There are no such things as skaven.pdf

- A typical Ashendorfer children’s rhyme

There are no Such Things as Skaven... is a short adventure best suited for characters in their first or second careers, but

it can be easily modified to suit any group. The structure of the scenario is loose, directed more by character actions

than by events. The adventure is set in a small town near Nuln, but with minor modifications any Imperial town could

be used.

This adventure best lends itself as the PCs’ first real encounter with the mythical Ratmen known as Skaven. But it works

just as well with a party that already knows the Skaven are more than just a subspecies of Beastmen or bedtime stories

told to children. The mood of this adventure is one of hidden threat and mounting tension.

Ashendorf is a small Imperial town with a tragic history.

Some hundred and fifty years ago all the town’s wells were

suddenly contaminated with the plague. Death and suffering

tormented the townspeople as the plague quickly spread

within the small community. And the unavailability of

drinkable water made things even worse. Unbeknownst

to the people, the plague was planted in the wells by the

Skaven. When all seemed lost the Ratmen secretly

approached some of the town’s most influential men and

forced them to make a devil’s bargain with them.

town and the tragic events of its past were eventually

reduced to little more than a popular myth. This myth is

still remembered today, and every year the residents hold

a special festival called the Marionetten Fest to exorcise

the evils of their past.

As the town survived so did the coven of men who had

struck the ghastly deal with the Ratmen. And this liaison

with the Skaven has been sustained through the decades.

As time passed, sons replaced their fathers and a harmless

secret society of rich men transformed into a cult

worshipping the Horned Rat, the Dark God of the Skaven.

They named themselves Ordo Triangulus, after the

triangular symbol of their deity. Whereas the unholy pact

with the Skaven was initially made out of desperation and

necessity, the Ordo of today pays homage to the Horned

Rat and serves the vile Skaven. The current head of Ordo

Triangulus is Konrad Rottmeier. He is an ambitious local

merchant who plans to take the cult to the next level.

Within a few days the water in the wells was clear and

drinkable again, and no more people were getting sick.

But, the morning after the next time Morrslieb was full

the price of the bargain dawned on the leaders. Most of

the town’s children had disappeared during the night. Grief

ravaged the town and many left the cursed place never to

return. But, given time, Ashendorf was able to recover.

Thanks to its prime location prosperity returned to the

It is traditional for the cult to secretly meet the Skaven

every year during the Marionetten Fest. And this year is

no exception. Only this time the meeting is of special

importance to Ordo Triangulus as Konrad Rottmeier has

conjured up an evil scheme. The Cult wants to undermine

the authorities by striking against the hated Church of

Sigmar.

mutations are a telltale sign of a pact with the Ruinous

Powers. Furthermore, they will claim that Sigmar is not

a true god and his priests are nothing more than avaricious

heretics. The following uprising will weaken Nuln’s defences

and allow Ordo Triangulus and the Skaven to take further

action.

Nuln’s Great Cathedral of Sigmar is in need of repairs.

The incessant soot from the city’s forges and foundries

has soiled the Cathedral. In order to raise the money

needed for purification the Church has set up wooden

statues all over the city. The reason for the statues is their

function as offertory boxes. These statues have been carved

by the very best craftsmen, and they represent various

historical figures focal to the Church of Sigmar and the

Empire. There are twelve statues in total including Sigmar

himself, Magnus the Pious, and Mandred the Ratslayer

among others. It is a hot topic in Nuln at the moment

whether Valten should be added among them or not. The

addition of Valten would bring the number of statues up

to thirteen.

While in the vicinity of Nuln the PCs are attacked by a

Bounty Hunter who has a wanted poster with their names

on it. The Bounty Hunter is foiled easily enough, but the

encounter raises an important question: who would post

a bounty on their heads? The next day they receive a letter

from Lord von Drachensturm who claims he can have the

contracts on their heads cancelled.

Wolfgang von Drachensturm is a man who has dedicated

his entire life to uncovering the Skaven conspiracy. About

two weeks ago he learned from his sources in Nuln that

a cult called Ordo Triangulus was planning something.

The bits and pieces of information were vague at best but

pointed to the small town of Ashendorf. Von Drachensturm

quickly dispatched his most trusted agent, Isidro Armantero,

to investigate. It has now been two weeks and von

Drachensturm has not heard back from Armantero even

though he was supposed to report back three days ago.

The noble suspects foul play and needs someone to go

find his agent. He promises to get the bounty lifted if the

PCs go to Ashendorf and find out what has happened to

Isidro Armantero.

Thirteen is also the sacred number of the Horned Rat. In

Konrad Rottmeier’s distorted mind this was a sign from

his god that now is an opportune moment to strike against

the patron deity of the Empire. For this purpose Ordo

Triangulus has secretly created a coining apparatus to forge

Karls. After some initial trial and error, they are now able

to mint Karls, albeit at a rather slow pace. The gist of the

plan is that the Cult has obtained some Warpstone Dust

from the Skaven and plans to work the corruptive substance

into the fake coins. They plan to make a few hundred of

these coins and then distribute them into the offertory

boxes. The priests of Sigmar will unknowingly handle the

contaminated money and become horribly mutated as a

result. At the same time, Ordo Triangulus will launch a

smear campaign against the Church, claiming that the

The PCs travel to Ashendorf where they will investigate

several leads, possibly run into some side encounters, and

discover subtle clues hinting at the mythical Skaven. Finally,

during the Ashendorf Marionetten Fest, they will find

Isidro Armantero, foil the plans of Ordo Triangulus, and

have a deadly encounter with the very real Skaven.

The adventure begins in Nuln. At a moment you deem

fitting Dante Cruziani, a Tilean Bounty Hunter, approaches

the characters. This encounter can take place anywhere.

Choose a place that best suits your purposes; it could the

docks, a tavern, a nobleman’s garden, or perhaps even a

small temple of Shallya or Verena.

This encounter is meant to leave the PCs confused. They

should be left wondering who has put a price on their

heads, and will there be more attacks coming. After the

run-in with Dante you can have them notice similar wanted

posters in common venues like the Deuz Elm ( see Forges

of Nuln p.20 ).

With an Easy (+20%) Perception Test the PCs notice

Dante Cruziani approaching them with two henchmen

( use Sell-sword stats, WFRP p.235 ). As they come closer

(or block the doorway etc., choose the most dramatic

option) Cruziani whips out a wanted poster. The poster

clearly features crudely sketched pictures of the PCs as

well as approximations of their names with a 10 gc bounty

promised on each of their heads. With a contemptuous

smirk the Tilean says:

“Finally I have-a found you, you evildoers! Surrender now

and I will-a spare you from the humiliation.”

If (and most likely when) the characters don’t immediately

surrender, he laughs, draws his crossbow pistol and shouts,

“So be it criminals!” A fight ensues. The Sell-swords will

fight until severely wounded or until one of them, or

Dante, is killed. Then they will flee or surrender. Dante

Cruziani is a different story. The Bounty Hunter believes

he has been blessed by Ranald himself and cannot be

defeated. And, oddly enough, the Tilean is freakishly lucky.

You should really emphasize Cruziani’s never-ending luck.

Have him hit with his crossbow pistol while shooting

blind, accidentally dodge strikes he doesn’t even see coming,

or casually hit crucial parts, like straps or buckles, of the

PCs’ equipment. His good luck could also manifest as

bad luck for the characters. Their bowstrings snap, or

swords get stuck in their scabbards or struck items. Dante

Cruziani is easy enough to defeat but it should feel like

an uphill struggle as fortune keeps smiling upon him. You

could even give him 1 Fate Point in which case, instead

of dying, he survives against impossible odds and returns

to haunt them later. Or, in a more ironic twist, Dante

Cruziani’s never-ending luck could finally run out at the

most crucial moment.

Career: Bounty Hunter (ex-Student)

Race: Human (Tilean)

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

29 40 32 28 40 32 33 38

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

1 13 3 2 4 0 0 Spec

Special: Lucky - Dante is freakishly lucky. He has the

number of PCs + 3 Fortune Points. Optionally, he could

also have 1 Fate Point.

Skills: Follow Trail, Intimidate, Outdoor Survival,

Perception, Search, Shadowing, Silent Move, Speak

Language (Reikspiel), Read/Write

Talents: Marksman, Rover, Sharpshooter, Specialist

Weapon Group (Crossbow, Entangling)

Armour: Leather Jack

Armour points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0

Weapons: Crossbow Pistol with 10 Bolts, Foil, Net

Trappings: Manacles, One Set of Good Craftsmanship

Clothing, Bunch of Wanted Posters, Cologne, 8 gc

good money to be made by snaring deserters. He traveled

to the Empire and was able to achieve some success and

make a name for himself.

In truth, Dante Cruziani is probably one of the worst

Bounty Hunters in the Old World. But he has one thing

going for him: he is incredibly lucky. It seems Ranald

himself walks by his side.

Description: Young Dante Cruziani was a disgruntled

engineering student living in Remas, Tilea. On one night

of particularly heavy drinking he accidentally exposed and

subdued two wanted criminals and turned them in. The

whole thing was actually one freaky accident that involved

some carelessly heaped beer barrels. But that did not stop

Dante Cruziani from thinking it was all his doing. The

adrenaline rush was something he could never get from

engineering. So, despite his family’s protests Dante Cruziani

left the university to pursue a life of bounty hunting.

During the Storm of Chaos Dante learned that there was

Because of the success he has had due to his luck Dante

has come to think he is actually incredibly competent.

Therefore, he is cocky, overconfident, and willing to try

his luck against any odds.

Dante Cruziani is a rather dashing young man. He has

a Tilean style pointy-beard and long, black, curly hair.

Dante is dressed in a typically Tilean way; his clothes are

colourful and always of good quality. He wears a big hat

decorated with a pheasant feather. His crossbow pistol is

his weapon of choice.

A day after the Tilean’s attack a man dressed in good

quality clothing approachs the PCs. He is a messenger

bringing a letter from Lord Wolfgang von Drachensturm.

The man states his business and hands them the letter.

Give the players Handout #1 . If they refuse to go, another

man will approach them a few days (and another Bounty

Hunter attack) later. If they still refuse, they will never

hear from Lord Drachensturm again, and Bounty Hunters

will stop bothering them after a few weeks.

Ratmen and all their Vile Kin . The bare stone walls are

covered with elegant tapestries depicting Sigmar and

Mandred the Ratslayer. Above the hearth there is a dark

hued painting of strange rat like creatures emerging from

darkness with their fangs bared. The painting has an

ominous quality to it. Wolfgang von Drachensturm is

sitting behind a massive desk and rises to meet the

characters. They can’t miss the loaded pistol on the table.

Lord Wolfgang von Drachensturm’s house is about three

hours’ ride from Nuln. The austere two-storey mansion is

not very welcoming. The windows are barred and a high

iron fence surrounds the estate. Only one gate allows entry.

Three vicious bloodhounds guard the grounds and bare

fangs at the PCs. An armed Valet welcomes them and

escorts them to Lord von Drachensturm’s study. With a

Routine (+10%) Perception Test they notice that there

seem to be very few servants. Also, any character with

appropriate skills such as Silent Move or Shadowing notices

that the floorboards squeak with each step as to make

sneaking more difficult.

“ Thank you for answering my invitation ladies and gentlemen.

You have my apologies for any inconvenience this meeting

might have caused you. As I am sure you value your time as

much as I value mine, I will spare you from all the unnecessary

pleasantries and idle chit-chat. Instead, I will be up front and

state my business. I can make the bounty placed on your heads

go away. But, in return, I need you to do something for me.

Are you interested in hearing my proposal?”

Wolfgang von Drachensturm is a man who is not afraid

to use heavy-handed means. Nor is he very subtle. Once

he realised something must have happened to his agent

he sent a word out to his intelligence network to keep an

eye out for suitable candidates to investigate the matter.

He specifically wanted outsiders (like the PCs) who are

not involved in any local scheming. Once the PCs were

spotted, von Drachensturm had contracts put out on their

heads to create a problem he could then solve for them.

The Lord’s study is rather gaunt. A big hearth keeps the

room warm. A huge bookshelf with litters of books and

strange objects dominates the wall behind the man. With

a successful Average (-10%) Perception Test they will

notice such books as Wilhelm Leiber’s The Loathsome

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