Well we did it, got through our first full session of WFRP3. I think it was a great success. Below is a recap of our first session, our first adventure: A Death in the Family...Thanks to Steve for handling the writing. We are really enjoying the system...especially the social combat encounters, they were a particular blast for a bunch of veteran gamers. Enjoy!
Characters: Thorsten Udermann (Dilettante), Vladimir Wulfgardt (Apprentice Wizard, Bright Order), Aemilius “Burk” Burkhardt (Zealot), Rolf Zaeschmar (Agent of the Belmont’s), and Crixus Algarin (Dwarven Troll-Slayer)
We begin on the chilled evening of 25 Jahrdrung in 2521 in the great city of Altdorf, it is Marktag and a light snow begins to fall. Down a darkened side street a tall, dark man in small slouch hat, heavy cloak and sturdy boots strides down the dirty, trash-invested cobblestone lane. The man has purpose as is evident in his pace. Under his snow dusted cloak the man is obviously armed with a rapier, under his hat his eyes dart about looking for signs; signs of danger but more importantly the sign for the raunchy tavern “Three-Leg Pete's.”
Inside the musky, putrid smelling local dive it is crowd to near capacity, chants of “Go, go, go,” echo in the large single chamber. Notable odors, not uncommon to an establishment such as Three-Leg Pete are vomit, sweat, beer, sewer stained clothing, lusty easy women, and excitement for competition. An arm wrestling match is in progress with a prize of 10 silver shillings to the night’s winner. The purposeful man enters, doesn’t bother to shake of the snow or see who is competing, rather he scans the room look for the one man who will stand out amongst all others, he looks for his quarry. It takes but a moment, upon the mezzanine draped in finery and expensive attire stands a man of position and wealth covered scantily clad women for hire, the finest this hovel has to offer to be sure. Also strapped to the black-haired dandy is a blunderbuss, not an inexpensive piece of hardware.
The man in the dark cloak and slouch hat makes his way to the dilettante. Thorsten Udermann enjoys the festivities watching his man compete in the contest, confident his stout, brawny companion will win. The bear of a man Crixus Algarin is in fact a Dwarf, head cropped with a bold Mohawk and braided beard with several strands all tipped in bright orange, befitting his outcast status of Troll-Slayer. It is one of the wenches on Thorsten’s arm that first notices the dark stranger approaching, the man-of-means the gaze of the tasked agent. Rolf Zaeschmar introduces himself and requests an audience with one Thorsten Udermann on behalf of his master, Lord Frederick Belmont. Thorsten has not met yet knows of the wealthy burgher and agrees to visit the Belmont estate on the morrow before the hour of noon. He asks the messenger after his friend and former travelling companion Saratoga Belmont; his inquiry is deflected as Rolf reiterated the invitation. Off the clock, Rolf accepted an offer of the local tavern swill just as Crixus won the night’s tournament of strength.
The next morning one of Rolf’s many runners, street urchins willing to seek out people and places within the metropolis of the Reikland, found his next objective: Burk, a street-side hawker of religious tripe. The dark cloaked agent finds a meager man in tattered robes, well-worn cloth tied to his feat and a scourge (a heavy knotted rope with multiple lashes) caked in blood; the agent noted the instrument of self flagellation—corporal mortification he thought. It wouldn’t surprise Rolf if this masochist martyr also wore a cilice for Rolf was not a man who believed in the gods, rather due in large part to his own father, he was a man of natural laws and scientific philosophies. With near a dozen onlookers, two or three even devoutly attentive, Burk spouted unintelligible canonical passages and portents of doom. Rolf called out his name the wastrel heard his moniker but continued his diatribe of the sins of humanity. The agent shooed the rag-tag audience off with a penny for each then addressed Burk alone. Rolf gathered the zealot and headed directly for a Tilean bathhouse, the agent paid for long bath with soap and a strong rinsing of the vagabond’s “clothing.” With proper directions Burk was to appear at the Belmont estate before noon that day.
A third name on Rolf’s list of men to be summoned, Vladimir Wulfgardt. The agent was disdainful of finding a Kislevian but could it be worse than the zealot? What did intrigue Rolf was the mention that Vladimir was an apprentice wizard, wizard colleges where known in Altdorf yet they were rarely located due the secret nature of the institutions. A runner tracked down the College of Bright Order in a burnt out building of a back alley off a side street in a less than stellar neighbourhood. Rolf looked down the alley and saw the ruined building, he thought he had been had and contemplated strangling the young runner. He ventured up and down the side street without success and decided to at least investigate the burnt out edifice before ‘murdering’ the urchin who led him astray. Once at the solitary door of the house it opened and a robed young man egressed; Rolf inquired after Wulfgardt and after some formality and ceremony was shown in and to Master Hieronymus Jager scolding the greenhorn wizard, who turned out not to be Kislevian after all. He was asked to meet at the Belmont estate before midday. All three men on the list seemed to know and even inquired after Saratoga Belmont, none knew he had been recently killed; Rolf did not tell them rather he left that to his master, or as it turned out to his mistress Lady Beatrice Belmont.
Once summoned and in attendance, Lady Beatrice along with her two children Pieter and Sasha announced Saratoga’s demise. Each man summoned was mentioned in Saratoga’s last will and testament thus needed to hear the news and understand their legacy. Each man also had to encounter the staff and trappings of the Belmont estate. First there was the Thomas at the gate, he had little trouble receiving Vladimir has he had been to the estate previously. He also should have allowed Thorsten to enter without incident for Thorsten was man of breeding and stature but he had in tow the Dwarf, a well-armed Dwarf at that. And last Thomas had to deal with the seeming vagrant in Burk. Then each of these men (and the Dwarf) had to encounter Leon, the Belmont major domo and head of the household staff, again noteworthy social encounters.
Before the will was read, actually before it even arrived, Lady Beatrice shared her last letter from Saratoga as read by the learned man about town Thorsten. As he finished reading a fury entered through the front door that was Lord Belmont, full of bluster and contempt. The Dwarf readied himself against unwarranted intrusion not knowing Lord Belmont’s reputation and general demeanour. Belmont became truly enraged upon seeing Vladimir, Saratoga’s boyhood friend and who, as Uncle Frederick believed, was responsible for Saratoga's fate. When the two were boys it was Vladimir that encouraged his desire of adventure. A furious argument ensued betwixt Belmont and the others, with only Pieter siding with his father, this left Lady Belmont and the daughter Sasha even more distressed as tea was served. In the end Belmont left in a huff with Pieter following leaving Lady Belmont to read the public portion of the will: to Burk goes a ring (he asked after a white dove ring) and map, to Thorsten a case of fine Brettonian wine from the vineyard they were supposed to have worked at a few years back, and to Vladimir, Saratoga’s family sword (encrusted with the family seal).
It was first Thorsten who pledged to solemnly reclaim Saratoga’s remains from proper resting and the other two men quickly ally themselves to the same task but it is Crixus who offers a respectful toast to a fallen comrade. Lady Belmont asks Rolf to attend the service the men have avowed as the Belmont’s representative. All five men after giving proper condolence to the Belmont women leave for the Two Flagons Inn to hoist their honourable toast. A carriage will be provided on the morrow at the Eastern Gate (The Bogenhaffen road) after sunrise. Thorsten sings an inspired dirge and proper tribute to Saratoga. The next morning a 2-horse Grey Wolf Travel Coach waited with the coachman, Heiko Dieter and Samuel the footman riding “shotgun” so to speak with a blunderbuss.
All four men ride inside away from the elements of the day: a heavy snowfall with some wind. Rolf stood atop the rear boot or tail board. The first day of travel led the adventurers to the Hidden Pines coaching inn, the second day the snow fell heavier as the men stopped at The Two Roads near Gruenberg with only a half-day’s travel to Ubersreich. That night Thorsten engrossed the locals with daring tales of local folk lore; Rolf found a table of chance and gambled with the resident regulars before being accused of cheating. He stood his ground even as Crixus came to his side challenging any who would call his escort a cheat or liar, tempers settle and the evening ended well with Vladimir uncovering a woman bold enough to sleep with a wizard, Thorsten found a pretty bed companion as well but it is Rolf who had an exuberate evening of memorable mattress merriment. The 29th was the typical “Perfect Imperial” day: heavy dark clouds, rolling thunder and a constant heavy rain; combine that with the previous day’s snow and travel was slow going to say the least. Near mid-afternoon Burk spied outside the coach along the carriageway an overgrown roadside shrine to Shallya; the men stopped for a break as Burk clears the shrine and invokes some proper words, all flinch as a white dove (a symbol of Shallya) suddenly flew out the shrine. Later that same day the group arrived at a coaching inn in Auerwald.
The next day Festag (the holy day, the last day of the week) the low rumbling of thunder continued as the rain turned back into snow with the carriage heading toward Grunwald Manor near the Grey Mountains. Grunwald Manor, home of Lord Aschaffenburg and Lady Ludmilla Von Bruner and her cousin Andreas Von Bruner as recounted by Thorsten who gave more details of the region and its history. The snow shifted from sleet to heavy snow with driving winds but Vladimir warmed the coach interior with a simple cantrip in this retinue of spells. What should have been a short trip was made longer by the weather and nearing dusk Rolf spotted and announced the approaching gates of Grunwald Manor. Rolf also spied movement in the adjoining woods and begged coachman and footman to be weary when suddenly a tree toppled and fell upon the roadway blocking the carriage path. Two beast-men leapt from the branches above the road to the roof of the wooden carriage as two more appeared near the fallen tree trunk and finally a fifth, more pronounced beast-man appeared at the coach rear down the path.
Thorsten was first out of the carriage on port side with his blunderbuss in hand, Rolf jumped from the tail board to the starboard side of the coach when the two beast-men atop the covered wagon jumped to either side assaulting our heroes. In the battle, Rolf if wounded as is Thorsten but it is Vladimir who is severely injured as one of the beast-men nearly crushed his skull with a brutal attack. Crixus dispatched two of the beast-men handedly as Thorsten kept the rear beast-man at bay with a thunderous shot of his black-powder weapon. Eventually two of beast-men disengaged and scuttled off into the woods and the rear beast-man fled as well. Burk ran after the rear beast-man in haste, it was Thorsten who followed to stop Burk’s fool errand. Crixus shifted the fallen tree and allowed Rolf to escort the Grey Wolf Coach past the battle site and towards the manor guard tower and gate with Vladimir inside aided by Samuel. By some miracle, as reason could not have worked, Thorsten convinced Burk to cease his insane pursuit of the beast-men and then returned to the carriage already at the manor.
The party is greeted by the manor steward Vern Hendrick and two serving lasses, Hannah the elder and Gertie the younger. Hendrick was presented with a letter of introduction from Rolf on behalf of the Belmonts of Altdorf to the lord the Grunwald Manor. Rolf was taken by Hendrick to Lord Aschaffenburg straightaway while Hannah escorted Sam and Vladimir to the hospice, the servant Franz was directed to escort Crixus and the coachman to the stables, the Dwarf believed he was being directed to the gladiator barracks, as per his request. Both Thorsten and Burk, introducing himself as Aemilius Burkhardt were taken to the manor infirmary as they arrived. In the ward was “doctor” Stiger, Berthold the gardener, and the blind Sister Sonja in addition to the first patient Kordon, an injured Dwarf. Rolf was introduced to Aschaffenburg and stated their purpose for coming to Grunwald Manor. The Troll-Slayer met the stable boys—Hans and Albrecht who teased him about shoveling out the stalls of the stable. An insulted Dwarf headed to manor finding the elderly house steward Hendrick in the hospice and knocked him unconscious with one punch.
That set off a row between the party and the manor house; guards were summoned as was the captain, Anders Blutcher. Aschaffenburg arrived insulted by the inhospitable brutality of the Troll-Slayer upon his elderly servant. Frenzied and heated words were exchanged as Thorsten aided by Rolf tried to calm and resolve the out-of-control misunderstanding. Once the lord is appeased Crixus is taken by the captain and his men to the guard house for detention while the others were allowed to remain and even attend dinner.
Before dinner, Burk asked several people within the manor about the circumstances of Saratoga’s demise with little concrete information. He was also shown the Shrine of Sigmar within the walls of the manor who had its own oddities including a triptych of Sigmar with a non-traditional Sigmar hammer; Sister Sonja begged Burk in secrecy to return the hammer of Kordon (the semi-unconscious Dwarf in the hospice) to his home/family in Karak Algaraz. Thorsten was cautious of feeling "odd" based on information in Saratoga’s letter to feeling the same just before his death. He was also given a note by a somewhat delirious Vladimir who noticed a serving girl dropped it, it read “GOOSE.” Rolf spent much of his time in the kitchen watching Karla prepare venison and goose dinner. Crixus spoke with the resident guards about recent beast-man attacks and a breach in the manor wall.
The call to dinner is given...but who will eat what?
