GM Blog: Episode 11 (Patreon)

It's been a while. Fortunately, the GM Blogs for the episodes before we hit Wittgenstein should be rather simple. Sure, when we arrive at the Wittgenstein blogs they are likely to be looooooooong, but we're not there yet! Let's sort out the easy ones first. They do come first chronologically, after all.

Episode 11 is significant because it marks Death on the Reik beginning for real. So, let's get it on!

Actually, no, let's do something else first. 

Before we dive into the blog for the episode itself, let's have a brief discussion about one of the secondary goals of parts 2 and 3 of The Enemy Within: building allies and enemies.

ALLIES AND ENEMIES
As the PCs negotiate the primary plot of Death on the Reik and Power Behind the Throne, they are going to be confronted with opportunities to make allies or enemies, all of which will directly impact the events that unfold in our version of Empire in Ruins. As always, the PCs have no idea about this, but some of the situations they face are designed to not only foreshadow and explain what is to come, but also secure potential allies in the upcoming conflicts. Or make new enemies.

So, any chance our PCs will gather new allies to their side? Or enemies? This episode offered two chances for each (actually 3, but one of these is ongoing from previous episodes).

When one pops up, I'll drop an A/E in the text so they are not missed.

Let's find out how they did with some bullet points:

• The Resplendant Gerhardt! The fake papers that were organised by Greta on behalf of Gerhardt so that the party's salvaged barge could trade on the Reik did not go down well with Bluthilda as she was excluded. Fortunately for her, the party was more interested in keeping their most competent sailor as a part of the team and giving her a cut of the barge's profits than they were with saving coin. So, Bluthilda stayed. This is very wise as will become clear much later. Bluthilda is a bastard daughter of one of the admirals of the Imperial First Fleet, and he is actively tracing her down having recently learned of her existence. A/E: Bluthilda and the 1st Fleet: ongoing.

• Alamennowyth's Kill. It was nice to see Sage being concerned for Alamennowyth's mental state after her frenzied kill of the Cultist at the end of Episode 10. it was also amusing to see the Elf explain that it wasn't a frenzy to Luitpold afterwards, and also drop some extra Elf lore concerning Ereth Khail, making it clear for Those In The Know that she is not an Asur (High Elf) by any stretch of the imagination as she happily calls upon the most ruthless Elven gods, one who rules the Underworld and Afterlife, when making a kill.

• Khazid Zlumbol. So, BIG CHANGE here. This is no Dwarf slum full of drunkards who were 'cheated' out of their mine by Etelka Herzen, but an impressive, permanent, fortified 'camp' set up by Dwarfs. This change was made for many reasons. Two stand head-and-shoulders above the rest:
  1) This is a more modern Warhammer Dwarf version of the 'slum' than the one presented in the ageing WFRP1 version. Warhammer Dwarfs are proud, hard-working folk who are not, and will never be, Human in terms of how they approach things. They work, and they work hard, and they don't stop unless there is a reason to do so. This 'camp' is, by their standards, temporary. And I wanted that to be clear. Sure, some Dwarfs are not like this, but I have no interest in repeatedly undermining Dwarf stereotypes this early in the campaign - I would much prefer to reinforce them and have our first real introduction to a big group of Dwarfs be as Dwarfy as possible. So, I have. We've already had a pathetic drunk Dwarf in Enemy in Shadows, we don't need more of them in part 2 of the campaign as well. You'd all think that all Dwarfs are layabout drunks!
  2) If the party do well, I want their success to bring end-game benefits. I.e.: these Dwarfs are up for being potential allies come the Empire in Ruins. And, trust me, they will need every ally they can secure by that point. Let's see how the party does, eh? So, yes, an A/E should be dropped here.

• Dwarfs are 'Invisible'. The fact that Dwarfs are pretty much invisible to Luitpold is an enormous hint to the source of our favourite seer's 'sight'. Andy Leask skimmed by that detail without too much thought, not realising that the invisibility of the Dwarfs to Luitpold's senses means that Lutipold's 'sight' is influenced by the Dwarf's natural anti-magical natures. Which is... well... pretty important. Coz that means Luitpold's 'sight' has origins in... magical sight.

• 'Descendants of a Dwarf Friend'. This phrase, uttered by the Dwarf guards, is key to the long-lasting relationship the Dwarfs have with the Empire. Sigmar, the Empire's first emperor, was declared a 'Dwarf Friend' by the High King of the Dwarfs for services to ALL Dwarfs. As the guards discuss between themselves, they consider pretty much all folk of the Empire to be heirs to this legacy, especially those of noble blood or representing the Cult of Sigmar. Luitpold was obviously one of those, so the Dwarfs let him and his party in to see their leader.

• Patience. In LAWhammer, Dwarfs, in general, take much more time to consider events if they have the time. They stubbornly consider every detail and often secretly hope they can bore others into simply going away - because Dwarfs much prefer to be left to their own business. This detail recurs during the episode. Dwarfs don't mind waiting at all. Unlike Gerhardt...

• Zlumbol is a Hold. Khazid Zlumbol is entirely paved, roofed everywhere, including the streets, and is generally claustrophobic and low-ceilinged. It is extremely well-built and covered in runes and carvings. I.e.: a mini Dwarf hold. That said, this is nevertheless a 'camp'. LAWhammer's Dwarfs are just like this. The work on the camp will never 'end' until they leave, and this has been going on for months. Dwarfs can build a lot on that time.

• Elf Hatred. Do the Dwarfs really hate Alamennowyth? No. But they do suspect that they should. They have a significant number of unresolved grudges from the War of Vengeance, and whenever an Elf is met, there is a chance to wipe out one of those grudges. But the Dwarfs rarely ask an Elf for a bloodline as they automatically suspect they are all liars, so they generally just grumble and glower. And, yes, if Alamennowyth had admitted her uncle is <whispers>Malerion</whispers>, it would potentially have gone very badly for her.

• Direct and Grumpy Dwarfs. Are all Dwarfs so grumpy and direct? Yes. Mostly. And many don't even see it as all that grumpy: just sensible. That said, Alamennowyth's presence also put them all on edge. Greataxe's ancestors were betrayed by Elves, so he will never trust them until he knows all grudges have ended and he has solid proof that Elves can potentially be trusted. The later will never happen.

• Luitpold says the magic words. 'We're going to kill Etelka Herzen'. That was it, the Dwarfs were onside, Elf in Luitpold's party or not. The Dwarfs are convinced, wrongly, that Etelka ensorceled them to build her a tower after stealing their mine, so they are looking for that grudge to be resolved. They have tried all legal routes in Grissenwald, but have not made progress. There is no proof, after all. To make matters worse, Etelka is noble and has contributed to many local festivals, so is liked by the locals. As the months rolled by, the Dwarf's coin ran low as they overspent on lawyer fees and alcohol.

• 'Found our gold.' The Dwarfs think Etelka found 'their gold'. This is true in that she did find gold in the mine she legally bought from the Dwarfs. This brought Etelka enough coin to finish building her tower and also fund some local festivals. Etelka also mined some small deposits of warpstone from the deepest depths of the mine, which is the real reason she bought it in the first instance. She has used the warpstone to create mutants during the local festivals she funds (long story there) and for her own magical studies. All of this is supported by the Red Crown, a Tzeentch cult where Etelka is a mid-ranking member. Etelka was first approached by the cult in Nuln many years ago. Sadly for Etelka longterm plans, the warpstone in her mine played out, making the mine effectively worthless to her.

• So, how did she find it? Find what, the gold in the mine? Magic. She's a witch. The Dwarfs are correct about that for all they have no proof. She divined the location of the gold and the small deposit of warpstone.

• Gerhardt can't keep his mouth shut. When Gerhardt talks to the Dwarfs? Bless him. Calling 'Greathammer' 'Greataxe'? Then: 'It's all gone tits up immediately'. Hilarious. 

• Debt Settling. House Jungfreud is determined to have a 7GC debt to Greathammer's clan because... well, I failed a roll and the Dwarfs couldn't remember the exact details of the original debt. So, what, actually, was the debt? The Jungfreuds, back in 632IC refused a call to aid from the Queen Nargrimi of Karak Zanda, Greathammer's clan hold. She was attempting to reclaim Karak Zanda, which had fallen over 2000 years earlier. It ended in terrible disaster and shattered the clans of her hold as they uncovered something under the Grey Mountains. This is the reason Greathammer's clan wander rootless to this day. The queen settled the Jungfrued grudge in person back in 650IC and took up residence in Ubersreik, where she lives to this day (and can be found in the WFRP Starter Set, p23). If Greathammer had remembered the details of the grudge, he would have demanded a life-debt for the 'terrible oathbreaking' of Gerhardt's ancestors. On the other hand, if Gerhardt had remembered the 650IC details of his family's dealings with the Dwarfs of Karak Zanda, he would have been able to make it clear that that grudge was already settled. All of that can be summed by, the Dwarfs stiffed the party of 7GP, but it could have been much worse.

• Lukas starts his journal. At Gerhardt's request, Lukas starts to journal the party's activities. He will be doing this every evening from this point onwards. Perhaps he should publish later?

• Dwarf's Legal Claim. After meeting the Dwarfs, the PCs correctly determine that Greataxe... I mean Greathammer! has no legal claim to the mine he sold and that Etelka seems to have done nothing wrong. So, for all the Dwarfs' loud proclamations, which had reached the point of really upsetting the local Grissenwalders, they were entirely in the wrong. This concerned Alamennowyth as she was beginning to suspect that Etelka was not the cultist the party believed she was. Of course, as the party will learn later, Etelka very much is a cultist.

• Elven Sanguinary Tastes. One of the primary additions to LAWhammer Elves is their ability to determine the nature of a soul by tasting associated blood. The reasons for this are briefly examined in the episode.

• Beastmen and Mutants? Not Goblins? For those of you who have read the two editions of Death on the Reik, you'll know Etelka's tower should house Goblins, not Beastmen. One of the hardest decisions I made for this presentation of the campaign was changing this. Why? Because I love the comedic Goblins as they were originally presented. But, the Goblins did nothing for the plot (as they would not return later) and had nothing to do with Etelka's cult: the Red Crown. Really, they were one and done, and I have no time for that. That Red Crown focuses on Mutants, Beastmen, their acceptance, and much more besides (a wee bit of sacrifice and war never hurt, right?), and that needed to be reinforced. That being the case, Etelka's tower was filled with her erstwhile cultists, not Goblins. It was for the best. I'm building Etelka's character here, and Goblins do not help with that at all.

• So, Red Crown Cultists, then? Well, barely. Etelka is a poor cult leader who prefers secrecy and keeping her minions in complete ignorance instead of explaining her actions. Really, she was only interested in the Beastmen and Mutants, her 'Cultists' for the fodder they provided for her experiments and the handy bodies they supplied for her mine. When Etelka left the tower to locate a warpstone meteorite in the Barren Hills, she gladly abandoned the place and her former cultists as her superiors requested. After all, she found her fellow cultists quite distasteful. This left the leaderless group to fend for itself. And it does not fare well. At the behest of another, the largest Beastman rose up to lead the Red Crown cultists and that soon turned to raids of the local community for resources and calling upon 'Tchar', a name they use for Tzeentch.

• COMBAT! As Luipold approaches, the Beastmen and Mutants panic. Combat then begins. But, this was not inevitable. Most of the Beastmen and Mutants in the tower were entirely open to being convinced to switch sides against their huge Beastman leader (the one wearing Etelka's dress in the episode), whom they all feared. Indeed, when combined with all the Beastmen and Mutants also living in the mines, there are almost 300 cultists here, most of whom have never heard of a Red Crown or Tzeentch (Etelka wasn't concerned with this, as already noted). With careful diplomacy, all of those individuals could have been brought onside, and many details of the Cult of the Red Crown could have been learned from the few that had been privy to them.

• What? Like... ALLIES? Yup. Remember what I said about this section of the adventure being about forming allies for later? These cultists are a part of that process and are mostly poor lost souls in search of acceptance. Obviously, though, the party entirely fails to bring the Mutants and Beastmen onside - indeed, they make enemies of them, most of whom retreat to return another day. When they return, they will be firmly inducted into the Red Crown, ready to bring down the Empire. By comparison, they could have been infiltrating the Red Crown on behalf of the PCs and effectively bringing that threat to an early end. A/E: The Red Crown Cultists become Enemies and bolster the cult significantly.

• Sigmar's POO! Luitpold manifests a miracle from Sigmar on the holy ground of Tzeentch, which isn't necessarily a good idea as it can also summon the attention of the most magical of the Ruinous Powers. This resulted in a 'Curse of Tzeentch' as it's called in WFRP2, or, as it's known in WFRP4, a Miscast. In this case, Luipold let loose the curliest, blue-streaked load of excrement anyone has ever encountered. And it smelled bad. Very bad. Shame he was in his armour at the time: we'll maybe have to do something about that...

• Retreat! For those wondering why the cultists retreated up the stairs and out the windows, I have only this to say: ALL THE FIRE! SIGMAR! AAARGH! ELVES! ARROWS! AAARGH! Damn straight they fled. And, yes, they will be back come Empire in Ruins.

• Dumpling. Dandelionelle 'Dumping' Hayfoot, is found under her bed, brandishing a meat tenderiser like a weapon. Let's be blunt, she's 100% a cultist of the Red Crown. No taksie-backsies. She is a bad guy. A really bad guy.

• WHAAAAT? Yup. Dumpling is a cultist. She was sent to spy on Etelka by her superiors. When Etelka left unnannounced, Dumpling expected her 'mistress' to return quickly, but that didn't happen. This left Dumpling in a difficult place as Etelka's 'cult' was getting rowdy and wasn't all that interested in following Tchar (what Dumpling calls Tzeentch). To ensure the cultists didn't fall apart, Dumpling pressured the largest Beastman to take over and enforce his rule. She then acted as his cook, advising him when necessary, and has been carving up and eating traitors and captured humans since Etelka left. As time passed and Etelka didn't return, Dumpling was behind the cultists' attempts to raid Etelka's rooms as Dumpling wanted to find evidence as to where Etelka was going. She found nothing. Fortunately, the PCs fare better than she did.

• Ernst and his 'funds'. At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Ernst Heidleman, the party's coach companion in Episode 1, was carrying funds for Etelka to use to fund her trip to the Barren Hills. That being the case...
  1) Would I have had a different story for Etelka if Ernst had been killed in Episode 1? Yes. Ernst would have never arrived, so Etelka would have still been in the tower making plans to find the Wittgenstein meteorite.
  2) Did Ernst have the funds on him, and the letter to Etelka, in Episode 1? No, he picked them up in Altdorf.

Hope that was a fun read. I'm starting Episode 12's blog right away as we have catching up to do!

As always, if you have any comments or questions about this blog or feel I missed some important stuff from Episode 11 that needs to be discussed, post here on Patreon, where the PCs can't see, or in the #all-access-lawhammer channel in LAWhammer, where, again, the PCs can't see!

Until next time!

Andy