INT
1
STUN 10
Skills
Melee +8
Dodge/Escape +6
Athletics +6
Awareness +6
REF
6
RUN 33
Stealth +2
Wild. Survival +2
Endurance +9
Courage +10
DEX 6
LEAP 6
BODY 14
STA 50
Loot
Armor
Vulnerabilities
SPD 11
ENC 140
EMP 3
REC 10
Raw meat (2d6)
0
Beast Oil
Beast bones (2d6)
CRA 1
HP
50
WILL 6
VIGOR 0
LUCK 0
Weapons
Abilities
Name
DMG
Effect
ROF
Feral
Hooves
4d6+2
N/A
1
For the purposes of Awareness and Wilderness Survival, instinct gives them an INT
of 7.
313
Ox
INT
1
STUN 10
Skills
Melee +5
Dodge/Escape +7
Athletics +2
Awareness +3
REF
3
RUN 18
Stealth +1
Wild. Survival +1
Endurance +6
Courage +10
DEX 3
LEAP 3
BODY 14
STA 50
Loot
Armor
Vulnerabilities
SPD 6
ENC 140
EMP 2
REC 10
Raw meat (2d6)
0
Beast Oil
Beast bones (2d6)
CRA 1
HP
50
WILL 6
VIGOR 0
LUCK 0
Abilities
Feral
Weapons
For the purposes of Awareness and Wilderness Survival, instinct gives them an
INT of 7.
Name
DMG
Effect
ROF
Charge
Hooves
4d6
N/A
1
If a target moves more than 10m away from an ox, it can charge and make a powerful horn
at ack at -4 which does 8d6 damage and knocks the target back 3m. If they strike anything
Gore
5d6
Bleed (50%)
1
while flying back, the target takes appropriate ramming damage as if from a horse.
Mule
INT
1
STUN 9
Skills
Melee +5
Dodge/Escape +5
Athletics +3
Awareness +3
REF
4
RUN 27
Stealth +2
Wild. Survival +2
Endurance +7
Courage +7
DEX 4
LEAP 5
BODY 11
STA 45
Loot
Armor
Vulnerabilities
SPD 9
ENC 110
EMP 3
REC 9
Raw meat (1d10)
0
Beast Oil
Beast bones (1d10)
CRA 1
HP
45
WILL 7
VIGOR 0
LUCK 0
Weapons
Abilities
Name
DMG
Effect
ROF
Feral
Hooves
2d6+2
N/A
1
For the purposes of Awareness and Wilderness Survival, instinct gives them an
INT of 7.
314
To All A Good Night
Background (Read Aloud)
The Rest of the Story
It’s been a long, hard journey, but it’s well What the players don’t know is that the town worth it. Anything to avoid the meat-grinder of Ashberg is being tormented by some beast at the Pontar, right? Nobody knows how long in the night. Ever since the Nilfgaardians Vergen can hold out, but everybody knows it stormed through, children have been going won’t be long. Nothing stops the Nilfgaardi- missing in the night. Little do the townfolk an war machine. A few days of sneaking past know, this is all a plan concocted by the new Nilfgaardian patrols, maybe picking up a few Nilfgaardian lord of Ashberg, Olaf Nowak.
deserters on the way, and you’ve landed in Lord Nowak is using a local trol , displaced some little Aedirnian town cal ed Ashberg. by the Nilfgaardians, to instill enough fear It’s a nice enough place but people seem a bit in the locals to keep them from rioting. The on edge. Not surprising: Nilfgaard just went rock trol , Woolabag, has been convinced he through and the streets still smell of blood and is doing good by taking naughty children rotting corpses. Speaking of the streets, you and giving them to the Lord to be punished.
don’t see any children here.
315
Setting
Set Up (Read Aloud)
The players enter the small town of Ash- The smell of blood fades as you step into the
berg in upper Aedirn. They will find open Wolf Head Tavern, only to be replaced by the
lodgings at the Wolf Head Tavern where odor of the drunk, unwashed commonfolk of
they can set up their headquarters. They can Ashberg. As you take a seat and gesture to the investigate a house where the most recent barkeep for some food and drink you realize
kidnapping happened. After a night or so, the people here look broken and scared, but
another child will be taken from the manor not in the way you’ve come to expect from the of a local noble who was plotting treason. terrors of Nilfgaard. Sure, you see the usual Eventual y the players will find the lair of lack of fighting age men and the discard-Woolabag. After that the climax takes place ed national flags but also that same lack of in Lord Nowak’s manor, where the children children you saw when you entered the town.
are kept.
The few you do see are kept on a tight leash
by their parents. After a minute the Barkeep,
Forces
who was arguing quietly with a townswom-
This adventure can be run with up to six an, comes to your table with a platter of bread players from either side of the war. If they and cheese and a bottle of dwarven spirits. As are from the North, they are fleeing the on- he sets it down he says nervously:
coming war. If they are from Nilfgaard, they
are deserters running from the frontline. You lot look tough... Meal’s on the house, and Remember that the enemies you deploy if ya wanna make some coin meet me out
should reflect the number of players.
back tonight. I swear the coin’s good.
The Opposition Will Be
Hook
• Woolabag the troll is a rock troll who Sundown comes. Give the players some
is being manipulated by Lord Nowak. time to wander town a bit, but make clear
If there are more than 4 players, add a that it will pay to lay low. If the players de-
second rock troll as well (Mogo).
cide not to meet the Barkeep he comes to
• Nekkers are found near the troll cave. find them. When they do meet, he looks
There should be a number of nekkers frantic. There are five other townsfolk with
equal to the players plus 2.
him. The Barkeep begs the players to listen
• Bandits are looting the scene of the and promises them plenty of
payment. Even
crime. There should be as many bandits if they decline, the man will launch into his
as there are players.
tale:
• City Guards may be dispatched to im-
prison the players or to help them. Use Our town’s in a horrible spot, or I wouldn’t be bandits in the Bestiary for their stats.
beggin’ help o’ travelers. Every night more and
• Crucible Kowal is the most fearsome more of our young‘uns go missin’ and no one’s human threat the players will encoun- doin’ nothin’ about it! Somethin’s stalkin’ our
ter; while they can escape him they will streets. The Lord’s doubled the guard, but they likely fight. See the stat block at the ain’t seen anythin’! And anyone who tries to back of the adventure for his stats.
fight it gets crushed. We’re just peasants and
• Lord Nowak won’t appear until the end drapers and such, but I can offer some coin of the adventure, but the players have and a valuable secret: I know a hidden pas-the option to fight him. See the stat sage into the Mahakams. Everyone knows ya
block at the back of the adventure for can’t just head west. You’ll be spied by black his stats.
scouts and that’s the end of ya!
316
Just last week the Henny found two corpses to the outskirts of town where they find a out south of here. Crucible’s work.... Poured house with its door broken open. In fact, not Awareness
molten lead down their throats and left ‘em.
only the door—the door frame is cracked
and forced outward, like something much
Total
Result
By now it should be obvious to the players larger than a human had to force its way
The 5 people were
that the peasants are telling the truth. Many inside. Inside is a mess: furniture scattered all beaten to death.
units of Nilfgaardian Scouts have fallen and broken.
10
There are no obvi-
back to patrol occupied territory and root
ous cutting or stab-
out dissenters. It’s known that one of the
bing wounds.
Cliffhanger
Commanders is an Etolian call “Crucible” Inside the players can make an Awareness
The wounds were
Kowal, for his tendency to execute prisoners check at a DC:14. If they succeed they hear
inflicted with a
14
large object. Prob-
by pouring molten metal down the throats. sounds from the adjacent room. A group
ably shaped like a
In Mahakam the players will be safe and can of bandits there (as many as there are play-
club.
theoretical y bargain for Mahakaman steel ers) are rifling through drawers and stuffing
There are frag-
weapons and armor, which will do them sacks with goods. If the players don’t try to
18
ments of bark
well as they travel south. If the players agree, sneak (or they confront the bandits) the
on some of the
they’ll be shown to the mortician’s study in bandits will draw their weapons, yelling at
clothes.
the next Development. If not, the townsfolk the players to get out. The bandits look pret-
There is mud un-
derneath
one
leave and accumulate 650 Crowns among ty clawed up.
woman’s nails. The
them to pay. If the players still refuse, the
20
mud is part clay,
people threaten to turn the players in to “Shove off,” They yell. “We earned this loot, part moss, and
“Crucible” Kowal—the only options for the runnin’ off those ploughin’ midgets!”
smel s horrid, like
players then are to take the job or find every-
sweat and piss.
one who knows about them and kill them.
The bandits can be fought (in which
case use the statistics for bandits in the Bes-
Development
tiary section) or reasoned with. It takes a
First Aid
At the morgue the players meet a thin, reedy DC:15 Charisma check to calm the bandits;
Total
Result
elf by the name of Aeron who is introduced then they will spill their story before at-
as the town’s best mortician. Aeron is a quiet tempting to leave. Attempting to stop them
The 5 people were
beaten to death
man and doesn’t talk to the players unless ends in a fight.
10
and died of inter-
he absolutely has to. He seems wary of the
nal organ failure.
players, but leads them down to his morgue “Came to rob the place. Y’know...dead ‘uns
The wounds were
where they find 5 bodies in varying states don’t need their things. But, was these plough-inflicted with a
of decomposition. Players may make an in’ ugly midget things, crawlin’ ‘round the
14
weapon at least a
Awareness or First Aid/Healing Hands to place. Figured we’d run ‘em off but... Horrid’
meter long, half
a meter wide and
find clues (refer to the Table in the sidebar things bit off me finger... and Herman’s nose!
vertically ribbed.
for results).
Seems like they was lookin’ for somethin’ ta
The wounds were
After he has given the players a few eat. Ran ‘em off good and they scampered for
inflicted with
minutes to look over the bodies Aeron tel s the hil s...”
strength far be-
them:
18
yond human ca-
pability—like be-
Development
ing trampled by a
All five bodies were found in their homes at After the bandits have gone (or are dead), horse.
sunrise. Their doors had been broken open, players can check around the house with an There are a few bite
the victims beaten to death, and their children Awareness check (refer to the Table in the marks on one of
taken. The guards have yet to catch the crimi- sidebar for results). Players may ask towns-the corpses which
nal, though extra patrols have been posted...I folk around the house what anyone saw or-20
might have been
can take you to the scene of the most recent heard.
animals but look
unnervingly hu-
crime if you wish.
man.
If they take the offer, Aeron guides them
317
It will take a DC:16 Charisma check or a If the players refuse this initial invitation,
DC:14 Intimidation check to convince the the servants offer a great deal (300 crowns
neighbors to talk. If the players succeed they per player) of money for them to aid her
Awareness
learn that around the middle of the night Ladyship. If they still refuse, the servants
the neighbors heard a cracking of wood, a testily leave the Players to follow the rest of
Total
Result
deep voice singing something unintelligi- the drag trail. Move straight to Cliffhanger
Blood—looks like
ble, and then a horrible fight. They were too (Troll Cave).
it is from a day or so
scared to go and check, but one woman did
If the players choose to go with the
ago. A DC:15 First
send her son to get the guards. The guards servants they meet with Lady Sibilia in her
10
Aid check sh
ows
didn’t arrive until things had been over for manor. Her Ladyship is a fairly powerful
that the smear’s
shape matches the
some time.
figure in Ashberg, having been married to
smashed face of
a local knight of Prince Stennis before the
one of the bodies.
Cliffhanger
war. When they meet with her she seems
Okay, this creature
Your players will probably choose to fol- glacial y cold, but a DC:16 Human Percep-
was bulky enough
low the drag marks out of the house. If they tion check shows that she is tremendously
to break the door
don’t, have a party NPC (or Aeron) sug- worried. She tel s the players:
14
frame. How does
something this big
gest it. Following the drag marks (which
sneak around the
is a DC:12 Wilderness Survival check), the I’m glad you decided to come. I will get
guards?
players find a number of nekkers (equal to straight down to business. My son Adalbert
There are drag
the number of players plus 2) fighting over was kidnapped last night from his bedroom.
marks, as though a
the corpse of a woman. As well as the obvi- The window and wall were smashed open
body was dragged
ous nekker wounds, the corpse shows con- and his room is in shambles. I heard you were
out the back en-
18
trance of the house.
sistent damage with the other victims of the investigating this beastly kidnapper and so I The track leads out
beast. The players must fight, or run from sent for you. I am wil ing not only to pay, but of the house and
the nekkers.
to furnish two of my personal guard to aid
towards the hil s
you with the beast.
outside of town.
Development
The main room,
After the fight with the nekkers the sun has If the players accept, they inspect the room
where it looks like
the fighting took
set and the trail has gone cold. The nekkers Adalbert was kidnapped from. It matches
place, has bits of
probably have an underground lair some- the other crime scenes, but there’s no blood,
twigs and small
where, but they’re obviously just scavengers. just knocked-over furniture. Outside the
20
sticks scattered
The best bet would be to return to the Wolf smashed wall they find a set of large human-
about. They match
the bark found on
Head Tavern and rest for the night.
oid tracks in the grass and mud. A Mon-
the people’s clothes.
The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG Page 65