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Renegade Crowns

TM

Adventures Among the Border Princes Design and Writing: David Chart Development: Robert J. Schwalb

Editing: Kara Hamilton

Additional Material: Owen Barnes and Kate Flack

Proofreading: Scott Neese

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1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Introduction..................... 3 Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands...........4 What You Need................................. 4 Map Squares......................................5 A Note on Random Tables.........5 Geography................................. 6 Placing Features..................................6 Special Features................................... 9 Ancient Ruins............................9 Types of Ruin................................... 10 Arabyan........................................... 10 Chaos Cults..................................... 11 Dwarfs.............................................. 11 Khemri.............................................. 11 Recent Human............................... 11 Oddities.............................................12 Types of Menaces..............................12 Daemon............................................12 Degenerate Tribe.......................... 13 Golem................................................ 13 Plague...............................................14 Swarm...............................................14 Undead..............................................14 Weapon.............................................15 History..................................................16 Age......................................................16 Original Purpose..........................16 Reason for the Fall..................... 17 Regional History..............................18 Location................................................18 Review.................................... 18

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands..........19

Individual Princes.......................19 Types of Princes................................19 Bandit................................................19 Knight............................................. 20 Mercenary........................................21 Merchant..........................................22 Politician..........................................22 Priest..................................................23 Wizard............................................ 24 Races................................................. 24 Strength of Princes......................26 Unusual Princes............................26 Personality.......................................... 27 Guilty Secrets..................................... 29 Quirks...................................................30 Courts....................................................32 Titles....................................................... 33 Principality.......................................... 33 Princely Relations...................... 33 The Parties...........................................34 The Nature of the Relationship......34 History....................................41

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands......... 42

Communities........................... 42 Communities in Principalities...... 42 Communities Between Principalities................ 44 Community Features...................... 44 Characters................................ 51 Character Creation..........................51 Difficult Areas...................................51 Badlander.........................................52 Swamp Skimmer............................52 Mysticism.............................................52 Anchorites........................................53 Cenobites..........................................53 Mystic............................................... 54 Tough Jobs........................................ 54 Badlands Ranger......................... 54 Enforcer.......................................... 54 Muleskinner................................... 55 Courtly Life....................................... 55 Border Courtier............................ 55

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands..........56

Distribution.............................56 Number of Lairs.............................. 56 Types of Monsters........................... 57 Chaos..................................................... 57 Greenskins........................................... 60 Monsters.............................................. 60 Undead..................................................62 Placing Lairs............................ 64

Interlude: Making Masserschloss......65 Chapter V: General Aims.... 74 Seizing and Keeping Power...........74 World...................................................74 Adventure............................................74 Perilous................................................ 75 Grim...................................................... 75 Rules for Rulers........................76 Campaign Structure....................... 76 Section Structure..............................77

Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince............78

Treason...................................78 Opening Act: Joining the Court.78 Initial Obstacles................................79 Second-Tier Elements......................81 Climax: Seize Power........................82 Assassination.............................82 Opening Act: Reconnaissance......82 Initial Elements..................................82 Secondary Elements..........................83 Climax: Seizing Power..................85

2

Seizing a Settlement.................... 85 Opening Act: Making your Mark.....................85 Initial Elements..................................86 Climax: Seizing Power................. 87

Chapter VII: Internal Problems...........88 Popular Opposition.................... 88 Opening Act: Murmurs of Discontent............88 Initial Elements................................. 89 Secondary Elements.........................90 Climax: Reconciliation...................91 Rebellious Settlement..................91 Opening Act: Rumours of War........................91 Initial Elements................................. 92 Secondary Elements..........................93 Climax: Return to Power............. 94 Treacherous Underlings.............. 94 Early Discovery................................. 94 Late Discovery................................... 95

Chapter VIII: External Problems......... 97

Raiding Monsters.......................97 Set-up.....................................................97 Opening Act: The Survivors........ 98 Initial Elements................................. 98 Climaxes.............................................. 99 Triumph and Aftermath.............100 Raiding Neighbours.................. 100 Opening Scene.................................100 Initial Elements...............................100 Secondary Elements........................101 Climax: A Just and Lasting Peace.......101 Conflicting Requests................ 102 Set-Up................................................. 102 Opening Scene: Diplomatic Overtures...............103 Negotiation Elements....................103 Agreement and Aftermath......... 105

Chapter IX: Making Trouble............ 106

Alliances................................ 106 Conquest............................... 107 Resources................................ 112

Appendix I: Border Prince Names.......114 Appendix II: Masserschloss. ...............117 Appendix III: Maps & Worksheets........125 Index.............................. 127

Introduction

Introduction W

elcome to Renegade Crowns, the sourcebook for the Border Princes (also known as the Borderlands). Those of you who already have Sigmar’s Heirs or Knights of the Grail have no idea what to expect; this book is very different from them. There are three reasons for that.

should inspire ideas for adventures, and the results tell you quite a lot about the opposition for the adventure. Since coming up with the initial idea is often the hardest part, particularly if you are short of time, rolling on a table saves time later in the campaign, as well as at the beginning.

The first is that the politics of the Border Princes is in constant flux. Any attempt to provide a comprehensive description would be out of date within a couple of months of game time. In addition, the patchwork of tiny states makes it very hard to provide a general overview of the area.

Campaign

The second is that the Border Princes is intended as a fairly open area, where you can conceivably encounter anything from any region of the Old World. Writing a book that defined the whole area would defeat this purpose. The third reason is the most important, however. The Border Princes is a region in which you can create your own campaigns, with your own background, without having to change established lands and places such as the Empire and Bretonnia. The Player Characters can overthrow the rulers, become princes themselves, and fall from grace, while the rest of the Old World goes on about its business. The purpose of this book is to support you in creating those sorts of campaigns.

The second section of the book (Chapters V-IX) is concerned with campaigns in which the Player Characters become princes in the Borderlands and have to defend and build up their principalities. Even more than the first four chapters, this section “Your mother was a Snotling, cast out for being a runt.” is designed to support your The scruffy figure on the horse smiled at the laughter from campaigns with plotlines and the thugs behind him, while the big man standing in front of NPCs you have designed. him hefted his hammer in the air. Thus, it does not describe “And you consort with creatures of unspeakable evil drawn any ready-to-play adventures. from the Northern Wastes. But enough about your parents, my honour demands your blood.” Ilsa crouched behind the rock where her guide had dragged her, and she watched in silence. She didn’t want to get caught up in a fight between gangs of ruffians. The man with the hammer had only a few thugs backing him up, but he seemed much more confident than the other. The fight that followed showed why; not only was he skilled, his thugs fought like experienced mercenaries, and the other man’s like conscripted peasants. The battle did not last very long, and Ilsa remained hidden while the throats of the survivors were cut.When it was quiet, her guide turned to her. “So, what do you think of Prince Siegmund, then?” “He doesn’t seem to be able to control the bandits in his lands, if they can brawl so openly.” The guide stared at her for a moment and then laughed out loud. “Bandits? That was Prince Siegmund and his army, meeting Grand Duke Hugo and his army in glorious battle. New to the Borderlands, aren’t you...”

Instead, it describes a number of possible adventures that could bear on the survival of a principality. A number of elements are provided and their connections described. The effects of success or failure on the state of the principality can also be determined based on guidelines given here.

If you have created a setting, you already have most of the characters and locations needed for these adventures. Thus, fleshing out a campaign is a matter of deciding which elements to put in which slot and possibly adding a few more game statistics. Again, this saves a lot of time.

Doing so involves treading a fine line. On the one hand, if you do not shape the campaign and the setting, it is not your campaign. On the other, you do not need to buy a book to be told “make it all up.” This book thus tries to steer a middle course.

Using This Book

Setting

This book is for GMs who do not have the time or energy to create a whole campaign from scratch, but want a campaign that hasn’t just come out of a book that all the players have also read. In this case, it really makes no difference at all whether the players also read Renegade Crowns. In fact, if you would like to play, you should encourage them to read it; maybe one of them will be inspired to create their own campaign that you can play in.

The first part of this book (Chapters I-IV)deals with the creation of a region in the Border Princes, a region where you can set your campaign. It provides you with a lot of random tables; although, you can ignore them if you want. Even if you do not make the rolls, the chapters set out the sorts of questions you should ask, describe possible answers, and give a sense of the sort of results that are most likely in the Border Princes. It should be possible to create a region in a day’s work, even if you have no inspiration. You might well get inspiration from the results of the die rolls, in which case things might take a bit longer as you flesh out your ideas.

You might find this book helpful even if you are highly creative and have lots of time and energy; an adventure is easier to write with the help of the first part of this book than a background piece of comparable length would be without it. On the one hand, you will want to ignore some rolls, but on the other, some results will inspire elements you would not otherwise have thought.

The tables in the first four chapters are designed to create a region with many adventure hooks of many different types. These tables

This is your part of the Old World. Go forth and create.

3

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Landscape

Chapter

I

of the

Borderlands “Smell that? That’s destiny...” “Funny, the only thing I smell is manure”

— Mercenaries in the Borderlands

F

rom mountains and rivers to the ruins of ancient settlements, the landscape is an important part of any area of the Borderlands. Very few of the inhabitants have the power to change the land itself substantially, and so it is a fixed background to the constant ebb and flow of war.

What You Need

Even though the landscape is fixed, it still influences the course of struggles. A river makes an easy boundary, but it makes an even better trade route if an aspiring prince can control both sides. Swamps and mountains tend to separate areas, as well as provide homes for monsters of various types. Thus, Chapter One: Landscape aids in designing your area of the Border Princes by describing the landscape.

• This book

You will need the following items to generate your area of the Border Princes: • Two 10-sided dice • A pad of graph paper • Paper for notes • Several pencils. Different colours will make things a lot easier, but they are not essential. • Eraser • Plenty of time. You should expect to spend most of a day generating a 20 × 20 region if this is your first time using Renegade Crowns.

Using This Section The chapters of this section are designed to be used in the order they are given.

• Other WFRP books may be useful for looking up game statistics, but you can do that after you have finished the process.

1. Generate Geography (Chapter One: Landscape of the Borderlands, page 6) 2. Generate Ancient Ruins (Chapter One: Landscape of the Borderlands, page 9) 3. Generate Individual Princes (Chapter Two: Princes of the Borderlands, page 19) 4. Generate the Relationships Between the Princes (Chapter Two: Princes of the Borderlands, page 33) 5. Generate the Settlements in the Region (Chapter Three: Inhabitants of the Borderlands, page 42) 6. Generate the Monsters Threatening the Region (Chapter Four: Hazards of the Borderlands, page 56)

Before you start, you will need an empty map, which should be divided into squares like graph paper. You will not need any more detail than noting the contents of a square, so fairly small squares are okay. On the other hand, you want an area at least 20 squares on a side. If this is your first map, 20 × 20 is the largest size you should work with. That’s 400 squares, which will take quite a long time to detail. After you’ve been through the process once, you should have a good idea of how much work is involved and thus how big an area you want to cover. Don’t forget that a 40 × 40 map is four times the size of a 20 × 20 one and not just twice as big.If you have a pad of graph paper, the number of

4

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Ilsa picked her way between another couple of bushes, cursing as the thorns caught in her clothes yet again. They were in a fairly flat area between ranges of hills, and the bands of thorn bushes made travel difficult. “I suppose this is why these are called badlands,” she mused, out loud. “Actually,” her guide replied, “this is one of the most fertile plains in the area. Wars have been fought over it.” Ilsa looked around. “This is as good as it gets?”

while the square containing the village contains most of the fields and forests where they work on a daily basis.

squares on a page of that pad is a good number to work with, as long as the squares are not very small. You might want to ignore one end of the paper, however, to keep the whole area down to 20 × 20 or so. This area makes a good place to write notes.

A Note on Random Tables

It is essential to write down every result as you generate it. It is probably best to note the result, as well as record it on the map; that way you have two records if you cannot read one set of notes later. If you forget to write something down, you can either make it up or just roll again for the bit that you cannot remember, but this is extra work that you can easily avoid.

The first four chapter of this book contains a lot of random tables. Indeed, it consists almost entirely of random tables and guidelines on how to use them. These tables are provided purely to help you create a setting for your campaign. You should ignore the results generated by the tables whenever you have a better idea. If you don’t like the result of a roll, re-roll. This is not “cheating.” This is not even “misusing the book.” This is what you are supposed to do with this book.

At this point, the area might be anywhere within the Border Princes. You can decide on a location once you have created the landscape. If one side is dominated by mountains, then putting it at the edge of the region, near the Vaults, might be appropriate. Whereas, if you have included a sea coast, you need to put the region somewhere along the Black Gulf.

One of the hardest parts of creating a campaign setting is filling in the necessary background for the areas where you don’t have great ideas. Use the tables for that. Sometimes, coming up with a great concept is equally difficult, and you can just use the tables and see what the results inspire. However, the tables are there for you to use when you do not have plans of your own. If you have ideas, ignore the tables completely. If a result gives you an idea, ignore all the sub-tables and just put it in.

Map Squares Each square represents an area of the Border Princes, four miles on a side. This means that, in most areas, if a village is in the centre of a square, that square and the eight surrounding it define the area that residents of the village can travel to and from in a single day,

The tables exist to make your life easier, not to restrict what you can write. Use them as such.

5

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

T

— Geography —

he very first stage is to design the geography of your area. This involves a number of rolls on the subsequent tables, using the above procedure. First, roll on Table 1–1. This result specifies the type of terrain, the type of vegetation (if appropriate), and

the area covered by the terrain. The types of terrain, and types of vegetation, are described after the table. All rolls other than Special Feature add 10 to your next roll on Table 1–1. These bonuses are cumulative, so if you roll something other than special feature three times in a row, your fourth roll has a bonus of +30. Once you roll special feature, the bonus resets to zero.

Geography Process

Placing Features

This is a summary of the process of generating geography. 1. Roll on Table 1–1: Geography, adding your current running bonus. 2. If the result is less than 101, go to step 3. Otherwise, go to step 9. 3. If the result is a river (a roll ending in 0), go to step 6. Otherwise, go to step 4. 4. Roll the indicated dice to determine the extent of the feature. 5. Place the feature on your map. If the map is full, stop. Otherwise, go to step 7. 6. Add a river to the map, as appropriate. 7. Add 10 to your running bonus. 8. Go to Step 1. 9. Roll on Table 1–2: Special Features to determine the nature of a special feature. 10. Place the special feature on the map. 11. Reset the running bonus to 0. 12. Go to step 1.

While the type and size of a feature is determined by the tables, they do not specify the shape and location—there are just too many choices to make a reasonable table. You may place the feature where you wish, and in any shape you wish, as long as all the squares touch at least one other square of the feature along a side. If you have no preferences, filling the map from one side to the other is a good strategy. If the feature does not fit in the area you are creating, simply fill in the remaining gap. If a feature completely dominates an area, because you roll a very extensive feature early on, you may want to extend into a neighbouring area, particularly if you create a large area of mountains, swamps, or badlands. Being next to such a dangerous area could be a major feature of the campaign.

Feature Descriptions All of the following are descriptions for the various types of land features one expects to find in the Border Princes.

6

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Table 1–1: Geography Roll

Geographical Feature

Roll

Geographical Feature

Roll

Geographical Feature

01

Barren Plains, d% squares

37

Barren Mountains, d% squares

73

Grassy Plains, d% squares

02

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

38

Barren Swamps, d% squares

74

Barren Hills, d% squares

03

Forested Plains, d% squares

39

Barren Badlands, d% squares

75

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

04

Barren Hills, d% squares

40

River

76

Forested Hills, d% squares

05

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

41

Barren Plains, d% squares

77

Grassy Mountains, d% squares

06

Grassy Hills, d% squares

42

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

78

Forested Swamps, d% squares

07

Barren Mountains, d% squares

43

Forested Plains, d% squares

79

Forested Badlands, d% squares

08

Barren Swamps, d% squares

44

Barren Hills, d% squares

80

River

09

Barren Badlands, d% squares

45

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

81

Forested Plains, 1d10×20 squares

10

River

46

Grassy Hills, d% squares

82

11

Barren Plains, d% squares

47

Scrubland Mountains, d% squares

Scrubland Plains, 1d10×20 squares

12

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

48

Scrubland Swamps, d% squares

83

Barren Plains, 1d10×20 squares

13

Grassy Plains, d% squares

49

Scrubland Badlands, d% squares

14

Barren Hills, d% squares

50

River

15

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

51

Barren Plains, d% squares

16

Forested Hills, d% squares

52

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

17

Scrubland Mountains, d% squares

53

Grassy Plains, d% squares

18

Scrubland Swamps, d% squares

54

Barren Hills, d% squares

19

Scrubland Badlands, d% squares

54

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

20

River

56

Forested Hills, d% squares

21

Barren Plains, d% squares

57

22

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

58

23

Forested Plains, d% squares

59

24

Barren Hills, d% squares

60

River

25

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

61

Barren Plains, d% squares

93

Barren Plains, 1d10×50 squares Forested Hills, 1d10×50 squares

84

Grassy Hills, 1d10×20 squares

85

Scrubland Hills, 1d10×20 squares

86

Barren Hills, 1d10×20 squares

87

Scrubland Mountains, 1d10×20 squares

88

Scrubland Swamps, 1d10×20 squares

89

Scrubland Badlands, 1d10×20 squares

Forested Mountains, d% squares

90

River

Grassy Swamps, d% squares

91

Grassy Plains, 1d10×50 squares

Grassy Badlands, d% squares

92

Scrubland Plains, 1d10×50 squares

26

Grassy Hills, d% squares

62

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

94

27

Forested Mountains, d% squares

63

Forested Plains, d% squares

95

Scrubland Hills, 1d10×50 squares Barren Hills, 1d10×50 squares

28

Grassy Swamps, d% squares

64

Barren Hills, d% squares

96

29

Grassy Badlands, d% squares

65

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

97

30

River

66

Grassy Hills, d% squares

Barren Mountains, 1d10×50 squares

31

Barren Plains, d% squares

67

Barren Mountains, d% squares

98

32

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

68

Swamps, d% squares

Scrubland Swamps, 1d10×50 squares

33

Grassy Plains, d% squares

69

Barren Badlands, d% squares

99

Barren Badlands, 1d10×50 squares

34

Barren Hills, d% squares

70

River

100

River

35

Scrubland Hills, d% squares

71

Desert Plains, d% squares

Forested Hills, d% squares

72

Scrubland Plains, d% squares

101 or more

Special Feature; roll on Table 1–2.

36

Badlands

frequently exploding into full blown earthquakes. When it rains, or rather, if it rains, the entire region is prone to flash flooding and any signs of life are washed away. As a result, travel through the badlands is difficult, and even the Greenskins avoid these stretches. It is hard to find a defensible location for a settlement or fort, hard to get to and from it, and hard to produce food. Groups valuing isolation above all else are the only ones to settle in these regions with any frequency.

The badlands are easily the least appealing regions in the Border Prince. Broken, inhospitable, and treacherous, there is little arable soil and an abundance of worthless rock. Of course, none of the stones form up into large hills, let alone mountains, there are more than enough sharp cliffs, box canyons, defiles, obstacles, and mazes. There are mounds, but they vent lava or steam. Certain areas tremble with the violence of the earth,

7

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands through. High valleys may allow farming, and such areas are easy to defend against large groups. The peaks of mountains are too high for trees to grow and may be covered with snow all year round. Small communities live in the mountains, but monsters also favour living in these areas.

Plains Plains are largely flat, making them suitable for arable farming and the preferred location for roads. A settlement on flat land is, however, harder to defend than one on an elevation, a very important consideration in the Borderlands. Strong walls are essential. Arable crops are also very vulnerable to being burned, which means they are guarded constantly.

River Rivers do not have specified ranges and flow through other types of terrain. Draw in a river, with forks and such, wherever it seems reasonable. Rivers generally flow from mountains to plains, but a river might start in plains and then flow through mountains in a deep channel. Similarly, rivers often disappear in swamps, supplying the water that makes the area marshy, but some flow all the way through, perhaps flooding every spring to help create the marshes.

Swamps Swamps are low-lying areas where water gathers, making much of the ground muddy. Solid paths are often indistinguishable from deep, stagnant water, making travel through swamps difficult for those who do not know them intimately. The air in swamps is also deeply unhealthy, and few people want to live there. Swamps suit many monsters perfectly, however.

Hills Hills have relatively low elevation and relatively gentle slopes; trees can grow on the top, and it is possible to walk up without special equipment. Exposed rock is fairly rare. While arable farming is difficult, hills are an excellent area for pastoral farming. Herding animals has the additional advantage that they can be moved to a secure location if the area is attacked, and the tops of hills provide some natural defence. Hills and plains are the types of landscape that hold most of the Borderlands’ population.

Vegetation The land of the Border Princes is covered by four main types of vegetation. They are found in all areas, adapted to the conditions. The only exception is that the peaks of mountains are never forested, as trees cannot grow at that altitude. However, their lower slopes often are.

Mountains

Barren

Mountains have high peaks and steep slopes, making them largely unsuitable for farming of any sort and very difficult to travel

Very few plants grow in a desert. This may be because there is almost no rain—the standard desert—but there may be other reasons. For example, an area may have solid rock with no soil, or the soil may be poisonous. Barren terrain is a very poor area for settlement, and even monsters prefer to live elsewhere. Some deserts are also barriers to travel, but others are small enough that it is easy to cross them.

Table 1–2: Special Features Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Special Feature Caves, d% squares Cliff Fertile Valley Geyser Isolated Mountain Pool Tor Volcano Waterfall Whirlpool

Grassy This ground is largely open and has few plants larger than grasses. There may be isolated stands of trees, but for the most part, the view is open. The quality of the grass depends on the terrain, but grassy hills are ideal for pastoral farming, while grassland plains are the easiest to convert to arable farming.

Forested Lots of trees create a forest. Forests are dark, and it is easy to get lost, but they are a valuable source of timber for communities on their margins. They also provide homes for Beastmen and worse.

8

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands may be hot or cold, and the water may be pure or tainted with sulphur or darker things. Geysers always form the source of a river. Determine the course of the river in the normal way.

Scrubland Scrubland has small, tough bushes, poor fodder for animals, is too small to provide timber, and is hard work to clear to make space for arable farming. Settlements tend to avoid scrublands, though monsters may lair there—they get their food by raiding elsewhere.

Isolated Mountain A single mountain towers above the surrounding landscape. The mountain may have almost any shape and may well be an extinct volcano with a large crater. Some craters enclose an area so large that a town can be built inside.

Special Features The Borderlands are notable for the number of strange geological formations found there. Some of them are actually quite beautiful, though the dangers of the surrounding area mean they have few visitors. Most special features occupy a single square on the map; those that do not are specified.

Pool A pool indicates a large body of still water, with no visible source or outlet. The water may be fresh, stagnant, or tainted and may or may not contain any life. A pool should generally not share a square with a river, though squares are large enough that it is not impossible.

Special features should be placed on existing terrain in a way that makes sense to you.

Tor

Caves

A natural fortress, a tor is a hill with steep sides, one relatively easy path to the top, and a large, fairly flat peak on which a fortress or settlement can be built. Tors are highly defensible and, as such, are almost always inhabited. After filling the fertile valleys, settlements should be placed on tors until they are also all occupied.

Caves mark the entrance to an extensive system of underground chambers. Much solid rock remains in the area, covered by the cave system, and some of the linking passages may be small, but determined explorers could cover the whole system.

Cliff

Volcano

A high, steep escarpment cuts across the landscape. The escarpment rises at least two hundred feet from the ground, maybe higher. There are some paths down the steep face, but in most places, mountaineering equipment is needed to climb it. Roll 1d10, multiply by 50, and add to 200 to get the initial height of the escarpment. The cliff should drop off as you extend it across the map. As a rule, cliffs should run along the boundary between types of terrain, but they might run through plains. It is very rare for cliffs to run through mountains because mountains already contain sheer walls of this kind.

This is an active volcano and, hence, usually has at least a bit of a mountain built up by erupted lava. Some active volcanoes leak lava slowly but constantly, while others merely smoke for long periods before erupting violently. This volcano may be of either type. The soil around a volcano is often unusually fertile; you may place fertile valleys in the squares adjacent to a volcano. These areas are as prone to settlement as any other fertile valley but are at risk from volcanic eruptions.

Waterfall

Fertile Valley

A spectacular sight of water pouring over a high cliff, these features must be in a river and need a sudden change of elevation. This may be provided by the river disappearing underground or by a cliff. If necessary, cliffs and rivers may be added to provide a place for the waterfall.

A small area that is much more fertile and friendly to habitation than the surrounding area. This may not be a valley; it might be solid ground in a swamp, a patch of particularly fertile ground on plains, or simply a smooth area in badlands. Fertile valleys are almost always inhabited, and settlements generated later should be placed in them first, until they are all used up.

Whirlpool

Geyser

A whirlpool sucks vessels down under the water, making a particular bit of water impassable to navigation. They can appear in rivers or the sea. If your region currently has no river or coastline, you should add one.

Water gushes from the ground in large quantities and under high pressure, possibly spraying dozens of feet into the air. A geyser

T

— Ancient Ruins —

he Borderlands are well-supplied with ruins, many of them dating from just a few years ago. Indeed, the areas ruled by the Border Princes often have more ruins than living settlements. Recent ruins normally provide little more than shelter and building materials, but older ruins are a different matter. They may hide treasure, monsters, and dangerous forces that have lain dormant for millennia..

or adventurers, from exploring the relics of the past. Fortunately for the princes, the relics of the past generally deal with intruders in their own way. Just occasionally, however, something found or awakened within rewrites the politics of a region, at least for a little while. You can roll on Table 1–3: Ancient Ruins to determine the number of ancient ruins in your region. However, here even more than usual, you are encouraged to choose. A large number of ruins make for a dangerous region, its politics strongly influenced by the comings and goings of adventurers and the things they might unleash, while

As a result, most of the petty princes of the region leave the ruins well enough alone. They would like their subjects to do the same, but very few have the resources to stop bands of lunatics,

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands a small number of ruins means a more mundane focus on fighting the environment, the Greenskins, and the neighbours.

A final blow and the dead bones collapsed back onto the dusty floor. Ilsa grabbed the sack and turned to run for the exit. She could hear shambling footsteps behind her, and she tried to force her legs to move more quickly. “This dagger had better be everything that bastard said,” she thought.

events—such as a band of adventurers establishing a new realm—may disturb and unleash it.

For each ruin, roll on Table 1–4 to determine what kind of ruin is present. Ruins always fit within a single map square, but map squares are quite large. So, there is a wide range of variation in sizes, and you can pick whatever size seems best to you.

Every ruin origin comes with a different spread of menaces. Determine the menace present in a particular ruin by rolling on Table 1–5: Ancient Menaces and comparing the number rolled to the column for that type of ruin.

Each ruin also comes with an ancient menace. This is something that has been lurking in the ruin for years, possibly centuries or millennia. It may have been trapped or has simply not wanted to leave. Regardless of its motives, meddling adventurers or regional

Types of Ruin The following descriptions cover each of the types of ruin listed in Table 1–4, offering some information on what they look like at different sizes. While the ruins make excellent adventure sites, they require some additional development on your part. The details in this section should, however, be enough to improvise the results of a quick reconnaissance foray or the terrified reports of peasants who stumbled into something far too horrible for them to handle.

Table 1–3: Ancient Ruins Roll

Number of Ruins

01–10

1

11–22

2

23–34

3

35–47

4

48–60

5

61–72

6

73–83

7

84–92

8

93–98

9

99–100

10

Arabyan Most of these ruins were left behind from the Sultan of Araby’s attempts to invade the Old World. As a result, they are not among the oldest, and they are recognisably Human in origin. Arabyan buildings often have domed roofs and distinctive onion-shaped arches over doors. A single building is frequently constructed around a courtyard, which may contain a garden if the owner was wealthy; otherwise, it was a storage and work area. Most have only a single floor and are built of brick rather than stone. Decoration almost never includes recognisable figures but can be very elaborate. These swirling, abstract patterns often look like the work of Chaos to men of the Empire, though those who know about Chaos can tell that it is not; it is too orderly. This decoration may be painted, in which case it has faded badly, or a mosaic that may be dirty but can still be seen.

Table 1–4: Ruin Type Roll

Type

01–20

Arabyan

21–30

Chaos Cults

31–45

Dwarf

46–65

Khemri

66–90

Recent Human

91–100

Oddity

Arabyan single rooms are watchtowers or the strong rooms of buildings that have otherwise vanished. Single buildings are normally the homes of the wealthy or small outposts for the military. Some are the keep of a small fortress, in which case traces of the rest of the fortress can also be found. Fortresses are more common than Temples or palaces and are composed of a central keep surrounded by a wall, with outbuildings in the space between the keep and the wall. Villages consist of a number of courtyard homes, while towns and cities are larger versions of villages.

Ancient Ruins Process 1. Roll on Table 1–3: Ancient Ruins to determine the number of ruins. Write the result down, as the number of remaining ruins. 2. Roll on Table 1–4: Ruins Type to determine the type of ruins. 3. Roll on Table 1–5: Ancient Menaces to determine the type of ancient menace in the ruins. 4. Roll on Table 1–7: Original Purpose of Ruins to determine the original purpose of the ruins. 5. Roll on Table 1–8: Reason for Ruins to determine the reason the ruins were destroyed. 6. Continue steps 1 through 5 until you’ve accounted for all the ruins. 7. Use Table 1–6: Age of Ruins to determine the ages of the ruins and create an outline history linking them together.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Table 1–5: Ancient Menaces Menace

Arabyan

Chaos

Dwarf

Khemri

Human

Oddities

Daemon

01–25

01–20

01–05

01–15

01–15

01–15

Degenerate Tribe

26–55

21–25

16–40

16–40

16–30

Golem

26–35

06–30

31–45

Plague

56–75

36–50

31–55

41–50

41–60

46–60

Swarm

76–85

51–65

56–75

51–60

61–70

61–75

Undead

86–95

66–85

61–85

71–85

76–80

Weapon

86–95

76–95

86–95

86–95

81–95

None

96–100

96–100

96–100

96–100

96–100

96–100

Smaller Dwarf ruins are normally guardposts and waystations and may connect to tunnels to larger areas of ruins. Some were constructed to monitor overland routes and have no such connections, however, and the long connecting tunnels from others have collapsed. Town-sized ruins are the remains of the largest Dwarf settlements in the area, and living Dwarfs may still lay claim to them. If such Dwarfs find out that adventurers have been disturbing their lands, they take action to get compensation.

Chaos Cults The anarchy of the Borderlands appeals to many followers of the Ruinous Powers; there is no central authority to send Witch Hunters after them, and a group need not be that strong, if it is fairly discreet, to resist anything that tries to defeat it. On the other hand, the other inhabitants of the area are as opposed to Chaos as the residents of any region, and dark Cults often have trouble remaining discreet for long. Thus, there are a lot of ruins of former Cult strongholds, dating from all periods and scattered across the whole region.

Khemri The scattered Khemri ruins are something of a mystery. The ancient Nehekharans, also known as the Khemri, once ruled vast areas of the Old World, including the Borderlands, and the remains of their civilisation still exist today. These ruins are substantial, monumental things. Fortress-sized and larger ruins sometimes include a pyramid, still visible across the landscape. Even smaller ruins are built with massive stone columns and twice life-size, or larger, statues.

Chaos being what it is, these ruins can take almost any form, but almost all are hidden. The majority are underground, but surface complexes may be found in isolated valleys or the middle of badlands and swamps. The contents of a ruin depend on the particular Ruinous Power to which it was dedicated. The Blood God demands battle, so arenas and barracks are common. The Changer of Ways is more scholarly, so the complex might be similar to a college, while Slaanesh would need feasting halls and Nurgle, plague pits.

While previous adventurers have attempted to enter any visible ruins—leaving excavation marks on the outside of pyramids and collapsed walls in the sides of other structures—the floor plans are typically maze-like, having traps that often still work and thick walls that may conceal hidden chambers, or may simply be thick walls. Thus, any ruin could still contain treasures and horrors, and those worth noting on the map do.

Single room ruins of this type are isolated Shrines, with larger ruins generally being slightly larger Temples. Town-sized ruins of this sort are almost unheard of and should profoundly worry any adventurers who find them. About half of all these sites include a Chaos Monolith—a place of power for Chaos Champions and Beastmen.

Recent Human

Dwarfs

The most common ruins in the Borderlands are the remains of recent attempts to settle the area. These can be destroyed in many ways and often are. Sometimes the neighbours resettle the site, but often it is simply abandoned, as no one has the resources to take over. As a result, these ruins are almost always above ground and almost always badly damaged in some way, even if only by the weather.

The Borderlands were never a major area of Dwarfen civilisation, but there was once a significant number of outposts scattered across the region and even a few town-sized holds. Dwarf ruins are always underground; occasionally very faint traces remain on the surface, but often there was nothing there even when the site was flourishing.

Human ruins can take almost any form, from an isolated farmstead to a wholly abandoned city. Architectural styles are similarly variable; although, Imperial, Bretonnian, and Tilean are by far the most common. Many buildings were put together from whatever was at hand and so do not have a readily recognisable style. Such ruins are a common part of the scenery of the Border Princes, and most are not worth marking on the map.

Dwarfholds make extensive use of stonework and are almost always in excellent condition, no matter how old the ruins, unless they have been deliberately damaged. If the Dwarfs were given time to leave in an orderly fashion, nothing portable of Dwarfen make remains. This is obviously not the case if they were slaughtered by a horde of Greenskins.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands Those that are worth noting still contain a threat or a treasure, something that makes them attractive to adventurers. They need not be in better shape than anywhere else; a crumbling hovel may have an Undead monster in the basement, for example. They do, however, still have a role to play in shaping events.

them and why they tried to make them look like something else. At the extreme, Imperial Characters could explore a ruin and slowly realise that it looks exactly like a ruined version of their hometown.

Types of Menaces

Oddities

Ancient menaces are perils left over from the time when a ruin was active. Thus, they are somewhat mysterious as well as dangerous. A group of Orcs lairing in the ruins of a Dwarfhold does not constitute an ancient menace, though the plague that slew all the original inhabitants might.

Many peoples have passed through the Borderlands, and people fleeing from more established societies often come here to settle. That means very eccentric structures get built and then ruined. This category covers all ruins that do not fit easily into one of the previous categories given. If you do not have any particular inspiration, you can substitute any other type of ruin.

This section does not provide full details of the menaces; they should be customised to fit your campaign. Instead, it discusses the sorts of things that might be found, along with some suggestions for fitting them to particular sorts of ruins. There is enough detail to improvise a rumour about a location if the players ask, but some preparation is needed before you can run an adventure there.

Oddities include the remains of things built by the Greenskins (rare, as they do not build to last), or Hedge Wizards and Warlocks with grand ideas. A few Imperial Magisters have also fled to the Border Princes after political errors, and they may have built notably individual residences. Priests of Heretical non-Chaotic deities build Temple complexes according to their own ideas, while a wealthy-but-dim merchant might try to build a utopian settlement away from political interference. This category also includes ruins so ancient or ruined that they are unidentifiable: stone circles over labyrinthine tunnels, barrow mounds with or without Wights, and natural caves with vivid paintings of unknown beasts on the walls. You could also include things that really shouldn’t be in the area, such as ruins that look like the remains of an Elven settlement, old sailing ships in the middle of mountains or deserts, fantastic cities, forests of petrified people, areas that are made entirely of glass, huge skeletons of long-dead horrors that were adapted for habitation in ages past, and more. Such remains raise the question of who actually built

Daemon A Daemon is a creature of Chaos, and most cannot stay in the normal world for long. However, certain sorts of binding might stabilise a Daemon but trap it in one place. The Tome of Corruption (as well as WFRP and the Old World Bestiary) contains a number of sample Daemons, all of which are suitable for use as an ancient menace. The nature of the Daemon is the most important determinant of the nature of this menace; a Daemon of Slaanesh will take a very different approach to intruders than one of Khorne. However, the reasons for and nature of the binding are almost as important. The Daemon may have been bound by a Chaos Cultist and then left behind when the Cultists were defeated. In this case, the binding is likely to be relatively easy to break, as the Cultist probably intended to release the Daemon to do his bidding. It may also be possible for any character to command the Daemon before releasing it, in which case the Daemon has some features of a weapon. Alternatively, the Daemon may have been a threat, bound by people incapable of banishing it. In this case, the binding is probably very difficult to break, as the people who created it wanted to ensure the Daemon could never come after them. On the other hand, it might not be perfect, as it was created under pressure. Thus, the Daemon might be able to use all of its powers in a limited area, or a limited subset of them over a wider area. This may explain why the site was abandoned; the Daemon was defeated, but staying in the area was a bad idea. The Daemon may also have been bound by its God, forced to patrol an area. In this case, the binding is all but impossible to break, but the Daemon has complete freedom of action within its bounds. The Daemon may be protecting a Chaos Shrine or preventing opposing powers from getting something very useful in the fight against Chaos. Finally, the Daemon might have bound itself, making a mistake or swearing a rash vow with magical force. In this case, the conditions of the binding could be almost anything and prone to change due to seemingly irrelevant factors.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands Once you have chosen the source of the binding, you need to decide how many of its powers the Daemon can use and over what area. While it is possible to have it completely powerless, this hardly makes it a threat to anyone and is, thus, generally not a good idea. At the very least, the Daemon should be able to speak to people who enter the room where it is bound and be able to bargain for its freedom. A Daemon might also be able to influence people psychologically but not physically, or contrarily, it may be restricted to physical attacks. In most cases, the Daemon should not be able to act outside of the ruins, and it may be further confined to a small area of the ruins. On the other hand, a Daemon that can act outside under certain conditions (when Morrslieb is full, for example) is a good way of drawing attention to the ruin and its dangerous resident. The Daemon might also be able to act within a certain radius of an object. As long as the object is undisturbed, the Daemon is confined to the ruins, but if the object is moved, it can act elsewhere. The object in question may well look valuable and thus be tempting to adventurers.

You need to decide how the tribe survives and to what extent they understand the ruins. Social structure, military tactics, and access to magical power are also important variables. Another decision is about the types of stories the ruins provoke. A tribe that refuses to leave the ruins provides a set of opponents for adventurers to defeat as they fight their way through. A tribe that has just recently rediscovered the outside world and now plans a war of conquest, however, provides a random factor to upset the politics of the region.

Golem Golems are self-moving magical constructs. They are not truly intelligent, but they can respond well to different events within their remit. Thus, a warrior Golem is good in battle but cannot comprehend social interactions at all, while a servitor Golem would be an excellent servant but could not learn a new culture and might not even know to run away in battle.

Finally, there is the question of breaking the binding. Sometimes this might banish the Daemon back to the Realms of Chaos. At other times, it might free the Daemon to wreak havoc but also make it vulnerable to being killed, and thus banished. Breaking the binding might be as easy as scuffing a circle of chalk or as difficult as performing a long-lost ritual requiring three Dragon skulls. An easily broken binding means the adventure might focus on dealing with an accidentally released Daemon, so the Daemon might be incapable of any action while it is bound. If it is hard to break the binding, the adventure might focus on doing so, so the Daemon should have dangerous abilities even in its bound state.

The Golems that survive in ruins tend to be military and were usually designed to guard part of the complex. Non-military Golems are only found in undisturbed ruins; otherwise, previous explorers would have destroyed or stolen them. Military Golems in an explored complex probably destroyed the previous explorers. Golems disturb most inhabitants of the Old World, who tend to see them as creatures of Chaos. This is not entirely false, as they are powered by magic, but they are designed to work for others and can, therefore, be controlled. The first thing to choose is the function of a Golem. If it is to be a threat, a military function of some sort is best. A Golem designed to guard the ruins provides a threat to adventurers who enter the complex, while a Golem designed for aggressive warfare might leave the complex for some reason and pose a threat outside. Golems with non-military functions might also be threatening if they are hard to stop and the context has changed. For example, a Golem designed to keep a road clear might set about dismantling a village that has been built across its road.

Degenerate Tribe A degenerate tribe lives in the ruins and is descended from the original inhabitants. It has almost no contact with the outside world, at least until the adventurers arrive to disturb it. Degenerate tribes work best in the larger, more isolated ruins; otherwise, it is hard to explain how they survived and why no one has noticed them. This group does, however, include a single, inbred family that has lived in a ruined house for centuries. Most degenerate tribes were originally Human, partly because it is difficult to know how Greenskins could become more degenerate, but oddities could hold anything. Inbreeding and other degenerative effects mean the tribes should have some deformities. Some groups, particularly in Chaos ruins, may be outright Mutants.

As Golems were designed to be controlled, each has a control method. The basic decision to make is whether the Player Characters can control the Golem. If it was designed to take orders from only one individual, they cannot. Similarly, if it only takes orders in a dead language or from a set of enchanted signs that have been destroyed, then the Golem is beyond control by anyone living. This is a good choice for implacable, incomprehensible foes, though it must be possible to destroy them by other means.

The tribe is degenerate and so does not fully understand the remaining ruins. They may have religious prohibitions on entering certain areas, or they may simply have forgotten how to open certain doors. If an area is secret, they may even be unaware of its existence. On the other hand, they do have legends of the glory days of the ruin, which may be wrong enough to completely mislead adventurers.

Alternately, the control method might be difficult to use but still possible. Perhaps the commander needs to be wearing a particular uniform, or the enchanted signs survive but have been scattered across dangerous locations within the ruins. This is best used when commands are the only way to stop the Golem. If necessary, only the “halt” command might survive, so the Characters cannot take over the golem.

Degenerate tribes are normally hostile to outsiders, whom they see as deformed. On the other hand, they might be very welcoming because they plan to eat the adventurers later. To the tribe, being devoured could be a great honour; adventurers are likely to differ. Worship of the Ruinous Powers is not uncommon, no matter what the original nature of the ruins, but it is far from universal. Superstitions peculiar to these individuals are the most typical form of worship.

Finally, control might be fairly easy. In this case, the Golem becomes a weapon, as discussed in the Weapon section on page 15, and is probably in the hands of an antagonist. Note that control might be easy for the antagonist because he is the last descendant of the original lords of the Golem, for example, but impossible for the Player Characters because they have no such blood link. This circumstance avoids the potential problem of giving the Player Characters a powerful weapon.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Plague

A swarm may resort to cannibalism, so they pour out eagerly in search of new food sources if the ruins are breached.

A plague is a disease, often trapped in the ruins for centuries, that is released when the ruins are disturbed. In many cases, the plague is the reason the ruins were abandoned, but it need not be. It might have developed among the corpses left by a military assault, for example.

Swarms are rather like plagues in a number of respects and indeed might carry a plague just to make things even less pleasant. In particular, it is not possible to defeat a swarm by killing all the creatures that make it up with individual sword blows; there are just too many of them. Instead, the adventurers have to destroy the breeding chamber, find a way to burn the whole ruin, or poison the whole area to kill all of the beasts. In the meantime, they still have to fight the swarm off.

The main type of adventure inspired by a plague is the search for a cure. This is particularly appropriate if the Player Characters have become infected, as they have a really strong reason to pursue the adventure. In this case, you must ensure there are good clues to follow to find a cure. The cure should involve more than just visiting a Priestess of Shallya, but it must be both possible and something the adventurers can reasonably discover.

The classic image is a swarm pouring through a small opening like water, surging over the adventurers. It is probably worth using the classic image at least once. However, rooms where the creatures of the swarm cover every surface—or corridors where they flow along the floor like a river—are also effective images. If you build the horror with major encounters, you can scare the Players with even a single creature scuttling along the floor.

A visit to a Priestess of Shallya might fit the bill—if the nearest capable Priestess is several days’ journey across dangerous terrain. On the other hand, the adventurers might need to find a particular herb or parts of a particular animal to reproduce the cure they find in the ruins—a cure of which only a single dose exists.

Destroying the swarm is likely the ultimate goal. Before that, however, the Characters are likely to be involved in either or both of two vital activities: keeping the swarm isolated to an area and keeping the swarm out of an area. The latter is more claustrophobic and horrifying, because even if the Characters can keep the swarm out, there is still the question of how to escape. The former might be more suited to Characters who are ruling a principality, as they try to keep the swarm inside its ruins.

You should also decide whether the disease can be spread from person to person. If it can only be caught within the ruins, then the characters simply need to find a cure for themselves. Otherwise, they face spreading a plague across the Borderlands. If they are rulers of a principality, such a situation should concern them.

Strictly speaking, swarms need food. This should, however, be something that you do not worry about unduly. They can eat adventurers and villages once they get out, but the source of their food in the ruin itself can be left vague. Of course, if you want to have a swarm of rats that feeds on Warpstone-tainted moss, then that is a good piece of background, but it is not necessary.

A contagious plague can add concerns of quarantine to the quest for a cure, and the Characters can be on either side. Characters in authority might try to confine the infected to a plague village and search for the ingredients of a cure, or Characters might find themselves hemmed in by quarantine and need to get out to get the vital ingredients.

Undead

The Player Characters need not be the ones to release the plague. If another group disturbs the ruins and starts the contagion, the adventurers may have to return to the source of the disease in order to learn what might cure it. In that case, they risk getting infected along the way.

Undead come in two types: mindless and intelligent. Both may be present in a ruin, but if so, the intelligent ones are likely to be in control, so the adventure types are determined by their interests, not by their mindless servants.

In general, Player Characters do not have much choice about whether they get infected by a disease, particularly one that has been lurking in ruins for centuries. That means, in general, the cure should be perfect; the adventurers should be able to remove all ill effects of the disease if they succeed in the adventures arising. Partial success might mean that some ill effects linger. Some Players do not mind having their Characters arbitrarily damaged, and such events are particularly appropriate to the Old World, but it is vital to remember that the game is supposed to be fun. If your Players do not want their Characters to be scarred with no chance of mitigation, you should make sure they have a chance to avoid it.

Typically, Undead are the remains of the original inhabitants of the ruin. They may have refused to leave, become trapped, or even deliberately made themselves Undead and designed the ruins as a home for them in that state. In the last case, the ruins may not be particularly ruined. Mindless Undead are just something to fight while exploring the ruins. Their bodies may carry clues to the cause of the destruction of the area, but they cannot talk to the Characters or form plans. Mindless Undead could also reveal the location of ruins, if they find an exit and lurch out to spread terror in nearby settlements.

Swarm

Intelligent Undead most likely have plans. None of them are fond of the living, and those who became trapped in the ruins are likely to be distorted by rage and frustration, lashing out at anyone who dares to come within. They are unlikely to fight sensibly or withdraw from an encounter that threatens to destroy them, as they would really like to be destroyed. These Undead could serve much the same function as the mindless Undead, or they might have a piece of information vital to the Characters. In that case, the Characters need to find a way to convince an insane monster to talk to them—an interesting challenge and one that you should have at least one possible solution.

A swarm is a lot of small monsters, individually not much of a threat but very dangerous in groups. Swarms of rats, roaches, scorpions, bats, and snakes are all obvious possibilities. Tainted creatures might be particularly prone to forming swarms and might carry their taint with them. Swarms are sometimes the remains of whatever caused the complex to fall into ruin. Often, however, they have merely been able to grow unchecked within the ruins, as no predators disturbed them.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands Those who refused to leave their homes are also likely to fight intruders but do so more intelligently. They do not want to be destroyed, but they do not want intruders violating their resting places. Thus, they retreat, regroup, lead Characters into traps, and manipulate any mindless Undead into taking the brunt of the damage. Nevertheless, they may risk destruction to protect particular parts of their lairs. These Undead are unlikely to pursue Characters who leave the ruins, since all they want is to be left alone. In some cases, it may even be possible to negotiate for information or particular items, in return for leaving the ruins undisturbed and possibly carrying out some vengeance against the forces that destroyed the place to begin with. Undead who created the lair deliberately are the most variable. They are most common in Khemri ruins but can be found anywhere. In most cases, they are the reason the ruin is now a ruin, but they might not be. They may have intended to rule a much more spectacular site, but the attacks of Greenskins, forces of nature, or the simple march of time have greatly reduced their circumstances. Such Undead likely resent their current weakness but are unable to do anything about it. Those who did deliberately create the ruin may have maintained it well, so “ruin” is not a very accurate description. The important point is that it is isolated from the politics of the region, so it becomes a site for adventures rather than another political entity. Such Undead may want to be left alone to pursue vile research, or they might be slowly building their power and Undead army to launch a campaign of conquest across the Old World. The Lure of the Liche Lord adventure is an excellent example of such an Undead creatures dreams of power.

Races to get the weapon can happen even if there isn’t really a weapon, or it is impractical, or broken. But the battle can still seriously disrupt the lands of the Border Princes and so still count as a threat. Weapons that are not a threat should not be overused, but as you are unlikely to have lots of ruins with weapons in your area, this is unlikely to become a problem.

If the Undead lord is part of the politics of the area, it should be created as a principality rather than a ruin. (See the guidelines in the Principality section on page 33.) Such principalities are very rare in the Border Princes and thus are not given a random entry, but they do exist and could certainly be inserted into your campaign. They generally attract hostility from the surrounding lands, but some survive for a remarkably long time.

Alternately, an area might become aware of a weapon because somebody has it. This person now has overwhelming military force, which means he can defeat any of the other princes. If the Characters are princes themselves, they may want to neutralise the weapon or take it for themselves, if possible. This might involve stealthy missions into the heart of a military camp or expeditions to the ruins to find a way to neutralise the weapon.

Weapon Weapons are unusual threats in that they can do nothing by themselves. Rather, they can be wielded by just about anyone to pose a major threat to the surrounding area. They are almost always magic weapons with the ability to cause damage to large numbers of people—the sort of thing that could win a small war by itself. However, other options are possible: an enchanted pick designed for mining would count as a weapon if it could instantly destroy any fortifications.

A possible problem arises if the Player Characters get their hands on the weapon and become basically unbeatable in a straight fight. Such a situation might reduce the level of challenge to the Characters and make the game less fun. One way around this is to give the weapon limited charges, so the Characters have to make difficult decisions about when to use it. After a certain number of applications, it becomes a useless hunk of junk. Another is to give the weapon nasty side effects, so that they do not want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Adventures surrounding a weapon start when individuals become aware of its existence. A scholar from the Empire might learn that it was hidden in a particular place, organise an expedition to find it, and escape from the ruin with his life and a bit of evidence proving that he was not mad. At that point, all the princes in the area want the weapon, as does anyone who wants to become a prince, and so adventures dealing with the competition in the ruins happen. Other possible adventures concern what people do in the temporary power vacuum left by the mad scramble in the ruins. After all, the princes cannot afford to let a subordinate get his hands on the weapon, so they have to go in person. That might let a subordinate seize power, particularly if the prince never makes it back from the dangerous adventure.

The third way may be better in the long run, but it is a bit harder to set up. The weapon only works in battle; it does not help maintain order in conquered areas afterwards. Similarly, it does not protect against the intrigues of surrounding princes who are desperate to get their hands on it. It could also be large or unwieldy and can only be in one place at once, so what do the characters do if attacked from two directions? There are lots of adventures that can happen despite the Characters being able to beat any of their neighbours in a pitched battle.

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Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands from two types, so the Characters have trouble determining what the place was supposed to be.

Table 1–6: Age of Ruins

Fortress

Period

Years Ago

Ruin Types

Dawn of Time

5000–3000

Dwarf, Oddities

Ancient Wars

3000–1500

Chaos, Dwarf, Khemri, Oddities

Historical

1500–300

Araby, Chaos, Dwarf, Khemri, Oddities

Old

300–100

Araby, Chaos, Dwarf, Recent Human, Oddities

Recent

100–0

Chaos, Recent Human, Oddities

A fortress is a military stronghold designed to quarter troops, resist attacks, and send troops out quickly to deal with any threats. Living quarters tend to be Spartan, and fortifications are impressive. The fortress is supplied from elsewhere, so it does not have the facilities necessary to be self-sufficient. Fortresses are designed to be hard to destroy and, thus, often survive as ruins.

Outpost An outpost is a position in hostile territory, often intended as part of a colonisation effort but also sometimes situated to maintain a trade route. It is well-fortified, like a fortress. Unlike a fortress, it is required to be self-sufficient, so it also contains the facilities necessary to maintain the buildings and inhabitants. Living quarters also tend to be rather more comfortable, or at least more personal, as outposts accommodate families rather than soldiers.

In some cases, you might actually want to give the Player Characters such a weapon. Suppose that you have played a lot of small-scale battles, and both you and the Players are a bit tired of them and want to try other things. However, there is no good reason why the attacks would stop. The weapon provides such a reason, while also provoking a lot of different adventures.

Settlement In the Border Princes, a settlement almost certainly has some defences, but it is not designed primarily for defence. Thus, convenience of access is as large a factor as defensibility, and the homes within the defences may be quite large. Many settlements are self-sufficient, but a trading town may not have been. This category covers isolated farmsteads as well as full villages, towns, and cities.

History Ruins have a history. In its simplest form, this history has three components: how old are the ruins, what were they before they were ruins, and why did they become ruins?

Temple

The tables in this section give answers to those questions and provide a framework for you to elaborate as necessary for your campaign.

Places of worship are often built solidly to show respect for the deity in question. This means they often remain as ruins. A Temple contains at least a worship hall, and larger ones also contain residence chambers for Priests and attendants. They may also include tombs and take on features of an outpost or, depending on the God, a fortress. But their primary purpose is worship, and the structure is centred on one or more rooms for that purpose.

Age Table 1–6 provides a summary of the likely ages of ruins in the Borderlands. Unlike the other tables in this section, this is not a random table; you should choose the precise age of your ruins to create a viable history of the region. Instead, it gives broad bands of ages and the types of ruins that are normally found dating from those periods.

Tomb A tomb is a place for the dead. Wealthy people may be buried in elaborate complexes with many grave goods. Some tombs may also incorporate small Shrines or Temples. However, unlike a Temple, the main purpose is the housing of the dead. In most cases, a tomb becomes a ruin as soon as it is completed because there is no intention to enter it or use it again, though this may not be the case if the tomb houses Undead.

Original Purpose The original purpose of a ruin determines the sorts of structures found there. In many cases, particularly with older ruins or those of more mysterious origin, the original purpose may not be at all clear. In those cases, roll twice on Table 1-7 and combine elements

Table 1–7: Original Purpose of Ruins Purpose

Araby

Chaos

Dwarf

Khemri

Recent Human

Fortress

01–30

01–20

01–25

01–20

01–20

Outpost

31–60

21–25

26–60

21–50

21–50

Settlement

61–70

26–30

61–80

51–60

51–75

Temple

71–90

31–80

81–90

61–70

76–90

Tomb

91–100

81–100

91–100

71–100

91–100

16

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands

Reason for the Fall Roll on Table 1–8 to find out why the ruin became a ruin. By this point of the proceedings, you might already have a good idea of what happened, in which case you can simply pick or ignore certain results. For example, if you have determined that the ruin is a Chaos Temple now inhabited by intelligent Undead, you might want to simply decide that the ruin was deliberately abandoned and choose Policy (see page 18). Similarly, if the menace is a plague, then it makes a great deal of sense for the plague to be the cause of ruin.

Civil War Factions within the settlement fought each other, and there were not enough survivors to sustain it as it was. Obviously, for a small ruin, this would have been more like a brawl than a full-blown civil war, but the important point is there were no external enemies. If there were a lot of survivors, valuables are likely to be gone, but there may not have been enough people to take everything when the dust settled. There are certainly likely to be remains around, all appearing to be members of the same “side.”

Enigma It is downright mysterious why the ruin was abandoned. This generally means there are no corpses, but portable goods were left behind. They may be scattered around as if still in use, as though everyone vanished in an instant, or everything might be carefully put away, as if everyone intended to come back.

shrank as more and more of the buildings fell into ruin. This cause is most likely to give rise to Degenerate Tribes, as the process may not be quite complete. The decay can have some different causes. For example, the inhabitants might have lost the skills necessary to operate, or even just maintain, some parts of the ruin, which in turn cuts them off from some of their resources. An isolated settlement could even fall prey to simple inbreeding, having insufficient contact with the outside world.

Famine The population perished due to lack of food. Some may have left before the end, but others died in the place. Famine generally leaves time to bury the dead and may inspire cannibalism. It also rarely inspires panic, which means that everything may look very orderly. Obviously, there would be no sign of food stores, and the survivors may well have taken some valuable items with them.

Natural Disaster

Magic

The settlement was wiped out by a flood, earthquake, fire, volcanic eruption, meteorite, or any other natural disaster you can think of. In this case, destruction was sudden and probably came without

While any of the other reasons could involve magic, this result means magic was directly and obviously involved. The inhabitants might all have been turned to stone or the buildings to glass. The magic must have left evidence; otherwise, the reason is an Enigma.

Table 1–8: Reason for Ruins

Military Attack The inhabitants of the ruin were attacked and defeated by outside forces. These might have been Greenskins, Mutants, Humans, Dwarfs, Undead, or some other monsters. The ruins are almost certainly damaged and contain the remains of both sides of the conflict. Note that the inhabitants may have won the battle but were forced to abandon the ruins afterwards. In that case, they might have taken as many of their dead with them as possible and are very likely to have taken valuables. On the other hand, if the inhabitants lost the battle, the invaders may have looted the area. Finally, the battle may have been a bloody stalemate, with nearly everyone on both sides dead. In this case, the corpses of both sides lie everywhere, and the damage caused by battle is readily apparent.

Natural Decay This is the slowest form of decline. The local resources were not enough to support the settlement, and its population slowly

17

Roll

Reason

1

Civil War

2

Enigma

3

Famine

4

Magic

5

Military Attack

6

Natural Decay

7

Natural Disaster

8

Plague

9

Policy

10

Resource Loss

Chapter I: Landscape of the Borderlands presence ended. Use the dates to determine the establishment of the ruins, as well as their destruction, and use Table 1-8 to determine the cause of destruction. You can generalise from individual ruins to the state of a whole civilisation and then piece things together into a narrative.

any warning at all. Most of the items owned by the residents remain in the ruins but may well be buried under stone or damaged by fire. The precise nature of the disaster is very important here, as it determines the sort of damage that the ruins have taken.

Plague

If you are short of time, you can skip this step altogether, or you can simply write the names of the power blocs and their dates in the region and call that the history. The ruins you have already generated are the main impact that this history will have on the campaign, so there is no need to add more detail.

The inhabitants were wiped out or had their numbers catastrophically reduced by disease. Depending on the nature of the disease, such a situation may have caused blind panic; a disease that is contagious and rapidly fatal is particularly likely to have that effect. In that case, the ruins may show signs of destruction that look like the after-effect of civil war, but there are corpses that do not seem to have been involved in battle. The plague may, of course, still be around, waiting to infect adventurers.

On the other hand, if you want a bit more detail, you do not need to add much to make an appealing history. A Dwarf stronghold destroyed by a plague could become the Burning Pox of 35 IC, which swept across the entire region, leaving it almost completely depopulated for a century. A Chaos Temple active at the time and a Khemri outpost destroyed by magic are the foundations for an epic battle between the Undead Kings and the Ruinous Powers, which the forces of Chaos won. The destruction of the Chaos Temple might have been the work of a noble adventurer whose name is still remembered in the area.

Policy The ruin was deliberately abandoned. It may have been an outpost that was too remote to sustain or a village that saw failure coming and decided to get out first. A small ruin might have been a farmstead that was abandoned by a generation who did not want to eke a living in isolation. In most cases, this means everything portable has been stripped from the ruin, but if there was a period of decline first, the inhabitants may not have been able to move everything. In some cases, such as tombs, the policy may have involved putting portable treasures into the tomb before abandoning the ruins.

Remember, you are telling the history of one small region, so you do not need to worry too much about independent plausibility. You can always bring in forces from outside the immediate area as needed. In addition, history gets distorted over time, and what the Characters hear might not be what actually happened. At this stage, do not worry about the more recent history of the area—the last fifty years or so. You will generate that as you work through the next couple of chapters.

Resource Loss Resource loss is different from natural decay in that it is sudden. The classic example is a village based around a mine, which is abandoned when the mine is exhausted. There are other possibilities, such as a farming community that loses its water supply, or the river that supplied trade could silt up. Resource loss leads to a fairly sudden contraction as most people leave, followed by lingering decline among decaying buildings as the final holdouts die off from natural decay. The end result is often a ghost town.

Location The final step is placing the ruins on the map. Elements of the history may make that easy—if a ruin was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, it should be near a volcano. Other decisions might be determined by the history you have written. Three Dwarf ruins might all be placed in the same mountain range, because you have decided that there was a small Dwarf kingdom there, before it was finally destroyed by Orcs 700 years ago.

Regional History

If you still have a free choice of where to put some ruins, scatter them across the map to encourage the Characters to visit as much of the area as possible. After all, there’s no point developing this whole area if the players are going to ignore large chunks of it.

You now have the material you need to write the ancient history of your area of the Border Princes. You know which cultures had a presence in the area, and Table 1-6 provides dates for when that

A

— Review —

t this point, you should look over the map and history you have created for your region. This may already suggest adventures and political situations. For example, two regions separated by a range of mountains are likely to be ruled by different princes, which means the river flowing

through the mountains to join them is a highly contested route. The shape of the map and history may make some of the decisions assigned to die rolls in the following chapters, in which case you can just ignore those tables. Decide how much you want to leave to the tables, and then move on.

18

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

Princes

Chapter

of the

II

Borderlands “Aye, we’ve a prince. Why, we’ve had a dozen in just the last year! They’re pop’lar in these here lands.” —Sap Reinhorf, Dirt Farmer

O

The number of princes you create for your area is entirely up to you. If you don’t want to actually choose how many, you can roll on Table 1–3 and use the result as the number of princes. There is no need to have every area on your map under the rule of a particular prince; indeed, there are almost always some areas under no lord’s control.

nce you have the history and geography of your area defined, it is time to start on current affairs, meaning the princes of this part of the Border Princes. This chapter helps you to generate such rulers and their relations with one another. The Border Princes is a highly unstable region, and so this chapter produces princes who are insecure in their power for one reason or another.

M

— Individual Princes — It is almost unheard of for a bandit to take control of a realm by means other than violence. As discussed in the Campaign section, they have to be a bit subtler than simply killing everyone, but force and intimidation are a central part of their strategies. They also maintain their rule by fear and bribery, so that most people are too scared to rebel, while a few are doing too well for it to be worth their while.

ore than most other lands, the Border Princes is shaped by a collection of individuals. Therefore, the first step in determining the current political shape of your region is to generate the individual princes and their principalities

Types of Princes Roll on Table 2–1 to determine the type of prince. This is a very broad indication of the prince’s career and is discussed in more detail as the chapter progresses. A concrete example, having just completed his third career, is provided for each type, but this is merely an example. If you want to make a knight with experience as a minstrel, for example, you should go ahead.

Table 2–1: Type of Prince

Bandit The bandit prince is probably the type everyone thinks of when the Border Princes are mentioned. He starts by robbing anyone who looks like they have money and finishes by stealing the right to rule a principality. These princes are, indeed, extremely common in the area, but they also tend to have the fastest turnover. The skills needed to run a band of outlaws are quite different from those needed to maintain a stronghold and its supporting lands, so many of these princes are unseated quite quickly.

19

Roll

Type

01-30

Bandit

31-50

Knight

51-85

Mercenary

86-90

Merchant

91-94

Politician

95-98

Priest

99-100

Wizard

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands “prince,” at least, and more often “king” or “emperor.” They organise elaborate courts, grant their old lieutenants titles, and institute court ceremonies. These often include some form of trial, though the verdict remains at the prince’s discretion. Most of these princes seem ridiculous, playing at something they are not. Oddly enough, they tend to last longer than the other sort of bandit prince; creating the court forces the new ruler to think about some of the things involved in running a realm.

Prince Generation Summary 1. If desired, roll on Table 1-3 to determine the number of princes in the area. 2. Roll on Table 2–1 to determine the type of prince. 3. Roll on Table 2–2 to determine the race of the prince. 4. Roll on Tables 2–3 and 2–4 to determine how personally experienced the prince is. 5. Roll on Tables 2–5, 2–6, 2–7, 2–8, and 2–9 to determine the prince’s personality. 6. Roll on Table 2–10 to determine the size of the prince’s court. 7. Roll on Table 2–11 to determine the prince’s title. 8. If you want to generate further princes, return to step 2.

Bandit Career: Outlaw Chief (ex-Veteran, ex-Outlaw) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

54%

65%

47%

56%

46%

37%

46%

47%

Secondary Profile Bandit princes tend to take one of two approaches to running their realm. The first group remains bandits and sees no need to pretend to be anything else. These princes do not take formal titles, instead using their bandit moniker, which was chosen to strike fear into all who heard it: “Ludmilla Gut-spiller,” “Massimo the Knife,” “Eyeballs Ricardo.” A few are called something simple, like “The Boss” or “The Chief.” They do not have courts, as such, instead maintaining their old structure of lieutenants in the band. These men also have no formal titles and generally do not have fixed areas of responsibility. Such realms have no law beyond the whim of the prince, and survival for most residents involves avoiding the prince’s notice. Bandit princes would not refer to their lands as a “realm,” rather more as an area they can plunder at will a “turf” or just “mine.”

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

3

19

4

5

4

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Care, Command, Common Knowledge (The Border Princes), Concealment, Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow +10%, Follow Trail, Gamble, Gossip, Intimidate, Perception +10%, Ride, Scale Sheer Surface, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Secret Language (Thieves’ Tongue), Secret Signs (Thief ), Set Trap, Silent Move Talents: Lightning Parry, Mighty Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rover, Sharpshooter, Specialist Weapon Group (Longbow), Specialist Weapon Group (Two-handed), Sure Shot, Very Resilient, Very Strong Armour: Medium Armour (Sleeved Mail Shirt and Leather Jack) Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 0 Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Longbow with 10 Arrows Trappings: Band of Outlaws, Principality

The other group decides that they are far superior to ordinary bandits now. They take on noble titles, often greatly overblown:

Knight Although many in more civilised lands would laugh at the notion, there are a number of knights in the Border Princes, and some of them hold principalities. Knights tend to think themselves better than anyone else. They are better than the other petty princes around them because they hold to standards of honour and chivalry, and they are better than the knights of lands like Bretonnia because they actually have to fight to keep their rule. It is not unknown for a knight to style himself “king” and demand fealty from neighbouring princes, an attitude that often leads to war. Knights almost always assume some title, but they are the most likely to assume a modest-sounding rank. Barons, castellans, earls, lords, baronets, dons, and a few princes make up most of their numbers. Every knight has a court, even if most of the roles are filled by one or two people. They require marshals to look after troops, groomsmen to look after horses, chancellors to keep records, and justiciars to administer the law. Almost all knights have a body of law for their realm, and this law is generally quite clear on the superiority of the knight and his family. The realm is named appropriately for the title: a barony, lordship, or fief is most common. There are some knights in the Border Princes who are almost indistinguishable from knights in Bretonnia who hold similar titles.

20

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Knights do, in fact, tend to prosper in the region. The knightly ethos was, after all, developed to enable warriors to hold land in the face of threats, and it does that job quite well. There are a few principalities held by the grandson of the founder and more held by the son. In your campaign, there might even be one that has managed four generations of hereditary succession. Thus, some knights gain power by fairly peaceful succession. Others gain power after defending a region from another threat or by taking over from a prince they had previously served. Most still gain power by violent conquest, however, like any other lord in the area. Of course, prosperity does not mean that they are right and good. Indeed, most of the knights in the region are quite brutal about keeping the peace and order in their realms and in dealing with invaders. This is part of the reason they are successful; they know that they have to keep order within the realm and believe they have the authority to do so however they see fit.

Knight Career: Noble Lord (ex-Squire, ex-Knight). Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

58%

42%

49%

48%

41%

46%

48%

65%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

2

19

4

4

4

Some do manage to learn the necessary skills, but those lords change into something more like knights. If their sons inherit from them, the sons usually are knights, often knights who claim a noble pedigree going back centuries.

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Care, Animal Training, Charm +10%, Command, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Dodge Blow +10%, Evaluate, Gossip, Perception +10%, Read/Write, Ride +10%, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Speak Language (Breton), Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Reikspiel), Speak Language (Tilean) Talents: Etiquette, Master Orator, Public Speaking, Specialist Weapon Group (Cavalry), Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Flail), Specialist Weapon Group (Two-handed), Strike Mighty Blow Armour: Heavy Armour (Full Plate) Armour Points: Head 5, Arms 5, Body 5, Legs 5 Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Lance, Flail, Great Hammer Trappings: Principality, Warhorse with Chain Barding.

Unsurprisingly, mercenaries like military titles. A few simply retain their old ranks, often because that name is associated with a terrifying reputation. Most promote themselves substantially: Warlord, Generalissimo, High Marshal, and Supreme Commander are all popular. This also allows the prince to “promote” his underlings as well, even as far as General. At least initially, mercenaries run their principalities on military lines. They establish a chain of command that runs down to the peasants, and they issue orders. Military discipline takes the place of law, which means that non-combatants are poorly protected. In the realms that survive, this situation tends to evolve into something more flexible, but the dual emphasis on rank and chain of command persists.

Mercenary

Mercenary

There are a lot of mercenaries in the Border Princes because there is a lot of work for them. Some of their leaders realise the best troops in a principality answer to them, rather than to the prince, and decide to take over. Others go freelance to topple a weak lord, paying their troops from the spoils of war. A rare few are actually designated as heirs by the previous prince and take power on his demise. A handful of these are not even responsible for the old prince’s death.

Career: Captain (ex-Mercenary, ex-Sergeant) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

67%

50%

58%

50%

52%

40%

45%

56%

Secondary Profile

Mercenaries are actually the most common type of lord in the Border Princes. There are a lot of them, and they have the military force needed to seize a principality and hold it against aggression. Most of them, however, lack the ability to manage a principality, and they are eventually unseated by a combination of encroaching poverty, peasant revolt, and invasion.

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

3

18

5

5

4

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Care, Command +10%, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Common Knowledge (the Empire), Common Knowledge (Tilea), Dodge Blow +20%, Gossip, Intimidate,

21

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Merchants organise their principalities around their businesses. They often call their realm a “free city,” “free port,” or “free market.” In this usage, “free” means “oppressive and expensive.” The court is organised like a business; subordinates have responsibility for particular areas or types of jobs. Promotion, demotion, and transfers between jobs are quite common. The merchant himself generally adopts an urban-sounding title, such as Guildmaster, Mayor, or Alderman.

Merchant Career: Politician (ex-Tradesman, ex-Merchant) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

34%

40%

39%

34%

41%

67%

55%

53%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

1

16

3

3

4

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Academic Knowledge (Law), Blather, Charm +10%, Command, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Common Knowledge (the Empire), Drive, Evaluate +20%, Gossip, Haggle +20%, Perception, Performer (Actor), Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language (Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Breton), Speak Language (Reikspiel), Trade (Cook), Trade (Merchant) +10% Talents: Dealmaker, Master Orator, Public Speaking, Savvy, Schemer, Streetwise, Super Numerate Armour: None Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0 Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword) Trappings: Principality, 2000 gc capital, Trade Goods worth at least 2000 gc.

Perception, Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Speak Language (Tilean), Swim Talents: Lightning Parry, Menacing, Quick Draw, Specialist Weapon Group (Flail), Specialist Weapon Group (Twohanded), Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Wrestling Armour: Heavy Armour (Full Plate) Armour Points: Head 5, Arms 5, Body 5, Legs 5 Weapons: Flail, Great Sword, Hand Weapon (Sword), Trappings: Principality, Unit of Troops

Politician

Merchant

Politicians are rare leaders in the Borderlands because they do not generally have access to the sheer amount of force needed to claim power in the first place. Those who are princes were generally the assistants of previous lords and stepped into the lord’s shoes when he made one mistake too many. For military lords, in the dangerous environment of the Borderlands, this is generally fatal.

A merchant might seem an odd background for a prince in the Borderlands; the image associated with the phrase “Merchant Prince” is quite different. Indeed, they are quite rare, as indicated on the table, but they do exist. Some merchants deal in goods that no government can countenance and feel they would be able to trade more freely if they were the government. The Borderlands are the perfect place to put such a plan into operation.

In many cases, another military strongman moves in to take over. If the prince’s steward is competent and respected, and the prince’s disaster did not gut his army too badly, the steward might be able to rally a defence and take over. The few politicians who can get over this crisis tend to hang on to power for some time, generally acquiring military experience whether they like it or not. They tend to preserve a preference for solving problems with guile rather than a sword, however.

As a result, princes with a merchant background tend to be among the worst of a bad bunch. They have come to the area specifically to do things that they cannot do in civilised lands, such as trade in slaves, forbidden tomes, or Chaos artefacts. Since few merchants are master warriors, they buy their muscle, and they employ some of the finest mercenary companies. Those who remain princes for any length of time employ at least two mutually hostile mercenary companies, so that the mercenary captain finds it hard to simply dispose of the merchant and take over. Most attain their positions by force, hiring small armies and conquering part of the area. A few take over by bribery, buying another prince’s supporters out from under him. Most of the rest serve as treasurer to a prince for a time and then betray him, bribing people to transfer their loyalty.

As most inherit a power structure, their courts and titles can reflect any of the other types described in this section, which can lead to Supreme Warlords who pick up a sword by the right end two times out of three. Very few politicians change things once they attain power, as they have become skilled at manipulating the old system. Their preferences do often lead to a military decline, and this is the normal reason for the fall of these realms.

22

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

Princes and “Princes” Throughout this book, the rulers of the Borderlands are referred to as “princes” and their realms as “principalities.” This is mainly for convenience. A “prince” in the Borderlands is most likely a vicious thug who gains power by violence and murder, maintains it by fear, has no grasp of politics beyond grabbing what he wants and beating up the weak, and has to scrabble for food from month to month. Princes in the rest of the Old World hardly ever have to scrabble for food. The rulers of the Borderlands call themselves whatever they think is appropriate. This does include “prince,” but it also includes khan, baron, duke, viscount, earl, tzar, warlord, margrave, king, and even “Immortal God-Emperor of the Living World.” The sections on types of princes discuss the sorts of titles that are most likely.

The few exceptions generally feel a special calling from their God, which further strengthens their advantages. The competent Priests who head to the Borderlands often succeed. They organise their principalities in a similar way to the Temples and military orders of their Cult, and they generally do not claim any titles other than the ones granted by the Cult hierarchy. A few megalomaniacal exceptions claim to be the God incarnate, of course, but most such lunatics try their luck in realms such as the Empire.

Politician Career: Noble Lord (ex-Bailiff, ex-Politician) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

56%

42%

37%

39%

37%

55%

54%

70%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

2

17

3

3

4

The most common deity is Myrmidia, as the challenge of establishing a firm bulwark against the Greenskins appeals to them. Sigmarites are also surprisingly common. For them, it is the feeling that they are taking the fight to their God’s ancient enemies that motivates them. Ulricans are not uncommon in the region, but they rarely set up principalities; they prefer wandering and taking the fight wherever it needs to go.

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Academic Knowledge (History), Academic Knowledge (Law) +10%, Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Blather, Charm +20%, Command +20%, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes) +10%, Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate, Perception, Performer (Actor), Read/Write, Ride, Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Reikspiel) Talents: Etiquette, Master Orator, Public Speaking, Schemer, Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Streetwise Armour: None Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0 Weapons: Foil Trappings: Principality, Winning Smile

The less martial deities are far less represented. Priests of Taal and Rhya have a presence, trying to preserve wildernesses in one of the less settled regions of the Old World. A few Priests of Manann set up along the coast, but the land-based portions of their domains tend to be very small. At sea, it is a different matter. Individual Priests of the other deities may establish a theocracy to fulfil some perceived command of their God, but there would be no more than one across the whole region.

Priest

There are no principalities headed by Priestesses of Shallya. Strange, that.

Priests have many advantages when it comes to establishing principalities. First, they have divine backing in the form of miracles, which gives them a vital edge in conflicts. Second, they find it easy to draw fanatically loyal followers, men and women who follow the Priest as the voice of the God. Third, they can get institutional support from their faiths, giving them the required capital.

Priest Career: Anointed Priest (ex-Initiate, ex-Priest) Main Profile

However, there are very few such princes. The main reason is that the majority of Priests have better things to do with their time than carve a petty realm out of some of the most undesirable real estate in the Old World. Martial Priests can fight in wars that matter, scholarly Priests stay somewhere with books, and ambitious Priests scheme for positions with real power in a real country. Accordingly, most of those who head for the Borderlands are lacking in real talent and, thus, lacking in the ability necessary to create and maintain a principality.

WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

55%

42%

46%

47%

50%

48%

64%

50%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

2

17

4

4

4

2

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Astronomy), Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Academic Knowledge (Theology) +10%, Channelling +10%, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Common Knowledge (the Empire), Gossip, Heal +10%, Magical Sense, Perception, Read/Write, Ride, Speak

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Arcane Language (Magick), Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Reikspiel) Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Armoured Caster, Divine Lore (one), Lesser Magic (Aethyric Armour), Lesser Magic (Blessed Weapon), Lightning Reflexes, Master Orator, Petty Magic (Divine), Public Speaking, Seasoned Traveller, Strike to Stun, Warrior Born Armour: Medium Armour (Full Chain Mail) Armour Points: Head 3, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 3 Weapons: Hand Weapon (as appropriate) Trappings: Principality Note: The patron God’s Cult Skills and Talents must also be added to the list. These can be found in the Religion and Belief chapter of WFRP.

Borderlands, and the Magister Lords are willing to take the risk of losing them. Magic is a major advantage to a Wizard. It is very scarce in the Borderlands, and so a Wizard Prince has a significant advantage in battle. The fear of his magic also helps to keep his neighbours in check. Thus, while Wizards find it difficult to seize a principality, they find it fairly easy to hold one once they have it. Most Wizards have small principalities, as they do not have the skills needed to rule a large area, but there are one or two exceptions. Almost all Wizards take a title emphasising their magical power, such as Wizard King, Wizard Prince, Sorcerer Lord, and so on. Imperial Magisters never call themselves Magister Lords unless they are; there is too much risk of losing the tenuous approval of the authorities. Their courts tend to be similar to those of knights, as a matter of conscious emulation. The realm normally takes its description from the prince’s title, so that a Wizard King rules a kingdom, and a Sorcerer Prince a principality.

Wizard Very few Wizards serve as princes in the Borderlands. This is because most Wizards are carefully controlled by some superior authority and get significant privileges in return. Very few Wizards would want to go off by themselves and found a principality. Of those who do want to, most are fleeing some great crime or betrayal and are hunted by Imperial Magisters; the additional threat makes it all but impossible to create a principality.

Most Wizard Princes are Imperial Magisters. The Grail Maidens of Bretonnia are too controlled, and other lands are distant, small, or both. If you have access to Realms of Sorcery, you can also include some Warlock princes who rule some of the darkest realms in the region (see Warlock in Realms of Sorcery page 129 for details).

Wizard

In addition, people do not trust Wizards the way that they trust Priests. Wizards cannot gather followers as easily as most, which makes it very difficult for them to get started.

Career: Master Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard, ex-Journeyman Wizard) Main Profile

Despite these problems, a few Magisters and rogue Wizards do form principalities. Some are secretly dispatched by their Orders, while others have lost out in political manoeuvring but have not committed any serious crimes. In the latter case, they persuade their superiors that they can serve an important function in the

WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

34%

39%

26%

40%

42%

69%

76%

41%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

1

15

2

4

4

3

Skills: Academic Knowledge (History), Academic Knowledge (Magic) +20%, Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Channelling +20%, Charm, Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Common Knowledge (the Empire), Gossip, Intimidate, Magical Sense +20%, Perception, Read/Write, Ride, Search, Speak Arcane Language (Arcane Elf ), Speak Arcane Language (Magic), Speak Language (Breton), Speak Language (Classical), Speak Language (Reikspiel), Speak Language (Tilean) Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Arcane Lore (any one), Fast Hands, Lesser Magic (Aethyric Armour), Lesser Magic (Blessed Weapon), Meditation, Mighty Missile, Petty Magic (Arcane), Savvy, Strong-minded, Very Resilient Armour: None Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0 Weapons: Hand Weapon (as appropriate) Trappings: Principality Note: Add the skill for the appropriate Arcane Lore at +10%.

Races The race of a prince can be chosen or rolled on Table 2–2. The racial talents of the generated race should be added to the profiles given in Types of Princes on the previous pages. Humans from realms other than the Empire are much the same as Empire folk, except that

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Common Knowledge (the Empire) and Speak Language (Reikspiel) should be replaced with Common Knowledge for their home country and the language of that country. Natives of the Border Princes may choose from Bretonnian, Reikspiel, and Tilean when selecting their native language. Note that Dwarfs and Halflings cannot be Wizards or Priests. If you roll an impossible combination, simply re-roll the race.

Table 2–2: Princely Races

The race of a prince tends to influence his style of government and the nature of his realm. These influences modify the basic style of government set by the type of prince; a Bretonnian bandit might require feudal homage from his lieutenants but still act like a criminal, while a Tilean mercenary encourages “merchant guilds.”

Dwarfs Dwarf princes almost never establish new realms. Instead, they reclaim the ancient holdings of their race and work to bring them back to their former glory. This means that they take on the titles held by the ancient rulers of the place and normally try to mimic their forms of government. They think of themselves as the rightful rulers of a place, and unlike everyone else, they may even be able to convince the Dwarfholds that they are.

Roll

Race

01–08

Dwarf

09

Elf

10

Halfling

11–40

Human—Border Princes

41–55

Human—Bretonnian

56–70

Human—Empire

71–85

Human—Tilean

86–100

Human—Other

Bretonnians often name their fiefs after themselves and name the capital after the fief. If they rule multiple villages, those places are often named after the subordinates who have been made into the lords of those areas. Bretonnian princes are the most likely to call themselves “Duke;” a few charmingly naive ones even petition the King of Bretonnia to recognise their status.

Elves and Halflings

Imperial

These princes are too rare for any generalisations to be made. Most people believe that all Elf lords are Wizards, a rumour that most encourage, but it is not true. Most people believe that all Halfling lords want to turn their realms into a giant pie shop. This has only happened once (or so most historians claim), and Max the Glutton used his enemies, and then his subjects, as ingredients.

Princes from the Empire often emulate the stronger emperors of that realm, having a heavy military emphasis. Sigmar is often worshipped in these regions, and the princes may try to reproduce the institutions of the Empire in miniature. This may extend to the Elector Counts, though such figures rarely have the power to actually vote. In some cases, a prince has stipulated that his successor be chosen in this way; all such realms have collapsed into anarchy after the assassination of the prince by one of the electors. This does not guarantee that it will always happen that way in the future, but that’s the way to bet.

Border Princes Lords brought up in the Border Princes tend to be ruthlessly pragmatic, doing whatever it looks like might work at a particular moment. They have almost no respect for tradition, and their respect for military force is tempered by their knowledge of its limitations. Unsurprisingly, they are the most successful lords, as they have the best knowledge of local conditions.

Some such princes try to reproduce other features, such as the Cult of Sigmar, the Knightly Orders, or the Witch Hunters. A few try to reproduce the Colleges of Magic, but that invariably leads to the destruction of the realm by Cultists of the Ruinous Powers nurtured in the rogue Colleges’ very bosom.

Bretonnian Bretonnian princes almost invariably assume the trappings of knighthood and of the feudal system, awarding “fiefs” to their followers. These fiefs might be no bigger than a single house in the lone settlement ruled by the prince, but it is the honour, not the size, that matters. Many make some pretence of worshipping the Lady of the Lake and may even build a Grail Chapel. Others feel that they need a Grail Maiden at their side and so elevate some camp follower to the role. “Maiden” is normally a spectacularly inappropriate designation; these people are popularly known as “Drinking Harlots,” an insulting title with the added bonus of accuracy in most cases.

It is common for these princes to call their capitals “Altdorf,” “New Altdorf,” or something similar. Those from other regions of the Empire might prefer “Middenheim” or “Nuln” as the base, and the names of other Imperial cities are attached to tiny hamlets. This practice has led to the inhabitants giving all the places called Altdorf different epithets to distinguish them: “Drunken Altdorf ” is the location of a particularly fine winery, “Soggy Altdorf ” is in a swamp, and “Stinky Altdorf ” is the home to tanners. All are examples that have been around for so long that the names have stuck.

Impossible Combinations Clearly, some combinations of princely race and type are impossible; there are no Dwarf Priests (though there’s rumour of some Dwarf claiming to be a Priest in distant Karak Azgal). If randomly generating princes, try to find a thematic substitution for bizarre roles. For instance, if you roll a Dwarf Priest, you should make him a Runesmith (see Realms of Sorcery page 216). Likewise, if you generate a Halfling Wizard, replace the career with Charlatan instead.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands are rare in any case, while characters before their third careers do not generally have the personal abilities necessary to seize power in an area as disorganized as the Border Princes.

Tilean Those princes who hail from Tilea are normally mercenaries, so Tilean characteristics and mercenary ones are hard to differentiate. They are very likely to honour Myrmidia and almost invariably centre their realm on the largest settlement in the area. Most encourage traders in that settlement to form a guild of merchants and proclaim the wealth and culture of their lands. Hardly any get beyond proclaiming wealth and culture, however.

You might, however, find it more realistic to have several princes at differing stages of their careers. There is no space in this book to provide sample statistics for all those possibilities, but they are not too difficult to generate. Tables 2–3 and 2–4 allow you to generate the level of a prince randomly. Some results need careful thought. In particular, if a prince is only in his first career, you need to give some consideration to how he managed to gain power and to what he is going to do to maintain it.

Other Lords of the Border Princes can be from anywhere at all, and some of them left home to get away from everything to do with their culture. Thus, this background can influence the prince in any way you choose.

Unusual Princes Tables 2–3 and 2–4 generate typical princes, the type that can be found across the Border Princes. However, you might want to make one of the princes in your area unique. He is almost certainly the only prince of this type in the whole region, so adding him to the tables is inappropriate. In addition, you should not have more than one unique prince in a region, as that makes them seem more normal than they should be.

Strength of Princes The default prince statistics given are for a prince who has just completed his third career. This is the most common level; characters who have managed to survive to enter a fourth career

A unique prince can be almost anything you can think of, but the following are some options.

Table 2–3: Current Prince Career Roll

Career

01–05

First

06–15

Second

16–60

Third

61–90

Fourth

91–97

Fifth

98–100

Sixth or later

Chaos Servitor A Chaos Warrior or Sorcerer rules the area. Normal princes may be secret servants of the Ruinous Powers; this prince serves the Dark Gods quite openly.

Daemon A Daemon has found a way to stay in this world and rules a principality. The region under its influence is a festering pit of corruption, literally if the Daemon serves Nurgle, but the creature is not strong enough to take on all of its neighbours at once. Thus, it plays them off against one another in ways depending on its nature.

Table 2–4: Prince Stage of Career Roll

Career Stage

1

Just started

2–5

About one-third completed

6–9

About two-thirds completed

10

Completed

Monster Some non-humanoid monster rules the principality. It needs to be intelligent, such as an Ogre, Werecreature or Dragon..

Mysterious Origins

Table 2–5: Princely Goals Roll

Goal

1

By My Command

2

Marvel At My Wondrousness

3–4

It Must Be Mine!

5

For The Love Of The Children

6

I Am An Individual

7

Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me A Moment To Run Away

8–9

This Power Is Mine

10

Money Can Too Buy Happiness

The prince has come from somewhere beyond the Old World, such as Araby, Ind, or even far off Cathay. He might proclaim his origins openly or keep them a deep secret; either way, few people really know what it means to be Arabyan, or whatever. Such people often look quite different from inhabitants of the Old World, having strange-coloured skin and odd hair, which means that many people think them Mutants. Some of them might be Mutants who have just managed to convince others that two mouths are normal where they come from.

Undead The prince is an intelligent Undead monster. There are a number of Undead scattered around the region, but most are not interested in ruling a fief with Human subjects. Occasionally, however, one takes inspiration from the von Carsteins.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

Personality

It Must Be Mine! The prince wants to rule a large nation. Something the size of the Empire would be a good start. Of course, what he has is nearer the size of a pocket handkerchief, so he is constantly eyeing his neighbours and watching for signs of weakness. He is willing to risk his current position in order to become stronger.

Princes have unique personalities, and these personalities affect the way they interact with the people around them. This section only covers the basics, but it may be all you need to generate before you begin play. The prince, like all characters, will either develop as you play him or will be such a peripheral character that he doesn’t need to be developed. The basic princely personality is defined by three features: goal, principles, and style. As usual, there are tables to roll on to determine the features of the prince’s personality.

For The Love of the Children

Goals

The prince wants to pass his rule on to his children, and have it passed on to their sons after them, and so on, forever. In practical terms, he just wants to ensure that he can pass it on to his offspring. That means having a child and heir and having a realm solid enough that it can cope with a change of ruler.

The prince’s goal is what he wants. His plans aim towards that goal, and he is willing to sacrifice other things to that end.

I Am an Individual

By My Command

The ruler wants to be able to do whatever he wants. This is not quite the same as absolute power, as he does not care what the peasants do when off by themselves. He does, however, want immediate acquiescence in every one of his personal wishes, no matter how strange.

The prince wants to be able to tell his subjects to do anything or suffer anything and have it happen without question. He may even deliberately make them miserable because they would not do that by themselves, only because he told them to. This means making opposition to him seem utterly futile, at least for his subjects.

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me a Moment to Run Away

Marvel at My Wondrousness

The prince wants to survive. Obviously, all princes want this to a certain extent. Most of them want something else more, however, or they would have settled for a quiet job as a pig farmer in Wissenland, rather than come to the Border Princes. A few, however, come to value their skins more than anything else as a result of their experiences in the Borderlands.

Honour, glory, and praise, the prince wants it all. He wants people to know about his great deeds and to give him at least as much credit as he thinks he deserves. Power gained secretly or preserved through being inconspicuous is of no value to him whatsoever.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands This Power Is Mine

Death to Monsters!

The prince wants to remain a prince. Some restrictions on his power and some losses of territory are acceptable if they make his position more secure. A designated heir might be a threat if he provides a banner around which opponents can rally. The principality might dissolve instantly on the prince’s death, but as long as it does not do so beforehand, the prince is happy.

The prince will not make alliances with monsters, including Greenskins and the forces of Chaos, but this category may also include Humans with particularly vile habits. He does not necessarily feel he has to attack them all the time, but truces and treaties are just as unacceptable as a full alliance. He is always at war with monsters.

Money Can Too Buy Happiness

True Nobility

Gold, money, filthy lucre, princes with this goal often hope to buy their way out of the Border Princes at some point; after all, there is little to spend money on in this forsaken wasteland. In the meantime, however, they are willing to do a great deal for money—particularly for a great deal of money—but they take great pains not to be cheated.

The prince has real moral standards. He lies as little as possible, keeps agreements, does not harm the innocent or even surrendered enemies, and fights fairly. His life expectancy in the Borderlands is not long. Powerful individuals may be able to maintain these principles for some time, and they tend to draw a lot of followers.

Kill the Mutant!

Principles

The prince will not make use of the powers of Chaos, and he opposes Chaos Cultists whenever they appear. Princes with any principles at all also have this one, making it the closest thing to a moral consensus that the area can manage.

Principles determine what the prince will not do in the pursuit of his goal. The Border Princes are mostly criminals of one sort or another, but even so, they have their limits, which differ from one to another.

My Word is My Bond

It is important to remember that no lord in the Border Princes is a moral paragon. Most violate their principles from time to time, but they regret doing so afterwards and only break their rules under great provocation. Thus, a prince who generally rules out betrayal might strike first, despite a peace treaty, when he can see his neighbour preparing an invasion army.

The prince keeps agreements he has made, and he does not set his subordinates up to fail. Pawns are never deliberately sent to their deaths, though they may be sent into highly dangerous situations. Princes with these principles are often reluctant to enter into agreements and find themselves at risk of being betrayed. On the other hand, they can actually have loyal underlings, which can be a source of great strength.

A few lords also publicly hold to principles to which they do not really subscribe. Since they need to keep up the appearance of virtue, the principles still limit most of their actions, even if they are worshipping Tzeentch in a secret crypt under the castle.

Save the Children These princes try to avoid harming the innocent and even take steps to protect them from the consequences of others’ actions. “Innocents” always include children and, generally, women, with the exception of women who are clearly not innocent. More widely, these princes do not punish a whole village for the crime of one member, and they do not slaughter troops who were merely following orders from their legitimate leader.

Table 2–6: Princely Principles Roll

Principles

1–2

Death to Monsters!

3

True Nobility

4–5

Kill the Mutant!

6

My Word is My Bond

7

Save the Children

8–10

What’s that?

What’s that? The most common single position is that principles are for wimps and sissies: Real men do whatever it takes to survive. It is notable that princes who take this position do not, in fact, survive any longer on average than those who do have principles.

Style

Table 2–7: Princely Styles Roll

Style

1–2

Follow Your Instructions

3

We’re All Friends Here

4–5

I Wouldn’t Expect You to Understand

6–7

Let’s Get to Business

8 9–10

Style is the way the prince interacts with others; it’s the first impression he makes, but in most cases, prolonged acquaintance does not change it much. You might get to know more about the prince, but he still treats people in that way. Style can be used as shorthand for the prince’s attitudes in general, outside his goals and principles. However, it strictly describes the way the prince deals with people. An efficient prince might actually feel very friendly towards all his subordinates and just feel that such things get in the way of solving problems. An insulting prince might actually be authoritarian and mean nothing by his insults, as long as his orders are followed. If you wish, you can roll

Honestly, You’d Embarrass a Retarded Snotling You Have Our Permission to Rise

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands twice for Style, treating the first as the way the prince appears and the second as the way he really is.

Table 2–8: Princely Secrets

Follow Your Instructions The prince gives orders and generally talks in terms of orders. He allows no questioning of his decisions or wisdom, which makes it very difficult to give him advice. Even if he asks for advice, and the wiser ones do, he does not permit any suggestion that he may have made a mistake in the past, which may make some things rather difficult.

We’re All Friends Here The prince treats people like friends. He may do this to everyone, or his behaviour may only apply to people he has known and worked with for some time. He does not expect formality, is happy to listen to criticism, and can even cope with jokes at his expense. He does expect others to return the favour.

Roll

Secret

1

Act of Virtue

2

Black Sheep

3

Chaos Cultist

4

Foul Murderer

5

Open Book

6

Secret Agent

7

Strange Hobby

8

Traitor

9

Wanted Criminal

10

Roll Twice

I Wouldn’t Expect You to Understand in the Borderlands. Most princes have such secrets, of course, but they are generated later, when dealing with the relationships between princes.

The prince treats everyone else as if they were vastly inferior to him in every respect. This means explaining the obvious in careful detail, asking whether they are sure they can do simple tasks, and simply refusing to explain decisions and the like on the grounds that they simply wouldn’t understand.

Guilty secrets are fairly boring, as long as they remain secret. Guilty secrets can precipitate adventures in two main ways. First, the prince does something to make sure that his secret remains that way. This may involve hiring the Player Characters or taking action against them. Second, someone discovers the secret. More simply, the Player Characters learn the secret and are motivated to do something about it. If the PCs wouldn’t care, then it is better for someone else to learn the secret and come to the region to do something that makes trouble for the prince, and the Characters. This may be direct action against the prince, or it may take the

Let’s Get to Business The prince has no time for flowery formality, friendly jokes, or elegant put-downs. Instead, he just wants to see things sorted out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Simple statements of fact are favoured, as are clear outlines of plans. Criticisms are welcome, as long as they are to the point, concise, and relevant to the subject at hand. This style is common among ex-Mercenaries but far from unique to them.

Honestly, You’d Embarrass a Retarded Snotling The prince enjoys telling others they are ugly idiots, using the most colourful vocabulary at his disposal. This language may consist of one word referring to bodily functions, adapted to serve as many different parts of speech. Any advice offered is subjected to a barrage of abuse. However, that does not mean he does not follow the advice.

You Have Our Permission To Rise The prince truly comports himself like a lord. He expects everyone to realise their intrinsic inferiority, so he does not feel the need to rub their noses in it. Criticism of the prince is met with cold disbelief; carefully phrased advice is considered and may be graciously accepted. The prince may admit an advisor’s superiority in a particular area, as he does not find a merchant’s expertise in trade, for example, to be a threat to his all-round superiority.

Guilty Secrets Many princes have something in their past, or even their present, they are keen to hide. It might be merely embarrassing, or it might be a weakness that could be used against them. In many cases, it would create a new enemy for the prince, and most princes in the Borderlands have quite enough enemies already. These secrets have nothing to do with the prince’s neighbours

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands form of blackmail, as the newcomer convinces the prince to do something that is bad for the Player Characters.

Secret Agent

Roll on Table 2–8 to determine the nature of the secret. This only determines the broad outline of the secret; you should work out the details as necessary.

The prince is actually working for a greater power. He might be an agent of the Empire, an agent of one of the great Cults of the Old World, or even of a wealthy merchant. His actions are not necessarily in his own best interests, or those of his fief. Instead, he is a pawn in a larger game plan. At some point, he may act in a way that could never have been predicted without knowing his secret backers.

Act of Virtue The prince has done something notably noble, self-sacrificing, or otherwise virtuous in his life. Maybe he spared an enemy who surrendered, saved a poverty-stricken family from slavery, or took the blame for a crime committed by his brother and went into exile. If such a thing were to become known within the Borderlands, most people would take it as a sign of weakness, but some peasants would want to be ruled by the virtuous prince. In between attacks from neighbours seeking easy prey, groups of refugees causing trouble, and political pressure from more distant lords wanting their subjects back, a prince known for virtue has a very difficult time. Those few both virtuous and wise keep it secret.

Strange Hobby The prince likes doing something that people think is really strange. Maybe he dresses up in women’s clothes and sings songs from popular Altdorf shows, or breeds tiny dogs that can fit in his drinking horns, or has a large collection of stuffed toys made to look like the princes of the fiefs around his. This is not something obviously evil, as that would fall under the “Foul Murderer” category. It is, however, something that would leave him open to ridicule, which is dangerous, as it creates a perception of weakness.

Black Sheep

Traitor

The prince is a member of a prestigious family (or organisation), and that family would find his current position deeply embarrassing. If it became public knowledge, the family’s enemies would use it to weaken them, so the family would have no choice but to eliminate the embarrassment as permanently as possible. Sometimes the family knows what their scion is up to and is willing to tolerate it as long as no one else finds out. Sometimes they are completely ignorant and may even try to eliminate the prince as an impostor if people make his connection to the family widely known.

The prince betrayed someone, either a lord or a subordinate. The prince may well be in the Borderlands to avoid the consequences. This situation has possible effects from two directions. First, the victims of the betrayal might still be after him and keen to know his current whereabouts. Second, if the story becomes common knowledge, people are less likely to trust him, which means that he is vulnerable to betrayal in turn. At the very least, he finds it difficult to make allies, which leaves him isolated and vulnerable. Known traitors rarely hold on to power for long.

Chaos Cultist

Wanted Criminal

The prince worships one of the Ruinous Powers. He may not have been granted any particular boons yet, but that is likely to change. His Dark God influences his behaviour; a lord sworn to Khorne picks fights with his neighbours, while one sworn to Slaanesh is notoriously depraved. Some of his servants are doubtless also Cultists but not all, and he strives to keep his affiliation secret from all those outside the Cult. Even in the Borderlands, being revealed as a worshipper of Chaos is a good way to ally your neighbours against you.

The prince broke some law somewhere else, and people still want justice. It does not matter what the crime was or even whether the prince really did it (although, he probably did). The key point is that one or more people actively seek him and plan to kill or imprison him when they find him. He keeps this secret, so his enemies cannot tell his hunters where he is. This only really works if the pursuers have some chance of causing problems for the prince; pursuit by Imperial Witch Hunters would certainly qualify, as would pursuit by one of the Colleges of Magic.

Foul Murderer

Roll Twice

The prince committed a particularly dreadful crime at some point in the past. Simple robbery, even common murder and robbery, does not count; many of the princes have that much on their consciences, at least. Crimes against the state, such as counterfeiting, also do not count, as few of the inhabitants of the Borderlands care about such things. However, the torture and murder of an entire village, including the babes in arms, would count because it would be beyond even the low morals of most border princes.

The prince has lots of secrets. Roll twice, and apply all the results. If you get this result again, roll twice more, and apply those results as well. If you keep getting this result, stop when the number of secrets gets out of hand; four secrets is probably as many as a single prince can reasonably have.

Quirks The Borderlands do not attract entirely normal people to be rulers. As a result, all princes in the area have at least one oddity. (In WFRP on page 24, you can reference Table 2-10: Distinguishing Marks to generate physical quirks, but most princes also have psychological oddities.) Roll on Table 2–9 to generate one psychological oddity randomly. These are not strong enough to be actual insanities, but they can make a prince behave rather oddly.

Open Book The prince has no secrets. He may be a vile criminal, but everyone knows what he has done. People might not believe this, of course, and waste a lot of effort trying to ferret out his secrets. Other people might simply fabricate secrets.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Bizarre Temper The prince loses his temper, quite violently, over something strange. Perhaps he is sent into a rage by someone wearing red in his presence, or maybe an odd number of plates being placed on the table is more than he can handle. Maybe he expects everyone to wait at least a minute after he stops speaking before venturing to say anything, just in case he hasn’t finished. Whatever the details, there should be no reason to predict that this would provoke such a reaction, but it should be fairly easy for most people to work around the problem.

Catchphrase The prince uses a particular formation of words a lot, maybe in every other sentence. This might be a religious curse (references to the body parts of Gods are popular, particularly obscene references) or a homely proverb, such as “there’s more than one way to skin a Mutant” or “you can’t hand a beheaded man his hat.” The meaning of the phrase need not be clear, and it’s probably better if it isn’t.

Compulsion There is something that the prince feels the need to do properly, no matter how inappropriate. Maybe he washes his hands with wine after touching anyone, or must set his weapon properly on its stand before sitting down, or can only talk to people in alphabetical order (by first name). As long as he can carry out his little ritual, there is no problem. But if he is prevented, he becomes extremely upset, and probably angry, ordering executions and the like.

Phobia The prince is deeply scared of something he does not often encounter. This should be something that does not scare absolutely everyone; there is nothing odd about being frightened of Daemons, for example. Watering cans, women in low-cut dresses, and birds with red feathers are all possibilities.

Delusion A delusion must be somewhat remote from the prince’s every day life, or it would count as a full insanity. On the other hand, it must have some influence, or it is not even a quirk. So for example, a prince might believe that he is the younger brother of Emperor Karl-Franz, and he writes a letter “home” every week. Alternately, he might believe that a race of cockroach people lives under the cities of the Old World, and the Borderlands are the only place the creatures do not yet rule.

Religious Fanatic The details of this quirk obviously depend on the deity about which the prince is fanatical. He may be entirely orthodox or a fanatical heretic. Of course, in the Borderlands, the prince gets

Irrational Hatred

Table 2–9: Princely Quirks

The prince really, really hates some person, group of people, or type of thing. If the object of trhis hatred is encountered, he cannot act rationally, and he tries to destroy it. This should be something that does not feature much in the life of a Border Prince: Elves, Imperial toll collectors, and fine ivory buttons would all count. The prince mentions his hatred from time to time, and he may even concoct plans to destroy the loathed thing. He probably does not put the grander plans into practice because he is not actually insane.

Moral Rule The prince has one moral rule that he follows scrupulously. Maybe he never steals, always leaving payment when he takes someone’s last food stores in the middle of winter, or maybe he never lies to a lady. The rule is narrow in scope, so it does not ultimately stop the prince from doing much at all, but it does sometimes require him to go about things in a rather complex way.

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Roll

Quirk

1

Bizarre Temper

2

Catchphrase

3

Compulsion

4

Delusion

5

Irrational Hatred

6

Moral Rule

7

Phobia

8

Religious Fanatic

9

Uncontrollable Appetite

10

Roll Twice

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands to define orthodoxy for his realm. Heresies should be of the ridiculous, rather than dangerous, variety. For example, a prince might believe that Sigmar was really a woman or that Verena can be bribed with new knowledge to change a judgement. Followers of the deity in question should find the heresy repugnant, but neutral observers should have trouble seeing what the fuss is about.

Bailiff It is the bailiff’s job to see that the peasants have something to do. The bailiff oversees repairs to local structures.

Castellan The person in charge of the prince’s stronghold is the castellan, overseeing the care and maintenance of the place. The castellan often oversees the servants as well.

Uncontrollable Appetite The prince really, really likes something. This may be a particular kind of cake, a particular vintage of wine, or a kind of entertainment. He puts considerable effort into obtaining it, and if it is the sort of thing that cannot be shared, he keeps it all to himself. His preference is probably quite widely known (and thus should not be particularly immoral) and can be used by people who want to gain his favour.

Chamberlain Someone who looks after the prince’s finances and resources is called the chamberlain. He looks after the money and does the accounts. Most princes would like someone else to do this, but it would have to be someone they trust completely, which means they usually have to do it themselves.

Roll Twice

Chaplain

This prince has more oddities than normal. Roll twice, but ignore future rolls of 10. If you roll the same result twice, he has two different versions of whatever it is. (This might not work for Religious Fanaticism, though a prince fanatical about two different deities would certainly be interesting and distinctive.)

The chaplain serves as the prince’s spiritual advisor.

Fool The fool is responsible for providing entertainment to the prince and his court.

Courts

Groomsmen

As noted earlier, most princes have a court, a group of hangerson who help the prince to run his principality in turn for rewards or until they have enough clout to murder him and take over. The size of the court does increase with the size of the principality, but the relationship is quite weak; it is much more dependent on the personality of the prince. A large court tends to indicate a weak prince who feels the need for support. A very small or non-existent court also tends to indicate weakness in that the prince feels he cannot allow anyone else to have real power. Large and small courts are very common in the Border Princes.

This official is in charge of the horses. This can become a military post, but in many principalities, the prince holds on to all military authority.

Justiciar A justiciar is responsible for hearing legal cases and dispensing justice to the masses. Normally an extremely boring job, princes who bother with this sort of thing at all generally appoint someone else to do it.

Marshal

The titles used in the court depend on the title that the prince takes, but the roles are much more standard. In order from the most common to the least common, here are the titles and their descriptions:

The marshal is in charge of military operations. Princes who have a single marshal generally find that they are no longer princes—and no longer alive.

Seneschal/Steward

Table 2–10: Courtiers Roll

Number

1–2

3

1

4

3

5

4

6

6

7

8

8

10

9

12

10

15

This position manages the prince’s estate, as well as supervising the household and any significant events.

Tax Collector The tax collector is always extremely unpopular with the prince’s subjects, and so is a job that many princes do not want to do themselves.

Viceroy This position, always held by a highly trusted member of the prince’s rentinue, holds court in the prince’s absence. These functions can be split between multiple individuals, particularly if the prince wants to prevent any individual from becoming too strong. People can also be given sinecures: posts that do not actually have any duties. Insecure princes often do this, trying to buy support with honours. You can generate the size of a

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands prince’s court randomly by rolling on Table 2–10. Assign titles by working down the list, and if there are more than six courtiers, the rest have sinecures.

Table 2–11: Titles

Titles As noted earlier, the princes of the Borderlands give themselves a wide range of titles, and the type of prince has some influence on it. The following table provides a limited range of options, but it is quick if nothing is coming to mind.

Principality A prince needs a principality to rule, which, at this point, is just an area on the map of your region of the Borderlands. Roll on Table 1–1, ignore the type of terrain, and roll the indicated dice to generate a size. Note this generates very small realms, which is the desired result; Borderland princes rule realms that would barely qualify as a knight’s fief in more civilised lands. Next, place the principality on the map. Here, you should apply common sense. Most principalities cover plains and hills and have borders defined by mountains, rivers, cliffs, or similar geographical features. This is not always the case, particularly in the Borderlands, where adjacent principalities might fight over a vaguely defined border running through a plain. However, it makes things easier if you try to have at least one of the principality’s borders make geographical sense, and changing the rolled area of the principality by a few squares to make this work is perfectly reasonable. There is no need to have all of the space on the map covered by principalities. Badlands, mountains, and swamps, in particular, may be unclaimed, particularly the central regions. On the other hand, there is no reason why a prince couldn’t try to set up there; there would certainly be less initial competition for the space. Nevertheless, the plains and hills are, on the whole, claimed by one prince or another. An unclaimed area almost certainly was a principality until recently, and it is only unclaimed because all the neighbouring princes have worked hard to stop their neighbours from claiming it.

S

Roll

Title

01–05

Autocrat

06–10

Baron

11–15

Baronet

16–20

Captain

21–25

Duke/Duchess

26–30

Earl/Countess

31–35

Emperor/Empress

36–40

Exalted One

41–45

Gildemeister

46–50

Graf/Grafin

51–55

Holy Father/Mother

56–60

Imperator

61–65

King/Queen

66–70

Lord Protector

71–75

Margrave/Margravine

76–80

Prince

81–85

The Boss

86–90

Tzar/Tzarina

91–95

Viscount/Viscountess

96–00

Warlord

At this point, have a look at your map, and decide whether you want to fit any more principalities in. If you do, go back to the beginning of this section, and generate another prince. If not, it is time to move on to the next section and generate the relations between the princes.

— Princely Relations —

ome princes insist on referring to their dealings with other princes as “international diplomacy,” but some princes have an inflated view of their own importance. The more realistic ones talk about local relations when dealing with other princes and reserve “international” for dealings with real nations, such as Bretonnia or the Empire. Everyone recognises the most significant relations are those with other princes, as the major nations of the Old World do not regard these petty states as important. Since a mayor in the Empire might have power over more people than most princes, you can see their point.

get to be princes. As a result, the princes have reasons, no matter how contrived, for the assaults that they launch. This section generates those reasons. This section provides tables for randomly generating relations between princes. It is possible these random results will seem deeply stupid. The tables, after all, do not know what the various principalities in your area look like, nor do they know what happened on previous rolls. Thus, they might generate conflicting attitudes, saying one lord is both allied and at war with another, for example.

Still, politics in the Border Princes are vicious because the stakes are so small. A prince who loses his principality might be able to get a new one, just as good, after a couple of lucky battles or one lucky assassination. Thus, there are a lot of princes who think that it is worth risking everything to grab a bit more power or a bit more security. Cautious stalemates and watchful peaces are very rare in this area. This makes life exciting but deeply unstable.

One possibility is to re-roll the problematic part of the relations, so that the ally and opponent become different lords, for example. Another is to adjust the relation by hand, as it were, until it makes sense to you. A final possibility, which can be extremely productive, is to work out a story that makes the apparently ridiculous result actually reasonable. Perhaps the alliance is against a third lord, while the war is being fought over access to a mine. The issue is important, but it’s not important enough to break the alliance over. Thus, the two lords send a few followers to fight

Very few of the princes are bloodthirsty lunatics. There are plenty of battle-crazed psychopaths in the area, but they do not generally

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

The Parties

External Princes

Most of the relationships generated in this section are between one prince and one other prince, the parties to the relationship. However, if there are a lot of princes in your region, you may decide to put multiple princes together on one side of a relationship and even have multiple princes on the other side as well. This is something you can simply choose.

It is unrealistic to assume the princes in the areas of the Borderlands immediately adjacent to your region would ignore the goings-on inside that region. Thus, the default generation rules include external princes in the political structure of the region. The problem is that you then need to generate those princes as well. You should just roll up their personal characteristics, as described in the previous section, and not worry about the details of their principality. If the players insist on heading into that region, it is relatively easy to use this book to generate another region.

Once you know how many lords are in each group, you have to decide which ones they are. For this, you need to make your own table. List all of the princes in your region, and, if desired, list the names of some princes who have realms bordering the region and might get involved. Then assign numbers to each of the names, one number per name, so that each lord has an equal chance of being chosen. If you have fewer than eleven names in total, you can use a standard d10 to roll on the table. Re-roll if a number with no name attached comes up or if the same lord is selected twice.

On the other hand, you might want to keep things simple and make all the relations purely internal, ignoring references to external princes. This might be purely artificial to keep things manageable for you. After all, you are supposed to enjoy the game at least as much as the players do. In this case, you might decide your region is an island off the coast, to justify the isolation. Alternately, you might decide not to bother justifying the decision, simply stating it as a fact about the region.

If there are more than ten names on the list, roll twice. If the first roll is even, add +10 to the second roll. If it is odd, don’t. This assures an equal chance of getting each number, unlike simply adding two dice together.

Bear in mind that if you keep generating adjacent regions and their politics, things will get far too complex for you to keep track of. It might be better to talk to the players outside the game and have them confine their attentions to one region at a time. If they make so much trouble for themselves that they have to flee, you can always create the region to which they flee, but they should not be routinely interfering in the politics of multiple regions. If they want to travel, they should stick to dealing with monsters and winning the gratitude of a local prince—and stay out of politics.

It may make a lot of sense to simply select the lords involved in a relationship. For example, neighbouring small lords might form an alliance against an aggressive and stronger lord, or a whole group of small lords might form a mutual alliance against Orcs. This is one point where it is particularly likely that ignoring the table is your best choice.

The Nature of the Relationship Roll on Table 2–12 to determine how the first group feels about the second. It is possible to roll again to determine how the second group feels about the first, but that is particularly prone to producing daft results; a prince’s opinion of others is not generally independent of their opinion of him. Thus, it is often better to choose a reaction. It could be worth rolling first and seeing if the combination inspires you with a really good idea, but that roll should be treated as very much a tentative suggestion.

Relations Generation Summary 1. Split the princes into groups that have relations. For areas with a small number of princes, one prince per group makes sense. 2. Roll on Table 2–12 to determine the nature of the relationship, and roll on Table 2–13 to determine how long it has lasted. 3. Roll on the appropriate table from Tables 2–14 to 2–22 to determine the cause of the relationship. 4. If any relationships remain to be determined, return to step 2. Otherwise, go to step 5. 5. Weave the events given by the relationships into a recent history of the area.

A particular diplomatic relation has persisted for a length of time, which can be rolled on Table 2–13. In general, all parties have been princes for at least this long, though there might be exceptions; sometimes residents seize power to be able to enact vengeance against another prince. In particular, relations that have lasted several decades most likely indicate attitudes inherited from the previous rulers of a region or from grudges between the fathers of the two princes. These attitudes also have causes. As mentioned before, the princes have reasons to feel the way they do. However, the causes of alliances are very different from the causes of hatred, so each type of relationship has its own cause table. Some of these causes are significant events, such as battles, and these events are the important points in the history of your region.

over the well, but they take care not to let the war get out of hand. This approach does not always work, but sometimes the most interesting ideas arise when you have to work under apparently ridiculous constraints.

Alliance

Note that it is a very good idea to create one relationship at a time. The background to a relationship, its cause, and the length of time it has persisted all form part of the history of your region, so the final act of creating a relationship is writing it into the history of the region.

The two princes work together. They do not necessarily like each other, but they support each other in pursuit of some common

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

Table 2–12: Diplomatic Relations Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Table 2–13: Length of Relations

Relation Alliance Bitterness Contempt Envy Fear Hatred Respect Rivalry Vengeance War

Roll 01–10 11–30 31–60 61–75 76–85 86–90 91–94 95–97 98 99 100

Length to Present 6 months 1 year 2 years 5 years 10 years 15 years 20 years 25 years 30 years 40 years 50 years

Table 2–14: Origins of Alliance

aim. This may be defending against another prince, destroying some threat or enemy, or simply cooperating to increase the longevity of their principalities. You should decide what the purpose of the alliance is, its cause, and the political shape of your region.

Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Alliances are rare in the Border Princes, and long-lived alliances are extremely rare. If you have generated an alliance that has lasted for ten years or more, there must be a story behind it. Roll a second time on Table 2–14 to determine what reinforced the alliance. If you want, you could roll a third time for particularly old alliances. In addition, alliances with more than one lord on each side are incredibly rare. You might simply ignore the number-of-lords roll if it involves multiple lords, keeping it to just one. Certainly, a number of the motivations have strange implications if there are a lot of lords involved.

Common Enemy The two parties were both threatened by the same foe, and they allied to destroy it. The enemy could be another prince, a tribe of Orcs, a powerful monster, or it could even exist only in the minds of the two princes. In most cases, the alliance only lasts as long as the foe is undefeated, but sometimes the princes find that they really respect each other, and the alliance continues even after the climactic battle.

Diplomacy One of the parties really wanted the alliance and put a vast amount of effort into obtaining it. Flattery, gifts, assistance in battle, outright bribes—anything and everything was used. It worked, and there is now a genuine alliance. This means both parties have something valuable to offer the alliance; although, precisely what it is might not be immediately obvious in one case. For example, if one side has great military power, the other might have access to a lot of good information.

Enlightened Self-Interest Each party sees they do better in the alliance than out of it. Two principalities that border each other and are surrounded by Orcs might ally to each have at least one secure border, for example.

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Origin Common Enemy Diplomacy Enlightened Self-Interest Former Comrades Fought to Stalemate Lovers Met in Battle Prophecy Relatives Unexpected Aid

Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands These alliances are not inherently stable, since as circumstances change, self-interest might be best served by betrayal.

they weren’t fighting each other. Each noticed that the other fought well, and each received aid at a critical moment from the other. The battlefield alliance is being continued, at least for the moment.

Former Comrades The princes were friends before they were princes, or at least before they were both princes. Maybe they were in the same mercenary unit or members of the same adventuring group. Maybe one was originally a servant of the other and received support when he went to carve out his own principality. Since the lords went through a lot together before they became lords, they are not about to stab one another in the back now. This can lead to very stable alliances.

Prophecy Both princes are aware of a prophecy that seems to mean they are doomed if they do not work together. The prophecy might be explicit about how they must work together (which, if it’s an ancient inscription, would be very creepy), or it might just predict something really bad that they know they cannot face alone. In the latter case, they might be trying to convince other lords to join their alliance. Their likelihood of success in this depends on how believable the prophecy is.

Fought to Stalemate The princes were at war with each other for some time, but neither could get an advantage over the other, which evolved into respect, and they formed an alliance. This situation may be a genuine friendship forged in rivalry or a simple acknowledgement that they will get nowhere if they keep fighting each other, only weaken their respective realms. In the latter case, the alliance may dissolve if one party is significantly weakened.

Relatives Much like Former Comrades, the princes are loyal to each other because blood is thicker than water. They may be interested in setting up dynasties, creating strong believers in the importance of family, or they may have had childhood experiences that bound them together. They could even be father and son, with the father supporting the son in the creation of a new principality. The son might also be heir to the father’s lands, or another son might have that privilege, and the father wants to make sure that all his children have lands of their own.

Lovers The princes are lovers. Any children of the union may be heir to both principalities, which could raise worries among the neighbours. This type of alliance is extremely solid whilst it lasts, but it can go spectacularly wrong, spectacularly quickly, for no reason that makes sense to a third party.

Unexpected Aid At some point, one of the princes provided vital aid to the other. He might have ridden over the hill with the cavalry at the critical point in a battle, unmasked a traitor in the other’s court, or provided healing and shelter when the prince was weak and friendless. In any case, gratitude has bound one prince to the other, and the other has no immediate desire to betray the person he helped.

Met in Battle The princes found themselves fighting in the same battle. They may not have been on the same side, strictly speaking, but

Bitterness Bitterness is not the same as hatred. Bitterness implies betrayal or disappointment of some kind. It does not have to be justified; people can be bitter because they didn’t receive the treatment they felt they deserved, no matter how unreasonable their wishes. Bitterness does inspire actions that are very similar to those inspired by hatred or envy, but there is an added component. The bitter prince wants the target of his bitterness to suffer and, ideally, for everyone to realise he (the victim) was in the right all along. This need for vindication means that bitter princes are unlikely to employ subtle means; it is important that people know what is going on. This might make the prince slightly less dangerous in some ways, but it certainly doesn’t make the target safe. Roll on Table 2-15 to determine the origin of the prince’s bitterness.

Deal Turned Sour At the time, it seemed like a reasonable agreement. But now one prince has benefited far more, and the other prince feels he was cheated in some way. Maybe the mountain territory he swapped for farmland turned out to contain a gold mine, or a trade agreement has led to much more prosperity in the other fief. There may or may not have been actual sharp practice; perhaps, the other prince was just lucky. Either way, this prince does not believe in the other guy’s innocence.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Spurned Lover

Table 2–15: Springs of Bitterness

The prince made romantic overtures and was rejected. Or maybe he was accepted for a time and then cast off, like an old coat. Or maybe he never got around to making the overtures explicitly because the target of his affections made her disgust clear. At any rate, he now burns to prove she made a terrible mistake in rejecting him. She’ll never find anyone as good, and she’ll die alone. Then she’ll be sorry.

Stolen Inheritance The prince was deprived of an inheritance that should have been his. The target of his bitterness may be the person from whom he expected to inherit but who made someone else his heir or alternative heir. There need not be a family relationship; maybe the prince was a loyal retainer passed over in favour of a son. At any rate, he is determined to prove rejecting him was the worst error possible.

Roll

Springs

1–2

Deal Turned Sour

3–4

Spurned Lover

5–6

Stolen Inheritance

7–8

Treachery

9–10

Disfavoured Son

Table 2–16: Grounds of Contempt Roll

Treachery The prince was actually betrayed in the purest sense. Perhaps an ally invaded his lands, or a hostage he cared about was killed out of hand when she became inconvenient. Maybe he was invited to a feast and was kidnapped, but he somehow managed to escape. At any rate, the traitor will be revealed to everyone before he is finally destroyed. If the treachery was genuine and severe, this motivation can actually be a very sympathetic one.

Grounds

1–2

Decadence

3–4

Inexperience

5–6

Military Defeat

7–8

Virtue

9–10

Weakness

contempt simply enjoy a bit of luxury, it is occasionally a sign of serious misjudgement.

Inexperience

Disfavoured Son

The prince has little experience of rule or of war. The contemptuous lord does not believe the inexperienced prince will be able to make the right decisions and will fall easily. This applies to young lords who inherit, but it also applies to outsiders who seize a fief with apparent ease. While that might indicate great skill, it is more common for it to indicate luck, and luck does not tend to hold.

His father never loved him and always preferred his brothers. Now, this prince is going to show his father and those uppity brothers just who is the better ruler. He has his own principality now, and his relatives will suffer for their neglect.

Contempt

Military Defeat

One prince thinks the other is weak, foolish, incompetent, or all of these combined. This can have two main effects. First, the prince might try to conquer the lands of the incompetent lord, confident there will be little resistance. This situation is most common if the two lords share a border. Second, he might simply leave the incompetent prince out of his calculations, considering him someone not worth worrying about. This is most common if the two are separated.

If a prince suffers and survives a serious military defeat, it tends to inspire contempt in the other princes. They attribute his survival to luck, or weakness on the part of the opponent, rather than a mitigating factor. This does not apply to all defeats; a prince, defeated by an Orc named Waaugh, who nevertheless managed to survive in one of his strongholds would be unlikely to face contempt. Still, defeats in the constant wars between neighbours do often inspire contempt.

There are many variations on this, however. An incompetent heir of a strong lord might have a year or so grace as the surrounding lords wait for the strength of the fief to decay a bit before they invade. A lord might try to manipulate an incompetent prince into weakening one of his enemies. In rare cases, the prince might feel he is best served by a competent lord in that location and, thus, try to build up, or replace, the lord. Roll on Table 2-16 to determine the prince’s grounds for contempt.

Virtue A prince who displays principles, particularly if they involve care for the weak and concern for honesty, is often the subject of withering contempt from his neighbours. Attempting to uphold these virtues reveals, they think, that one is utterly unsuited to rule in the dangerous region of the Borderlands. They may, in fact, be right about this.

Decadence

Weakness

The object of contempt spends too much of his energy on irrelevant things. Perhaps he is building a fine palace instead of increasing fortifications, wasting money on repairing the homes of peasants, buying fine jewellery, or entertaining himself with dancing girls. He might also be focusing on trade or buying books to concentrate on study. While most objects of this sort of

The prince seems to be weak for some reason. It may be personal weakness, due to disease or old age, or weakness of the realm. Or it could also be that his only troops are inexperienced or very few in number. One common cause of this perception is the dismissal

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands of an experienced mercenary company. Princes who feel the mercenary captain is eyeing the throne a little too greedily may do this, and it takes time to recruit another company. Sometimes, of course, the mercenary captain takes his dismissal as his cue to attempt to seize power; even if he is defeated, the principality is left very weak.

other’s wealth, for example. Roll on Table 2-17 to determine the source of the prince’s envy.

Beautiful Consort The other prince’s wife (or husband) is a fine specimen, and the envious prince wants her for his own. The consort’s opinion can vary; if she wants nothing to do with the envious prince, then envy is likely to fester. If she would also rather change residences, things are likely to come to a head much more quickly.

Envy Envy is a double desire. First, it is the desire for the good things another person has. Second, and even more strongly, it is the desire for that person to not enjoy those things. The envious person would not accept a deal in which he got to be as wealthy and powerful as the person he envies, if the condition were that the object of his envy became still more powerful. An envious person might, on the other hand, accept a small injury to himself, if it would result in a larger injury to his opponent.

Glorious Reputation Envy of a reputation is poisonous because it is very hard to take someone’s reputation for yourself. For an envious prince, it isn’t enough that he has a good reputation as well; the target of his envy must lose his good reputation. A reputation as an invincible warrior could be destroyed by beating him in combat, but a reputation as a wise and strong ruler is rather harder to destroy, and even more difficult to gain. Such envy can fuel years of skulduggery.

Thus, the ideal solution, from the point of view of the envious prince, is to take the good things from the other prince and keep them. The second best solution is to destroy those things. Envy can be nursed for years while plans are constructed, before bursting out in a sudden orgy of destruction.

Personal Power This is envy of the other prince’s personal abilities. He might be a supremely skilled warrior, a powerful Wizard, or an unnaturally persuasive speaker. It is generally impossible to steal someone else’s abilities, though Daemons might offer to accomplish such a thing. Simply working very hard to become equally skilled rarely occurs to the envious prince, as he is sure that the other prince has cheated to gain his power. Sabotage is a more likely approach.

Envy need not be based on an accurate assessment: “the grass is always greener on the other side.” It is perfectly possible for princes to envy each other for exactly parallel reasons, each envying the

Table 2–17: Seeds of Envy Roll

Seed

1–2

Beautiful Consort

3–4

Glorious Reputation

5–6

Personal Power

7–8

Strong Realm

9–10

Vast Wealth

Strong Realm The other prince has a strong realm, and the envious prince wants it. Simply seizing a realm is common and straightforward, but the fact that it is a strong realm makes it more difficult. Still the envious prince is working towards that end. Note that even if the envious prince is wrong about the strength of the other realm, he still believes it is strong and is unwilling to attack without a great deal of preparation.

Table 2–18: Sources of Fear Roll

Source

1–2

Aggression

3–4

Atrocity

5–6

Crushing Victory

7–8

Knowledge

9–10

Personal Power

Vast Wealth Money is a frequent source of envy. The envious prince might complain about the gross injustice involved in the accumulation of riches by the few, but what he really wants to do is take the money and keep it for himself. Taking this wealth is, of course, possible (and not even that difficult). Wealthy princes often find themselves inspiring envy in, and attacks from, their neighbours.

Fear

Table 2–19: Reasons for Hatred Roll

Reason

1–2

Former Friends

3–4

Prejudice

5–6

Public Humiliation

7–8

Religion

9–10

Treachery

Fear of another prince is not uncommon. In most cases, it drives the fearful prince to avoid the other and may well make him obey any orders, almost without question, if he thinks doing so will keep him safe from attack. On the other hand, fear can provoke people to lash out at the target of their fear, hoping to destroy it once and for all. Some princes deliberately spread fear among their neighbours, which works as long as the aggressor shows no signs of weakness. At the first hint that the prince is vulnerable, however, the other lords attack to get out from under the yoke of fear. Roll on Table 2-18 to determine the source of the prince’s fear.

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands Aggression The prince is aggressive towards his neighbours, often raiding their lands. He is also good at it, almost invariably succeeding on his raids and dealing with any reprisals effectively. Thus, his neighbours want to avoid provoking him, and they live in fear of a full-scale invasion aimed at taking their lands.

Atrocity The prince did, or does, something truly terrible. Perhaps he slaughtered all the inhabitants of a village, or he is known for cutting out the tongues of those who oppose him and making them eat them. As long as he backs this up with power, the surrounding princes may be afraid to cross him, in case he turns his malice on them.

Crushing Victory The prince defeated a rival far more thoroughly than is necessary. Even if the rival was relatively weak, such a crushing victory indicates substantial power on the part of the victor. The other princes seek to avoid having such resources turned against them.

Knowledge The prince always seems to know what is going on in other principalities. Messengers come, advising against courses of action that had only been discussed in the most secret councils. While many lords are paranoid about his spies, they also worry about his assassins and the impossibility of taking any action against him that he cannot prepare for (the only way some princes could gain a victory). Some whisper that the lord has Daemon spies or access to magic.

hatred for those without noble ancestors or those with them. It could also cover hatred directed at known worshippers of the Ruinous Powers, but it is a bit of a stretch to call that prejudice.

Personal Power

Public Humiliation

The prince is known, or at least believed, to have vast personal power. This is generally supernatural power, such as that held by a Wizard. No matter how skilled a prince is as a warrior, an army can defeat him. The same may not be true of a Wizard. This source often applies to monstrous princes, such as the Undead.

The hated prince humiliated the hater in a public fashion. Maybe the hated mocked the hater at a feast or set up him to look foolish while trying to negotiate a treaty. The origin is relatively trivial, which is why this does not count as revenge; the hatred goes far beyond what is justified by the original act.

Hatred

Religion

Hatred is a simple desire to destroy the other prince, preferably causing him pain and suffering along the way. However, the hater does not necessarily want to punish the object of his hate, so simple destruction often satisfies the hater. Hatred makes it difficult to wait for circumstances to be wholly in his favour, so this motive drives some of the more pointless petty wars of the region. Roll on Table 2-19 to establish the prince’s reason for hatred.

The two princes have irreconcilable religious differences. The most obvious case arises if one prince worships the Ruinous Powers, but worshippers of Ulric might hate followers of Sigmar, or followers of Myrmidia might seek to eliminate the chosen of Ulric. The mainstreams of the various Cults do not harbour such hatreds, but the Border Princes include many people who have long since left the mainstream.

Former Friends

Treachery

The two princes were friends, or even lovers, but something went wrong. It could have been trivial in origin, but it has grown over time, and now at least one wants the other dead. Had the two not been friends, the immediate cause of the rift was something that would have been trivial: a snubbing at a public meeting, a failure to send aid to battle, or simple competition over a resource.

The hated prince betrayed the hater at some point, and now the hater wants the betrayer dead. All notions of justification and proportionate punishment have fallen by the wayside; destruction is the only option.

Prejudice

One prince respects the other. This is fairly rare in the Border Princes, but it does happen. Respect differs from fear in that the respecter is not worried by the prince whom he respects. He would not want to challenge that prince; even if he thinks he could win,

Respect

The prince simply does not like “that sort of person.” This might be sexism, racism, or national prejudice. It might also cover a

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands

Internal Politics This chapter assumes each principality is monolithic, loyal to its prince, and shares his goals. This is patent nonsense. However, if there are four or five principalities in a region, you already have a lot to do to keep track of the politics between the principalities. Adding internal politics would simply make the whole thing unmanageable. Internal politics are best created when needed. If you need the internal politics of a principality for the next adventure, create them then. You can use the tables in this chapter to generate the people in a principality, along with their goals, or you can just give them the goals and personalities that best fit the story.

he believes it would be worse for everyone. On the other hand, he does not think the other prince will attack him. This might be because he is far more powerful than the other prince, the other prince is distant, or the other prince has shown rather more restraint in his depredations than is normal for the region. Respectful relationships can be the foundation for alliances, but more often, they fail to develop and remain wholly one-sided. Roll on Table 2-20 to establish the prince’s grounds for respect.

Cunning The respected prince is good at thinking his way out of trouble, using information and strategy to solve problems. This kind of respect often leads to an alliance, particularly if the respectful prince has more military power. If he does not, then the respect may take the form of imitation, as he tries to apply the other prince’s techniques to his own situation.

Lineage The Old World is still a world of hereditary nobles, and that attitude can be found even in the Borderlands. It is weaker there than almost anywhere else, but there are still some princes who respect other princes because they are descended from many generations of nobility. This kind of respect may be fragile, vanishing as soon as a prince does something unworthy of his lineage. Alternatively, this respect may be incredibly sturdy, being completely independent of anything the prince might do.

Table 2–20: Grounds for Respect Roll

Grounds

1–2

Cunning

3–4

Lineage

5–6

Power

7–8

Survival

9–10

Virtue

Power By far the simplest motivation, the respected prince is extremely strong. Moving against him seems futile, and he would be extremely valuable as an ally.

Survival Some princes manage to hold on as princes for a very long time, despite many threats to their position and apparent weaknesses. Sometimes, a prince gets respect purely as a result of this, as the surrounding princes admit he must have something going for him. This rarely provokes a desire for alliance, however, particularly if the prince in question has done little more than hang on to life and lordship.

Virtue Not every lord in the Borderlands holds virtue in contempt. There are some who see the difficulties in maintaining virtue in their circumstances, and they have a great deal of respect for those who manage to uphold both power and ethics. This respect is often tinted slightly with fear of what might happen if the environment drove the prince to abandon his ethics. He can survive, even thrive, while restricted by them; unfettered, who knows what he might do.

Rivalry Rivalry is the default condition in the Border Princes and does not need an exact cause. While the princes have no particular dislike of each other, they both have more concern for their own security than for the security of the other. Thus, one prince would rather take a resource for himself than let the other have it, or he might raid into the other’s territory if he thought he could get away with it. On the other hand, temporary alliances are quite possible, particularly against a common enemy, and the lords may visit each other’s realms and maintain apparently friendly relations. While this is the default condition, it is not very stable, which is why it is no more common than the other relationships. On the positive side, temporary alliances and friendly visits can develop into mutual respect or even a full alliance. If the relationship is moving in that direction, the two princes have probably stopped raiding each other’s territory, though they may still compete for resources not yet claimed. On the negative side, it does not take much to push the two into a more hostile relationship. An unfortunate incident with the soup at a feast might be enough to count as Public Humiliation, driving one to hatred. Deeper knowledge of the quality of the other fief might inspire Envy, or close knowledge of the other prince’s wife might constitute a Betrayal. Most commonly, the raids into each other’s territory slowly grow larger and take on elements of revenge attacks. Almost before they realise what is happening, the two find that rivalry has become war.

Vengeance A vengeful prince is intent on inflicting punishment and extracting compensation for a wrong the other prince did to him. Fundamentally, vengeance is about getting justice in a land where there is no higher authority to whom the princes can appeal. If

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Chapter II: Princes of the Borderlands the vengeful prince keeps a sense of proportion and retains his principles, he can be a noble figure.

Table 2–21: Things to Avenge

That is not, of course, the usual state of affairs. Most often, princes get caught up in their vengeance, add punishment for any setbacks they face on the way to whatever they feel they are owed, and don’t worry much about who else gets hurt as they pursue their foe. Sometimes they even stop worrying about what might happen to their own realms (or even their own lives). In addition, the cause for seeking vengeance may be trivial and out of all proportion to the punishment the prince seeks to inflict. The cause may be utterly unreasonable. A prince may seek vengeance for being defeated while raiding into another prince’s territory, for example. No matter how out of proportion things get, however, vengeance is always about punishing a particular injury, which distinguishes it from the other possible causes of war. Roll on Table 2-21 to establish the prince’s cause for vengeance.

Thing

1–2

Atrocity

3–4

Betrayal

5–6

Defeat

7–8

Humiliation

9–10

Insult

Table 2–22: Cause of War

Atrocity The other prince did something truly terrible, such as burning a village to the ground along with all its inhabitants or skinning the prince’s favourite hound alive. Even though the prince himself was not the victim, he has sworn to punish the other for his heinous act.

Betrayal

Roll

Cause of War

1–2

Conquest

3–4

Envy (roll again on Table 2–17 on page 38)

5–6

Fear (roll again on Table 2–18 on page 38)

7–8

Hatred (roll again on Table 2–19 on page 38)

9–10

Vengeance (roll again on Table 2–21, above)

Insult

One prince was betrayed by another. This refers to a substantial betrayal of some kind; more minor things fall under other headings. The other prince may have sworn to come to the betrayed prince’s aid in time of war but not done so. Even worse, he may have attacked despite a peace treaty or even turned on his supposed ally on the battlefield. The betrayal may also have been over a nonmilitary agreement, such as control of a road or a water source.

One prince was insulted by the other. This might be a true insult or simply that the prince was not paid the respect he feels was due. As a cause to seek violent vengeance, this is not one that garners much respect.

War The two parties are actually at war right now. That does not necessarily mean they are fighting constantly. The principalities are not large, and their troops need time to rest and regroup. It does mean that when they are not actually fighting, they are preparing for the next battle. People crossing from one principality to the other are looked upon with grave suspicion, and fighting could break out at any moment. The cause of the war is most likely one of the negative attitudes described in the Vengeance introduction.

Defeat One prince was defeated by the other and now seeks to erase the shame of that defeat by conquering the other. Either party may have been the original aggressor, or they may both have been eager to fight. This defeat was significant, however, and changed the terms of the relationship.

Humiliation

Conquest

One prince was humiliated by the other. Mockery at a public feast, contemptuous rejection of an embassy, or a simple assessment of the prince as not worth any trouble could all qualify. Humiliation differs from an insult in that a humiliation involves actions, rather than mere words.

A

Roll

One prince has decided to try to add part or all of the lands of the other prince to his realm. At least one side has planned carefully for the war, and there is a clear aggressor.

— History —

t this point, you should determine a series of important dates in the history of the region that you have created: dates when lords became allies, went to war, and conceived undying hatreds. Many of these dates are tied to events, which you can write into the historical timeline.

now. However, you may want to write more detail and create stories around the events to explain exactly why two princes hate each other. Go ahead. It makes the campaign richer and more involving. Do not forget, however, that the present is the most important because that is the time that the Player Characters must actually deal with. In the Borderlands, history is waiting to be made.

For many campaigns, this will be enough detail. These are, after all, the important events, the ones that still have repercussions

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Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Inhabitants

Chapter

of the

III

Borderlands “Ha! You call this starving lot of dogs peasants? Why the wretches in Couronne were better fed than this lot. Useless, every last one of them.” — The Last Words of Sir Jacques Duflot

Y

our region now has geography, history, and rulers. The next step is to give it inhabitants. The Border Princes are a sparsely populated region, but even so, the princes are vastly outnumbered by the ordinary people. This chapter covers the Human and Dwarf inhabitants; more monstrous residents are certainly common, but they are handled in Chapter Four: Hazards. Elves and Halflings are covered by this chapter in

T

theory, but they are very rare—there are no communities made up of either race. Chapter Three deals with creating and placing the communities of the region and with determining their current situation. It also provides details on some types of community unique to the Border Princes, as well as new careers.

— Communities —

It is actually feasible to generate every single residence in your region of the Border Princes, but that is still more effort than you are likely to want to make. Instead, this section guides you through the generation of the larger and more important communities. You should generate the communities for each principality and then for the unclaimed areas.

This last feature has several causes. One cause is that princes want to control the larger settlements, so one that became independent would not remain so for long; it might prop up its own prince, or it might be taken over by another prince. Another cause is that large communities without a leader are vulnerable, and they often find themselves targeted for raids from surrounding monsters and princes, even those with no chance of controlling them. The final reason is that the residents of the area know both of the other reasons and tend to leave a large community that finds itself leaderless. This pre-emptive evacuation saves lives. Taken together, these facts of life mean that large settlements do not last more than a few months without a prince.

Communities in Principalities

On the other hand, there are very few principalities that contain more than one town, as they are simply not big enough. There are quite a few that contain no town at all, presiding over a collection of villages.

he overwhelming majority of communities in the Border Princes are small. Outside the principalities, there are no communities larger than a hamlet, and the largest settlements of the region would only count as small towns in the more civilised parts of the Old World.

Towns

While the Border Princes are rarely models of good government, they do, on the whole, provide some security to their subjects. They are, in short, better than nothing, and in the Borderlands, “nothing” is clearly visible a few miles away. Hence, most people living in the region live in one or another of the principalities, and all the larger settlements are found there.

The first stage is determining whether the principality contains a town. Role 1d%, and add the number of squares that the principality covers on the map. (If you did not record this, you can guess.) If the result is over 100, the principality contains a town.

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Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Extremely large principalities might contain more than one, but that is beyond the scope of random generation.

A village has a population of (3d10 × 10) people. Roll on Table 3–1 to determine the number of villages of interest. A small principality covers up to 80 squares, a medium one between 80 and 150, and a large one more than 150.

The second stage is determining the population of the town. This is 1,000 + (3d10 × 100). Most towns in the Border Princes have around 2,500 people, but there are exceptions in both directions. The largest towns have just under 4,000 people, but there are very few of these.

Most villages have no features of interest, but if you are only creating select settlements, you create the ones that do. Thus, you should roll on Table 3–2: Community Features for all villages generated by Table 3–1: Number of Villages.

Next, place the town on the map. If the principality contains any fertile valleys, the town must be placed in one of them. Those regions are more capable of supporting a large population, and so the towns that thrive are found in them. If there are no fertile valleys but there are tors, then the town should be on a tor. In the absence of either feature, towns should be by rivers, on plains when possible, and in hills if not. If none of those features appear in the region, put the town somewhere interesting.

Villages should be placed to fill the rest of the fertile valleys and then to take up the tors. After that, they should be placed in the same sorts of places as towns. However, the interesting features of villages may make them more suitable for other locations, so you may wish to delay placing the villages until after you have determined other features.

The difference between a town and a village is that a large number of the inhabitants of a town do not make their living from agriculture. That means that all towns have at least one economic resource (see Table 3–3). For every full 1,000 people, the town has one economic resource. Results on the Settlement Features Table (Table 3–2) may add further economic resources; the number based on population is a minimum.

Communities Summary Communities are generated for each principality and then for the uncontrolled areas. 1. Determine whether the area contains a town. 2. Roll on Table 3–1 to determine the number of villages in the area. 3. Roll 1d10 to determine the number of interesting homesteads in the area. 4. For each settlement, roll on Table 3–2 to determine its special features. This often requires a further roll on a sub-table.

Villages Most principalities contain a large number of villages—on average, one for every four squares of plains, with fewer in the hills and far fewer in the mountains. A large town tends to reduce the size rather than the number of villages, but unless you intend to generate all the settlements in a region, you need not worry about that.

43

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands feature that elevates the homestead above the rest. If the result is nonsensical, roll again or pick one.

Table 3–1: Number of Villages

Communities Between Principalities

—Size of Principality— Roll

Small

Medium

Large

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

2

3

1

2

3

4

2

2

4

5

2

3

4

6

2

3

5

7

3

4

5

8

3

4

6

9

4

5

7

10

4

6

8

There are no towns between principalities. There are not many villages, either, but there are quite a lot of homesteads. Villages and homesteads are the same size as the ones within principalities. All villages outside principalities have features of interest; if they did not, they would not survive in areas without a ruler. Thus, you should generate all of them. Treat the unclaimed area as a medium principality, and roll on Table 3–1 to determine the number of villages. Not all of the homesteads in unclaimed regions are interesting. Roll 1d10 to determine the number that are, and place them where you like. If you have a particularly large unclaimed area, such as a swamp or range of mountains, roll 1d10 for the number of interesting homesteads in that region. Areas a long distance from the nearest authority tend to attract settlements that might be interesting to adventurers.

Homesteads

Community Features

Homesteads are very small settlements, often a single family. There are many of them scattered across the Border Princes, each with a population of 3d10 people. Most homesteads are simple, fortified homes, generally in the mountains, swamps, and edges of the badlands; in more hospitable regions, villages tend to appear instead.

Communities in the Border Princes have many features in common with communities elsewhere; homes of varying quality, a Temple or Shrine to the locally favoured God, a marketplace, probably a mill, and so on. One feature that sets communities in this region apart is the level of fortification. There are no undefended communities, and all villages have at least an earthand-wood rampart with a gate that is guarded at all times. Within these fortifications, homes are generally built to be defensible. It is common for the entrance to be on the first floor, for example, and for the ground floor to have solid stone walls or thick earth ramparts with no openings. There are, of course, other equally dangerous regions of the Old World, but the Borderlands is more extensive than most of them.

Any principality contains dozens of homesteads, but 1d10 of them are interesting. Roll once on Table 3–2 to determine the

Communities also have distinguishing features. Some of these are pure colour, as far as adventurers are concerned. Perhaps the blacksmith is very fat, or the villagers are particularly devout worshippers of Sigmar. You can generate such features as you wish. This section deals with features that distinguish a community and make it interesting, either to adventurers or to the rulers of the area. These two groups might be the same, of course. Roll on Table 3–2 to determine the feature of a community in broad terms, and then consult the description for that entry for the details. Bonuses and penalties to future rolls on the table are cumulative. Generally, you should roll once for each community, so further rolls are for different communities in your region. If your roll is a negative result, there is no community feature.

Economic Resources Economic resources are vitally important to the rulers and inhabitants of a region but do not tend to be of direct interest to adventurers. After all, the fact that a village has the main potters for the region is not, in itself, an adventure hook. If the Player Characters are trying to set themselves up as rulers, economic

44

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Table 3–2: Community Features

After a couple of bad nights, the dagger was now in a leather pouch, inside an iron-bound box, inside a larger wooden box, inside a sack padded with wool. Ilsa wasn’t sure that would stop the dreams, but it should stop her from actually slitting her own throat with the cursed thing. She sat down in the common room of the inn and waved one of the staff over. “Beer. No, wine. Just bring a bottle.” Freigburg was famous for its wine, and Ilsa deserved a decent drink. As she sprayed the first mouthful over the table, she was left to reflect on the meaning of “fame” in the Borderlands.

Roll

Feature

01–06

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

07

Stronghold, no change to modifier

08

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

09

Cultists, –10 to next roll

10

Special, no modifier to next roll

11–15

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

16–17

Stronghold, no change to modifier

resources are vital, and in that context they are dealt with in more detail in the Campaign section.

18

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

19

Cultists, –10 to next roll

If the PCs are simply wandering adventurers, economic resources serve two main purposes. First, they provide a reason to go to a particular settlement. If the Players want a sword, they may not be able to buy one without travelling to a settlement known for producing weapons. Adventure can find them at the settlement or on the way. Second, economic resources raise the stakes in an adventure affecting that settlement. Defending a village from Beastmen is one thing; defending the only iron mine for miles around from Beastmen has much more potential impact.

20

Special, no modifier to next roll

21–25

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

Finally, economic resources are the sort of background details that make a setting come alive, precisely because they do not have much direct connection to adventures. Economic Resources strengthen the impression that the world has a life beyond being a background for the Players’ actions.

26

Stronghold, no change to modifier

27–28

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

29

Cultists, –10 to next roll

30

Special, no modifier to next roll

31–36

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

37

Stronghold, no change to modifier

38

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

39

Cultists, –10 to next roll

40

Special, no modifier to next roll

41–45

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

Economic resources come in three basic types: resources, crafts, and markets. Resources are supplies of raw materials. That often means a mine, but it might also indicate an area where valuable plants grow or where useful animals can be found. Crafts are centres for skilled craftsmen. They turn raw materials into finished goods of a certain type. Finally, markets are places where all kinds of goods, raw materials and finished goods alike, are brought for trade.

46–47

Stronghold, no change to modifier

48

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

All three features are found, at a small scale, in all communities. While not every community has an iron mine, all have natural resources, and while their craftsmen may not be terribly skilled, they can perform daily maintenance and repairs. Similarly, almost all settlements involve some kind of trading. The difference is one of scale. A settlement with a craft resource has a significant number of skilled craftsmen, and the products are exported from the settlement. Similarly, a market settlement is a place where almost any kind of good can be found, even those for which the settlement itself has no use. Roll on Table 3–3 to determine the kind of economic resource in question. For some settlements, particularly towns, it is necessary to roll on the table more than once. In that case, the modifiers noted are cumulative. However, the modifiers only apply to multiple rolls for the same settlement; they reset to zero when rolling for a different location.

49

Cultists, –10 to next roll

50

Special, no modifier to next roll

51–55

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

56–57

Stronghold, no change to modifier

58

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

59

Cultists, –10 to next roll

60

Special, no modifier to next roll

61–65

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

66

Stronghold, no change to modifier

67–68

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

69

Cultists, –10 to next roll

70

Special, no modifier to next roll

71–75

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

76

Stronghold, no change to modifier

77

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

78–79

Cultists, –10 to next roll

80

Special, no modifier to next roll

81–84

Economic Resource, +10 to next roll

Resource

85–86

Stronghold, no change to modifier

87–88

Chokepoint, no change to modifier

Roll on Table 3–4 to determine the precise nature of the resource. Mines are fully underground, having mineshafts and tunnels. Quarries are opencast, dug into the ground or the side of a

89–90

Cultists, –10 to next roll

91+

Special, no modifier to next roll

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Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Table 3–3: Economic Resources

hill. If a community has a gemstone, gold, or silver mine, it is automatically a Stronghold (see Strongholds, below); products with that much immediate value need to be protected.

Roll

Resource

Craft

1–4

Resource, +2 to future rolls

5–7

Craft, +1 to future rolls

8

Oddity

9+

Market, treat future results of Market as Craft

Roll on Table 3–5 to determine the craft practised in the settlement. There are either several craftsmen of this type or one of extremely high skill. In general, this depends on the size of the settlement; homesteads have individuals, while larger settlements have groups. However, there is no reason why a skilled individual could not live in a larger settlement if that suited your purposes.

Table 3–4: Resources Roll

Settlements with gem cutters or goldsmiths are also automatically strongholds (see Strongholds, below) and are often the target of raids by bandits and Greenskins.

Resource

01–10

Furs

11–20

Medicinal Plants

21–30

Mine, coal

31–36

Mine, copper

37–46

Mine, iron

47–53

Mine, lead

54–55

Mine, gemstones

56–57

Mine, gold

58–61

Mine, silver

62–72

Mine, tin

73–84

Quarry, building stone

85–95

Quarry, clay

96–100

Quarry, marble

Oddity The settlement has a strange resource, something that does not quite fit into the normal categories. You can roll on Table 3–6 to determine this, but this table is only a list of suggestions and far from exhaustive. You can also use the entries on Table 3–6 as inspiration to liven up other resources, but bear in mind that when you are creating a whole region, you actually want some fairly boring places. The Player Characters probably won’t go there, and that means that you do not have to generate them in any more detail.

Market Markets are all fundamentally the same because they only become notable as a resource when almost anything can be bought and sold there. Treat communities with a market as one step larger on the table for determining the difficulty of finding an item (WFRP page 104).

Table 3–5: Crafts Roll

Craft

01–05

Armourer

06–10

Bowyer

11–18

Brewer

19–22

Candlemaker

23–30

Carpenter

31–36

Cooper

37

Gem Cutter

38–39

Goldsmith

40

Gunsmith

41–48

Potter

49–55

Shoemaker

56–64

Smith

65–74

Tailor

75–84

Tanner

85–95

Vintner

96–100

Weaponsmith

While all markets include some permanent shops, they also have a substantial temporary element, since travelling traders set up shop for a time before moving on. This means that settlements with markets often see more outsiders than others, which in turn makes them the best place to hear news and rumours. These are also the settlements that people outside the Border Princes are most likely to know, at least by name.

Stronghold A stronghold is a community with significantly better fortifications than normal. A stronghold has stone walls at least twelve feet high, a wall walk and protecting ramparts, and towers protecting the gates. There is a source of drinking water within the walls and enough stored food for all the inhabitants to last at least one month. In most cases, there is a second inner stronghold built around the water supply, and most have larger walls and more elaborate defences than the minimum, particularly if the stronghold is also a town. Some settlements become strongholds because a large amount of wealth is, or was, concentrated within them. Others are, or were, the former headquarters of a prince or an outpost against raiding forces. A few were built as secure stopping points on dangerous roads. Maintaining a stronghold, while not inexpensive, requires far fewer resources than building one in the first place. Accordingly, most strongholds built in the Borderlands remain inhabited and strong,

46

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Table 3–6: Oddities Roll

Oddity

1

An absolutely honest trader in goods of dubious origin. He does not ask where sellers got things, buys for half his selling price, and always assesses as fairly as he can. He is even reputed to have searched out one seller to give him extra money when something sold for a very high price.

2

Big pile of excrement that the locals seem to worship as a God. If asked why, no one knows. “It’s just the way it’s always been, guv’nuh.”

3

Competent doctor, willing to work for much less than most medical professionals.

4

Entrance to a set of catacombs reputed to contain vast treasure. Most businesses cater to adventurers on their way in. Very few cater to people on their way out.

5

Home of the most beautiful women in the Borderlands. Also home of some of the most bad-tempered men in the Borderlands.

6

Location of a weapon shop run by the local prince. The prices are 50% higher than normal, but the prince takes that 50%, so if he catches people with other weapons, he breaks their legs.

7

Only reliable well for miles around.

8

Pies made from a closely guarded recipe that taste absolutely wonderful. They travel very poorly, though, and are best eaten fresh from the oven.

9

Site of an ancient battle between two wealthy armies, and gold coins still work their way to the surface from time to time.

10

Tavern famous for having beds with mattresses in the guest rooms.

even if the original reason for its existence no longer applies. There are more than a few farming villages built inside the castles of would-be princes.

Cultists The settlement contains a significant Cult of the Ruinous Powers. In the case of a homestead, this means the inhabitants are all either Cultists or sacrifices-in-waiting. In a village or town, the Cult may be a smaller portion of the population, but some larger communities are completely dominated by dark forces.

Strongholds are important to princes and also make good places for adventurers to run to or defend. Sensible adventurers base themselves in strongholds in case trouble follows them home. Of course, that means most sensible strongholds prefer not to host known adventurers.

While all four powers are equally possible, it is worth bearing in mind that communities composed entirely of worshippers of the Blood God or the Plague Lord do not last very long. Thus, if you want an isolated and long-established Cult, it is probably better to go with one of the other two. All the Dark Gods work equally well for a small Cult within a larger settlement.

Chokepoint A chokepoint is a place travellers must pass through to get beyond it. Classic examples are a mountain pass or the only bridge over a river. Chokepoints are nearly always inhabited, as they see a relatively large amount of traffic. That makes them attractive to merchants, as well as to princes seeking to control the traffic in their area. A settlement at a chokepoint has a second interesting feature; roll again on Table 3–2, and ignore further results of chokepoint.

Cultists are somewhat secretive. If all the inhabitants of a settlement worship the Ruinous Powers, they may not be particularly secretive most of the time, but they do take steps to ensure that outsiders do not find out about their true nature. These steps may include attempting to murder outsiders in their sleep. There are completely open groups of Chaos worshippers in the Borderlands, but they are dealt with in the next section as a variety of monster.

You should give some thought to where you place a chokepoint on the map. First, of course, it must be somewhere that could reasonably be a chokepoint; the middle of a plain is probably inappropriate. Second, it should be between two areas you expect the Player Characters to visit, so that they have to pass through it as they go about their adventures.

Many Cults have grandiose aims, seeking to bring the whole region under the sway of their Dark Gods, while some are content to keep the small region they already control. Others serve unfathomable purposes, as revealed to them by the voice of the God speaking through their leaders or, alternatively, by their leaders’ insane ravings. Few Cults could tell the difference, even if they cared to.

Chokepoints are a good place to engineer chance meetings; all kinds of people pass through them. But there are not too many people there at once, so everyone there at a given time meets everyone else. Chokepoints are also good places to defend against onrushing Greenskin hordes or for murder mysteries. Because of the large amount of people passing through, there is more chance of a murderer getting away than in most communities in the Borderlands.

Cultists make good surprise enemies, wherein the Player Characters discover an adventure on their way somewhere else. They can also be linked together into a larger network of Chaos worshippers to produce an epic plot, fighting against the worshippers of darkness. For a twist, the Cultists might not worship Chaos; rather, they could serve an evil deity not directly aligned with the Ruinous

47

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Community Oddities Use any of the f0llowing ideas to help make the communities in your region unique and interesting. • This community is home to a famous brewery. It provides high quality booze for the prince’s domain. It’s whispered the brewer uses a special ingredient, but if so, he’s not talking. Most who’ve sampled his brew claim it’s a bit salty, but despite this unusual trait, it’s quite good. • A strange tower, constructed from stone, iron, glass, or flesh, overlooks the town. Believed to be the abode of a Wizard, none of the locals have ever gone up there to see if he’s home. • By day, this community is eerily quiet. The doors are locked, shutters latched, and aside from the mournful howls of an old dog, it seems empty. But the atmosphere changes at night when the fungus farmers prowl the fields for a strange mushroom that grows only by the light of the moons. • A few years back, the community became fed up with their mayor, and in an act of brash rebellion, they replaced him with a horse. To their surprise, they were all much happier under equine rule, and ever since, horses have come to be regarded as important, if not sacred, members of the community. A recent law passed that now prevents horses from being used for labour, though whether this edict comes from the horse or the horse’s advisors, none can say with certainty. • A master archer from Bretonnia settled in this community, and word of his exploits has spread throughout the land. For a hefty price, the master archer Bouet Le Bowman will teach people his trade. • The current prince was born many years ago in this community, and to celebrate this fact, the locals spend much of their time and resources honouring him. What began as a few statues in dramatic poses has since evolved into crude paintings of the beloved prince on every door, a variety of beverages and pies bearing his name, to say nothing of the fact that nearly all the locals have incorporated the prince’s name in their own. • This town is renowned for playing an odd game involving a cloth ball and a pair of posts set at opposite ends of an open field. Who knows, maybe it could catch on. • Everyone wears hats in this town, and there are lots of hat shops. Either wearing hats is some local custom, or the trend has something to do with a nearby albatross colony and the thick covering of bird droppings on everything here. • The town is known for breeding fine hunting hounds, coveted by princes and peasants alike. Indeed, the income from these dogs is quite nice, but the place is loud, filled with incessant barking. • This gentle community is neat and orderly. Those who pass through may notice there aren’t many men about, though there is no shortage of manly women who could easily pass for members of opposite gender. Visitors who linger, though, soon realise there are no men at all, which is strange since the women are accommodating, friendly, and more than a little aggressive. • This town is home to an oddity shop known as the “Borderlands Bizarre.” Filled with strange things such as Orc talismans, genuine Ogre bones, Tilean masks, and strange weapons and armour from the southern deserts, the shop does poor business since few have much need for such rubbish. • This town holds an annual contest known as the “Festival of Flying Fires” in which contestants see who can catch the most live fireflies in their mouth. The best three move on to the next round, in which they cover themselves in pig fat and light themselves on fire. The individual who waits the longest to put himself out wins the prize: a year’s supply of ham from the finest butcher in town. Winners can sometimes be found in the square rubbing ointment in their scarred flesh and sucking stinking flesh from pig bones. • All the buildings in this town are made from stone—ever since that Halfling pyromaniac passed through, anyway. Even with the added protection, only those locals with special permits can light fires. • A grand anti-Goblin ditch surrounds this town, which is full of polished stones and bits of shiny metal, in a hope to distract any attacking Greenskins. Each winter, a lucky child moves through the ditch with a soft cloth. It’s his or her duty to make sure the bits are polished. • A shooting star once fell to ground here and has been hollowed out and turned into the “Fallen Star Saloon.” Rumour has it that the tavern is not a fallen star at all but is actually the gallstone of a lumbering giant that lay down to die here about 100 years ago, though such whispers do little to diminish the fine establishment’s reputation. • This odd community is empty. All of the buildings are blood-soaked, and bones litter the ground. Crude signs of warning adorn the doors, warning travellers to be on their way. In truth, this place is a decoy. The locals all live in caves in the nearby hills. • An exiled courtier lives here and is a master of makeup, clothing coordination, and hairdressing. For a reasonable price, he’s happy to share his fashion sense with any who desire. • Dominating the centre of this community is a large statue cast from bronze, or it’s believed to be bronze. It’s hard to tell these days since it’s covered in at least a foot of dung, left by birds that seem to settle here only to do their business before moving on. Those who’ve tried to scrape away the filth always die mysteriously, so most folks leave the statue alone. • The earth around this town is oddly fertile, and its farmers produce huge harvests for their prince, who is wise enough not to ask why the ground is so good for farming.

48

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands Powers. This makes for a good change of pace, and if such Cults are going to flourish anywhere, the Borderlands is that place. Sigmar’s Heirs contains some examples of Heretical Cults, which can be used directly or as inspiration.

Table 3–7: Settlement Special Features

Special

Roll

Feature

1–2

Roll twice on Table 3–2.

3

Cultists

Roll Twice

4

Hospital

The settlement has an unusual number of features of interest. This result can come up multiple times, but you should ignore it once you feel that the settlement is becoming ridiculous.

5

Magical Effect

6

Monastery

The special result covers a whole range of possibilities; roll on Table 3–7 to determine the details.

7

Monster

Cultists

8

Templars

The settlement hides followers of the Ruinous Powers. This is the same as the possible result on Table 3–2; see page 47 for details on Cultists.

9

Witch

10

Wizard

Hospital

Monster

The settlement is or includes a hospital, most likely run by Priestesses of Shallya. In return for donations that make it possible to maintain operations, this place provides healing and shelter to those who need it. Many followers of Shallya regard bringing her mercy to such a dangerous place as the Borderlands as highly virtuous; it is not uncommon for young followers to spend at least some time there. As they gain more experience, many return to more civilised lands, where Shallya’s mercy is equally required, but some feel the Goddess’s call and stay.

The settlement is afflicted by a powerful monster. The monster is an individual, rather than a group of Orcs or similar, and has a particular interest in this settlement. This interest does not involve simply killing everyone and eating the bodies. The monster may demand tribute in the form of a virgin sacrificed every month (such places tend to have high population growth rates), or it may simply raid at random. It also tends to protect the settlement from other threats.

Such a hospital is often extremely vulnerable, and the destruction of a Shallyan hospital is a common event in the Borderlands. The ones that survive have protectors who live near the hospital. These protectors are rarely princes; the Shallyans have a tendency to speak out against tyrannical abuses. Rather, the protectors are people who have been healed by the Priestesses and now devote their lives to protecting them.

This is about the only circumstance that could support a town outside a principality, as the monster keeps the place safe in return for whatever it wants. Most such relationships are with smaller groups, however, and sometimes the monster’s demands are no more onerous than those of a Human prince. In such a case, the residents may not want the monster to be defeated, but the nominal overlord might.

Magical Effect

If you have such a settlement, you will probably have to decide on the monster’s plans eventually. You might be able to avoid doing this if the Player Characters defeat it early on, and you certainly do not need to do so right away; you can wait to see what would fit best into the pattern of the campaign.

There is some persistent magical effect in or near the settlement. This probably indicates the influence of Chaos, but the effect is not a dangerous one; people choose to live near it, after all. It might heal people and animals of diseases, cause intense pleasure, or increase martial vigour. Alternatively, it might do something like turning lead into gold, in which case the settlement has a valuable resource.

Templars The settlement houses highly trained and devout warriors of one of the established Gods of the Old World. Myrmidia and Ulric are by far the most common patrons, but Manann, Sigmar, Taal, and Verena are also possibilities.

More ambiguous effects might simply show visions to people nearby or appear to show events in a distant location. The magical effect might be a clearly unnatural plant, such as a tree with bronze bark and iron leaves that rust and fall off in the autumn. In this case, the magical effect is little more than a curiosity, at least at first glance. The effect is still enough to convince people to live close by, however.

All settlements with resident Templars are also strongholds because the military order fortifies its home. A homestead is a small fortress manned entirely by Templars, while a village might be a large castle or a small fortress attached to a farming village. Templar fortresses are occasionally found within towns, in which case the Templars are almost always responsible for the town’s defence. This gives their religion a great deal of influence and affects the character of the town quite strongly.

Monastery The settlement is a monastery of one of the orders of ascetics described in Mysticism on page 52. If you roll this result for a town, apply it to one of the villages or homesteads you have yet to generate, and re-roll for the town. The orders do not establish their monasteries in centres of population.

Templars have a mission; they do not just set up in the Borderlands on a whim. Some may seek to pacify the whole

49

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands a grimoire. He uses his magic in support and defence of his community, and he is respected by the other residents. He may keep his presence as secret as possible or advertise it in the hope of discouraging attacks. These Witches may be willing to take apprentices, but such a condition is perilous for both master and student. It is true there are no organised Witch Hunters in the Borderlands, but there are plenty of disorganised ones, and ordinary peasants are no more trusting of magic than those found anywhere else. While a Witch can gain acceptance for himself, there is no guarantee this will extend to his apprentices. The main problem faced by Witches is Witch Hunters. Sometimes a Witch’s past actions can get him the support of the community, in which case the Witch Hunters leave empty-handed or do not leave at all. It does not take much misfortune to prompt the peasants to make the Witch into a scapegoat, and stirring speeches about the risk of corruption can dissolve bonds of loyalty. A Witch who defends himself in such circumstances exiles himself from the community; one who does not is dead. Still, the imbalance between the number of Witch Hunters and the number of settlements means that a Witch can survive for quite some time.

Wizard The settlement is home to a Wizard. A homestead might be a classic Wizard’s tower, while a village or town simply contains the Wizard’s residence. The Wizard is accepted by the residents of his community, and he actively comes to their defence. This acceptance does not necessarily extend to Wizards coming in from outside, particularly not if the resident Wizard speaks against them.

region—a futile goal—while others simply defend a holy site or keep a particular route open for pilgrims. Even those with overwhelming ambitions have small-scale immediate aims, such as wiping out a particular band of Orcs.

Most of these Wizards are renegade Imperial Magisters who do not care for the troubles inherent in actually running a principality. As noted earlier, when discussing Wizard princes, the Colleges of Magic do not look kindly on true renegades, so most Imperial Magisters in the Borderlands maintain some relations with their College. Some are actually agents, dispatched to keep an eye on the region. Others committed a crime that was politically unforgivable but not actually a threat to anyone (calling a nobleman an idiot in public, consorting with a nobleman’s wife), so they were exiled. A few committed minor offences and then fled punishment. The Colleges keep an eye on these individuals, but most feel that living in the Borderlands is punishment enough.

This makes the relationship between Templars and princes complex. If the prince is a Priest of the Templars’ God, then relations are nearly always excellent. There is a place for disputes between members of the same faith, but the hostile environment of the Borderlands is not it. In all other cases, relations are more strained. On one hand, the Templars are skilled, brave warriors, and they are not hostile towards Human settlement in the area. Few princes wish to lose such a resource. On the other hand, Templars are not primarily loyal to the prince, and few princes in the region have the power to force local Templars to toe their line. If the prince is a Wizard, or a Priest of a different deity, these tensions can break out into war—a devastating result for the area.

Nevertheless, there are some true renegade Wizards whom, if found, would be executed by the Colleges. These individuals tend to be very protective of their privacy. Most are not worshippers of the Ruinous Powers; such Wizards tend to flee north rather than south. They do include murderers, thugs, democrats, and similar scum.

The members of the group are mainly knights and knights of the inner circle, with some squires and Priests supporting them. They are never the official rulers of a region, but they often have a great deal of influence, based both on personal ability and on religious authority.

Some Wizards in the area take apprentices. This is a very murky area as far as the Imperial Colleges are concerned. Strictly speaking, they can’t forbid it, as they have no authority outside the Empire. The Colleges really don’t like it, however, and they occasionally send enforcers to make their dislike clear.

Witch These users of magic have no formal training, relying on a range of spells that they have stitched together for themselves. If you have access to Realms of Sorcery, suitable careers are detailed therein. Like Hedge Wizards in the Empire, Witches provide services to their community. The difference is that Witches have more power at their disposal.

These pressures mean some Wizards keep their presence secret. The rest of the settlement soon finds out, but they have a similar interest in keeping the secret because the presence of a Wizard significantly increases their security, while the revelation of his presence would only bring trouble. Such Wizards may be useful contacts for Player Characters, if they learn the secret, and the Wizard might even be willing to provide covert training, outside the Imperial College system.

While Witches are prone to the lure of Chaos, they are not all black-hearted servants of evil, and this result indicates a Witch who is, at worst, a bit self-centred and a few folios short of

50

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

— Characters —

Characters in the Border Princes follow many of the same careers as those elsewhere in the Old World. This section presents some new careers, which fall into two groups. First, there are Basic Careers, which Characters would want to run away from. Such runaways often become adventurers. Second, there are Advanced Careers that people might travel to the region to enter. These careers offer unique advantages and may not be appropriate to all campaigns. The contents of this section are no more compulsory than those of any other, despite the absence of tables. Use the parts that appeal to you.

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Border Princes), Gossip, Speak Language (Bretonnian or Reikspiel or Tilean) Talents: Two random talents

Character Creation

Difficult Areas

The basic Human Skills and Talents given in WFRP apply to the Empire. For the Border Princes, use the following information.

A fairly high proportion of the inhabitants of the Border Princes live in areas that only marginally support Human life. The big

There is no common language across the whole of the Border Princes, though the closeness of all the Human languages of the Old World means that most people can make themselves understood. With your GM’s approval, you can give your character a starting language not listed here; while they are the most common possibilities, the Border Princes have residents from all over the Old World and beyond.

Table 3–7: Border Princes Starting Careers Roll

Career

Roll

Career

01

Agitator

46–48

Miner

02

Anchorite*

49–50

Muleskinner*

03–04

Badlander*

51

Noble

05

Bailiff

52–53

Outrider

06

Barber-Surgeon

54–56

Peasant

07–08

Boatman

57–58

Pit Fighter

09–10

Bodyguard

59–60

Protagonist

11–12

Bone Picker

61–62

Rat Catcher

13–14

Bounty Hunter

63–64

Rogue

15

Burgher

65

Scribe

16–17

Camp Follower

66–67

Seaman

18

Cenobite*

68–69

Servant

19

Charcoal Burner

70–71

Squire

20

Coachman

72–74

Swamp Skimmer*

21

Entertainer

75–76

Thief

22–23

Ferryman

77–78

Thug

24–25

Fisherman

79–80

Tomb Robber

26–27

Grave Robber

81–83

Tradesman

28–29

Hedge Wizard

84–86

Vagabond

30–32

Hunter

87–88

Valet

33–34

Initiate

89–90

Watchman

35

Jailer

91–93

Woodsman

36–37

Marine

94–95

Zealot

38–41

Mercenary

96–100

42–43

Messenger

44–45

Militiaman

Roll on the table for another region, such as the Empire, Bretonnia, or Norsca. Your character was from somewhere else before he was from the Border Princes.

*These are new careers, described in this chapter.

51

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands advantage is that other people do not generally come and try to drive you out.

constitution to resist the disease and vermin that infest these places find they can make a good living. Collectively known as Swamp Skimmers, these men and women brave the hostile environment in the hopes of bettering themselves and perhaps buying passage out of this dangerous land.

Badlander Badlanders, as the name suggests, live in the badlands of the Border Princes. These areas are often mazes of broken rock, containing little water and less life, and what life is present is unpalatable at best and hostile at worst. They have to travel constantly around the area to find food and water, which also makes it relatively easy for them to hide. A surprisingly high proportion of Badlanders have previous careers from which they are hiding; those who don’t tend to dream of doing something worth hiding from.

— Swamp Skimmer Advance Scheme — Main Profile WS

BS

S

+5%

+5%

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

+10% +10% +10%

Secondary Profile

— Badlander Advance Scheme — Main Profile

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+2

WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

Skills: Concealment, Follow Trail, Outdoor Survival, Navigation, Perception, Search, Silent Move, Swim

+5%

+5%

+10%

+10%

+5%

Talents: Resistance to Disease, Sixth Sense Trappings: Large Sack, Thigh-high Waterproof Boots

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

Career Entries: Anchorite, Peasant, Vagabond

+2

Career Exits: Mercenary, Peasant, Vagabond

Mysticism

Skills: Concealment, Follow Trail, Outdoor Survival, Navigation, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Silent Move Talents: Orientation, Sixth Sense

Most people in the Old World seek out as much comfort as they can find, finding little enough. Some, though, find even that to be too much and determine to make their lives even more miserable. Some do this to purge themselves of sins, and they are prominent among the flagellants. Others do it to serve a God, and these individuals are found in the monasteries of the established deities. Some, however, follow their own vision of the truth. These people are condemned as lunatics, heretics, or Cultists by most governments. Thus, they have made their way to the Borderlands, where there is no government large enough to cause them problems. The fact that, in the Borderlands, it is very easy to deprive oneself of the luxuries of life only makes the region more appealing to them.

Trappings: Climbing Equipment Career Entries: Anchorite, Peasant, Vagabond Career Exits: Cat Burglar, Vagabond

Swamp Skimmer Of all the terrain found in the Borderlands, few are as nasty and inhospitable as its swamps and fens. Polluted stretches of land, filled with bloodsucking mosquitoes and ravenous leeches, they are breeding grounds for disease. Since these places are generally left alone, there are all sorts of treasures and oddities lurking beneath the vines and brackish water, and those with the mettle and

Badlander

Swamp Skimmer 52

Anchorite

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands others claim to impart ancient secrets of combat that go far beyond those known today. Evidence suggests that all of the monasteries are wrong, and the vast majority of Cenobites believe that the Cenobites at other monasteries are deluded fools Almost all monasteries inflict great pain and deprivation on their inhabitants, ostensibly as part of the path to enlightenment. It could be argued that, as many Cenobites flee their monasteries, this process actually works.

Anchorites Some people feel that they can only follow their own mystical leanings alone, away from the distractions of civilisation, conversation, and soap. These individuals become Anchorites, staking claim to a cave, or the top of a pillar of rock, somewhere in the Borderlands. They have few or no possessions, so bandits rarely bother them. Greenskins and other monsters are still likely to kill them if they can catch them, so Anchorites learn how to hide and run away.

The buildings of a monastery are always simple, austere, and wellfortified. They have a single gate, representing the single-mindedness required to learn their secrets (and making it easy to defend), and at least one tall tower, representing the heights to which they can lead a person (and providing advance warning of any attacks). Beyond that, they are suited to the location, the resources of the Cenobites, and the residents’ individual preferences.

— Anchorite Advance Scheme — Main Profile WS

BS

S

+5%

+5%

T

Ag

+10% +10%

Int

WP

Fel

+10%

The members of a community are almost invariably of a single gender, though both male and female monasteries are known. Most Cenobites are Human; members of other races rarely show much interest, though most monasteries would admit them if they asked. Unwanted children are sometimes left on the doorsteps of monasteries. These children are taken in; those who do not run away are accepted as Cenobites. Most run away.

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+2

Skills: Concealment, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Silent Move Talents: Flee!, Hardy, Resistance to Poison, Rover, Stout-hearted

— Cenobite Advance Scheme —

Trappings: None

Main Profile

Career Entries: None Career Exits: Badlander, Mystic, Outlaw, Swamp Skimmer, Vagabond

Cenobites

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

+5%

+5%

+10%

+5%

+10%

+5%

Secondary Profile

Cenobites live in communities, generally called monasteries, and follow the advice of a leader. The leader is often charismatic but often equally insane. At the very least, they are fanatical followers of a very personal vision of the truth (the con-artists do not set up in the Borderlands).

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+2

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Theology), Blather, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Heal, Perception, Torture Talents: Hardy, Resistance to Poison, Stout-hearted, Strong-minded

Every monastery has a different philosophy and a different focus. Some claim to teach meditation techniques that grant complete immunity to the powers of Chaos, others claim to unlock the completely safe magical power hidden inside every Human being, and

Cenobite

WS

Trappings: Filthy Loincloth and Tunic Career Entries: None Career Exits: Mystic, Outlaw, Servant, Vagabond

Mystic 53

Border Ranger

Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Mystic

Skills: Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Navigation, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Secret Language (Ranger Tongue), Secret Signs (Scout), Set Trap, Silent Move, Swim

Some Anchorites and Cenobites become so full of wisdom (or full of something, anyway) that they progress to being Mystics. No longer content to seek wisdom by themselves, they insist on telling others of their discoveries, seeking to lead them to enlightenment also. Many leaders of monasteries are Mystics, as most sensible communities drive them out as soon as they realise what they are like.

Talents: Flee!, Orientation, Rover, Sixth Sense, Very Resilient Trappings: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt and Leather Jack), 10 yards of Rope Career Entries: Explorer, Outlaw Chief, Scout Career Exits: Captain, Explorer, Outlaw Chief

A few Mystics actually discover the secrets of supernatural power. They tout this as proof of the value of their “insights.”

Enforcer

— Mystic Advance Scheme —

Enforcers wander the Border Princes, providing justice or, failing that, vengeance. Or sometimes they just provide random violence, because anyone can make a mistake. On the whole, however, Enforcers have a code of right and wrong that they uphold. They pay no attention to the legal authority of princes or, indeed, to law, relying entirely on their own sense of ethics and ability to uncover true villains. Most Enforcers regard rogue Enforcers as the blackest of villains because their actions mean that any Enforcer is at risk of being run out of an area.

Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

+10% +10% +10% +15% +15%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+4

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Theology), Blather, Charm, Command, Intimidation, Speak Language (any one), Torture

Enforcers are almost never found outside the Border Princes because the authorities elsewhere take a very dim view of people taking the law into their own hands. The authorities in the Border Princes do, too, but they generally can’t do anything about it.

Talents: Menacing, Public Speaking Trappings: None Career Entries: Anchorite, Cenobite

— Enforcer Advance Scheme —

Career Exits: Charlatan, Demagogue, Hedge Wizard, Rogue

Main Profile

Tough Jobs

WS

WP

+20% +20% +10% +20% +25% +20% +20% TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+7

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+1

+4

Muleskinners guide trains of pack animals, normally mules, across the Border Princes, carrying vital supplies from one settlement to another. Vital but cheap supplies might be transported by a single Muleskinner, while more valuable goods merit at least a few men, and possibly mercenary guards as well. Sometimes, the Muleskinners just don’t let on that they are carrying anything valuable and just hope the bandits ignore them. With all their travel, Muleskinners often know the Borderlands better than just about anyone else, and some choose to put that knowledge to use earning a living in other ways.

+5%

SB

A

Muleskinner

Secondary Profile W

+5%

Career Exits: Spy, Witch Hunter

Fel

A

Fel

Career Entries: Bounty Hunter, Hunter, Road Warden, Watchman

— Badlands Ranger Advance Scheme — Int

WP

Trappings: Medium Armour (Chain Shirt and Leather Jack), Net

Main Profile Ag

Int

Talents: Menacing, Quick Draw, Schemer, Specialist Weapon Group (Entangling), Street Fighting

Less upstanding Badlands Rangers do the same with wealthy employers—wealthy meaning anyone who can afford to hire them in the first place. They come back later to pick up the money.

T

Ag

Skills: Charm, Command, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Concealment, Disguise, Follow Trail, Gossip, Intimidate, Perception, Search, Shadowing, Torture

The Badlands Ranger is an experienced individual familiar with the hazards of the area and able to lead others safely through them. A trustworthy Badlands Ranger is worth a great deal of money, and they charge a great deal of money to those who want their services. Threatening them rarely works because they can survive almost any situation in the region. They will simply leave their obnoxious employers to die.

S

T

Secondary Profile

Badlands Ranger

BS

S

+20% +20% +10% +10% +10% +20% +10%

The Border Princes are home to a lot of tough jobs. Getting started is not normally a problem, but surviving long enough to prosper often is. Still, those who do thrive in tough jobs are generally tough people who make good adventurers. Indeed, there might not be much of a difference between adventuring and their normal day’s work.

WS

BS

Muleskinners also hold mule skinning contests. The dead mule record is under a minute; the live mule record, held unchallenged by Alberic “Flat Face” Schilp, is five and a half minutes.

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Chapter III: Inhabitants of the Borderlands

Enforcer

Border Courtier

— Muleskinner Advance Scheme —

The Border Courtier haunts the home of a Border Prince, hoping to survive long enough to take that position himself. Scheming, murder, and betrayal are his normal modes of operation. Paranoia is an occupational hazard, and hypocrisy is a qualification for the job.

Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

+5%

+10%

+5%

Ag

Int

+10% +10%

WP

Fel

+5%

IP

FP

Secondary Profile A —

W +2

Border Courtier

Muleskinner

SB —

TB —

M —

Mag —

— Border Courtier Advance Scheme — Main Profile

Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Navigate, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Speak Language (any one)

WS

BS

+15%

+5%

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

+10% +15% +15% +20% +20% +10%

Secondary Profile

Talents: Orientation, Seasoned Traveller Trappings: Light Armour (Leather Jack), three Mules, Bow Career Entries: Burgher, Hunter, Messenger, Peasant

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

+4

Skills: Blather, Charm, Command, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Concealment, Dodge Blow, Gossip, Intimidate, Perception, Prepare Poison, Search, Speak Language (Any)

Career Exits: Burgher, Highwayman, Merchant, Messenger, Outlaw, Scout

Courtly Life

Talents: Resistance to Poison, Schemer, Street Fighting, Strike to Injure, Suave, Very Resilient Trappings: Medium Armour (Chain Shirt and Leather Jack), two Sets of Noble’s Garb, one Dose of Poison (any type)

Life in the courts of the Border Princes tends to be a bit more literal than in more civilised lands. Smearing an opponent involves physical mud, backstabbing involves a knife, and the losers in political contests really are gutted. Courtiers in the area thus tend to be a bit more physical than those in other regions.

Career Entries: Captain, Courtier, Noble, Outlaw Chief, Politician, Sergeant Career Exits: Assassin, Captain, Courtier, Noble Lord, Spy

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Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands

Hazards

Chapter

VI

of the

Borderlands “The weather’s the least of your worries here in the Badlands. We have Orcs, Goblins, and a few cultists of the Ruinous Powers. In the mountains, you’ll find Wyverns. In the lowlands, you’ll be lucky to escape with three of your limbs. Why, I think we might even have a few Sigmarites. Best to avoid them though. Cranky lot.” — Tilda Fenk, Muleskinner

T

monsters seem more numerous. Scholars who have actually been to the Border Princes know that this is ridiculous; the inhabitants of more civilised areas might think that their actions have no effect on the number of foul creatures plaguing them, but these scholars know better. Without organised hunts, monsters in the Borderlands are far more numerous, and bolder, than elsewhere.

he Borderlands are full of perils. War, plague, famine—these kill many of the inhabitants long before their time. The inhabitants of the region rarely worry about these threats, however. They are far too busy worrying about the monsters. Some scholars have speculated that the Borderlands have no more monsters than any other region of the Old World but that the absence of government makes them bolder, making the

T

This chapter deals with the creation of these hazards and their distribution around your region of the Border Princes.

— Distribution —

Accordingly, the first step of the process described here is generating the number of lairs and the type of creature in each lair. The lair’s location, the number of creatures, and the attitude of the creatures are then generated depending on the type of creature. See Monsters on page 60 for details.

he system presented here for distributing monsters around your region of the Border Princes relies on the concept of lairs. A lair is a base of operations for a variable number of creatures, anywhere from one to over a thousand. The nature of the lair varies dramatically, depending on both the number of creatures and the type of creature. A lair containing a pair of Wyverns, for example, is probably just a cave, while a lair containing 800 Orcs is something approaching a town (and might have been a town, before the Orcs arrived).

Number of Lairs The number of monster lairs is an important factor in the style of your campaign, and it is something you need to decide, in broad terms, rather than randomly generate.

Lairs may also be mobile. Nomadic creatures do not have a fixed base of operations, but they still have a range. In this case, the location of the lair on the map indicates the centre of the range, which extends at least over the whole of the square. Even creatures with a fixed lair can be found outside it, but nomadic creatures could be anywhere, which makes encounters harder for adventurers to plan for. The likelihood of a mobile lair also depends on the nature and number of the monsters. Finally, there is the attitude of the monsters in the lair. They might simply be defending their territory, be using it as a base for raids, or actually seeking to conquer the surrounding regions. As you might expect, this attitude also varies from one monster to another.

56

A campaign with Few monster lairs will get focused on politics between the princes. There will be plenty of war, backstabbing, politics, and foul corruption, but much less wading through the blood of Greenskins.

A campaign with a Moderate number of monster lairs is fairly balanced. The Players have a good number of chances to kill monsters, but Human politics will also play a large role.

A campaign with Many monster lairs will have to focus almost entirely on dealing with monsters. Indeed, the

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands

Human politics of the region would have the same focus, and the criteria for an alliance might be as simple as “One head, two arms, two legs, not green, no fur = friend.”

by the Ruinous Powers. Violent or overt groups forced to flee neighbouring countries often end up here, and in the aftermath of the Storm of Chaos, there are even isolated contingents of Archaon’s army. Thus, any Chaos-based group could reasonably exist in the region if you wanted to use it in your campaign.

Once you have determined the overall style of the campaign, roll on Table 4–1 to determine the precise number of lairs found in your area.

On average, there are a lot of Beastmen, just like everywhere else, and a lot of Mutants, many having fled the surrounding countries. Other Chaos creatures are more rare but certainly not unknown. Tables 4–3 through 4–5 reflect this average distribution.

Types of Monsters The types of monster based in a lair are divided very broadly.

To generate each Chaos lair, first roll on Table 4–3 to generate the number of creatures present. This result also provides a modifier to future rolls. Next, roll on Table 4–4 to determine the nature of the creature leading the lair. Finally, roll on Table 4–5 to determine what all the other inhabitants are. Note that a roll of six or higher on Table 4–3 guarantees that the followers are determined by the final line of Table 4–5.

“Chaos” indicates open servants of the Ruinous Powers: Beastmen, Mutants, Chaos Warriors, and the like. Chaos Cults that hide their affiliation are generated as features of settlements in Chapter Three: Inhabitants. •

“Greenskins” indicates Orcs, Goblins, Snotlings, and their kin. There are a lot of Greenskins in the area.

“Undead” covers all kinds of Undead, from Zombies left by a Necromancer to a Vampire seeking to rule the area.

“Monsters” covers all the other creatures, but there are usually a small number of individually powerful creatures based at the site.

The attitude of a Chaos lair is determined by the nature of its leader, rolled on Table 4–4

Hazards Summary

The determination of all further features of the lair depends on the type of monster, determined by rolling on Table 4–2.

1. Roll on Table 4–1 to determine the number of lairs in the area. 2. Roll on Table 4–2 to determine the type of monster in a lair. 3. Roll on the appropriate tables from Table 4–3 to Table 4–12 to determine the inhabitants of the lair in detail.

Chaos The Border Princes are a long way from the Chaos Wastes, but that does not mean that they are free from problems caused

57

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands

Table 4–1: Number of Lairs

Table 4–2: Types of Monsters

Roll

Few

Moderate

Many

1

1

5

10

Roll

Monster Type

2–3

2

6

12

1–2

Chaos

4–6

3

8

15

3–7

Greenskin

7–8

4

10

18

8

Monster

9

5

11

20

9–10

Undead

10

6

12

22

Table 4–4: Leader of Chaos Creatures

Table 4–3: Number of Chaos Creatures

Roll

Leader

Roll

Number of Creatures

01–05

Daemon

1

1, no modifier on Table 4–4, no roll on Table 4–5

06–10

Chaos Warrior

2

5, +5 on Table 4–4, no modifier on Table 4–5

11

Minotaur

3

10, +10 on Table 4–4, +1 on Table 4–5

12–35

Mutant

4

20, +15 on Table 4–4, +2 on Table 4–5

36–65

Gor (Beastman)

5

30, +20 on Table 4–4, +3 on Table 4–5

66–100

Bestigor (Beastman)

6

50, +20 on Table 4–4, +4 on Table 4–5

101–105

Chaos Warrior

7

75, +20 on Table 4–4, +4 on Table 4–5

106–110

Minotaur

8

100, +20 on Table 4–4, +4 on Table 4–5

111–120

Daemon

9

150, +20 on Table 4–4, +4 on Table 4–5

10

200, +20 on Table 4–4, +4 on Table 4–5

Table 4–5: Chaos Followers Roll

Beastman

Daemon

Chaos Warrior

Minotaur

Mutant

1

Beastmen

Daemons

Chaos Warriors

Minotaurs

Mutants

2

Beastmen

Daemons

Chaos Warriors

Minotaurs

Mutants

3

Beastmen and Mutants

Mutants

Chaos Warriors

Beastmen

Mutants and Beastmen

4

Beastmen

Mutants

Beastmen

Beastmen

Mutants

Beastmen

Beastmen

Mutants

5+

Beastmen and Mutants Beastmen and Mutants

Beastmen

to think of keeping to themselves. A small group of Beastmen is effectively a bandit group, while a large group is a small army, posing a constant hazard.

“Die, Human scum!”

If you have Tome of Corruption, be sure to check out Chapter VII: Beasts of Chaos for guidelines on how to create a Warband.

Beastmen are the most common of the creatures of Chaos and make up the bulk of such monsters in the Borderlands. Many of them serve other creatures, but most bands of Beastmen are still led by Beastmen, who often allow a small number of Mutants to join them. These Mutants are generally in a very inferior position, but they are allowed to live and eat as long as they are useful, which is a step up from their treatment in civilised society.

Chaos Warrior “All shall bow down before the Dark Gods, and all others shall bow down before me.”

Chaos Warriors are former Human elite warriors of Chaos. Unlike Cultists, they are wholly open about their allegiance and are aggressive (to put it rather mildly) in spreading the rule of their Dark Gods. Chaos Warriors are bred mainly in the far

Beastmen always aim at raiding the surrounding country. They are not interested in settled rulership and are far too aggressive

58

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands north, and many of those in the Borderlands were scattered from the armies of Archaon. Chaos Warriors are interested in either raiding or rulership. Most tend to raid the surrounding areas, and many attack with wild abandon, happy to die in violent service to their dark master. Those who seek rule are more dangerous because they are willing to plan and even form alliances; they can be far more subtle than Beastmen. On the whole, servants of Khorne and Nurgle tend towards raiding, while those serving Slaanesh and Tzeentch tend towards rulership, but there are exceptions on both sides. To determine the Chaos Warrior’s aim randomly, roll one die. On a result of seven or less, he is a raider; on a roll of eight or higher, he seeks rulership. If you have Tome of Corruption, make about half of the Chaos Warriors into Chaos Sorcerers instead. Roll on Tables 2–4 and 2–5 in Tome of Corruption to determine the Chaos servant’s approximate power and to generate Chaos Mutations, Rewards, and Gifts as described.

Daemon “Welcome to my world.”

Daemons are Chaos incarnate, the purest servants of the forces of corruption. As such, they do not think in the same ways as living creatures, and their goals and plans may be difficult to fathom. Nevertheless, it is possible to make some generalisations, based on the God the Daemon serves. Minions of the Blood God almost always raid the surrounding area. They do not care for rulership, preferring to offer corpses to their God.

The guarded site is generally a Shrine to Chaos or the tomb of some servant of the Ruinous Powers. Occasionally, however, the Minotaur is set to guard something that would be of great use in fighting the Greenskin hordes. The more subtle Minotaurs spread rumours about the thing they guard, in the hope of luring adventurers to their deaths. Nobody misses adventurers, particularly not in the Borderlands.

Servants of the Changer of Ways normally seek to rule an area, converting all within it to Mutants and other spawn of Chaos. They may, however, have been set to guard a particular location. This situation is often a trap, offering knowledge that will corrupt those who study it under the guise of offering great power.

If you have Tome of Corruption, about 20% of the Minotaurs generated here are Doombulls. Pick a Ruinous Power, and roll for Rewards and Gifts as appropriate on Table 2–5 in Tome of Corruption.

Worshippers of the Lord of Degenerate Pleasures seek rulership, so they can compel those under their sway to indulge in ever more degrading and destructive ecstasy, until there is nothing left but a gibbering shell serving their Dark God.

Mutants “Even the rejects of the world reject us. We’ll teach them!”

Heralds of the Plague Lord are raiders, albeit subtle ones. They spread diseases rather than death in battle, and they gain great pleasure from watching communities collapse under the impact of their plagues.

Mutants used to be Human. Some of them even lived as Humans for a while after they mutated. A few may have been born and

Minotaurs

Old World Bestiary

“Dinner’s here.”

This chapter relies heavily on creatures found in the Old World Bestiary. While most categories also include creatures found in WFRP, the variety there is extremely limited and does not include some of the more powerful monsters used here.

Minotaurs are a variety of powerful Beastman, but unlike most, they are generally tasked with guarding some location by the Dark Gods. A group led by a Beastman almost always follows the same purpose. Even then, a small element of raiding is common; in most cases, people wandering into the vicinity of the guarded site do not provide enough victims to slake the monsters’ bloodlust. If the raiding is too enthusiastic, however, it might draw organised reprisals, which could threaten the site. Minotaurs thus have to strike a delicate balance, and this is not their strong point.

If you do not own the Old World Bestiary, you can create your own statistics for the other creatures, or you can rely on those provided in WFRP and ignore all the other entries on the tables.

59

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands raised as Mutants, but they are the exception, not the rule. As a result, Mutants have as wide a range of motivations as Humans and can take any of the approaches to the surrounding territory.

The band was a lot bigger than Ilsa and her friends had expected. Two dozen Orcs, not the half-dozen the scouting parties had suggested. And now Ilsa had her back to the rock wall at the end of a cave, swinging a sword with a hilt slippery with her own blood as she tried to keep the creatures away. She heard a sound, half scream and half gurgle, from further down the cave, and she knew that Torsten was gone. She pulled her sword from the belly of the Orc in front of her, realising she was alone. She could hear more Orcs approaching, though, now that they had finished with her friends. She swung her backpack off her shoulders and opened it, pulling a pouch out. The noises got closer, and she spilled the packing sand on the floor as she removed the dagger. “This had better be the real thing...”

Mutants by themselves are likely to defend a location, particularly if there is only a small group of them. They mainly want to worship their Dark Gods in peace. (This is unlikely if they worship Khorne, of course. The Blood God demands blood.) Some Mutants may even oppose the Ruinous Powers, and while such groups are rare, they always keep to themselves. Everybody is out to kill them, after all.

Greenskins “This is our land. We let the Humans live here because they make good eating.”

Greenskins are the most common monsters in the Borderlands, outnumbering all the others put together. This is a constant reminder these lands were taken step by bloody step from the Greenskins in the first place and that the lands just across the Blood River are controlled by these creatures.

All kinds of Greenskins can be found in the Border Princes, though Hobgoblins are rare immigrants and are not included on the tables in this chapter. Orcs are, of course, dominant, though they are probably outnumbered by the weaker races.

Mutants in a mixed group with Beastmen are normally involved in raiding, though a strong Mutant leading a mixed group could keep the Beastmen under control and channel their activities in a different direction.

A Greenskin lair is almost invariably involved in raiding. They do not have the temperament for anything else. Smaller Greenskin bands (100 or fewer) are often nomadic (50% chance), and virtually all groups of a dozen or less move around constantly; if they stayed in one place, something would wipe them out. A few rare groups are trying to build their own realms. This activity is always driven by a particular leader and has never yet survived his fall. The few Hobgoblins in the region are most likely to be trying to set up some sort of principality, though none have yet succeeded for more than a few months. Admittedly, given how few of them there are, that’s a better record than Humans can manage.

Rulership of those who scorn and despise them is a fairly common dream of Mutants, but few have the abilities needed to put it into practice. Still, they are more likely than most creatures of Chaos to have the necessary mental stability to pull such a thing off. This goal only really inspires distinct behaviour once the group is quite large; smaller groups either defend themselves while trying to build numbers, or they take positive action that amounts to little more than raiding.

For every group of Greenskins, roll once on Table 4–6 for each type of Greenskin to determine the numbers present. The leader of the whole band is always a member of the group furthest to the right on the table. That is, most bands of Greenskins are led by Orcs. There is a very small chance that you will generate a lair with no inhabitants; in that case, just start again from Snotlings and re-roll all the numbers. The largest Greenskin lairs are about the same size as the largest Human towns, making them a major threat to any nearby communities. If the lair has more than 1000 inhabitants, even if most of them are Snotlings, roll on Table 1–2 to determine the area over which the Greenskins raid. Place this between principalities on your map, and move any inconvenient villages to the edge. These villages are probably populated by refugees from the region controlled by the Greenskins. Smaller groups cannot dominate a region and should be placed according to the normal rules in Placing Lairs on page 64.

Monsters It is certainly true that all of the creatures handled in this chapter could be called monsters. This section deals with creatures of varying appearance, united by their substantial individual power. There is little else that unites them, however. To generate a monster lair, roll on Table 4–7 to determine the type of monster, and roll on Table 4–8 to determine its attitude.

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Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands

Table 4–6: Greenskin Numbers Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Snotlings 0 10 25 100 150 250 500 750 1000 1000

Goblins 0 5 10 25 50 100 250 500 750 1000

Trolls 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 10 20

Monster Types

Common Orcs 0 5 10 25 50 100 250 500 750 1000

Black Orcs 0 0 0 1 2 5 10 20 30 50

Some residents try to capture Griffon chicks or steal their eggs, as the profits from selling a single one can set a peasant up for life as a prosperous burgher.

“Raaaaargh!”

Hippogriffs

All of the following are monsters likely to be encountered in the Borderlands.

These creatures fill a similar niche to and behave in the same way as Griffons.

Giants

Hydras

Giants are sometimes solitary but generally fall into small groups. Roll 1d10/2 to get the number of Giants living together. Giants are rarely hostile but often raid surrounding settlements to get enough to eat. It is possible to make them into allies, but this takes a lot of patience and care, and most of the inhabitants of the area do not even realise that it is worth trying.

These horrors are also little more intelligent than animals, but they are less mindlessly aggressive than Griffons and Hippogriffs, which means they occasionally form a somewhat more mutually beneficial relationship. This boils down to bribing them to leave a village alone, and it rarely lasts long because the Hydra gets greedy. Hydras are their own company and always lair alone.

Great Eagles Great Eagles are normally found in small groups, typically a family. Roll 1d10 and divide by three, rounding up, to determine the number of Great Eagles present in the lair. Great Eagles are intelligent enough to form relationships with local communities, but most just keep to themselves. That said, local communities rarely tell horror stories about Great Eagles; they tend to inspire respect tinged with fear, rather than fear tinged with loathing.

Table 4–7: Monster Type Roll 1–2 3 4 5–6 7 8 9 10

Griffons Griffons lair alone, as they are too aggressive to sustain a group for long. They are little more intelligent than most animals and act as such. Most make themselves a nuisance to surrounding communities, carrying off livestock and citizens, but a few keep to themselves. These reclusive Griffons have normally had a run-in with adventurers at some point, making them more cautious around Humans.

Monster Type Giant Great Eagle Griffon Hippogriff Hydra Jabberwock Manticore Wyvern

Table 4–8: Monster Attitude Attitude Guardian Raider Reclusive Tribute

Giant 1 2–8 9–10 —

Great Eagle 1–2 3–4 5–9 10

Griffon — 1–7 8–10 —

Hippogriff — 1–7 8–10 —

61

Hydra 1 2–6 7–9 10

Jabberwock — 1–7 8–10 —

Manticore 1 2–7 8–9 10

Wyvern 1 2–7 8–9 10

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands Jabberwock

Guardian

The Jabberwock fills a similar niche to a Hippogriff. It is detailed in Tome of Corruption. If you don’t have this book, substitute the Jabberwock with some other nasty beast.

The monster is guarding something. This may be a treasure, something dangerous, or even something of purely symbolic significance. It does not rush out into the wider world; its job is easier the fewer people there are looking for the thing it guards. Those who come close are carefully monitored and driven away—or destroyed if they threaten the ward.

Manticores Manticores behave very similarly to Hydras, though their appearance is utterly different. While they lack other heads to talk to, they would rather kill another Manticore than talk to it and, therefore, almost always lair alone.

These creatures often come into play because the Player Characters hear about the treasure being guarded and go after it. Sometimes, the monster might seek out the Characters, believing they are capable of destroying the peril it guards or the right people to use a powerful weapon it has been holding. As the monster has its own agenda, this can only lead to trouble.

Wyverns The favoured steeds of Orc champions, these reptillian beasts have a lot in common with Hydras and Manticores. But Wyverns have a bit more intelligence; they aren’t much less intelligent than some Humans. While most either keep to themselves or raid indiscriminately, a few form relationships with Human settlements, and those relationships tend to be fairly stable until changed from the outside. A few Wyverns live in pairs; roll 1d10, and on a 9 or 10 there are two Wyverns in the lair.

Raider The monster attacks the surrounding area, apparently at random, and carries off food or treasure. This might mean livestock, but it might also mean people. The less intelligent monsters really do attack at random, but the more intelligent ones probably have some sort of strategy, if only one to reduce their risk of dying. These monsters are obvious threats to the surrounding area, and Player Characters are the obvious people to deal with such a threat.

Attitudes

Reclusive

The attitudes that monsters hold represent very basic descriptions of their behaviour. In the case of intelligent monsters, the creature is actually far more complex, which may even be relevant to the campaign. Unintelligent monsters might barely manage to understand that they have an attitude. Either way, the attitude defines the way the monster interacts with the wider world and the way it becomes part of your campaign.

The monster keeps to itself, attacking those who enter its territory but not pursuing beyond those bounds. That makes it a known hazard, generally easy to avoid, but occasionally awkward. If the territory contains something people want, from a potential gold mine to a pass through the mountains, they might call on adventurers to stir up trouble and then kill it. Of course, if the Players can’t manage the second part, they may have to deal with the consequences.

Tribute The creature demands some form of tribute in return for not attacking local communities. This may be a few cattle every month or a young woman every year. This covers quite a range of interactions. If the monster demands a fairly small number of sheep every month and chases off any other threat to the community, the inhabitants are likely to be quite happy with the arrangement. If it demands a Human every month and doesn’t care about other attackers, then the community is probably looking for brave adventurers to kill it. Intermediate situations may provoke disputes in the community. In particular, if the monster demands Human sacrifices but does provide protection, the family of the next sacrifice might want it dead, while the other villagers want to keep it happy.

Undead The Undead are most definitely found in the Border Princes, though they are not as widespread as they are in areas such as Sylvania. Some Undead are associated with ancient ruins; see Undead in Chapter One: Landscape on page 14. Others are independent of such relics of the past, though they may have escaped from them at some point. They have a different role in the campaign. Undead in a ruin are a hazard, but the ruin itself is potentially as important. Independent Undead are story elements unto themselves.

62

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands Undead are split into three broad categories: Dead Lords, Lone Menaces, and Shambling Hordes. The monsters of each category behave very differently and have their own subsections. Roll on Table 4–9 to determine the broad type, and then consult the appropriate section.

Table 4–9: Undead Class

Dead Lords “The living are so... fragile.”

Roll

Class

1–2

Dead Lord

3–5

Lone Menace

6–10

Shambling Horde

Dead Lords are intelligent, strong-willed Undead, able to command others in their service. As such, they are either Mummies or Vampires. The precise type of Undead can be determined by using Table 4–10: Dead Lords. Dead Lords almost always have servants of some kind, often other Undead. The easiest way to determine this is to add a Shambling Horde to the lair; use Table 4-12: Shambling Hordes to determine the numbers and kinds of Undead present. Living or Greenskin servants are also possible, and the tables for generating other types of lairs or settlements could also be used if you wanted.

Table 4–10: Dead Lords

While these Undead are not the lords of principalities, there is no reason not to use the rules for generating princes (see Chapter Two: Princes) to determine their goals, personalities, and even something of their relations with the surrounding area. Alternately, you can use the Wyvern column on Table 4–8 to determine their attitude toward surrounding Humans. The important thing to remember is that these are powerful and intelligent individuals and are not just waiting for adventurers to come and fight them. Dead Lords’ activities may have little or no impact on the settlements around them, but they do have their own plans and goals.

Table 4–11: Lone Menaces

Roll

Lone Menaces

Dead Lord

1–4

Mummy

5

Vampire (Blood Dragon)

6

Vampire (von Carstein Exile)

7–8

Vampire (Necrarch)

9–10

Vampire (Strigoi)

Roll

Menace

1

Banshee

2–3

Spectre

4–7

Wight

8–10

Wraith

Unlike Dead Lords, Lone Menaces are just waiting for the adventurers to come and fight them—a touch of simplicity in a complex world. Roll on Table 4–11 to determine the type of Lone Menace.

“Death to all who disturb my rest!”

Lone Menaces are, as the name suggests, lone Undead who menace the surrounding communities. They are not mindless, but they are driven by passions that make it difficult for them to form the sorts of long-term plans that occupy the minds of Dead Lords. As a result, they tend to be the centre of simple adventures: kill the Undead monster. There is nothing wrong with such an adventure, and the dangers inherent in travel within the Border Princes mean that it must be more than a single combat.

Shambling Hordes “Urgh...”

Shambling Hordes are composed of mindless Undead. They shamble around an area, attack anything they encounter, and then move on. They have no plans, but they do attack any living creatures

Table 4–12: Shambling Hordes First Roll Roll 1 or less 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

1-2 Dire Wolves 0 2 4 10 15 20 30 50 70 100

3-5 Skeletons 0 3 6 15 22 30 40 60 80 120

6-7 Vampire Bats 0 1 2 5 8 10 20 40 50 75

63

8-10 Zombies 0 4 8 20 30 40 50 75 90 125

Notes +3 to next roll +2 to next roll +1 to next roll No modifier to next roll No modifier to next roll No modifier to next roll No modifier to next roll –1 to next roll –2 to next roll –3 to next roll

Chapter IV: Hazards of the Borderlands was invited by some Witch Hunters to discuss his knowledge of the “style” of Chaos at considerable, even torturous, length. No one has since raised a dissenting voice.

they happen to spot. At some point, these hordes were controlled by a Necromancer or more powerful Undead creature, but now they are left to wander unchecked. All are affected by some sort of continuing magic, as many of these Undead return to being simple corpses when not magically controlled. Sometimes, the horde can be defeated by finding and destroying the source of this magic. If the horde is large, this may be by far the best way of eliminating it.

To generate the horde, roll on the top line of Table 4–12 to determine where to start. Then roll on the indicated column, adding the Undead to the horde. Note any modifiers to the roll, and roll on the next column to the right, wrapping round to the beginning of the table if necessary. All modifiers are cumulative, and you stop rolling once you have rolled on all columns. The consequence of this is that hordes tend to be dominated by a single type of Undead, but there are exceptions.

In some cases, the horde is accompanied by a curse that ensures any appropriate creatures they kill rise to join them as Undead. This is rare and generally associated with the larger hordes. To determine this randomly, roll 1d10, and add 1 for every full 25 members of the horde. If the result is 10 or higher, the horde trails the curse with it. (The curse is associated with larger groups because groups with the curse tend to become large, not because large groups are more likely to receive the curse.) The origins of this curse are a mystery, though most people blame the Ruinous Powers. One scholar did note this did not seem to be the Ruinous Powers’ normal style just before he

T

The hordes can be very large, large enough to destroy an entire village. If such a horde carries the curse, this is a very bad thing indeed. It is obviously better to wipe out the groups while they are still small, if the Players have that option. Otherwise, some sort of tactics will be required. One Zombie is easy prey, but a horde of 100 is a very different matter.

— Placing Lairs — designed to produce an area rich with adventure possibilities, but this is the point where you start making it into your campaign.

he final stage is to place the lair on the map. For large groups of Greenskins, this has already been dealt with. For other groups, it should be addressed now. There are no random tables in this section because by this point, the map of your region of the Border Princes is getting quite complex, and a random table created with no knowledge of your mapped area could not produce sensible results.

A good way to do this is to decide where and how you want the campaign to start. A campaign that starts with all the Player Characters attached to the court of an ambitious prince is very different from one that starts with them in a mining village that’s just been attacked by a mob of Undead. The best way to do this depends entirely on your preferences and those of your Players, but the setting you have generated can accommodate everything from dungeon bashing to high politics, taking in horror, murder mystery, and rescuing maidens from Hydras along the way.

First, check whether the lair has a particular relationship with a community. If it does, it needs to be placed within one or two squares of that community. Raiders could be placed three or four squares away, but the only truly remote lairs are those that keep to themselves. Indeed, their isolation may be the reason why they keep to themselves.

Once you know where you will start, you might want to give some thought to how you see the campaign unfolding. But then again, you might not. Players tend to derail these plans anyway, so you might not want to put the effort in at this point. On the other hand, thinking about the future of the campaign might inspire some changes to the generated scenery to make things fit together better. Maybe you rolled a lot of Undead lairs in the region, so changing one of the ruins to contain an ancient Undead Necromancer, who is ultimately responsible, creates a good climax to a campaign. On the other hand, a surprisingly large number of Dwarf ruins might inspire a campaign to retake the region for a Dwarfhold. Thus you can make one of the princes into a Dwarf who is driven by the need to reclaim his clan’s ancient homeland.

If the lair must be near a community, you need to choose a community. It should generally not be a large town in a principality, as that would guarantee a state of war between that prince and that monster. This may be what you want, but in most cases, it is better if the Players can have the honour of dealing with the creature. If the monster rules a settlement, the settlement must be outside any principality. If necessary, you can move the border of one of the principalities to place a settlement outside, but you should have a scattering of independent settlements already. Monsters that keep to themselves should be placed in difficult terrain at least a couple of squares away from the nearest settlement. A certain degree of distance is needed if the monsters are going to be left alone; no village would ignore a Hydra lairing a hundred yards down the road for long, even if the Hydra was happy to ignore them.

At this point, the randomly generated features should inspire some campaign ideas, and then you can change things that do not fit that vision. This gives you all the benefits of designing the campaign from nothing, for much less work. You can also go back and re-roll certain locations if what is currently there is wrong, but there is nothing obvious to change it to.

Once you have assigned all the monster lairs, you have created your own campaign setting. The next step is working out how, exactly, you are going to get the Player Characters involved. The tables and guidelines in the previous four chapters have been

Next, you have to design the first adventure in your campaign setting. A unique experience awaits your Players.

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss

Interlude: Making Masserschloss N

ow that the last four chapters have given you all the tools you need to create your own area of the Border Princes, a step by step example of creation would probably be quite useful. We’ll call our example Masserschloss.

to be caves. The extent roll is 01, so they are confined to the square containing the entrance. One square is still 16 square miles, so this need not be a small cave system. I put the entrance in the latest range of hills.

Landscape

Towards the end, I roll an area of plains that is just a bit too small to fill in the remaining area of one corner of the map, so I make it a bit bigger. As the region does not yet have any mountains, I just decide that the last area, in the southeast corner, will be mountains and fill it in.

The first step is generating the landscape for the area. Since I plan to only have one principality, I want a fairly small area, and I choose one that is 25 squares by 33.

I only rolled one river, but I have a lot of swamps, which suggests that the region is wet. Thus, I decide to add another river, drawing

The first roll on Table 1–1 has no modifier, and I get 58: grassland swamps, requiring a d% roll for extent. I roll a 77, giving me 77 squares. For the second roll, I have a +10 modifier, and I roll 40, for a total of 50: a river. I start the river on the edge of the swamp and wander it around the area a bit, sending it underground for a while. The next roll has a +20 bonus, and I roll 06, for 26: grassland hills. The d% roll is an 82 which equals 82 squares. I put them next to the swamp, to the east. I still haven’t rolled a special feature, so the next roll has a +30 bonus. I roll 36, for a result of 66: grassland hills again. The extent roll is 14, so this is a small area. I put them on the edge of the swamp, in the north of the region. The next roll has a +40 bonus, and I roll 83, for a result of 123: a special feature. The roll on Table 1–2 is 3: a fertile valley. Looking at the map, I put it in the hills, in a square where three branches of the river meet. The valley is fertile because of water welling up from this massive confluence. The physics behind that may be a bit dodgy, but this is Warhammer, not a physical geography test. Since I have now rolled a special feature, the next roll (using Table 1–1) has no bonus, so the roll of 73 equals grassland plains. The extent roll is 81, and I decide to put them next to the swamp, around the river. So far, I’ve filled one corner of the map, so I continue rolling to get the rest of the map. The procedure does not change, and I quickly get another special feature, a volcano that I put in the plains. After a few more rolls, I decide there are too many hills in the region for my liking and not enough plains, so I convert a hills roll into a plains roll. It is a while, and a lot of low rolls, before I get another special feature, which turns out

65

Interlude: Making Masserschloss decide this is a fairly small ruin. The roll for the Reason for the Fall is 3: famine, but that doesn’t seem to make sense. If they left in an orderly fashion, why would they leave the weapon behind? A re-roll gives a 1: Civil War. That has much more potential. I strongly suspect I will want to put this outpost in the mountains, but I decide to wait a bit, to see what else I get.

one running down from the mountains, through some plains, and into one of the swamps. On reflection, I give it a couple of forks to make it more river-like and have it feed two of the many swamps. Looking at the final map, this is not an area of prime real estate. There are lots of swamps and hills, a big desert, and not so many plains. Maybe that’s why the prince here has been able to survive; nobody really wants his territory.

The roll for the next Type of Ruin is 99: Oddity. I decide to wait for the next rolls before deciding what this might be. The Ancient Menace roll is 78: Undead. Looks like the original residents haven’t left yet. The Original Purpose is a 16: fortress. The roll for the Reason for Abandonment is a 2: Enigma. Undead and an oddity—this is clearly the haunt of a Necromancer.

Ancient Ruins The next step is adding Ancient Ruins to the mix. I roll 79, for a total of seven ruins, and I’m not sure that I’ll use them all. Still, let’s generate them one at a time and see.

I decide the ruin is actually a single tower, made entirely of bone (apparently Human), which stands on the edge of the badlands area. Mindless Undead constantly wander the building, attacking anyone living but not disturbing the papers and books, which appear to have been laid aside for later use. It looks like preparations for a ritual were under way in the upper chamber, but it does not look like they actually started. People remember the raids by the Necromancer’s Undead, which stopped just over a year ago. The prince is trying to claim credit for stopping them, but as he did nothing at the time, no one believes him. The people living closest to the badlands want someone to find out what happened.

The first Type of Ruin is a 38: Dwarf, and the ancient menace roll is 97: a weapon. This is looking like a military outpost. The Original Purpose roll is 56: an outpost, which is convenient. I

The next ruin roll is a 12: Araby, and the Ancient Menace roll is 52: degenerate tribe. That means that the ruins must be at least village-sized. The Original Purpose comes out as 29: fortress. The Reason for the Fall is 10: resource loss. So, the village was a large fortress that guarded a valuable mine, which played out about 700 years ago. Most of the inhabitants left, but a few remain, worshipping some of the fine art objects left behind. I nestle it among the hills in the desert and decide that the area around the village itself is unusually fertile, possibly as a side-effect of the end of the mine. A fertile area in a desert sounds rather like an oasis, and it has Arabyan architecture. Arabian Nights-inspired adventures sound like a good idea for this area. By this point, I’m not sure that I want seven ruins in the region. It’s a fairly small area, after all. For the last ruin, the poisoned deserts stretching across the centre of the region and the Dwarf stronghold have given me an idea. I decide to have an ancient Chaos ruin, founded over 2,000 years ago, in the badlands. It was destroyed about 1300 years ago in a major magical disaster, which created the badlands and spread poison across a large area, rendering it barren. That’s the origin of the desert.

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss Originally, it was on a hilltop, but the magical cataclysm that ruined it also buried it. I decide the Ancient Menace is a Daemon, probably bound as part of the activities that led to the final disaster. The ruins could still leak the poison that destroyed the desert, making them very dangerous to enter. I decide that this is definitely an adventure for a couple careers down the line.

however, an Arabyan noble invaded and set up his own domain in the area, beating back the Greenskins. The desert had stopped growing, and most of his settlements were in the area around it. One was within the badlands, however, over a particularly rich iron mine. About 700 years ago, the mine was abandoned. The reasons for this are unclear. It does not seem to have played out naturally, as surviving records (located somewhere else—the Characters might want to go looking for them, which, by the way, is a good adventure hook) say it was producing at full volume until the moment it was shut down. It looks like people just decided to stop going into the mine.

The Dwarf stronghold, then, was built to watch the denizens of the Chaos Temple and stop them from interfering with the Dwarfholds. The weapon it holds was intended for use against Chaos and so might be very useful to adventurers who want to deal with those ruins, as well as upset the local balance of power. It makes sense to place the watchpost on the edge of the mountains, so I do. The Dwarfs within it suffered from serious political tensions, which were held in check by the threat from Chaos. When that threat blew itself up, civil war soon broke out, destroying the outpost.

The loss of the mine undermined the viability of the lordship, and it fragmented, fought amongst itself, and fell to the Greenskins and other colonising Humans. Colonisation proceeded, as with the other areas of the Border Princes, until about fifty years ago when a powerful Necromancer who had been driven out of the Empire came and established a tower of bone. His Undead minions terrorised the region for decades, destroying a large village about ten years ago and being barely driven off from several others. Then, just a year ago, the raids all stopped, and no one knows why.

Looking at the map, all the ruins so far are in the southern region. That seems a bit unbalanced, so I decide to generate one more and put it in the north. The Type of Ruin roll is 88: recent Human. The Ancient Menace roll comes up 93: Undead. The Original Purpose is a 70: a settlement. Maybe the remaining ruins are just the central keep. That works. I decide that the settlement fell while the Necromancer in the badlands was active, and since there are Undead in the ruins, I decide it was destroyed in war; the Necromancer struck against it and won that battle. I put it in the hills near the badlands.

So, enough history. Time to move on to current affairs.

Princes

The ruins include the remains of a large village of which most is completely ruined—just blackened timbers sticking out of the ground or heaped where a building was destroyed by the weight of Undead. The keep still stands because it is more solid than the rest. The entrance door has been battered down, however, and mindless Undead roam the building, occasionally wandering outside and raiding the surrounding area. This strikes me as a good first adventure; it’s accessible, and it leads into the Necromancer’s tower. That takes the Characters into the badlands, where they might become aware of the Chaos ruins. A possible campaign begins to take shape.

Looking at the map, it seems sensible to split Masserschloss between two princes, one in the northeast and the other in the southwest. The northeastern prince is going to be much more powerful than the other, so the politics of the area will be quite simple. Adding a third, very minor prince might spice things up, but I decide to wait for the dice before deciding that.

First Prince The roll for the Type of Prince is 06: bandit. This is not going to be the lord of a large, stable area, then. I decide to roll for his Strength, and the dice come up 24: a standard third-career prince. Next, I roll for Princely Goals and get 10: Money Can Too Buy Happiness. That makes a lot of sense for a bandit. He sees his principality as a way to get more money. The roll for Principles comes up a 6: My Word is My Bond. That’s a bit more interesting, though it does invoke the idea of honour among thieves. The Style roll comes up 2: Follow Your Instructions. That could make sense for a former outlaw chief used to keeping a bunch of criminals in line. The roll for Guilty Secrets comes up 5: open book. He doesn’t have any secrets. Finally, the roll for Princely Quirks is a 3: compulsion.

History I decide to leave the ruins there and recap the history of the area. The first recorded settlement was by a Cult of the Ruinous Powers 2,000 years ago. They remained hidden for a long time, but about 1,600 years ago, they became more aggressive. The Dwarfs built an outpost to keep an eye on the Temple and prevent it from raiding the Dwarfholds, and they maintained a stalemate for about two centuries. Then something happened in the Temple. Perhaps a ritual went disastrously wrong; maybe it went disastrously right. Either way, the area around the Temple was literally turned upside-down, creating an area of badlands and burying the surprisingly intact ruins of the Temple itself. Poison spread from the ruins and killed much of the surrounding lands. The Dwarf outpost was far enough from the disaster to escape immediate destruction, but when it became clear that the forces of Chaos were no longer a threat, tensions among the Dwarfs inhabiting the outpost came to a head, and the place was destroyed by civil war.

These rolls do suggest a character type. An outlaw leader, he ruled his men with absolute authority but never betrayed them. Indeed, he would take risks to rescue those who were captured; his men were his responsibility, and he took his responsibilities seriously. They robbed the rich, and the leader kept most of it. Still, the other outlaws got enough to keep them happy, and the leader earned enough loyalty to have people tell him about plotted rebellions. The leader’s quest for increased wealth eventually led him to topple the former prince of this region. That was ten years ago, and since then, he has gained a reputation for being firm but fair, as well as voracious in

For about four centuries, the poison spread by the Chaos Temple prevented any permanent settlements. About 900 years ago,

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss taxation. His compulsion is to personally count all the money that comes in. He still rides out with his former band to deal with threats to his subjects, and he only collects the taxes he says he will collect, high as they are, so the population is not itching to throw him off. Still, the general attitude is that things could be a lot worse, not that he is particularly good. I decide that he was originally from Tilea and name him Massimo Caldieli.

This time, I decide to roll for the prince’s Origin and get a 27; he’s from the Border Princes. Maybe he was born in this very region. I also roll for his Strength and get a 93: fifth career. Mercenary, Veteran, Champion, Sergeant, Captain—his personal military prowess is going to be very impressive. He has to have been a Captain for some time because I do not want him to have only just taken control of the principality.

I could roll for the size of his principality, but I already know where I want to put him, so I don’t bother; he goes in the plains in the southwest corner of the map.

The next step is his personality. I roll a 5 for his Goal: For The Sake of the Children. He wants his sons and grandsons to rule the principality after him. That’s good. The roll for Principles comes up 2: Death to Monsters! That makes a lot of sense for a former mercenary. The roll for Style comes up a 7: Let’s Get to Business. Again, this is a very appropriate set up for a former mercenary. The roll for Secrets comes up 8: traitor. So maybe that’s how he got to be a prince... The roll for Quirks comes up 4: delusion.

Second Prince I know that I want the second prince to be the lord of a large principality in the northeast, so I do not want a bandit. However, since I don’t know exactly what I do want, I decide to roll on Table 2–1 anyway. The first roll is 28: bandit. That’s no good. However, if I swap the dice, I get 82: mercenary. That will do.

Let’s say Masserschloss was the name given to a castle decades ago by a prince from the Empire. Our prince was born here, and his name is Dieter von Masserschloss. He believes he is the illegitimate son of the old prince and the rightful heir. This is his delusion. He became a mercenary because there aren’t many other avenues of advancement in the Border Princes, and a few years ago he was hired, with his band, by the former prince of this land. That prince was more interested in personal pleasure than looking after the people, and one of Dieter’s jobs was kidnapping attractive women. After a few years of watching the prince (let’s call him Wilhelm) ignore the threats from monsters, particularly the Necromancer, who had already destroyed one settlement, Dieter decided to take his place. He was already Wilhelm’s marshal, so he arranged for Wilhelm to die in battle against Greenskins. Some of Dieter’s closest lieutenants probably realise he betrayed the prince, but they are saying nothing. No one else realises it, and Dieter aims to keep it that way. Since taking power, Dieter has acted against the monsters threatening the principality, and he tries to take credit for the defeat of the Necromancer. In truth, he had nothing to do with that, and he would like to know what actually happened, as long as the people investigating were willing to keep up the pretence that he defeated the fiend. As part of his desire for a dynasty, he has taken over Wilhelm’s harem, though he treats the women a bit better. Those who have fathered sons are given favoured status, though Dieter has yet to choose an heir. He hopes to be able to wait to see which of his sons has the most potential, but in the Border Princes, that is far from guaranteed. Again, I know how big, and where, I want Dieter’s principality to be, so I do not bother rolling for it; I just draw it in the northeast corner of the map.

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss Looking at the map now, I think that another prince could fit nicely between Dieter and Massimo. So, time to generate one more.

Dieter and Dhuoda The roll for Diplomatic Relations between Dieter and Dhuoda is a 9: vengeful—a state of affairs that has existed for a year. The cause is a defeat. What story can we tell here?

Third Prince I have no plans for this prince at all, so I decide to just go with the results of the dice. The Type roll is 16: another bandit. Two bandits and a mercenary—that rather confirms the impression that this is not one of the most desirable parts of the Borderlands. The Race roll is 35: another Border Princes native. The Strength roll is a 53, so we have another typical third-career prince.

Well, looking at the map, the border between Dieter and Dhuoda is a river, though neither is in full control of their bank of the river. A battle over that river would be a good place to start. Since Dhuoda is interested in conquest, it makes sense for her to have been the aggressor. But why would someone want vengeance? Well, Dieter is trying to build a dynasty. Suppose he had an adult son who was leading the defence and was killed in the battle; that would certainly draw Dieter’s ire.

The Goal roll is a 4: It Must be Mine! That’s going to stir things up a bit. His Principles roll is a 6: My Word is My Bond. What is it about banditry breeding honesty in this region? His Style roll is a 3: We’re All Friends Here. He’s everyone’s friend. The Secret roll is 9: a wanted criminal. Well obviously, he’s an outlaw. The Quirk roll is 6: moral rule. It must be something in the water making all these virtuous bandits.

Dieter and Massimo The roll for the Relationship between Dieter and Massimo is a 4: envy. This state has lasted for six months, and the grounds of the envy are personal power. It seems obvious Massimo must envy Dieter, and the obvious thing to envy him for is his military prowess, which is certainly superior to Massimo’s. The only question, then, is why the envy only dates back six months. What happened then to make such an impression on Massimo?

However, since I’m familiar with Knights of the Grail, this pattern makes inspiration strike. I decide this prince is actually Bretonnian, and he was one of the Faceless, the leaders of the noble outlaws in Bretonnia, the ones who actually fight against injustice. Remembering that Bretonnia is not particularly supportive of women who want a career, I decide that the prince is actually female. She kept this secret in Bretonnia, but she does not need to bother now, something that makes it slightly harder for her enemies to find her. Her name is Dhuoda.

Let’s say there was a particularly dangerous band of Greenskins in the desert area that raided both Massimo’s and Dieter’s lands. The leader was fearsome, and Massimo spread rumours it was all but unbeatable in battle to excuse his rather desultory tactics. Dieter, on the other hand, felt a responsibility to destroy them. In the battle, he met the leader in single combat and cut him down with surprising ease. The effect damaged Massimo’s reputation, and he’s convinced Dieter is out to get him.

Dhuoda was the fifth daughter of a Bretonnian noble. She wanted to be one of the knights that served the Lady of the Lake, as she had heard so many lovely stories about them. Of course, as a woman, that course was not open to her. She was in her early teens when her father died, and her elder brother became the lord. He turned out to be a brutal lord, and Dhuoda decided to oppose him. She lived a double life for several years, rising to command the local band of Herrimaults (the virtuous outlaws). Fifteen years ago, her brother took violent action against her band, and Dhuoda was forced to flee. Her brother claims that she was kidnapped and foully murdered, and rumour has it he displayed her body to rouse hatred against the outlaws. Dhuoda is still not entirely sure how he managed that.

Massimo and Dhuoda The roll for the Type of Relationship is 1: alliance, and the Length of Relations roll is 27: one year. The first roll for the Reason for the Alliance is 9: relatives. That makes no sense, however, as Dhuoda is a very recent immigrant from Bretonnia. The re-roll is 1: common enemy. That makes instant sense. They’re both allied against Dieter.

Recent History

She and her band wandered the Border Princes for a few years, but about ten years ago, Dhuoda decided to build a realm. Her original aim was to build a just realm, the sort her brother signally failed to run. That dream has proved to be harder than she imagined, and reality is slowly wearing down her ideals. She retains a strong loyalty to her underlings, however, and her long experience of working with the lower classes makes it hard for her to treat them as simple inferiors.

I decide to leave recent history as it is; the last year has seen a number of major events that have changed the political composition of the area, pitting Dieter against Dhuoda and Massimo and removing the active influence of the Necromancer. It’s a good moment for Player Characters to arrive and start making even more trouble.

Inhabitants

There’s a good chance that the adventurers will get to like Dhuoda, which will make for good conflict later in the campaign, when they try to establish their own principality.

The next step is working out who lives in this region. I decide to do this by principality to help keep track of things.

Diplomatic Relations

Dieter

Masserschloss is not a quiet land and the next stage of creating it is to work out the relations between the three princes that control the area. As there are only three, there are only three pairs, so this won’t take long.

The first stage is assigning any towns. Dieter’s principality definitely contains a town; there are probably over 100 squares within it, and anyway, it makes sense for the campaign. The 3d10 roll is 19, so the town has 2,900 inhabitants. It’s moderately large

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss for the region. The town, which is Masserschloss itself, has to be on the fertile valley. The principality is medium, and I roll a 1: there’s only one village of interest. There’s already plenty going on in the region, so I let the roll stand. The roll for Interesting Homesteads is a 7, but that’s too many to generate right now; I decide I will do two and leave the rest for later.

Massimo Massimo’s principality covers about 60 squares, but I roll a 5 when checking for a town, so there isn’t one. That makes sense, really; a bandit would find it hard to conquer a town. It’s a small principality, and I roll a 3, so only one village of interest. The d10 roll for Homesteads is a 1. Obviously Massimo’s taxes have driven all the interesting people out of his principality.

I decide the interesting village’s name is Gryphon’s Crag, while the two interesting homesteads are Sweetwater and Gunther’s Foot. There have to be stories behind those names, but I don’t need to make them up yet.

Village The roll for the Village gives it a population of 180, and the Feature roll is 95: special, again. The roll on the Special table is a 4: hospital. I decide that the settlement is called Dove’s Landing and put it just outside the swamp. It caters, in large part, to groups of people who have made it out of the swamp and the poisoned desert.

Masserschloss I have already determined that Masserschloss has a population of 2,900, which means that it has two economic resources before I roll for interesting features. I roll for the third Interesting Feature and get 04: another economic resource. Masserschloss is clearly a lynchpin of the regional economy.

The Shallyans have problems with Massimo’s tax collectors, but the prince’s streak of honour means he protects them if there is a major threat, despite their propaganda. There’s a good chance that the Players will end up here at some point, so I make a note to develop it in more detail later.

The first roll for Type of Resource is a 9, so the town has a market. That’s unsurprising. The second roll is a 5: a craft, and the third, which has a +1 bonus, is a 6, modified to 7: a second craft. Rolling for the Craft Types, the first is 33: coopers. Masserschloss is famous for its barrels. The second roll is 46: potters. So, Masserschloss makes lots of containers for liquids, as well as plates. Thus, the market probably draws a lot of wine and beer merchants from elsewhere, seeking to sell those goods to cover the costs of a trip to get good barrels. Masserschloss is not immediately interesting as an adventuring town, but I decide that that’s good; it will serve as a useful home base for the Players.

Homestead The homestead comes up with a population of 14, and the roll for Special Features is 79: Cultists. I decide the population is all one inbred family, worshippers of Slaanesh, and they live in the mountains right on the edge of the principality. They are not, in fact, terribly subtle about their worship, but they are remote enough that no one has noticed yet. They would be a good surprise encounter for groups trying to enter the mountains. The settlement needs a name: Morning Glory. It’s on the eastern slope of a mountain, and the sunrise is truly spectacular.

Gryphon’s Crag For the Interesting Feature of Gryphon’s Crag, I roll a 49: Cultists! That’s more like it. The village has a population of 140, most of whom are secretly worshippers of the Ruinous Powers. I put it in the hills near the badlands and suppose that the inhabitants are interested in awakening whatever it is that lives in the ruins under the badlands. I’ll have to decide which of the Ruinous Powers they serve when I describe the ruins in more detail.

Dhuoda Dhuoda’s principality is quite small, covering about 40 squares. The Town roll is a 3, so there is definitely no town here. Looking at the terrain, that’s entirely plausible. The roll for Interesting Villages is a 4, which means that there are two in the area. The roll for Homesteads is also a 4, but I decide that I will probably leave some of those for later.

Sweetwater Sweetwater has a population of 13, which sounds about right for an extended family and maybe a couple of labourers. I roll 62: economic resource, and then 2: a resource. The Type of Resource roll turns out to be a coal mine. Clearly, it isn’t a very big mine, since there’s only one family dealing with it. Alternately, maybe there is some problem with the mine, something that Players could solve. That might explain it. So, Sweetwater has few inhabitants now, but there are abandoned houses from when the mine was more active. I put it in the hills in the north of the principality.

Villages

Gunther’s Foot

The first village has a population of 130, and the Special Feature result is a stronghold. I put this in the hills in the southeast of the principality, since a site in the hills is easier to defend. This is obviously Dhuoda’s capital, fortified against the possibility of attacks from Dieter. Indeed, the fortifications have been improved in the last year, and some work is still in progress. Dhuoda has renamed the place Lady’s Boon and has built a Grail Chapel within it. None of the Grail Maidens come here, of course, but some of the inhabitants are showing an interest in the faith of their prince.

Gunther’s Foot has a population of 17, maybe two families living together. I roll 99 for the Interesting Feature, which makes it Special. That roll gives a 7: Monster. Some monster has taken a particular interest in the location. I put it in the hills on the edge of the swamp, but I decide to wait to determine the Type of Monster until I generate the local monsters later on.

The second village has a population of 190, and the Feature roll is a 98: special. The roll on Table 3–7 is a 2, which indicates two further rolls on the Standard Features Table. The first is a 5: economic resource, while the second is 48, modified to 58 (+10 because the previous result was an economic resource): chokepoint. The roll for the Type of Economic Resource is a 1,

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss Although there are two more homesteads to generate, I decide to leave things be for the moment, and I move on to the settlements between the principalities.

so the village has a resource. I decide that I want a valuable mine here, so I make it a silver mine. As this is a chokepoint, I need to find somewhere on the map that looks appropriate. The north of the principality looks good; there is a narrow bit of badlands and swamp between two areas of plains. I decide that there is a narrow area of plains connecting the two areas and crossing the river, and the village sits at one end of this. Thus, this is a very valuable, fortified settlement and right on the frontline of the coming war between Dhuoda and Dieter. The village is called Karl’s Folly. What was the folly? In the centre of the village there are the beginnings of an enormous guildhall, large enough to match anything in the Empire. Of course, only the plan and a corner of the first floor were actually built before the eponymous Karl lost control of the village— hence, Karl’s Folly.

Unclaimed There are no towns in unclaimed land, on the whole, and looking at the map, I can see no reason for there to be any in this region. It’s not as if there’s any prime land going unclaimed. The roll on Table 3–1 is 10: six villages. That’s a lot, which makes sense in terms of the amount of unclaimed land, but I don’t want to generate all of them, and decide to do just four. The first village has 270 inhabitants, and the Feature roll is 69: Cultists. This amount of Cultists is practically an army and bound to become a major element in the campaign. However, for now, they are pretending to be an ordinary village, waiting for some signal from their Dark God. I put them in the hills in the northwest of the area, near the borders of Dieter’s principality.

Homesteads The first homestead has a population of 24, probably indicating a couple of families, and the roll for the Feature is 99: special. I’m getting a lot of special features in this area. The result on Table 3–7 is 10: Wizard. I put the settlement in the southeast of the principality, in the hills, near Lady’s Boon. I decide things would be more interesting if the Wizard—let’s call her Ludmilla—is truly on the run from the Colleges of Magic. She has democratic sympathies and was caught supporting some agitators in Altdorf. She got out ahead of the enforcers, and for the last few years, she has been keeping a low profile in the homestead, which is called Karsack. It has been inhabited for decades, at least, but the population has grown under her protection. I decide to leave her College undecided for now, as she could be a potential patron for Player Characters, so it is better to wait and see what College they are interested in. The next homestead has a population of 17, and the Feature roll is a 72: economic resource. The roll for Resource Type is a 1, so it is a resource, and the roll for the Type of Resource is a 36: a copper mine. As there are only 17 people here, it cannot be a very large copper mine. I decide that the homestead is called Goldstone and that the mine follows a very narrow deposit of copper. The deposit seems to be long, however, and goes deep. So, although only two or three miners can work on it at once, the mine has been active for over a century, making Goldstone one of the oldest settlements in the area. The buildings reflect both this and the wealth arising from the copper, being both old and very solidly built. It isn’t quite secure enough to count as a stronghold, but it is stronger than most homesteads. I put it right in the middle of the principality, in the wooded plains.

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss The third village has 130 inhabitants, and the Feature roll is 53: economic resource. The roll for the Type of Resource is a 6: craft, and the Type of Craft is shoemaker. No, that makes no sense. Why would they be so isolated? They’d move. Try again: carpenter. That works; I put them in the forested swamp in the west, near particularly rare and valuable trees that only grow in those conditions. The crafters produce superb works from those trees and export them. Their main market is almost certainly in Masserschloss, and they probably also export some of the wood for use by the coopers who work in the town. Let’s call the village Quaterain; it was originally founded by a Bretonnian.

Thinking about their God, Tzeentch seems to be the best choice, as he is the God most likely to support long-term, subtle plans. There are likely to be Witches, Warlocks, and Chaos Sorcerers in this place, and they probably have agents elsewhere in the region. In fact, this could be the place for the final showdown with a secret Chaos Cult. I decide that the village is called Pendor Hill. The second village has 190 inhabitants, and the Feature roll is 07: stronghold. They’ve obviously survived because they are defended against most raiders. I put the village in the swamp between Massimo’s and Dhuoda’s principalities. The population is mainly made up of Swamp Skimmers, but a successful adventurer in the past brought enough wealth back to prepare very strong defences for the village, which takes full advantage of the natural terrain. They have beaten off Orc bands ten times the village’s numbers, and the inhabitants are extremely proud. This is sounding like a good place for Player Characters to be from. The village is called Gulthac’s Hold, after the adventurer who fortified it.

The fourth village has a population of 190, and the Feature roll is 63: economic resource. I decide the resource is a mine of some sort; the roll is 67: tin mine. Since miners have to go where the ore is, I put the village in the desert area, in the hills. Most of the tin goes to Masserschloss, as that’s the local market, but Dhuoda’s principality is closer, and she would probably like to get more of the flow coming her way. The village is called Spica and has a large Tilean element to its population.

Monsters It wouldn’t be the Border Princes without monsters, so the final stage is determining the monsters present in this area. Looking at the map, I don’t think that a lot of groups of monsters could survive; there’s too much desert. Accordingly, I decide to have Few lairs and roll a 10 on Table 4–1: six lairs in total. I decide to do all the rolls on Table 4–2 at once to get an immediate feel for the hazards of the area. The results are 4 (Greenskins), 2 (Chaos), 3 (Greenskins), 5 (Greenskins), 2 (Chaos), and 3 (Greenskins). So, lots of Greenskins and Chaos. The Greenskins come with the territory, but with a Chaos ruin and three sets of Cultists, this area is heavily tainted by the Ruinous Powers.

Chaos I decide to deal with the Chaos monsters first. The first roll on Table 4–3 is a 7, yielding 75 creatures. That gives +20 to the roll on Table 4–4, so the 46 rolled is modified to 66, and the group is led by a Gor. The bonus of +4 to the roll on Table 4–5 means that there is no need to roll: the result is bound to be a mixed group of Beastmen and Mutants. With such a weak leader, this has to be a group of raiders, so I put their lair in the forested hills in the northwest of Dieter’s principality. There are enough of them to pose a major problem. They are also close to the village of Tzeentch Cultists and probably get some support from those people. They may be used as shock troops occasionally or be relied upon to get rid of interfering outsiders.

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Interlude: Making Masserschloss The second roll on Table 4–3 is a 6, for 50 creatures. The roll on Table 4–4 is a 92, which is modified to 112, indicating a Daemon. The group is so large it has to be composed of Beastmen and Mutants. I put the lair in the badlands in the centre of the region; the Daemon’s magical assistance helps the other creatures to survive in the desert. They engage in a lot of raiding, but the Daemon has bigger plans related to the Chaos ruins hidden under the badlands. It probably wants to open the ruins, release a Daemon trapped within, and lead the forces of Chaos to conquer the whole region. However, there is obviously some reason why it cannot. I’ll determine that later, when I work out the whole campaign structure for the Chaos ruins.

Greenskins Next, there are four groups of Greenskins to deal with. For the first group, I roll 750 Snotlings, 500 Goblins, zero Trolls, 5 Orcs, and zero Black Orcs. That’s an interesting structure. It’s a large group, giving it a considerable area of control. I roll 70 squares for this and put it in the extreme southeastern corner of the map. For the second group, I get 10 Snotlings, 1000 Goblins, 1 Troll, 100 Orcs, and 50 Black Orcs. This group is also large enough to control a substantial area, 89 squares. This group really has to be based in the desert. For the next group, I roll 25 Snotlings, zero Goblins, 2 Trolls, 5 Orcs, and 1 Black Orc. This is a small raiding band with disposable Snotlings to send in first, Trolls to back things up with firepower, and Orcs to direct the whole affair. I put the lair in the scrubland swamp in the east of the region and decide that the group is nomadic, raiding against Dhuoda and Dieter as the mood takes them.

influence over the region, and servants of the Ruinous Powers develop their own schemes around it. As an aside, there is also the ruin of a Necromancer’s tower, which fell quite mysteriously. That is a nice, self-contained mystery for the Player Characters to sort out.

For the final group, I roll 100 Snotlings, 5 Goblins, 1 Troll, 10 Orcs, and 50 Black Orcs. This is quite a powerful raiding group, though the predominance of Black Orcs is a bit odd. Maybe they have split off from a group outside the region, and the Black Orcs are still recruiting underlings. I put the base in the swamp in the northeast and decide this group is also nomadic.

There are numerous possibilities for adventure here. The Characters could all start at Gulthac’s Hold, face Greenskin attacks, and leave as bold adventurers, in imitation of mighty Gulthac and in the hope of defeating the Greenskins. Gulthac’s Hold would also make a decent launching point for a group who wanted to create their own principality.

Wrapping Up

On the other hand, Dhuoda is a sympathetic prince, and Characters might serve her, helping the principality to survive against overwhelming odds. Alternately, they might serve Massimo, intending to betray him once they have gained his confidence.

Looking at the map, this region can be divided into three parts. In the north is Masserschloss, a fairly secure principality with a ruler determined to set up a dynasty. There are threats from monsters on the borders and conflict with the principality to the southeast, but it is unlikely to fall in the immediate future.

An entirely different feel is possible if the Characters start in the town of Masserschloss. They do not have to worry about their home disappearing, so they can concentrate on exploring the ruins, solving the mystery of the Necromancer, opposing the plots of the forces of Chaos, and becoming powerful adventurers without ever taking political power. Masserschloss is a market, so the Characters could have come from anywhere in the Old World, fleeing something in their pasts

In the south, two small principalities compete with two large bands of Greenskins for dominance. As one of the two princes has come into conflict with Masserschloss, it is not clear these political entities will last very long. The central desert is dominated by the forces of Chaos. A lost Chaos ruin still casts a baleful

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Chapter V: General Aims

General Aims

Chapter

V

“Life here is never dull. We don’t have to worry about Emperors, Grand Theogonists, or any of the imperial nonsense. If we get a bad ruler, we just replace him. Oh sure, he screams a bit, but that’s just the way things are here.” —Marius Dillagio, Courtier

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the Border Princes, rapid changes amongst lords are almost expected. Even a former Rat Catcher can become a prince, and nobody will speak ill of him because of his former profession (at least not to his face)…unless, of course, they think that he might be weak.

he Border Princes is a perfectly good setting for many of the standard types of WFRP adventures. It can be a place of mystery, of high adventure, or gritty, bloody fighting. The Border Princes are perfectly suited to all the kinds of things Player Characters might do in the Empire, or elsewhere. From thwarting Chaos plots to stopping the tide of Greenskins from razing a town, to exploring the ruins of an old tomb, the Border Princes is, if anything, adaptable.

And that typifies another reason why the Border Princes are a good place for this type of adventure—lords here are not secure, not backed up by other authorities. Player Characters who become princes have to continue adventuring to maintain their position, which means the ascent to power is just the beginning of a campaign. There is no need to justify why a prince here goes to deal with a band of Orcs himself; he goes because there is no one else he can send.

However, one aspect where the Borderlands exceed other regions in the Old World is that it is the best place for the kinds of adventures in which the Player Characters become the rulers of a substantial part of the world. In most civilised areas, it is hard to rise to rulership, but in

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— Seizing

and

Keeping Power —

his section is concerned with the process of becoming a prince and keeping a grip on power afterwards. It is divided into five chapters. The first chapter (the one you are reading now) covers the basic aims of the section and a couple of very simple rules used throughout.

World Characters become princes in a world. Their actions have consequences, and the other inhabitants of the world are not simply waiting to be assimilated. The previous chaptgers are designed to help you generate a world, or at least part of it, in which the Characters can act, and many of the ideas in this section concern ways in which that world might react to the Player Characters’ grab for power.

The second deals with the process of removing an existing prince and consolidating your rule in his place. The third looks at the process of expanding your rule and taking over villages and settlements, which may or may not already have lords. The fourth concerns other lords and the reasons that might lead them to attack you. The fifth describes domestic troubles: treason at court, revolution among the peasants, and defection to other lords.

Adventure WFRP is not a resource management game. There is nothing wrong with resource management games; this just isn’t one of them. Thus, the rules and guidelines presented in this section are built around adventures that the Player Characters go on. Sometimes, of course, the adventure happens entirely within their castle, but it is still an adventure.

The aim of this chapter is to help you run a campaign in which the Player Characters become lords of a principality and then face arising problems. It aims to help you do that in a “grim world of perilous adventure.” Apart from “of,” all of those words are important.

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Second, the Characters have to be, at best, morally ambiguous to succeed. Princes who rule justly, tempered with mercy, and who honour all the treaties they sign find themselves repeatedly challenged by enemies both internal and external. The recipients of mercy use the respite to plot another assassination, while neighbouring princes regard a treaty as nothing more than cover for their preparations for invasion. Any attempt to respect Human rights, particularly in criminal cases, leads to a massive increase in crime.

For example, the basic unit of time in these rules is the adventure. Things happen after the PCs have been involved in a certain number of adventures. Further, totals in the rules change based on what they do, or don’t do, on the adventures. There are no rules for determining the grain harvest on a year-byyear basis or monitoring the percentage of people who support the PCs as rulers. Instead, there are rules for determining when a certain type of adventure appears and how the results of that adventure affect when the next one appears.

Perilous

Fate Points

The adventures involved in gaining and maintaining a principality are dangerous. The Player Characters might get killed. Even a purely political adventure carries the threat of poison or assassination by a hidden blade. Fortunately, given the state of politics in the Borderlands, this is entirely plausible and another good reason for setting such campaigns here.

As noted in WFRP, Fate Points should only be given out when the Characters achieve something great. The default position taken in this book is that defeating a threat that only threatens the Characters’ principality is never a great achievement. That is, they do not gain Fate Points for overcoming threats to their rule.

Grim

This is somewhat harsh since it means many Characters will run out of Fate Points, unless they are truly merciless in crushing their enemies and, thus, buy time for unrelated adventures. It does, however, emphasise that the Characters are not building anything great as they build their principality.

The final element is that the world of WFRP is grim, shaping the rules in two ways. First, no matter how hard the Characters work, they will never achieve anything truly great in the wider world. Their principality will remain small, buffeted constantly by threats both internal and external. They never get the chance to rest on their laurels. Along the way, they might defeat great threats to the world, but improving the status quo is beyond them. And no matter how well they succeed, the Empire, the Dwarfholds, and the other Human lands never regard them as anything more than jumped-up bandits.

However, this rule has no direct impact on any of the other rules in this book and can easily be changed to better suit your style. You might, for example, award Fate Points only if the Characters solve a problem without resorting to brutality and injustice. Given the other rules, such Characters need all the help they can get.

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Chapter V: General Aims This might need handling with some care. Many Players revel in this sort of bleak world, making choices just to survive and not expecting glittering rewards; that is what attracted them to WFRP in the first place. Others might be perfectly happy to face not being able to make a difference, but they still want to be able to succeed without making their Characters into antiheroes, or even villains. Still others might be happy with moral ambiguity but want it to yield some sort of success.

Nevertheless, it might be worth trying the default for a while and seeing what the Players think of it. Even if, in advance, they thought they would need glorious success to enjoy the game, they might find they don’t. If they are discontent, they will have specific complaints, which tell you what you need to change. Talk to your Players to find the right level of grimness. Note that grimness, in this sense, is certainly not incompatible with humour—even stupid slapstick and bad puns. The world is not grim because it is solemn; it is grim because virtue does not triumph, and even vice cannot achieve much against the endless hordes of Greenskins and the ravening servants of Chaos. Wisecracking, flippant tyrants are at least as grim as those who stride around moodily in black, especially when you are playing the tyrant.

In these cases, you should accommodate your Players. Never forget that the aim is to have fun. It is easy enough to make justice a more effective technique or to allow treachery to spread through a principality quickly, enabling tyranny to render internal opposition powerless.

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— Rules

for

Rulers —

on the foreign total and vice versa, as displays of strength and weakness are visible from both arenas. Almost all adventures have a stronger effect on the most relevant total, however.

he rules for keeping track of problems for the prince are deliberately simple. There are two totals, Internal (Domestic) and External (Foreign), which start at zero. Every time the group completes an adventure, add 5 to each total. Thus, if the Characters go off and retrieve a powerful item from a ruin, both totals increase by 5 points. When a total reaches 25, trouble of the appropriate kind occurs. (Domestic problems are covered in Chapter Seven: Internal Problems, foreign problems in Chapter Eight: External Problems.) Adventures that have nothing to do with the politics of the principality have no further effect on the total.

The default 5 points for completing an adventure are added to both totals after all of the modifications listed in the adventure descriptions have been applied. Thus, if a certain result is described as reducing the total by 5 points, that means that, overall, the score will be unchanged, as it is increased by 5 points after the modifications are applied. It is quite possible that both totals will reach 25 at the same time. In that case, the adventure connected with the higher total happens first. (If there is a tie, toss a coin: heads for domestic, tails for foreign.) There are three possible results of this adventure.

Adventures concerned with politics generally reduce the total, before the 5 points are added. The amount of the reduction depends on how successfully, and how spectacularly, the adventure is resolved. If the Characters fail, the scores may be increased, even before the 5 points are added. This applies both to adventures undertaken on the Characters’ own initiative and to those in which they react to external threats. The descriptions of the adventures in the following sections provide suggestions as to how much success should reduce each total. Domestic adventures do have an effect

Length of Adventures As written, the rules allow Characters to undertake five unrelated adventures before the two totals reach the critical level, assuming a typical adventure takes about three game sessions to run. A group meeting twice a month has about six months of game time to get used to running a principality before the problems start to come for them.

1.

The earned reduction in point totals might reduce both totals below 25. This result buys the Characters breathing space to do something else, such as expand their lands or look for treasure.

2.

The earned reduction might bring one total below 25 but leave the other at or above that level. In that case, an adventure connected with the higher total happens soon after the first is resolved.

3.

The earned reduction might leave both totals above 25. In this case, both problems occur simultaneously. It is almost impossible to complete two adventures at once, indicating a severe crisis for the principality. Indeed, it is quite likely that the Player Characters will not be able to remain rulers. This is deliberate; they should solve problems more decisively if they want to stay in power.

You can decide whether to let the Players know what the current totals are. Given how much the odds are stacked against them anyway, it is probably fair to do so. That way, they know whether they have to stamp out a particular problem very thoroughly. High totals that have not quite reached 25 might also encourage them to undertake adventures that reduce the total, thus keeping them focused on their principality.

If you run longer adventures, however, this may be too much. You might reduce the critical value to 15, or even 10. Reducing it below 10 is probably not a good idea as that makes it almost impossible for the Characters to do anything but respond to crises facing their principality. Some space for fighting unrelated Chaos Cults is probably a good idea; Players and GMs alike tend to get bored if they have to do the same things repeatedly.

Campaign Structure

You should not raise the total, even if you run very short adventures. The Characters have taken on rulership of a very unstable area; they should have to fight for it

Most campaigns will not start with the Player Characters seeking to become princes, though some Characters may harbour this ambition. On the whole, Characters in their first career should not be able to seize and hold a principality; if they try, don’t be afraid to make the challenges greater than they can comfortably handle.

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Using Ruins The following adventure ideas are concerned mainly with the relations between princes, their subjects, and lairs of monsters. The ruins are largely overlooked because, in most cases, adventures in ruins are self-contained. However, there are a few situations in which that need not be the case. Characters entering a ruin might unleash a threat to their whole principality, which can be dealt with as a set of raiding monster adventures, as described in Chapter Eight: External Problems. Alternatively, they might unearth a powerful weapon, which makes it easy for them to carry out the military part of a campaign of conquest, as described in Chapter Nine: Making Trouble. In some cases, they might discover a lost mine within a ruin, which means they can take the opportunity to establish a resource, also described in Chapter Nine. In these cases, you might want to ignore the normal 5 point increase to the Internal and External Trouble Scores on the grounds that the close connection between the adventure in the ruins and the consequences makes them one adventure as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

Groups and Princes Most princes are individuals. Most Player Characters move in groups. This presents a minor problem. The easiest way around it is for one of the PCs to be the official prince, backed up by the others as his core advisers. It is, however, also possible for a principality to be ruled by a group of oligarchs, in which all the Characters are equal. In this case, add 7 to each problem total after every adventure. Groups of rulers are perceived to be weaker than individuals because the group has internal politics; thus, problems arise more often. The Characters, and thus the Players, should know this. Let them roleplay a discussion to decide which Character gets to be the nominal prince. In most groups, the ensuing argument is likely to be entertaining.

the adventure or to move on to another element. These elements have been designed to make it easy to create somewhat freeform adventures, in which the Player Characters have a number of different routes to success.

Characters in their second careers might well be starting to think about the possibilities. If the Players are interested in playing such a campaign, this is a good time to get it started. The Characters should know enough about the area to pick a place to found their realm or choose a prince to topple. Adventures concerned with toppling a prince are discussed in Chapter Six: Becoming a Prince, along with the immediate aftermath. On the other hand, the Characters may seize control of an independent settlement and try to grow from there; that situation is covered in Chapter Seven: Internal Problems. Chapter Eight: External Problems and Chapter Nine: Making Trouble are concerned with what happens once the Characters have a principality.

Thus, while you still have to do some work to turn these into adventures, it is mostly “fill in the blanks,” and as you already have a general setting, most blanks should be easy to fill in. Thus, if you choose to run an adventure with raiding monsters, the monster lairs you generated in the Setting section help you to decide what kinds of monsters and precisely where they are raiding. While not as fast as a fully designed adventure, a fill-in-the-blank adventure is faster than designing one from scratch.

Player Character princes are likely to lose their principality at some point; the rules for problems are constructed to make it difficult to hold on to power indefinitely. Unlike NPC princes, PCs have Fate Points, which means they are likely to survive the fall of their realm. This opens up the possibility of seeking revenge against the usurper or even trying to take the realm back. Or, of course, the Characters could abandon the Border Princes and go fight (or join) Chaos in the north.

Further, the final section of each adventure outline gives the impact of the adventure on the Internal and External Trouble Scores. This helps you to create a campaign with some sense of continuity and consequences; if the Characters defeat an external threat, their neighbours leave them alone for a time. But failing to suppress an internal rebellion leaves them vulnerable to further attacks. The score levels tell you what sort of adventure happens next, but your knowledge of the area you have created should strongly suggest the precise form of the adventure. It is then easy to fill in the gaps in one of the adventure structures presented in this part to run a unique adventure for your group.

Section Structure This part of Renegade Crowns is intended to help you to design your own campaigns based around Characters founding and defending their own principalities. Thus, the following chapters do not provide fully developed adventures any more than the last part provided a fully developed region of the Border Princes. However, this part does not use random tables; campaigns need a bit more thought.

The chapters in the Campaign section do not cover all the possible types of adventure involved with running a principality—far from it. They do cover the most significant and broadly applicable, however, and so should be useful most of the time. These chapters exist to help you when you do not have a better idea. If you do have a better idea, just run that adventure without worrying about how it can fit into one of the frameworks given. The large number of examples should help you to decide how much the adventure’s results affect the Internal and External Trouble Scores.

Instead, the following chapters provide a dozen types of adventure. For each adventure, various elements are described, along with the ways that they can link together. Thus, the outline specifies which elements need to be successfully completed to succeed in

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince

Becoming a Prince

Chapter

VI

“It’s not murder, really. It’s just a management change.” —Uden Fremp, Prince and former Ratcatcher

I

n the Borderlands, the only requirement for becoming a prince is having a significant number of subjects. Even such social undesirables such as typical Characters can reach that level, and many do. Still, it is not easy, even for those who inherit the position. This chapter covers three ways Player Characters can become rulers in the Borderlands: betraying their prince, assassinating a prince, and taking over a city that currently has no prince. These are certainly not the only options, but they are the most common.

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All of the adventure outlines in this chapter are Player-driven. That is, the adventures happen because the Players decide to do something and not because the GM presents the Players with an adventure hook. That makes the opening acts less important in many ways; it is not necessary to hook the Players’ interest. Instead, they should set the scene for the adventure, which may mean Characters are purely roleplaying as they investigate a new environment.

— Treason —

this might be an adventure in itself, clearing out a small group of Greenskins, for example, or successfully guarding a vital caravan on its way to the prince’s capital. In that case, the presentation becomes the final scene of an adventure and part of the reward for success.

reason is a popular way of becoming a prince, as it nets you many of the advantages of being the heir, without the necessity of actually being someone’s heir. The following outline treats the whole process as a single adventure, but this need not be the case. Instead, gaining a position of trust in a court could form the first part of a campaign among the Border Princes, and then the Player Characters go on several different adventures before they decide to betray their lord. Even if you choose to do things that way, you can make use of the plot elements discussed here.

Alternatively, it might be a much smaller event. Two outcomes are possible, a formal duel or a presentation of credentials.

Formal Duel The Characters fight formal duels, or a single mock battle, with representatives of the prince’s court. The Characters do not need to win but should acquit themselves well. The opponent, or leader of the opponents, is a militarily skilled courtier who features as the main courtier in one of the first-stage plots.

Opening Act: Joining the Court The first step in committing treason is joining the court of the lord you intend to betray. This has two elements: the challenge and the presentation.

Presentation of Credentials The Characters are interviewed by one of the courtiers, who may or may not have any military ability. They must convince him that they would be useful servants to the prince. This may involve Charm Tests, or possibly straight Fellowship and Will Power Tests to stand up to withering questions. The courtier takes a hostile approach to the Player Characters; you can decide whether this is his

The Challenge The challenge is some deed that the Characters perform to prove that they are worthy to be members of the lord’s court. In some cases,

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Two courtiers, in addition to the one the Characters met as part of the challenge, should also speak. Describe them properly when they speak, and make sure someone, probably the prince, uses their names. If the Characters made a fairly good impression on the courtier who is introducing them, he should whisper a quick explanation of their positions. These two courtiers play central roles in two more of the first stage obstacles and need to be introduced here.

true attitude or merely a necessary part of his job. The interviewing courtier is the central courtier in one of the first-stage plots. If the challenge is run as a whole adventure, the interview does not require any tests, and the courtier is less suspicious. In this case, the interview is not an obstacle; it is part of the scene setting. The courtier still plays an important role in a later plot.

The Presentation

Initial Obstacles

This scene is pure roleplaying. The Player Characters are presented to the prince and are permitted to speak to him, as well as a couple of the courtiers. Charm Tests, helped by Etiquette, may be used to determine how people react, but the main purpose here is to establish setting. The courtier they met during the challenge performs the introductions.

The central challenge facing would-be betrayers is that of gaining trust. It is impossible to effectively betray a prince who does not trust you. In a court, however, the attitudes of the other courtiers are also important. Allies and enemies make a big difference in whether the treason succeeds and whether the Characters can hold on to power afterwards.

You should describe the prince’s castle. Walk the Characters through it, with their escorting courtier, and tell them what they see “My lord, we have defeated most of the Greenskins. A around them. This should be mere handful remain to guard the chief. Would you like quite quick; the idea is to give me to slay them?” the Players a general mental “No, Ilsa. I will do it myself. It is only fitting that I grasp on the castle’s layout. take the risks pertaining to my position.” The main hall, or wherever the interview takes place, deserves a bit more detail. Start with the size and shape of the hall and the two most prominent features. Mention that there are courtiers standing around, and then describe the prince, who speaks to the Characters next.

Right, you coward. Go on, ride to glory. Ilsa did not share her thoughts with her prince as he rode around the bend in the canyon. The screams that came back were terrible, and Ilsa smiled grimly. “Oh dear, it appears that the Greenskins were too much for our noble lord. Who can possibly lead the principality in its hour of need?” Ilsa would have preferred Stefan to not sound quite so rehearsed, but it served its purpose, as the troops acknowledged her as their new leader.

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Gaining Trust You need at least one way in which the Characters can gain the prince’s trust. As with the initial challenge, these can easily grow into full adventures in their own right, but the scale can also be kept small. If you want to make them into full adventures, have a look at the outlines for the adventures arising from being a prince; the prince simply delegates to the Player Characters. If you want to keep it similar, consider the following options.

Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince Bandits

Rescue

The prince commands the Characters to capture or kill a group of bandits. His other agents have found the lair, so the Characters only need to plan and execute an attack.

The Characters rescue the courtier from some peril. This situation is easiest with a courtier who has limited military ability, but it can be made to work for a skilled warrior if the opponents are carefully balanced.

Justice

This plot element should also include one other courtier who could be offended by the process and turned into an enemy. You should decide on a way that the Characters could gain the ally without making the enemy, and it must be possible to do so. It need not, and probably should not, be easy, however. If the Characters succeed in this plot element, they have an ally.

The Characters are sent to enforce the law, pronouncing judgment on criminal suspects. They do not have to capture anyone. Success depends on striking the right balance between true justice and serving the interests of the prince. You should decide in advance what this is and how the Characters can have some idea of what it is.

Defeat an Enemy

Treason

Characters normally start with enemies at court, though they may not realise it. These are courtiers who are threatened by the appearance of new players in the political structure or who have been offended by the Characters’ actions in prior adventures. In addition, as the Characters gain power and influence in the court, they make enemies of those whom they displace. For every two times the Characters gain the trust of the prince or make an ally, they automatically make an enemy who opposes them out of sheer envy. They may make additional enemies while gaining trust or allies, as well. This process ends when everyone at court is either an ally or an enemy of the Player Characters.

The Characters expose the treason of another courtier. This could be simple, involving a bit of snooping on a minor guard and then presenting captured individuals to the prince. It could also be more complex, relying on clues planted in other plot elements.

Tribute The Characters find something that the prince wants and give it to him. The Characters must first learn what the prince wants and then find it. As a rule of thumb, one of these should be difficult and the other very easy for the Characters. This does not mean it would be easy for everyone, of course.

Assassination

This plot element should involve at least one interaction with another courtier, even if it does not involve treason. This might involve aid from a potential ally, interference from an enemy, or an encounter at the end of the element to introduce another courtier or reinforce the role of one already known. It may also be part of the process of turning a rival into an enemy, by emphasising his incompetence.

The PCs assassinate the enemy. It is important that no one realises they did it. In this case, the challenge is planning the assassination and making sure that the evidence does not point to them. Done very well, this could deal with two enemies at once.

Expose Treachery If the Player Characters expose an enemy’s treachery, this, at the very least, destroys his influence at court. The treachery may be real, or it may be a result of framing him, but either way, this exposure also serves to gain the prince’s trust. The challenges revolve around getting evidence that will convince the prince, either by finding it or by making it. If the enemy is not killed as part of the plot element, he will return to make trouble for the Characters later; make a note, and use him as the motivating force for a later adventure.

Success in this element means that the Characters have gained the prince’s trust.

Make an Ally Political allies are very useful, and the Characters should have at least one opportunity to make one at court. This plot element can also be made into a whole adventure or into a subplot running through several adventures. There are several possible ways of gaining an ally, some of which are Exchange, Ideological Similarity, and Rescue.

Simple Conflict

Exchange

The PCs might simply fight the enemy and kill him. In this case, the secondary challenge is avoiding the prince’s condemnation. This could be achieved by posthumously framing the enemy for treason or by bribing the prince, among other options. Degrees of success are possible. Dismal failure might see them banished from court, which would end their plans for the principality. An intermediate result might see them lose the prince’s trust and leave them in the court, able to try to regain his trust later on. Impressive success might leave their position untarnished.

The Characters do something for the courtier, who does something for them in return. The initial exchange is useful and involves a moderate sacrifice or some risk on both sides. If everyone keeps their side of the bargain, the courtier looks on the Characters as allies. The Characters might just be using him, however.

Ideological Similarity The Characters and the courtier turn out to have similar ideological goals. This needs to be signalled before it is played, by scenes where the courtier observes the Characters doing things he approves of, and the Characters observe the courtier doing the same. Either side can take the initiative, proposing a joint effort to achieve something they all value.

This plot element should involve another courtier, either an ally of the Player Characters, possibly through having a common enemy or someone a little suspicious of them, which if handled badly, could produce another enemy that replaces the one they removed. Success in this plot element simply removes an enemy.

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince

Assassinate the Prince

Disinherited Children

This plot element can be attempted at any time. The chances of success, and of success in seizing power, greatly increase if the Player Characters do some groundwork first.

If you are feeling cruel, the old prince can have a young son, his “natural heir.” This is cruel because, if the Player Characters do not kill him, he becomes a magnet for discontent. Internal problems appear at a score of 25, rather than 15, until he is eliminated. On the other hand, can the Players handle murdering a Human child? If they do, they had better make sure that no one finds out it was them; murdering the heir immediately sets the Internal Trouble Score to 30, and the same applies if evidence that they were responsible comes out later.

The challenge is getting to the prince and killing him without anyone tracing the crime back to them. If they succeed, then the court is plunged into anarchy as people struggle for power. The PCs do what they can within that. If they fail, the hunt for the assassins is on. Very clever Players might be able to strengthen their position at court by framing an enemy for the attempt.

Second-Tier Elements

A large part of the challenge of this plot element is coming up with the treacherous scheme. It is important for the GM to remember that the prince trusts the PCs (that’s why he gave them a powerful post), and he does not know they are trying to get him killed.

Once the Characters have established themselves in the court, they can prepare the groundwork for their takeover and betraying the prince.

Gain a Powerful Position

If they lure the prince into a fight with powerful foes and do not come to his aid, you need to play out the fight. The prince might survive, but you should not simply decide that. Instead, give the opponents to the Players, and have them try to kill the prince in a full combat. If the prince does survive, the Players will really feel that it is their plans that failed. Similar considerations apply to other traps; although, it may not be as obvious how you can involve the Players.

The Player Characters aim to take control of a powerful position within the principality, such as treasurer, general, or chief justice. In a large principality, control of a fortress and a few settlements would also qualify. The important thing is that the position is one with enough authority to make its holder a strong candidate for being the next prince if something unfortunate should happen to the current one.

The second challenge is hiding the betrayal. If the Characters fail to hide the betrayal from their allies, their allies abandon them. Any ally who knows that the Characters betrayed the prince immediately ceases to be an ally; he can no longer trust them. An ally who was actually loyal to the prince becomes an enemy, which has consequences for the chances of the Characters seizing power successfully.

In order to even try for a powerful position, the Characters must have the prince’s trust and more allies than enemies. (If they have no enemies, they must have at least one ally.) Getting the position should involve a further challenge.

Have the Position Created The Characters need to convince the prince that he needs such a position. This is best achieved by exposing a weakness. If there really is a weakness in that area, then the Characters just need to gather the evidence and present it to the prince. If there is not, then it is time to make better evidence to support their case.

Frame the Prince If the Characters can convince the court that the prince is a worshipper of the Ruinous Powers, in league with Greenskins, or a weak-willed “ethical” person, they might be able to get general agreement to remove him. They still have to fight to take over in his place, but at least they do not need to hide the fact they were involved in getting rid of him.

Remove the Current Incumbent If another courtier already holds the position, he must be removed. This follows much the same structure as Defeat an Enemy on the previous page.

Some princes might actually be corrupt, but corruption lets the PCs off lightly, so it is not recommended. Framing a prince for being ethical is extremely grim, however, and is a good scheme if the Players can stand it. Of course, if you know your Players would not be able to betray a truly honourable prince, you will want to make him at least somewhat dubious.

This plot element mobilises all of the Characters’ allies and enemies. Their allies do not try to stop the PCs from gaining the position, though they might not actively help. Their enemies do everything in their power to stop the Characters, including trying to assassinate them. By this stage, the Characters’ allies and enemies should have figured into at least four plot elements, which set up the Characters’ activities at this point.

Faking and presenting evidence is the main part of this plot element. The PCs need at least two allies in court or in a trusted position to have a chance of pulling this off; less-connected Characters are simply not taken seriously. Allies are predisposed to believe the Characters, enemies to mistrust them.

If the Characters succeed, they have the powerful position.

Betray the Prince

The Player Characters also need to choose the way that they present the evidence, as few princes will sit quietly by while their subjects accuse them of foul crimes. Once the prince knows, there is likely to be a crisis; the more support the Characters can gather before that time, the better.

The purest form of treason: the Player Characters manoeuvre the prince into a dangerous situation and then abandon him to his fate. The Characters must hold a powerful position to attempt this plot element, as no one with a lesser status has enough influence over the prince.

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince When the prince is finally confronted with the evidence, he is unlikely to go quietly. In this case, however, the PCs can fight him quite openly in his own hall in a grand, climactic battle.

or political manoeuvring to form an alliance behind another prominent courtier. Courtiers who see no prospect of stopping the Characters flee and plot revenge later.

If the Characters are caught trying to frame the prince, they are almost certain to be banished from the court. Cunning Characters might be able to convince the prince that they were set up. Extremely cunning Characters might set up another courtier to expose, ideally an enemy or at least a rival. Courtiers who dislike the prince may go along with the Characters’ scheme until the prince is removed and then turn against the PCs, becoming enemies.

If an enemy is allowed to get away, the score for External Trouble starts at 10, and Internal Trouble start at 20. The escaped courtier needs some time to gather forces, but he wants to strike before the PCs become fully established. If an enemy takes action against the Characters and is stopped, then the starting level of the scores depends on how he is treated. Merciful treatment, such as a quick, clean execution or an honourable imprisonment, starts both External and Internal Trouble Scores at 10; the Characters are perceived as weak. If he is brutally and publicly executed, the External Trouble Score starts at 5, but the Internal Trouble Score remains at 10.

If the Characters succeed in this plot element, there is no prince, and they can attempt to seize power.

Climax: Seize Power

If the PCs do not hold a trusted position when they eliminate the prince, then they are not obvious candidates to succeed him. They must win over the undecided and defeat opposing candidates. Those candidates quickly declare themselves; other courtiers holding responsible positions, and any sons of the old prince, are the most obvious candidates. The PCs must kill the opposing candidates and their allies to avoid civil war. If they fail to kill them, they may still finish with control of the castle, but they immediately face an internal rebellion. The External Trouble Score also starts at 20.

The whole point of the complex manoeuvrings involved in treason is becoming prince at the end of it. That does not mean, however, that the Player Characters automatically succeed. If a PC holds a powerful position, and the group has at least one ally and no active enemies at court, then the Character who holds the powerful position can become prince with no substantial opposition. Rival courtiers are strong candidates who can play a role in later internal problems, but for now, they do nothing. In this case, seizing power is purely a roleplaying afterthought to the climax of removing the previous prince. The scores for Internal and External Trouble both start at zero.

If the Characters do kill everyone opposed to them, the External Trouble Score starts at 15, as the aftermath of the struggle is judged to have weakened the principality, but the Internal Trouble Score starts at 15. The subjects have grave suspicions of the new prince, but there is no one to form a rebel alliance around.

Otherwise, things are more difficult. All enemies try to stop the Character from becoming prince. The form this takes depends on the enemy; it may be assassination, blatant military opposition,

A

— Assassination —

ssassination differs from treason in that the PCs do not ingratiate themselves with the current ruler while planning to take power away from him. Instead, they simply plot to kill him and take his principality. This is not as easy as it might seem; even if the killing part goes smoothly, taking over the principality without any prior base there is very difficult.

their way to the capital, is a good option. Similarly, the Characters could be hired as guards by a merchant who travels between the settlements of the principality. At some point, the PCs should see the prince, but they should not be allowed to converse with him, and he should not have the opportunity to take any particular notice of the Player Characters; anonymity will be very useful to them later.

This adventure outline is designed for groups of Characters who do not have access to a personal army. If your group does have such access, you can put the process of conquest together from some of the other adventure outlines listed later, particularly the Conquest outline (see page 107).

The opening act needs to leave the group with at least one contact in the capital and with some idea of the nature of the prince, although that idea may be inaccurate. It is then up to them to come up with plans to move their scheme forward.

Opening Act: Reconnaissance

Initial Elements The Player Characters cannot try to kill the prince immediately. They do not have access to him and would have no chance of seizing power even if they managed to kill him. The first stage mainly involves getting into a position that allows the Characters to gather information about the court and act when they have enough to allow them to do so.

The first stage is getting to know the principality. This can be handled in a number of ways, including having the PCs based there while they undertake independent adventures. In that case, they might simply move into the first set of plot elements to start the adventure. Since the whole scheme is very much driven by the Player Characters, taking such action should not be a problem.

Serving a Purpose

If the Characters have come from elsewhere, the opening act should introduce them to the principality. A small attack by a group of whatever monsters most bother the area, followed by the opportunity to talk to the other survivors as everyone makes

A good way to gather general information about the court is to become a servant there. Servants are often treated as if they are not present, which allows them to overhear things that are supposed to

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince be secret. Similarly, few people challenge a servant who appears to be going about his business. Getting a job at the prince’s court is not trivial, however. While the officials do not carry out background checks (they don’t really have the ability to do so), there are a lot of people who want jobs in proximity of power. Thus, there may be no vacancies, and even if there are vacancies, there is a lot of competition. Thus, there is a lot more to this plot element than just walking up to the castle and asking for a job.

Creating a Vacancy The Player Characters probably need to create a vacancy. This can be achieved by killing someone with a desirable job; most servants leave the castle at least occasionally. Alternately, the Characters could bribe someone to go far, far away. That would probably be fairly cheap.

Getting the Job Lots of people want jobs at the castle. Many such people are related to those already employed there or to the person making the choice. Some of them are even qualified for the job in question. Roleplaying simple job interviews is for jobseeker training courses, not adventure games, so the Player Characters should try to skew things in their favour: buying or scaring other candidates off, bribing the selector, and so on. They do need to exercise some discretion here, though. If they overdo it, people will wonder why they want this job so badly, particularly given the amount of money they are flashing around. Success in this plot element gives at least one Character access to the court as a servant.

servants actually deal with the court; they can provide information about personalities and rivalries.

Cosy Up to Power

Success in this plot element gives the Player Characters a contact within the court.

The Players might prefer to gather information by making friends with people who are servants in the castle. This plot element has a fairly simple structure. First, the Player Characters pick someone who works in the castle. Then, they arrange to be in the same tavern and buy him a drink or two, or they help his poverty-stricken mother with the laundry, or they go along to the same revivalist Ulrican Shrine. Using this as an opportunity for conversation, they build a friendship.

Secondary Elements The secondary elements of this adventure can all be described in the same way: the Player Characters create and implement plans to assassinate the court. There are a vast number of ways to do this, of course, but it is up to the Players to come up with the plan of action. This section does not describe possible plans; instead, it discusses elements that might form parts of lots of different plans.

This is pure roleplaying, which might not appeal to some Players. Further, the PCs need more than one contact if they are to have a realistic chance of success, so they need to do the same thing repeatedly. To avoid boring repetition, the details should vary widely.

Getting Inside, Armed

For Characters with jobs as servants, it is very easy to get inside the court. Doing so armed may require a little more thought, but it may You need to specify the role that each contact plays in the castle, not; a Character employed as and if the PCs spend some a guard is supposed to wander time picking their marks, around in armour and carry a these roles should be different. Ilsa reclined on her throne, one leg thrown over the weapon. A cook would need arm, the other stretched out before her. She traced the Broad categories are guards, to hide any weapon that wasn’t lip of the wine cup with a lazy finger as she considered below-stairs servants, and plausibly a cooking instrument, the wretch before her. He wept and begged, crying for above-stairs servants. Guards but a bag large enough to hide mercy. “An example,” she thought through the haze of control entry and exit and a hand weapon would not be the wine. “Yes, an example.” She cleared her throat as can let the Characters in and she sat up, fixing her would-be killer with a hard stare. searched unless the cook was out of the castle. Below-stairs “Boronimo, you thought to put a knife in my belly. acting very suspiciously. A servants are people like cooks It’s a pity, really. I always regarded you as a friend. No washerwoman could hide a full and washerwomen, who have matter now. My chamberlain tells me you serve Hugo. suit of armour in a laundry bag, no direct contact with the court Well, you’ll be sending a message back to your master. as long as she took precautions but know a lot about their daily Guards, take his head, and send it back to the bastard.” to prevent it from clanking. life and possessions. Above-stairs Above-stairs servants are limited

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince to small weapons they can conceal about their person, though another Character could hide a weapon for them somewhere.

Some Characters may choose to just get inside to look around, so they know the layout of the place before sneaking in (see Sneaking Around). In this case, friendship with any servant is sufficient, but the Characters are shown around when the court is absent (out hunting, at war, etc.) and have to leave before they return.

Characters who are not servants need to be friends with a guard to get in. If they are friends with a guard and another servant, they can go in “to meet their other friend,” and it doesn’t look suspicious. Getting weapons past the guard is impossible unless he is a Player Character, or well-bribed.

Sneaking Around There are no prior requirements for sneaking in, but Characters trying to do so with no preparation are doomed. Most courts in the Border Princes are not large enough for an outsider to successfully pretend to be a servant, meaning lots of rolls to stay hidden, including Very Hard (–30%) Concealment Tests when the servants suddenly appear around the corner.

New Poisons References to poison can be found in WFRP page 122, as well as the Old World Armoury page 71. Here you will find details on a few more that are common in the Borderlands. To prepare or apply a poison, the Player must succeed at a Prepare Poisons Test, applying the listed difficulty. On a test result of 95% or higher, the user accidentally poisons himself.

Characters with friends among the servants can find out how people normally move around; those who have been in the castle know the layout. This information makes tests easier and should allow them to avoid some tests completely. For example, they know to avoid the central stairs and use the latrine stairs. Knowing the layout of the castle reduces the number of tests required because the Characters can head straight for their target.

Childbless (Hard) This poison does not kill. Instead, if the victim fails a Toughness Test, he becomes extremely trusting for the next eight hours or so. He does not believe obvious falsehoods, such as claims that the sky is striped, but he loses the ability to assess whether someone is telling the truth. Childbless is ingested and tastes strongly of strawberries. (30 gc, Scarce)

Of course, the Characters do need to have a particular target in mind. If they are caught, all the guards will try to apprehend them, so running away is the order of the day.

Poison

Prince’s Crown (Average)

One obvious option is to poison the entire court. Most Border Princes are not powerful enough to have a food taster; they’re paranoid enough to want one, but they don’t have the ability to force someone to risk his life every day.

Prince’s Crown is the concentrated extract of a plant that grows in many swamps around the Borderlands. It has golden-yellow stems, which, if allowed to grow, form rings, hence the name. The poison is extracted from the young plant, however. If ingested, blood starts to gather in the victim’s head, causing intense pain. Vessels near the skin burst, leaving blood trickling down the skin. The victim must make a Routine (+10%) Toughness Test or die within 1d10 rounds. If he passes the test, he takes 1 Wound per round for 1d10 rounds, and he is at –10% to all tests for half an hour thereafter, until the pain subsides. (15 gc, Rare)

If the Characters are perfectly happy to poison everyone, this situation merely needs access to poison and to the kitchens. Access to poison can be as simple or as difficult as you want to make it; really good poisons might need to be brought from outside the Borderlands, requiring either a very long trip or good relations with a shady merchant. Access to the kitchens is automatic for anyone with a job in the castle, and it’s easy for anyone who is friends with a below-stairs servant. A Character with a job as a cook can poison the food without any trouble; other Characters have to distract everyone in the kitchens long enough to add the toxin. It is also possible to sneak into the kitchens and add the poison, though it might be easier to poison supplies still in the larder; kitchens tend to be busy places. That, of course, runs the risk that the poisoned supplies will not be fed to everyone or, indeed, to anyone relevant.

Traitor’s Hap (Very Hard) This poison is compounded from plants, animals, and monsters gathered from across the Borderlands. It has three components, all ingested. Any two of them form a slowacting but deadly poison. Around half an hour after ingesting the second component, the victim starts vomiting. If he succeeds at a Challenging (–10%) Toughness Test, he is merely helpless for about half an hour and must take –20% to all tests for the next twelve hours. If he fails, he dies within twenty minutes, often literally vomiting his guts up. A single component is harmless. In addition, if the third component is ingested as well, the complex of all three is harmless. Each component loses its effectiveness within half an hour, unless a further component is ingested. Thus, the traitor can ingest the first component, put the second in everyone’s food, and share a drink containing the third with his target. All the components are tasteless and odourless. This is a highly feared poison, but fortunately, it is very difficult to obtain. (1000 gc for three doses, one of each component. Very Rare)

Poisoning people requires access to them. A Character with a job as an above-stairs servant can do this easily and only needs to make a test or two to add poison surreptitiously to wine. This is almost impossible to do by pure stealth; there are people around when the court eats, and sneaking up to the table to put poison in a goblet will just draw attention. Anyone caught trying to poison the prince is in serious trouble; they are unlikely to be taken alive.

Honest Steel The PCs might choose to assassinate the court with a good, honest weapon. This means they need to get the weapon into the court and then get close to the nobles.

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince This approach generally draws immediate attention to the Player Characters. Exceptional planning and information gathering might allow the Characters to stab everyone in private, but the courts of Border Princes include competent warriors, even if the prince himself is not one, and such people are unlikely to go quietly.

marriage of a particular woman at court. The Characters need to promise this, though they may break those promises later. Breaking a promise to a servant only adds 2 points to the Internal Trouble Score. Breaking lots of promises would become a problem, though.

Climax: Seizing Power

Publicly killing multiple nobles is not, necessarily, a bad thing from the point of view of seizing power: it counts as a show of force (see Climax: Seizing Power). It does, however, draw the immediate attention of the guards, and the Characters may be cut down before they can consolidate their position.

The climax of this adventure comes when the PCs stand over the cooling corpse of the old prince and declare themselves the new rulers of the principality. The trick is getting anyone else to take the declaration seriously. Fortunately, the Characters only need to convince the residents of the castle; the general population does not immediately rise up in support of the “good old prince,” generally because he wasn’t all that great.

Characters with jobs as guards can easily get close to the courtiers while armed, but they can only do so in public locations. Abovestairs servants can easily get close to the courtiers in private but must conceal their weapons. Characters who merely have friends at court find it a lot harder to get in, unless their friends are part of the plot (see Conspiracy).

If any of the old courtiers are left alive, their support is essential. This almost certainly means that the Player Characters must have made contact with them earlier and coerced them. Otherwise, they direct the guards against the Characters. If the Characters have coerced a substantial number of the guards, this ruckus degenerates into a pitched battle in the castle; if the Player Characters win, they are acknowledged as the prince.

Conspiracy Canny PCs may draw the servants into a conspiracy, so they have support within the castle when they seize power. If this approach works, it is an excellent plan.

If the Characters are supported by part of the old court, the scores for External and Internal Trouble both start at 10. If they go into a pitched battle with the old court and win, the External Trouble Score starts at 15 because the court has been weakened by the battle. But the Internal Trouble Score starts at 5; there is no one left to form a centre of opposition, and the Characters have demonstrated their power.

The Characters must draw the servants into their plan without being betrayed. This means picking corruptible servants and offering the right sort of bribe. If your Players express an interest in this approach, you need to decide whether particular servants can be corrupted and what it takes to do so. If a servant is loyal to the current prince, you must, to be fair, provide signs of that when roleplaying the servant. Maybe he refuses to make jokes about the prince and tells stories of his great exploits. Maybe she always refers to the prince in glowing terms and sighs at the mention of his name. If the Characters reveal the plot to a loyal servant, they are likely to be betrayed to the prince. If they have built a strong friendship with the servant, he might simply try to talk them out of it, but if he can’t, he will report them unless silenced. Unsubtle, loyal servants might be provoked into an outburst before leaving to tell the prince, which gives the Player Characters a chance to silence them. Subtle loyal servants pretend to go along with the plan and then turn in the Player Characters. In this case, the plan is doomed, and the Characters need to run away.

On the other hand, the Characters might assassinate every single member of the old court. In this case, they just need to impress the servants. There are two ways to do this. The first is to have a lot of servants ready to support the Characters; the servants acclaim the PCs as the new prince, and the Characters take power. This starts the External Trouble Score at 25, since the new rulers look very weak; it looks like the servants took over. On the other hand, the Internal Trouble Score starts at zero because there is no immediate centre for discontent. The alternative is a show of force. Cutting the previous court down in public fulfils this requirement. Anyone who can kill the hardened warriors of the old regime is worthy of respect. Alternately, the PCs can kill any servants who express opposition to their rule or who refuse to obey a command to hang someone who did. This establishes rule by fear; the External Trouble Score starts at 10, but the Internal Trouble Score begins at 15.

If a servant can be corrupted, you must decide what he wants. Some just want money or the promise of a major promotion after the coup. Others have more specific desires, such as the hand in

T

— Seizing

a

Settlement —

he last main way to achieve princedom is to seize a settlement. In many ways, this is the “nicest” route to achieve power since it does not involve treason or murder. It does, however, require a settlement that has not yet known the benefits of effective rulership. Such places might seem rare in a place like the Border Prince, but the ever-changing Borderlands produces a number of those every month. For these purposes, any settlement on your map outside of a principality counts.

Opening Act: Making your Mark The first step is to impress the residents of the settlement. Unless they are impressed, they will not even consider the Characters as possible rulers. Fortunately, Characters do impressive things as a matter of course.

The downside of this technique is that it starts the new prince with a very small principality, making him an obvious target. But that’s the penalty for being virtuous.

The impressive acts need not be directly connected to the settlement. Characters that destroy a substantial band of Orcs are impressive even if the Orcs were not threatening the settlement.

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince However, saving the settlement decide how best to set the from a threat is obviously the crime up or how to present the Ilsa had no choice, really. She had to make an example best way to go. Such perceived evidence so that the people are of the town to show her enemies her strength. She smiled bravery not only impresses the convinced. grimly as the peasants lined up in feeble ranks, armed residents with the Characters’ with pitchforks, spades, and clubs. This would be quick. Success in any form of this plot power but predisposes the With a gesture, she gave the order, and her soldiers element convinces the people residents in the Characters’ thundered across the dusty plain, lances levelled at the that the Characters can dispense quavering line of the soon-to-be dead. favour. Indeed, you might justice. In most cases, it also have the Characters declared makes allies of the victim or the rulers of a village at the end victim’s family. of an adventure, thus starting a campaign for princes without needing to worry about seizing atronage power first. If the Characters go this way, they finish up liked and respected. Patronage involves giving something to the residents to convince

P

them that it is worth their while to follow the Player Characters. Simply throwing money around in the streets does not work; such actions merely convince the residents the PCs are easy marks for a con.

There are two other main possibilities. The first is uncovering “witches” in the village, which leads to a trial that sees them condemned and burned at the stake. The witches need not be guilty, as long as the residents are left afraid to speak out against the Characters and impressed with their strength. If there are real witches, so much the better, of course. This method leaves the Characters both feared and respected.

Instead, the gift needs to be in return for some service. The service need not be genuine; the PCs may choose to interpret some action by the residents as a valuable service and offer the reward in return for that. Alternately, they may hire someone and count the pay as patronage.

The second step is to simply intimidate the village and fend off the attempts by scandalised locals to throw them out. The Characters should not employ too much lethal force here, as they want there to be a village left for them to take over, but one or two deaths help to reinforce their reputation. This approach is the easiest (it involves roughing up peasants), but it only leaves the Characters feared by the residents.

It is essential that the patronage be generous, relative to the wealth of the settlement. It has to show that serving the Characters is better than just living normally. In addition, it has to be very public, so that it can contribute to the Characters’ reputation. Beyond that, the Characters have a free hand.

Initial Elements

In most cases, this element will be roleplayed as the Characters find a suitable pretext and subject for patronage and then advertise their generosity. Combat is very unlikely to occur, though investigations of some sort might.

The Characters, no matter how brutal they are, only become princes when they rule with some degree of consent from the population. This consent might be extorted by fear, but the Characters must be able to trust the population to not stab them in the back at every opportunity. This can be achieved by demonstrating three things: justice, patronage, and protection. This section concerns ways in which the Characters can do that.

If the Characters patronise the whole town equally, they get a reputation for being capable of patronage. If they single out individuals and make them wealthier than their neighbours, then they get both the reputation and make allies of the people they patronise.

Justice

If the Characters choose to patronise individuals, these people become part of the court. It is thus worth describing them in some detail and looking ahead to decide which adventures they might inspire later.

The Characters demonstrate justice by showing they can resolve disputes in the settlement. The best way to show this is to catch, try, and punish a genuine criminal. “Genuine criminal,” in this case, means everyone knows the crime was committed, and everyone is at least a little bothered by it. Murder, rape, and arson are the best choices and tend to be common in settlements without a clearly accepted prince. Witch hunts do not count, as the residents did not know the witch was a problem before the hunts began.

Protection The Characters demonstrate they are capable of protection by defending the settlement from a threat. In the Borderlands, there is no need to manufacture a threat; one is bound to turn up fairly soon. You should choose the threat based on the dangers of the area and your plans for the campaign; if you want an ongoing battle with Orcs, then an Orc band should raid the settlement, and so on.

The Characters do not have to convict the right person. They do, however, need to convict a plausible suspect. Blatant injustice does not convince the residents that the Characters can ensure internal harmony; apparent justice does. The Characters can even set up a crime to frame someone who opposes them.

The Characters must play a central role in defeating the threat. The residents may help, under the Characters’ leadership, but the PCs must be in charge and must personally contribute. As a result, this element involves combat and strategy.

Honest and upstanding Characters probably want to catch the actual perpetrator of a genuine crime, in which case this element can be a short, investigative adventure. If the Characters commit the crime themselves, or just convict one of the usual suspects, then the element is more a matter of roleplaying. They must

Simple victory gets the Characters the necessary reputation for protection. If a Character personally saves a resident of the town from imminent peril, that person becomes an ally of the Characters.

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Chapter VI: Becoming a Prince

Community Leaders Even a settlement without a prince has some people who have influence. Obvious candidates are the Priest of the local Shrine, the most experienced warrior, the innkeeper, or an important craftsman, such as a blacksmith. If the PCs want to become the rulers of the settlement, they need to deal with these people. One way to do so is to “deal with” them. Accusing them of a crime, holding a trial, and then executing them does work. It does not make people love the Characters, but it prevents these individuals from opposing them, at least publicly. Assassinating the leaders is also a possibility, but in this case, the Characters need to make sure that they are not unmasked. Hiding makes them look weak, and they lose their reputations for justice and protection. Reputations can be regained, but it is difficult. The alternative is to get them on the Characters’ side. In some cases, this may be impossible; the Priest might only be willing to accept a prince who is also a Priest of his deity, for example. On the other hand, if one of the Characters is a Priest of that deity, co-opting the resident Priest becomes relatively easy. This approach requires roleplaying to find out what the leaders want and a way to give it to them. If the Characters fail in one of these plot elements, they create an enemy among the community leaders. This guarantees opposition when they seize power, no matter how many allies they have, and it also creates the risk they will be driven from the settlement. If the Characters have done nothing to make the residents scared of them, making a single enemy is enough to get them driven out. If they have made the residents scared, at least two of the community leaders need to turn against them before the residents can get up enough courage to act.

eliminate it now or wait a while. If the Characters have fewer allies but have eliminated the other community leaders, there is still no immediate opposition, but the Internal Trouble Score starts at 5; there are still enough people dubious about the Characters to cause trouble.

If the Characters can defeat the villagers who gather to drive them out without depopulating the settlement entirely, they can execute the ringleaders and continue to build their claim to rulership. They do, however, lose any reputations they may have built up already and have to start again.

If the Characters have no allies, and there are still other community leaders, one of the leaders refuses to accept their rule, and many of the residents rally around him. The Characters can still take power if they can cut the leader down or arrest and hang him for treason. This, clearly, will involve some combat. As the Characters have proved that they are capable and could rule, only some of the residents oppose them. This gives a starting Internal Trouble Score of 15 because a number of people resent the way the Characters acted. The External Trouble Score starts at 20 because the new principality looks weak, and the surrounding powers debate whether to eliminate it now or wait a while.

Climax: Seizing Power This adventure is simpler than most. Once the Characters have gained all three reputations for justice, patronage, and protection, they can attempt to seize power in the settlement. This is not a foregone conclusion, as some people would prefer not to be ruled by dubious outsiders from who-knows-where. Indeed, some people will be in the settlement precisely because it has no rulers.

The most likely situation is that the Characters have allies, and there are remaining community leaders. In this case, two groups form and argue over who should be in charge. The Characters can resolve this situation by violence as well, in which case the consequences are the same. The PCs earn a starting Internal Trouble Score of 15 because a number of people resent the way the PCs acted. The External Trouble Score starts at 20 because the new principality looks weak, and the surrounding powers debate whether to eliminate it now or wait a while. Alternately, they can negotiate a solution that probably involves bribes to the leaders of the opposition. A negotiated settlement starts the Internal Trouble Score at 10, as the tensions have been partly smoothed over.

This element starts when the Characters declare themselves the rulers of the settlement. If they have gathered a large number of allies, say one tenth of the population, their allies immediately support the declaration, and no one dares to oppose them. Gathering so many allies requires a lot of earlier plot elements, so the moment of taking power becomes a matter of roleplaying. The Internal Trouble Score starts at zero, but the External Trouble Score starts at 20; the new principality looks weak and gets a short period of grace while the surrounding powers debate whether to

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems

Internal Problems

Chapter

VII

“The peasants are revolting? Yes, I know. I can’t tolerate them either.” —Prince Derek of Bloodrung, Deceased

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rincipalities in the Borderlands are never models of political harmony. Some are constantly on the verge of civil war, while others are brutally oppressive, keeping control through fear. Other principalities look up to an enlightened, just ruler and suffer constant attempts to overthrow the weakling, at least until he gets the message and becomes brutally oppressive.

the problems that arise when many of the residents do not like their rulers. Rebellious Settlement looks at the case where one particular place decides to leave the principality. Treacherous Underlings concerns servants of the prince who decide to betray him and become princes themselves. As noted in the introduction to the Campaign section, one of these adventures occurs when the Internal Trouble Score for the principality is at or over 25 after the previous adventure.

There are many different potential internal problems, but this chapter outlines three broad types. Popular Opposition concerns

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— Popular Opposition —

in this adventure radically reduces the Internal Trouble Score, as it addresses grassroots discontent.

opular opposition is the most diffuse internal problem and is in many ways the hardest to handle. It only provokes an adventure when it indicates more than the existence of residents who do not like the prince; that is the normal state of affairs, after all. The adventure indicates that a majority of the population does not like the prince, that a minority are willing to take some trouble, and maybe risks, to make life difficult for him, and that few ordinary people are willing to betray those who do cause trouble to the authorities. By itself, popular opposition cannot bring the principality down. If it is not dealt with, however, the next adventure will be one of the other internal problems, and such adventures are likely to continue for some time. As such, this is a good choice for the first internal problem adventure, or for the first one after a series of different adventures. Success

Opening Act: Murmurs of Discontent

The opening act occurs when the Characters become aware of the discontent. This should happen in a memorable scene, to set the stage for the rest of Ilsa walked through the smoking ruins of Freigburg, the adventure. The simplest looking with particular satisfaction at the remains of the possibility is people showing tavern that used to try serving her vinegar. The rebels open disrespect to the prince. were herded together in the main square, looking scared. “Do not fear, my loyal subjects. Only the ringleaders of this revolt will be punished; the rest of you were merely swept up in it.” She looked over the crowd and beckoned to Stefan. “Him, him, her, him, her, and her. Hang them in front of everyone else. Don’t let their necks break.”

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These people should not be servants at the castle; rebellious servants indicate the problem is already very serious and would be better as a consequence of failure in this adventure. Instead,

Chapter VII: Internal Problems the incident should occur when the prince is out and about in the principality. A few possible incidents follow.

We Ignore It

The prince and his entourage are riding through the streets when a cart stops in front of them, blocking their progress. The driver makes desultory efforts to get the animals to move, but it is obvious his heart is not in it. Bystanders do nothing to help get the cart moved and may even get in the way of the prince’s efforts to do so.

The Characters may choose to ignore the problem. That is a little annoying, as it makes everything else that you have prepared unusable, at least at this point. On the other hand, you should not force them to act. Ignoring the problem counts as complete failure in the adventure and, therefore, provokes a more serious internal problem. Ignoring that one might leave the Characters dead.

A group of drunkards openly insults the prince and his companions. A number of bystanders laugh openly, and no one makes any effort to stop them or look shocked. A merchant sells shoddy goods to the prince, either directly or through an intermediary. He is not particularly apologetic when confronted, suggesting that “buyer beware” is a good maxim.

is centred. Thus, you need to decide on a cause. This should normally be something the Characters have done, which probably makes your job easy. If the Characters are so new as princes that they have done nothing, then people are discontent with the new regime.

The main action of this element depends on the Characters and the way they respond. This does not have an immediate effect on the outcome of the adventure, but it does a great deal to set the tone. Are the Characters conciliatory, confrontational, or positively brutal?

Tell Me What’s Troubling You The Characters cannot simply go down into the town and demand to know why they are disliked. That doesn’t work even for normal people, and it is completely ineffective when the person asking can execute people who say something he doesn’t like. Such an approach elicits nothing more than protestations of undying loyalty, love, and admiration.

The Players may need to be told such open defiance, particularly in the absence of shocked opposition from other people, indicates a deep-seated problem in the principality. The Players should be told, however; otherwise, the adventure is unlikely to happen.

The best approach, both from the point of view of gathering reliable information, and from the point of view of roleplaying, is one that has a long tradition in fiction: the rulers disguise themselves as ordinary citizens and go into the taverns to listen to what people have to say.

Initial Elements Most of the first elements are concerned with finding out what the source of the unhappiness is or with discovering where it

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems For princes in a small community, there is rather more risk of them being recognised than there would be if they were, say, the King of Bretonnia. Thus, you should encourage the Players to pay attention to their disguises—and to the way they respond to what people say.

as the principality has the money. Privileges of some sort are also a good idea, as those are things that money cannot buy. Good candidates for secret police may want rather unpalatable privileges, which puts the Characters in a moral dilemma.

Apart from the roleplaying opportunities, the Characters also run the risk of getting into brawls. If people realise who they are, there is an even higher risk of a brawl, as thugs take the opportunity to get rid of the hated prince with perfect deniability if they don’t succeed. In fact, the Characters should not be allowed to get away without at least one brawl.

If the Characters recruit the wrong people, the whole scheme fails. Loyal but incompetent secret police simply fail to learn anything useful. Competent but disloyal officers might work well now but plot to remove the prince later. If the Characters recruit disloyal officers, the Internal Trouble Score cannot be reduced, no matter how well they do in the rest of the adventure. Accordingly, you should provide clues that certain individuals might not be loyal.

Starting a conversation by asking “So, why doesn’t anyone like the prince?” makes the Characters sound like secret police and elicits no useful response. More subtle approaches, such as complaining about the weather, roads, and bandits, lead other people to voice their specific complaints. Similarly, building a temporary friendship, by buying drinks or laughing at bad jokes, can also lead to revelations later in the conversation. Success in this element gives the Characters a good idea of what the problem is.

Take Me to Your Leader An alternative approach is to look for the people behind the discontent. While there is, at this stage, no actual leader of an opposition movement, there are, inevitably, people who are more vocal about their discontent and who have influence with others. Knowing who they are is useful. The best approach here is very similar to the best approach to finding out what the problem is. The main difference is that the Characters should strive to give the impression that they are opposed to the prince. People might agree with them, or say “You sound just like One-Eyed Jack. You need to be careful the prince doesn’t hear you talk like that, you know.” Such cues indicate OneEyed Jack is someone the Characters need to talk to, and he might lead them to others. If the Characters are rumbled, their “friends” point them at supporters of the prince, whose protestations of loyalty are likely to be dismissed as duplicitous, or at personal enemies in the hope that the authorities will deal with them. Success in this element gives the Characters names, at least, of a number of important malcontents.

Secret Police The Characters may decide the prince should not go slumming around in the town. This is a bit of a shame, but if the Players don’t want to do it, it won’t be fun. Instead, they might decide to set up a secret police force and rely on it to gather the information. If they take this approach, they need to recruit the secret policemen. Secret policemen need to be loyal, subtle, and perceptive. Finding more than one person with all of those qualities may be tricky, especially since the Characters need to keep quiet about what they are doing. The whole point of the secret police is that they are secret, after all. Thus, this plot element involves talking to a lot of the Characters around the court and finding those with the right stuff. Once the Characters have found potential recruits, they need some way to ensure their loyalty. High pay is a good approach, as long

If the Characters manage to recruit an effective secret police force, they get the information they would get by going out themselves. If they also go out themselves, the police force can provide confirmation, which is a good thing to have.

Secondary Elements The next stage of this adventure is, of course, dealing with the problems. This cannot be done until the Characters know what the problems are, or who the problems are, but there are no prerequisites beyond the need to know what they must deal with.

Fix the Problem Perhaps the most obvious response to popular discontent is to remove the cause, which is always harder than it looks. Often, the discontent is caused by a past action. The Characters cannot rewrite history, so there is nothing that they can do. Equally often, there are very good reasons for the cause of the discontent, so the Characters cannot stop it. If the population is unhappy because the young men are being sent to the border forts, for example, it would be necessary to withdraw the men to make them happy, but that would leave the principality vulnerable. Occasionally, the discontent might be provoked by something that is not actually happening, which makes it difficult for the Characters to stop. If the Characters can reasonably stop the source of the discontent, they need to be a bit careful as to how they do it. They need to publicise it well, without giving the impression that they are only doing it because people are complaining; that looks too much like the people running the prince, rather than vice versa. Good publicity requires planning and roleplaying. Fixing the original problem does not immediately remove the discontent. It does, however, count as two successes towards solving the wider issue.

Remove the Agitators “Agitators” may be a bit strong, but there are people who are more vocal in their disapproval of the prince than others. Stopping them is a good way to reduce the problem. There are two basic ways to do this. First, the prince can try to buy them off. This needs to be put forward a bit subtly because “I’ll give you 50 gc if you stop complaining” will have little long-term effect. However, doing something positive for someone is likely to make him rather more positive about the prince and may moderate his complaints. This

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems does not always work, and the Players do need to describe what they are doing in detail.

Climax: Reconciliation

Second, the agitators can be eliminated. They can be killed, imprisoned in the salt mines, or sent as ambassadors to the Bretonnian court—anything to get them thoroughly out of the way. This elimination needs to be done with some tact because if it looks as though the prince is just murdering anyone who disagrees with him, popular discontent will increase. These people are not actually the leaders of an organisation, so killing them does not cause problems in that way.

Once the Characters have four successes, they can hold some grand gala to mark the new-found unity of the principality. This needs to be a large-scale, public event, at which loyalty to the prince can be reaffirmed. A tournament of some sort is a good option, as is a military parade and display. Again, the Characters should plan it out, and they need to gather any resources that are not immediately at hand. Success in this adventure reduces the Internal Trouble Score substantially. Simple success reduces the Internal Trouble Score by 15 points. For every agitator who was successfully turned into a loyal supporter of the regime, reduce the Internal Trouble Score by a further 2 points. For every agitator who was executed or imprisoned, whether or not he was actually guilty of a crime, increase the Internal Trouble Score by 1 point. Such actions look suspicious and reduce the effectiveness of the other moves to restore order. If the Characters actually solved the original problem, increase the Internal Trouble Score by 5 points. The population now knows that they can get the prince to do things by complaining about him, and they are likely to try it again in the future.

Death or imprisonment needs a pretext, which means a crime. The Characters should play out the process of framing the agitator and then convicting him. His unfortunate death in an Orc raid, or similar “tragic and unforseeable fate”, could also be arranged with a bit of care. Giving the problem a “prestigious” appointment can be done directly, though it is likely to be a bit more expensive. If the agitator’s influence is removed, the Characters have one success towards defusing the animosity.

Bread and Circuses

If the Characters fail, increase the Internal Trouble Score by 10. This guarantees another internal crisis immediately. For every success they accumulate, up to a maximum of three (four successes means they didn’t fail), reduce this increased score by 5 points. If the Characters get most of the way to a final reconciliation, the popular revolution is delayed. Means of dealing with agitators have their usual effects, as does solving the original problem.

A final option is providing some great entertainment for the masses to take their minds off their problems. The Characters need to choose an entertainment, find people to put it on, and make it absolutely clear that they are paying for everything out of the generosity of their hearts. This approach provides plenty of roleplaying challenges. The entertainment could be anything from a new play performed by a troupe of travelling actors, to a gladiatorial fight to the death. Violent entertainments are particularly popular in this harsh region—and thus much more likely to succeed. A poetry reading, on the other hand, is almost bound to fail.

The effects on the External Trouble Score are much more modest. The problems of popular dissent are not visible enough to make external powers think that the prince is weak, so solving them does not make them think that he is strong. It does save the prince from having to deal with internal and external problems at the same time, of course.

Multiple instances of the same entertainment do not have repeated effects. The Characters must come up with a different way to stupefy the masses if they wish to use this approach again. Each different entertainment provides one success towards softening the public mood.

O

For every agitator imprisoned or executed, reduce the External Trouble Score by 1. This behaviour is taken as evidence of a strong and ruthless prince, which makes others think twice about making trouble. This is unlikely to be enough to completely offset the standard 5-point increase, but it does, at least, slow things down.

— Rebellious Settlement —

ne of the settlements within the principality decides to throw off the rule of the prince. It may go for independence or call in a different prince to rule it; either way, the prince must deal with the threat or lose part of his realm.

are no obvious reasons for one settlement to rebel, just choose one; the point of having an abstract Internal Trouble Score is to save you the effort of keeping track of all political problems individually.

You should choose the settlement that decides to rebel. It is not the site of the capital, unless the prince only rules a single settlement. In general, settlements on the edges of a principality are more likely to rebel, as they are more likely to think that they can get away with it. Those bordering another principality are more likely to swear loyalty to a different prince, while those on the edge of unclaimed wilderness are more likely to strike out alone.

Opening Act: Rumours of War The adventure starts when the Characters hear that one of their subject settlements has rebelled. This scene should be roleplayed out in full, but there will most likely be little or no action. The news might come in one of several ways.

The recent past also makes a difference. A settlement that has recently been attacked by an external force and was successfully defended by the prince is rather unlikely to rebel. On the other hand, one that was attacked and not defended is a strong candidate for rebellion; the residents might feel that the prince doesn’t offer them anything in return for their taxes. If there

The rebels might send a formal herald to announce their rebellion to the prince in person. The herald claims safe passage and expects to be able to return to the settlement; the Player Characters can decide whether or not to honour this.

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems A loyal servant of the prince might flee from the settlement, pursued by those who want to keep the defection secret, and just make it to the prince in time. This is a good way to introduce a continuing Character, but he can also die after gasping out his message if you do not want to use him again.

“Damn it! I will not tolerate rebellion, Stefan. She flung her wine cup at the wall, where it shattered, painting the old stone dark. How many times must we kill them to make them learn? Take a company, round up the ringleaders and bring them to me.”

should all be attainable. Whilst the details may have changed since the uprising—you’ll make them pay for toppling your statue, the general details make regaining the settlement all the easier.

Fifth Column It is possible not every resident of the rebellious settlement is happy with the rebellion. If the Characters can make contact with such potential loyalists, and offer them a large enough bribe, they may find that they have an easy way to regain control.

The prince and his entourage might go to visit the town and find the gates barred and the walls manned against them. Apart from the risk that the rebels might try to kill him, the prince is stuck without a defensible camp—in the Borderlands. This is a good opening for groups who like to be thrown into the thick of the action right away, but such a position might frustrate those who prefer to investigate and plan first.

That is a big “if,” however. There are two independent problems— finding fifth columnists and communicating with them. Finding them is easiest if the Characters have already visited the settlement and, in a previous adventure, made an ally there. If they have done this, encourage them to make use of the ally, as it creates a sense of continuity. If they do not have a prior contact, things are harder.

Initial Elements Once a settlement slips from your grasp, there are two stages to bringing them back under your control. The first, and most obvious, is to physically seize the settlement by force. Using military might is essential as it shows you are no layabout when it comes to putting your house in order. The second, and most important, is to re-establish your authority. Otherwise, you’ll spend vast amounts of gold and lives to maintain even the most tenuous grasp on the community. Accordingly, the initial elements of this adventure concern ways to regain physical control.

The Characters might publicly offer amnesty to any residents who betray their fellows. This could draw loyalists out, but it also puts the whole settlement on guard against traitors and makes communication much harder. Alternately, they might try to spread rumours that suggest loyalists could gain benefits by supporting the prince. Getting the rumours into the settlement requires a bit of ingenuity, and they may end up having much the same effect as a public announcement. Communication is only possible if people are coming and going from the settlement. That means that it cannot be under siege. This is a little risky, as it also allows the settlement to gather its strength, and it may give other settlements the idea they can rebel if they want to. Characters who are not careful to make a show of force might find themselves with other rebellions to deal with if they seem to be taking too long with this problem.

Since the Characters have ruled this settlement, finding out the general details about its layout, identify the most important citizen, and establish a good sense for what supplies the rebels have on hand

Even if people are coming and going, open messages to and from the prince will not be permitted by the rebel leaders. The Characters need to devise a scheme for the communication and probably cannot meet directly with their ally, which means that, until they turn up for their ally to let them in, they cannot be sure that he is truly on their side. If it works, however, the Characters are able to take control with a small force, as some of the residents side with PCs, rather than with their neighbours.

Sneaking In The Player Characters may decide to sneak in and establish physical control from the inside, most likely by letting their army in. Most groups of Player Characters cannot establish physical control over a whole village by themselves, but they may come up with a superb plan that allows them to do so, most likely involving taking key hostages. Sneaking in has three main stages: getting to the walls, getting across the walls, and moving around within the settlement. Since the residents are expecting trouble, the walls are manned at all times. They are also used to looking for trouble, as it comes all too often in these regions. On the other hand, half a dozen people are not usually a big problem and have more of a chance of getting close. Lots of tests should be required, however, and getting over the walls requires some sort of plan.

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems Once inside the settlement, a plan is absolutely vital. Tests to remain hidden should be required at least once every ten minutes—more often in a public area. No matter how good the Characters are, they will be spotted before too long, so they need to know what they want to do and get on with it quickly. By far, the easiest option is opening the gates to let an army in… assuming the Characters remembered to bring their army, of course. If the Characters do manage to establish physical control without bringing an army, they subtract an additional 5 points from both the Internal and External Trouble Scores at the end of the scenario; Characters who can subdue an entire village by themselves are worthy of respect. If the Player Characters solve the problems you throw at them—or do a good job of leading the assault—then the army succeeds in taking the village, and the prince has control once more.

War! The Player Characters rule a region, so they can raise an army and attempt to retake the settlement. One possibility is to play this out as a tabletop war-gaming scenario. If you choose to take that route, consult Warhammer for inspiration. Alternately, the battle can be the set for roleplaying. Several aspects make good roleplaying material, both in and out of combat.

Leading the Assault The brave prince could lead his troops from the front. This is good for morale and convinces the army that their lord really cares about this city. It also creates the risk of being killed by an old woman dropping a chamber pot on your head.

Making Friends The prince cannot re-establish his authority if no one in the settlement recognises him. Thus, an important step is getting at least one resident on the prince’s side. There are a few ways of doing this.

Strategy Meetings Some Players really enjoy roleplaying strategic discussions and might have a great time spending hours looking at the map of the village and planning an assault. You can play sceptical or overenthusiastic members of the army.

First, if the prince was let into the settlement by one of the residents, it is a good idea to make that person into a public ally. The rewards of loyalty need to be obvious. Second, if there has been a military assault, there are casualties. The prince could give homes to loyal followers from outside the settlement. This has the advantage that the prince knows these people were not involved in the rebellion, but the disadvantage is that they are not native to the place and may, therefore, have problems living there.

Supply-side Logistics If the Characters choose to besiege the city, they have to ensure supplies for their army. This being the Borderlands, this may involve personally escorting caravans from the next settlement, bribing merchants, or raiding across the border into the next principality.

Third, the prince can elevate random members of the population, offering them amnesty and privileges in return for service. In this case, it is best to choose someone who was marginalised before, as they are unlikely to have much loyalty to the leaders of the rebellion.

Unwilling Soldiers “But that’s me mum!” The prince’s troops most likely have friends inside the town; the prince may need to lay the rhetoric on thickly to get them to fight. Another possibility is to send the reluctant troops to the other end of the principality, but that reduces the manpower available.

This element involves more roleplaying than dice rolling, as the Characters decide whom to privilege, how to go about it, and then making the announcements. It is important that they choose people who actually transfer their loyalty to the prince in return for the privileges; as long as they choose wisely, they have succeeded in this element. Stopping the other residents from rebelling is the responsibility of the other elements.

Secondary Elements The secondary elements of this adventure concern re-establishing control in the settlement. All elements have the prerequisite that the Characters have gained physical control of the settlement. However, the settlement is not a useful part of the realm as long as it needs one soldier for every two residents just to keep order. The elements in this section concern the process of getting the prince’s authority accepted once more.

Punishing Treason The prince has to punish someone; treason has been committed. It is less important whom he punishes, however. Everyone in the town is guilty, at least as far as Borderlands justice is concerned.

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Chapter VII: Internal Problems The first element means that the prince must only do this when he has finished punishing people. If the Characters hold this ceremony and then punish someone else, it becomes impossible to do it effectively. If the prince has a reputation for doing something like that in the past, he will have to put a great deal of effort into making this ceremony convincing.

The Player Characters may want to put a lot of effort into finding the genuine ringleaders and only applying the most serious punishments to those who rebelled for purely selfish reasons. This sets up a lot of excellent roleplaying and investigation as they interview the citizens of the town and run an extended court-case. If they make a serious attempt at this, they automatically succeed at this element, even if, objectively, they get the wrong people. The population is cowed by their determination and somewhat impressed by their fairness.

The second element means that the ceremony should involve the people apologising to the prince and abasing themselves before his power. If the forgiveness follows the execution of a number of rebels, the ceremony only needs to be formal. If the prince has not executed anyone, he needs to inflict some sort of penalty on everyone in return for forgiveness, such as a financial penalty.

At the other extreme, the Characters may decide whom to execute and then hold a show-trial to justify it. The success of this strategy depends on the style with which they carry it off. If it is blatantly obvious they are just executing the rich to seize their property, they gain none of the people’s respect. On the other hand, if all the victims are weak and powerless, the prince looks scared of the prominent citizens.

Climax: Return to Power If the prince succeeds in bringing the rebels under control, the ceremony of forgiveness and reconciliation forms the climax of the adventure. It doesn’t involve a lot of roleplaying, but it does form a satisfying conclusion to the struggle.

Intermediate strategies, with some investigation but little concern over people’s motives or degree of involvement, work as long as they generally get the right people. This depends on luck to some extent; the Characters should make appropriate tests while investigating, to see if they catch the trail of the right people. Failed rolls mean that the executions they carry out do not convince the population.

If the prince brings the settlement back under control, the Internal Trouble Score is reduced by 15 points, and the External Trouble Score is reduced by 3 points. Civil war makes the principality look somewhat weak, but successfully controlling it offsets that impression. However, if the prince brings the settlement back under control without killing anyone, the External Trouble Score is not reduced at all, so the default 5-point increase has its full effect. A prince who shrinks from executing traitors is clearly a lilylivered weakling and ripe for exploitation.

If the Characters fail to impress the people with their exemplary justice, they can rely on terrifying them into submission. This involves executing a fairly large number of people more or less at random; decimating the settlement would work. (That is, literal decimation: choosing one person in ten at random, and executing that person.)

If the prince fails to bring the settlement under control, he has two choices. The first is to simply let it go. In this case, there is no change to the Internal Trouble Score, and the External Trouble Score increases by 5 points, since the prince looks weak.

Gracious Forgiveness The final necessary part of re-establishing control is graciously forgiving all the rebels who haven’t been hanged. Again, this should be roleplayed in detail and elaborately stage-managed. There needs to be some sort of public ceremony, which formally reconciles the people to the prince. The ceremony needs to reassure the people that the prince has finished punishing people for the rebellion and convince them he is not a push-over who will cheerfully forgive them if they do it all over again.

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The other option is destroying the settlement, razing it to the ground, and executing or enslaving all of its inhabitants. If the prince does this, the External Trouble Score is reduced by 7 points—more than enough to offset the default increase—and the Internal Trouble Score is also reduced by 7 points, which may just be enough to prevent trouble from arising again immediately. At this point, however, the prince is ruling by pure fear.

— Treacherous Underlings —

layer Characters are not the only ones who get ideas above their station and try to take over a principality by treachery. Once they are established on the throne, other people may try to do the same to them. Preventing them from succeeding is an adventure.

can try to stop it from coming to fruition. If he does not, he only becomes aware of it when the traitor makes his move, forcing the prince to respond to the crisis.

Early Discovery

The discussion of treachery in Chapter Six: Becoming a Prince is only somewhat relevant to this section. The Player Characters must always be the active force in an adventure, which means when they are in charge, the treachery must succeed if the prince does nothing. On the other hand, they are also trying to become prince, so the treachery must fail unless they take specific actions.

This version of the adventure opens when the secret police report that one of the courtiers is engaged in suspicious activities. The prince should not simply have the courtier executed or exiled; that would make all the other courtiers fear for their positions and leave the Internal Trouble Score unchanged, guaranteeing someone else will make trouble immediately afterwards.

This adventure can take two very different forms, depending on when the Player Characters become aware of the emerging treachery. If the prince has an “Hugoville, that’s where you’ll do it. No mistakes, effective secret police force, now; lest you join her on the funeral pyre.” then he learns about it early and

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Instead, the Player Characters need to draw the traitor into incriminating himself and then

Chapter VII: Internal Problems have him arrested or exiled. As an alternative, they can frame him for treason. However, since he is actually committing treason, it is safer to produce evidence of his real activities; most groups are likely to take that approach.

traitor make the first part of his move and expose him then. If he plans to accuse the prince of foul crimes, for example, wait until he brings his evidence to the court; then, present the evidence of his conspiracy. If he hires assassins, capture them and present them as evidence.

The preliminaries to treason, gathering allies and seeking a responsible position, are not themselves treasonous. If there are reasons to suspect a courtier, the Player Characters are unlikely to appoint him to a responsible post, but that does not prevent treason by itself.

In some cases, the plans may be too dangerous to leave alone, such as if the traitor has made a pact with the Ruinous Powers. In this case, the PCs simply put the evidence before the court. The presentation of evidence should be roleplayed, as it is a dramatic moment. The traitor may brazen it out for a while, but if the Player Characters have gathered good evidence, he realises his position is hopeless. This almost certainly drives him to violence in an attempt to escape, which provides a climactic combat and further evidence of treachery.

There are two aspects to this adventure, gathering information and presenting information.

Gathering Information Potential traitors do not advertise what they are doing, so the Player Characters must work out a way to learn the traitor’s plans. The secret police cannot do this; they have served their function by providing an early warning. If the Characters want to watch distant settlements, then the secret police can help provide coverage, but all the interesting stuff will happen where the Player Characters are.

If the prince manages to seize the traitor before the evidence is presented, so that he is helpless and unable to attack, the Characters must decide what to do with him after conviction. Note that the prince gets to pass judgement on the traitor. The condition is that the evidence must be good enough to convince the court that, even if the traitor is innocent, he looks guilty to the prince. It is essential that they not think that he is acting arbitrarily; if they do, the trial has the same effect as simply executing the traitor at the outset: the Internal Trouble Score is not reduced.

It is essential to remember that the courtiers do not know which people are Player Characters. A traitor may well try to recruit one of the PCs to his cause; everyone is nominally loyal to the prince, after all. The Characters may take actions to make this more likely—have the prince feign displeasure with one of the other Player Characters, and that Character, while slightly drunk, makes disparaging remarks about the prince, for example. If this works, it gives the prince an excellent source of information.

If the court is convinced, at least partially, then dealing with the traitor does reduce the Internal Trouble Score. Executing him reduces the score by 15. However, it does not reduce the External Trouble Score; the evidence of a strong prince is offset by the weakness suggested by treason. If the Characters do not execute the traitor, the Internal Trouble Score only drops by 7—the current problem has been removed, but they have not done much to discourage other people from imitating the traitor. The External Trouble Score is increased by 2, in this case, because it looks like weakness to most of the prince’s neighbours.

More direct spying may also work. The traitor must pretend to be loyal until he springs his trap, so the prince can make sure that he is away from his home for a while by sending him on some task. That gives the PCs a chance to search for evidence or surprise allies of the traitor who were expecting to meet him. The prince can also give the other Player Characters orders that mean they have to be in places that make it easier for them to spy on the potential traitor.

Late Discovery

Ideally, the traitor should not realise that he is suspected. If he does realise it, things become harder. Some traitors will abandon their plans, at least for a while, and act loyal again. This prevents the prince from doing anything about his suspicions if he does not want to raise the ire of the other courtiers. This behaviour ends the adventure, for now, and reduces the Internal Trouble Score by 7. If this brings it below the adventure threshold, the traitor bides his time for a while, waiting until the prince is distracted by other problems (the next adventure) before he puts his plans back into operation. Next time, he is more careful, giving the Characters no advance warning and putting them in the Late Discovery situation.

If the Characters have not set in place a mechanism to spy on their own subjects, they are caught by surprise by the treasonous plot. In this case, the nature of the adventure depends a great deal on the nature of the plot, and you should choose the type that appeals most to your group.

Assassins If the traitor hires assassins to try to kill the PCs, the attempt on their life is the first that they know of it. Choose an assassination method to which the Characters can respond effectively; that probably means assassins attacking from the shadows, rather than poisoning the food. The opening act then sees one or more of the Player Characters fighting for his life.

Other traitors move their plans forward and try to catch the prince before he knows too much. This precipitates one of the events described under Late Discovery, but the prince knows something about what is planned, which should make reacting easier.

There is no necessary reason for the traitor to see the PCs as a group. However, they are likely to be closely linked, and so in most cases it is fairly easy to justify attacks on more than one Character. By pure bad luck, for the traitor, those attacks take place when the other PCs are around and can rush to aid their friends. In this way, all of the PCs can be involved from the beginning.

Presenting the Evidence If the Player Characters can gather evidence without tipping their hand, they can arrest the traitor and reveal his treachery to the court before executing him. In many cases, it is best to let the

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Denunciation The traitor may choose to denounce the prince as a criminal in front of the whole court and demand that he be removed from power. In this case, the response involves a lot of roleplaying and social rolls as the Player Characters protest their innocence and try to overcome the faked evidence. If the PCs really are evil, the evidence may be genuine, but they also have fewer scruples about how they discredit it, so everything evens out. The prince should protest his innocence and demand that the accuser be seized for treason. However, this should not be all that he does. The accuser has shown enough evidence to the other courtiers that the prince is regarded with some suspicion. The simplest way to deal with this problem is for the prince to demand to see the evidence and then demolish it, publicly, with dazzling rhetoric. Other PCs may help, but this particular betrayal is definitely better suited to Characters with skill in public speaking. In this case, it may seem obvious that the traitor is the accuser, but this is not necessarily the case. The accuser may have been set up, even steered into finding manufactured evidence. That does not mean that the PCs should not execute the accuser, but they should make sure to root out the real traitor. Failure to do so only reduces the Internal Trouble Score by 7, while the traitor gathers resources for a second try.

Investigation The attempted treachery starts this version of the adventure, but resolving it still requires finding the traitor. There are several ways that the Characters could go about it.

Once the assassins have been dealt with, the Characters need to find out who hired them. This is significantly easier if they have left some of the assassins alive.

The first is by pretending to be dead. If there was an assassination attempt or a trap, some of the Player Characters can encourage the belief the prince is dead and then wait to see who seems prepared to seize power. This can be very effective, and the psychological shock of the “dead” prince reappearing should allow the traitor to be taken prisoner.

Trap The traitor may also send the prince into a trap, such as a battle against a vastly superior foe. In this case, it is easy enough to rule that the other PCs go along to have everyone in place. This adventure begins with a fight against desperate odds.

In some cases, however, this is not an option. If assassins are still alive, they can be questioned, and the trap might have involved direct contact with the traitor; again, survivors can be questioned. Traitors who know that their plan has failed are likely to keep a low profile, so this becomes a classic murder mystery, with the twist that the intended victim is doing the investigating.

This needs to be handled carefully since, just as with the assassins, the plan is not to kill the Player Characters immediately. You should not plan for the Characters to spend Fate Points, as that is likely to generate resentment; plan a way out that can be achieved normally. The best way to do this is to provide an escape route, though it is also possible for the opponents to be substantially weaker than expected. Therefore, if an army of Orcs ambushes the Characters at the foot of a cliff, there could be a narrow path up the cliff. On the path, only one Orc can attack at a time, and at one point the path is fragile, allowing the Characters to block pursuit after a while.

The Characters do have quite a bit of leeway in their investigation. All the courtiers are aware that someone tried to betray them, and thus, as long as there is good evidence pointing at the final victim, they are not alienated by the punishment. If the Characters get the wrong person, they cannot reduce the Internal Trouble Score by more than 7 points because the traitor is still around. If the Characters get the right person and execute him, the Internal Trouble Score is reduced by 15. Again, there is no effect on the External Trouble Score. If they do not execute the traitor, the Internal Trouble Score only falls by 10—by 2 if they got the wrong person. The traitor sees the merciful treatment of the innocent victim and decides he can get away with another attempt, as long as he does something different.

The Characters should feel lucky to escape from the trap, though the Players probably realise that they were supposed to escape. The circumstances may make it obvious who set the trap. If, for example, one of the courtiers was supposed to have joined them with the army, he is a strong candidate for the traitor. On the other hand, if the group was just ambushed while travelling, it may not be certain that there was a traitor. In such ambiguous circumstances, drop a heavy hint; one of the attacking bandits says, for example: “There they are! Just like he said!”

The External Trouble Score increases by 2 if the Characters fail to execute the traitor.

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Chapter VIII: External Problems

External Problems

Chapter

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“Look, I’m a busy man. I have a wedding to plan, peasants to hang, a war to fight, and on and on. Really, this bit about being the prince was more than I bargained for. It really is work! When you say there’s an Orc Waaagh waiting just over that hill there, and he, or it, intends to raze one of my villages, do you think he’d go away if I sent him and his blokes a dozen or so peasants?”

—Prince Hamilton Remington the Ninth, Deceased

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and the hordes of Chaos are monsters. However, a particularly aggressive Human prince might be effectively a monster, while an unusually cool-headed Orc warlord might be a (very violent) neighbour.

he problems facing princes in the Borderlands are not all internally generated. In fact, external problems are somewhat more common. The system for generating problems reflects this by making it easier to reduce the Internal Trouble Score than to reduce the External Trouble Score. Solving an external problem tends to make the prince more popular with his subjects, but solving an internal problem has much less influence on external issues.

This chapter only deals with one sort of problem involving monsters; they launch raids, or more organised attacks, on the principality. Neighbours can give rise to two basic kinds of problems. In the first, they launch raids, or more organised attacks, on the principality. The only difference from monsters is that talking to them might help. In the second, two or more neighbours make conflicting requests. Both may want the prince to fight with them against the other, for example. Resolving these problems involves more negotiation, but it often also requires directed violence. Politics in the Borderlands could not be described as gentlemanly.

External problems fall into two broad types—problems with monsters and problems with neighbours. For the purposes of this chapter, something becomes a neighbour when negotiation is a reasonable strategy in dealing with it. The Characters might need to defeat it in battle first, but a long-term solution can be achieved without wiping the other group off the map. On the whole, Humans, Dwarfs, and so on are neighbours, while Orcs, Undead,

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— Raiding Monsters —

aids from bands of monsters are a fact of life in the the type of monster based on what the Players like fighting—or Borderlands, and in general, the population does not expect what they haven’t dealt with recently. Ideally, a group of the monsters the prince to deal with every should be on the map, but group of Beastmen. Sometimes, since groups of raiding creatures however, a particular group roam across the whole of the Ilsa walked through the smoking ruins of Freigburg. proves persistent and organised, Border Princes, this is not strictly “Damn Hugo,” she thought. “We’d just got this and the population looks necessary. The other aspects place rebuilt.” to their lord to remove the should be chosen specifically to The citizens were huddled in the main square, looking problem. present a challenge and require frightened. As usual. strategy beyond simply charging “Do not fear, my subjects. I will defend you from the in with their army. There might tyrant who launched this raid.” She beckoned to Stefan. et up be a number of monsters that are “Set half the men to guard the perimeter and the other immune to non-magical weapons half to rebuild the walls. I’m going to look for Hugo’s Before the adventure starts, you and could therefore annihilate camp.” need to decide on the nature of most of the army, or there might the raiders. You should choose

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simply be far too many monsters to deal with at once. Maybe the leader is intelligent and knows a lot about the prince. A single battle does not make for a very interesting adventure, so you should set things up to require slightly more than that.

raids, try to track the raiders to find their base camp, or repair the damage to settlements.

Defeating Raids

You can even turn the incident into a mini-campaign, requiring the Characters to go on a short adventure to recover some item that is essential to defeating the raiders. If you are feeling generous, you can count the quest to recover the item as part of this adventure, so there is no additional increase to the Internal and External Trouble totals.

In theory, the Player Characters would have to know a lot about the raiders before they could defend against a raid. That does not make for the best adventure, however, so you may choose to have the village where the prince chooses to stay be the next target. The raiders are in for a shock. This element comes down to combat with the raiders. While the PCs should have brought troops along, the focus is on their personal battles with the most important raiders. The raiding band is, however, outnumbered, and tries to flee fairly early in the battle. In most cases, many of the raiders are able to flee; they know the terrain, while the Player Characters do not. And while the raiders are perfectly happy to scatter, it would be very dangerous for the Characters to do so.

Opening Act: The Survivors The adventure starts when people who have suffered from the raids come to the prince and ask for his aid. This is worth roleplaying in full. The petitioners want something from the prince, so they are very respectful, treating him with all the respect that he could want. This is one of the few chances the Player Characters have to really feel like princes, so they should get the chance to enjoy it.

If the PCs are quick-thinking and manage to lure the raiders into a trap, they may be able to completely eliminate one band. This weakens the main source of the raids, but it does not stop them completely; if there were only one band involved, the local communities would be able to deal with the problem themselves.

The Characters may choose to not respond to the first petition, but the adventure does not start until they do respond. Waiting for the second or third petition does not create any resentment in the population, but you should add 1 point to the Internal Trouble Score for every further petition, until the Characters act.

Initial Elements

The Characters should be thinking about taking prisoners in these battles because prisoners can tell them about the main body of the monsters. If they do not, have an NPC mention it after the first battle, possibly asking where the prisoners are and whether they have revealed any useful information. Interrogating prisoners forms a good afterthought to this element.

Once the prince arrives in the area with his forces, there are three main activities he can engage in. He can drive off individual

Prisoners should be able to give the Characters some useful information, making it worth capturing them, but the prisoners

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Chapter VIII: External Problems should not be able to tell the PCs everything. Doing so would short-circuit some of the other elements. In normal cases, prisoners know roughly how large the group is, who is leading it, whether there are any different, more powerful monsters in the group, and what the official plan is. They may know where the main camp is, but if the group is mobile, they only know where it was. If the camp is fixed, they know where it is, but they only know what the defences were before the prince turned up to oppose the raiders. The PCs have to work to learn what prisoners know, of course. Interrogation tasks are called for; the difficulty depends on the intelligence, loyalty, and will power of the prisoner. (Obviously, taking mindless Undead prisoners is a waste of time.) Failures allow the prisoner to hide information; two or more degrees of failure allow them to get away with a lie. Hiding information can be as bad as a lie; if a raiding group consists of fifty Beastmen and fifty Bloodletters of Khorne, a captured Beastman who merely says there are one hundred of them has seriously misled the Characters.

Repairing Damage At least one community has taken substantial damage from the raids; if this were not the case, the residents would not be bothering the prince with their troubles and asking for assistance. The Player Characters may decide to take time out to help with the repairs to defences and buildings, while keeping an eye out for raiders. This element is primarily a roleplaying opportunity, where the Characters have a chance to improve and strengthen the prince’s reputation among his subjects. The prince may have to resolve disputes between the villagers over what gets repaired first or work out a way to unblock a road or river. Some tests may be required, but acting regal and wise is the most important part of this element. As this puts the PCs in one settlement for an extended period of time, it is a good option if they have no initial leads on the raiders; they can carry out repairs to fill in time while waiting for a raid. If the raiders are sneaky, you might decide that unless the Characters set very good watches, they are taken by surprise and have to fight off a raid while improperly armed and armoured.

Scouting for Raiders The Characters will need to go into the Borderlands and have a look if they are to have enough information to deal with the raiders. They may need to find the current location of the main camp or scout out the defences of a fixed one. They might also need to find a fixed one, if any prisoners have avoided saying where it is.

If the PCs put significant effort into repairs, the Internal Trouble Score immediately drops by 1 point. If you think that the Players did a very good job of roleplaying princely interactions, you can drop it by another point. Signs the prince cares about the welfare of the citizens go over very well.

Climaxes

The Players should be aware that they need to be stealthy to gather useful information; if the raiders are aware they’ve been scouted, they will try to change the defences or move the camp. If the Characters can move very quickly, they can catch the raiders in the process of altering things, but they must move fast, and that presents its own challenges.

The structure of an adventure to deal with raiders is basically very simple: learn enough to be able to defeat the raiders in battle, and then do so. Hence, in most cases, there are not really any secondary elements between the initial investigations and the climax. There may be exceptions. For example, if the group is too large for the prince’s forces to deal with en masse, the Character may lure part of them into an ambush first and then assault the main base.

For similar reasons, scouting with the whole army is a very bad idea. It practically asks to be led into an ambush, and anyone with military experience would know that. That means that you tell the Players this is dangerous if they decide to do it. They might go ahead anyway, of course, but in that case you are perfectly justified in luring them into an ambush.

Special cases may allow very different approaches. A mixed group of raiders, for example, may be vulnerable to a scheme that sets them to fighting each other before the prince’s troops move in to mop up the survivors. If your Players prefer being sneaky and political, it might be better to design raiding groups that allow that. On the other hand, if you occasionally force the Characters to rely on their weaker skills, it can produce very memorable challenges.

The Characters may go on multiple spying expeditions. If they have not received any useful information from prisoners, the first ones may have no purpose beyond getting some information to start from. Most expeditions should have specific purposes: learning the defences of the camp, counting the troops, or finding an ambush site.

Ambush!

The hazards in these elements are three-fold. First, there is the risk of being spotted, which requires Concealment and Silent Move Tests. Second, there is a risk of getting lost in the Borderlands. This is a real risk in forests and badlands, and swamps pose their own risks. Outdoor Survival Tests can abstract the problems, but some description helps to make the region come alive. Finally, there are random encounters with small groups of monsters. In the Borderlands, such encounters are entirely realistic; individuals and small bands travel around the region, preying on the weak. Powerful monsters might pose a small threat to the Characters, but all these random encounters run the risk of revealing the Characters’ location to the raiders.

As noted, it is very difficult to stop the raiders running away if they are confronted with the Characters’ superior forces. In that case, the purpose of an ambush is to make flight impossible, so the prince can annihilate the foe. Alternatively, the main group might be substantially stronger than the Player Characters’ forces, and in that case, the aim is to neutralise that advantage and give the Characters a chance of success. Planning the ambush is a substantial part of the challenge of this element. That means you should allow plans to be carried out, and if they are good plans, the Characters should be able to wipe out their enemies. Of course, if the plans are really bad, you should feel free to have the Characters suffer. Success should not, however, depend on a few lucky die rolls, nor should a couple of bad rolls spell failure.

If the PCs overcome the hazards, they should get the information they went looking for. Part of the challenge of this element is asking the right questions.

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Chapter VIII: External Problems The second part of the challenge of this element is the actual battle, so even if the ambush works perfectly, the Characters should still have to fight someone. Most often, this is no problem, but if the Characters devise a brilliant plan to, for example, trap the raiders in a gully and drown them with a flash flood, you might want to have a few climb the walls to escape and be cut down by the PCs.

is unlikely; even if the Characters do worse than expected in battle, the best that the raiders are likely to be able to do is escape, which breaks them as a major threat.

Triumph and Aftermath You should play out the cheering reception the prince receives when he returns to the settlements he has defended. Let the Players enjoy popularity; it isn’t something they see that much of, after all.

Destroying the Camp In most cases, destroying the camp is the climax of this adventure, though nomadic groups may be crushed in an ambush. The Characters may also make use of an ambush to weaken their opponents before a final push to destroy the problem at its source. As this is the climax, a long siege is probably not appropriate. The PCs should want to avoid that—supplying an army out in the Borderlands is not easy. However, the raiders in the camp also want to avoid it for the same reasons; hence, even if the Characters do not attack the camp, there is likely to be a sally. As with the ambush, you should allow the Characters to make plans and allow those plans to work. Scouting the camp and finding weak points is an important earlier part of the adventure, so attacking those weak points should be effective. As long as the Characters did not advertise their presence, the raiders should not have decided to reinforce the weaknesses the scouts discovered. As with the ambush, the plans and the battle are equally important parts of this element. If the plans were well-laid, a complete failure

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If the PCs defeated the raiders, even if part of the force was able to escape in the end, reduce the External Trouble Score by 15 points. That group is unable to cause major problems, which buys the Characters a bit of breathing room while other threats gather themselves. If the Characters fail, the External Trouble Score does not drop, and this group of raiders remains a problem, even while other problems appear. Simple defeat of the raiders lowers the Internal Trouble Score by 5 points. Complete annihilation of the raiders lowers it by 8, as the temporary absence of even minor raids convinces the population that their current prince is a good choice. The score may have been further reduced if the Characters took the time to repair settlements. Beyond this, there are no long-term consequences; bands of raiders are largely independent, and the prince has no continuing relations with them.

— Raiding Neighbours — between. The declaration might suggest the PCs are unworthy rulers and will be wiped out, or it might specify that certain territory “rightfully” belongs to the other prince. For much of the adventure, this does not matter, but it might provide hints for a negotiated settlement.

he raids on border settlements may be due to the neighbouring princes, rather than monsters. In some cases, the other prince may have hired monsters to do some of the raiding to confuse the issue, while in others, he may have gone as far as issuing a formal declaration of war. Either way, these adventures have a great deal in common with raiding monsters, so this section only discusses the differences. The most important difference to bear in mind is that relations with the neighbouring prince almost certainly do not end with the resolution of this adventure; even if the current prince is killed, he has heirs who might want to avenge the death of their father.

Opening Scene The opening scene can be the same as for raiding monsters, and, indeed, the survivors might be reporting raids by monsters, if the other prince has decided to hire them.

Unless you want the Players to start off thinking that monsters are responsible, and to be surprised when they discover the hand of another prince behind everything, it is better to have a formal declaration of war. This distinguishes the adventure from raiding stories and makes it more memorable.

Initial Elements

Ilsa sat on the back of her black mare, stroking her dagger while she considered the pathetic town of Hugoville. The “Duke” had gone too far with Freigburg. She could tolerate some activity on her borders, but to raze one of her towns...enough. She clucked her tongue and turned the steed back towards the encampment where her men waited. Tomorrow, the Duke would feel her wrath.

The other main possibility is a formal declaration of war from the neighbouring prince. He sends an embassy to the court of the prince, which delivers a message of defiance. The embassy could be a single individual who delivers a sealed letter and flees before it can be opened, a group of a dozen courtiers and guards, richly attired, who boldly proclaim defiance in the face of the whole court, or anything in

All of the initial elements of the Raiding Monsters adventure can be used essentially unchanged. Raids can still be beaten off, and there is still damage to repair. The involvement of another prince does open up some other options, however.

Diplomacy

The PCs may decide to try to negotiate a peace. One option is to simply give in to the other prince’s demands—if they are reasonable. This is a very bad option, as it doesn’t lower the Internal Trouble Score or the External Trouble Score. Neighbours decide the PCs are weak, their lands

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Chapter VIII: External Problems ripe for the taking, and the subjects of the prince lose confidence in his ability to protect them from anything. There are other diplomatic options, however. Most rely on convincing the other prince he has more to lose by fighting than by coming to terms; such tactics work well after some battles have taken place. Indeed, diplomacy as a first option cannot actually solve the problem; the other prince would lose too much face if he backed down right away. Offering a face-saving option for when he does back down is important, however, because it leaves that option open. Some diplomatic options, on the other hand, rely on convincing servants of the prince to oppose him. If the prince faces a rebellion at home, he has no choice but to abandon foreign adventures; princes in the Borderlands simply do not have the resources to fight multiple wars at once. The prince himself is very unlikely to go as an ambassador. However, another PC might take on the role, and the prince should certainly play a major role in designing the embassy. If the Characters hope to buy off one of the other prince’s subordinates, the prince might well meet the traitor at some point. Whatever the approach taken, it is very difficult to properly resolve this adventure without opening diplomatic relations, and so this element is a prerequisite for final success.

Counter-Attack Unlike raiding monsters, princes have other lands, lands they might have left vulnerable while sending forces to raid. If the prince can provide good defences against the raids, he might have the most impact by attacking somewhere else, where the prince is not defending as well as he might.

with the neighbour. The adventure is not over until the war is, and the war is not over until some sort of negotiated settlement is reached. Under very special circumstances, the PCs may be able to utterly defeat the opposing prince, taking his castle and taking control of all his lands. However, this is best run as a Conquest adventure, following the resolution of this war, unless the neighbouring principality is very small.

This is, obviously, a calculated risk. The prince is also leaving an area with lighter defences than he might manage, in order to launch his attack. The chances of success of this action should depend on how much effort the PCs put into calculating the risk.

Hence, although the Ambush! and Destroying the Camp elements described for Raiding Monsters still apply, they describe interactions with the raiding force, rather than with the whole force of the neighbouring principality. Even wiping out the whole of the attacking force does not end the adventure, as the neighbouring prince might choose to send more forces to seek revenge.

The strategy depends on speed and secrecy at first, and then on getting as much publicity as possible. If the opposing prince realises that his lands are about to be attacked elsewhere, he can either throw all his forces into the attack in the hopes of winning before the Characters can do anything, or he can move other forces to strengthen his defences without giving up the assault. In either case, things are likely to go badly for the PCs. On the other hand, if the prince does not hear about the destructive raids on his territory, he will not know he should be withdrawing troops from harassing the Player Characters’ territory. This is not an ethically admirable strategy; it involves attacking and killing fairly innocent peasants to stop their prince attacking and killing fairly innocent peasants somewhere else. As such, you may want to make it rather more likely to succeed than strict realism would allow, particularly if the Characters agonise over the rights and wrongs of what they are doing. If the Characters succeed, they move the battlefield to the other prince’s lands and provide grounds for a negotiated settlement.

Secondary Elements One major difference between this adventure and Raiding Monsters is that the climax is almost always a negotiated peace

Taking high-ranking enemies prisoner is a very good idea in this adventure. They can be held as hostages and exchanged during the peace negotiations so that the other side can claim to have gained something. On the other hand, killing high-ranking enemies builds up a strong dislike from the other prince. He might not attack again immediately, but he will not form any alliances with the PCs, and he will watch for signs of weakness.

Climax: A Just and Lasting Peace The chances of the Player Characters actually managing a just and lasting peace in the Borderlands of the Old World are even worse than the chances of achieving such in the real world; which is to say, virtually nil.

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Chapter VIII: External Problems However, a peace treaty that will last for a while, and at least brings a genuine end to the current hostilities, is a real possibility. Real negotiations only start when one side has won a significant victory. If the other prince has taken over a settlement and defended against an attempt by the PCs to retake it, he might be ready to negotiate a peace that allows him to keep it. On the other hand, if Characters have wiped out his attacking army, he probably wants peace to avoid the risk of losing his own lands.

Scorched Earth An alternative to raiding to take territory, or just for loot, is raiding to destroy a settlement or resource for good. This makes it a lot harder to return to friendly relations, but it can be a good way to scare someone into backing off. It is also appropriate as a reprisal for a similar attack on your own lands. Some common versions of these tactics are listed here.

Once real negotiations are a possibility, the two princes and their advisers meet to discuss terms. The essential point is that both sides must be able to claim to have gained something from the negotiations; this claim might be as minor as firm recognition of a border or the return of captured hostages, or as major as lordship over a town. Unconditional surrender is dealt with in the discussion of Conquest on page 107.

Fire and Murder The simplest version of scorched earth is the literal one; the attackers set fire to everything they can and kill as many people as they can. It causes panic and delays reconstruction, but it rarely completely destroys an area. To make sure that everything burns, you have to do it systematically.

As long as both sides can claim to have gained something, the peace treaty can take a range of forms, and those forms depend on how the negotiation progresses. The negotiation should be roleplayed and appropriate tests called for. If the Player Characters have something to offer, and are willing to accept what the opponent can offer, a treaty will be agreed. If they do well in the negotiations, they get better terms.

Poisoning the Well This option can involve simply dumping dead bodies in the water, though that may not last very long. Mineral poisons are more persistent, and some groups might even use Warpstone. In some areas of the Borderlands, poisoning is extremely effective, as no one can live in that area until the well is usable once more.

A basic treaty subtracts 5 points from both the Internal and External Trouble Scores because the prince stops the war. If he had to give up part of his territory to do this, there are no additional gains. If, on the other hand, he ensures the other prince gains nothing from the war, the External Trouble Score is reduced by a further 5 points, for a total of 10. If he manages to get the other prince to pay some sort of compensation for damage caused, reduce the Internal Trouble Score by a further 5 points, as the prince’s subjects come to believe he is looking out for their interests.

Razing a Settlement The attackers completely destroy a settlement, demolish and burn all structures, wreck any fortifications, and kill or carry off all of the inhabitants. Selling the inhabitants into slavery is traditional, but in the Borderlands, it is often more trouble than the money is worth.

Salting the Fields

If the prince does so well in battle and negotiation that he actually manages to take a settlement from his neighbour’s control, probably as a result of effective counter-raiding, the External Trouble Score is reduced by another 5 points, most likely for a total reduction of 15 points. (In most cases, the prince would be better off exchanging taken land to restore the status quo ante.) However, the Internal Trouble Score can fall by no more than 5 points for the whole adventure, as the acquisition of new subjects brings increased internal tension.

Ploughing salt into the fields makes them unsuitable for agriculture for years. This option also covers burning or chopping down orchards or vines, as they take years to grow. It is harder to do this with livestock, but simply stealing entire herds has a similar, if less prolonged, effect. Some princes do gather enough salt or sulphur to poison a whole area and make the ground unsuitable even for pastoral farming.

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— Conflicting Requests —

he politics of the Border Princes can be as complex as they are deadly, and anyone who becomes a prince eventually gets caught up in them. One of the more common problems is that princes become the subjects of competing demands from nearby lords, making it very hard to maintain peace by diplomacy.

Set-Up

Unlike many of the adventures described in this chapter, those involving conflicting requests can be successfully completed without a single swing of a sword. Instead of bloody combats, the encounters are resolved by roleplaying through the negotiations and diplomacy. This sort of adventure works well as a change of pace between more violent episodes, and it can easily lead into further warfare, if the Characters do not handle the events as well as they might.

Before running this adventure, you must decide which other princes are involved, what they want, and why they are turning to the Player Characters. As you already know quite a bit about the princes of the area, this is mostly a matter of picking the appropriate individuals for the story you want. The first time you run an adventure of this type, it is probably best to have only two other princes involved. However, if the Players are used to political adventures, you can start with four other princes, and all the alliances, enmities, and ancient feuds simmering between them.

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Chapter VIII: External Problems The simplest background for this adventure is that two princes are at war, and both ask the PCs to join their side. This provides a dilemma, as well as the opportunity for lots of betrayal or masterful diplomacy, while keeping the issues clear; there are no ancient plots to unravel.

Making Internal Trouble Another option is to have external enemies stir up internal trouble when an external problem is called for. In this case, the adventure proceeds much as described in the last chapter. However, the Characters also have the chance to discover the hand of foreign powers behind the discontent or treachery and then expose it.

Topics other than war can be the subject of diplomacy. There might be no war yet, but one prince still wants a defensive alliance, for example. Alternatively, if the PC controls a useful economic resource, neighbouring princes might want preferential access to it. One prince might want the right to cross the Characters’ realm, while another wants to keep the Characters as a buffer state and is willing to pay for the service rendered.

If the Characters make clear to the instigator that they know he was behind it, successful resolution of the problem also reduces the External Trouble Score by 15 points, in addition to its effect on internal stability. This is a good choice if both scores have gotten high, as it provides the opportunity to bring both down at once—and maybe get the principality out of a crisis.

Personal matters can also lead to complex diplomacy. If two other princes hate each other, any move that favours one makes an enemy of the other. A prince obsessed with establishing a dynasty might try to make marriage alliances. A Priest might demand Temples to his God, and his God only, be built in the principality, creating conflict with the citizens rather than another prince. Further, princes might have ulterior motives. This is hard to carry off fairly in roleplaying; if you try to hide the ulterior motives, the PCs are likely to be tricked, whereas if you make them obvious, there is no challenge. These are best used later in a campaign, when the Player Characters already know quite a lot about the personalities and goals of the princes surrounding them and can hence be suspicious based on prior knowledge. A prince notorious for wars of conquest who asks for a peace treaty probably has something else in mind, while one famous for his obsessive hatred of another prince is unlikely to be entirely above-board when asking for a trade deal. Finally, increasing the number of princes involved is the easiest way to increase the complexity. If they are not all asking for quite the same thing, this opens the possibility of a true diplomatic solution. It shouldn’t be easy, but having it appear to be possible can help keep the Players interested. However, the more NPCs involved, the more difficult it is for you to keep track of all the plots. Again, this might be better done later in a campaign, when you are thoroughly familiar with all the princes and able to keep their plots straight without extensive effort.

Opening Scene: Diplomatic Overtures This adventure opens, obviously, with the other princes arriving to present their requests. For this adventure, they are requests, not demands; demands indicate the opening of a warlike adventure. Since the meat of the adventure is the attempt to reconcile conflicting sets of requests, all sets must be presented in the opening stages. In most cases, you want to present them in quick enough succession that the Characters do not have time to agree to one request before they hear the other. The easiest way to do that is to have all the envoys arrive at the same time, but if done too often, this quickly looks strained. If the PCs learn not to make over-hasty responses to requests, you have a bit more leeway; after experiencing a couple of adventures like this, the Characters might instinctively wait after receiving a request, to see what the complicating factor is going to be. On the other hand, sometimes the best complications come from having the Characters agree to one deal, only to then get a better

Of course, if the Characters fail to deal with the problems, they almost certainly lose their principality, since there are internal traitors supported by a foreign power. These high stakes mean that, for purposes of playability, you should only use this sort of plot when the Characters’ rulership is at a crisis point anyway.

offer from elsewhere or learn of possible serious problems. For example, they might only learn that their neighbour is currently at war with four different princes after they have agreed to a defensive alliance, committing themselves to helping him. In this case, the Characters want to get out of one agreement and into another, without giving themselves a reputation for treachery. If your Players enjoy this sort of adventure, you will want to use it a lot. In that case, sometimes the offers should be simple, aboveboard, exactly what they seem, and without complications. The PCs should get a clear benefit, probably in the form of a reduction to the Internal and External Trouble Score, for virtually no effort. Obviously, you don’t want to do this often; it does not create stories. If you never do it, however, the Characters will never agree to anything, being sure a problem will appear as soon as they do. If they know that, sometimes, things are as they seem, they might be cautious, but they are likely to make agreements, which sets them up for adventures on occasion.

Negotiation Elements Unlike most of the other adventure structures described in the Campaign section, negotiations do not divide into initial and secondary elements. There is nothing the Player Characters cannot do early in the process, if they wish, though there are some options that have a much higher chance of success if done following the successful completion of others. There is, however, a clear climax; the Characters reach an agreement of some sort. The agreement may have consequences, but they are not part of this adventure.

Negotiation Actual negotiation is an important part of this adventure type; indeed, it is almost always the central element. This is most fun if handled largely through roleplaying; bringing things down to a die roll is fine for a peripheral bit of haggling over armour but not for the central part of an adventure.

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However, this does raise the problem of possible mismatch between the abilities of the Characters and the abilities of the Players. This works in both directions; a skilled Player might be able to make up for a Character with no Charm skill and a Fel of 22%, while the Player of the politician with Charm +20%, Schemer, and Fel 70% is virtually mute. Indeed, since a lot of people enjoy playing Characters with different abilities from their own, this is quite likely.

same Player, this is a serious problem. On the other hand, if everyone gets their turn, things balance. This might not be feasible if a couple of the Characters are clearly much better negotiators than the others; the group is likely to want those two to dominate the discussion.

One way to get around this is to require die rolls and roleplaying. Get the Players to state their aims for a particular bit of negotiation, and then play that out. At the end, they make an opposed Charm Test (or Haggle, or another appropriate social skill). You assign the difficulty of the test based on how well the roleplaying went. Minimal roleplaying means an Average (+0%) Test; the inarticulate should not penalise their Characters. Exuberant and entertaining roleplaying is worth a Routine (+10%) Test, unless the content of the roleplaying was really bad. Penalties should only be assessed if the approach the Player took strikes you as positively counterproductive. On the other hand, the test should only be Easy (+20%) if you thought the arguments were very good and well presented, and Very Easy (+30%) Tests should be reserved for times when you are not only convinced, you want to applaud.

In those cases, you can allow two (more is likely to be unwieldy) Characters to participate in negotiations, but test the better skill. The bonus or penalty for roleplaying should be based on the performance of both Players, but the skill of the weaker Character does not hamper things. Even in this case, you should beware of letting one of the Players dominate, particularly if he is playing the less articulate Character. In the end, though, negotiation is like combat in that Players must take turns in the spotlight, and unlike it in that they must wait a bit longer between turns. Of course, they get longer turns when it comes round. If the negotiations are being well roleplayed, the other Players can enjoy watching, and as long as everyone gets a fair chance at the spotlight, the problem can be solved.

Intelligence Gathering

Obviously, an inspired and articulate Player in control of an inspired and articulate Character is going to walk away with negotiations under this system; this is not necessarily a bad thing if you take it into account while planning the adventure. Before long, the other princes will know that that person is silvertongued, and they will lay plans that assume they will not come out of detailed negotiations on top.

Negotiations go more easily if the Characters know more about their opposite numbers. This might let them spot traps or come up with alternative offers that would be much more effective than you might think. This might be as simple as learning the envoy really likes Bretonnian wine and making sure to serve him some to put him in a good mood. These sorts of things are worth a +10% bonus on negotiation tests because the Characters have to do other work to get the bonus.

Another possible problem is that negotiations can easily become dialogues between you and one of the Players. If it is always the

They could also be very complex. For example, the Characters might be able to discover that a particular courtier, while

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Chapter VIII: External Problems undeniably competent, is under some suspicion at the other court. If the deal involves a remote military outpost, the Player Characters could insist that that courtier be the one sent to man it. This makes things more attractive to the other prince, because he can get rid of a problem courtier while flattering him: “The other prince insisted you were the only person competent enough to fill the post.” The Player Characters also get the opportunity to work on someone whose loyalty might already be suspect and might possibly provoke treason in their favour. In these cases, some of the benefit comes from the possible results in the future, but a bonus to the immediate negotiation tests is also reasonable. Intelligence gathering requires time. That means stalling the negotiations while Characters go hunting for information. Making diplomatic negotiations go slowly does not appear to be particularly difficult, so you might make all negotiation tests Very Easy (+30%)—and automatic successes if you would award a roleplaying bonus—if the only aim is to spin things out for another day or two.

deal with anyone at all underhanded would leave him with no allies. Thus, they will not investigate the source of a problem for the other party to the negotiation. While they are almost sure they know who is responsible, they want plausible deniability. Even if the ploy is unmasked, most princes overlook it if the actions taken were not particularly wicked. Plying citizens with alcohol until they riot might not be particularly wicked from this perspective. All the prince’s agents did was supply free drink; it was the citizens who decided to riot. Again, this should be a single element of a larger adventure, not an adventure by itself. Thus, if the Players come up with something plausible, they should be allowed to put the plan into operation fairly quickly, and they should swiftly know whether they have succeeded or failed. If the action is taken against them, they should learn early on and be able to either prevent or repair the damage quickly. Success is not guaranteed; what is guaranteed is a fast resolution. The effect of tipping the playing field is to make one option vastly more attractive than another. If the PCs are pushing for one option, it is now easy for them to move to an agreement. If, on the other hand, they are trying to avoid committing themselves in an endless feud, it becomes more difficult, and the benefits of picking a side become more pronounced.

Actually getting the information requires other activities— standard spying. This is, of course, a good way to get Characters who are not made for courtly negotiations involved in the adventure. As such, it should be possible to learn something useful in a single scene of an adventure, rather than taking up a whole play session, particularly if one or more of the PCs are back home spinning the negotiations out. This means tailoring the challenges to the Characters involved, so they need to use their best skills intelligently, rather than being challenged by their weaknesses.

Agreement and Aftermath The actual agreement is the result of a final negotiating session. If one envoy is to be disappointed, the results must also be announced to him. These scenes should be handled through roleplaying.

Some information gathering can take place without leaving the site of the negotiations. Envoys have escorts, and those escorts know things about the envoys, things that can be used to help the negotiations along. Simply spying on the envoys within the castle could also yield useful knowledge. Skilled envoys know to be very careful about what they say, even outside the negotiation room, but not all of the Border Princes can manage skilled envoys.

The aftermath of the agreement is at least as important as the agreement itself. First, the agreement may immediately involve the Characters in a war. In this case, the Internal and External Trouble Scores do not receive the default increase between adventures, as long as the war is the next thing to be dealt with. In most cases, however, the results will be a bit more subtle.

Tipping the Playing Field In the Borderlands, princes only play on a level playing field if there is absolutely no way they can tilt things to their advantage. Such manoeuvring can backfire, but most negotiators will try it. This means that this plot element can figure in the adventure in two ways; the PCs can try to gain an advantage over their opponents, or the opponents can try to do it to the Player Characters. Thus, this section discusses both sides. Possible ways of tipping the playing field depend on the content of the negotiations. Seducing the prince’s daughter into an unsuitable affair will have very little influence on a negotiation over trade rights but could bring a rival prince’s marriage negotiations to a swift close. Similarly, demolishing a bridge has little influence on marriage but has the potential to make one trade deal look far more attractive than another. The risk of tipping the playing field is that, even if you succeed, if the other party finds out that you were responsible, they may refuse to deal with you on the grounds that you are untrustworthy. Player Characters may decide for themselves what to do in such circumstances, but the typical Border Prince realises refusing to

It is very likely that the Characters end with a new friend and a new enemy. This alone leaves external politics unchanged, so you should reduce the External Trouble Score by 5. If the Characters manage to make allies without offending anyone, reduce the External Trouble Score by 20. This should be almost impossible to manage, but if they do, the neighbours become reluctant to cause trouble for a while. You should apply additional modifiers based on the precise results of the negotiations. A new trade route, for example, should reduce the Internal Trouble Score, thanks to increased prosperity, while a spectacular royal wedding might reduce the Internal Trouble Score very slightly. There are so many possible types of negotiation that it is impossible to generalise; you should use your judgement. The aftermath of the agreement should also have definite effects on the form of future external problems. An offended prince is the one who sends raids, or monster raids are provoked by the ability to attack caravans on the new trade route. Again, however, this cannot be generalised.

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble

Making Trouble

Chapter

IX

“Three raids, twenty peasants murdered, my horse poisoned, daughter seduced... the crimes go on and on. I suppose it’s time we went out and drew some blood, or something.”

— Prince Paulus the Short-Lived

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he previous two chapters have concerned things that just happen to the principality and to which the Characters have to respond. Effective princes do not, however, just sit there waiting for things to go wrong. They take strong, positive action to make sure things go wrong. While they might describe this as fixing the problem before it starts, the net result is that an adventure is created, and the result of the adventure can affect their standing in the area. Active adventuring is, however, about the only way Characters can improve the standing of their principality. If they start with a very small and weak one, because they simply took over a single settlement, they have very little choice if they want to survive. There is an almost infinite variety of things that Characters might do to try to improve their position, and this Chapter cannot hope

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to possibly cover all of them. Instead, it concentrates on three broad classes: concluding alliances, conquering new territory, and gaining new resources. As all the adventures in this section are initiated by the Players, they are not given fixed opening scenes. You should still set up something memorable if possible, but that depends on what the Players want their Characters to do. These adventures should only happen if the Players want them to happen; the adventures in the previous two chapters are suitable for things that happen whether the Players want them or not. Hence, you should ask the Players to tell you when they want to try one of these options and what exactly they plan to do. You can then design the adventure, knowing the Players are interested in pursuing it.

— Alliances —

he process of forming an alliance involves a lot of negotiation, and almost all the information given in the final section of Chapter Eight: External Problems also applies. The key difference is that the PCs take the initiative, and there is not necessarily a conflict between different people; they might actually be able to achieve an outcome that is good for everyone and best for them.

However, they must do their homework. Simply turning up at a neighbouring prince’s castle and asking for an alliance is very unlikely to work. The Characters need to know what they can offer and what the other prince needs. It would help if they were also aware of the political relations between all the other princes in the area, so they have some idea of the enemies they are likely to acquire. Thus, these adventures are likely to start with informationgathering expeditions, rather than with embassies to other princes. The main exception is if the Characters have been active in the region for some time and already know all the princes.

If the Characters do not try to keep the negotiations secret, or at least quiet, there is a very good chance another prince tries to prevent the formation of the alliance, possibly by offering an alternative alliance or by simply threatening both parties with dire consequences if they do ally. The latter course is risky, of course, as the two princes may decide that an alliance to deal with the threat is the best course. Information gathering, tilting the playing field, and negotiation are all vital. Success in the adventure gives the Characters an alliance with an external prince. Assuming the prince is at least equal in power to the PCs, this reduces the External Trouble Score by 10 points and the Internal Trouble Score by 5. If the other prince is weaker than the Player Characters but still a significant ally, the External Trouble Score still drops by 10 points, but there is no effect on the Internal Trouble Score; people are not so impressed by the alliance. If the other prince is a lot weaker, the

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble External Trouble Score only drops by 5 points. Other rivals merely pause to assess the effects of the new configuration of power, but the alliance makes little difference to their calculations. Once a prince is in an alliance, he is made vulnerable by attacks on the other member of the alliance, as well as to attacks on himself. In principle, you should track the external problems of the allies as well, but in practice, this is not possible. NPCs do not have adventures, and so you can never know when to have something happen. Instead, you can decide whether external problems for the PCs affect them directly or affect their ally. If the problem is really a problem for the ally, solving it has the listed effect on the External Trouble Score but no effect on the

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Internal Trouble Score. Completely ignoring the problem reduces the External Trouble Score by 10 points, as the prince abandons his ally and loses a whole set of potential problems. Naturally, such action ends the alliance. On the other hand, if the problem is actually for the prince, the ally may offer help. This is up to you to determine, and the ally’s help should always be off-stage, so the actions of the PCs dominate play. However, in many cases, it gives them an extra army, which makes many more strategies both possible and sensible. The Characters must feel an ongoing benefit from having an ally, or they are likely to abandon him at the first opportunity. (Well, unless they are noble and virtuous.)

— Conquest —

onquest is the obvious way to increase the strength and size of a principality. Indeed, it is pretty much the only way; very little ommon of the Borderlands is actually empty. There are two main options. First, the Characters might try to take a single settlement and Ilsa walked through the smoking ruins of Hugoville, the surrounding area from a exulting. She had defeated her rival, and now she ruled neighbouring prince. Second, the largest principality in the region. The citizens were the Characters might try to huddled in the main square, looking frightened. conquer an entire principality, She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came adding it to their own at one out, her breath stolen by the intense pain from her back. fell swoop. These two strategies She fell to the ground, and as her consciousness faded she heard Stefan say, “Alas, our brave prince has been killed have many points in common by assassins in the pay of Duke Hugo. Hang that man but also important differences. now. Who could possibly take over in her place?” The common points will be Ilsa tried her hardest to actually die before hearing her treated together, followed by troops cheer Prince Stefan, but she failed. sections considering the points that differ.

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Elements Both forms of conquest involve large-scale battles between two sets of forces. This is, therefore, a good opportunity to use tabletop war game rules. However, you may well prefer to stick to roleplaying, and even if you do use Warhammer to resolve large battles, there is still a lot that can be roleplayed in the attendant events. A number of these possibilities are very similar to those given

Chapter IX: Making Trouble

Relative Power Realistically, the chances of succeeding in conquest should depend on the relative sizes of the armed forces of the two areas and their level of training. However, this book deliberately avoids quantifying the resources (including the armies) available to the PCs, so it can concentrate on adventures. This means you have to decide whether something is realistic. To be fair, you must tell the Players in advance whether they have a chance of winning against a particular neighbour. You may decide a particular battle would be difficult and make the adventures harder, but again, the Players should be told in advance. The Characters, after all, would have a good idea of their relative strength. The Players may come up with unexpected adventure ideas and ask whether they would level the playing field. If you like the adventure idea and think it conceivably could, then it is best to say that it does. That way, the Players will send their Characters on a fun adventure. Remember the purpose of this campaign is not to simulate running a country. It is to use that situation to generate fun and challenging adventures. So, even if a particular scheme could not realistically let one country overthrow another, it is reasonable to let it succeed if it involves a fun and challenging adventure. The Characters are hardly going to run out of challenges just because they conquer one neighbour.

under Raiding Monsters and Raiding Neighbourss in Chapter Eight: External Problems. As many details are already given there, this section just considers the differences that arise when conquest is the aim.

Gathering Information This is almost exactly the same as in other contexts, as the defences of the target are still the main topic of concern. The main difference is that the PCs intend to rule this location after the battle, so they are interested in other information as well. Most obviously, they are looking for a way to conquer the place without destroying it. However, when scouting a settlement, they should also be trying to identify the leaders, with a view to either removing them or converting them. Thus, you should design the situation to give the PCs the chance to learn that. This may mean deciding that one of the community leaders is actually directing some activity (such as improving defences) when the Characters are in the area, so the PCs can watch. This does not mean making things easy for the Characters; watching a group for any length of time might require good strategy and a number of good stealth rolls. However, it does mean providing them with the opportunities to learn information that might be useful to them.

Diplomacy Diplomacy works much as described in Chapter Two: Princes on page 33. The Characters may try to persuade a prince to give up control over a settlement or try to persuade the leaders of a settlement they should betray their current lord and serve the PCs. In some cases, the Characters may also need to engage in negotiations to keep other princes out of the battle, particularly if their target has allies. While the goals differ, the process is as described before, so there is no need to say more here.

Battle Battles are a central part of conquest, and so they should be a central part of the adventure. It is not hard coming up with a challenge here; there is a whole army to fight. However, you should give some thought as to how the Characters get involved. While it might be realistic for the prince to hold back from the fight and simply direct his troops, it is not very exciting for the Players. On the other hand, it is completely unreasonable for there to be no defenders around the prince at all. Fortunately, this helps; the defenders explain why, despite fighting in the middle of an army, the prince is not completely overwhelmed by opponents and actually has a chance to be victorious. The actions of the PCs should determine the outcome of the battle, particularly as you decide on the relative power of the two regions. It is generally better if at least some of those actions take place in the battle. Thus, the PCs should face important members of the opposing forces. This fits dramatic fiction; the leaders of one faction tend to face the leaders of the other. Their degrees of victory influence the degrees of victory of their forces, while if they lose, their side may be beaten back. (Characters who spend a Fate Point to survive falling on the field of battle are picked up by their forces and carried to safety.)

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble The way in which the outcome depends on the Characters’ fighting depends on the quality of their actions in preparing for the battle. If they scouted carefully and designed a plan that impressed you with its brilliance, then even if they all have to spend Fate Points to survive, you might rule that the army wins the engagement, though much of the opposing army is able to retreat safely, and all the leaders survive. On the other hand, if their plan was poor or non-existent, you might require them to achieve a crushing victory in their fight for their forces to so much as hold their ground. If the plans were decent but nothing impressive, then the whole battle follows the fortunes of the Characters’ particular fight.

Other Adventures The system for raising Internal and External Trouble Scores is designed so the Characters can take a break from running their principality if desired. As noted in Chapter Five: General Aims, other adventures do not normally affect either of the trouble scores, so that both just rise by the default 5 points. However, sometimes it might make sense for the adventure to have an effect. If, for example, the Characters wipe out a large settlement of Orcs and acquire vast quantities of treasure, you should reduce both scores. The Orcs can no longer make trouble, so the External Trouble Score should fall, and the added wealth, and evidence of the power of the prince, makes internal trouble less likely. On the other hand, an adventure in which the Characters accidentally insult a neighbouring prince might make external problems more likely.

If possible, the Characters should be given the chance to do something in the battle that will have an effect regardless of the battle’s overall outcome. For example, they might have the chance to capture an important courtier from the other principality or seize a banner of great symbolic value. As this is something that clearly could not have happened if the Characters were not there, it gives their presence a clear importance that might otherwise be lacking. Although you decide the outcome of the battle based on their success, there is not, in the game world, a direct causal relation between their actions and the outcome. A particular possible action for the PCs is the prevention of destruction. That is, they could have the opportunity to stop their own troops destroying something within the settlement they are trying to conquer. This opportunity underlines the difference between attempted conquest and simple desire to destroy, while also providing something that clearly would not have been done by the army without the Player Characters. It also provides a good change of mood within a combat scenario; there is still a great deal of urgency, but the Characters are trying to stop violence rather than perform it. This may be best done with attempts to destroy physical things, such as burning down buildings. However, if your group can handle it, you can give the Players the opportunity to prevent the slaughter of innocents. The main problem is that it must be possible for the Characters to fail, in which case they get to watch their own troops slaughter children; the Players might not enjoy such elements, which is the best possible reason for avoiding them.

Settlements The key difference between the conquest of a settlement and of a principality is that, in the former case, the Characters are attempting to detach people from their old ruler and retain their loyalty while the old ruler still exists and holds power, but in the latter case, they aim to destroy and replace the old ruler. While this section talks as if the Characters must be trying to take control of a single settlement, this need not be the case. They might, for example, be trying to take control of two or three villages that lie close together on one side of a river and, thus, push the border of their principality back to the river. Every additional settlement makes the task harder but does not change its fundamental nature.

Claiming the Territory At some point, the PCs must claim the territory they want to conquer. This involves taking physical control of the settlement, so that the other prince has to fight to drive them out. The Characters could send an envoy announcing they ruled all the settlements, but the other prince would not take them seriously. He might decide to teach them a lesson for their arrogance, but they would not get the settlement.

On the whole, an adventure that is not directly connected to the state of the principality should not change either score by more than 5 points, in addition to the default rise. Therefore, even one that inspires confidence and reduces external threats should do no more than offset the default increase. This may not be entirely realistic, but it does mean that the Player Characters cannot sustain their principality “by accident,” they must actually work at it. However, this rule must be subordinated to the rule of fun. If the Players all want a break from political adventures, ignore the External and Internal Trouble Scores completely, and let them hunt Skaven, or whatever, for a while. When they are ready for politics again, the scores are unchanged, and they can look at improving the situation. Taking physical control involves putting an armed force in the settlement and then establishing control. These activities are covered in the Rebellious Settlement section in Chapter Seven: Internal Problems on page 91. Indeed, this part of conquering a settlement is almost exactly the same as bringing a rebellious settlement under control, so the guidelines can be used almost as they stand. The main difference is that the inhabitants have not actually rebelled against the Player Characters, which makes it harder to establish control by executing people for treason. It is possible to punish people for taking action against the Characters after they arrive, but punishing them for being loyal to their previous prince merely creates even more resentment. Elevating people who were outsiders to positions of power is still a viable strategy, but in this case, the Characters can also try co-opting the previous leaders. Their loyalty to their old lord may not have been particularly deep, and the PCs might be able to win them over quite easily. Indeed, some Characters may do that before sending an army to the settlement, in which case taking physical control is extremely easy, and calming the settlement is not difficult. The leaders do not speak for everyone, so some opposition is to be expected, but with the aid of a significant number of the residents, it is easier to put down. The most important difference between this challenge and the challenge of bringing a rebellious settlement under control is the time limit. The other prince will learn of the attack and gather a

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble force to rectify matters. The Characters can buy themselves more time by stopping people from leaving the settlement to carry news, but they cannot keep it secret forever. If they do not manage to bring the settlement under control before the other prince arrives, they will find it very hard to hold on to their prize.

If the Characters succeed in adding the settlement to their lands, the External Trouble Score is reduced by 10. The Characters have demonstrated strength and made their realm more powerful, so their neighbours think twice before attacking or making other kinds of trouble.

The Siege

The effect on the Internal Trouble Score depends on how the Characters handled subduing the settlement. If they were very lenient, leaving most of the former inhabitants alive and in their homes, then the Internal Trouble Score is unchanged. The former citizens of the other principality are somewhat likely to cause trouble and might well rebel and declare that they are still loyal to their former lord.

At some point, the former ruler comes to try to reclaim his lands. The Characters do not have secure control of the settlement until this has happened, so they must deal with it somehow. A prolonged siege is unlikely to be fun to roleplay, as a large part of the point is that nothing much happens. A brief siege, followed by a bold sally to break the besieging armies, is more likely to be enjoyable. Alternately, the Characters may try to avoid a siege altogether by defeating the forces despatched to besiege the settlement before they can even begin. The elements of this section are almost identical to those involved in dealing with Raiding Neighbours (see page 100). In this case, the PCs are the aggressors, but that does not change what they have to do. The Characters are simply interested in defeating and driving off the forces sent against them and possibly in capturing leaders to give them a stronger bargaining position in the final negotiations.

Final Negotiations and Consequences The adventure ends successfully with negotiations in which the other prince acknowledges the Characters are now the rulers of the settlement. That does not mean that he will not try to regain it in the future, but for now, the Characters have an acknowledged victory in the adventure. The adventure could also end with the Characters driven back from their attempt, confined to their original borders. If the Characters fail, there is no effect on either the External or Internal Trouble Score, which means that the default rise will make them increase. A failed attempt at conquest does not strengthen the Characters’ position in any way, but neither does it significantly weaken it.

Mini-Campaign Conquering an entire principality might be better suited to a mini-campaign. The first adventure could involve removing the old prince, while the second has the Characters dealing with the immediate rebellions against their rule. This is certainly possible; at the very least, it would be a long single adventure. For the purposes of the campaign described here, it is best to treat the whole process as one adventure and not change the External or Internal Trouble Score until the whole thing is over. This may not be entirely realistic, but it helps keep the game focused and fun. However, for the purposes of awarding experience, you might well want to split the campaign into two or more sections. Otherwise, you might have to hand out several thousand experience points at once, and the Players might think they have slipped into a different game.

If the Characters were utterly brutal, executing many of the residents for treason, scattering the rest across their lands, and bringing in settlers from their other holdings to populate the village, then the Internal Trouble Score is reduced by 5. There are quite a lot of people in the principality who would like to overthrow the prince, but most of them are too scared to do so, so while things get no better, they also get no worse. Characters who use an intelligent combination of punishment, bribery, and resettlement can earn a reduction of up to 10 points in the Internal Trouble Score. If you judge most residents would have no particular reason to hate the Characters, and those few that do also have good reason to fear them, then the PCs can earn the reduction. In addition, if the conquered settlement is the site of an economic resource, as specified in the Setting section, the Internal Trouble Score is reduced by a further 10, in addition to any reduction or increase arising from the way in which the Characters handled the conquest. The improvement in daily prosperity makes people happier with the prince’s rule. Note that, if the economic resource involves a craft, the Characters destroy it if they kill too many of the residents. A destroyed economic resource grants no benefit. Possibly the most important long-term consequence is that the Characters’ realm gets bigger, which should be noted on the map. Since Characters who try to conquer settlements presumably want a larger realm, this should be a significant reward.

Principality If the Characters want to conquer an entire principality at once, their strategy is slightly different; they want to remove the prince, rather than conquer every settlement individually. After they do that, they need to establish themselves as the rulers, which means convincing everyone it is best not to rebel. Diplomacy, information gathering, and battles play a vital role in such a campaign and work in much the same way as they do in any other context. A prince who knows he is fighting for survival throws more of his resources into the battle than one only fighting over a border village, but that only affects the scale of events, not their fundamental nature.

Defeating the Prince The defeat of the enemy prince should be a major moment in the adventure, even though it cannot bring it to an end. Once the prince is dead, the Characters are free to try to take control of his lands, but they must still do that, so the adventure is far from over. The defeat of the prince would be a good place to end a session, however.

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble Since it needs to be an important moment, the PCs need to bring it about themselves. Many princes have died as a result of a stupid accident or eating too many lampreys, but that would be very anticlimactic in an adventure. The obvious situation is to have the Player Characters face the prince in battle and defeat him if they can. In many cases, this is also an excellent way to do it.

the old prince, and even if they were not willing to raise the standard of rebellion while the prince was around, they are more than willing to support the Characters now. If the Characters have not laid the groundwork in this way, they must start from scratch now, which involves offering the courtiers something that makes it worth their while to serve the new lords. This “something” generally needs to be a bit more than their lives, though if a courtier has been captured, everyone knows that the PCs could have him executed, so a decision not to immediately dispose of him somewhat puts the PCs in the people’s favour. Offering to make a former courtier the lord of some part of the conquered principality is very effective, as long as the person is disposed to accept a new lord. Making such an offer to someone who was deeply loyal to the old lord merely stores up trouble, as he takes the position and plots to use it against the conquerors. Here, prior research into the court is extremely helpful.

However, it is less effective if the opposing prince has little combat ability (rare), or if he is vastly better than the Characters (also rare). It could also be that the Players simply prefer to do things differently. They might don disguises and sneak into his camp, lure him to a negotiation and betray him, or condemn him for unspeakable acts in front of his entire court, causing his own followers to seize him and condemn him to death. The PCs might also want to work through other people; bribing the prince’s servants to poison him is a good example. This scheme should not be allowed to work as planned because the Characters should be fully involved in the defeat of the prince. However, if the Players put a lot of effort into a plot, they will be rather upset if it simply fails. In most cases, the plot can eliminate people around the prince, which makes taking control easier. In some cases, the schemes might leave the prince unprotected and away from his castle, in which case the Characters have the perfect opportunity to deal with him. He might even be weakened by poison, rendering him an easier opponent than he would otherwise be.

If the Characters convince at least three courtiers to serve them in the conquered region, and execute most of those who would not cooperate, then one or two escapees are not in a position to make immediate trouble, and the Characters have control of the principality.

Although the final confrontation with the prince need not be difficult or dangerous, the Players should feel that they have earned victory through their actions, and they should be there at the finish to fully savour it.

Establishing Control

If the Characters can only convince one or two of the old courtiers to serve them, then a single escapee can cause trouble. He is not able to rally the whole area, as some people go with the courtiers who have chosen to accept the Characters, but he can still rouse at least one or two settlements in revolt. The Characters must then put the revolt down, which is just like taking control of a rebellious settlement in their old lands, except that they really have to execute the leader of the rebellion. The most dangerous situation is when the Characters cannot convince any of the former courtiers to serve them—and at least one has escaped. In that case, the whole region rises up against them, and they can only take control by conquering every settlement individually. This is almost certainly not practical, at least not all at once, and the Characters are better served by agreeing to a treaty with the new prince. As they defeated the old one, they can get significant territorial gains, but the new neighbour starts off hostile towards them. If the Characters mess up the negotiations, it is quite possible they will be driven out of the conquered lands completely.

The Characters’ new lands will not immediately become wholly peaceful and loyal, but it is important to snuff out the initial rebellions. If the Characters have control, people must take it from them, which is far harder than not letting them get control in the first place. Once the prince is removed, all the leaders in the principality face a choice. They can swear loyalty to the PCs, support one of the old prince’s courtiers or heirs, or they can strike out independently. For the overwhelming majority, the last does not appear to be a realistic option; the Borderlands are too dangerous. This means that, on the whole, the Characters have to convince people to choose them over representatives of the old regime.

Aftermath A failed attempt to unseat a prince has no effect on the External Trouble Score, but it increases the Internal Trouble Score by 5. People start to think that the princes do not have a realistic grasp of their own strength and that it might be best to overthrow them before they bring disaster to the whole principality.

One way to do that is to remove or co-opt all prominent members of the old regime. Some Characters may be happy to hang the entire court, and if they really do get everyone quickly, it works. If they miss anyone, however, it just galvanises more people into rallying to his banner against the evil oppressors. As a rule of thumb, the Characters need to execute the entire court within a week of the prince’s death for this to work. This includes any heirs that the prince might have had, even if they are children.

Success reduces the External Trouble Score by 25. The prince has destroyed one of his rivals, and he is now much more powerful than he was, so all groups are wary of provoking him, at least for a while. The effect on the Internal Trouble Score depends on the way the conquest was affected; all the following modifiers are cumulative, and all that correspond to the situation should be applied.

Even in WFRP, most PCs are likely to shy away from being quite so brutal. Mass executions may also be harder than they sound if the Characters do not have all of the old court under arrest. In those circumstances, it is better to try to convert some of the old courtiers to serve the new regime.

If the former prince is still alive, add 25. He forms a centre for any rebellious sentiments, and nostalgia tends to paint his rule as not so bad. This applies even if he has sworn loyalty to the PCs; people want to believe such fealty is merely a ruse. If he gets enough support from the population, it might even turn into a ruse.

This is where prior diplomacy can pay great dividends. The Characters may have already tempted some courtiers away from

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble If the former prince’s death was not fully public, add 15. Rumours of him still being alive circulate and are almost as effective as the prince himself in starting rebellion. A public execution counts as fully public, as does private execution or death in battle followed by public display of the corpse, as long as the corpse is recognisable.

For every courtier who did swear loyalty, subtract 1. This has some effect towards stabilising the regime, as it minimises the change. Executed or killed courtiers have no effect, even if the execution was secret; the rumour of a courtier’s survival cannot inspire resistance in the same way as a rumour of a surviving prince.

If the former prince was publicly killed, there is no change to the Internal Trouble Score. For every settlement that the Characters destroyed during the conquest, add 2 to the score. The refugees from these places harbour resentment, and it pushes the principality towards rebellion. If the Characters destroyed a settlement and killed all the inhabitants, the resentment is found among the friends of those who used to live there. For every courtier who escaped death and did not swear loyalty, add 5. While a courtier is not as effective as the prince at stirring up rebellion, he still provides an obvious leader for disaffected groups.

A

Note that it is very unlikely that the Players can fully offset the default increase in the Internal Trouble Score, and it is very likely they will increase it further. This means that, after conquering a principality, the next few adventures are very likely to be concerned with pacifying it, which is wholly realistic. If the attempted conquest is only partially successful, in that the Characters gain new territory but do not succeed in unseating the prince, the External Trouble Score drops by 10 points. From the neighbours’ point of view, the Characters have still won a victory, and fighting against them is clearly dangerous. The Internal Trouble Score rises by 10, as the inhabitants of the newly conquered region are not yet fully loyal, and their old lord is still there. Rebellions that declare loyalty to the neighbouring prince are quite likely.

— Resources —

s noted in the section on the consequences of acquiring a settlement, acquiring a new economic resource improves the Characters’ standing with their subjects. This applies just as much to creating a new resource within the principality as to taking one from a neighbour, so some Characters might prefer the more inward-focused approach. Realistically, nurturing a mine or market, for example, should take several years of carefully considered economic policy to ensure the enterprise becomes viable. For the purposes of the game, creating a resource requires an adventure, and if the adventure is a success, other people do the boring work of actually creating a business.

If the resource cannot be grown, there are two possible approaches. In one, the location of the resource is not known. This creates an investigative adventure, in which the PCs follow clues to the location of a gold mine, or whatever. This differs from most investigations in that no person is trying to hide the existence of the resource; it simply has not been discovered yet. Still, the adventure should concern following up rumours and searching dangerous wilderness rather than systematic prospecting. If the location is known, as it really has to be for a forest, then there must be some reason why it cannot be used. The best suited to adventure is that there is a band of monsters living there. Beastmen might lair in a forest, and Goblins in a mine. The adventure then becomes a matter of clearing the monsters out.

Although mines, craftsmen, and markets are very different, there are still a number of common elements involved in the adventures to set them up. Thus, this section first discusses the elements and then how they apply to the different types of economic resource.

Recruitment

Elements

Recruiting workers may actually be the hardest part of an adventure. If particular skills are not needed, such as for mining or quarrying, then this is very easy and need not be roleplayed. On the other hand, if craftsmen or merchants are needed, things are a bit harder.

There are three main elements to these adventures: gaining access to raw materials, establishing trade routes, and recruiting appropriate workers.

The workers need to be convinced to move to the new location. The move has to be voluntary because the Characters want these people to use their skills to expand the local economy, and this does not work well under duress. The difficulty is that people with the relevant skills most likely already have quite a comfortable life in their current location, and they are not immediately willing to move.

Raw Materials Raw materials fall into two main types: those that grow, such as grapes and leather, and those that do not, such as clay or stone. If a raw material can be grown, the Characters can take some samples from elsewhere and establish them in the relevant area. If it cannot, they need to find or take control of existing resources. Thus, for these purposes, wood is not a growing resource; the Characters do not have time to wait for oak trees to mature from acorns.

It is possible to make an adventure element out of the search for a community with a significant number of the right sort of workers, but this could also be delegated to staff.

If the resource can be grown, this part of the adventure takes the form of finding good samples elsewhere, stealing them, and bringing them to where the PCs want to establish their craftsmen. It is best not to worry too much about whether the vines, cattle, or whatever will thrive in the new location; as long as it is vaguely plausible, assume they do.

Once the workers have been found, there are two stages to the process. First, the workers must be convinced to move. This is a matter of negotiation and roleplaying, and the Characters must have something to offer. A period of low taxes, improved legal status, and outright bribes are all possibilities.

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Chapter IX: Making Trouble After the workers are convinced, they must be moved to the new location. The main problem here is that very few lords in the Borderlands, and many elsewhere, are not happy to see skilled workers taken from their lands, and they often respond with force. If the workers have been recruited from outside the Borderlands, they also need to be kept safe on a long journey. Thus, this stage of the element is likely to involve some combat.

Trade Routes A trade route is a safe and fairly direct route between two settlements. It must be passable to pack animals, at least, and ideally usable by carts. There are typically two adventure elements involved. The first is blazing the trail—actually finding the route across the Borderlands. This is a matter of exploration, facing the dangers of the wilderness, and picking out a good route. In most cases, even the best natural route also requires some Human intervention, but the Characters can order their servants or subjects to do that. The second element is the removal of a group of monsters that threatens the trail. Generally, this is resolved by killing the monsters, but some Players may occasionally want to try negotiation.

Resource Types The three economic resource types are craftsmen, resources, and markets, as described in Chapter Three: Inhabitants.

link the three elements by having a common enemy harassing all three, for example.

Craftsmen

Recruiting merchants to a new market speeds up its development, but it is not absolutely essential; if a location is well-connected, merchants will naturally travel there, which leads others to set up. Thus, the Characters may either recruit merchants or open a further two trade routes, for a total of at least five.

Craftsmen need a supply of raw materials and access to a market. Without those, they cannot gather in a location. Even with them, however, the workers themselves still need to be brought. It is true a community would grow up naturally, eventually, but that process is too slow for the purposes of this campaign.

Thus, a market is established when the Characters have either opened five trade routes to a single settlement, or they have opened three routes and recruited some merchants.

The first stage, then, is establishing a supply of the appropriate raw material. In a few cases, this will create an economic resource, and in those cases, you should split this into two adventures, one to establish the basic resource and a second to establish craftsmen to fully exploit it.

Resource

In some cases, providing market access is easy; the Characters just establish the raw material near an existing market in their territory. This only works with moveable raw materials, of course. If the raw materials are fixed at some distance from the nearest market, the Characters must establish a trade route from the crafting site to the market.

Resources are the simplest. The Characters simply need to make a suitable raw material available and open a trade route from the raw material to an existing market. While workers are needed, they do not need particular skills, and thus the existence of employment naturally draws them from the surrounding area, as long as there is a route open for them to travel along.

Recruiting skilled craftsmen is the centrepiece of this adventure and should be made challenging.

Consequences

A craft resource is established when the Characters have provided the raw materials, created a trade route to a market, and recruited craftsmen.

Creating a resource has no effect on the External Trouble Score. On the one hand, it makes the principality stronger. On the other, it makes it a more tempting prize. These two factors cancel out.

Market

It has a strong effect on internal peace, however. Creating a new economic resource reduces the Internal Trouble Score by 15. Not only does the populace benefit from the prosperity brought by the resource, but they also see that the prince is willing to work to improve the principality in ways that do not involve military glory or executing potential traitors.

Markets do not need raw materials. However, they do need at least three trade routes to bring enough people to the place to make it possible to have a viable exchange there. Opening the trade routes is the main part of this adventure, and it is possible to

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Appendix I: Border Prince Names

Appendix I: Border Prince Names Use the following tables to generate place names for the Border Princes.

Table A–1: Empire Name First Element Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

01–02

Aber-

27–29

Her-

54–56

Raach-

82–84

Vassen-

03–05

Bunt-

30–32

Hoch-

57–59

Rit-

85–87

Vate-

06–08

Ceilen-

33–35

Jaar-

60–63

Schafer-

88–90

Volken-

09–11

Dunkel-

36–38

Kreig-

64–66

Schaken-

91–93

Walden-

12–14

Essel-

39–41

Leib-

67–69

Sheil-

94–96

Waren-

15–17

Eich-

42–44

Lieder-

70–72

Streis-

97–98

Wesser-

18–20

Feider-

45–47

Mach-

73–75

Tasch-

99

Zaach-

21–23

Garder-

48–50

Nord-

76–78

Unt-

00

Zeib-

24–26

Haber-

51–53

Put-

79–81

Var-

Table A–2: Empire Name Second Element Roll

Second Element

Roll

Second Element

1

-bad

6

-heim

2

-burg

7

-hof

3

-dorf

8

-mund

4

-gart

9

-schlosse

5

-hafen

10

-wald

Table A–3: Bretonnian Name First Element Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

01–03

Ber-

29–31

Daub-

04–06

Blaz-

32–34

Ep-

07–09

Bon-

35–37

10–13

Bredot-

14–16

Briot-

17–19

Brul-

20–22

Caer-

23–25 26–28

First Element

56–58

L’-

83–85

Pont-

59–61

Labas-

86–88

Renn-

Esp-

62–64

Lac-

89–91

Sall-

38–40

Foix-

65–67

Laud-

92–94

Sav-

41–43

Gast-

68–70

Louen-

95–97

Tal-

44–46

Gil-

71–73

Mont-

98

Tour-

47–49

Haux-

74–76

Noul-

99

Tout-

Carr-

50–52

Juill-

77–79

Orli-

00

Vair-

Cheval-

53–55

Jus-

80–82

Oui-

Table A–4: Bretonnian Name Second Element Roll

Second Element

Roll

Second Element

1

-aine

6

-esse

2

-eaux

7

-ette

3

-elles

8

-oeur

4

-enne

9

-onne

5

-erin

10

-uile

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Appendix I: Border Prince Names

Table A–5: Tilean Name First Element Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

01–03

Aguil-

27–29

Etug-

53–55

Mass-

79–81

Serm-

04–06

Arn-

30–32

Fabrian-

56–58

Mir-

82–84

Terracel-

07–09

Astur-

33–35

Fund-

59–61

Mot-

85–86

Tibol-

10–12

Belt-

36–37

Futal-

62–64

Norc-

87–89

Tod-

13–15

Bib-

38–40

Guigl-

65–66

Nurs-

90–92

Tord-

16–18

Cast-

41–43

Isol-

67–69

Ortic-

93–95

Urb-

19–21

Colum-

44–46

Jes-

70–72

Perut-

96–98

Viter-

22–24

Dicamb-

47–49

Lar-

73–75

Piomb-

99–00

Volter

25–26

Etrus-

50–52

Luangl-

76–78

Seneg-

-

Table A–6: Tilean Name Second Element Roll

Second Element

Roll

Second Element

1

-ello

6

-ino

2

-ena

7

-lio

3

-enze

8

-ome

4

-ici

9

-oni

5

-imo

10

-orno

Table A–7: Estalian Name First Element Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

Roll

First Element

01–03

Alb-

28–30

Est-

52–54

Man-

79–81

Puen-

04–06

And-

31–32

Fuen-

55–57

Mat-

82–84

Ques-

07–09

Barr-

33–35

Garc-

58–60

Mon-

85–87

Ran-

10–12

Blan-

36–38

Gran-

61–63

Nav-

88–90

Riv-

13–15

Camp-

39–40

Guad-

64–66

Nuest-

91–93

Sla-

16–18

Cast-

41–42

Hoy-

67–69

Orteg-

94–96

Torr-

19–21

Cort-

43–45

Ist-

70–72

Palom-

97–98

Yes-

22–24

Don-

46–48

Lag-

73–75

Pesc-

99–00

Zah-

25–27

Esc-

49–51

Mad-

76–78

Pin-

Table A–8: Estalian Name Second Element Roll

Second Element

Roll

Second Element

1

-alba

6

-ida

2

-echa

7

-isto

3

-eta

8

-ivada

4

-erra

9

-oja

5

-evas

10

-onio

115

Appendix I: Border Prince Names

Table A–9: Kislevite Name First Element Roll 01–03 04–06 07–09 10–12 13–15 16–18 19–21 22–24

First Element ArvamAstrakBalakBelgorChebokDedogDernEnis-

Roll 25–27 28–30 31–33 34–36 37–39 40–42 43–45 46–48

First Element GersGoroHoschIaroKalininKyslyLuchMilkov-

Roll 49–51 52–54 55–58 59–62 63–65 66–68 69–71 72–74

First Element MoravNekolNovOchaPlesPomezRadogoRes-

Roll 75–77 78–80 81–83 84–86 87–90 91–94 95–98 99–00

First Element SanSepukSmolTemniUgroUvetZhidZveni-

Table A–10: Kislevite Name Second Element Roll 1 2 3 4 5

Second Element -ov -sin -grad -khan -les

Roll 6 7 8 9 10

Second Element -itsy -ovsk -polye -most -ryeka

Table A–11: Flavourful Place Name First Element Roll 01–02 03–04 05–06 07–08 09–10 11–12 13–14 15–16 17–18 19–20 21–22 23–24 25–26

First Element ‘wocky Arrow Axe Bad Bilge Black Blade Bloody Bolt Clank Clay Dagger Dark

Roll 27–28 29–30 31–32 33–34 35–36 37–38 39–40 41–42 43–44 45–46 47–48 49–50 51–52

First Element Death Dirt Doom Dragon Dun Dusty Fire Gold Greasy Grim Gutter Hammer Hangman’s

Roll 53–54 55–56 57–58 59–60 61–62 63–64 65–66 67–68 69–70 71–72 73–74 75–76 77–78

First Element Helm Hunter’s Iron Mattock Noose Orc Ox Pain Pig Pike Red Reeky Rock

Roll 79–80 81–82 83–84 85–86 87–88 89–90 91–92 93–94 95–96 97–98 99–00

First Element Bullock Shadow Sigmar’s Snake Spike Spit Stink Thief Thorn Wolf ’s Wyvern

Table A–12: Flavourful Place Name Second Element Roll 01–02 03–04 05–06 07–08 09–10 11–12 13–14 15–16 17–18 19–20 21–22 23–24 25–26

Second Element Block Cross Diggings Ditch Drain Dreg Drop Ending Farm Fast Ford Fort Gap

Roll 27–28 29–30 31–32 33–34 35–36 37–38 39–40 41–42 43–44 45–46 47–48 49–50 51–52

Second Element Gorge Hanging Heap Hill Hold Hole Hollows Keep Lay Leavings Manor Market Mere

Roll 53–54 55–56 57–58 59–60 61–62 63–64 65–66 67–68 69–70 71–72 73–74 75–76 77–78

116

Second Element Midden Mire Passing Pile Pit Pool Post Range Ridge Rising Run Seat Shield

Roll 79–80 81–82 83–84 85–86 87–88 89–90 91–92 93–94 95–96 97–98 99–00

Second Element Stead Stockade Stoppage Stream Sty Tor Trench Wall Way Well Workings

Appendix II: Masserschloss

Appendix II: Masserschloss M

politics, and history are collected in one place for easy reference. So whether you intend to use Masserschloss as a gateway to other lands in the Border Princes or as a campaign setting to launch adventurers of your own design, this Appendix is a great way to utilise this fascinating land without having to do all the work yourself.

asserschloss is the region used for examples in this book. It offers a detailed setting with which you can launch your own adventures into the Border Princes. It shows how everything comes together after a few dice rolls and marks on a map. This Appendix is designed with an eye for use, so all the principle figures, locations,

L

— History —

ike many lands in the Border Princes, Masserschloss has a rich and interesting history; evidence of prior events can be found in the ruins and queer landscape that defines the area today.

For hundreds of years, no one came here. None dared enter the accursed wasteland, for it was said that the elements hunted the living. The wind flayed flesh from the bone, and the earth greedily leached fluids from the body. Even the sun had an unhealthy cast, burning the sky like a pestilential wound. And at night, ghosts of the past haunted the land, stealing the souls of those they found.

Ancient History About 2,000 years ago, a group of Humans settled here. Exiled from their homeland because of their perverse religious beliefs that involved Human sacrifice and foul service to the Ruinous Powers, they sought out a new home. They chose this patchwork land because their enemies hunted them, and the threat of reprisals and burning remained a source of fear. So they bade their time, laying low until they were strong and numerous enough to withstand any attack.

Though the wasteland was cursed, its fearsome reputation did little to dissuade people from settling around it. Small communities

Masserschloss Timeline

Aside from the occasional mob of Greenskins, the region remained relatively quiet for almost four centuries, but as the Cult grew, swelling its numbers with disaffected Tileans, men of the Empire, and others, the Cultists grew bolder, spreading out and raiding the few settlements for sacrifices and much-needed supplies. None could stand against the awful Mutants that made up their numbers, and the Cult grew more powerful. They even dared to attack a Dwarf caravan or two. This heightened activity worried the Dwarfs, who responded by stepping up their presence in the region, sending more warriors to the holdfast that overlooked the region. With the escalating violence, the Dwarfs soon learned the Cult had more sinister plans than to just add to their ranks. From captured Cultists, they learned of a profane ritual that would pull a Greater Daemon from the Realm of Chaos to despoil the lands. The Dwarfs had to act quickly, and so they mounted an offensive against the horde of Chaos thralls. But despite their best efforts, the Cultists were too numerous and supported by foul Chaos Champions, Sorcerers, and terrible monsters. For 200 years, the Dwarfs continued to fight but languished in a stalemate, simply containing the Chaos threat and doing little to break it. Though the Dwarfs managed to stall the ritual, they knew it would be just a matter of time. And then the time came, but instead of tearing a hole in the fabric of reality, there was a fearsome burst of light followed by rolling earthquakes. The sun was blotted from the sky, and death ruled the land. After three weeks, the debris in the air finally cleared, revealing a land forever changed. What was once verdant hills was now a broken land, with the raw wounds in the earth exposed. The Cult’s Temple and surrounding community was buried, and all sign of the Dwarf stronghold was erased. But worse, somewhere beneath the rubble was a vile presence that poisoned the area. Soon, all life died out as the foul toxins spread throughout the region. Even the rocks could not bear the corruption and shattered under the sheer weight of its awfulness. Where once there were trees and grass, sand and stone now ruled. It was dead and all but empty.

Year

Event

522

Cultists from Tilea flee to the Border Princes and establish a colony in an area of verdant hills.

922

Activity spikes, and Cultists begin raiding nearby communities for sacrifices. Dwarfs respond by sending a company of warriors to erect a stronghold to monitor activity.

900–1,100

Sporadic violence between the Dwarfs and the Cultists rage. The Dwarfs learn of a terrifying ritual that will release Daemons into the Old World, and so the stronghold turns its resources to constructing a powerful weapon to crush the Cultists.

1,109

The Cultists succeed in opening the gate but are all destroyed by the rampaging Daemons. The gate eventually collapses in a terrific explosion that buries the Temple and the supporting community intact.

1,110–1,500

The Dark Years.

1,501–1,600

After nearly four centuries of being uninhabited, new settlers brave the badlands to erect new communities.

1,606

Abdul Al’Shar invades the region, conquering the villages and claiming the land for his own.

1,810

The iron mine closes, and the dominion of the Sheiks ends.

1,800–2,470

The Era of Strife

2,471–2,521

The terrible reign of Bragthorn the Necromancer

2,522

117

Current year

Appendix II: Masserschloss

The Era of Strife

sprang up throughout the area, founded in the hopes of starting a new life, to reclaim the land out of a desperate goal to forge something lasting, something permanent in this shattered region. And for a century, the population grew, until the start of the seventeenth century.

Lacking a strong ruler, the Greenskins tumbled into the region. They raided the scattered settlements and slaughtered the Humans with abandon. But despite the risk of a horrid death at the hands of bloodthirsty Orcs, refugees from the Empire and elsewhere still settled here. Conflict was common; Humans fought each other, as well as Orcs, Goblins, and even the scattered Beastmen that seemed to spring out of the ground. The land became famous for its instability even by the loose standards of the Borderlands.

The First Prince Abdul Al’Shar was an ambitious warlord from Araby. Not content with his lot in his homeland, and perhaps as a reaction to the Crusades that despoiled much of his homeland, he looked north, intending to do to the Empire what they did to Araby. He gathered his armies, set sail, and landed in the region of the Border Princes. He knew he needed new supplies to make a serious attempt against the Empire, which was starting that slow decline into unrest and anarchy. So he intended to create a petty kingdom to swell his numbers with mercenaries and plant crops enough to feed his forces. What he found was a land infested by Greenskins; a place of desperation, plague, and death. He led his army north, but he watched with horror as each new engagement with the Orcs whittled away at his numbers, unravelling his plans and destroying his dreams of conquest.

During this tempestuous period, strong rulers carved out new principalities, such as Masserschloss and others whose names have been erased by the fires of war. And with them came a sort of tenuous peace, the first felt in decades. But then, nothing lasts in the land of the renegade crowns. Shattering this brief period of stability was a wretched Necromancer named Bragthorn. Fleeing the Witch Hunters, he vanished into the Border Princes where he could continue his exploration and study of dark magic without interference. He constructed a tower built from Human bones and waged a war of terror on the principalities. He dispatched countless shuffling zombies and clattering skeletons to kill, maim, and loot the villages. For decades, Bragthorn held the land captive, each year ordering more appalling acts of violence. And then suddenly, the attacks stopped. The Necromancer’s tower was silent. And the Undead vanished from the land.

Faced with annihilation, he settled for a piece of land and ruled over the scattered homesteads and struggling villages. Luckily, the poisonous desert had stopped expanding, and much of the horrors it was said to have held had since ceased. He invested more resources when his scouts discovered an area rich with iron. Sensing the opportunity to rebuild after his losses to the Orcs, he focused all of his efforts on the mine. Months passed, and it seemed less and less likely that Abdul would recoup from the initial invasion, and a year later, one of his lackeys murdered him while he sat on his chamber pot.

Now

Over the next 200 years, Abdul’s principalities fell to a series of lesser and lesser men until what little law their was collapsed under the weight of its own corruption. The iron mines that had supplied this land with wealth dried up. The land fragmented, fraught with civil war until the whole region simply fell to the rampaging Greenskins and later to other settling Humans.

W

With the Necromancer seemingly destroyed, a deed falsely claimed by Dieter von Masserschloss, the region faces a new period. The peasants have worked to rebuild their homes, and there’s a sense of hope in their hearts. Still, the Green Menace is active again, and each season, they raid from the desert or the swamps to butcher the Humans and take their hard-earned food and cattle. Politically, Masserschloss is the dominant principality, but two relatively new princes have forged new lands of their own. Allied against the elder and larger princedom, it seems conflict looms on the horizon once more.

— The Principalities —

ith the end of the Necromancer’s reign of terror, Masserschloss is largely controlled by one powerful prince, but there are two others who contest his rule and govern smaller domains of their own.

The Bandit Prince Massimo Caldieli has ruled his corner of the region for just a few years. He rose from humble roots in Tilea, and he lived the life of a bandit until he robbed the wrong carriage, accidentally stealing from a crime lord’s daughter. Naturally, he vanished from Tilea and resurfaced a few years later in the Border Princes. In the Borderlands, Massimo knew the only way he could hope to survive would be to sell his services to a warlord or become one. Charismatic and a natural leader, he attracted other exiles and criminals who looked to him to supply them with comforts and wealth denied to them. Of course, Massimo was a greedy man, and while he shared the spoils of his band’s raids, he kept most of the treasures for himself.

Setting his sights on the rich, Massimo Caldieli made a name for himself as a bandit lord. Among the peasants, he was something of a hero, but he had many enemies among the various princes that suffered his attentions. As his wealth and reputation grew, he realized he could not continue raiding, since moving his fortune was proving to be as much of a challenge as the exploits themselves. The solution lay in raising himself up as a prince. With the support of his band of cutthroats and outlaws, and supported by a ragtag peasant army, Caldieli led his band into the domain of a small and weak prince. Caldieli’s force crushed the prince’s resistance, and the bandits propped up Caldieli as the new prince. Never content, Massimo swiftly secured the lands around the capital, which was little more than a crude wooden fortress surrounded by a cluster of shacks, and expanded his domain to create a buffer between himself and his enemies. As a leader, Massimo has earned the devotion of his supporters through his own loyalty and concern for them. He never risks his men unduly, and he always proceeds with caution, even risking himself to ensure his followers come to as little harm as possible.

118

Appendix II: Masserschloss Those who serve him have come to look past his miserly ways, though the fact that he continues to count each coin that comes in and is stingy with financial rewards causes resentment to simmer.

Massimo Caldieli Massimo is in his middle years, with black hair that’s just as lustrous as it was in his youth. He has broad features and a ready smile, but when he’s around gold, his eyes narrow, and he breathes through his mouth. He’s not foolish enough to go about without armour, and he’s almost never seen without his mail shirt. Some say he even sleeps in it.

Massimo Caldieli Career: Outlaw Chief (ex-Highwayman, ex-Outlaw) Race: Human (Tilean) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

52%

54%

41%

44%

63%

52%

49%

61%

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

2

16

4

4

4

3

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Care, Animal Training, Charm, Command, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Common Knowledge (Tilea) +10%, Concealment +10%, Dodge Blow, Evaluate, Follow Trail, Gossip +10%, Perception +10%, Ride, Scale Sheer Surface, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Secret Language (Thieves’ Tongue), Secret Signs (Thief ) +10%, Set Trap, Silent Move +20%, Speak Language (Tilean) Talents: Ambidextrous, Coolheaded, Etiquette, Lightning Parry, Master Gunner, Mighty Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rover, Sharpshooter, Sixth Sense, Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Gunpowder), Sure Shot, Swashbuckler, Trick Riding Armour: Medium Armour (Sleeved Mail Shirt and Leather Jack) Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 0 Weapons: Hand Weapon (Mace), Pair of Pistols with Shot and Powder for 20 Shots, Crossbow with 10 Bolts, Shield Trappings: Noble’s Garb, Mask, Riding Horse with Saddle and Harness, Band of Outlaws

The Usurper This region takes its name from the largest principality. Dominating an extensive area to the northeast, Masserschloss was founded decades ago by Prince Wilhelm von Masserschloss, who fled the Empire for some past crime. Unusually, he held onto his rule for years, surviving despite major hardships, including the arrival of and damages caused by the Necromancer. Regardless of his vigilance in safeguarding his territory, he, like all princes, would be toppled. Several years ago, Wilhelm, who was a lascivious despot, hired a band of mercenaries to snatch attractive women to add to his harem. Among these sellswords was a man named Dieter, who became a mercenary in the hopes of finding a place in the Border Princes. Dieter had many flaws, and among them was a decadent side, exacerbated by his work kidnapping attractive, young women

for the prince. For several years, Dieter watched his master and came to believe he himself was one of Wilhelm’s illegitimate sons, since he vaguely resembled the older man, and they both shared the same tastes in women. Dieter hoped to reveal this “truth” to the man he believed was his father, but the opportunity never arose. To make matters worse, Wilhelm’s distractions endangered the principality. While indulging his baser nature, new threats arose, including the Necromancer, who had already sent his shambling hordes to destroy one of Masserschloss’s villages. Something had to be done. Dieter’s successes earned him a place as marshal of the prince’s armies, and so Dieter recommended Wilhelm accompany his armies in a battle against a Greenskin force that had drifted into their territory, claiming his appearance would foster pride and restore the loyalty of the troops. Wilhelm agreed, and the prince led his armies to confront this new menace. Dieter, however, planned to kill his master and take his place. Dieter murdered the old man and claimed that a group of Goblins had crept into the prince’s tent and slew him while he slept. Though there were (and still are) suspicions, the lieutenants accepted Dieter’s story and supported his claim as the new prince. Since his ascent, Dieter has worked hard to stabilise his territory, removing what he sees as the gravest threat to his rule—monsters. His soldiers have butchered countless Orcs and Goblins, and he even claims to have thwarted the Necromancer. All of this fighting is to achieve one thing; Dieter wants to pass on the principality to his sons, to create a dynasty of princes that will one day grow to dominate all the Border Princes. To this end, Dieter spends a great deal of time fathering sons on his concubines. After his chosen heir was killed, he’s no longer certain, as yet, which son will now gain the crown. So he’s watching and waiting, looking to see which one wants it the most.

119

Appendix II: Masserschloss

Dieter von Masserschloss A powerfully built man with sharp, angular features, he towers over his subjects. Few dare stand against him in direct combat for it’s said his skill at arms is without peer. As any careful prince, Dieter is rarely without the protection of bodyguards. He has irongrey hair, black, mad eyes, and a mouthful of rotten teeth.

Dieter von Masserschloss Career: Captain (ex-Mercenary, ex-Veteran, ex-Champion, exSergeant) Race: Human (Border Princes)

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

81%

72%

58%

65%

59%

51%

50%

49%

Dhuoda was once a very pretty woman, but years of running, the hardships of the Borderlands, and her failure to realise her utopia have taken their toll. She is a strong woman with short brown hair and a long scar running down the side of her face. She is of average height with a lean body, hardened from near-constant fighting.

Secondary Profile A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

3

20

5

6

5

4

1

Dhuoda

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics) +10%, Animal Care, Command +10%, Common Knowledge (Border Princes) +20%, Common Knowledge (Tilea), Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow +20%, Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip +10%, Intimidate +20%, Perception +20%, Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language (Battle Tongue) +20%, Speak Language (Reikspiel), Speak Language (Tilean), Swim Talents: Fleet-Footed, Lightning Parry, Master Gunner, Menacing, Mighty Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Savvy, Seasoned Traveller, Specialist Weapon Group (Engineering), Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Gunpowder), Specialist Weapon Group (Two-handed), Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very Resilient, Warrior Born, Wrestling Armour: Medium Armour (Full Mail Armour) Armour Points: Head 3, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 3 Weapons: Best Crafted Crossbow with 10 Bolts, Best Crafted Great Weapon (Greatsword), Best Crafted Hand Weapon (Sword), Best Crafted Pistol with Powder and Shot for 10 uses, Best Crafted Rapier, Best Crafted Shield Trappings: Destrier with Saddle and Harness, Healing Draught, Unit of Troops

Career: Faceless* (ex-Noble, ex-Politician) *See Knights of the Grail page 96 Race: Human (Bretonnian) Main Profile WS

BS

S

T

Ag

Int

WP

Fel

39%

52%

41%

54%

46%

63%

45%

79%

Secondary Profile

New Bretonnia The third prince of this region, Dhuoda, hails from Bretonnia. Originally the fifth daughter of a nobleman and knight, she grew up listening to tales of the Grail Knights and their exploits. Entranced by what she heard, she deeply desired to take up sword and armour and fight for the Lady. But, being a woman, this course was closed to her. It seemed her fate would be to marry a smelly, fat noble with warty feet. But then her father died, and her eldest brother became the lord. Instead of the indulgent monarch her father was, he was a vicious tyrant, a brutal despot that loved torturing peasants and abusing his family. Horrified by the transformation power wrought in him, Dhuoda worked against him. For years, she led a double-life, pretending to be the dutiful sister but secretly leading a band of Herrimaults. Things came to a head fifteen years ago when her brother, frustrated by the constant

The surviving members of the Herrimaults vanished with her. As a group, they fled to the broken lands of the Border Princes. For five years, they struggled against Greenskin and Human alike, until finally, Dhuoda decided to forge a principality of her own. She wanted to establish a new Bretonnia, a just realm ruled by law and not the fickle whims of a cruel tyrant. However, this task proved more difficult than she imagined, and the failures to create a land of law and virtue have worn down her ideals.

Dhuoda

Main Profile WS

raiding, led a band of knights to crush the uprising. He killed many and learned of his sister’s duplicity. Dhuoda had no choice. She fled her homeland, while her brother sullied her name and hoisted up some other poor woman to die in her place.

A

W

SB

TB

M

Mag

IP

FP

3

16

4

5

4

1

Skills: Academic Knowledge (History), Academic Knowledge (Law), Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Blather, Charm +20%, Command +10%, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia) +20%, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Concealment, Evaluate, Follow Trail, Gossip +20%, Haggle, Outdoor Survival, Perception +10%, Performer (Actor), Performer (Musician), Read/Write +10%, Ride, Scale Sheer Surface, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Secret Signs (Ranger), Silent Move, Speak Language (Breton) +10%, Speak Language (Reikspiel) Talents: Dealmaker, Etiquette, Master Orator, Mighty Shot, Public Speaking, Rapid Reload, Savvy, Schemer, Specialist Weapon (Fencing), Streetwise, Suave, Sure Shot, Unsettling Armour: Medium Armour (Sleeved Mail Shirt and Leather Jack) Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 3, Body 3, Legs 0 Weapons: Bow with 10 Arrows, Foil, Best Crafted Hand Weapon (Sword), Main Gauche Trappings: Noble’s Garb, Riding Horse with Saddle and Harness, Pamphlets, Band of Herrimaults, Deep Hood

Relations A year ago, after the Necromancer stopped raiding, Dhuoda tried to push across the river (the Dasa) and into Dieter’s territory. Dieter’s son, Maximilian, led the first defence, but he was defeated and killed. In rage and grief, Dieter swept down and drove Dhuoda back across the river, but he was not able to kill her. Dieter must now wait for one of the babies in his castle to grow up to secure his

120

Appendix II: Masserschloss dynasty, and he desperately wants to wipe Dhuoda’s principality from the map. However, although he is more powerful, he is not overwhelmingly so, and he needs to move with some caution. Dhuoda knows she has made a powerful enemy but accepts that as part of living in a harsh land.

raided both Massimo’s and Dieter’s lands. The Black Orc leading them was truly fearsome, and Massimo spread rumours it was all but unbeatable in battle. This helped to excuse Massimo’s rather desultory tactics; the Orcs seemed to have little money, so he wasn’t interested in risking much to defeat them. Dieter, on the other hand, felt a responsibility to destroy them. In the battle, he met the leader in single combat and cut him down with surprising ease.

After the battles at the Dasa, Dhuoda realised Dieter would be out for her blood, so she made overtures to Massimo concerning an alliance against the more powerful prince, with suitably valuable gifts to appeal to his greed. The alliance was contracted in theory then, but since Massimo was humiliated by Dieter, he has become a more enthusiastic partner in the league. Dieter does not yet realise Dhuoda’s forces are reinforced by those of the other prince.

That rather hurt Massimo’s reputation with his followers, and the prince has become convinced Dieter cheated somehow to gain such fighting prowess. Massimo is now determined to prove he is better than Dieter. On the other hand, Dieter barely thinks about Massimo at all. The other prince is some distance away, and Dieter’s desire for vengeance against Dhuoda blocks almost everything else out.

Between Dieter and Massimo, things stand little better. A particularly dangerous band of Greenskins in the desert area

T

— People

and

he following settlements can all be found in the region of Masserchsloss.

Places —

twisted and mutated, they can barely function. Thus, most have become content to gibber and drool in piles of their own leavings, chuckling at each other’s misfortune.

Dieter

Massimo

Masserschloss has a number of homesteads and tiny communities, but most of his people congregate in the following locations.

Massimo has had little luck in sustaining any kind of population. His high tactics and his half-hearted approach to rule have driven off most of the indigenous population.

Masserschloss Masserschloss surrounds the prince’s fortress in the heart of a rich valley. Sustaining itself by producing barrels, casks, and jugs for vintners and brewers throughout the region and beyond, it has a brisk trade, serving as the key economic presence in the region.

Dove’s Landing The only real community in this principality is a small village of about 180 people. Situated on the shores of a swamp, it makes its livelihood catering to travellers coming from the mire or the

Gryphon’s Crag In the hills, on the edge of the badlands, is Gryphon’s Crag. About ten years ago, a Cultist from the Empire settled here, drawn by the legends of an ancient Temple buried somewhere in the wasteland. He tried to explore the terrain himself, but the inhospitable environment made travel extremely difficult for a single man. And so, he turned his attentions to the townsfolk. One by one, he seduced them, turning their hearts to the worship of Chaos. And almost ten years later, he’s converted nearly all the townsfolk and has the support and supplies necessary to make extended forays into the swirling wasteland that hides the ancient site.

Sweetwater This tiny community mines coal from the rumpled hills that lay to the north of the principality. Once an active mine, most of the coal has since been played out. Still, there are a few tenacious miners who refuse to pick up and move, scouring the hills for the meagre coal that remains. Sweetwater is disturbing to travellers since much of the town is abandoned. Furthermore, the few people left are strange, and there are whispers of mutations and other strangeness to boot.

Gunther’s Foot This wretched little hive is home to a pair of extended families that huddle on the shores of a dreadful bog. Years ago, the families came together when a son a daughter wed. But in the generations that followed, they have become so inbred, there’s no way to separate one group from the other. Most of the people here are so

121

Appendix II: Masserschloss

122

Appendix II: Masserschloss poisonous desert. A group of Shallyans have established a small hospital here, but they bicker with the prince about taxes. Despite the squabbling, the prince protects them whenever they face a threat.

the Colleges of Magic learned of her ties to a group of violent agitators. She slipped out of the College before they could seize her, and she fled to the Border Princes to lay low. Since coming to the homestead, the local population has grown, attracted to her power and the protection she offers.

Morning Glory There aren’t many homesteads under Massimo’s protection, and those that remain do so because they can’t leave or are too entrenched to pick up and go elsewhere. Morning Glory is one such homestead, composed of an extended and very inbred family who openly worships Slaanesh. Ordinarily, such activity would have them stamped out, but given their isolation at the edge of the principality near the mountains, they have so far avoided attracting unwanted attention.

Goldstone The other significant homestead is Goldstone. Built around a particularly rich copper mine, the place has been active for centuries. Wealthy, powerful, and well defended, the families here invest their riches in protection.

Unclaimed In addition to the communities within the various principalities, there are a few in the unclaimed lands.

Dhuoda

Gulthac’s Hold

Of the three principalities, Dhuoda’s may be the smallest, but within her region, there are two villages and a smattering of homesteads.

Situated in a swamp between Massimo’s and Dhuoda’s principalities, this moderately sized village has survived thanks to the dangerous terrain. Composed mostly of Swamp Skimmers, the locals explore the mire to wrest ancient treasures from its brackish waters. The location and their occupation have hardened the villagers, enabling them to drive off countless Greenskin attacks. The village takes its name from Gulthac, their founder.

Lady’s Boon The seat of Dhuoda’s power is a small village called Lady’s Boon. Situated in the hills for defence, she has spared no expense in fortifying the community against attacks from Greenskins and rival princes. The architecture and culture is clearly Bretonnian, replete with a Grail Chapel. Though the locals are sceptical about Dhuoda’s religious inclinations, there is a growing movement here.

Pendor Hill To outsiders, this large community is a simple village, struggling to survive in a hostile world in the hills just outside of Dieter’s Principality. In truth, this village is anything but ordinary. Populated exclusively by a massive Tzeentch Cult, they await the signal from their God to rise up. Pendor Hill stands in the hills that border Dieter’s principality.

Karl’s Folly Larger than Lady’s Boon, it has steadily grown since the discovery of silver in the area. Situated as it is on a stretch of land that offers swift passage through a wretched mire, its sees a lot of traffic from travellers, merchants, and adventurers. Since it is so valuable, and given the community’s wealth, it is also well-fortified and protected by skilled mercenaries.

Quaterain

The village takes its name from an ill-conceived and unfinished guildhall that stands in the centre. The village founder, Karl, wanted a hall large enough to match anything in the Empire. The ambitious would-be prince was toppled after he nearly bankrupted the community to complete the structure. And so, the village gained the name Karl’s Folly.

Another significant village in the unclaimed lands is Quaterain. Located near a heavily forested swamp, this Bretonnian-founded community is known for its exquisite woodworking. They export lumber and finished product throughout the Border Princes and beyond, and Quaterain furniture is known as far away as Nuln. Though by far, most of their trade is with Masserschloss since it is too expensive and dangerous to rely on foreign trade.

Karsack

Spica

Several families live in this homestead. Situated as it is near Lady’s Boon, it benefits from the protection of the village while having a little more autonomy. What makes this place interesting is that it is also home to an exiled Wizard named Ludmilla. An ardent supporter of democratic ideals, she was forced out of Altdorf when

The last village of consequence here is Spica. As a community of Tilean tin-miners and tin-smiths, it does brisk trade with Masserschloss but also with Dhuoda since she is closer. Other than tin, there is little of interest here.

A

Chaos

— Dangers —

s if the human tensions puling at the region weren’t enough, there are foul creatures lurking in the forests and swamps of Masserschloss. Exacerbating the tensions between the three princes are a number of monstrous threats that work to destroy the settlements and seize the land for themselves. Greenskins and foul Chaos abound in Masserschloss, threatening everything the princes have spent their blood and treasure to carve out.

One considerable threat facing the princes is that of foul Chaos. In addition to the corrupted villagers noted before, there are two wandering bands dedicated to the Ruinous Powers. The first is a band of Beastmen and Mutants that survives by raiding small communities. Based in the forested hills in the west of Dieter’s

123

Appendix II: Masserschloss frequent forays against this outpost. Consisting of over 1,000 Goblins and 100 Orcs, and led by 5o Black Orcs, this group poses a significant threat to both the outpost but also to Massimo’s principality. Thus far, this group has not made a significant attack, but most see a serious offensive as inevitable.

principality, they sell their service to both Greenskins and Humans. Though a considerable threat on their own, they pale before the horror that waits in the badlands. In the centre of the desert is a massive horde of Beastmen and Mutants that serves an ancient Daemon bound to the buried Temple. Since it cannot leave its prison, it manipulates its minions by entering their dreams. The Daemon desperately wants to be free from its prison, so it has sent out a psychic call to Cultists, drawing them ever closer to its subterranean lair.

The existence of these two groups underscores the importance of Dhuoda’s alliance with Massimo. While they are allied against Dieter, both hope to work together and survive the growing Greenskin menace.

Greenskins Though Chaos is a constant threat, the more immediate danger is the Greenskin infestation. In this region, there are four large groups that cause endless trouble. The first group, consisting of a horde of Snotlings and Goblins led by Orcs and numerous Trolls, prowls near Dhouda’s realm. The community has thus far repelled the attacks by the Greenskins, and many believe that this horde will move on to easier prey, invading Massimo’s lands. That said, the horde does not create a lot of concern since they are disorganised, and their leaders, the Orcs, are too few to keep control for long. If this group were all that Gulthac’s Hold had to defend against, there is no question that they alone would eventually scatter the Greenskins. But another horde, ranging in the desert, makes

T

Two more groups threaten the region as well. The first is quite small, being a mix of Snotlings, Orcs, and Trolls that raids often and moves about a lot. Famed for using disposable Snotlings, this group ranges out from the scrubland swamp in the east of the region, but they rarely stay in one place for long. The other group is not much larger, being mostly Snotlings, though there is a high number of Black Orcs for their size. Having split off from another horde beyond Masserschloss, the Black Orc leaders work to recruit more Greenskins, to build a massive horde that would crush the filthy Humans that contaminate their land. Though this band is nomadic, they tend to lurk around the swamp to the northeast, raiding often to supplement their meagre resources. Although they do raid, the leading Black Orc has bigger plans, and the group raids against other Greenskins, seizing slaves for the army, at least as often as it raids against more civilised folk. If this group is not dealt with fairly early, it will become a major threat.

— Using Masserschloss —

his region is particularly dynamic, being the perfect backdrop for an engaging campaign in the Border Princes. The growing tensions between the princes, coupled with the Green Peril and the Chaos threat, make this region suitable for a variety of campaigns.

Also, there’s the growing Chaos threat. What secrets lay beneath the desert? What does the Daemon intend? Will the Cultists succeed in finding a way to release the abomination that sleeps? For horror and investigation games, the PCs could explore any of the strange communities that have been overtaken by Chaos. Perhaps other villages hold the key to the Daemon’s release, and after a few suspicious murders, the PCs uncover the strange history and the terrifying threat that faces all who dwell on the edges of this poisoned desert.

For Characters with ambitions of creating a principality of their own, there are plenty of unclaimed towns ripe for the taking. Of course, just as soon as they do, they’ll have to deal with the political ramifications and navigate the treacherous waters of Masserschloss politics. If blood and death are more to your liking, the Characters could be asked to help defend a village from a Greenskin horde. The PCs will have to shore up the town’s defences, gather recruits, and perhaps even go on scouting missions or infiltrate the Greenskin ranks to weaken them. Naturally, if they succeed, they’ll gain fame and accolades and may gain control of the village, landing them in the uncertain role of being leaders.

Of course, there’s also the Necromancer. Who was he? Why did he suddenly stop the raids? What secrets does his tower of bone hold? Regardless of the campaign model you prefer, there are stories aplenty for Masserschloss. You could talk to your players, gauging their interests, or simply present the entire region before them, letting them choose which path they take. Then again, if you are going to run a whole campaign, wouldn’t you rather create your own setting? If you’re going to do most of the work, you might as well get the credit.

124

Appendix III: Reference Sheets

Principality Design Sheet

125

Appendix III: Reference Sheets

Principality Generation Summary 1. Generate Geography (Chapter One: Landscape of the Borderlands, page 6) This is a summary of the process of generating geography. 1. Roll on Table 1–1: Geography, adding your current running bonus. 2. If the result is less than 101, go to step 3. Otherwise, go to step 9. 3. If the result is a river (a roll ending in 0), go to step 6. Otherwise, go to step 4. 4. Roll the indicated dice to determine the extent of the feature. 5. Place the feature on your map. If the map is full, stop. Otherwise, go to step 7. 6. Add a river to the map, as appropriate. 7. Add 10 to your running bonus. 8. Go to Step 1. 9. Roll on Table 1–2: Special Features to determine the nature of a special feature. 10. Place the special feature on the map. 11. Reset the running bonus to 0. 12. Go to step 1.

2. Generate Ancient Ruins (Chapter One: Landscape of the Borderlands, page 9) 1. Roll on Table 1–3: Ancient Ruins to determine the number of ruins. Write the result down, as the number of remaining ruins. 2. Roll on Table 1–4: Ruins Type to determine the type of ruins. 3. Roll on Table 1–5: Ancient Menaces to determine the type of ancient menace in the ruins. 4. Roll on Table 1–7: Original Purpose of Ruins to determine the original purpose of the ruins. 5. Roll on Table 1–8: Reason for Ruins to determine the reason the ruins were destroyed. 6. Continue steps 1 through 5 until you’ve accounted for all the ruins. 7. Use Table 1–6: Age of Ruins to determine the ages of the ruins and create an outline history linking them together

3. Generate Individual Princes (Chapter Two: Princes of the Borderlands, page 19) 1. If desired, roll on Table 1-3 to determine the number of princes in the area. 2. Roll on Table 2–1 to determine the type of prince. 3. Roll on Table 2–2 to determine the race of the prince. 4. Roll on Tables 2–3 and 2–4 to determine how personally experienced the prince is. 5. Roll on Tables 2–5, 2–6, 2–7, 2–8, and 2–9 to determine the prince’s personality. 6. Roll on Table 2–10 to determine the size of the prince’s court. 7. Roll on Table 2–11 to determine the prince’s title. 8. If you want to generate further princes, return to step 2.

4. Generate the Relationships Between the Princes (Chapter Two: Princes of the Borderlands, page 33) 1. Split the princes into groups that have relations. For areas with a small number of princes, one prince per group makes sense. 2. Roll on Table 2–12 to determine the nature of the relationship, and roll on Table 2–13 to determine how long it has lasted. 3. Roll on the appropriate table from Tables 2–14 to 2–22 to determine the cause of the relationship. 4. If any relationships remain to be determined, return to step 2. Otherwise, go to step 5. 5. Weave the events given by the relationships into a recent history of the area.

5. Generate the Settlements in the Region (Chapter Three: Inhabitants of the Borderlands, page 42) Communities are generated for each principality and then for the uncontrolled areas. 1. Determine whether the area contains a town. 2. Roll on Table 3–1 to determine the number of villages in the area. 3. Roll 1d10 to determine the number of interesting homesteads in the area. 4. For each settlement, roll on Table 3–2 to determine its special features. This often requires a further roll on a sub-table.

6. Generate the Monsters Threatening the Region (Chapter Four: Hazards of the Borderlands, page 56) 1. Roll on Table 4–1 to determine the number of lairs in the area. 2. Roll on Table 4–2 to determine the type of monster in a lair. 3. Roll on the appropriate tables from Table 4–3 to Table 4–12 to determine the inhabitants of the lair in detail.

126

Index

Index A Alliances............................................106–107 Ancient Ruins..........................................9–18 History...................................................... 16 Location.................................................... 18 Regional History........................................ 18 Types of Menaces................................. 12–15 Types of Ruin...................................... 10–12 Assassination..........................................82–85

B Badlands........................................................7 Barren............................................................8

C Careers...................................................52–55 Anchorites................................................. 53 Badlander.................................................. 52 Badlands Ranger........................................ 54 Border Courtier......................................... 55 Cenobites.................................................. 53 Enforcer..................................................... 54 Muleskinner............................................... 54 Mystic........................................................ 54 Swamp Skimmer........................................ 52 Caves..............................................................9 Chaos.......................................57–60, 72, 123 Beastmen................................................... 58 Chaos Warrior........................................... 58 Daemon..................................................... 59 Minotaurs.................................................. 59 Mutants............................................... 59–60 Characters..............................................51–55 Creation.................................................... 51 Cliff...............................................................9 Communities.........................................42–50 Between Principalities................................ 44 Features............................................... 44–50 Homesteads............................................... 44 Towns.................................................. 42–43 Villages...................................................... 43 Conflicting Requests..........................102–105 Conquest...........................................107–112 Courts..........................................................32

D Dhuoda..........................................70–71, 123 Dhuoda (prince)..................................69, 120 Dieter............................................69–70, 121 Dieter von Masserschloss.....................68, 120 Dove’s Landing....................................70, 121

F Fate Points...................................................75 Fertile Valley..................................................9 Forested.........................................................8

G Geography.................................................6–9 Geyser............................................................9

Goldstone............................................71, 123 Grassy............................................................8 Greenskins.....................................60, 73, 124 Gryphon’s Crag....................................70, 121 Gulthac’s Hold.....................................72, 123 Gunther’s Foot.....................................70, 121

H Hills...............................................................8

I Isolated Mountain.........................................9

K Karl’s Folly...........................................71, 123 Karsack................................................71, 123

L

Prince Personality..................................27–29 Goals................................................... 27–28 Principles................................................... 28 Style..................................................... 28–29 Princes...................................................19–41 External..................................................... 34 Prince Types...........................................19–25 Bandit.................................................. 19–20 Knight................................................. 20–21 Mercenary............................................ 21–22 Merchant................................................... 22 Politician............................................. 22–23 Priest................................................... 23–24 Races................................................... 24–25 Unusual..................................................... 26 Wizard....................................................... 24 Principality..................................................33

Q

Lady’s Boon.........................................70, 123

Quaterain............................................72, 123 Quirks...................................................30–32

M

R

Map Squares..................................................5 Masserschloss........... 65–73, 70, 117–124, 121 Ancient Ruins...................................... 66–67 Dangers........................................... 123–124 Diplomatic Relations................................. 69 History...................................... 69, 117–118 Landscape............................................ 65–66 Monsters.............................................. 72–73 Places............................................... 121–122 Princes................................................. 67–69 Principalities.................................... 118–119 Relations.......................................... 120–121 Using....................................................... 124 Massimo......................................70, 121–122 Massimo Caldieli...........................67–68, 119 Monsters................................................60–62 Attitudes.................................................... 62 Morning Glory....................................70, 123 Mountains.....................................................8

Raiding Monsters.................................97–100 Raiding Neighbours...........................100–102 Rebellious Settlement............................91–94 Resources...........................................112–113 River..............................................................8

P

U

Pendor Hill..........................................72, 123 Plains.............................................................8 Poisons........................................................84 Childbless.................................................. 84 Prince’s Crown........................................... 84 Traitor’s Hap.............................................. 84 Pool...............................................................9 Popular Opposition...............................88–91 Princely Relations..................................33–41 Alliance................................................ 34–36 Bitterness............................................. 36–37 Contempt.................................................. 37 Envy.......................................................... 38 Fear..................................................... 38–39 Hatred....................................................... 39 Respect................................................ 39–40 Rivalry....................................................... 40 Vengeance.................................................. 40 Princely Secrets......................................29–30

Undead..................................................62–64 Dead Lords................................................ 63 Lone Menaces............................................ 63 Shambling Hordes..................................... 63

127

S Scrubland......................................................9 Seizing a Settlement...............................85–87 Special Features..............................................9 Spica....................................................72, 123 Swamps..........................................................8 Sweetwater.................................................121

T Tor.................................................................9 Treacherous Underlings.........................94–96 Treason..................................................78–82

V Vegetation..................................................8–9 Volcano..........................................................9

W Waterfall........................................................9 Whirlpool......................................................9

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