About doc_cthulhu

GMing WFRP since 1998. Veteran of TEW.

The Legacy of Tibor Brochi‏

New adventure for WFRP2 just reached my mailbox. Hectorius from Strike-to-Stun forum wrote an interesting scenario:

Middenheim is an ancient city, and it is true to say that most of it is still laid out much as it was when the Dwarves built it.  Strangely it is only in recent years, with the development of the subversive ‘realistica’ school of painting in Tilea that something rather odd was noticed.

When Archimede Fantabulosa painted his masterpiece of ‘Middenheim from the East’, the Elector initially refused to pay him- Although an accurate representation, he showed a large tower projecting from somewhere inside the City that every native knew wasn’t there.

It soon became known that for certain individuals the Tower was visible from outside the City, but all attempts to locate it inside the walls failed. After the Clerics and mages also failed to resolve the issue, the whole thing was filed under “weird but unimportant”.

You can download the The Legacy of Tibor Brochi‏ HERE and comment it for the author HERE. Big thanks to Steve for this! In the Age of Sigmar we need every piece of fan-material we can get…

Bretonnian Knighthood

Photo by: Kirill_M Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/39781580@N04/4154860768/

Photo by: Kirill_M
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/39781580@N04/4154860768/

After nine years of “it’s going to happen” one of my players who got me back into WFRP all those years ago started his own campaign. And we get to play knights! In Bretonnia!

We created the character (naturally taking the advantage of the magnificent Expanded Character Module by Dave Graffam) and discussed a little about what’s to come. The GM asked us all to write a little something about our characters’ background and I set out to work.

I haven’t actually read the Knights of the Grail in almost ten years. I might have leafed through it on an occasion but now I wanted to get the facts right with my Knight Errant from Parravon. Aaand naturally this was where the problems started.

All players of Warhammer know that it is about exaggerated mockery of the actual history. And most players know that Bretonnia is about chivalric knights in shining armour – like those in Arthurian legends. But what got me off-guard was the description of the Knight Errant:

Knights of the Empire start their careers following after some other knight, acting as nothing more than a servant. What else would you expect from a nation who has forgotten the true meaning of chivalry, the true meaning of honour, and the true meaning of courage?

In Bretonnia, knights start off riding their own trail, as they set off on their errantry tour. Bretonnian knights learn from the best school there is: genuine experience. At the start of their tour, they don’t have any genuine experience, but most make up the deficit with their enthusiasm.

Wait, what?

So young boys are set on a warhorse, given a suit of armour and a lance and sent of to their own adventures? No training, no time acting as a squire, no nothing? Just “keep yourself alive lad and kill some orcs for the Lady?”

As it turns out our GM had different plans and he was a bit shocked by this. Even though he has been reading stuff about Bretonnia on and off for all those nine years. “That makes absolutely no sense!” was the summary of his words.

On the other hand I have to (naturally agree) but on the other hand it got me thinking the pure ingenuity of this kind of behaviour.

Warning – This post contains some spoilers and racial doctrine about the evolution of Bretonnians. You can blame the fairies for that.

Continue reading

Random Skaven Trappings

As a part of the Bitter Moors supplement I’m writing I came up with the idea to write a trappings table for Skaven. I have no idea if anyone is ever going to need it but it was fun to write!

This document is not proofread or anything as it will later be published as a part of the said Bitter Moors document. I wanted to publish it beforehand to so my appreciation for the community who came in to help me to fill this table.

So thank you Clanlord Trask & Fleshbeast from the The Under-Empire Forum, and Thank You Chiron, Xathrodox86, Robin Low, Wymslayer, Padre., jackdays, and Gerner from Strike-to-Stun forum!

Download – Random Skaven Trappings (pdf)

[Bitter Moors] Landrel Barrow

Landrel Barrow

“Landrel Barrow is a large earth mound the size of a small hill in the March of Couronne. It is artificial and has a large stone gateway set in the side. Light never seems to penetrate far, and a chilling cold always radiates from it.

Every few years, though the precise time seems to be random, an army of skeletons and zombies marches out of the barrow. They follow the same route every time and completely ignore anyone who leaves them alone. As there are 4,373 of them (they ignored one scholar so much he was able to make an accurate count), most nobles are willing to ignore them. The few who are not meet bad ends, unless their friends can restrain them.

Many groups of adventurers have investigated the barrow. Most have come back, reporting finding nothing but a few cold and empty stone tunnels under the hill. One group found an undisturbed burial chamber, lost one man to the Wight lairing there, and emerged with some treasure. Some groups, however, have simply failed to emerge.”

KotG p.70

The Barrow is rightfully deemed cursed by the people of the Bitter Moors. They avoid going to its vicinity if possible but some brave the hazard of undead to gather Caper herbs (used to kill fleas) and Juniper berries (used as painkillers).

Some also come here to search scrap metal on the Pathway of the Dead as they call it. As a part of some long-forgotten adulthood rite young men and women of the Moors would come to see the March of the Dead. They would carry white stones gathered from the shores of Manaansport Sea and track to way of the dead with them. Walking between the stones is a sure way to catch the evil eye but some are either too daring or too stupid to care.

The Pathway extends from the Barrow towards the sea but end abruptly. Those few who have witnessed the March say that once they cross the last stones they simply vanish in thin air.

At the end of 25th century some locals made a quick fortune by luring daring adventurers to the Barrow. A young woman would offer herself as the guide to the Barrow. Once inside the other would roll large boulder to close the opening. The guide would wriggle herself through a narrow slit in the Barrow’s side leaving the adventurer inside to starve.

It is unknown how the locals operated the heavy boulder but its remains are still lying beside the doorway. As the story goes the bandits trapped an Imperial Wizard inside the Barrow. She blasted the boulder into two pieces and nothing was ever heard of the bandits again.

Inside the Barrow narrow passage ways slither into the dark and cold earth. Tiny streams of water drip through stone here and there sometimes form pools that glow ominously. There are strange, ancient carvings on the walls that no-one has been able to decipher. Some even claim that there are runes that could be deduced to be of Norscan origin, suggesting that the Barrow might very well be the resting place of an ancient army of Chaos marauders. The sightings of the March of the Dead usually support this notion.

[Bitter Moors] Tancred Castle

“Tancred Castle, only recently completed, is a good example of this. It sits on a low but steep hill, and the outer wall is studded with towers. The high inner wall allows defenders to turn the region between the walls into a killing zone, whilst the final round keep also has a tall signal and watchtower. The castle has a good well and large stores of food. Fully manned, it could survive a siege for over three months. The surrounding land is not particularly fertile, and it is unlikely that a living army could last that long.”

See KotG p.70

Standing on the disputed border of Bretonnia and the Empire Tancred Castle has changed hands numerous times during its 500 year old history. It was brought to ruin in the Great War against Chaos and was only recently rebuilt. The castle was given to a notable war hero, Earl Adalbert, by King Louen Leoncoeur and the Earl moved in immediately.

Earl received huffed letters from Marienburg and Altdorf for taking a castle not belonging to Bretonnia but no actual army was ever send to oppose him And as the Storm of Chaos hit the Old World such quarrels were but quickly aside. Earl Adalbert was quickly to reinforce the castle to withstand the forces of Norse reavers.

During the war it withheld against large invading troops and now a mound of burnt corpses rises near the castle. Earl Adalbert gained fame for his virtuous behaviour and unswerving courage against the hordes of Chaos.

After the war Earl Adalbert has sent his Knights of the Realm to patrol the Couronne Swamps as well as the Bitter Moors. Though officially he is making sure that the people living there are safe it is rumoured that he is considering about making a move to conquer Marienburg. Should this be a fact it just might be that he was sent to Castle Tancred to do precisely that by no other than the King of Bretonnia.

Under-Tancred

Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the Tancred Castle the Skaven of Clan Sheehakk have carved a small warren under the castle. This warren mainly acts as the focus point of Sheehakk spies that have been sent here by Vasrin the Sneak to learn about knights riding to Bitter Moors.