As in the earlier books, the following general rumours may be used to add to the local rumours presented in individual locations. They generally refer to what the PCs might already be familiar with, and should be used to pad out encounters where necessary. Raids by goblinoids in the mountains have become larger and more regular in recent times. The authorities never learn. They need to hit these raiders hard or the goblinoids will get cocky.
Increased orc and goblin incursions have been occurring to the east. These are more than raids, since they are now standing to fight against local militia sent against them and holding land.
Our dwarf allies recently routed a raiding party near the village of Wilhelm V. By all accounts, it was an organised goblinoid warband that had easily swept away the local militia.
The Chancellor is continuing with his proposals to the Prime Estates of aurum tironicum whereby non-electoral states pay the emperor a direct taxation stipend in lieu of other services. The proposals are obviously unpopular with those who regard these states as their vassals, but also with some of the League’s own notables who are increasingly decrying taxation without representation.
The Tsar of Kislev is unwell. He has the consumption.
Kislev’s determination to hold back the monsters to the north is being hampered by penny-pinching bureaucrats.
Zeljko Wroclaw, a travelling magistrate, ordered the burghers of Bolgasgrad to burn their worldly goods as a fine for lack of devotion to Ulric and for their failure to maintain their defences on the Lynsk, now faced by invasion from creatures moving southwards from the Wastes.
The Empire is preparing to launch an invasion into Kislev. Our border forces won a great victory at the border town of Grenzburg. Keep an eye open for foreign spies. The King of Erengrad has appointed the powerful families of Kuragin and Yevshenko as ‘protectors of the people’ as he attempts to retain control of his city from the rabble. Kuragin mansion, a heavily fortified manse on a hill overlooking the city of Erengrad, is under siege by the King’s militia after Petr Kuragin failed to overthrow the King in a palace coup.
Kuragin Mansion has been burnt to the ground by a rampaging mob. All law and order within Erengrad has broken down.
Erengrad has appointed Ekaterina Bushinov as commander of their armed forces and given her the task of permanently cleansing the region of outlaws and pirates. She began by defeating the self-styled Count Vladimir Rosporov and his mob of looters.
The White Barrow district of Erengrad is alone in retaining loyalty to the king and is being assaulted house by house and room by room to clear it of its loyalist population. The central public square in Erengrad has been named Katerina Square to commemorate the return of law and order.
Jurgen Muntz has a bounty upon his head. He used to be a senior commander in Ostland but deserted, and is now a brigand.
Jurgen Muntz refused to invade Kislev as part of the Count’s plan and fled before he could be silenced.
The Kislevites have perfected a light steam tank that has overcome reliability problems. It is made of wood and then covered with a bronze foil to make it look like a metal tank. Emperor Karl Franz’s reign has been good for us all. He has maintained peace,
prosperity and religious diversity.
Emperor Karl Franz is unwell. His son is being groomed to replace him shortly. Talabheim soldiers rampaged through the Ostland village of Wolfsburg, apparently searching for smugglers and “other undesirables”.
Count von Wallenstein is a member of an ultra-extremist group of Ostlanders who believe that Ostermark is traditional Thurini tribal territory. He means to ‘reclaim’ Ostland territory by whatever means prove necessary.
Rather than bickering amongst ourselves we should be uniting against increased goblinoid raids. Mark my words, another warlord is flexing his muscles.
Let the goblinoids have the eastern lands. I would much rather have lands to the north – they are more fertile and have greater natural resources. Let the dwarfs deal with the goblins in the mountains; about time they pulled their weight in this so-called alliance we have with them.
A shooting star flew overhead. It is a sign of luck.
The Imperial arena in Altdorf has been closed due to safety reasons. Apparently new barriers are to be erected to stop hotheads jumping over the walls and joining in. Someone has stolen Altdorf’s walls. They way I heard it, is that builders have been taking stone from the walls for a few years. No one noticed, or they were paid not to notice until one wall actually fell down.
Altdorf’s Jaegerspark has been converted into a military parade ground, supposedly so that the Vollenstrasse can be used to bring troops into the city to maintain public order. Ostfuhr College in the Hauptmarktplatz (Altdorf) has been granted an Imperial warrant to continue its work without taxation.
The Old Toll Road leading to the eastern, Wilhelm’s, gate into Altdorf has been bought by the Emperor and given to his subjects as a free route for entry.
The Tombs of Baldrac in Mórrspark in Middenheim has been broken into. It has all been hushed up, since there were no undead as the priests had warned, but simply the loot that the priests had amassed from the buried over the centuries.
A number of peculiar catacombs have recently been discovered in Wilhelmsburg, during excavations for a new theatre. Since all tunnels under towns are built by dwarfs, the local dwarf community has been required to explain what it has been secretly up to. A tribe of wood elves in the Laurelorn Forest, known as the Laurelornalim, have apparently seceded from The Empire and agreed a mutual defence pact with
Marienburg. Nordland incursions into their traditional lands have reached crisis point. A shadowy cabal of elves is creating a northern alliance against. The Empire. They have stirred up the local Laurelornalim tribe into attacking human inhabitants in the Nordland tracts of the Laurelorn Forest and are the true power behind their human puppets in Marienburg. Some of Baron Niksz’s advisers are also in their pay. Once they control the northern ports, they will make their move against the entire nation.
Barrows
The League is known to be the location of many barrows, particularly around the Kiel region. The most famous archaeological sites include the Rexhünengrab and the Cheruscanheldengrab barrows. However, assuming that the PCs are aware of the route of their quarry to Kiel and then Trautenau, they are likely to be able to exclude any not along such a route. The following sites are all roughly within such a route, though some are much further south.
Höxter Mound is approximately 20 miles due west of Trautenau. It is now thought to be consist of a number of chambers within the same mound and might be a very large burial complex. It is ordered guarded permanently by authority of the Cult of Mórr. However, lack of financial support for the order has caused it to lapse.
Barrow of Sorrows is located 30 miles west if Leszken. It is reputed to bring bad luck to those who are cursed by someone holding the extremely worn frame to the mound. It is regarded as unusual since its entrance is visible and not covered by turf.
Three Barrows is 20 miles south-east of Trautenau and is simply three individual barrows of little merit.
Old Barrow is approximately 30 miles south of Trautenau near the village of Bartenstein. It is claimed to be the oldest barrow on the League, but without any apparent proof to the claim.
Empty Barrow is located at Trautenau. It is simply an empty barrow, which the locals use for storage.
Selonii Mound is approximately 30 miles south-west of Trautenau. It is famous due to the mysterious deaths of a group of grave robbers 20 years ago.
Weal Barrow is approximately 50 miles south of Trautenau. It is a local pilgrimage site as it is purported to provide a variety of beneficial effects to those who sleep atop it. Three Men Barrow has the statues of three warriors standing guard and with spears levelled at the entrance. It is located close to the River Stir and is the site of a current dig by academics from Wurtbad.
PCs asking about ‘holy’ places local to Trautenau or which might be found roughly along the projected route include the following.
There is a shrine to the Ant King approximately 40 miles south of Trautenau. It is a very worm-eaten figurine carved into an ancient (lornalim) tree and still venerated by some, particularly those who visit the Weal Barrow. Its purpose is completely lost in time, but many believe that ‘you cannot be too careful’ and ‘what’s an extra god anyway’.
Taalichtung, a glade thought to be a holy site to Taal, is some 60 miles south-west of Trautenau deep within the Great Forest.
Rhya’s Wash is an intermittent bourne, some 30 miles south-east of Trautenau. It is a pilgrimage site, though has few visitors due to Rhya’s limited worship.
Earth Father’s Servant has a shrine close to Rhya’s Wash. There are also some old ruins there too. It is rarely visited. This is in fact the site of the Nurgle temple ultimately the
Idiosyncrasies
The following characteristics apply to this region and its people. Some of these flesh out encounters within the adventure, the others are for general reference for the region or can be used to add colour to the PCs’ journey in Ostermark.
Akritoi: This is the term for bordermen quasi-militias who watch the northern borders
of the so-called Militärgrenze. They are predominantly ogres, since these creatures can be safely kept away from ‘civilisation’, whilst at the same time they are probably the only creatures able to keep the Uskoks under control. Equally, Kislev is very wary of even a small and irregular group of such ‘monsters’.
Ancient Order of Defenders: This is a mysterious group, regarded as heroes by
some and murderous brigands by others. They are officially tolerated since their prime purpose is to restore ‘ancient titles’ and that includes Kislevan land ‘owned’ by The Empire. However, this is a dangerous policy as they regard many of those in power in the League as aliens and stealers of land.
Ant King: A few might still refer to the Ant King spirit. Note that the League
interpretation of the figure is different than that of Ostland. Here, it is most likely remembered that the Ant King was an evil spirit vanquished by Old Father Earth many years ago. In reality this is a distorted memory of a Nurgle cult, who worshipped him as Father Earth in a parody of the Old Faith. The Ant King’s followers were one of those involved in a struggle against this belief. This rumour can be used for experienced WFRP players who will immediately assume that the fly motifs are those of Nurgle.
Arrayal: Arrayal is term used to denote the League’s army, and it operates on a semi-
democratic basis. The commander-in-chief is known as the Captain General and is a political appointment. Each campaign is commanded by a Captain Major, seconded by a Sergeant Major. These are military appointments, drawn from the Captains within the military. A captain commands a company of a fixed size, determined by the Chancellor. This is currently set at 36. Usually there are more captains than companies, and the soldiers select them; in other words a company effectively elects its leaders. This is supposed to limit fraud and mistreatment by the captains who administer the finances of their troops personally on a stipend from the League. Unemployed captains form a personal ‘volunteer corps’ for the commander. Mercenary captains are incorporated at the equivalent level as League captains whatever the size of their company. Specialist engineers and the like are directly attached to the Sergeant Major. All officers have a personal standard, which (as appropriate) acts as the company’s standard or an army standard. League armies also carry the League’s own standard into battle and a religious banner, which represents the whole polytheistic panoply of the region’s gods. Ensigns carry these standards. In addition to the ensign, each company has a sergeant, page and drummer.
Azhag the Slaughterer: For those who wish to retain consistency with WFB, Azhag
“leads a huge army” into the northern Empire 2512 to 2515 before he is defeated at the Battle of Osterwald. The text in Warhammer Armies: Orcs and Goblins (p 15)
implies that this was the first time he was “met” (their word) in battle and I would much prefer to keep him as a more robust raider than an actual invader. I think that this conforms to the text, and it certainly fits in better with WFRP. Rumours need to be tailored to suit the GM’s needs, but if not adopting my position then it is advisable to place rumours in Ostland too in A Private War.
Beards: Locals in settlements have recently begun to favour being clean-shaven. This
apparently relates to research carried out by scholars into the local traditions at the time of Sigmar. Most in the region will wear beards for practical reasons – but this further encourages shaving as a sign of wealth and status.
Beer: A number of beers are processed by factories and produced under a brand name
(see below). Whilst they are approximately 25% cheaper than standard beer prices, production and preservation techniques are still primitive and the taste is poor. Local production still takes place, but is coming under economic pressure from the cheaper breweries.
Biersal: Biersal is a local deity, whose worship is centred upon the village of
Biersalhof. Known colloquially as the Earth Father’s Servant, he is seen as a capricious deity to be feared and respected rather than loved. However, he does protect the region and ensure the harvests are good and the locals remain healthy. Whilst in reality, Biersal is part of a corruption of ‘Old Father Nurgle’, he should be represented as a nature god of some type, linked in the locals’ minds with Taal and Rhya. The harvest is more central to their faith in him than disease itself. Biersal is a follower of Old Father Earth, a linguistic corruption of Nurgle – but not one that any will be familiar with. Locals will barely distinguish between Taal, Rhya, Biersal, Mother Earth and Father Earth. They have neither the interest nor the wit to enter into any theological discussion of the links between these. All are seen as gods of nature, necessary to ensure good harvests. They simply know that Biersal will help them if appeased, and will bring pestilence and disaster if annoyed. Biersal appears as a bearded jovial fat man, dressed in a (green) hooded robe trimmed with fur and wearing boots. Occasionally, he is portrayed carrying a sack in which he holds the pests he has captured to prevent their destroying his followers’ crops. However, should he not be appropriately treated, then he will release them upon the land. Sometimes, his symbol is also that of the fly or another pest, a sign of his good work – or a threat of what he might do. Neither Biersal nor Old Father Earth are officially recognised, though they are tolerated as local deities. Neither are necessarily Chaotic in the absolute concept of the term, though were anyone to recognise the links between the two and Nurgle, then prescription would surely follow. However, disease is part of the natural cyclical order of life. This duality is precisely the reason for the interest of Professor Stradovski and the earlier ‘chaotics’ that dwelt here. A slightly different aspect is worshipped to the south, particularly amongst halflings, to whom he is a spirit of the larder and linked to food and general well being.
Bill of Mortality: All towns and cities post a list of death notices on a weekly basis in
key public places. These are authorised by the Cult of Mórr, and list all common causes. Most importantly they also list at the bottom the Red Pox, the Black Plague and Taint. However, Ostermark is alone in requiring that the Cult of Shallya posts said notice since normally the civic authorities or Cult of Mórr would do so. The reason for this is because the Cult of Mórr was deemed to be negligent in their dealing with outbreaks of
plague, a primary purpose for the Bills in that it warns of plague deaths. The problem any region has is that once any form of infection is announced, then the population tries to flee. Martial law and the use of militias to enforce it prevent this. However, it is possible to leave on obtaining a Certificate of Health. Followers of Mórr were found to be selling these, and thus spreading the plague. It was therefore determined that the Cult of Shallya was trustworthy and less politically motivated. At the very least, they could be trusted to recognise plague! Cynics also doubted the cult’s ability to resource any widespread award of certificates. Both the cults of Mórr and Sigmar occasionally petition for the right to post the Bill. Of course, in practice the Cult of Shallya has limited resources and often requires that others do it on their behalf.
Blood Price: Ostermark still officially sanctions the payment of a blood price for a
murder. Many towns regard themselves too ‘civilised’ for such a notion, but the regions continue the practice. Both Uskoks and ogres regard the practice as sacrosanct.
Bones: Ungol bones are thought to be lucky charms and sought after in Ostermark,
where they are polished and worn around the neck. A trade by merchants from Kislev usually carries some, since they are easy to store. Of course trade in such things are also illegal in religious law, although some priests might regard killing Ungols for their bones a religious act in itself!
Brand Names: Like other more developed regions, within The Empire, the idea of
brand names has been introduced as a guarantee of quality. Given that some of the material that can go into food can often be of dubious quality, brand names offer a guarantee that a particular producer has been responsible for production of the item. This means that the food is far less likely to include sawdust, chalk, rat droppings or other alien materials. Obviously, production of processed foods is still in its infancy, but Ostermark merchants are at the forefront of this development, working with alchemists