TEXT: Stage Fright 
   
  A Scenario for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 
   
   
   
   
  It was not cold on the Middenheim street, 
  even though the sun had long since gone 
  from the sky, but Bianka shivered.  She 
  stopped, listening for a sound she thought 
  she’d heard but knew she hadn’t, a strange 
  lilting laughter on the warm breeze.  Sullen 
  folk went about their business, neither 
  showing any perception of the sound she 
  kept hearing, nor could any of them have 
  been the source.  She smiled a little that her 
  imagination would pick such an unearthly 
  sound to taunt her with, even now with so 
  much tension from the changes in her life.  
  She pulled her shawl tighter around her 
  shoulders to block out the cold she did not 
  feel except in the shivers that coursed 
  through her, and walked on towards home. 
   
  It was natural, she thought, to feel such 
  jitters as she approached her last days in 
  the city before embarking on the adventure 
  of a lifetime, performing alongside the great 
  Antonia Rivera-Salazar Flores.  Leaving her 
  family, 
  friends.......she 
  paused 
  again 
  suddenly, her thoughts interrupted by the 
  gentle hiss of her name from nearby.  She 
  turned, unclear on the direction of the 
  sound.  In a nearby alley, something 
  stepped back from the light just as her eyes 
  fell upon it.  Could it have been an animal, a 
  cat or dog perhaps?  No.  She had not seen 
  its shape, but had caught the colours, bright 
  and varied.  Unless the stray animals of 
  Neumarkt wore entertainers garb these 
  days, it had been a person; someone who 
  knew her name.  She was suddenly aware 
  of the emptiness of the streets around her 
  and hurried on towards home. 
   
  It was true she had done well, coming to 
  Antonia’s attention so quickly.  She had not 
  ‘paid her dues’ as an understudy, as some 
  of the others had said.  But would any of 
  them follow her here, take their grievance to 
  the streets?  No, unlike at the taverns where 
  she had paid her dues growing up.  She 
  hurried on, glancing quickly over her 
  shoulder but seeing nothing.  Only when she 
  turned forwards again did she see her 
  tormentor, a tall, lithe, brightly costumed 
  figure, grinning with a mask of exaggerated 
  sharp teeth and wicked eyes.  The figure 
  beckoned to her and she turned and ran, 
  hearing her name as if from all around as 
  she fled the cruel joke.  For a joke it must 
  be, as she passed others who must have 
  noticed the figure and thought nothing of it, 
  normal people with business of their own, 
  who could not be part of this prank.  When 
  finally she dared to slow her pace enough to 
  look back, she saw nothing. 
   
  She laughed at herself, aping the earlier 
  laughter she though she’d heard.  No one 
  was chasing her.  Determined to succeed in 
  the opera, she had finally conquered her 
  stage fright, and now the stresses of her 
  success were coming to the fore in other 
  ways.  Like imagined voices and figures, 
  taunting her.  She deserved this opportunity, 
  damn it!  No one resented her success, so 
  she didn’t have to make herself feel this 
  way.  She stood still, focusing on relaxing 
  her breathing, closing her eyes.  And then 
  she heard the voice, whispering loudly in her 
  ear “I’ll never leave you, dear Bianka, and 
  my time will come.”  Spinning wildly, 
  searching for the source of the voice, and 
  seeing no one, she fled blindly in terror. 
   
   
   
  Written by Richard Coates 
   
  Playtesting and creative consultancy by Mel Coates, Anne Hoath and Jonathan 
  Hoath 
  
   
  2 
  Synopsis 
   
  Stage Fright centres around the Royal 
  College of Music in Middenheim.  The player 
  characters are at the opera, seeing the 
  matinee of The Marriage of Fibonacci on its 
  penultimate day of performance.   This may 
  be because they are regular opera goers, or 
  at the special invitation of the leading lady 
  who wishes to meet them after the 
  performance. 
   
  Either way, they will meet Antonia Rivera-
  Salazar Flores, an Estalian singer of some 
  renown who is in need of assistance from 
  those who know the city.  She is currently 
  touring the cities of the Empire working on 
  different operas for different directors.  Her 
  next appointment is in Talabheim and she is 
  due to leave the day after tomorrow.  
  However, while in Middenheim she has 
  discovered her understudy, Bianka Meyer, 
  to be a very talented young singer.  She 
  intends to make the girl her protégé and to 
  take her along on her tour of the Empire and 
  beyond.  Bianka has already agreed to go 
  with her, and Antonia has written ahead to 
  Talabheim requesting the director there find 
  her a part. 
   
  However, 
  Bianka 
  missed 
  last 
  night’s 
  performance, and no one seems to know 
  where she is.  Antonia has already sent 
  stage hands to her house but they were 
  unable to discover Bianka’s whereabouts. 
  Then she contacted the watch, who did not 
  take her concerns seriously.  So, as a 
  woman of some wealth and little patience, 
  Antonia has turned to private specialists to 
  take an interest in the case – your group of 
  player characters! 
   
  In fact Antonia’s concerns are well founded, 
  but this is not a simple missing persons 
  case.  Bianka is at the centre of a nefarious 
  plot that could spell doom for everyone 
  attending the final performance.  The 
  characters must follow her trail, retracing her 
  steps not just over the last day, but going 
  back more than a year, piecing together the 
  events 
  which 
  brought 
  her 
  from 
  the 
  Altquartier to the Royal College of Music. 
   
  Talking to her family and friends will lead the 
  characters to 
  discover 
  some 
  worrying 
  influences in 
  Bianka’s 
  past.  Further 
  investigation uncovers her contact with dark 
  forces, and the interest of an evil cult in her 
  whereabouts.  As the characters put 
  together Bianka’s movements since her 
  disappearance, they begin to realise the 
  enormity of the danger.  Not only is the life 
  of one young performer in their hands, but 
  the safety of the city’s cultural elite hangs in 
  the balance.  As the next evening’s 
  performance approaches, the servants of 
  chaos converge on the Royal College of 
  Music.  They are intent on Bianka singing 
  instead of Antonia and only the player 
  characters have any idea why.  All that 
  Bianka Meyer wanted was a cure for her 
  stage fright, but the price she paid is far 
  worse than she could ever imagine! 
   
  Fitting Stage Fright into your Campaign 
  Stage Fright is set within Middenheim and 
  tied to several distinctive locations from that 
  city, but could still be moved to another city 
  with some work by the GM.  It is set 
  following the Storm of Chaos (as described 
  in Ashes of Middenheim), but this could 
  easily be changed with little effort; simply 
  leave out the shanty town of refugees that 
  has appeared in the Great Park and the 
  overcrowding in the Temple of Shallya to 
  represent an earlier or later time. 
   
  This scenario was written using information 
  from the Middenheim city guide in Ashes of 
  Middenheim (as well as its predecessors).  
  This source book is recommended to get the 
  most out of any game set in the city, but not 
  required to play Stage Fright.  Otherwise, it 
  is strongly suggested that the Middenheim 
  map on the Black Industries website is used 
  (http://www.blackindustries.com/images/mid
  denheim-online-map.jpg). 
   
  This 
  clearly 
  shows all the city’s districts referred to in the 
  scenario.  The timeline at the end of this 
  scenario should also assist in keeping track 
  of what’s going on in different locations. 
   
  The scenario is suitable for parties of any 
  size or level of experience.  Simply alter the 
  number of cultists and upgrade some to 
  ‘brutes’.  For much more experienced 
  parties, change the final opponent to a more 
  powerful Daemon of your choosing. 
  
   
  3 
  Introduction 
   
  The 
  scenario 
  begins 
  with 
  the 
  player 
  characters attending a matinee performance 
  of The Marriage of Fibonacci, and being 
  asked to find a missing understudy by the 
  opera’s lead singer, Antonia Rivera-Salazar 
  Flores.  How the characters come to be at 
  the opera depends on their interests. 
   
  If the characters are cultured enough to 
  appreciate the opera then this performance 
  is a must see event.  The prima donna, 
  Antonia 
  Rivera-Salazar 
  Flores, 
  is 
  a 
  celebrated talent and the opportunity to see 
  her perform this far north is a once in a 
  lifetime experience.  After the performance 
  they will receive a request from an usher to 
  meet 
  Antonia. 
   
  Alternatively, 
  if 
  the 
  characters have no interest in the opera, 
  Antonia will have a servant find her a 
  suitable group before the performance.  He 
  will find the player characters at their 
  lodgings or even on the street and offer 
  them tickets for the performance along with 
  a letter from Antonia, which he will read for 
  them if they are unable (see Handout on 
  page 32): 
   
  “Dear friends, 
  I am in need of assistance from those who 
  know this city better than I and can 
  undertake an important errand on my behalf.  
  I am performing at the Royal College of 
  Music at 1pm today.  I hope you can attend 
  and send front row tickets accompanying 
  this letter, in hope that you will accept my 
  offer.  After the performance, please come 
  backstage to my dressing room for further 
  details of the errand I require, and of your 
  reward.  This letter will provide you access. 
  Yours faithfully, 
  Antonia Rivera-Salazar Flores” 
   
  If the characters object to sitting through an 
  opera, then they can find out when it finishes 
  and use the letter to get into the Royal 
  College then.  Otherwise, the performance is 
  amazing, especially that of Antonia.  For 
  opera fans it will be a very memorable 
  performance, for others it might be the start 
  of a new interest. At the very least, those not 
  completely closed off to the experience will 
  find the singing fine, the emotion powerful 
  and the prima donna very, very pretty.  The 
  male lead performer, Erwin Fehr, is a well 
  known local singer and will be familiar to 
  regulars and captivating to the ladies. 
   
  The Marriage of Fibonacci 
  The plot of The Marriage of Fibonacci 
  centres around Signor Fibonacci, a man 
  devoted to learning and with little time for 
  anything else.  Then he meets the lovely 
  Arabella, who tries to convince him that he 
  should not be so blinkered.  After various 
  comedic 
  episodes 
  caused 
  by 
  misunderstandings between the two and 
  their friends, the two fall in love, get married 
  and live happily ever after.  The original 
  opera is in Tilean, but this production is 
  considered particularly daring because it has 
  been completely rewritten, translated into 
  Reikspiel. 
   
  Once the performance is over, and the final 
  bow taken to thunderous applause, the 
  characters can manoeuvre through the 
  departing patrons towards the backstage 
  area.  Large ushers guard the doors to this 
  private area of the building, but showing 
  them the letter will give the characters 
  access and simple directions to the star 
  dressing room, as they recognise the Royal 
  College of Music’s seal if not the contents of 
  the letter. 
   
  Antonia is attended by a young woman who 
  is carefully storing her elaborate costume as 
  she bids her guests enter.  She is as 
  vivacious and entrancing in person as on the 
  stage, but is unexpectedly easy going and 
  familiar for a famous diva.  She asks them 
  all to be seated, and answers any initial 
  questions that they might launch at her 
  before she explains the situation that she 
  requires them for. 
   
  “My understudy, Bianka Meyer, has gone 
  missing. 
   
  She 
  missed 
  last 
  night’s 
  performance, as well as this one, and I can’t 
  believe she would do that unless she was in 
  grave trouble.  I sent some men to her home 
  to find out if there was a problem, but they 
  were told she didn’t live there any more and 
  left no forwarding address.  I’ve contacted 
  the watch, but they don’t think there’s a 
  problem either.  But I’m leaving for 
  Talabheim the day after tomorrow and 
  
   
  4 
  Bianka is going to come with me.  She has a 
  role in my next production there.  She told 
  me that this is the opportunity of a lifetime 
  for her, and I can’t believe she’d not be here 
  unless something was wrong.” 
   
  No doubt the player characters will want to 
  ask questions of her before they agree to 
  anything.  Below is a list of likely questions 
  with answers she will give. You can use 
  these as the basis for any similar questions 
  they might ask. 
   
  What does Bianka look like? 
  “She’s medium height and build, dark brown 
  hair down past her shoulders and large 
  brown eyes.  She is pale, with lots of 
  freckles across her face and pretty, but 
  mainly she has a quiet luminescence that 
  lights up the room…or the stage.” 
   
  Where is the address she lived at? 
  “I don’t know where she lives at the moment.  
  The address she gave when she came to 
  work here, 54 Weissmauer Strasse, was for 
  her next of kin, and is apparently where her 
  family lives.  The men I sent there talked to 
  her father, and he apparently doesn’t know 
  her current address either.” She sighs. 
  “Bianka’s personal affairs are her own, and 
  normally I would not get involved in such 
  things, but I am truly concerned for her 
  welfare.” 
   
  Did she have any friends at the Royal 
  College of Music we could talk to? 
  “She didn’t have any real friends here that 
  I’m aware of.  She and I talked quite often, 
  but she didn’t share much about herself, and 
  I respected her privacy.  I doubt she was 
  more forthcoming with anyone else, but feel 
  free to ask around if you’d like.” 
   
  Why did you send people to look for her 
  so soon? 
  “I sent the stagehands because it was so 
  unusual 
  that 
  she 
  should 
  miss 
  a 
  performance, especially when everything 
  seemed fine at the matinee a few hours 
  before.  She reminds me a great deal of 
  myself when I was younger, and nothing 
  short of a disaster would have prevented her 
  from getting to the performance in case she 
  was needed; an understudy lives for the 
  chance that they may be called to take 
  centre stage, and they don’t throw those 
  chances away.” 
   
  Did she have any enemies, or people who 
  gain from her disappearance? 
  “There may have been understudies who 
  were envious of her position or her talent, 
  but we are coming to the end of our run 
  here.  My taking her to Talabheim is a 
  special case, and not an offer I’d make to 
  anyone else if she couldn’t go.” 
   
  Eventually the characters should be happy 
  with their understanding of the situation and 
  discuss price.  Antonia’s initial offer is 10GC 
  per day each for their time over the next two 
  days, plus reasonable expenses and a 
  bonus of 50GC to divide up if she is found.  
  She will want them to report back to her 
  before the final show tomorrow (between 6 
  and 7pm) if they have not found her by then.  
  Antonia is short on time and doesn’t have 
  many other options left if she wants to find 
  Bianka.  If the PCs angle for more and make 
  a successful Haggle Test she doubles her 
  offer.  If negotiations go badly, or they are 
  especially 
  rude 
  or 
  come 
  across 
  as 
  untrustworthy, she will change the terms so 
  that the same money is available but only if 
  and when Bianka is found.  Before they 
  leave, she will give them each a signed pass 
  that effectively shows them to be working for 
  the Royal College of Music.  With these, 
  they can come and go as they please, 
  including backstage areas.  She can also 
  arrange for them to have use of an office if 
  they want to use the Royal College as their 
  base of operations during the investigation. 
   
  A Shifty Character 
  As the PCs leave Antonia’s dressing room, 
  those making a Routine (+10%) Perception 
  Test will notice a young stage hand nearby, 
  quickly moving away from the door they just 
  came 
  through 
  and 
  looking 
  somewhat 
  suspicious as he checks a knotted rope 
  across the hallway as if his life depended on 
  it.  If the PCs question him, he will act 
  defensively and deny he was eavesdropping 
  or knows anything of why the PCs are here. 
  However, if the PCs appeal to him for help 
  or threaten him (Intimidate Test – he will 
  resist with WP of 32%), he will offer what he 
  knows, first insisting he take them to his 
  ‘room’ so they can talk privately.  His ‘room’ 
  is actually an out-of-the-way nook in the 
  
   
  5 
  rafters above the stage.  No test is required 
  to climb up the thin ladder under normal 
  circumstances, but expensive gowns may 
  make it somewhat hazardous.  It is 
  suggested however that even if you make it 
  sound dangerous, no roll is required (or it is 
  given an undisclosed bonus); you don’t want 
  to encourage players that characters need 
  to wear adventuring outfits next time they 
  visit the opera! 
   
  From up in his ‘room’ the young man, who 
  introduces himself as Tomas Breuer, can 
  see the stage and its wings quite clearly.  
  Tomas is responsible for ensuring that all 
  the ropes, weights and pulleys that allow 
  scenery changes to rapidly descend from 
  the rafters are in full working order.  As 
  such, he is able to keep this small area to 
  himself.  Drawings of many performers past 
  and present are pinned around his ‘room’, 
  and a small pile of bedding indicates that he 
  sleeps here at least sometimes.  Several of 
  the pictures match the description of Bianka 
  the PCs hopefully got from Antonia (she is 
  most noticeable from her freckles) – in fact, 
  there are more pictures of her than of any 
  other performer.  If asked, Tomas explains 
  that he is an artist by calling, but his work 
  here allows him to eat.  Additionally, the 
  opera provides plenty of inspiration for his 
  art.  He did many of his drawings perched in 
  his ‘room’ while watching performances.  He 
  knows Bianka to talk to, and is full of praise 
  for her abilities, having been enraptured by 
  her performance during rehearsals.  If 
  pushed, he admits to having a crush on her 
  (hence all the drawings) but is enough of a 
  realist to know she is destined for greater 
  things than a struggling artist can provide.  
  He knows that she had a regular job at the 
  Red Moon, and lives with a group of girls 
  who also work there.  He saw them with her 
  once 
  when 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  performance.  He thinks she has three 
  roommates, one called Gretchen and one 
  called Hanna – he’s not sure about the last 
  one’s name, but she had a Kislevian accent.   
   
  He’s also noticed that one of the other stage 
  hands, Rolf Wechsler, has started paying 
  Bianka undue attention.  Tomas noticed him 
  start to watch Bianka about a week ago; Rolf 
  drew Tomas’ attention while staring at 
  Bianka because he was furiously scratching 
  a new tattoo at the same time.  Tomas 
  asking Rolf about the tattoo, nervously 
  joking about whose name he might have 
  had put on his chest, but he rudely told 
  Tomas to mind his own business.  If the PCs 
  ask, all Tomas saw was a flash of purple ink 
  – not a common choice for tattoos, even in 
  these creative circles.  Tomas didn’t see the 
  design. 
   
  Questioning Other Staff 
  Encouraged by Tomas’ knowledge, the PCs 
  may decide to spend time questioning other 
  staff.  However, no one else at the Royal 
  College of Music can provide the same 
  information about Bianka that Tomas can.  
  She is secretive about her lowly origins and 
  her other job, and much of what Tomas 
  knows 
  comes 
  from 
  overheard 
  conversations, details pieced together and 
  listening in on her roommates when they 
  came to see the performance and stopped 
  backstage.  Not even Antonia can provide 
  the 
  useful 
  information 
  about 
  Bianka’s 
  roommates and job – aware of the seedy 
  pasts some performers can have, she 
  learned years ago not to ask her friends 
  such questions.  Other staff questioned 
  about 
  Bianka 
  will 
  respond 
  with 
  kind 
  compliments, especially those who saw her 
  rehearse.  However, they don’t really know 
  anything about her and assumed she must 
  be sick if they even noticed her absence. 
   
  Investigating Rolf 
  If Tomas’ concerns about Rolf have struck a 
  chord with the PCs they may well wish to 
  investigate him as a priority.  Rolf cannot be 
  found anywhere in the building, nor can 
  anyone tell them much about him.  No one 
  will be able to corroborate Tomas’ story 
  about Rolf staring at Bianka or his itchy 
  tattoo.  They just didn’t pay him that much 
  attention.  If the PCs think to ask him, 
  Tomas can provide them with a sketch of 
  Rolf quite quickly. 
   
  In fact, Rolf is indeed a nasty piece of work.  
  A newly inducted cultist of the Coiled 
  Serpent and their ‘inside man’ at the Royal 
  College of Music, he left as soon as the 
  show was over to warn his master that 
  Bianka had not returned for the matinee.  
  This will spark off a search for her in parallel 
  to the PCs’ investigation, which they will 
  come across later. 
   
  
   
  6 
  Clever PCs might think to check whether 
  Rolf also had to provide a home address 
  when he started work at the opera.  This 
  information is available from the Royal 
  College of Music’s administration office.  In 
  fact he did, and because he hadn’t been 
  converted by the cult at that point saw no 
  reason to lie about it.  The address listed is 
  Room 10, Falkehaus, 105 Markt Weg.  
  Unfortunately for the PCs, it is a tiny room in 
  an Altquartier tenement block, contains no 
  possessions to speak of and Rolf will not 
  return there until after the wicked plot is 
  over.  PCs who insist on lying in wait for him 
  here for a long period should be reminded 
  that he is more likely to be found at the 
  Royal College of Music during performance 
  hours, to save them wasting their time. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  The only good lead the PCs have from 
  talking to Antonia is her family’s address in 
  the Altquartier.  If they choose to pursue 
  this, see Meet the Meyers below on page 7. 
   
  However, if they talked to Tomas before 
  leaving the Royal College of Music they will 
  know that Bianka worked at the Red Moon, 
  a well known cabaret bar in the nearby 
  Freiburg district, and that her roommates 
  also work there.  If they pursue this lead, 
  see The Red Moon on page 9. 
   
  As the scenario unfolds, it will become 
  significant on which day of the investigation 
  the PCs visit a location.  Because the actual 
  date will depend on your campaign, the date 
  the PCs get involved in the scenario is 
  referred to as Day 1.  The next day, when 
  the final performance takes place, is 
  therefore Day 2.  Bianka disappeared on 
  Day 0, the day before Antonia contacts the 
  PCs. 
   
  Please note that only the information 
  needed to deal with the PCs at the time is 
  given in each scene.  For a fuller view of 
  what is going on and why, see the main 
  characters’ backgrounds at the end of the 
  scenario.
  
   
  7 
  Meet the Meyers 
   
  If the PCs choose to visit Bianka’s family in 
  the Altquartier, they need to find their way to 
  Weissmauer Strasse.  The Altquartier is a 
  relatively dangerous district, so they may 
  want to pick up some of their ‘equipment’ 
  that they wouldn’t have taken to the opera 
  before they depart.  It would certainly be a 
  good idea to change out of their best dress 
  clothes.  The house is about half an hour 
  from the Royal College of Music, assuming 
  that the characters can find their way.  
  Unless they know this part of the city well, 
  they’ll need to make a Gossip Test to get 
  directions from one of the locals, who are 
  often unfriendly or suspicious of strangers.  
  The houses of Weissmauer Strasse are 
  narrow, 
  two 
  story 
  terraced 
  dwellings, 
  generally appearing somewhat ramshackle 
  but generally sturdy. 
   
  If the PCs call at the house in the afternoon 
  or early evening only Bianka’s mother and 
  younger sister will be home.  Frau Elsa and 
  Frauline Kirsten Meyer make pies all day in 
  a huge oven at the back of the house that 
  are sold to local taverns and on the streets 
  by Herr Eric Meyer and his team of pie 
  sellers.  Bianka and her older brother Axel 
  are the only family members not involved in 
  the family pie business.  Meyer’s pies are 
  not yet a household name, but anyone 
  frequenting that part of the Altquartier will 
  hear mention of them sooner or later.  While 
  the lack of quality meat available means 
  they would never win culinary awards at the 
  Harvest Goose, Frau Meyer’s pastry is very 
  good and so the pies are among the best 
  most locals have tasted.  Even so, the pies 
  are moderately priced and the Meyer family 
  are never too far from the breadline. 
   
  When the PCs call, Frau Meyer will listen to 
  their story at the front door.  She is reluctant 
  to let strangers into her home, especially 
  without her husband or son there, but she 
  can easily be persuaded to trust those 
  seeking her daughter enough to tell them 
  what she can.  Read out the following or use 
  the information it contains to answer Player 
  questions as you prefer: 
   
  “Bianka last came by three or four days ago, 
  as happy as I’ve ever seen her, sayin’ how 
  she was being given an opportunity to travel 
  with a famous foreign opera singer.....what 
  was her name Kirsten?  Antonia something 
  or other – you could tell she was Estalian 
  because she had twice as many names as 
  she needed, but I don’t remember what they 
  all were.  Anyway, we were dead against 
  letting her go, not that we could do much 
  about it as she doesn’t live here no more; 
  ever since Eric told her to get a proper job or 
  move out, and she left. But even so, they’ve 
  made up since, and we agreed that if it’s 
  what she wanted she should go.  So she 
  was going to come over yesterday evening, 
  after she finished performing, so we could 
  have a big farewell dinner, only she never 
  showed.” 
   
  She trails off and begins softly sobbing at 
  this point, and her daughter leads them 
  away from her to let her mother compose 
  herself while they continue the conversation 
  out of earshot. 
   
  “I don’t know what might have happened 
  with my sister – I’m sure she’s fine 
  somewhere though.” You get the impression 
  the optimism is more for her own benefit 
  than anyone else’s. “I can suggest some 
  places you might find her though.  She’s 
  been worrying a lot of recently, I know, 
  about performing in the opera.  Don’t tell my 
  mother, but she’s been working at the Red 
  Moon cabaret as a chorus dancer for the 
  last couple of years.  It’s harmless 
  entertainment, but I understand it can be a 
  bit...suggestive at times, so she never told 
  anyone except me.” She bites her lip.  “My 
  parents wouldn’t understand, but she’s a 
  dancer and a singer...a singer most of all, 
  and she doesn’t want to spend her life 
  baking pies with her ma and me.  Anyway, 
  I’m not sure that she’s working at the Red 
  Moon while she’s an understudy at the 
  Royal College, but I know she has friends 
  there she might go to.  I think she lives with 
  some of them in Neumarkt, but I never went 
  there.  You might try the Great Park too, 
  down the east side.  She always goes there 
  when she’s under stress or needs to think.  
  About a year ago she got the opportunity to 
  sing at the Red Moon, solo, and she got 
  scared being on stage alone and she 
  couldn’t do it.  They didn’t give her another 
  chance.  Singing’s what she lives for, so she 
  
   
  8 
  tried everything to get over her fear – 
  apothecary’s potions, charms, hypnosis, 
  everything.  Eventually she was cured, but I 
  think the possibility she might have to sing 
  on stage at the Royal College in front of all 
  those people...she’s worried that it might 
  come back.  She spent an awful lot of time 
  walking through the Great Park last year, 
  and I’d guess she probably is now too!” 
   
  Once the PCs are happy they’ve found out 
  all they can from Elsa and Kirsten, they 
  should move on to investigate the leads 
  found here, or others they got from the 
  Royal College of Music.  Kirsten will make 
  them promise to come back soon to let her 
  know what progress they’ve made or if she 
  thinks of anything else useful.  She will even 
  suggest that Bianka might turn up at her 
  family home, just a day or so late, and all 
  this worry will have been for nothing. 
   
  Late Callers 
  If the PCs turn up later in the evening or 
  even during the night, expecting to ask the 
  Meyers’ questions, things will not go so 
  smoothly.  Bianka’s father, Eric Meyer, will 
  be less willing to hear the PCs story and will 
  not open the front door to them.  Instead, he 
  will converse from an upstairs window, 
  telling them to leave his family alone.  He is 
  actually very worried about Bianka and so 
  chooses to believe that she missed their 
  family dinner on purpose because she feels 
  so important now and spent the time with 
  her famous friends instead.  If the PCs make 
  a Hard (-20%) Charm Test, he will allow his 
  wife and daughter to go down to the door 
  and talk to the PCs (in the same way as if 
  they had called earlier), although his son 
  Axel will stay close by for their protection.  
  Meanwhile, Eric will sob softly by himself 
  upstairs as he fears he has lost his daughter 
  for ever. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  If they haven’t already, the PCs may want to 
  investigate the cabaret, in which case see 
  The 
  Red 
  Moon 
  below 
  on 
  page 
  9.  
  Otherwise, they could search the park for 
  Bianka, in which case go to The Great Park 
  on page 11. 
   
   
  
   
  9 
  The Red Moon 
   
  The Red Moon is open from 9pm until 2am, 
  with a few staff present before and after that, 
  cleaning and preparing the bar.  The 
  characters are most likely to have been 
  pointed here quite early in the evening, so 
  they should find someone present unless 
  they delay their visit past the early hours of 
  the morning.  However, getting into the Red 
  Moon past its well known doormen Hannes 
  and Karl may not be quite so easy.  Unless 
  the PCs are already patrons, they will need 
  to talk their way in.  To be allowed entry as 
  patrons, they will need to be well dressed 
  and convince the doormen they are cool 
  enough.  Choose the difficulty of this Charm 
  Test based on their apparent fashion sense, 
  sophistication and any name dropping they 
  manage.  Alternatively, explaining their 
  assigned task and expressing concern for 
  Bianka will make it easier to get access.  
  Producing Antonia’s letter if they have it will 
  make the Charm Test easier, and even if 
  they fail the doormen will tell them that 
  Bianka hasn’t been there for a couple of 
  weeks (hoping this information will get rid of 
  them).  Once inside, how they proceed 
  depends on how they talked their way in.  In 
  either case, causing trouble will bring the 
  doormen inside to throw the troublemakers 
  out. 
   
  The PCs as Patrons 
  If they have become patrons, they will need 
  to pay the 35/- admission charge, and will 
  then be allowed free reign of the main 
  customer area of the Red Moon, the bar and 
  cabaret seating area.  The small casino 
  upstairs is available by invitation only. 
   
  Asking patrons about Gretchen or Hanna 
  will get them pointed out amongst the 
  chorus 
  line 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  dancing 
  performance.  Actually talking to them will 
  require waiting for a rare appearance at the 
  bar or if they come out to briefly say hello to 
  a 
  known 
  patron 
  that 
  favours 
  them.  
  Alternatively, a message can be got to them 
  via bar or wait staff who are suitably 
  reimbursed for their time and discretion.  
  However, unfamiliar patrons will not be 
  allowed to roam backstage under any 
  circumstances.  See Bianka’s Roommates 
  below if they get to talk to one or more of 
  these ladies.  If the PCs don’t know the 
  names of Bianka’s friends, a Charm Test at 
  the bar will elicit this information from a 
  server. 
   
  Some regulars and most bar staff will be 
  able to tell the PCs that Bianka hasn’t 
  performed at the Red Moon for a couple of 
  weeks, but will not know why. 
   
  The PCs as Investigators 
  If they are admitted as investigators looking 
  into Bianka’s disappearance, they will have 
  a staff member escort them at all times.  
  They will be allowed backstage to talk to 
  staff members, but are strongly discouraged 
  from talking to guests. 
   
  If the PCs ask backstage about Gretchen or 
  Hanna, they will be directed to the dressing 
  room where the chorus dancers relax and 
  get 
  costume 
  changes 
  between 
  performances. 
   
  Gretchen, 
  Hanna 
  and 
  Ekaterina are Bianka’s roommates and hang 
  around together when at work.  See 
  Bianka’s Roommates below for further 
  details of what information they can give. 
   
  Staff will be able to confirm what they 
  probably already heard, that Bianka has not 
  been at work for a couple of weeks.  Most 
  did not know she had a job elsewhere, or 
  was planning to leave the city – her 
  roommates told people she’s been very sick 
  recently. 
   
  Bianka’s Roommates 
  Bianka’s three roommates all work as 
  chorus girls at the Red Moon.  Gretchen and 
  Hanna may have been mentioned to the 
  PCs by Tomas, while Ekaterina is the third 
  girl who he was unable to name.  All three 
  have similar knowledge, so it doesn’t really 
  matter if the PCs are able to talk to all three, 
  or just one. 
   
  The girls are not really worried about Bianka 
  even though she didn’t come home last 
  night; they knew she was due to visit her 
  family 
  for 
  dinner 
  after 
  the 
  evening 
  performance and assumed it went on too 
  late for her to safely walk back by herself.  If 
  the PCs tell them that she missed the 
  performances or that she didn’t visit her 
  family, they will become quite worried.  
  
   
  10 
  Unlike them, Bianka never stayed out 
  overnight, and she was entirely focused on 
  doing well as Antonia’s understudy.  If she 
  missed performances and wasn’t with her 
  family overnight they will fear the worst.  
  They will start to comfort each other and 
  won’t have any ideas about what might have 
  happened, but will answer any questions the 
  PCs might have if it will help.  Pertinent 
  information they have is summarised below 
  for you to decide how best to answer the 
  PCs’ questions. 
   
  1. Bianka seemed to be well liked by the 
  cast and crew of The Marriage of 
  Fibonacci when they went to see the 
  show earlier in the week. 
  2. She didn’t have any enemies or rivals at 
  the Red Moon either, especially when 
  her opportunity to sing solo went so 
  badly.  She was always more of a singer 
  than a dancer, and it hurt her deeply 
  when she failed. 
  3. Naturally she had admirers amongst the 
  Red Moon’s regulars, but she didn’t 
  encourage them and they respected her 
  privacy.  Between the three of them, the 
  girls know the men in question well 
  enough that they can vouch that none of 
  them would cause her any trouble.  It 
  would be strictly against the Red Moon’s 
  policy for them to give any names (many 
  of these admirers are not single, and 
  one or two are quite important men).  
  The girls will assure the PCs that if they 
  thought any of these people might have 
  harmed Bianka they would tell them, 
  even at the cost of their jobs, but they 
  are sure that none are to blame.  The 
  PCs should be discouraged from this 
  line of questioning, if only because it will 
  take them too long to cover all the 
  possible admirers to meet Antonia’s 
  deadline, even if they could get the list 
  of names without the girls calling for the 
  doormen. 
  4. She was generally quiet when not 
  performing, but came out of her shell 
  with her friends. 
  5. Bianka liked to walk in the Great Park, 
  and sometimes took them there.  If the 
  PCs ask, one of the girls could show 
  them her favourite spots. 
   
  Only if the PCs ask about hypnotism will 
  they feel it necessary to mention anything 
  about her treatment, or the man treating her.  
  See page 16 for details of what they know. 
   
  The girls will understand if the PCs want to 
  see where Bianka lived and can take them 
  back there to look around once they have 
  finished work.  If the characters express the 
  urgency of checking the flat, or are unhappy 
  to wait, Gretchen will offer to take them 
  earlier.  It will take her five minutes and a 
  heated conversation with the stage manager 
  as she complains she is suddenly sick. 
   
  If the PCs do not leave to investigate 
  Bianka’s flat, the girls will ask them how they 
  can be reached should they see Bianka or 
  hear anything that might help find her.  If the 
  PCs cannot provide these contact details, 
  they will suggest coming by the flat 
  tomorrow and the girls will see if they can 
  find any information that might point to 
  Bianka’s whereabouts. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  The most natural step from here is probably 
  to see where Bianka lived, in which case go 
  to Bianka’s Flat on page 13.  However, if 
  they haven’t checked the park or think that 
  having one of her friends along will help see 
  The 
  Great 
  Park 
  on 
  page 
  11.
   
  
   
  11 
  The Great Park 
   
  The Great Park sits at the centre of 
  Middenheim, a large area to cover looking 
  for a missing person.  However, if Kirsten 
  told the PCs that Bianka liked the eastern 
  side, or they have one of her roommates as 
  a guide to her preferred places they may 
  feel it is possible to find some trace of her 
  there. 
   
  In fact, Bianka made quite a splash in the 
  Great Park the night before, and the park 
  keepers all know about it.  Following the 
  events described at the very beginning of 
  this scenario, Bianka fled into the Great Park 
  and continued running until she got to the 
  Black Pool, a large lake in the park.  
  Seeking to escape her unknown pursuer at 
  all costs, she dived into the pool and swam.  
  Thinking that she was trying to commit 
  suicide, two park keepers followed her in 
  and rescued her, after which she was sent 
  to the Shallyan Temple to be tended.  If the 
  PCs are successful in their questioning 
  there, they will be able to trace Bianka’s 
  movements up until the middle of Day 1, 
  even 
  if 
  they 
  don’t 
  understand 
  them.  
  Unfortunately, Bianka left the temple soon 
  after the PCs were hired by Antonia, so their 
  search is far from over. 
   
  Searching the Park 
  The PCs will not find Bianka by looking for 
  her in the park, even if they concentrate on 
  the areas her sister and friends told them 
  about; she happens not to be there at any 
  point the PCs might be looking for her.  
  However, she was there before they started 
  looking for her, so they might find someone 
  who saw her. 
   
  In order to successfully get information from 
  someone about Bianka, a PC will ideally 
  need to show a picture of her.  If they don’t 
  have one, someone who has seen Bianka or 
  a good picture of her will need to make a 
  Perception Test to have noticed enough 
  detail to describe her well.  Even then, the 
  response will depend on who they ask.  It is 
  extremely unlikely that most Middenheimers 
  passing through the park will have been 
  there at 5 am the night before when Bianka 
  fled through the park and into the Black 
  Pool.  If they think to ask any of the refugees 
  camped in the Great Park following the 
  Storm of Chaos, they might have heard the 
  commotion when Bianka ran through the 
  park and heard about a girl roughly 
  matching Bianka’s description who ran into 
  the lake.  They will likely also know that the 
  park keepers were involved and suggest 
  that the PCs talk to one of them. 
   
  The park keepers can confirm that a girl 
  matching Bianka’s description ran into the 
  Black Pool last night at about 5 am, trying to 
  commit suicide.  A couple of their number 
  swam after her and dragged her to safety.  
  She was unconscious but alive, so they took 
  her to the Temple of Shallya to be tended to.  
  If the PCs don’t know where the temple of 
  Shallya is, they can easily get directions 
  from anyone in the vicinity. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  By now the PCs may have several 
  unexplored leads from previous scenes, but 
  hopefully after their visit to the park they will 
  be eager to pursue Bianka’s trail.  If so, see 
  The Temple of Shallya on page 12 below. 
  
   
  12 
  The Temple of Shallya 
   
  If the PCs found out that Bianka was sent to 
  the Temple of Shallya after her rescue from 
  the Black Pool, they should be eager to go 
  there and find her.  If the PCs have not 
  visited the temple since the Storm of Chaos, 
  they will perhaps be surprised that almost 
  every room, corridor and hall within the 
  temple has been given over to housing the 
  wounded and the sick.  The priests and 
  initiates of Shallya are always very busy 
  tending to so many, but will have time to 
  speak to the PCs if they show concern for 
  someone that may be a patient. 
   
  With so many people to tend to, the temple’s 
  staff are unlikely to recognise Bianka by her 
  picture.  They have a record of all the 
  patients admitted, but there are numerous 
  Johann and Johanna Damhirschkuhs (the 
  Imperial equivalent of John and Jane Does) 
  and Bianka was admitted as one of these.  
  However, if they can give the general time of 
  admittance and the nature of her condition, 
  they will be directed to Sister Leonora’s 
  section; all recent admittances that were 
  neither critical nor combat wounds were 
  directed to her area of the temple for care. 
   
  Sister Leonora will recognise Bianka as the 
  Johanna Damhirschkuh that was brought to 
  her early in the morning, around 7 am.  In 
  fact, she knows her first name but has not 
  yet had time to update the patient records 
  kept at the temple entrance. 
   
  “The park keepers said she had been pulled 
  out of the Black Pool in the Great Park.  She 
  was unconscious, but stable and strong, so I 
  tended her as best I could then left her to 
  rest.  She slept for about six hours and I sat 
  with her when she woke, because they said 
  she had tried to drown herself; I thought she 
  might be a suicide risk.  I sat with her for 
  about two hours, and she occasionally 
  talked.  She seemed frightened and said 
  that someone had been chasing her.  She 
  had run into the water to try and escape, not 
  to end her life.  She told me her name was 
  Bianka but she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me 
  about her pursuer, and I didn’t push too 
  hard. She didn’t tell me much more that that 
  and when I was reassured that she was not 
  a danger to herself, well, I had other patients 
  I needed to check on. I kept an eye on her 
  as best I could, but there was an emergency 
  with another patient and I was called away.  
  That was about 5pm this afternoon*.  When I 
  came back, Bianka had gone from her bed.  
  I searched around and asked other patients 
  what they saw and it seems she left of her 
  own accord.  I’m sorry she’s not here, but I 
  hope she just went home. I wish I could 
  have helped her better, but there are so 
  many in need and so few of us.  Hopefully 
  you will be able to find her.” 
   
  * Assuming it is Day 1.  If it is Day 2 she 
  says “yesterday” instead. 
   
  The PCs can learn nothing more of use 
  here.  As they leave a volunteer will be 
  rattling a tin, asking for donations near the 
  door.  She will glance at the PCs as she 
  asks, and smiles, but will not show any sign 
  of displeasure if they ignore her.  If they 
  donate she will thank them with the words 
  “May Shallya bless you with a long life”. 
   
  Checking the Hospitals 
  It’s possible that the PCs may think to check 
  the Temple of Shallya before Bianka’s trail 
  leads them there.  After all, as the WFRP 
  equivalent of a hospital, it is a natural place 
  to look for missing people.  The temple staff 
  can direct them to three areas of the temple 
  where all recently admitted patients will have 
  gone.  One is for patients in critical 
  condition, one for wounds caused by 
  weaponry and one for all other cases.  The 
  last of these is Sister Leonora’s section.  Of 
  course, Bianka will not be found anywhere, 
  but if they also think to question the priests 
  and initiates found in those sections, Sister 
  Leonora will give them the same information 
  as above. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  Although 
  this 
  is 
  an 
  encouraging 
  development in terms of finding evidence of 
  Bianka alive and apparently free, it is also 
  the end of a lead, and the PCs will need to 
  take a step back and look at other avenues 
  of investigation. 
  
   
  13 
  Bianka’s Flat 
   
  The home that Bianka shares with her three 
  friends is a small, one room flat.  Situated on 
  the third floor of Schattighaus, a tenement 
  block in the Neumarkt district, it may remind 
  the PCs why they chose to pursue a less 
  orthodox lifestyle.  Despite their talent as 
  entertainers and the bright smiles and 
  clothing seen in their work, the girls’ home is 
  cramped, grey and close to the poverty line. 
   
  Gretchen (with the other girls if the PCs 
  waited for them to finish work) leads the way 
  through the tenement building, up the creaky 
  stairs to the second floor and along the dark, 
  central corridor.  As they approach the door, 
  Gretchen stops and stares as she sees the 
  lock is broken and the door is ajar.  Unless 
  the PCs insist on taking the lead, Gretchen 
  will cautiously push open the door and peer 
  inside. 
   
  The room is about three meters square, with 
  a window on the opposite wall to the door.  
  From the door it is possible to confirm that 
  no one is hiding inside.  However, the flat 
  seems to have been burgled and turned 
  upside down in the process.  The beds have 
  been thrown over and the contents of the 
  room scattered all over the floor 
   
  Any of the girls present will be shocked and 
  will 
  start 
  rummaging 
  through 
  their 
  possessions to see what has been taken.  
  They quickly see that whoever did this was 
  thorough; the loose floorboard that held their 
  ‘rainy day’ fund has been pulled up and the 
  money is gone.  The girls had quite an 
  assortment of cheap jewellery between them 
  that has also been taken. 
   
  Unless the PCs need their help further the 
  girls will begin to tidy their home and repair 
  what damage they can to their possessions.  
  They have no idea who might have done 
  this, and there is no evidence at the scene.  
  If any PCs suggest that Bianka might have 
  done this they will strongly disagree.  
  Whatever Bianka is going through, she 
  would not treat their things this way so 
  needlessly. 
   
  They 
  are 
  adamant 
  that 
  someone else did this. 
   
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  Day 1 is probably drawing to an end at this 
  point, and it’s possible the PCs may have 
  run out of leads.  If the PCs need 
  somewhere to stay overnight the girls will be 
  happy to accommodate them.  They can 
  cram into one of the room’s two beds, 
  leaving the other and the floor space (once 
  they’ve tidied up) for the PCs.  However, the 
  PCs may have more leads they want to 
  investigate, such as the Great Park or 
  Bianka’s family if they’ve not been there yet.  
  They can always come back here afterwards 
  in that case. 
   
  All the leads up to this point in the scenario 
  can be investigated at any time, Day 1 or 
  Day 2.  The rest of the scenario details the 
  events and new leads that occur on Day 2. 
  
   
  14 
  The Second Day 
   
  The PCs investigations on the afternoon and 
  evening of the first day are likely to produce 
  a lot of background information on Bianka, 
  make useful contacts and open several 
  avenues of investigation but get no solid 
  leads on her current location.  Indeed, 
  Bianka is wandering all this time, and would 
  be difficult to find except by blind chance.  
  However, the PCs are not the only ones 
  looking for her during this time.  Thanks to 
  Rolf, Franz and the cultists have also 
  become aware of Bianka’s unexpected 
  disappearance, and have started looking for 
  her too.  The cultists do not go unnoticed as 
  they search, and the PCs are likely to start 
  hearing about them and investigate to help 
  understand what is going on. 
   
  The Cultists’ Investigations 
  Franz and his cultist cronies will have 
  investigated many of the same places the 
  PCs did on Day 1.  With the exception of 
  Bianka’s flat (which Franz already knew 
  about and turned upside down looking for 
  clues to her location before the PCs arrived) 
  the cultists will arrive at places after the PCs 
  have already been there, assuming they 
  investigated during Day 1. 
   
  If the PCs return to a location on Day 2 
  they’ve already visited, or visit for the first 
  time if they didn’t have time the day before, 
  the situation will have changed slightly as 
  detailed below. 
   
  The Royal College of Music 
  By the time Rolf had warned Franz and the 
  cultists that Bianka was missing, he missed 
  the evening show on Day 1, so did not 
  return to the Royal College of Music.  On 
  Day 2 he returns to work in time for the 
  matinee performance.  It is important as a 
  GM that whatever the PCs might be doing 
  elsewhere, you keep track of time and take 
  account of what is going on at the opera. 
   
  Regardless of when the PCs return to the 
  Royal College of Music on Day 2, the first 
  member of staff they should see is the 
  opera’s director, Mathias Boehm.  He will tell 
  them that Antonia is/was (depending on the 
  time they arrive) just well enough to do the 
  matinee performance, but she is feeling very 
  ill and her performance is suffering. He 
  knows what they have been asked to do and 
  urges them to find Bianka quickly, as she’s 
  the only person that could fill the role if his 
  leading lady continues to feel worse. He will 
  tell them that it would be an amazing boost 
  for her career if she performs. 
   
  At noon Rolf returns to the Royal College of 
  Music for the first time since the PCs began 
  their investigation, about an hour before the 
  matinee performance begins.  Tomas, 
  having decided Rolf must be involved, 
  confronts him backstage.  They scuffle, and 
  Rolf pulls a dagger and stabs Tomas.  As 
  Tomas lies bleeding on the floor, Rolf panics 
  and runs from the Royal College of Music. 
   
  If they are at the Royal College of Music 
  around that time (they may have come 
  specially to find Rolf!), have them hear 
  Tomas cry out as he is stabbed.  They see 
  Rolf running from the scene and can give 
  chase (see Chasing Rolf on page 20).  This 
  is also an opportunity for a healer in the 
  party to shine; Tomas will bleed to death in a 
  matter of rounds if he does not receive 
  medical treatment to stabilise him. 
   
  Characters that remain around the Royal 
  College of Music during the day see Antonia 
  get progressively sicker.  Following the 
  matinee, it is clear that the performance 
  weakened her considerably.  A doctor is 
  called, and he declares that her condition is 
  not life threatening but she must rest.  Not 
  wishing to cancel the final performance 
  while there’s a chance Bianka may return, 
  the director elects to carry on.  Antonia will 
  double the PCs’ fee if they can find Bianka. 
   
  The Meyers’ House 
  During the early hours, Franz and five of his 
  minions knocked on the front door asking if 
  Bianka was there and whether her family 
  had seen her.  This got a very angry 
  response from Eric Meyer; he was not 
  swayed by Franz’s charming facade or his 
  claim that he was worried about Bianka. 
  When it was clear that words were not 
  working, Franz had his men break down the 
  door with axes and search the house.  In a 
  case of mistaken identity, two of them tried 
  to carry off Kirsten.  Franz corrected them at 
  the front door and she was unceremoniously 
  
   
  15 
  dumped by her captors.  However, during 
  the struggle she grabbed a pendant from 
  around a cultist’s neck, which she was still 
  clutching when they left.  It consists of the 
  symbol of Slaanesh with a serpent coiled 
  around it – the badge of the Coiled Serpent 
  cult.  PCs that have seen such a symbol 
  before will have no trouble identifying it.  
  What is more, Kirsten recognised Franz’s 
  face from having briefly been introduced by 
  Bianka during a shopping trip to the 
  Neumarkt. 
   
  The Red Moon 
  The cultists that Franz sent to investigate 
  The Red Moon were barred from entering, 
  and by the time they reported back to him it 
  was 
  too late to send 
  anyone more 
  presentable. 
   
  The Great Park 
  Some junior cultists were sent by Franz to 
  search the park, given that he knew Bianka 
  liked to go there.  They heard the story of 
  what had happened from the park keepers 
  and guessed that it might be Bianka.  The 
  temple having closed its doors by then, they 
  reported to Franz what they had found.  Due 
  to the size of the park and the number of 
  keepers it is unlikely that the PCs will hear 
  about other people asking after Bianka here. 
   
  The Temple of Shallya 
  After he was told that Bianka might be at the 
  Temple of Shallya, he visited first thing in 
  the morning of Day 2.  He spoke to Sister 
  Leonora and got the same information as 
  the PCs.  Should the PCs return to see her 
  for any reason, she will remark that another 
  man was looking for her also.  She assumed 
  that they were working together, and 
  mentioned them to the man.  She can 
  describe Franz quite accurately, but he did 
  not give a name. 
   
  Bianka’s Flat 
  The cultists will not visit the flat again after 
  their initial investigation on Day 1. 
   
  A New Lead 
  The most important of these developments 
  is what occurred at the Meyer household.  
  Kirsten Meyer realises that Franz has 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  her 
  sister’s 
  disappearance and is a very wicked man.  
  She will be desperate to get this information 
  to the PCs.  If they have given her contact 
  details she will seek them out, otherwise she 
  will try to contact them via the Royal College 
  of Music, and if that fails will return to her 
  home in the hopes that they visit her. 
   
  Why would Kirsten not go to the watch if she 
  can’t easily contact the PCs?  As a good 
  person who lives in a bad area, she has 
  seen the worst aspects of Middenheim’s 
  watchmen.  They don’t seem to care about 
  people from her district and she has seen 
  many instances of their corruption.  Most 
  likely they will ignore her, but she doesn’t 
  believe they would want to help.  From her 
  perspective, the PCs are the only people 
  who can save her sister. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  This section may actually involve the PCs 
  (re)visiting several locations and seeing if 
  there are any fresh leads to be had.  At 
  some point they will probably see Kirsten 
  Meyer, who will give them information that 
  points to Franz as a guilty party.  This will 
  lead them to Finding Franz below on page 
  16.  The events described above that occur 
  at the Royal College of Music might lead the 
  PCs directly to Chasing Rolf on page 20.  
  Whatever happens, provided the PCs go 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  opera 
  before 
  the 
  final 
  performance as Antonia asked them to, they 
  will not miss the climax. 
  
   
  16 
  Finding Franz 
   
  Franz Hummel should now be emerging as 
  a serious person of interest to the PCs, and 
  yet they might not have come across his 
  name until now.  They might decide to seek 
  out further information on him from people 
  they’ve already talked to. 
    
  Kirsten Meyer 
  Kirsten knew that Bianka had sought out a 
  hypnotist after she realised she suffered 
  from stage fright a year ago.  She knew that 
  he had helped her with the problem back 
  then but she didn’t think that Bianka was still 
  seeing him.  She can’t remember his name 
  but she met him briefly once when she went 
  shopping with her sister in the Neumarkt, 
  where he had a tent that he worked from.  
  Bianka always said nice things about him, 
  including how kind and helpful he was, a 
  stark contrast to the man who came to her 
  house. 
   
  Bianka’s Roommates 
  Gretchen, Hanna and Ekaterina know that 
  Bianka had regularly seen a hypnotist after 
  she froze up on stage singing and had been 
  having more sessions recently so that if 
  necessary she could go on as the lead in 
  The Marriage of Fibonacci.  She mentioned 
  him by his first name, Franz, several times.  
  All they knew about Bianka’s treatment was 
  that it cost all the money she had.  They 
  may have been sceptical about the prices 
  Franz charged, but none can deny that 
  Bianka was much better off for the 
  treatment. 
   
  Once the PCs have found out what they 
  can, they will probably try to find Franz via 
  his tent in the market. It will require either a 
  successful Gossip Test or much searching 
  to learn the location of his tent (one 
  Perception Test each allowed per hour of 
  searching).  If the PCs don’t have his name, 
  apply a -10% modifier to either roll.  Luckily 
  for them, he is the only male hypnotist 
  working in the Neumarkt at the moment, so 
  eventually they will find him (apply a +10% 
  bonus each hour of searching after the first). 
   
  When they find Franz’s tent, it has a bright 
  sign 
  proclaiming 
  ‘Dr. 
  Franz 
  Hummel, 
  Hypnotist’ across the top.  A smaller sign 
  hanging on the laced tent flap reads 
  ‘Closed’.  The tent is closed no matter when 
  the PCs get there (Franz is too busy to work 
  right now), but if they arrive after 6pm then 
  the rest of the stalls are also closed until first 
  light.  Investigating inside the tent reveals 
  nothing – there is a table and two chairs, but 
  Franz takes everything else home with him.  
  If the PCs want to find him they’ll need to 
  arrive while the market is open and strike up 
  a conversation with a neighbouring stall 
  holder (another Gossip Test or Charm 
  Test).  They can tell the PCs that Franz’s 
  house is on the edge of the market, at 1 Karl 
  Feldwebel Weg. 
   
  Franz’s House 
  When the PCs find Karl Feldwebel Weg, the 
  door to No. 1 can be found facing onto the 
  market.  The window beside it is dingy, but 
  peering through reveals a small nondescript 
  sitting room.  A further window a few paces 
  down Karl Feldwebel Weg indicates a 
  second room beyond.  Equally small judging 
  by the outside walls, Franz cannot have 
  much space inside his home. 
   
  Studying the building and an Intelligence 
  Test will reveal that the upper storey of the 
  building is a completely separate property, 
  with access by a door further down the road.  
  If the PCs think to talk to the people that live 
  above Franz, the labourer and his family can 
  tell the characters little about Franz.  They 
  don’t particularly trust the man, due to his 
  profession and manner (‘little better than 
  carnival folk, he is’), but a Gossip Test will 
  convince them to reveal that ‘dubious 
  characters, both men and women’ often visit 
  the hypnotist there at odd hours of the 
  evening and night. 
   
  Staking out the shop will confirm what the 
  neighbours say.  Half an hour after they start 
  keeping watch, two men come to the house.  
  They knock and are let inside.  If watched 
  carefully and a successful Perception Test 
  is made the new arrivals can be seen 
  showing a pendant to whoever is behind the 
  door, say something and are let in.  Not long 
  after, two different men will leave the house.  
  Characters on watch for a number of hours 
  will 
  eventually see a 
  repeat 
  of 
  this 
  occurrence, but with different men involved. 
  
   
  17 
  To complicate matters further, there is a 
  watch post just inside the market boundary 
  opposite Franz’s house.  This is a simple 
  low platform that allows watchmen on duty 
  to see further into the marketplace.  While 
  the market is open, two watchmen stand 
  guard there, at least one of them atop the 
  platform; this makes suspicious activities 
  around Franz’ house difficult.  If asked, 
  nearby traders can tell the PCs that without 
  fail the watchmen leave for a long lunch at a 
  local tavern at noon.  This will give the PCs 
  a ninety minute window of opportunity if they 
  wait until mid-day.  If necessary, use the 
  profile for Town Guards on page 235 of the 
  WFRP Rulebook for the watchmen. 
   
  Getting Inside 
  The PCs have limited options to gain entry 
  to Franz’s shop.  To break in, the side door 
  and two windows in the alley are the only 
  possible entrances.  The door is unlocked, 
  but barred from the inside.  Groups wishing 
  to use stealth will have to settle for breaking 
  a window.  These can be broken quietly with 
  a Challenging (-10%) Silent Move Test.  
  Failure indicates that the pair of cultists 
  above ground hears them (their profile is on 
  page 29).  However, the two cultists are 
  near the door, and breaking a window in the 
  same room as them will certainly be noticed.  
  Those that prefer a direct approach can try 
  chopping down the door instead.  This will 
  have one unexpected benefit – the cultists 
  will assume that they are the authorities 
  (thieves don’t noisily cut down the doors of 
  buildings with people inside) and so will 
  initially focus on acting innocent and drawing 
  attention away from the trapdoor in the 
  cellar.  If the PCs smash a window, they’ll 
  assume they are thieves.  They are also 
  very aware of the watch post, and will shout 
  for help if they think someone is breaking in. 
   
  Alternatively, the PCs could try and talk their 
  way into the shop.  They could use the 
  pendant that Kirsten pulled off a cultist, or 
  they could ambush the pair that leave the 
  shop and take theirs.  The PCs may also 
  realise that they need a password to gain 
  entry 
  – 
  captured 
  cultists 
  threatened 
  sufficiently will give it up on a successful 
  Intimidate Test – the password for today is 
  ‘lascivious’.  They don’t know much more 
  than that of use though.  Otherwise, it will be 
  a Challenging (-10%) Charm Test to 
  convince the sentries that there’s a good 
  reason none of them know the password.  If 
  the PCs convince them that they are cultists, 
  they will usher them into the back room and 
  assume that they know what they’re 
  supposed to do from there. 
   
  If the PCs are noisy or noticeable while 
  breaking in, let them feel like they might 
  have the watch coming down on them at any 
  time.  However, provided they don’t cause 
  trouble while the two watchmen are outside, 
  all they really need to worry about are the 
  cultists inside. 
   
  The Front Room 
  This room is sparsely furnished with several 
  chairs, a table in the centre and a lamp on 
  the wall.  Aside from the door and window 
  looking outside, there is a door into the back 
  room.  The PCs can make a Search Test, 
  which will only take a couple of minutes to 
  complete effectively, but there is nothing of 
  interest to be found here.   
   
  The Back Room 
  This room seems to be used as a 
  combination of kitchen and sleeping area, 
  with a wooden screen down the middle 
  separating the two.  A worn old stove sits on 
  one wall, and seems hardly used.  Shelves 
  along the side wall hold a myriad of bottles 
  and knick-knacks.  The bottle labels seem to 
  suggest they are all culinary or medicinal in 
  nature.  Of course, the medicines are fake 
  and most are slightly toxic, but they are quite 
  convincing to the layman.  However, nothing 
  here is obviously illegal.  A successful 
  Search Test will turn up a money pouch 
  containing 30GC hidden under the stove 
  and a journal hidden in the bedding.  The 
  room will take ten minutes to search 
  effectively, less one for each degree of 
  success on the test.   
   
  The 
  journal 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  normal 
  handwritten journal or diary, but the contents 
  are far from mundane.  Skimming it briefly 
  shows that it is not Franz’s, but tells of the 
  exploits of a nobleman called Harbrand 
  Kleiss, who seems to have lived just over a 
  century ago.  Reading on, his exploits seem 
  to include nefarious tales of black magic, 
  dark deeds and a forbidden summoning.  
  The 
  journal 
  includes 
  the 
  ritual 
  for 
  summoning a Lesser Daemon, and the true 
  
   
  18 
  name of a particular Daemonette (Anq’rks), 
  but 
  unless 
  they 
  have 
  the 
  Academic 
  Knowledge (Daemonology) skill they will not 
  discover this.  Further study of the journal 
  will take longer than the scope of this 
  adventure.  If the PCs have the skills and 
  inclination, they will find the details of a ritual 
  to summon Anq’rks and bind her into a 
  mortal body while leaving the host intact (if 
  severely disturbed).  Mingled with this 
  knowledge is the story of Harbrand’s twisted 
  courtship of the lady he loved, which after 
  continual 
  rejection 
  culminated 
  in 
  him 
  summoning Anq’rks into the body of his 
  love.  It ends with his stated plan to release 
  the Daemonette from her body, back to the 
  Realm of Chaos.  The lack of further entries 
  suggests this was not entirely successful.  
   
  A large trap door can be seen in the floor 
  near the stove in the back room; this will be 
  closed but easily visible and can be opened 
  with little effort.  A ladder leads down into 
  the cellar. 
   
  The Cellar 
  Franz’s cellar covers the same area as both 
  rooms above.  It is cold and dank, with two 
  unlit lanterns on brackets in the wall.  One of 
  the flag stones that make up the floor 
  conceals a further way downwards.  It lifts 
  up to reveal the opening, but looks exactly 
  like the others when laid flat.  The trapdoor 
  requires a Hard (-20%) Perception Test to 
  spot from the slight scratches where it has 
  been dragged across the other flagstones. 
   
  The Summoning Chamber 
  The opening from the cellar leads down into 
  a much larger chamber that must lie 
  beneath several of the nearby houses and 
  even the street above.  The walls and floor 
  are of hard earth, with wooden columns 
  supporting the ceiling at regular intervals.  
  However, over the centre of the chamber, 
  smooth stone has been carefully laid to 
  provide a solid floor.  Carefully inscribed on 
  the stone is an octogram, adorned with 
  glyphs and sigils.  Even to the uneducated 
  who can only guess at its exact purpose, it is 
  a work of evil. 
   
  Across the chamber from the cellar opening 
  is a doorway which leads into the sewers.  
  Only Franz has a key for this and knows his 
  way around the tunnels beyond.  He uses it 
  as both an escape route and a way to enter 
  his home secretly.  One corner of the 
  chamber is in use as a storage area, and 
  cult vestments hang there, while an ornate 
  table houses several cult artefacts that 
  mean nothing to normal people.  Of more 
  general use is a rack of assorted hand 
  weapons for the cultists to use in defence of 
  Franz’s 
  house 
  and 
  this 
  chamber 
  in 
  particular. 
   
  If Franz is still out searching for Bianka then 
  there will be only a couple of his most 
  trusted men here, Horst and Siegmund, 
  keeping an eye on the chamber.  They are 
  Brute Cultists (see the profile on page 29).  
  They will fight to the death if the PCs find 
  their way in here.  However, if captured alive 
  they might be persuaded to part with useful 
  information (see below). 
   
  Cultist Confessions 
  Interrogating Horst or Siegmund if they 
  survive will net the PCs some useful 
  information about what is going on.  This will 
  require an Intimidation Test and the 
  convincing threat of very real harm or death 
  to convince one of them to betray the cult by 
  talking.  In fact, Horst is the only one who 
  can be broken.  Siegmund devoutly believes 
  that pleasure and pain are the same thing, 
  and will allow himself to be tortured to death 
  before he reveals a thing (if the PCs do 
  torture him to death hand out an Insanity 
  Point for all present).  Horst has the 
  following information: 
   
  “Two nights ago, we helped Franz summon 
  a Daemonette of Slaanesh.  Bianka Meyer 
  was left in the octogram as a sacrifice.  The 
  Daemonette – that’s what Franz called it – 
  appeared for a moment, beckoning to us, 
  and then disappeared!  We thought we had 
  failed him, but Franz didn’t seem displeased.  
  The girl screamed through the whole 
  summoning, but lived!  Franz used his magic 
  to make her forget everything, then took her 
  back to where she’d been taken.  He said 
  she’d find her own way home, but we 
  weren’t sure why he cared.  When she got 
  lost, Franz panicked and said we all needed 
  to find her – he didn’t tell us why.  He and 
  the others have been out searching since.” 
   
  Horst also knows a good deal about the cult 
  in general, but will avoid mentioning any of 
  
   
  19 
  that if the PCs are satisfied with what he has 
  to say about Bianka and the summoning. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  By this time the PCs should realise that 
  something bad is going on.  Even if they’re 
  not quite sure why, they should realise that 
  finding Bianka before Franz is important.  
  The PCs are likely to want to go back to the 
  Royal College of Music, either to try and find 
  Rolf, to report to Antonia or just to see if 
  there’s any news.  
  
   
  20 
  Chasing Rolf 
   
  Bianka stood shuddering, never less certain 
  of herself or her future.  Across the wide 
  thoroughfare stood the Royal College of 
  Music; it was the centre of her world, and yet 
  that world seemed out of reach.  She turned 
  to look at the lithe pink figure leaning 
  perversely unclad against the wall beside 
  her.  An age had seemingly passed since 
  she had accepted that this grotesque thing 
  was an apparition only she could see.  
  Whether it was an unthinkable parasite 
  inside her head or proof of her own insanity 
  she could not guess, nor did she know 
  which to hope for.  She wanted so much to 
  ignore her bright shadow and walk into that 
  building, picking up her life as if nothing had 
  happened, but something was happening to 
  her and she didn’t know what. 
   
  She was shaken from her thoughts by firm 
  hands grabbing at her from behind.  Her 
  shadow threw back her inhuman head with 
  discordant 
  laughter, 
  looking 
  on 
  in 
  amusement.  The two strangers held her 
  tight and she looked to the passers by for 
  anyone that might assist her.  Several 
  people had noticed but they were moving 
  away from the scuffle rather than helping.  
  Then, through the parting crowds, she saw 
  Franz heading towards her.  He had helped 
  her twice before; could he be here to make 
  everything right, so she could get back to 
  her normal life?  He gestured to her captors 
  and they released her immediately, and yet 
  something in his smile reminded her of a 
  dark memory she couldn’t quite place. 
   
  The smile disappeared from his face as 
  another group of rushing feet charged 
  towards them.  She recognised one of the 
  stage hands in the lead, but the rest were 
  strangers, armed and apparently giving 
  chase.  At an order from Franz, men 
  following him ran to meet them, while he 
  turned back to 
  her, 
  comforting 
  arms 
  outstretched. 
   
  This scene occurs if the PCs are at the 
  Royal College of Music when Rolf stabs 
  Tomas and makes his escape.  Unwittingly, 
  he leads the PCs right to Franz just at the 
  point he is about to regain Bianka. 
   
  Before Rolf went to work, he was with Franz 
  when his superior got word that some 
  cultists had sighted Bianka near the Royal 
  College of Music.  Now on the run, he knows 
  most of his associates will be nearby to 
  retrieve her, so he heads straight there. 
   
  Rolf is fleet of foot, so he should be able to 
  keep his distance from the PCs.  He knows 
  he doesn’t have to elude his pursuers for 
  long in order to reach reinforcements.  He 
  hasn’t even considered that he’s leading 
  them to Bianka and might actually be 
  endangering Franz’s plan.  As the PCs turn 
  a corner, they see a worrying scene unfold.  
  Bianka, still wearing the white hospital shift 
  from the Temple of Shallya, is struggling 
  with two men.  A larger group led by a tall 
  man (Franz, of course) is walking swiftly 
  towards them, their leader focusing on 
  Bianka.  Rolf changes direction to head 
  directly towards the larger group.  As he 
  gets closer, they can see the leader turn to 
  Rolf and shout “You fool!  You’ve brought 
  them straight to her!  Stop them now!”  This 
  last command he gives to both Rolf and 
  those men around him.  Rolf turns, now 
  backed up by his friends and rushes to 
  attack the PCs. 
   
  The profiles for Rolf and the cultists are 
  given at the end of the scenario on pages 28 
  and 29.  The number of cultists should 
  depend on the experience and combat 
  ability of your players; one per PC, plus Rolf, 
  should make them challenging to a starting 
  group, for advanced characters you might 
  want to double that (and perhaps add in 
  some brute cultists).  Remember that the 
  cultists are armed only with daggers, and do 
  not have the stomach for a bloody fight. 
   
  Meanwhile, Franz will go to Bianka and 
  reassure her; she does not remember all 
  he’s done to her, and she recognises him as 
  a friend.  Together with the two cultists that 
  found her, they try to make it to a sewer 
  entrance nearby while the others delay the 
  PCs.  If the PCs defeat the first group 
  quickly and give chase, Franz will send the 
  final two to slow them down while he and 
  Bianka escape. 
   
  
   
  21 
  The results of this scene should be open 
  ended.  If the PCs beat Franz and rescue 
  Bianka then they have succeeded in their 
  task!  Go to the Final Performance on page 
  22 where they can receive their glory, 
  payment, experience and an unexpected 
  surprise! 
   
  Finding Franz at Home 
  If the PCs do not catch Franz before he 
  loses them in the sewers, they might 
  assume he is returning to his home and 
  decide to assault it.  In this case, they are 
  correct.  He will get back to the summoning 
  chamber below his house.  Unless the PCs 
  have already dealt with them, Horst and 
  Siegmund will be there in addition to a 
  couple of door guards upstairs.  Whether the 
  PCs have already been there or not, enough 
  additional cultists will flock to his home in 
  order to make a challenging but not 
  overwhelming fight for the PCs.  Due to the 
  additional cultists that now continually arrive 
  and then leave on errands, Franz will leave 
  both the trapdoor to the cellar and the entry 
  to 
  the 
  summoning 
  chamber 
  open.  
  Depending on the time they arrive, the PCs 
  may also have to distract the watchmen in 
  the market outside before they can attack. 
   
  If the fight goes badly for him, Franz will try 
  to escape through the sewers again.  
  However, this time he will leave Bianka 
  behind, apparently giving up on his plans. 
   
  If the PCs have not attacked his house by 5 
  pm on Day 2 then they are too late.  Franz 
  will have left again to deliver Bianka to the 
  Royal College of Music for the Final 
  Performance (see page 22).  If they attack 
  after that time, all they find is the hospital 
  shift that Bianka was wearing when they last 
  saw her, left in a corner of the summoning 
  chamber; luckily there will be no guards 
  either.  The PCs may assume they have 
  failed, but when they return to the opera 
  they will discover that Bianka is already 
  there. 
   
  Ways Forward from Here 
  If the PCs don’t get to Final Performance 
  by rescuing Bianka in the park or from 
  Franz’s house, go to Final Performance on 
  the next page as it gets closer to 7pm. 
   
  
   
  22 
  Final Performance 
   
  As time gets close to 7pm on Day 2, you 
  should encourage the PCs to return to the 
  Royal College of Music if they have not 
  already gone there.  If they have rescued 
  Bianka from the street nearby or the 
  summoning chamber they should be rushing 
  to get her back to the Royal College of 
  Music in time for the final performance.  
  They might seem hesitant to suggest she 
  perform after all she’s been through, but she 
  wants to more than anything, and she 
  doesn’t seem to remember much of what 
  has happened to her over the past two days. 
   
  If the PCs have not rescued Bianka then 
  they should return anyway.  Antonia had 
  asked them to report back to her at that 
  time, after all.  In this case they will be 
  surprised to find that Bianka came back by 
  herself and is dressed, made up and ready 
  to perform.  She doesn’t have a clear picture 
  of the last two days – she remembers being 
  in hospital and thinks she must have been 
  ill.  To her, and everyone else around, the 
  most important thing now is the success of 
  the final performance. 
   
  It would seem that however the PCs 
  performed, the story has a happy ending!  
  Antonia will double what she agreed to pay 
  the PCs if they returned Bianka, overjoyed 
  to have Bianka back and ready to perform 
  when she was needed.  Even if she came 
  back by herself, Antonia will pay them the 
  50GC bonus.   The staff of the Royal 
  College will treat them like part of the cast, 
  especially if they saved the show.  Antonia 
  will insist that they stay and watch Bianka 
  perform, and will once again give them front 
  row tickets to see the opera. 
   
  You should also give out experience points 
  at this stage; nothing lets the players know 
  the scenario is over like handing out the xp.  
  The following are the suggested awards to 
  be given: 
   
  50xp 
   
  Rescuing Bianka 
  20xp 
   
  Bringing Franz to justice* 
  10-30xp 
  Roleplaying in character 
  10xp 
  For each of the following 
  people 
  the 
  PCs 
  get 
  information from: Tomas, 
  The 
  Meyers, 
  Bianka’s 
  Roommates, Park Keepers, 
  Sister Leonora (up to 50xp 
  total) 
   
  * Yes, that includes killing him. 
   
  You should also allow characters to spend 
  xp if they wish to before continuing; they will 
  be glad they did given what transpires next.  
  The opera begins, and by now the PCs are 
  probably more familiar with the opera than 
  they’d ever hoped to be.  In the first scene, 
  Signor Fibonacci (played by the handsome 
  Erwin Fehr) sings to the audience of how his 
  life is devoted to learning and he has no 
  time for love or romance.  His performance 
  is good, but only a warm up for what 
  everyone seems to have been waiting for.  
  As the second scene begins, Bianka takes 
  to the stage for the first time in the lead role 
  as Arabella, Fibonacci’s love-to-be.  She 
  looks radiant in her costume, and opens her 
  mouth about to sing when suddenly an 
  unfamiliar and out of place woman walks 
  slowly and seductively onto the stage.  
  Absent-mindedly she strokes her hand 
  through her tatty long blond hair, which 
  contrasts with the beautiful gown of a myriad 
  pastel shades she wears.  Bianka stops, her 
  mouth still open, unable or unwilling to 
  continue or react.  This definitely didn’t 
  happen in the last performance the PCs 
  saw!  The audience is equally confused, with 
  the 
  low 
  murmur 
  of 
  confused 
  voices 
  beginning to spread.  Before the stunned 
  silence is too disturbed, the woman speaks: 
   
  “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I’d just 
  like to interrupt the lovely Frauline Meyer’s 
  performance if I may, to deliver you a 
  message.”  She pauses for a moment.  “My 
  name is Marie-Ulrike von Wuppertal, and I’m 
  here to tell you that you’re all wasting your 
  lives on this,” she gestures back at the 
  stage, “inconsequential drivel.”  She adopts 
  a high pitched, squealing voice, a caricature 
  of an opera goer. “Oooh, will the lovely 
  Arabella warm the frosty heart of Signor 
  Fibonacci?” She resumes her own voice to 
  continue, “Who cares?  It’s not real!” She 
  gestures to the audience. “You, you are all 
  real, you can experience real things.  I have 
  experienced the truth of living, of unending 
  ecstasy and now I am bringing it to you!”  
  
   
  23 
  She points out towards the whole audience. 
  “But before I do that, ladies and gentleman, 
  I’d like to introduce you all to my mother, 
  Petra von Wuppertal.” she points up to a 
  shocked looking woman in a box seat. “Hello 
  mother, surprised to see me?  Surprised the 
  poor daughter that was cast out on the 
  streets is here at the opera, with your prim 
  and proper friends?  You may be thinking 
  that you’ll never live this down mother, and 
  you’re half right; you’ll just never live.  The 
  entertainments I have planned for you 
  tonight, courtesy of Frauline Meyer, are 
  something of a ‘crash course’ in pleasure 
  and pain, one I doubt any of you will 
  survive.” 
   
  With that, she barks a command to Bianka, 
  whose expression of stunned shock turns to 
  evil glee as the Daemonette within her all 
  this time is awakened and leaps physically 
  out of Bianka’s form.  Bianka collapses to 
  the stage and the Daemonette turns back to 
  her for a moment, as if deciding whether to 
  kill her first or last.  It evidently decides the 
  latter as it leaps into the audience, striking 
  out with its pincers left and right.  As the 
  Daemonette leaps from the stage and 
  attacks the audience (who had tickets for the 
  first row again?), the strange woman calling 
  herself Marie will leave the stage and head 
  up towards the box her mother is in, intent 
  on committing matricide. 
   
  Thanks to their good seats, the PCs will not 
  be far from the Daemonette, who crashes 
  down into the third and fourth rows as 
  people scatter in all directions.  Once Marie 
  disappears from the stage there are no 
  cultists within sight; in fact they are mostly 
  gathered outside the Royal College of 
  Music, blocking the exit doors so that no one 
  can escape.  Unless the PCs wish to chase 
  after the apparent ringleader, they can 
  concentrate on the Daemonette.  There are 
  many audience members in their vicinity, 
  and if the PCs need time to prepare they will 
  not be immediately attacked.  However, any 
  preparation costs the lives of Middenheim’s 
  most noble.  The cultists’ plan is for the 
  Daemonette to kill everyone in the building 
  before they can break out of the barred 
  doors.  If the PCs can kill the Daemonette, 
  the opera’s patrons will be safe inside the 
  building until the watch is called to chase off 
  the cultists barricading the doors from 
  outside.  Once the Daemonette is dead or 
  banished, the only person in danger is 
  Marie’s unfortunate mother, Petra, who was 
  pointed out during the on-stage rant. 
   
  If any of the PCs chased Marie up to the box 
  seats, they will arrive there before she can 
  attack her mother.  If they wait too long, or 
  focus completely on the Daemonette, they 
  will not be able to intercede.  On a 
  successful Perception Test they will be 
  aware of events in the box as Marie 
  struggles with her mother, a dagger held 
  between them.  Finally her mother will lose 
  her footing and plummet screaming into the 
  seating below.  Marie stares down after her 
  for a few seconds, relishing the moment 
  (and presenting a good target for missile 
  fire) before she disappears from the box and 
  escapes the building. 
   
  The Aftermath 
  Once 
  the 
  Daemonette 
  is 
  dead, 
  the 
  authorities will quickly chase off the cultists 
  blocking the exits and take over the 
  situation.  As well as the watch, a group of 
  Knights Panther and several Witch Hunters 
  will appear to investigate the scene of the 
  battle.  The PCs may have been able to 
  defeat the Daemonette without drawing too 
  much attention to themselves, in which case 
  they will receive a cursory meeting with one 
  of the Witch Hunters.  Otherwise, two of the 
  Witch Hunters will want a detailed account 
  from them of what happened and their 
  involvement.  Even so, the PCs are not 
  under any suspicion and unless they did 
  anything dubious during the fight, so 
  assuming they co-operate they will be 
  congratulated on their efforts and allowed to 
  go.  Other people involved who know of the 
  PCs may wish to show their gratitude 
  depending on the relationships built during 
  the 
  scenario, 
  at 
  your 
  discretion; 
  this 
  depends on what you have planned for the 
  PCs next. 
   
  Taking part in the Daemonette’s death or 
  banishment is worth an additional 50xp. 
   
  So Who Was This Marie Then? 
  The PCs will probably not find out anything 
  about Marie or why she was doing this until 
  after the action is over.  If they are 
  interested, the Witch Hunters who debrief 
  the survivors know her as a decadent 
  
   
  24 
  noblewoman who fled into the slums when 
  her fellow cultists were put to the sword and 
  flame.  It would seem she harboured some 
  resentment to the noble classes and her 
  parents in particular.  After getting a full 
  picture from various audience members, 
  they believe Marie’s insane plan involved 
  her ‘coming out’ to her mother and the 
  nobility in general as a follower of wicked 
  Slaanesh and then the Daemonette killing 
  everyone present to preserve her ‘secret’.  
  More details on Marie and her background 
  can be found on page 27. 
  
   
  25 
  Dramatis Personae 
   
  Central Characters 
  Antonia Rivera-Salazar Flores – Opera 
  singer and patron to the PCs. 
  Bianka Meyer – Promising understudy, 
  whereabouts unknown. 
  Marie-Ulrike von Wuppertal – Orchestrator 
  of the whole nefarious plot. 
  Franz Hummel – Hypnotist and Slaaneshi 
  cultist. 
  Tomas Breuer – a senior stagehand and fan 
  of Bianka. 
  Rolf Wechsler – the cultists’ ‘inside man’ at 
  the opera. 
   
  Supporting Cast 
  Elsa Meyer – Bianka’s mother. 
  Kirsten Meyer – Bianka’s younger sister. 
  Eric Meyer – Bianka’s father. 
  Axel Meyer – Bianka’s older brother. 
  Gretchen, Hanna and Ekaterina – Bianka’s 
  roommates. 
  Sister Leonora – the Initiate of Shallya who 
  tended Bianka. 
  Hannes and Karl – doormen at the Red 
  Moon. 
  Horst and Siegmund – Franz’s would-be 
  apprentices. 
  Mathias Boehm – Director of The Marriage 
  of Fibonacci. 
  Petra von Wuppertal – Marie’s unfortunate 
  mother. 
   
   
  Extras 
  Cultist of the Coiled Serpent – the rank and 
  file opposition. 
  Brute Cultist of the Coiled Serpent – those 
  cultists more experienced with violence. 
   
  N.B.: All profiles include any bonuses 
  gained from Talents. 
   
  Antonia Rivera-Salazar Flores 
  Careers: Entertainer (Opera Singer) 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 33 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  31% 
  28% 
  26% 
  30% 
  44% 
  32% 
  43% 
  53% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  12 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge 
  (Estalia, 
  the 
  Empire), 
  Gossip 
  +10%, 
  Perception, 
  Performer 
  (Actor, 
  Singer), 
  Speak 
  Language 
  (Estalian, 
  Reikspiel, 
  Tilean), Swim. 
  Talents: 
  Coolheaded, 
  Mimic, 
  Public 
  Speaking, Suave 
  Trappings: Good Quality Clothes, Makeup 
  Kit (Trade Tools) 
  Description: An animated young woman of 
  medium height and build, her pretty fair 
  skinned face is framed by bright red ringlets 
  and punctuated by deep blue eyes. 
  Background: Antonia was the daughter of 
  an actor and a street singer; looking back it 
  may seem she was destined for the opera, 
  but the path was long and far from certain.  
  Her father died in an argument turned knife 
  fight with a fellow actor when she was 
  twelve and her mother drank herself to an 
  early grave a few years later.  She took to 
  the stage in Magritta as early as she could, 
  competing with the other actresses for the 
  noble patronage vital to a successful career.  
  It was a difficult and uncertain life, even for 
  those who attracted the attention of a 
  patron, for these nobles were typically more 
  interested in an actress’ looks than her 
  ability.  Antonia was fortunate that she came 
  to the attention of a prima donna of the city’s 
  opera first, and her singing and acting talent 
  was nurtured, not abused.  Now a leading 
  lady herself, she works hard to enhance the 
  careers of other talented young actresses 
  she meets and protect them from the 
  predation of the nobility. 
   
   
  
   
  26 
  Bianka Meyer 
  Careers: Entertainer 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 22 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  30% 
  35% 
  26% 
  34% 
  42% 
  34% 
  38% 
  48% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  12 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge 
  (the 
  Empire 
  +10%), 
  Gossip 
  +10%, 
  Perception, Performer (Dancer, Singer), 
  Speak Language (Reikspiel +10%), Swim. 
  Talents: Luck, Mimic, Public Speaking, 
  Strong Minded. 
  Weapons: None. 
  Trappings: Clothing (varies throughout 
  scenario as described in main text). 
  Appearance: Bianka is of medium height 
  and build, dark brown hair down past her 
  shoulders and large brown eyes.  She is 
  pale with lots of freckles across her face.  
  She is pretty and has a bright personality. 
  Background: Bianka Meyer loved to sing 
  ever since she was able.  In her teens, she 
  toured taverns and ale houses singing to 
  customers, accompanied by her older 
  brother Axel for protection.  They made 
  money from tips as well as payments from 
  behind the bar when the profits increased 
  due to her presence.  After two years of 
  earning a passable living that way, Axel was 
  stabbed while protecting her from a couple 
  of drunken would-be suitors.  On his 
  recovery, he sought a safer occupation as a 
  labourer, and her parents forbade her to 
  continue singing for money, blaming her for 
  her brother’s injury.  She found work as a 
  waitress instead, and moved from one 
  establishment to the next until she got a job 
  waiting tables at the Red Moon.  Making 
  friends with some of the chorus line dancers 
  there, she was able to stand in when one of 
  them was ill, and eventually got a permanent 
  position in the chorus there.  Her talent for 
  singing became apparent to her employers 
  and a year later they gave her an 
  opportunity to sing solo.  It wasn’t until her 
  first 
  live 
  performance 
  on 
  stage 
  she 
  discovered she suffered from stage fright. It 
  must have been the stage environment, and 
  all the patrons looking up at her that caused 
  it, and she failed embarrassingly for the first 
  time.  Relegated again to the chorus, she 
  tried anything and everything she could to 
  cure herself of the fear and earn another 
  chance to sing.  After all her initial efforts 
  and ideas failed, it was almost inevitable that 
  she would come across Franz Hummel and 
  his hypnotism. 
   
   
  Tomas Breuer 
  Careers: Tradesman 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 23 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  29% 
  34% 
  32% 
  31% 
  42% 
  46% 
  32% 
  30% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  11 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), 
  Drive, Evaluate, Gossip +10%, Haggle, 
  Perception, Read/Write, Secret Language 
  (Guild 
  Tongue), 
  Speak 
  Language 
  (Reikspiel), Trade (Artist, Carpenter). 
  Talents: Acute 
  Hearing, Ambidextrous, 
  Savvy. 
  Weapons: None. 
  Trappings: Clothes (Rough work clothes). 
  Appearance: Tomas is a slight young man 
  with thoughtful eyes and a calm demeanour.  
  He has short dark hair and dark eyes. 
  Background: See page 5 for details of 
  Tomas’ background. 
  
   
  27 
  Marie-Ulrike von Wuppertal 
  Careers: Cult Acolyte of Slaanesh (ex-
  Noble) 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 28 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  37% 
  35% 
  26% 
  34% 
  47% 
  52% 
  33% 
  65% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  14 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: 
  Academic 
  Knowledge 
  (Daemonology), Channelling, Charm +10%, 
  Command, 
  Common 
  Knowledge 
  (the 
  Empire +10%), Consume Alcohol, Dark 
  Magic, Disguise, Gamble, Gossip +20%, 
  Magical 
  Sense, 
  Performer 
  (Dancer), 
  Read/Write, Ride, Speak Arcane Language 
  (Daemonic), Speak Language (Reikspiel 
  +10%). 
  Talents: Dealmaker, Etiquette +10%, Keen 
  Senses, Luck, Public Speaking, Savvy, 
  Schemer, Streetwise, Suave. 
  Disorder: Delirious Saviour 
  Weapons: Dagger. 
  Trappings: Clothes (a multicoloured pastel 
  shade dress covered by a dark heavy 
  cloak), Serpent’s Coil Pendant, Purse 
  containing 5GC 14/9. 
  Appearance: Marie is a lithe and sensuous 
  woman, the arrogance of her noble birth 
  written all over her face.  Her once luxurious 
  blond hair is roughly cut and abused by her 
  life in the Altquartier, her once beautiful blue 
  eyes a little bloodshot and tired.  She has an 
  incomprehensible mixture of high and low 
  born traits. 
  Background: Marie was a devotee of 
  Slaanesh and one of the few survivors of the 
  Cult of the Jade Sceptre.  Marie may not 
  have been learned in the ways of lore and 
  magic, but she could see that the Cult’s 
  attempt to open the city gates to the 
  assaulting forces during the Storm of Chaos 
  was doomed to failure and would lead to the 
  destruction of those involved.  All that 
  mattered to her was being able to continue 
  her licentious behaviour.  So, while the 
  others summoned Daemonettes to attack 
  the South Gate, Marie stole off into the 
  Altquartier, leaving her companions and 
  identity behind her. 
   
  When the witch hunters were finished with 
  the Jade Sceptre, nothing remained but 
  burning corpses.  Marie’s judgement had 
  saved her life for a more pleasurable end, 
  but she had new problems she had never 
  faced before.  She had little money, and 
  using her noble identity would be a death 
  sentence, 
  as 
  the 
  witch 
  hunters 
  had 
  extracted information from her compatriots 
  before their deaths.  To survive she must 
  remain in the Altquartier, pass herself off as 
  a local and find a source of money. 
   
  Frequenting the inns and taverns of the 
  Altquartier, she fell naturally into a career as 
  a lady of the night.  Her ‘fake posh accent’ 
  made her popular with the locals, and she 
  used the opportunity to slake her Slaaneshi 
  desires.  She built up quite a following 
  amongst her customers and fellow working 
  girls looking to learn her secrets.  From 
  these beginnings she began a new cult, the 
  Coiled Serpent, emphasising secrecy above 
  all else in their devotion to Slaanesh. 
   
  However, even as her fledgling cult was 
  taking shape, she couldn’t forget how her 
  family were still living in luxury as if nothing 
  had happened.  She found herself watching 
  her old home from across the street, deeply 
  disguised, and it seemed as if her family 
  hadn’t even noticed her disappearance.  
  Certainly they must have known she was a 
  fugitive and suspected cultist, and yet she 
  saw neither sadness nor anger in their 
  expressions.  It occurred to her then that 
  they had been ignoring her for years, her 
  despicable behaviour only making it easier 
  for them to pretend she was not part of their 
  family.  One evening, as she followed her 
  mother and a gaggle of friends making their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  opera, 
  laughing 
  about 
  inconsequential gossip, she swore that she 
  would make it impossible for them to ignore 
  her any longer. 
   
  Despite her anger, more immediate tasks 
  and events distracted her from revenge for 
  quite some time.  She met Franz, and he 
  quickly became one of her closest disciples.  
  It was only when he made a comment to her 
  about treating an opera singer for stage 
  fright that she remembered that night and a 
  plan started to form in her mind. 
   
   
  
   
  28 
  Franz Hummel 
  Careers: Cult Acolyte of Slaanesh (ex-
  Hedge Wizard, Charlatan) 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 37 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  42% 
  41% 
  33% 
  41% 
  45% 
  54% 
  38% 
  63% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  14 
  3 
  4 
  4 
  1 
  4 
  0 
  Skills: 
  Academic 
  Knowledge 
  (Daemonology), 
  Blather, 
  Channelling, 
  Charm +20%, Common Knowledge (Tilea, 
  the Empire), Consume Alcohol, Disguise 
  +10%, Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip +20%, 
  Haggle, 
  Hypnotism, 
  Magical 
  Sense, 
  Perception 
  +10%, 
  Read/Write, 
  Search, 
  Secret Language (Thieves’ Tongue), Sleight 
  of 
  Hand, 
  Speak 
  Arcane 
  Language 
  (Daemonic), Speak Language (Reikspiel, 
  Tilean), Trade (Apothecary). 
  Talents: Dark Magic, Dealmaker, Etiquette, 
  Flee!, Hedge Magic, Keen Senses, Petty 
  Magic (Hedge), Mimic, Public Speaking, 
  Savvy, Schemer, Seasoned Traveller, Sixth 
  Sense, Streetwise, Suave. 
  Weapons: Dagger. 
  Trappings: 
  Clothes, 
  Serpent’s 
  Coil 
  Pendant, Small Bottle of ‘Elixir’, Pouch of 34 
  GC 17/6. 
  Appearance: Franz is tall with a knowing 
  smile and handsome features.  His dark 
  brown eyes can be very distracting when in 
  conversation. 
  Background: Franz grew up in the small 
  village of Holzbeck, and was able to trade 
  his unusual abilities with his fellows for gifts 
  and favours which meant he could avoid the 
  normal duties of a young farm hand.  
  However, when he heard that witch hunters 
  had arrived in a nearby village, he knew it 
  would only be a matter of time before they 
  heard about him, and he quickly left for the 
  city of Middenheim, where he could easily 
  blend in and go unnoticed while attending to 
  his vocation of avoiding real work. 
   
  He set up a practice in ‘alternative 
  medicine’, with a fake doctorate from the 
  University of Nuln.  He sold potions and 
  performed hypnotism, the latter becoming 
  his most successful service as people 
  frequently saw legitimate improvements.  He 
  was not above taking advantage of attractive 
  female patients, and this was how he met 
  Marie.  He drugged her, and when she woke 
  up sooner than he expected, far from being 
  outraged she was amused by his ruse.  He 
  was inducted into the Coiled Serpent and 
  quickly rose to a senior position.  As well as 
  his ingenuity and imagination, Franz was an 
  appealing lieutenant because of his innate 
  magical ability.  Marie made available to him 
  a text she had taken from the Jade Sceptre 
  on her departure, and with it he was able to 
  uncover some of the secrets of dark magic. 
   
  Since Marie found out about Bianka Meyer 
  being his patient, Franz has been a crucial 
  part of her plan for revenge and has become 
  her out and out favourite of the cult’s 
  members. 
   
   
  Rolf Wechsler 
  Careers: Thug 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: 34 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  42% 
  27% 
  36% 
  42% 
  34% 
  28% 
  28% 
  32% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  2 
  15 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  0 
  2 
  0 
  Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), 
  Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow, Gamble, 
  Gossip, 
  Intimidate, 
  Secret 
  Language 
  (Thieves’ 
  Tongue), 
  Speak 
  Language 
  (Reikspiel). 
  Talents: Disarm, Fleet Footed, Hardy, 
  Lightening Reflexes, Resistance to Poison, 
  Strike to Stun, Wrestling. 
  Weapons: Dagger. 
  Trappings: Clothes (Rough work clothes), 
  Serpent’s Coil Pendant. 
  Appearance: Rolf is a large man who looks 
  at home with the heavy lifting of a stage 
  hand.  He has short brown hair and light 
  brown eyes.  Slaanesh’s mark tattooed on 
  his chest marks him as a cultist to any that 
  get to see it.  
  Background: A recent convert to the Coiled 
  Serpent, Rolf was selected to be the inside 
  man at the Royal College of Music.  He has 
  been trusted with much responsibility very 
  quickly because of this. 
   
   
   
  
   
  29 
  Anq’rks 
  Careers: N/A 
  Race: Daemonette 
  Age: N/A 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  47% 
  0% 
  42% 
  38% 
  58% 
  29% 
  38% 
  56% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  2 
  12 
  4 
  3(5) 
  5 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Charm +20%, Dodge Blow, Gossip 
  +20%, Night Vision, Perception, Performer 
  (Dancer), 
  Speak 
  Arcane 
  Language 
  (Daemonic), 
  Speak 
  Language 
  (Dark 
  Tongue, Kislevian, Reikspiel), Torture. 
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Daemonic Aura, 
  Frightening, Natural Weapons, Will of Iron. 
  Weapons: Pincer Hand 
  Armour: None 
  Special Rules: Aura of Slaanesh (Living 
  opponents within 4 yards take a -10% 
  penalty to WS and WP), Instability (in a 
  round where it is injured but inflicts no 
  Wounds in return, it must make a WP test or 
  be banished back to the Realm of Chaos). 
   
   
  Cultist of the Coiled Serpent 
  Careers: Various 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: Varies (18-45) 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  33% 
  31% 
  30% 
  30% 
  32% 
  29% 
  26% 
  34% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  1 
  11 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (the 
  Empire), Consume Alcohol, Gossip, Speak 
  Language (Reikspiel). 
  Talents: Streetwise. 
  Weapons: 
  Dagger, 
  assorted 
  Hand 
  Weapons (within Franz’s house and during 
  the Final Performance only). 
  Trappings: Clothes (at least one brightly 
  coloured item), Serpent’s Coil Pendant. 
  Appearance: Although their appearances 
  vary, they represent the lower end of 
  Middenheim’s society.  Yet, if seen as a 
  group, there is something about their 
  manner and clothing which seems a little out 
  of place and larger than life.  All have a 
  hidden tattoo of Slaanesh’s mark, forever 
  binding them to his/her service. 
  Background: The cultists of the Coiled 
  Serpent are typically from the Altquartier. 
  Note: The skills and talents above are those 
  that are common amongst the cultists.  
  Individuals will have other skills relating to 
  their careers that are unlikely to play a part 
  in this scenario. 
   
   
  Brute Cultist of the Coiled Serpent 
  Careers: Thug (or similar) 
  Race: Human (Empire)  Age: Varies (18-45) 
  Main Profile 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag 
  Int 
  WP 
  Fel 
  43% 
  31% 
  35% 
  35% 
  35% 
  29% 
  31% 
  39% 
  Secondary Profile 
  A 
  W 
  SB 
  TB 
  M 
  Mag 
  IP 
  FP 
  2 
  13 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), 
  Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow, Gamble, 
  Gossip, 
  Intimidate, 
  Secret 
  Language 
  (Thieves’ 
  Tongue), 
  Speak 
  Language 
  (Reikspiel). 
  Talents: Disarm, Lightning Reflexes, Quick 
  Draw, Strike to Stun, Wrestling. 
  Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Knuckle-dusters. 
  Trappings: Clothes (at least one brightly 
  coloured item), Serpent’s Coil Pendant. 
  Appearance: Similar to other cultists, but 
  tougher looking. 
  Background: 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  tougher 
  members of the cult; thugs and other violent 
  types.  
  Note: To individualise the few ‘brute’ cultists 
  that Franz has at his disposal, pick one of 
  the following specialities for each one: 
  • Ex-Pit Fighter: +5% WS, Flail.  
  • Diestro: Skill – +10% Ag, Rapier. 
  • Coachman: +10% BS, Blunderbuss with 
  powder/ammunition for 10 shots. 
  • Knife Thrower: +10% BS, 3 Throwing 
  Knives. 
  • Mercenary: +5% BS, Crossbow with 10 
  Bolts, Rapid Reload Talent. 
  • Animal Trainer: +5% BS, Whip. 
  Each of the above specialists also has the 
  Specialist Weapon Group skill appropriate to 
  their weapon. 
  
   
  30 
  Timeline 
   
  During their investigations the PCs will inevitably ask for details of when specific events occurred.  
  The Long Term Timeline lists when the most important events relating to this scenario occurred, 
  up to two years before it begins.  The main timeline lists the events that take place during and 
  immediately before the scenario in more detail.  If the PCs ask about events not mentioned here, 
  it should be easy to decide when they occurred by placing them at the appropriate point between 
  the listed events.  These can be added to the timeline so that you can easily remember what 
  you’ve told the PCs already. 
   
  Long Term Timeline 
  2 years ago 
  Bianka started working at the Red Moon. 
  1 year ago 
  Bianka’s solo performance ruined by stage fright. 
  1 year ago 
  Bianka starts visiting Franz to cure stage fright. 
  11 months ago Kirsten briefly meets Franz while shopping in the Neumarkt. 
  6 weeks ago 
  Antonia came to Middenheim; the cast was assembled. 
  6 weeks ago 
  Bianka goes back to Franz to work on stage fright again. 
  2 weeks ago 
  Bianka stopped working at the Red Moon (temporarily). 
  2 weeks ago 
  First performance of the Marriage of Fibonacci took place. 
  1 week ago 
  Bianka’s roommates see the performance. 
  1 week ago 
  Rolf converted to the Coiled Serpent cult. 
  4 days ago 
  Bianka last visited her family 
   
  Main Timeline 
  Day/Time 
  Royal College of Music 
  Franz’s House 
  Other Locations 
  Midnight 
   
   
   
  1 am 
   
   
   
  2 am 
   
   
   
  3 am 
   
   
   
  4 am 
   
   
   
  5 am 
   
   
   
  6 am 
   
   
   
  7 am 
   
   
   
  8 am 
   
   
   
  9 am 
   
   
   
  10 am 
   
   
   
  11 am 
   
   
   
  Midday 
   
   
   
  1 pm 
   
   
  2 pm 
   
   
  3 pm 
  Matinee Performance 
   
   
  4 pm 
  Bianka kidnapped! 
   
   
  5 pm 
   
   
  6 pm 
   
   
  7 pm 
   
  8 pm 
   
  9 pm 
  Evening Performance – 
  Antonia notices Bianka 
  is missing 
   
  10 pm 
   
  Day 0 
  11 pm 
   
  Midnight 
  Stage hands visit 
  Bianka’s family – they 
  return empty handed 
   
  1 am 
  The watch is summoned 
   
  2 am 
   
  The Daemonette 
  summoning ritual takes 
  place 
   
  3 am 
   
   
  Day 1 
  4 am 
   
  Bianka released to 
  wander the streets 
   
  
   
  31 
  5 am 
   
   
  Bianka runs to Great Park 
  6 am 
   
   
  Rescued from Black Pool 
  7 am 
   
   
  8 am 
   
   
  9 am 
   
   
  10 am 
   
   
  11 am 
   
   
  Midday 
   
   
  Bianka is taken to the 
  Temple of Shallya, where 
  she sleeps 
  1 pm 
   
  2 pm 
   
  Bianka wakes, talks to 
  Sister Leonora 
  3 pm 
  Matinee Performance, 
  PCs attend 
   
  4 pm 
  Antonia briefs the PCs 
   
  Leonora called away, 
  Bianka runs again 
  5 pm 
   
   
   
  6 pm 
   
   
   
  7 pm 
   
   
  8 pm 
   
   
  9 pm 
  Evening Performance 
   
  10 pm 
   
   
   
  11 pm 
   
   
  Midnight 
   
   
  1 am 
   
   
  The Red Moon is open 
  2 am 
   
   
   
  3 am 
   
   
  Cultists visit the Meyers 
  4 am 
   
   
   
  5 am 
   
   
   
  6 am 
   
   
   
  7 am 
   
   
   
  8 am 
   
   
   
  9 am 
   
   
   
  10 am 
   
   
   
  11 am 
   
   
   
  Midday 
  Rolf  stabs Tomas 
  Franz finds Bianka 
   
  1 pm 
   
  2 pm 
   
  3 pm 
  Matinee Performance 
   
  4 pm 
  If he captures her, 
  Franz takes Bianka 
  back to the summoning 
  chamber 
   
  5 pm 
  Antonia grows too sick to 
  perform 
   
  6 pm 
  Bianka returns 
  Franz takes Bianka to 
  the Royal College 
   
  7 pm 
   
   
  8 pm 
   
   
  9 pm 
  Final Performance 
   
   
  10 pm 
   
   
   
  Day 2 
  11 pm 
   
   
   
  
   
  32 
  Handout – Antonia’s Letter 
   
   
   
  Dear Friends, 
   I am in need of assistance from those who know this city  
  better than I and can undertake an important errand on my  
   behalf.  I am performing at the Royal College of Music at 
  1pm today.  I hope you can attend and send front row tickets  
   accompanying this letter, in hope that you will accept my  
   offer.  After the performance, please come backstage to my 
  dressing room for further details of the errand I require, and of  
   your reward.  This letter will provide you access. 
   
  Yours faithfully, 
   Antonia Rivera-Salazar Flores 
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/Fantasy Roleplay/4e (C7)/Cato Contribution/Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay/2nd Edition/Homebrew & Fan Material/Other/Adventures/Stage Fright.pdf