TEXT: MADMAN, 
  INTERRUPTED
  
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  character names, places, and things are trademarks and copyright © 2005-2016 Wyrd Miniatures, LLC. The Malifaux game system is patent pending, 
  serial no. 12/821,427
  MADMAN,
  INTERRUPTED
  
  Credits
  Lead Design
  Mason Crawford
  Writing
  Corey Frampton
  Creative Direction
  Nathan Caroland
  TTB Logo Artist
  Patrick Guinane
  Art
  Hardy Fowler
  Graphic Design
  John Cason
  Editing
  Lindsey Rode & Aaron Darland
  Playtesting
  Chris Budinger, Hayden Burns, Samuel E. Burns, Samuel 
  J. Burns, Beth Clarke, Bryan Clarke, Paul DeVincentz, Rick 
  Gearheart, Jeremy Lang, Paul Lippincott, Streven Rault, 
  Adam Rogers, Monica Speca, Shawn Stipe, Tiffany Stipe, 
  Josh Thompson, Henry W. Ulrich, Robert Vancel
  
  Introduction ...............................................................................................................4
  Adventure ........................................................................................................................6
  Prologue: Missing Patient ....................................................................................................6
  Scene I: The Asylum ...........................................................................................................8
  Scene II: Rimer’s Apartment ............................................................................................16
  Scene III: In the Nick of Time .........................................................................................20
  Scene IV: Always Too Late ...............................................................................................24
  Conclusion ........................................................................................................................27
  Fatemaster Characters ...............................................................................28
  Doctor Horus Rimer .........................................................................................................29
  Affected Townsfolk ...........................................................................................................30
  Matthias Keller ..................................................................................................................31
  Possessed Killer .................................................................................................................32
  Darkness Golem ...............................................................................................................33
  Contents
  
  Chapter 1: Introduction
  introduction
  When the Malifaux Sanitarium was first commissioned, 
  it was a place for the city's wealthy residents and Guild 
  personnel to put their husbands, wives, children, 
  parents, and siblings after their minds had been 
  shattered by Malifaux's many horrors. 
  The Governor-General had heard the stories of 
  people losing their minds during the days of the first 
  Breach, and he was determined to prevent his city 
  from descending into the madness that overshadowed 
  accounts of the first forays into Malifaux. Even 
  though psychology was still a relatively new field, the 
  Governor-General selected a large stone building to 
  house the Sanitarium. He reasoned that if he chose a 
  large enough building, there would be plenty of room 
  for all the patients, and he wouldn't have to hear about 
  it for decades to come.
  Within eight months, the Sanitarium was running at 
  capacity. Six months later, there were so many people 
  crammed into the Sanitarium that the safety of its 
  employees could no longer be guaranteed.
  In order to combat the overcrowding, the Sanitarium 
  doctors began to release patients early, declaring them 
  cured and fit for reintroduction into polite society. For 
  the most part, these patients merely became a burden 
  for their loved ones, but others - such as those with 
  the Grave Spirit whispering in their ears - were driven 
  to murder by their madness and became a burden for 
  the city at large.
  Now, the doctors at the Malifaux Sanitarium carefully 
  evaluate each patient that enters their care. Those who 
  show the most promise for recovery are transferred to 
  the Blackwood Home for Mental Healing, while the 
  most violent patients are usually sent to the nightmare 
  that is Smedley's Asylum. The rest remain at the 
  Sanitarium for treatment.
  This adventure has roots long before the Fated 
  become involved, when a man by the name of 
  Matthias Keller was picked off the streets and brought 
  to the Sanitarium where he fell into the clutches of a 
  manipulative doctor with no concern for his sanity.
  
  Player Name
  DestiNy stePs FulFilleD
  exP.
  GuilD scriP
  miGht
  DeFeNse
  iNtellect
  WillPoWer
  Grace
  Walk
  charm
  charGe
  sPeeD
  WouNDs
  cuNNiNG
  heiGht
  resilieNce
  teNacity
  skill
  physical
  physical
  mental
  mental
  av
  ratiNG
  asPect
  FateD Name
  curreNt Pursuit
  statioN
  Name
  sPecial
  av
  DamaGe
  raNGe
  tN
  caPacity
  reloaD
  Name
  sPecial
  av
  DamaGe
  raNGe
  tN
  caPacity
  reloaD
  Name
  sPecial
  av
  DamaGe
  raNGe
  tN
  caPacity
  reloaD
  ASPECTS
  ASPECTS
  ATTACKS
  ATTACKS
  DERIVED ASPECTS
  DERIVED ASPECTS
  SKILLS
  SKILLS
  Chapter 1: Introduction
  Within These Pages
  Here's a list of what you'll find in this adventure!
  chapter 1: 
  INTRODUCTION
  This is the section you're reading now!
  chapter 2:  
  ADVENTURE
  The adventure begins with the Fated being contacted 
  by a guardsmen about a missing patient at the Malifaux 
  Sanitarium. As the Fated investigate the Sanitarium 
  and question the staff, they will gradually come to the 
  conclusion that someone helped the patient escape.
  An investigation of the accomplice's home reveals the 
  true motivations behind the escape and sets the Fated 
  on the path to the Contract Town of Miner's Gulch. 
  Depending on how quickly they arrive, the Fated 
  will either of the opportunity to stop the patient from 
  unleashing a terrible entity upon the world or be forced 
  to deal with the consequences of its escape.
  Chapter 2:  
  FM CHARACTERS
  This chapter contains the stat blocks for the various 
  adversaries the Fated might encounter over the 
  course of the adventure, providing a quick reference 
  to make it easier for the Fatemaster to run the game.
  Call Out Boxes
  There are many call out boxes like this one 
  scattered throughout the adventure.
  These boxes have two main functions. Boxes 
  like this one highlight rules or special notes 
  for the Fatemaster.
  Boxes like the box on the right are used 
  to show dialogue or description. They are 
  intended to be read by the Fatemaster aloud 
  to the players. Be careful, though; some are 
  only intended to be read if the Fated take 
  certain actions or are successful at certain 
  challenges. 
  "Yeah, I was there." The drifter sighs, his 
  shoulders slumping at the admission. "It 
  only lasted a moment, and I still don't know 
  how I lived through it. There was only the 
  one Ortega, but she was so fast with that 
  gun of hers..." He shakes his head. "Two 
  of the bandits were dead before they even 
  realized she had drawn on them."
  His gaze becomes distant as the memory 
  comes back to him. "It was a ballet of death."
  
  Madman, Interrupted
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Prologue: 
  MISSING PATIENT
  As the adventure begins, the Fated receive a message 
  from Cormac Pell, a Guild Guard who works the 
  overnight shift at the Malifaux Sanitarium. An 
  important patient has gone missing, and he needs 
  the Fated’s help to find him before it costs him his 
  job (and possibly lands him in jail). 
  The patient is a research subject for one of the doctors 
  on staff – Dr. Horus Rimer – who is blaming Cormac 
  and the other two guardsmen on duty for the escape. 
  He is threatening to go to their superior if the missing 
  man is not found and returned immediately. Cormac 
  and the others are already on thin ice after a mistake 
  on another assignment led them to be assigned to 
  the Sanitarium as punishment. If Rimer goes to their 
  boss about this, that will be the end of their careers 
  and charges might be brought against them.
  Desperate now, the three of them have pooled their 
  resources together to hire the Fated for assistance.
  Cormac’s missive asks the Fated to meet him at a 
  Guild-friendly tavern called the Watch’s End as 
  soon as possible. When the characters arrive, read 
  the following text:
  The rain bores down mercilessly upon Malifaux 
  City as you arrive at the Watch’s End, an old 
  wooden tavern just a stone’s throw from the 
  Guild Enclave. The warm light from its windows 
  and the trailing smoke from its chimney serve as 
  beacons of refuge and comfort to those caught 
  out in the storm. 
  Or at least, to those who are willing to take that 
  comfort and refuge in the company of two dozen 
  or so off-duty members of the Guild Guard. 
  Despite being more than an hour before noon, 
  the tavern’s tables are a crowded sea of red and 
  gray uniforms. Guardsmen wrap their hands 
  around mugs of hot wine and dig greedily into 
  steaming plates of food. 
  Tucked away at a secluded table by the stairs, 
  one man sits alone. He glances up as you enter 
  and then stands, beckoning you over to his table.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The man at the table is Cormac Pell, and as the 
  Fated arrive, he shakes their hands. He’s somewhere 
  around five and a half feet tall, with a slim, muscular 
  frame that is accentuated by the dark colors of the 
  Guild uniform. Despite his tired eyes and haggard 
  features, his uniform is in good condition, and he 
  seems comfortable in it.
  After introductions are made, Pell gestures for the 
  Fated to take a seat, waiting until they are all seated 
  before taking his own. Read the text box below:
  Pell says that he and the other two guards, Elsa 
  Lennon and Roscoe Sudworth, were on duty during 
  the night the patient disappeared, and that they have 
  scrounged up every bit of scrip they could muster. 
  They’ll give it to the Fated if they can find the 
  patient and bring him back to the Sanitarium. 
  It comes out to a total of 22 scrip and a 
  written I.O.U from the owner of a local 
  diner for one fine meal (which Roscoe won 
  off the diner’s owner).
  If the Fated accept the job, Pell relaxes visibly and 
  thanks them before going into more detail.
  The patient’s name is Matthias Keller. Pell doesn’t 
  know much about his circumstances before he 
  was brought in to the Sanitarium, just that he had 
  only been in Malifaux for a few days before some 
  guardsmen found him in the streets of Downtown in 
  a kind of stupor. 
  Up until about a month ago, Keller had been 
  as quiet as a mouse. Then he suddenly started 
  screaming until his voice gave out and scraping his 
  fingertips raw on the rough stone so that he could 
  use his blood to paint weird pictures all over the 
  walls of his cell. The doctors eventually gave him 
  charcoal to draw with so that he wouldn’t destroy his 
  hands completely. Pell and the other guards were 
  employed at the Sanitarium at the time but regarded 
  it as a crazy person getting crazier; certainly nothing 
  to be overly concerned about.
  Pell suggests that the Fated come to the Sanitarium 
  that night, at the beginning of his shift. He takes down 
  the Fated’s names and says that he’ll make sure that 
  they get added to the list of authorized visitors so 
  that they can talk with the other guardsmen and the 
  Sanitarium staff. 
  “I’m sorry to drag you out in this mess,” he says, 
  hooking a thumb in the direction of the window 
  and the pouring rain, “but unfortunately, I don’t 
  think it can wait.”
  Pell scans the room quickly, making sure that 
  nobody is eavesdropping, and then leans 
  forward, lowering his voice. “Me and a couple of 
  mates are in a bad way and we need your help. 
  You see, a couple of months ago we got into 
  some trouble, and the Captain reassigned us, set 
  us to work at the Sanitarium. We’ve been doing 
  our best to keep our heads down and stay out of 
  trouble, but last night one of the patients went 
  missing. We think he’s escaped, but we can’t for 
  the life of us figure out how. If you don’t find out 
  where he got off to and get him back to his cell, 
  we could be headed for the mines for negligence 
  of duty, or worse, the gallows.”
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Scene 1: 
  THE ASYLUM
  Cormac Pell’s shift doesn’t start until 5 p.m., so the 
  Fated have some time to prepare or tend to other 
  matters before then. The Malifaux Sanitarium is 
  about a quarter mile from the Guild Enclave, in the 
  Downtown district. If the Fated attempt to visit the 
  Sanitarium before Pell’s shift starts, they are denied 
  entry. The Fatemaster is encouraged to track just how 
  much time the Fated spend on their investigation, as 
  it determines whether or not Keller has succeeded 
  in his plans by the time the Fated catch up with him.
  When the Fated arrive at the Sanitarium at the 
  appropriate time, read the following text: 
  As the Fated come into view, Pell waves them over 
  and introduces them to his colleagues, Elsa Lennon 
  and Roscoe Sudworth. They both shake hands with 
  the Fated and thank them for their help before 
  excusing themselves and making their way inside to 
  start their shifts. If the Fated have questions for the 
  guards, Pell says that they can chat with them once 
  everyone is on the clock.
  After they depart, Pell suggests that the Fated start 
  their investigation by talking to Dr. Horus Rimer 
  before he leaves for the night. Keller was his 
  patient and research subject, and the doctor might 
  be more inclined to talk to the Fated than he is to 
  cooperate with the Guild Guard, who he blames 
  for Keller’s escape. 
  He always warns that Rimer isn’t the most pleasant 
  of people on a good day. After last night’s escape, 
  he’s likely to be downright miserable to deal with.
  Entering the Asylum
  When they are ready, Pell leads the Fated through 
  the barred gates and across the Sanitarium’s 
  courtyard. The walls here are tall – twelve feet of 
  sturdy brick – and topped with spooled barbed wire 
  that seems difficult to climb over. Pell mentions 
  that they checked the length of the walls as soon as 
  the sun was up and didn’t find any sign of blood or 
  torn clothing caught in the wire, but with the recent 
  storm, he can’t be certain that such clues didn’t get 
  washed away with the rain.
  If the Fated succeed on a TN 10 Athletics + Cunning 
  Challenge, they notice that the bricks on the side of 
  the wall have been grounded down until they were 
  smooth with the mortar, robbing it of any hand or 
  footholds; the only way someone was climbing up 
  over this wall was with tall ladder.  
  The Sanitarium’s double doors are unlocked. Just 
  inside there’s a guardsmen seated at a desk, in front 
  of a row of bars with a locked door in the center. Pell 
  introduces him as Harvey Gibson, prompting another 
  round of handshakes as Pell has the Fated sign in on a 
  clipboard. Harvey wishes Pell and the Fated good luck 
  and unlocks the interior door, allowing them to enter 
  the Sanitarium proper. Once they’re through, Gibson 
  locks the door behind them.
  The sky has long since darkened from bleak 
  gray to familiar black by the time you arrive 
  at the Guild run Sanitarium. The relentless 
  downpour of the morning has tapered off into 
  a softly falling mist which manages to paint the 
  area in a strangely fanciful light. The crowds that 
  bustle back and forth on the streets avoid coming 
  anywhere near the looming stone building in 
  front of you, and as you bundle up against the 
  dampness, a bell tolls in the distance, marking 
  the hour. The sound carries strangely down the 
  street, a forlorn echo of the original chime.
  Up ahead of you, near a tall, barred gate set into 
  the Sanitarium’s outer wall, you see Cormac 
  Pell and two other members of the Guild Guard 
  waiting for you. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Talking to Rimer
  Once inside the building, Pell leads the Fated 
  through the Sanitarium toward the wing which 
  houses the doctors’ offices. There are no patients 
  wandering the halls – Pell mentions that they’re only 
  allowed out of their cells when accompanied by a 
  doctor, nurse, or orderly – which makes the empty 
  halls feel lonely and just a bit spooky. 
  Pell explains that he’s taking them to see Dr. Rimer 
  first, as his shift is ending soon and the doctor 
  doesn’t usually linger too long at the Sanitarium after 
  it’s over. 
  Clues in Malifaux City
  If the Fated attempt to find clues regarding 
  Keller’s escape by questioning people in 
  town, there are two avenues of investigation 
  that might yield useful information: Greg 
  Duncan, a chef who was returning home 
  from a catered party at the time of the escape, 
  and Samantha Bartleby, a ticket taker at the 
  Southgate Station in the Southern Slums. 
  A TN 14 Bewitch Challenge and two hours 
  of questioning are enough to get someone 
  to point them to Greg Duncan, who saw 
  something odd the night of the escape. If 
  questioned, he says that he saw a haggard 
  man matching Keller’s description a few 
  blocks from the Sanitarium. The man was 
  carrying a pistol and seemed crazy, and he 
  accosted Duncan, demanding to know how 
  to reach the ‘town in the Badlands.’ Duncan 
  panicked and told him to take the Southern 
  Belle train from Southgate Station, at which 
  point the man tossed him aside and ran off. 
  If the Fated happen to question the workers 
  at the Southgate Station, a TN 9 Bewitch 
  Challenge gets Samantha Bartleby to reveal 
  that there was some sort of crazed, armed 
  man on the tracks the morning after Keller’s 
  escape. He took a few shots at some of the 
  workers and then disappeared. The Guild 
  Guard investigated and determined that the 
  man had likely hitched a ride on a departing 
  train headed south from the city.
  Clues in Edge Point
  If the Fated travel south to Edge Point – the 
  only significant stop along the rail line – a TN 
  6 Bewitch Challenge puts them in contact with 
  Henrietta Von Howell, a wealthy socialite 
  who remembers seeing a man climbing along 
  the outside of her train as it traveled south. 
  She opened the window and inquired what he 
  was doing out there, at which point he shoved 
  a gun in her face and demanded that she 
  take him to ‘Miner’s Gulch.’ She responded 
  by jabbing him with the tip of her parasol, 
  which caused him to fall from the train with a 
  shout of frustration and surprise. Von Howell 
  considers the entire experience to be a sign 
  that Condor Rails needs to do more to control 
  the ‘itinerant hobo population.’
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  As the characters approach Rimer’s office, read the 
  following text: 
  Rimer stands as the Fated enter, coming around to 
  the front of his desk. Though almost six feet tall, 
  he still seems like a small man: thin to the point of 
  appearing frail with only a few sparse wisps of gray 
  hair to decorate his otherwise bald head, Rimer 
  looks to be in his late forties or early fifties. 
  The doctor seems surprised to see the Fated, and his 
  demeanor softens as he introduces himself before 
  casting a glare toward Pell, as if demanding to know 
  who the Fated are. Pell explains that the Fated are 
  looking into the disappearance “on the behalf of the 
  Guild Guard,” which draws an eye roll from Rimer 
  as he dismisses Pell. As he leaves, Pell mentions that 
  he’ll wait outside for them.
  Once the guardsman has left the room, Rimer 
  sighs and turns back to the Fated, apologizing for 
  his rudeness. He claims that he “cannot abide 
  incompetence” and motions for the Fated to have a 
  seat in his office… which contains exactly two chairs 
  on the opposite side of his desk. Any additional 
  Fated will have to stand (or sit on the floor, which 
  earns another sigh from Rimer). 
  Read the following text: 
  Dealing with Rimer is all about knowing where to 
  stop. Despite how he treated Pell, Rimer can be a 
  perfectly civil conversationalist – right up until the 
  point where they push him too hard, at which point 
  he becomes offended and asks the Fated to leave. 
  A TN 10 Scrutiny Challenge reveals that Rimer is 
  agitated and entitled, and that is he is unlikely to 
  respond well to any sort of challenge to his authority.
  Pell’s footsteps slow as he leads you to a dead-
  end hallway, coming to a stop in front of a 
  heavy wooden door marked with a nameplate 
  reading “Dr. Horus Rimer.” He takes a deep 
  breath, obviously bracing himself, and then 
  raps his knuckles sharply against the door. 
  “Doctor Rimer?”
  “Come in.” The disembodied voice from 
  beyond the doorway is slightly high-pitched and 
  grating, even with the thick wooden door to act 
  as a filter. Before Pell can so much as reach for 
  the nob, the voice calls out again. “For God’s 
  sake, I said come in already!”
  Rimer seats himself behind his desk as you 
  look around the office. It’s neatly ordered, 
  with the desk situated directly opposite the 
  office door. Tall windows line the wall behind 
  the desk, all of them reinforced with iron bars 
  that make the room seem more like a prison 
  than an office. 
  The other two walls are dominated by rows of 
  free-standing bookshelves, three on the wall to 
  your left and two on the wall to your right, the 
  latter framing a small fireplace. An empty gun 
  case hangs over the fireplace’s mantle.
  “Now,” Rimer says, calling your attention back 
  to him as he folds his hands together on his 
  desk. “How can I assist your investigation?”
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Questioning Rimer
  Here are some of the possible relevant topics the 
  Fated may ask Rimer about.
  Matthias Keller
  If the Fated bring up the escaped Matthias Keller, 
  Rimer calmly explains that he believed Keller 
  suffered from a rare manifestation of Badlands Fever. 
  Most of those affected by the condition constantly 
  repeat the phrase ‘The desert must be fed,’ but in 
  Keller’s case, his breakdown took a different course. 
  Rimer claims that he might have been able to make 
  a breakthrough in the treatment of Badlands Fever, 
  if only he had more time to study his patient. 
  A TN 11 Scrutiny Challenge reveals that there is 
  more Rimer isn’t telling them, but if pressed, he 
  claims that anything further pertains to his research, 
  which he does not intend to share with them. If they 
  attempt to press him beyond that, he grows indignant 
  and asks them to leave.
  Cormac Pell
  Rimer considers Pell and his “cronies” to be 
  incompetent at best and negligent at worse. He 
  knows that they were assigned to the sanitarium as 
  punishment, but not the nature of the misdeeds that 
  earned them that punishment. He makes a half-
  joking comment that they probably lost a prisoner at 
  the jail, given their track records. 
  A TN 10 Scrutiny Challenge reveals that Rimer is 
  playing up his dislike of Pell and the others, almost 
  as if he were putting on a performance.
  The Empty Gun Case
  If the Fated mention the empty gun case above his 
  fireplace, Rimer mentions that he kept a pistol as a 
  means of self-defense, but that he (ironically) lost it 
  when he was mugged on his way home from work 
  several months ago. 
  A TN 10 Scrutiny Challenge reveals that Rimer is 
  lying, but if pressed, he calls them idiots and calls for 
  Pell to escort them out of his office. 
  The Previous Night
  If the Fated ask Rimer about the events of the night 
  before, he says that he spent the afternoon with 
  Keller and returned him to his cell at 7:00 p.m. He 
  mentions that whenever a patient is checked in or 
  out of their cell, the time is recorded in the log book 
  kept at the main desk. He returned to his office, 
  gathered a few papers, and then left for his home. 
  His departure, he mentions, is recorded in the log 
  book at the front doors.
  As an afterthought, he mentions that Keller was 
  particularly excited last night and that he was forced 
  to sedate the man, which resulted in him returning 
  Keller to his cell later than usual.
  A TN 10 Scrutiny Challenge allows a Fated to sense 
  that Rimer is giving them a carefully rehearsed story, 
  rather than the truth. If they accuse him of lying, the 
  character sees a flash of panic in his eyes before he 
  calls them idiots and calls for Pell to escort them out 
  of his office. 
  Once the Fated are done talking to Rimer (or after 
  they are unceremoniously thrown out of his office), 
  Pell asks if they want to talk to the rest of the staff or 
  take a look at Keller’s cell. There’s time for both, but 
  if the Fated feel like splitting up, he’ll take everyone 
  to the main desk in a patient ward to meet the staff 
  and then take anyone that wants to see Keller’s cell 
  further into the complex.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Talking to the Staff
  Aside from Cormac Pell and Dr. Rimer, there 
  were six other people who were working in the 
  Eastern wing of the Guild Sanitarium last night: 
  two members of the Guild Guard (Elsa Lennon 
  and Roscoe Sudworth), two nurses (Mira Aiken 
  and Elaine Davenport), and two orderlies (Magnus 
  Beckham and James Conner). When Pell leads 
  the Fated into the patient ward, all six are gathered 
  around the main desk. 
  The Guild Guards
  Cormac Pell has already told the Fated everything 
  he knows about what happened, and Roscoe states 
  that he and Pell were making the rounds together 
  last night. Neither saw anything suspicious or out of 
  the ordinary. 
  Elsa, on the other hand, was stationed at the main 
  desk. She remembers signing Keller into Rimer’s 
  custody and then signing him back into his cell later 
  in the evening. She checks the log book for the exact 
  times: Rimer checked Keller out at 2:30 p.m. to take 
  Keller down to the labs for study and then brought 
  him back just at 6:57 p.m. 
  As she’s looking over the log book, Elsa chews her lip 
  thoughtfully for a moment. She says that normally, 
  Keller is back in his cell by 5:30 p.m. at the latest, 
  and a brief perusal of the log book confirms that. 
  Even on nights when Rimer is staying late, she says, 
  he brings Keller back by 5:30 p.m. and then locks 
  himself away in his office. 
  She goes on to mention that Keller was really quiet 
  when Rimer brought him back last night. Rimer 
  claimed that Keller had gotten out of control while 
  he was in the lab and he’d been forced to sedate 
  him. Since that explained Keller’s behavior and the 
  lateness of the hour, she’d put the whole thing out of 
  her mind until Keller’s cell was found empty hours 
  later. As far as she can remember, he didn’t make a 
  single sound after he was back in his cell.
  The Nurses
  The first nurse, Elaine, was at the main desk when 
  Rimer brought Keller back to his cell and can 
  confirm Elsa’s version of events. 
  Neither Mira nor Elaine have anything of note to 
  contribute on Keller’s disappearance, but a TN 9 
  Scrutiny Challenge reveals that they’re holding 
  something back. 
  If pressed, it takes a TN 10 Bewitch, Convince, or 
  Intimidate Challenge to get them to mention that 
  Dr. Rimer has been acting strangely lately (neither 
  wants Dr. Rimer making their job more difficult 
  than it already is).
  On a success, Elaine explains that Dr. Rimer started 
  working at the Sanitarium a little more than a year 
  ago, but up until recently, his attendance has been 
  terrible. At least once a month, he disappears for 
  three or four days in a row without saying a word to 
  anyone. To make matters worse, when he returns, 
  he usually has such a foul temper that the nurses 
  have to spend another week avoiding him. 
  A little over a month ago, though, Rimer’s absence 
  stretched out to over a week and a half. Everyone 
  thought that he had quit or been killed by a mugger, 
  but then he showed up one morning as if nothing 
  had happened, as happy as could be. For the next 
  few days, he was almost pleasant to deal with.
  Mira chimes in at that point and 
  mentions that it was right around then 
  that this whole thing with “Mister 
  Keller” started. She says it’s a shame; 
  one day he was quiet and easy to deal 
  with, and the next he was screaming 
  and throwing himself against the 
  walls. Since then, Dr. Rimer has been 
  working with Keller every day in an 
  attempt to help him recover.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The Orderlies
  Both Magnus and James are sullen, angry men, and 
  it’s difficult to get them talking without an incentive. 
  If the Fated succeed at a TN 11 Barter Challenge 
  and give him at least 5 scrip, however, Magnus will 
  tell them what he knows. Read the following text:
  Keller’s Cell
  Once the Fated are ready, Pell will take the Fated 
  through another locked door and down a hallway 
  to Keller’s cell. He explains that they usually don’t 
  give writing tools to patients, but after Keller kept 
  hurting himself to draw on the walls with his blood, 
  they relented and gave him a stick of charcoal. Read 
  the following text: 
  The door of Keller’s cell is thick, reinforced wood 
  with a single slot to pass food through. There’s a 
  key lock and a deadbolt on the outside of the door, 
  and both are intact and functional. A TN 10 Notice 
  Challenge reveals no sign of tampering or unusual 
  scuff marks on either lock. 
  The images in Keller’s Cell are a result of Rimer’s 
  gradual brainwashing of the man. Using his 
  manifested power of being able to create illusions 
  – combined with a number of drugs and his training 
  as a psychologist – Rimer convinced Keller that 
  an object he calls the Vessel was calling to him. 
  By the time Rimer’s brainwashing had reached its 
  conclusion, Keller believed that the only way to save 
  himself from the visions and whispering voices was 
  to do what the Vessel wanted him to do: namely, to 
  retrieve it from the Contract Town of Miner’s Gulch 
  and deliver it to a building in the Howling Slums.
  “Alright, look.” Magnus pulls you off to the 
  side and looks around to make sure that no 
  one else is listening. “James and I keep an old 
  mattress stashed down in the basement for 
  when we need to get away for a little bit, maybe 
  take the occasional nap. It’s hidden behind a 
  bunch of old beds and junk down there.”
  “Anyways, I was down there last night, and I 
  hear the basement door open up. That thing 
  squeals like nothing you’ve ever heard. At first, 
  I thought maybe it was James coming down 
  looking for me, but when I stuck my head out, 
  there were two of them: Dr. Rimer and that 
  guy who escaped.”
  Magnus casts another glance back over his 
  shoulder. “I thought it was a little weird, them 
  being down there and all, but I didn’t stick 
  around to find out what they were doing. As 
  soon as they were out of sight, I high-tailed it 
  out of there. I was going to say something to 
  one of the guards, but before I got a chance, I 
  saw the doctor taking that guy back to his cell. 
  So I figure, why bother, right? If anyone found 
  out about our little hiding spot, they’d pitch a 
  fit, so it didn’t seem worth mentioning.”
  No more than eight feet in any direction, the 
  inside of Keller’s cell is an eerie and somewhat 
  grotesque testament to the man’s sudden, 
  headlong plunge into madness. Harsh lines of 
  blood and charcoal cover the walls, forming a 
  bizarre web of overlapping pictures and writing 
  that is almost painful to look at. Drawn in 
  thick slashes of rusty red and dusty black, they 
  appear over and over, perhaps a dozen times 
  all in all: GET OUT.
  The images scrawled on the wall can no doubt 
  be deciphered, but it will take time. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Deciphering the images in Keller’s Cell is handled 
  with an Ongoing Challenge: 
  Interpreting Madness
  •Skills Allowed: Art, Literacy
  •Target Number: 12
  •Duration: 10 minutes
  •Success Requirement: 4
  •Failure Requirement: 2
   
  Keep track of the time the Fated spend on this 
  Ongoing Challenge, as it directly affects how long 
  their investigation takes; see the A Trail of Clues 
  section on page 19 for more details.
  For every success the Fated achieve on this Ongoing 
  Challenge, they’re able to make out one of the 
  images drawn on the walls of Keller’s cell. Each one 
  appears several times, and each appearance is an 
  evolution of the one before it, showing more detail. 
  The images can be deciphered in any order.
  Image 1
  The first image depicts a simple cube covered in 
  arcane markings. In the earliest versions of the 
  picture, the markings are little more than scrawled 
  lines of no consequence, but in the most recent 
  versions, they are drawn with exacting detail. If 
  any of the Fated succeed on a TN 12 Enchanting 
  Challenge, they realize that the markings are a 
  containment spell of some kind and are designed to 
  seal something within the cube. (This is the Vessel, 
  a magical prison created by Rimer’s grandfather 
  during the days of the First Breach.)
  Image 2
  The second image shows a mining town and actually 
  has the most variation between versions as each one 
  shows a slightly different perspective of the town’s 
  central square: the well, the saloon, and a long series 
  of buildings stretching off into the distance. There’s 
  not enough detail to get a definitive location, but 
  none of them seem to include a train station. A 
  TN 16 Geography Challenge identifies the town 
  as Miner’s Gulch, a small Contract Town in the 
  Badlands. (This is where Rimer wants Keller to go 
  to retrieve the Vessel.)
  Image 3
  The third image shows another building in a 
  very different locale. It’s a shabby building on a 
  cobbled street, drawn in exacting detail. The other 
  structures that appear around it are almost fuzzy by 
  comparison, but there’s a small fountain topped with 
  some sort of winged humanoid statue in the distance. 
  A tall barricade runs along the side of the image, 
  suggesting that wherever it is, the building lies near 
  one of the barricades that separates the inhabited 
  portion of the city and the Quarantine Zone. A TN 
  14 Geography Challenge identifies the fountain (and 
  thus, the building) as being in the Howling Slums 
  district of the city. (This is where Rimer wants Keller 
  to bring the Vessel once he’s retrieved it.)
  If the Fated successfully complete the Ongoing 
  Challenge, they find small, cramped writing almost 
  hidden between two larger scrawls. It reads: “Doctor 
  making me see things.” (This is a reference to Rimer 
  using his illusions to brainwash Keller.)
  If the Fated catastrophically fail the Ongoing 
  Challenge, they find a scrawled phrase written in 
  tiny, red-brown letters (his own blood): “Mira’s eyes 
  glow in the dark I know I know watching me.” (This 
  is just crazy rambling with no basis in reality.)
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The Suspicious Doctor
  At this point, there’s no evidence to suggest that 
  Keller was able to (or capable of) escaping from the 
  Sanitarium on his own. On the other hand, there’s 
  a fair amount of strange behavior on the part of Dr. 
  Rimer, and if the Fated have some success during 
  their investigation, it should be enough to encourage 
  them to take a closer look at him. 
  Rimer leaves the Sanitarium at 6:30 p.m. (about an 
  hour later than usual, due to being nervous about 
  the Fated’s investigation), takes a brief dinner at a 
  small diner that lasts an hour, and then heads home, 
  arriving at 8:00 p.m. 
  The Fated's investigation takes one hour to complete, 
  plus however long they spent on the Interpreting 
  Madness Ongoing Challenge. Since the Fated 
  arrived at the Sanitarium at 5 p.m., this means that 
  the Fated wrap up their investigation a little after 6 
  p.m., giving them a narrow window where they can 
  still catch Rimer while he’s at the Sanitarium.
  Searching Rimer’s Office
  If Rimer has gone home for the day (or if the Fated 
  wait for him to leave), they can investigate his office 
  in his absence. The Fated will either have to convince 
  one of the guards to open it for them (which requires 
  a TN 7 Bewitch, Convince, or Intimidate Challenge, 
  as Rimer as them all thoroughly intimidated) or 
  sneak away and pick the lock (which requires a 
  TN 12 Stealth Challenge to duck away from the 
  guards and a TN 10 Lockpicking Challenge and 
  a Lockpicking Skill Toolkit to open the lock). 
  Alternatively, the Fated can attempt to force the 
  door open with a TN 10 Athletics Challenge, but 
  the guards will attempt to stop them if present, and if 
  not, the noise attracts both Cormac Pell and Roscoe 
  Sudsworth to investigate the disturbance.
  Unfortunately, there’s not much of note in Rimer’s 
  office. His desk contains a stack of patient files, but 
  Keller’s file is missing. If the Fated think to mention 
  it to the guards or nurses, they’ll suggest that he 
  might have taken it home with him; he’s been doing 
  that a lot with Keller’s files, ever since Keller had his 
  breakdown a month ago.
  Following Rimer Home
  If Rimer hasn’t left when the Fated finish their 
  investigation, they can covertly trail him with TN 8 
  Stealth Challenges; if any character fails, he notices 
  someone following him and quickly hurries home 
  to avoid what he believes is a mugger or other 
  miscreant. If none of the Fated alert him to their 
  presence, they’re able to watch him eat at a diner 
  before returning to his apartment at 8:00 p.m.
  If Rimer has already gone home, the guards can 
  obtain his home address for the Fated from the 
  Sanitarium’s personnel files.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Scene 2: 
  RIMER'S APARTMENT
  Rimer’s home is a second floor apartment that is 
  situated above a tailor’s shop in the Downtown 
  district. It consists of three rooms: a small kitchen, a 
  living room, and a small bedroom. The only restroom 
  is a communal restroom that is shared by the floor’s 
  other apartment; it must be accessed via the hallway. 
  The bedroom and kitchen are just as neat as 
  Rimer’s office, but the living room is a different 
  story entirely. Every available surface is either 
  littered with open books or covered in pinned-
  up sheets of paper bearing his cramped writing. 
  The only clear area in the entire room is a space 
  directly in front of its largest wall, which bears a 
  large map of Malifaux that has been marked up in 
  all manner of notations and drawings. 
  If Rimer is home when the Fated arrive, their arrival 
  annoys him, and he quite rudely informs them that 
  he has no interest in discussing business matters 
  on his off hours. If the Fated succeed at a TN 11 
  Scrutiny Challenge, they are able to pick up on the 
  fact that Rimer is very worried about seeing them 
  again. He attempts to shut the door on the Fated, 
  but they can push past him and into his apartment 
  with a TN 8 Labor Challenge. 
  If the Fated force their way into his apartment, Rimer is 
  outraged and demands that the characters leave at once 
  before he calls for the Guild Guard. Despite his threats, 
  however, he never actually sends for the authorities, 
  instead refusing to answer any questions as he follows 
  the Fated around and interferes with their attempts to 
  search his apartment. If the characters turn hostile (or 
  discover his Journals or the Vessel materials), Rimer 
  uses his illusion powers to cover his escape and flee. 
  Similarly, if Rimer returns home to find people 
  searching his apartment (or just comes home to an 
  apartment that has been searched), he realizes that 
  someone is on to him and flees at the first opportunity.
  If Rimer flees (for any reason), he goes to the 
  building in the Howling Slums and waits for Keller 
  to return with the Vessel. He tries to gather up the 
  Journals and Vessel Materials before leaving, but if 
  the Fated are present, he leaves them behind. Rimer 
  knows that trying to sneak the items out might end 
  up drawing attention to them, and he’d rather take 
  his chances on the Fated not finding them if possible.
  If the Fated choose to stake out his apartment, then 
  Rimer proves to be remarkably boring. He works 
  in his apartment for a few hours, then turns out the 
  light and goes to sleep. He leaves the next morning 
  at 7:00, stops at the same diner for breakfast, and 
  then continues the rest of the way to the Sanitarium. 
  Searching the Apartment
  The Fated can make a TN 5 Notice Challenge to 
  search Rimer’s apartment. If Rimer is present, he 
  proves to be a distraction and imposes a - to this 
  Challenge for as long as he is allowed to move freely 
  within the apartment. On a success, the Fated notice 
  the markings on the Map (see below). If they achieve 
  a Margin of Success, they also find the Journals (pg. 
  17), and two Margins of Success allow them to find 
  the Vessel Materials (pg. 19).
  The Map
  If the Fated notice the markings on the map, read 
  the following text: 
  The longest wall of the living room is occupied 
  by a large, crudely drawn map of the Badlands. 
  Hastily scrawled notes mark the locations of towns 
  and settlements spread out through the barren 
  area, but all of them have been harshly exed out. 
  The one exception is the town of Miner’s Gulch, 
  situated a few hours south of Edge Point, which 
  has been circled several times. 
  Scraps of paper create an uneven border for the 
  map; a chronicle of the doctor’s search for the 
  town made up of handwritten notes and pages torn 
  from the books with passages underlined. One 
  page stands out from the others – at the top of the 
  map, sitting at the apex of the notes like a keystone 
  – is a dry, yellowed piece of paper bearing an old 
  drawing of a cube with arcane markings on its sides. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  If any of the Fated succeed on a TN 12 Enchanting 
  Challenge, they realize that the markings are a 
  containment spell of some kind and are designed 
  to seal something within the cube. If the Fated 
  successfully identified the cube drawing in Keller’s 
  cell, then they automatically pass this Challenge. 
  Either way, they notice that the drawing is identical 
  to the one in Keller’s Cell (pg. 13). 
  A TN 10 Geography or History Challenge allows a 
  Fated to realize that many of the marked locations 
  on the map are towns that were lost during the time 
  of the First Breach.
  The Journals
  The Fated find a pair of journals on a small desk, 
  buried underneath several layers of loose paper. 
  The first is the Ancestor Journal, which appears 
  to be about a hundred years old, while the second 
  is Rimer’s Journal, a much newer book. Both are 
  described below. 
  Ancestor Journal
  As the characters examine the journal more closely, 
  read the following text:
  The journal is faded and contains plenty of 
  misspelled words and bad grammar; after an hour 
  spent reading it, a character must succeed at a TN 
  12 Literacy Challenge. On a failure, the character is 
  unable to read the journal. On a success, however, 
  the character learns that the journal details Jonah’s 
  encounters with an entity that taught him much 
  about the use of magic before turning on him and 
  attempting to possess his body. Jonah managed to 
  fight the entity off and seal its essence inside “the 
  Vessel,” a glass cube inscribed with arcane markings 
  that were designed to seal the entity inside it.
  After he locked the spirit away, Jonah took the Vessel 
  out into the Badlands and buried it at the bottom 
  of a maze of canyons. Despite his seeming victory, 
  some of the journal’s later entries express doubt as 
  to how long the Vessel would be able to contain the 
  entity within it and his fear of what might happen 
  should it fail. He speaks of his intention to construct 
  another Vessel – stronger and more durable than the 
  original –and his notes detail exactly what materials 
  and steps would be necessary to create it. 
  There’s also an in-depth description of the process 
  needed to bind the entity and transfer it into the new 
  Vessel. 
  Unfortunately, it appears that the Breach closed 
  before Jonah could actually build the new Vessel. 
  The last entry is still describing his search for the 
  proper materials. 
  Rimer’s Journal
  Rimer’s journal is written in a precise and meticulous 
  hand, and the book is divided into three sections by 
  a pair of stiff ribbons. The journal takes two hours 
  to read but does not require any Literacy Challenges 
  to understand it; for all of Rimer’s faults, he has 
  excellent penmanship.
  The following page contains breakdowns of all three 
  sections of his journal.
  Bound in red leather, cracked and dry with 
  age, the thin volume smells faintly of pipe 
  tobacco and dust. The pages within are brittle 
  and what remains of the book’s stitching is 
  barely holding it together. 
  A faint scrawl on the inside cover declares that 
  the journal once belonged to Jonah Rimer, 
  likely one of the doctor’s ancestors. The 
  first page begins in the middle of a sentence, 
  suggesting that there are either pages missing or 
  that there was another volume before this one; 
  unfortunately, the journal’s poor condition 
  makes it impossible to tell which. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Section 1
  The first section is an analytical account of Rimer’s 
  search for the Vessel. It contains everything from 
  the necessary supplies for each trip to the names of 
  the guides he hired (and how competent he felt each 
  of them were). Each entry covers a single expedition 
  and contains copious notes about each location: 
  how it compared to the landmarks and notes in 
  his grandfather’s journal as well as any potential 
  difficulties that might arise if that site should prove 
  to be the location of the Vessel.
  At the end of this section is the entry for the town of 
  Miner’s Gulch, notable for the last words in its entry. 
  Read the following text:
  Section 2
  The second section of the journal focuses on 
  Rimer’s experiments on Matthias Keller and sheds 
  some light on his ‘escape’ from the Sanitarium.
  The section begins with a detailed list of traits and 
  attributes that Rimer was looking for in a subject, 
  such as obsessive qualities and physical fitness. 
  The next few pages afterwards contain profiles of 
  Keller and several other patients at the Sanitarium, 
  each with a series of notes about their individual 
  attributes. A handful of the names are crossed out 
  in obvious rejection and some are unmarked, but 
  Keller’s name is circled several times. 
  Following his selection, Rimer describes every 
  session with Keller in exacting detail. His goal, 
  as he states it, is not just to drive the man insane, 
  but to create a very specific fracture in his psyche 
  that would make Keller obsessed with finding the 
  Vessel and bringing it to Rimer. Using his ability 
  to create illusions, Rimer assaulted Keller with an 
  ever-evolving series of visions and whispering voices, 
  brainwashing him into believing that the Vessel was 
  calling to him. 
  He then describes choosing a building in the 
  Howling Slums as the drop-off point to meet with 
  Keller after he returns with the Vessel. Rimer’s notes 
  are detailed, and with a TN 8 Geography Challenge, 
  the Fated can locate the building in the Howling 
  Slums. Rimer notes, however, that he’s somewhat 
  concerned that Keller will not be able to find his way 
  to the drop-off point, but that he’s willing to take that 
  risk. If worse comes to worse, he assumes, Rimer 
  will be picked up by the Guard and sent back to 
  the Sanitarium for his care, at which point he can 
  pick up the Vessel from Keller’s logged belongings 
  or interrogate the man until he tells Rimer where he 
  stashed it. 
  Section 3
  The third section of the journal is a careful 
  examination of several different possible routes 
  and methods for staging Keller’s escape. Each one 
  is carefully plotted out with notes about who might 
  be encountered on each route and what obstacles 
  would have to be overcome. There are small maps 
  sketched onto the pages, and even a description of 
  the illusion he would have to create in order to make 
  it appear that Keller was returning to his cells. It’s 
  clear from his notes that Rimer considers most of 
  his coworkers to be idiots. 
  The last entry of the journal reads as follows: 
  “Subject has shown an even greater propensity 
  for obsession than I had anticipated and 
  is likely to become violent if challenged in 
  pursuit of his goals. Town has a population 
  of approximately forty-five people. Subject 
  will need to be outfitted with a weapon and 
  instructed to use whatever force is necessary 
  to cow the population and retrieve the Vessel. 
  It is unlikely that the subject will be forced to 
  kill all of the town’s residents; I estimate the 
  death toll should not exceed fifteen souls. 
  Acceptable loss.”
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Vessel Materials
  Tucked into the back of the closet in the bedroom 
  is a small box containing a worn and stained piece 
  of oilcloth. Beneath the cloth are carefully cut panes 
  of glass and brass edging, each approximately 6” on 
  a side, a small vial of acid, and a number of loose 
  pages that appear to have been used to practice 
  drawing mystical symbols. 
  These are the materials that Rimer had planned to 
  use to construct a new Vessel. If the Fated were able 
  to decipher the directions in the Ancestor’s Journal, 
  they can finish constructing the Vessel with one hour 
  of work and a TN 13 Artefacting Challenge. If they 
  fail this Challenge with a Margin of Failure, they 
  ruin the materials and cannot repeat the Challenge; 
  otherwise, they can attempt the assembly again with 
  another hour of work. 
  So long as the Fated have the Ancestor’s Journal, 
  they can hire artisans to replicate the pieces of the 
  cube, but doing so requires a total of 8 scrip and a 
  week of work. Unless the Fated tip very well (at least 
  2 additional scrip), word of their obviously magical 
  device also gets back to the Guild’s Witch Hunters, 
  who are certain to pay the Fated a visit in the future. 
  A Trail of Clues
  Though there is little at Rimer’s apartment to 
  suggest his motivations, the evidence clearly 
  demonstrates that not only was he the mastermind 
  behind Keller’s escape, but that Keller is only one 
  piece of a much larger plan that centers around an 
  artifact called the Vessel. If the Fated turn Rimer’s 
  Journal over to the guards at the Sanitarium, 
  it’s enough to clear the guards' names. See the 
  Conclusion (pg. 27) for more details. 
  Regardless of whether or not the characters confront 
  Rimer at this point, they should be able to deduce 
  that Keller has traveled to the town of Miner’s 
  Gulch, and that he might be willing to kill to find the 
  Vessel. If the Fated act quickly, the characters just 
  might have a chance to stop him. 
  If the Fated decide to travel to Miner’s Gulch, there 
  are two possible ways the adventure can unfold, 
  depending upon how long Keller has been on the 
  run. The fastest way south is to take the train to Edge 
  Point, which costs 1 scrip per person. From there, 
  they can hire a stagecoach to take them the rest of the 
  way for a total of 2 scrip (regardless of the number of 
  passengers). The entire travel time is six hours. 
  If the Fated arrive in Miner’s Gulch the night after 
  Keller’s escape – the same evening the Fated met 
  Pell and began their investigation – then they have 
  the opportunity to stop Keller from getting 
  his hands on the Vessel. This path is 
  described in Scene 3: In the Nick of 
  Time (pg. 20). 
  If the Fated arrive after that night’s dawn 
  (6:00 am), however, then Keller will not 
  only have acquired the Vessel, but he will 
  also have been possessed by the entity 
  within it. This path is described in Scene 
  4: Always Too Late (pg. 24). 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Scene 3: 
  IN THE NICK OF TIME
  This scene takes place if the Fated arrive before 
  dawn, the night after Keller’s escape. 
  It’s dark when the Fated arrive at Miner’s Gulch. 
  Read the following text: 
  The bodies lying near the saloon’s door have each 
  been shot several times in the chest. One of them 
  wears a badge that identifies him as the town’s sheriff. 
  An empty double-action revolver is lying on the 
  ground a few dozen feet away, but there’s no sign of 
  the firearms that the sheriff and the other men were 
  presumably carrying. A TN 8 Doctor Challenge 
  is enough to tell that the men have been dead for 
  about twelve hours at this point. 
  The saloon and all of the town’s homes are empty.
  If the Fated investigate the firelight to the south of 
  town, read the following text: 
  Any Fated present when the ripple of magical power 
  passes over the crowd must attempt TN 10 Centering 
  Challenges. Any who fail cease whatever they’re 
  doing and stand in place, slack-jawed and staring 
  blankly into the distance. Keller throws aside his 
  shotgun (a Collier Hammerless) and leaps eagerly 
  down into the pit; if the Fated chase after him, see 
  The Chase (pg. 21) for more details.
  Most of the townsfolk – a little over twenty five of 
  them, all in all – freeze in a similar manner, their 
  faces slack and absent of any expression at all. After 
  a moment, the affected Townsfolk turn as one and 
  begin attacking any unaffected characters as their 
  There is little to distinguish Miner’s Gulch from 
  any other fading boomtown on the outskirts 
  of civilization. The night air, though cool, is 
  painfully try and dusty, and the unpainted 
  wooden buildings are peppered with dry rot. 
  The two most important structures – the saloon 
  and the well, likely in that order – are right 
  smack-dab in the center of town. 
  As you approach, it’s clear that something is 
  very wrong. Despite the lateness of the hour, 
  there should still be lights shining through the 
  windows, and the saloon should have at least 
  a few patrons enjoying the late hour. Instead, 
  seven corpses lay sprawled out in front of its 
  door, and the small town is smothered under a 
  blanket of silence. The only light seems to be a 
  flickering firelight to the south of town. 
  As you follow the main road south toward 
  the flickering flames, the oppressive silence 
  is gently pushed aside by the faint click of 
  tools; the unmistakable sound of metal striking 
  against earth and stone. 
  The first fire is twenty yards beyond the last 
  building, and on the far side of the flames, you 
  can see the missing townsfolk. Men, women, 
  and children are digging a deep pit in the earth 
  while another man – presumably Matthias 
  Keller – stands upon a large wooden crate 
  with a shotgun in his hands. Two mismatched 
  pistols are jammed into his belt.
  The man’s eyes shine with madness, even in the 
  dull glow of the fires, and his face and hands 
  are a weeping mass of blisters and second 
  degree burns, likely the result of crossing at 
  least a portion of the Badlands with no cover 
  from the sun. 
  A cry comes up from the pit. “We’re through! 
  We’re thro-“ The words are suddenly cut off 
  as a ripple of magical power passes over the 
  crowd. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  eyes glow with a faint purple light. Those townsfolk 
  who were not affected by the ripple of power attempt 
  to restrain their crazed neighbors and family. They 
  have no idea who the Fated are, but if they seem to 
  be well-armed or after Keller, they shout for them to 
  go after “that madman.”
  The Affected Townsfolk that aren’t restrained fight 
  as three mobs, and their stats can be found on page 
  30. If any Fated characters failed the Centering 
  Challenge, they join one of these mobs in attacking 
  their former companions (which has no effect on the 
  stats of the mob; Fated that are ‘absorbed’ into a 
  mob in this manner cannot be individually targeted). 
  When the last Affected Townsfolk has been 
  defeated, any Fated who had joined those mobs are 
  reduced to 0 Wounds and knocked unconscious; 
  when they regain consciousness, they are once again 
  in control of their actions. 
  If all of the Fated fail their Centering Challenge, see 
  the Bad Things Happen sidebar on page 27. 
  The Chase
  If the Fated chase Keller down into the pit, they have 
  a chance to catch him before he reaches the Vessel. 
  Read the following text when they enter the pit:
  Keller doesn’t have any light source to help him 
  see, but the entity within the Vessel has touched his 
  mind and is leading him to it. A character on the 
  surface (such as one of the townsfolk, if the Affected 
  Townsfolk have been defeated) can grab a burning 
  stick from the fires and hand it down to the Fated 
  to use as a torch, but doing so takes two rounds. 
  If a character has to climb out of the pit to get a 
  torch (there are enough crude handholds to make 
  climbing out a non-issue), then it takes four rounds. 
  Once the Fated have dropped from the pit and into 
  caverns below, chasing after Keller is handled with 
  an Ongoing Challenge: 
  Chasing Keller
  •Skills Allowed: Acrobatics, Athletics, 
  Navigation, Track
  •Target Number: 7
  •Duration: 1 round
  •Success Requirement: 6
  •Failure Requirement: 2
  The TN of this Challenge is increased by +1 for 
  each full round that passed between Keller entering 
  the caverns and the Fated entering the caverns. If 
  the Fated do not have a light source or cannot see in 
  the dark, they suffer a - to every Challenge made 
  as part of this Ongoing Challenge.
  If the Fated succeed at this Ongoing Challenge, they 
  catch up to Keller before he reaches the Vessel. See 
  The Vessel on page 22 for more information.
  On a catastrophic failure, Keller manages to reach 
  the Vessel before the Fated can catch him. See The 
  Shattered Vessel on page 22 for more information. 
  The pit is about a ten foot drop, and it's just 
  as wide. From that point, it’s another ten foot 
  drop through a small hole into the darkness of 
  the caverns below. You can smell dust and stale 
  air, and you can hear Keller’s fading footsteps 
  and cackles of victory echo eerily up from the 
  darkness.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The Vessel
  Regardless of the Fated’s success or failure at the 
  Ongoing Challenge, read the following text as they 
  finish it and arrive at the Vessel’s location: 
  If the Fated succeed on the Ongoing Challenge, 
  then they catch up with Keller before he crosses the 
  bridge. He turns and starts shooting at the Fated, 
  signaling the start of Dramatic Time. Keller starts 
  the combat ten yards from the Fated and two yards 
  from the edge of the cavern cliff. His stats can be 
  found on page 31.
  The caverns are roughly seven yards wide and 
  littered with enough rocks and debris that they 
  count as severe terrain (and thus reduce movement 
  by half). The purple light of the Vessel provides 
  enough illumination to allow characters to see 
  without penalty.
  Characters standing on the narrow stone walkway 
  suffer a - to their Defense duels (there’s no 
  room to dodge). If they suffer damage, they must 
  immediately pass an Acrobatics duel with a TN 
  equal to twice the damage suffered or fall 10 yards 
  from the ledge and suffer 5/7/9 damage as they land 
  on the stalagmites and shallow water pools below. 
  Characters can climb up to either side of the trench 
  with a TN 8 Athletics Challenge, which allows the 
  character to climb a number of yards up the wall 
  equal to half their Walk speed, plus one yard per 
  Margin of Success. 
  After the battle, the Fated can cross the bridge to 
  reach the Vessel. It’s a glass cube that glows with 
  an intense purple light; any character looking at it 
  for longer than a few moments feels a throbbing 
  pain behind her eyes. If a character touches the 
  Vessel with bare flesh, she must attempt a TN 12 
  Centering Challenge or become possessed by the 
  entity within. See the Possession section on page 
  23 for more information.
  The Shattered Vessel
  If the Fated suffer a catastrophic failure on the 
  Ongoing Challenge, then they arrive in the cavern 
  as described above, only Keller is on the other side 
  of the bridge. Add the following text to the previous 
  text box: 
  The Fated have to contend not only with a Possessed 
  Keller, but also with the Darkness Golem that he 
  just summoned on the Fated's side of the bridge. 
  The bridge is only 7 yards long, so Keller stays on 
  the opposite side of it and uses his magic to hamper 
  them during the fight. The stats for Possessed Keller 
  and the Darkness Golem can be found on pages 32 
  and 33, respectively.
  You barrel out of the darkness of the tunnel and 
  into a larger cavern that is lit with a sinister purple 
  glow. Water drips down from fang-like formations 
  along the ceiling into the pools below. Ahead of 
  you is a narrow stone bridge, twenty feet long, that 
  runs uphill toward the back of the cavern and the 
  source of the eerie light. 
  You barely have time to adjust to your surroundings 
  when you catch sight of Keller in the distance. As 
  you watch, he throws something to the ground, 
  shattering it open with the sound of broken glass. 
  The purple light flares, and Keller is wreathed in 
  violet flames, his eyes shining like beacons in the 
  dark. With a primal cry of triumph, he throws his 
  arms wide and shouts a harsh word of command. 
  All around you, the darkness begins to break away 
  from itself, congealing into a titanic, misshapen 
  form of inky shadow as it lumbers toward you.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The entity controlling Possessed Keller can only 
  control him while he is conscious, so knocking 
  Keller unconscious is an effective way of neutralizing 
  it. If Possessed Keller is killed, however, the 
  entity immediately attempts to possess the nearest 
  character each turn until it succeeds. If the Fated 
  flee from the cavern, they move beyond its range, 
  but in time, the entity will be able to extend its 
  reach and possess one of the residents of Miner’s 
  Gulch; see the Conclusion section on page 27 for 
  more information.
  Possession
  If a Fated character is possessed by the entity, she 
  falls under the immediate control of the Fatemaster 
  and becomes an Enforcer (8) character. The entity 
  can make use of any of the character’s Manifested 
  Powers or Spells, as well as Possessed Keller’s ability 
  to Obey and Enchant Weapon. While possessed, 
  the entity attempts to get to the surface so that it can 
  spread its malign influence to as many people as 
  possible; if the possessed character reaches Malifaux 
  City, see the Conclusion section on page 27 for more 
  information.
  As with Keller, knocking the possessed character 
  unconscious renders the entity unable to control the 
  possessed character until she regains consciousness 
  (at which point, the entity resumes full control). 
  The Ritual
  If the characters have the Ancestor Journal 
  (pg. 17) and have constructed a new Vessel 
  from the Vessel Materials (pg. 19), they 
  can attempt to use the ritual to imprison 
  the entity within the new Vessel. Doing so 
  requires the characters to spend a total of 
  10 AP chanting the ritual, spread out across 
  any number of characters and turns.
  As soon as the Fated begin the ritual, the 
  entity turns its full attention toward anyone 
  chanting and attempts to prevent them from 
  completing it. If they succeed, the new 
  Vessel and the runes carved into its sides 
  glow with a bright white light as the entity 
  is sucked into the Vessel and imprisoned 
  there. Because this Vessel is stronger than 
  the original, characters can handle the 
  trapped entity without concern (though 
  breaking the Vessel still frees the entity as 
  described above). 
  While the entity is trapped within the new 
  Vessel, it functions as a Grimoire with 
  the Summon Gamin, Mind Control, and 
  Elemental Projectile Magia, and the Alter 
  Range, Darkness, and Increased Duration 
  Immuto. 
  The Summon Gamin Magia can be found 
  in Into the Steam. If you are not using that 
  book, just drop that Magia from the list of 
  those granted by the Vessel. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Scene 4: 
  ALWAYS TOO LATE
  This scene takes place if the Fated arrive in Miner’s 
  Gulch any time after dawn. 
  Read the following text: 
  There is one mob of Affected Townsfolk here. It 
  begins the battle fifteen yards from the Fated but 
  close the distance at a steady pace. 
  Alerted to the characters’ presence by the sounds of 
  the battle outside, the unaffected townsfolk – who 
  have been tied up in the saloon – immediately begin 
  calling out for help. Once the Fated have dealt with 
  the Affected Townsfolk, the Fated can enter the 
  saloon and free them without incident.
  After the Fated have freed the trapped townsfolk, 
  read the text on the following column:
   
  If the Fated seem inclined to attack the Affected 
  Townsfolk guarding the pit, Percy asks them to go 
  easy on them. Whatever it is that’s happening to 
  them, he doesn’t consider it to be their fault, and the 
  small town has already lost enough people. 
  A silence thick with dread hangs over the sandy 
  streets of Miner’s Gulch; the only sound comes 
  from the occasional ruffle of your clothing or the 
  scuff of your boots. As you approach the center of 
  town, the wind shifts toward you, carrying with it 
  the fetid stench of bodies left to rot in the hot sun. 
  Three bloated corpses lay sprawled out in front 
  of the saloon, but before you can investigate, 
  three dozen men and women shuffle into view, 
  each of them holding hammers and pickaxes in 
  limp arms. Their expressions are blank, but as 
  they draw closer, you can see a dull purple glow 
  in their eyes.
  A middle-aged man rubs at the rope burns 
  on his wrist for a moment, then reaches out to 
  shake your hand. “I don’t know who you are, 
  but I’m damn glad to see ya. Name’s Percy, but 
  everybody ‘round here calls me Perky. I own this 
  here saloon.”
  He rubs a hand over his mostly bald head. 
  “Damnedest thing. Fellow came stumblin’ out 
  of the desert yesterday, his face all burnt up, 
  jabbering on ‘bout somethin’ callin’ him to 
  Miner’s Gulch. The Sheriff – that’s him and his 
  boys out front, poor bastards – thought he had 
  gotten lost in the desert and went crazy from the 
  sun. Happens sometimes. This fellow, though, he 
  just whipped out a revolver and started shootin’ til 
  he ran out of bullets.”
  Percy takes a deep breath and sighs. “Once that 
  was done, he grabbed their guns and started 
  screaming at us. Made us grab tools and spend 
  all day and most of the night digging a damned 
  hole out on the edge of town. He just stood there 
  the whole time, kept hollerin’ at us to dig faster. 
  Anybody who stopped for more than a couple 
  breaths got shot; lost two more that way.”
  “The real crazy started when we broke through 
  into some cave system down there. Half the town 
  got this weird look on their faces and started 
  pushin’ folks back from the hole, ‘cept for the 
  fellow, who just jumped right down there. Didn’t 
  even look to see how deep it was.” He shakes 
  his head. “After that, things got bad. The folks 
  that got weird started beating us that didn’t, and 
  when that was done, they tied us up here. They’re 
  probably still out by the hole, guardin’ it.”
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  If the Fated succeed at a TN 10 Leadership 
  Challenge, the rest of the townsfolk will agree to 
  come with the Fated and help them deal with the 
  Affected Townsfolk by the hole. If this happens, the 
  Fated only have to deal with a single mob of Affected 
  Townsfolk; the rescued townsfolk from earlier will 
  take care of the other mob using tool handles, ropes, 
  and chains to restrain them.
  Pit and Caverns
  When the Fated arrive at the pit, there are two mobs 
  of Affected Townsfolk (pg. 30) guarding it. They 
  take notice of the Fated when they approach to 
  within fifteen yards and close at a quick pace, but 
  avoid straying more than thirty yards from the pit if 
  possible. 
  The Fated can attempt to sneak past them and 
  slip into the hole, but doing so is difficult; each 
  such character must succeed at a TN 14 Stealth 
  Challenge. On a failure, the character is unable to 
  get close enough to the hole without the mob seeing 
  them. If any character achieves a Margin of Failure 
  on this Challenge, the mob spots them and attacks. 
  When the Fated enter the pit, read the following 
  text: 
  The pit is pitch-black, so characters will need a 
  source of light in order to see, which might prove 
  difficult if they sneaked past the Affected Townsfolk. 
  If the Fated have any source of light, they can follow 
  the cavern’s path without difficulty. If they don’t have 
  any light, it takes much longer for them to slowly 
  crawl forward, hands either pressed to a wall or held 
  out in front of them as they shuffle forward through 
  rubble and debris. 
  As the characters reach the central chamber, read 
  the following text: 
  The Fated must each attempt TN 10 Centering 
  Challenges. Any who fail come under the control 
  of Keller, who has been fully possessed by the 
  entity. These characters function as Enforcer (8) 
  Fatemaster characters until the end of Dramatic 
  Time, or until another character takes a (2) Use 
  Skill Action and makes a successful TN 14 Counter-
  Spelling Challenge to break the enchantment. 
  While under the control of Possessed Keller, a 
  character’s eyes glow with a faint purple light. If all 
  of the Fated end up under his control, see the Bad 
  Things Happen sidebar on page 27.
  The pit is about ten feet deep and just as wide, and 
  from there, it’s another ten foot drop through a 
  small hole into the darkness of the caverns below. 
  You can smell dust and stale air below, and as 
  you stare down into that subterranean darkness, 
  an involuntary shiver passes down your spine.
  The temperature drops as you enter into a 
  massive chamber. Inky black water sloshes 
  against a narrow strip of land that disappears into 
  the darkness before you, and jagged teeth of stone 
  hang from the shadows above. 
  In the distance, across a narrow bridge of stone, 
  stands a man wreathed in violet flames, his eyes 
  shining like beacons in the dark. Shards of glass 
  twinkle darkly at his feet, and as you approach, 
  he turns toward you and extends his hand in your 
  direction. Immediately you feel a stabbing pain 
  in your head as the man attempts to force his will 
  upon you.
  As you grab your head and try to force the voice 
  droning its commands into your mind to be silent, 
  you see the shadows slowly melting together and 
  congealing into a titanic form that takes up the 
  entire cavern behind you, cutting off any hope of 
  escape. 
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  The mass of darkness forming behind the Fated is a 
  Darkness Golem. It lumbers forward and attacks any 
  characters that resisted Possessed Keller’s influence. 
  Stats for the Darkness Golem can be found on page 
  33.
  Possessed Keller (pg. 32) remains on the opposite 
  side of the bridge and uses his magic to hamper the 
  Fated during the fight. The bridge is only 7 yards 
  long, but characters standing on it suffer a - to their 
  Defense duels (there’s no room to dodge). When 
  characters on the bridge suffer damage, they must 
  immediately pass an Acrobatics duel with a TN 
  equal to twice the damage suffered or fall 10 yards 
  from the ledge and suffer 5/7/9 damage as they land 
  on the stalagmites and shallow water pools below. 
  Characters can climb up to either side of the trench 
  with a TN 8 Athletics Challenge, which allows the 
  character to climb a number of yards up the wall 
  equal to half their Walk speed, plus one yard per 
  Margin of Success. 
  The entity controlling Possessed Keller can only 
  control him while he is conscious, so knocking 
  Keller unconscious is an effective way of neutralizing 
  it. If Possessed Keller is killed, however, the entity 
  immediately attempts to possess the nearest character 
  each turn until it succeeds. See the Possession 
  section on page 23 for more information. 
   If the Fated flee from the cavern, they move beyond 
  its range, but in time, the entity will be able to extend 
  its reach and possess one of the residents of Miner’s 
  Gulch; see the Conclusion section on page 27 for 
  more information.
  The entity can also be trapped in a new Vessel, if the 
  Fated have built one; see The Ritual on pg. 23 for 
  more information.
  
  Chapter 2: Adventure
  Conclusion
  Once the characters have defeated Keller and the 
  entity, there are still a number of loose ends to be 
  addressed. 
  Rimer waits in the Howling Slums for Keller to 
  return the Vessel to him. He hadn’t counted on 
  Keller shattering the Vessel when he found it, and 
  even if the Fated fail to find Keller, he never returns 
  with the object. If the Fated scared Rimer off, he can 
  be found waiting here, growing increasingly nervous 
  with each passing day. 
  If the Vessel survives intact – or if the Fated release 
  the entity but fail to trap it in a new Vessel - then 
  the entity continues to lure townsfolk down into 
  the caverns to become its host. Filling the pit in is 
  enough to prevent it from influencing the townsfolk, 
  and once that is done, Miner’s Gulch slowly returns 
  to a quiet (if traumatized) mining town. They make 
  certain to avoid the caverns containing the Vessel 
  when digging new mining tunnels in the future.  
  If Keller is alive after the final battle, the characters 
  will still need to return him to the custody of the 
  Sanitarium. He is in bad shape; between the mental 
  damage inflicted by Rimer and the physical damage 
  of his second degree sunburns and his battle with 
  the Fated, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever fully recover. 
  Delivering Keller (or his body) to the Sanitarium will 
  close out the job they were hired to do. If the Fated 
  found evidence of Rimer’s involvement in Keller’s 
  insanity and release, then Pell and his fellow guards 
  will be allowed to keep their jobs and will pay the 
  Fated the agreed upon 22 scrip and the I.O.U. to a 
  local diner. 
  If the Fated did not find evidence implicating Rimer, 
  the guards are allowed to keep their jobs (with a 
  pay cut) so long as Keller is returned alive. If the 
  Fated only return with a body, then Elsa Lennon 
  is allowed to keep her job (with a pay cut) as she 
  wasn’t doing rounds the night Rimer escaped, but 
  Cormac Pell and Roscoe Sudworth are both fired. 
  They eventually find work as mercenaries, but a few 
  months later, on a job in the Northern Hills, they’re 
  ambushed in the middle of the night by Hoarcats 
  and eaten in their tent. 
  If the Fated successfully trapped the entity within a 
  new Vessel, then they need to decide what to do with 
  it. The Vessel is a powerful grimoire and could be a 
  dangerous tool in the wrong hands. Both the Guild 
  or the Arcanists would be willing to reward them 
  handsomely for turning it over to them, and once 
  word gets out about the entity and what happened 
  at Miner’s Gulch, the rumors will no doubt attract 
  a variety of private collectors who are willing to go 
  to great lengths to obtain such an item. This could 
  provide the basis for another adventure in the future. 
  Bad Things Happen
  If all of the Fated fall under the entity’s 
  influence, then there is little to stop it from 
  gaining further power. The entity emerges 
  from the caverns with the next nightfall and 
  subjugates the rest of Miner’s Gulch, then 
  marches on Edge Point with a small army of 
  sunburnt, mesmerized townsfolk. The Fated 
  are little more than puppets in its growing 
  army, but as it marches on Latigo and seizes 
  control of the Ortega family, it allows the 
  (presumably) less dangerous Fated slip from 
  its control. 
  They won’t have much time to warn 
  Malifaux City of the increasingly dangerous 
  army marching on their southern gates, but 
  if they are skilled and lucky, they may be 
  able to warn the Witch Hunters and devise 
  some sort of method to protect themselves 
  from the entity’s mind control powers. If 
  the Fated learned about the Vessel, then 
  they have a proven method for containing 
  the entity. Either way, it could very well be 
  the start of an entire campaign!
  
  Chapter 7: Creepy Crawlin' Critters
  Fatemaster Characters
  The following pages contain the stat blocks for the 
  Fatemaster characters that the Fated are likely to 
  encounter over the course of the adventure. They 
  have been created with an eye toward ease of use 
  by the Fatemaster and include everything needed to 
  run these characters in a combat situation. 
  Depending on the situation, Fatemasters more 
  familiar with Through the Breach may want to adjust 
  some of these characters' Rank Values ahead of time 
  to create more or less of a challenge for their players. 
  In general, Fatemasters should be wary about 
  increasing the Rank Values of the characters in this 
  adventure by more than a few points. This adventure 
  doesn't involve much combat in the beginning, but 
  if the Fated are facing off against multiple mobs of 
  Affected Townsfolk or the Darkness Golem, they're 
  going to be in for a tough battle, and increasing their 
  Rank Values runs the risk of creating an encounter 
  that the Fated can't overcome. 
  If your Fated are truly dangerous in combat, however, 
  then increasing the Rank Value of the Affected 
  Townsfolk in particular might be a memorable way 
  to drive home just how dangerous the Vessel can be, 
  especially if the Fated don't have access to weapons 
  or spells that deal b or p damage.
  The Affected Townsfolk and Matthias Keller can 
  also be improved by giving them access to better 
  weapons. Adding a modification or two to their 
  weapons is a good way to increase the threat they 
  pose without adjusting their Rank Value, but keep in 
  mind that the Fated might loot their bodies and take 
  their improved equipment for themselves!
  
  Dr. Horus Rimer
  Despite a Masters in experimental psychology from 
  John Hopkins University, Horus Rimer's interests in 
  the workings of the mind are purely professional. 
  While quite skilled at his chosen field, he was never 
  particularly passionate about it, and as the years 
  passed, he began to gradually become bitter about 
  his work. 
  What Rimer wanted more than anything else was to 
  have magical adventures like his grandfather, who 
  was quite the dashing sorcerer during the days of the 
  first Breach. He spent much of his family's meager 
  fortune purchasing rare grimoires and copies of 
  occult texts, only to find his ambition blocked by his 
  lack of access to Soulstones. Without the valuable 
  gems and the magical power they offered, he was 
  utterly unable to invoke any of the spells he had 
  learned, which frustrated him to no end.
  When the Breach reopened, Rimer leapt at the 
  opportunity to travel to Malifaux and found that 
  the spells he had studied back on Earth were able 
  to freely manifest illusions on the other side of the 
  Breach. It gave him just enough of a taste for magic 
  to drive him onwards, and soon he was pouring 
  through his grandfather's journal in search of the 
  entity that his ancestor had sealed away. Once he 
  had the Vessel, Rimer reasoned, he could become a 
  truly powerful spellcaster and finally live the life he 
  had always felt was his destiny.
  Dr. Horus Rimer
  Might
  -2
  Grace
  2
  Speed
  -1
  Resilience
  -1
  Charm
  -1
  Intellect
  3
  Cunning
  2
  Tenacity
  2
  Minion (5), Living, Academic
  Defense
  2 (7)
  Walk
  4
  Height
  2
  Initiative
  1 (6)
  Willpower
  4 (9)
  Charge
  4
  Wounds
  4
  Skills: Convince 2, Bureaucracy 2, Deceive 3, History 
  2, Intimidate 2, Labor 1, Leadership 1, Literacy 3, 
  Mathematics 1, Navigation 2, Notice 2, Prestidigitation 
  3M, Stealth 1, Teach 1, Wilderness 1.
  Cynic: This character gains + on duels to resist deception.
  (1) Weak Flailing (Martial Arts) 
  AV: -1 (4) =========  Rg: y1  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 0/1/2 damage.
  (1) Phantasm (Prestidigitation) 
  This character creates an animated illusion that appears 
  real to observers and lasts for up to 5 minutes. When 
  created, this character must determine all of the details 
  of the illusion, such as what it will do and how it will be 
  sensed. The illusion can be seen, heard, and smelled, 
  but has no real substance. Any character with reason to 
  disbelieve the illusion can attempt a TN 10 Willpower 
  duel to see through it. This character can change the 
  form or actions of the illusion by taking this Action a 
  subsequent time.
  Chapter 3: Fatemaster Characters
  
  Affected Townsfolk
  Many of the townsfolk of Miner's Gulch have come 
  under the sinister influence of the entity trapped 
  within the Vessel. They move as if in a trance, their 
  every action dictated by the terrible force that has 
  seized control of their minds and bodies.
  While under the control of the entity, the eyes of the 
  Affected Townsfolk glow with a faint purple light. 
  Knocking them unconscious is enough to disrupt 
  the tenuous link between themselves and their 
  puppetmaster, but should the entity not be dealt 
  with in a permanent manner, it is only a matter of 
  time before they once again find themselves slaves 
  to its unknowable agenda. 
  Fortunately, few of the townsfolk are armed with 
  anything that might be considered a real weapon, so 
  their attacks take the form of punches, kicks, and 
  the ocassional thrown rock. While not dangerous 
  individually, in groups, they can be quite deadly, 
  especially once the few townsfolk carrying shovels 
  or picks get involved in the fighting.
  Affected Townsfolk
  Might
  3
  Grace
  1
  Speed
  1
  Resilience
  2
  Charm
  0
  Intellect
  -3
  Cunning
  0
  Tenacity
  4
  Peon (Variable Rank Value), Living
  Defense
  3
  Walk
  5
  Height
  2
  Initiative
  3 (varies)
  Willpower
  6
  Charge
  5
  Wounds
  Special
  Skills: Athletics 2, Carouse 3, Intimidate 3, Labor 2, 
  Melee 2, Notice 2, Pugilism 2, Scrutiny 2, Thrown 
  Weapons 2.
  Collective Focus: This character has the following 
  Condition: "Rank Value +8: Treat this character's 
  Rank Value as equal to the value of this Condition. This 
  character does not add its Rank Value to its Defense."
  Angry People: This character is immune to Willpower 
  duels and can never perform duels using Skills it does 
  not possess.
  Multiple Bodies: This character does not have Wounds; 
  when this character would suffer damage, instead reduce 
  its Rank Value Condition by 1, unless the attack dealt b 
  or p damage, in which case its Rank Value Condition 
  is reduced by the full amount of damage dealt. When 
  the Rank Value Condition reaches 0, the Affected 
  Townsfolk disbands.
  (1) Fists 'n Stuff (Pugilism) 
  AV: 5 (varies)  =====  Rg: y1  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 2/3/4 damage.
  t  Yeah! Show 'um!: After damaging, immediately take this 
  Action again.
  (1) Thrown Rocks (Thrown Weapons) 
  AV: 3 (varies)  =====  Rg: z6  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 1/2/3 damage.
  Chapter 3: Fatemaster Characters
  
  Matthias Keller
  When people cross through the Breach into 
  Malifaux, they often experience a few moments 
  of confusion or disorientation. For most, this 
  interdimensional vertigo passes quickly. A handful 
  of passengers, however, never quite recover from 
  the transition and end up wandering the streets of 
  Malifaux City in a daze until they are snatched up by 
  the Guild or some other, darker predator. 
  Matthias Keller is one of the sufferers of this so-
  called "Breach Psychosis." The Guild plucked him 
  off the street without much ceremony or complaint 
  and moved him to the Malifaux Sanitarium, where 
  it was hoped the doctors could help and cure him. 
  Instead, Dr. Rimer twisted Matthias Keller's mind 
  toward his own ends, reasoning that Keller would 
  make the perfect subject to retrieve his grandfather's 
  Vessel from Miner's Gulch. 
  Matthias Keller is little more than a shadow of his 
  former self. Memories of his life before Malifaux 
  ocassionally flicker to life in his mind, but they're 
  little more than drifting cinders compared to the 
  raging inferno that is his obsession with the Vessel.
  Rimer's brainwashing has transformed Keller into 
  a fanatic of the highest order, and he will stop at 
  nothing to find the Vessel and return it to its 'temple' 
  in the Howling Slums. Only then, he's convinced, 
  will the whispers and visions end, allowing him to 
  return to the tatters of his former life.
  Matthias Keller
  Might
  2
  Grace
  2
  Speed
  1
  Resilience
  2
  Charm
  -1
  Intellect
  -1
  Cunning
  0
  Tenacity
  2
  Enforcer (7), Living, Tormented
  Defense
  4 (11)
  Walk
  5
  Height
  2
  Initiative
  1 (8)
  Willpower
  4 (11)
  Charge
  5
  Wounds
  5
  Skills: Bureaucracy 1, Evade 2, Intimidate 2, Labor 2, 
  Navigation 1, Pistols 1, Pugilism 2, Wilderness 1.
  Crazy +7: This character suffers -7 to the final duel total of 
  any duel involving a Mental Aspect.
  Maddening Whispers: Any character that ends its 
  turn within a3 of this character gains the following 
  Condition: "Crazy +1: This character suffers -1 to the 
  final duel total of any duel involving a Mental Aspect. He 
  may hear voices or see things that are not actually there, 
  at the Fatemaster's discretion.
  (1) Hard Punch (Pugilism) 
  AV: 4 (11)  ========  Rg: y1  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 2/3/3 damage.
  (1) Paired Collier "Rough Riders" (Pistol) 
  AV: 3 (10)  =====  Rg: z10 yards  ===  Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 2/3/4 damage. This Action gains + to its 
  Attack. Capacity 6, Reload 2.
  Chapter 3: Fatemaster Characters
  
  Possessed Keller
  During the days of the first Breach, Horus Rimer's 
  grandfather trapped a powerful entity within a 
  magical construct he called the Vessel. The entity 
  had tried to possess him, and though Rimer was able 
  to defeat and imprison it, he doubted whether his 
  Vessel could contain the entity for long.
  A century later, the entity has once again found a 
  host for its malignant will in the form of the mentally 
  broken and shattered Matthias Keller. Already 
  driven insane by Rimer's brainwashing, it was a trivial 
  matter for the entity to seize control of Matthias' 
  mind. In his efforts for retrieve the Vessel, Rimer 
  had unintentionally given the entity the perfect host.
  While not originally a creature of darkness, the 
  century the entity spent in the lightless caverns 
  beneath Miner's Gulch has given it a thorough 
  understanding of the shadows and how to bend them 
  to its will as surely as the weak minds of humans.
  Matthias Keller
  Might
  2
  Grace
  2
  Speed
  1
  Resilience
  2
  Charm
  -1
  Intellect
  -1
  Cunning
  0
  Tenacity
  2
  Enforcer (7), Living, Tormented
  Defense
  4 (11)
  Walk
  5
  Height
  2
  Initiative
  1 (8)
  Willpower
  4 (11)
  Charge
  5
  Wounds
  5
  Skills: Bureaucracy 1, Enchanting 3t, Evade 2, 
  Intimidate 2, Labor 2, Navigation 1, Necromancy 4M, 
  Pistols 1, Pugilism 2, Sorcery 3t, Wilderness 1.
  Hard to Wound +1: Damage flips against this character 
  suffer -.
  Maddening Whispers: Any character that ends its 
  turn within a3 of this character gains the following 
  Condition: "Crazy +1: This character suffers -1 to the 
  final duel total of any duel involving a Mental Aspect. 
  She may hear voices or see things that are not actually 
  there, at the Fatemaster's discretion.
  (1) Hard Punch (Pugilism) 
  AV: 4 (11)  ========  Rg: y1  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 2/3/3 damage.
  (1) Paired Collier "Rough Riders" (Pistol) 
  AV: 3 (10)  =====  Rg: z10 yards  ===  Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 2/3/4 damage. This Action gains + to its 
  Attack. Capacity 6, Reload 2.
  (1) Obey (Necromancy/Charm) 
  AV: 3M (10M)  ===  Rg: 5 yards  ====  Resist: Wp 
  The target performs a 1 AP Action controlled by this 
  character. This Action may not force the target to sacrifice 
  itself directly but can cause her to take Actions against her 
  own nature.
  (1) Enchant Weapon (Enchanting) 
  For the next minute, any character damaged by the 
  enchanted weapon (which may be this character's fists) 
  gains the Blind Condition until the start of this character's 
  next turn.
  Chapter 3: Fatemaster Characters
  
  Darkness Golem
  This creature is an inky black mass of sentient 
  darkness that has taken the vague form of a humanoid 
  creature. Its physical body has a consistency akin to 
  thick syrup or molasses, but when separated from 
  the core of the golem, this substance boils away into 
  insubstantial darkness. 
  Golems are not particularly bright combatants, 
  and the Darkness Golem is no exception. Though 
  cunning enough to recognize ambushes and react 
  quickly in combat, it greatly favors smashing its 
  enemies into bloody smears with its massive fists and 
  can often be tricked into closing into melee when 
  a retreat or other withdrawal would be the wiser 
  option. 
  At its core, a Darkness Golem cares little for its 
  own safety or preservation, and when the magics 
  that animate it finally fail and give way, the darkness 
  it harnessed flows outward like a crashing wave, 
  knocking characters back even as it blinds them. 
  Darkness Golem
  Might
  5
  Grace
  0
  Speed
  0
  Resilience
  3
  Charm
  -3
  Intellect
  -1
  Cunning
  1
  Tenacity
  3
  Enforcer (8), Construct, Golem
  Defense
  2 (10)
  Walk
  4
  Height
  3
  Initiative
  2 (10)
  Willpower
  5 (13)
  Charge
  6
  Wounds
  10
  Skills: Notice 2, Pugilism 3R, Toughness 4.
  Armor +2: Reduce all damage suffered by this character by 
  +2, to a minimum of 1.
  Born in Shadow: This character can see perfectly in the 
  darkness and is immune to the Blind Condition.
  Darkness Demise: When this character is killed, all 
  characters within p2 suffer 2 damage and gain the Blind 
  Condition until the end of their next turn.
  Melee Expert: This character generates 1 additional AP 
  per turn, but this AP may only be used to make a Close 
  Combat attack.
  (1) Darkness Talon (Pugilism) 
  AV: 8R (16R)  =====  Rg: y2  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 3/4/6 damage. 
  R  Toss: After succeeding, push the target up to 10 yards in 
  any direction.
  t  Clinging Shadows: After damaging, the target gains the 
  following Condition until the end of its next turn: 
  "Clinging Shadows: This character suffers - to 
  any Action that normally requires sight, such as most 
  Attack Actions."
  (3) Darkness Smash (Pugilism) 
  AV: 8R (16R)  =====  Rg: y1  ====== Resist: Df 
  Target suffers 9/10/12 damage. 
  t  Clinging Shadows: After damaging, the target gains the 
  following Condition until the end of its next turn: 
  "Clinging Shadows: This character suffers - to 
  any Action that normally requires sight, such as most 
  Attack Actions."
  Chapter 3: Fatemaster Characters
  
  ...is to get tossed into an asylum. 
  Unfortunately for the staff at the Malifaux 
  Sanitarium, 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  patients 
  has 
  mysteriously disappeared from his cell. The 
  guards are concerned for their jobs and have 
  turned to the Fated to help them find their 
  missing patient, but is everything at the 
  Sanitarium really what it seems?
  Madman, Interrupted is a fun One Shot 
  adventure 
  for 
  the 
  Through 
  the 
  Breach 
  roleplaying game. It requires the Fated Almanac 
  to play.
  WYRD-GAMES.NET
  © 2005-2016 Wyrd Miniatures, LLC
  SometimeS the 
  only way to 
  Stay Sane...
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Through the Breach/Through the Breach - Penny Dreadful - One Shot - Madman Interrupted.pdf