51 The debate continues to rage in scholarly circles whether the ‘gifts’ of the Chameleoleech are strictly those of natural science, or whether they are touched by the Winds of Magic. A group of scholars from Altdorf University, led by Professor Hans Pfaff, have been studying the matter in earnest. Certainly, if their hallucinations are more than chemical, if they can, in fact, produce images visible to all witnesses, it strongly suggests that they can channel the Grey Wind in some manner. Finding credible evidence of such proves to be highly elusive — which I must amusedly confess is certainly true to the nature of Ulgu! I am familiar with a merchant who deals in, shall we say, unusual experiences. He has wares to cater to many tastes, and Spit is certainly in his repertoire. Here is the intriguing bit though: he once told me that the quality and effects of Spit can greatly change depending on how the Chameleoleech feeds. Apparently, the variations are so great that there are Spit ‘connoisseurs’ and dealers who specialize in particular, I suppose you would say, ‘tenors’ of hallucinogen. When I inquired what repast brings about such a change, he grew nervous and changed the subject.
52 In a small shop in Schilderheim, I found a curious sculpture that I think was intended to represent a Fen Worm. It had certain markings I’ve come to associate with the Old Faith, but it was strangely distorted. It had long protrusions of some kind, not unlike tentacles, ringed about its mouth. When I asked about it, the shopkeep promised to inquire after the owner for me. When I returned the following day, the sculpture was gone and the shopkeep singularly unforthcoming. She ignored my entreaties, and swiftly threatened to call the Watch if I didn’t move along at once. Fen Worm Mightiest of all the snakes of the Old World, Fen Worms are immense creatures, with even the smallest of their kind reaching ten long paces when full-grown. There are many old stories of Fen Worms that measured hundreds of feet from head to tail. If such titans still slither about the marshes of the Empire, they have become elusive creatures indeed, for none so large has been reported in many generations. Perhaps due to their massive size, Fen Worms are only found in the boggy soil of their namesake and strictly avoid dry land, which they cannot easily move their bulk over. The Imperial Zoo went to a considerable amount of effort to create a suitable ‘enclosed bog’ for Lady Scales, who is most beloved by the children of Altdorf. I must confess, I’ve never been able to look at pigs or snakes quite the same way after watching her crush and consume several during one of her bi-monthly feedings. There are some very obscure tales that associate Fen Worms with the Old Faith, the ancient religion that once dominated the lands where the Empire now stands. Depictions of endlessly coiling serpents can still be found upon some of the eldest surviving menhirs associated with the Old Faith, which abide even now, slowly gathering moss and lichen deep within our forests. It is said that devotees of Rhya and Taal still practice a few rites that associate snakes with fertility. When I asked after such, several priests told me that I was mistaken and then would speak with me no more. Sensing far more to the story, I began making more discreet inquiries as we travelled along the Reik. I uncovered strange, whispered tales of a faith not as gone as some would have you believe. A most interesting ‘herbalist’ from Uhland told me about an ancient schism of belief, leading to factions both benign and utterly debased. I previously heard fearful references — always given accompanied by the sign of the Hammer to avert evil — of a creature called the ‘Pale Wyrm’, with the implication that it was some kind of Fen Worm. This was unusual to hear, as the creatures near-invariably have brown and green stippled scales, with mottled patterns that allow them to blend into marsh foliage. When I asked the herbalist about it, she turned quite pale herself and said ‘some falsely believe there must be pain to ensure prosperity’. Then she too, as the priests before her, would speak no more. † C † FEN WORM M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 3 50 - 60 55 10 30 - 30 45 - 80 Traits: Armour 2 (7), Bestial, Cold-blooded, Dark Vision, Size (Enormous), Stealthy, Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Constrictor, Weapon (Crushing Coils) +10 Endless Coils – A Fen Worm has scaled length to spare and can Grapple up to five targets of smaller sizes simultaneously. Skills: Stealth (Rural) 50 (+3 SL for Stealthy) Optional Traits: Fanatical Cultists, Painless, Size (Monstrous), 4xTentacles +10, Terror 1
53 One of the gods my people do not call upon lightly is Atharti, Lady of Desire, for our passions, once unleashed, are not so easily recaptured. Snakes are sacred to Atharti and these ‘Fen Worms’, as you call them, have long been associated with her. A sect of her devotees bears a coiling symbol formed of two spiraling blood-red Fen Worms. The members of Her sect are wild, capricious beings, and not at all welcome among the Asrai.
54 While all Hydra are quick to recover from their wounds if they are not killed, returning from the dead is, fortunately, a trick that relatively few of their ilk seem to possess. The Crimson Scourge of Zhufbar has hunted the fens about the Black Water of the Worlds Edge Mountains for over a thousand years. Like the Corpse Render, the Scourge has been ‘confirmed slain’ by warriors, mercenaries, and no few Slayers. Yet, it keeps returning to kill again. Some scholars have suggested, carefully, lest they arouse the ire of the Dwarfs, that perhaps Hydras can produce descendants that look exactly like their progenitor. I spoke directly with two Slayers who had fought the Crimson Scourge ‘to the death’ on more than one occasion and both swore that it was the same beast, returned. Hydras seem heavily prone to mutation, as the tales of their appearances vary wildly. The majority bear seven or more heads resembling those of either snakes or lizards, mounted atop long flexible necks and connected to an exceedingly broad torso. The Crimson Scourge breathes great gouts of flame, whereas the Corpse Render has a wide, fanged maw concealed within the folds of its trunk. Hydras’ scaled skins come in a wide variety of colours, ranging from solid black to the impossible shades that flicker over the Corpse Render. These latter can ‘unhinge the mind’ as some stories have it. No matter the shade, all can easily turn arrows. Hydras seem to be near-voiceless creatures, managing only a menacing, burbling hiss when they charge. None have accused them of being particularly clever beasts, but they are tenacious far beyond the point of reason. The Corpse Render of Carroburg There is an old Sylvanian proverb which states: ‘That which is Evil endures. All else fades’. While I suspect they had something else in mind when they first uttered it, the Sylvanians may as well have been talking about the Hydra known as the Corpse Render of Carroburg. This monster has stalked back and forth between the Furdienst and the Mirror Moors of Middenland for centuries, despite having been ‘killed’ on a number of occasions. Hydra are reptilian monstrosities that roam the dismal swamps of the Empire, consuming anything they can catch. They are infamous for their multiple heads, voracious appetites, and in a few notorious cases, a seeming unwillingness to stay dead. The Corpse Render is a legendarily aggressive beast, unwilling to back down against nearly any foe. There are stories about it charging bands of Ogres and Demigryph knights, and it once tried to consume an Imperial Steam Tank. It soon despoils the area about its chosen lair, eventually consuming all other life that does not flee. Its preference for swamps may be directly tied to its great hunger, for the marshes of the Empire have wildlife in great abundance. Unsurprisingly, Krause notes the Corpse Render is one more excellent reason to avoid swamplands. Outside of the Empire, Hydras are often found in mountainous caverns, though how they sustain themselves is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps they needs must grow fond of the taste of Cave Squig. THE CORPSE RENDER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 65 - 60 65 15 30 - 20 35 - 84 Traits: Armour 3 (9), Bestial, Distracting (Colourshifting Scales), Grim, Night Vision, Regeneration, Size (Enormous), Swamp-strider, Territorial Attack Traits: Bite (Hidden Maw) +12, Constrictor, Weapon (Teeth) +10 Seven Shrewd Glares – The Corpse Render cannot be outnumbered in combat or Surprised. Skill: Melee (Teeth) 75 Talent: Berserk Charge 3 It is widely accepted within my Order that some rare Hydras can, indeed, return from the dead. Why some do while others perish is an elusive secret that no few scholars would give much to possess. Perchance, such creatures can slowly regenerate from even the merest traces of blood. Conceivably, they are stronger with the Amethyst Wind, Shyish, than any other beast alive. This I know: the body of the Corpse Render was brought to the Jade College a century ago and there it remains, even though the beast ‘returned’ some twenty years later, and then again five years after that, then seven after that, and so on.
55
56 Hippogryphs are ferocious, blood-thirsty beasts, savage killers with the forequarters and wings of a massive raptor and the hindquarters of a horse. By all accounts, they hate everyone and everything. Few riders indeed have the courage to mount a Hippogryph. The would-be rider must raise the beast from a chick by their hands alone. Even then, they are never ‘safe’ creatures to be around. Pegasi and Hippogryphs have fought amidst the peaks of the Grey Mountains for as long as recorded history, or so the Dwarfs say. Pegasi are more clever by far than Hippogryphs, which is fortunate, as those vicious beasts are far more brutal. They are also, sadly, swifter — and that, I suspect, is where the tragedy began. The story is not easily found, one told in quiet taverns on dark, ill-omened nights. It holds that many centuries ago, some Couronnian breeders felt that their native Pegasi should be given a ‘fighting chance’ against the Hippogryphs. They began a secret breeding program in a high valley of the Pale Sisters, one intended to create a ‘faster Pegasus’. Exactly what they introduced to the Pegasi’s line is shrouded or, perhaps, purposefully lost. At least one scholar told me those misguided folk used a beast from the Chaos Wastes to ‘enhance’ the Pegasi. The resulting creatures were swift as any Hippogryph: darkly coloured Pegasi with great wings like unto those of a bat and jagged, serrated horns. Unfortunately, they were also cruel and cunning hunters that reveled in devastating ambushes against unsuspecting or weakened foes. These ‘Fallen’ or ‘Dark’ Pegasi soon turned against their breeders and, ultimately, were driven north across the sea. None are said to live now within the borders of Bretonnia, but there are caves within the mountains that hide many secrets. Rumours persist that certain breeders yet engage in unsavory activities not spoken of within earshot of knights. Dark Pegasi It is always dangerous to assume that anything can be true of an entire people, but one is hard-pressed to find a Bretonnian who does not love horses. Surely, there must be exceptions, but I suspect those keep it to themselves, lest they be turned out of hearth by their relatives. The folk of the Duchy of Couronne are said to learn how to ride a horse before they can even walk — a rumour that no few travelers confirmed to me, including a Couronnian, after we passed into the Gisoreux Gap through the Grey Mountains. Indeed, many claim that the horse breeders of the Duchy of Couronne produce the finest destriers the Old World has to offer. Patrons in several taverns in Gisoreux assured me that Couronnians were all determined to breed the swiftest steeds possible, as racing is a pastime their entire duchy obsesses over. Alas, from such single-mindedness can calamity spring, for I uncovered here the roots of a much darker tale… Many fierce creatures dwell in the heights of the Grey Mountains and the northerly Pale Sisters. One old trapper swore to me ‘on the Lady herself, sir’ — no small oath for a Bretonnian — that he’d seen a colossal Squig, ‘as big as a house’, jumping between two of the smaller peaks of the Pale Sisters. Many stories hold that a few of the legendarily dreadful Basilisk still roam the high valleys (hopefully leaving statues of Greenskins in their wake). To Bretonnians though, the most important beasts that wander the heights are the sorts that could potentially bear a saddle, should one be inclined to ride them. Most famous of these are mortal enemies of one another: the noble Pegasi and the fierce Hippogryphs. Pegasi, as my readers doubtless know, are magnificent horses with vast feathered wings. A knight that would ride such an intelligent creature must help rear it from a foal. This is an expensive and time-consuming prospect to be sure, but one that eventually leads to a loyal, flying mount. They are so desirable that some lords boast entire units of Pegasus-mounted knights. The Imperial Zoo’s pair, Boralis and Corana, are certainly wonderful and friendly creatures, as eager for an apple as any horse I’ve ever met.
57 DARK PEGASI M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 8 45 - 45 40 25 40 - 15 25 - 28 Traits: Belligerent, Bestial, Dark Vision, Flight 120, Size (Large) Attack Traits: Horns +8, Weapon (Serrated Horns) +8 Ruthless Strike – On the round a Dark Pegasus charges, all of its attacks have the Impale and Penetrating Qualities. Optional Traits: Mutation, Trained (Broken, Magic, Mount, War)
58 'La Pégase Rampant', painting seen upon the wall of a baronial house in eastern Brettonia, attributed to one Jean Du'Blanc.
59 decree was never rescinded, and Bretonnian Knights — being keen to make the place of the peasantry absolutely clear to them — sporadically check to see that torches are still set out. That called for a round of drinks and I thought the matter closed, but I was wrong. One of the people I’d been drinking with, a cooper named Ferragus, quietly approached me after the others were retired for the evening. He told me there are those who believe the Nightravens are not gone, merely that they’ve become far more clever, taking folk undetected in the depths of the Forest of Arden or from lonely mountain vales amidst the Grey Mountains. Worse, when he was deep in his cups, he muttered a disturbing story about a secretive witch cult that summons flocks of Nightravens to savage their enemies. I could find no Bretonnian Knights willing to call his final tale anything other than ‘foolish peasant nonsense’. More telling, I thought, was the villagers’ response. They would not speak of it at all, saying it was best not to discuss such evils, lest one draw their attention. Nightravens While we stayed in the city of Gisoreux, capital of the Duchie of Gisoreux, I noticed the strangest practice. Outside every house, every few days, the occupants place a fresh torch, usually in some sort of ceramic sconce. I never saw any of them used, only regularly maintained. I found the Gisorens to be a delightful people, friendly to travelers, and I’d struck up a good rapport with a few, so I finally asked about the torches. I confess, I wasn’t quite prepared for the tale I heard. The Duchies of Gisoreux, Artois, and Bastonne were once plagued by terrible creatures known as Nightravens. More monster than twisted raptor, the black-feathered Nightravens would descend in swift flocks that tear the unwary to shreds, reducing a person to bare bones in well less than thirty seconds. The bird-like creatures dreaded light, attacking only when neither of the moons appeared in the sky, but were otherwise fearless. Their depredations were so terrible that eventually the Duke of Gisoreux ordered fresh torches regularly placed before every home throughout the city. He gave strict instructions that they were not to be used otherwise, so as to be ready if needed to ward off a Nightraven attack. Now this all seemed imminently sensible to me and I said as much, but I also noted that I hadn’t heard of the Nightravens or any attacks. It struck me as the kind of thing my party would have certainly learned about. My new Gisoren friends agreed and told me that the legendary Sir Thorpas purportedly destroyed the last Nightraven flock five centuries ago. Apparently, the Duke’s NIGHTRAVEN FLOCK M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 55* 20 42 45 60 24 - 14 38 10 55* Traits: Afraid (Light), Dark Vision, Fear 2, Flight 100 Attack Traits: Bite (Vicious Beaks), Swarm*, Weapon (Talons) +8 Murder on the Wing – All of a Nightraven Flock’s attacks have the Impale and Penetrating Qualities. Optional Traits: Infected, Magical, Unstable There are puissant Wizards within the Amber College who can cast a terrible enchantment which calls upon a mystic flock of shadowy raptors to ravage their foes. It may well be that there are witches in Bretonnia with access to a similar ritual. The Bretonnian peasantry, knowing little of such matters, might believe them to be Nighravens. That said, if these Nightravens still exist, there are said to be ancient rituals which can bind such monsters, but they are perilous.
60 infamous beast: blighted in form, incandescent in rage. They are ferocious and relentless, destroying all about them, reminiscent of Razorgor. But unlike those hell-sent boars, Preytons kill for sport. They leave rent corpses in their wake, upon which they don’t even bother to feed. They are twisted creatures, with their forelegs and body resembling those of a partially-scaled and malformed stag, their hindquarters ending in a lion’s bent legs and claws. Their equine heads hold great sharp blackened antlers, glaring red eyes, and multiple rows of jagged fangs. They bear shredded wings like unto those of a great raptor, but seldom fly above the forest canopy, preferring to stalk beneath the trees. Preyton The Forest of Arden has a fell reputation that stretches beyond the borders of Bretonnia. Not unlike our Forest of Shadows or the Drakwald, the depths of the Forest of Arden are filled with mutants, stag-headed Beastmen, and far, far worse. Portions of the forest actually lie within five different duchies, but only its outermost borders have any settlements of note. The few villages of the interior are said to be so isolated that whole generations live and die without ever seeing an outsider. It was, in fact, one of the legendary terrors of the Forest of Arden that was partially responsible for our excursion into Bretonnia. The Preyton is an
61 PREYTON M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 50 - 55 50 40 35 - 15 45 - 38 Traits: Arboreal, Armour 2 (7), Bestial, Corruption (Minor), Frenzy, Flight 50, Grim, Night Vision, Painless, Size (Large) Attack Traits: Horns (Antlers) +10, Weapon ( Jagged Fangs) +9 Endless Malice – If a Preyton kills or incapacitates a living opponent, it must pass a Willpower Test or pause to utterly rend the fallen, losing its next Action and Move. An unconscious foe takes an automatic Critical Wound from this treatment. Witnesses to this are subject to Fear 2. Optional Traits: Infestation, Mutation Regimius Braun, a Priest of Taal, told me a dark tale of the Preytons — one that several worthies at the Imperial Zoo excitedly asked me to further investigate when I spoke of it. Braun said that some within his cult believe that Preyton are neither natural creatures, nor directly born of Chaos. They believe the monsters are created by foul Beastmen rituals from the corpse of a Great Stag. Their existence is thus one of intense pain and scattered revenant memories that constantly hint at what they once were, driving them on in their destructive madness. If Nightsong has the right of it about Great Stags, the priest’s story is highly suspect. Unfortunately, uncovering actual knowledge of Preytons proved to be a frustrating endeavour. We spent more than a month in Gisoreux, searching for a guide. Most of the folk we met, upon learning that we wished to travel into the interior of the Forest of Arden for a time to do research, at first guffawed. Realizing that I and the rest of the band were quite serious, they immediately began praying to their Lady for our souls, while begging us to reconsider such folly. At last, we found a village with a well-built stockade along the eastern edge of the forest and there met Sir Carloman, a Realm Knight. Sir Carloman was a soul of courtesy, most intrigued to meet us, being especially taken aback by Kistiane — I think he suspected her to be a ‘Grail Maiden’ (one of the chosen handmaidens of the Bretonnians’ goddess, I gather) despite her protestations otherwise — and Nightsong, whose ability to walk across even the thickest forest leaves without a whisper of sound impressed him mightily. Sir Carloman told me all he knew of Preytons. He had even fought one, once. He passed along enough lore to satisfy most of the demands of the zoologists. Sir Carloman said that he’d heard stories similar to Braun’s, but that the beast he fought was no undead creature, regardless of whatever other truths the story might hold. I have rendered his last words on Preytons here, for I’ve pondered them often since: Sir Carloman – ‘This at least, I grant you, Master Schreiber — they are not natural beasts. The Preyton hates all life, its own as much as every other, with a hatred so pure that it is madness. They will ignore the sound blows of a knight, in order to ravage a fallen peasant in an unspeakable and ghastly manner. There are entire tribes of Beastmen that hold the Preyton as sacred, worshiping them from afar. Seek them not, save duty or honour compels.’
62 The high imposing wall of the Grey Mountains is all but impenetrable, save for a few storied passes — and several infamous ones. The Grey Mountains’ upper slopes are clad in year-round ice, while thick clouds obscure their lofty summits. There, high above the world, the Great Eagles set their eyries. Largest of all the raptors of the Old World, the Great Eagles are said to have lived amidst the high peaks since long before the coming of Humans. They are vast creatures, with wingspans frequently stretching over thirty feet. Yet, they can move with blinding speed. Their eyes are the strongest of any mortal being; they can stare unflinching at the sun, or study the movements of a rabbit across the fields of the Vorbergland from their eyries. Their talons are as long as a man’s arm and can easily pierce armour. Many Bretonnians believe that Great Eagles cannot die from old age or sickness, that they rejuvenate themselves by flying high above the clouds to burn off old feathers with the heat of the sun, before plunging deep into the Great Ocean to emerge renewed. The Great Eagles are said to be a noble species, though bitter experience has made them distrustful of others. The Elves alone have learned something of their difficult whistling tongue. Persistent rumor has it that some Great Eagles can speak the languages of other folk, but they seldom feel the need to do so. They clearly hate the Greenskin races with a fierce passion, and many’s the tale on both sides of the Grey Mountains wherein Great Eagles descend from a clear sky to fall upon a hidden Ork or Goblin ambush party, alerting nearby troops to the raiders’ presence. The warriors of Bretonnia and the Empire both afford them great respect, and ill luck befalls anyone who should cause a Great Eagle harm. While these mighty birds mostly subsist on wild game, farmers near the mountains resent their sporadic sheep snatching. They find it even more galling that few other folk are sympathetic to such complaints. Great Raptors of theGrey Mountains
63 GREAT EAGLE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 65 - 55 43 35 40 - 45 45 25 68 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Night Vision, Flight 120, Size (Enormous) Attack Traits: Bite (Beak) +9, Weapon (Talons) +10 Lightning from a Clear Sky – All of a Great Eagle’s attacks have the Fast and Penetrating Qualities. Skills: Perception 85 Optional Traits: Fury, Regenerate, add Language (Any) 50 GREY MOUNTAIN HAWK M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 35 - 35 40 45 50 - 20 55 - 32 Traits: Bestial, Flight 100, Night Vision, Size (Large), Territorial Attack Traits: Bite (Beak) +6, Weapon (Talons) +7 Optional Traits: Frenzy, Trained (Broken, Magic, Mount, War) HEOMRETH M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 55 - 40 45 30 45 - 50 45 20 64 Traits: Arboreal, Armour 1 (5), Dark Vision, Flight 80, Size (Enormous), Stealthy Attack Traits: Weapon (Talons) +9 Skills: Language (Eltharin) 60, Lore (Any) 80, Stealth (Rural) 75 (+4 SL for Stealthy) Optional Traits: Blessed (Verena), Fear, Miracles (Verena), Ward +8 For reasons unknown to scholars, the Grey Mountains hold many large avian species beside the Great Eagles. Veangthur the Learned, of the University of Altdorf, suggested in his seminal work, Peculiar Patterns Natural & Otherwise, that the range may have some property, as yet unidentified, that leads to the prodigious growth of birds. The hawks and the shrikes, while not the grand size of the Great Eagles, grow very large indeed, with wingspans averaging nearly eighteen feet. The Bretonnians especially esteem the hawks for their sheer fearlessness. I heard several remarkable tales illustrating their courage. Most notably, they frequently attack Hippogryphs that dare encroach on their territory, even driving the far larger predators away with remarkable determination. I met a Dwarf trader from Karak Azgaraz who swore some Elves even ride into battle atop the backs of the largest hawks, a rumour the exceedingly secretive Elves of the Forest of Loren never deign to confirm (or deny). If my distant kin choose not to speak of something, they doubtless have their reasons. This I will say: the Grey Mountains are not the only place where mighty raptors dwell. Deep in the heart of Laurelorn, there are wondrous groves with elder trees that house the Heomreth, which I suppose you would call ‘Giant Owls’, Schreiber. They are ancient beings, deep with wisdom and mystic gifts, but they are frequently inscrutable.
64 Cockatrice once dominated all the mountains of Bretonnia, regularly emerging from their foul cavern lairs to skulk about the edges of battlefields — for they are eaters of carrion and enjoy despoiling the dead. Some stories have them spitting acid or dripping with venom, as if their feared gaze were not enough of a danger. Even the Bretonnians’ oldest tales do not account for a time before their scourge, though some ancient ones state that the Cockatrice first came on ‘the wings of the Great Storm, from the north, long ago’. In truth, this isn’t surprising, for the tribes of the Bretonni refused Sigmar’s call. Not until the coming of their first king, Giles le Breton, nearly a thousand years later, did they start writing down their history, while deriving much from oral traditions. After the unification of Bretonnia and the formal adoption of their ‘Decrees of Chivalry’, many young Bretonnian knights needed worthy foes to prove themselves. They found them in Cockatrices. The Pale Sisters and the Grey Mountains were soon mostly depleted of the profane beasts. Still, statues that mark their passage linger in many shadowed valleys, and they are said to stalk the crags of the Massif Orcal in central Bretonnia. For my mind, it near beggars belief that there could be two beasts in one mountain range capable of turning their foes to stone that have, apparently, no connection to one another. The virulently poisonous reptilian Basilisks of the eastern Grey Mountains seem nothing like the bird-like Cockatrices of the western Grey Mountains. Yet Chaos is ever insidious, and who knows what foul kinship may exist between the two species? Cockatrice The twisted and repulsive Cockatrice is the foulest of aberrations: a creature allegedly once ‘blessed’ by the Ruinous Powers, long since forsaken and utterly wretched, but still mortally deadly. The Knights of Bretonnia hold that there are few other creatures that can so test the mettle of a warrior. When they hunt the beasts, the wisest among them don helmets that leave them near-sightless, for those who meet the cursed glare of a Cockatrice are turned to stone. A Cockatrice resembles a large, misshapen bird, but few are the raptors that sport jagged fangs within their beaks. Their bodies sprout both feathers and fur, but their coverage is uneven and haphazard. Bald patches and aberrant colours not found in true nature are common. Their tails are serpentine, scaled, and tipped with razor sharp clawed talons like those of their feet. At least, that is certainly how the one stuffed and mounted in the Museum of Triumphs in Outer Montfort appears. The curator assured me it was a proper representative of its loathsome kind, and I did not doubt her sincerity. She also noted that knights remarked upon the echoing ‘sibilant hiss’ that ever emerged as the beast struggled. The sound was distinct enough that it helped the willfully sightless knights to target their prey. The ashes of a burned Cockatrice are exceedingly desirable to alchemists, for they are said to have rare transformative properties. I have heard darker rumours, suggesting their leading talons can be carved into fell daggers that produce their own venom. I have never seen such a thing. It sounds plausible, though I doubt such a property would last indefinitely. I was once at a soiree with a delightful Bretonnian girl, the daughter of a knight of some import as I recall. She told a fascinating story about a Cockatrice that her father fought in his youth. Apparently, Cockatrices are cowardly creatures, hence their preference for carrion, but go berserk when cornered. Her father was near overcome by the beast’s unexpected rage when suddenly it fled the field, squawking in terror. What had so startled the foul thing? Nothing more than a common stoat, which had left its lair, upset by the skirmish. Seek to kill a Cockatrice? Consider investing in an ermine cape.
65 COCKATRICE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 40 52 35 45 55 35 - 20 25 - 34 Traits: Armour 2 (6), Bestial, Dark Vision, Flight 60, Grim, Hardy, Size (Large), Territorial Attack Traits: Bite (Fanged Beak) +7, Petrifying Gaze, Tail +7, Weapon (Talons) +7 Wicked Claws – A Cockatrice’s Talons have the Trait Venom (Hard). Optional Traits: Afraid (Weasels), Breath (Corrosion) +9, Infected
66 like heads, crocodilian heads — an inexhaustible cascade — but invariably at least one Dragon head. The three heads generally work in concert, though there are certainly tales of their heads getting into snarling ‘arguments’. I can tell you from unfortunate personal experience that at least one Chimera’s heads were capable of independently tracking several foes at once. The body of a Chimera is commonly most like to that of a massive and misshapen great cat, with wide paws bearing curved claws — though I’ve also heard tales of Chimeras with bodies more similar to an outsized bull. The dreaded Oblast Beast, which periodically devastates the lands of Kislev and will hunt its chosen prey for days on end, is said to have a vast body like a shaggy grey bear with the heads of a large falcon, a massive-tusked boar, and an ice-spewing Dragon. Chimera fly on great wings, of similarly mutable form: some leathery, others feathered. They have long tails, which may end in boney blades, scorpion stingers, or even a fourth snarling head. All accounts of Chimera note their unpredictable nature coupled with overwhelming rage. One story from Middenland has a Chimera fall upon a party to tear apart two of its members and a horse, then fly away without a backward glance. Another, from Nordland, described a Chimera systematically consuming an entire caravan — wagons and all. I have fought many terrible foes in my life and there are a few I care not to recall, but the discordant three-throated roar of the Chimera will haunt my nightmares till I stand before Morr. In my experience, you don’t so much fight a Chimera, as survive it. † C † Chimera The dread three-headed Chimera is a true monster of Chaos. Warped and twisted creatures that shall never see the inside of any zoo, Imperial or otherwise, Chimera seem to exist only to kill. They are horror made flesh; indeed, some say they are formed of raw Chaos and have no true material birth. I can see why some may embrace such thinking, for to consider a Chimera’s potential bloodline too deeply is to court madness. It was certainly not my or my companions’ intention to ever seek out such a beast, but ‘Ranald will have his day’, as they say in Altdorf… While no two Chimera are completely identical, all bear one striking similarity: three distinct heads. Prevailingly, one is leonine, one a large raptor, and the last that of a Dragon. There are accounts of Chimera with ursine heads, feline heads, reptilian heads, insect-
67 CHIMERA M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 65 55 63 52 50 54 - 24 40 - 80 Traits: Armour 2 (7), Bestial, Corruption (Minor), Flight 80, Fury, Grim 2, Magical, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Territorial, Terror 1 Attack Traits: Bite +10, Breath (Fire) +12, Weapon (Claws) +10 We See You – A Chimera can neither be Surprised nor outnumbered in combat. Optional Traits: Corrosive Blood, Horns +10, Infected, Mutation, Stealthy, Tail +10, Trained (Magic, Mount), Tongue +10, Venom THE OBLAST BEAST M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 75 63 71 65 42 38 - 32 40 - 92 Traits: Armour 3 (9), Bestial, Corruption (Minor), Flight 80, Fury, Grim 2, Magical, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Territorial, Terror 1, Tracker Attack Traits: Bite +12, Breath (Cold) +14, Weapon (Curved Claws) +12 We See You – The Oblast Beast can neither be Surprised nor outnumbered in combat. Mangling Jaws - The Oblast Beast’s Bite attack has the Hack and Penetrating Qualities. Skills: Melee (Curved Claws) 95, Track 62 (+4 SL bonus) Talents: Implacable 2, Relentless 2 Our sojourn in Bretonnia completed, our group prepared to head back into the Empire via Axe Bite Pass. On our last night in Bretonnia proper, we stayed at a famous inn, The Braided Fish, which has the best grilled trout imaginable and a stunning view of the Grey Mountains. A cluster of magnificent peaks caught my eyes and I watched the setting sun ignite their summits in a circlet of gold. When I drew my friends’ attention, they all gazed up in admiration, save Jorunn who regarded me with a strange expression. ‘Those, Schreiber, are the crowning peaks of Karak Ziflin, my hold.’ I told her I thought they were beautiful and asked when she intended to return. “One day. This wine isn’t bad, for Human swill.” Our trip went smoothly and we passed through the mountains without incident. In Helmgart, we discovered that neither Nightsong nor Ghorshkov had ever laid eyes on the famed Drachenberg, so we made a point of taking one of the branches of the River Bögen that would take us close to the mountain. We camped along the river, in the mountain’s shadow. We obviously (if barely) survived. See the Appendices for the tale of our convalescence. ‘The night was quiet, save for river. That lovely strange peak soar up above us. You tell good story, Schreiber, I remember. Nightsong grace us with namesake, beautiful though I don’t know words. There was no warning. No cry. Nothing until it upon us. It come from darkness and Kistiane explode into flame. Then, is roar like nothing else. Fear given voice. My mind says run, but my heart is stubborn, da? It lands in middle of camp: flash of teeth, and wicked claws. Its bird head lunge and I hear Erich cry. I think him dead. It is upon us all. Swipe at you, me; its tail spear Nightsong’s leg. Blood spilling everywhere. I am son of Pits. I attack, for what else is there? It did not like my axe. It shriek from three throats and then Jorunn cut it across lion face. Furious. Pure rage that we dare strike back, da? I see its paw sweep you and spray of blood. Then I hear sweet sound, Kistiane’s voice yelling. Spears of green light tear through wing. I see arrows sprout from back. Nightsong gives me good handle. I leap up on it, grab one shaft, and bury my axe as deep in spine as I can. I cut it many times. I do not know how many, but I do remember Dragon head biting me. Next thing I am recalling, was you and Gromsdottir trying to stop me bleeding out as you pull me off dead Chimera. Gods! what a glorious fight, da?’
68 Vasya simply declared he needed plenty of ale to replace the blood he lost. So that was our party in Wheburg — recovering, drinking, playing games, eating fine foods, gambling, visiting houses of both good and ill repute, and more drinking. I tried to write between bouts of entertainment and pressed my compatriots to write their thoughts on entries for the Zoo book — direct reproductions of which you’ll find throughout this tome. We were invited to all sorts of parties, met a number of nobles, both openly and clandestinely; high-ranking Imperial officers; and eventually scholars once word of our work for the Imperial Zoo got about. Ghorshkov must have told a dozen or more variations of our fight with the Chimera, along with other anecdotes from our travels during the last two years. All in all, we were having a marvellous time. † C † After a time, I noticed a recurring theme in conversations with Imperial officers, fellow scholars, and a few nobles, all of whom asked probing questions about Beastmen and what I had ‘uncovered’ during our travels. Noting that they were unnatural creatures, I said I had few details to share. I certainly disclosed none of the events of the previous appendix (the First Incident) publicly, noting only that Beastmen certainly seem to have multiplied in the forests and grown more active of late. All agreed, but that wasn’t what they were looking for. I was quietly asked if Humans can turn feral, beastlike; such questions always couched as mere curiosity. I eventually discovered that a number of unusual attacks had occurred throughout the Vorbergland, from Bögenhafen to Eilhart. Some folk had been slaughtered, rent limb from limb, even ones safely ensconced behind high coaching inn walls while buildings were left unbreached. Others had gone missing —no bodies ever discovered, nor hints of foul play — just disappeared without a trace. Did I know of any Beastmen that acted in such a manner? I had to confess I couldn’t think of any, not at first, at least… The Second Incident — What Happens in Wheburg The Chimera wounded our party badly, leaving several of us gravely injured, and Erich near death. Kistiane was seriously burned and lost her golden locks entirely for a time. Vasya had been near torn to pieces. Nightsong’s right leg was severely damaged — particularly galling for the effortlessly graceful Elf. Jorunn, alone, escaped serious injury, but she was badly cut. As for myself, it’s fortunate I wield both sword and pen with my right hand, for the beast sheared off the ring and little finger from my left. Shallya and Sigmar were both with us though; the battle could’ve gone much worse. Jorunn’s skills and Kistiane’s arts managed to at least stabilise the rest of us. The following morning, Ranald winked at us, and an Imperial River Patrol happened upon our riverside campsite. I hope I never forget the look on the Captain’s face when Vasya called out, ‘Hey, you lads hungry?’ A furious Jorunn threatened to kill Ghorshkov if he reopened the wounds and undid all her hard work, as he leapt about, enthusiastically telling the awed Riverwardens about our battle with the Chimera. The crew were impressed and their captain declared we were all due a sizable bounty in Wheburg on the Chimera’s heads. While not strictly ‘by the book’, Captain Krause and her crew could see our condition and agreed to take us to Wheburg, along with our prizes. Needless to say, I made certain a fair portion of our bounty purse was ‘donated’ to the Imperial River Patrol, trusting Captain Krause to sort out the details. Even so, my party found ourselves in Wheburg with a sizable purse of crowns. The tale of our valiant struggle soon spread through town like a wildfire in Wissenland. Wheburg is a fun town even if you’re poor, but an amazing one if you’ve got extra coin. What’s more, the second the inhabitants of any tavern discovered we took down the Chimera, we didn’t pay for any drinks at all. We set Erich up at a lovely Shallyan chapel infirmary, after a generous contribution. Lynathryn’s leg called for a skilled surgeon, as the hunter had made it clear any attempts to amputate would result in bloodshed — and not for the patient. Fortunately, Doktor Spalten’s quiet, steady demeanour and that he swore Nightsong would walk without difficulty inside of two months reassured all of us. Kistiane decided she liked her hair short, laughing, ‘How many women can claim a Chimera was their stylist?’ And Ghorshkov?
69 Just over a month after we arrived in Wheburg, I received an illustrated invitation to a private soiree hosted by Master Lief Steirlich-Olmn. The invitation noted that I could bring a guest. Kistiane was delighted to accompany me to the noble’s estate in northern Wheburg. We presented ourselves at the appropriate time at Master Lief Steirlich-Olmn’s manor. Steirlich-Olmn, a scion of a Nordland family, with reportedly little interest in the Reikland’s politics but a keen interest in beasts and natural science, could barely contain his excitement when we arrived. The estate proved to be a little run-down but heavily reinforced, with defenses reminiscent of a coaching inn. The Reikwald looms immediately to the north and east, so what might have been considered excessive elsewhere seemed merely prudent. While his other guests were taciturn and more interested in their wine than conversation, I found Lord Steirlich-Olmn to be a most erudite and urbane man. Though of a pale and sickly constitution, he had travelled extensively, and had clearly seen a great deal of the world, including things many will not speak of in the Empire. He was very perceptive and after a few leading questions to Kistiane and I both, he nodded once, then lowered his voice to state, ‘Ah, you’ve fought them, haven’t you? The Ratmen.’ We tried to hide our shock, but he had his answer before we said a word. ‘No need for denials. I know a Dwarf and an Elf are among your compatriots. The Elder Folk are wiser about such things. Come, there is something I would show you.’ He led us to his manor’s extensive cellar. Strangely, I thought at the time, several of his guests moved to accompany us, but he dismissed them with a wave. The cellar had many closed doors, and rooms beyond. We were taken to a large antechamber, filled with glass jars containing herbs and a wide variety of other substances I couldn’t identify, but I suspect it was not unlike the study of an apothecary or an alchemist. At the centre of the room stood a large marble table and upon it lay something ghastly. Lord Steirlich-Olmn gestured at the thing upon the table. ‘Well, Herr Schreiber, what do you make of this?’ He watched me intently, his eyes occasionally flickering to Kistiane. The corpse upon the table resembled that of a massive Great Wolf, but it was elongated, the proportions entirely wrong. Its forelegs were far too long and ended not in paws, but in huge clawed hands. The centre of the body was torn open along the stomach, but there seemed to be little inside. Its hollow nature made me think it was some sort of elaborate costume, until I noticed the deep bite marks along the torn skin flaps of its chest. It took an even greater act of will than mastering myself to stand against a Chimera to hide my revulsion, my immediate terrible suspicions replaying the previous weeks’ conversations, as I knew with sudden glaring clarity what I was looking at. Yet, I laughed lightly and said, while looking into Steirlich-Olmn’s piercing feral gaze, ‘What a delightful costume! Do you practice taxidermy, my Lord?’ His expression was one of mild disgust and disappointment, but he hid it smoothly. ‘Not as such, but a great deal of effort went into it, eh?’
70 We were ushered out soon after. I would not answer Kistiane’s questions till we were back in our room at Wheburg. What I did not tell Lord Steirlich-Olmn is that I have heard of the Twisted Changers, the Skin Wolves. While they resemble the legendary Children of Ulric who are said to be able to naturally transform into wolves, they are Chaos-tainted beings born of a terrible curse: monsters who walk in the form of Men, till Morrslieb calls them forth from their flesh prison. Then the beast they hold within claws free of their Human form — a terrible upright wolf-creature that wreaks havoc on the world for the amusement of the Dark Gods, clad only in the tatters of its previous body. Most of the scholars that will speak of such matters at all declare that all Skin Wolves are cursed and desperate creatures, unwitting pawns of the Ruinous Powers. But I know of a scholar’s tavern, The Cursed Pelt in Altdorf, with a dark reputation and a penchant for ominous lore. I once spoke with a haunted traveller there, who spoke indirectly of a cult he named the Wayward Moon, one dedicated to ‘achieving a grim transcendence’ through fell rites that would transform adherents into Skin Wolves. I did not tell Lord Steirlich-Olmn any of this. I did not tell him that when the beast has had its fill of slaughter, the Human within the Skin Wolf must claw and chew their way back out. I suspect he already knew. WAYWARD MOON CULTIST M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 30 40 40 45 30 30 40 35 40 30 20 Traits: Armour 1 (5), Mental Corruption (Beast Within) Attack Traits: Ranged (Longbow) +10* (100), Weapon (Dagger) +6 Skills: Charm Animal 50, Climb 45, Consume Alcohol 55, Cool 50, Endurance 55, Gossip 40, Intuition 40, Lore (Beasts 45, Skin Wolves 45), Melee (Basic) 40, Outdoor Survival 45, Perception 40, Ranged (Bow) 50, Research 45, Secret Signs (Hunter) 45, Set Trap 50, Stealth (Rural) 40 Talents: Accurate Shot 2*, Hardy Trappings: Feral Mien, Longbow with Wickedlooking Arrows, Tattoo of Morrslieb SKIN WOLF M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 60 – 54 58 55 48 30 35 50 30 25 Traits: Armour 1 (6), Die Hard, Fear 2, Grim, Frenzy, Hardy, Magical, Night Vision, Regenerate, Stride, Tracker Attack Traits: Bite +9, 2x Weapon (Claws) +10 Endless Rage – A Skin Wolf is always subject to Frenzy. Optional Traits: Mutation, Hungry, Infected I will say this: I saw nothing with my Sight within Lord Steirlich-Olmn’s cellar. Nothing: no trace of the Winds at all, as if they had been magically concealed. I know you tried to carefully convey your suspicions to Wheburg’s authorities, but without a noble to back up your words, they wouldn’t take you seriously. Do you recall any of it? I don’t think you were sober till we left for Altdorf.
71
After convalescing in Wheburg, I returned to Altdorf finally prepared to finish the Imperial Zoological Society’s book, but an invitation from abroad changed my plans entirely. Chancellor von Festschrift of Altdorf University had received a startling open invitation from Tilea, which was directed to the ‘Bestiara department and the worthies of the Imperial Zoo’ concerning an amazing find that was being displayed at the Great Coliseum. While the Chancellor was deeply suspicious of any such thing originating from Tilea, it was intriguing enough that Warnicke asked if I was ready for a ‘third trip to pay for all’. All my compatriots save one were willing to travel to Tilea. Erich was particularly enthused, as he speaks Tilean quite well; however, Jorunn was hesitant. I know that her condition had been troubling her, but few details. Like many Dwarfs, she has never been particularly keen on discussing her personal matters. I knew only that she suffered from joint pains and an unusual blood clotting problem, making injuries particularly dangerous. I pointed out that she might learn something useful in the south, which was bound to have lore not known in the Empire. I also teased her just a bit about how it would improve my book, as I’ve long tried to talk her into writing a chapter with her great store of apothecary knowledge. This time, she didn’t snort in derision, but suddenly gazed at me with a great deal of intent. ‘If I swear to write you that chapter, Theodosius Schreiber, will you swear to take my body home to Karak Ziflin, should I perish?’ Be wary when Dwarfs speak of oaths. Nevertheless, I told her she’d outlive me by a century at the least, but she had my word and with that, she agreed to come. We headed south a few days later.
The Third Expedition 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
74 A Priestess of Verena told me an ancient tale about the Great Taurus. The story goes that the gods originally sent the monstrosities as punishment for a terrible transgression that occurred in the heart of a once-fertile land fallen into debauchery. There are several different versions of exactly what it was that the populace did that angered their deities. The most common accusation is that they had turned from their gods to worship the Ruinous Powers, hurling into an active caldera those who would not give up their old faith. The volcano erupted with such force that it effectively exploded, leaving the land about it for hundreds of miles a waste. From the blazing heart of the former volcano came the first Great Taurus to hunt down any survivors with all the fiery wrath of a deity scorned. I did not write of the Great Taurus earlier for, in truth, I had not intended to at all. During our time in Karak Kadrin, I found the Dwarfs very reticent to discuss the ‘fire bulls’. They were at pains, however, to tell me those creatures of the Dark Lands had never been seen beyond. I was willing to let that stand, having many other creatures to write of, until we headed south. We found that the villages of southern Wissenland were all affright, for their lands were preyed upon by a creature they referred to as the ‘Crimson Bull of the Black Mountains’. I try to keep an open mind, but I’m hard-pressed to believe another ‘flying fiery bull monster’ has suddenly appeared to bedevil the Empire. Apparently, the Great Taurus can leave the Dark Lands, though who can say what has driven this particular one to do so? To Ghorshkov’s great disappointment, we did not encounter it on our way to Karak Hirn, though we did see the blackened ruins of a village it had destroyed. Great Taurus I have written briefly of the Dark Lands, that realm of pitiless sun, howling winds, and bitter ashes that lies east of the Empire, beyond the Worlds Edge Mountains. Few are the creatures that would willingly call those cursed lands home. Fewer still could thrive on the desert plains of the Blasted Wastes where none save Greenskins dwell, or amidst the toxic volcanic vents of the Desolation of Azgorh. Yet there is at least one beast, said by some scholars to be one of the most dangerous predators in all the Old World, that flourishes there. They believe it personifies the Dark Lands: The Great Taurus. The Great Taurus is a creature of rage and fire which, going by accounts of the Dwarfs, is native to the Dark Lands. It resembles a massive winged bull with deep red skin that continually burns with all the heat of a gigantic forge. A shimmering haze and clouds of billowing smoke continually wreathe the Great Taurus. Their breath issues as gouts of flame from their steaming fang-filled mouths, and where they tread, their burning hooves leave scorch marks on the earth. No being that dares to roam the Dark Lands is free of their wrath, for they are furious killers, forever filled with hatred, and there is no creature they will not attack. While they consume some foes, they leave countless partially burnt corpses in their wake, slain only to momentarily appease their endless fury. The Karaks along the Worlds Edge have suffered much pain from the Great Taurus, and we Dawi are not quick to discuss such things, schreiber. A small vial of Great Taurus blood is said to be sufficient to ignite a roaring campfire, even in the heart of the fiercest Norscan winter. Their molten eyes run like quicksilver after their death and are attributed with many mystical qualities associated, unsurprisingly, with fire.
75 GREAT TAURUS M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 55 40 63 52 32 35 - 30 48 - 80 Traits: Bestial, Dark Vision, Flight 80, Grim, Immunity (Fire, Bright Magic), Magical, Size (Enormous), Stride, Territorial Attack Traits: Breath (Fire) +10, Horns +11, 2x Weapon (Burning Hooves) +11 Blazing Body – At the end of each combat round, all targets Engaged with a Great Taurus take 1d10 Wounds modified by Toughness Bonus and Armour Points, to a minimum of 1. Additionally, the Great Taurus’ Toughness Bonus counts as doubled (10) against non-magical weapons and attacks. Bloodrage – Great Taurus are always subject to Frenzy and Hatred of everything. Optional Traits: Armour 3, Trained (Mount) The Great Taurus is clearly a being of Aqshy, the Wind of Fire. I suspect they are seldom seen far from the Dark Lands because the Fire Wind blows very strongly over those forsaken plains, and they likely need it to sustain them. That this ‘Crimson Bull’ has been seen so far from the Dark Lands suggests that it has found something strong with Aqshy to sustain it, or that someone has summoned it, neither a very welcome thought, I fear.
poking long-stemmed pipes at me and insisting I use my book to ‘set some heads straight’. I earned approving stares and curt nods when I asked, ‘You mean Skaven?’ The eldest Dwarf present, or so I gathered, Drumin Norgrimling, told me all sorts of interesting things that night, but most fascinating was why he believed Karak Hirn didn’t have a Ratmen problem: ‘Though those accursed vermin riddle the Vaults to the West, they steer clear of us. Too many Tregara.’ Tregara, it turns out, are the largest insects that I’ve ever heard of — ones with a taste for Skaven, apparently. They resemble something of a mix between a praying mantis and a massive hermit crab, though they grow their own stone-coloured outer shells. The pale exterior of their shells mimics the ceilings of many natural caverns, making for perfect camouflage. Tregara have no smell whatsoever; even their vital fluids have no scent. Doubtless, this aids them in evading Skaven detection. They are outwardly sightless, as they lack eyes, but their actions show that they can clearly perceive the caverns about them. The Dwarfs believe that Tregara are highly sensitive to vibrations of stone, using these to locate prey. When an unwary target gets within reach, the Tregara snatch them up with long, hook-clawed forelimbs. A Tregara uses its phenomenally powerful jaws to end the siezed victim’s struggles quickly. How powerful? Norgrimling put it this way: ‘Saw one’s mandibles cleave a Rat Ogre’s skull like it was a pastie.’ Tregara The Black Mountains form much of the southern border of the Empire. While not as massive or imposing as the Worlds Edge Mountains or the nearly impassable wall of the Grey Mountains, their passes are few and treacherous. According to the Dwarfs, before the coming of Sigmar, the range was filled with unstable caverns dug by Goblins. The Dwarfs made a concerted effort to drive them out long ago, which was fairly successful. While the range itself remains a dangerous one, full of sharp peaks and dangerous roads, it also boasts many beautiful high mountain pastures. Near the centre of the Black Mountains lies the Dwarf kingdom of Karak Hirn, the ‘Hornhold’, so called due to the massive hollow mountaintop at Karak’s heart, which regularly sounds a mighty blast when high winds rush through it. The Dwarfs have long since mastered the once-natural wonder and have engineered a series of devices that lets them direct or change the sound as they wish. It can act as a signal to outlying settlements, a call to war, and a way of frightening off bestial predators. Karak Hirn is not wealthy by the standards of Dwarfs, but certainly well off by the standards of Humans. It is one of the few Dwarf kingdoms that has cities exposed to the sky, albeit only in relatively inaccessible places. The Dwarfs of Karak Hirn regularly trade with the Empire and bold Tileans. It was via their kingdom that we intended to cross into the Border Princes and on to Barak Varr, from there to book passage to Remas. This would not be possible for most folk, as the Dwarfs seldom let outsiders pass through their realm. Most travellers must cross the Black Mountains via the infamous Black Fire Pass, but we had certain tokens from King Ironfist of Karak Kadrin that we hoped would ease the way, along with Jorunn to plead our case. Fortunately, the Dwarfs stoically accepted our petition and allowed our passage through their realm. I found them gruff but relatively welcoming, though I strongly suspect Jorunn’s presence explained the latter. When rumour of what we were about swiftly made it round the taverns, that very night, I had several greybeards Tregara were new to me as well, for I’ve never heard of them in the Grey Mountains. I’m told they have an organ which produces an ichor that rapidly repairs their shells. some Dwarf Rangers coat their bolts in a distillation of this ‘Tregara sap’ to better pierce tough beast hides. TREGARA M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 38 - 45 42 47 38 15 18 32 10 30 Traits: Armour 3 (6), Size (Large), Stealthy, Territorial, Wallcrawler Attack Traits: Bite (Vicious Mandibles) +9, Weapon (Barbed Forelimbs) +8 Barbed Forelimbs – A target successfully struck by a Tregara’s cruel arms automatically acquires the Entangled Condition. The Tregara may then automatically enter a Grapple if it wishes. A Tregara can keep up to two opponents Entangled at once. Vibrational Senses – Tregara automatically detect all physical creatures within 4x their Initiative Bonus in yards and cannot be Surprised. Vicious Mandibles – A Tregara’s bite has the Impale and Penetrating Qualities. Skills: Stealth (Underground) 68 (+3 SL Agility Bonus) Optional Traits: Corrosive Blood, Painless
77 to a somewhat clandestine market in fresh Razorbills, which are not easy to procure. This leads to high prices and, Tileans being Tileans, ‘counterfeit blood’. To further complicate matters, various mercenary and criminal groups seeking notoriety often actively use imagery incorporating or hinting at Razorbills in some fashion, as do some covert sellers. Such groups are occasionally directly affiliated, but frequently have nothing to do with one another, which leads to dangerous (or hilarious) misunderstandings. Razorbill East of Tilea and the Apuccini Mountains lies the Lagoon of Tears, which the unimaginatively named Black Peninsula separates from the Black Gulf. The lagoon is actually very beautiful, with stunning silvery cliffs and pleasingly shaped sea caves. We viewed it briefly from a distance as we passed by on our trip from Barak Varr to Remas. Regrettably for would-be sightseers, the Lagoon has earned its name many times over, for along those cliffs dwell thousands of Razorbills. Large omnivorous coastal raptors with incredibly sharp hooked beaks, a single Razorbill is a daring predator, swift to attack a lone traveller, or ravage the injured at the edge of a battlefield. Fortunately, a determined resistance soon sees one off. The problem lies in the fact that Razorbills frequently attack in vicious flocks of a dozen or more birds, and these seemingly fear nothing. I once, years before, saw a flock of Razorbills tear apart a band of Ogre mercenaries in less than a minute. The Ogres died from their countless lacerations and the Razorbills feasted well that night. While a Razorbill’s main diet is fish, they readily eat carrion or, really, anything they can catch. The smell of a Razorbill colony is atrocious: a repulsive mix of rotten fish, sour blood, guano, and moulted feather rot, the stench of which carries for miles. Local fishermen always know where the Razorbills trawl and steer well clear of their chosen hunting waters. While the Lagoon of Tears is infamous for its sheer number of Razorbills, they dwell in other parts of the Old World as well. Flocks have been reported in the Tilean Sea and the western cliffs of Estalia.Nightsong tells me they even roost in the northernmost portions of the Empire, along the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Claws. Fortunately, they clearly prefer the sea to rivers, or they’d swiftly become a menace along the Empire’s many waterways. Razorbills are dangerous enough on their own, but the large amounts of blood they spill have an unfortunate habit of beckoning other beasts and monsters to the feast as well. Predators far more dangerous than Razorbills sometimes stalk the edges of their territory, having learned to recognize the particular raucous cries that signal a choice meal. The people of Tilea see Razorbills as accursed and hold such ill regard that, Rosella tells me, they are actually a mark of hatred. Many Merchant Prince houses actually declare ‘vendetta’ (something like ‘formal hostilities’ but approaching Dwarf Grudge status, excepting that one can be called off or redeclared at any time) against their enemies by splashing Razorbill blood, or an entire carcass, on their doorstep. This leads RAZORBILL M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 38 - 22 34 30 24 - 10 24 - 11 Traits: Bestial, Flight 90, Hardy, Night Vision, Size (Small), Skittish Attack Traits: Weapon (Hooked Bill) +7 Flight of Razors – A flock of Razorbills has the Swarm Trait, which has several effects, including making them Immune to Psychology, raising their Weapon Skill to 48, and their Wounds to 55. All opponents engaged with a Razorbill flock automatically lose 1 Wound at the end of every Round (which ignores AP and Toughness Bonus). Anyone caused damage by a Razorbill must succeed at an Average (+20) Endurance Test or acquire a Bleeding Condition. Optional Traits: Hungry, Infected, Swarm (Flight of Razors) If anything, Theo understates how active the black market for Razorbills is — and just how nasty the penalties are for being caught. In addition to their use in vendettas, there are southern wizards who employ rituals that make use of Razorbills. These practices, I’m told, can fail with exceedingly dangerous consequences if fakes are substituted. They are not merciful to counterfeiters.
78 The hodge-podge trading community that is Aldium is one of the only places in the Border Princes that I recall with any fondness. It was a surprising comfort to see that it still stood, despite the ever-changing tides of fortune that continually wash through the region. From Aldium, we travelled with a trade caravan to the legendary Barak Varr. In all the world, there is no other Karak quite like the ‘Gate to the Sea’ which the Dwarfs carved directly into the cliffs of the Black Gulf, not as a fortress (though it is that) but as a harbour. The markets of Barak Varr are exquisite, for the goods of many lands pass through them regularly. I daresay, one can find rare items of interest in the shadowed corners that would never elsewhere see the light of day, even in Marienburg. I think Erich and Kistiane would have happily spent several more weeks in Barak Varr, though it was certainly not at all to Lynathryn’s taste, but we soon found a ship with a reputable captain bound for Tilea. The Grand Harbour of the Republic of Remas was built by Elves long, long ago. It fell into ruin when they mostly withdrew from the Old World for distant Ulthuan. As we rounded the coast from the south, I got my first look at Remas: it was utterly breathtaking. A colossal bridge spans the narrow harbour entrance. Upon the bridge rise towers, houses, and veritable palaces, each boasting multiple stories and all of them leaning out at dizzying angles, with staggeringly large buttresses providing occasional support. The bridge connects the two halves of the city, which lie on either side of the harbour. I was later told that the households of the Merchant Princes of the Council of Fifty who rule Remas all have their abodes upon ‘Il Ponte Eterno’. The Grand Harbour is vast enough to hold Remas’ entire fleet — which is not a small one — but the huffers of Remas surely must be well paid. Titanic pieces of broken masonry lie partially submerged throughout the bay and make navigation hazardous. I can scare imagine what Remas must have looked like when the Elves first built it. Even now, the broken ruins the Tileans have as yet left untouched are beautiful. As we headed towards the quays, I turned to point out our true destination to Ghorshkov: a huge, squat building in the midst of the city, visible even from the harbour. It bears many names — the Proving Ground, Leonardo’s Triumph, the Crimson Zoo, and the Tallest Pit, to name just a few — the largest gladiatorial and exhibition amphitheatre in all the Old World, the Great Coliseum of Remas. Vasya was already gazing at it. He grinned at me, as close to tears as I’ve ever seen him: ‘The House of Glory, Schreiber. Never did I think to see it.’ No scholar can reliably say just how old it is, for Tilean records are notoriously ‘fanciful’. All reputable historians are in firm agreement that the renowned Leonardo de Miragliano renovated it in 2006 IC. Many of the cunning devices that the brilliant Leonardo built into the Great Coliseum are still in use till this day, five centuries later. We soon made our way to the Casa di Ruggisce, formal invitations in hand. The ‘House of Roars’ handles all ‘bestia’ for the Great Coliseum. The clerks swiftly ushered us all into the office of Rosella Vanvitelli, the House’s ‘Procuratore Extraordinari’ or so it said on her door. Signorina Vanvitelli proved to be a vibrant and striking woman, who was delighted that we had accepted her invitation and made a great fuss over each of us, immediately calling out to an assistant to bring wine. It was Vanvitelli’s last expedition that brought back the mighty prizes we had all come so far to see. She did not keep us in suspense long, laughing, ‘I know I’m gorgeous, but you didna come so far to see me, eh?’ The Casa di Ruggisce is a mere stone’s throw from the Great Coliseum. Wide underground tunnels connect the cages of the House of Roars to the amphitheatre, allowing for transport of various beasts directly to the arena floor. The House’s cages are some of the strongest I’ve ever seen. Vanvitelli noted, with a nod at Jorunn, that the best were ‘of course’ all Dwarf work. She led us through a short series of tunnels and into a tremendous open space that the House had excavated. Vanvitelli noted that it stretched near sixty feet below ground in some places. Finally, she brought us to a reinforced balcony overlooking several large enclosures. With a single theatrical bow she turned and gestured below: ‘My greatest triumph.’ Wondrous Beasts of the Southlands
79 The one difficulty she did talk about at length was quite amusing. Another of the beasts she brought back was no less amazing than the Carnosaur. She had managed to secure a big enough boat to transport a vast horned reptilian creature known as a Stegadon. The earth shakes when a Stegadon moves and their charge can easily reduce even the mightiest trees to splinters. While Stegadons prefer foliage (they’re especially fond of immense orange gourds originally brought from Lustria), they’ll readily eat just about anything — and a great deal of it. All that eating produces a lot of waste. Rosella was constantly making new arrangements to cart it all away. ‘Mountains and mountains and mountains of it, Theo. The fields of Remas will be green for generations.’ In the flickering light of Dwarf-wrought lamps stalked an enormous bipedal reptilian beast, standing seven full paces high at the least. It immediately tilted its head to regard us, its nostrils snuffling the air in a great rush. Its eyes burned with a predatory light and its fiendish teeth gleamed. Its body entire was built for speed, with a jaw that could easily snap an Ogre in half. The monster glaring at us from that enclosure was the most storied of all the ferocious creatures of legendary Lustria and the distant Southlands: the Thunder Lizard, a Carnosaur. Completely stunned, I asked how she managed such a thing, even as several of my companions gasped aloud. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and winked: ‘How else? Money.’ The Council of Fifty is always led by three merchant prince members who are picked, supposedly at random, each year to rule as a triumvirate. The Remas Republic’s interests for that year are then heavily influenced by the preferences of that year’s triumvirs. Vanvitelli picked a year when two triumvirs fond of the Great Coliseum were in power and convinced them all of the potential glory in funding an expedition to the Southlands to bring back wondrous creatures for science, art, and some spectacular bloodshed. She was unwilling to talk much about the difficulties of the expedition, preferring to speak of how successful it had been and the huge sums the beasts were bringing to Remas. In the nearly two months I regularly spent in her company, one of the only times I ever saw her downcast was while we were talking about the true cost of the expedition. ‘I lost so many people, Signore Schreiber. To the jungle. To disease. To Al Saurim. To them.’ STEGADON M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 55 - 63 82 15 15 - 28 65 10 112 Traits: Armour 6 (14), Cold-blooded, Grim, Immunity to Psychology, Night Vision, Painless, Size (Enormous), Swamp-strider Attack Traits: Bite +10, Horns +12, Rear +6, Tail +11, Weapon (Sheer Bulk) +12 Unstoppable Charge – A Stegadon gains +3 Advantage when they charge. Optional Traits: Hardy, Size (Monstrous), Territorial, Trained (Guard, Mount, War)
80 In our time in Remas, we saw several feeding exhibitions of the Southlands creatures, which were always before soldout crowds. Watching a Carnosaur hunt down and devour a bull running through an artificial jungle is a unique experience. While the others busied themselves exploring Remas, Nightsong particularly enjoyed trips into the ruins surrounding the city proper. Erich was beside himself, scribbling furiously for hours on end. I swiftly lost track of his many excellent sketches. I produced an additional notebook’s worth of annotations and observations for Altdorf University and the Imperial Zoo. Some of what I uncovered was fascinating. There are rumours that some of these beasts have travelled into the Badlands, and a few are said to have even made it to the Border Princes! Extraordinary creatures. I hope to never meet them in the wild. HORNED ONE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 42 - 42 45 25 30 - 15 35 - 22 Traits: Armour 2 (6), Bestial, Cold-blooded, Size (Large), Stride, Territorial Attack Traits: Horns +9, Weapon (Bite) +8 Optional Traits: Arboreal, Belligerent, Stealthy, Stupid, Swamp-strider, Trained (Broken, Guard, Mount, War) ‘Vanvitelli, she finds out what I do. She calls me a ‘Kislevite bestiarii’. She says, ‘we canna make some good money’. I say sounds good. Tell you truth, you know I would do it for free. I got to fight in the House of Glory! One of the lizard creatures she brought from Southlands, much smaller than big ones, but dangerous. They call it a Horned One. Wicked teeth and, no surprise, sharp horns. Quick. Lethal. Normally, pack hunter. But no pack now, so good for Vasya, da? We do an exhibition bout. “Northern skill versa Southlands fury!” Was good crowd. Tileans know how to cheer. Was great fight. She left me scar as memory of Great Coliseum, da? Pity I couldn’t kill her.’
81 CARNOSAUR M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 7 65 - 75 55 20 20 - 25 55 - 88 Traits: Armour 4 (9), Belligerent, Bestial, Cold-blooded, Grim 2, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Stride Attack Traits: Bite +13, Tail +11, Weapon (Teeth) +13 Blood Frenzy – Once a Carnosaur causes a Wound in combat, it immediately becomes Frenzied till all foes in range of its senses are slain. Optional Traits: Arboreal, Champion, Hardy, Painless, Size (Monstrous), Trained (Guard, Mount, War), Tracker
82 Tilea’s Great Cats are much like the Empire’s. They sport thick, multi-coloured fur, ranging from dark blacks to russet. Many bear swirling patterns or stripes, presumably for camouflage. Their long tails sport black rings that are said to indicate their hunting prowess and thus, likely their desirability as mating partners. Hunters claim these beasts are exceedingly difficult to track because they use their tails to wipe away paw prints and so leave no trace of their passage. Their eyes glitter with golds and greens, and miss little. While they are usually low of stature, measuring less than a pace high, they can stretch over two paces from nose to the base of the tail. They are quick and deadly beasts, famously near-silent while stalking, only yowling once their prey is dead. Many believe that the cries of Great Cats can scare away dangerous spirits and that the undead fear them. Children’s tales suggest that all cats can lie without batting an eyelid. While this is obviously fanciful, the followers of Ranald have always favoured cats, claiming that that they are phenomenally lucky, and frequently employ different symbols that allude to them in one manner or another. For the most part, Great Cats avoid Human settlements, preferring forest or mountainous terrain, though they’ll take the occasional chicken or sheep from an outlying farm if the opportunity presents itself. Rarely, one touched by disease or the taint of Chaos becomes a menace to unwary travellers. Wild Cats Of all the creatures I’ve seen or heard of in my travels, few exhibit the grace of that most common of creatures — cats. Many farms and smaller settlements in the Empire look to cats to keep their vermin problems under control, a job that the felines often handle with aplomb. Throughout Tilea, and certainly in the Casa di Ruggisce, cats are exceedingly well regarded, but it isn’t just simple farm cats that make the southerners’ hearts sing. Tileans prefer their deadly creatures to have grace and skill, for they see much of the ‘gladiatore’ in them. Correspondingly, the Casa is ever searching for new ‘Boia Silenzioso’ for exhibition in the arena. Some they intend merely for display at times, not unlike our Imperial Zoo. Others are brought in to hunt wild game across the arena floor for the amusement of spectators. Far rarer are the ‘Killer Exhibitions’ when one of the Great Cats of the Irrana Mountains, or an Arabyan Leopardus, is set against an equally dangerous predator, such as a Tilean Mur. In our time in Remas, I only saw one such display, but the Great Coliseum was packed to overflowing with a wildly enthusiastic crowd. WILD CAT M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 41 - 43 32 45 55 - 10 44 - 14 Traits: Arboreal, Bestial, Disruption, Night Vision, Skittish, Stride, Tracker Attack Traits: Bite +6, Weapon (Claws) +7 Disruption – In the presence of a creature with Disruption, Unstable creatures count their Advantage at the end of the Round against their foes as effectively two less, though they do not lose Advantage from this. Skill: Stealth (Rural) 75 (+5 SL for Arboreal) Optional Traits: Infected, Infestation, Magical, Mutation, Trained (Broken), Ward (9+) WAR LION OF CHRACE M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 8 55 - 52 48 38 42 - 35 50 30 36 Traits: Armour 2 (6), Fury, Grim 2, Night Vision, Size (Large), Stealthy, Stride, Tracker Attack Traits: Bite +9, Weapon (Claws) +10 Rahagra’s Gift – War Lion’s natural weapons have the Fast and Penetrating Qualities. Skill: Melee (Claws) 65, Stealth (Rural) 62 (+4 SL for Stealthy) Optional Traits: Champion, Hardy, Magical, Painless
83 I once was sent to Marienburg as part of a diplomatic mission at my queen’s request. I find politics tedious, but there were unwelcome tensions with the Asur at the time and she felt that a hunter’s eyes might serve as well as an envoy’s tongue, especially if anyone sought to interfere with the security of our emissaries. To that end, I was to coordinate with some of the Asur’s agents. To my delight, I found that one of my counterparts was a wizard who had brought her own companion: one of the legendary War Lions of distant Chrace. He was a resplendent creature. He stood as high as my shoulder and ran twice as long. His mane was like to a silver fire that swayed and rippled, even when there was no wind. His claws were grey daggers that I saw tear though Human plate steel like it was paper. His roar was a bell that could shatter faint hearts like glass. I never saw him willingly leave her side and, even at idle rest, he was ever watchful. I fancy that he approved of me, as he consented to let me stroke his mane — with his mistress present, of course.
84 I’ve heard of creatures such as Il Potente Granchio before, in the dockside taverns of Altdorf and Marienburg, though I know them by another name. In the Empire, we call such monsters Leviathans. By all accounts, they are massive creatures, resembling an immense hermit crab crossed with a lobster and measuring more than thirty feet across. Their shells are harder than tempered steel; arrows and small-arms fire mean little to them. Their pincers can cut a fully armoured Bretonnian knight and his barded steed in half with ease. They are creatures of the deep sea, rising seldom, but are perilous to all vessels while they hunt the surface. Some say they are heralds of Manann’s wrath, sent to punish those who’ve displeased him, and sailors occasionally give offerings to ward off their fury. Cults dedicated to specific Leviathans have even arisen in desperate harbours. For my part, I think them merely destructive beasts, albeit particularly dangerous ones. The best advice of the Casa di Ruggisce, should you encounter one at sea, is to dump any ‘edible’ cargo in your wake and sail away as fast as you can manage. Some sailors told me tales of drawn lots and ‘noble’ sacrifices meant to sate such creatures for a time: a few lives for many. A terrible practice, but perhaps an understandable one. May Sigmar preserve us all from such terrible choices. Il Potente Granchio One early evening in Remas found Erich and I sharing a glass of wine an hour or so before sunset in a quiet office the worthies of the Casa di Ruggisce had generously offered us during our stay in their fair city. Suddenly, we heard a massive hue and cry erupt, followed by the sounds of people running. My Tilean remains paltry, so I looked to Erich who swiftly called out a query to the street. I heard the same phrase yelled back by several voices and Erich turned to look at me, slightly bemused. He translated,‘The accursed crab has struck again’. Before I could ask further, Rosella looked into our office and said: ‘Ah bene; hoped to find you both here. Bring your notebooks, you’ll be wanting them.’ She explained as we walked towards the harbour that there had been a monster attack at sea and a Remas ship lost along with the bulk of her crew just north of Sartosa. When such things occurred, authorities and interested parties invariably consulted Signorina Vanvitelli and her colleagues at the Casa di Ruggisce, for they were widely accepted as some of the most knowledgeable experts on every kind of monstrous creature to be found anywhere in Tilea. Rosella told us, quietly, that it was really a bit of a standing sham agreement the Casa had with the Council of Fifty. The real purpose behind their ‘consultations’ was to have the experts calm people’s fears, tell them the beast had likely moved on (which is usually the case), and listen to the stories of the survivors for useful information. Inevitably, once Tileans got to talking about such things, all sorts of stories would start flowing. She tapped my notebook and winked: ‘I’ll make certain Renzo stays with you to help with translation. Ooo, you’re going to get an earful tonight, Signore Schreiber!’ Rosella proved to be right. That night, I heard enough lurid tales of the sea and the great beasts that roam itto fill several notebooks. There were accounts of the monstrous ship-breaker known as the Behemoth; massive sharks the size of galleons; the evil Kraken that stalked specific ports for weeks on end; the dread Black Maw who could swallow fishing vessels whole; and many, many stories of the horrors perpetuated by ‘Il Potente Granchio’. The Mighty (or Big) Crab had torn the recently lost ship to pieces, before deftly plucking her sailors from the ocean for feasting. Kadon the Shackler, ancient master of the arcane arts of bending magical creatures to his will, swore that Leviathans were beyond control. He wrote that their minds were too alien to grasp, their wills too strong to compel. Nevertheless, it is said he knew the key to summoning them. Calling anything you cannot readily dismiss or control is foolhardy in the extreme, yet I am forced to wonder if there are not some merchants who would see value in a ‘random’ attack of Il Potente Granchio upon their rivals. I think your cynicism is starting to rub off on me, Theo.
85 LEVIATHAN M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 65 - 60 68 30 14 10 10 44 1 176 Traits: Armour 6 (12), Dark Vision, Fury, Grim, Size (Monstrous), Stride Attack Traits: Bite +11, Weapon (Claws) +12 Cruel Claws – A Leviathan’s Claw attacks all have the Penetrating Quality. Crustacean – A Leviathan can breathe underwater. They have a Move 8 within water. Optional Traits: Cult (Fanatical or Chaos), Magic Resistance, Painless IL POTENTE GRANCHIO M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 70 - 70 73 30 14 15 20 54 1 208 Traits: Armour 8 (15), Dark Vision, Grim 2, Hungry, Immunity to Psychology, Painless, Size (Monstrous), Stride Attack Traits: Bite +12, Weapon (Claws) +13 The Cruellest Claws – Il Potente Granchio’s Claw attacks have the Hack and Penetrating Qualities. Crustacean – Il Potente Granchio can breathe underwater. It has a Move 8 within water. Skills: Melee (Claws) 80
86 There is an ancient story amidst the followers of Manann that suggests the first Sirens were born of a tryst between the Sea God and a powerful water spirit. Unbeknownst to Manann, the Naiad also favoured Stromfels, the terrible shark god of pirates and wreckers. Thus, various Sirens take after the nature of one or both of their ‘fathers’, which goes to explain the wild variances in appearance. What is certainly true is that bold wreckers seek to make use of Sirens whenever they can. The Navigator Families have been fighting them for centuries… or encouraging them to sabotage rivals, if you believe some dark tales I heard amidst the taverns of Porto, the cavernous harbour neighborhood of Vedenza. Siren West of Remas, across the Tilean Sea, lies the shattered Carvorna Archipelago, which acts as the first natural defense of Tobaro, most remote of all the Tilean City States. At the heart of Tobaro rises the city of the same name, but she is also called Vedenza the True by those who love her. Vedenza resembles Barak Varr in that it arises directly from the shoreline of the Abasko Coast, where it was built directly into a cliff face. The Tileans made use of a series of sea caves carved by erosion and expanded, then abandoned, by the Elves long ago. Thus, the city exists throughout the cliff, as well as rising above it in soaring towers. The countless small islands that line that coast are treacherous and exceedingly difficult to navigate. The Tobaran huffers who know the few safe routes have risen to such prominence over centuries that they are, effectively, regarded as minor nobles and referred to as ‘The Navigator Families’. The individual islands have many names, but the Tobarans usually talk about them collectively as the Fool’s Rocks, which tells you something about Tobarans. Maps that do not call them the Carvorna Archipelago name them the Isles of the Sirens, after their most notorious inhabitants. Sirens are infamous creatures with the lower torso of a fish and the upper torso of a beautiful Human or Elven maiden, capable of bewitching passing sailors with their haunting songs. That, at least, is how most stories speak of them. The reality is that Sirens vary wildly in appearance. There seem to be entire family groups derived from different strains, but they are all notoriously reticent to deal with other folk in any but a hostile manner. Their lower torsos are often like to that of a scaled fish, but some have serpent bodies, while others have been reported with octopus-like tentacles. Their upper body appearance is equally flexible. While some certainly have a kind of feral beauty to them, others are hideous and savage, with shark-like teeth. All have wicked claws, though some can apparently conceal such, extending them only when prey is within their grasp. While Sirens mostly consume sea creatures, many stories indicate they don’t object to Human for variety. Most celebrated, and feared, of a Siren’s attributes is their voice. When raised in song, it can snare the will of others, causing them to abandon any other pursuit in favour of drawing closer to the Siren. While some Sirens use this ability to lure prey, others seem to sing for pure joy, with either no care as to what harm their songs may cause, or grim amusement at the fates of smashed ships and floundering sailors. SIREN M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 2 35 - 49 33 42 49 35 30 52 35 15 Traits: Amphibious, Dark Vision Attack Traits: Weapon (Claws) +7 Siren’s Song – Those who hear a Siren singing must make a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test or be enthralled and become unable to perform any action excepting moving towards the song’s source – effectively acquiring the Unconscious Condition (though they are awake and likely drooling). Those who prepare in advance by stopping their ears with wax or the equivalent face only an Easy (+40) Willpower Test. An enthralled victim may immediately Test again if attacked in any way. Water Born – Mermaids can breathe underwater and have Move 8 within it. Optional Traits: Armour 1–3, Bite, Distracting, Fear 1–2, Fury, Painless, 2xTentacles+5
87 The seal of the city of Marienburg is a Siren — or ‘mermaid’ as they usually call her — holding a bag of guilders and a sword. Common thought is they chose her for beauty and the association with the sea. Personally? I suspect it’s because they understand the ‘Siren’s Call’ of gold all too well. Regardless, Sirens are said to favour pretty baubles, usually adorning themselves with wealth taken from wrecked ships. Perhaps some clever wreckers have learned to bribe them in some fashion?
88 MERWYRM M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 6 62 - 65 60 45 26 - 15 38 10 84 Traits: Amphibious, Armour 3 (9), Dark Vision, Grim 2, Hungry, Immunity to Psychology, Painless, Regenerate, Size (Enormous) Attack Traits: Bite (Fanged Maw) +11, Tail +13, Weapon (Fanged Maw) +11 Whale Bane – All of a Merwyrm’s Fanged Maw attacks have the Venom (Difficult) Trait. Optional Traits: Infected, Size (Monstrous) The Merwyrm was set loose in the tunnels of the Trafuro to feed as it willed. It was weeks before the engorged creature returned to sleep off a staggeringly large meal of ratmen flesh in the depths of the Tilean Sea. Merwyrms are terribly dangerous, incredibly ancient beings said to be part dragon and part sea serpent. While they are creatures of the oceans’ depths, stories say they have no trouble existing on land for lengthy periods of time. Their greenish-silvery scaled bodies resemble a heavily muscled eel, save that they have four undersized limbs which bear oversized vicious claws. Merwyrms do not usually employ their limbs to move, but rather thrust themselves forward with an undulating motion that lends both great speed in the sea and a frighteningly quick pace on land. A Merwyrm’s hunger puts an Ogre’s to shame — they are always eating, devouring vast quantities of whatever flesh they can catch with their heavily fanged maws. Injury barely slows them and they are frightfully quick to heal. A few older scholarly sources suggest that while Merwyrms grow slowly, they never truly stop. If this is so, the oldest Merwyrms must be truly massive beings. While few Merwyrm It was not chance that brought me and my compatriots to fair Vedenza, but a series of tales I’d heard from an old sailor on the night that news of Il Potente Granchio’s latest attack had come to Remas. North of Tobaro and south of the Irrana Mountains lie the Blighted Marshes, known also as the ‘Zombie Swamps’ — as dark and as desolate a place as you could imagine from the name. The sailor told me the valiant folk of Tobaro and Miragliano believe that the Blighted Marshes are a stronghold of the Skaven. The Miraglianese are said to fight the loathsome ratmen on a regular basis. The Empire’s conceit — that the Skaven are mere myth — is to them incomprehensible. So, too, do the folk of Vedenza fight them frequently, though not always on a conventional battlefield. The Trafuro district of Vedenza belongs, in the main, to the poor. It is a warren of tunnels dug from the sea caves of the cliffs, deep into the earth. The folk of Trafuro are frequently miners and their lives are hazardous and brief, spent in damp, dark tunnels awaiting misfortune. The tunnels of the Trafuro connect to old passageways that run deep under the Abasko mountain range to the west and elsewhere, formed by both nature and hands unknown. Years ago, a massive incursion of Skaven erupted from the tunnels, and Tobaro all but fell to the ratmen. Fortunately, a merchant prince named Meldo Marcelli, along with an army of mercenaries, arrived in time to push them back. Skaven still emerge from the tunnels, as do other, even worse, things. The oldest tunnels are so dangerous that Vedenza maintains a celebrated guard known as the Deepwatch to protect against incursions from below. The Tobarans Engineers Guild regularly collapses ‘unwelcome’ tunnels. The guild engineers so often ply their trade within the Trafuro that their headquarters, the Palazzo in Profondita, lies deep within, inside a massive hollow limestone pillar. The sailor’s story that compelled me to investigate further begins a few years ago. There was, supposedly, an incursion of Skaven so great that the Deepwatch could not stand against it. The current prince of Vedenza, along with the Council of Tears which governs her, were forced to unleash a whispered horror. The captains of Tobaro swear that the city has a most formidable weapon: a Merwyrm bound by sorcery (Kadon’s, if Kistiane has the right of it) they call Silak One-Eye.
89 While not a subject they discuss with any joy, the folk of Nordland know much of Merwyrms. In particularly warm years, one ofttimes emerges from the Sea of Claws to wreak havoc among the northern coastal villages of the province, even consuming villages entire. While I have, fortunately, never faced one, I have seen the aftermath of such an attack. The Merwyrm’s saliva had ruined the ground where it drooled, for they are exceedingly toxic. What few witnesses remained told me it had broken into a fortified inn with a single swipe of its tail. The ruined stone wall of the coaching inn had been shattered near to powder.
90 The one we fought moved erratically, and it was exceedingly disturbing to watch the tangle of its ill-jointed claws flex. Their venom is so acidic that it can score stone. The Dwarfs believe that Shard Dragons mark their hunting grounds in this way to ward off rivals. A sergeant of the Deepwatch who became a friend, Siro Melagari, told us of a particularly nasty and cunning Shard Dragon, the Fantasma. This creature could expel a deadly poisonous fume that caused bouts of fear so intense as to kill. Fortunately, the one we faced wasn’t capable of such a feat. † C † The cavern at the heart of the Trafuro, where the Palazzo in Profondita resides, is filled with stalactites and stalagmites that the Elves carved into gorgeous statues thousands of years ago. I’d been in the Trafuro following rumours of the rampage of Silak One-Eye when first I discovered these statues and found they had lost none of their beauty, but were preserved by the underground environs. My glowing descriptions convinced Nightsong and the others to return with me to see them. Shard Dragon I noted previously that the Dwarfs of Karak Kadrin had generously shared a great deal of their beast lore with me (though the fact that they were Slayers and I was buying their ale may have had something to do with it). Some of their accounts were more fanciful than others, and far too many featured creatures touched by Chaos — such grotesqueries are often unique, and while they make for a good tale, they are difficult to research or speak of further. There was one beast, though, of which I heard many stories, one that had menaced the Dwarfs from the oldest days, a terror of their legendary Underway, the ‘Ungdrin Ankor’. As a creature of the hidden depths of the world, I never expected to actually see one, much less meet one. The Old World has a cruel sense of humor though, for as we toured an outlying area of the Trafuro, we ended up fighting a Shard Dragon. Shard Dragons are huge serpentine creatures that typically stalk through lightless caverns far below the surface of the world. They know no rivals in the depths, only boundless hunger, and so their lives are an endless hunt for anything they can catch and devour. When they breach a Karak, they wreak sheer havoc, slaughtering all they find and only retreating when they’ve utterly glutted themselves on flesh. This is true whether it is a Karak the Dwarfs still hold or, to the grim amusement of the Slayers, one taken by Greenskins or Skaven. There is a convoluted argument between the Loremasters of the Dwarfs as to the true nature of Shard Dragons. Despite their name, one faction holds that they are not truly Dragons, but wyrms or great serpents of the sea, somehow caught far from the ocean and mutated by the shadow energies of the depths. Another says they are Dragons, but have indeed been twisted by their environment into something strange. If the beast we faced was not a Dragon, it might as well have been. Its scales were pale, but that generally implies ‘white’ and, in truth, I know not how to describe a near-colourless being. Each scale was raised, with jagged edges that cut members of the Vedenza’s Deepwatch to ribbons. The Dwarfs contend that some Shard Dragons have scales which are near impenetrable because the beasts eat Gromril ore to fortify their armour. Their limbs can twist at odd angles, the better to negotiate narrow passages, I expect. SHARD DRAGON M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 48 38 62 76 34 45 - 10 44 5 96 Traits: Armour 5 (12), Dark Vision, Grim, Size (Enormous), Stealthy, Wallcrawler Attack Traits: Bite +11, Weapon (Sickle Claws) +11 Rabid Frenzy – When a Shard Dragon is wounded in combat, it immediately becomes subject to an unbreakable Frenzy which grants it two Free Action Melee Tests per round. Razor Scales – Every time a Shard Dragon is attacked by an Engaged opponent, that opponent takes 1d10 Wounds reduced by Toughness Bonus and Armour Points, to a minimum of 1. Rock Melter – A Shard Dragon’s bite has both the Penetrating and Venom Traits. Talent: Enclosed Fighter Optional Traits: Corruption (Minor), Infected, Ward 8+
91 THE FANTASMA M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 58 48 62 76 44 63 - 35 44 5 96 Traits: Armour 5 (12), Dark Vision, Grim 2, Size (Enormous), Stealthy, Wallcrawler, Ward 8+ Attack Traits: Bite +11, Breath (Nightmares) +12, Weapon (Sickle Claws) +11 Breath of Nightmares – Any Wounds caused ignore Armour Points. Targets must immediately make a Test against a Terror 2 effect, based on Endurance instead of Cool. Note that even if they are normally immune to Fear or Terror they must still Test as it is not a psychology-based effect, but a distorted poison. Razor Scales – Every time the Fantasma is attacked by an Engaged opponent, that opponent takes 1d10 Wounds reduced by Toughness Bonus and Armour Points, to a minimum of 1. Rock Melter – The Fantasma’s bite has both the Penetrating and Venom Traits. Skills: Melee (Sickle Claws) 73, Stealth 68 (+6 SL for Stealthy) Talents: Enclosed Fighter, Reaction Strike, Shadow 2 While we were there, we heard a great many screams and shouts from a large side passageway. We barely had time to glance at one another before a Shard Dragon issued out of the tunnel, tearing apart running, screaming Tobarans. Dark-armoured members of the Deepwatch followed, attempting to bring down the monster. We could’ve left them to it, but Ghorshkov charged without hesitation and that was that. It was a brutal fight but, in truth, even against such a creature, we had the upper hand. It was now greatly outnumbered by competent fighters and outside of the narrow tunnels to which it was accustomed. The man leading the Deepwatch troopers, Sergeant Melagari, told us later that he was greatly heartened by our unexpected reinforcement, and swiftly rallied his troops to press their advantage. The beast did not die easily. It went mad with rage, lashing all about, and several brave Deepwatch met a gruesome end. Yet die it did at last. We saved lives that day, but we eventually paid a heavy toll for it. See the Appendices on page 106. For what it’s worth, Lynathryn greatly enjoyed the statues.
92 on. In exchange, he offered a generous purse; access to some of the rare books of beast lore that Vedenza had gathered over many years; and, when we were ready, a berth on one of Tobaro’s regular trading vessels to swiftly take us all the way to Marienburg, if we were so inclined. We were definitely so inclined. Thus, we soon found ourselves on the near-lightless ‘streets’ of Molto, surveying grey single-story stone cottages that greatly resembled tombs, and wondering if The Lost Sparrow, Molto’s sole tavern, served anything actually worth drinking. I found the folk of Molto to be especially hesitant and cautious when speaking with us, very uncharacteristic of the Tileans we’d met during our travels. Admittedly, we were outsiders, and Erich had to do a lot of translating, but even when they discovered we were the ones who had recently helped put down a Shard Dragon, their reaction was subdued. There was surely something wrong in Molto, but it was very subtle; a pause before answering, a flickering glance about before speaking. It took days before a man furtively approached us near the edge of the community, as we were leaving for our lodgings in Scogliera. The miner told us his name was Sandro and he was fearful for his young son, Orazio. The omens, he said, indicated that the boy was ‘segnato’. This took Erich a bit of back and forth to understand, but he soon conveyed that it meant ‘marked’ or perhaps ‘chosen’. Sandro told us that there were certain signs that indicated to the Iron Circle — the Miner’s Guild representatives of Molto — when someone was ‘wanted’. He had heard that we were brave and sought our help to save his Orazio. He was also terribly afraid of retribution against him and the rest of his family if his request to us became known. Further questioning indicated the ‘marked’ were all taken away by the Iron Circle deep into the mines, never to return — a fate Sandro was certain awaited Orazio within another night or two, no more. We agreed to help Sandro and his son. The Final Incident — Lesser Evils Our assistance in the fight against the Shard Dragon did not go unnoticed in Vedenza nor, as we soon found out, by the Council of Tears. The Tobarans made a great deal of us, and just as in Wheburg after the Chimera, we didn’t pay for our drinks anywhere in the city. We were invited to several functions in the Scogliera, the high-class neighbourhood built into the cliff face, with streets cut from ledges and houses that cluster along the rock face. I had a particularly memorable discussion on beasts of the sea with scions of several navigator houses, including Dacia Ferazzo, the head of her house. We should have left immediately, as we had planned. Sergeant Melagari followed his duty and reported on what had happened to his superiors. I gather he talked us up a great deal. After a few days, we were summoned by Lord Piero Riina, interior minister of the Council of Tears. The invitation was ostensibly friendly but delivered by heavily armed guards, and refusal wasn’t an option. Nevertheless, Lord Riina was quite gracious, and started the conversation off by giving us a small purse of Imperial Crowns as ‘a reward from Vedenza for your courage’ — so we were certainly inclined to listen to what he had to say. It was a proposal. The neighbourhoods of Vedenza have their own sub-regions and those of the Trafuro are particularly varied. Long ago, back before the Skaven first attacked the city, the Trafuro was far larger and extended deep beneath the Abasko Mountains. The Tobaro Engineer’s Guild and the Deepwatch have mostly pulled the people back, to better secure the ‘borders’ of the city. Nevertheless, there are communities that dwell somewhat beyond the protection of Vedenza. Lord Riina explained that one such settlement, Molto, had turned very strange of late. While the mining families who made up the bulk of Molto’s populace continually swore they were fine when questioned, some Deepwatch patrols that visited the place unannounced had disappeared without a trace. Lord Riina was concerned that ‘malicious influences’ were present. While he was very careful with his language (his Reikspeil was flawless), it was clear he suspected a cult of the Ruinous Powers might be involved. He requested that we visit Molto, using our work as a cover, and see if we could determine what, if anything, was going
93 Ghorshkov suggested the miner might be setting a trap, one that had caught the missing Deepwatch patrols before us. Nightsong believed there was a ‘ring of truth’ in the man’s evident fear, but also stated that didn’t mean Vasya was wrong. In the end, we decided to follow the Iron Circle’s representatives when they took the boy, but to expect a trap and act accordingly. It was not a trap. Fearful miners had made a dreadful bargain for the sake of their community. In their delving, they had unearthed an ancient tomb, the undead inhabitants of which demanded blood for security — the blood of Molto. The crypt was home to a large circle of ancient Tilean knights, who bore blades that could sheer steel like it was paper, and their shrieking paramours, beautiful even in death, but deadly. They were not interested in negotiating a new bargain. We saved Orazio, but it was rough going, and we were forced to swiftly retreat to summon help from Lord Riina. We returned to Molto with the Deepwatch, priests of Morr and of Myrmidia, who is beloved in the south, leading the way. We destroyed the undead knights and their entourages. The bitterly protesting Iron Circle was taken into custody. Hail the courageous heroes… Mighty Sigmar, give me strength, for my heart is a searing wound. I do not want to write what came after. Let it be a nightmare, from which I will yet awaken. We had not yet left Vedenza when they came — the loathsome ratmen, the thrice-cursed Skaven. We thought the folk of Molto hesitant because they feared we would learn of their bargain; it is the nature of their compact we failed to understand, for it wasn’t just Molto the undead knights were guarding. The Skaven caught us carousing, still celebrating our great victory over the Undead several nights later. When we first heard the screams, we thought they were over-excited revellers. It wasn’t until the shouts grew in volume and number that we slowly realized something was very wrong. I staggered out of a tavern the Deepwatch favoured in the Trafuro to hordes of screaming Tobarans rushing past, fleeing towards Scogliera and the sea. UNDEAD KNIGHT (WIGHT) M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 4 50 35 45 45 38 30 20 35 50 30 17 Traits: Armour 4 (8), Dark Vision, Fear 2, Immunity to Psychology, Magical, Painless, Undead Attack Traits: Weapon (Wight Blade) +9 Wight Blade – The weapons wielded by Wights burn with a cold, fell light. They have the Impale Weapon Quality. Additionally, whenever a Wight causes a Critical Hit with one, it makes two rolls on the Critical Hit Table and inflicts the higher result. A blade taken from a Wight is a Magical hand weapon that does +SB+5 Damage. Talents: Combat Master 2, Strike to Injure Optional Traits: Champion, Chill Grasp, Fury, Hardy, Stealthy, Territorial, Unstable Sometimes when a mortal hero of sufficient will falls, they do not lie quietly within their grave. Wights are the remains of such fallen warriors, made Undead by powerful magic and their own dread resolve. Wights are invariably clad in the full armour in which they were buried. They seldom have either flesh nor skin left, resembling Skeletons, but their eyes gleam with a fell light and they move with terrible purpose. They retain all of their fighting skill from life, plus much that they’ve learned in battles since their deaths. Wights carry blades infused with Dhar and their cuts are frequently lethal.
94 Down the street behind them, at the far end of the cavern in which I stood, the flickering dim of Trafuro was suddenly lit by a burst of brilliant green flame, which clearly showed leaping forms of rat-headed Beastmen that rendered me sober in seconds. I yelled ‘Skaven’ into the tavern and drew steel. Ghorshkov was at my side in seconds, with my other companions and Sergeant Melagari soon following. As the Skaven continued to pour into the Trafuro up from Molto, we swiftly realized it was no small raid we faced. Hordes of ratmen carrying blades, but also strange weapons including, to our amazement, firearms of some kind, were flooding into the neighbourhood in great numbers, and at such speed as to surely overtake us if we tried to run. A massive figure stalked forward through the Skaven lines, knocking lesser ratmen out of its path without even acknowledging them. It raised one arm and I realized, to my horror, the limb had been replaced with some sort of cannon. A staccato clatter echoed through the Trafuro as the thing’s arm unleashed a stream of shot into a group of hastily assembled Deepwatch, ripping them to pieces. Vasya grinned. ‘Mine, da?’ I looked at my friends, the valiant Melagari, and the Deepwatch soldiers assembling about us. ‘We must slow them.’ We all charged as one. What followed was a mass of ringing blades, spurting blood, and the dying shrieks of Skaven and Men. A horrible musky smell filled the air, emanating from the ratmen. The Skaven had a weapon that poured forth green flames. I saw a Deepwatch soldier die, screaming, with strange protrusions of bone erupting from his skin where the unnatural flames played over him. I caught a glimpse of Ghorshkov roaring with laugher as he hewed at the weapon-limbed Rat Ogre creature, both fighters bleeding from many wounds. I heard Jorunn’s clear battle cries in Khazalid even above the din of the cavern. I saw Nightsong kill far too many Skaven to count, one fatal arrow shot at a time, and I cut down no few ratmen myself. SKAVEN CLAN SKRYRE TROOPS Favoured Clanrats in the service of Clan Skryre often wield the arcane devices their masters craft for war, which are utterly lethal to their opponents, and frequently, themselves. Such Clanrats will have a Ballistic Skill of 40. They will be armed with either Poison Wind Globes or a Warp Pistol, and a Hand Weapon. It takes teams to wield either a Ratling Cannon or a Warpfire Thrower. Clanrats that attempt to use a Warplock Jezzail need a partner to steady their aim, with either a modified bipod or a special steadying shield. Without such a partner, the Warplock Jezzail loses the Accurate and Precise Qualities. With steadying shield, both benefit from the quality Shield 2, but they cannot run (or flee) without tossing it away (which they’ll be killed for). Clan Skryre Armaments Ratling Cannon: The Skaven designed this devastating multi-barreled killing machine after studying a few of Von Meinkopt's Whirling Cavalcades of Death in action. It takes two Skaven to properly wield a Ratling Cannon: one to feed ammo and one to grimly hold on as it spits streams of warpstone-laced rounds. This Ranged weapon has a Rating +10, Range 40 yards, Blackpowder, Blast 3, Impale, Penetrating, and the Dangerous and Imprecise Flaws. Targets wounded by a Ratling Cannon must take an Average (+20%) Corruption (Minor) Test from the warpstone laced-shot. Warp Blade: Warp Blades are two-handed weapons wielded by the leaders of Clan Skryre that can unleash electrical blasts of eldritch lightning which ignore Metal Armour Points entirely. An opponent that takes more than a single Wound from a Warp Blade strike in melee combat must make an Average (+20) Endurance Test or take a Stunned Condition. Additionally, Warp Blades have the Defensive, Hack, and Impale Weapon Qualities. Warpfire Thrower: The Skaven’s dread Warpfire Thrower is an evil device, which inflicts horrific wounds upon its targets, burning their flesh even as it mutates them. It is a Ranged Weapon with a Rating +6, Range 8 yards, Ablaze, Blast 4, and the Dangerous Flaw. Targets wounded by a Warpfire Thrower must make a Corruption (Moderate) Test from the unnatural transmuting flames. Warplock Jezzail: The Skaven knock-off of the Hochland Long Rifle. Add the Dangerous Flaw and targets wounded by a Jezzail must make a Corruption (Minor) Test from the warpstone-laced shot. Warplock Pistol: Skaven versions of Human pistols, ‘improved’ by their standards. They have the Blackpowder, Damaging, Impale, Penetrating, and Reload 1 Qualities and the Dangerous Flaw. Targets wounded by a Warplock Pistol must take a Corruption (Minor) Test from the warpstone laced-shot.
95 It was not enough. We left corpses piled high on the cavern floor, but we were being pushed back by the sheer weight of their numbers all the same. A large Skaven with a huge halberd crackling with eldritch energies seemed to be leading the Skaven horde. Melagari tried to kill it but was seared and knocked unconscious by a blast of lightning from the warlord’s blade. A voice rose above the din of battle, a voice I have come to cherish before all others. She stood atop one of the stone houses of the Trafuro and a light played about her hands. She looked at me, caught my eyes, and gave me the slightest, saddest smile. Then she pulled the cavern down upon herself and the greater mass of the ratmen. Blasts of emerald light lashed up from her hands, disrupting faults in the cavern ceiling that only her arts could have found. The Skaven barely had time to scream before they were utterly crushed under tons of falling stone, as was she. Thus passed Kistiane Brockdorf, Druid of the Jade Order, my love, and the bravest person I’ve ever known. CLAN SKRYRE WARLOCK ENGINEER M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 45 50 40 40 50 50 30 60 45 30 16 Traits: Armour 2 (6), Night Vision Attack Traits: Ranged (Warp Blade) +7 (48) or Ranged (Warplock Pistol) +9 (20), Weapon (Warp Blade) +10 Made-Made Myself – A Warlock Engineer’s Warplock Pistol lacks the Dangerous Weapon Flaw. Optional Traits: Disease (Ratte Fever), Mutation The Warlock Engineers that lead Clan Skryre blend sorcery with Skaven technology, creating lethal and useful, if highly volatile, devices. CLAN SKRYRE ‘PROTOTYPE’ M WS BS S T I Ag Dex Int WP Fel W 5 50 45 65 55 45 35 - 30 45 10 50 Traits: Armour 2 (7), Dark Vision, Grim, Hardy, Painless, Size (Large), Stupid Attack Traits: Ranged (Ratling Cannon) +11 (40), Weapon (Pistonfist) +12 Shoot-Kill – One of the Prototype’s arms has been replaced with an improved Ratling Cannon, which it altered to accurately wield. It does not have the Imprecise Flaw. Murder-Crush – The Protype’s other arm ends in an engineered maul-device designed to pneumatically smash both rock and flesh to smithereens. It has the Impact and Pummel Traits. A ‘Skryre-modified’ Rat Ogre not yet ready for full-scale ‘production’.
Appendices 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
98 FINE EATING Rules for creatures hunted for their meat are effectively already covered by Characters in the Hunter Career, as that is what they are doing during their Income Endeavours. Rhinox, for example, are often considered ‘monsters’ by many folks, but ones highly valued for their meat. Hunting them, though, is a dangerous prospect – they are deadly, it takes time and resources, they dwell in the high mountains far from most settlements, you have to salt or smoke the meat to transport it, the merchants will get their cut, etc. This is why a thick Rhinox steak in an Altdorf tavern may be an expensive luxury, but most hunters are fairly poor. Gory Riches “Clever hunters get paid in advance to kill monsters; they don’t do so out of charity.” – Sorge Krause With the notable exception of the legendary hoards of Dragons, the majority of the fierce creatures of the Old World do not have convenient chests of loot lying about their lairs. There are a few beasts clever enough to realize that acquiring riches for bait might bring more meals to their door. Such creatures are, near invariably, far more cunning and dangerous to encounter. Most of the time, if you manage to kill a dangerous beast, anything of value to be gleaned from whatever is left of the bodies of their previous meals is there for the taking, but only if one has a strong stomach, and it likely won’t amount to much. Folk that travel with gold and jewels don’t generally journey to, or get eaten in, lonely mountain passes or far off well-trod paths, deep in the forests of the Old World, where monsters typically roam. No, the real treasure may well be the creature you just faced. Well, parts of it, anyway. What follows herein are some rules detailing the odd, but occasionally lucrative, market for ‘beast parts’ that flourishes in the Empire and various other countries of the Old World. These rules specifically concern creature remains acquired for reasons other than sustenance – generally for their unusual properties, though ofttimes, such may just be rumoured. As Gromsdottir pointed out – demand creates value, even if it is made under false pretenses. What makes a monster’s innards valuable? Well, it’s a number of factors. Rarity of the beast, properties of its organs, danger of the hunt, logistics of preservation and transportation... Most importantly, though, remember that most folk haven't so much as clapped eyes on a real monster. Oh they’ve shared plenty of tall tales around the hearth, maybe even taken a turn around the zoo, but actually seen one in the wild and lived to tell the tale? Not likely. so when you're a myth hoarding commoner, and a learned alchemist with titles and tinctures claims that the liver of a cockatrice will cure your ails, who are you to argue? Course some of those selfsame alchemists couldn’t tell the difference between a Rhinox horn and their own nose, but that’s a different matter. Folk will pay through the nose for a mythical cure, and monsters are myths you can harvest.”
99 Usable Material The amount of usable material a beast’s corpse can potentially offer up is based on its size. 0 Less than Average – 1 Enc 0 Average – 2 Enc 0 Large – 4 Enc 0 Enormous – 8 Enc 0 Monstrous – 16 Enc Which Bits? You may have killed the beast, but do you know what parts of it buyers actually want? It may be one or more organs, or perhaps its blood, that are rumoured to have medicinal properties. Characters will have to make an appropriate Lore Test to determine what should be kept of the corpse before them. A successful Lore (Beasts or Medicine) Test determines what parts of a creature are desired from most creatures. A Trade (Poisoner) or similar Test can be made if the creature in question is poisonous, venomous, or both! Lore (Magic) can also be used for any beast that clearly has ‘mystical’ qualities about it that may be of interest to Wizards. Any level of success means that the Character has a good idea of what parts to retain. For each level of failure, downgrade how much useful material can be collected from the corpse to the next lower size on the Usable Material Chart; e.g., what to keep from an Enormous beast vexes a group and they get -2 SL on the Lore Test. They only know how to glean 2 Encumbrance worth of useful material out of it. What’s This Thing Worth? Base Cost The base cost of raw monster parts is determined by the rarity of the creature in question and just how deadly it is. All monsters are assumed to be at least ‘somewhat’ dangerous, but any creature with unusual abilities will see the price double. Of course, some creatures are so foul that few would consider doing anything with their carcass other than burn it. Skaven livers, for example, may have some kind of alchemical use (beyond the use to the Skaven it came from) but so far no one has been brave enough to discover it. The basic unit of measurement is 1 Encumbrance point. Creature parts that weigh less than 1 Enc still count as 1 for carrying purposes, as they will doubtless require some care to be taken with them. RAW CREATURE PARTS BASE COST 1 ENC Common Scarce Rare Exotic Unique 80d 10/- 1GC 3GC 5GC+ Threat Some creatures are so deadly that hunters can rightly demand a premium due to the risk of dealing with. Conversely, other creatures are considered relatively harmless and therefore command a poorer price. The ratings given for each creature represent the perceived threat these creatures pose to the average denizen of the Old World, and should not be used to plan encounters for your party. Some creatures will be far more dangerous to certain parties than others, and the circumstances in which a creature is encountered will also affect the threat they pose. A Rhinox charging across an open plain toward a group armed with blackpowder weapons is at best a moderate threat — the same beast charging into a forest clearing in the dead of night is another matter entirely. Multiply the base price per encumbrance by the number given below to determine the final price for each creature's 'bits'. CREATURE THREAT PRICE MULTIPLIER Harmless Hazardous Dangerous Deadly 1/2 X 1 X 2 X 3 X Beware the lure of harvesting arcane attributes. Though they may promise riches, I have seen too many of my contemporaries driven to destitution, madness, and worse in vain attempts to harvest magic from dead beasts. Potent venoms, quality hides, gastric juices, and scything claws, on the other hand, rarely disappoint.
Creature Rarity Typical Size (Encumbrance) Threat Cost per Enc. Page Commonly Claimed Uses Amoeba Scarce Average Hazardous 10/- 44 Amobae jelly is incredibly flammable Amphisbaena Exotic Large Harmless 1 GC 10/- 46 Mixing the venom of both heads cures any poison Arachnarok Spider Scarce Monstrous Dangerous 1 GC 12 Spinerettes are pressed to create exceptional glue Caledair, The Scythe of Fire Unique Monstrous Deadly 15 GC 31 Endless uses to wizards and alchemists Carnosaur Exotic Enormous Dangerous 6 GC 81 Hearing their roar said to cure cowardice Chameleoleech Scarce Small Harmless 5/- 50 Creates a potion to take on another's appearance Chimera Exotic Enormous Deadly 9 GC 66 Pelt is fearful to animals resembling the Chimera Cockatrice Exotic Large Dangerous 6 GC 64 Their head stuns any who meet its gaze Corpse Render of Carroburg Unique Enormous Deadly 15 GC 54 The scales of such beasts can be used to create a Dark Pegasi Exotic Large Dangerous 6 GC 56 A feather pillow grants easy sleep to the guilty Drakwald Mancatcher Scarce Large Dangerous 1 GC 13 Venom glands create untraceable poison Dread Maw Exotic Large Dangerous 6 GC 22 Teeth, tusks, and horn polish beautifully Fen Worm Rare Enormous Hazardous 1 GC 52 Fenworm skin makes very fine clothing Forest Dragon Exotic Enormous Deadly 9 GC 30 Cloak of scales renders wearer untraceable Giant Rare Enormous Dangerous 2 GC 34 Giant toenails make impenetrable shields Great Eagle Exotic Enormous Dangerous 6 GC 63 A poultice of their macerated eyes cures blindness Great Mountain Hawk Rare Large Hazardous 1 GC 63 Arrows fletched with their feathers never miss Great Stag Rare Large Hazardous 1 GC 10 Poultices for longevity and vitality Great Taurus Rare Enormous Dangerous 2 GC 74 Taurus horn makes one immune to fire Great Wolf Scarce Average Hazardous 10/- 16 Pelt signals the favour of Ulric Griffon Rare Enormous Hazardous 1 GC 20 Feathers bring great luck Heomreth Exotic Enormous Deadly 9 GC 63 Impossible to lie while holding their talon Horned One Rare Large Hazardous 1 GC 80 Arrows tipped with their teeth pierce any armour Il Potente Granchio Unique Monstrous Deadly 15 GC 84 Shell said to be made of valuable gemstone Krag-Breaker Unique Enormous Dangerous 10 GC 25 Powdered horn of a great Rhinox cures any ill Leviathan Exotic Monstrous Deadly 9 GC 85 Carved Leviathan bones grant unnatural powers Merwyrm Exotic Enormous Dangerous 6 GC 88 Holding a Merwyrm dispels all illusions Nightraven Rare Small Hazardous 1 GC 59 Powdered beak and talons stops any bleeding Ol' Gribbleback Unique Enormous Dangerous 10 GC 19 The blood of a great Razorgor induces frenzy Preyton Exotic Large Hazardous 3 GC 60 A sword hilt of their antler ensures a sharp blade Rat Ogre Bonebreaker Exotic Enormous Dangerous 6 GC 41 Possible to harvest warpstone from flesh and blood Raukos Unique Large Dangerous 10 GC 17 Liver of a two-headed wolf will double your life Razorbill Scarce Small Harmless 5/- 77 Knife made from their beak said to cut any Razorgor Scarce Large Hazardous 10/- 18 Stomach can be cured to hold any liquid Rhinox Scarce Large Hazardous 10/- 24 The tail of a Rhinox keeps away flies River Troll Rare Large Hazardous 1 GC 48 Eating the flesh will regenerate a limb River Troll Hag Rare Enormous Dangerous 2 GC 49 A Hag's net can capture and remove any curse Shard Dragon Exotic Enormous Deadly 9 GC 90 Their scales creates wounds that never heal Siren Rare Average Hazardous 1 GC 86 A lock of siren hair lets one breath water Skin Wolf Exotic Average Hazardous 3 GC 70 Flaying one alive can cure another of the curse Squig Scarce Average Harmless 5/- 26 Squig droppings are fine fertiliser Stegadon Exotic Enormous Dangerous 6 GC 79 Plates said to make impenetrable armour Stirpike Common Large Harmless 40d 36 Casting the scales into water foretells the future The Fantasma Unique Enormous Deadly 15 GC 91 The heart of great Shard Dragons is pure ruby The Oblast Beast Unique Enormous Deadly 15 GC 67 Slaying a great Chimera ensures fame, or infamy The River's Shadow Unique Large Dangerous 10 GC 10 Said to bear the special flavour of Taal Things from the Dead Wood Exotic Average Hazardous 3 GC 37 Drinking from the skull grants the ability to see and hear the dead Tregera Rare Large Hazardous 1 GC 76 Their urine is said to keep rats away War Lion of Chrace Unique Large Dangerous 10 GC 82 Amulet of their claws wards off lesser animals Wight Rare Average Hazardous 1 GC 93 Powdered Wight bone briefly awakens any corpse Wild Cat Common Average Hazardous 80d 82 Pelts are highly valued Wyvern Rare Enormous Dangerous 2 GC 32 Venom from tail said to kill anything that breaths Threat & Price Table