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A Tale of Printed Pamphlets in the Empire’s Premier City

B URN A FTER P RINTING

A S CENARIO FOR WFRP

I NTRODUCTION

This scenario is written with the following structure. ‘Part

One’ contains the set-up explaining how the characters

come to be involved followed by a period of investigation

where the characters can find out the particulars of what

is occurring. ‘Part Two’ contains four possible courses of

action for the characters to undertake and ‘Part Three’

contains two consequences of the character’s choices.

Finally ‘Wrapping it Up’ contains advice on experience

and how to further develop the scenario. Due to this

slightly non-linear nature, the GM should read through

the scenario carefully, especially the with regard to the

options and consequences.

W HY M E

The obvious question the Characters may be asking

is exactly why Michaela von Jänke has chosen them

out of the hundreds of thousands of people living in

Altdorf to aid her in this task.

If any of the Characters has any contacts with any

Altdorf nobles or merchants, then these can easily be

used to have passed on their details to Michaela, and

perhaps will even ask the Characters for a small

appreciation for setting up the meeting. If the

Characters have played through The Thousand

Thrones, Paths of the Damned or The Enemy Within,

then they will have almost certainly accumulated

contacts that can serve this purpose. Alternatively,

they may well be minor nobles or merchants

themselves.

Otherwise, Michaela may have heard of some of the

past adventures the Characters have embarked

upon, perhaps hearing versions that somewhat over-

exaggerated their success based on stories they

have told while drunk in the city’s taverns.

Also presented here are quick guides to both Three Toll

Bridge and the Luitpoldstrasse Docks, including short

descriptions of some of the inhabitants with their opinions

on current events. These can be used to flesh out Gossip

Skill Checks made during the scenario, and include a

mixture of matters relevant to this scenario along with

rumours that may or may not be true depending upon the

GM’s whim. Note that any comments marked with a *

should only occur after the burning of the Barge.

P ART O NE

The scenario starts with the characters being accosted

by a messenger summoning them to meet with Michaela

von Jänke at the Hangman’s Tavern, located on Altdorf’s

famous Three Tolls Bridge. This should ideally happen

when they are located in a tavern, shop or other location

that a messenger could have easily tracked them down

too. The message is not written down, and if questioned

the messenger will only say that he is employed as a

footman at the Hangman’s Tavern, and that Michaela von

Jänke is one of the taverns regular clients. He will lead

the characters to the Hangman’s Tavern if asked and

tipped a penny, although it is easy to find.

A final intriguing possibility is that they could simply

be employed by the city, for example as

Luitpoldstrasse Watchmen, ordered by the superiors

to go and solve Michaela’s problem. This option will

obviously require some minor modifications to the

scenario.

Hanging out at the Hangman’s Tavern

Despite the somewhat populist sounding name, the

Hangman’s Tavern caters for Altdorf’s bourgeois of

lawyers, Kommission officials and merchants. The name

dates back to the time before Magnus the Pious, when

smugglers and river pirates were hung from the bridge in

accordance with the dictates of the Cult of Manann.

By Alexander J Bateman

Version 1.1

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A Tale of Printed Pamphlets in the Empire’s Premier City

Entrance is normally only accorded to those who are both

well dressed (at least Good Craftsmanship Clothing or

Average Craftsmanship Noble’s Garb) and well groomed

(having had at least one bath in the last week). However,

as soon as the characters mention they are here to see

Michaela von Jänke they will be escorted to a private

room she has booked for the occasion. The characters

will then be left to wait in the room for ten minutes while

Michaela is told of their arrival; in the meantime an

attractive waitress offers them their choice of spirits or

wine.

The barge is a typical river vessel, with a small cabin at

the back where the boatman dwells and a tarpaulin roof

covering the cargo. The cabin door is locked, this can be

opened with an Average Pick Locks Test. Alternatively

characters could use a sharp knife to cut through the tar

covered canvas.

The barge has two levels of cargo; the upper contains

stacks upon stacks of printed pamphlets and books. Any

characters that have Speak Language (Reikspiel) and

the Read/Write skill can quickly determine that everything

on this deck is fairly dull - mostly recipe books,

newssheets and cheap novels.

When Michaela finally arrives, she glides into the room,

clad in an exquisite dress of blue and lavender. She will

explain that her predicament is rather embarrassing; she

has learnt that a local publishing house intends to put into

print a scurrilous pamphlet about her which borders upon

the pornographic. Through her contacts, she has learnt

that a thousand copies are currently loaded on Johannes

Verknüpfung’s river barge, known as the ‘Miss

Bedenklich’. This is due to transport them, along with

various other publications, upriver to Nuln. Obviously

wanting to prevent the pamphlets publication, she wishes

the characters to sneak aboard the barge, steal the

Pamphlets that refer to her, and destroy them, to give her

time to petition the Imperial Courts of Justice to ban its

publication. Due to Michaela’s knowledge of Academic

Knowledge (Law) this should be made to sound pretty

plausible to the characters, especially as it is, at least in

the broad strokes, correct.

The lower cargo deck is accessed by a short ladder, this

deck is unlit and characters without Night Vision or a form

of illumination will be unable to see. Unlike the upper

deck the cargo here is stored in wooden crates, and will

require a crowbar or other implement of brute force to be

opened.

There are ten crates here, each unmarked, rendering it

matter of pot luck which is opened first. Have the players

roll on The Miss Bedenklich random crate table each time

they open a crate, re-rolling duplicates.

Miss Bedenklich Random Crate Table

1d10

Contents

1 A Crystal Skull carved from solid Izril

2 50 Printed Books in Classical on Necromancy *

3 50 Printed Books in Reikspiel on Necromancy *

4 50 Printed Books in Classical on Astrology

5 50 Printed Books in Classical about Scarab Beetles

6 A collection of various Polished Bones *

Characters with Academic Knowledge (Law) will realise

that stealing a thousand pamphlets is actually a pretty

minor crime; each will be sold for around a single penny,

so the total value is only around 4 gc. Even if the

characters are caught and successfully tried (a dubious

prospect at best) is almost certainly the maximum

amount they will be fined.

1000 pamphlets in Classical on ‘State Censorship’ *

Barge Aboard

The Miss Bedenklich is docked in the Niederhafen

Bezirk, alongside wharfs clearly marked with symbols of

the local Hook gang. Assuming they arrive in the evening,

the quayside is almost entirely deserted, with Johannes

Verknüpfung and all the stevedores having retired to

various Altdorf taverns. A single Hook stevedore patrols

this section of the docks, on the lookout for any

troublemakers from the rival Fish gang. As he takes

around half an hour between patrols, the characters

should have plenty of time to locate and sneak aboard,

aided by the evening layer of Altdorf fog.

1000 pamphlets in Reikspiel on ‘the Lahmian Threat ’

1000 pamphlets in Breton on ‘the Goddess Cailledh’ *

1000 pamphlets in Reikspiel about Michaela von Jänke

All entries marked with a * are clearly illegal to own within

the Empire. Should the characters keep any copies of

these, they provide basic information upon their subject.

The pamphlets on Michaela von Jänke are explicit and

pornographic in their content – should the characters

ever find a way to prove it, every word in them happens

to be true.

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A Tale of Printed Pamphlets in the Empire’s Premier City

As soon as a crate is opened, a number of Glooms (See

Appendix One) materialise in the upper deck, attacking

anyone they find there. The number of Glooms will be

equal to the number of characters in the boat. They do

not venture down into the lower deck however, rather

choosing to await the characters climbing up the ladder

where they will be easier to attack.

Helping with Enquiries

As the players make their way back onto the docks, they

will be greeted by a patrol of six watchmen, almost all of

who wear outrageous hats with large exotic feathers, who

will assist them onto the wharf. As the last of the

characters makes it off the Miss Bedenklich, there is a

fearsome cracking noise as the burning barge suddenly

sinks below the Reik, the only remains being a single

stuffed crocodile floating down the river.

Lanriek Goethe cast a ritual to bind the Glooms into the

boat, with orders to attack anyone stealing the cargo

stored in the crates. He cannot change the instructions

given to the Glooms unless he comes within 48 yards of

them, which is unlikely to happen. Characters with

Academic Knowledge (Runes) who spend a round

searching the upper deck of the boat (presumably while it

is on fire!) can determine the broad details of the ritual

cast with a Challenging (-10%) Search Check.

The patrol of watchmen will then explain that they need

to escort the characters to the Luitpoldstrasse Station for

questioning. If the characters object to this (which is

likely) have the patrol leader explain that “refusal would

be tantamount to you admitting that you were compliant

to the conjuration of unquiet spirits”, or for characters

without Academic Knowledge (Law) “come with us or we

will have to do you for necromancy”. If the characters

protest that they are innocent the patrol leader will point

out that he thinks that the fact they didn’t is “bloody

obvious”, but the Captain will want to find out exactly who

did. (If for some reason one or all of the Players looks like

a Necromancer, adjust the dialog accordingly.) The

Patrol leader refuses to be bribed (“I thank you for the

offer sir, but due to it being Undead taking that is more

than our jobs are worth”), threatened (“Now I don’t think

you want to start anything hasty, sir”) or bow to threats of

“do you know who I am?” (“I am afraid not sir, but I am

sure the Captain will, if you will just come this way.”)

Assuming things do not dissolve into a fight they will be

shown to the nearby Luitpoldstrasse Station. There they

will be escorted to the office of Captain Marcus Trenker,

who has drawn the short straw of dealing with

Niederhafen’s gang problems.

As a further complication, three rounds after the glooms

materialise, a stevedore named Jakob Wandist will notice

them and lob an incendiary onto the barge, setting it

alight. Five rounds after this the boat full of paper will be

burning along quite well, and anyone in it must make an

Agility Test each round or be set on fire. (See WFRP, p.

136.) Should they somehow fail to get out of the barge in

fewer than 20 rounds after it being set alight, they pass

out from smoke inhalation and will roast to a crispy

cinder.

C AILLEDH THE B LOODY

Ancient Goddess of Rage

The Goddess Cailledh was once worshipped by the

Barrow People who populated areas of the Empire

and Bretonnia before the rise of Sigmar. She is the

daughter of Medhe the Stormlord and his bride

Goederan, once worshipped by the powerful Druids

of the Old Faith.

He will appear to be pretty conciliatory; explaining that he

is fairly sure than the characters are not at fault, but

regulation demands that they spend some time in the

cells until the issue is sorted. If the characters protest he

will appear to mull the situation over and then announce

that there is a possible way to avoid this, if they simply

agree to undertake some small tasks for him which will

make them official adjuncts to the Watch. (If they do not

protest he will have to make the offer anyway, but it will

look much less like he is doing them a favour.) If they

demand cash he will offer the standard wage of 6 silver a

day unless they successfully argue they are worth more

than that. (For an idea of a possible pay scale see the

rules for Henchmen in Old World Armoury, if available.)

Like many other ancient nature powers, such as

Ahalt, Naiedhe and Q’orn, Cailledh’s worship is now

prohibited, driven underground by the Witch Hunters

of the Cults of Taal and Ulric. Still some followers of

the old ways perform the ancient rites of sacrifice to

garner Cailledh’s blessing, to fill their veins with the

blood rage and slaughter all their foes in battle.

The task is very simple, he wants them to go and ask

Raimund Säger, the Hook gang’s foreman, for what he

knows about the Miss Bedenklich. He spends his

evenings drinking in the Mermaid, a rather notorious

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A Tale of Printed Pamphlets in the Empire’s Premier City

dockside tavern where watchmen are not especially

welcome. Captain Trenker will assure the characters that

Säger is unlikely to kick anything off with them, and even

if he does the Mermaid has a strict no-weapons-inside

policy.

As well as buying beer here other services are available.

Most obviously some costermongers hawk their goods

inside the tavern, such as a Suderich fishmonger trying to

sell the remains of the day’s catch and a Bromelhoff

street girl selling oranges.

Assuming the characters agree to this task, as they leave

the station they will overhear the arrested Johannes

Verknüpfung bitterly complaining that Jakob Wandist has

burnt his barge, while denying any wrong doing himself.

Additionally there is a cloaked figure sat by the dartboard.

characters who can read Secret Signs (Thief) will notice

that “I am a dream dealer” is marked on a slate next to

him if they pass a Perception Skill Check. This man is

surreptitiously selling pouches of a powerful narcotic

known as ‘Notropian Blue’, details of which can be found

by Shubb Nibblewyff’s Profile in Appendix One.

The Mermaid

Entrance into the Mermaid requires getting past

Faustman the Killer, a retired Pit Fighter and the

Mermaid’s Doorman. He insists that anyone entering the

Tavern hands over all weapons, with no exceptions.

Raimund Säger is sat at one end of the tavern,

surrounded by his Hook cronies. He is not in the best of

moods having already heard about the whole burning

barge fiasco and therefore is not really inclined to talk

about it with a bunch of itinerant adventurers.

Getting on Säger’s good side can be as simple or as

difficult as the characters aspire to make it. Threatening

him or insisting he help them because they are part of the

watch will almost certainly end in a fight, while buying a

round or two or letting him cheat them at poker will

quickly get the Hooks to lower their guard.

The tavern is a huge open space with a long bar that

sticks out like a pier through the centre of the room. The

clientele is mainly made up of stevedores, boatmen and

others who make a living along Altdorf’s Docklands. In

one corner six Dwarf Trollslayers are sat around a table,

boasting of past exploits and drinking copious amounts of

ale.

Service is available from Gebhard who works behind the

bar or by calling upon one of the two Potboys (Hans and

Hans) that deliver drinks and food to the tables.

If asked for his opinion on the whole thing, Säger will

quickly claim that the Fish are clearly responsible, and

will mutter darkly that they have done things like this

before. Apart from that, his men were paid to load all the

crates onto the barge by the instruction of Lanriek

Goethe, who runs the Van Damneg Print-Works on Three

Toll Bridge. He did not look inside them, but he thought

they were full of Printed Books. If asked if he saw anyone

performing any Necromancy or Magic on the boat, he will

tell the characters that he has no truck with that kind of

thing. (If asked in the wrong tone, this question may well

start a brawl.)

H AND O UT O NE - T HE M ERMAID ’ S M ENU

Bill of Fare at the Mermaid

Mug of Altdorfer Alt Ale – An amber beer with a

strong taste of hops – 1 p

Mug of Dunkel Schwarzbier – A strong and dark lager

– 3 p

Tankard of Gaslicht Zum Ale – Locally brewed nutty

flavoured bitter – 2 p

Tankard of Scallop’s Lobster Skrumpy – Very strong

cider flavoured with fish wine – 6 p

While the conversation with Säger is the most important

thing to happen here, many other events can happen in

the Mermaid, from playing darts to the customary bar

room brawl.

Should things get out of hand Gebhard the Barman is

armed with a Blunderbuss, whilst Faustman the Killer has

not only his own weapons, but the pick of everything left

in his care.

Glass of Wine – Cheap white Reikish Hock from a

barrel – 5 silver

Spitchcocked Reikeels – Traditional Altdorf docker’s

fare – 1 p

Smoked Mackerel Pottage – A filling meal with cheap

homemade bread – 3 p

Pickled Fish and Fig Tart – A decent size pie suitable

for two meals – 6 p

Note that the Mermaid is littered with possible Improvised

Weapons, including Bottles, Chairs, Hot Poker, Pitchfork,

Tables, Tankards and Tongs for melee as well as many

item to throw, such as Buckets of Muck, Buckets of

Sawdust, Flower Pots, Pots of Hot Smoked Mackerel

Pottage, Spittoons, Tongs with Hot Coals and Straw

Mattresses (The latter are dropped from the balcony

above)

- 4 -

A Tale of Printed Pamphlets in the Empire’s Premier City

Showdown at the Van Damneg Print-works

The characters may wish to go and visit the Van Damneg

Print-works under their own initiative, otherwise upon

their return to Luitpoldstrasse Station, Captain Marcus

Trenker will ask if they can check it out as the station is

inundated with problems.

H AND O UT T WO - T HE L ETTER IN THE DESK

Lanriek Goethe, Van Damneg Print-Works, Three

Toll Bridge, Altdorf

Indeed the Dwarf has revealed what we have

suspected and hopefully this will be the first step

towards me regaining my fathers favour. Once the

agent has recovered the item you should travel to

join my father at Spine Mountain Keep, which is but

a week’s travel south of Kroppenleben, high in the

Black Mountains.

Speak well of me to my father and be careful to stress

the aid and advice I have given you. When he ascends

to Lichhood and I succeed him as head of the Dark

King’s mortal cult I will remember your aid and

reward you with secret knowledge I have stripped

from the dead of the elder races.

Asking the neighbours about the Print-works, or making a

successful gossip test about town, will reveal that the

owner keeps himself to himself and is generally well

regarded as a perfect neighbour. The Works itself is a

small building adorned with a painted sign of an open

book; inside it contains several hand-powered wooden

printing presses that cause little noise. Breaking in is

relatively simple, requiring an Average Pick Locks Skill

Test to open the door noiselessly, or a Routine (+10%)

Strength Check to simply force it open.

Inside the press is in use, despite the room being unlit.

The operators all have an unhealthy pallor, being made

up of particularly mechanically minded Zombies. These

are not hostile, as they have been ordered to print

leaflets not guard the warehouse, but if they or the

printing presses are attacked they will retaliate. (Zombie

profiles can be found on page 231 of WFRP)

Beware though, that fool Kemmler plots against my

father and indeed against the Dark King Himself. He

seeks the Item as much as we do – aiming to anoint

Kell in the Dark King’s rightful place at the right

hand side of Nagash. Avoid at all costs falling into his

clutches and journey not into the Grey Mountains

where his servants make their homes. La Maisontaal

has thwarted him often enough and it shall hold the

second prize from him while we build up our forces.

All hail the Third Age of Nagash.

Upstairs there is located a small flat which has clearly

been somewhat hastily left, with food, clothing and

documents all being left discarded around the room. On

one wall is stood a half finished painting of Michaela von

Jänke – with the flesh drawn as flayed from one side of

her head, revealing her skull tattooed with a rune of

Slaanesh. A Daemonette stands directly behind her,

caressing her with its claw.

Alberto Laranscheld, care of the Three Skulls Inn,

Deadgate

Searching the desk will reveal a bag of 50 coins and a

pile of correspondence, mainly petty lists of material to be

printed. One letter however is a lot more personal, as any

character with the skills Speak Language (Reikspiel) and

Read/Write automatically spots.

Give the characters the Hand Out Opposite or read it

aloud.

W HO IS A LBERTO L ARANSCHELD ?

While no real records exist in Altdorf of anyone

named Alberto Laranscheld, characters spending

time researching him can find out that his father,

Gunther Laranscheld, was once a Magister of

Altdorf’s Celestial Collage of Magick. Responsible for

both divining the future and researching the past,

Gunther was employed by the Council of State to aid

in preparing policy for upcoming events that would

threaten the Empire. This plan went sour however,

when he stole the Celestial College’s copy of the

accursed Grimoire Necris and absconded from the

city.

The money here is not the normal coinage of the Old

World, being made up of disks of some black metal

bearing the likeness of a skeletal lord. Characters making

an Average Common Knowledge (Araby) Skill test will

recognise that this is the coinage of the Kingdom of Ka-

Sabar.

Finally, the door to the small closet through which waste

is dump straight into the Reik below stands ajar, and from

it hangs an extremely long rope ladder descending into

the evening fog.

This concludes the First Section of the Scenario.

- 5 -

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