WFRP - The Imperial Zoo

GRIM AND PERILOUS BEASTS OF THE OLD WORLD

2 Credits Writer: TS Luikart Additional Writing: Elaine Lithgow, Pádraig Murphy Editor: Tim Cox, Síne Quin Producer: Pádraig Murphy Line Developer: Dave Allen Cover: Victor Leza Illustration: John Blanche, Jared Blando, Alex Boyd, Kevin Chin, Paul Dainton, Dave Gallagher, Neil Hodgson, Ralph Horsley, Sam Manley, Nuala Kinrade, Dániel Kovacs, Kirill Semenov, Adrian Smith, Jon Sullivan Graphic Design and Layout: Tom Hutchings Proofreading: Lynne M. Meyer Cubicle 7 Business Support: Tracey Bourke, Anthony Burke, Elaine Connolly, Andrena Hogan, Donna King, Kieran Murphy, and Cian Whelan Cubicle 7 Creative Team: Dave Allen, Emmet Byrne, David F Chapman, Walt Ciechanowski, Tim Cox, Jennifer Crispin, Zak Dale-Clutterbuck, Runesael Flynn, Dániel Kovács, Tim Huckelbery, Elaine Lithgow, TS Luikart, Dominic McDowall, Sam Manley, Pádraig Murphy, Ceíre O’Donoghue, and JG O’Donoghue Creative Director: Emmet Byrne Publisher: Dominic McDowall Special thanks to Games Workshop No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2022. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition logo, GW, Games Workshop, Warhammer, The Game of Fantasy Battles, the twin-tailed comet logo, and all associated logos, illustrations,images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. Cubicle 7 Entertainment and the Cubicle 7 Entertainment logo are trademarks of Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited. All rights reserved. Last Updated, 08 February 2022

3 Contents The First Expedition . . . . . . . . . . 9 Great Stag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Of Spiders & Forest Goblins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Great Wolf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Razorgor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Griffon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Dread Maw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Rhinox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Of Squigs and Night Goblins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Wyvern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Halagrundsor the ‘Horrible’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Stirpike. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 First Expedition Coda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The First Incident — The Griffon & the Ratmen. . . . . . . . . 38 The Second Expedition . . . . . . . 42 Amoebae . . ..... . . . . . . . . ... . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 44 Amphisbaena ............................ . . . . . . . . . 46 River Trolls .................... . . . ...... . . . . . . . . . 48 Chameleoleech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Fen Worm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Corpse Render of Carroburg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Dark Pegasi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Nightravens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Preyton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Great Raptors of the Grey Mountains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Cockatrice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Chimera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Second Incident — What Happens in Wheburg. . . . . . 68 The Third Expedition . . . . . . . . 72 Great Taurus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Tregara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Razorbill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Wondrous Beasts of the Southlands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Wild Cats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Il Potente Granchio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Siren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Merwyrm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Shard Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Final Incident — Lesser Evils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Gory Riches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Potions and Unguents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Weapons and Armour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Magical Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Afterword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Expected Expeditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Pre-Generated Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Creature Traits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

4 Know at the outset, valiant reader, that this is not the book I intended to write. Yet, here we are. I was originally commissioned by the Imperial Zoological Society, in concert with professors from the Bestiara College of Altdorf University, to write a worthy and scholarly tome detailing various noteworthy creatures from across the Empire and beyond. That would be the book they burned. I answer to Theodosius Schreiber, but my few friends call me Theo. What lies before you is a rough compilation of my journal entries, notes, and art detailing various creatures of the Old World. I created these during my travels over several expeditions to gather field research for my illustrious scholarly patrons and to produce my — now sadly ashy — masterpiece. As to why I’ve bothered to assemble this particular volume in such a haphazard fashion, I beg that you indulge me for the moment. I assure you all will become clear before the end of this work. I was first set on this course with an intriguing proposition from one of the Imperial Zoo’s factotums, Vera Warnicke. A bounty hunter of no small reputation, Warnicke had chosen to redirect her skills to capture beasts rather than people. Warnicke told me once, after a snort of amused derision, that she regularly earned far more gold keeping dangerous creatures alive than she ever did making dangerous folk dead. Warnicke contacted me because of my small, but well-regarded, volume regarding mounts in the Empire. While most of it was about horses, I gather the Vice-Chancellor of Altdorf University was particularly taken with my discussion on the history and the myths regarding demigryphs. Warnicke found me in a tavern in Altdorf and asked if I was interested in writing a bestiary detailing many creatures, especially those present in the Imperial Zoo, in like fashion. I was flattered, but told her such an undertaking would require a great deal of time, resources, and field research. I confess: I was not prepared for her to take my requirements seriously. Warnicke assembled a group to accompany me over the course of what ended up being three research expeditions. Though we started as strangers, years travelling together, and countless shared dangers, form bonds not easily broken. A letter Warnicke sent me regarding my compatriots serves as fine an introduction to them as anything I could manage. Stalwart reader, I trust that you’ll find that the creature entries explain themselves, though I try to provide the necessary context. I have generally ordered these entries by the region where I found the most folk willing to talk about the creature in question. Consequently, the text follows the path of our travels. I’ve included notes that my compatriots gave me (which the clever chaps at Eschenburg & Epple Press assure me their newest printing presses can properly capture) along with transcripts of a few of my conversations with Vasya. Some unusual experiences from the road can be found in the Appendices, as can a chapter of apothecary lore written by Jorunn Gromsdottir which I hope you’ll find of interest. I should probably warn you, esteemed reader: I expect them to burn this book too, as it contains some uncomfortable truths about the Empire and the Old World. Enjoy this work while you can, and perhaps store your copy someplace private.

Imperial Zoo Knowledge E lucida & tion THREE EXPEDITIONS – IN PURSUIT OF – » C O M M I S S I O NE D B Y T H E « ~ RECORDED ~ BY THE SCRIBE Theodosius Schreiber

6 Erich Massenbach — As you may recall, I told you we needed to find extra funds for your expedition beyond what the Zoo and the University were willing to put up. I have secured a patron for your work, a wealthy merchant from Tahme named Cristoph Massenbach. While I suspect his real reason for backing your book is to increase his stature in the eyes of the nobles, the condition attached to his purse is that you take his son with you. Young Erich is a bit of a moonscalf. I don’t think he’ll be much use in a fight, but to my surprise, he’s a fairly skilled artist. I gather he agreed to go because of assurance his art would grace the book — and also because his father threatened to cut him off entirely if he didn’t. Do try to keep him alive, eh? Herr Schreiber, Pack your bags, scholar — the road calls. Your expedition crew is complete. Having taken your suggestions into consideration, and after interviews to ascertain their worth, I’ve hired the following individuals to fill out your research expedition: Jorunn Gromsdottir — A Dwarf apothecary who, I gather, has travelled quite a bit of the Empire in her day. She comes from the Grey Mountains originally. Her knowledge of beasts is quite extensive, though much of it pertains to what parts are used by apothecaries and alchemists. She’s a skilled healer and a solid sort that I suspect will keep a level head in bad situations, which is always an asset in the field. Lynathryn Nightsong — An Eonir hunter who hails from Laurelorn Forest, Nightsong is a skilled tracker and no stranger to the ways of unusual creatures. Deadly shot with a bow. One of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, too... When I asked about any personal details, they said only that it was ‘not my concern’. Other than that, found them to be fairly cheerful and only moderately arrogant, for an Elf.

7 Come to my office on Wellentag and I’ll introduce you to the lot over dinner. May Morr fail to notice you, V. Warnicke Vasya Ghorshkov — An Ostermarker of Kislevite descent, Herr Ghorshkov is not a literate man, but I doubt there’s a melee weapon within the bounds of the Empire that he cannot wield with deadly effectiveness. You said you wanted at least one ‘true warrior’. Well, I got you a Pit Fighter — one that has faced many beasts in his day. Besides, you’ll like him. Full of stories, he is, just like you. Kistiane Brockdorf — An Imperial Wizard of the Jade Order, though that lot apparently goes by ‘Druid’ rather than Wizard. They specialise in natural energy — wild places, healing magic, that sort of thing — not that she’s less dangerous than any Wizard. Got lucky with this one, Schreiber — skilled Wizards willing to journey into the field are ever in short supply. Apparently, there was some sort of ‘unfortunate incident’ involving a bloodsedge, and Fraulein Brockdorf decided that leaving Altdorf for a time would be prudent.

The First Expedition Great Stag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Of Spiders & Forest Goblins . . 12 Great Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Razorgor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Griffon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Dread Maw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Rhinox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Of Squigs and Night Goblins . . . 26 Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Wyvern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Halagrundsor the ‘Horrible’ . . . 34 Stirpike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 First Expedition Coda . . . . . . . 37 The First Incident — The Griffon & the Ratmen . . . . 38

10 The folk of Talabheim teach that the Great Stags are Taal’s chosen guardians of the Great Forest and his eyes within the other forests of the Old World. They have many tales, varying from hopeful to peculiar. Common belief holds that Great Stags will attack without mercy any who dare despoil the woodlands and so are fierce enemies of the Beastmen. Great Stags can supposedly live on water alone, and some stories even claim that drinking from a river all but miraculously heals a stag’s wounds. Folk justify this belief with the preponderance of sightings near the Talabec and the Stir. These people assert without hesitation that every Great Stag hates snakes with a fierce passion and will go out of their way to kill one, even ignoring other threats to do so. I heard a whispered rumour that Great Stags love the sound of reed pipes, and some hunters favoured by Taal could call them by playing such. Woe betide anyone that dares summon a Great Stag without good reason. I have encountered several Great Stags in my day and they certainly do hate Beastmen. I suspect that may be due primarily to the foul creatures regularly preying on them, rather than any sacred duty. I haven’t noticed any particular fondness for Humans among these animals, either. Great Stag Well named is the Great Forest, largest of all the Empire’s woods. Stretching from the shores of the Reik to the southern reaches of Kislev, it encompasses all of the Grand Duchy of Talabecland and portions of many other lands. Beneath its wide boughs roam many dangers: Greenskin tribes, countless Beastmen, and hungry bandits to name but a few. Opposing these malefactors are the courage of the Empire’s stout citizens and, sometimes, the fierce wrath of Taal himself manifest in his sacred beast, the Great Stag. A Great Stag is a mighty beast indeed, measuring more than ten feet in length, standing over five feet high at the shoulder, and weighing more than seventy stone. Their massive antlers are invariably a marvel. Each is unique, with a number of points ranging from six to fourteen, all armour-piercingly sharp. An ancient story amidst the priesthood of Taal states that Taal was so impressed with the spirit of the first Great Stags that he granted them antlers to match his own. Great Stags annually shed their antlers in the depths of winter, forcing them to resort to hooves for defence. Although, several Hochland hunters swore to me that the stags grow sharp fangs till their antlers renew in the spring. Villagers in Middenland and Hochland assured me that a Great Stag, for all its vast size and the height of its horns, can run without pause through even the densest brush. The forest makes way before Taal’s own, they declared. GREAT STAG M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 45 - 45 40 30 30 - 20 40 - 32 Traits: Bestial, Night Vision, Size (Large), Stride Attack Traits: Horns (Antlers) +8, Weapon (Antlers) +8 Taal’s Own Blades: A Great Stag wields their antlers as if they had the Impale and Penetrating Weapon Qualities. Skills: Melee (Antlers) 55 Optional: Animosity (Snakes), Blessed (Taal), Immunity (Poison), Regenerate THE RIVER’S SHADOW M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 9 55 - 55 50 40 40 - 40 55 60 40 Traits: Blessed (Kurnous [Taal]), Dark Vision, Grim, Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Miracles (Kurnous [Taal]), Size (Large), Stealthy, Stride, Ward 7+ Attack Traits: Horns (Antlers) +10, Weapon (Antlers) +10 Kurnous’ Own Blades: The River’s Shadow wields their antlers as if they had the Fast, Impale, and Penetrating Weapon Qualities. Skills: Melee (Antlers) 75 Talents: Animal Affinity

11 You’ve never seen a true Great Stag in your life, Schreiber. Believe me, you would know if you had. I grant that you may have seen the creatures the Humans of the Empire call ‘Great Stags’ but they are mere beasts, albeit mighty ones. No, Great Stags are so much more. Transcendent creatures, the children of Kurnous, Lord of Wild Places. Great Stags are magical beasts, the spirit of a forest made manifest. Their breath is like a distant song rising as steam; in their wake, footprints fill with budding flowers. Where they walk, all other animals fall silent and bow their heads in reverence. Great stags are said to be utterly inured to the effects of natural poisons, perhaps due to their longstanding enmity with ophidians. A draught rendered from their heart and liver supposedly renders the imbiber utterly immune to poison for a time. NEW CREATURE TRAIT: Grim – This creature is particularly dangerous, and fighting it means never truly being able to gain the upper hand. If, at the beginning of its turn, this creature does not have at least Rating Advantage points, its Advantage pool immediately increases to Rating. If the creature currently has a Surprised, Unconcious, or Entangled Condition, it does not gain this Advantage.

12 Giant Spiders lurk within the depths of the Empire’s dark forests, posing one of the more common — yet terrible — menaces of the Old World. While oversized spiders can be encountered in many places, these are just slightly larger than a rat. The arachnids that lair within the forests are unnaturally huge and wickedly clever predators. Some folk claim the Ruinous Powers touched these arachnids long ago. Their bodies are frequently over six feet long, and a full ten feet across when accounting for their legs. Anyone unfortunate enough to encounter the Giant Spiders of multiple lands will note that their colouring, patterns, and other traits vary greatly by region. Those in the north typically have black and brown fur, as opposed to the greys of the southlands, though all varieties bear strange markings in iridescent shades of blue, green, and red. Giant Spiders extrude sticky, durable webs to ensnare their prey, wrapping their victims in thick bundles to feast upon at leisure. The inhabitants of several villages assured me that the spiders regularly consume cotton and eat sheep to replenish their supply of this substance. The pincer-like mandibles of Giant Spiders are infamously capable of piercing steel to inject their lethal toxins. Few that are bitten survive, and only if a skilled healer provides swift treatment. The creatures have anywhere from six to ten lidless eyes, each composed of many lenses, making them very difficult to catch unawares. Giant Spiders move swiftly but with great stealth in dense wooded terrain, for they skitter over the tree tops, using strong winds and rustling leaves to disguise their passage. The Drakwald Mancatcher has the most fell reputation of all the identified sub-species of Giant Spiders within the Empire. This vindictive predator, identifiable by the bright crimson that adorns its dark brown carapace, is said to dine on fear as well as blood. Mancatchers attack stealthily in darkness, terrorizing villages by taking all of the occupants of a single house, while leaving the rest untouched until a future raid. Stories from Middenland describe clusters of Mancatchers returning to the same villages over and over, recognizable by the scars earned during prior invasions. As frightening as the Mancatchers may be, they are not the most terrifying of spider-kind. That dubious honour is reserved for the titans of the deep woods, the massive predators called ‘Arachnarok’ (a name apparently derived from an ancient Norse tale, according to the folk of Nordland). Reportedly larger than a townhouse, Arachnarok Spiders are said to be unstoppable by anything short of concentrated cannon fire. The stories concerning their voracity are legion. If they are to be believed, Arachnaroks are easily capable of consuming entire herds of Beastmen, as well as beings as large as Giants. Fortunately, they are rare as Dragons, and few folk claim to have ever seen one. † C † Of Spiders & Forest Goblins I fought an Arachnarok long ago, and I was lucky to survive. I have killed many Giant Spiders over centuries of hunting. They are cunning creatures, but swift to retreat if confronted in force and greatly afraid of flame. Arachnarok fear nothing of this world. The one I fought had silently spun a series of webs, with strands as thick as Ghorshkov’s arms, between the trees north of a village late at night. Just before sunrise, it attacked the village from the south, making certain to smash a few houses and shriek at the terrified folk that spilled out of the others, most of whom, of course, fled northwards. We came to the Humans’ aid in honour of an old pledge, and the Arachnarok was waiting for us. Many valiant Eonir fell that day. It only retreated once we managed to put out several of its eyes. Regardless, we were too late to save the majority of the villagers. Unlike the webs of normal spiders, the webs of Arachnarok carry their poison.

13 DRAKWALD MANCATCHER (GIANT SPIDER) M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 40 30 25 35 20 35 30 20 35 - 22 Traits: Armour 1 (4), Arboreal, Bestial, Night Vision, Size (Large), Wallcrawler Attack Traits: Bite +6, Weapon (Fangs) +6, Web 40, Venom Spiteful – Drakwald Mancatchers are subject to Hatred (Previous Foes). Skills: Stealth (Rural) 60 Optional: Size (Enormous), Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount, War) When facing an especially irksome or dangerous foe, Giant Spiders will often retreat to the trees and use their Ballistic Skill to hurl strands of webbing at their opponents. ARACHNAROK SPIDER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 50 35 55 45 20 40 30 35 45 10 136 Traits: Armour 3 (7), Arboreal, Dark Vision, Size (Monstrous), Wallcrawler Attack Traits: Bite +9, Weapon (Fangs) +9, Web 50, Venom Vicious Webs: When foes become Entangled by an Arachnarok’s webs, they also gain a Poisoned condition. Optional: Corrosive Blood, Immunity to Psychology, Stealthy

14 which are generally considerably more dangerous than the riders. Still, they are a menace to travellers. We discovered that many villages along the Talabec live in fear of occasional Goblin raids. Smaller tribes thrive throughout the Empire. Indeed, even the Reikland is known to have a few hidden within the Reikwald, but far larger are the tribes of the Border Princes, the Great Forest and — most infamously — the Drakwald. Forest Goblins are spindly, with nimble fingers; green skin; large, sharp noses; and sharper-still pointy teeth. Their eyes always gleam with a wicked light. Individuals adorn themselves with warpaint, bits of bone, and brightly coloured feathers, the quills of which they often thrust directly into their skin. Forest Goblins tend to prefer weapons that let them stay far away from their enemies, such as spears and arrows, which they dip in the venom of their mounts. Loath as I am to include such beings within a tome of lore on the various creatures of the Old World, I cannot, in good conscience, discuss Giant Spiders without touching upon their would-be ‘masters’ the Forest Goblins. A devious species of cowardly back-stabbers that mainly seek to outlive their fellows, Goblins have marched to war alongside (behind, if they can help it) their bigger Ork compatriots since before the beginning of recorded history. Orks bully Goblins into doing all the chores that the big louts can’t be bothered with, which is basically everything that isn’t directly related to war. This makes their already nasty dispositions even worse. Goblins prefer their foes out-numbered and at their mercy. They excel at ambushes and when overmatched (a regular occurrence), running away. At some point, thousands of years ago now, a number of Goblin tribes decided they were tired of shoddy Ork treatment and struck out on their own. Many disappeared into the dark caves of the mountains (see page 25 for more on those blighters). A few took to the rivers, eventually resulting in those recurrent pests known as the River Goblins of the Reik, who routinely swarm over unsuspecting ships late at night to steal anyone or anything that isn’t bolted down. The others disappeared into the depths of the forests. There, doubtless in an effort to survive against the numerous predators of the woods, they reverted to form and found something more powerful to ally with — really big spiders. Forest Goblins seemingly have a strange and complex relationship with the Giant Spiders of the deep woods, using them for mounts, sustenance, pets, and a source of poison, while apparently even deifying the Arachnarok. Professor Albrecht Zweistein states in his seminal work, Verdant Menace, that the Forest Goblins worship a Spider God called, among many other colourful appellations, the ‘Feaster from Beyond’. I personally know of at least one Forest Goblin tribe led by a madly frothing priest with a strangely bloated purple tongue who wields magical powers. I’m no theologian, however, and so defer to a fair number of priests who have all strongly assured me there is no such thing as a ‘spider god’. I doubt this fact provides much comfort to the many people sacrificed in its name. Forest Goblins strike at speed from atop their fearsome mounts,

15 FOREST GOBLIN M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 25 35 30 30 20 35 30 30 20 20 11 Traits: Animosity (Greenskins), Arboreal, Armour 1 (4), Afraid (Elves), Night Vision Attack Traits: Ranged (Short Bow) +5 (20), Weapon (Crude Spear) +6, Venom Borrowed Courage: Forest Goblins encountered away from their tribes will inevitably be mounted on Giant Spiders, likely out scouting or in a raiding party of 3 to 10 raiders. Spider-mounted Forest Goblins are not subject to Afraid (Elves). Talent: Trick Riding FOREST GOBLIN SHAMAN M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 35 45 30 40 30 35 30 40 30 30 14 Traits: Animosity (Greenskins), Arboreal, Blessed (Spider-god), Fear 1, Immunity (Poison), Miracles (Spider-god), Night Vision, Painless Attack Traits: Venom, Weapon (Spider-god Staff ) +8 Not All There: Forest Goblin Shaman perceive the world through a toxin-induced haze caused by the many spiders that festoon (and regularly bite) them and the hallucinogenic poisonous substances they habitually consume. If attacked, the shaman has no trouble paying attention. Otherwise, they must pass an Easy (+40) Willpower Test at the start of each round or begin drooling and staring off into a world of radiant spider-like beings and shadowy forest daemons, losing both their Move and Action for the Turn. Skills: Pray 60 Spider-god Blessings: Battle, Courage, Fortune, Grace, The Hunt, Savagery SAMPLE SPIDER-GOD MIRACLES: Kiss of da Black Pit Range: Fellowship Yards Target: Area of Effect Duration: Instant The Shaman calls upon the Spider God to strike down his tribe’s enemies with a blast of venom. A bilious green mass of seething poison strikes a point within the Shaman’s line of sight and within range. Everything within Fellowship Bonus yards of the target point is splashed with mystic poison, suffering 1d10 + SL damage which ignores Armour Points, and gains the Poisoned Condition. Plague of Scuttlin’ Range: Fellowship Bonus Yards Target: You Duration: Fellowship Bonus Rounds With a snap of the Shaman’s fingers, a mass of ephemeral spiderlings rush out of his soiled robes to overrun his nearby foes, biting as they run. All within the area of effect suffer 1 Wound which ignores Toughness Bonus and APs, with an additional Wound with every +2 SL. For the duration of the prayer, all within the area of effect suffer a -10 penalty to all Tests due to the many distractions caused by the swarm of mystic spiders surging over their flesh. Snare ‘Em Good – Works exactly like the Taal Tanglefoot Miracle (WFRP, page 227), only it creates masses of silvery webs wherever it is invoked.

16 Great Wolf The cunning wolf is the chosen beast of stern Ulric. Whilst most within the lands of the Empire bear grey or black fur, those with Ulric’s regard absorb the luster of the winter’s snows, leaving their pelts a luminous white. Wolves avoid the homesteads of Humans, preferring the depths of the shadow-boughed forests, save when hunger drives them. They are not the beasts that cause grown men to wake in a cold sweat late at night, roused to fearful alertness by terrible howls resounding amongst the forested hills. No, such blood-chilling cries belong to the Great Wolves, larger and fiercer by far than any natural beast. Two long Human paces they run, standing higher than the tallest Halfling at the shoulder. Their eyes are a lambent yellow or green flame, flickering above teeth as long as hunting daggers. And within each dwells a hunger without respite. In the tales of Ostland, the Great Wolves feed upon the northerly winds, the source of their famed howls. The folk of Hochland agree with the Ostlanders, but add that they know well how to ‘vent’ Great Wolves with their famed long rifles from a distance. (Allegedly, the beasts have been known to explode if well-struck, showering those nearby in gore.) Villagers within Middenland assured me that Great Wolves also sup upon the voices of Humans, stealing them from unaware hunters. Small packs thrive in the Forest of Shadows and in the deep green foliage of the Great Forest, but winter brings them down in great numbers from lairs hidden high in the Worlds Edge Mountains, driven by ravenous hunger. In Talabecland, we were shown the broken remains of a village whose populace had been consumed entire by Great Wolves in a revel of slaughter over the course of a single winter. The folk of the northern and eastern Provinces hunt them without mercy, but barely hold their numbers in check all the same. Some amidst the Greenskin hordes have managed to tame Great Wolves and ride them into battle. Wild stories say that endless waves of wolf-riding ‘Hobgoblins’ roam the lands east of the Worlds Edge. Such are mere traveler’s tales. One need only observe as Shadow, the one-eyed Great Wolf that dwells within the Zoo, tears into his blood-sausage to know the world could never support whole armies of such voracious beasts. 'There was man from Kislev. Kapayev. He bring creatures for the Pits, da? One day, he bring something special. Great Wolf with two heads. Raukos we called him. Magnificent beast. When one head slept, other watched. alert and swift. Kapayev set him against many other beasts, but always, Raukos triumphs. People tell Kapayev, set him against champion, a good fighter. Man, Ogre, big show — proper ending for such a beast. But he did not listen. Raukos never slept, but one day Kapayev did. When they found what was left of Kapayev, Raukos was gone. Wish I could’ve fought him. Splendid beast. Maybe I get lucky on this trip, we find him, da?' They are cunning, Schreiber, far more than Men credit — save the Ostlanders and Hochlanders, who I think have learned some of the truth at terrible cost. They have their own language and their voices carry over great distances, allowing them to avoid, or ambush, those that would hunt them. A few among my folk have learned their howling tongue, with great difficulty. The Great Wolves’ minds are as foul as their smell. They are clever enough to create false dens to mislead their enemies, but hide their true lairs well. The Greenskins have never tamed them, but simply made common cause. Still, I doubt not that when provisions run low, a few Goblins go missing.

17 GREAT WOLF M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 35 - 45 40 35 25 - 15 15 - 13 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Bestial, Night Vision, Stride, Territorial, Tracker, Trained (Broken, Drive, Guard, Magic, Mount, War) Attack Traits: Weapon (Fangs) +7 Strength of the Pack – Great Wolves that outnumber a foe add an additional +10 to their combat modifier, e.g. at 2 to 1, they receive a total +30 modifier. Optional: Size (Large), Remove Bestial, Territorial, & Trained – Add 15 Fel Great Wolf packs generally number from 4 to 7, though larger packs gather in the winter. RAUKOS M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 55 - 45 40 35 30 - 25 35 20 30 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Night Vision, Size (Large), Stride, Tracker Attack Traits: Weapon (Fangs) +8 His Own Pack – Raukos gets an extra Free Attack each turn and counts as 2 opponents, e.g. it takes 4 opponents to ‘outnumber him 2 to 1’ and he outnumbers a single opponent, 2 to 1. Skill: Melee (Fangs) 75 Talent: Reactive Strike (2)

18 Razorgor Within the forests of the Empire dwell many dangerous and terrible beasts. Yet, none are so ravenous, nor quite so staggeringly foul, as the dreaded Razorgor. They faintly resemble massive, partially skinned boars, but they are firmly creatures of Chaos. Each is uniquely ugly, covered in patches of coarse dark hair, bony protrusions, irregular horns, lumps of ill-formed muscle, and ofttimes other unsightly or disturbing mutations. Jagged fangs fill their gaping maws, and each Razorgor has at least one set of tusks capable of gutting a bear. These, they regularly sharpen on stone to maintain the lethal points. Their smell is said to be not unlike a charnel pit mixed with the rankest midden imaginable. Even the most iron-willed of warriors may retch in the presence of a Razorgor. Razorgors are notoriously belligerent and rapacious. They will attack nearly anything, fighting to kill and greedily consume each creature they encounter. Razorgors eat all of a slain opponent in a gluttonous rush: skin, flesh, offal, blood, and bone. Many stories we heard (not just from villagers but even from some Imperial Soldiers) claim that Razorgors can kill and consume an armored knight, along with their entire barded warhorse, in well under a minute. A terrible fire is said to burn within them, which even the greediest consumption can barely subdue, and which glows from out their bloodshot ember-like eyes. Razorgors are generally solitary beasts, but can occasionally be found in small herds. We were shown a patch of forest near the Howling Hills where a herd had stayed for a time. It was utterly despoiled — filled with shredded, half-gnawed trees and nearly devoid of animal life. These abominations have long menaced the villages of the Drakwald, and folk keep a watchful eye when they travel the roads of Middenland. The folk of the Great Forest and the Forest of Shadows also fear their tread. Talabheim offers a standing bounty of thirty gold crowns for the fresh head of a Razorgor, but few indeed have cause to collect it. Razorgors that manage to feed their raging inner fire are said to grow continually larger and tougher over time. Most infamous of all Razorgors within the Empire, as of the time of writing, is the legendarily fierce Ol’ Gribbleback of Hochland: an enormous pale-skinned Razorgor sporting a massive hump of twisted muscle and spiraling serrated bones out of its lumpen back. It has slain hunters, caravans, whole patrols of Road Wardens, and even a small contingent of Reiksguard Knights sent to destroy it. Grand Duchess of Talabheim and Elector Countess Elise IX has offered the weight of the beast’s hump in gold to any that can end its depredations forever — a sum of several hundred crowns at the least. So far, this tempting offer has only served to keep the creature well fed. I have heard rumors that the ‘inner fire’ is an actual acidic flammable substance within Razorgor intestines, which some unscrupulous alchemists have extracted to distill a dangerously tainted weapon of liquid alchemical fire called ‘Razorburn’. ‘Do not remind me. Ach, even now, years later, my gorge rises. That stench. An excellent steak, ruined. One whiff and I left it on the pit floor. Good fight, though. Savage, but no strategy. Not so bright. They will always attack straight at you. This you can use, if you are clever, but be certain you are clever, da? No one offers so much gold for picking flowers.’

19 RAZORGOR M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 45 - 55 45 33 35 - 5 30 - 32 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Bestial, Distracting, Frenzy, Night Vision, Size (Large), Stride Attack Traits: Horns (Tusks) +10, Weapon (Tusks) +10 Optional: Corruption (Minor), Infected, Infestation, Mutation, Size (Enormous), Tail Attack +9, Territorial OL’ GRIBBLEBACK M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 65 - 65 55 13 35 - 20 40 10 100 Traits: Armour 3 (8), Distracting, Frenzy, Hardy, Mutation (The Bone Hump), Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Ward 8+ Attack Traits: Horns (Tusks) +11, Weapon (Tusks) +11 The Bone Hump – Ol’ Gribbleback’s hump has extended supple, but iron-hard, bone ribbing throughout his entire body. This has slowed him a bit, but has made him incredibly tough. Talent: Combat Master (3)

20 Griffon Famed throughout the Old World for their majestic bearing and legendary ferocity, few creatures inspire as much awe — or fear — as the Griffon: a vast predatory beast with the forequarters and wings of a raptor, placed upon the hindquarters of a great cat. The Griffon is considered a sacred creature by the citizens of the Empire, and the Griffon standard has gone before our armies for thousands of years. A rare few rich and powerful nobles choose to use Griffons as mounts. Many pay for this decision with their lives, as there is no such thing as a ‘tame’ Griffon. Yet, there are also tales of Griffons’ great loyalty to their riders and their keen intelligence, leaving the truth somewhat murky. Certainly, regal Deathclaw, Emperor Karl-Franz’s mount, is renowned for his faithful nature. If you are lucky indeed, you may be able to get a ticket to see him at his annual showing at the Imperial Zoo. Griffons are precise and graceful killers, relentless in their pursuit of prey. Their hooked beaks and sharp claws can easily remove limbs. Indeed, their talons are so large that artisans hollow them out to make drinking cups. The hunters of Ostermark swear that an arrow fletched with Griffon feathers always strikes deep and true. Griffons’ colouration can vary wildly, with some showing the brilliant hues of rare birds and unusual markings of great cats from distant lands. Deathclaw’s hindquarters bear stripes precisely like those of the legendary ‘tygers’ of distant Ind. The piercing cry of a stalking Griffon can set an army to flight and cannot be easily forgotten. We met hunters who claimed to still hear it in their nightmares, though they hadn’t encountered a Griffon in decades. Griffons are cunning fighters, swift to withdraw when surrounded, only to attack again from on high, swooping down to savage their foes. Many stories hold that Griffons would sooner die than lose a battle —one of the reasons they became a beloved symbol of our glorious Empire. A compatriot tells me the Elven term for Griffon translates as ‘savage perfection’. While Griffons prefer to set their eyries high amidst the peaks of the Worlds Edge Mountains and other lofty ranges, they frequently travel far afield to hunt the lowlands. They are said to love horse flesh, greatly preferring it to that of other beasts, especially when feeding their young. The northeastern portion of the Great Forest has been called the Gryphon’s Wood for centuries. Even now, one can glimpse Griffons as they swoop down from the heights to hunt wild horses on the Veldt of Ostermark. † C † When my compatriots and I agreed to go on our expedition, we were specifically asked to observe the habits of Griffons in the wild with a mind to providing insight into care for Deathclaw. We did learn something of Griffons, and I know them to be far more discerning than most folk would believe, but we learned far more of the darkness that hides on the Empire’s borders. See the Appendices (page 97) for what befell us. There are Dwarf legends that suggest Griffons protect mountains where gold and precious stones may be found. Perhaps. Conceivably, like many birds, they are simply attracted to shiny objects. Their eggs may as well be solid gold, considering what the Empire’s nobles are willing to pay for them. Griffons certainly have the right of one thing at least, schreiber — horse meat is delicious.

21 GRIFFON M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 50 - 50 50 45 60 - 20 50 - 76 Traits: Armour 1 (6), Bestial, Flight 80, Grim, Night Vision, Size (Enormous) Attack Traits: Bite (Hooked Beak) +9, Weapon (Talons) +9 Piercing Cry – The shrieking bloodroar of an attacking Griffon is utterly devastating to hear. A charging Griffon can spend 2 Advantage to screech at its foes as a Free Attack. All opponents within the Griffon’s Toughness Bonus in yards must make a Hard (-20) Willpower Test or acquire one Stunned Condition. Swiftsense – A Griffon’s Talons have the Fast Quality. Optional: Immunity to Psychology, Remove Bestial – Add +20 Fel, Territorial, Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount, War) When surrounded on the ground, Griffon are quick to take to the air, circling to reengage their choice of foe on their own terms, often accompanied by an ear-splitting bloodroar.

22 Dread Maw Of all the subtle killers of our hazardous world, none are quite so pernicious as greed. The endless quest for profit leads to many reckless choices, but there will always be those quick to tell you that with great risk, comes great reward. If this is so, then the rewards to be found along the Ivory Road to distant Cathay must beggar imagination, for it is regularly stalked by the terror of merchants. The Dread Maw is a terrible predator born of the blighted wastes. One does not see a burrowing Dread Maw coming for them — they feel it as a rumble in the earth, signaling doom. East of Ostermark within the Worlds Edge Mountains rises the legendary Karak Kadrin (roughly, ‘Stronghold of the Pass’ in Reikspeil). Karak Kadrin was so named for it guards the Peak Pass, one of the most important trade routes of the Old World — and one of the deadliest. The famed Ivory Road travels over the Peak Pass, through the Blasted Wastes of the Dark Lands, into the distant Mountains of Mourn where the Ogres rule supreme, and on to near-mythic Cathay. The Ivory Road boasts no end of dangers, but few are as deadly — or as unbribable — as the Dread Maw. Karak Kadrin is widely known as ‘Slayer Keep’, for it is the centre of the worship of Grimnir, the Dwarf God of battle, and houses a great number of those fell Dwarf warriors known as Slayers. Our expedition stayed in Karak Kadrin for several weeks. Over tankards of ale on many nights, we were told tales of Dread Maws (and numerous other monsters) by steely eyed Dwarfs with brilliant orange hair crests. These Dwarfs in particular took a keen interest in our work. Dread Maws are huge serpents (some Dwarfs swore ‘worms’ is more appropriate), their vast circular mouths filled with hooked, crescent-shaped, inward-curling teeth. Their scaly grey and greenish bodies are coated with a rank slime that aids in passing through the earth at great speed, as well as befouling the axes of those seeking to end them. Dread Maws frequently attack from directly beneath their targets, erupting from the earth to swallow smaller foes whole. They are just as willing to attack larger creatures, boring through flesh and bone to consume them from the inside. On those awful details, at least, the stories agreed. After that, we were cautioned that Dread Maws are creatures of the Chaos wastes and no two are truly the same. Their skins seem prone to rot and decay, such that many bear open, suppurating wounds. The majority of Dread Maws bear strange mutations. Some (allegedly) spew at their foes the same foul and corrosive substance that coats their skin. Others are said to have acidic blood that can melt flesh. A rare few grow to titanic size, and are capable of swallowing whole armoured wagons in a single gulp. Every story agreed on the wisdom of avoiding Dread Maws as much as possible (unless one were seeking a glorious death). † C † One night, I asked how such a creature could ever be defeated. The warriors present all agreed that enough damage could drive a Dread Maw away. A few had seen particularly well-funded caravans use cannons to kill the monsters. A harsh laugh rang out, and the entire crowded tavern fell silent to look at a heavily scarred Slayer bearing the largest axe I have ever seen. He set down his tankard and declared, “I’ll allow that cannon would do it, but the best way to kill a ‘Maw is to let it swallow you, then cut your way out from the inside.” It is worth noting that the Dwarf ’s skin was covered with what appeared to be extensive burn scars. When I asked after him, I learned he was Belegol Ironskin, a famed Slayer who’d ‘failed’ many times (to die, that is). And yes, he was quite serious. There are those within my Order that believe the Dread Maw originally comes from the distant Hinterlands of Khuresh. Nightmarish tales involving the fabled Blood Naga Queens say that the Dread Maw were created — not born, created — to prevent easy travel from the west. Such tales could be entirely dismissed as irrelevant hearsay, if not for the fact that a cult dedicated to those distant horrors was uncovered in Sylvania just a few years ago — one that had been attempting to enact a terrible blood ritual that would summon a Dread Maw even unto the Empire.

23 DREAD MAW M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 3 45 30 55 55 15 20 - 15 35 - 36 Traits: Armour 3 (8), Belligerent, Bestial, Burrow 30, Corruption (Minor), Dark Vision, Mutation, Size (Large), Territorial Attack Traits: Bite (Cavernous Maw) +10, Breath (Slime) +5, Weapon (Cavernous Maw) +10 Slime: Wounds caused ignore Armour Points. Targets must make an Average (+20) Agility Test each time they wish to physically act for a number of rounds equal to the Dread Maw’s Toughness Bonus. Failure means they immediately gain the Prone Condition as they lose their footing to the slippery goo coating them. Swallow Whole – When a Dread Maw uses its Cavernous Maw to cause Wounds equal to twice a target’s Toughness Bonus with a single attack, or scores a Critical Hit, against a target of equal or smaller size, it attempts to consume the target entirely. The Dread Maw makes an Opposed Strength Test against its target. If it succeeds, its target immediately gains the Entangled condition, with an additional condition for each +2 SL the Dread Maw beat the target by. On the target’s next action, they can only make an Opposed Strength Test to escape the Dread Maw, if they fail to remove all Entangled Conditions, they take 10 Wounds (which can be reduced by Toughness and Armour) and are forced down the Dread Maw’s gullet. NOTE: Due to the Dread Maw’s Size, an Average Size creature must score a Critical on its Opposed Strength Test to successfully contest against it. A victim in a Dread Maw’s gullet is Entangled and automatically suffers 10 Wounds at the start of each round that is not reduced by Armour as they are slowly digested. Many grim stories tell of warriors looking on in horror as they witnessed their comrades struggling against the pliant flesh of a Dread Maw’s grossly distended belly from within. If a victim in a Dread Maw’s gullet can successfully make a Willpower Test to act normally, they can attack their ‘cell’ with a Very Short or Personal Weapon using an unopposed Melee Combat Test with a +20 bonus to hit. They must cause a collective 20 Wounds to cut their way out; the Dread Maw does not get its Armour against any damage caused this way. Optional Traits: Corrosive Blood, Horns (Hooked Spines) +9, Infected, Size (Enormous, Monstrous) NEW CREATURE TRAIT: Burrow – This creature can travel by tunnelling through earth and stone at a rapid pace. As its move, it can burrow up to its Rating in yards. While burrowing, it ignores all intervening terrain, obstacles, or characters. At the end of the move, it decides whether it will emerge or if it is still burrowing. It can use this move to Charge. If it starts the turn burrowing, it must choose to Burrow for its Move. When targeting a burrowing creature, measure horizontal distance as normal, then increase range difficulty by 2 steps. So, a Medium Range shot would become Extreme Range, whereas Long and Extreme Range shots are impossible.

24 Rhinox Shaggy, ill-tempered brutes roam the high reaches of the Old World’s mountain ranges. The Rhinox are huge, four-legged beasts with large horns that curl up from their heavy snouts. Favoured by great Ulric for their love of cold and their belligerent nature, Rhinox readily charge nearly any target that draws within a stone’s throw. Dwarf trappers regularly hunt herds of Rhinox along the Worlds Edge Mountains. They say that this ornery nature is made worse by the Rhinox’s exceedingly bad eyesight. The Dwarfs commonly opine that a stone’s throw is about as far as a Rhinox can see. As Rhinox live in regions where snow and blizzards are frequent, their lack of good vision hinders them less than it might, and they have developed an extremely keen sense of smell to compensate. A hungry Rhinox can sniff out edible foliage or an unlucky beast’s lair beneath even the deepest snows — they are voraciously omnivorous. Rhinox seem to hate flowers and will go out of their way to trample the few blooms that grace the snowy heights, possibly because the sweet smells overwhelm or confuse their powerful noses. There is little consensus on whether Rhinox are fearless or just very, very stupid. Perhaps both are true. There are certainly many stories of them aggressively attacking oddly shaped rock outcroppings, trying to run over water, and occasionally mauling their fellow Rhinox for no apparent reason. Dwarfs say it’s difficult to discern which is harder — granite or a Rhinox’s skull. I heard several tales about a particularly infamous Rhinox, the roundly cursed and many-a-grudge-bearing Krag-Breaker, who apparently once shattered the fortress gate of a Karak with his ‘Gromril-hard’ skull (the stories vary as to which). Despite a considerable bounty placed on his near-impenetrable cranium by the High King of the Dwarfs, Krag-Breaker still wanders the high vales of the Worlds Edge, trampling everything in his way. Rhinox are obstinate beasts, unwilling to deviate from their chosen path and swift to attack anything that doesn’t smell like a (pungent) Rhinox, including all manner of deadly predators. Dwarf hunters do their best to use their stubborn nature against them and occasionally set up ‘kill cliffs’ that rely on shrubbery or other means to obscure a drop. After tricking a Rhinox into charging to its death, the hunter collects the corpse from the mountainside far below. Their thick pelt and rank odour belie a delightful flavour to their meat, and finer cuts of Rhinox can fetch a high price. Ogres frequently use Rhinox as beasts of burden, finding their aggressive natures ‘charming’ and their tendency to randomly charge nearby targets ‘hilarious’. Some Ogre mercenaries passing through Karak Kadrin told us the amusing — and apparently near-mythic — story of the first time a Rhinox hauled heavy loads in the Mountains of Mourn. A famously crafty Gnoblar (cousin to Goblins — sneak thieves the lot of them) named Ma the Grub had the ‘brilliant’ revelation that he could haul more loot from a battlefield with the help of a larger creature. What followed was a comedy of errors involving a wide variety of the dangerous beasts that roam the Ogre Kingdoms. Each new beast ended up punting, stomping, or eating Ma’s ‘assistants’ as they tried to strap it into a makeshift harness. After many failures, the Grub finally managed to get a young Rhinox to accept the harness. Likely, the creature wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to escape the tack, and not yet grown into enough belligerence to crush the Gnoblar for his temerity. Rhinox steaks make for fine eating, but it is their horns that many folk seek. Countless therapeutic properties have been ascribed to Rhinox horn, suggesting that their powder can treat everything from rheumatic disorders to Galloping Trots. I have my doubts, but as the saying goes, ‘silver talks louder than truth’.

25 RHINOX M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 45 - 55 50 23 30 - 10 10 - 32 Traits: Armour 2 (7), Belligerent, Bestial, Size (Large), Stride Attack Traits: Horns +10, Weapon (Curling Horns) +10 Too Ornery to Die – Rhinox completely ignore the effects of the first Critical Hit they take in any given combat. Optional: Frenzy, Infestation, Territorial, Trained (Drive) KRAG-BREAKER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 55 - 65 73 30 25 - 15 20 - 88 Traits: Armour 5 (12), Belligerent, Bestial, Grim, Painless, Size (Enormous), Stride Attack Traits: Horns +13*, Weapon (Curling Horns) +13* Harder Than Stone – Krag-Breaker’s Armour has the Impenetrable Quality. Too Ornery to Die – Krag-Breaker completely ignores the effects of the first Critical Hit he takes in any given combat. Skills: Melee (Curling Horns) 70 Talents: Berserk Charge 3, Strike Mighty Blow 2*

26 One of the stranger creatures the Old World has to offer, Squigs are, essentially, ambulatory mushrooms with vile dispositions, beady eyes, and a massive maw filled with rows of dagger-like teeth. They would be far more dangerous if they ever displayed anything resembling conscious thought. On the occasions when they can be viewed from a safe distance, Squigs either stand around drooling or spring about randomly, immediately trying to kill and gulp down anything they land near. Squigs vary wildly in appearance, and many have been seen to adapt to their environment. The meadow-foliage-covered Grass Squigs menace the cattle of Averland and unwary Halflings along the Blue Reach River. The Squigs that haunt the nightmares of Imperial Soldiers come from dark and cavernous haunts far beneath the Worlds Edge Mountains. The Cave Squigs of the Worlds Edge exhibit many colours, though the majority tends toward bright oranges and deep reds. Of Squigs and Night Goblins Priests of Taal I consulted on the matter swore that the King of Nature had nothing whatsoever to do with Squigs, that they derived from ‘outside his sphere’. A few suggested they’re associated with the endlessly hungry Great Maw of the Ogres. Several of the Dwarf Loremasters I spoke with in Karak Kadrin claimed that Squigs originally sprung from the blood of Gork (or possibly Mork — they didn’t know which and clearly didn’t care) where it was spilled on the battlefield long ago in a struggle against Grimnir. Perhaps this is the reason Squigs have long been associated with the degenerate tribes of Greenskins known as Night Goblins. † C †

27 NIGHT GOBLIN CAVE SQUIG SWARM M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 55* - 50 30 10 40 - 5 15 - 60* Traits: Bestial, Bounce, Dark Vision, Infected, Swarm Attack Traits: Weapon (Fang-filled Gob) +9 squig oil is a remarkable lubricant, employed in the maintenance of a number of intricate devices and firearms. It has a number of useful properties, not least of which is that it is non-flammable. The only thing useful about Night Goblins is that they make good targets.

28 Once again I apologise, but as with Giant Spiders and Forest Goblins, I cannot write truly of Squigs without saying something more about the only beings that actually make use of them. Arguably the cruelest members of their twisted kind, Night Goblins are cunning schemers utterly lacking in anything resembling a conscience. It is their tribes that have seized the majority of the Dwarfs’ ancient Karaks over the centuries. To say that the Dwarfs ‘hate’ them is an impossibly massive understatement. I was shown immense volumes of ‘Grudge Books’ in Karak Kadrin dedicated to the depredations of Night Goblins, along with even larger tomes of annotations suggesting the properly gruesome vengeful actions to begin to bring them to account. Night Goblins have long hunted Squigs, apparently using some for sustenance and others as living weapons. The Goblins delight in goading herds of Squigs into their foes, using a variety of methods to create loud noises, which Squigs greatly dislike (perhaps associating them with cave-ins?). Over-eager young Night Goblins even ride Squigs into battle, which seldom ends well for them — Squigs eat Night Goblins as readily as any other creature. Then again, this isn’t particularly out of character for Night Goblins. The most rabid of their kind actually consume poisonous mushrooms, addling their brains but greatly increasing their strength, before charging, shrieking wildly, into battle. Night Goblins dress in stained dark robes and employ a number of cruelly hooked rusty weapons. They frequently use barbed nets to capture their foes for later torment. I cannot tell you how unsettling it was to have several formidable Dwarf veterans solemnly swear to me that they always carry at least one sharp dagger in order to make a ‘quick end’ for themselves, or their comrades, should they ever be taken alive by Night Goblins † C † Before we set out on our expedition, Warnicke told us that the Imperial Zoo offered a fair bonus if we could return with some Squigs for their collection. Our time in Karak Kadrin was such that we did manage a few outings to secure a cage’s worth of diminutive Squigs, each slightly smaller than a loaf of bread. We started out with eleven. Over the months we passed down the River Stir, the Squigs eventually decided they had enough of the poor fare we offered them. Sometime after Wurtbad, they turned on each other. Upon our return to Altdorf, we presented the Zoo with three Halfling-sized Squigs and the strong suggestion that they immediately be placed in separate cages. NIGHT GOBLINS M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 30 35 30 35 20 35 30 30 20 20 11 Traits: Animosity (Greenskins), Afraid (Elves), Dark Vision, Hatred (Dwarfs), Infected Attack Traits: Ranged (Shortbow) +5 (20), Weapon (Rusty Blades) +7 Some Night Goblins use nets to ensnare their foes, so their compatriots can beat them senseless for later torture. Ranged (Net 3) (6) A few Night Goblins try to direct Squigs into battle by riding them. This seldom works out well for them. These ‘Squig Hoppers’ have Ride (Squig) 40. They must make a Hard (-20) Ridge (Squig) Test in order to direct their mounts. If they succeed, they can actually pick a target of their choice and either take an Action or make an Attack against them. On a failure, they can only cling on. On a Fumble, they sail off and their mount eats them for their cheek. Skills: Ranged (Bow) 45, Ranged (Entangling) 45 Optional: Stealthy Before a Night Goblin tribe commits to battle, some of their members are granted the ‘honour’ of consuming a potent brew made from Mad Cap Mushrooms. Once their eyes have started to bulge from their skulls and they can barely contain themselves, their fellows know the brew has kicked in proper. The resulting horrors are known as Night Goblin Fanatics. Their mates hold them till the enemy draws close, then unleash them, slavering and wild, wielding massive chained Ironballs and spinning like so many demented tops. Night Goblin Fanatics add +10 to their Strength, have 16 Wounds, and have the Frenzy Trait. They also have Weapon (Two-Handed) 40. Their Ball & Chains are Two-Handed Weapons that do +10 Damage in their hands, as well as having the Impact and Wrap Qualities, along with the Dangerous Flaw.

29 NETS Nets are part of the Entangling Ranged Weapon Group. If an opponent is successfully attacked with a Net, they gain the Entangled Condition and must typically make a Challenging Strength Test in order to get a number of SLs equal to the Net’s Rating in order to break free. SLs are not cumulative; if you fail to break free, you pick up another Entangled condition. Hooked Nets automatically inflict damage, which typically ignores Armour, upon those who struggle against them whenever they fight against the net, successfully or not. There are rumours of enchanted nets used by the wicked Elves of Naggaroth that actively fight against their targets, or sprout magical barbs that bite into their victim’s flesh, wrapping them ever tighter until escape is impossible.

30 The greatest of all living creatures to roam the Old World, Dragons are said to be the first and eldest species, ancient long before Sigmar ever wielded Ghal-Maraz. Some Elven tales suggest that Dragons were once the servants of the mythic Old Ones. In others, they were their enemies and caused their downfall. Few of these mighty reptilian beasts exist now. The sound of their wings has become a rarity in the Empire — thankfully, for even the weakest Dragon is a force to be reckoned with, and the largest can break armies. Their infamously deadly breath, as varied in effects as Dragons are in appearance, is enough to rout most foes. Dragons’ claws are sharper than any sword, to say nothing of their teeth, and their armoured hides can deflect cannon fire. All tales agree that no Dragon has ever died of old age. They simply grow larger, and more cunning, with the passing centuries. Younger Dragons are closer to beasts, their sentience not unlike to that of clever dogs. The eldest and greatest are brilliant creatures, speaking many tongues and wielding magic like a master wizard. Nevertheless, the Dragons’ time has passed and the world drags at them all. The Dwarfs suggest that the majority of the remaining ‘Drakk’ slumber away their lives hidden in caverns deep within the heart of mountains. However, we met several hunters along the Talabec who swore they’d seen signs of the passage of large sinuous creatures in the shadows of the Empire’s forests. They also reported inexplicable clearings with trace indications that whole herds of Beastmen had entered them and never left. The Dragons’ love of gold and precious things is common knowledge, and the source of the Dwarfs’ bitter enmity, but why they seek treasure remains a mystery. Some Loremasters told me the Drakk use gold to attract mates, a large hoard suggesting success and power. A few said they just did it out of spite. One Slayer swore that gold was the source of Dragons’ incredibly long lives and that they ate it to maintain their health. King Ungrim Ironfist himself told me that when he was a lad, a Runesmith taught him that gold ‘sings’ to Dragons; their amassed hoards create a ‘chorus’ of staggering beauty — which is why the loss of even a single coin enrages them. They instantly know when the ‘music’ has lost a voice. Though I can scarcely credit it, there are said to be Human cultists that worship Dragons, usually wholly dedicating themselves to an individual rather than the species entire. Apparently, they believe that their actions will either keep their chosen ‘lord’ asleep, or they pave the way for its return by gathering treasure and sacrifices to appease it. I have looked into the eyes of the relatively young Dragon that is occasionally housed within the Imperial Zoo (which the keepers tell me it greatly resents). I have no doubt that any Dragon approached by these deluded cultists, if they exist, would eat their ‘followers’ without a second thought. Dragons FOREST DRAGONS M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 65 60 65 65 60 35 15 65 85 45 104 Traits: Arboreal, Armour 5 (11), Flight 50, Grim, Immunity (Poison), Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Stealthy Attack Traits: Bite +12, Breath (Soporific) +10, Tail +9, Weapon (Root-like Claws) +11 A Fool’s End – Soporific Breath ignores Armour Points. Any target damaged by it must make a Hard (-20) Willpower Test. On a failure, they acquire the Stupid Trait for a number of rounds equal to the Dragon’s Toughness Bonus. The Forest is My Shield – In a woodland, amidst trees, a Forest Dragon never counts as being outnumbered. All Ranged attacks against it suffer a penalty of -20, as its chameleonic scales flicker in appearance between leaves and bark. If this modifier causes its opponents to fail when the Test would otherwise have succeeded, they instead hit one of the trees about the Dragon, or one of its Engaged opponents, as determined randomly by the GM. Skills: Melee (Root-like Claws) 75, Stealth 65 (+6 SL due to Arboreal and Stealthy) Optional: Magical, Spellcaster ( Jade), Trained (Mount), Venom

31 The Dragon that looms largest in the tales of the Reikland is Caledair, the Scythe of Fire, for she hunted the fields of the Vorbergland and far beyond in the living memory of Dwarfs and Elves (and Wizards, I suppose). The tales of Caledair’s exploits are near endless, and mostly horrible, but my favourite one is a bit different. The Scythe of Fire found herself above the Suden Vorbergland during harvest time and was attracted by a smell she’d never encountered before. She alighted in the fields, doubtless to the utter terror of the poor farmers, and demanded that her curiosity be satisfied at once. What she smelled is the legendary Ernwald — famed apple of Stimmigen — and was utterly, visibly delighted upon being presented with a few barrels. After she’d finished her repast, she swore that she would never burn the fields about Stimmigen so long as two large vats of Ernwald awaited her every harvest season. Caledair hasn’t been seen for well over a century. Even so, till this day, two great vats of fresh apples are kept in a clearing near the Ernwald Orchards, rotated throughout the season to keep them fresh, lest the Scythe of Fire return to find her tribute missing. Every barrel of Ernwalds is branded with the ‘Dragon’s Seal of Approval’. CALEDAIR, THE SCYTHE OF FIRE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 90 75 75 95 60 30 15 75 90 45 344 Traits: Armour 6 (15), Flight 90, Grim 3, Hardy, Immunity (Fire), Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Night Vision, Size (Monstrous), Spellcaster (Fire) Attack Traits: Bite +13, Breath (Fire) +20, Tail +11, Weapon (Gromril-tipped Claws) +12 ‘Stolen’ Claws – The Dwarfs have entire Books of Grudges about Caledair, with some of the most outraged entries detailing how she acquired the Gromril to coat her talons. Caledair’s claws ignore Armour Points entirely. Skills: Evaluate 95, Melee (Gromril-tipped Claws) 110, Intimidate 95 (+3 SL), Language (Magick) 105 Talents: Instinctive Diction, Menacing 3 M Dragons are creatures of the deepest magic. I believe that their great variance of form and breath is due to each Dragon being sustained by a different Wind — the currents of mystic power that flow across our world. The Dragons sleep because the Winds blow far more softly than they did of old. Should that change, we may find there are more Dragons left in the world than we reckon.

32 WYVERN M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 55 - 60 55 15 45 - 10 50 - 84 Traits: Armour 2, Bestial, Flight 90, Size (Enormous) Attack Traits: Tail +12 (Venom), Weapon (Teeth) +10 (Infected) A Wyvern’s Spite – A foe that gains a Surprised condition because of a Wyvern must succeed at a Willpower Test or succumb to their curse. A target of the curse suffers a penalty of –10 to all Tests, and is unable to use Fortune Points, until the Wyvern that cursed them is dead, or until they’ve suffered a loss of 5 or more Wound points. Optional: Breath (Poison) +10, Grim, Horns, Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount, War) Remove Bestial, Change Size to Large, Add +20 to I, Int, and Fel – Change W to 42 & add Stealth (Rural) 65 Wyvern Wyverns are ill-omened beasts that skulk about the heights of the Worlds Edge, dwelling in dank caves save when hunger drives them forth to hunt the foothills and plains east of the mountains. They are winged reptiles, eaters of carrion, that bear only the most passing resemblance to Dragons. They are typically far smaller creatures, and lack forelimbs. They are heavily built, like a scaled bull, with terrible eyesight and nasty tempers. The most dangerous of Ork Warlords sometimes ride Wyverns they’ve personally raised, or at least beat into compliance. The Dwarfs have a number of amusing tales involving Wyverns turning on their riders at ‘inconvenient’ moments, like in the midst of a duel. Some folk claim that certain Wyverns are, in fact, crafty creatures, full of poison and spite in equal measure. While Wyverns often seem craven and swift to retreat from a fight, they also unleash cunning ambushes amidst narrow mountain passes where their targets cannot properly fight back. I found many conflicting descriptions, and no few arguments, amidst the folk of Karak Kadrin. Some described swift spindly beasts that couldn’t possibly bear the weight of an Ork Warlord. Others spoke of scarred rippled muscle that easily turned a heavy axe. It may well be that there is more than one species of Wyvern, or that the differences between males and females are profound. A Wyvern’s shadow is said to bring ruin to those it falls upon. Certainly, many a farmer has rued it, for the shadow inevitably means their flocks will soon be short a sheep or two. Some folk claim that the ‘Wyvern’s Curse’ is real, and no mere peasant superstition. They swear all of a warrior’s luck abandons them until they’ve ‘suffered enough’ or managed to break the curse by killing the Wyvern that inflicted it upon them. It is not in the heights alone that Wyvern reside. Some dwell within the darkest heart of the Forest of Shadows and a few, at least, make their haunts along the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Claws. They are foul beasts, ungainly, and ill favoured. In addition to the infamously lethal poison of their tails, their bite can carry a sickness of its own. I have never hunted a particularly cunning Wyvern before, but it would not surprise me if such have arisen in the world.

33 Wyvern venom is difficult to secure, not only because the beasts will not willingly part with it, but also because it swiftly loses potency once exposed to air. Fortunately, a deft hand can extract a venom sac from a Wyvern’s tail without puncturing it. Their venom has medicinal properties and can be effective in treating certain types of pain; however, it has been my experience that most who seek it are not looking for a curative.

34 NNear the end of our expedition’s time in Karak Kadrin, a Dwarf Ranger from another Hold, and whose company I’d grown quite fond of, secretly approached me with an intriguing offer. For reasons that will become obvious by the end of this entry, I will call him ‘Silvergrin’. I’d met him in a tavern one evening and immediately took a shine to him. We drank together many nights thereafter, and I did the majority of the paying, but never minded, for his stories were always worth it. He is, by far and away, the most cheerful Dwarf I’ve ever met. Even the Slayers of Karak Kadrin thought he was a bit odd, but Jorunn tells me her people’s Rangers are all considered a bit suspect as they prefer fresh air and an open sky to stone halls. Silvergrin knew I was fascinated with Giants, having asked him, a few of his fellow Rangers, and many Slayers quite a few questions on the subject. We so often hear tales of these vast beings in the Empire, but know so very little about them. Many stories hold them to be massive, crude, drunken louts that revel in carnage, most often encountered while marching in the Waaaghs! of the Greenskins. Others say they are actually shy creatures, prone to avoiding other folk if they can help it. Certainly, the accounts the Slayers gave me were all grim ones about the great ravages Giants were capable of, how often they had wronged their people, and how every one of them should be slain, without exception. The Rangers, aside from Silvergrin a more taciturn lot, agreed with the Slayers. Imagine my utter surprise when Silvergrin asked if I wanted to meet one. Silvergrin demanded a solemn vow of total secrecy from me, regarding revealing his real name should I publish this account, as well as a few of the details of the following encounter. What I can say is that I left most of my compatriots for a few days on a trip several days away from Karak Kadrin. We talked of many things on the journey, but Silvergrin would say nothing of our destination. ‘A little patience, Schreiber, you’ll know soon enough.’ One morning a few days later I became aware of the sounds of a camp ahead, nestled in a forested vale. Evidentially Silvergrin was already aware, for he did not start at this. We were approached by a pair of taciturn guards, Reiklanders by the look of them, but my guide exchanged a few words with them and we were allowed to pass with a shrug. We eventually arrived at a clearing, which proved to have an appealing aspect. It was bordered by a melt-off stream, and dominated by a massive crude pavilion, stitched together from what looked to be a combination of sail-cloth, scavenged human-sized tents, and the hides of various unidentifiable but once-shaggy beasts. As we approached, a being only slightly less tall than an Empire townhouse emerged from the pavilion. The Giant, for giant he surely was, wore mis-matched clothing bearing a mix of ornamentation and heraldry. His pate was shaven, his beard bound into a series of simple braids. He squinted and visibly flinched against the mid-morning sun, holding up one huge hand to block out the light, whereas the other held a curious makeshift drinking stein the size of a small barrel. There were a scattering of other human soldiers about, and while they did not seem to fear the giant outright, I did note that they all give him some distance. The giant’s rumbling voice was so deep it made my bones vibrate. ‘Oi, Silvergrin, just in time fer a drink. Who’ve ye brought then? No Wizards, mind! Yer no Wizard, are ye stumplin?’ I strongly assured him that I was not a Wizard. ‘Thas ‘good, that is. No Wizards. Put wyrms in yer mind, they do. Come ‘ave a drink then.’ The Giant brought sat with us on some barelles arranged in the clearing, presumably for that purpose. Catching a glimpse inside his pavilion, I noted it was filled with all manner of barrels, casks, and even a few hogsheads, all filled with alcohol of nearly every description and quality, as well as several beast carcases strung up whose smell turned my stomach from thirty paces off. ‘I’s Halagrundsor the ‘orrible. Wrecker o’... not much. Bane ta’ every brew yer could name.’ He sniggered in a low rumble and Silvergrin laughed with him. What followed was one of the stranger conversations of my life. It seems that the Giant was an agent of sorts for Human merchants that moved cargo along the World’s Edge Mountains, a job he explained like so: ‘I keep sharpish on the greens, don’t I? Orks, with dere “Wa, Wa, Wa” all the time. Never a minute’s peace for good drink’n. And the nastly lit’l sods in the caves. The Moon blighters. Saw ‘em torture a bear once. No reason, a’tal. Squished a few o’ dem, I did. Evil runts. So I keep en eye on ‘em and pass along what I see and ‘erd to some folks wot cares. And some ‘oomie merchants that ‘preciate my troubles, ya’ see, they keep me well hauled, don’t they?’ Halagrundsor the ‘Horrible ’

35 He talked about his life in the mountains, travelling the eastern bad lands, and fondly reminiscing over various drinks he had particularly favoured. I finally asked how he and Silvergrin had met. Halagrundsor smiled with vast partially-rotten teeth. ‘Well a Ranger like ole’ Silvergrin here, he seeks to sort out those what wants to kill his people, right? A few of me kin do ‘ave dark hearts, grim lot, it’s so. But I’m no bad ‘un. Give me grog and some vittles and I’m set, eh?’ I asked about the soldiers encamped around us, and the giant shrugged. ‘They like to make camp nearby, says I keep away the beasts away. They’s good lads, I did some work for their boss a few years back. Mercenary work’s not really to my liking though, so I came back up to highlands. Happier working with the merchants, and never shy a drink since!’ As Silvergrin and I finally made (well, stumbled) our way back to our camp, I profusely thanked him for the introduction. ‘Just remember, most Giants aren’t anything like Hal. The Drengi would never understand, they…’ the Ranger paused. ‘I tried to kill him, Schreiber. First time I met him. Crazy big bastard said that was like to be hard work and offered me a pint before I got started.’ We both laughed a long time at that. All in all, a remarkable experience. HALAGRUNDSOR THE ‘HORRIBLE’ – GIANT SPY M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 42 30 65 65 30 34 17 26 45 39 88 Traits: Animosity (Greenskins), Night Vision, Painless, Size (Enormous), Stride, Weapon (Stein) +10 Skills: Bribery 49, Charm 49, Climb 70, Consume Alcohol 90, Cool 55, Entertain (Storytelling) 49, Gamble 36, Gossip 49, Haggle 49, Intuition 45, Lore (The World’s Edge Mountains) 46, Melee (Basic) 57, Perception 45, Secret Signs (Ranger) 31, Sleight of Hand 22, Stealth (Rural) 44 Talents: Acute Sense (Hearing), Carouser, Etiquette (Dwarfs), Gregarious, Nose for Trouble Trappings: Heavily Reinforced Drinking Stein (Hand Weapon), Random Assorted Coinage Worth 6d10 Shillings, Unrivalled Booze Collection

36 Stirpike No soul raised in the Empire hasn’t heard at least one wild tale of ‘the one that got away’ when it comes to the scaled denizens of our many rivers. Indeed, few are the nights that pass in any dockside tavern without the subject of fish, eels, and the sizes thereof. Of all the tales I’ve encountered, the stories of the mighty Stirpike most consistently hold that it can grow to truly monstrous size. The ones that manage to do so are invariably dangerous; cunning; masters of escaping fishing lines; and very, very old. Stirpike are big fish indeed. The grey-green mottled brutes average 12 feet and more, with reliable reports (and credible witnesses) noting that some particularly famed beasts reached 20 feet in length and many thousands of pounds! That’s where the speculation begins to run wild and on fire, though. There are tales of Stirpike that reached 23 feet; no, 27 feet; no 32 if he was 5… These go on for hours (or days) in the haunts of fisher folk. The largest ever caught (supposedly) was a vast beast called ‘the General’ who cleared 40 feet in length. Sadly, he was fried up and consumed (bones and all) by the entire populations of three villages before any Imperial Zoologists could confirm his recordbreaking length. Unfortunately, Stirpike have been all but fished to extinction in much of the grand Stir itself. ‘Stirpike’ can sometimes be found elsewhere, in other waterways and lakes, but are unvaryingly smaller creatures. The Stirpike have been all but fished out not due to their fine eating qualities, but because their young (known as pickerel) are thought to have a wide variety of useful medicinal properties. Nothing like raw fish guts smeared over one’s face to clear up a troubled complexion. STIRPIKE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 8 45 - 52 50 32 38 - 14 50 - 40 Traits: Amphibious, Armour 1 (6), Bestial, Coldblooded, Night Vision, Size (Large) Attack Traits: Bite +8, Tail +9, Weapon (Lethal Tail) +9 Damn Lucky Fish – Stirpike that have lived long enough to grow to great length and acquire a name for themselves, such as ‘Old One Eye’, ‘Hooksnatcher’, or ‘The Slippery Duke’, are seemingly watched out for by Manann himself. All such Stirpike have 3 Fortune Points. Limber Tail – Stirpike can make a Tail attack each round without spending Advantage. Optional: Belligerent, Hungry, Size (Enormous), Territorial, Ward 9+ You laugh, schreiber, but if I had a brass for every time I was asked after fresh pickerel, my braid clasps would be made of solid gold. What useful properties do I think young stirpike actually holds? Add a little salt and it can cure hunger with great efficacy. Many of the stories of the mightiest Stirpike originate from the eastern reaches of the Stir. Where else should such tales of the Stirpike arise, I hear you ask? It may be naught but idle speculation, but consider this: The Stir flows along the infamous Dead Wood, wherein lie the burned ruins of dread Mordheim, ancient capital of Ostermark. The dangerous and forbidden substance wyrdstone can still be found there, it is said, in exceptional quantities. Wyrdstone has many transformative properties. How can that not have an effect on the riverlife?

37 First Expedition Coda After several well-spent weeks in Karak Kadrin, our Dwarf hosts helped arrange for berths on a barge due to pass west down the North Stir. I was told such trips were very rare, as most people would rather pass another way. Unsurprising, as the first major settlement along the river west of the Worlds Edge is the ‘capital’ of Sylvania, Waldenhof. I have never seen a darker or more ominous place. Grey stone walls, leering gargoyles, and gloom were all Waldenhof had to offer to my eyes, even though (at Ghorshkov’s insistence — and the riverfolk’s firm agreement) we ‘passed at noon, to be far away come sundown’. The cursed marsh of Hel Fenn south of the river wasn’t much better to gaze upon. It was a relief when we reached the village of Essen — supposedly one of the most haunted in all the Empire, though it seemed pleasant enough. Our ordinarily garrulous Ostermarker had been silent for days at that point. He contemplated the village from the deck of the barge with an unreadable expression on his face. The normally restive caged Squigs had fallen utterly still, staring at the forest beyond. Kistiane asked him if he was well. He slowly nodded. ‘I have not seen this place in a long time. There was man, woodcutter, who lived here. A dangerous thing, to work even outskirts of Dead Wood, but he has wife, children. His wife was fishmonger. Every week, he goes into forest with other men. Never too far, though. Dangerous to go too deep into that wood, dangerous to leave families unprotected. One day, the other men return, but he does not. The men say, he saved them from something in the wood, but they will not speak of it. The wife accepts this. She has children to raise and the village will always help family of brave man, da? ‘Less than year later, on Geheimnisnacht, village lights its candles for dead. Essen is always bright place, that night. Woodcutter returns, but he has changed. Not undead. Worse. He brings ‘friends’ from Dead Wood. They roam village, killing, roaring. Woodcutter, he goes to houses of men he ‘saved’ and burns them all. Then comes to get his wife, children. Says he wants to be family again. ‘While fishmonger distracts woodcutter, boy helps sisters flee, then comes back to find mother dead. As the woodcutter weeps over wife he murdered, the boy, he smashes the woodcutter’s head in with rock. When woodcutter’s friends come to see what happened, boy hides under bodies. And so, he lives.’ Ghorshkov fell silent. At last, Kistiane asked, though I think she knew, ‘Vasya, what happened to the children?’ He smiled then, a bright grin beneath his thick, drooping moustache. ‘The girls were taken in by other families in village who had lost their own. The boy, he was adopted by uncle. Became damn good Pit Fighter, da?’ The rest of our trip back to Altdorf was long, but uneventful. I mostly thought about scars — my leg, Jorunn’s hands, the wicked one down Ghorshkov’s back — and the ones we cannot see so easily. THINGS FROM THE DEAD WOOD M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 50 30 45 50 30 50 20 10 40 10 23 Traits: Corruption (Moderate), Night Vision, Fear 2, Fury, Grim, Hardy, Mental Corruption (Totally Unhinged + 2 additional), Mutation 3, Stealthy Attack Traits: Weapon (Rusty Weapons or Claws) +8 Shocked Recognition – The first time a person recognizes who a ‘Thing’ once was, they must make a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test or gain a Stunned Condition. Skills: Stealth (Rural) 60 (+5 SL for Stealthy) Optional: Bite, Corrosive Blood, Horns, Hungry, Painless, Size (Large), Tentacles, Tongue Attack, Tracker People lost to the depths of the Dead Wood, whether they went in willingly or not, sometimes return as a grossly distorted caricature of the person they once were, twisted and mutated by the corruption that permeates the ground. They tend to seek out those they once knew, often with horrifying results.

38 white pinions traced through with streaks of shimmering blue, blending into russet and gold haunches. We stayed low and quiet, studying her comings and goings for several days as Massenbach madly sketched. He was utterly inspired, and I can’t say as we blamed him. The Griffon affected us all, even Gromsdottir, though she’d never admit such a thing. After a week, the Griffon stopped leaving her eyrie, and Nightsong conjectured that she may be gravid and preparing to lay an egg. We decided to leave on the morrow, for none of us, not even Ghorshkov, wanted to fight a Griffon in any case — much less one defending her nest. Late that night, we awoke to the sounds of thunderous roars, the Griffon’s piercing cries, and high-pitched shrieking voices wailing in the dark. Ominous green flares lit up the foothills in brief flashes like lightning from the heavens, followed by utter silence. Dawn’s light found the Griffon absent, her nest empty. The stones about her eyrie were awash in foul-smelling blood, and we observed a wide variety of clawed tracks. Nightsong declared that many had fought and fallen about the Griffon’s nest, though no trace of their bodies could be found — only scraps of rusted metal and torn rags. The tracks led east, deeper into the Worlds Edge. The Elf noted several pairs of prints as large as an Ogre’s, though quite unlike an Ogre’s bare feet or boots, and that they likely were carrying a heavy burden. We could’ve walked away, but we chose otherwise. Clearly, Warnicke wasn’t hiring for sound minds. We followed the tracks east for two days to a cavernous opening hidden behind the fallen shale of a mountain. The smell hit us first. It was indescribable, like to a battlefield mixed with the rankest sweat, faeces, spoilt earth, and blood. It smelled like fear and misery. There were lookouts not far from the tunnel’s entrance, which Nightsong took unawares. They were scrawny Beastmen, with the heads and tails of rats. Gromsdottir stated what I think we all knew, but would dare not say: they were the ‘mythic’ Skaven. We travelled deeper into the tunnel and the things we found… Holy Sigmar, I will not — cannot — write of all we found, for you would surely think me mad. The First Incident — The Griffon & the Ratmen For several months, our expedition up the Talabec was mostly uneventful. It consisted mainly of various outings to villages away from the river in order to gather research, and a great deal of drinking in riverside taverns. We spent several ‘memorable’ weeks skirting the edge of the Howling Hills in the southern Drakwald, which firmly convinced me to never return to that region again. We had an occasion there with a large group of louts who tried to relieve us of our possessions, and likely our lives. Young Master Massenbach almost got himself skewered as they caught him sketching some meadow flower or another. His near-total lack of fighting skills didn’t help the situation. (Ghorshkov says Erich ‘should live in fear of being savaged by Snotling’.) Fortunately, the rest of us can handle ourselves. Indeed, Ghorshkov clearly enjoyed that fight and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nightsong miss. Afterwards, the Elf was greatly troubled, not by killing the bandits, but by the signs the hunter read within the Drakwald. ‘Too many tracks, Schreiber. There have been far too many Beastmen here. The scum attacked us because they are outnumbered and desperate.’ After that cheering observation, we mostly stayed closer to the river as we travelled. Nightsong would make forays into the forest occasionally, returning every time with an increasingly gloomier mien. Eventually, we directed our course north along the Upper Talabec, coming at last to one of the most distant of the Empire’s outposts: Fortenhaf. There, we met a trapper who claimed to know the whereabouts of a nesting Griffon’s eyrie set atypically low amidst the foothills skirting the Worlds Edge Mountains. This did not seem implausible, especially considering the ancient name of the Gryphon’s Wood that the forest bears in that region. The trapper was, astonishingly, as good as his word and brought us to a secluded tor from where we could study a Griffon at a (relatively) safe distance. The first time we saw her was totally exhilarating and, honestly, terrifying. Gods, what a magnificent creature she was — brilliant

39 Let this be enough. We found the Griffon chained in a workshop of sorts. She was the prisoner of a grossly large whip-wielding Skaven, who rode atop a crude howdah on the back of a massively over-muscled ratman bigger than any Ogre I’ve seen. Many other ratmen scurried about the big one’s limbs on various loathsome errands. We took them unawares in a fight that deserves a tale of its own. We would not have prevailed I think, if not for Kistiane’s arts — it is no small thing to fight with the support of a Wizard of the Jade Order. The Skaven were soon running in pure terror from Ghorshkov as he roared with laughter, slaughtering them in droves, with his own meagre wounds healing before their horrified eyes. The huge ratman only fell after many blows, pierced with many arrows. I slew its shrieking rider, but not before it called out something to its minions. In the moment we thought the fight won, an atrocity crawled out of the darkness. It was vile. Its body was a mass of sutures and scar tissue. Claws like scythes. Flesh melded to pieces of strange, dreadful machinery. It roared with many mouths, and I prepared to die. And then the Griffon fell upon it, shrieking her defiance — for gentle Massenbach had set her free. We left her to it and fled the cavern, the ear-shattering sounds of the fight echoing behind us. Hours later, she found us as we sped south through the mountain ravines, trusting to Nightsong’s skills, Kistiane’s art, and Jorunn’s instincts. The Griffon alighted atop a low peak and regarded us; a rumbling warble came from deep within her chest. She raised her wings — how they flashed in the sunlight — roared once, and the mountains shook with the sound. She clawed the air before her twice, talons flickering in the light. Then she was gone, soaring away into the heights. I doubt many people have been so honoured. The Skaven did not let us go easily. They sent beasts after our trail, wolf-creatures with the heads of massive rats. We slew several packs before meeting up with a patrol of stout Dwarfs from Karak Kadrin who were very interested in what we had to say. They ultimately took us before no less a person than Ungrim Ironfist, the famed Slayer King himself, who questioned us at great length. He was courteous though, even to Nightsong; our tale and Jorunn’s presence did much to raise us in his eyes, I think. He ‘asked’ us to be his honoured guests in Karak Kadrin for a time while he ‘saw to matters’. He immediately took an expedition in force, with no few Slayers, back to the cavern. The Dwarfs later told us the king and warriors slaughtered a great many Skaven, then collapsed the tainted cave entire. Jorunn tells me there was quiet talk amidst the Dwarfs once they returned, and they spoke to her of the importance of destroying any ‘twisted path out of Karak Ungor’. Ironfist was greatly pleased with us upon his return, giving us a few small tokens of his esteem and the run of his keep. Indeed, I had several fascinating conversations with the Slayer King on the nature of some of the many beasts he had slain in his time. With his permission, some of his hard-won lore graces this very tome.

40 Soon after, I learned through a few careful inquiries that Master Ruhrold’s entire family, along with the majority of his friends, all died decades ago in a series of terrible accidents. This includes his fiancée, who passed away of a rare disease. He has been alone since. Months after the events in that hideous cavern, upon returning to Altdorf, I requested an audience with some of my fellow Druids to discuss what I had witnessed. They all agreed that I was clearly mistaken, that Skaven are merely a tale to frighten recalcitrant children. Several of my colleagues accused me of fabricating the whole experience and questioned my motivations for creating such a lurid and fanciful tale. When I protested that I spoke the truth, a few of them laughed and said I sounded just like ‘Old Ludwig’. Master Ludwig Ruhrold is a senior member of the Jade Order, commonly thought to be somewhat ‘troubled’ by a long life in service to the Empire. I called upon him that very evening. He brought me to a cramped study, darkly lit and musty. Rags stuffed every single crevice, and he promptly thrust some beneath the chamber’s large oaken door as he shut it behind us. He listened to my tale, saying nothing, merely studying me as I spoke. When I had finished, he hoarsely whispered, almost to himself: ‘Moulder. That blasphemy of Taal’s work was made by the fleshcrafters of the Moulder.’ He refused to tell me more. ‘You are too young to forsake life for the shadows and rooms like this one. My advice, young Kistiane: forget what you saw. For the sake of all you hold dear, speak of this no more.’

41 CLAN MOULDER PACKMASTER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 45 45 40 40 50 50 30 40 40 30 16 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Night Vision Attack Traits: Infected, Ranged (Whip) +6 (6), Weapon (Notched Blade) +8 Master of the Lash – Packmasters are ruthless beast handlers and experts at wielding their whips to devastating effect. The creatures of Clan Moulder obey them nearly without question. Rat Ogres and Rat Ogre Bonebreakers led by a Packmaster are not affected by the Stupid Trait, nor are Wolf Rats or Giant Rats affected by the Skittish Trait. Additionally, Packmasters can make Ranged (Entangling) attacks into close combat with no chance of hitting their allies unless they Fumble on the attack roll. Skills: Ranged (Entangling) 65 Optional: Disease (Ratte Fever), Mutation, Stealthy RAT OGRE BONEBREAKER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 40 10 75 55 35 40 20 10 20 10 76 Traits: Armour 2 (7), Night Vision, Painless, Size (Enormous), Stride, Stupid Attack Traits: Infected, Weapon (Metal-shod Claws) +11 I AM UNSTOPPABLE! – Skaven leaders tend to get delusions of grandeur when they ride a Rat Ogre Bonebreaker into battle. For so long as a Skaven is mounted on a Bonebreaker, they gain the trait Immunity to Psychology. Should a Rat Ogre Bonebreaker die – their rider immediately gains 5 Broken Conditions and all other Skaven within 10 yards immediately gain 1 Broken Condition. Optional: Corruption (Minor), Dark Vision, Disease (Ratte Fever), Fury, Grim, Infestation, Mutation Rat Ogre Bonebreakers are rare beasts, frequently used as mounts by powerful Skaven who ride atop their backs in specially constructed throne-like howdahs. WOLF RAT M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 35 - 40 35 40 35 - 15 15 - 11 Traits: Armour 1 (4), Bestial, Night Vision, Skittish, Stride, Tracker, Trained (Broken, Guard, Home, Magic, Mount, War) Attack Traits: Weapon (Vicious Fangs) +8 Mouth Full of Razors – A Wolf Rat’s Vicious Fangs have the Penetrating Quality. Skills: Track 60 (+4 SL due to Tracker) Optional: Frenzy, Infected, Infestation, Size (Large) CLAN MOULDER UNIQUE EXPERIMENT M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 45 - 60 55 30 30 15 20 45 - 80 Traits: Armour 3 (8), Corruption (Moderate), Dark Vision, Disease (Ratte Fever), Grim 2, Immunity to Psychology, Infected, Painless, Regenerate, Size (Enormous), Terror 2 Attack Traits: Horns (Many Mouths) +10, Rear, Weapon (Scythe-like Claws) +13 In Sigmar’s Name, What Is That THING? – The pinnacles of Clan Moulder’s twisted arts are each unique and unspeakably terrible to behold. Cool Tests to resist Terror or Fear caused by these custom-created horrors are Difficult (-10). Optional: Bite, Breath (Poison) +9, Coldblooded, Constrictor, Corrosive Blood, Die Hard, Disease (Various), Fury, Hungry, Infestation, Magical, Magic Resistance (1-3), Mutation, Size (Monstrous), Stride, Ward (7-9)

The worthies at the Imperial Zoo were impressed with the breadth of field notes I’d gathered for them and my book during our first expedition. Several of Erich’s pieces certainly went over well. I gather Herr Massenbach was pleased by their report, as he deigned to advance some money for the second expedition. After having mostly gone our separate ways over the winter, save Kistiane and I, we gathered in late spring to head out once more. This time our course led us into the wetlands along the Reik, and eventually to our neighbouring country Bretonnia. There were a number of suspect and apocryphal stories that had come to scholars associated with the Zoo from over the Grey Mountains that they wished us to look into. The excursion went well, mostly, but it’s fair to say it did not end at all as we thought it would.

The Second Expedition Amoebae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Amphisbaena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 River Trolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Chameleoleech . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Fen Worm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Corpse Render of Carroburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Dark Pegasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Nightravens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Preyton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Great Raptors of the Grey Mountains . . . . . . 62 Cockatrice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Chimera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Second Incident — What Happens in Wheburg . . . 68

44 Rumours in Altdorf have long persisted that one of the more ruthless racketeering gangs maintains a ‘problems coach’. Inconvenient bodies, and occasionally troublesome people, allegedly get a ride in the coach to ‘have a chat with Jetsam’. Jetsam makes all such problems vanish entirely, as Jetsam is in fact a very large Amoebae. The tale gets stranger still, though — a few have claimed to have met this ‘Jetsam’ and lived, swearing that it is intelligent and capable of communicating. The thought is somewhat staggering, but there it is. True or not, when in Altdorf, I would strongly recommend against climbing into unknown coaches with suspiciously sturdy-looking shuttered windows. Amoebae It would be far more pleasant to camp along the banks of the Empire’s rivers if there wasn’t a distinct chance that a formless horror, widely known to Riverfolk as a ‘slime devil’, wouldn’t melt your face off while you dozed. Sadly, said creatures, properly called Amoebae, are indeed known to menace the banks of many of our rivers. They seem to especially favour the numerous marshes and wetlands of the Reik, but they’ve been known to turn up in the most unlikely of places. There are few barriers that can thwart the entrance of their amorphous bodies, which can slowly seep through even the tiniest of cracks. Amoebae are boneless creatures, resembling nothing so much as a hostile pudding. They are ‘single celled organisms’ I’m told by more learned folks who understand what that means. What I took away is that they are not very bright, existing merely to consume whatever organic matter they manage to flow over. They are capable of extending one or more long tentacles called ‘pseudopods’ which they use to engulf prey, but they don’t seem to favour living creatures over plants, or even dead tissue. As long as it is organic, Amoebae consume it. They fear fire, and cold can hurt them or, at least, inflict a strange torpor that they instinctively shy away from. Master Immelman, one of the Imperial Zoo’s well-regarded keepers, showed me a series of fairly clever heated steam vents that he uses to keep the several Amoebae on display at the zoo ‘penned’ in. All of an Amoebae’s surface exudes a powerful digestive acid that will eventually dissolve nearly anything organic. While they move slowly, they are utterly relentless. Even some of the most legendarily hostile beasts will retreat from an aggressively advancing Amoebae. They can move over nearly any solid surface, treating walls and ceilings much as they do floors. They move through water by rippling their body, not unlike a water snake. They vary greatly in size, from as small as an apple to bigger than a horse. Colour varies wildly between specimens, perhaps influenced by their diet. I met a River Warden who told me the clearest ones are the most dangerous, as that indicates they haven’t fed recently. † C † Amoebae secretions, unfortunately, go inert quickly when removed from a living specimen. some Dwarf jewelers keep a small Amoebae in order to immaculately clean old pieces. They remove every bit of organic tarnish, leaving only the gems and forge work behind. The impenetrable glass cases used for caging the Amoebae, and the cunning mechanisms that seal them, are each works of engineering art unto themselves.

45 AMOEBAE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 3 30 - 35 50 3 22 5 - - - 16 Traits: Amphibious, Painless, Regenerate, Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Engulf, 2xTentacles +6, Weapon (Pseudopod Lash) +6 Engulf – An Amoebae can Engulf any creature of its size or smaller. If it successfully attacks a target, regardless of whether it causes damage, it can ‘choose’ to Engulf it. Engulfed victims are smothered in the body mass of the Amoebae and gain a number of Entangled Conditions equal to the Amoebae’s Strength Bonus. An Engulfed victim begins taking the Amoebae’s Strength Bonus in Wounds at the beginning of every round as its powerful acids digest its target. This damage ignores both Armour and Toughness Points. Engulfed victims cannot be attacked by the Amoebae, but it will still attack others targets if they are near, though it can only Engulf one target. Any attack that hits the Amoebae causes damage to any Engulfed victim as if they had been struck. If an Engulfed target dies or stops struggling, an Amoebae will immediately retreat to absorb its meal over several days. Jelly from Hell – Amoebae are formless, lack organs, and are exceedingly difficult to slay. Any Wounds caused by anything other than fire, extreme cold, or magic are halved, rounding down. An Amoebae can, in general, only be permanently slain with fire, cold, or magic — otherwise, it will eventually regenerate. Mostly Mindless – Amoebae have no Intelligence, Willpower, or Fellowship scores and can neither make, nor fail, tests based on those characteristics. They generally act on limited instinct and effectively have the Trait Immunity to Psychology; however, they react to open flame as if they had the Trait Afraid (Fire) — meaning they will not approach any fire and will automatically acquire the Broken Condition if advanced on with it. Use its Strength Bonus in place of its Willpower Bonus whenever required. Optional Traits: Size (Small, Large-Enormous) JETSAM THE CLEVER JELLY M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 3 40 - 35 50 23 22 10 30 40 20 34 Traits: Afraid (Fire), Amphibious, Painless, Regenerate, Size (Large), Stealthy, Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Engulf, 2xTentacles +7, Weapon (Pseudopod Lash) +7 Engulf – See Amoebae, left; however, Jetsam is smart enough to expel a target that it doesn’t wish to eat. Jelly from Hell – See above. Skills: Cool 50, Evaluate 40, Gamble 35, Gossip 35, Intimidate 45, Intuition 33, Stealth (Urban) 37 (+2 SL) Talents: Etiquette (Criminals), Gregarious, Numismatics 2, Read/Write, Secret Signs (Thief )

46 ‘A matter of debate’ is putting it mildly, Theo. I’ve seen wizards duels over the subject. Folk claim that drinking any of a number of toxic substances will certainly give you ‘visions’, but they’ll be of a dubious providence at best, to say nothing of their deleterious effects on one’s health. Master Owkris of the Amber Order has sporadically given portents of the future that he claims derive from consuming ‘Seer Snake Liquor’. That these have actually come to pass is much to the consternation to the Celestial Order. The ‘Snake of Seers’, having a ‘head’ for a ‘tail’, has ‘no beginning and thus no end’ — or so the Sage Malbor puts it in his famed esoteric tome, Ruminations. It is the creature’s infamous venom, though, that truly earned the moniker. A distillation of exceedingly diluted Amphisbaena poison is said to induce visions of the hidden past and unknown future. Whether such dreams be truth or delusions remains a matter of debate in scholarly circles. Some seers and, rumour holds, Hedge Witches swear by its efficacy. Eating the flesh of the Amphisbaena, especially if personally hunted and killed under the full light of Mannslieb, is said to give one power against the ‘unseen world’ and, perhaps, against the Undead. The marsh-folk villagers of the Furdienst say that Amphisbaena hate Bog Octopi with a fierce passion. They have strange tales of finding the corpses of Bog Octopuses bearing only one or two bite wounds, clearly inflicted by a large reptile. Though none claimed to have ever seen such a fight, they all strongly believe that the Amphisbaena can sense the evil in the ‘tentacled swamp devils’ and hunts them without mercy. Unsurprisingly, considering their extreme hatred of Bog Octopodes, they take a rather dim view on would-be Amphisbaena hunters. Amphisbaena The Old World boasts a great many venomous creatures, and the lands of the Empire are certainly no stranger to reptiles of all sorts. Very few are as rare or strange as the Amphisbaena — the so-called ‘Snake of Seers’. The Amphisbaena is a huge snake with two heads, one on either end of its body, and both bear one of the deadliest poisons known to alchemy. Their eyes are said to shine like glittering lamps in the dark, casting light about and drawing unwary creatures to their death. Indeed, Amphisbaena may be responsible for some of the tails of ‘WillO-the-Wisps’ leading folks astray amidst swamplands. They often have strikingly coloured scales, with many bearing asymmetrical brilliant crimson and sky-blue patterns along their entire length. Though they are cold-blooded, as are so many reptiles, the cold is said to not affect them as other snakes. Witnesses have spotted Amphisbaena about frosty mountain peaks, as well as in foetid marshes. This has led some people to seek the skin of Amphisbaena as a proof against the cold. Proponents swear to the efficacy of wearing such directly against their skin, beneath their outer garments. One of the most subtle, deadly, and expensive of all poisons, the ‘Noble’s Death’ commonly known as Heartkill, derives from a lethal mixture of Amphisbaena and Jabberslythe venoms. My people’s records indicate Amphisbaena were far more common once, but have become rare doubtless owing to over-hunting for their many properties — whether true or fanciful delusion. Acquiring a living Amphisbaena is said to be an exceedingly difficult task, to say nothing of upkeep, but a living snake can provide a steady supply of venom without necessitating its death.

47 AMPHISBAENA M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 50 - 45 40 35 40 - 30 45 10 24 Traits: Armour 2 (6), Cold-blooded, Dark Vision, Size (Large), Stealthy, Stride Attack Traits: Bite +8, Venom (Hard), Weapon (Fangs) +8 Four-Fold Knowing Gaze – Amphisbaena cannot be surprised and it takes 4 opponents to ‘outnumber’ one in combat. Once per combat round, Amphisbaena can reverse the result of any one Combat Test they’re involved in. Optional Traits: Amphibious, Arboreal, Hatred (Bog Octopuses), Magical, Size (Enormous), Swamp-strider

48 In his wildly popular tome Hunting the Hunters, the renowned tracker Sorge Krause first advanced what he refers to as his ‘Swamp Avoidal Theory’. While he explores it on and off throughout his many books on hunting, his argument really boils down to this: swamps are horrible; everything there wants to eat you but tastes terrible in turn; don’t ever go to swamps. I know for a fact that Trolls (and Bog Octopuses) were, in fact, the prime motivators behind his theory, as I spent a fair few nights drinking with Sorge. There are many breeds of Troll, as they appear to be highly adaptable creatures. By far the worst, to my mind, are those trolls who dwell in swamps. The rivers and marshes of the Empire all suffer the depredations of Trolls to one degree or another. Perhaps I detest them the most because, like many citizens of the Empire, I like to fancy that our rivers afford some of the ‘safest’ travel. River Trolls make a mockery of that idea, snatching folks in the middle of the night off their barges to horrible fates. Perhaps it is because they are just so very foul. Their skin colours may vary from weedy green to bilious blue, but they all absolutely reek of rotting vegetation, putrid fish, and rancid slime. These Trolls like their meat ‘water ripened’ and regularly store corpses, of all types, in bogs or pin them underwater beneath sufficiently heavy rocks. As dangerous as Trools are, they are made far more so by their fortunately rare (Thank Sigmar!) matriarchs — the Troll Hags. Wicked, cruel, and disturbingly clever, these Hags infrequently emerge from the depths of the most treacherous marshes to lead their kin on raids during lean times, though they can also be roused by a Greenskin Waaagh! River Troll Hags practice dark mystic arts and are said to curse their foes with strings of appalling, if incoherent, Trollish invectives. These may be unintelligible, but are by all accounts highly effective. Worse, still, Troll Hags are massive creatures, larger by far than their male kin. There are not enough crowns in all the Reikland to make me investigate Troll mating practices. River Trolls Trolls, as any child of the Empire can tell you, are frightfully large and staggeringly stupid creatures with huge appetites but completely indiscriminate tastes. Trolls will eat literally anything — or so the stories go. While they certainly prefer flesh and bone, they will happily consume wood, stone, steel — anything they can jam down their gob, really. Possibly due to their eating tendencies, Trolls have amazingly powerful digestive juices. Their stomach acid can sear its way through almost anything, given time. This is especially bad for their foes, because Trolls can seemingly disgorge the contents of their intestines at will, causing absolutely horrific (and really disgusting) wounds. The most famed, and frequently lamented, trait of Trolls is their ability to recover from nearly any injury with astounding speed. A Troll begins to heal within seconds. This regeneration is so powerful as to regrow severed limbs. Tales abound of Trolls that managed to recover from just a few traces of blood and stray gobs of flesh. Fire alone seems to be the one thing that Trolls cannot easily recover from. Troll blood is valuable, and used in a wide variety of healing droughts and various other alchemical concoctions; however, many are wary of transporting it for fear it may get a bit ‘hostile’ along the way. More treasured by far, though, is Troll acid — a substance highly sought after by various users of magic, smiths, and engineers. It is phenomenally difficult to transport safely, which only adds to its value. A word of caution — my people often refer to those that have taken the path of Grimnir as ‘Troll slayers’ for good reason. Those who seek death, seek Trolls.

49 RIVER TROLL M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 40 15 55 55 20 15 15 20 20 5 34 Traits: Amphibious, Armour 2 (7), Die Hard, Grim, Infected, Night Vision, Regenerate, Size (Large), Stupid, Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Bite +8, Vomit +9, Weapon (Crude Maul) +9 Full o’ Fish & Worse – A River Troll can make its first Vomit attack in a combat without spending Advantage. (They pack plenty of … ammo.) Rotten Stench – The vile smell of a River Troll is all but overwhelming. All living targets within a number of yards equal to the River Troll’s Toughness Bonus suffer a penalty of –10 to all Tests. This penalty does not stack in the presence of multiple Rotten Stenches. Optional Traits: Bestial, Frenzy, Hardy, Hungry, Painless, Remove Stupid – Add Stealthy RIVER TROLL HAG M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 50 35 65 65 20 15 15 45 50 10 92 Traits: Amphibious, Armour 3 (9), Dark Vision, Die Hard, Grim 2, Immunity to Psychology, Infected, Painless, Regenerate, Size (Enormous), Spellcaster (Witchcraft), Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Bite +9, Vomit +14, Weapon (Deadwood Staff ) +10 Copious Vomit – A River Troll Hag will eat anything, anything at all, they find within their swamp, no matter how foul or wretched it might be. They make their first Vomit attack in combat without spending Advantage, and their bile causes extra damage (listed above) in addition to its normal effects. Overwhelming Stench – Unbelievably, River Troll Hags smell even worse than their male brethren. Their staggering reek causes those exposed to it for the first time to make a Willpower Test or gain a Stunned condition. Otherwise, it works exactly as a River Troll’s Rotten Stench. Skills: Channelling 80, Language (Magick) 75 Optional Traits: Hardy, Hungry, Spellcaster (Death) ‘Ha! Schreiber leaves it to Vasya to tell full truth. He reads me this, but fails to mention he hates Trolls because they eat favourite boots. While we travel down Reik for Zoo, we help Riverwardens with little problem. Takes us deep into Grootscher Marsh. Kind of place Krause said stay clear of, da? Lots happens, we find bad guys, sort them out. This is not important. What is important, big damn fight with Marsh Troll brothers. Now Marsh Trolls, very ugly, big stench, but awesome fighters. Difficult to read. Why? Marsh Troll has no idea what Marsh Troll do next. How can you know? Very dangerous. One brother, he spews on Schreiber and me. Hurts like sticking arm in fire, da? Coats Schreiber’s arm, legs. Wounds him good, but our scribe, he’s got some iron in him. Cuts Troll’s face clean off. Nightsong pins other’s leg to big log and we leave. Trolls defeated, but very not dead. Hard to keep fires going in marsh, which maybe says River Trolls smarter than other types, da? Anywho, lovely Kistiane helps put us back together, but no amount of magic can save Schreiber’s boots from Troll puke.’ I loved those boots.

50 common leeches do, Chameleoleeches draw them near with the extraordinary ability to create beguiling hallucinations of whatever the target deeply desires. The bite is painless, and enraptured prey does not notice when the creature attaches its saw-tooth circular mouth and begins to feed. The predations of a single Chameleoleech are survivable, for they soon grow full and move on. But the squirming things hunt in packs of three or more, even up to a dozen, which can easily make for a ‘pleasant’ death. Other predators, including some damnably clever River Trolls, have learned that a victim caught in the midst of a Chameleoleech delusion is easy prey and so may lair nearby. Some of the shadier citizens of our fair Empire figured out long ago how to harvest the glands from Chameleoleeches. They use these to create the powerful hallucinogenic drug commonly known on the streets of Altdorf as ‘Spit’. I gather it is rather difficult and, unsurprisingly, dangerous to keep live Chameleoleeches. Thus, Spit is neither easy to come by nor cheap. Wealthy folk that wish somewhat of the experience in a safe environment can visit the Zoo during one of their bi-annual ‘Strange Dreams’ exhibitions. During these, guests are exposed to air pumped and filtered from sealed Chameleoleech tanks. I’m told the experience is quite pleasant. As we journeyed along the Reik, we encountered a few Riverfolk that swore Chameleoleeches can actually create illusions — phantasms perceivable by all — beyond the mere hallucinations that their emanations cause. A huffer from Essel swore that Chameleoleeches are far more clever than most give credit for, and disguise themselves as terrain or even nondescript people. The Chameleoleeches held at the Imperial Zoo have never shown any such ability. But then, those heavily pampered and well-fed creatures might not have ever felt the need to do so. Chameleoleech Of all the strange creatures within the Curiosities of Nature wing of the Imperial Zoo, none is as famed, or misunderstood, as the Chameleoleech. On the surface, they appear to be nothing more than strangely coloured Giant Leeches, ranging from a mere hand’s breadth to a near full-pace in length. They hunt along the banks of rivers, presumably to keep their sensitive skin moist. Like all leeches, they are blood drinkers. Lacking eyes, they use other senses, strange organs that can detect heat and motion, to locate their prey. After these similarities, the tale changes. Instead of catching their prey stealthily as more CHAMELEOLEECH M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 3 28 - 25 30 30 30 - 5 25 - 8 Traits: Amphibious, Bestial, Immunity to Psychology, Size (Small), Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Weapon (Saw-tooth Bite) +5 Hallucinogenic Cloud – A Chameleoleech exudes a cloud that can affect all mammals within its Toughness Bonus in yards. All exposed must make a Hard (–20) Toughness Test or slip into a powerful vision offering them someone or something dearly loved or desired that they have lost. Those that shake it off cannot be affected by the same Chameleoleech for a day. Those that fail succumb for three rounds, plus a number of additional rounds equal to the SLs by which they failed. E.g., a –3 SL causes 6 rounds of sweet delusion. Those affected, for all intents and purposes, have the Unconscious Condition until they recover. Painless Bite – After a successful hit, a Chameleoleech will attach itself to its target, and thereafter drain 1 Wound worth of blood per round (ignoring Armour and Toughness Points). A Chameleoleech will seek to drain 1d10 worth of Wounds until it is satisfied, when it will then let go and retreat to digest elsewhere. A feeding Chameleoleech can be forcefully removed with an Opposed Strength Test, but doing so automatically inflicts one additional Wound and a Bleeding Condition on its target. Rubbing salt into a Chameleoleech will cause it to immediately release and flee. Skills: Stealth (Rural) 60 Optional Traits: Infected, Intelligence +20 & Spellcaster (Illusion only. Cast automatically with +5SL if required.)