H
aving been accepted into the Crusade, the PCs acclimate to the unusual environment and make ready to travel the final few days’journey to Altdorf.
u ndEr c AnVAs
Krieger shows the PCs to a tent where guards are removing and selling off the possessions of those who died fighting the Vampire. He tells them they will be given uniforms tomorrow, and asks them to divide their number into three guard shifts, day, evening, and night. The day shift starts at daybreak the next morning. After a curt good-night, he leaves.
The PCs are alone, with a lot to talk about—setting shifts, their loyalties, and deciding what to do next. This opportunity is perfect for those who didn’t fall under Karl’s spell to begin arguing with those who did. Or, if all the PCs were converted, Nils does the arguing. Encourage the PCs to roleplay their delusions, but remind them their personalities haven’t changed, only their allegiance.
Whatever they talk about, they might be overheard. Krieger has placed a man across from their tent, giving the PCs privacy but making sure they don’t leave. If the PCs shout, he hears them. Jan (Tobias) has also sent a spy to listen through the canvas. He is one of Krieger’s halberdiers, and kneels behind the tent, pretending to fix his boot. Unless the PCs say they are whispering, he hears them.
If the PCs mention checking for eavesdroppers, they notice both men.
If not, have the PCs make a Challenging (–10) Perception Test before their discussion. If any succeed, they detect Jan’s spy before betraying any information. Call for another Challenging (–10) Perception Test after the conversation. If any succeed, they hear the spy leaving.
t HE s py
If the PCs exit the tent to catch the spy, Krieger’s watcher asks what they’re doing. The spy doesn’t run. Instead, he protests his innocence, saying he only stopped to take a stone out of his boot. Krieger’s man sides with the
spy, as do other guards, because they know him. Krieger sides with him too, if he is called in to arbitrate.
Krieger or his watcher tells the PCs to go back to bed and stop jumping at shadows. “There are no spies here. We are all united in our love of young master Karl.”
If the PCs try to slip under the back of the tent and attack the spy, he raises the alarm, saying the PCs were trying to escape. Krieger’s man comes running, and the scene plays as above.
While interacting with the spy, a character who succeeds on a Routine (+10) Perception Test notices the man has an ugly boil on his lip.
E scApE
Sneaking off at this point makes it very difficult for the PCs to get close to Karl later. They will be mistrusted and not allowed near the compound again and therefore not privy to the conversations of the inner circle.
If the PCs try it anyway, leaving the compound is difficult. Their tent is among the other guard tents, and Krieger’s man is watching it. If he sees a PC leaving the tent, he politely asks where they’re going. If more than two PCs leave the tent, he asks them to stop and calls for backup. Guards exit nearby tents in 2 rounds. If the PCs can’t explain themselves, the guards order them back to their tent and guard it until Krieger arrives.
If the PCs sneak out the back of the tent, make an Opposed Test, pitting the PCs’ Silent Move Tests against a Challenging (–10) Perception Test for the Guard (see Halberdier statistics on page 76).
Outside the tent, many guards wander the garrison area, and if seen, armed adventurers out of uniform draw lots of attention. Make plenty of opposed tests. If they are caught, the guards order them to their tent and call for Krieger.
If the PCs try something elaborate, like starting a fire, or raising a false alarm, play it out using the maps and list of troops from the previous chapter as a guide.
Once the PCs successfully reach the mob area of the camp, they are in the clear. Nobody pays them any mind. They can go anywhere except back into the inner circle.
r EJoining tHE c uLt
If the PCs have left the cult on bad terms and wish to sneak back in, there is little difficulty rejoining the mob. So many people come and go they won’t be noticed. If, however, they get close to any of the inner circle they met previously, they need to make an Opposed Skill Test, pitting the NPCs’ Perception against the PCs’ Challenging (–10) Disguise Tests.
If they weren’t in trouble when they left, and want to rejoin the inner circle, they need a good excuse and at least one Routine (+10) Charm Test.
d Ay o nE : E ArLy m orning
At daybreak, guards wake the PCs and give them uniforms. Those on day watch must go on duty. This employment allows them to learn more about Karl and the men surrounding him, whilst the off-duty PCs can move up and down the long-strung-out column of the Crusade on the march.
Guard duty consists of marching before the coach that carries Karl and Helmut along with six of Krieger’s men. Two Hammer Bearers ride in the coach, and six march alongside it. Lord Eisenbach’s knights ride behind.
As the inner circle roll up their tents and hitch their horses, the PCs witness more arguing between the leaders. Jan thinks they have enough Crusaders and wants to hurry directly to Altdorf to confront Volkmar and Karl-Franz. (It isn’t his real reason; he’s obeying Ruprecht’s orders to hurry and find Ansel in Altdorf.)
Lord Eisenbach sides with Jan. He wants his reparations as soon as possible.
Helmut wants to recruit in every town. “Altdorf and the Temple must see our might! There can be no question of them denying us.”
Karl sides with Jan. He wants to go quickly too. He says he has had a premonition they must get to Kislev quickly to prevent a great victory of Chaos. (It isn’t his real reason; he wants to hurry to his mother, who he thinks is waiting for him in Kislev.)
Karl wins. They decide to travel as quickly as possible.
s pEciAL o rdErs
As the on-duty PCs march, Helmut asks to speak with them in private.
He says he denied the existence of a Chaos cultist within the camp the night before because he didn’t want to alarm anyone, but privately, he fears it’s true. Some of the sects in the mob seem very sinister, and some witch hunters who tried to infiltrate the Crusade came down with fatal diseases that failed to spread to anyone else. He asks the PCs to investigate.
“Though you may not believe it, there are too many conflicts of loyalty for me to trust the conclusions of anyone I might ask within the Crusade. They all love Karl so much that they wish to be first in his eyes and would be willing to denounce as followers of Chaos any they think might be before them in his affections. You are perfect.
You have not been here long enough to form any loyalties yet.”
J An ’ s m otiVEs
Jan (Tobias) sent the spy to learn what the PCs intend. If they mean to kill or kidnap Karl, he orders his spies to watch them and foil their attempt.
If they mean to escape immediately and report to someone about what’s going on in the camp, he lets them. At this point they know nothing of consequence.
But if they intend to root out the Chaos cultist, or stay and investigate, or if they only want to follow Karl for the rest of their lives, he intends to use them as pawns to kill Krieger, who he wants out of the way, and then, once the dirty work is done, kill them.
If his spy was discovered before he learned anything, Jan’s other spies shadow the PCs until they learn what they mean to do.
f igHting i n tHE c Amp
There are a few points in the adventure where putting a foot wrong may get the PCs into a lot of trouble. If steel is drawn, here’s how to play it.
In the Compound
If the PCs provoke a fight here, they must either run or they will very likely find themselves overwhelmed. There are too many guards, and they are too well trained—Krieger’s men, Eisenbach’s men, Helmut’s Hammer Bearers, and Jan’s guards. When a fight starts, more men come running every round until the PCs are overwhelmed. Their only hope is running into the mob, where they can lose pursuit. Feel free to play this out using statistics from the previous chapter, but the outcome is nearly certain.
In the Mob
Fights are easier here. Only interested parties aid the fighters. Everyone else runs away, calling for help. Again, statistics for these Crusaders can be found in the previous chapter.
Aftermath
If the PCs are chased from the Crusade and hide nearby, search parties keep them moving, but nothing happens. If they look for the Wood Elves, they have left the area, or at least are invisible to the PCs.
f urtHEr o rdErs
Note: If Jan thinks the PCs mean to kill or kidnap Karl, this scene doesn’t happen. Instead, he waits for them to make their move.
At the same time, Jan approaches the off-duty PCs and asks them for help.
He says he suspects an agent of Chaos in the cult. He wants to keep it quiet, as it would affect morale. Also, he fears that the investigation will lead to the heart of the Crusade, and since the person he suspects is well-liked, he thinks he would be disbelieved if he made his suspicions public.
Play him as genuinely concerned and uncomfortable.
“I know I am disliked. I am a hard man of business. It is I who says no while Helmut says yes, I who enforces order while Helmut preaches freedom. But someone must. We would not have made it through the marshes if Helmut had been leader. But it has made them mistrust me. Therefore, it must be you who find this traitor and report your findings to Karl and Helmut. They will not accept the evidence from me, but you are new to us, and untouched by the infighting. They will listen to you.”
Jan mentions the same diseased witch hunters as Helmut did but also claims to have heard weird voices coming from Captain Krieger’s tent, and seen strange boils on the lips of some of his men.
“I believe Krieger to be a worshipper of the Plague God. I hope I am wrong, for he seems a good man, but there have been too many strange occurrences that I can explain no other way. I know he seems a paragon. Would a cultist advertise his corruption? But I believe he means to corrupt Karl, or kidnap him for some horrible ritual.”
d Ay o nE :
m orning & A ftErnoon
You can roleplay acquiring this information, have the PCs make Gossip Tests, or both. If you choose the latter two, the PCs gain one bit of news with each degree of success on a Gossip Test. They may also hear snippets of this information if they’re just keeping their ears and eyes open.
k riEgEr , H ELmut , E isEnBAcH And J An
As the people most responsible for the daily workings of the camp, they are too busy for idle talk. Krieger constantly rides up and down the column, policing the mob. Helmut travels with Karl in his coach, tutoring him, or he meets with officials of the communities they travel through. Jan travels in another coach, dealing with the running of the camp. Runners come to him with questions, and he dispatches them with answers. He also meets with town leaders.
Inner Circle Gossip about Krieger
• From one of his men: “Captain’s the best commander I’ve ever served under. Honest as the day is long, and good about getting us our pay.
When he joined the Crusade, some of the lads didn’t like it. Thought he’d turned his coat. We was supposed to be arresting ‘em, after all.
s EArcHing for tHE d AugHtEr
If you’re using the Missing Daughter! hook, one of the first orders of business while travelling with the Crusade is to find the lost girl.
Unfortunately, she’s no longer around, having succumbed to an outbreak of the plague that’s eating away at the Crusaders. A Very Hard (–30) Gossip Test reveals this fact. Otherwise, feel free to string the characters along, with glimpses of women that match her description, mixed reports, and so on until the party reaches Altdorf at which point they learn the truth.
But I didn’t see it like that. Captain’s a true follower of Sigmar. If he says the boy is Sigmar reborn, that’s good enough for me. And if it’s true, then it ain’t turning yer coat, is it? It’s everybody else what’s got it wrong.”
• From one of Helmut’s men: “A decent man. Doesn’t play favourites or try to win favour. Just does his job. Would have made a fine Hammer Bearer.”
• From one of Jan’s men: “He seems all right, but you never know, do you? Keeps to himself too much. Makes you think he’s hiding something.
Likes to go walking too, late at night. Into the woods. Don’t know what that’s about.”
• Questioning others about this will confirm it. Krieger sometimes goes for walks out of camp at night. (He is wrestling with his conversion and finds it difficult to sleep.)
• From Krieger’s personal servant: “Who’s asking? Captain’s a great man. The best of this sorry lot of lunatics. Weren’t for him they’d never have made it out of the swamps. He don’t have to answer to the likes of you.”
Inner Circle Gossip about Lord Eisenbach
• From one of Helmut’s men: “A fine man, and a great asset to our cause. His knights and fighting men may make the difference if it comes to civil war.”
• From one of Jan’s men. “As much farmer as lord, if you ask me. A real noble don’t get his hands dirty with the planting, does he?”
• From a squire to one of Eisenbach’s knights. “I might have wished to be boarded with a more venturesome lord. M’lord Eisenbach isn’t much for battles. Last spring he had the knights pulling ploughs! But he’s a good man for all that.”
B ELoVEd of g od
Karl spends the morning bored, being tutored by Helmut in the finer points of Sigmarite dogma. Using a call of nature as an excuse for a break (six of Helmut’s Hammer Bearers escort him behind a bush and face out with weapons drawn while he does his business) he stops to walk with the on-duty PCs, asking them boys’ questions about their adventures while ignoring Helmut’s calls from the coach to return to his studies.
“How did you become adventurers?”
“What is the biggest thing you’ve killed?”
“Have you ever seen a dragon?”
“Jan says you met some Wood Elves. What are they like? Are they wild and fierce like the old stories say?”
“Did the Vampire hurt you? Can I see?”
“I had an adventure once!”
He tells of being kidnapped from the orphanage and escaping his kidnappers. If the PCs ask Karl detailed questions about this, particularly about exactly when he acquired the mark of the twin-tailed comet on his chest, Jan appears before he can answer, and sends him back to his studies.
Karl scowls but goes meekly.
“I wish we didn’t have to go to Altdorf. It is to Kislev that I wish to go.”
Questioned about this, Karl closes up, saying, “I had a vision. There is a great danger coming from the north, from Kislev. I must stop it. And it must be soon!”
PCs should take a Hard (–20) Intelligence Test (their thinking is clouded by Karl’s aura) to realise Karl is lying. If the PCs pass the test and press him, Karl clams up and hurries back to his lessons.
Regardless of what questions are asked, after roughly 5 minutes Helmut drags Karl back to the coach, saying, “You will meet the Grand Theogonist in a few days, my lord. How will it look if you don’t know your catechism.”
Karl pouts but goes with him, waving a friendly farewell to the PCs.
W ALking And t ALking
The Crusade moves in a long, stretched-out column, with no real order to it, except the leaders travel at the front, and the slowest bring up the rear.
There is a lot of chanting, singing, and marking of walls and trees with Karl’s symbol as they go. The off-duty can move up and down the column as they like, talking to whom they wish.
E strAngEd s trigAny
Now would be a good time to bring back the Strigany boy, Ahmed, still trying to sell the PCs everything under the sun.
“Dog pie! Fresh and hot! Only a penny. Fix your boots, your worships? Only a penny. Two pennies for three pair. Wash your woollens? Trim your beard? Look nice for Altdorf. Only a penny.”
People around the PCs glare at Ahmed and mutter under their breath,
“Strigany scum. That vampire what attacked last night came from their wagon and no mistake.” (Not true.)
Further down the line, the PCs see Ahmed’s father Ali and the rest of the Strigany arguing with a crowd of angry Crusaders. At last, with a curse, Ali allows one of the mob to search his caravan. After a moment the Crusader comes back out, unhappy, and speaks to the crowd. “No coffin. No grave dirt. But that don’t prove nothing. He could be hiding somewhere.”
He glares at Ali.
“We’re watching you, tinker. Don’t think we ain’t.”
The crowd breaks up.
y ELLoW d EAtH
Groff concocted this plague. Victims develop a high fever, which soon makes them terribly thirsty, and yet unable to void their bladders. The pain of this blockage is excruciating, but the victim cannot stop drinking, so it only gets worse and worse. The skin turns yellow and the sweat reeks of urine. Victims eventually die of fever, hallucinating and screaming, their brains boiled.
Duration: Seven days
Effects: Each day the character has the Yellow Death he must make a Toughness Test or lose 5 from every characteristic on his Main Profile. If Toughness is reduced to 0 or less, the character dies.
Special Rule: At the moment, the only way to catch the Yellow Death is to eat tainted meat from Groff’s butcher stall. He is testing the disease
Special Rule: At the moment, the only way to catch the Yellow Death is to eat tainted meat from Groff’s butcher stall. He is testing the disease