Chapter XII: Through the Drakwald
s ChIller ’ s s peeCh Once the players have learnt all they can, or you feel it’s time, Captain Shiller arrives. A ripple runs through the crowd as Captain Schiller appears. One of his watchmen sets up a box for him to stand on. He mounts it spryly for a man of his age. Though his uniform is torn and his armour dented, Captain Schiller still commands the respect of the crowd. He only needs to motion once before the crowd quiets down. “People of Untergard” he begins, “this is a glorious day. I have received a letter from Count Todbringer of Middenheim. The old wolf still lives and the city of Middenheim also stands strong!” The crowd cheers and once again Schiller must motion for silence. “Count Todbringer sends his thanks to all of Untergard for the part we played in hampering the invaders. He said, and I quote, ‘the battle for the Untergard Bridge will go down as one of the most glorious battles in Middenland’s history.’ Be proud, people of Untergard, for our sacrifices have not been in vain!” When the cheers die down, Schiller continues. “To show his gratitude for our valour, the Count has sent us a token of his appreciation.” The captain reaches into a bag and pulls out a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. “We were honoured to receive thirty loaves of bread and a dozen bottles of wine, straight from Middenheim.”
The PCs can make Very Easy (+30%) Gossip Tests to find out what the commotion is about from the milling townsfolk. What they find out depends on their degree of success with the Gossip Test. g ossIp Degrees of Success Information Obtained 0 Watch Captain Schiller has an important announcement to make. 1 Watch Captain Schiller received a message from Count Boris Todbringer of Middenheim and he’s going to read it to the town. 2 As everyone waits for Captain Schiller to appear, the PCs can engage the locals in small talk. The townsfolk are hopeful that they’ve turned a corner and that Captain Schiller’s announcement will be good news. The PCs can also hear other rumours from the townsfolk. For each successful Gossip Test, roll once on the following table to see what rumour is picked up. The truth of each rumour is noted in parenthesis. r umours Roll Rumour 1 The Drakwald Forest is still full of Beastmen and stragglers from the Chaos armies (True). 2 Captain Schiller once commanded his own mercenary company (False). 3 Granny Moescher still won’t move into town. She and her orphans live outside the walls in her home, which miraculously came through the battle unscathed (True). Count Boris Todbringer of Middenheim has sent a reward to Untergard in recognition of the town’s steadfastness during Archaon’s incursion. Count Boris Todbringer of Middenheim has sent a caravan of food and supplies to help the town get back on its feet! 3+
The crowd goes wild at the sight of the Count’s largesse, hungry eyes fixed on the fresh bread in the Captain’s hands. They begin to chant, “Long live the Count! Long live the Count!” Schiller holds bread and wine high in the air as the hardened survivors of Untergard shout themselves hoarse. Suddenly, there is a loud crack and the bottle shatters, showering Schiller and the bread with glass and wine. Pandemonium erupts as the crowd scatters in panic.
After the last battle, all the folk of Untergard can recognize the sound of a firearm discharging. They begin a mad dash to find cover, as the Ackerplatz is wide open. The PCs can make a Perception Test . A successful test indicates that the shot originated from across the bridge. PCs who look that way notice two things. First, the shot probably came from the ruined coaching station on the eastern side of the bridge. Second, several malformed humanoids are running across the bridge, weapons in hand. m uTanT a TTaCk !
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The pay chest of a Tilean mercenary company fell off a transport barge and is sitting at the bottom of the river, just waiting to make someone rich (False). Missing loved ones are being held captive by Beastmen in the forest (False). Father Dietrich possesses a holy relic (True). A new garrison for Untergard is on the way north from Altdorf (False). The Woodsman Hans Baumer has been gone for a week (True) and is probably dead (False). Rats the size of men feasted on the dead in Grimminhagen (False). Count Boris Todbringer of Middenheim has offered a 10,000 Gold Crown bounty on the head of Khazrak One-eye, the Beastman warlord whose forces ravaged Untergard. Khazrak and Todbringer have been bitter enemies for many years (True).
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You see four hideous Mutants coming across the bridge. One has tentacles instead of arms, the second has horns and thick fur, the third has a pig-like snout, and the fourth has a third eye in the middle of his forehead. They are dressed in filthy rags and armed with clubs. As they get closer, you can see the hatred that burns in their eyes.
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At this point you should change from Narrative Time to Combat Time. If your players did not specify where in the crowd their characters were, assume the PCs were towards the back (near the bridge). If they were elsewhere, they’ll need to spend a round moving through the crowd to get to the bridge. The confusion is such that they cannot run.
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