lecture by the 
  burgomaister of Ferlangen, the crestfallen ogre was sent 
  packing.  
  45
  
   
   
   
  Furthermore, while hangmen are rarely described 
  as being pious, it benefits a sharpjudge to display a 
  degree of faith, preferably in Sigmar, Morr and 
  Verena. Of course, the better the grip that a 
  sharpjudge has on the real and perceived legitimacy 
  of his profession, the safer his mental and physical 
  well-being remain. 
   
  Since executioners in general are viewed as 
  bloodthirsty and polluted, life is lonely for those 
  embarked on careers in this field. In addition to being 
  unwelcome in most places of social gathering, even 
  guilds of servants of justice will not allow them as 
  members. Sometimes, hangmen  are welcomed by a 
  community of roguish types, a circle formed by the 
  refuse of the society, who either do not care about the 
  his occupation or can obtain certain unsavory 
  services from a hangman. It is also common for 
  executioners to turn to religious zeal to escape the 
  social isolation and to support their strained sanity. 
  Many a flagellant has once earned his living by 
  scourging the backs of others. 
   
  The general populace tries to avoid contact with 
  sharpjudges, too, and they may not usually enter the 
  winehouses in their town or city. However, they are 
  served to the street, or in some cases, an appointed 
  table.  
   
  The 
  few 
  people who 
  are willing to 
  converse with 
  a sharpjudge outside 
  working hours are mostly  
   
  physicians of the more 
  progressive 
  type – those who 
  wish to learn about  anatomy by the 
  most concrete ways.  
   
  In recent years, some  ecclesiastic authorities 
  have  also stood up to condemn the denigration 
  of sharpjudges, most famously Luthor Huss, to 
  whom the following apologia is attributed:  “without 
  the Masters of the Sharp Sword, our Empire would  
  soon be rife with the corrupt”. 
  46
  
   
   
   
  47
  
   
   
   
  48
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  By Ralph Seller 
   
  Criminality loves settlements. The bigger the 
  settlement, the more opportunities for crime there are  
  Ubersreik, unfortunately, is no different to any other 
  human settlement. It is a wealthy town and a trade 
  hub comparable to Kemperbad. As a result, crime 
  flourishes in Ubersreik - if you know where to look. 
  This article gives such a glimpse of the Criminal 
  Empire in operation in Ubersreik.  
   
  What follows is actually a series of snapshots of 
  elements of the Criminal Empire and its rivals. GMs 
  are at liberty to pick and choose which elements they 
  want to use, although some are more interconnected 
  than others.  
   
  Also included are NPC cards for some of the more        
   
   
  interesting and usable inhabitants of  
   
   
  this criminal underworld. Despite the 
   
  title, much of the criminality can happen at 
   
  any time of the day or night! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  In a trading centre like Ubersreik, even the Thieves 
  Guild has adopted a respectable sounding name, and 
  their symbol is an innocent-looking cross within a 
  circle. This doesn’t make it any the more respectable, 
  or any the less controlling or potentially deadly  than 
  other well organised criminal guilds.  
   
  The Guild is not like the Guild of Gentleman 
  Entrepreneurs in Marienburg mostly because it 
  remains far more in the shadows than the Marienburg 
  guild, the latter being powerful enough to be far more 
  out in the open. It controls virtually all aspects of 
  crime from the petty pickpockets to the whores, 
  burglars, smugglers and drug dealers that frequent all 
  parts of town.   
   
  The Guild takes 10% of every members income in 
  return for ‘protection’ and the chance to carry out 
  their criminal trades. Anybody pursuing criminal 
  activities in Ubersreik without joining the Guild 
  usually find themselves either badly beaten up by 
  thugs or wake up in the morning with the Guild 
  symbol pinned over their heart. As either of these 
  warnings usually happen only a few days after a non-
  member criminal’s presence is noticed, few care to 
  get a far more serious second warning. 
   
  Each district or quarter in Ubersreik has its own guild 
  steward, who collects the necessary guild dues and 
  Ubersreik by Night 
  Ubersreik by Night 
  The Guild of Night Traders  
  (The Thieves’ Guild) 
  49
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
  death or unpayable fines, the stewards had no choice 
  but to acquiesce in his takeover. This, however, had 
  its benefits since Gunther could always warn them 
  when the watch were to have a sweep or raid. 
  Always a master at ferreting out useful information, 
  Gunther quickly gained complete control over the 
  Guild. Any of the Guild stewards  who didn’t measure 
  up  were quickly and permanently replaced.   
   
  He was also able to blackmail several notables 
  including Bernhardt Bayer (the physician), and 
  Christoph Engel (the Grey Magister) into either 
  becoming part of the organisation in the former case 
  or providing services to the organisation in the latter 
  case. Bernhardt was found to be buying newly 
  deceased bodies from grave robbers for dissection 
  and experimentation. Gunther found out about a 
  weakness of Christopher Engels’ when he discovered 
  Engels’ use of small amounts of warpstone for the 
  purposis of his experiments.  
   
  Since the von Jungfreuds loss of Ubersreik, van 
  Karstner has left their service and set himself up as a 
  merchant. This is just a front, although he does have 
  several warehouses on the Docks and a couple of 
  river barges plying the Teufel. He also has a nice 
  house in the Merchant quarter, but Guild business is 
  never conducted there.  
  If he has to meet with the Guild stewards, he will 
  meet with them individually in or around one of his 
  warehouses, while his river barges are used as part of 
  the White Hand gang smuggling operations. A 
  particular favourite is Black Lotus extract in barrels 
  of tar from Grissenwald. Most of his time is spent on 
  Guild business, particularly in collating and using the 
  information from his network of informers. 
  Gunther’s deputy is the Guild Assassin Arlena 
  Hofnauer. Like everybody else in the Guild, he has 
  enough information on her to have her executed 
  gruesomely by the authorities if need be. 
  Consequently, he takes her loyalty for granted. This 
  would not be a problem if Arlena had not been a past 
  lover as well. Since the arrival of Madame Marie 
  Blanchefleur, his attention has been rather centred on 
  the Bretonnian, much to Arlenas disgust. Gunther has 
  been trying hard to control his infatuation with the 
  lovely Marie, but whether he can control it, and her, is 
  a matter of concern to him. 
   
  Gunther is now in his late forties and in good 
  condition for his age. He fits perfectly into the 
  description of an average looking merchant of middle 
  years. 5’ 10” tall, with balding salt and pepper hair, 
  his one affectation is a monocle. He wears expensive 
  clothes appropriate to a successful merchant. He has 
  quick eyes, which seem to take in everything, and a 
  slight sneer to his mouth.  
  He is sometimes described  as  a snake about to strike. 
  Totally predatory and without a moral in his body, his 
  only weakness is his lust for Madame Marie. He is 
  also careful not to partake of any of the substances 
  that he gets others to pedal for him. 
   
   
  Arlena Hofnauer was originally from a poor family 
  in Nuln. Her natural agility and good looks rapidly 
  gained her a place in the Thieves Guild there.  
  Arlena Hofnauer 
  (Guild Assassin) 
  51
  
   
   
  By the end of her teenage years, she had also found a 
  talent for the creation and use of poisons, whether 
  slipped into food or drink, or applied using the point 
  of a dagger. She learned these from a notable Tilean 
  assassin who was one of her lovers in Nuln. This 
  mentor was the first target of her newfound skills. Her 
  natural beauty was merely another tool as she became 
  an accomplished assassin.  
  However, one too many high profile killings  meant 
  she had to leave Nuln and flee to 
  Marienburg. There she came into the 
  employ of Gunther van Karstner, who 
  used her as a lover and as a way of 
  removing von Jungfreud problems.  
  When van Karstner took over the Guild, 
  she became his deputy and enforcer. It is 
  Arlena who collects the Guild dues and 
  messages from the drop offs and who 
  leaves the warnings to non-Guild 
  members who mess in Guild business.  
  At the moment, she is working as Madame Marie 
  Blanchfleur’s hostess at the Salon entertaining the 
  guests and making sure nothing untoward happens to 
  the girls. She could live with this if Gunther were not 
  acting like a lovesick puppy around Marie. Arlena 
  doesn’t trust Marie one iota and thinks that Gunther 
  could be heading for a fall that could trigger her own 
  demise. Meanwhile, she abides her time and does 
  their bidding,  waiting for Marie to show her hand. 
   
  Arlena is now close to thirty years of age. She is an 
  ice cool blond with an engaging smile and elegant 
  figure with a catlike grace, her soft skin covering 
  muscles of steel. However, more than one person has 
  commented that her steel grey eyes never seem to 
  smile, but to look straight through a person.  
   
  When at the salon, she dresses in the finest female 
  fashions to excite all the senses. When engaged in 
  Guild business, she is swathed in tight supple black 
  leather, which leaves only her grey eyes visible 
  behind the mask. Poison is her favourite way of 
  assassination, whether it is ingested in food or drink, 
  or coated on her dagger, crossbow pistol or blowpipe. 
  She typically has at least two luxurious rings on her 
  right hand, both of which contain poisons or rapidly 
  acting sedatives. Arlena would like nothing more than 
  to use one of her poisons on Marie.  
  Madame Marie Blanchefleur is the very 
  epitome of Bretonnian womanhood. Stunningly 
  beautiful and with charm oozing from every 
  pore, she exudes class and sophistication – not a 
  modest accomplishment for a merchant’s 
  daughter from 
  L’Anguille.  
  Her father, a 
  successful merchant 
  from that Bretonnian 
  mercantile hub, was 
  someone who had ideas of 
  raising his family’s status  
  by marrying her into the 
  nobility.  
  Accordingly, his daughter was raised to fit into that 
  dream by being coached to be a sophisticated and 
  noble wife and courtesan. By the age of 16, Marie had 
  been promptly married off to a middle aged noble, her 
  young body supplied with her father’s gold to the 
  impoverished noble. 
  Unfortunately, the union was not to end happily. 
  Despite much effort, Marie did not become pregnant 
  with an heir, and when one of her husband’s 
  mistresses did become pregnant, she was cast aside in 
  favour of the mistress. Because of the rigidity of 
  Bretonnian society, Marie left for the Empire. She 
  Madame Marie Blanchefleur 
  52
  
   
   
   
  realised that, with her 
  experience from her marriage 
  of being a whore in the 
  bedroom and a lady out of it, 
  she could cultivate a nice life in 
  the empire. Her experience of 
  being sold for influence by her 
  father and being used by her 
  husband as just a broodmare 
  meant that Marie has a 
  profound contempt for men and 
  no compunction about using 
  their basest desires against 
  them. Marie, on leaving 
  Bretonnia, decided to adopt a 
  new name and a new life. 
  With money carefully put aside from her allowances 
  from her husband, Marie had enough money to buy a 
  large three storey house behind the Holzenauer 
  mansion on the Hill in Ubersreik. That was a year 
  ago, and since then, she has extensively refurbished 
  the property to make it as luxurious and tasteful as 
  possible.  
  Experienced from her husband’s love of opulence, 
  gambling, and women, Marie has set up the best 
  ‘club’ in Ubersreik. The top two floors have 
  luxuriously appointed bedrooms, including her own, 
  where her ‘courtesans’ entertain their clients. The 
  ground floor is where guests can dine on 
  sumptuous foods and gamble to their 
  hearts content. The games are not even 
  that loaded, they do not need to be since 
  Marie has come by other, more efficient 
  ways of making a profit. 
  The basement is where her clients may 
  experiment with Black Lotus or 
  whatever drugs they may desire. Since it 
  opened six months ago, Madame 
  Marie’s has become a well-known and 
  welcome secret, particularly to the moneyed classes 
  who comprise her customers.  
  What they don’t know is that Marie makes almost as 
  much money out of the information that her girls 
  elicit from their clients as she does from their normal 
  activities. From her experiences at the Bretonnian 
  court, Marie has taught her girls how to get useful 
  information from their bed partners.  
  Early on in her project, Marie drew the attention of 
  the Guild Master of the Guild of Night Traders. Van 
  Karstner was dazzled by her presence, and quickly 
  agreed to supply the less legal aspects of her 
  business. He also pays well for the 
  information that Marie supplies.  Protection 
  is also supplied  for the usual cut of Marie’s 
  profits.  
  What Marie does not know is that her 
  Hostess, Arlena Hofnauer, who was supplied 
  by the Guild Master, is also van Karstner’s 
  chief assassin. It is difficult to say whether 
  this is because he distrusts Marie or because 
  he is so obsessed by her that he distrusts 
  others around Marie. Even Arlena doesn’t 
  know, and she wouldn’t say anyway. 
  Marie gazed down at the street 
  below. Those damn ‘Reikland 
  Housewives’  were protesting outside 
  again. Looking at them, she could 
  understand why their husbands 
  might want to frequent her 
  establishment, though she doubted 
  they could afford it. Hopefully the 
  Watch would move them on before 
  they disturbed her girls. The 
  Guildmaster was coming tonight. 
  Hopefully he could do something 
  about it, if she could only keep his 
  wandering hands still for a moment 
  for him to listen. Maybe she would 
  try and seduce that local Bright 
  Wizard Alex Schmidt away from his 
  new wife. That would serve his 
  meddling superannuated old cow –
  of-a mother right for leading the 
  protests, the. No!  She would play the 
  long game. A few more years and she 
  would have enough information on 
  the notables of Ubersreik, and their 
  foibles, that she would be able to 
  demand anything. Now if she could 
  only tempt the Graf into her ‘little’ 
  establishment. 
  53
  
   
   
  The only blots on the horizon so far are the lack of the 
  Graf’s presence at her establishment, and the frequent 
  presence outside of the Reikland Housewives for the 
  Increased Punishment of Unruly Youths (See Liber 
  Fanatica VII, Reikland Revolutionaries). Luckily, the 
  latter are only active during the day, but the high 
  pitched noise they create can still disturb the sleep of 
  her girls. Marie has not yet figured out why this group 
  targets her establishment, since the kind of youths the 
  housewives are after can hardly afford her prices. 
   
  If Arlena is beautiful, Marie is beauty itself. 5’ 6” tall, 
  she has a figure that has curves in all the right places. 
  Long, brunette hair and bright blue eyes, she is the 
  most seductive woman the men of Ubersreik can 
  imagine. With full lips and a seductive smile, she 
  could flirt a Dwarf Hold out of his gold. She is always 
  impeccably dressed and perfumed to excite all the 
  senses, whether in polite society or the bedroom. She 
  exudes the class of high nobility with the knowledge 
  of the price of everything. Her age is difficult to 
  determine, possibly late 20’s, early 30’s. 
  The Herties are one of the four great merchant houses 
  in Ubersreik, amongst whom the leadership of the 
  Merchants Guild is contested every year. Led by 
  Gustav Hertie, the family traded extensively with 
  Altdorf, Marienburg, and Bretonnia via the Grey 
  Lady Pass. 
   
  Problems emerged when the von Jungfreuds started 
  their dispute with Auerswald. 
  The blocking of the Teufel 
  and the extra tariffs caused 
  immense damage to the 
  family fortunes. Even though 
  the dispute was swiftly ended 
  with the removal of the von 
  Jungfreuds from Ubersreik,  
  the lost revenues caused a 
  cash flow problem at precisely the wrong moment. 
  Gustav was faced with having to sell most of the 
  families assets to stay in business, causing a loss of 
  their powerbase in Ubersreik. 
   
  Handrich or Ranald answered Gustav’s prayers. When 
  he was in Marienburg trying to raise some loans, a 
  chance encounter with an old acquaintance Leo van 
  Haagen, saved Gustav’s bacon. One of the Ten in 
  Marienburg, the van Haagens are one of the biggest 
  merchant houses. A sizeable proportion of the house 
  revenue comes from smuggling, particularly of goods 
  that the Ten have raised taxes on. 
   
  The following month Gustav set up the Red Claw 
  dock gang to handle the smuggling from the 
  Ubersreik end. Nearly every Hertie convoy from 
  Bretonnia , and most Hertie barges to or from 
  Marienburg and Altdorf, now carry smuggled goods.  
  Even now that the fortunes of the Merchant House are 
  back on an even keel, Gustav shows no sign of giving 
  up the smuggling - it is just too profitable. To keep 
  the chances of being found out even lower, Gustav 
  bought up the debts of a local watch sergeant, Reiner 
  Wilmeier, about eighteen months ago.   
   
  Maybe that manoeuvre has made Gustav complacent, 
  but he is now thinking about using the extra funds to 
  edge out his competition, legally or illegally. One idea 
  given to him by the greenskin problem around the 
  Grey Lady Pass, and the success of the Red Claw 
  gang, is to set up a bandit gang to prey on the wagons 
  of the other major merchant houses  on the 
  Bogenhafen and Dunkelberg roads. Leave some 
  greenskin or beastman corpses 
  around the wrecked wagons 
  and who is going to know of 
  his family’s  involvement? 
  Gustav’s personal agent is 
  already looking into the 
  possibilities, although he is 
  having to stay well away from 
  Ubersreik  in case the Guild of 
  Hertie Merchant Family 
  (Merchants/Smugglers) 
  54
  
   
   
   
  Night Traders get wind of it. To Gustav, Klaus von 
  Rothstein’s wagons from Bogenhafen seem like a 
  good place to start  before moving on to the real 
  competition. Becoming the permanent Guild Master 
  of the Merchant Guild is the least of Gustav’s 
  ambitions now. 
   
  Well into middle age, Gustav has already well trained 
  his son Heinrich in all aspects of the business, both 
  illegal and legal. Highly efficient at both, Heinrich 
  has taken to the illegal side of the business like a duck 
  to water. Gustav’s only worry is that, because of the 
  better profits, Heinrich may concentrate too much on 
  the smuggling and not enough on the legitimate 
  business . 
  Wilhelmina Hartog is the widow of Klaus Hartog – 
  a river barge captain and small time merchant.   
  Wilhelmina grew up in the Winkelmarkt district of 
  Maerienburg as an orphan. Not happy with an 
  orphan’s lot, she hauled herself out of the scum by 
  being a good whore and an excellent pickpocket.  
   
  While working as a prostitute, she met and quickly 
  captivated Klaus Hartog, a river barge owner and 
  captain  from Ubersreik. Unable to live without his 
  ‘Mina’, Klaus married the girl and took her back to 
  Ubersreik, where she quickly started afresh, known 
  only as Klaus’ wife. Unable to have children, they 
  adopted a number of orphaned children from the 
  Temple of Shallya. ‘Mina’ also encouraged her 
  husband to become a merchant as well, so that she 
  could live a life of relative ease and luxury. 
   
  Unfortunately, the whole house of cards came 
  crashing down eleven years ago with Klaus’s death in 
  a beastman attack on his barge. The widow quickly 
  found that Klaus may have been a good barge captain, 
  but he hadn’t been anywhere near as successful as a 
  merchant. By the time she had sold the warehouse 
  and the barge, there was very little money left to live 
  on. So Widow Hartog, as she was now known, went 
  back to picking pockets. Only this time, the pockets 
  were of her dead husband’s fellow merchants. She 
  also found willing 
  recruits for her 
  clandestine activities 
  from the children 
  she had adopted.  
   
  So successful was 
  she at teaching her 
  children her ‘little 
  games,’ that she 
  proceeded to adopt 
  some more from the 
  Shallyans. The very 
  prettiest of the older 
  girls were taught the 
  ways of pleasing men, and one of her protégés now 
  works at Madame Maries Salon. The others she 
  taught to pickpocket, making sure they were far too 
  good to be caught, before letting them out in the 
  richer quarters of town. After all, she has a reputation 
  to maintain . 
   
  With the large house she inherited from her husband 
  in the Artisans quarter near the docks, the Widow has 
  room for over a dozen orphans at any one time. To 
  help look after the children, she took on Birgit Schulz, 
  an embittered ex housekeeper of one of large 
  merchant families. With Birgit’s help, any of the 
  children unsuited for picking pockets are trained to be 
  servants in the houses of noble or merchant alike. 
  However, these ‘servants’ have been trained to tell 
  their ‘mothers’, about anything interesting they may 
  overhear, or anything valuable they may see. Some of 
  the choicer information has proven very useful to the 
  Guild Master.  
   
  Widow Hartog has also kept in touch with her 
  Widow Hartog 
  (Gang Mother/Fence) 
  55
  
   
   
  husband’s old crew and confederates. Because of the 
  large amounts of goods stolen by her ‘children,’   she 
  now exports most of it to Altdorf. The goods are 
  carried by her contacts amongst the boatmen. She 
  also deals in sizable quantities of the better goods 
  stolen by thieves and burglars in Ubersreik east of the 
  river Teufel. 
   
  In her early 40’s, she is still relatively good looking, if 
  in a homely way. 5’ 3” tall, wide hipped and full 
  breasted. She has brown hair, starting to go grey, and 
  brown eyes. She dresses well but plainly.    
  She has very fine, dextrous hands - all the better for 
  relieving merchants from their purses. She is never 
  out without one or two children, dressed slightly 
  better than the street. The Widow is courted by 
  numerous admirers, but despite this, she cannot forget 
  her ‘Klaus’, the one high point in a hard life. 
  The dwarfen community of Ubersreik considers the 
  Dawi, Snorri and Godrin, ‘Gone manling’  ‘Their 
  father, old Rogin, would be dying his hair orange and 
  taking the slayer oath if he could see them now.  
   
  It is Godrin, however, that the Guild has most use for. 
  He fronts as a jeweller, which allows him to carry out 
  his real ‘jobs’. In reality, he 
  has become a master forger, 
  melting down coinage, 
  adding base metal, and then 
  recasting them. The resultant 
  coinage is almost as good as 
  the original, and the increase 
  in quantity considerably 
  swells Guild coffers.  
   
  Godrin also produces base metal and glass copies of 
  jewellery. For this he works with the master burglar 
  Leo ‘the Black Cat’ Koenig, who likes to replace the 
  jewellery of rich merchants and nobles with base 
  metal and glass copies.  
  Leo hates merchants and 
  nobles so much that he 
  takes an almost perverted 
  pleasure in knowing the 
  horror and embarrassment 
  his substitutions will cause 
  in those social circles. The 
  substitution also allows 
  Leo more time to fence the 
  original without trouble 
  from the Watch. 
  Both brothers operate out of the same shop and 
  smithy, which is part of their house in the Artisans 
  quarter. Godrins forging apparatus is hidden in a 
  secret room off the cellar. 
   
  With their beards barely reaching their chests, both 
  are notably unkempt to a dwarfs gaze. Snorri is 4’ 8” 
  tall, while Godrin is 4’ 5” tall. Snorri has got red hair, 
  while Godrin’s is brown. Both have brown eyes. Both 
  dress more like humans than dwarfs, with a notable 
  lack of leather, and flashy, if cheap, clothes.  
   
  Snorri is the smith and would be reasonably well built 
  if he were a manling, but Godrin is notably more 
  puny and weak. Both like nothing more than having a 
  full tankard in one hand, and a manling whore in the 
  other. Godrin even prefers wine to ale. Neither carries 
  more than a dagger, though Snorri has his smith’s 
  hammer when he is at work. 
   
  Snorri & Godrin Roginsson 
  (Blacksmiths/Forgers) 
  56
  
   
   
   
  Much as the Dockworkers Guild master, Big Willi 
  Docker, would hate to admit it, his control of the 
  docks is under serious threat. Factions have appeared 
  in the Dockworkers Guild in the form of two dock 
  gangs, the Red Claw and the White Hand. 
   
  The Red Claw gang operates north of the River 
  Bridge, while the White Hand gang is active south of 
  it. As yet, neither gang has attempted to control the 
  dockworkers in their area. Both seem to concentrate 
  on the smuggling of goods into and out of Ubersreik, 
  yet they have tried recruiting new members in their 
  opponents patch and, thus, to take over part of their 
  opponent’s operation. This has resulted in one or two 
  vicious fights on the docks at night, though so far, the 
  Watch has as yet found no bodies. 
   
  The White Hand gang is the bigger of the two, and 
  the one backed by the Guild of Night Traders. At the 
  moment, they are losing out in the battle to expand 
  territory north of the river bridge. The gang 
  specialises in smuggling untaxed and illegal goods for 
  the Guild of Night Traders, whether Bretonnian 
  brandy or Black Lotus drugs. They have access to the 
  warehouses and barges of both the Guild Master and 
  the merchant Wilhelm von Striebben.  
   
  The gang is led by Hendrik von Klassner, a rather 
  small man for a dockworker, but whose organisational 
  skills make up for his lack of stature. Hendrik is no 
  use in a fight, and his lack of leadership in combat has 
  been a problem in dealing with the Red Claw. 
  Somehow Hendrik has also raised the suspicions of 
  Big Willi Docker that he might be part of the gang 
  problem on the docks.  
   
  The Guild Master is watching closely to see how 
  Hendrik deals with Big Willi and the Red Claw, and 
  Hendrik is getting a little nervous. 5’ 8” tall and of 
  slight build, he is in his mid-thirties, with spectacles, 
  lank greasy blond hair, and 
  brown eyes. His arms have 
  scanty dockworker tattoos. 
  He wears typical docker’s 
  garb, but with a scarf 
  tightly knotted around his 
  throat as if he was afraid 
  somebody was going to slit 
  it. He always seems to 
  have a bill or a shipping 
  manifest in his hands. 
  The Red Claw gang has the advantage of being 
  backed by the Hertie merchant family, and of having 
  the local Watch Sergeant, Reiner Wilmeier, in their 
  back pocket. The Watch sergeant makes sure that the 
  Watch are not around when smuggled goods are being 
  unloaded, and cracks 
  down hard on the White 
  Hand gang and the 
  Dockworkers Guild if 
  they interfere in Red 
  Claw business.  
   
  The Red Claws deal 
  only in untaxed goods 
  that are largely 
  smuggled for the Hertie 
  family. The gang is well 
  supplied and well led by 
  Rolf Manzstein. 
  Manzstein is actually one of Big Willi Dockers 
  friends, and a Dockworker Guild official, but the 
  money earned from smuggling overrides any of his 
  Hertie Merchant Family 
  (Merchants/Smugglers) 
  57
  
   
   
  other loyalties.  
   
  Unlike Hendrik von Klassner, Rolf is 6’ 2” tall, with 
  muscles on muscles. Completely bald, 
  he has a red headed beard that a Dwarf 
  would be proud of and hazel eyes with 
  an almost innocent look. His arms and 
  back have numerous dockworkers 
  tattoos, as well as enough scars to 
  suggest a previous military career. He habitually 
  wears a sleeveless leather jerkin, and loose trousers 
  tucked into boots with a blade (cross between a 
  machete and a falchion) strapped to his waste. He 
  likes to play the innocent lummox, but is anything 
  but. His early career as a mercenary means that he 
  knows how to deal with any White Hand infiltration 
  of his territory, if the Watch don’t deal with it for him. 
   
  Gang symbols:  The White Hand symbol is a palm 
  print in white wash, on whatever is to be marked. The 
  Red Claw symbol is three C’s joined at the top, in red 
  paint, to look like a bloody claw. Neither gang is very 
  big, the White Hand numbering eighteen men in total, 
  the Red Claw only thirteen.    
  Franz Adler is the younger brother of Philip Adler, 
  the Burgomeister of Stromdorf. Unlike Philip, Franz 
  was not cut out for a career as a merchant. Big, fast 
  and strong, Franz joined the army, to get away from 
  his successful older brother, who was also the apple 
  of their parent’s eye. However Franz could never 
  leave his brothers shadow, even the honour of being a 
  Greatsword, was overshadowed by his brothers 
  success as a merchant. This only made his already 
  limited social skills even more blunt and 
  uncompromising. 
   
  Prone to taking risks to get 
  noticed, Franz’s luck 
  finally ran out when he 
  lost his left hand fighting 
  Black Orcs in the Grey 
  Lady Pass. Loath to lose a 
  good man, the Army 
  turned Franz, on his 
  recovery, into an 
  instructor for the 
  Ubersreik garrison. With a 
  shield strapped to his left 
  arm and a sword in his 
  good right hand, he could still best most of his old 
  colleagues, and certainly all new recruits. Captain 
  Erwin Blucher also found that Franz had some of his 
  brother’s abilities, and also promoted him to 
  Quartermaster, in charge of the garrison’s armoury 
  and stores. 
   
  Still intensely jealous of his brother’s wealth and 
  success, it was Franz who approached the Guild of 
  Night Traders, with a proposition. Loot from the 
  garrison’s shadier practices needed fencing, and there 
  was always equipment and black powder that could 
  go amiss, with the right paperwork. Likewise Franz 
  could keep the Guild informed of any garrison sweeps 
  through the area, looking for bandits etc. He has even 
  been known to act as one of the Guilds enforcers on 
  his nights off, when well-trained muscle is needed, 
  and has also trained some of the Guilds thugs in basic 
  weapon skills.  
   
  Needless to say, Philip Adler’s marriage to a von 
  Jungfreud, and his elevation to Burgomeister of 
  Stromdorf did not go down well with Franz. Still he 
  put on a supportive front and looked pleased for his 
  brother. Funnily enough his brother’s difficulties and 
  seclusion in the last year have capped off a very 
  satisfying year for Franz. Not liking Philips neglect, 
  and positively hating sodden Stromdorf, his wife has 
  Sergeant Franz Adler 
  (Corrupt Garrison Quartermaster 
  58
  
   
   
   
  been spending much of her time in Ubersreik. There 
  she has taken the strong, rough hued Franz as her 
  lover, delighting in the total difference in the two 
  brothers. Franz is positively revelling in his revenge 
  on his older brother.  
   
  In his late 30’s, 6’ tall, Franz has no spare flesh at all. 
  He is muscled without being muscle bound, but has 
  lost his left hand at the wrist. Typical veteran soldier, 
  of reasonably good breeding, that has seen it all, and 
  become suitably cynical. With blond hair and blue 
  eyes, he would be considered very handsome if it 
  were not for the scars of his many campaigns.  
   
  He has a cynical turn to the mouth and hard eyes, and 
  a line in caustic language that would strip the flesh off 
  the backs of young recruits who get things wrong. 
  Habitually wears full mail when on duty, as well as a 
  sword, and a shield strapped to his left arm. When 
  working for the guild, he wears a padded mail shirt, 
  and uses a short sword.  
  Reiner Wilmeier is an Ubersreiker born and bred. In 
  fact the only time he has spent outside the Reikland, 
  was the two years he spent in the army. He left the 
  army a hero, but the truth was very different.  
  Never blessed with an abundance of willpower, 
  Reiner froze in his first and last battle.  His garrison 
  unit had been sent out from their cushy posting, to 
  deal with a minor beastman problem.  
   
  That minor problem turned out to be a major raid. 
  When faced with a charging wargor and its 
  bodyguards, Reiner froze, but his colleagues fled. 
  Although he was smashed to the ground, his defence 
  no match for the wargor, Reiner was saved by 
  charging Reiksguard Knights, who had arrived in the 
  nick of time. Declared a hero for standing, when his 
  unit fled, Reiner quickly left the army before his real 
  nature could be exposed. 
   
  Trading on his reputation as a hero, Reiner wangled a 
  place in Ubersreiks Watch, as a Sergeant. He figured 
  that the Watch wouldn’t be sent out against 
  frightening monsters. He could deal with drunks and 
  irate dockers, but orcs and wargors he didn’t want to 
  face ever again.  
   
  Reiner now 
  commands the Watch 
  station on the west 
  bank of the Teufel, 
  near the northern 
  river gate. In the 
  eight years he has 
  been running the 
  station, Reiner has 
  run a tight ship, 
  keeping his section 
  of the docks 
  relatively free from 
  trouble. 
   
  However, much like his army career, all is not as it 
  seems. His lack of willpower has meant that Reiner 
  has gotten badly into debt to the wrong kind of 
  people. His love of loose women, and gambling soon 
  accumulated considerable debts. He is in the pocket 
  of both the Red Claw dock gang and also the Hertie 
  merchant family.  
   
  Whenever either has smuggled cargoes coming in, 
  Reiner makes sure that the Watch are elsewhere. 
  Lately he has gone so far as to intervene, so that the 
  Dockers guild cannot interfere in the Red Claw 
  operations. Big Willi Docker, the head of the 
  Dockworkers Guild, has complained recently to 
  Captain Andrea Pfeffer, the head of the Watch, about 
  Reiner’s watch station. However the Captain is as yet 
  Sergeant Reiner Wilmeier 
  (Corrupt Watch Sergeant) 
  59
  
   
   
  Whenever either has smuggled cargoes coming in, 
  Reiner makes sure that the Watch are elsewhere. 
  Lately he has gone so far as to intervene, so that the 
  Dockers guild cannot interfere in the Red Claw 
  operations. Big Willi Docker, the head of the 
  Dockworkers Guild, has complained recently to 
  Captain Andrea Pfeffer, the head of the Watch, about 
  Reiner’s watch station.  
   
  However, the Captain is as yet unconcerned. Until 
  Big Willi can come up with some concrete evidence, 
  or bodies start to pollute the Teufel, she will give 
  Reiner, and his station, the benefit of the doubt. 
      
  Reiner is a big ungainly man, 6’5” tall, more ox than 
  whippet. Particularly handsome, he tries to keep 
  himself neat and tidy and takes pride in his uniform. 
  His build, blond hair and big brown eyes, have been 
  known to turn a ladies gaze. Unfortunately his social 
  skills are more Docks than Hill. Reiner has no 
  willpower, particularly with women and gambling. 
   
  His hero status has proven useful, but somehow it still 
  troubles his conscience. However, his conscience has 
  more to worry about, with the hold the smugglers 
  have over him. He wants to keep the Watch Captains 
  gaze away from him, and the gangs off his back as 
  much as possible, so he is always watching his back. 
  Reiner is all front. It is surprising that so few people 
  have penetrated that front. Faced with a really terrible 
  monster, Reiner would be running faster than his men. 
  Never out of his watch uniform, he wears a 
  breastplate, and carries a longsword, and wheel lock  
  Pistol 
   
  1 Turf Wars 
  An interesting introduction to Ubersreik for a party 
  would be to arrive by river boat or barge at the docks 
  on a foul night, to witness an altercation between the 
  White Hand and Red Claw dock gangs, over a 
  smuggled cargo one gang is unloading. 
   
  The White Hands are the larger gang, but they tend to 
  go for guile and subtlety, so would tend to attack from 
  the shadows and use ambushes. However, von 
  Klassner, observing from the back, may be looking 
  for more than guile and subtlety and perhaps might 
  want some brute force to supplement his gang to 
  change his failing tactics. 
   
  The Red Claws are all about brute strength and 
  intimidation to make up for their lack of numbers. 
  Manzstein fights in the front rank and is always 
  looking for new muscle to supplement the gang. 
  However, even he realises that brute strength and 
  intimidation only go so far and may be looking for 
  more subtle types to give him an edge. 
   
  In case the party wish to get involved in criminal 
  activities from the start, the relative differences 
  between the gangs and their leaders may make one 
  gang more appealing to a party than the other, 
  Depending on which gang they support they may get 
  an entry into either the Guild of Night Traders or the 
  Hertie merchant family. 
   
  Alternatively, they could use their knowledge of both 
  gangs to gain favours from the Watch for their 
  information, or from Big Willi Docker at the 
  Dockworkers Guild, for the same reason. However,, 
  for obvious reasons,  they will have to watch out for 
  Reiner Wilmeier at the watch house on the Docks, 
  and Big Willi will want proof that Manzstein is part 
  of the troubles on the docks, as he is a friend. 
  Plot Hooks 
  60
  
   
   
   
   
  2 The Edge of the Criminal Empire 
   
  This plot makes a radical change to ‘Edge of Night’. 
  In this version, the Guild of Night Traders has 
  decided that having a Graf at all would be bad for 
  business and so are going to sabotage all three noble’s 
  chances at the ball. This also allows a GM to get rid 
  of the Skaven and replace them with Guild members.  
   
  Both Christoph Engel and Florian Pfeifraucher are 
  working for the Guild in their mischief making, even 
  though the latter is part of the Saponatheim party.    
   
  Madame Marie Blanchefleur should also be 
  substituted for Lorith Silverleaf, as both women have 
  a similar effect. In fact, Madame Marie can be used 
  by GMs to occupy the attention of PCs who have 
  been too effective in thwarting the guilds plans, 
  during the evening.   
   
  Likewise, the attempts to ‘poison’ various parts of the 
  Ball (always with emetics, not warpstone) are always 
  done by servants coerced by the Guild, except for the 
  skaven plot 3 & 4 incidents which are done by Leo 
  Koenig. Leo Koenig is also behind skaven plot 5, 
  where he throws a particularly vicious smoke 
  grenade, through the window of the ballroom. This 
  has the same effect as the Skaven warpstone mortar, 
  but without the warpstone poisoning.  
   
  The murdered noble found at a quarter to eleven is 
  Wolfgang von Falkenhayn, who was poisoned by 
  Arlena Hofnauer, after he witnesses her passing the 
  emetics to Koenig outside in the garden earlier in the 
  evening.  
   
  The event at eleven o’clock will have Arlena 
  Hofnauer using the Twisting Words action against 
  Lord Aschaffenberg.  
   
  The event at a quarter to midnight will have, instead 
  of Saponatheim, a coerced servant with the same 
  abilities as in the original version trying to plant the 
  chaos card.  
   
  The party may only suspect Gunther van Karstein’s 
  involvement if they witness him tipping the wink to a 
  coerced servant, Madame Marie or Arlena Hofnauer, 
  twice during the evening. However, these are 
  daunting observation checks. They can happen at the 
  GM’s discretion. 
   
  If Koenig is followed back to the lair through the 
  sewers, they will find Koenig, an apprentice grey 
  wizard (associate of Christoph Engel) and gang 
  members, equivalent to 6 ruffians and two soldiers, 
  suitably equipped. Hofnauer will have changed into 
  her assassin gear and will follow the party and cause 
  suitable amounts of damage to the party after they 
  enter the lair, attacking from the shadows. Koenig can 
  escape if you want to use him again, and Hofnauer 
  will definitely retreat if the fight goes against her 
  confederates. Instead of the warpstone laboratory, 
  there should be a large amount of smuggled goods 
  which can act as great cover for Koenig. The players 
  can either hand over the goods to the authorities, or 
  try and sell them with the Guild out for their blood.  
   
  If the party thwart the Guild plot and advance their 
  noble to the position of Graf, then they will have 
  made a serious enemy of the Guild.  
   
   
   
   
  61
  
   
   
   
  62
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  by Sean Connors 
   
  This article is meant to cover secret signs that can 
  be woven easily into a campaign. Major criminal 
  organizations have networks of spies, information 
  gatherers and agents, who communicate both 
  overtly and covertly.  This article presents three 
  covert ways by which organizations this: hand 
  signs, ciphers, and marks.  
   
  Hand Signs 
    
  Hand signs are primarily a visual sign code which 
  can be done both secretly and openly, but usually 
  without arousing suspicion. The key principles to 
  the code are sign language, as it can be fairly easily 
  taught to all in the Empire and grows as the person 
  gets deeper into an organization.   
   
  Hand signs can be simple or complicated and are 
  accomplished by using combinations of hand 
  motions. For example: if you point to an eye, then 
  the top of your head, and then at someone that 
  would mean eye (I) top of head (know) pointing at 
  someone (you). Another example:  Fist clenched 
  turning whole hand left then right quickly (means 
  opening a lock). 
   
  Entire sentences of code can be created as 
  necessary. For example, the GM may describe two 
  people who appear to be communicating secretly 
  over distance in a crowded bar: One is seated the 
  other standing. The first, who is seated, points to 
  both his knee’s (need help) if had been one knee it 
  would mean something else. The other tap’s the 
  side of his temple (what) with one finger twice 
  (can) and then rub’s his eye with it (do). Replying 
  the seated man strokes with two fingers his chin 
  (meaning two men) and then thumps the table 
  meaning (fighters) and shouts drink barkeep which 
  has no actual other meaning except to keep one 
  from getting thirty. See the following page for 
  another,  illustrated example.  
   
  The benefit of hand signs is that a person does not 
  require the use of the Education skill. In game play, 
  the GM can develop as simple or in-depth process 
  as he wants. Learning Hand Signs requires a 
  character be trained in the Guile skill. Members of 
  an organization can interpret their group’s hand 
  signs with a simple Guile check. Interpreting a 
  sign for an organization you do not belong to is a 
  hard or daunting Guile check. 
    
  The Cipher 
   
  The cipher is a simple to use, but sophisticated 
  cryptographic method to hide a message. Reading 
  and writing Ciphers require that the character have 
  the Education skill acquired, as creation and 
  deciphering of a cipher commonly involves a 
  guidebook or a print wheel. Criminal organizations 
  typically employ scribes to create and interpret 
  ciphers. 
  Secret Signs 
  63
  
   
   
   
  64
  
   
   
   
  A simple cipher is simply a code where a symbol 
  or letter is substituted with another letter.  A simple 
  guide is all that is required in this case. For 
  example, if the guide is that letters are shifted two-
  forwards, A=c, B=d, C=e, etc.  Altdorf would be 
  listed as: Cnvfqth. 
   
  More complicated ciphers may reference books or 
  encode messages into a sentence. When a code is 
  given using references to words in a printed book, 
  references may be made to word and page 
  numbers. For example, if the first number is 2 and 
  the second number 30, what could mean, 
  effectively, is page 2, word 30 in The Life of 
  Sigmar. When using a cipher system like this in a 
  campaign, it might be a fantastic idea to have a 
  roleplay book to be used use as a prop for such a 
  purpose. 
   
  However, there is another unique way to use this 
  for the criminal empire. First, take a sentence that 
  you want to use, and then write a letter with those 
  words in it. As long as the letter makes sense, no 
  matter how odd or weird it might read, it is a 
  fantastic way to hide a cipher. 
   
  The benefits of the cipher to a large organization 
  are massive because, even in a mass produced 
  proclamation, a hidden message can be given. As 
  you ponder this, consider the following: what if 
  this proclamation contained more than one cipher, 
  one for the criminal empire members and one for 
  its own hierarchy...    
    
  Here is a longer example cypher: 
    
  Sir, 
  its time to (remove) those old garments and 
  change (them) one and (all).I have included 
  with this letter a sum of money to buy new 
  ones.I hope this letter finds you (and) your 
  family well.I would like you to (return) with all 
  haste (to) the town of (ubersreik) and you will 
  be my guest at my plush town house once you 
  arrive.Once you are there i will (tell) you some 
  exciting news about (dieter) my older brother 
  you remember the one who married that (smith) 
  girl. Anyway i know the time we will have will 
  be limited but i need a small (service) from you, 
  but i will keep that as a surprise for now. Well 
  my friend this is all i have time for but soon 
  when everything is in place and (done) i will 
  have more time to write. 
    
  Your benefactor, 
    
  When you put the number cypher in 5 11 14 35 44 
  48 53 74 80 91,109,140 
    
  Deciphered, the message reads: remove them all 
  and return to ubersreik tell dieter smith job done. 
    
  In game play, the GM can create complicated 
  ciphers to hand to players or just play it out in-
  game. The utilization of ciphers requires the ability 
  to read and write, which means that a character 
  doing so must have at least acquired the Education 
  advanced skill. Specialization in Logic will grant 
  additional bonus dice. 
    
  Members of an organization with a guidebook can 
  create or interpret their group’s ciphers with a 
  simple Education check as long as they have the 
  correct guidebook or key. Interpreting a cipher for 
  an organization you do not belong to or without a 
  guidebook is a daunting Education check and 
  may be re-tried once per Act. 
    
   
   
   
  65
  
   
   
   
  Marks 
  A major communication resource of the criminal 
  empire is the use of marks.  It is important for an 
  organization to be able to identify what is theirs and 
  what is someone elses, so marks are commonly used 
  (usually covertly). 
   
  The tattoos of a dockers’ gang, coin altering by 
  forgers, and tick-marks on smugglers’ barrels of 
  goods are the most common types of marks. 
   
  There are also more complicated types of marks that 
  can be used to tell where an item came from and 
  where it is going. For example, an organization may 
  employ a forger-smith to mark a cart wheel or 
  change its design. The smith may slightly alter a 
  maker’s-mark on a tool, wheel or horse shoe. This 
  type of information can be used to tell others 
  various bits of information. 
   
  Let’s look at the use of complicated marks in more 
  detail. Imagine that a large merchant house was 
  having some of its carts repaired. The smith could 
  easily mark or change the wheel’s using a simple 
  symbol, lets say a star in this case. The criminal 
  empire now knows that, if that particular cart leaves 
  town, what direction they went in. Also, by knowing 
  what towns lie in that direction, this gives fantastic 
  intelligence of what might be on board.  Now it is a 
  much easier job to keep tabs on that group. It is not 
  without its issues; we all know how bad the weather 
  can be throughout the empire; however, it is still 
  very good. Setting up ambushes or smuggling 
  becomes that little bit easier simply because you 
  know direction, distance and the best points to 
  launch an attack, or an ambush. Even the wonderful 
  art of subterfuge can be used to guide those soldiers 
  away from the real job and buy your men more 
  time. If you also consider how a smith could make 
  adaptions to equipment – things like hidden 
  compartments or even the fact the equipment is well 
  made – their value to a criminal empire is massive. 
  In gameplay, members of an organization can 
  recognize their own marks with a simple Guile 
  check. Identifying the mark of an organization you 
  are not a member of requires a hard Observation 
  check to find and a hard or even daunting Guile 
  check to identify or read, depending on the 
  circumstances. 
   
   
  Use of Hand Signals, Ciphers, and Marks 
  by non-criminal organizations. 
   
  The GM should be reminded that secret signs are 
  not employed by criminal organizations alone, but 
  they are widely used by legitimate organizations and 
  creatures as well. The Witch Hunters have marks for 
  towns that they advise others to keep an eye on for 
  Chaos. Scribes and agitators sometimes make secret 
  (and oftentimes humorous comments) in the 
  documents they peddle, just like some playwrights 
  and poets who use allegory to mask their true 
  message. The Skaven, of course, are notorious for 
  their use of marks on subterranean walls. Soldiers 
  mark their property and hunters use silent hand 
  signals while hunting game.  The GM should 
  modify the check to read and interpret non-criminal 
  signs according to what seems logical. 
   
   
   
   
    
  66
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Wanted 
   
  A WFRP3 Scenario  
   
  If you intend to participate in the 
  adventure as a player,  
  DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. 
  The following information is for the 
  Game Master’s eyes only. 
  67
  
   
   
   
  Wanted is the first part of The Master of Shadows-
  campaign. It is intended to be run as the first scenario 
  of the PCs, but with some work, it can work as an 
  independent adventure.  
   
  It is possible to run this scenario with only the 
  WFRP3 Core Box (or Player's Guide), but it is 
  recommended that the GM has access at least to Liber 
  Infectus and the Revenant-scenario in Liber Fanatica 
  VII (available at the Liber Fanatica website). GMs 
  desiring more information or maps on Ubersreik can 
  find these in the Edge of Night -adventure supplement 
  and the article Ubersreik by Night in the present 
  volume.  
   
  In addition, the Night’s Dark Masters – a Guide to 
  Vampires, a WFRP 2nd edition supplement,  and the 
  Vampire Counts (2008, 7th ed.) armybook for 
  Warhammer Fantasy Battle could also prove useful.  
   
  A range of necessary cards, maps and handouts are 
  provided in the separate Pullout Section of this 
  volume, but it is expected that GMs come up with 
  descriptions for many of the locations and NPCs. 
   
  Wanted is deliberately a very difficult and open 
  scenario and, as such, it is recommended for groups 
  with experience in roleplaying games. Some things 
  are left open for the GM's interpretation, and it is 
  Using this Scenario 
  Wanted 
  Part I of  
  The Master of Shadows  
  Campaign 
   
  By Sean Connors and Lauri Maijala 
  You have always paid your taxes, worked hard, and above all been a law 
  abiding citizen. Why do you get the feeling that today is going to be a bad day?  
  Chapter 1:  
  Introduction 
  68
  
   
   
   
   
  advised that the GM changes things as seen fit to 
  better suit group's needs and playing style. The story 
  arc starts quite constrained but quickly opens up to 
  allow a broad range of options considering the paths 
  the players might take.  
   
  One Night in a Tavern by the Riverside 
  A little over ten years ago, a former river pirate made 
  a drunken boast in a shady tavern in Suiddock, 
  Marienburg. He declared that his former captain was 
  know running a successful slave mine under the city 
  of Ubersreik and that they had actually found not only 
  ore but also some stranger substance – a small vein of 
  black rock that had an eerie greenish shimmer.  
   
  Next morning, that same pirate was found floating 
  bloodless in a canal; the news of a warpstone find had 
  reached the ears of the Master of Shadows. 
   
  Facilius the Assassin 
  Facilius is one step away from achieving a life's 
  ambition - becoming part of the Shadow’s Hand.  
   
  It all started on the mean streets of Marienburg at the 
  turn of the 26th century. A small boy then, Facilius 
  made a name for himself as being able to gather large 
  amounts of information quickly. From these humble 
  beginnings he soon caught the eye of the Shadow’s 
  Hand, rising in its ranks as a trusted lurker for the 
  Master of Shadows.  
   
  A little over ten years ago Facilius was sent to 
  Ubersreik to infiltrate a considerable criminal 
  operation, called the Family which run most of the 
  criminal activity on that area. Even though this was 
  not his true calling, Facilius was eager to please his 
  unseen master and departed from Marienburg to 
  Reikland. 
   
  Infiltrating the Family was 
  not an easy task to do but 
  Facilius was not one to 
  give up. A few years was 
  nothing compared to the 
  prize that would await him 
  in Marienburg. However 
  those years were hard on 
  him and he amassed a 
  huge personal debt to 
  certain dwarven money-
  lender and his associates, 
  namely the Family.  
   
  After ten years of very successful work for the local 
  Crime Lord, Facilius finally received a word from the 
  Wasteland. A message from the Shadow's Hand 
  reached him telling him that after fulfilling a short list 
  of names he would be allowed to return to 
  Marienburg as a member of the Shadow's Hand.   
   
  Facilius is now only a few easy marks away from 
  fulfilling his goal. Unlucky for him the last names on 
  his list include the player characters... 
   
  The Master of Shadows and the Shadow’s 
  Hand 
  The Master of Shadows, or the Shadow Lord, is an 
  ancient vampire who runs a massive criminal empire 
  from the very heart of Marienburg. Over the centuries 
  of unnatural existence, he has grown so strong that he 
  now threatens the very fabric that hold the Old World 
  together.  
   
  Shadow's Hand is the inner circle of assassins, crime 
  lords and spies in the service of the Shadow Lord, and 
  they count amongst his most trusted lieutenants. Most 
  of them have no idea about the true identity of their 
  master nor the fact that he is actually a vampire. 
  Some of them have made educated inquiries and 
  disappeared.  
   
  Adventure Background 
  69
  
   
   
  During this first episode of this campaign, the Master 
  of Shadows or the Shadows Hand are not encountered 
  directly; he and his servants will be explored in more 
  detail over the full course of the campaign. For more 
  information about the Master of Shadows, consult the 
  Vampire Counts armybook for Warhammer Fantasy 
  Battle (2008: p. 24) 
   
  The Family 
  The Criminal Empire of Ubersreik is cal-
  led The Guild of the Night Traders (see 
  Ubersreik by Night at p. 49). Within this 
  organization, there is a sinister clique that 
  is simply called “The Family”. Some say 
  this is because of a Tilean heritage but 
  most people – mainly those who wish to 
  stay alive – keep their mouths shut about 
  the whole thing and pretend it does not 
  exist.See more on the The Family and its cruel leader, 
  Tavaris, on page 83.  
   
  The Family is a fervently secretive organization 
  wrapped in shadows, lies and deception; every 
  burglar, thief and thug knows it is only the matter of 
  sizable enough bounty that turns a known friend into 
  a known snitch.  
   
  The ways of Ranald are not the ways of the Family, 
  although they are not so foolish as to openly defy the 
  cult. It is not just that giving a coin to a god is a coin 
  away from the thief's purse, but that following the 
  ways of Ranald sometimes seems too limiting for an 
  organization that is lays claim to its territory, to a 
  great degree, by the threat of brutal violence. 
  Furthermore, since there are quite many dwarfs 
  working for the Family, it is also considered more 
  expedient not to mix religion and business. 
  Current Crime Lord of the family is known simply as 
  Tavaris. He is an obese man who does not like to be 
  seen. He runs a tight back of criminals and expects 
  everybody to do their bit and follow the orders. 
   
  The premise to Wanted is a simple one. The 
  characters are on an assassin’s death list. The reasons 
  for this are not important considering this scenario, so 
  the details are left up to the 
  GM. It might not actually be 
  the characters' fault but 
  whatever the reasons - they 
  are on it.  
  Facilius has been tracking his 
  list down for some time and 
  is on the verge of fulfilling 
  his life’s ambition – 
  becoming a fully fledged 
  assassin and a member of the 
  Shadow's Hand inner circle. 
  With only a handful of names left what could go 
  wrong?  
   
  Expected Adventure Course of Play 
  
  The characters start in a staggered way, split into 
  two groups. 
  
  After an unsuccessful assassination attempt, the 
  surviving characters find information about a 
  death list they are on. 
  
  Following the last names on the list leads the 
  group to the remaining characters. 
  
  After the second assassination attempt, the 
  characters have a chance to confront their 
  Nemesis only to find out that he was merely a 
  hired sword. 
  
  Following the leads the characters journey to 
  Ubersreik, where they will have the chance of 
  investigating the bounty on their head. 
  
  The characters will be forced to act on behalf of 
  the Family. 
  
  Eventually, the players are confronted by several 
  difficult moral choices in their attempt to strike 
  against the criminal empire. 
   
   
  The Synopsis 
  The Vampire Prophecy  
   
  Those GMs familiar with The Thousand 
  Thrones, a Black Industries campaign for 
  WFRP2, may also be familiar with the 
  Vampire Prophecies. As the current 
  assumption about WFRP3's place on the 
  Old World timeline is situated pre-
  WFRP2, it could be that the Master of 
  Shadows has studied the prophecies and 
  interpret them so that he has gained 
  knowledge about the characters.  
  70
  
   
   
   
  The campaign uses a special 
  Investigation Sheet provided 
  with this scenario. It is similar to 
  the Liber Mutatis and Nemesis-
  sheets provided with GM's 
  Toolkit (either of which is not 
  required). The Investigation 
  Sheet is referred to throughout 
  the campaign, but it is left to the 
  GM to decide whether the sheet 
  is visible to the players or not.  
   
  The Wanted-party sheet 
  is for the characters to 
  take when instructed in 
  the text. It is not required 
  for them to take it though 
  – it only presents an 
  option. 
   
  In addition, GMs are 
  encouraged to use any suitable Location Cards they 
  have at hand from the supplements like The Edge of 
  Night. Some locations, items and NPCs, however, are 
  covered with additional cards provided in the Pullout 
  Section for this scenario, which also includes a 
  number of maps and building layouts.  
  The Characters 
  This campaign is designed for 4+ characters. It can 
  be run with fewer characters, but some adjustments 
  are needed towards the beginning of the scenario .  
   
  The campaign assumes that all PCs are human and 
  come from Bronze Tier citizens of Reikland. It is 
  also recommended that all characters have at least 
  two of the following Career Traits: Menial, Rural, 
  Rogue. If not, the combat difficulty could prove to be 
  quite low.  
   
  Two Groups 
  The characters start in two different 
  groups; ideally, the second group will 
  not be present at during the first 
  encounter, but this is not mandatory. 
  The groups should be of similar size 
  and both should include at least one 
  experienced roleplayer.  
   
  From both groups, a character should be chosen to 
  work as a link between the groups.  
   
  Connection Characters 
  These two characters will be connected either 
  through their job, the fact that they are 
  related, or whatever fact the players come up 
  with. The map provided shows the areas 
  around Ubersreik, and the players of the first 
  group should choose a home town to start 
  from.  
   
  Party Identity 
  As the group is not fully formed yet, no Party Sheet 
  can be chosen at this time. 
   
  Replacement Characters 
  As this scenario presents a story highly involved with 
  the starting characters, it is recommended that the 
  GM introduces possible replacement characters early 
  one so that they can be taken into use should a 
  character die.  
   
  The replacement characters could have a personal 
  hook into the story (maybe they also were on the 
  list), they could have a personal vendetta for the 
  Family or maybe they would just like to experience 
  the thrill of high adventures. The details are left to 
  GM as long as it is considered that the time frame of 
  the scenario is limited. 
  Tools & Resources 
  Starting the Campaign 
  71
  
   
   
   
   
   
  When the campaign begins the characters are going 
  on about their usual day-to-day lives. They have been 
  traveling from their home town for half a day using a 
  horse and cart and are fast approaching the delivery 
  point. The back of the cart is laden with bushels of 
  rye.  
   
  The characters are performing a service for a patron 
  that could be one of their fathers, a burgomeister or 
  bailiff of their home village or someone else that 
  works with their (social) background. 
   
  In the small town of Buchendorf the characters of the 
  First Group have just begun unloading the rye. They 
  were told that Sven Tragarin’s (local merchant) barn 
  (B1 on the map below) would be left open and as they 
  arrive they do indeed find the barn open. 
  Act 1: a Thankless Job 
  The barn is a solid building and obviously quite old. 
  The double wooden doors to it are very small. The 
  cart is too big to fit through the doors. So, the bushels 
  must be unloaded by hand. 
   
  While the characters are taking the rye to the barn, 
  Facilius sneak from behind a hill with three of his 
  mercenaries. They wait for all of the characters to 
  enter the barn before attacking. When all of the 
  characters are inside the building, move to Act 2: A 
  Seemingly Random Encounter. 
   
  Act 2: A Seemingly Random Encounter 
  Suddenly, three masked men enter the barn. The 
  characters have one chance of succeeding in Average 
  (2d) Observation (Int) check – failing gives the 
  attackers __ to Initiative Roll and the characters are 
  caught without their weapons 
   
  Facilius has hired these men loyal to the Family to do 
  his bidding. The attackers are hardly expecting any 
  resistance and will use crossbows during the first 
  round of combat and exchange to their swords when 
  confronted in close combat. The attackers use the 
  Soldiers profile from Tome of Adventures. Each of 
  them is armed with a superior 
  quality hand weapon (that give 
  them __ to Weapon Skill checks) 
  and crossbow and has Weapon Skill 
  trained. 
   
  While fighting, the characters spot 
  a shadowy figure watching the fight 
  from a safe distance. Confident in 
  the strength and experience of his 
  hirelings, Facilius will leave almost 
  as soon as the fight begins. It is 
  critical he is seen and heard by the 
  players, but he must escape.  
   
  Chapter II:  
  The List 
  Episode 1 – Backstabbing in 
  Buchendorf 
  72
  
   
   
   
   As the fight continues he shouts to his men: 
  “Remember! No loose ends. See you at the 
  farmstead!” After this he will calmly leave on foot. 
  While leaving, he accidentally drops a letter that at 
  least one of the PCs will see. He will head to the 
  nearby woods on route to this next job without 
  noticing that the letter is missing.  
   
  When characters have overcome the attackers move 
  to Act 3: Wanted! 
   
  Act 3: Wanted! 
  All of the attackers carry a small amount of coins 
  each (5s each in various different coins) and are 
  armed with swords of superior quality. These swords 
  bear their maker’s mark – an insignia that looks like a 
  waxing crescent moon under a clenched fist.  
   
  The letter that was dropped contains information 
  about the player characters in the form of drawings 
  and very detailed information about their whereabouts 
  over the last few months. It is clear from these 
  sketches that the characters are wanted dead. No 
  reward amount is mentioned. There is also 
  information about other people who are wanted dead. 
  Most of them seem to be eliminated as they are 
  already crossed out but there are still a few names 
  left.  
   
  Going after the masked stranger bears little fruit. 
  Facilius has a horse hidden in a small cluster of trees 
  nearby, and after reaching it, he heads out to the 
  farmstead where he was supposed to meet with his 
  gang after they had finished the characters.  
   
  Facilius realizes that something has gone wrong when 
  some (or all) of his gang do not make it to the 
  farmstead. If the characters track the horse, they will 
  most likely reach the farm. They are, however, too 
  late as Facilius is already rising from the ground with 
  his huge hot-air balloon. Any character with a 
  knowledge of the local surroundings can estimate that 
  he is heading towards Halheim. If the characters do 
  not follow the horse-prints, they will notice the 
  balloon rising from the woods and guess where he is 
  going. 
   
  They'll Know We Are Coming 
  After the fight, some of the characters could be 
  injured or worse – dead. They certainly don’t have the 
  time to rest but if they still will advance the Alertness 
  Tracker forward one step for every two days. Also, if 
  any of the attackers got away, advance the Alertness 
  Track one step. 
   
  For finding the letter and noticing the distinctive mark 
  on the blades, advance the Investigation Tracker one 
  step for both.  
   
  Fighting at the Barn  
  The fight at the barn starts the whole campaign so it 
  should be memorable. The dices should support the 
  story and add various hazards and fortunate events to 
  it. Possible examples include: 
  ^ — A passing character hears the noise and 
  investigates, coming to help the characters. 
  & —  The players weapon breaks or is damaged.  
  73
  
   
   
   
  74
  
   
   
   
   Act 3: Confronting the Militia 
  When characters decide to confront the 
  militia (either by talking or attacking), 
  build of progress tracker with eight 
  spaces with encounter space in the 
  fourth and eight spaces. Use one 
  tracking counter that starts from the first 
  space and advances one step each 
  round. On first encounter space, the 
  characters of the First Group will get to 
  the scene. Facilius sees them and makes 
  a run for it.  
   
  If the characters follow him, continue to Episode 3a - 
  Up, up and away! He can be tracked and followed as 
  long as the tracker reaches the second encounter 
  phase. If there is nobody following him, he will 
  disappear for a moment. In this case move to Episode 
  3b: Is It a Plane? 
   
  Convincing the militia that they should let the people 
  inside the farm go requires a Hard (3) Charm (Fel) 
  check with _ from Facilius, who is still trying to get 
  the job done. After he leaves, the penalty is removed. 
   
  Fighting the five soldiers is also an option, but this 
  will lead into a investigation by the bailiff of Halheim 
  and a warrant for the characters for killing men of the 
  crown. If convicted for this, the punishment can only 
  be of the most severe kind. 
  Act 1: Not a Weather Balloon 
  Following Facilius through Reikwald is quite easy 
  and should require no skill checks. In the woods, a 
  few hundred feet from the house is a clearing (use 
  appropriate card if necessary).  
   
  A large balloon with a massive basket attached is 
  waiting for him. On board are the remainder of his 
  mercenaries. 
  Act 2: A Fight in the 
  Clouds 
  Once the characters reach 
  the basket, Facilius and his 
  two mercenaries can try to 
  attack them and stop them 
  from gaining entrance. 
   After all the characters are 
  climbing up ropes as the 
  balloon gains height and are 
  being shot at by Facilius 
  and his men. Climbing into 
  the basket requires a Hard 
  (3d) Athletics (Str) check.  
  A fall from the height of the balloon  at that point will 
  almost certainly cause instant death. Those who make 
  the climb will now face Facilius and his men directly. 
  As there is no place to flee Facilius and both of his 
  men will fight to death. 
   
  Use the Ruffian (or Soldier) information for Facilius’ 
  gang. They both have similar superior hand weapons 
  as the leading ruffian in Episode 1 (page ##). 
   
  For Facilius himself, use either the template for an 
  agent from Liber Fanatica VII (pg74) and adapt it as 
  you see fit or Cult Leader from ToA (page 55) adding 
  Weapon Skill as trained. 
   
  Episode 3a – Up, up and Away! 
  Climbing the Ropes 
   
  While the characters try to reach 
  the balloon the ruffians on board 
  are trying to cut down ropes. 
   
  %  % – one the passengers hits the 
  character with a crossbow bolt that 
  deals 7 damage. 
   
  & — the character falls either due his 
  own fault or by trying to climb a rope 
  that is cut.  
  75
  
   
   
   
  76
  
   
   
   
   
  situation. This should be run as social roleplaying as 
  characters are now forming their party (and the 
  players get to choose their Party Sheet). A special 
  Wanted Party Sheet is introduced with this scenario 
  for possible use. 
   
  What Next? 
  The clues all point to Ubersreik. How difficult the 
  journey to the city will be is left to GM. Given what 
  the characters  have been through, describing the 
  weather conditions might be enough. But if the 
  characters have managed to get this far without a 
  scratch there are always some goblins and beastmen 
  in Reikwald… 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Introducing the Edge of Night  
   
  If you have access to FFG's adventure Edge 
  of Night , the journey to Ubersreik could 
  follow the guide lines given in it possibly 
  even introducing the whole scenario as a 
  possible side track.  
  As with most official city-based adventures, this 
  episode is quite open and might be challenging to run, 
  even for an experienced GM.  
   
  Of Ubersreik 
  GM should be familiar with Ubersreik and 
  even though Edge of Night or Liber Fanatica 
  VII are not required, these resources are 
  certainly useful; it’s better to have too much 
  information than too little. Liber Fanatica 
  VIII, too, provides a wealth of relevant 
  material for running this scenario. 
   
  Of Wounded Characters 
  It is possible that the characters have a host of 
  injuries from the initial challenges that they 
  have faced. They might seek out someone 
  who could help them. Two most likely NPCs 
  with required skills are the apothecary 
  Isolade Maurer (p. 75 in LFVII) and the 
  priestess of Shallya - Marianne Attenblum 
  (p. 19 EoN, use the Specialist profile from 
  ToA p. 69). 
  Of Alertness 
  The Alertness Tracker on the Investigation Sheet 
  indicates the awareness of the Family and the slavers 
  of Underbelly about the fact that someone is coming 
  for them. It should not have reached event spaces yet 
  Chapter III: Investigating in Ubersreik 
  77
  
   
   
   
   but, when it does, it affects all NPCs with 
  connections either to the Family, to the slavers or to 
  both. This effect is explained on the card itself but 
  more detailed info follows inside the frames below: 
  Of Investigations 
  The Investigation track 
  represent a visual clue about 
  the flow of the adventure. It 
  should not restrict or brake it 
  but only work as an tool for the 
  GM (and PCs alike). The 
  events during the advancement 
  of the Investigation tracker is 
  given in the note on the right. 
   
  Act 1: The Investigations 
  This act consists of several possible things for the 
  characters to perform and, as such, it 
  is more open than other parts of this 
  adventure. GMs are encouraged to use 
  their own judgment when it comes to 
  outcomes of the search but this act 
  can be run just as well with the 
  Investigation Sheet included.  
   
  The Investigation Sheet has a tracker 
  indicating the PCs progress. During 
  the previous chapters, the tracker has 
  most likely been moved to Space 4, 
  which sent the characters to 
  Ubersreik. If not, the tracker should 
  be advanced to this step so that the 
  flow of the investigations is fully 
  served. 
   
  The several things PCs can 
  investigate are dealt with below.  
   
  The Strange Balloon 
  The hot-air balloon is such a strange 
  device that it seems likely someone 
  would have spotted it.  
   
  Asking Random People 
  Gossiping with the town folk could 
  very well produce 
  some facts but 
  recognizing them 
  from rumors and tall-
  tales is not so easy. 
  A successful 
  Daunting (4d) Charm 
  check is required to 
  produce the single 
  fact that the balloon 
  Space 5 – Someone is Coming  
  The Slavers are now sure that there is an outside force trying to 
  take them down. They will be more alert and harder to take by 
  surprise. When the Alertness Tracker reaches Space 5, all 
  slavers gain 1 die to their Expertise budget.  
   
  Space 8 – Taking Prisoners  
  When investigating in Ubersreik, characters will be most likely 
  be noticed. This does not automatically mean that anything 
  particular happens, but should the Alertness Tracker reach 
  Space 8, the slavers are no more under illusions about the 
  characters intentions. 
   
  Using the secret way out from Underbelly via Morr's Field, the 
  slavers send a capturing party after the characters. 
   
  Wherever the characters are holed up during the night after the 
  Space 8, a group (double the size of the characters) will let 
  themselves into whatever inn, tavern or home the party uses 
  (they have a Skeleton Key like Facilius).  
   
  Their plan is simple: to storm the characters’ location and to 
  capture them if possible. Captured the characters will be taken 
  to the Underbelly to work as slaves.  
   
  Slavers of the Soldier profile from ToA p. 67 and will use the 
  Subdue-action. All damage dealt with this action counts as 
  non-lethal and will heal with a good night's rest.  
  Space 4 – To Ubersreik  
  Having gathered the clues from Facilius, the 
  characters can easily conclude that the 
  assassins base of operations is most likely in 
  Ubersreik  
  Space 7 – Dieter Smith  
  It seems that most of the clues point to a 
  simple smith working at Merchant Plaza.  
  Space 9 – The House of the Assassin  
  The PCs have finally uncovered the location 
  of their nemesis' lair!  
  
   
   
   
   
  has been seen many times, but as it seems to be 
  difficult to control (as the characters might very well 
  know) it usually lands outside the city in a random 
  location. 
   
  This kind of investigation is easily heard by the spies 
  of the Family and the slavers. Should a  &  be rolled 
  advance Alertness Tracker by one step. One time 
  only. 
   
  Asking the Guards 
  The guards have seen the balloon often. They suspect 
  that it is used by some engineer or possibly a wizard. 
  They too know that it lands outside the city and have 
  noticed that a rider always goes to the same landing 
  site. When the horse returns the rider is different. 
  Usually looking like a Tilean gentleman (Tavaris in 
  one of his disguises).  
   
  The guards can point the Merchant 
  Plaza where this man usually rides to. 
  This info does not come cheap and 
  some bribery or masterful use of words 
  is required to get it. However, learning 
  these fact advances the Investigation 
  Tracker by one step. 
   
  The Mercenaries 
  The mercenaries that attacked the 
  characters are not very distinguishable. 
  Their kind are common all around the 
  Empire. Describing them to someone 
  still could turn up something. 
   
  Asking Random People 
  Even though the mercenaries were mostly local 
  nobody actually knows anything about their recent 
  dealings. These kinds of men are mostly avoided by 
  respectable people if not also by the less respectable.  
     
   
  Asking Soldiers 
  Most soldiers of Ubersreik have very little to say 
  about the mercenaries. They usually know quite much 
  about their kind, but the person the characters are 
  describing does not grant any additional information. 
   
  Asking from the Inns 
  Most mercenaries are regular patrons in inns, and 
  Facilius' men are no different. Trying to track them 
  from inns could very well be dangerous if not done 
  carefully. Succeeding in a Hard (3d) Guile check and 
  consort below: 
   
  Results: 
  ! Someone is tricked or foolish enough to mention 
  the Family. He is quickly silenced and no-one cares to 
  continue.  
  ^  Someone mentions that those men once 
  belonged to army but were deemed 
  deserters and thieves as they ran away with 
  some of the army's equipment – Advance 
  the Investigation token one step.  
   %  % Someone loyal to the Family hears 
  about this – advance the Alertness token by 
  one step.  
   & A thug hears the inquiries and decides 
  to make a little extra money and attack the 
  characters by trapping them in a closed 
  alley with a few friends. Use Townsfolk 
  profile from ToA p. 67 with Weapon Skill 
  trained.  
   
  Well Made Equipment 
  Facilius’ mercenaries are clearly well equipped. These 
  weapons bear their makers mark and there are a lot of 
  people who might know it.  
   
   
   
  79
  
   
   
   
   Asking Random People 
  The people of Ubersreik are protective about 
  themselves against outsiders and unlikely to share 
  their secrets. A successful Hard (3d) Charm (Fel) 
  check will point the characters to Merchant Plaza, but 
  a & result will more likely lead them into an ambush 
  of robbers or street children and a %  % result will carry 
  the word of the Investigations to the Family – advance 
  the Alertness token by one step. 
   
  Asking Soldiers 
  Soldiers can be found everywhere in Ubersreik, but 
  going to Magnus' Tower would most likely be the best 
  bet. Any character trying to ask around about the mark 
  that passes an Average (2d) Charm (Fel) check gains 
  an answer: “Well, yes. That’s Dieter’s work. He can be 
  found in the Merchant Plaza.”  
  If a & comes up, the character gets half the truth 
  (“Yes, that’s Gorri’s work. From Merchant Plaza”), or 
  worse if the roll is a total fail. If the check is 
  successful, advance the Investigation token one step. 
   
  Asking From Another Smith 
  Considering how the characters present 
  themselves, a different smith will either point them 
  to Dieter Schmitt or say that he has never seen the 
  mark before. The characters might notice he is lying 
  (as this kind of information would be hard to miss 
  from an artisan).  
   
  If watched afterwards, the smith leaves after a 
  while – or when he thinks that the characters have left 
  – to warn Dieter. If the check is successful, advance 
  the Investigation token one step. 
   
  Dieter Schmitt 
  When the Investigation tracker reaches Space 7, the 
  PCs will learn about Dieter Smith. How and when is 
  up to GM, but most likely connections would be 
  Facilius' visits to him or his mark on the mercenaries' 
  blades. 
   
  Should the characters ask from Dieter directly, he will 
  admit that the weapons are his handiwork. “I use that 
  mark on all army equipment”, he says, “it must've 
  been stolen from a caravan or from the army.”  
   
  If the characters have decoded the letter Facilius had 
  with him (Handout 1) and tell about this to Dieter, he 
  will fall for almost any act as he has not actually seen 
  Facilius. For example, if the characters return to Dieter 
  after having spoken to him about the equipment with 
  the cipher message decoded, he will assume the 
  characters were testing him. Advance the Investiagtion 
  tracker by one step.  
   
  Dieter is not concerned about which one of the PCs 
  actually is Facilius. He will only nod in response and 
  advices the characters: “you should go to your house 
  to wait for a new letter.” 
  After this, if quizzed about repairing any equipment, 
  he will do so free of charge. When the characters 
  leave, he will send a homing pigeon with a message of 
  Facilius’ success to Marienburg. 
  The Skeleton Key  
  The key is unique to Ubersreik as it is the 
  Skeleton Key to all locks produced over the last 
  decade. Ten years ago the Family took over the 
  last remaining locksmith in Ubersreik in order to 
  control the city and and its citizens. All of the 
  newer buildings in Ubersreik (and in some cases 
  the minor villages around it) have a lock that the 
  Skeleton Key can open. As such it is illegal to 
  possess the Key without a direct authorization 
  from the City Council who are most likely the only 
  official people to know the Key's true use. 
  A Skeleton Key-item card can be found in 
  the Pullout Section of this volume.  
  80
  
   
   
   
   
   
  The Ubersreik Key 
  Initially, the only clue about Facilius's key is that it 
  has the crest of Ubersreik on it. However, more can 
  be learned about it by various means.  
   
  Asking Guilds 
  Approaching some of the guilds might yield the 
  needed information. This depends on in which guild 
  house the questions are asked and how the characters 
  conduct themselves (Metalworkers's Guild is their 
  best bet). This is very much the GM’s call, but it 
  should require a successful Charm (Fel) check. The 
  social status should affect the roll as should the 
  character's background.  
   
  If a & is generated, the NPC will most likely tell the 
  PCs nothing and will just as likely report the incident 
  to his superiors or to local authorities. With a success, 
  the characters are pointed to the Town Hall and with 
  a ^  someone remembers that the locksmith that 
  made the key died in plague during the previous 
  winter. 
   
  Town Hall (p. 18 EoN) 
  Greasing the right palms without being noticed at the 
  Town Hall (a detailed map in the pullout section) turn 
  ups several people with sufficient knowledge about 
  the key. They can say it belongs to an Estalian 
  merchant by the name of Luigi Beldonarnis (one of 
  many alias’s that Facilius has used). Advance the 
  Investigations token by one step. 
   
  This information can also be learned at records room 
  in the town hall. It is not common to get a permission 
  to search the archives but it is known to happen. 
   
  The Archives 
  The Archives of the Town Hall are a good source of 
  information, and the members of Ubersreik's various 
  guilds as well as the workers at the Town Hall know 
  this. Should the characters gain access to them, a 
  throughout search will expose several facts.  
   
  The characters could learn that the key was made by a 
  locksmith from ten years ago. It was a commissioned 
  piece of work that was paid for in cash. The 
  gentleman that bought it had been a very good 
  benefactor of Academics Guild over the years and it 
  was the only thing he had ever asked for.  
   
  The gentleman was called Luigi Beldonarnis and his 
  address is given in the books. No official reason for 
  the making of the Key is given but the name of 
  Ubersreik's former rulers, von 
  Jungfreud's, is mentioned. If 
  searched for, the fact about the key-
  makers death during last winter can 
  also be found in the records. 
   
  When the characters have received the information 
  about Facilius's town house, advance the 
  Investigations token by one step or to Step 9 if there 
  would be more steps to cover and move to Act 2: The 
  House of the Assassin. 
   
  Act 2: The Legacy of an Assassin 
  When the Investigation token reaches Space 9 PCs 
  learn about Facilius's town house and can find their 
  way there.  
   
  The House of Facilius 
  A History of Secrecy 
  Secrecy is the greatest strength and weakness of any 
  criminal empire. The Family lead by Tavaris is a 
  good example of this secrecy as most of the men who 
  contact it do it via intermediates. They might have 
  heard of a particular person but most likely they have 
  not met them. Facilius’s key-contact to Tavaris was a 
  woman named Katrina (commonly only known as 
  “Katze”).  
   
  81
  
   
   
   
  When Facilius arrived to Ubersreik, he contacted the 
  Family via Katze and loaned a huge amount of 
  money from Tavaris (the exact amount is left up to 
  GM. However, it should be so large that the 
  characters cannot pay it back). 
   
  Some time ago when Facilius left Ubersreik to 
  assassinate the people on his list, Katze was killed, 
  and Tavaris was left only with a clue about Facilius’s 
  identity – at this point, a house in Ubersreik 
  identified by Katze as Facilius’s safe house.  
   
  Quite recently, Tavaris has also learned about 
  Facilius's involvement with The Shadow's Hand and 
  why Facilius shipped all warpstone found from the 
  Underbelly's mines to Marienburg. Tavaris plans to 
  use this information to his full advantage and has 
  made the simple decision to have the house watched 
  and wait for Facilius to show himself.  
   
  Obviously, when the players show up and use this 
  key they are identified as being Facilius with a group 
  of henchmen as the Family has no idea about 
  Facilius's appearance. 
   
  Selling the house 
  The characters may well harbor an idea about selling 
  the house as they have the key – most likely after 
  talking to Tavaris. But if they do not own the deeds 
  to this piece of property, they cannot sell it. Breaking 
  in to the Town Hall and stealing them or forging 
  them are possible means of acquiring the deeds.  
   
  Searching Facilius' Townhouse 
  The house appears to be an empty shell – there is 
  only little furniture and most signs of someone 
  actually living there are missing. However, there are 
  two very interesting things that could be found here. 
   
  On the back of the master bedroom door, there is a 
  brass plate. On it are the words “Honor thy Family 
  above all others”  this is not a reference to one’s 
  actual family but to the criminal Family. A PC who 
  examines the plate and succeeds in an Average (2d) 
  Observation (Int) check notices the nails holding the 
  plate in place have been pulled out and nailed back 
  lately. If the plate is detached from the door, the 
  following words can be read on the reverse side 
  “Weissbruck box 32”. This information is not needed 
  during this adventure but might come relevant in 
  later parts of the campaign. 
   
  In the main entrance room there is a very large 
  fireplace that has not been cleaned out for some time. 
  If someone goes through the trouble of cleaning it 
  out he will notice a broken flagstone that, if lifted, 
  reveals a small box containing several scrolls. In 
  essence these contain information about the Family's 
  secret signs and codes that Facilius collected for later
  use.  
   
  Encounter 1 - A Stranger Appears 
  Shortly after the characters show up at the house 
  there is a polite knock at the door. Scruffy, pock-
  marked middle-aged man, clearly out of breath, asks 
  to speak with Facilius. Odo, as he introduces 
  himself, will not at any point enter the house 
  willingly as he is aware of Facilius' occupation and 
  fears for his life. 
   
  The man delivers a simple message for Facilius: 
  “Follow me – the Boss wants to see you.” He will 
  not take “no” for an answer and makes it very clear 
  the character must come alone. If refused for 
  whatever reason he makes it clear the Boss will not 
  be happy. “Is that really what you want?” the man 
  says with a wry smile. 
   
  At this point he will also try to use a code, a sign 
  language with “Facilius”. He points at Facilius 
  (“you”) then pointing at both of Facilius’s pockets 
  (“owe”) then crossing his hands (“Family”) then 
  pointing at his own head (“Boss”) then gesturing by 
  rubbing fingers together (“money”). 
   
  82
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
  84
  
   
   
   
   
  tunnels that can yield mineral ore and, in some rare 
  cases, warpstone.  
   
  Even though the Underbelly is certainly a place of 
  murderers and low-lifes it actually also works as a 
  protection against an unknown threat. Throughout 
  the Old World larger cities have strange man-like 
  rats lurking in their sewers and burrowing in endless 
  tunnels planing the fall of the mankind. But in 
  Ubersreik the presence of Underbelly and the 
  work done in its tunnels has kept the Skaven 
  mostly out of the city. 
   
  Recently, there have been a number a small 
  skirmishes between the Family and Skaven in the 
  tunnels bellow Ubersreik. But after the Family 
  struck to a minor warpstone vein they have been 
  able to buy off the Skaven.  
   
  Orders from the Shadow 
  After the first warpstone find a few years ago, 
  Tavaris manipulated by 
  Facilius to “recruit” 
  more slaves and slavers 
  to work in the mines. 
  This new idea both excite 
  and worry him as on the 
  other hand the deal frees 
  up a good size of force for 
  Tavaris to redeploy in his 
  network.  
   
  Due to the difficult 
  conditions and harshness 
  of the regime in the Underbelly, most of the Family's 
  men hated working there anyway, as most of slaves 
  did not last more than a couple of months. Natural 
  causes of death were hazardous tunnels (as no-one 
  was actually that good at planning the mining 
  process), gas-pockets and random encounters with 
  rat-like beastmen. 
   
  Under the Morr's Field 
  About a month ago the slaves had extended the 
  tunnels so much that they accidentally broke into a 
  crypt under the Morr's Field (p. 22 EoN). Fearing 
  for bad luck and other, darker things, Tavaris’s has 
  been asked to give the slavers one month to work a 
  way around the Field with no interference before 
  using its services again. That time is almost up as 
  the characters arrive in Ubersreik.  
   
  Even though the Underbelly is certainly a place of 
  murderers and lowlifes, it actually works also as a 
  protection against an unknown threat. Throughout the 
  Old World, larger cities have strange man-like rats 
  lurking in their sewers and burrowing in endless 
  tunnels, planning the fall of the mankind. But in 
  Ubersreik, the presence of Underbelly and the work 
  done in its tunnels has kept the Skaven mostly out of 
  the city. 
  Recently, there have been a number a small skirmishes 
  between the Family and Skaven in the tunnels bellow 
  Ubersreik. But after the Family struck to a minor 
  warpstone vein, they have been able to buy off the 
  Skaven.  
  A certain member of the Family, Vunter Morsheiver, 
  does not shy a way from even shadier businesses than 
  slave trafficking. As a member of almost forgotten Cult 
  of Gunnred he has no morale whatsoever when it comes 
  to crime. 
   
  After the slaves broke to the Morr's Field, Vunter knew 
  right away that he had struck gold and went to see a 
  certain “physician”. Klex Narnscabber was glad to 
  hear that Vunter had “found a way under the wall of 
  Morr's Field” and hired the rogue to produce him some 
  corpses to study. 
   
  For more info about Vunter and Klex check scenario 
  Revenant from Liber Fanatica 7.  
         The Key  
   
  Should the characters try 
  the Skeleton Key in the 
  Underbelly, it will buy 
  pass any lock found in 
  this location as all locks 
  were changed within the 
  last ten years, ironically     
  for security reasons.  
  85
  
   
   
   
  A Plague Upon you! 
  Fearing the curse was actually a quite rational thing 
  as the crypt was not the only thing the slaves 
  accidentally stumbled upon. The recent plague in 
  Ubersreik (LF7 p.62) forced Father Schadrach 
  Burke (priest of Morr) to condone the mass burials 
  of those less fortuned. The slaves broke into a such 
  grave and, as the plague-ridden corpses fell upon 
  them, they caught the disease themselves. 
   
  The slavers have had a lucky break resisting the 
  disease (and keeping other people out from the Pits) 
  but, about a week ago, they 
  too were infected and now 
  the whole population of the 
  Pits suffers from the 
  Plague (for rules on this 
  consult the Liber Infectus 
  p.14 -18). 
   
  The Underbelly 
  Even though the 
  Underbelly is a former 
  hideout of the Cult of Gunnred, the structure itself 
  outdates even them. It mostly hewn from the 
  bedrock of Ubersreik by extending a natural cave 
  system. The craftsmanship is clearly human. 
   
  The Stairs: the stairs that lead into the Underbelly 
  are mostly solid. In some places the stone is slightly 
  weaker and has fallen away but it is in no real 
  danger to collapse – even though the characters 
  might not realize that. At the bottom of the stairs, a 
  strange s-shaped passageway leads into darkness.  
   
  Slave Food Storage: Food piled here has gone bad. 
  Many of the crates used to store it have been broken. 
  Small rats and mice happily scurry amongst what is 
  left of the rooms contents. This food is for the slaves 
  to eat when the slavers bother to feed them. The 
  slavers sometimes gather here to gamble by using 
  the various mice and rats. Their job is to act as guard 
  around the Underbelly, but the “lock down” has 
  made them lazy and they are most likely just playing 
  dice.  
   
   
  Slavers' Main Room – Four slavers will be 
  here at any given time. The room is relatively well 
  kept as this is were the slavers spent most of their 
  time. Cooking facilities, slavers' food and some 
  wine barrels are stored here. 
   
   
  Slavers' Sleeping Quarters: This area always 
  houses a few slavers (a couple more than the number 
  of characters) sleeping on 
  simple pallets of fairly fresh 
  straw. The only clue left to its 
  original use as the prison of 
  the Cult of Gunnred are the 
  indentations on the floor. 
  Some odd hooks and some 
  Slaying the Dreamer  
   
  Killing sleeping slavers is relatively easy. 
  By passing a Simple (1d) Stealth Check 
  with __ for sleeping target kills the slaver 
  immediately. If a & is rolled, the attack 
  does not kill the target – it only deals a 
  random critical injury and wakes the 
  slaver.  
  86
  
   
   
   
   chain remain imbedded in the walls that are all but 
  rusted at this point. 
   
  Slave Pits: The floor is made up of cells holes 
  about 5 foot wide and 10 foot deep. Guarding them 
  are always three slavers who can scurry around the 
  narrow ledges quite easily due to their background 
  as boatmen. There are about 30 prisoners in the 
  Guts at any given time. About as many slaves are 
  working in the mines at the same time. 
   
  Store Room: General mining equipment is stored 
  here. The Room is very well made and looked 
  after.  
   
  Warpstone Storage: A lead lined box is kept in 
  this locked room as Lector brings all warpstone 
  findings from the Pits here. Most of the previous 
  findings have already been sent to Marienburg to 
  Shadow Lord by Facilius but the last little 
  nugget is still in the box. The room also 
  contains hundreds of strange marks, glyphs 
  and scratches that fill the entire room. It 
  seems as if every inch is covered by 
  something. If someone with understanding of 
  the religion of Gunnred were to study this 
  room for hours he would discover many 
  interesting facts about this particular Deity. 
  Lector chose this room for warpstone for the 
  simple reason that it would turn his 
  superstitious men from it. 
   
  Lector's Room: Though Hans Lector is an 
  old grey haired man, he still is highly 
  respected amongst his men and a feared 
  leader. This is mostly because, before coming 
  a full-time slaver, he and most of his men used to 
  terrorize the shores of Reik as river pirates. His 
  room is always kept locked at all times even when 
  he occupies it. It is literally full of rubbish which 
  he has made quite a cozy nest out of.   
   
   
  The Privy: What used to serve as a privy for the 
  inhabitants of Underbelly now serves as the entry-
  point to the Guts. There is one set of stairs that lead 
  down into the darkness where the slaves work to 
  extend the mines of the Family. From one corner a 
  freshly broken tunnel leads into the Old Crypt 
  under the Morr's Field. There are two guards on the 
  whole if an alarm is not raised. At the edge of the 
  whole to the Guts is large bell that is used to call 
  out a shift change to the mines. 
   
  Old Crypt – This is where the slaver stumbled into 
  Morr's Field. After it was found that the crypt had 
  long ago been forgotten by everybody the slavers 
  dug another tunnel to connect it to Underbelly. It 
  was used for a small time to snuck out from 
  Underbelly to Ubersreik, but now the slavers are 
  convinced that it is cursed by the spirit of its 
  owner.  
  Episode 1 – Silent in the Dark 
  The key to the success of any plan would be 
  surprise and control. The characters will need to 
  take down the defenders before the alarm is raised.  
   
   A Darker Path  
  This scenario is fairly low on magical setting and 
  supernatural threats.  
   
  Should the GM choose so Hans Lector could have a 
  sinister past as a necromancer. He was stripped of 
  his magical powers some time ago but he is close to 
  regaining them due to his recent efforts to work with 
  warpstone found from the Pit and the bodies 
  “provided” by Morr's Field. 
   
  However, adding this kind of power to him makes 
  him even  more evil and might decrease the value of 
  players moral problems about assassinating a person. 
  87
  
   
   
   
  All of the slavers in Underbelly suffer from the 
  Plague and Intoxicated condition. Use Soldier 
  profile from ToA for all of them. 
   
  The character may sneak past or ambush the guards 
  who are gambling in the Slave Food Storage by 
  passing Stealth (Ag) check opposed by the slavers' 
  Int of 3. Should the characters be noticed, the 
  slavers try to raise an alarm by shouting.  
   
  If the alarm is not raised, the characters can try to 
  sneak past the sleeping slavers (too worn of by low 
  quality wine) in the Slaver's Main Room and reach 
  the inner parts of the Underbelly. 
   
  Eventually, one of the slavers will wake up and 
  raise an alarm which starts the Episode 2 – The 
  Sleepers Awakened. 
   
  Episode 2 – The Sleepers Awakened 
  When the alarm is raised the slavers that are still 
  alive try to gather into groups and surround the 
  characters. Some of them move to protect Hans 
  Lector.  
   
  Act 1: Get them! 
  All remaining slavers try to overwhelm the 
  characters using the Subdue-action. If that does not 
  seem to work they are not above killing all of the 
  characters. They also know that having been 
  exposed as slavers they have little to gain from 
  running and will fight to death as it seems better 
  option than being killed by the Plague.  
   
  When there are only a couple of slavers left 
  defending Hans the reinforcements from the Guts 
  will arrive. 
   
  Act 2: The Gut-lords 
  The sound of the fight have alerted the slavers who 
  were whipping the slaves in the mines. All three of 
  them will arrive in a hast (each having suffered two 
  wounds from Fatigue). They are slightly more 
  dangerous than the common slavers and each have 
  Weapon Skill trained. 
   
  Act 3: An Old and Feeble Man 
  As the characters have killed his protectors Hans 
  Lector will stand proudly. He will not beg for 
  mercy but if questioned will explain that all he did 
  was follow orders. He closed the Underbelly to 
  prevent the Plague from spreading and has never 
  even thought of betraying the Family. If he is 
  attacked he will fight to an honorable death. Use 
  Specialist profile with Weapon Skill trained (ToA p. 
  69). 
   
  Episode 3 – The Beast of the Belly 
  After killing the slavers the characters are left with 
  an empty dungeon. There are as much as sixty 
  slaves here. Some of them are in the Guts and will 
  not come out without the bell being rang as they do 
  not want to be punished. Helping the slaves escape 
  is quite easy as most of them are kept in the pits 
  that are not even locked. 
   
  Chapter 5 – Wrapping Up 
   
  Returning to Facilius's House 
  When the characters return from the Underbelly 
  they should visit the Facilius's house once more as 
  Dieter Smith told them to wait for another letter 
  there. The letter has actually arrived and is waiting 
  for the characters having been pushed under the 
  door. The contents of the letter and its meaning are 
  revealed in the second part of the Master of 
  Shadows-campaign. 
   
  Adventure Rewards 
  At the end of each play session, remember to give 
  each  player one experience point. If the players 
  and their characters distinguished themselves with 
  exceptional play you may wish to grant them an 
  extra experience point. Freeing the slaves however 
  88
  
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   is not worth of extra experience as they will spread 
  the Plague upon Ubersreik. 
   
  Consequences 
  Imagine some sixty people arriving in Ubersreik 
  who were presumed dead or missing. The outcry 
  from their relatives and friends for an investigation 
  would surely mean the end for the Family. 
   
  Possibly unbeknown to the characters, many of the 
  slaves are infected by the plague. The town of 
  Ubersreik will quickly be on its knees by this 
  disease as its sources simply cannot contained. A 
  mass epidemic will follow within a few days of the 
  slaves' release. Most noble families will pack up 
  and flee and all common people who have any 
  choice will leave.  
   
  Naturally, the Shadow Lord's Criminal Empire is 
  perfectly poised to capitalize on cheap property 
  prices and desperate sells. The Shadow’s grip grows 
  ever tighter. 
   
   
  Chess is a wonderful game; a grandmaster is 
  always plotting several moves ahead, but with the 
  next boss night must  
  Follow day             
   
  Final designers note - If you need any further 
  assistance, advice or simply want to give me your 
  direct response then you can in two ways. My email 
  address is sean.connors68@hotmail.com or you 
  can contact my youtube channel, which has many 
  video’s to help fellow gm ’s. http://
  www.youtube.com/user/TheOutsiders68?
  feature=mhee 
  89
  
   
   
   
   
   
  By Jay Hafner 
   
  This equipment list has been derived from the core 
  products and expanded somewhat. The average price 
  is listed, rarity, and example skill checks for which 
  they might be used.  A bonus white die is given for a 
  superior item (10x normal cost) and Table E-1 
  expands suggested prices for advanced superior items.  
  The GM is advised to have stacking limits to bonuses 
  for duplicate items or redundant use.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Item 
   
  Price 
  Rarity 
  Example Skill Check Use 
   
  Academic 
  Scales & weights 
  5g 
  Rare 
   Haggle/estimate, Intuition 
  Abacus 
   
  1g 
  Common  Tradecraft, Intellect 
  Book (subject) 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Any single subject 
  Engraving kit 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Forgery, haggling 
  Ink / paint 
  10s 
  Common  Forgery/ scribe/ art 
  Magnifying Glass 
  1.5g 
  Rare 
   Observation 
  Map (province) 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Geography 
  Papers/parchment  5s 
  Plentiful   see book  
  Print tools, press 
  2g 
  Rare 
   Tradecraft, forgery 
  Quills / Brush 
  5s 
  Plentiful   Scribe, Forger, etc. 
  Sextant/compass 
  20g 
  Exotic 
   Direction, travel 
  Telescope, etc. 
  20g 
  Exotic 
   Observation, Nature Lore 
   
  Bindings 
  Binding rope 
  5b 
  Abund. 
   Binding 
  Manacles  
  10s 
  Common  Restraint 
  Climbing Rope 
  5s 
  Plentiful   Climbing 
  Glue 
   
  1s 
  Rare 
   Securing 
  Grappling Hook 
  15s 
  Rare 
   Climbing 
   
  Camping/Survival Gear 
  Backpack  
  2s 
  Common  Avoid dropping gear 
  Bag, large  
  1s 
  Abund. 
   Carry gear 
  Wool blanket kit 
  1s 
  Abund. 
   Resilience 
   
  Tent, single 
  10s 
  Common  Resilience 
  Tent, double 
  50s 
  Common  Resilience 
  Cold weather gear  3g 
  Rare 
   Resilience 
  Tent, pavilion 
  10g 
  Exotic 
   Resilience, Social 
   
  Clothing 
  Clothes, Social 
  1s 
  Abund 
   Social 
   
  Clothes, Traveling  2s 
  Abund 
   Resilience 
   
  Clothes, Profession 2s 
  Rare 
   Relevant Skill check 
  Jewelry   
  20s 
  Rare 
   Social 
  Perfume   
  10s 
  Exotic 
   Social, Charm 
   
   
   
  Food & Alcohol  
  Food, meal 
  5b 
  Abund. 
   Resilience 
  Food, preserved 
  10b 
  Plentiful   Resilience 
  Horse feed 
  5b 
  Abund. 
   Combat mounts 
  Ale/beer in mug 
  5b 
  Plentiful   Fit in 
  Wine, in goblet 
  10b 
  Common  Look snooty 
  Bottle of Wine  
  5s 
  Common  Intoxication 
  Flask of spirits 
  3s 
  Common  Intoxication 
  Keg of Beer, small  3s 
  Common  Intoxication 
  Wine of Dreams 
  10g 
  Illegal 
   Clairvoyance, Youth 
   
  Hand Tool (rake, saw, shovel, chisel, hammer, etc.) 
  Tool, wooden 
  10b 
  Plentiful   Tradecraft 
  Tool, metal 
  5s 
  Common  Tradecraft 
  Repair tools  
  10s 
  Common  Tradecraft – specific  
   
  Illumination 
  Candles (5) 
  1s 
  Plentiful   Observation; Spellcraft 
  Torches (5) 
  1s 
  Abund 
   Observation 
   
  Flint & steel 
  10b 
  Plentiful    Observation 
  Lamp 
   
  1s 
  Plentiful   Observation 
  Oil, lamp/lantern 
  10b 
  Plentiful   Observation 
  Lantern, average 
  10s 
  Plentiful   Observation 
  Lantern, storm 
  30s 
  Common  Observation 
   
  Medical Supplies 
  Apothecary kit 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Tradecraft, First Aid 
  Barber‐surgeon kit  1g 
  Rare 
   First Aid 
  First‐Aid Kit, Basic  2s 
  Common  First Aid 
  Physician Kit 
  2g 
  Exotic 
   First Aid, Medicine 
  Healing draught 
  20s (4w)  Exotic 
   Healing on successes 
  Restore draught 
  10s (4w)  Exotic  
  ‐Fatigue/stress per success 
   
  Services/Servants (see Core for descriptions) 
  Unskilled  
  4b/d 
  Abund. 
   Laborer   
  Skilled 
   
  10b/d 
  Plentiful   Craftsman 
   
  Specialist  
  2s/d 
  Common  Blacksmith, etc. 
  Specialist  
  15s/d 
  Rare 
   Engineer 
  Specialist  
  2g+/d 
  Exotic  
   Wizard, Alchemist, etc. 
   
  Expanded Equipment List 
   
   
  Table E‐2:  Suggested Price of Superior items
   
   
   
   
             
  Single  Luck 
  Tool 
  Weapon 
  Quality 
  Use 
  1x/ses  1x/enc. Constant  
  White  
  10s 
  1g 
  5g 
  10x) (or 7.5g) 
  2 White 
  20s 
  2g 
  10g 
  15g 
   
  Blue  
  15s 
  1.5g 
  7.5g 
  12g 
   
  Yellow 
  25s 
  2.5g 
  12.5g 
  18g 
   
  Red  25s 
  2.5g 
  12.5g 
  18g 
   
  Green  
  30s 
  3g 
  14g 
  20g 
    
   
   
  Expanded Equipment List 
  
   
   
   
  Trade Tools  
  Bailiff’s Coffer 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Locks, secure to surface 
  Animal trap 
  5s 
  Plentiful   Nature Lore 
  Badge/Writ/Insignia50s 
  Rare 
   By profession 
  Blessed Water 
  50s 
  Rare 
   Piety 
  Contract, Agency 
  50s 
  Exotic 
   By profession 
  Bounty, purchased  10s‐1g 
  Rare 
   By profession 
  Burgher’s Tools 
  1g  
  Common  Tradecraft (e.g smith) 
  Flag/Banner 
  1g‐2g 
  Rare 
   Leadership 
  Games/cards 
  5s 
  Common  Gambling, Guile 
  Homing Pigeon 
  5s 
  Rare 
   Send reports, trained 
  Lockpicks  
  2g 
  Illegal 
   Skullduggery 
  Messenger Pouch  50s 
  Rare 
   Secret pouches 
  Mystic Ball/bones  1g 
  Exotic 
   Intuition, etc. 
  Lute or Recorder 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Tradecraft (performance) 
  Jugglers Kit 
  5s 
  Rare 
   Tradecraft (performance) 
  Silvered item 
  +75s 
  Exotic 
   Ammo group or item 
  Smugglers Box 
  1g 
  Rare 
   Secret bottom 
  Torture Device 
  20s 
  Rare 
   Interrogation 
   
  Arcane Item (Winds of Magic p.34+) 
   
   
   
  Luckstone 
  2.5g 
  Exotic 
   Reroll 1 die/session 
  Scroll, Bonus, 5r. 
  10s 
  Rare 
   Fortune for skill;5 rounds 
  Scroll, Spell, Petty  25s 
  Rare 
   Petty spell 
  Scroll, Spell, Rk 1 
  50s  
  Exotic 
   Rank 1 spell 
  Scroll, Spell, Rk 2 
  1g 
  Exotic 
   Rank 2 spell 
  Scroll, Spell, Rk 3 
  3g 
  Exotic 
   Rank 2 spell 
  Staff, Attuned 
  7.5g 
  Exotic 
   Fortune to Channeling 
  Wand, Spell 
  15g 
  Exotic  
   Holds 1 spell/career 
   
  Divine Items (Signs of Faith p.36+) – Use requires maneuver 
  Artifact, minor 
  1g 
  Rare 
   White ‐ Piety 
  Holy Symbol 
  18g 
  Plentiful   Yellow ‐ Discipline 
  Prayerbook 
  1g 
  Rare  
   White ‐ Piety/Invocation 
  Sacrifice at shrine  10s 
  Common  White ‐ Piety/invocation  
  Standard, Religious 5g 
  Rare 
   White‐Willpower(pious) 
   
  Herbs, Medicines, Other (Liber Infectus p.20) 
  Cococo Tonic 
  5s  
  Common  Ignore symptom 
  Earth Root 
  10s 
  Common  vs. black plague 
  Faxtoryll, 2 white 
  20s 
  Rare 
   vs. disease‐ wound trait 
  Gesundheit, 2 w. 
  2s 
  Common  First Aid or Medicine 
  Graveroot, 2 Y. 
  20s 
  Rare 
   Tomb Rot 
  Onions 
   
  1b 
  Plentiful   Colds, Asthma, bronchitis  
  Speckled Rustwort  20s 
  Rare 
   2 White vs fever 
  Spiderleaf 
  20s 
  Rare  
   White+Healing Draught 
  Valerian   
  1s 
  Common  Heal1, white resilience 
  Garlic 
   
  1b 
  Plentiful   vs. vampires, antibiotic 
   
  Land‐based Transport 
  Chartered Ride (per day) 
  Haycart   
  10b 
  Plentiful   
   
  Coach route 
  10s 
  Common  
   
  Riverboat  
  30s 
  Rare 
   
   
  Sea vessel 
  60s 
  Rare 
   
   
  Mounts (with gear) 
  Horse, draught 
  75s 
  Plentiful   
  Riding horse/pony  2g 
  Common  
  Warhorse 10g 
  Rare 
  Mule/Donkey/Ox  1g 
  Plentiful 
  Demigryph 
  200g 
  Exotic 
   
  Elephant, Arabyan  200g 
  Exotic 
  Wheels (purchase beasts separately) 
  Cart, Hand 
  1g 
  Plentiful 
  Cart, Drawn 
  3g 
  Plentiful 
  Wagon 
   
  6g 
  Common 
  Coach (6‐8) 
  30g 
  Common 
  Elven Chariot 
  100g 
  Exotic  
  Dwarf Steam Cart   150g 
  Exotic 
  Marienburg Landship‐500g 
  Exotic 
  Water‐based Transport 
  Boat, Row (holds 5) 4g 
  Plentiful    
  Boat, River   
  60g 
  Common 
  Boat, River, Steam  150g 
  Common 
  Ship 
   
  1k 
  Common 
  Dwarf Nautilus 
  1k 
  Exotic 
  Flight‐based Transport 
  Griffon/hippogriff  200g 
  Exotic 
  Pegasus   
  200g 
  Exotic 
  Dwarf Gyrocopter  300g 
  Exotic 
  Balloon, hot air 
  100g 
  Exotic 
  Airship 
   
  200g 
  Exotic 
   
   
  . 
   
    
  Lodging (includes meal)  
  Price 
  Suggested Effect 
  Encampment, urban, poor 
  5b+ 
  3 black to healing check  
  Encampment, rural, poor   
  5b 
  2 black to healing check 
  Encampment, rural, avg 
   
  10b 
  2 black to healing check 
  Straw pile in stables 
   
  10b 
  2 black to healing check 
  Common Rm, Fleabag 
   
  1s 
  1 black to healing check 
  Common Rm, Straw Tick    
  2s 
  Normal healing check 
  Private Room, Poor 
   
  10s 
  Normal Healing check 
  Private Room, Avg 
   
  20s 
  1 white to healing check 
  Private Room, Superior 
   
  1g 
  2 white to healing check 
  Stabling, Horse (poor‐supr)  
  20b 
  Recovery bonus 
  Bath/wash, soap  
   
  10b 
  White to scent track  
  Asylum, average   
   
  10s/mo  May recover insanity
   
  91
  
   
   
   
  92
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/Fantasy Roleplay/4e (C7)/Cato Contribution/Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay/2nd Edition/Homebrew & Fan Material/Liber Fanatica/The Criminal Empire.pdf