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| I worked hard on this mostly unused location map. |
Berthold Spindler
Questioning his fellow priests Barnard learned all of them had dreamt about a golden plaque and the jungle, although no one recalled anything about lizardmen or a temple. In the meantime Drett spent a week in the library studying Berthold Spindler's three volume compendium 'Observations on Lustria'. Drett learned a lot about the jungle and its dangers.
Mariënburg
Berthold had been a magister of the Jade order. He was shipwrecked of the coast of Lustria and had spent years in its jungles. A chance encounter with the expedition let by Humbert von Hartl was his salvation. He spent the journey back to Mariënburg discussing his theories and findings with father Dietmar, a priest of Sigmar. Returning home Berthold wrote his three part 'Observations on Lustria' gifting one copy to Humbert and another to Dietmar. Both these copies now resided in the Temple of Sigmar's library.
Four artifacts
According to the book the expedition brought back a ships hold full of gold and jewels and four artifacts: a throne, a panther statue, a golden plaque and a golden disc. The disc had been gifted to his imperial majesty Mattheus II Holswig Schliestein and was placed in the imperial museum. Humbert kept the panther statue, Dietmar took the throne and Spindler owned the golden plaque. In the margins of his version of the observations Dietmar remarked that the plaque seemed to cause true dreams of impending disaster.
Downtime
While Drett was studying the rest of the group kept itself busy. Tillman spent a small borrowed fortune on ingredients that he promptly turned into an overboiled mush. To cover up he bought a real potion from a local vendor. Ronja got herself a dog only to discover she did not really know how to train dogs yet. Gorgor took a position with the city guard, using her experience to get a sergeant's badge and breastplate. Barnard took up residence in the Temple of Sigmar and joined the roster of priests on duty there. He met the local priest of Morr and learned Humbert von Hartl had a mausoleum in Ubersreik's Garden of Morr.
Dark shapes on the rooftop
During this period everyone had a sense of being watched. Dark shapes seemed to follow them from the rooftops. At the end of the week a package was delivered. It contained the head of the librarian. A note repeated the demand to come to the Teufeltal Gate at midnight.
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| I also worked quite hard on this completely unvisited second floor. |
The group went to Humbert's mausoleum during the day. Barnard even got the key from the friendly priest of Morr. Inside the tomb was a large sarcophagus containing the decades dead body of Humbert. The walls of the mausoleum were engraved with detailed scenes of his expedition. Two caught the groups attention. At Humbert's feet was an engraving of Humbert with Dietmar at his right hand and Berthold Spindler at his left. On the rear of his tomb was an engraving of the only ship to return from the expedition.
The Von Bruner family
Four treasures were pictured in front of the ship. A throne that looked just like the one Drett and Ronja had already seen in the library. A stylized statue of a panther, an enormous golden disc and a golden plaque looking a lot like the one they had been carrying for Count Kylael. Asking around in the Temple of Sigmar the group discovered Humbert had fallen on hard times at the end of his life. He had been forced to sell a lot of his possessions to the powerful Von Bruner family. This family had recently fallen in disrepute do to whispers about chaos worship in one of their hunting lodges.
Stately mansion
The group went to the stately Von Bruner mansion in the southeast side of Ubersreik. After buying some fancy clothing for Drett and dressing Barnard in his ceremonial robes the two knocked on the door. Drett managed to talk his way past the butler asking for an audience with chief magistrate Von Bruner about his law license.
Magistrate Von Bruner
After a long wait the two were led into Von Bruner's study and library. They immediately spotted the stylized panther statue. Asking about it Von Bruner proudly took a copy of the priest Dietmar's personal diary out of one of his large bookcases. He told them it was the only copy in the world. At that point there was a knock on the back door to his study. Von Bruner excused himself to talk with the person knocking.
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| Not to mention the utterly ignored basement beneath the building.. |
Barnard took a second to forget all his vows, picked up Dietmar's diary and stuck it under his ceremonial robes. Shortly after the theft Drett and Barnard excused themselves to Von Bruner's distracted back and quickly left the mansion. In short: a promising lawyer and a most holy priest of Sigmar worked together to rob the high magistrate of Ubersreik. Some future consequences seemed rather likely...
Scandalous
Outside the Von Bruner mansion Tillman befriended the local beggars. He saw a coach with a noble insignia pull up at the side of the mansion and learned that the distraction was most likely a young lady that frequently visited Von Bruner through the side door. Scandalous!
Stolen book
Carrying the stolen book the group returned to Rosalinde's apartments. Once there they sat down to discuss the last thing that needed their attention. What to do with the demand they meet someone at the Teufeltal Gate at midnight? Barnard and Ronja suggested scouting ahead and finding out who waited for them there. Would that work? We'll see in the next episode...
GM's perspective
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| Another chapter finished, another quick 'stock photo' to fill up space... |
A messy game session
This session had less happening then previous one and was a bit messy to run. Most of that was caused by my desire to try out the 'between adventure' rules in the new Warhammer Fantasy edition. When a lot of time needs to pass (weeks or months), for instance because one character needs to research a library book, it gives the rest of the party something to do as well. The rules assume all money in their pockets is wasted unless they spend time banking with it (or hiding it in a sock). They also can do things like brew potions, train dogs or their jobs.
This session had less happening then previous one and was a bit messy to run. Most of that was caused by my desire to try out the 'between adventure' rules in the new Warhammer Fantasy edition. When a lot of time needs to pass (weeks or months), for instance because one character needs to research a library book, it gives the rest of the party something to do as well. The rules assume all money in their pockets is wasted unless they spend time banking with it (or hiding it in a sock). They also can do things like brew potions, train dogs or their jobs.
Between adventures and Endeavors in Warhammer Fantasy 4th
It read a bit harsh (especially taking all their cash), but it turns out to work quite nicely. The only real downside is that my group was utterly unfamiliar with the rules. It took quite some time to figure out who wanted to do what and how it worked. Its also a lot of solo action filling up time. Perhaps I'll try to coax my players into thinking up things to do beforehand in the future, or maybe give them a 'menu' with activities. Aside from that it works quite nicely. Especially if characters want to order (or make) custom made armor and the like in future sessions.
It read a bit harsh (especially taking all their cash), but it turns out to work quite nicely. The only real downside is that my group was utterly unfamiliar with the rules. It took quite some time to figure out who wanted to do what and how it worked. Its also a lot of solo action filling up time. Perhaps I'll try to coax my players into thinking up things to do beforehand in the future, or maybe give them a 'menu' with activities. Aside from that it works quite nicely. Especially if characters want to order (or make) custom made armor and the like in future sessions.
Designing the Von Bruner mansion
Another fun detail was the Von Bruner mansion. I spend an inordinate amount of time beforehand studying real seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions and lodges. I used one as a template for the Von Bruner mansion, drew up maps, described rooms and filled it with family and servants. After all you don't know what will happen. Will the characters go for breaking and entering? Will they start socializing? Is it going to be a mix of the two? In the end with some smooth talk the group walked in and out, only seeing three rooms of the more than thirty I prepared. That's the life of GM I guess.
Another fun detail was the Von Bruner mansion. I spend an inordinate amount of time beforehand studying real seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions and lodges. I used one as a template for the Von Bruner mansion, drew up maps, described rooms and filled it with family and servants. After all you don't know what will happen. Will the characters go for breaking and entering? Will they start socializing? Is it going to be a mix of the two? In the end with some smooth talk the group walked in and out, only seeing three rooms of the more than thirty I prepared. That's the life of GM I guess.
Links with older gaming sessions
As a sidenote the Von Bruner family was introduced to me through the An Eye for an Eye adventure in Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition. My group spent a nice couple of evenings sorting out the chaos cultists in the Von Bruner hunting lodge. I always try to bind older adventures with different characters and previous encounters with the current group together, even when my players have long since forgotten the names and occurrences. Its always a joy to see someone light up and go 'hey wait a minute, I remember that incident!'.
As a sidenote the Von Bruner family was introduced to me through the An Eye for an Eye adventure in Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition. My group spent a nice couple of evenings sorting out the chaos cultists in the Von Bruner hunting lodge. I always try to bind older adventures with different characters and previous encounters with the current group together, even when my players have long since forgotten the names and occurrences. Its always a joy to see someone light up and go 'hey wait a minute, I remember that incident!'.
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