Liber Mutatis indicates that in 2518, Auerswald suffered a daemonic incursion in which horrors roamed the streets mutating all they touched, Imperial army took 2 weeks to cleanse streets and priests a year to cleanse taint etc. (to 2519). This was the result of Tzeentch’s cult’s efforts.

Assuming a campaign start date of 2521 (see Eye for an Eye, page 71 for assumed start date of 2521 if you do the math of 2515+5 years +1 year later = “now” for the start of a campaign), this overlaps with the period “a few years ago” when Count von Jungfreud provoked issues with Auerswald and was hobbled by Ubersreik being made a free state, according to Edge of Night .

Note Auerswald is referred to as a free town in some earlier edition sources.

Weaving this together and telling it from a "von Jungfreud perspective", as safe to publicly state in the area:

When the free town of Auerswald suffered a chaos incursion as a result of ritual by cultists of Tzeentch, many mutants were created and many scattered into the woods and area nearby. Some even sought to remain and carry on their lives (doubtless with evil intent) and had to be rooted out.

Count von Jungfreud significantly increased his troops at the border with Auerswald and area to catch mutants and prevent them coming up-river into his territory to plague his people - as his duty to the Empire and those under his protection required. This meant checking travellers in case they were mutants hiding their true natures. He enlisted priests of Sigmar and even a Witch Hunter in this endeavour.

Of course, this laborious task had to be funded by additional tolls and tariffs. Furthermore, sometimes a Sigmarite zealot or Witch Hunter would head off in “hot pursuit” of a fleeing suspect, going out of the Count’s territory, and the Count’s soldiers (devout and brave as they are) would follow after to assist even if this took them into Auerswald’s streets.

Count von Jungfreud denies this was a “power grab” or attempt to usurp the free town of Auerswald ’s status as a free town (pulling off what a Countess of Averland infamously did a few years ago when the free town of Streissen in her province ran into trouble). Such accusations are most hurtful to the Count, particularly those that accuse him of actually turning back mutants into Auerswald to foment discord in the free town - this is outright slander and he would challenge any noble that spoke it. However, Imperial politics being what they are, he was cast as an ambitious expansionist, seeking to seize territory while the Auerswald town council and militia were still weakened. Other nobles sent soldiers to take over guarding the frontier and the Emperor “invited the Count to withdraw” and also granted Uberseik its charter.

Many Sigmarites and at least one Witch Hunter are still very keen on the Count as a “the sort of strong, no nonsense leader needed to deal with the threats of chaos”.

Whether some part of this was to further a failed or still brewing scheme of Tzeentch remains to be seen. Was Tzeentch hoping von Jungfreud would provoke civil war and weaken the Empire (what almost happened)? Is weakening von Jungfreud the real objective (what has happened so far)? Is it something else yet to happen such as a new ruler of Ubersreik...

Any thoughts/suggestions on how this can weave together welcomed. I'm doing this not so much as "here's a grand plot" but rather as "here's a situation you can fold into a grand plot to suit you."

Excellent idea!

There's a ritual in WFRP2 corebook called "The Beastly Transmogrification of the Omnipotent Tchar" that turns everyone within 1 mile radious (and with Willpower 50% or less) into beastmen for a day. Maybe this was the ritual casted? It would mean that even though signs of mutations were searched they couldn't be found.

Maybe there was some minor mutations after that?

Also - With a quick browse I couldn't find the reference in Liber Mutatis? On which page should it be? For Ubersreik was ruled by von Saponatheims before the free town status. Therefor your idea would also suggest that the two houses have a strong alliance that the Emperor knows.

The reference in on page 9 of Liber Mutatus under "rituals of ruination".

Cheers.

Rob

Freakish duudle dandy! That is an amazing thought on the whole Jungfreund scandal!!!

I simply love picturing nobles as evil/twisted/powermongers, and then when the PC's look further into the whole affair, what the nobles did was just and the only right thing to do.

And the best part is, that I can actually still manage to weave this into my current campaign, love it!

This is how it'll be tied with my plot...

In my plot, Jungfreund are trying to win back Ubersreik, by destabilizing it (in many different ways), and then be the only noble in the area to ride in and get some order back on the streets. Jungfreunds are no fools, they know the Emperor can't loose face, so the only way to win Ubersreik back, is by making the situation so dire, that the Emperor can portrai Jungfreund as protectors/saviors of the Empire.

Okay... back to your idea... Jungfreund has not given up on his holy, and very just, "quest" to quell all chaos activity in the area.

He now knows his true enemy is to be found in Ubersreik (who and all, I guess is up to the GM), because the whole plot was designed for him to loose it, and in doing so making the town less restricted.

My PC's allready "knows" Jungfreunds are the bad guys in this, or atleast some of them, so they'll continue finding clues leading to believe (rightfully) that Jungfreund are trying to win back Ubersreik, by destabilizing it.

In my campaign, Tzeenth is "helping" Jungfreund do this, by giving him false Bretonnian coins to send in circuit, undermining the whole stability, thing is some of the coins has a Warpstone core (courtisy from another good idea on the boards), which will start mutating several rich people in Ubersreik.

So Jungfreund are doing an apparent evil thing, but with a virtious/good/just motive, but in doing so he'll actually worsen the whole problem (by sending warpstone in circuit).

My PC's are "convinced" von Jungfreud is a villain though they have no evidence.

They're in the mist of Edge of Night, have just stopped a plot to poison the town's ruling elite with mutation-causing ale, not yet seen Skaven behind it, and are convinced it's all the Count von Jungfreud at work.

I admit I'm half inclined (well more like 25%) to make that the case but it would be "too easy" to show his hand this early.

There's actually a passage about this kind of thing in either Tome of Adventures or GM's Toolkit that advices you to run the event as your players foresee it. It points out that if the players are highly anticipating something to happen and then it turns out that it doesn't it will most likely be a disappointment. Of course you know your players better than anybody but I'm inclined to think that it's actually a pretty good and at least considerable idea.

Or, have them be on the right lines, but just have the wrong family. So all of their suspicions could be correct except for which family is behind it all...