43rd advance gained earlier this session (wrapping up Witch’s Song and Interlude).

Findulas’ player absent – which was a shame. Winds of Change focuses on a wizard character (understandably being from the magic box) but Hans the Wizard has seen lots of attention in last adventure so I rewrote it to still involve wizard but focus more on elf (the cult needs a multi-wind caster as one of their sacrifices and has abducted a wood elf spellsinger who is in Altdorf to attend a “meeting of concerned persons” about the omens of trouble in coming year).

In my own world this is “Strange Winds” not “Winds of Change” to avoid giving away too much in adventure title (we use a private board, my posts here are edited versions of session summaries posted there).

On Festag 7th of Brauzeit Hans the Hierophant Acolyte and Findulas the Wood Elf both have unexpected starts to their morning.

Having seen his mentor Master Wizard Ebbe Strazfurd a couple of days earlier, turning in some tainted items he had collected (a mysterious flask from skaven lair, a book of strange medical lore from Doktor Verfullen), Hans has since been frustrated since with on again/off again commands to attend Strazfurd.

This time the message arrives to rouse Hans at 4:00 am. In the Pyramid, Hans passes through the shadowless halls to Strazfurd’s chambers. Acolytes are bustling about and from their rushed talk realizes an Incantation of Summoning the Serpent is being prepared. [Player gets background note on this – it’s a ritual by rank 3+ wizards where they contribute power to strengthen the protections around the Pyramid, Player note indicates it’s the equivalent of battening the hatches and reinforcing the walls against assault – the Order seems to be taking seriously the idea of a coming threat as indicated in the Mittherbst omens]

There are maps of the Empire and Reikland scattered about with markings representing the winds of magic (Ebbe’s field of study). Has sees lots of markings around Stromdorf, the ones there when he was sent to investigate (how Hans first met other heroes).

Strazfurd evidently forgot he summoned Hans and regards him happening by as fortunate, "Hans boy (always ‘boy’ never a familial ‘my boy’), excellent that you happened by before the Incantation starts. That useless apprentice of mine has legged it, guess he figured he could take a couple of days off during the Incantation. Would you mind, terribly, popping down to the Schmutzplatz in the Oggasse – in the east end of the city, to have a look round for me with your Aethyric Sight. See if you can sketch out any perturbations you can note in the winds, part of my cartographic study of aethyric confluences."

Hans shudders, he well recalls’ Magister Strazfurd’s many theories and the long hours of tedious observation of various phenomenon with his “colour set” – wax writing sticks coloured to match the various winds.

He of course agrees to his Master's instructions and sets off to the Ogasse. On the way out, he passes Wizard Lord Konrad Messner, one of the Patriarch’s lieutenants (Rank 5). He is one of the most influential members of the order, having overseen much of restructuring after the unmasking of van Horstmann. [cf background of Light Order which overlaps with Hans’ background, his first master he was apprenticed too having been swept up in the purge and never heard from since].

Hans realizes he is being "inspected", as Messner casts an appraising eye over Hans, but Hans manages to not quail or otherwise give Messner reason to dwell upon him (after all, his original Master vanished in that purge, Messner almost certainly having played a role). [The character of Messner is from the earlier edition “Spires of Altdorf” book that I use for some general background on city etc.].

Meanwhile, starting a bit later the other heroes were at breakfast, Findulas is surprised to see a tiny shining ball of light buzzing about his head, he and his companions barely make out a tiny humanoid in an aura of light.

It’s a Spite, one of the tiniest of Athel Loren’s nature spirits. Mischievous, dangerous at times, spites are usually found only in swarms (an individual spite has about 2 Wounds and a Toughness of 1, though it is a difficult target being so small [beyond what’s on its creature card/guide entry I would give an extra challenge die to any attempt to target an individual spite simply due to them being so small). They often adopt asrai families or individuals and become their helpers (a mixed blessing). They are more likely to adopt those with magical talents that allow them to call on the power of Athel Loren (Spellsingers, Spellweavers and other asrai magic workers).

He can't communicate with it but the spite seems anxious and keeps buzzing about him and going off, then coming back and buzzing more, going off (in the same direction every time). He surmises its adopted asrai may be in trouble (the Spite would not normally ever leave the side of an asrai it adopts).

[i took some of the ideas about spites from the Wood Elf army book that has background on how they are effectively mini-living-magic-items for asrai spellcasters]

The heroes set off following the Spite, which takes them an odd route, across river to one neighbourhood and then from it to the east. As they approach Sigmar’s Bridge, taking them into the eastern end of city (poorer area) they see Hans ahead of them on the bridge - heading in same direction. They at first think it's following him but it streaks past him.

Evidently, the Spite is heading for the Ogasse too.

Act 1 - Into the Ogasse

Hans magical sight shows him the winds in turmoil around the square ahead, identifiable by its old clocktower landmark. The Spite is "batted back" when it tries to go forwards. Though the winds have no effect on mortal beings, apparently the tiny magical creature is more affected. Hans tries to coax the Spite to enter his cupped hands, intending to try to shield it with a Cantrip (this application a 1D effect) but is unable to convince it of his good intent - it snarls and shows its "less pleasant face".

Perhaps it knows that there are many wizards who would indeed rub their hands together at the thought of getting a spite, a little bit of Athel Loren incarnate, to poke and examine.

[story wise the spite has served its role taking heroes to Ogasse and indicating something likely befell an elf here – where it was separated from its adopted elf spellsinger, the spite not continuing on/being able to explains its need to find help and stops it being a dues ex machine short cut going forward]

So the heroes proceed. Hans' further tests his magical sight and notes that all the winds save Ulgu (that used by Grey Wizards) are involved - it's like onto the disturbance channelling would cause in the wind channelled but many times more powerful. If the winds are just combining and coalescing, eventually (over many years) that could lead to an accumulation of dark magic energy but that is a long term issue. Colleges spotting such things and nipping them in the bud means that doesn't happen in settled regions as a rule.

They come into the Schmutzplatz and see its establishments (Shallyan Soup Kitchen [hospice]*, Rough Tavern*, Pawn Shop, Scribe Shop*, Pet (bird) Shop, Clocktower* Fountain/watch post) and colourful characters (Local Rat Catcher, Tween Beggar Girl, Nearsighted Beggar Woman, Old Whittler Selling Simple Carvings, Wandering Three Fingered Knife-Sharpener, Black Shawled Fortune Teller and Seller of Charms, Stoop-backed, befuddled Old Lady with empty birdcage, Black-Eye Sporting Souse Begging for Coins, Legless Beggar on a Wheeled Flatbed).

I used location cards (marked *) and homemade cards to lay out the square before heroes, along with a little table with these short descriptions of NPC’s that are not particularly “location based” and let heroes choose to investigate by checking out location or chatting up a free floating NPC, they all choose the latter. I liked this approach as relying less on players hearing my verbal descriptions and following up, giving them more clearly their full range of options. I did read out a slightly modified version of the “first seeing the Ogasse” test including cheese wheels etc.].

The clock progresss tracker is also laid out.

The heroes focus on the local characters. Brother Erich talks to the tween beggar girl Anisa who tells him of seeing a man-sized bird monster that carried off her friend Johan (while lightening his purse of 5 silvers - though he has no proof later that was her). Anselm tries to talk to the Rat Catcher, not overcoming the stench coming off him (Resilience check Queasy around him if failing), but does not impress him (strikes the ratcatcher as someone getting above himself) but manages to also speak to the charm seller (verifying no charms are actually magical and scaring her when he starts talking like he has magical sight and thinks she for real), Hans speaks to souse with black eye and discovers the reason he got it was listening too close to Yuri's gang talking about how "that elf was a tough customer".

Anselm got two NPC interactions because of a comet on his first one.

Hoo, hoo - lucky strike! (this was a lucky ‘direct hit’ the souse being the only one who would give such direct info).

The time tracking clock advances and now the heroes decide rather than pursuing separate inquiries they will act together (thus only have one target this hour).

Yuri the Kislevite and his thugs are in the soup kitchen so the heroes enter it, being quite conspicuous in dress and having a young novice engage them over why they're here (since it obviously isn't for the soup and cheese). She thinks they are after the bounty on the Monster of the Ogasse but they say no, they are here to speak to Yuri. They go over and try to engage the Kislevite who wants to talk outside, so they go out and round the corner ("Back Alley" location card).

- a little background for players asking what’s a Kislevite – aside from general info they are positioned as considered by Empire to be dangerous and savage but useful buffer against chaos (Imperials think of Kislevites sort of what elves think of humans overall).

Yuri is not very cooperative and suggests that the heroes don't belong here in the Ogasse. Their fancy clothes might get dirty (might being twisted a bit as said). The heroes aren't taking any "hints" and soon the cudgels come out. Yuri is pullling his punches (e.g., a crit 3 is reduced to 2, though Senor Bitey blocks it for Anselm), however the heroes apparently "don't know how to subdue" (hee hee – that’s a quote from another session long ago). Brother Erich calls on Sigmar and inflicts 3 criticals in one attack (2 of which are permanent criticals, one automatically becoming truly permanent - though it's the Impressive Scar “got this in ally-fight with a Sigmarite”). This is enough to cause the other thugs to make a run for it before they get a chance to do anything [no checks, just my view of what they would do seeing Yuri take that punishment]. Yuri is under a Sluggish condition that makes running for it not feasible, and Anselm (surprisingly) makes an Intimidation check menacing the bare-chested Kislevite with his rapier. Yuri is “taken aback” and “hurt” that the heroes are fighting in earnest this way when he was just trying to “teach them lesson”. “Empire people not so soft after all.”

Yuri admits he and his crew were asked by the pet shop owner Munkhaus to obtain a live elf (and did 2 days ago). What the pet shop owner wanted the elf for Yuri doesn't know. The heroes let him go, warning him to keep quiet. Brother Erich says if he does, perhaps tomorrow he will pray to Sigmar to help heal one of those critical wounds. A check to see if Yuri telling everything etc. fails. Heroes ask if Munkaus has guards or such and Yuri says no, but no one bothers him. People disappear who do. (true enough though Yuri doesn’t say he’s the reason they disappear).

- The heroes really did roll very well on the Sigmarite action inflicting critical wounds, then getting lucky drawing 2 permanents, then a lucky success Intimidating by Anselm (who’s not particularly good at it but challenge dice came up blank). With less spectacular success Yuri would have stayed mum or fed misinformation but with all this going for them, it seemed right to have him cave in after this “triple over the top” set.

A delay means time has worn on and the sun is setting. Shops are closed by the time the heroes go to the pet shop Olde World of Bird. Progressively louder knocking gets no response (though some looks from passersby). Surmising the shopkeeper likely lives in back or upstairs, they go round back and find a back door. Hans tries to pick lock but fails, Brother Erich is debating "doing it Sigmar's way" (breaking it down), when an encounter starts - a feathered humanoid lurks overhead.

In the alley, the evening darkens quickly and heroes must deal with darkness penalties spotting they are about to be attacked and in fight till Hans light helps. Hans is struck by a hurled feather-dart that seems to seek him out (corruption aiding its attack), however the heroes bring the creature down swiftly, it falls at their feet. Hans identifies it as a kind of mutant, one likely twisted by influence of Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways in particular.

[This was a lone feathered fiend, not much of a challenge for the heroes – I call the “holding back” Yuri fight and this, on top of the free floating checks, good enough for 1 Act and a Rally Step to then follow. Note the feathered fiend card says Daemon but the adventure text says the weaker variety is a Mutant, not Daemon, and that’s what Hans’ very successful check tells him].

We break as the heroes decide to enter into the pet shop. Act 2 will follow, after Rally Step.

44th advance (Findulas absent again)

A bit of a pause since our last session (life interfering, still doing so for Findulas' player)

Brother Erich (just now a Priest), Hans Apprentice of Light, Anselm the Charlatan.

The heroes enter the Old World of Bird and explore, after sundown.

They find no proprietor and in the office in back only records of the business (the money is more in the 3-year suet supply agreements than in the sale of the birds themselves it seems, though you can get a nicer bird with a 5 year plan) .

In the upstairs attic they find a Fearful scene of dead birds and even a dead mutant nailed up all over the place, a next with large eggs in it, symbols that Hans deciphers to be blasphemous rants against von Bruner, Matthias Krieger and the College of Light cursing them and promising vengeance.

[Players who have been paying attention know how all those fit together of course - Krieger and von Bruner were both part of the group that took down cutlists in Altdorf years earlier, and unveiled the treachery of van Horstmann in the College of Light].

Anselm has been insisting anything of interest will be underground (dirty deeds are always done down deep) though there is no way down - his companions dismissing the charletan-ratcatcher-seer's pronouncements.

The heroes’ searches find nothing more in rest of building but they realize time has been twisting strangely to delay them here hours longer than they thought [two delays rolled in course of poking about - the changer of the ways twists even time to his advantage].

The heroes search the ground floor and find a hidden trap door into a cellar with supplies and a large iron cage. A search in the underground chamber finds a scrap of high quality purple cloth caught in the bloodstained cage (which is large enough for a human, or elf - Anselm pronounces it obviously elf). Another search finds a passage down into what noses say must be the sewers.

“Crap” explains one Player (apparently meant not at all ironically), and “Exactly” replies the GM, pulling out his deck of “sewer encounters” This is a deck I have created compiling “sewer events” from various sources to date, I have also created the "Slimed" condition card for those who fall in the muck and suffer the effect described in Edge of Night's sewer bits.

The heroes find traces of movement through the sewer, and signs someone was dragged (trail of their heels). Their skills of observation are excellent and they speed through the sewer (triple successes advancing the track quickly), though Brother Erich examines something too closely only to discover it’s just a particularly loathsome bit of sewer floatsome and suffers the Queasy condition as a result [chaos star making for a draw from sewer deck]

As they near the end of their trail they are attacked by a swarm of loathsome Horrors of Tzeentch, mutated bundles of tooth and claw, which rise as two more when one felled the first time. The heroes manage to cleave their way through these opponents quickly with only some more stress and fatigue to show for it.

A rally step takes place after this

They find a small cave in which opens to a non-sewer passage down which flicker strange lights and the sound of chanting.

The heroes creep stealthily forward, Hans being the least stealthy but managing (barely) to not give them away (though increasing Party Tension +1 [chaos star]).

A large chamber, perhaps once a water reservoir, is arrayed with candles and lamps. The floor of the temple is painted with strange runes and signs, in blood. An eight-spoked wheel symbol dominates the design. At the end of each spoke in the wheel is a large iron birdcage. These are occupied by unconscious kidnapped (apprentice) wizards - save for one that holds a bright red feathered fiend.

In the centre is a ninth cage holding an unconsious elf (wearing a purple dress that does indeed match the scrap of cloth - score 2 for Anselm).

There are eight cultists in robes (two henchmen mobs of 4) , and two familiar faces - the legless veteran from the market square though it seems he does have some lower limbs after all, four nimble tentacles (mutant! FEAR), the younger Shallyan priestess from the Dove of Love soup kitchen, and the man leading the ritual.

(Note, I upped threat level a bit since PC's are more advanced than adventure originally called for)

Hans realizes this is some effort to taint the eight winds of magic with Tzeentch's influence, likely to very ill effect on those who channel the winds (test of Education)

They are actually trying to taint the winds the same time the Celestial College is drawing heavily on them for the ritual noted above.

As the heroes take in the scene, the ritual master (a man in feather robes with a parrot on his shoulder) transforms another captive into a fiend, amber coloured now.

The feinds invoke magic of the colleges they represent (fire and fear howls) against the heroes but to little effect.

The heroes attack, focusing on the cult leader. Brother Erich charges forward. The eight cultists try to protect the leader (gang of 4 doing guarded position [i use the henchman rule to give them 3 fortune dice on the action] ) and attack Brother Erich, the woman summons Tzeentch's power to change Hans' wound into the critical it might have been had chance been different(Severity 2 Fade to Black).

The cult leader transforms a third captive (Celestial College apprentice) into a feathered fiend before the heroes kill him.

The parrot is disgusted, cursing the corpse, "Munkhaus, I knew you were useless, now I have to start again!"

(We break mid-round, the heroes all having gone and the remaining cultists and daemons to act - the cultists look distinctly appalled at their leader's fall but the daemons just look hungry)

45th advance earned start of this session

All present

The laymembers of the cult flee (there being another exit from the abandoned cistern). It takes them a couple of rounds to get out and away but the heroes are occupied dealing with those foes that remain.

The three feathered fiends, mutant beggar and Bobo the "Parrot" continue to attack the heroes however. The fiends shoot darts, grant Tzzeentch’s favour and Bobo causes Hans’ flesh to ripple and ‘turn traitor’ (drawing some corruption of him as “he is not worthy”).

The heroes fight back, Senor Bitey leaping into the fray and Findulas actually using a dagger and making the first melee attack his friends ever see him make (in 45 sessions, well probably 36 or so he’s been present for, he just took Acrobatic Strike!).

Anselm gets his first corruption point but Hans loses 3 (meaning overall it’s Brother Erich and Anselm 1@ and Hans 2). Bobo uses his “Who’s a Pretty Boy? I’m a Pretty Boy” defensive action to good effect - dazing Brother Erich for a moment.

Since PC's higher level, I gave Bobo a special reaction defence with recharge 2 of "Who's a Pretty Boy, I'm a Pretty Boy", someone targeting him must make a 2D Discipline check to not be dazed by how pretty a parrot he is and lose action.

The feathered fiends and mutant all fall over course of 3 rounds, Bobo decides to fly off into sewers (after giving Findulas a nasty cut and critical slash that threatens to be a permanent scar). Findulas and Hans spend fatigue to race around corners after him and they manage to finally bring him down with ranged attacks, the last an arrow from Findulas.

Bobo falls and sinks into the sewer slime and heroes breathe sigh of relief.

However it’s short lived as the sewer muck starts to froth and bubble, a red sphere is expanding with some form growing (like seeing in side a translucent egg and watching a daemon rapidly mature) this is a Terror 2 for Hans and Findulas (both pass). Just as it appears a truly fearsome daemon is ready to “step out” the shell darknens and begins to contract, the daemon howls, “Noooo, if only you would let me return to my true form, I could do it easily then…”, but the sphere continues to darken and contract into a black point that then vanishes, leaving no trace.

My Bobo is cursed into a parrot form for not preventing the uncovering of the Order of the Unblinking Eye years earlier. Until he redeems himself, he can never take his proper daemonic form again.

The heroes regroup and tend to some wounds before turning to the captives that were the ritual’s subject. By this time, a green ball of light has flown into the area and hovers next to the elf woman (the spite it seems). They determine the 5 remaining apprentices and elf woman are drugged (probably will come around in an hour or so). They wait the hour and all come around (there being too many for them to carry out).

The apprentices are grateful and the heroes now have 5 grateful contacts in Colleges (Amethyst, Gold, Jade, Grey, Celestial) which Players can name and “narrate into being” as contacts at time of their choice. The wood elf’s name is Loel and she is from Athel Loren.

All tell similar stories – they were waylaid and captured over the past 3 days. Spent time since then drugged and caged.

Findulas seeks to speak further with Loel. She left Athel Loren three weeks ago and is in Altdorf to meet with old associates. She’s been in the Empire a couple of times in the past 60 years fighting Chaos. It turns out that one of her associates from earlier times is Matthias Krieger and he is one of those gathering to talk about the ill omens being witnesses and other signs of trouble. (Player generates a Chaos Star which translates into) Loel’s requests Findulas accompany her as a body guard for a few days until her friends arrive (Altdorf being dangerous it seems) which means he loses any Interlude Actions in the coming interval.

Hans remembers to complete making his map of the local winds, but finds that they are now returning to normal making the mapping very simple and quick which he turns into his master as requested the next day at noon.

Hans’ Ebbe Strazfurd is down an apprentice unfortunately, Gratz was the light college apprentice “transformed” in the ritual.

The heroes leave the Oggasse without further inquiry.

The heroes pass on description of the escaped cultists (such as they have of the eight robed figures, not very detailed). They do not otherwise follow up with respect to the ritual or cult on any threads that might be hanging loose (e.g., drugs in cheese ->cheese wheel in office > cheese wheels being brought in by vendor that morning).

In not so doing they fail to identify the most immediate beneficiaries of their actions and do not receive the reward that they might have received. In this campaign the treasure is often not under a secret trap door but rather on the other side of putting 2 and 2 together.... The ritual was to transform apprentices into fiends and then taint the winds - the College of Light was drawing constantly on its winds at this time and would have been most severely affected. Preventing this outcome saved Hans' college a great deal of trouble. Properly connected and explained, this would have lead to monetary and other rewards. I admit I was nonplussed the way players focused on searching bodies and not "adding up information".

They have several days before Matthias Krieger arrives with Krijn to be turned over to Jade College (Interlude). During this time they manage to recover from all normal and critical wounds (Findulas had a 2 and 1, Hans had a 2, rolls made).

Findulas is busy accompanying Loel. Anselm helps him out by finding a bowyer to repair his “Damaged” bow. Krieger buys a healing draught. Hans contacts the Jade apprentice they rescued, Kurt, in an effort to help Krijn, seeing if he can learn something or get a contact (roll fails, despite bonus for friendly apprentice) – it turns out Apprentice Kurt doesn’t know anything about how a “wild user” of magic would be handled.

--- The heroes speak of the 20 shilling reward that had been posted for the Monster of the Oggasse, they take no action to collect it; no further sign is seen of Yuri the Kislevite and Brother Erich is not called upon – though perhaps also not easily found – to keep his quasi-promise/offer to help heal a critical wound.

Krieger arrives a few days later on Angestag the 15th of Brauzeit and escorts Krijn to Jade College, heroes accompany (as being witnesses to much of Krijn’s activity). They tell Krieger about having uncovered a Tzeentch cult and defeating its leaders though several others got away. He congratulates them, though several of his aides eye some heroes (Anselm in particular) suspisciously).

The Witch Hunter is interested in the “parrot”.

[They do not tell him about the graffiti in which his name was mentioned, likely a Player memory lapse but now a PC lapse too, this would have lead to the meeting Loel was going to - Lord Heissman von Bruner would be there along with others who helped bring down the Cult of Unblinking Eye years earlier].

At the Jade College , they eventually are present as a Jade Mother hears of Krijn’s actions and judges him. Matthias Krieger gives his account and notes he has examined Krijn and found no sign of mutation. Hans and Findulas do not speak of Krijn’s “bloody tears” (they having been the heroes who witnessed them).

The Jade Mother is impressed that Krijn bound a fen construct, but finds no obvious sign of tainted magic in his actions. His fate hangs on a knife’s edge (dice roll, one fortune die and one misfortune to see outcome) but he is taken into the College for training, though under close supervision with the College making a “note” that Hans is his cousin (not a good sort of note, more a ‘if something goes wrong with him….” success and bane on the roll).

The heroes and Matthias Krieger then part company. Findulas ends his escort duty.

Another Interlude follows of a couple of days (the 16th and 17th) as the heroes decide they should likely return to Ubersreik.

At Hans’ urging, Anselm tries to track down any rumours about Hans’ missing mother (really an attempt to gather information about the mysterious “Count” but Anselm is not willing to directly try to gather information about this dangerous figure). Hans’ mother Ishild is many years gone from Altdorf (at least in official memory) and Anselm fails the Challenging check to find something useful.

[Note my "Fair Play" rule on this is if I make you roll on success you can find something, it being unlikely just makes the roll harder - to use the common example in game theory talk, no you can't roll to shoot down the moon but any plausible path a player sees through the story should be possible, even if unlikely.]

With a couple of side boons all he learns is that her husband, a Sigmarite Choirmaster, has posted a gold shilling reward for her safe return. Not as much as her eldest stepson is offering for her return to stand trial.

Before the heroes can leave Altdorf , however, they are found by a Morrite priest who has been looking for them.

Next Up – “Krokargh's Return”. This is a homebrew scenario building on the events of Drowning Well and Horror at Hugeldal, as the insane Lady Agnetha acquired a spirit possessing her at Drowing Well before being committed to Frederheim.

I post write ups to show how published official or unofficial adventures go etc. This will be a totally homebrew adventure and if it's less of interest, I won't post.

Cool. A great read. I like the way the plots for the various adventures have intertwined.

What was the ooc reasoning behind keeping Bobo out of his daemonic state? Just pure mercy on your players? When I played it we TPKed.

For keeping Bobo in parrot form I was a bit inspired by the earlier edition adventure in which a daemon is trapped in inferior form as punishment by a ruinous power. The "mental process" this followed as:

(a) In my campaign the Order of the Unblinking Eye from "eye for an eye" is a Tzeentch cult and linked to the events a decade or so ago when the Order of Light was briefly controlled by a secret Tzeentch cultist (the Cabal, Horstmann etc). One of my PC's was an apprentice (just starting) to a Light Wizard who was "caught up in the cleaning up of the Order and never heard from again", himself under suspiscion for a bit and transferred to another wizard to complete his training.

(b) For campaign continuity, I decided to "order ot the broken wheel" was really being used by a daemon who failed to stop this from happening (he was supposed to kill a key witch hunter, Matthias Krieger, who appears in Fauligmere/ Witch's Song), the daemon is seeking revenge on those who were instrumental in the unravelling of his conspiracy (Lord Heismann von Bruner, Matthias Krieger and ..... the disappeared Light Wizard who was double agent for the good guys and has been "disappeared" for his own good [the Player doesn't know his about his suspect and long vanished master]). Until he can bring about the demise or corruption of each of these, he can't return to his "proper and more enjoyable form" (he really doesn't like being "a pretty boy").

Rolling those around, I decided the Daemon as Parrot wasn't his choice, but punishment. I gave him a "stack of actions" and let him have full damage on his cards (nasty claws on that parrot!). He's not really dead since "enough damage to kill the parrot isn't nearly enough to kill the real thing, just causes it to emerge, whereupon after almost returning, Tzeentch "crushes him down" and puts him back in some other ignoble form ~ we have not seen the last of Bobo).

Rob

PS, I should add that in the interllude I reduced Party Tension 1 because of interplayer help (Brother Erich gave Hans a healing draught, Anselm used his interlude time to help Findulas at one point and Hans at another)