{
	"label": "Journals (Rough Nights & Hard Days)",
	"entries": {
		"Nastassia's Wedding": {
			"name": "Nastassia's Wedding",
			"pages": {
				"The Adventure": {
					"name": "The Adventure",
					"text": "<h3>Player's Introduction</h3><p>The marriage of Baroness Nastassia von Saponatheim to Baron Karl-Heinz von Liebwitz of Ambosstein promises to be one of the most talked about social events of the season. The great, the good, and the glamorous are gathering from all over the Empire for the celebrations at Castle Grauenberg.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} is a picture of maidenly beauty at 16. Her betrothed, Karl-Heinz, is a handsome and athletic youth one year her senior, and @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike’s} heir and younger brother.</p><p>It seems like an ideal marriage. Although Baron Karl-Heinz is connected to the wealthy and powerful House Liebwitz of Nuln, he stands to inherit relatively little land, and is destined for obscurity. By comparison, @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Baroness Nastassia}, the only child of @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Graf Wilhelm von Saponatheim}, stands to inherit all the Duchy of Saponatheim and its sworn vassals, which includes @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.OONgV24fbQ8ZEqSr]{Bögenhafen}, one of the busiest trading towns in the Reikland. However, due to a series of bad decisions made by her ancestors, House Saponathiem is relatively poor. So, one family has the money, and the other has the land. Both houses have been awaiting this advantageous union for years.</p><h3>The Other Guests</h3><p>If you are following the campaign, the Characters will be in the retinue of @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike}: Gold status Characters will be accommodated in the guest suites put aside for her family (<em>Location 19</em>), and others in the servant’s accommodation set aside for her party (<em>Location 12</em>).</p><p>If Nastassia’s Wedding is played as a stand-alone adventure and the PCs arrive at the invitation of another noble guest, they are quartered in the rooms set aside for that noble’s party. If they are invited by the Saponatheims themselves, Gold status Characters will be put in one or two of the smaller guest rooms (<em>Locations 15 and 17</em>) while others are sent to the servants’ quarters.</p>"
				},
				"Events": {
					"name": "Events",
					"text": "<p>The wedding ceremony is due to begin at noon on Festag (the last day of the eight-day week in the Empire). Guests begin to arrive on Angestag afternoon (the second-last day of the week), and the twenty-four hours before the wedding will prove to be quite eventful.</p>\n<p>Set out below is roughly what will happen during that time, subject to the effects of whatever the Characters decide to do — and to whatever tweaks, changes, and additional events you decide to throw in. The more, the merrier!</p>\n<h4>Angestag Afternoon</h4>\n<p>The trickle of guests arriving by road and river turns into a flood. At about 3:00 p.m. the river liner Emperor Wilhelm arrives amid much excitement, carrying most of the von Liebwitz party (assuming the Grand Duchess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle} pulled some strings to appropriate the liner; if not, the @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{gravin} and her staff arrive by barge). Although the Countess is not attending the wedding in person, she has sent several gifts with the small group of Nuln von Liebwitzes who have come along with their Ambosstein cousins.</p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the personal barges of other noble guests draw up alongside the castle’s landing stage. Occasional scuffles break out between crew members when two or more barges arrive at the same time. Nobles — especially minor nobles — are very conscious of status and precedence: everyone has an opinion about whose boat should be the next to dock, and no one likes to be kept waiting.</p>\n<h4>Angestag Evening</h4>\n<p>A feast is held in the Great Hall to welcome the guests. Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm von Saponatheim} has spared no expense, even engaging legendary Bretonnian chef Marcel de Morceaux for the occasion. Entertainers of all kinds amuse the guests, including a troupe of acrobats from faraway Ind. Gossip and scandal run up and down the hall as the assembled nobles get down to doing what nobles do best.</p>\n<p>Amid the merry-making, observant Characters will notice a few things.</p>\n<p>A <strong>Challenging (+0) Perception</strong> Test (<strong>Average (+20)</strong> for Entertainers) spots the acrobats from Ind are not playing the hall like the other entertainers. They start off moving around, collecting money thrown on the floor like everyone else, but after a few minutes pay close attention to a group of nobles from Telland. Any Courtier who learns this may make a <strong>Challenging (+20) Intelligence</strong> Test </p>\n<p>to recall that Countess @UUID[Actor.EV48uP56ar5oc1sE]{Clothilde} of Telland — who is sitting with the group in question — has been showing  off a pink ruby all season. The ruby is said to have been bought by her son when he last sailed to Ind. The party may also notice that a richly dressed ‘Halfling’ — in fact, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} in disguise — is watching the countess and the Indish performers closely. </p>\n<p>If confronted, Glimbrin will fake a high-brow accent he learned from Seedling — his Halfling friend from @UUID[JournalEntry.g4vOyAOCjOl4EHBO]{A Rough Night at the Three Feathers} — and attempt to remove himself from the situation.</p>\n<p>A <strong>Challenging (+0) Intuition</strong> Test notes the bride-to-be, while outwardly radiant, looks around from time to time as if scanning the hall for someone or something. She does not even glance at the bridegroom. @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz} the bridegroom, for his part, is enraptured by an elegant sword that is to be his wedding gift from his new father-in-law. The blade placed on display in a glass case for all to see. Karl-Heinz spends much of the evening engaged in an excited discussion with Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm}as they both fawn over its design. As the wine flows, Karl-Heinz cannot help but boast and brag about the heroic acts he will achieve with such a sword by his side.</p>\n<p>A <strong>Challenging (+0) Perception</strong> Test (<strong>Average (+20)</strong> for Courtiers, <strong>Easy (+40)</strong> for Rogues) spots a couple of the guests who seem out of place (this information is automatic for any Character with the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.sYbgpSnRqSZWgwFP]{Etiquette (Nobles)} Talent). They are as expensively dressed as anyone else, but their clothes somehow don’t quite fit them properly. They keep to themselves, and don’t seem to know anyone else at the feast. Nobles may think they are provincial merchants who have somehow wangled an invitation, but Rogues will have no doubt they are criminals of some sort. At some time in the evening, the two sidle up to a table near the bottom of the hall, position themselves on either side of a young male guest, and a quiet but clearly heated exchange takes place. Courtiers may attempt a <strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence</strong> Test to know that the young guest is a cousin of the von Saponatheims, Graf Johann von Gient, recently returned from Marienburg. </p>\n<p>You may add other incidents and events at will. For instance, drunken young nobles may decide to have a duel in the hall or somewhere else in the castle. A couple may slip off for a secret assignation, and be caught <em>in flagrante</em> delicto in some bedchamber, crypt, or shrubbery. A visiting servant may try to slip a piece of von Saponatheim silverware inside his or her clothing, or offer to sell family secrets to a rival. Practical jokes and acts of petty theft and vandalism may take place. Wine is flowing and high-spirited young nobles are having a good time, so almost anything could happen.</p>\n<p>The feast ends around 11:00 p.m. Guests drift, stagger, and are carried to the various guest rooms. Nastassia is among the first to leave the tables, pleading a headache. By midnight, the Great Hall is deserted apart from a few servants clearing away the ruins of the feast and a cluster of crusty old Barons gathered around a brandy keg, loudly re-enacting various historical battles on an empty table using salt cellars, wine glasses, and pieces of fruit.</p>\n<h4>12 midnight</h4>\n<p>Albrecht’s thugs, @UUID[Actor.hVO7ScsPtmyul85F]{Gert} and @UUID[Actor.ykdWommB6UYZR0EE]{Jan}, (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-4-–-a-matter-of-business]{Plot 4}) go to von Gient’s room, having bribed one of the servants to find out its location. There is a muffled yell (requiring a <strong>Challenging (+0) Perception </strong>Test to hear if close by), and then everything is quiet.</p>\n<p>The two leave after some ten minutes, having stripped the room of all its valuables. They sneak out of the castle and head off downriver, where a boat waits to take them home to Marienburg.</p>\n<h4>12:15 a.m.</h4>\n<div class=\"journal-image float-right flip\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/sword.webp\" width=\"264\" height=\"232\" /></div>\n<p>There is a commotion at the foot of the stairs leading to the solar tower. Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm} has staggered out and collapsed, dragging a suit of armor noisily to the floor. White-faced and gasping, he stammers incoherently about a monster in his room. A rapid search by the servants turns up no trace of an intruder.</p>\n<p>The graf has already failed a Psychology Test to resist @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.kJNAY1YRaCy9IgmT]{Terror 3} and has three @Condition[Broken] Conditions; it is impossible to get any sense out of him. The Characters can try to calm him in any of the normal ways, though the servants may misinterpret their intentions and try to ‘protect’ him. Once calm, he claims he was awakened by a glowing, snarling figure with a rotting head and golden jewellery. The thing made no attempt to harm him, but seemed angry and spoke harshly in a foreign tongue.</p>\n<p>The apparition was @UUID[Actor.0lA6P0HZlm6gibXV]{Inta-Dapesht}, a Nehekharan Wraith (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-3-–-a-collectors-item]{Plot 3}). It was disturbed when its tomb was looted and the sword recently acquired by the graf was stolen. It has stayed close to the graf, seething with anger, but is taking advantage of its @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.tNWrJUOArwfWXsPw]{Ethereal} nature to hide in a nearby wall.</p>\n<p>Once the graf gathers his wits, he shrilly demands the Characters exorcise the Wraith, or otherwise make the sword ‘disappear’. He states that the blade cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Ambossteins in this cursed state, for they will take any such gifts as an attempt to harm their family. However, he cannot arbitrarily deny the young bridegroom the gift given he loves it so.</p>\n<p>The spirit will then show itself again — along with its Terror 3 Trait — making the graf scream and faint. Unfortunately, @UUID[Actor.0lA6P0HZlm6gibXV]{Inta-Dapesht} only speaks the ancient language of Nehekhara. It is unlikely any of the Characters can speak Nehekharan, but a <strong>Very Hard (−30) Language (Magick)</strong> or <strong>Language (Arabyan)</strong> Test will allow a Character to pick out odd words here and there, and piece together enough of the message to understand. If Inta-Dapesht is attacked or otherwise offended — in other words, if the sword is not packed away and shipped back to Nehekhara — it will attack. Otherwise, it will accompany the sword back to its tomb, punishing anyone who interferes or delays its return as it goes.</p>\n<h4>12:30 a.m.</h4>\n<p>There is a scream from von Gient’s room. A serving-maid, with whom he had made an assignation for the night, went to his room and found that it had been thoroughly wrecked.</p>\n<p>Von Gient is dead, tied to the bed with signs of having been severely beaten. Strangest of all, a fresh herring is wedged between his teeth. A successful <strong>Very Easy (+60) Lore (Marienburg) </strong>Test, or a <strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence</strong> Test<strong> (Easy (+40)</strong> for racketeers; <strong>Average (+20)</strong> for Rogues), allows a Character to recognise the calling-card of the dreaded Marienburg crime lord, Albrecht the Fish.</p>\n<h4>12:45 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Outside the von Saponatheim family apartments, servants intercept a young guest who appears to have lost his way. He seems too drunk to speak — unable even to give his name or the name of his family so that he can be directed to the right quarters.</p>\n<p>This is @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim Bitterfeld}, the jeweller’s apprentice from Altdorf who is planning to elope with the baroness @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia}. He has lost his way and is pretending to be drunk in the hope of being left alone so he can keep looking for Nastassia’s room. A successful <strong>Average (+20) Intuition</strong> or <strong>Consume Alcohol</strong> Test will reveal that his drunkenness is feigned. Anyone who tries to search him will find that he is wearing two sets of clothes — one set is a disguise for Nastassia so that they can sneak out of the castle together.</p>\n<p>If left alone, @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim} will keep looking for @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia’s} room. He may cause disturbances from time to time as he goes into wrong rooms in various parts of the castle. He can be used as a distraction or an added complication whenever and wherever you choose.</p>\n<div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/castle-hall.webp\" /></div>\n<h4>1:00 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Many of the castle’s servants are drunk by now, having finished off any partially empty cups and bottles they found while clearing away the feast. Left alone in the cellars, @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred} (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-6-–-in-the-best-of-families]{Plot 6}) has managed to free himself. He bursts into the kitchens, breaking the necks of two servants before anyone knows what is happening. With the strength of the desperate, he shrugs off all attempts to stop him, making his way up to the main hall.</p>\n<p>Unless he is stopped, @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred} will go through the family apartments, into the solar tower, and up to the master bedroom to kill his father. What he lacks in mental acuity he more than makes up in physical strength and rage.</p>\n<p>Stopping Manfred is a delicate matter. As a nobleman — despite his condition — it is theoretically illegal for a member of the lower orders to lay violent hands upon him. Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm} may overlook this if Manfred can be subdued quickly and quietly, and returned to the cellars before anyone outside the family learns the truth. If Manfred is wounded, there will be consequences: paradoxically, though, the consequences for killing Manfred may be less severe if no one outside the family learns that he ever existed. His death, after all, solves a problem for the family by leaving Nastassia unchallenged as Graf Wilhelm’s heir. However, if Manfred’s existence becomes known, his killers will pay the price for the family’s embarrassment as well as for killing him.</p>\n<h4>1:15 a.m.</h4>\n<p>@UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} leaves her room to look for @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim} (see @UUID[.G61TuAHvNnFKl57t#12:45-a.m.]{12:45 a.m.}). If she encounters anyone along the way she pretends to be sleepwalking, and will not resist anyone who tries to wake her and conduct her back to her room. Instead, she waits a few minutes before leaving again in search of her secret lover.</p>\n<p>Anyone who enters her room after this time will find a note to her father propped up on her dressing table. The note explains that she has eloped with her true love rather than face this arranged marriage.</p>\n<h4>1:30 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Posing as a wedding guest, the @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Dammenblatz} agent (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-1-–-old-scores]{Plot 1}) went to another guest’s room (choose a guest of your own creation, preferably one with a connection to the Characters, or simply use a minor noble) to share a bottle of brandy or other nocturnal activity. The agent then quietly murders the other guest, and then sets out to take the body to the gravin’s room. If encountered, the agent will pretend to be drunk: using the Entertain (Acting) Skill as best as possible. The agent claims the other guest has drunk himself unconscious, quite dead to the world, and will accept help in getting him back to his room; if successful, the agent will wait 15 minutes before trying again.</p>\n<p>When arriving at the gravin’s room, the agent breaks in quietly and administers @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.wgFj3lFhCuO8OeDb]{Moonflower} vapours from a small fire-pot to make sure she stays asleep. The body is then dumped by her bed, and a bloody dagger is left near her hand.</p>\n<p>The agent then scatters pages from a scandalous pamphlet about the room. While the pamphlet claims to describe and illustrate the rites of ‘THE PRINTS OF PLESHUR’, it is simple pornography and contains no heretical (or useful) information.</p>\n<p>Finally, the agent rings for the gravin’s maid and hides under the bed while the maid discovers the body, planning to sneak out when the alarm is raised. If escape proves difficult, the agent will blend in with the crowd of guests and servants drawn by the maid’s screams.</p>\n<h4>1:45 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Unless prevented, @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} and @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim} find each other and slip off into the closed wings so she can change into her disguise. This process takes about ten minutes, and then the two ‘young nobles’ try to sneak out of the castle.</p>\n<h4>2:00 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Six @UUID[Actor.epgCvpdVO0OBxdNo]{young nobles} (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-5-–-unspeakable-acts]{Plot 5}) emerge from various guest rooms and make their way down to the wine cellar. If challenged, they pretend to be helping themselves to more wine and brandy. Once in the cellars, the cultists bar the door from the inside and begin their profane ritual. If @UUID[Actor.uwfulXjcWaTfVXf8]{Kavenner} is alive, he leads the ritual. If @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} lives and is a Mutant, he cowers in the corner, sobbing over his sorry lot in life. A low chanting and the occasional moan and muffled scream may be heard through the cellar door if anyone listens carefully with an <strong>Average (+20) Perception</strong> Test.</p>\n<p>The cultists are casting a spell that will summon a number of @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.actors.8gG2Wim6wAlJWRax]{Daemonette} to the castle. Once the summoning is complete, the cultists unbar the cellar door and the Daemonettes rampage through the castle in an orgy of destruction, pain, and worse. You should decide how many Daemonettes are summoned according to the capability of the Characters: there should be enough to provide a hard fight for the party and any allies it can muster, but not enough to ensure a one-sided slaughter. If matters look like they are getting out of hand, simply bring more of @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Graf Wilhelm’s} soldiers in to help.</p>\n<h4>2:15 a.m.</h4>\n<p>Four @UUID[Actor.C08izmgMFxghDtZD]{Taggee} (@UUID[.9F9hrdjcrIXmEJTm#plot-7-–-the-rose-tiger]{Plot 7}) sneak out of the entertainers’ quarters and head for @UUID[Actor.EV48uP56ar5oc1sE]{Dowager-Duchess Clothilde’s} rooms. They may be encountered anywhere you wish over the next 5-10 minutes as they attempt to locate their quarry. They are well-trained and extremely wary, and will avoid encounters when possible.</p>\n<p>At about the same time, Graf @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Josef von Angendorf} has made his transformation into the notorious jewel thief, the Wraith. A black-clad figure slips out of the window of Graf Josef ’s guest room and climbs around the outside of the castle towards the dowager-duchess’s chambers.</p>\n<p>If the @UUID[Actor.C08izmgMFxghDtZD]{taggee} recover the ruby, they kill the dowager-duchess as an act of retribution and stealthily leave the castle, stealing a boat and heading downstream.</p>\n<p>If the @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Wraith} steals the ruby before the @UUID[Actor.C08izmgMFxghDtZD]{taggee}, they climb out of the window in pursuit of the thief. If the Characters become involved, this can lead to a dangerous but very entertaining running battle on the castle’s walls and rooftops.</p>\n<p>Regardless of who steals the gem, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} will be waiting for them on the roof, and observes the escape. Begrudgingly, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} recognises he cannot hope to stop either party, so seeks out any of the Characters who have been sympathetic to him in the past. He explains the gem is stolen, and encourages them to give chase. </p>\n<p>If the Characters manage to recover the stolen gem, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} will, in turn, attempt to steal it from them, or offer any number of small trinkets — and even explosive devices if he was successful in his attempts during @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.SsYATFVcPahLsAHN]{A Night at the Opera} — in exchange. If pressed, and Glimbrin sees no way to recover the gem, he will make an impassioned speech about how the gem is the secret to defending his homelands from utter destruction. Of course, this is a lie.</p>\n<h4>Festag Morning</h4>\n<p>Assuming the castle isn’t in lockdown because of the daemonic attack, servants begin to stir around 5:00 a.m. Some head for the kitchens to prepare the wedding breakfast; others head for the rooms of their aristocratic charges, ready to wash and dress them for the great day.</p>\n<p>In short order, screams of horror and cries of outrage are heard from various parts of the castle as the results of the night’s events are discovered. This is an opportunity for you to involve the Characters in any plot that has escaped their notice so far.</p>\n<h4>The Runaways</h4>\n<p>If the bride and her paramour have managed to leave the castle, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} will send the Characters after them. ‘This is a very delicate situation,’ she explains. ‘<em>They must be recovered before word gets out. I don’t care what you have to do, whom you have to bribe, or how much — just make sure they are both back before the end of the day. I’ll do what I can to slow things down here — I’ll spread the word that she’s sick — but the wedding must go ahead. And don’t hurt the young man; it’s not his fault, really. Bring them both directly to me, and make sure no one else sees you.’</em></p>\n<p>The errant pair made their way to the river, intending to steal a small boat from the moorings downstream of the castle. They planned to go downstream to Altdorf, where @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim} has a priestess of Shallya ready to marry them — although she does not know who @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} is, and the bride will be using a false name. From there, Joachim will collect his belongings from his lodgings, having already taken leave of his master to begin life as a journeyman. He plans to set out for Marienburg with his new bride, there to seek his fortune.</p>\n<p>You can decide how far the pair’s plan has advanced. By dawn, they may be partway to Altdorf, but the adventurers will be able to catch them up in a few hours. Joachim is not a skilled sailor, and is unfamiliar with the stolen boat.</p>\n<p>Alternatively, the pair may have been delayed at the moorings as Joachim tried to find a suitable vessel to steal. They may have been spotted by a boatman or other guard, and since the custom of the river is to string up boat thieves without trial, the adventurers may arrive just in time to save their lives. No one, after all, is going to believe a young slip of a girl — dressed in men’s clothing, no less — when she is caught trying to steal a boat and tries to get out of trouble by claiming to be the young bride from the castle! It would be quite the tragedy should the Characters arrive too late in such circumstances.</p>\n<h4>The Heir</h4>\n<p>Even if @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred’s} escape was contained and his existence remains a secret, the von Saponatheims — under some pressure from their soon-to-be in-laws — have decided that he should be sent away in secret, and housed under a false name in some place far, far away. Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} has arranged for her personal physician to drug the heir to Schloss Grauenberg with a powerful sedative, and orders the Characters to conduct him to the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-archives2.scenes.NZziuX89rj3uC5vJ]{Great Hospice} of Shallya at Frederheim (just north of @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.V6tkgQ9A2skppjyl]{Altdorf}), or some similar institution elsewhere in the Empire.</p>\n<p>The journey can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. Manfred’s constitution is unusually strong, and the drug may not keep him fully subdued. Some rivals of the von Saponatheims — or worse, an agent working for @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz} or perhaps the Toppenheimers — might get hold of the rumour that the true heir to Saponatheim is being moved in secret, and complicate the adventurers’ lives still further. Even if all goes well, any long journey in the Empire is fraught with perils great and small, especially when one is conveying an unwilling human cargo.</p>\n<h4>The Assassin</h4>\n<p>Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} is in no doubt that @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{von Dammenblatz} was behind the attempt to frame her for murder in the night. If the assassin has not yet been captured, the Characters are sent to finish the job. ‘<em>Kill the Dammenblatz fool only if you have to,</em>’ she orders. ‘<em>Such creatures are far more valuable alive. If I can make the cretin name the Dammenblatzes in court, I can turn the tables and put this wretched business to rest once and for all</em>.’</p>\n<p>Easy enough for a noblewoman to say, of course. Tracking and capturing a skilled assassin — especially one as talented as @UUID[Actor.eOlJad1Pky9vNevM]{Dominique Herveaux}, if she still lives — is not simple, even for a seasoned group of adventurers. If they can succeed in their mission, though, they will win the gravin’s undying gratitude — and her determination to keep them, and their dangerous knowledge, close to her for the rest of their lives.</p>\n<h4>The Cultists</h4>\n<p>The @UUID[Actor.epgCvpdVO0OBxdNo]{followers of Slaanesh} include the young and foolish scions of some prominent families (you can choose which according to the needs of your campaign), and Gravin Maria-Ulrike is determined to detain and identify them all — without allowing word to reach the witch hunters (specifically the ever vigilant @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind}, who may still be on her trail since Nuln). Those from allied houses will be gently but firmly shown the error of their ways, and their misdeeds covered up; those from rival houses will be turned into useful assets, providing social and political leverage against their families.</p>\n<p>A secondary objective — to the gravin, at least — will be to identify other branches of the cult that seduced the young nobles, and ensure two things: first, that its members are punished for compromising members of the nobility; and second, that they are left in no condition to name the young aristocrats and embarrass them or their families in the future. A group of mercenaries, with no formal ties to any noble house, make a conveniently deniable instrument for such a task. This could even make an interesting side adventure if your Players fancy playing different Characters for a while.</p>\n<p>If either @UUID[Actor.uwfulXjcWaTfVXf8]{Kavenner} or @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} were involved with the summoning, the gravin is swift and brutal in her pronouncement: she wants them seized, burned, and buried. She then instructs her servants to erase any trace of evidence connecting her, or her cousin the @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess}, to either of them.</p>\n<h4>The Gem</h4>\n<p>If @UUID[Actor.EV48uP56ar5oc1sE]{Dowager-Duchess Clothilde of Telland} survived the night, she will want her ruby back; if not, there will be widespread interest in tracing both the gem and the venerable lady’s murderers. While Gravin Maria-Ulrike has no great personal stake in the well-being of the countess or the whereabouts of the gem, there is prestige to be gained for her house if she — or rather, her agents — can resolve the situation. </p>\n<p>The @UUID[Actor.C08izmgMFxghDtZD]{taggee} are heading down the Reik to Marienburg, intending to take ship for Ind as soon as possible — unless the @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Wraith} or @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} stole the gem first, in which case they are hot on the culprit’s trail. Bringing a noble to trial for theft will be a tricky business, but if the Characters can lay convincing proof before the gravin, she will take the matter in hand. However, rather than having Graf @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Josef von Angendorf} arrested, she will try to turn him into an unwilling accomplice, to be used under the threat of blackmail whenever the gravin needs to acquire an item under less than legal circumstances. If the Characters are instead trying to catch Glimbrin, they’ll have their work cut out for them, as this is the Gnome’s last caper before raiding his stash of stolen goods, then heading back to the Mirror Moors and his home in Glimdwarrow.</p>"
				},
				"Nastassia's Wedding": {
					"name": "Nastassia's Wedding",
					"text": "<p>A society wedding at the castle of a House Saponathiem offers a welcome break after the stresses of the trial, but the happy event, as our Heroes will find out, turns out to be anything but restful.</p><h2>Location</h2><p>Schloss Grauenberg is the seat of House Saponatheim, an ancient and storied bloodline that claims to trace its roots back to the Time of Sigmar. The venerable castle is situated in the heart of the Reikland, and has frequently stood as a near impenetrable defensive bastion during times of war. It stands on a rock above the River Bögen, some 40 miles downstream of the influential trading town of Bögenhafen.</p><p>The von Saponatheims may be an ancient family, but they have fallen on hard times, and are looking outwards to expand their influence once again.</p><h2>Getting There</h2><h3>Following the Campaign</h3><p>In the <strong>Rough Nights and Hard Days</strong> campaign, the wedding between Baron Karl-Heinz von Liebwitz of Ambosstein and Baroness @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia von Saponatheim} was arranged in simpler times, long before the soup-based death of Baron Otto von Dammenblatz and the trial of @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike}. The two were betrothed as children, and the first arrangements for the wedding were put in place then, many years ago. A small thing like a law-suit and a judicial combat would never be permitted to disrupt such important matters, although it is acknowledged that the timing of the trial is rather unfortunate. However, with the legal matters resolved, one way or another, Gravin Maria-Ulrike and her retinue — including the Characters — are able to attend the wedding without fear of a summons from the courts of Kemperbad.</p><p>The gravin’s party makes its way to Schloss Grauenberg by river from Nuln: past Altdorf, past Carroburg, then into the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.I0krpnI0RnVs5RwK]{River Bögen} and upstream to the castle. Grand @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess Emmanuelle} uses her influence to engage the luxurious river liner <em>Emperor Wilhelm</em> for the journey if the trail was won; if not, Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike’s} personal barge docks at the castle’s landing-stage while the boats carrying her baggage, guards, and servants discharge their cargo and passengers before being moored to stakes downstream.</p><h3>A Stand-Alone Adventure</h3><p>There are various ways to invite the Characters into the celebration. If they have been particularly successful in their adventures, they might be invited as celebrity guests. This new-found status means they’ll expected to entertain the company with tales of their exploits from time to time. High-status Characters — anyone from the Gold tier — might have ties to one of the attending families and merit a place on the guest list. Entertainers could be hired for the occasion; servants, cooks, and similar Characters could be employed by the hosts (even temporarily, to cope with the flood of wedding guests) or they might have come along in the retinue of some noble guest, most likely @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{the gravin}, who is always looking for new staff.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/castle-grauenberg.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Resolution": {
					"name": "Resolution",
					"text": "<p>As well as the usual awards for good roleplaying and bright ideas, XP should be awarded for the following:</p><p>@Exp[10,Secured Nastassia for her wedding, or helping her escape with Joachim]{10–30 points for securing Nastassia for her wedding, or helping her escape with Joachim}</p><p>@Exp[10,Prevented the completion of the Chaos ritual in the cellar]{10–30 points for preventing the completion of the Chaos ritual in the cellar}</p><p>@Exp[10,Stopped the Slaanesh Daemons if the ritual is concluded]{10 points for stopping the Slaanesh Daemons if the ritual is concluded}</p><p>@Exp[20,Prevented the theft of Dowager-Duchess Clothilde’s ruby]{20 points for preventing the theft of Dowager-Duchess Clothilde’s ruby}</p><p>@Exp[20,Dealed with the Nehekharan Wraith]{20 points for dealing with the Nehekharan Wraith}</p><p>@Exp[20,Thwarted the Dammenblatz agent]{20 points for thwarting the Dammenblatz agent}</p><p>@Exp[10,Re-captured Manfred]{10 points for re-capturing Manfred}</p><p>@Exp[10,Stopped Albrecht’s thugs before they kill von Gient]{10 points for stopping Albrecht’s thugs before they kill von Gient}</p><p>There are many other opportunities for extra XP, including excorting @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred} to a new home, finding the eloping couple, or hunting down and capturing the Dammenblatz agent. The appropriate awards for these are left in your hands depending upon how difficult you make it for the Characters.</p><h3>What's Next?</h3><h4>Following the Campaign</h4><p>The following day, the wedding will take place — or not. Everything depends on the events of the night.</p><p>If the bride and groom are still in the castle and the existence of @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred von Saponatheim} has been successfully covered up, the wedding takes place as planned. Observers may comment on @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia’s} downcast demeanour, but this is not unusual in loveless noble marriages. Her father, on the other hand, is jubilant, as are the groom and his family. Another day of feasting and celebration follows, which can be played out in detail as you prefer. However, if the cursed sword is delivered to Baron @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz}, the @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Wraith} within materialises once more and causes a commotion that could easily destroy the newly built alliance — unless the Characters step in.</p><p>If all is not well, guests will depart on the morning of Festag, starting with the von Liebwitz contingent. The failure of the wedding is an embarrassment to both houses, and a fiction is agreed upon to head off scandal and cover it up. @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred} is packed off to a distant hospice under a false name, accompanied by a generous donation to the Sisters of Shallya. Unless she has escaped with her paramour, @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} is confined to her rooms with a fictional illness until her parents can arrange another match. To secure the cover-up, servants are bribed or threatened into silence, and noble guests tacitly agree, in the way of the great and good, never to speak of the night — at least, for as long as they have nothing to gain by raking up scandal against the von Saponatheims at the next Black Powder Week in Nuln!</p><p>Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike’s} next stop is Ubersreik, where another piece of political business awaits. Accompanied by the Characters, she either a) travels upriver to @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.OONgV24fbQ8ZEqSr]{Bögenhafen}, where she engages a caravan of carts and coaches to travel by road along the fringes of the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.UqeZNqbpV8uocCUN]{Reikwald}; or b) travels downriver by barge to the River Blut, where she heads upstream to the River Tahme, then eventually reaches the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.RRwo3WYqdXvQ9jJp]{Vorbergland Canals}. The journey can be played out in detail, or you can skip ahead to the party’s arrival in Ubersreik.</p><h4>A Stand-Alone Adventure</h4><p>If the adventurers are not following the campaign, the plots listed above under Festag Morning offer ways to continue this adventure. The adventurers could find themselves headed to Altdorf in pursuit of the fleeing lovers, Marienburg to investigate Albrech the Fish, Frederheim with @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred}, Glimdwarrow to capture @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimdrin}, the Lands of the Dead with the antique sword and @UUID[Actor.0lA6P0HZlm6gibXV]{Inta-Dapesht} in tow, or even Ind, to steal the Rose Tiger once again! Or, if they wish to endear themselves further to @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike}, the Characters might track down the assassin and provide her with a weapon to use against her rival, @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz}.</p>"
				},
				"Plot Summaries": {
					"name": "Plot Summaries",
					"text": "<h4>Plot 1 – Old Scores</h4>\n<p>As far as the law is concerned, the @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{von Dammenblatz} charges against Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} have been dismissed. Whether resolved by the trial by combat, or determined later by lawyers examining Dammenblatz crimes, the gravin is cleared of all crimes. However, while Baron Eberhardt von Dammenblatz is forced to accept the legal result, he is far from treating the matter as settled. </p>\n<p>While he was not invited to the wedding himself, his agents are at work to discredit the von Liebwitz family and sabotage the wedding. If she still lives, it is @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.actors.eOlJad1Pky9vNevM]{Dominique Herveaux} who is sent to deal with the situation.</p>\n<h4>Plot 2 – Star-Crossed Lovers</h4>\n<p>Like many noble marriages, this match has more to do with family position, land, and influence than with love. @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} and @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz} have met only a handful of times since they were betrothed as children. Unfortunately, Nastassia has met someone else much more frequently. She is now madly in love with @UUID[Actor.Nnas6TyUYFPQJgDa]{Joachim Bitterfeld}, a jeweller’s apprentice from @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.V6tkgQ9A2skppjyl]{Altdorf}. The two have carried on an ardent, but unconsummated, affair for some time. Unable to persuade her father against the marriage, Nastassia has decided to elope with her paramour on the night before the wedding.</p>\n<h4>Plot 3 – A Collector’s Item</h4>\n<p>Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm von Saponatheim} is a veteran of several wars, and has become an avid collector of military curiosities. Through a contact in the Border Princes, he recently acquired an ornate ancient sword from the desert Lands of the Dead, which now sits in pride of place among his collection in the main hall. He intends to present the blade to his new son-in-law as a wedding gift.</p>\n<p>What @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Graf Wilhelm} does not know is that the weapon was looted from an ancient tomb. Its @UUID[Actor.0lA6P0HZlm6gibXV]{rightful owner} wants it back, and will not let a trivial thing like death deter him from tracking down and recovering his prized possession. Furthermore, should the gift be delivered with the curse still intact, the Ambossteins may assume that Graf Wilhelm was attempting to assassinate @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz}, which isn’t the best way to start a marriage.</p>\n<h4>Plot 4 – A Matter of Business</h4>\n<p>Graf Johann von Gient, a distant cousin of the von Saponatheims, has recently returned from Marienburg, where he was conducting some family business. A compulsive gambler, he lost heavily and ran out on gambling debts amounting to several thousand guilders — most of them to the dreaded crime lord, Albrecht the Fish.</p>\n<p>For the sake of his reputation, Albrecht cannot let this matter rest. He has dispatched two of his most presentable-looking thugs, @UUID[Actor.hVO7ScsPtmyul85F]{Gert} and @UUID[Actor.ykdWommB6UYZR0EE]{Jan}, to have a quiet word with von Gient and offer him one last chance to settle his debt.</p>\n<div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-core/art/spot/spot-pouch.webp\" width=\"198\" height=\"142\" /></div>\n<h4>Plot 5 – Unspeakable Acts</h4>\n<p>The hedonism and degeneracy among some elements of the Old World’s nobility are legendary. Some — especially the young and foolish — seek to push their search for pleasure to the ultimate limits, and these are easy prey for the Chaos God Slaanesh and her followers.</p>\n<p>Some devoted followers of the Prince of Pleasure are among the many nobles at the wedding guests.  The @UUID[Actor.epgCvpdVO0OBxdNo]{followers} plan to break every moral law and engage in an appalling act of worship. If either @UUID[Actor.uwfulXjcWaTfVXf8]{Brecht Kavenner} or the mutated @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler} from @UUID[JournalEntry.SsYATFVcPahLsAHN]{A Night at the Opera} still live, they are drawn into whatever infernal rites take place.</p>\n<h4>Plot 6 – In the Best of Families</h4>\n<p>The von Saponatehims guard a terrible secret: unbeknownst to @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia}, she is not Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm’s} only child. Her brother @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred} is feeble-minded, and despite his diminished condition is the sole legal heir to the Duchy of Saponatheim.</p>\n<p>Pretending he died at birth, so far, the family has managed to keep him hidden in a filthy, basement cell. But if his existence should become known, the wedding — and the alliance between the Ambossteins and the von Saponatheims — will be in serious jeopardy. If Nastassia is no longer @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Graf Wilhelm’s} undisputed heir, she cannot bring the family’s lands to her marriage with @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz}: the Ambossteins will be outraged at the deception, and the von Saponatheims will be severely embarrassed.</p>\n<h4>Plot 7 – The Rose Tiger</h4>\n<p>The Dowager-Duchess @UUID[Actor.EV48uP56ar5oc1sE]{Clothilde of Telland} has a fabulous ruby — slightly pink in color, with a flaw in the shape of a cat’s head — which she wears to all-important occasions. An equally legendary jewel thief, known as the @UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{Wraith}, has decided to steal the ruby and will make the attempt at the wedding celebrations.</p>\n<p>@UUID[Actor.vGgW2RxhEwGBETNb]{The Wraith} is not the only party interested in the ruby. The Rose Tiger was stolen from Raja Shrimant Rao of Ind five years ago, and a group of the @UUID[Actor.C08izmgMFxghDtZD]{taggee} agents has been sent to recover it. Posing as entertainers, they are waiting for the right moment to strike and reclaim the gem. And, of course, there is @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin}, who has never seen a gem he doesn’t like…</p>"
				},
				"The Castle": {
					"name": "The Castle",
					"text": "<p>Aging Schloss Grauenberg is perched high above the River Bögen, and is one of the primary bastions in central Reikland. </p><p>Within, it is lavish, comfortable, and well-fortified against outside threats such as Beastmen, Brigands, and revolting peasants.</p><p>The main building is a grand, multi-storied, fortified mansion enclosing an flagstone courtyard — recently embellished with the fashionable addition of a formal garden. Overlooking the river, there are three older wings, all of which are crumbling, dangerous, and in dire need of renovation. From the west wall a steep road leads down to the fortified gatehouse that stands over the winding Grand Walk to the riverside landing-stage far below. </p><h3>Gatehouse</h3><p>The gatehouse overlooks the top of a winding path leading up to the castle. The archway over the entrance is equipped with murder holes, and two cannons stand on the roof, supported by two mortars.</p><p>Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm von Saponatheim} is no fool and can see trouble is brewing across the Reikland, so his castle currently barracks a significant proportion of Saponatheim’s 1st Regiment of Foot, most of whom are found in the gatehouse’s upper levels. This is draining the Graf ’s coffers significantly, so he is considering new ways to tax his people.</p><p>The gateway is wide enough to admit a coach, and is equipped with a stout portcullis in addition to two pairs of heavy oak-and-iron gates.</p><h3>Stables, Coach-house, and Smithy</h3><p>The stables and a small smithy stand against the internal walls. One of the garrison does double duty as a smith, shoeing horses at need and making other small repairs. For more demanding work, a smith is called in from the nearby village of Vorenau; the town of Trosreut to the north is closer, but it is ruled by House Schnital. The Saponatheims do not have good relations with the Schnitals.</p><p>The coach-house is next to the stables. Given the number of guests requiring stabling for their horses, an area has been roped off between the stable block and the formal gardens; several coaches are parked there and their horses are tethered in lines, munching on bales of hay.</p><h3>Kennels and Mews</h3><p>Opposite the stable block stands a stone building dedicated to the Graf ’s greatest pleasures: hunting and hawking. The bustle of activity has unsettled both the hawks and the hounds, which are far noisier than usual.</p><h3>The Formal Gardens</h3><p>The centre of the castle courtyard is occupied by a formal garden, made up of low hedges, bushes, and flower beds.</p><h3>Main Building</h3><p>The main building is constructed as a large square around the central courtyard. The east wing consists of the entry hall with the great hall behind, as well as many well-appointed guest rooms. It also connects through to the abandoned sections of the castle. The south wing holds the kitchens and store-rooms, with a cellar beneath and servants’ rooms on the upper floor. The north wing consists of the Saponatheim chambers and private rooms, and also houses their family chapel, which includes shrines to the river god Bögenauer, Taal, and a sizeable altar to Sigmar. The west wing, which overlooks the gatehouse, contains more rooms converted for the many visiting guests.</p><h3>Solar Tower</h3><p>A spiral staircase in the north wing leads to the Solar Tower which contains the bedrooms of @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Graf Wilhelm} and his wife, Grafina Alwilda, at the top. Their daughter, @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Baroness Nastassia}, has chambers at the bottom of the tower.</p><h3>Grand Walk</h3><p>This broad avenue of crushed rock leads down from the gatehouse to the landing stage by the river. It is a steep climb, and the family’s coach ferries elderly and infirm guests up to the castle. The view of the castle is most imposing, especially from the bottom of the walk.</p><h3>Landing Stage</h3><p>A stone landing-stage fronts the river, with a boat-house to one side, where the family’s boat is moored. Behind the boat-house is a cord store where rope, canvas, and other necessities are kept. In preparation for the wedding, a sizeable, wooden jetty was constructed to berth the extra barges that are due to arrive.</p><p>The gorgeously-appointed personal vessels of the most prominent noble guests are docked along the landing stage and jetty, with their noses inward to save space. A stretch is kept clear for new arrivals, which draw alongside to disembark their passengers before joining the others. Ten guards — all from of the castle’s garrison — keep watch on the valuable vessels.</p>"
				}
			}
		},
		"Appendix I: Gnomes": {
			"name": "Appendix I: Gnomes",
			"pages": {
				"Gnomes": {
					"name": "Gnomes",
					"text": "<p><strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong> adds Gnomes from the Mirror Moors to the pool of possible Player Character options in <strong>WFRP</strong>.</p>\n<div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/actors/gnome1.webp\" width=\"324\" height=\"407\" /></div>\n<h2 class=\"no-toc\">Gnomes</h2>\n<p>As far as most of the Empire is concerned, Gnomes are a myth, found only in over-blown Bretonnian romances or Altdorf pfennig-dreadfuls where they frequently appear as magical tricksters. However, there is truth behind the stories, for Gnomes are not only real, but they live in the Empire.</p>\n<p>Gnomes — or Gnommi as they call themselves in their native tongue of Ghassally — have a handful of settlements within the Empire’s borders, but do not mix with the broader Human population to any significant degree. So uncommon are they, Gnomes are often mistaken for over-thin Halflings by ill-educated folk.</p>\n<p>Because of this, Gnomes seeking unquestioned passage through the Empire often shave any facial hair and wear bulky clothes or padding to hide their far thinner frames. Whilst this would never fool a Halfling, it is usually enough to convince others.</p>\n<p>Short, wiry, with bulbous noses, and large, rounded ears, Gnomes have thick hair, dextrous fingers, and gruff voices that can be surprisingly deep for such diminutive folk. They are a close-knit, clannish people, putting family and personal loyalty ahead of most other concerns with a stubborn tenacity that can surprise even the most intractable Dwarf. Much as the legends suggest, Gnomes are inherently magical, and share a close relationship with Ulgu, the magical wind of shadows, illusions, and deceit.</p>\n<p>Glimdwarrow is the largest Gnome settlement within the Empire, though rumours claim others lie beneath the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.w0YfGxsBuLoODCgc]{Grey Mountains} in Reikland, the Middle Mountains in Middenland, and the Kölsa Hills of Talabecland. Glimdwarrow itself lies hidden below the Mirror Moors to the south of Middenland, its burrows and halls cloaked by powerful illusions and vigilantly guarded by the Dwarrow Guard, an elite unit of warrior-wizards. Glimdwarrow once boasted a bustling population of many thousands, but a century ago the Greenskin hordes of Grom the Paunch swept through the Mirror Moors and massacred almost all the Gnomes hiding there. Today, Glimdwarrow’s crumbling chambers are largely empty, and only eight Gnome clans survive. Ruled by troubled Merawidda Frayne, the Ashen Queen, the leaders of the remaining clans openly hate each other, each blaming the others for the horrors Grom’s Greenskins unleashed.</p>\n<h3>Opinions</h3>\n<p><strong>On Dwarfs…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘Great Mother Tegen thinks she’s stubborn, always talking about ’ow it were Clan Landweth that caused all our problems, and ’ow she won’t be persuaded otherwise. But, as Mabyn is me witness, she ain’t got nothing on they Dwarfs. I’ve seen mountains more moveable when it comes to matters of gold.’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Aelyn Thorne, Glimdwarrow Trader</p>\n<p><strong>On Wood Elves…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘I ain’t ever met them, and I doubts I ever will. Probably no better than them other hoity-toity Elves from across the water.’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Morkam ‘Kneebone’, Mirror Moor Farmer</p>\n<p><strong>On High Elves…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘ ’Ere, after 200 years, I’m still jumping mad at them Elves. If it ’adn’t been for they idiots, we’d still be accepted across the Empire. But, no, it’s their way or nothing, and sadly that Emperor Magnus listened to those bloody Elves about what magic is. So, here we are, ’iding away, jumping at shadows.’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Kywere Hawken, Glimdwarrow Illusionist</p>\n<p><strong>On Halflings…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘Little hellers, they are! Met a family of them on the road travelling to Nomenfast, and while one was making a good deal to me face for a tray of pins, the rest were in me wares attempting to half-inch all me gear. Ringol’s Beard, I bet they got a shock when they got back to camp and found themselves light of their purses…’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Durngarth Peddlar, Wandering Vagabond</p>\n<p><strong>On Humans…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘If it ain’t their witch hunters chasing us for whatevers, or their lords looking to muscle us out, it’s their traders looking to steal what’s ours. But, they’s our neighbours, so they are, so we ’ave to make do somehow. Best to keep our heads low, I says. Real low.’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Old Demelza ‘Crowfeet’, Mirror Moor Fishwife</p>\n<p><strong>On Ogres…</strong></p>\n<p><em>‘So, she says to me, “Ain’t much eating on you, eh?” Didn’t bloody stop ’er trying though! Chased me across the moor, she did. For two days! Bloody wouldn’t give up! Never met an Ogre that didn’t look at me the way I look at a Rumster’s pie, so I runs whenever I see ’un of they idiots. Safest that way.’</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">– Jowanet Scantleburn, Herbalist of the Midden Marshes</p>\n<p> </p>\n<h2>Gnome Corruption</h2>\n<p>Gnomes mutate in the same fashion as Humans (see @UUID[JournalEntry.NS3YGlJQxwTggjRX.JournalEntryPage.115GzWrmkD4viyy5]{Corruption}).</p>"
				},
				"Gnome Characters": {
					"name": "Gnome Characters",
					"text": "<p>Character Creation for Gnomes follows the same steps as presented in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.journals.IQ0PgoJihQltCBUU]{Character}, using the following additions.</p><h3>1) Species</h3><p>If you wish, your Character can be a Gnome. Either choose to play a Gnome, or roll 1d100 and consult the following @UUID[RollTable.pdAbJyxsHNAMaSKZ]{Random Species} Table, and gain +20 XP if you accept the first result.</p><blockquote class=\"foundry-note\"><p>To use this Species table with Character Creation, open the <strong>Table Settings</strong> menu in the <strong>System Settings</strong> and change the <strong>Species</strong> table to <strong>Species (Rough Nights and Hard Days)</strong></p></blockquote><h3>2) Class and Career</h3><p>Gnomes follow the same rules for @UUID[JournalEntry.IQ0PgoJihQltCBUU.JournalEntryPage.bS2sxusEp1FEqmRk]{Class and Career}. As normal, if there is a career you would like a Gnome to pursue that is not listed here, talk to the GM.</p><p>@UUID[RollTable.TVYWHR9YRIpZNBbB]{Career - Gnome}</p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Moorfolk</em></h3><p><em>In the duchies bordering the Mirror Moors and nearby the Midden Marshes, Gnomes are relatively well known as they are often found abroad as entertainers, wandering pedlars, or merchants. Locally, they are known as ‘Moorfolk’, a secretive people with untrusting natures who fish the Midden Marshes. Rumours of Moorfolk practicing forbidden magics are common, which attracts witch hunters to the region in significant numbers, though few find anything more than open moors and the dangerous local fauna, including River Trolls, Fen Worms, and Bog Octopuses.</em></p><h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Gnome Wizards</em></h3><p><em>Gnomes can only learn the Lore of Shadows, Dark Magic, and Chaos Magic. Like Wood Elves, some Gnome wizards study Dark Magic, which results in significant interest from witch hunters; however, they recognise its dangers, and have outlawed Necromancy and Daemonology. Using Chaos Magic of any kind is strictly forbidden.</em></p><h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Gnome Pedlars</em></h3><p><em>Gnomes from Clan Peddlar have wandered the Empire for centuries, trading for goods and spying on their neighbours. Indeed, many scholars claim the word ‘pedlar’ is sourced in that Clan name, and that the dangerous profession was introduced to the Empire by Gnomes.</em></p></blockquote><h3>3) Attributes</h3><p>To generate your Gnome’s Attributes, follow the same steps outlined on @UUID[JournalEntry.IQ0PgoJihQltCBUU.JournalEntryPage.GaZa9sU4KjKDswMr]{Attributes} of <strong>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay</strong> using the following Attributes Table.</p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 class=\"sidebar-title no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em> ATTRIBUTES TABLE</em></h3><table style=\"width:100%;height:265px\" border=\"1\"><tbody><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em><strong>Characteristic</strong></em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em><strong>Roll</strong></em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Weapon Skill</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+20</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Ballistic Skill</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+10</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Strength</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+10</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Toughness</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+15</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Initiative</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+30</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Agility</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+30</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Dexterity</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+30</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Intelligence</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+30</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Willpower</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+40</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Fellowship</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2d10+15</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Wounds</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>(2 × TB)+WPB</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Fate</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Resilience</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>0</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:10px\"><td style=\"height:10px;width:43.469%\"><em>Extra Points</em></td><td style=\"height:10px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>2</em></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:43.469%\"><em>Movement</em></td><td style=\"height:17px;width:56.531%;text-align:center\"><em>3</em></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><h3>4) Skills and Talents</h3><p>Just as with any other Species, you can choose 3 Skills to gain 5 Advances each and 3 Skills to gain 3 Advances each from the Gnome Skills and Talents list. You also gain access to 5 Species Talents; where you are offered a choice between 2 Talents, you may select 1 Talent from the choices given. <strong>Note</strong>: Like other Species, it is assumed that all Gnomes in the Empire are fluent in Reikspiel.</p><h4>Gnome Skills and Talents</h4><p>Skills: Channelling (Ulgu), Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Entertain (Any), Gossip, Haggle, Language (Ghassally), Language (Magick), Language (Wastelander), Outdoor Survival, Stealth (Any)</p><p>Talents: @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.5KP9sOoLSGvj9EXp]{Beneath Notice} or @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.items.BTl4iFl6jEaZedrq]{Suffused with Ulgu}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.u0CFf3xwiyidD9T5]{Luck} or @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.LU6Ycl5z4kp1Wr04]{Mimic}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.x0WMGwuQzReXcQrs]{Night Vision}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.1kgHcImgfyKI1IYp]{Fisherman} or @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.GogGbYxkVdCmiKqf]{Read/Write}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.OEjUvJKi0xmBwbS2]{Second Sight} or @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.mNoCuaVbFBflfO6X]{Sixth Sense}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.eBwHnWdwQJ590ASb]{Small}</p><p><strong>Note</strong>: All Gnomes are considered to be at least a little magical, so if they take the Language (Magick) Skill, they can attempt Dispelling, as described on @UUID[JournalEntry.YBVrpUHEjohB1H4f.JournalEntryPage.BU7yhLmMdEyvbfkR#dispelling]{Dispelling}, even if they have no Talents that allow them to cast spells.</p><h3>Gnome Names</h3><p>Gnomes usually have a forename and a clan name, though those integrated into other cultures may conform to local naming practices.</p><h4>Gnome Forenames</h4><p>Gnomes usually name their children following a traditional pattern. The firstborn is named after the grandmother on the mother’s side or the grandfather on the father’s side. The second born is named after the mother or father. The third is named for the grandmother on the father’s side or the grandfather on the mother’s side. And the fourth, and later, is named after any other relations of importance. However, it is also common to name children after people important to the family, such as local rulers, those who have been of great service, or close friends.</p><p><strong>Example Matrilineal Names</strong>: Elowen, Ia, Kerra, Ladoca, Metheven, Morwen, Steren, Tryfena</p><p><strong>Example of Patrilineal Names</strong>: Breward, Daveth, Gwinear, Mawnan, Meriasek, Nivet, Talan, Ythel</p><h4>Gnome Clan Names</h4><p>According to Gnome myth, there were originally 444 great clans of Gnomes. The gods created each clan for a specific purpose, which was secretly imparted to the Great Mother of each clan to pass on to her children. Today, few Gnomes believe such fables, but priests and priestesses continue to repeat the old stories, warning the surviving clans that they should never forget their original purposes.</p><p>In Glimdwarrow, only eight clans remain, and most Gnomes in the Reikland hail from one of those eight. A Gnome’s clan name is inherited from the mother, and never changes, even when a Gnome marries. Many Gnomes, secretive folk such as they are, prefer to keep their clan name secret, and instead offer an epithet as a surname. These names are often descriptive, self-mocking, and sometimes sardonic, such as Mudfoot, Glittereye, Soleheart, or Patchcloak.</p><p><strong>Glimdwarrow Clans</strong>: Annearil, Frayne, Hawken, Landweth, Peddlar, Scantleburn, Thorne, Trethewey</p><blockquote class=\"foundry-note\"><p><em>You can easily generate an Gnome name during the Details stage in Character Creation, or with the </em><span style=\"font-family:Courier\"><em>/name gnome </em></span><em>command in chat</em></p></blockquote><h3>Physical Details</h3><p>As with all Species, you can either randomly determine the following details or choose from the ranges available.</p><h4>Age</h4><p>The natural lifespan for Gnomes is around 500 years, though few reach this age. To determine a random starting age, roll [[/r 10d10+20]].</p><h4>Eye Colour</h4><p>Gnome eye colour changes as they age, typically starting with brighter colours then gradually turning grey as they grow older. Most Gnomes have entirely grey eyes by their 200th birthday.</p><p>@UUID[RollTable.aZ485TmhGW2YdysY]{Eye Colour - Gnome}</p><h4>Hair Colour</h4><p>Like their eyes, Gnome hair turns grey with age, and eventually turns a deep-silver (not white). Male Gnomes grow facial hair in the same fashion as Dwarfs and Humans. Each Gnome clan has preferred fashions for beards and braids.</p><p>@UUID[RollTable.wcTrhkXPbhVTkOBW]{Hair Colour - Gnome}</p><h4>Height</h4><p>Gnome average height is 3’10”, only marginally taller than Halflings, but a good bit shorter than most Dwarfs. To determine a random height, roll [[/r 1d10]] + 3’4”.</p>"
				},
				"Gnome Gods": {
					"name": "Gnome Gods",
					"text": "<p>Gnomes believe their gods created the Gnome species in a time of great need, tasking each clan with a specific purpose. Even though most of these legendary tasks are lost to myth, Gnomes typically have a very close relationship with their gods. Most pray before enacting activities associated with one of their deities, and it is common for Gnomes to make offerings to avoid falling into disfavour with their gods. In general, no god is placed above any other; although, each clan usually favours one god over the others for traditional reasons.</p>\n<p>When abroad, Gnomes have no desire to offend the other gods, and often visit local temples and shines to make appropriate offerings, which they feel will make it more likely they will pass through foreign lands safely.</p>\n<div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/actors/gnome2.webp\" width=\"297\" height=\"387\" /></div>\n<blockquote class=\"sidebar\">\n<h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">Gnome Gods</span></h3>\n<table style=\"width:100%;height:68px\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height:17px\">\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:19.0578%;text-align:center\"><em><strong>God</strong></em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:28.4797%;text-align:center\"><em><strong>Sphere</strong></em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:27.8373%;text-align:center\"><em><strong>Worshippers</strong></em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:24.8394%;text-align:center\"><em><strong>Offerings</strong></em></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height:17px\">\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:19.0578%;text-align:center\"><em>Evawn</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:28.4797%;text-align:center\"><em>Travel, Trade, Thievery </em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:27.8373%;text-align:center\"><em>Merchants, pedlars, thieves</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:24.8394%;text-align:center\"><em>Gold, stolen goods, foreign artefacts</em></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height:17px\">\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:19.0578%;text-align:center\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">Mabyn</span></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:28.4797%;text-align:center\"><em>Shadows, Reveng, Magic</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:27.8373%;text-align:center\"><em>Assassins, wizards, the wronged</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:24.8394%;text-align:center\"><em>Dead enemies of the Gnomes,  magic artefacts, swords</em></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height:17px\">\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:19.0578%;text-align:center\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">Ringil</span></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:28.4797%;text-align:center\"><em>Entertainment, Spies, Trickery</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:27.8373%;text-align:center\"><em>Charlatans, entertainers, spies</em></td>\n<td style=\"height:17px;width:24.8394%;text-align:center\"><em>Secrets, silver, wine</em></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>Gnome Priests</h3>\n<p>Gnomes dedicating themselves to the service of the gods, and ensuring their chosen deity is appeased, draw respect from other Gnomes, as they understand just how capricious and difficult the gods can be. Gnomes looking for spiritual guidance in matters directly related to one of the gods will often turn to a priest for advice.</p>\n<p>Gnome Priests use the rules from @UUID[JournalEntry.NcH9OhleJFfaUdon]{Religion and Belief}, with Blessings and Miracles defined below, all of which should be reimagined for the each god as appropriate. These rules are fast and simple, and should be expanded as required.</p>\n<h4>Evawn</h4>\n<p>Evawn is the God of Travel, Trade, and Thievery. She appears as a benign middle-aged Gnome with a high stack of goods piled upon her back, atop which is perched a magpie. Those who follow her ways wander the world, trading their goods for local produce whilst simultaneously stealing anything that may be of use to Gnomekind as a whole.</p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;justify-content:space-around\">\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Blessings</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.FElNQGNiPzaOwwKT]{Blessing of Charisma}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.Cg2Q3TV66cpmheHS]{Blessing of Courage}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.iIfYOlNrLb0uiV8c]{Blessing of Fortune}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.OkKWAfnMiHfxhTnB]{Blessing of Finesse}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.0r3moMIHXsBrcOyh]{Blessing of Hardiness}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.K5DE9cceinUTIrem]{Blessing of Protection}</p>\n</div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Miracles</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.1MUSq1xRyHCaIuAL]{An Invitation}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.QSwJNH8sotKjtdi4]{Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.25trttu8NxFQQCo9]{Rhya’s Shelter}</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<blockquote class=\"sidebar\">\n<h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">Strictures</span></h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><em>One coin in ten belongs to Evawn.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>By theft or by barter, make a profit every day.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Never be caught in a lie.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Never stay in the same location for more than a month.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Steal items of use to the Gnommi, and take them back to your clan.</em></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<h4>Mabyn</h4>\n<p>Mabyn is the Gnome God of Shadows, Revenge, and Magic. She has no permanent form, and is usually depicted only as a grey cloak, silver blade, and pointed, grey hat, which those sworn to her normally wear. She is known for her fanatical devotion to the Gnome race, and her complete lack of what most mortal folk would consider as morals.</p>\n<p>Worship of Mabyn has increased considerably in Glimdwarrow after the devastation wrought upon the burrows there by Grom the Paunch a century ago. She is the primary deity of the Dwarrow Guard.</p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;justify-content:space-around\">\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Blessings</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.ElmLfnrXliStS9CP]{Blessing of Battle}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.0r3moMIHXsBrcOyh]{Blessing of Hardiness}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.K5DE9cceinUTIrem]{Blessing of Protection}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.2WN0muIB2BFd4kBO]{Blessing of Righteousness}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.GvaOlWY8iD5CO1WB]{Blessing of Tenacity}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.FRkIz2sR7ZC92W2G]{Blessing of Wisdom}</p>\n</div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Miracles</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.0AQheUiRtffqfKNg]{Death Mask}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.fABd17NZvg2uUReL]{You Ain't Seen Me, Right?}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.o5soyuEJoUk9HmCC]{Sword of Justice}</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<blockquote class=\"sidebar\">\n<h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">Strictures</span></h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><em>Protect the Gnome burrows, no matter the cost.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Always take vengeance for wrongs done to you, your clan, or your burrow.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Never reveal the locations of your home burrow to outsiders.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Practice with your sword for at least an hour a day.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>If you seek to be unseen, do not be spotted.</em></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<h4>Ringil</h4>\n<p>Ringil is the God of Entertainment, Merriment, and Trickery. He is generally portrayed as an impish, elderly jester wearing motley. However, for all his foolish appearance, Ringil is also the patron of spies, subterfuge, and detection, known for slipping into, and out from, any danger in order to gather intelligence to protect his people.</p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;justify-content:space-around\">\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Blessings</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.TKHvOsihelBStO6i]{Blessing of Breath}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.FElNQGNiPzaOwwKT]{Blessing of Charisma}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.tEMwdlHM8A40h6HE]{Blessing of Conscience}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.maUl7MoLvuvTOhM0]{Blessing of Grace}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.By5dc8Q7ZAGpr177]{Blessing of The Hunt}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.tMocig1z9dHKNiCT]{Blessing of Wit}</p>\n</div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Miracles</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.R6Q16WOXcPfaHnOb]{Blind Justice}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.mXKrxO8WRZ9QLHA6]{Leaping Stag}</p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.hL7B3d7A0sYYjHXn]{Ranald's Grace}</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<blockquote class=\"sidebar\">\n<h3 class=\"no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\">STRICTURES</span></h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><em>Never deny a reasonable request to entertain others.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Do not share any secrets outside your clan, cult, or cronies.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Don’t let a serious moment pass without a gag, a song, or a trick.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>A practical joke is the best revenge.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Learn a useful secret every week.</em></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>"
				}
			}
		},
		"Introduction": {
			"name": "Introduction",
			"pages": {
				"Introduction": {
					"name": "Introduction",
					"text": "<p>Welcome to <strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong>, a campaign and adventure supplement for <strong>WFRP</strong>.</p><p>The five-part campaign has our Heroes confront all manner of complications as they become embroiled in a dispute between two of the Empire’s noble families: House Ambosstein and House Dammenblatz. Each chapter takes place in an iconic location — a riverside inn, a law court, an opera house, a noble’s castle, and a luxurious townhouse — each of which can be adapted for your own adventures. Further, at the end of this book you’ll find two <strong>WFRP</strong> mini-expansions. The first presents a new playable species, @UUID[JournalEntry.Hd6J761opHoj2QRG]{Gnomes}, and the second adds a variety of fun @UUID[JournalEntry.OnhGK8IE9SCGAlRT]{pub games} to spice-up your tavern and inn-based encounters.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/feather-on-the-reik.webp\" /></div><h2>How To Use This Book</h2><h3>1) The Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days Campaign</h3><p>The five adventures in the following pages are linked by an unfolding plot concerning a feud between two noble bloodlines. Playing all five in order gives the Players a taste of how the upper classes live, play, and fight, and if they negotiate the entire campaign, they may gain an influential patron for future adventures and an entrée into high society.</p><h3>2) The Enemy Within Campaign</h3><p>If you are running <strong>The Enemy Within</strong> campaign, some of the adventures in this book can naturally slot into any river segment of <strong>The Enemy in Shadows</strong> or <strong>Death on the Reik</strong>. If you wish to play the adventures in the printed order, perhaps as a campaign within a campaign, you are best waiting until <strong>Death on the Reik</strong> is fully underway before starting @UUID[JournalEntry.g4vOyAOCjOl4EHBO]{A Rough Night at the Three Feathers}, as the party will have its own barge. Otherwise, you could instead start with @UUID[JournalEntry.7JmoqchNSsLrwZwz]{Nastassia’s Wedding}, which can take place as the party travels down from Altdorf to Bögenhafen.</p><h3>3) Five Separate Adventures</h3><p>The locations of these five adventures — a riverside inn, a town courthouse, an opera house, an isolated castle, and a small mansion — are typical buildings that can be found in many parts of the Empire.</p><p>With a few name changes, they would not be out of place almost anywhere in the Old World. Instead of following the campaign storyline, you may decide to keep the locations and drop them into another adventure whenever they are needed.</p><h3>4) Many More Adventures</h3><p>Each chapter includes multiple plots, all taking place at once. While colliding plots can be very entertaining, this style of adventure may not be to your taste.</p><p>You are quite welcome to use the locations again and again — in different places and with different names, perhaps — playing out one or two plots at a time, whenever the Characters find themselves in a suitable location.</p><h3>5) An Endless Resource</h3><p>Even after all the adventure material in this book has been used, the building maps and descriptions can continue to be useful in your adventures. Change the names of the associated NPCs and a few other details, and the place is as good as new!</p><h2>Running the Adventures</h2><p>The main thing to remember is that in each of these adventures, an awful lot of things are happening at once. At any given time, there are several separate but interwoven plots going on: you will have to organise of a lot of unrelated events and make sure the right things happen at the right time.</p><p>The Events section of each chapter is provided to help you track what’s happening as GM confusion can be fatal — Player confusion, on the other hand, is not only certain, it’s expected! It is almost inevitable that events from one plotline will interfere with events from another, and, of course, there is no accounting for what the Characters will do, even in the most straightforward of situations.</p><p>So you should expect some of the events from different plots to clash with each other. And you should accept that things will be changed by what the Characters decide to do at any particular time. The Events section of each chapter presents the plots as they should happen, assuming nothing goes wrong. When things do go wrong, as they surely will, you decide what happens. It looks daunting at first, but it’s no problem once you start.</p><p>Honestly.</p><h2>NPC Statistics</h2><p>The NPCs needed are listed at the end of each adventure, and fall into two loose categories: major and minor.</p><p>Major NPCs are important to the primary plot, are significant characters, or may pop up in multiple scenarios, so are given fully detailed statistics to represent them in your game, including Skills, Talents, Traits, and Trappings.</p><p>Minor NPCs are not important to the primary plot, or are otherwise incidental, so receive simpler statistics with just the Skills, Talents, Traits, or Trappings needed to play or characterise them. Minor NPCs are assumed to have all Skills they require to do their jobs, even if they are not listed: just use the appropriate Attribute should a Test be required. If any NPC has a Trait that modifies Characteristics (such as @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.k9539MBTFplxsysT]{Tough}, which adds +10 T and WP), the modification is included, and the Talent or Trait is marked in <em>italics</em> to show this.</p><h3>Money</h3><p>Most Characters in the Empire carry at least a little coin. If you wish to randomly determine the amount of money carried by NPCs with no money marked in their statistics, making an @UUID[JournalEntry.wczCPcuHT4VQDLpL.JournalEntryPage.R7RQ4hfivLrG0XaF#earning-money-with-status]{Earning} roll, using the relevant Character’s Status. If an NPC is already listed as having money in their Trappings, the money listed in the Character profile overrules this option.</p><blockquote class=\"foundry-note\"><p>You can add an Earning's worth of money to an NPC by clicking on the \"coins\" icon in the Careers tab</p></blockquote>"
				},
				"Campaign Map": {
					"name": "Campaign Map",
					"src": "modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/maps/00-rnhd-campaign-map.webp"
				}
			}
		},
		"Appendix II: Pub Games": {
			"name": "Appendix II: Pub Games",
			"pages": {
				"Pub Games": {
					"name": "Pub Games",
					"text": "<p>Taverns, inns, and public houses (pubs) are the centre of social life for most people in the Empire. They are not just local purveyors of food and drink, they are the beating hearts of their communities, where common folk gather to sing, dance, socialise, play games and team sports, and just generally blow off steam. This appendix examines some of the more popular, and some of the more obscure, pub games played in the Old World, and provides rules should you wish to add them to your games of <strong>WFRP</strong>.</p><p><strong>Note</strong>: If any of the rules refer to a ‘Critical’, this means rolling a double on a successful Test, much as described in <strong>WFRP</strong> on @UUID[JournalEntry.NS3YGlJQxwTggjRX.JournalEntryPage.wmA76Q2zJJ9HrkvA#criticals-and-fumbles]{Criticals and Fumbles}, but without the requirement to be in Combat.</p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"sidebar-title no-toc\"><em>OPTIONS: FAST PUB GAMES</em></h3><p><em>For some groups, involved rolls can get in the way of fun roleplaying. If you want your pub games resolved quickly, enact an appropriate <strong>Challenging (+0) Opposed</strong> Skill Test, using the Skill marked in the Play section of the pub game you are playing. If there is no Skill marked (such as for @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.OnhGK8IE9SCGAlRT.JournalEntryPage.jRWjoi2WLJeYKFWI]{Al-zahr}), instead make a <strong>Challenging (+0) Opposed</strong> <strong>Gamble</strong> Test. The higher SL wins the game.</em></p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"sidebar-title no-toc\"><em>Cards of the Old World</em></h3><p><em>The composition of card decks varies across the Old World. And although most include four standard suits and one trump suit, the formation of these is rarely consistent.</em></p><p><em>For example, the 82-card Reiklander Tarock, one of the most popular decks in the Empire, uses four standard suits — Chalices, Claws, Hammers, and Leaves — and a trump suit. The standard suit has ten pip cards from Ace–10 and five court cards: Knight, Baroness, Count, Duchess, and Prince. The trump suit has 22 cards numbered from 0–21 — cards 1–20 are each associated with one of the 20 signs of the Imperial Zodiac, card 22 is Sigmar, and the 0 card pictures Ranald.</em></p><p><em>Compare that with the 42-card Wissen Trionki, a deck used almost exclusively in Nuln and its immediate surrounds. It has four standard suits — Griffons, Hearts, Owls, and Swords — but only contains five pip cards numbered from 6-10, and three court cards — Knight, Baroness, and Countess. The trump suit contains just eight numbered cards, each with a name — 1: Söll, 2: Dyrath, 3: Sigmar, 4: Shallya, 5: Morr, 6: Taal, 7: Verena, 8: Ulric. The deck also contains ‘the Twins’ — two cards without value, one showing Ranald as a man, the other showing Ranald as a woman.</em></p></blockquote><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/bargames.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Arm Wrestling": {
					"name": "Arm Wrestling",
					"text": "<p>Arm wrestling is one of the simplest pub sports. It requires two opponents who face each other over a table and grip hands, their elbows touching the table. The goal is to ‘pin’ the opponent’s gripped hand to the table by pushing it down.</p><p>The sport is highly competitive, and it’s common for each pub where arm wrestling is popular to have a champion. These champions often challenge each other to determine the best arm wrestlers in the local town or province.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Make an <strong>Extended Opposed Challenging (+0) Strength</strong> Test, adding your Strength Bonus to your SL each Round before determining the winner. The winner of each Round gains +1 Advantage to be used in the bout using the normal rules. The frst Character to reach 10+ SL is the winner. For every Toughness Bonus Rounds that pass without a winner, you gain +1 @Condition[Fatigued] Condition (which you may remove after 5 minutes rest).</p>"
				},
				"Stones": {
					"name": "Stones",
					"text": "<p>Known by many names, Stones is one of the most common board games played in the Old World and beyond.</p><p>Played with 2–4 players, either individually or with partners, Stones uses an octagonal, squared board, with each player controlling four larger pieces called ‘stones’ and six smaller pieces called ‘pebbles’. Stones can move 1 square, or take an adjacent, opposing piece by hopping over it. Pebbles can move 1 square, or hop over all adjacent pieces in a straight line. Additionally, moving a piece to the opposite end of the board ‘saves’ it. The game ends when a player has no pieces remaining on the board, where points are then tallied: 1 point per saved piece, 1 point per piece taken, 1 point for ending the game. The highest points win.</p><p>There are many versions of Stones, the most common of which include larger boards capable of taking up to 8 players (this is the standard in Ulthuan, where the game is called <em>Daroirui’uthal</em>), two-player only variants (such as <em>Mel’nitzy</em> in Kislev), and versions that use dice (such as <em>Pedres</em> from Estalia).</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Play requires an <strong>Extended Opposed Average (+20) Intelligence</strong> Test. The first Character to reach 10+ SL is the winner. If this does not happen for 10 Rounds, the game is a draw.</p>"
				},
				"Beast Among the Tailors": {
					"name": "Beast Among the Tailors",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Beast Among the Tailors, or just ‘Beast’ is a popular skittle game of Nordland, Ostland, and Middenland. It involves swinging a metal ball on a 3-foot chain to knock down wide-spaced skittles arranged in a 4x4 square.</span></p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">The game takes its name from the Clothier Riots of Middenheim in 1805, where the city’s tailors took exception to the deep satire of their craft offered in the popular play, <em>The Ten Tailors of Todenheim</em>. The riots were eventually put down by troops led by ‘The Beast of Mohl’, Lord Heinrich of Thuggenheim, who is said to have ploughed through the tailors like ‘a bull through Halflings’.</span></p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Play</strong>: You have three swings to knock down all 16 skittles. For a swing, make a <strong>Very Easy (+60) Ballistic</strong> Skill Test and add the SL to your Ballistic Skill Bonus. The total is how many skittles you knock down. If you roll a Critical, you knock down all skittles. The Difficulty of any following Tests is dependent on how many skittles remain to be felled, as follows:</span></p>\n<table style=\"width:55.2268%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\"><strong>Skittles</strong></td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Test</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">12-15</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Very Easy (+60)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">10-11</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Easy (+40)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">8-9</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Average (+20)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">6-7 or 1</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Challenging (+0)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">3-5</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Difficult (-10)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"box-sizing:border-box;user-select:text;height:17px\">\n<td style=\"width:32.4111%;text-align:center\">2</td>\n<td style=\"width:67.5889%;text-align:center\"><strong>Hard (-20)</strong></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>"
				},
				"Bowls": {
					"name": "Bowls",
					"text": "<p>Typically played in a pub yard or beer garden, bowls involves throwing or rolling weighted balls at a target ball or stick. The sport is popular enough that some pubs have special lawns set aside for play. Although common across the Empire, it is most often found in Stirland, Averland, and the Mootland.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Each player has three bowls. On your go, roll a <strong>Challenging (+0) Ranged (Throw)</strong> Test and record your SL if it’s a Success — any roll of higher than +6 SL counts as +6 SL for recording your success (you are touching the target ball or stick); a Failure means your shot lands out-of-bounds. If you score the same SL or higher than an existing opponent’s bowl, you can lower that bowl’s recorded SL by −1 per SL you spend to knock it aside, to a minimum of 0 (knocking the bowl out-of-bounds). Once all Players have thrown 3 bowls, the Player with the highest recorded SL wins; a draw remains a draw. If playing for points, each bowl you have with a higher SL than any opponent scores one point for that Game. Normally, the most points after 3 games wins.</p>"
				},
				"Cerevis": {
					"name": "Cerevis",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Named for the small, circular hats worn by studying academics in the University of Nuln, Cerevis is a popular student drinking game played with cards. The rules require making silly descriptions of any card played, typically concerning recent lectures, hated professors, or local politics. So, playing a duchess card, the player may say ‘<em>It’s Professor Dullich, and her boring lectures!</em>’, and, if an opponent defeated the Duchess with a seven of hammers, it may be followed by ‘Dullich, too clever for her own good, is hammered for being a heretic!’</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Adding to the general confusion, everything in the game uses a diﬀerent name — the cards are ‘cannons’, aces are ‘oblati’, twos are ‘comets’, threes are ‘barrows’, and so on; players who use the normal names for the cards must immediately take a deep drink of beer as a forfeit. Losers of each round chalk owls on the table beside them — each owl is erased when the player drinks half a stein of beer. Because games of Cerevis can leave even the most seasoned drinkers reeling, many universities and colleges have banned the game completely, but this has done little more than increase its popularity.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">A Round of Cerevis requires an </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Average (+20) Combined Gamble and</strong> <strong>Initiative</strong> </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Test from all players. The lowest SL on the Gamble Test loses the Round, and has to mark an owl. If the Initiative Test is failed, the player accidentally uses the correct name for one of the cards, and must take a deep drink. For every 3 Initiative Tests you fail, and for every 2 owls you erase, make a </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Challenging (+0) Consume Alcohol </strong></span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Test. The results of this Test, and its impact on the </span>@Table[stinking-drunk]{Stinkin' Drunk Table}</p>"
				},
				"Mühlen": {
					"name": "Mühlen",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">This 2-player favourite from Reikland and Middenland is played on a gridded board with 24 intersections called ‘oghams’. Each players’ nine pieces are played and moved between these oghams to create ‘mills’ of three pieces in a row, which allows you to remove an opposing piece from the game. Play continues until one player has only two pieces remaining. Many variations of the game exist with larger and smaller boards, and more or fewer pieces.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Make an </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Extended Opposed Easy (+40) Intelligence </strong></span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Test, and add your Intelligence Bonus to the total each Round. The first player to reach 9+ SL wins. If both players score 9+ SL on the same Round, the game is a draw.</span></p>"
				},
				"Dwile Flonking": {
					"name": "Dwile Flonking",
					"text": "<p>Originally a Mootlander game, the summertime pub sport of Dwile Flonking has gained broader acceptance, and is especially popular in Stirland and Reikland. It involves 2 teams of 12, and requires two circles of 11 players dance hand-in-hand around a single opponent who spins in the opposite direction. After a count of three, the central player of each team ‘flonks’ his ‘dwile’ — i.e.: throws a beer-soaked cloth — at the surrounding dancers, trying to hit one, preferably in the face. On a hit, the flonker scores points for his team. On a miss, called a ‘swadge’, the flonker must down a pint of beer from a chamber pot called a ‘gazunder’ before the dwile is fetched by the opposing team and passed down the line of all eleven dancers as they chant ‘pot, pot, pot!’</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: When flonking, make an <strong>Opposed Ranged (Throw)/Dodge</strong> Test against a random player amongst the 11 dancers. If successful, you score a ‘ripper’ (leg hit) for 1 point. With 3+ SL, you instead score a ‘morther’ (body hit) for 2 points. With 6+ SL, you score a ‘wanton’ (head hit) for 3 points. If you miss, you must down a pint of beer and make a <strong>Challenging (+0) Consume Alcohol</strong> Test. If you fail, you don’t drink all the beer from the gazunder before the dwile is passed down the line of your opponents, and your team loses 1 point. The game ends when all players have flonked. At that point, every player who has not rolled on the @Table[stinking-drunk]{Stinkin Drunk Table} is considered to be too sober and loses a point for their team. The team with the most points wins.</p>"
				},
				"Bull Ring": {
					"name": "Bull Ring",
					"text": "<p>Usually played outdoors where there is more space for long throws, Bull Ring involves throwing rings over a set distance to hoop horns or sticks driven into a bull’s head. Bull Ring is very popular in Ostland, Ostermark, and down into Stirland and the Mootland, but can be found in pubs across the Empire. In Nordland, it is common to find rural communities playing Bull Ring with severed Beastman heads, a practice considered somewhat heretical in most provinces of the Empire.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Before throwing a ring, choose a target and attempt a <strong>Ranged (Throw) </strong>Test at the appropriate Difficulty. A Success scores the indicated points. A Critical loops the next target down the table instead, scoring more points. The player with the highest points after 5 throws wins.</p><table style=\"height:136px;width:341px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" border=\"1\"><tbody><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"width:75.1719px;text-align:center;height:17px\"><strong>Points</strong></td><td style=\"width:110.406px;text-align:center;height:17px\"><strong>Target</strong></td><td style=\"width:149.422px;text-align:center;height:17px\"><strong>Difficulty</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">10</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Nose Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Very Easy (+60)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">20</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Brow Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Easy (+40)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">30</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Horns</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Average (+20)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">40</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Ear Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Challenging (+0)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">50</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Cheek Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Difficult (-10)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">75</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Beard Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Hard (-20)</strong></td></tr><tr style=\"height:17px\"><td style=\"height:17px;width:75.1719px;text-align:center\">100</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:110.406px;text-align:center\">Gorge Stick</td><td style=\"height:17px;width:149.422px;text-align:center\"><strong>Very Hard (-30)</strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Special: </strong>If you have the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.jrYW2OyDHd1Md2my]{Sharpshooter} Talent, you can count all Tests as one step easier. So, a Throw to hoop the horns for 30 points requires an <strong>Easy (+40) Ranged (Throw)</strong> Test.</p>"
				},
				"Middenball": {
					"name": "Middenball",
					"text": "<p>Middenball is perhaps the largest team sport in the Empire, with informal leagues between pubs played in most provinces. With a history as old as Sigmar, it is said to have its origins with the Teutogen tribe of Middenland, where games of ‘Muddibal’ were played to hone key combat skills. The brutality of this ancient game is still in evidence in the modern version, but is codified with relatively strict rules that no longer allow weapons or the use of a living creature as the ‘ball’.</p><p>Played with 2 teams of 11 players, the aim is to move a ball into the opponent’s goal by any means possible. Middenball is insanely popular in Middenheim, where it is frequently referred to as ‘Snotball’ as some teams still illegally use tied-up Snotlings as balls.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Full rules for @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-middenheim.journals.nzsWxG9db2fdGjZM.JournalEntryPage.ZjpHnYBdxk7gxJ7R]{Middenball} are covered in <strong>Middenheim: City of the White Wolf</strong>. For fast play, each Round have all players take an <strong>Average (+20) Melee (Brawling)</strong> Test or a <strong>Challenging (+0) Athletics</strong> Test, and add up the total for each team. The team with the higher total gains +1 Advantage for the next Round (using the normal Advantage rules), and will score a goal if their total is +25 or higher. A game lasts for 2 halves of 3 Rounds (with each Round lasting 10 minutes).</p>"
				},
				"Al-Zahr": {
					"name": "Al-Zahr",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Of the many dice games played in the Empire, none are as widespread as Al-zahr. Originally from Araby, Al-zahr is known by several diﬀerent names across the Old World, including </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><em>Azar</em> </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">in Estalia, and </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><em>Hasard</em> </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">in Bretonnia. Its rules are simple, and requires little more than throwing two dice to match a target number. The frst player to roll the target number wins the round. It is common for spectators (and players) to bet on the results of each roll, and some pubs have tables with common bets carved into their surfaces.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Every player adds an equal stake to the pot. The first player then chooses a number between 7–15 to be the target. Play proceeds clockwise, starting with the frst player, with each player taking a single roll. On your turn, roll [[/r 2d10]] and total them for a result from 2–20. If your roll matches the target, or is a 20, you win the round, taking the entire pot. A roll of 16–19 lets you take one stake from the pot. A roll of 7–15 that isn’t the target becomes the new target for the next player. A roll of 3–6 forces you to add another stake to the pot or drop out from the round. Finally, a roll of 2 drops you from the round. Play continues until the pot is emptied, or until there is only one player in play, who then wins the remaining pot. A full game usually lasts for as many rounds as there are players, providing each player with an opportunity to roll first.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Special</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Fortune points can be used on your turn to reroll your result. Further, the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.cAxNctMFWIAjDgV3]{Diceman} </span>Talent allows you to roll 1 extra die <span class=\"fontstyle0\">per level in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.cAxNctMFWIAjDgV3]{Diceman} — you then choose to keep two of the dice to build your total on your turn.</span></p>"
				},
				"Scarlet Empress": {
					"name": "Scarlet Empress",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">In 1923 IC, Count Primus von Bildhofen claimed Scarlet Empress, the card game named after his grandmother, Empress Molrella III, was more popular than Sigmar. Although it arguably cost him his life — as he was burned for heresy just four months later — some believe he may have had a point, as Scarlet Empress is now widely claimed to be the most popular card game in the Old World.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Typically played with 2–6 players, the game involves securing the best hand possible from two rounds of trading cards and drawing new ones whilst trying to avoid the Scarlet Empress card.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Everyone playing puts a stake into the pot, then takes an </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Average (+20) Gambling</strong> </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Test. If it’s a draw, </span><span class=\"fontstyle3\">all </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">players either add another stake, or drop out the game. This continues until there is a clear winner who takes the entire pot.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Special</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">If you have the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.V9N0LMnXf1WYseCL]{Tower of Memories} Talent that lets you count and memorise cards, the Gambling Test to play Scarlet Empress is instead Easy (+40).</span></p>"
				},
				"Darts": {
					"name": "Darts",
					"text": "<p>A perennial favourite of riverside taverns and State Soldiers, darts involves throwing small missiles at a target called a ‘butt’ — usually made from the cross-section of a tree — which is split into segments, with each segment worth a different number of points. Although hotly denied by most folk of the Empire, historians believe the game has its roots with the peasants of Bretonnia, where it is called <em>fléchettes</em>.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: Toss a coin to determine who goes first. On your turn, throw 3 darts. For each dart, make a <strong>Challenging (+0) Ranged (Throw)</strong> Test. If successful, you score your units or your tens die, or your units or your tens die × 10 in points, you choose — so, a successful roll of 26 could be either 2, 6, 20, or 60 points. If you fail, you score your units die in points — so, a failed roll of 73 scores 3 points. If you roll a Critical, you score any result you wish from 1–100 points. If you roll a Fumble, you miss the board completely. The goal is to score a total of 501 points exactly. If you score more, your turn is over and the points scored by your last dart is ignored.</p><p><strong>Special</strong>: If you have the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.jrYW2OyDHd1Md2my]{Sharpshooter} Talent, you can modify the result of your units die by 1, to a maximum of 10, and a minimum of 1.</p>"
				},
				"Pub Quizzes": {
					"name": "Pub Quizzes",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Popular in the many university districts and towns of the Empire, and where Verena worship is strong, pub quizzes involve teams answering general knowledge questions to score points. Usually, the questions start simple and grow progressively harder. The team with the most points at the end of the quiz wins.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle2\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Every quizzer enacts 7 Rounds of Intelligence Tests, with the Difficulty typically starting at Very Easy, and progressing to Very Hard for the last Round. If at least 1 quizzer in your team passes the Test for the Round, your team scores 1 point. The team with the highest points at the end of the 7 Rounds wins. Draws are settled with ‘tie-breakers’, which are usually a further Round of Very Hard questions. It is common for Rounds to be themed around certain subjects; if you have a relevant Lore for that subject (as determined by the GM — Lore (History) for a round of questions about the Empire’s past, for example) you may use that Skill in place of your Intelligence for the Round.</span></p>"
				},
				"Dominoes": {
					"name": "Dominoes",
					"text": "<p>Supposedly imported along the Silk Road from Ind and Cathay to Tilea then beyond, Dominoes uses 28 tiles marked with pips ranging from 0–6 on two parts. Players begin with seven tiles drawn at random, and play them in turn, matching tiles by the numbers of pips in a continuous row, taking an extra tile if they cannot play on their turn. The player who places all their tiles first wins. If this cannot happen, the winner is the player with the fewest pips on their tiles still in hand.</p><p><strong>Play</strong>: To play, every player makes an <strong>Opposed Average (+20) Gambling</strong> Test. On a draw, the drawing players compare the roll on their units die for the Test. The lowest number wins.</p>"
				},
				"Alvatafl": {
					"name": "Alvatafl",
					"text": "<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Alvatafl is northern boardgame played on a 15x15 squared grid. It has an army of 48 Dwarf pieces surround a centrally placed army of 12 Elves with an Elven prince in his castle at the centre. Said to be as old as the grudge between the two elder species, Alvataﬂ has the Dwarfs moving very slowly at a single square per go, and the Elves moving swiftly in straight lines. The Dwarfs are trying to kill the prince or capture his castle before he manages to escape the board. Popular in Nordland and Ostland, carved sets of Alvatafl are found in most northern taverns and inns. Larger versions of the game are also common in Kislev — there the game is called </span><span class=\"fontstyle2\">Zasada </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">and instead depicts 15 centrally-placed Gospodar Winger Lancers with an Ice Witch surrounded by 60 Trolls.</span></p><p><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Play</strong>: </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Each Round, you make a </span><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence </strong></span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">or </span><span class=\"fontstyle3\"><strong>Lore (Warfare) </strong></span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">Test, and add your Intelligence Bonus to the SL. Te total scored by the Elf player shows how many Dwarf pieces are taken that Round. Te total scored by the Dwarf player is quartered, rounding up, to show how many Elf pieces are taken that Round. If you roll a Critical, the game is won automatically if: you are the Dwarf player and the rolled number on the units die is equal or less the number of Elf pieces you have taken; you are the Elf player and the number rolled the units die quadrupled (so a successful roll of 33 would count as 12 as 4 </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\" style=\"color:#545454\">× </span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">3 = 12) is equal or less to the number of Dwarf pieces taken. Otherwise, the frst side to take more than half their opponent’s pieces wins. If both sides reach the winning condition in the same Round, the game is a draw.</span></p>"
				}
			}
		},
		"A Night at the Opera": {
			"name": "A Night at the Opera",
			"pages": {
				"Resolution": {
					"name": "Resolution",
					"text": "<h3><strong>Rewards</strong></h3><p>As well as the usual XP for good roleplaying and bright ideas, XP should be awarded for the following:</p><p>@Exp[50,Thwarted the Dammenblatz bomb plot]{50 points for thwarting the Dammenblatz bomb plot}</p><p>@Exp[10,Thwarted the gunnery students]{10 points for each time the gunnery students are twarted}</p><p>@Exp[30,Thwarted Edvard Lowenhertz’s revenge]{30 points for thwarting Edvard Lowenhertz’s revenge}</p><p>@Exp[10,Captured Edvard]{10 points for capturing Edvard} @Exp[10,Killed Edvard]{(or 5 XP for killing him)}</p><p>@Exp[10,Captured Edwina]{10 points for capturing Edwina} @Exp[10,Killed Edwina]{(or 5 XP for killing her)}</p><p>@Exp[20,Thwarted Kavenner’s attack on Rechtshandler]{20 points for thwarting Kavenner’s attack on Rechtshandler}</p><p>@Exp[20 Exposed Kavenner as a Slannesh cultist]{20 points for exposing Kavenner as a Slannesh cultist}</p><p>@Exp[10,Prevented an incident between the Toppenheimers and Pfeifrauchers]{10 points for each time an incident between the Toppenheimers and Pfeifrauchers is prevented}</p><p>@Exp[10,Kept Alcrecht Oldenhaller alive and free of the Nurgle cultists]{10 points for keeping Alcrecht Oldenhaller alive and free of the Nurgle cultists}</p><p>@Exp[30,Prevented Matthais Hubkind’s planned confrontation with the Countess and gravin]{30 points for preventing Matthais Hubkind’s planned confrontation with the Countess and gravin}</p><p>@Exp[20,Persuaded Hubkind to pursue the Ordo Ultima or the Nurgle Cult instead of pursuing the Liebwitzes]{20 points for persuading Hubkind to pursue the Ordo Ultima or the Nurgle Cult instead of pursuing the Liebwitzes}</p><p>@Exp[15,Prevented Glimbrin’s theft of Professor Pakker’s keys]{15 points for preventing Glimbrin’s theft of Professor Pakker’s keys}</p><p>There are many other things the PCs can do which will contribute to bringing the adventure to a satisfactory conclusion; feel free to award XP for anything else that is deserving, using the general level of the awards given above as a guideline.</p><h3><strong>Aftermath</strong></h3><h4><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h4><p>You can decide how successful @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind’s} attempts to create unrest in Nuln are. Many Nulners are loyal to their Countess, and even those who do not have the highest opinion of her abilities will not look kindly on an outsider trying to stir up trouble. Even so, play out this situation at length if you feel your Players are enjoying themselves.</p><p>Sooner or later, though, another matter arises to take the gravin and her entourage out of Nuln. Her brother Karl-Heinz, and the heir to her Ambosstein titles and estates, is due to marry Nastassia von Saponatheim, the daughter and heiress of House Saponatheim of Reikland. Countess Emmanuelle is not attending (unless you decide otherwise), but she uses her influence to charter the luxurious river liner <em>Emperor Wilhelm</em> for the exclusive use of Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} and her party, who are accompanied by as many minor figures from the court of Nuln as you see fit, sent along with some lavish gifts from the @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess} herself.</p><h4><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h4><p>If the adventurers are not following the campaign, they could stay in Nuln. Perhaps they are called upon to deal with various situations arising from this adventure: dealing with the unrest spread by the witch hunter @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind}; reprisals, both legal and otherwise, against the Dammenblatz family; rooting out the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> from the University of Nuln, and its alumni from the court; hunting down the Nurgle cult and finding out the awful truth about the gem and Councillor Oldenhaller’s business dealings; smoothing things over between the Toppenheimers and the Pfeifrauchers; or facing any number of other problems.</p><p>Alternatively, they could head down the river to @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.V6tkgQ9A2skppjyl]{Altdorf} and begin the <strong>Enemy Within</strong> campaign, or travel elsewhere for further adventures. The Empire is large, and the Old World larger still, and the river can take them almost anywhere they wish to go.</p>"
				},
				"The Opera House": {
					"name": "The Opera House",
					"text": "<p>Recently refurbished, the Staatsoper Theatre is imposing, with a curved frontage hiding the original steps that once lead into the main building. Its stone façade is lavishly carved and topped with statues of gods, saints, and famous Nulner actors from history. On the evening of a performance light pours from the interior and from torches in iron sconces set between the many arched entrances. To the far right and left are the guarded Lords’ Door and Ladies’ Door, which are reserved for nobles, rich patrons, and guests of honour.</p><h3><strong>The Ground Floor</strong></h3><p>At the top of the main staircase leading into the theatre, doors open onto a broad lobby where lovers of culture meet and mingle before a bell is rung to announce that the curtain will be raised in five minutes. Another pair of double doors, staffed by a pair of ticket-takers, leads to the main auditorium; stairs to either side lead to the upper floor, which are guarded.</p><p>To the left and right of the lobby, doors lead to staircases to the upper floor and the boxes. Half-hidden under each staircase is a door, which is kept locked during a performance to prevent stray audience members from wandering backstage. Behind the door on the left, a long passage leads past a range of dressing-rooms to the stage manager’s office and the ‘green room’ (whose name derives from an obscure theatrical tradition: its walls are actually a dirty white) where performers wait for their turn on stage. A similar passage, behind the right-hand door, connects the backstage area with storage rooms and workshops for scenery, props, and costumes, and to a staging area for any pieces of scenery that need to be changed between scenes.</p><p>A backstage passage leads from the stage door on an adjoining alley and runs the full length of the building’s back wall, connecting with both passages and allowing cast and crew access to all areas.</p><h3><strong>The Upper Floor</strong></h3><p>The elegant twin staircases open onto a carpeted gallery, whose windows offer a fine view of the city outside. Double doors, again staffed by two ticket-takers, lead to the gallery seats; single doors on either side, staffed by visibly better-groomed ticket-takers, lead via richly-panelled corridors to eight boxes. The first four boxes, farthest from the stage, are retained by the richest families in Nuln. The next three boxes are reserved for the nobility, and each has a cosy antechamber. The largest and most luxurious box is referred to as ‘the Ducal box’, and its door is emblazoned with a carved and gilded panel bearing the House Liebwitz coat-of-arms.</p>"
				},
				"Events": {
					"name": "Events",
					"text": "<p>These events can be affected by what the adventurers do and where they are at any particular time. You should also feel free to change events and times as required.</p><h4><strong>6:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Grand Countess} sends servants to ensure her box is made ready and is safe. If you wish, the gravin may send the more socially adept Characters (or the whole party, if that makes things easier) to observe and help as needed. Although the PCs have been with her for a little while now, she considers them a band of wandering ne’er-do-wells, and she wants them to take every opportunity to learn the duties of good servants.</p><p>However, on reaching the opera house, the Countess’s head servant declines the Characters’ help, in terms that are faultlessly polite, immovably definite, and a little — but only a little — demeaning. Unless anyone insists on watching and promises to keep out of the way, the party is free to wander the lobby and see the final preparations being made for the evening. The party will not be permitted into any other part of the opera house, except for the staircase and corridor leading to the Ducal box.</p><p>On a successful <strong>Perception </strong>Test, the adventurers realise they and their companions from the palace are being watched: a small, nondescript man stands outside and occasionally takes notes. If challenged, he runs for the surrounding alleys. If captured, a small notebook and a charcoal pencil is in his possession. The notebook contains details of everyone from the court and the gravin’s entourage who has come and gone between the palace and the opera house that day. The man refuses to answer questions, but extreme measures may force him to reveal that he is working for a witch hunter named @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind}, who is interested in the gravin, the Countess, and all of their associates (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-7-–-the-witch-hunter]{Plot 7}).</p><h4><strong>7:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The lamps are lit and the doors are opened. People begin to arrive at the opera house, and the lobby soon fills up with people dressed in their finest, laughing, chatting, posing, and taking advantage of the bars set up in the lobby and the gallery. Wine and brandy are available, with a fruit punch on hand for those who prefer not to drink alcohol. Prices are not cheap (@Pay[1ss]{1/–} for a drink of wine or brandy, @Pay[4bp]{4d} for the punch), and requests for anything else — particularly ale — are met with a raised eyebrow, a sniff, and the patronising explanation that the opera house serves people of quality, and people of quality do not drink such things.</p><h4><strong>7:40 p.m.</strong></h4><p>There is a commotion in the lobby as two groups of students from the Imperial Gunnery School throw firecrackers at each other (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-2-–-a-student-prank]{Plot 2}). They are from two different parts of the school: the Faculty of Direct Fire (cannon) and the Faculty of Indirect Fire (mortars). Each group is trying to prove the superiority of its own method: the cannon students are flinging single firecrackers directly at their rivals, while the mortar students are lobbing handfuls of the things in a high arc.</p><p>The faint-hearted scream, run, and hide. Opera-house staff, helped by a few members of the public (such as the Characters, if they choose to become involved), tackle the miscreants and manhandle them out. One elderly man seems particularly upset, and harangues the half-drunk and giggling students with threats of dire retribution: those who ask will be told that he is Professor @UUID[Actor.zCqPVYAxGQGClb0t]{Erwin Pakker}, a ballistics instructor at the Gunnery School and a man of great influence, if little popularity. Nearby Characters may spot @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} is shadowing the professor with an <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test. The Gnome is skulking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to pick the aging academic’s pockets without observers.</p><h4><strong>7:45 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess} and her party, including any remaining Characters, arrive at the opera house by coach, escorted by her shining household guard. Outside, crowds cheer as inside opera house staff and dignitaries form a receiving line to bow as the Countess passes by and receive the honour of a word here and a smile there. The gravin attends with her aunt, dressed in a similar fashion to her, which includes a tricorn hat, a high collar, and a panel cut from the front of the skirt revealing stockings in household colours. Such clothes are enough to cause a scandal in @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.V6tkgQ9A2skppjyl]{Altdorf}, but are commonplace in the Countess’s Nuln.</p><p>Among the loyal throng are several senior members of House Pfiefraucher — Wissenlander nobles who currently enjoy the Countess’s favour. If Baron @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{Freidrich} is still alive, he stands behind his father, Count Bruno Pfiefraucher of Grissenwald and Kreutzhofen, somewhat sulkily. He is notably without his paramour from the @UUID[JournalEntry.g4vOyAOCjOl4EHBO]{Three Feathers}. </p><p>As the Countess pauses to exchange a few words with count Bruno, he loudly denounces her as a common street harlot, smiling genially as he does so. As shocked silence spreads, the count’s face suddenly becomes a mask of horror as he immediately falls to his knees and blusters apologies, his hands over his mouth. Outside the opera house, a wizard hired by the Toppenheimers (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-5-–-local-rivalries]{Plot 5}) to cast the Spell @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.pDvOunMrvaYoXjd9]{Murmured Whisper} (a spell that is not strictly even legal) slips from the crowd outside, her job done. Unless the Characters are especially vigilant, they are very unlikely to catch her.</p><p>Back inside the opera house, the Countess allows silence to reign before eventually smiling. She gestures for the grovelling count to rise. ‘<em>Darling, whilst I’m sure the view down there has much to merit it, there is no need to crawl</em>.’ She then leans in close and reassures the mortified baron with a few gracious words before moving on, her entourage in tow. Nervous bystanders bow until she is out of sight, then the gossip begins.</p><p>Once in the corridor leading to her ducal box, the Countess rages at her staff: ‘<em>Find me the bloody witch behind that farce, and find it now! And if it’s another bloody Grey, I swear I’ll ban them all from my city! Permanently!’</em> She then turns to the gravin. ‘<em>Sorry you had to see that, darling. It’s my fault, I left my wizards at the palace. Foolish of me, but they get on my nerves with their constant interference. Come, let’s sit down, watch this opera, and celebrate our victory</em>.’</p><h4><strong>7:50 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Scuffles break out in the balcony seats between some of the younger Pfeifrauchers and Toppenheimers. More senior members of both noble Houses attempt to keep order, issuing stern warnings before departing to their boxes, quite confident the foolishness is resolved.</p><h4><strong>7:55 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Almost as soon as more senior backs are turned, Herbard Pfiefraucher, a young man who has taken to accusing the Toppenheimers (correctly) for his uncle’s embarrassment before the Countess, is thrown over the balcony by Gerlecht and Sölbrecht Toppenheimer, a rather rowdy pair of twins. Herbard  howls as he falls into a group of unfortunates in the cheaper seats below. Three people, including Herbard, require medical attention. The two Toppenheimers are ejected from the opera house by the Countess’s guard (perhaps with the Characters’ help), though the twins are too busy laughing at the evening’s events to care.</p><h4><strong>8:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>With everyone in their seats, the orchestra strikes up the overture, the curtain rises, and the show begins.</p><h4><strong>8:02 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Disguised as opera house staff, two Dammenblatz agents (one of whom is @UUID[Actor.eOlJad1Pky9vNevM]{Dominique Herveaux}, if she still lives) carry a large potted plant to the antechamber of the Ducal box. If challenged, they claim that management received a message from the box complaining that the antechamber was somewhat drab and would be improved by some greenery. The plant’s pot is filled with gunpowder, and has a concealed fuse (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-1-–-best-served-hot]{Plot 1}).</p><h4><strong>8:04 p.m.</strong></h4><p>As soon as the plant is delivered, an agent of the witch hunter @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind} stations himself at the end of the corridor leading to the Ducal box, with orders to watch who comes and goes. If challenged, he will pretend to be lost and make his way downstairs amid many apologies (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-7-–-the-witch-hunter]{Plot 7}).</p><h4><strong>8:05 p.m.</strong></h4><p>If the gravin’s lawyer, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler}, is still alive, he meets in the ducal box’s antechamber with his counterpart from the court of Nuln, one @UUID[Actor.uwfulXjcWaTfVXf8]{Brecht Kavenner}. Rechtshandler brief ’s him on the proceedings at the trial and discuss what its outcome means for the @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Grand Countess}, who was also named in the Dammenblatz complaint.</p><h4><strong>8:10 p.m.</strong></h4><p>A @UUID[Actor.2hX69vBEAZncOLdT]{Valentina} assassin (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-6-–-family-honour]{Plot} 6) creeps into the balcony, armed with a compact crossbow pistol that’s loaded with a bolt coated in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus}. He locates @UUID[Actor.N7Q3O6n7JH8nvyUF]{Albrecht Oldenhaller} and takes up a position at the back of the balcony about four yards away, with a clear line of sight. Everyone is looking at the stage, so no one notices as he reaches inside his short Miraglianese cape for the weapon — and slumps to the floor, dead.</p><p>Anyone who is looking directly at the assassin may spot the rival @UUID[Actor.YYkCsVTcW7PlLxLK]{Huydermans} assassin as she glides up behind him, slips a thin and deadly blade into his ear, and carries on without breaking her stride, taking a vacant seat with many whispered apologies to her neighbours.</p><p>The dead assassin lays on the floor at the back of the balcony until discovered. The murder weapon in his ear is a thin piece of metal, about a foot long, and less than a quarter-inch wide, sharpened to a fine point. Characters with the Skills such as <em>Art (Fashion)</em> or <em>Trade (Dressmaker)</em> may identify it as a sharpened corset-stay on a successful <strong>Average (+20) </strong>Skill Test: the quality of the metal is very fine, and it would be easy for anyone wearing a corset to conceal. Characters who have completed at least one Courtier Career will also be able to identify the item on a successful <strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence</strong> Test.</p><div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-core/art/spot/spot-glove-blade.webp\" width=\"203\" height=\"179\" /></div><h4><strong>8:20 p.m.</strong></h4><p>In the antechamber to the Ducal box, the two lawyers conclude their conference and start to reminisce about their days at the University of Nuln, where they were classmates.</p><p>Unknown to @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler}, @UUID[Actor.uwfulXjcWaTfVXf8]{Kavenner} is a member of the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-4-–-college-ties]{Plot 4}). He has risen through the cult to a prominent position, and has been ordered to deliver the cult’s punishment for Rechtshandler’s refusal to co-operate with the cult’s agents at the Three Feathers and for having survived the cult’s attempts to kill him at the trial.</p><p>As the two lawyers talk, Kavenner leans forward to touch Rechtshandler on the arm. This is no innocent gesture, but the completion of a Spell that Kavenner prepared earlier. Unless Rechtshandler makes a successful <strong>Challenging (+0) Endurance</strong> Test, he will gain one physical mutation, rolled on the @Table[mutatephys]{Physical Corruption Table}. Even if the Test is successful, Rechtshandler gains one @Condition[Stunned] condition and 1 Corruption point.</p><p>Having cast the Spell, Kavenner leaves the anteroom with the words, ‘<em>now you cannot deny that you are one of us</em>,’ and returns to his chambers in the palace. On the way out, he will pass Hubkind’s agent (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-7-–-the-witch-hunter]{Plot 7}), who withdraws to the gallery whenever he sees anyone coming down the corridor towards him. As Kavenner passes, the agent murmurs a short phrase, audible only to the lawyer and himself, which is a recognition code used by Slaanesh cultists throughout the Empire. Distracted and in a hurry, Kavenner requires a successful <strong>Willpower </strong>Test to avoid giving the correct response without thinking: if he does so, he will be so rattled that he will break into a run once out of the opera house, and run straight into Hubkind and his accomplices, who are waiting in the shadows of a nearby alley and were alerted by the agent signaling from the gallery window.</p><p>If he is mutated, Rechtshandler tries to flee the opera house without being spotted. If Hubkind’s agent in the corridor sees him (see @UUID[.QvduddjmI0q8X1ax#8:04-p.m.]{8:04 p.m}.) and notices his mutation (which will depend on its precise nature), he will leave immediately and report to his master. The witch hunter will then capture Rechtshandler, and the confrontation between the witch hunter and the Countess (see @UUID[.QvduddjmI0q8X1ax#11:30-p.m.]{11:30 p.m.}) will be that much worse for this ‘evidence’ of corruption in high places.</p><h4><strong>8:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>With the opera house staff relaxing now the performance has begun, two students sneak into the auditorium and locate the seats occupied by Professor @UUID[Actor.zCqPVYAxGQGClb0t]{Pakker} (see @UUID[.QvduddjmI0q8X1ax#7:40-p.m.]{7:40 p.m.}) and his wife, near the centre aisle. Unless spotted and stopped, they will retreat to the back near the door, light the fuse on a string of firecrackers using a small fire-pot they carry, and lob the string toward their foe.</p><p>Most members of the audience will notice nothing until the glow of the lit fuse arcs through the air, landing a split-second later with a barrage of small explosions. You can roll to hit if desired: assume the thrower has <strong>BS </strong>50 and Ranged (Explosives) 50, while the string of firecrackers has Damage +0, Blast 1, Dangerous, and a [[/r 1d100]]{5% chance} of causing 1 @Condition[Ablaze] Condition to any Character within 1 yard, even if no Wounds are suffered. This chance is increased at your discretion if a victim is wearing particularly flammable clothes, such as a laced formal gown.</p><p>The students will try to flee if they realise they have been spotted, although one of them will still try to throw the firecrackers in passing. The performance is brought to a halt amid screams and curses, but fortunately panic does not break out. In the general hubbub, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} the Gnome slips under Professor Packer’s chair, to better place himself to steal the keys to the Imperial Gunnery School @UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-2-–-a-student-prank]{Plot 2}). If the students are apprehended, they can be handed over to the Watch: they will spend the rest of the night in the cells, to face a fine for breach of the peace in the morning, followed by the wrath of the Gunnery School’s Chancellor-General and almost certain expulsion.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.zCqPVYAxGQGClb0t]{Professor Pakker} and his wife are shaken, but not seriously hurt. Loudly declaring that he will deal with these young hooligans later and not allow them to ruin his evening, he reclaims his seat. After an awkward pause, and a smattering of applause, the performance resumes. Those watching this may attempt an <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test to spot @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimdrin} hiding under the Professor’s seat. The Gnome is perfectly placed for his thievery, but dares not move when so many people are watching the professor.</p><h4><strong>9:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The first half concludes and the curtain is lowered to thunderous applause. Most audience members leave their seats, heading either to the lobby or the gallery where liveried opera-house staff are waiting with wine and canapes. Some of ‘the quality,’ as theatre-folk call them, take the opportunity to visit each other’s boxes.</p><p>Refreshments are brought to the ducal box, and a servant informs the Countess that people are waiting to pay their respects. With a theatrical sigh, she goes to the box’s antechamber to receive them. As opera-house lackeys light candles in the room’s wall-sconces, one of the Dammenblatz agents stealthily lights the fuse to the bomb in the plant pot: it is positioned out of sight, but a <strong>Difficult (−10) Perception</strong> Test can be made to hear the soft fizzing of the fuse or spot a telltale wisp of smoke from behind the pot: if you feel it’s appropriate, Characters with gunpowder-related Skills or Talents — such as <em>Ranged (Blackpowder)</em>, <em>Trade (Gunsmith, Explosives)</em>, or <em>Craftsman (Explosives)</em> — reduce the Difficulty by one step. The fuse is a slow one, set to burn for an hour, so that the bomb will detonate in the middle of the second act (@UUID[.QvduddjmI0q8X1ax#10:45-p.m.]{10:45 p.m.}). Detonation can be prevented by pulling the fuse out.</p><p>Meanwhile, another of Hubkind’s agents is stationed in the gallery, watching the goings-on and paying particular attention to the Countess and her party.</p><h4><strong>9:32 p.m.</strong></h4><p>In the upstairs gallery, three young Toppenheimers stand around drinking and laughing about the unfortunate ‘Pfiefraucher fall’ (@UUID[.QvduddjmI0q8X1ax#7:55-p.m.]{7:55p.m.}). Their jokes and chuckles reach the ears of a half dozen young Pfiefrachers, who confront the Toppenheimers angrily, claiming that they better shut up or there will be a </p><p>‘Topple-heimer incident!’. This devolves quickly, and unless restrained, each of the Toppenheimers will be seized by two Pfiefrauchers; taking an arm and a leg each, each pair runs at the gallery window with the intention of throwing their Toppenheimer through it head-first. It is a 10-yard fall onto the hard, stone steps beneath.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/decay.webp\" /></div><h4><strong>9:34 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.N7Q3O6n7JH8nvyUF]{Albrecht Oldenhaller} goes to the gallery, approaching one of the tray-bearing servants for a drink. Just as he gets there, an attractive young woman — the Huydermans assassin — accidentally bumps into him, apologising profusely and dazzling him with her smile. He insists she take the last drink on the tray. The two talk for a moment, and then she turns, wide-eyed, with a gasp, spinning the Councillor around and knocking a nearby man into a chair. Laughing at herself, she explains to the startled Oldenhaller that she thought she saw the Countess coming out, but was mistaken. As she turns to apologise to the man in the chair, he slumps forward, seeming asleep or drunk. She laughs, and steers Oldenhaller toward an approaching servant who carries a fresh tray of drinks.</p><p>It takes an <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test to see that the fallen man — another assassin, hired by the @UUID[Actor.0LL9UcyxDQ2Qzx9T]{Schatzenheimer} family — had a dagger in his hand, and that by spinning the Councillor around she also grabbed this man by the wrist and guided his blade into his own heart. Another, identical Test is required to spot her dropping a clear liquid into Oldenhaller’s fresh drink from a tiny compartment in a ring: this is @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.JbSjlgUdzsl5ok95]{Heartkill}.</p><p>However, as she does so, she clutches her heart and screams. Over the next few seconds, horrified onlookers see her age twenty years or more: white shoots through her hair, wrinkles shrivel her face, and her elegant, manicured hands become wizened claws. The servant drops his tray in apparent horror and goes to her assistance, while others rush to assist her and the dumbstruck Councillor. </p><p>In the commotion, Oldenhaller’s drink falls to the floor, and he almost does likewise: a few onlookers rush him and the no-longer-young lady outside ‘for some air.’ </p><p>All of these — including the opera house servant — are Nurgle cultists, determined to take Oldenhaller alive and torture him for the location of their sacred gem (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-6-–-family-honour]{Plot 6}). If necessary, they use Spells like @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.hKFeMAsntzXscIGy]{Shock} and @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.4ePe5oNQakA8nJlk]{Sleep} to subdue him so that he can be taken out of the opera house and spirited away to a cult base in the city.</p><p>There is a chance that Hubkind’s agent will recognise one or more of the cultists, either from having had them under observation before or from their behaviour. When the aging Spell takes effect on the assassin, the agent is permitted a <strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence</strong> Test to suspect that it is Chaotic in origin, and an <strong>Average (+20) Perception</strong> Test to identify those involved in disabling the assassin and kidnapping the Councillor. In that case, he will follow the cultists outside and signal Hubkind, who is waiting in the shadows with a half dozen accomplices; they will attack the cultists and try to rescue the Councillor.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/drachenfels.webp\" /></div><h4><strong>9:35 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The throng of people waiting to pay their respects to the Countess parts amid excited whispers: as they come closer, the name ‘Detlef Sierck’ can be heard. </p><p>@UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck} is the Empire’s greatest living playwright, famous for facing the dreaded Drachenfels some eight years ago. His play The <em>Tragedy of Oswald</em>, which dramatically details the terrible events and paints Sierck as a hero, is wildly popular. Natives of Nuln — and, if you wish, any Characters with the <em>Lore (Nuln)</em> or <em>Perform (Acting) </em>Skills, or some other reason to be knowledgeable about the theatre — automatically know that Sierck was born in the city, which is very proud of its native son; others might require a <strong>Challenging (+0) Intelligence</strong> Test to know this.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck} is conducted forward by a slender, well-dressed young man with curly, red-brown hair and a large, drooping moustache. </p><p>This is @UUID[Actor.743hhaYZkzT80Y92]{Edwina Lowenhertz}, the daughter of the actor @UUID[Actor.UQ2EKtuW4BmJcbJc]{Edvard} (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-3-–-critics-rebutted]{Plot 3}) in disguise: to notice that something is wrong about the young man requires an <strong>Opposed Perception/Entertain (Acting)</strong> Test against Edwina. Bowing to the Countess and her party, the young man introduces the celebrated actor and playwright with a gravel-voiced, ‘Detlef Sierck, your Grace’ before standing aside as @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck} steps forward to bow in his turn. At that moment, several things happen very quickly: the frustrated actor Edvard Lowenhertz is playing out his long-planned revenge.</p><p>A tall, hooded figure steps forward from the crowd, brushing @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck} lightly with one hand and pronouncing a strange syllable. The playwright twitches slightly, and appears confused (Lowenhertz has cast a @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.hKFeMAsntzXscIGy]{Shock}Spell on him, giving him 1 @Condition[Stunned] Condition). At the same time, the ‘young man’ mutters in a low voice and Sierck’s cloak wraps around him, holding him as fast as a shroud (an @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.WeIdAA7KArjUZfyH]{Entangle} Spell, giving him 1 @Condition[Entangled] Condition).</p><p>The hooded figure throws off his cloak, and onlookers gasp: the figure of Constant Drachenfels stands before them, familiar to all from @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck’s} play <em>The Tragedy of Oswald</em>. (@UUID[Actor.UQ2EKtuW4BmJcbJc]{Lowenherz} is dressed in a fair-to-middling theatrical costume, which he has enhanced by casting @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.neCKUJ2yMwEl6GAX]{Fearsome} on himself ). Everyone who sees him must make a Fear 1 Test.</p><p>‘<em>Detlef Sierck</em>,’ he intones, his voice ominous but rather overdone, ‘<em>you wronged Edvard Lowenhertz with your pen many years ago. Now he shall be avenged by the hand of your own creation!’</em> No longer Stunned but still Entangled and more than a little confused, Sierck recites a few lines of his famous play in a voice that is not his own (Edwina, hiding in the crowd, is using the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.pDvOunMrvaYoXjd9]{Murmured Whisper} Spell). ‘Drachenfels’ reaches out a skeletal hand and, with the cry ‘<em>In the name of Drachenfels</em>!’ — an obvious parody of Sierck’s famous line ‘<em>In the name of Sigmar!</em>’ from the play — clamps his hand on the playwright’s forehead. Sierck screams as the mad actor’s @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.vEuljwoWR2rOTU5y]{Caress of Laniph} Spell takes effect.</p><p>By this time, someone — ideally the Characters — should have intervened, but Lowenhertz is not expecting any interference: in his mind, the brilliance of his performance will keep the onlookers transfixed indefinitely. If no one acts to stop him or to help @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck}, @UUID[Actor.UQ2EKtuW4BmJcbJc]{Lowenhertz }will continue to drain Sierck’s life using @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.O7G5olv0aWLpb7Ea]{Drain} Spells, all the while declaiming in the same melodramatic style that drew the ridicule of critics all those years ago. He starts with Drachenfels’ lines from the play, changed where necessary to reflect the situation, and goes on to improvise, becoming more grandiose until he is stopped or Sierck is dead (or appears to be: as a famous Character who has survived some perilous adventures, you may be forgiven for allowing him some Fate Points).</p><p>If tackled, Lowenhertz struggles, favouring wide, theatrical gestures over effective fighting moves. As he is carried away, he rants and raves about @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Sierck} and his poisoned pen: some in the crowd may remember that as a student, Sierck wrote a particularly barbed review of Lowenhertz’s first — and last — stage performance, after which the actor disappeared from sight. </p><p>Meanwhile, the ‘young man’ played by @UUID[Actor.743hhaYZkzT80Y92]{Edwina} seems to have vanished; as soon as her father’s capture seemed inevitable, she ran downstairs, shouting in her gravelly assumed voice that someone was trying to murder the Grand Countess. This sent a crowd of opera @UUID[Actor.OBcm3V42JZnFufEE]{house staff}, the @UUID[Actor.4re4Z4WqfYLArQ9D]{Countess’s guard}, and valiant onlookers pounding up the stairs, making it impossible for anyone to follow her. Once downstairs, she ducked into a storage room where she had previously stashed a change of clothes, and made her way out dressed as a male servant (with straight, sandy hair this time) carrying a food hamper marked with the arms of the Richtofen family, owners of the city’s largest cannon foundry and patrons of the arts with a box at the opera. From there, she lost herself in the maze of streets, dumping the hamper and reversing her double-sided cloak as a precaution.</p><p>Edwina maintains a low profile for a few days, giving the gravin and her party enough time to move on. They may never see her again — if, indeed, they can be said to have seen her this time — but they may hear of elaborate murders in Nuln over the next few months, all with a theatrical twist: a wall of the Schlossfels Watch Station collapses in the same way as the wall of the Jutones’ fortress in Sierck’s The History of Sigmar, with @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.actors.UQ2EKtuW4BmJcbJc]{Edvard Lowenhertz} among the escapees; next, several lesser playwrights and critics die in ways inspired by their own works, or the works they have praised most highly in print; and finally, several attempts are made on the life of @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.actors.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Detlef Sierck}, wherever he may be at the time.</p><h4><strong>9:55 p.m.</strong></h4><p>A gong announces the end of the interval, and everyone drifts back to their seats. Among the throng are two more students (@UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-2-–-a-student-prank]{Plot 2}), who sneak into the main auditorium and conceal themselves among the shadows at the back. One of them seems to have something large and bulky under his coat, and they will flee if challenged.</p><h4><strong>10:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>With most of the audience back in its seats, and the few stragglers being soundly hissed and pushed into place, the curtain rises for the second act.</p><h4><strong>10:05 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The @UUID[Actor.sJv11oVxAILGAgJe]{two students} light the fuse on a spherical artillery shell and roll it down the centre aisle towards the seats occupied by @UUID[Actor.zCqPVYAxGQGClb0t]{Professor Pakker} and his wife. There are gasps and curses from every row it passes, and it comes to a stop right beside the professor, its fuse fizzing. The professor looks down at the shell, and even in the darkness of the auditorium his face seems to drain of colour. Suddenly, multicoloured sparks shoot out of the iron ball, coming out through the touch-hole that once held the fuse.</p><p>The whole thing is a relatively harmless prank, but the damage is done. Panic is sweeping the audience, and a stampede will follow unless someone can restore calm. Suitable Skills include <em>Charm</em>, <em>Entertain (Speeches)</em>, and <em>Leadership</em>, while Talents like @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.x8g3U68oi8XzWiYr]{Commanding Presence}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.WCXnFSV4WOSmzzc4]{Inspiring}, @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.ZWcTbeK8i9vKph2a]{Master Orator}, and @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.XU7D9CCmumuhqDUi]{Public Speaker} could all be useful.</p><p>If no one else tries to calm the crowd, the @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess} herself stands up and, in a surprisingly robust voice, stills the crowd, urging them to remain calm and reassuring them that this was nothing more than a harmless but idiotic prank. All eyes are upon her, and as she motions the audience to sit, they do so — almost without knowing it. She nods to the conductor in the orchestra pit, who responds with a low bow and taps his baton. The music swells, and the performance resumes.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} uses this disturbance to pick the professor’s pocket, and steal a key to the Imperial Gunnery School’s main ordinance vault. He will make his way outside the opera house by the most stealthy route he can find. When he reaches the Gunnery School, he burgles as many experimental weapons as he can find. He intends to send the weapons back to the burrows of Glimdwarrow (see @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.Hd6J761opHoj2QRG.JournalEntryPage.i06rwUkQyvRIB7f6]{Gnomes}) as a last line of defense for his people should their lands be invaded again.</p><h4><strong>10:45 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The bomb concealed in the potted plant in the antechamber to the Ducal box explodes, unless the fuse has been pulled out earlier. A huge bomb, it has the Blast 10 Quality and causes Damage [[/r 1d10+15]] Damage. Anyone affected, also takes Agility Bonus − [[/r 1d10]] @Condition[ablaze]{Ablaze} Conditions. Those reduced to 0 Wounds suffer 1 Critical Wound to a random @Table[hitloc]{Hit Location} for every 2 Wounds they would fall below 0, rounding up. So, if a Character would be reduced to −5 Wounds by the blast, 3 Critical Wounds are suffered.</p><p>The blast shreds the walls of the box, the antechamber, and neighbouring boxes, as well as the ceiling and floor. For those surviving the blast, a <strong>Difficult (−10) Athletics</strong> Test is required to avoid falling through the ruined floor onto the audience below (for a 7-yard fall). </p><p>The performance, of course, comes to an abrupt end, and the surviving audience members shout, scream, and stampede for the doors; the slower and weaker are trampled, some of them fatally.</p><h4><strong>11:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>If nothing else has caused the performance to be abandoned, the curtain falls to great applause. Most of the audience begins to leave the opera house, but the nobles stay in their boxes, ordering fresh drinks and food.</p><p>More people gather outside the ducal box to pay their respects to the Countess, who receives them in the antechamber as before. Among them is Count Bruno Pfiefraucher — but as he bows to kiss the Countess’s outstretched hand, a Toppenheimer agent stealthily cuts his belt from behind (requiring a <strong>Challenging (+0) Sleight of Hand</strong> Test to perform successfully), causing the unfortunate Count’s breeches to fall down. Instead of trying to escape through the shocked throng, the agent stays and acts as shocked as everyone else: if none of the Characters saw the agent carry out the deed, they might still be able to tell that the agent does not fit with the rest of the company. </p><p>An <strong>Opposed Perception/Entertain (Acting)</strong> Test against the agent will be necessary. If captured and questioned, the agent will confess to being hired by three of the younger Toppenheimers, but names were never given.</p><h4><strong>11:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The Countess, the gravin and their respective entourages leave the opera house, to find @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind} and his followers waiting for them. Depending on the events of the evening, the witch hunter may have decided that one or both of them are either cultists or in league with cultists, and a tense standoff may develop as Hubkind and his accomplices face the two noblewomen and their accompanying guards outside the opera house.</p><p>To make things worse, a curious crowd gathers, made up of others who are late to leave the opera, people drawn from nearby taverns by the commotion, and passers-by on their way to or from the city’s various other entertainments. After a few minutes, the Watch arrives, and the standoff could potentially develop into a riot if the witch hunter refuses to give way to the Countess, or the Countess refuses to submit to his questions — or at least, give her word to grant him an audience at some later time, at which all his questions will be answered. Characters with strong Fellowship Characteristics and diplomatic Skills may be able to prevent a great deal of unpleasantness, and potentially earn the gratitude of the Countess into the bargain.</p><p>If the Characters do nothing, the Watch will arrive in sufficient strength to escort the Countess and her party back to the palace, sweeping aside the witch hunter and his accusations. However, by the next morning, Hubkind whips up an angry mob from among the city’s malcontents and Sigmarite faithful, whom already disapprove of the licentious ruler; a noisy protest outside the palace may flare into violence against anyone coming or going, and even to talk of overthrowing the Liebwitz family; which, of course, will please House Dammenblatz and House Toppenheimer greatly, and receive their enthusiastic support.</p><div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/spot-laurel-skull.webp\" width=\"231\" height=\"210\" /></div>"
				},
				"A Night At The Opera": {
					"name": "A Night At The Opera",
					"text": "<p>To celebrate her victory in the trial, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike von  Liebwitz} of Ambosstein is invited to the opera by her illustrious aunt, Grand Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle von Liebwitz} of Nuln. Unfortunately for our Heroes and their employer, the defeated Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz} thirsts for revenge, and a number of other parties are also up to no good at the opening night of Otenno.</p><h2>Location</h2><p>Nuln is a city famed for its culture, and the Staatsoper theatre, situated in the wealthy Altestadt district, is one of the jewels in its crown. It is located on the great Commercial Way that separates the aristocratic Schlossfels district from the mercantile Kaufmann District. Lavishly decorated inside and out, it is a temple to art and culture, and draws folk from across the Old World to witness its extraordinary productions first-hand.</p><h2>Getting There</h2><p>The city-state of Nuln stands proud at the confluence of the rivers Reik and Aver. Well-maintained roads spiderweb outwards from Nuln in all directions, and are always heavy with traffic. Once the Imperial Capital, Nuln is a city now famous for extravagant parties, high culture, and advanced industry. Because of this, it is a natural destination for those looking for trade, employment, or opportunities of a more mercenary kind.</p><h3><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h3><p>If you intend to play through the <strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong> campaign, the adventurers accompany @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz} back to Nuln after the eventful trial in Kemperbad. The journey is a straightforward one, following @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.Zhp59VXYiv6dGfhR]{the Reik} directly upstream, and shouldn’t take more than a few days with favourable weather.</p><h3><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h3><p>If this adventure is being played on its own, the opera house could be in @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.V6tkgQ9A2skppjyl]{Altdorf} or any of the Empire’s other great cities. The Characters might be going to the opera as part of an investigation, or they might simply be taking an opportunity to rub shoulders with the wealthy and well-born and make some society contacts. Opera tickets might even be part of a reward from a wealthy patron for a job well done.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/nuln-by-night.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Plot Summaries": {
					"name": "Plot Summaries",
					"text": "<h4><strong>Plot 1 – Best Served Hot</strong></h4><p>Agents for @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz} plan to blow up the Ducal box during the performance, killing Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} as well as @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess Emmanuelle}, whom he blames equally for his father’s death. House Dammenblatz is also a close ally of House Toppenheimer, and there are currently many tensions between the Toppenheimers and the Liebwitzes (see @UUID[.jmhqqWatzKzHAwoV#plot-5-–-local-rivalries]{Plot 5}).</p><h4><strong>Plot 2 – A Student Prank</strong></h4><p>Nuln is famous for its university’s engineers and for the Imperial Gunnery School. A student prank involving a few firecrackers may turn deadly if not nipped in the bud. Meanwhile, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin Oddsocks} is following them closely — he has got it in his head to burgle the Imperial Gunnery School — and will take any distractions he can use to steal the keys from one of the university’s professors in attendance.</p><h4><strong>Plot 3 – Critics Rebutted</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Detlef Sierck}, the Empire’s foremost playwright and a son of Nuln, is among those attending the performance. His presence, after many years away, has drawn the attention of @UUID[Actor.UQ2EKtuW4BmJcbJc]{Edvard Lowenhertz}, a vengeful lunatic who was once an aspiring actor himself — until his debut performance was so savaged by the critics that the humiliation drove him into hiding. With the help of his daughter @UUID[Actor.743hhaYZkzT80Y92]{Edwina}, Lowenhertz plots an appropriately theatrical revenge against Detlef Sierck, who, as a young student, penned a particularly harsh review. Driven by revenge, Lowenhertz studied dark magics in secret, and twisted his adoring young daughter into a devoted accomplice.</p><h4><strong>Plot 4 – College Ties</strong></h4><p>Assuming he is still alive, the gravin’s lawyer, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler}, returns to Nuln along with his mistress. The Slaanesh cultists of the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> plan to punish him for refusing their orders in @UUID[JournalEntry.g4vOyAOCjOl4EHBO]{A Rough Night at the Three Feathers} and for surviving their assassination attempts in A Day at the Trials.</p><h4><strong>Plot 5 – Local Rivalries</strong></h4><p>Beneath the culture and glitter of Nuln lurk the same plots and rivalries found in all the Empire’s cities. Recent months have seen rising tension between Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle} and the ruling family of Sudenland, the Toppenheimers, who wish to rule Nuln as they once did long ago. The Countess now openly favours the Pfiefrauchers — the Toppenheimers’ primary rivals in Sudenland. As members of both families are attending the performance, their rivalry may spill over into pranks, brawls — and even murder.</p><h4><strong>Plot 6 – Family Honour</strong></h4><p>Councillor @UUID[Actor.N7Q3O6n7JH8nvyUF]{Albrecht Oldenhaller}, a senior merchant and politician in Nuln, recently attempted to acquire a gem of dubious provenance. This inserted his agents into an underworld war where the Tilean @UUID[Actor.2hX69vBEAZncOLdT]{Valentina} family all but wiped out the Nulner @UUID[Actor.0LL9UcyxDQ2Qzx9T]{Schatzenheimer} gang, and nearly did the same to the Wastelander @UUID[Actor.YYkCsVTcW7PlLxLK]{Huydermans} gang. Like all of Nuln’s great and good, Oldenhaller likes to be seen at the opera — but the gangs haven’t forgotten the Councillor, nor about the gem. Each of the gangs has sent an assassin to kill Oldenhaller, but only the one who does the deed will receive the reward. The gem, which is unfortunately sacred to the Chaos God Nurgle, is also on the minds of a group of @UUID[Actor.QfuTho9iwb2q6MRp]{Nurgle Cultists}, who want to take Oldenhaller alive and question him about the gem’s current location. He was, after all, the last person to see it…</p><h4><strong>Plot 7 – The Witch Hunter</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind} the witch hunter was prevented from investigating the gravin fully during the trial in Kemperbad when the Ghost of one of his previous victims arose and attacked him. He has followed the gravin to Nuln and is observing both her and her aunt very closely, to the extent that he will not hesitate to kidnap and question one of the servants of either lady, under torture if necessary, in order to gain evidence against them.</p><div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-core/art/spot/spot-crossed-pistols.webp\" width=\"235\" height=\"305\" /></div>"
				},
				"The Adventure": {
					"name": "The Adventure",
					"text": "<p>The adventure starts in the early evening, when the Characters arrive at the opera house.</p><h3><strong>Player's Introduction</strong></h3><p>One way or another, Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria Ulrike} is free of all the charges laid at her feet. With a spring in her step, she leaves Kemperbad for Nuln, to give her aunt, the Elector Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle von Liebwitz}, the good news. The Countess was also named in the Dammenblatz indictment, and even though her rank made her immune from prosecution on the complaint of a lesser noble, the news is as welcome to her as to the gravin. To celebrate, she decides to take her niece to the opera: a new production of the classic tragedy Otenno is opening, with a revised libretto by renowned playwright @UUID[Actor.HVtHpEXhGGMOmGzy]{Detlef Sierck}, recently returned to his home town of Nuln after many years in Altdorf.</p>"
				}
			}
		},
		"A Rough Night at The Three Feathers": {
			"name": "A Rough Night at The Three Feathers",
			"pages": {
				"Events": {
					"name": "Events",
					"text": "<p>These events can be affected by what the Characters do and where they are at any particular time. You should also feel free to change any event as desired.</p><h4>9:00 p.m.</h4><p>The Characters arrive at the inn. The Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} and her party are already in residence (@UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-1-–-a-matter-of-import]{Plot 1}) having arrived by barge and coach.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno Franke} sits bare-chested at table a, arm-wrestling with one of the guards. Others are gathered round, drinking and shouting encouragement. Bruno wins easily, and will accept any challenge for stakes of @Pay[2ss]{2/–} or higher. Rules for @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.OnhGK8IE9SCGAlRT.JournalEntryPage.JE5RjL7ipcOqItZB]{Arm Wrestling}.</p><p>The @UUID[Actor.15Gl7uqdvONEUNAJ]{guards} and @UUID[Actor.1j08h1HYbNWMF3qE]{servants} in the barroom may talk to the adventurers if offered a few drinks and/or on a successful <strong>Average (+20) Charm</strong> Test. If a Character is looking for information, an <strong>Opposed Gossip/Cool</strong> Test reveals the gravin is going to Kemperbad to deal with some legal matter; on an Impressive Success (+4), the servant or guard also reveals that it has to do with the death of a guest at a party held by the gravin’s aunt, Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle von Liebwitz} of Nuln.</p><p>On a successful <strong>Average (+20) Lore (the Empire) </strong>Test (Courtier Characters can attempt this test without the Skill using their unmodified <strong>Int</strong>) the Characters have heard of Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle’s} legendary parties, which are at their wildest during Black Powder Week, a week-long winter festival held in Nuln. On an Impressive Success (4+), they have already heard some gossip about the incident: Baron Otto von Dammenblatz, a minor noble from Duchy of Dunkelberg, was found dead, face down in a punch bowl. His son, Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz}, has accused the gravin of causing his father’s death through poisoning or witchcraft. Everyone in the gravin’s party believes that the baron drank himself unconscious, slumped comatose into the punch bowl, and drowned.</p><p>Also in the barroom is a grinning Halfling, @UUID[Actor.XDRhpsdxuqgCL3jk]{Mercinellin 'Seedling' Thorncobble} who sits at Table B talking to the gravin as she fingers a pack of cards. As the Characters enter the inn, the gravin shakes the Halfling’s hand, and heads up to her room along with her guards — she has just completed a deal to hire Seedling for an </p><p>upcoming party in Ubersreik. Seedling is delighted, and will happily tell anyone exactly why. She will play a game of @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.OnhGK8IE9SCGAlRT.JournalEntryPage.vSnJs2wpgPfHzSaZ]{Scarlet Empress} with anyone who offers, for stakes of @Pay[1ss]{1/-} a game.</p><h4><strong>9:10 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Three travelling scholars (@UUID[Actor.0Lk2REtzh9XVM8nB]{Allrella}, @UUID[Actor.Q5nA8TjPG9UfgBUa]{Elphoise}, @UUID[Actor.N5yE3yifdjZ77UKU]{Helga}) come in out of the rain and hang their heavy cloaks and hats by the fire to dry. They book a double-room for the three of them and order three hot meals. They sit at table c and keep to themselves. These are the cultists of the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> (see @UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-3-–-a-face-from-the-past]{Plot 3}).</p><h4><strong>9:15 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin Oddsocks} arrives, books a place in the dormitory, and sits down to play cards with Seedling (@UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-7-–-youve-got-to-pick-a-pocket-or-two]{Plot 7}). Non-Halfling Characters who have never seen a Gnome before will likely mistake him for a Halfling. Halflings will never make that mistake, and may find Glimbrin somewhat of a curiosity.</p><h4><strong>9:20 p.m.</strong></h4><p>A liveried servant comes downstairs and orders @UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno} to stop arm wrestling in case he injures himself. Anyone at the same table or an adjoining table can overhear this, as can Characters with the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.OXfa9uwG36syzaix]{Lip Reading} Talent and a clear line of sight. Bruno stands up abruptly, towering over the servant, and tells him to mind his own business. The servant retreats upstairs.</p><h4><strong>9:25 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The gravin comes downstairs with three @UUID[Actor.1j08h1HYbNWMF3qE]{servants} and orders @UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno} to his room (room 4). He obeys sulkily. A servant orders supper for the gravin’s party. The guards and some of the servants eat in the bar, while meals for the gravin, her champion, and half a dozen servants are sent upstairs.</p><h4><strong>9:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>A small boat arrives, carrying a well-dressed @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{man} and @UUID[Actor.RVDzvuNLOyMHpboL]{woman} and two @UUID[Actor.w0lTr0FORohrZjlg]{boatmen} (@UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-2-–-compromising-positions]{Plot 2}). Room 10 is booked in the name of Johann Schmidt, and the boatmen are put up in the dormitory. The couple disappears upstairs without supper or even a drink. The boatmen stay in the bar, sitting at <strong>Table A</strong>, which was recently vacated by Bruno. If asked, the boatmen will claim the Schmidts are newlyweds from Grissenwald. They know the couple’s true identities, but have been well paid to keep quiet. It will take a <strong>Hard (−20) Bribery</strong> Test (the target is @Pay[2gc1ss8bp]{2 GC 1/8}!) to persuade them to tell the truth.</p><p><strong>9:35 p.m.</strong></p><p>Three travellers arrive by cart, dressed in embellished, black robes of Morr @UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-5-–-ashes-to-ashes]{Plot 5}). They ask for a double room for themselves and their charge: they are conveying a body for burial, and ask to keep it in their room. The barman is uncertain and calls the landlord. Coins discreetly change hands and the Morrians are given room 9, well away from the gravin’s party. The ‘initiates’ bring in a coffin and go straight to their room as the inn patrons look on in shock. The ‘priest’ tells the landlord not to worry about any noise in the night: they are required to pray over the body from midnight until dawn.</p><h4><strong>9:50 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} arrives on horseback (@UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-6-–-a-fistful-of-gold-crowns]{Plot 6}). After seeing her horse stabled, she enters the inn and books a single room (18). Despite her intimidating appearance, she seems friendly enough and will talk with anyone. If asked about her business, she claims to be working for the Kemperbad town council, taking a confidential message to Nuln. She will not say any more.</p><p>At some point early in the evening, one of the minor male NPCs — a servant or guard — makes an improper suggestion to her. She flattens him quickly and efficiently, and the landlord steps in to prevent a brawl. If one of the Characters insults her first, she will react in the same way, without drawing a weapon. </p><p>If weapons are drawn, or a fight lasts for more than 2 Rounds, the landlord and staff step in, aided by as many of the inn’s other patrons as necessary.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/morrians2.webp\" /></div><h4><strong>10:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>A @UUID[Actor.1j08h1HYbNWMF3qE]{servant} comes down from the gravin’s rooms and orders all her party to bed: they will be starting at first light tomorrow. Reluctantly, various servants and guards finish their drinks and drift off to the dormitory.</p><p>At about the same time, @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{‘Herr Schmidt’} comes down for a bottle of wine. On his way back to his room, he is approached by one of the gravin’s servants. An inaudible but clearly heated exchange takes place, and ‘Schmidt’ hurries back upstairs looking angry. The servant heads off to the dormitory. Characters with the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.OXfa9uwG36syzaix]{Lip Reading} Talent may learn that the servant is threatening to tell someone something, but that is all.</p><h4><strong>10:10 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno Franke} returns to the bar, grinning broadly and looking around with theatrically exaggerated caution to make sure that none of the gravin’s party is still there. He orders a mug of ale, telling the barman to ‘keep ’em coming,’ and sits down at table a with the two boatmen. After a few minutes, an arm wrestling contest starts again. Ursula watches for a while and then challenges Bruno, putting ten silver shillings on the table.</p><p>Bruno demurs for a moment, but accepts the challenge: a small crowd gathers. Bruno’s arm begins to go down — he was being gentle with the lady — but he quickly applies his full strength and the contest begins in earnest. Neither contestant moves — a sheen of sweat breaks out on Bruno’s forehead, but it is an even match. Then Ursula’s arm wavers, and Bruno — no longer the gentleman — forces the bounty hunter’s arm slowly but surely down to the table.</p><p>Bruno looks at Ursula with a new respect, and the two of them spend some time talking and drinking together. Bruno will not accept any more arm-wrestling challenges tonight.</p><p>A few minutes later, another tray of fresh drinks is taken to Bruno’s table. One mug of ale is drugged: it is intended for Bruno, but you should take care that someone else drinks it — a minor NPC or one of the adventurers. The ale is laced with @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.JbSjlgUdzsl5ok95]{Heartkill}.</p><p>If and when the victim of the drugged ale passes out, a successful <strong>Average (+20) Perception</strong> Test reveals that one of the gravin's staff suddenly looks worried and leaves. If the Characters pursue this individual, she escapes through the darkness of the courtyard.</p><h4><strong>10:15 p.m.</strong></h4><p>One of the ‘initiates’ comes down and speaks to the landlord. Successful Lip Reading reveals the ‘initiates’ are expecting a boat during the night, and want the landlord to tell them the moment it arrives. The ‘initiate’ then returns to their room. As soon as the ‘initiate’ has left, Ursula goes to speak to the landlord. Successful Lip Reading reveals that she is asking the landlord about them, and he is telling her what they told him. A few coins change hands, and Ursula goes back to Bruno’s table.</p><h4><strong>10:25 p.m.</strong></h4><p>One of the gravin’s servants comes down and orders Bruno to bed, explaining that the gravin checked his room and found him missing. He returns sheepishly upstairs.</p><h4><strong>10:40 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler} comes downstairs, dressed in a nightshirt and a silk dressing-gown. As he enters the barroom, one of the three <em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists leaves their table and heads upstairs. Rechtshandler orders a brandy and takes it back to his room (room 3). A few minutes later, the other two cultists go upstairs to their room (room 10).</p><h4><strong>10:45 p.m.</strong></h4><p>One of the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists (@UUID[Actor.0Lk2REtzh9XVM8nB]{Allrella}, @UUID[Actor.Q5nA8TjPG9UfgBUa]{Elphoise}, @UUID[Actor.N5yE3yifdjZ77UKU]{Helga}) knocks on the door of @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler’s} room. The lawyer answers it after a moment and there is a brief exchange of words — too low to hear — before the cultist is admitted. A minute or so later, raised voices can be heard on a successful <strong>Challenging (+0) Perception</strong> Test (the Test is <strong>Average (+20)</strong> if a Character is listening by the door): Rechtshandler says he will not submit to blackmail, and the other says that he has no choice. Abruptly, everything goes quiet.</p><h4><strong>10:50 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} quietly opens the door of his room and looks outside. If there is anyone in the passage, he says that he thought he heard something outside: he closes the door, checking the passage again five minutes later. When the guards have moved on for a sneaky drink and coast is clear, he drags the cultist’s body out. If the PCs’ room is empty, he will leave the body there, completely by chance: if not, he will leave it in the linen cupboard.</p><h4><strong>11:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{‘Schmidt’} comes downstairs looking worried. If the PCs are still in the barroom, he asks one of them to take a message to the dormitory for him, offering 5 silver shillings for the Character’s trouble. The job is to tell one of the gravin’s servants — a Hans Erpresser — that ‘Schmidt’ wants to see him. If the PCs are not in the barroom, ‘Schmidt’ hires one of the @UUID[Actor.w0lTr0FORohrZjlg]{boatmen} to carry the message. Having paid the messenger, ‘Schmidt’ returns to his room.</p><h4><strong>11:05 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Erpresser goes to see @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{‘Schmidt’} in his room. He knocks on the door and is admitted straight away. There is a single thump (heard with a successful <strong>Challenging (+0) Perception</strong> Test; the Test is <strong>Average (+20) </strong>if a Characters is listening by the door or in an adjoining room) as ‘Schmidt’ kills the servant. A few moments later, ‘Schmidt’ cautiously opens his door to see if the passage is clear, and will attempt to dispose of the body in the same way as @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} (see @UUID[.ylvCODtdspV98axl#10:50-p.m.]{10:50 p.m.}).</p><h4><strong>11:15 p.m.</strong></h4><p>One of the gravin’s servants asks the Characters to visit the lawyer’s room. @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} explains that the travellers in room 10 are blackmailing him, and offers @Credit[20gc SPLIT]{20 GCs} to dispose of them. If the Characters accept Rechtshandler’s offer, they will find the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists’ room is not locked as the two remaining cultists are waiting for their companion to return — they have not yet become concerned about his long absence. Assuming the Characters take advantage of this and initiate combat, the cultists receive a @Condition[Surprised] Condition. After 3 Rounds of fighting, guests from adjoining rooms will come to investigate the noise.</p><p>Meanwhile, @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} leaves the barroom ‘to check on her horse’ — actually, she is spying out the room used by the smugglers.</p><h4><strong>11:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>There is a great hammering on the inn’s main door. The landlord refuses to open it at first, but it seems that someone is prepared to break the door down if necessary. When the door is opened, a well-dressed — but fairly drunk — mustachioed man comes in, accompanied by three aggressive-looking men (this is @UUID[Actor.1gLZGKozh6nrBjGr]{Thomas Prahmhandler} and his hired thugs, @UUID[Actor.qKIlKSoDoQYCTMGE]{Uncle Mho}, @UUID[Actor.0SY3YBbsrNa6bvZ6]{Crazy Larz}, @UUID[Actor.Wnn6QYqqbvG5gotp]{Big 'Curls'}, see (@UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-3-–-a-face-from-the-past]{Plot 3}). The newcomer demands to know which room belongs to a @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{Freidrich von Pfeifraucher}. When he is told that there is no one staying in the inn under that name, he pauses.</p><p>‘<em>Well, his barge's moored outside</em>,’ he slurs, ‘<em>so we’ll just have to look for him ourselves. Gentlemen?</em>’ He waves his three thugs upstairs. A brawl breaks out as the staff try to stop them, aided by several patrons. Whether or not the Characters are in the barroom at this time, the brawl should reach them, and one of the PCs should lose a dagger in the confusion: this will be important later.</p><p>If @UUID[Actor.1gLZGKozh6nrBjGr]{Thomas Prahmhandler} makes it upstairs, he breaks down every door until he is stopped or until he finds von Pfeifraucher. Two of the thugs will hold the noble down, and Prahmhandler horsewhips him while the third thug forces the weeping young woman to watch.</p><p>If the brawl reaches the upper floor and lasts for more than 3 Rounds up there, three of the gravin’s guards (unarmed and unarmoured, of course) will come to investigate, and will join the staff and other patrons in trying to put down the disturbance.</p><p>At some time during this event, Ursula returns to the barroom. She will automatically investigate any disturbance.</p><h4><strong>11:50 p.m.</strong></h4><p>If the two remaining cultists are still alive, they visit the lawyer’s room, where a violent argument takes place. By the time anyone comes to see what is going on, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} is dead. There is no one else in the room, which is bolted from the inside. The cultists left via the window, and spend about five minutes on the roof making their way back to their own room.</p><p>Meanwhile, @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} goes to her room, locking the door.</p><h4><strong>Midnight</strong></h4><p>There is a tremendous shouting and scuffling from the smugglers’ room. The landlord tries to prevent anyone going in, explaining what the ‘initiates’ told him about praying over the body through the night. However, after a few minutes he decides he must speak to them, and he will be glad of anyone’s company. As he approaches the door of the room, though, everything suddenly goes quiet. The ‘priest’ opens the door and apologises for the noise. In the room, his two ‘initiates’ can be seen sitting firmly on a third. The one at the door explains that their brother sometimes has these spasms, being particularly sensitive to vibrations from beyond the Portal. It makes him a first-class priest of Morr, but can be inconvenient. The landlord goes away, puzzled.</p><p>The smugglers’ charge woke up as the effects of the drug wore off, and their efforts to keep him quiet were not entirely successful. If the Characters accompany the landlord to the room, they may notice that there are now four ‘Morrians’ rather than three. If they mention this, the landlord will tell them that they must be mistaken, and will be very unwilling to go back to the room, or to allow anyone else to do so, unless a <strong>Hard (−20) Charm</strong> Test is passed. If any do go back to the room, they will find only three ‘Morrians’ there: the smugglers have knocked their charge unconscious and hidden him under a bed.</p><h4><strong>12:10am</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin} heads for the dormitory. Seedling then asks if anyone else wants to play cards with her. If not, she shrugs and also heads for the dormitory. The boatmen and coachmen retire as well.</p><h4><strong>12:20am</strong></h4><p>A woman screams from the gravin’s wing. If the Characters arrive on the scene, they find a small crowd around the door to Bruno’s room (room 4). He is dead, with a dagger embedded between his shoulders. Everybody is roused from their beds and summoned to the barroom. It will soon become obvious that several other people are dead or missing.</p><p>The @UUID[Actor.Rbful1SWQ9liRKFk]{innkeeper} announces that there is a murderer on the loose and advises everyone to lock themselves in their rooms until daylight, when he can send for the road wardens or river patrol. Or both. However, before everyone goes back to bed, the gravin displays the dagger with which Bruno was killed.</p><p>It will look familiar to the Characters, since it was stolen from one of them about 20 minutes earlier. If its owner does not come forward straight away, one of the gravin's staff (the one who stole it, naturally) remembers seeing an identical dagger in the Character’s possession. The PC is challenged to produce the weapon, but will, of course, be unable to do so. It will take a successful <strong>Hard (−20) Charm</strong> Test to convince anyone that the dagger went missing during the brawl at midnight. The penalty reflects the fact that people prefer the simple explanation: that the Character murdered Bruno.</p><p>After all the accusations and protestations of innocence have died down, the @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{gravin} rises.</p><p>‘<em>I am authorised as a gravin to exercise my Imperial right of dispensing common justice, and it seems right I should do so here given I am the most prominent wronged party. Therefore, I rule that this group shall be locked in their room until the morning, when I shall decide further. All their weapons and equipment will be confiscated, and guards will be posted at their door and beneath their window. You, however,’</em> — she points at the strongest-looking Warrior Class Character, or the closest to that — <em>‘I sentence to replace my murdered champion until it pleases me to decide otherwise.’</em> A murmur runs around the bar, but no one questions her ruling.</p><p>Bruno’s body is handed over to the ‘Morrians’ with a request that they look after it until dawn. It is taken to their room wrapped in a blanket, as are any other bodies that have been discovered so far.</p><p>Escape is effectively impossible: there are too many people in the bar. The Characters are locked in their room with two of the gravin’s guards outside the door and another two beneath their window, if they have one. All their weapons and equipment are taken. The Character whom the gravin has chosen as her new champion is taken to Bruno’s room (room 4) and locked in. After about half an hour, everyone goes back to bed.</p><h4><strong>1:20am</strong></h4><p>A servant comes to the Characters’ room: the gravin wants to talk to them. They are taken to her room (room 1) by four guards, stopping along the way to collect the new champion. The gravin is waiting for them, still fully dressed. After ordering the guards to wait outside, she speaks to the PCs.</p><p><em>‘I’m sorry it was necessary to have you locked up, but it seemed to be the only way to calm everyone down. I believe you are innocent — no one would be so stupid as to leave his own dagger behind as a clue. Anyway, we have until dawn to discover who actually killed Bruno. I’m sure Dammenblatz is behind it all — I’m going to Kemperbad to fight a lawsuit against him. If I’m right, then his agents will try to kill my new champion’ — </em>she favours this Character with a sardonic smile<em> — ‘but this time you will all be waiting for them. The guard will be left on your room for the sake of appearances, but you will all spend the rest of the night in Bruno’s room. One weapon of your choice will be returned to each of you… no, no more than one — I don’t want you trying to make a break for it. Well, then, let’s get moving — there isn’t much of the night left.’</em></p><p>Each Character is given one item from their weapons and equipment, and the party is locked in Bruno’s room. The guards return to their posts. There is to be no light in the room, so the Characters must wait in darkness. Each Character must pass an <strong>Average (+20) Endurance</strong> Test or fall asleep before the next event happens.</p><h4><strong>2:00am</strong></h4><p>All awake Characters should attempt a <strong>Hard (−20) Perception</strong> Test. If passed, a soft scraping noise is heard coming from the chimney of Bruno’s room. Sleeping characters can attempt a <strong>Very Hard (−30) Perception</strong> Test to wake up with a start and a @Condition[Fatigued] Condition. They are also given the @Condition[Unconscious] and @Condition[Prone] Conditions for Round 1, and a @Condition[Surprised] Condition on the Round they awaken.</p><p>If the PCs rush to investigate or give any other indication that they are awake, the noise stops. If they keep quiet, someone comes down the chimney and into the room. Characters with the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.x0WMGwuQzReXcQrs]{Night Vision} Talent recognise one of the gravin's staff. The servant, actually an @UUID[Actor.eOlJad1Pky9vNevM]{agent} in the employ of Baron von Dammenblatz, can barely see in the darkness, so creeps towards the bed, relying on memory and care to avoid falling over anything. If attacked, she tries to escape through the window or up the chimney; the two guards posted outside will come in at the first sound of any disturbance.</p><p>If the agent is captured, the guards bind and gag her to await the gravin’s pleasure in the morning.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/murder.webp\" /></div><h4><strong>4:30am</strong></h4><p>Dawn breaks. The gravin calls everyone to the barroom, but there is no answer from the smugglers’ room. The door is forced open to reveal a scene of carnage. All three ‘Morrians’ are dead, and their coffin has been broken open and contains a freshly-dead, headless body. It has no distinguishing characteristics, making identifying the mysterious corpse almost impossible, but it does have printed leaflets stuffed in an inside pocket denouncing the Countess of Nuln as a ‘LUSTY DEGENERATE who must be REMOVED for the benefit of ALL the EMPIRE!’. Ursula Kopfgeld and her horse are also missing.</p><p>Once everyone has assembled, the gravin brings out the captured (or dead) servant. The gravin then explains that the woman was in the pay of @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz}, and is responsible for Bruno’s murder as well as the attempted murder of her newly-appointed champion. The gravin rules the Dammenblatz agent is to be locked up and handed over to the road wardens or river patrol at the first opportunity, and then everyone goes on their way. It’s been a busy night, and one that no one will forget in a hurry.</p>"
				},
				"The Inn": {
					"name": "The Inn",
					"text": "<div class=\"journal-image float-right\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/three-feathers-sign.webp\" width=\"205\" height=\"264\" /></div>\n<p>The Three Feathers is a medium-sized riverside inn, typical of countless similar hostelries to be found along the banks of the Empire’s rivers and canals. They are normally spaced about a day’s journey apart, providing moorings and accommodation for those travellers who do not care to continue their journey by night.</p>\n<p>The inn stands on the riverbank, at least a day’s journey from the nearest town or village. If you are following the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.MAfRuWyvI1pHjvPB.JournalEntryPage.KaxJZY4Nu7bzaUX3]{Campaign Map}, the Three Feathers is situated some twenty miles north of @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.so1ZUXSSYFRvxkhp]{Grissenwald} on the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.Zhp59VXYiv6dGfhR]{River Reik}; but you are free to place the inn wherever is convenient for your campaign.</p>\n<p>A ten-foot stone wall extends from the main building all the way to the water. Outside the wall is nothing but forest, and a wagon track leading to a nearby road. The next village is more than half a day away on horseback, a day on foot, and the nearest town is further still.</p>\n<p>Inside the wall stands the main building, a stables with an attached smithy, and an outhouse. A small landing stage has been built on the riverbank.</p>\n<h3><strong>Main Building</strong></h3>\n<p>The main building of the Three Feathers has two storeys. Its brick and timber walls are two-and-a-half-feet thick, and are whitened with a lime wash.</p>\n<p>The lower floor contains the bar-room, the dormitory, the kitchens, and accommodation for the inn’s staff. There is also a store-room with a cellar beneath. </p>\n<p>The upper floor has 20 guest rooms of various sizes. Rooms 1–10 are double rooms, while rooms 11–20 are singles. A narrow, wooden stairway connects the two floors, with a large cupboard on the landing for clean bedlinen and other supplies.</p>\n<p>A single room costs @Pay[10ss]{10/–} per night, a double room costs @Pay[15ss]{15/–}, and a place in the dormitory costs @Pay[1ss]{1/–}. All prices include supper and breakfast. It is possible to cram one extra person into a single or double room, but they will have to sleep on the floor and pay a surcharge equal to half the cost of the room.</p>\n<h3><strong>Stables and Smithy</strong></h3>\n<p>The stables are built lean-to fashion against the wall, and are made of timber with a wood-shingle roof. four stalls are arranged to one side of a narrow passage, with a hay store at the far end with space for a coach to park. </p>\n<p>As a precaution against fire, the adjoining smithy is made of a double wall of whitewashed brick, with a cracked, slate roof. It contains a small forge normally used to replace horseshoes, mend small items of harness, or manufacture parts used in barge repair.</p>\n<h3><strong>Outhouse</strong></h3>\n<p>This wattle-and-daub building has a wood-shingle roof and seats eight: four on either side of the door. A sign on the door reads ‘NOCK FIRST — no dividers!’ and, true to the warning, there is no privacy here. At night, a small lamp is hung beside the door so that guests can find their way, and a tall candle burns inside, giving just enough light for visitors to use the fragrant facilities.</p>\n<h3><strong>Landing Stage</strong></h3>\n<p>The inn’s landing stage is wide enough for two small cargo boats to dock alongside, or up to four larger vessels if they dock nose-in. The river is wide enough at this point to permit nose-in docking, although the current will pull at any boat whose stern is not moored to a stake in the riverbed.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"sidebar\">\n<h3 class=\"sidebar-title\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Inn Trouble</em></h3>\n<p><em>There are many potential adventures afoot when visiting inns like the Three Feathers. Should the Characters stop at such a place, pull out the map, rename the NPCs, and expand upon one of the following for a fun evening’s play.</em></p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><em>The inn is alive with bounty hunters. Kurtis Krammond, a notorious thief, was spotted in the locale, and the 250 GP bounty has folk of all backgrounds clamouring to take his head. The atmosphere is fraught as competing hunters eye each other warily, and is only made worse when a disguised Kurtis arrives to stir up trouble between the rivals pursuing him.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>Triumphant hunters drink and sing, celebrating their theft of a griffon egg that they intend to sell to a local noble. However, the egg hatches in the night, releasing a panicked cublet that rampages through the inn. Worse, the baby griffon’s mother comes calling not long after.</em></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><em>The Characters arrive to a scene of terror. All the inn’s staff and patrons are dead, their faces masks of horror. But the sun is dipping below the horizon. Do the Characters stay? Camp outside the safety of the walls? And do any of them think to post watch over the well at midnight when the murdered spirit rises?</em></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>"
				},
				"A Rough Night at The Three Feathers": {
					"name": "A Rough Night at The Three Feathers",
					"text": "<p>Our Heroes arrive at a riverside inn, expecting to spend an uneventful night before leaving in the morning. But matters soon run out of control, and everyone has a rather rough night...</p><h2><strong>Location</strong></h2><p>For the purposes of the Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days campaign, the Three Feathers does not need to be in any particular place. It is presumed to be on the river Reik as shown on the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.MAfRuWyvI1pHjvPB.JournalEntryPage.KaxJZY4Nu7bzaUX3]{Campaign Map}, but can be placed along one of the Empire’s larger rivers, such as the Aver, the Teufel, or the Talabec, wherever the party is likely to need to stop for the night. The location should be fairly isolated, so that once the doors are locked for the night, the inn is a closed world with no outside force to affect things. Things will be quite complicated enough without adding random passers-by!</p><h2><strong>Getting There</strong></h2><p>The Characters can come to the Three Feathers in various ways. Most likely, they are travelling by road or river for reasons of their own. They might be heading to one of the Empire’s cities to seek their fortunes, or they might already be involved in an adventure, following a clue that leads along the river. If they are aboard a barge, it might sustain damage a little way from the inn, forcing them to stay the night and hire the inn’s smith to carry out the repairs.</p><h3><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h3><p>If you intend to play through the <strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong> campaign, the Characters should come to the Three Feathers expecting nothing more than to pass an uneventful night before continuing their journey in the morning.</p><h3><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h3><p>If you are not following the campaign, you have considerably more freedom. The Characters might follow a suspect to the inn, or receive a message requesting an urgent meeting. You will likely have an adventure under way, and its plot will suggest several plausible reasons for a visit to the Three Feathers.</p><p> </p>"
				},
				"The Adventure": {
					"name": "The Adventure",
					"text": "<p>The adventure starts when the adventurers decide to stop at the inn for the night.</p><h3><strong>Player's Introduction</strong></h3><p>Read or paraphrase the following:</p><blockquote><p>It’s been a long day’s travel. The sun is just beginning to go down as you come upon an inn. As you draw closer, you notice that the place is unusually busy. There is a large coach pulled up outside, and lackeys are busying themselves with various trunks and chests as liveried men-at-arms look on.</p><p>Inside, servants are hurrying to and fro, and the innkeeper is engrossed in conversation with a scribe who carries a visibly bulging purse. It is a full ten minutes before you can attract his attention.</p><p>‘Welcome,’ he says at last, ‘I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. We have a distinguished guest tonight, the Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz of Ambosstein, no less! I hardly know whether I’m coming or going. Now, then, do you want a room? What am I saying, of course you do! Ah, excuse me again, I’ll only be a moment.’ You wait for another few minutes as he directs a train of servants to the gravin’s rooms.‘So sorry,’ he says as he returns to you. ‘It really is mad this evening.'</p></blockquote><h3><strong>The Other Guests</strong></h3><p>As shown on the map, various rooms are occupied by specific NPCs. You should make sure the Characters are given rooms that are not already booked, or that they sleep in the dormitory.</p><p>The Three Feathers has ten single rooms and ten double rooms. Rooms 1–7 on the plan are occupied by the gravin and her party. Room 4 is kept empty at her orders. The whole corridor is sealed off, with guards posted at the points marked 'x' on the map. However, these guards are somewhat lax in their duties, and frequently pop downstairs for drinks or snacks.</p><p>If the Characters book a double room, they will be given room 8. If they book one or more single rooms, they will be accommodated in the other wing (rooms 11–20). Since they have arrived relatively early in the evening and the inn has not yet started to fill, they may ask for one of the rooms that are marked as being taken by another group that has yet to arrive. This is not a problem: simply move the affected NPC group to another free room, and make a note of the change to avoid confusion during play.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/three-feathers.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Plot Summaries": {
					"name": "Plot Summaries",
					"text": "<h4><strong>Plot 1 – A Matter of Import</strong></h4><p>Part of the inn has been taken over by Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz} of Ambosstein, a niece of Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle} of Nuln. Her retinue consists of half-a-dozen guards, a lawyer, a judicial champion, and various servants. She is on her way to Kemperbad for a trial, having been accused of immoral behaviour and complicity in a death at one of her aunt’s legendary parties. The gravin intends to exercise her ancient right of trial by combat, but an agent working for her accuser, Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz} of Wissenberg, is out to disable @UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno Franke}, her champion.</p><h4><strong>Plot 2 – Compromising Positions</strong></h4><p>The gravin is not the only noble in the inn tonight. Also staying there — incognito — is Baron @UUID[Actor.c1xQoGCb6RoiTpx8]{Freidrich von Pfeifraucher}, the heir of Count Bruno of Grissenwald. He is accompanied by Fraulein @UUID[Actor.RVDzvuNLOyMHpboL]{Hanna Lastkahn}, a daughter of a wealthy local boat-building family. The two have been conducting an illicit affair for some time, and have taken a room in the inn under the name Herr and Frau Johann Schmidt. Unfortunately, they have been recognised by one of Gravin Maria- Ulrike’s servants, who was once employed in the Pfeifraucher household. A blackmail attempt will follow.</p><h4><strong>Plot 3 – A Face from the Past</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler}, the @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{gravin's} lawyer, is a graduate of the University of Nuln, where he was briefly a member of a secret society known as the <em>Ordo Ultima</em>. The society was a front for a Chaos cult following Slaanesh. Rechtshandler left when the cult made unwanted demands upon him — but he never progressed far enough within the society to discover its link to the Ruinous Powers.</p><p>Rechtshandler went on to great professional success, leading to his current position with the von Liebwitz family. However, the Ordo Ultima now wants something from him, and one of its agents approaches him in the inn.</p><h4><strong>Plot 4 – Creating a Scene</strong></h4><p>Fraulein @UUID[Actor.RVDzvuNLOyMHpboL]{Hanna Lastkahn} (see @UUID[.vCbvOWyg16kon6e7#plot-2-–-compromising-positions]{Plot 2 above}) is betrothed to Herr @UUID[Actor.1gLZGKozh6nrBjGr]{Thomas Prahmhandler}, the heir to another wealthy, local, boat-building family. He has been informed of his fiancée’s infidelity by a servant, and will burst into the inn, very drunk and accompanied by three hired thugs. </p><p>He intends to catch the couple <em>in flagrante</em> and horsewhip the young noble — regardless of the consequences.</p><h4><strong>Plot 5 – Ashes to Ashes</strong></h4><p>Some smugglers were expecting to meet a boat, but it scraped a lock in @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.0Cmr0LZ3boLbNt6p]{The Vorbergland} canals and has lost half a day for repairs. So, the smugglers must hide their cargo in the inn and wait for the boat to arrive in the morning. </p><p>To complicate matters, their contraband is Human: @UUID[Actor.YW7PY6OHt5krs2pj]{Josef Aufwiegler}, an agitator wanted for inciting rebellion in Nuln. He was treated with a coma-inducing drug.  The smugglers are disguised as a priest and two initiates of Morr, ostensibly taking him home for burial. The drug was timed to wear off once Aufwiegler was safely aboard the boat, but because of the delay he will wake up during the night.</p><h4><strong>Plot 6 – A Fistful of Gold Crowns</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld}, a bounty hunter, is following the smugglers. She was very close to catching Aufwiegler when he ‘died,’ and is convinced that something fishy is going on. She has followed the smugglers to the inn, and is waiting for the chance to act.</p><h4><strong>Plot 7 – You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two</strong></h4><p>To add to the confusion further, @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin Oddsocks}, a Gnome thief (see @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.journals.Hd6J761opHoj2QRG.JournalEntryPage.i06rwUkQyvRIB7f6]{Gnomes}), will attempt to steal anything he can during the night. Some of his movements are set down in the Events section, but any time you don’t know where he is, he’s all yours to use...</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/gnomed.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Resolution": {
					"name": "Resolution",
					"text": "<h3><strong>Rewards</strong></h3><p>As well as the usual awards for good roleplaying and bright ideas, experience points should be awarded for the following:</p><p>@Exp[30,Participated in capturing Bruno’s murderer]{30 points for actively participating in capturing Bruno’s murderer}</p><p>@Exp[10,Participated directly in disposing of the cultists]{10 points for participating directly in disposing of the cultists}</p><p>@Exp[5,Won an arm-wrestling match with Bruno]{5 points for winning an arm-wrestling match with Bruno}</p><p>@Exp[5,Came out ahead when playing cards with Seedling]{5 points for coming out ahead when playing cards with Seedling}</p><p>@Exp[10,Caught anyone who is trying to hide a body]{10 points for catching anyone who is trying to hide a body}</p><p>@Exp[10,Took direct action to stop Prahmhandler before he reaches Pfeifraucher.]{10 points for taking direct action to stop Prahmhandler before he reaches Pfeifraucher.}</p><p>There are many other Character actions that will contribute to bringing the adventure to a satisfactory conclusion; you should feel free to award XP for anything else you judge deserving, using the general level of the awards given above as a guideline.</p><h3><strong>Aftermath</strong></h3><h4><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h4><p>If you are planning to follow the <strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong> campaign, have one of the Characters take over the job of the gravin’s champion from the unfortunate Bruno Franke. That Character can then enter the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.ZRS6U3ECK8n4mFZ4]{Judicial Champion} Career (Duelist level 4) for 0 XP; this is a one-off offer that must be taken immediately or the Character stays in their current Career. The gravin will find jobs in her retinue for the other members of the party, according to their particular abilities. If there are no obvious uses for the other Characters, they will be employed as guards, and can enter the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.9q1yLMpfhX1bqvth]{Guard} Career (Guard level 2) for 0 XP; again, the Players must immediately choose to either enter this Career for free or stay in their current Careers. The Characters’ barge, if they have one, will be added to the gravin’s party. The new champion is promised a bonus of 40 GCs if the gravin wins the case in Kemperbad. They can travel in their barge, if they have one, while the gravin’s party takes their own. Otherwise, they are given space in the hold of the gravin’s vessel alongside the other guards. The gravin's coach is no longer needed and returns to Nuln.</p><p>The journey to Kemperbad will be uneventful unless you decide to have another of @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Dammenblatz’ } agents make an attempt on the new champion’s life at another inn. The gravin’s presence will ensure the Characters are not troubled by the river patrol or other officials. Unless you decide otherwise, the party arrives in Kemperbad a few days later and the next chapter begins.</p><h4><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h4><p>If <em>A Rough Night at the Three Feathers</em> was played as a stand-alone adventure, the PCs are under no obligation to @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike}. She explains that her new ‘champion’ was only intended as bait to trap the murderer, and points out — a little hurtfully, perhaps — that she can do a lot better for a champion anyway. However, she will give the Characters @Credit[3gc mode=each]{3 GCs} each as a reward for their assistance, and she might prove a useful contact in the future.</p>"
				}
			}
		},
		"A Day at the Trials": {
			"name": "A Day at the Trials",
			"pages": {
				"The Courthouse": {
					"name": "The Courthouse",
					"text": "<p>The courthouse is a solid, two-storey stone building with a colonnaded front. A side-passage, secured against escape by two pairs of gates, conveys prisoners and others to a yard where two gallows poles stand as a reminder that the Council does not tolerate crime. On special occasions — such as public executions, or when two nobles agree to trial by combat — the open space in front of the courthouse is roped off to create a makeshift arena.</p><h3><strong>The Square</strong></h3><p>An oval area is marked off by colourful ropes, secured to stakes set into the cobbles of the square. There is an opening at either end, and on one side a group of servants in @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Dammenblatz} livery of green and white mill around a pavilion from which green and white pennants flies. The gravin’s servants quickly set up a similar pavilion, flying the Ambosstein colours of magenta and yellow.</p><p>Behind the rope on the side nearest the courthouse, carpenters build a grandstand with a box for the presiding magistrate and the two nobles to view the combat, along with their lawyers, personal servants, and other hangers-on. A further 13 seats are set aside for any members of the town council who might care to attend.</p><h3><strong>The Yard</strong></h3><p>Stout oak-and-iron gates give access to a narrow passage that runs alongside the courthouse, leading to the yard. An identical pair of gates marks the far end of the passage. Prisoners are conveyed here in locked carriages. As a precaution against escape, they wait in the passage while one gate is closed and the other opened: both pairs of gates are never open at the same time.</p><p>The yard is surrounded by a 20ft-high wall, which is topped with iron spikes. It is featureless apart from two gallows poles. Small doors in the back wall of the courthouse lead to the cells, where prisoners wait to be called for trial.</p><h3><strong>The Ground Floor</strong></h3><p>A short flight of steps leads up from the square to a pair of wooden doors with stained-glass windows displaying Kemperbad’s coat of arms. Past the doors is a lobby with a marble floor and marble columns supporting the upper floor. Small rooms to either side accommodate a porter, three legal clerks, and a small body of State Soldiers assigned to protect the courthouse. A wide, stone staircase leads up from the middle of the lobby to the upper floor.</p><p>Wood-panelled passages lead off to the two courtrooms. A small door at the back of each courtroom opens onto a narrow passage leading to the cells.</p><h3><strong>The Upper Floor</strong></h3><p>The upper floor is laid out around a gallery that overlooks the lobby. Between the stairs and the back wall is a landing; its many windows overlook the yard: chairs are sometimes set out here so the town’s luminaries can witness an execution.</p><p>The other three sides of the gallery give access to a suite of offices, maintained by Kemperbad’s legal guild, the Worshipful Company of Advocates, for the use of lawyers whose cases are being heard. There is also a comfortable lounge, an extensive law library, and a small chapel to @UUID[JournalEntry.NcH9OhleJFfaUdon.JournalEntryPage.9bWE0Ayt5XGQf50r]{Verena, the Goddess of Justice and Wisdom}.</p>"
				},
				"A Day at the Trials": {
					"name": "A Day at the Trials",
					"text": "<p>Our Heroes arrive in Kemperbad for the gravin’s trial. This will be a day that they will remember for a very long time.</p><h2>Location</h2><div class=\"journal-image float-right\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/kemperbad.webp\" width=\"207\" height=\"459\" /></div><p>Kemperbad’s courthouse stands at the centre of the town, opposite the Council House. Kemperbad is a free town, whose town council answers directly to the Emperor and not to a local noble: the council also rules a number of local towns and villages, most notably Brandenburg, whose ‘Echte Brandenburger’ brandy is widely claimed to be the Emperor’s favourite. The wealth of the town, and the power of the council, is reflected in the impressive architecture of the courthouse and council house.</p><h2>Getting There</h2><p>Kemperbad stands at the confluence of the rivers Reik and Stir. The town is perched on high cliffs above the two rivers, and a series of rope-and-pulley lifts conveys travellers and their belongings from the wharves to the town. The Nuln Road runs southwards from Kemperbad alongside the Reik, but is not well serviced. A main road cuts through the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.UqeZNqbpV8uocCUN]{Reikwald} Forest from Kemperbad to Auerswald, then south to @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.0Cmr0LZ3boLbNt6p]{the Vorbergland}. It is one of the busiest roads in Reikland, and also one of the most heavily tolled. Another major road heads northward along the Reikland bank of the @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.Zhp59VXYiv6dGfhR]{River Reik}, following the river’s curve westward until it heads through the forest to @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.383rvYD6UgQXtpfj]{Grunberg}, then heads north to Altdorf.</p><h3><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h3><p>From the @UUID[JournalEntry.g4vOyAOCjOl4EHBO]{Three Feathers}, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} and her party, which now includes the Characters, make their way to Kemperbad by river. The lifts look daunting at first sight, but the gravin’s staff handles things with remarkable efficiency and the party soon finds itself in the town before they have time to reconsider their involvement. Carts are hired to convey the party’s baggage to a small mansion near the town centre that the gravin has borrowed from a noble friend for her visit. The party has a day and two nights before the gravin’s trial, giving the adventurers time to go shopping and to make any other necessary preparations. One of the party should now be now the gravin’s champion, so some armour and weapons may be needed, as well as liveries and other items.</p><h3><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h3><p>If this adventure is being played on its own, the adventurers can come to the courts for several reasons. They may have run into legal trouble in Kemperbad or one of its tributary villages or towns, and need to answer to charges or fight a lawsuit against an NPC. They may have been hired to pay bail for a prisoner — for example, a high-spirited young noble who has crossed the town’s famously humourless town council — and escort the noble safely back to the family estate. They may be on a less respectable mission, perhaps to effect the escape of a prisoner sentenced to death. Imperial law is complex, powerful, and far-reaching, with endless ways to complicate the lives of a group of adventurers. Once the Characters are there, all you need do now is find a reason for the, somewhat desperate, gravin to hire one of them as her new champion.</p>"
				},
				"Plot Summaries": {
					"name": "Plot Summaries",
					"text": "<h4>Plot 1 – Trial by Combat</h4><p>The trial by combat will take place under the eyes of the town magistrates and a crowd of onlookers, but von Dammenblatz has taken certain precautions to make certain of victory. The Characters must thwart his plans or the gravin’s champion is doomed!</p><h4>Plot 2 – Breakout</h4><p>Kemperbad’s court is a busy place, with a dozen or more cases heard in the course of a typical day, and the arrangements for a trial by combat between two nobles have disrupted the court’s regular business. The execution of Alfonzo Kappan, an infamous crime lord, has been postponed until after the trial, and his confederates plan to break him out of the cells behind the courthouse while all eyes are on the two champions.</p><h4>Plot 3 – Youthful Indiscretions</h4><p>As the adventurers may have learned in the Three Feathers, the gravin’s lawyer @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler} is being blackmailed by members of a Chaos cult. </p><p>Rechtshandler was once associated with a Slaanesh cult called <em>Ordo Ultima</em> — unknowingly and very slightly — during his student days at the University of Nuln. Three members of the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> died trying to pressure him into doing the cult a favour. Now those who sent them are out for revenge. During the course of the day, two attempts will be made to kill the lawyer.</p><h4>Plot 4 – Innocence Maintained</h4><p>Among those attending the trial are a Witch Hunter named @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind}, who has heard disturbing rumours about the gravin from various Dammenblatz agents. According to the baron, the gravin and her aunt — the Elector Countess, @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle von Liebwitz} — caused his father’s death by poisoning or witchcraft, and one or both are certainly in league with the Ruinous Powers. Rumours of the Countess’s excesses have long concerned Hubkind, so he has decided to observe the trial and make up his own mind on the matter — if he finds either her or the gravin suspect, he will investigate both and their servants closely.</p><p>The last time @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind} was in Kemperbad, he saw to the burning of an accused cultist, Samrich Weizen, in the very same square where the trial by combat is to take place. The accusation was false, and the tortured soul is bound to the place of its death — until its accuser’s reappearance gives it an opportunity to find justice…</p><h4>Plot 5 – A Few Gold Crowns More</h4><p>Back at the Three Feathers, the bounty hunter @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} took the head of wanted agitator @UUID[Actor.YW7PY6OHt5krs2pj]{Josef Aufwiegler}, killing the smugglers who had been hired to take him to safety. She brought the head to Kemperbad to claim her bounty, but was cheated by a corrupt magistrate who claimed the reward for himself. For the sake of her reputation, she cannot, and will not, let this stand.</p><h4>Plot 6 – Day of Blood</h4><p>Like many town courthouses throughout the Empire, Kemperbad’s has seen its share of witches and cultists burnt. Unlike Samrich Weizen in @UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-4-–-innocence-maintained]{Plot 4}, many of them were guilty — including the members of the Sanguine Brotherhood, followers of Khorne who had infiltrated the town Watch under the guise of an elite paramilitary society with a firm stance on punishment. </p><p>Just a month ago, accusations of unlawful torture and mutilation led to a purge of the Watch, with several of the cult’s leaders burned in front of the courthouse. However, some members managed to escape the net and now plan to use the distraction of the trial — and the blood shed by the two champions — to wreak a terrible revenge on Kemperbad and its magistrates.</p><h4>Plot 7 – You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket, or Several</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} is not the only Character the adventurers may recognise from the Three Feathers. Trials, fairs, and other spectacles attract crowds, and whenever a spectacle holds a crowd’s attention, it provides an opportunity for pickpockets. The Gnome thief @UUID[Actor.vuLTDr9TzyBQVyhH]{Glimbrin Oddsocks} is working the crowd — and the stands, too, if he can get close enough — throughout the trial by combat, and he may turn up unexpectedly elsewhere, especially if his presence complicates matters for the adventurers.</p>"
				},
				"Events": {
					"name": "Events",
					"text": "<p>These events can be affected by what the Characters do and where they are at any particular time. You should also feel free to change the events as desired.</p><h4><strong>9:00 a.m.</strong></h4><p>The gravin sends the party to observe the preparations for the trial. </p><blockquote><p>‘We’ve seen how low von Dammenblatz will stoop. He may try to bribe or threaten one of the magistrates, or tamper with the arena somehow, or — well, you would know better than I do. Just keep your eyes open and trust no one. And, above all —’ she points to her champion ‘— look after this one. I’ve lost one champion already, and I can’t afford to lose another on the day of the trial.’</p></blockquote><h4><strong>9:15 a.m.</strong></h4><p>The adventurers arrive at the court to find an oval ring marked out with rope. A few workers are inside the rope, sprinkling sawdust on the cobbles to provide better footing and soak up any spilled blood. A wooden stand is being erected in front of the courthouse. Three ornate chairs in the middle are reserved for the town magistrates, and seating at either end of the stands is marked with the arms of Ambosstein and @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{von Dammenblatz}. At either end of the arena, servants are erecting small pavilions for use by the two champions.</p><h4><strong>9:30 a.m.</strong></h4><p>The champions’ pavilions are raised, and servants carry in furnishings and equipment: armour stands, weapon racks, and some light furniture. @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler}, the gravin’s lawyer, is talking with a group of people in front of the stands: two men and a woman wear magistrate’s robes emblazoned with Kemperbad’s town crest, the fourth is dressed in a lawyer’s court garb like Rechtshandler himself. Clerks stand to either side of the small group, making notes as the others talk.</p><p>If the Characters overhear the conversation, they find that it concerns the procedural details of the trial: the bout will begin at noon, and will last until one champion is unable to continue.</p><h4><strong>9:45 a.m.</strong></h4><p>Rechtshandler comes over to the adventurers to check that everything is in order with the preparations for the trial. Any Character scanning the scene can make a <strong>Perception </strong>Test to notice that two people — a man and a woman, both in their twenties — seem to be watching the lawyer. If the adventurers try to question them, they melt into the crowd, using their Stealth Skill to evade pursuit. </p><p>These are @UUID[Actor.c4GEbTVGy1tkkIi3]{<em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists} (see @UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-3-–-youthful-indiscretions]{Plot 3}) who have been sent to murder the lawyer in revenge for the deaths of their comrades in the Three Feathers. If the Characters capture the cultists, they find the telltale letter O enclosed within a letter U tattooed on their chests.</p><p>While this is happening, another successful <strong>Perception </strong>Test will allow one or more Characters to recognise a familiar face from the Three Feathers. @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} approaches the magistrates after their conversation with the lawyers. She speaks to one of the male magistrates, and the conversation grows heated. He signals two guards who approach with their halberds at the ready, and Ursula strides off fuming. If anyone tries to stop or question her, she tells them in no uncertain terms to mind their own business.</p><h4><strong>10:00 a.m.</strong></h4><p>As work continues on the stands, part of one railing collapses. There are some minor injuries, but nothing serious; however, the accident makes a lot of noise and every head turns to see. Every head, that is, except one: a Dammenblatz agent arranged for the accident to happen. </p><p>While the adventurers are looking at the source of the commotion, he slips a blowgun and a small wallet of poisoned darts into the clothing of the Character who looks least likely to notice the attempt. This is treated identically to pocket-picking - it just works in the opposite direction - so requires an <strong>Opposed Sleight of Hand/Perception</strong> Test to succeed, with the Difficulty modified according to the circumstances as you see fit. The wallet has spaces for four darts, but it contains only three: the significance of this is revealed later (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#10:45-a.m.]{10:45 a.m.}). The three darts are coated with @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus}.</p><h4><strong>10:15 a.m.</strong></h4><p>Work on the stands is completed. Servants hang curtains while others position chairs and bring cushions. A successful Perception Test allows the adventurers to notice the two <em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#9:45-a.m.]{9:45 a.m.}) among those bringing cushions. They speak briefly to a liveried official who points them to a space on the right of the gravin's chair, and they leave a cushion there.</p><p>The cushion has a concealed needle coated in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus}. Unless the adventurers investigate and find the needle, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} will sit on it when the gravin's party takes their seats at @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#11:00-a.m.]{11:00 a.m}.</p><h4><strong>10:30 a.m.</strong></h4><p>A mob of street urchins, tired of waiting for the trial to begin, starts to scuffle among themselves. Two of them begin fighting in earnest, and one breaks away with several of his fellows in hot pursuit. Apparently by chance, he runs right into one or more of the adventurers. Seconds later, the whole mob of pursuing urchins does the same thing.</p><p>If the gravin's champion is with the Characters, the urchins target him or her; if not, they pick the toughest-looking PC in the honest but mistaken belief that this is the Ambosstein champion. As they bump and buffet their way past their target, three attacks will be made on that Character's legs. Knees and hamstrings are the main targets, with the aim of rendering the gravin's champion incapable of fighting. The urchins attack with a modest <strong>WS </strong>of 20. Use the normal combat rules, with all three attacks taking place in the same Round and benefitting from the Outnumbering rules. Unless the target Character has an appropriate Talent to avoid Surprise, it requires a <strong>Very Hard (-30) Perception </strong>Test to spot the makeshift knives being drawn. If this Test is failed, the target receives a @Condition[Surprised] Condition.</p><p>The urchins are small, quick, and streetwise. They know every alley, every gap between two buildings, and every hole in every wall and fence in the whole town of Kemperbad. Catching them will be a challenge - if you wish to use the Pursuit rules, the urchins have an Athletics of 40 and start at a Distance of 4 - but if even one is detained, it won't take much to force a confession. A stranger gave the urchins a small bag of coins containing 80d, a small fortune in their eyes, to disable the gravin's champion. The urchins can give a description of this stranger, which matches the @UUID[Actor.eOlJad1Pky9vNevM]{Dammenblatz agent}.</p><h4><strong>10:45 a.m.</strong></h4><p>The von Dammenblatz party arrives. Led by a drummer-boy and a servant carrying the family's banner, it consists of Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt}, on horseback; his widowed mother the dowager Baroness Violetta, riding in a sedan chair; his champion, @UUID[Actor.QszAzeWCMYBaUV1T]{Heinrich Böttcher}; and a dozen or so footmen and other servants. They take their places to the left of the magistrates.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.QszAzeWCMYBaUV1T]{Böttcher} takes a moment to acknowledge the crowd’s cheers before heading to his pavilion. However, as he does so, he flinches for a moment before pulling a small, feathered dart from the leather of his breeches. @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz} hurries to his champion’s side, followed by a liveried junior official; it appears that an attempt has been made to injure or even kill the baron’s champion. Von Dammenblatz claims, very loudly, that someone in the Ambosstein party is behind the attempt, probably acting on the orders of their unscrupulous mistress. He points to the adventurers, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler} the lawyer, and anyone else in Ambosstein livery, and insists that they be searched forthwith.</p><p>If the blowgun and darts are found on one of the adventurers (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#10:00-a.m.]{10:00 a.m.}), it is clear that the dart fired at @UUID[Actor.QszAzeWCMYBaUV1T]{Böttcher} is an exact match for those in the wallet. The Character in question is immediately marched off to the cells, stripped of all equipment, and locked up. The gravin will face some questions after the trial is over.</p><h4><strong>11:00 a.m.</strong></h4><div class=\"journal-image float-right\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/ouch.webp\" width=\"193\" height=\"202\" /></div><p>Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} arrives with her own retinue of servants and hired guards. Anyone watching the witch hunter, @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind}, will see him studying the gravin intently, as if searching for something.</p><p>If the cushion with the hidden needle has not been found (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#10:15-a.m.]{10:15 a.m.}) @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Gustaf Rechtshandler} stands up with a yelp as the gravin’s party seats itself. He picks up the cushion from his seat and finds the hidden needle: the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus} is already in his system and he’s beginning to choke. If Rechshandler falls to 0 Wounds, he dies, face swollen and black, bloody froth spilling from his nose and lips.</p><p>Unless the cultists are captured and the truth comes out, the gravin assumes that the attempt on her lawyer’s life comes from @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz}. She complains to the magistrates, who deliberate for a few minutes before ruling that her complaint against von Dammenblatz is a separate case, which must be heard after the trial by combat. Meanwhile, if required, a clerk stands in for Rechtshandler.</p><h4><strong>11:15 a.m.</strong></h4><p>Flanked by two @UUID[Actor.qfO83uuJw2wgEXUx]{watchmen}, a herald in the town’s livery marches into the ring and blows three flourishes on a trumpet.</p><blockquote><p>‘Hear ye, hear ye!’ <em>he cries</em>. ‘Order and silence for their worshipful eminences, Magistrate Hannes Richter, Magistrate Hanna Anwalt, and Assistant Magistrate Gerhard Urteil!’ <em>The hubbub around the ring dies down a little as the town’s three magistrates take their seats.</em></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 class=\"sidebar-title\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Trial By Combat</em></h3><p><em>Under Imperial law, nobles — and others, under certain circumstances — can appeal for the right of trial by combat rather than face a jury. Many nobles, and quite a few senior priests and influential merchants, keep judicial champions among their retinues for this purpose.</em></p><p><em>The law surrounding trial by combat is complex, and parts of it are very old, dating back to the legal duels of the early tribes that founded the Empire. Further, there are divers local variations, with many subtle differences in how laws are applied, so it’s always wise to secure the services of a capable lawyer before entering any trial by combat.</em></p><p><em>Depending on the severity of the charge, a trial by combat may be fought to first blood or until one combatant can no longer continue. In game terms, first blood is the first wound that causes loss of more than 3 Wounds (lesser blows are considered to be bruises at best); a combatant is unable to continue when reduced to 0 Wounds.</em></p><p><em>Before combat begins, all parties take an oath that their causes are just and they will respect the law regardless of the outcome. The combatants and their weapons are inspected for poison, sorcery, or other trickery, and a Priestess of Verena speaks a prayer as she walks around the designated ring, asking that the Goddess of Justice watch over the fight.</em></p><p><em>The parties and their champions normally have free choice of weapons, although most local laws prohibit missile weapons. Some law codes, usually very ancient and localised, prescribe specific weapons for specific circumstances: in the Ostland village of Wendorf, for example, domestic disputes are settled by arming one spouse with a pot-lid and a single turnip and the other with a fist-sized stone in a sock.</em></p></blockquote><h4><strong>11:30 a.m.</strong></h4><p>The crowd is starting to grow restless as the herald blows another blast on his trumpet.</p><blockquote><p>‘Hear ye, hear ye!’ <em>he cries.</em> ‘In the matter of the noble Baron Eberhardt von Dammenblatz of Wissenberg, against the noble Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz of Ambosstein, concerning the death of the late noble Baron Otto von Dammenblatz, let the parties and their champions come forward and be duly sworn!’</p></blockquote><p>The two nobles and their champions enter the ring, where they are joined by the town’s high priestess of Verena, Mother @UUID[Actor.J3Lzq79iyQhC2kSQ]{Petra Steinmetz}. After a momentary pause where she carefully examines each champion, she then administers the Oath of Verity, the first step in the preparations for the trial. </p><blockquote><p>‘I swear before all assembled here and in the sight of Verena that my cause is just and my case is truthful. I swear that I shall abide forever by the results of this trial, seeking no other remedies and pursuing no other means if my appeal to Verena’s judgement should be unsuccessful. May all-knowing Verena strengthen the hand that is true, and see justice prevail. This I swear.’</p></blockquote><p>While all eyes are upon the swearing-in, von Dammenblatz’s @UUID[Actor.theQkAD0qNHNqdBD]{agent} approaches the back of the Ambosstein pavilion, carrying a wicker basket. The adventurers may notice this with an <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test. Unless intercepted, the agent crouches down and slides the basket under the canvas wall of the pavilion, releasing a poisonous snake inside.</p><p>Once the oaths are sworn, the herald blows another flourish on his trumpet and the nobles return to their seats in the stands. Liveried court officials inspect the two champions and their equipment, and after a few minutes they stand before the magistrates and declare that nothing untoward has been found. The magistrates respond with a wave of their hands and the trumpet sounds again; the champions retire to their pavilions to prepare themselves. If the assassin was successful in releasing the snake, it attacks the Ambosstein champion.</p><h4><strong>11:45 a.m.</strong></h4><p>As the champions prepare, the high priestess of Verena walks around the perimeter of the ring, accompanied by two acolytes. She sprinkles the sawdust with blessed oil and chants a succession of prayers intended to prevent any attempts to interfere with the bout.</p><h4><strong>12:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>The herald re-enters the ring and blows his trumpet again. Silence falls as he turns to the magistrates in the stand, who nod their permission that the trial may commence.</p><blockquote><p>‘Hear ye, hear ye!’ <em>he cries</em>. ‘In the matter of the noble Baron Eberhardt von Dammenblatz, lord of Wissenberg, against the noble Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz, Baroness of Ambosstein and Lady of Nuln, concerning the death of the late noble Baron Otto von Dammenblatz, lord of Wissenberg, let the champions come forth and let the trial begin!’</p></blockquote><p>The two champions come out of their pavilions and face off. @UUID[Actor.lNFJYc1SY1wPN7on]{Magistrate Richter} raises a white handkerchief in the air. For a long moment, all is hushed. Then he lets the handkerchief fall, and the fight is on! Or is it?</p><h4><strong>Two Rounds Later…</strong></h4><p>The @UUID[Actor.oB8Tevorn5dKg1t0]{racketeers} (@UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-2-–-breakout]{Plot 2}) have placed gunpowder charges against the door of Kappan’s cell and the back wall of the courthouse yard. Unfortunately, they have seriously overestimated the amount of powder needed to achieve their goal. On Round 1, the fuse is lit. At the end of Round 2, there is an almighty explosion of fairly epic proportions at the back of the courthouse. The ground is rocked, and several hundred yards away, some of the more precarious buildings perched upon the cliffsides of Kemperbad fall loose to the Reik below. There is a sharp intake of collective breath as the fiery plume rolls into the heavens. The magistrates, as they gather their wits, frantically signal for the bout to be stopped. The herald intervenes, blowing his trumpet and yelling for the champions to return to their pavilions immediately.</p><p>Watchmen from around the square run into the courthouse. The guards flanking the stands escort the three magistrates inside, while everyone else either scrambles for a view of the damage or simply stands there, unsure what just happened.</p><p>The magistrates and guards return and signal the herald, who announces that the bout should recommence and calls the two champions from their pavilions. An excited rumour runs through the crowd that a criminal gang tried to blow up the courthouse to free a prisoner who was imprisoned there (@UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-2-–-breakout]{Plot 2}).</p><p>Details vary wildly: some say the escape was successful, others that everyone involved was killed. Some say the back wall of the courthouse was brought down, others that the explosion caused no damage. Some say the criminal was a murderer, others a racketeer, and others still are certain he was actually a washerwoman accused of witchcraft, who escaped by means of some spell. It is up to you to know how successful the attempt to free Kappan is, but any Characters locked up in prison (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#10:45-a.m.]{10:45 a.m.}) can easily make their escape in the confusion to rejoin the party. Meanwhile, the two champions come forth, and the magistrate drops his handkerchief again to restart the bout.</p><h4>12:15 p.m.</h4><p>The magistrates and guards return and signal the herald, who announces that the bout should recommence and calls the two champions from their pavilions. An excited rumour runs through the crowd that a criminal gang tried to blow up the courthouse to free a prisoner who was imprisoned there (@UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-2-–-breakout]{Plot 2}).</p><p>Details vary wildly: some say the escape was successful, others that everyone involved was killed. Some say the back wall of the courthouse was brought down, others that the explosion caused no damage. Some say the criminal was a murderer, others a racketeer, and others still are certain he was actually a washerwoman accused of witchcraft, who escaped by means of some spell. It is up to you to know how successful the attempt to free Kappan is, but any Characters locked up in prison (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#10:45-a.m.]{10:45 a.m.}) can easily make their escape in the confusion to rejoin the party. Meanwhile, the two champions come forth, and the magistrate drops his handkerchief again to restart the bout.</p><h4><strong>Two Rounds Later…</strong></h4><p>@UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind} the witch hunter (@UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-4-–-innocence-maintained]{Plot 4}) edges around the outside of the ring, trying to get closer to the spot where Gravin Maria-Ulrike sits in the stands. When he is more or less in front of the magistrates, something horrific happens.</p><p>Sawdust flies into the air as a greenish-white flame erupts from the ground between the two champions, at the very spot where @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind’s} innocent victim was burned years before. The crowd draws back: there are screams, and some are trampled. A shape begins to form within the flame.  A distorted image of a man is in the centre of the flame, wavering as though seen through a heat haze, his eyes bulging and his mouth open in a perpetual scream. The figure flies at the witch hunter, trying to lock its insubstantial fingers around his neck. As it does so, the herald blows his trumpet again, signalling that the bout should stop.</p><p>The figure is a @UUID[Actor.Bu8cWjtZBR6BpMVF]{Ghost}. If the adventurers intervene, they can fight it normally; if not, the Ghost and the witch hunter struggle for a moment before Kemperbad’s high priest of Morr gains his wits and begins to intone a prayer —@UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.I8YPP2uRmUKyHEq2]{Vanquish the Unrighteous}. If you want to make it easier on the party, or if the party does not involve itself, count this as the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.sdSy4k7ygDhAjSSX]{Destroy Undead} Miracle, which the priest can invoke each Round with a <strong>Challenging (+0) Pray</strong> Test (count his <em>Pray </em>Skill as 50). Otherwise, the priest’s words are ineffective as he is not blessed by Morr.</p><p>When the @UUID[Actor.Bu8cWjtZBR6BpMVF]{Ghost} is dealt with (or @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Hubkind} is dead, and the Ghost vanishes), the magistrates officially call a break so that order can be restored and those injured in the stampede can receive medical attention. Any help the Characters can offer will be welcomed.</p><h4><strong>12:30 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Order is finally restored, and the last of the injured are carried off to the temple of Shallya. The magistrates give the signal for the bout to re-start. Just as they do so, the <em>Ordo Ultima</em> cultists approach the stands and, half-hidden in the crowd, one of them fires a blowgun dart at @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} from short range. It is coated in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus} like the needle in the cushion (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#11:00-a.m.]{11:00 a.m.}). Again, the adventurers can spot them with an <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth </strong>Test, and raise a hue and cry to prevent them escaping.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} cries out in dismay and clutches his neck, pulling out the dart and showing it to the gravin, who stands and approaches the magistrates. The bout is stopped yet again — to some jeers and boos from the crowd — while the dart is examined. Guards are dispatched into the crowd to try and find the attackers, but all they come up with is a discarded blowpipe, which the cultists dropped after firing the dart. Meanwhile, Rechtshandler is either black-faced and very dead, or not in particularly good shape, so a clerk steps in to take over for the rest of the trial.</p><h4><strong>12:45 p.m.</strong></h4><p>By now, the cultists have either been captured or they have made good their escape. The magistrates make another attempt to re-start the trial, signalling the champions to take their positions as one of the magistrates raises a handkerchief.</p><h4><strong>Two Rounds Later…</strong></h4><p>The bout seems to be under way at long last, until Assistant @UUID[Actor.PlOiRB8TXUoaWOPz]{Magistrate Gerhard Urteil} suddenly stands up, his face a mask of horror and his arm stretched out toward the crowd. The adventurers may remember that he is the same magistrate who argued with the bounty hunter @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula Kopfgeld} earlier (see @UUID[.TtQmB1i9A1vW4wSo#9:45-a.m.]{9:45 a.m.}). Scanning the crowd, they find her standing toward the back, with a small, sleeping child on her shoulder.</p><p>‘Hanna!’ bawls the magistrate, rushing down from the stands and running across the ring where the champions have just begun to fight. The herald quickly stops the bout once more — to more boos and catcalls from the crowd — as the magistrate crosses the ring and tries to push his way through the crowd on the other side. @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula} is already running towards a horse that is hitched to a post outside a nearby building: it will take the Characters 3 Rounds of pushing through the crowds to reach her, but by that time she will already have mounted and spurred her horse away.</p><p>Hanna is Urteil’s daughter. If the party can stop the bounty hunter, they may be able to find out the full story: when @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula} brought the head of the wanted agitator @UUID[Actor.YW7PY6OHt5krs2pj]{Josef Aufwiegler} to Kemperbad to claim her bounty, a corrupt magistrate cheated her and claimed the bounty for himself. </p><p>He dismissed her when she approached him this morning, so @UUID[Actor.VWyYqfsr3Zd6aySO]{Ursula} retaliated by kidnapping his daughter. She intends to keep the girl until the magistrate pays her what she is owed. Ursula used a harmless drug to put the little girl to sleep, and looks after Hanna with great care — she is a hard-bitten bounty hunter, certainly, but she has no desire to harm an innocent child on account of a parent’s transgressions.</p><p>The Watch is mobilised, but will be too late to stop the escaping bounty hunter by itself. The distraught Urteil is led away weeping and raving, while the herald announces that Mother @UUID[Actor.J3Lzq79iyQhC2kSQ]{Petra Steinmetz}, High Priestess of Verena will take his place.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/judicial-champion.webp\" /></div><h4><strong>1:00 p.m.</strong></h4><p>Once again, the champions take their places and the white handkerchief is raised. And at last, the bout gets under way in earnest. The crowd cheers for both champions, less interested in the causes they represent than in their ability to spill blood. The dignitaries in the stand watch closely, alert for any breach of the rules. Clerks make notes and the two nobles shoot each other glances that are smug and venomous by turns, whenever one champion wounds the other.</p><p>Play the bout using the normal combat rules, but remember the fight is the spectacle here, and that plenty of time should be spent savouring the details and the crowd’s reaction to them. Eventually, one champion weakens and falls to the bloody, sawdust-covered ground, unable to rise: the bout is decided, and the trial is over. A huge cheer erupts from the crowd. Then something terrifying happens.</p><p>Eight @UUID[Actor.qfO83uuJw2wgEXUx]{watchmen} step into the ring. Unless they are stopped, three seize the fallen, bleeding champion while a fourth cuts off the Character’s head; four more attempt to do the same to the victor. As blood pours onto the ground, the watchmen cry ‘Blood for the Blood God!’ Characters passing a <strong>Challenging (+0) Lore</strong> (Theology) Test recognise this as a profane warcry of Khorne, the Blood God. An Impressive Success (+4) or better also allows the PCs to know that eight is Khorne’s sacred number. </p><p>Any of the watchmen not fighting then draw daggers and cut their own throats, spraying blood everywhere. As the crowd gapes in horror, the blood draws in on itself, ripples, then pools upright into several slick forms. The watchmen are survivors of a Chaos cult recently rooted out by the authorities (@UUID[.V5nWWGLyW9hWgUbs#plot-6-–-day-of-blood]{Plot 6}), and their sacrifice is an act of revenge that summons @UUID[Actor.DNRXVERKVk8V9XPE]{Bloodletters}, ferocious Daemons of Khorne. The exact number is up to you: there should be enough so the Characters can only overcome them after a hard fight (with the help of any others they can rally to their side). The Daemons attack anything close — they care not from whence the blood flows, just that it does.</p><h4><strong>Who Won?</strong></h4><p>Once the Daemons are destroyed, any surviving magistrates render their verdict. The outcome is clear enough: the champion  still standing when the renegade watchmen came forward wins.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/bloodletters.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Resolution": {
					"name": "Resolution",
					"text": "<h3><strong>Rewards</strong></h3><p>As well as the usual awards for good roleplaying and bright ideas, experience points should be awarded for the following. There are variable amounts on offer: the more involved the Characters are with resolving the situation, the more points should be awarded.</p><p>@Exp[10,The gravin won]{10–50 points if the gravin wins}</p><p>@Exp[10,Foiled the Dammenblatz agent]{10–50 points for each time the Dammenblatz agent is foiled }</p><p>@Exp[10,Dealt with the Bloodletters]{10–50 points for dealing with the Bloodletters}</p><p>@Exp[10,Thwarted the Ordo Ultima cultists]{10 points for thwarting the Ordo Ultima cultists}</p><p>@Exp[20,Helped capture the cultists]{20 points for helping capture the cultists}</p><p>@Exp[20,Helped deal with the Ghost]{20 points for helping deal with the Ghost}</p><p>@Exp[5,Helped the wounded in the crowds]{5 points for helping the wounded in the crowds}</p><p>@Exp[10,Helped recover the magistrate’s daughter, Hanna]{10–30 points for helping recover the magistrate’s daughter, Hanna }</p><h3><strong>Aftermath</strong></h3><h4><strong>Following the Campaign</strong></h4><p>If the gravin’s champion was victorious, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} is free to leave Kemperbad. Her party travels to Nuln, there to report the outcome of the trial to Grand Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle von Liebwitz}. If @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz} wins, he insists the gravin be burned without any further delay. If @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind} the witch hunter is still alive, he offers to have a stake and firewood ready within the hour. </p><p>However, @UUID[Actor.hDdur1pQxsvvWzXd]{Rechtshandler} — or his replacement — claims the original charge was imprecise and requires clarification. The complaint accused the gravin of causing a death by poisoning or by witchcraft, but the trial by combat did not establish which of these means was used. While witchcraft is punishable by burning, the penalties for murder by poison are different — and, in the case of a noble, commutable to a fine. The lawyer entreats the magistrates to accept a payment of bail and hear further arguments at a later time. Any surviving magistrates, backed up by @UUID[Actor.J3Lzq79iyQhC2kSQ]{Mother Steinmetz} of the cult of Verena, agree to Rechtshandler’s motion. Both parties are to return to Kemperbad at a later date. </p><p>However, the gravin’s lawyer promises that any further proceedings can be delayed indefinitely, and that the court will almost certainly find in her favour, especially if the Characters testify on the murder of @UUID[Actor.jCSHbThjx9ti6rR1]{Bruno Franke} at the Three Feathers and the attempts by the baron’s agent to sabotage the trial. Effectively, the trial is over.</p><h4><strong>A Stand-Alone Adventure</strong></h4><p>If A Day at the Trials is played as a stand-alone adventure, the Characters are under no further obligation to the gravin. However, before they part ways, she insists each of them dictates a full account of the day’s events for her lawyer to cite later. In the future, when least expected, the party may receive a message from the gravin, summoning them back to Kemperbad as witnesses…</p>"
				},
				"The Adventure": {
					"name": "The Adventure",
					"text": "<p>The adventure starts on the morning of the trial. Final preparations are made to the makeshift arena, and the disputing parties arrive along with the magistrates.</p><h3><strong>Player's Introduction</strong></h3><p>The impending trial by combat is the talk of the town. Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz}, a noble of some distinction from Wissenburg, has accused Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike von Liebwitz} of Ambosstein, niece to Grand @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess Emmanuelle I}, the Elector of Nuln. The Grand Countess is renowned for her parties, and Baron Eberhardt’s father, Baron Otto von Dammenblatz, died at one of the largest held during Nuln’s famous Black Powder Week festival. Now his son is suing Gravin Maria-Ulrike, claiming she caused the baron’s death by poisoning or witchcraft. The gravin claims the baron drank himself unconscious, slumped face-first into a punch bowl, and drowned.</p><p>The case would normally be heard in Nuln, where the party in question took place, but @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Baron von Dammenblatz} appealed successfully to move the trial to a neutral location: after all, Nuln is under the jurisdiction of @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Grand Countess Emmanuelle}, who is also named in the complaint. After some legal wrangling, the plaintiff ’s lawyers have managed to persuade the magistrates of the free town of Kemperbad to hear the case. In theory, at least, they should be impartial.</p><p>For her part, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} appealed successfully to be granted her ancient right of trial by combat, thwarting @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{von Dammenblatz} who hoped to sway a jury with lurid tales and low gossip about the goings-on at the @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Countess Emmanuelle’s} infamous soirees in Nuln. Both nobles and their champions have arrived in Kemperbad, and preparations for the trial are under way.</p>"
				}
			}
		},
		"Lord of Ubersreik": {
			"name": "Lord of Ubersreik",
			"pages": {
				"Events": {
					"name": "Events",
					"text": "<p>Set out below is roughly what will happen during the evening, subject to the influence of the PCs, and to whatever tweaks, changes, and additional events you decide to throw in. The more, the merrier!</p><h4>7:00 p.m.</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich's} masquerade starts at 7:00 p.m. If the Characters are in his employ, they will be tasked to help him prepare for the guests, and to look out for plotters seeking to damage his good name.</p><p>The gravin arrives at the party first with her staff. With her is @UUID[Actor.XDRhpsdxuqgCL3jk]{Mercinellin ‘Seedling’ Thorncobble XIII}, who has been hired by the gravin to perform card tricks and engage the guests in idle gambling and games (use any Pub Games you think will entertain your Players), whilst gathering information — the Halfling and her refined ways fit well with the surroundings. If the Characters are with the gravin, she charges them to watch out for useful scandal and for the meddling of her rivals, and instructs them to co-ordinate with Seedling.</p><p>Soon after, @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Captain Pfeffer} and @UUID[Actor.xJGrg8I8NsemrsNR]{Captain Blucher} arrive together. Hot on their heels comes Burgomeister @UUID[Actor.nfeuQpvBdcemCuza]{Ernst Maler}. @UUID[Actor.zKJF414fbWr3cYoy]{Borgun Foambeard} follows, invited largely because Lord Erich wanted the Dwarf to supply the party with his quality beers. Foambeard heads straight for the dining room to ensure his stock is handled correctly by the servants and the two Dwarfs he sent to act as barmen. Baron Heinrich von Falkenhayn and his staff arrive soon after.</p><p>The Watch captain and garrison commander are dressed for a party in the blue and yellow colours of Ubersreik, but refuse to wear masks; they are both noble, and have attended their share of these soirees, but they are not natural politicians, and neither looks comfortable. Maler wears a trout-head mask as a tribute to the town’s dependence on the river, which he is happy to explain, at length, to anyone, repeatedly. Borgun wears a helmet out of respect for his host, but finds the idea of a costume ridiculous.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.XBFaq746bDGoUFy1]{Falkenhayn} wears a mask with the face of a falcon, in reference to his family crest. @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich}, the host, is costumed as a woodcutter, a play on his family name, and welcomes everyone with an easy smile accompanying his stiff Reiklander hand-shakes and a single kiss to the left cheek.</p><p>Lastly, General @UUID[Actor.gfSfXHgfqW5QiUxu]{Jendrik von Dabernick} arrives in full military regalia, wearing a twin-tailed comet mask. He is guarded by a Knights Panther who says nothing and keeps ‘his’ helmet down. The knight is actually Lady @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Emmanuelle Nacht}, a representative of the Emperor, and currently the true power in Ubersreik (@UUID[.EObulGGxYS7Poog4#plot-1-–-dirty-politics]{Plot 1}). The general will be plagued for most of the evening by nobles who believe he has the ear of the Emperor. He hasn’t, but is happy to be thought of as important, and loudly boasts of his many important deeds.</p><h4>7:15 p.m.</h4><p>Lord @UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich von Bruner} is announced. He is attending with @UUID[Actor.n6yKuzWsutGUyBml]{Lady Galina of House Hohengolfrid}, a noted philanthropist with strong connections to the cult of Sigmar, and certainly not someone to associate with dark cultists (@UUID[.EObulGGxYS7Poog4#plot-7-–-a-blot-on-the-escutcheon]{Plot 7}). The fact Heinrich has donated a significant amount of gold to Lady Galina’s latest relief project in the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.JournalEntry.70sJnVPsNmeNnqdC.JournalEntryPage.depCha3wADmJNilH]{Widow’s Vale} is, of course, never mentioned. Heinrich is dressed in blue and black, his family’s colours, and his mask is a full-face boar’s head, taken from the family’s coat of arms. Lady Galina wears yellow and pink with a stylised masquerade mask.</p><p>Baron @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard Aschaffenberg} arrives a minute later. Rickard is dressed in a black and gold tunic, which is cunningly sewn to look like chain mail, and has a golden fox-fur about his shoulders and a mask fashioned like the visor of a helmet. If the Characters are working for him, they will already be briefed to watch out for the schemes of the other Noble Houses, and to do everything in their power to protect the good Aschaffenberg name.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich} and @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard} avoid each other until Lord @UUID[Actor.5hOJSHJutrmP9XlP]{Maximilian Aschaffenberg} is announced some five minutes later. Maximilian is Rickard’s nephew and has long hated the Bruners, and not just because @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.U5fSG8wDw2ZCLIWG]{Bruner Palace} is significantly larger than @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.w5RHZtZ8jAxYXZ1F]{Aschaffenberg Manor}. He is dressed in black and blue Bruner colours, with a fake tentacle of painted cloth protruding from one shoulder and a brightly coloured mutant mask. Angry words are immediately exchanged as Lord Heinrich takes exception to this outrage. If the Characters are hired by the Aschaffenbergs, their cause will suffer unless Maximilian can be persuaded to leave, and possibly return in a more suitable costume. For all the Bruners are enormously rich and influential, it is just unseemly to air problems in such a fashion.</p><h4>7:30 p.m.</h4><p>Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim} is announced as he arrives alongside his staff. He wears a stag mask with magnificent antlers, and tells anyone who will listen how he shot the stag himself. If Siegfried is employing the Characters, he tasks them to undermine his rivals in any way they can.</p><p>As Siegfried is greeted by Erich, a Dwarf emerges from the kitchen and speaks urgently with @UUID[Actor.zKJF414fbWr3cYoy]{Borgun Foambeard}. A successful <strong>Hard (−20) Perception</strong> Test allows a PC to overhear that a cart bringing more ale had a run-in with some kind of rat-headed Mutant, but the Dwarfs drove it away and it disappeared into the shadows.</p><p>Borgun speaks briefly with captains @UUID[Actor.xJGrg8I8NsemrsNR]{Blucher} and @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Pfeffer}, after which Captain Pfeffer exchanges a word with one of her watchmen outside the mansion, sending him to the Watch Barracks with a message to tighten security in the town.</p><h4>7:45 p.m.</h4><p>Lord @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} and @UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel} arrive together, a little drunk and laughing uproariously. Florian is dressed in leaves and claims to be a ‘fertility spirit’, using his costume as an excuse to pester attractive female guests. Engel wears a robe, hat, and thick grey scarfs, and could hardly look more like a Grey Wizard if he tried.</p><p>While talking to Baron @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard}, Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried} tries to slip a powerful emetic into his drink. Any Characters in the room will spot him by winning an <strong>Opposed Perception/Sleight of Hand</strong> Test.</p><p>If nothing is done, within ten minutes @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Baron Rickard} will burp loudly, groan, then be violently sick, vomiting over anyone in conversation with him. He then collapses, pale, shivering, and very ill. A couple of servants will carry him back to @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.w5RHZtZ8jAxYXZ1F]{Aschaffenberg Manor}, and everyone will assume that he drank too much — a disgrace so early in the evening. If the Characters expose Lord Siegfried’s actions, he will be ejected from the ball in disgrace.</p><h4>8:00 p.m.</h4><p>Father @UUID[Actor.3iFI20RxtZFfygse]{Gunther Emming} of the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.MM6ubJbPOVCvlRcw]{High Temple of Sigmar} is announced, accompanied by petite Sister @UUID[Actor.FIhbtcpVLsYR6wuP]{Celestine Hoch} of the Temple of Shallya. She has come in place of high priestess Marianne Altenblum, who is busy tending a sick family. The priest of Sigmar is dressed in his robes and has no mask: in his view, disguise is deception and deception is a tool of Chaos. Celestine is dressed as the goddess herself, in flowing white robes.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel} and @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} whisper conspiratorially for a moment, then collapse against each other in a paroxysm of suppressed laughter. With almost theatrical nonchalance they turn away to look at a painting on the wall — and suddenly both Emming and Celestine cry out in dismay. Somehow, they are wearing each other’s clothes. A crowd gathers round the embarrassed pair, laughing and pointing until they can make their way to the powder room to change back into their proper clothing. Engel was very subtle about his spellcasting: someone who was watching him and Pfeifraucher closely will see the spell being cast on a successful <strong>Very Hard (−30) </strong>Intuition Test.</p><p>The watchman sent out by @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Captain Pfeffer} at 7:30 returns to the mansion and resumes his post.</p><h4>8:15 p.m.</h4><p>Doctor @UUID[Actor.aUPlT4HBdnEKjuM1]{Otto Krupp} arrives. He wears a long black cloak, a broad-brimmed hat, and the mask he used while treating an outbreak of plague several years ago. The mask has a long beak for a nose, which plague doctors fill with herbs to ward off ‘unhealthful vapours’.</p><p>If @UUID[Actor.5hOJSHJutrmP9XlP]{Maximilian Aschaffenberg} is still at the party, he starts to throw insults at @UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich von Bruner}, claiming the Bruners are tainted and fallen. Heinrich doesn’t hold his temper well, and eventually lashes out. If the Characters do nothing, the two fight, their staff joining in, until all are separated by Lord Erich’s guards. Lord Maximilian is sent home, and the Aschaffenberg family is deeply embarrassed. If the Characters stop the brawl and persuade Maximilian to apologise, he is allowed to stay.</p><p>While @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} is distracted by the brawl, Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim} tries to slip a dose of his emetic powder into his drink. Anyone who is watching Lord Siegfried will notice this with a successful <strong>Opposed Perception/Sleight of Hand</strong> Test. If Lord Erich drinks from the poisoned cup, he will be violently sick within ten minutes — quite possibly onto one of his other guests.</p><h4>8:30 p.m.</h4><p>The @UUID[Actor.Mh5TVBLgQBv9eN31]{Baron de Grenouille} arrives, arrayed in silk and cloth-of-gold as an armoured Bretonnian knight — complete with a small model horse around his waist. His costume is greeted by muffled gasps and a few chuckles. </p><p>More barely restrained chuckles greet the arrival of Father @UUID[Actor.1D9An40z5DUHcj7M]{Heinrich Gutenberg} of the Temple of Verena a minute later. The tall priest of Verena has made the devout but bizarre decision to dress as Verena herself, in classical robes with a helmet, a blindfold, and a pair of scales. A stuffed owl perches unsteadily on one shoulder, and his hairy chest contrasts starkly with his low-cut gown. He seemingly sees nothing peculiar about his choice of costume, reacting to any off-colour jokes with polite puzzlement and a gentle smile.</p><p>Father @UUID[Actor.3iFI20RxtZFfygse]{Gunther Emming}, the priest of Sigmar, tries to draw Gravin Maria-Ulrike into a theological discussion to test her faith — and therefore, her family’s suitability to rule Ubersreik. Although she is more than a match for his interrogation, she will signal the Characters — if they are working for her — to extricate her from the conversation without causing offence, as she finds the man instantly tedious.</p><p>At this point, heads turn at an offended outcry from the reception room. There, @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} is ‘charming’ the young priestess of Shallya, Sister @UUID[Actor.FIhbtcpVLsYR6wuP]{Celestine Hoch}. He drunkenly claims to ‘love the poor’ as the diminutive woman attempts to push him away. If the Characters do not intervene, Florian will be thrown out by @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich's} guards, which will likely embarrass the gravin, who the Pfiefrachers support, even though she has no connection to him at all.</p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 class=\"sidebar-title no-toc\" style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\"><em>Heinrich, Heinrich, or Heinrich?</em></h3><p><em>Heinrich is a popular name in the Empire, and three wildly different Heinrichs attend Lord Erich’s party — Baron @UUID[Actor.XBFaq746bDGoUFy1]{Heinrich von Falkenhayn}, Lord @UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich von Bruner}, and Father @UUID[Actor.1D9An40z5DUHcj7M]{Heinrich Gutenberg}. The Players may forget which of the three is which at any given time, and so might various people at the party — so feel free to, at any point where one is mentioned, have a character mistakenly believe it is a different Heinrich being talked about.</em></p></blockquote><h4>8:45 p.m.</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.7Y64jexu1sYbf4U4]{Lorith Silverleaf} is announced. There are gasps at her alien beauty and the magnificence of her elaborate dress and intricate mask. </p><p>As attention is diverted to the Elf, @UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel} animates the fox-fur stole of a lady guest in the gallery (or perhaps on Baron Rickart if he is still at the party). A large man screams as it drops to the floor, thrashing wildly but unable to move since it lacks a skeleton below the neck. Any successful attack will kill it: a failed attack still kills it but the attacker suffers 1 Wound in the process as the fox somehow managed to bite the attacker.</p><h4>9:00 p.m.</h4><p>Visible to anyone in the yard on a successful <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test, a @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Gutter Runner} emerges from the well at the back of the mansion. If not stopped, it creeps to a stack of barrels (recently brought by the Dwarfs), pulls a cloth bag from inside its clothing, and pours some greenish, slightly luminous powder into each barrel. It then sneaks back down the well; if the PCs give chase it will collapse </p><p>the tunnel through which it entered, making pursuit impossible. Anyone who drinks from a contaminated barrel will begin to show mutations about half an hour later (@UUID[.EObulGGxYS7Poog4#plot-6-–-the-stars-are-right]{Plot 6}).</p><p>If he is still at the ball, @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} begins to show unwelcome attention toward Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike}. Her servants — and any Characters who care to become involved — try to fend the drunken young noble off, with varying degrees of success. Another guest — a minor noble whose name no one can remember — helps the gravin to her feet, but an <strong>Opposed Perception/Sleight of Hand</strong> allows onlookers to see the noble jab the gravin with a fine needle protruding from the ring. The ‘noble’ is an assassin hired by the von Dammenblatz family. Gravin Maria-Ulrike has just been dosed with @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.qfd01sggD9xbCuJY]{Black Lotus}. The Characters must act quickly if they wish to save her life. </p><p>If Florian has already been ejected from the ball, the assassin will choose another moment to strike, when the gravin and her attendants are distracted by some other event. Whenever the assassination attempt occurs, if it is unsuccessful, Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz} is informed of the situation through his allies at the party, and makes ready to confront the gravin personally.</p><h4>9:15 p.m.</h4><p>Netta Volkmann and @UUID[Actor.aUPlT4HBdnEKjuM1]{Doktor Krupp} steal away from the ball, heading upstairs in search of an unoccupied bedroom. @UUID[Actor.XDRhpsdxuqgCL3jk]{Thorncobble} has learned of their affair, and points out the retreating doctor and his paramour to the gravin and the Characters, assuming they are working together.</p><p>As they slip away, @UUID[Actor.3iFI20RxtZFfygse]{Father Gunther} and @UUID[Actor.1D9An40z5DUHcj7M]{Father Heinrich} get into a heated debate concerning a recent incident where a witch hunter was refused access to the library at the Temple of Shallya. Voices are raised and the two priests look ready to come to blows. If the Characters defuse the situation, @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht} notices, and whichever noble House employs them benefits. If the Characters do nothing, @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich's} guards resolve the issue.</p><h4>9:30 p.m.</h4><p>A late-arriving guest dressed as a wild, bearded Sigmarite flagellant turns out to be a real flagellant. He stares at the costumes for a moment, and then attacks with a howl of fury. The flagellant is unarmoured but has a short, multi-thonged whip that counts as a hand weapon. If the Characters take no action, guards and servants move to restrain the flagellant in short order. If the Characters can restrain the wild Sigmarite without wounding him, @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht} notices and notes it for future. Observant Characters may attempt a <strong>Very Hard (−30) Perception</strong> Test to recognise the man: it’s the witch hunter @UUID[Actor.S6MLSMjvCEjPcaEw]{Matthias Hubkind}, though it seems he’s fallen on very hard times.</p><p>He rants and raves about how the gravin constantly escapes his justice, and that surely Sigmar himself has sent her as a test. The gravin takes faux-pity on the man, gives him a handful of alms, and has him quickly removed from the party as Hubkind hollers on about witches and cultists in their midst. The gravin then quietly instructs the Characters, if they are working for her, to make sure the man doesn’t return.</p><h4>9:45 p.m.</h4><p>If @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} is still at the party, there is a scuffle in the reception room and heads turn to see him twitching on the floor. @UUID[Actor.7Y64jexu1sYbf4U4]{Lorith Silverleaf} stands over him, calmly adjusting her clothing. She explains that Florian became ‘too familiar’ and ‘needed to be taught a lesson’. Florian is shaken but not injured, though he drunkenly claims that he was only being friendly and the Elf woman tried to kill him.</p><p>If this story reaches the ears of @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich}, Florian is ejected from the ball. If the Characters act immediately and persuade Florian to apologise to Lorith and leave, they will prevent any embarrassment to the gravin.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/boar.webp\" /></div><h4>10:00 p.m.</h4><p>Acting upon a secret signal from @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht}, @UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel} animates the stuffed boar in the lobby, which attacks the nearest guest until it is destroyed. It uses the profile of a living @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.actors.7629Eaow3acVS59H]{Boar}. Nacht wishes to see how the various groups at the masquerade deal with adversity. The Boar is actually an illusion, and all Wounds it inflicts will disappear after a few minutes.</p><p>As soon as the Boar is destroyed, the company’s attention is drawn by raised voices from the vestibule. The footman posted at the door is trying to restrain an ill-dressed young woman, who clutches a ragged child to her bosom. She struggles with the servant and one of the watchmen repeatedly calls out for @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} to come  and acknowledge his son. This incident was arranged by Gravin Maria-Ulrike to embarrass her host: the young woman was a von Holzenauer servant, seduced by the young noble and dismissed when her pregnancy became known. This is not uncommon among the nobility of all nations and all ages: however, in the Reikland a noble father is expected to make secret provisions for the welfare of any illegitimate children and their mothers — dependent, of course, on their keeping quiet. But by simply casting this woman off, Lord Erich has breached an unwritten code.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} instructs his servants to get rid of the woman and her child as quickly and quietly as possible, while Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} will insist that she be given a fair hearing. A battle of wits and social standing will follow between the two nobles and their respective servants, masked by the appearance of charity and polite concern, but as savage beneath the surface as any pit fight.</p><h4>10:15 p.m.</h4><div class=\"journal-image float-right\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/skaven.webp\" width=\"326\" height=\"354\" /></div><p>A @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Skaven Gutter Runner} scales the wall nearest the kitchen and climbs to the roof, blocking the chimney with a wad of rags. Minutes later, black smoke billows out of the kitchen, driving the cooks coughing and spluttering into the yard. Once the kitchen is clear of people, the Skaven sneaks in and mixes Warpstone into all the spices being used to prepare the food, mull the wine, and mix the punch. Then it escapes over the wall. Unless the Skaven is stopped, or the contaminated spices are kept aside, mutations will start to break out within half an hour amongst any who consume the tainted goods. If spotted, the Skaven will flee, heading for the city walls. It will not return to its master for fear of being followed.</p><p>If the gravin is not serving the interests of House Saponatheim, under cover of the disturbance, @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Lord Siegfried von Saponatheim} tries to approach the gravin and dose her wine-glass with some of his emetic powder. As before, the Characters can spot this with a successful <strong>Opposed Perception/Sleight of Hand</strong> Test.</p><h4>10:30 p.m.</h4><p>Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim} uses more of his emetic powder to dose the food at the buffet table. This can be spotted by any nearby Character with the same an <strong>Opposed Perception/Sleight of Hand</strong> Test as before. Anyone who consumes the tainted food will become violently ill within ten minutes (unless mutations have already started breaking out) and the ball will come to an abrupt end. Should this happen, @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} will have failed in his attempts to impress the townsfolk and the von Holzenauer cause ends in embarrassment. If the Characters expose Lord Siegfried, he is thrown out in disgrace and the von Saponatheim hopes for ruling Ubersreik are dashed.</p><p>While Lord Siegfried is carrying out his plan, another one is unfolding in the reception room. Lord Erich’s agents somehow managed to lay their hands on @UUID[Actor.qFIdufBea1CzaGxh]{Manfred von Saponatheim}, the true legal heir to the Duchy of Saponathiem (see ‘Nastassia’s Wedding’, @UUID[.EObulGGxYS7Poog4#plot-6-–-the-stars-are-right]{Plot 6}). Depending on how much time has elapsed between the wedding and the ball, and whether or not the Characters were charged with seeing Manfred safely to Frederheim, von Holzenauer’s agents either freed him from the hospice or intercepted the party conveying him there. Cleaned up, dressed in von Saponatheim colours, and given a light dose of some calming drugs, Manfred struts urgently from noble to noble, telling everyone that he is the von Saponatheim heir, his family is cheating him, and his sister Nastassia is a fraud. Some of the guests whisper about the stunning resemblance between the man and Graf @UUID[Actor.KfVnMx7Bn1DWErM6]{Wilhelm von Saponatheim}, lending his argument credence. While this is certainly embarrassing for the von Saponatheims (and possibly for Gravin Maria-Ulrike as well), this incident is also charged with pathos as the earnest but unsuited Manfred desperately pleads his case to one guest after another, and begs them to help him regain his Sigmar-given birthright.</p><h4>10:45 p.m.</h4><p>Sick of anti-Bretonnian jokes from various young nobles, the @UUID[Actor.Mh5TVBLgQBv9eN31]{Baron de Grenouille} challenges one of them to a duel. The two go out into the garden and fight with swords as a cheering crowd looks on. The duc refuses to take off his costume, which makes the duel rather an odd sight.</p><p>If the Characters do not intervene, the duc wounds the young noble lightly in one arm. Honour is satisfied and the ball resumes.</p><p>If the Characters try to stop the duel, the noble onlookers object vociferously, calling them spoilsports and urging them not to interfere in a matter of honour.</p><h4>11:00 p.m.</h4><p>While Baron @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard Aschaffenberg} is in conversation with @UUID[Actor.3iFI20RxtZFfygse]{Father Gunther}, one of his rivals (Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim} or Lord @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Erich von Holzenauer}, depending upon who remains at the party) joins them and tries to twist Baron Rickard’s words so that he will embarrass himself in front of the priest of Sigmar.</p><p>The Characters can join the conversation on one side or the other, using appropriate Skills. Depending on the outcome of the conversation, either the Aschaffenbergs or the family of the other noble will be embarrassed.</p><h4>11:15 p.m.</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} stands close by his main remaining rival, deep in conversation. On a successful <strong>Perception</strong> Test, the Characters see him slip something into his rival’s clothing. The other does not notice, but if the Characters intervene — or if the noble pulls out his or her handkerchief, causing the object to fall to the ground — it is found to be a note wrapped around a playing card.</p><p>The playing card  bears an unspeakably disgusting image that will be easily identified by any witch hunter or theologian as a reference to Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Depravity. The note reads as follows:</p><div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/playing-card.webp\" width=\"370\" height=\"196\" /></div><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} is trying to frame one or more of his rivals as members of a secret Chaos cult. The resulting scandal will lead to witch hunters investigating both families, leaving the von Holzenauers as perfect candidates for the lordship of Ubersreik.</p><p>If the Characters challenge @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} and expose his guilt, the von Holzenauers will be investigated instead, and their claim to Ubersreik will be finished.</p><h4>11:30 p.m.</h4><p>A @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Skaven Gutter Runner} murders a young noble in the garden (@UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher} or Baron @UUID[Actor.XBFaq746bDGoUFy1]{Heinrich von Falkenhayn} are both good candidates, or another noble of your choice) and hides the body under a bush. The Skaven then sneaks into the house dressed in the victim’s ill-fitting costume, with a hood over its head. It then tries to dump a pouch of powdered Warpstone into the punch bowl. An <strong>Opposed Perception/Stealth</strong> Test is required to notice anything unusual about this partygoer; most of the other guests pay no attention, being somewhat drunk and involved in their own business. Unless the Skaven is stopped or the spiked punch is thrown away, mutations will start to break within half an hour.</p><p>Characters searching the garden will be able to find the body of the murdered guest on a successful Perception Test.</p><p>If the @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Gutter Runner} is stopped inside the mansion, it does everything it can to escape. If it is cornered and cannot escape, it will fight to the death, taking as many down as it can.</p><h4>11:45 p.m.</h4><p>The sounds of a fight are heard from upstairs. Volker Volkmann, Netta’s husband, has surprised her and @UUID[Actor.aUPlT4HBdnEKjuM1]{Doktor Krupp}. His hands are locked about the physician’s throat as she stands by screaming for him to stop.</p><p>If the Characters intervene and resolve the situation without bloodshed, @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht} notes this.</p><h4>Midnight</h4><p>If the PCs have not yet found the body on the garden (see @UUID[.l9SQwje2aPGtWemV#11:30-p.m.]{11:30}), there is a shout from outside as another guest does so. If the party has not yet been disrupted by an outbreak of mutations, an assistant cook staggers in from the kitchen, clutching his throat with a hand that grows furrier and more wickedly clawed before the company’s eyes. Guests flee in terror and dismay: no one will ever forget this ball or its dreadful aftermath.</p><p>If questioned, the servant will admit to sampling some ale from a new barrel about ten minutes ago. Depending on how cruel you are feeling, the barrel may not yet have been put out for the guests, and mutations are restricted to a handful of kitchen staff — or it may have been sitting on the bar in the dining room for the last five minutes, exposing everyone who drank from it to the Warpstone it contains.</p><p>No matter the case, the breakout of mutation ends the masquerade in panicked embarrassment as witch hunters, the Cult of Sigmar, and the Watch are summoned to investigate what happened.</p><p>If the gravin remains alive, Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz}, drunken and enraged, confronts her and the Characters as they leave the party. He is armed with a pistol, and demands immediate satisfaction over the death of his father. He demands the gravin duel him, though she steadfastly refuses. This confrontation draws a crowd of other nobles who all denounce Dammenblatz, though this only serves to enrage him. If the Characters do not intervene, Dammenblatz shoots the gravin through the heart, killing her, before being subdued to await trial.</p><div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/rat-skull.webp\" width=\"240\" height=\"213\" /></div>"
				},
				"Plot Summaries": {
					"name": "Plot Summaries",
					"text": "<h4>Plot 1 – Dirty Politics</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} has arranged the ball as a means to impress @UUID[Actor.gfSfXHgfqW5QiUxu]{General von Dabernick}, whom he believes is the Emperor’s representative in Ubersreik. He believes, perhaps foolishly, that he only has three primary rivals — Graf @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim}, Baron @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard Aschaffenberg}, and possibly @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} — so has invited all three so that he can show the general just how superior he is to his competitors. Unfortunately, each are as determined as him to promote their personal agendas.</p><p>Unbeknownst to all, the Emperor’s true representative, Lady @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Emmanuelle Nacht}, is attending the masquerade in disguise, posing as a Knights Panther bodyguard to @UUID[Actor.gfSfXHgfqW5QiUxu]{General von Daberninck}. She intends to monitor the evening’s events, and possibly report back to the Emperor if anything noteworthy occurs.</p><h4>Plot 2 – Vengeance Served Cold</h4><p>Baron @UUID[Actor.hoYxD4qqwxPJai2L]{Eberhardt von Dammenblatz} remains determined to avenge the death of his father. He has sent along an agent to finish @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} off. He has come to Ubersreik incognito to keep an eye on matters personally. If matters do not unfold as planned, he steps in to finish the job himself.</p><h4>Plot 3 – Repent or Die</h4><p>A flagellant of Sigmar crashes the party intending to lecture the noble guests on their decadent ways, but his addled brain is confused by the costumes and he becomes convinced that he has stumbled upon a nest of Chaos worshippers and worse. Unless he is contained quickly, he can wreak untold havoc.</p><h4>Plot 4 – The Lady’s Test</h4><p>@UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel}, a local Grey Wizard known for his secretive ways, is also observing the party at the order of Lady @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Emmanuelle Nacht} (@UUID[.EObulGGxYS7Poog4#plot-1-–-dirty-politics]{Plot 1}). Just as the masquerade hits a lull, he livens up the evening with a spell or two in order to see how the guests handle difficult circumstances…</p><p>Engel attends the party with Lord @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher}. Florian is ‘an affectionate drunk’ who seriously overestimates his appeal to the opposite sex. The more he drinks, and the more he is rebuffed, the more likely he is to forget that his uncle, Count Bruno Pfiefraucher of Grissenwald and Kreutzhofen, has sent him to support the gravin and uphold the honour of his House, not to embarrass them.</p><h4>Plot 5 – Playing Doctor</h4><p>Doktor @UUID[Actor.aUPlT4HBdnEKjuM1]{Otto Krupp} hopes to spend some time alone with his mistress, Netta Volkmann, a barmaid from the town who has been hired to help out at the ball. The couple doesn’t know that Netta’s husband, Volker, has recently learned of their affair, and intends to do something about it.</p><h4>Plot 6 – The Stars Are Right</h4><p>A Skaven Grey Seer lurks beneath Ubersreik, spying out the man-things and their weaknesses. The concentration of so many nobles in a poorly guarded location, as well as the erratic behaviour of the Chaos moon Morrslieb, has convinced the old sorcerer that the time is right to attack. Using a handful of stealthy @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Gutter Runners}, he plans to poison the guests at the ball with Warpstone; the resulting death and mutation will cause havoc and weaken the Empire’s nobility in one fell swoop.</p><p>At various points in the evening, the Skaven will try to dose the food and drink with powdered Warpstone. If any of their attempts is successful, guests will begin to exhibit mutations about half an hour later. Treat each exposure by a Character to any tainted food or drink as @Corruption[moderate]{Moderate}</p><h4>Plot 7 – A Blot on the Escutcheon</h4><p>House Aschaffenberg sees itself as the natural choice for the next lord of Ubersreik. However, it recently allied itself closely to House Bruner through a mixture of marriage and military support. </p><p>Unfortunately, since the removal of House Jungfreud from Ubersreik, the Bruners have gone a little wild, and dark rumours now circulate concerning their most prominent members, with some even suggesting there may be Chaos taint in the family (for more on this, see @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.U5fSG8wDw2ZCLIWG]{A Guide to Ubersreik} in the <strong>WFRP Starter Set</strong>). </p><p>So, Baron @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard Aschaffenberg} is trying hard to distance himself from any scandal and put his family back in the running. In turn, the enormously rich Lord @UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich von Bruner} is trying to rebuild his House’s reputation, and resents the Aschaffenbergs’ lack of support. It’s only made worse when Baron Rickard’s nephew @UUID[Actor.5hOJSHJutrmP9XlP]{Maximilian} misses no opportunity for a joke at House Bruner’s expense. In this highly-charged political environment, tempers are at breaking point.</p>"
				},
				"The Adventure": {
					"name": "The Adventure",
					"text": "<h3>Player's Introduction</h3>\n<p>@UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.icaZcokQLawViHCq]{Ubersreik} is a town without a ruler. Recently, the Emperor controversially removed House Jungfreud from power for reasons that are far from clear, and now the surrounding duchy languishes without leadership. To maintain order, State Army soldiers from the Imperial capital occupy and pacify the important fortress-town, but this unstable situation can’t last forever. Sensing an opportunity, nobles from across the Empire have arrived in Ubersreik to impress the locals and the Emperor’s representatives, all in the hope of securing the powerful province for themselves. However, Ubersreik’s most influential burghers and guildsmen have their own plans: they want Ubersreik to become a self-governing free town — ruled by a town council — not nobles. </p>\n<p>Into this walks Lord @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Erich von Holzenauer}, the third son of a noble House from Altdorf. He has rented a mansion in the town’s wealthiest district. He is throwing a lavish masquerade ball to demonstrate his wealth, magnanimity, and good character. He has invited many of Ubersreik’s great and good, and some of those he perceives to be his greatest rivals, in order to demonstrate exactly why he should be the next lord of Ubersreik.</p>\n<p>@UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} is attending the ball for one of two reasons, depending on recent events. The marriage of Gravin Maria-Ulrike’s brother, Baron @UUID[Actor.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz}, to the daughter of the von Saponatheims of @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.OONgV24fbQ8ZEqSr]{Bögenhafen} was one attempt to increase the Ambosstein family’s holdings. So the chance to win the lordship of Ubersreik is the next opportunity should the first have fallen through. The von Saponatheims are also here in their own right. If the Ambossteim/Saponatheim marriage went ahead successfully, the gravin is here to support her new Saponatheim allies; if not, she is here to do whatever she can to support a bid for her brother to become the next duke.</p>\n<div class=\"journal-image centered\"><img src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/ubersreik-duchy.webp\" width=\"238\" height=\"256\" /></div>\n<h3>The Guests</h3>\n<p>During the course of the adventure, the key NPCs schmooze from room to room as events dictate, but tend to gravitate toward certain locations. Whenever you are unsure where a particular NPC is, refer to the following list.</p>\n<h4>The Gallery</h4>\n<p>Lord @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Erich von Holzenauer}, Lord @UUID[Actor.9KRZ40ZvmYXt6gFI]{Rickard Aschaffenberg}, @UUID[Actor.XDRhpsdxuqgCL3jk]{Mercinellin ‘Seedling’ Thorncobble XIII}, Captain @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Andrea Pfeffer}, Captain @UUID[Actor.xJGrg8I8NsemrsNR]{Erwin Blucher}, @UUID[Actor.Mh5TVBLgQBv9eN31]{Baron de Grenouille}, and @UUID[Actor.nfeuQpvBdcemCuza]{Ernst Maler}.</p>\n<h4>The Dining Room</h4>\n<p>@UUID[Actor.zKJF414fbWr3cYoy]{Borgun Foambeard}, Sister @UUID[Actor.FIhbtcpVLsYR6wuP]{Celestine Hoch}, Johann Brass, @UUID[Actor.3iFI20RxtZFfygse]{Gunther Emming}, Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim}, @UUID[Actor.1D9An40z5DUHcj7M]{Heinrich Gutenberg}, Lord @UUID[Actor.b3Y1LZUKkptLu0sc]{Heinrich von Bruner}, Lord @UUID[Actor.5hOJSHJutrmP9XlP]{Maximilian Aschaffenberg}, and Doktor @UUID[Actor.aUPlT4HBdnEKjuM1]{Otto Krupp}.</p>\n<h4>The Reception Room</h4>\n<p>Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike}, General @UUID[Actor.gfSfXHgfqW5QiUxu]{Jendrik von Dabernick} and his bodyguard (@UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht}), Lord @UUID[Actor.fU0F5kleN1uzTVhW]{Florian Pfeifraucher}, @UUID[Actor.7M5OJZbbtV6DKUvG]{Christoph Engel}, @UUID[Actor.7Y64jexu1sYbf4U4]{Lorith Silverleaf}, and Baron @UUID[Actor.XBFaq746bDGoUFy1]{Heinrich von Falkenhayn}.</p>\n<h4>Servants and Other Guests</h4>\n<p>Additional guests — minor nobles, local dignitaries, and well-to-do townsfolk — fill out the numbers in all three areas. </p>\n<p>Add NPCs as you see fit, perhaps drawing from the many detailed in the <strong>WFRP Starter Set</strong> or one of the <strong>Ubersreik Adventures</strong> — this adventure is a perfect opportunity to introduce NPCs important to any future adventures and scenarios you intend to present to your group.</p>\n<p>Two footmen are posted in the reception room and the dining room at all times, ready to assist guests as required. A steady stream of lesser servants shuttles food and drink to the dining room from the kitchen.</p>"
				},
				"The Mansion": {
					"name": "The Mansion",
					"text": "<p>Niederstadt Haus is a relatively modest three-storey mansion in Ubersreik’s fashionable @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.CI7BOaVBiL3tOBxR]{Morgenseite} district, set high on a hill overlooking the town. It is surrounded by many mansions and palaces belonging to local nobles, merchants, and guildmasters.</p><h3>The Outside</h3><p>From outside, Niederstadt Haus is an impressive three-storey building of dressed stone, with a colonnaded portico and a wall enclosing the sides and rear from the primary grounds. For the ball, the outside is decorated with bright garlands and banners, and warm light blazes from the ground floor windows. On the left-hand side of the mansion stands a carriage house with high doors. Behind it is a stable block and kennel. At the other end of the house is a small yard with a well. Between lies a pleasant garden whose manicured lawns are dotted with bushes and flower beds.</p><h3>Ground Floor</h3><p>A covered portico wide enough to shelter a carriage from inclement weather stands before the main doors. Green-and-black liveried guards in House Holzenauer colours stand at attention to either side of the door, in immaculate dress uniform and armed with halberds.  Just inside the main doors is a vestibule. This small room has a flagstone floor and doors leading to a cloakroom and the porter’s office. A herald stands there, checking invitations and announcing visitors as they arrive. His voice can be heard above the level of normal conversation in all three of the public rooms.</p><p>Upon leaving the vestibule, guests find themselves in a large, marble-floored gallery with a high ceiling. Off the gallery is a small powder room for the convenience of visiting ladies. At the foot of the grand staircase is a huge stuffed boar, standing on a marble plinth in an aggressive pose. It was bagged and stuffed by the owner of the mansion, but Hozenauer is happy for his guests to think the trophy is one of his. On the other side of the gallery is a tall, ornate wooden clock that strikes every quarter-hour; you can use its chime as an indication that another fifteen minutes have passed.</p><p>The doors to the main reception room are open, and all rugs and carpets have been taken up to expose an array of exquisitely designed marble floors in the Tilean fashion. The back doors of the reception room are open to the well-manicured garden.</p><p>The dining room doors are also open. Dancing and entertainment take place in the gallery and reception room, while the dining room has been reserved as an area for eating and conversation. A buffet is laid out at the end nearest the kitchen, with a drinks table beside it holding a beer keg and several bottles of wine and brandy, all served by a hired bartender.</p><p>The kitchen, food store, and servant’s passage are at the back of the house. A servant’s stair case leads to the upper two floors.</p><h3>First Floor</h3><p>The first-floor landing opens onto the master bedroom and two guest suites, each with an attached dressing room. Each bedroom has a carved four-poster bed, a large, wooden wardrobe, and a wash–stand. The dressing rooms each have a solid wardrobe, a table and some comfortable chairs, and a dressing screen.</p><p>The servants’ stairs opens onto the landing through a door discreetly hidden in the wood panelling.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich} has taken the master suite for himself. The two guest suites are currently unoccupied, and dust sheets cover their furniture.</p><h3>Second Floor</h3><p>The top floor can only be accessed from the servant’s stair. There are eight servant’s rooms — each with two small beds and a wash-stand — two storage rooms filled with boxes and unused furniture, and a linen store.</p><p>Servants’ rooms 1 and 2 have been taken by @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Lord Erich’s} valet and cook. The rest are unoccupied, with bare bed-frames and no sheets or mattresses.</p><p>The linen store is lined with shelves holding folded sheets, blankets, and pillows. Half a dozen straw mattresses are stacked against one wall.</p>"
				},
				"Lord of Ubersreik": {
					"name": "Lord of Ubersreik",
					"text": "<p>Ubersreik has no ruling family after the Emperor controversially removed House Jungfreud from power. Thus, the great and the good flock to the fortress town, all hoping to become the next lord or lady of Ubersreik. One noble decides to host a society ball to promote his House above the others, but it quickly becomes a battlefield — politically and otherwise — and our Heroes are caught in the middle of it.</p><h2>Location</h2><p>Lord @UUID[Actor.6SbnET9r1ewR2QCF]{Erich von Holzenauer}, one of the nobles who wants to be the new lord of Ubersreik, has rented a mansion in @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.CI7BOaVBiL3tOBxR]{Morgenseite}, Ubersreik’s most exclusive district. There he plans a lavish masquerade ball, and intends to use the occasion to gain the upper hand over his political opponents. Fortunately for von Holzenauer, the estate is already furnished — its owner fled in somewhat of a rush when Ubersreik was recently invaded by the Emperor’s forces.</p><h2>Getting There</h2><h3>Following the Campaign</h3><p>In the <strong>Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days</strong> campaign, @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} is one of the nobles with an interest in the lordship of Ubersreik. If the wedding between her brother @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-rnhd.actors.jzdgpUtkaqvY1KWE]{Karl-Heinz} and gravin @UUID[Actor.rRnBE8V1qUvN44ed]{Nastassia} von Saponatheim went ahead (see Nastassia’s Wedding), Gravin Maria-Ulrike arrives to add her family’s support to Lord @UUID[Actor.bhRLPO2mf2oRb4dv]{Siegfried von Saponatheim}; if not, she is there on behalf of her brother, Karl-Heinz.</p><p>@UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Gravin Maria-Ulrike} and her retinue — including the Characters — either arrive by road from @UUID[JournalEntry.ozE2DMCMK64eE5pD.JournalEntryPage.OONgV24fbQ8ZEqSr]{Bögenhafen} in a caravan of coaches and carts, or arrive by barge via the Hagercryb Canal. After entering Ubersreik, they travel to Morgenseite — a wealthy district on the south-east of the town known locally as the Hill — where the gravin has rented a modest mansion as a base of operations.</p><blockquote class=\"sidebar\"><h3 style=\"text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"sidebar-title\"><em>A Guide to Ubersreik</em></h3><p><em>Lord of Ubersreik is a stand-alone adventure, but if you want to know more about the town where it is set, and the political turmoil that besets it, you’ll find all this and more in the <strong>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Starter Set</strong> which contains a book detailing Ubersreik.</em></p></blockquote><h3>A Stand-Alone Adventure</h3><p>If the Characters are not already in Ubersreik, the simplest way to ensure they are headed there is for a noble party is to hire them. The most obvious choices would be for one of the primary Noble Houses at the masquerade: the Aschaffenbergs, the Holzenauers, the Saponatheims, or the gravin and her party. Their new employer may want a prestige boost by having the Characters tell tales of their adventures, or the party may be tasked to undermine a rival noble by uncovering embarrassing secrets or arranging for unfortunate accidents. </p><p>They could also be sent by a distant noble who cannot attend in person, or by a guild that does business in Ubersreik, to observe the situation and report back. Temporary staff are also being hired to help prepare the feast, serve the guests, and maintain security. Further, extra watch patrols are being organised for the area around the estate, and Watch Captain @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Andrea Pfeffer}, the under-staffed woman in charge of patrolling Ubersreik’s streets, is desperate for more volunteers with suitable experience. And, as always, entertainers, jugglers, and minstrels are being hired to entertain the dignitaries during the adventure.</p><div class=\"journal-image\"><img class=\"fit\" src=\"modules/wfrp4e-rnhd/assets/images/masquerade.webp\" /></div>"
				},
				"Concluding the Adventure": {
					"name": "Concluding the Adventure",
					"text": "<h3>So, Who Wins?</h3><p>There is a high chance the ball ends in confusion, amid a Skaven attack and an outbreak of mutation. All thoughts of the lordship of Ubersreik are set aside as the townsfolk and the visiting nobles fight the crisis as best they can. After the dust has settled, it is unlikely Lady Nacht recommends any of the gathered noble Houses to take Ubersreik’s title. However, if the Characters did very well, Nacht will notice this, and will hire the party herself in future. If one of the nobles fairs particularly well during the course of the ball, you may feel Nacht conveys this to Altdorf. Unfortunately, the Emperor has other problems, and will not act on any communiqués sent his way. For more on what’s happening with the Emperor, refer to the Enemy Within campaign.</p><h3>Experience Point Awards</h3><p>@Exp[10,Advanced the interests of the Characters’ noble House]{10–20 points per incident for advancing the interests of the Characters’ noble House}</p><p>@Exp[10,Thwarted an attempt to embarrass the Characters’ noble House]{10–20 points per incident for thwarting an attempt to embarrass the Characters’ noble House}</p><p>@Exp[10,Embarrassed a rival family]{10–20 points per incident for embarrassing a rival family}</p><p>@Exp[10,'Killed' the ‘fur stole’ or the ‘stuffed boar’]{10 points each for ‘killing’ the ‘fur stole’ and the ‘stuffed boar’}</p><p>@Exp[20,Subdued Matthias Hubkind]{20 points for subduing Matthias Hubkind} @Exp[10,Did not wound Matthias Hubkind]{(+10 if he is not wounded)}</p><p>@Exp[30,Thwarted a Skaven plot]{30 points for thwarting each Skaven plot}</p><p>@Exp[30,Killed a Skaven.]{30 points for killing a Skaven.}</p><h3>What Next?</h3><p>The end of the ball leaves two matters to be resolved: the lordship of Ubersreik and what to do about the Skaven. Even a family whose cause is lost will be able to put themselves back in contention — if they can locate and wipe out this threat beneath the city.</p><p>Gravin @UUID[Actor.J8AHNs6dcy40mhXr]{Maria-Ulrike} is in a strong position, as she likely has a group of adventurers already in her employ. She will send the Characters to deal with the ‘foul Beastmen’ right away as her rivals scramble to hire skilled rat catchers, sewer jacks, mercenaries, and other professionals from the town. If the PCs are on good terms with Captain @UUID[Actor.xJGrg8I8NsemrsNR]{Erwin Blucher} of the local State Army garrison and Captain @UUID[Actor.L0oHLYZcGQHDWKMo]{Andrea Pfeffer} of the Watch, they may be able to count on a handful of watchmen as extra muscle.</p><p>Tracking the Skaven is challenging but not impossible. The collapsed tunnel from the well leads into the sewers, and tracks might also be picked up from the points where the Dwarfs defended their beer cart (@UUID[.l9SQwje2aPGtWemV#7:30-p.m.]{7:30 p.m.}), where a Skaven climbed the wall to block the kitchen chimney (@UUID[.l9SQwje2aPGtWemV#10:15-p.m.]{10:15 p.m.}), or where a Skaven ambushed a guest in the garden (@UUID[.l9SQwje2aPGtWemV#11:30-p.m.]{11:30 p.m.}).</p><p>The trail leads to a small underground lair containing enough Skaven to present a reasonable challenge — 1 per Character will do — supported by a @UUID[Actor.6VrSyiFMMWP2DF21]{Gutter Runner} and a fearsome @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.actors.VfJgGmCTWqb0IDSW]{Rat Ogre} with whatever optional Traits and Skills you feel appropriate to test your group. The Grey Seer commanding them, Rasknitt, is long-gone (see @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-starter-set.journals.TSyoR9nSk7cehypG.JournalEntryPage.B0LbHpx74tQkIdtH]{Wahlund's Rat Catchers} for more on a group very interested in tracking that ratman). </p><p>The Skaven lair hides the now abandoned laboratory of Grey Seer Rasknitt. A pair of pitted and rotten workbenches are loaded with twisted pipes, glass chambers, and spluttering pots that were once used for the Grey Seer’s experiments with warpstone. Any Character with a Channelling Skill senses the wrongness of the place, and any with the @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-core.items.OEjUvJKi0xmBwbS2]{Second Sight} Talent will immediately know the laboratory is irrevocably tainted, and will need to be burned. Any Character dawdling in the area for more than Toughness Bonus Rounds is exposed to a @Corruption[minor]{Minor Corrupting Influence}; any Character foolish enough to touch the laboratory equipment is exposed to a @Corruption[moderate]{Moderate Corrupting Influence} for every minute of contact, or part therof.</p><p>Any evidence the Characters recover is confiscated by witch hunters and the party closely questioned. Their interrogators will try to extract as much information as possible while simultaneously convincing the Characters that they encountered nothing more than a group of Beastmen that had somehow found its way into the town’s sewers.</p><p>Fortunately, throughout the evening it is likely that Lady @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Emmanuelle Nacht} — in her disguise — observed the Characters performing competently and with initiative. She has made note of them, and files their names away for future work if required. Lady Nacht is always looking for valuable, yet expendable, assets to further her goals in Ubersreik.</p><h4>Following the Campaign</h4><p>Although this adventure concludes the Rough Nights &amp; Hard Days campaign, you should feel free to devise more adventures if the Characterss remain in service with Gravin Maria-Ulrike. She may lend their services to her aunt, Countess @UUID[Actor.CcqiAghkzgp9u1In]{Emmanuelle of Nuln}, for all manner of sensitive missions, or she may decide to have them aid her attempts to win Ubersreik, either for her own family or for the von Saponatheims, and that could involve all manner of politics and skullduggery. </p><p>Alternatively, if the Characters have impressed @UUID[Actor.hcAF95tFaOdoZoeF]{Lady Nacht}, their fortunates could change completely. Unknown to many, she currently rules Ubersreik in the Emperor’s stead, and she needs capable outsiders who she can trust to handle difficult situations. She could reach out to the Characters with a new offer of employment and adventure. A good starting point for this is @UUID[Compendium.wfrp4e-ua1.journals.AonLHi09EgfzdXpF]{Ubersreik Adventures: Heart of Glass}, which has the Characters employed by Nacht to solve a politically sensitive murder. Nacht is also keen to track down the ‘Beastman menace’ that had somehow infiltrated the sewers, and the Characters may be a natural choice to pursue such a matter.</p>"
				}
			}
		}
	}
}