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A Friend in

Need

By Mac Dara Mac Donnacha

Introduction

A Friend in Need can be set in any village or small town in the Empire. It is a short adventure,

which can be played in a single session and is suitable for characters on their first or second

careers. It includes some rules from Realms of Sorcery, The Old World Armoury and Sigmar’s

Heirs , but the adventure can be played without any of the above books.

The adventure revolves around the disappearance of the local apothecary, Jennel Zaubermann. She

was last seen in her home, and no one saw her leave. Her house would appear to be abandoned, the

doors locked and the shutters closed, but some of the villagers have heard noises from inside and

seen lights moving about at night. They approach the PCs and ask them to enter the house and find

out what happened to Jennel. Of course, the PCs might wonder why the villagers seem so reluctant

to enter the building themselves…

Background

The key to this mystery lies in Jennel’s family history. Her great-grandfather was once one of the

most successful smugglers in the Empire, before settling down in a small village. Rather than leave

the old life behind completely, however, he kept in contact with many of his old associates, even

helping them out on occasion (for a small fee). Eventually, his home became a regular stop on

many smuggling routes, serving as a safe place to stash goods or lay low for awhile. To facilitate

his operations, he excavated a small room beneath the building, where he could hide illicit goods.

Jennel’s grandfather continued the family business, expanding the room beneath the house

into a series of tunnels. Her father, Johan Zaubermann, was involved in darker activities. He

became involved with a Chaos Cult, known as the Purple Hand. They began to use the Zaubermann

tunnels as a safe house, storing important occult items and supplies there. If any disaster should

befall the cult, some of its members could flee to the safe house to hide and regroup. A select few

members of the cult’s leadership knew its location, and Johan was entrusted with its care. An

ambitious fellow, Johan wasn’t willing to simply serve as a custodian, and secretly began to study

the dark tomes hidden in his home.

Some years later, Johan was summoned to a cult gathering in Middenheim. Worried about

the safety of his 18-year-old daughter Jennel, he decided to enact a powerful ritual, The Binding

Ties of Friendship. He had been planning to perform the ritual for some time, gathering the

required ingredients for years, with the intention of using it for himself. The Binding Ties of

Friendship causes all those who fall under its influence to view the target of the ritual as a trusted

friend, even a loved one. This compulsion can be maintained for years, and would turn the entire

village into Jennel’s guardians.

The ritual was a success, and Johan felt confident he could leave his daughter behind. He

revealed to her the existence of the tunnels and told her how to maintain the ritual, though he was

sure he would return within a few short months. He warned her not to touch any of the strange

items hidden beneath the house. Finally, he told her to be wary of any strangers who came looking

for him, or who revealed that they knew of the hidden rooms. Such people would be very

dangerous, and she should consider them a mortal threat.

At first Jennel obeyed her father’s instructions. He had already begun her training as an

apothecary (a trade he had picked up as a cover for his own activities), and she found that the

villagers seemed to accept her as their new source of their tonics and cure-alls remarkably quickly.

Two months after her father left, however, a stranger arrived. Introducing himself only as Dieter, he

claimed that he was an associate of her father and demanded that she help him hide from the men

who were pursuing him. Too terrified to disobey, she hid him in the tunnels. A party of Witch

Hunters arrived the next day, searching for Dieter. Jennel knew that they would probably kill her if

they discovered the existence of the tunnels beneath her house. She waited until they had left before

returning to Dieter. He told her that the Purple Hand had suffered a major setback, and that many of

its members were dead or on the run. He had clearly mistaken her for a fellow cult member,

assuming that she was the custodian left behind to guard the safe house. She realised that it would

only be a matter of time before he realised the truth. She drugged his next meal, then dragged his

unconscious body into one of the unused rooms in the tunnels. She didn’t have the heart to kill him,

and furthermore hoped to learn more of her father’s fate from him.

Ten years have passed. Jennel has become the most important figure in the village, widely

respected for her wise advice and effective remedies. People often come to her with their problems,

or even just to ask her opinion on something. The influence of the ritual insures that people almost

always agree with her, and even people not under its spell usually do as she says (because everyone

else does).

Dieter has remained locked up all this time, refusing to answer any of her questions.

Eventually she became somewhat fond of him, treating him like a dangerous pet. Being trapped

underground for ten years has driven him completely insane. He has a terrible dread of the dark, but

he also feels uncomfortable, even afraid, in open spaces.

Jennel eventually decided to disobey her father’s order not to examine the occult books

located in the safe house. The study of magic fascinated her, as it did her father before her, and she

took to learning all she could. This study was a long and dangerous affair, as she had no mentor to

teach her, but she persevered. During her studies, she came across the details of The Binding Ties

of Friendship, and she realised that it effects would wear off within a few years. She decided to re-

enact the ritual, and began to gather what she would need to do so.

Finally, all was ready. She decided to perform the ritual in one of the underground

chambers, where she was unlikely to be disturbed. Just in case, she told the villagers that she was

undertaking some very important work, and that no one was to enter the house until she was

finished. She had done this in the past, and The Binding Ties of Friendship would ensure that her

order was obeyed. Confident that everything was prepared, she began the incantation.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the difficulty of the ritual. The powerful magical

energies were too much for her, and she lost control. The mystical power of the Aethyr flooded the

chamber, bringing with it a minor Daemon. Dieter escaped during the confusion, and managed to

trap Jennel in a small room before fleeing the tunnels. He managed to find his way back upstairs,

but his fear of open spaces and darkness has so far prevented him from leaving the house. He is

currently hiding in Jennel’s bedroom, living off the supplies he found in her pantry while trying to

muster the courage to escape the village. Jennel remains trapped in the tunnels. Not only is she

unable to break out of the cell, she is also aware that the Daemon is still prowling the tunnels. It too

is unable to escape. Not particularly bright, it cannot find a way out of the tunnels. Instead, it waits

outside her cell, hoping that she will come out so that it can inflict some pain…

The Proud Pig

The Proud Pig is a fairly large and surprisingly clean inn. The food is reasonably good and the

drink somewhat more so. The service, however, leaves something to be desired. While not exactly

rude, the staff have been somewhat cold towards the PCs, rarely engaging them in conversation and

giving them odd looks. This is hardly unusual in the Old World, where strangers are usually viewed

with distrust, but usually the staff at an inn will take greater pains to hide it (at least until their

patrons have paid their bill).

As they prepare to settle in for the night, the innkeeper approaches them accompanied by a

dozen other nervous villagers. He quickly assures them that they mean them no harm (and, in fact,

none of them appear to be armed), but that they have a small problem the PCs might be able to help

them with. The innkeeper introduces himself as Otto Lidst before explaining their predicament.

“You see, its Jennel, our apothecary. She hasn’t been seen for three days, and we’re getting

worried about her. Nobody saw her leave her house, but it’s locked up tight. Only thing is, we’ve

seen lights on in some of the rooms, and Gertie Henkelmauer swears she heard shouting coming

from upstairs last night. We’ve tried banging on the doors and shouting, but no one answers. We’re

worried someone might have hurt Jennel and be hiding inside, and we don’t know what to do. We

were wondering, you see, if maybe you – with all your weapons, you see - maybe you could help

us?”

Dieter caused the lights and noises the villagers noticed as he moved around the building.

Last night he had a nightmare brought on by his dementia, and he began to scream and thrash

about, which is what Gertie heard. If the PCs ask her to describe what she heard, she says that it

was like an angry roar or shout.

Doubtful PCs might wonder why the villagers don’t go in themselves. Otto plays the

helpless village rube act, claiming that the villagers are simple folk, with no real fighters and nearly

no weapons. The rest of the villagers nod their heads and look either ashamed or frightened at their

helplessness. He tells them that the village militia consists of Old Gunther, a one-legged, one-eyed

former soldier in his sixties. This isn’t actually true, the militia also includes Jan and Lara, two

capable (though inexperienced) youths. As soon as the PCs arrived in the village, Otto ordered the

two of them to remain out of sight.

Particularly suspicious PCs may suspect that Jennel is a witch (this is Warhammer, after

all). If they are foolish enough to mention this to Otto and the villagers, they will laugh and deny it.

After all, they claim, only last year a Witch Hunter passed through the village. Not only did he not

accuse Jennel of witchcraft, he actually went so far as to buy a number of ointments and unguents

from her (this is true, actually. Witch Hunter Claus Eckel had heard rumours of a skilled and

influential herbalist living in the village, and came to investigate. He insisted on searching her

house, but found nothing amiss. He left, and reported that Jennel was an innocent apothecary).

Assuming the PCs do not push the matter, the villagers will continue to try to convince them to

help. If they insist that Jennel is a witch, Otto will declare that there is no use trying to convince

them further and will ask the villagers to leave them be. Move on to A Good Night’s Sleep .

Of course, the PCs are going to be wondering about compensation. Despite his concern for

Jennel, Otto is at heart a greedy man, and will bargain hard for his money. Despite that, most of the

village is willing to contribute something to their fee, and when push comes to shove they will do

almost anything to convince the adventurers to help them. Otto initially offers to pay them 3gc each

to enter the house. If there should find nothing out of the ordinary, that will be all they get. If there

should be someone dangerous inside, their pay will increase to 10gc each. In addition, their stay in

the Proud Pig will be free and food and drink will be on the house. Most of the other villagers

chime in at this point, offering their services. The village doesn’t include that many craftsmen of

great ability, but the PCs can expect to have their armour and weapons repaired and sharpened,

their clothes cleaned and their boots polished. In addition, they can request and be given just about

any item of equipment that costs less than 1gc (subject to GM approval).

If the PCs decide to try to raise their fee, have them make an opposed Haggling Test with

Otto. This is a Very Hard (-30%) Test for Otto, as the influence of the ritual is making him

desperate. For every degree of success the PCs beat him by, he increases their pay by 1gc each

(whether there is anyone hostile inside or not). If they achieve three degrees of success or better, he

will also throw in a set of Full Leather Armour, which he will give to them before they enter the

house. This is actually Old Gunther’s armour, and smells like old socks, but is otherwise good. Old

Gunther won’t be happy to see it go, but no one in the village is in any mood to listen to his

complaints.

Should the PCs agree to their offer, Otto will insist that they go to Jennel’s house

immediately. Go to Knock, Knock . Should they refuse, the villagers will look upset and angry.

There will be some irate comments about running them out of town, but Otto will shake his head.

“No, no, there is no point in getting angry. They have no reason to help us, and I have never refused

paying customers from my inn. They are welcome to stay the night.” Smart PCs may decide to hit

the road anyway (and thus miss the rest of the adventure), but should they decide to stay, go to A

Good Night’s Sleep .

A Good Night’s Sleep .

The refusal of the PCs to help the villagers has triggered Otto’s rampant paranoia. He is convinced

that they are working with Jennel’s mysterious enemies to destroy the village. He has convinced a

number of like-minded villagers to help him deal with them, before they can cause her any more

harm.

His plan is simple. After they have gone to sleep, he and the others will enter their rooms

and hack them to pieces. Fortunately for the PCs, neither he nor his accomplices are particularly

stealthy, and the stairs in the Proud Pig are especially creaky. If any of the PCs remain on watch,

they will automatically hear the villagers approaching their room, and will have four rounds in

which to wake the others and prepare. The villagers make quite a ruckus as they come upstairs,

squeezing into the tight corridor and telling each other to be quiet. If all of the PCs are asleep, have

them make a Routine (+10%) Perception Test . If they succeed, they wake up just as Otto enters

the room. For every degree of success they achieve, they wake up one turn earlier.

Note that sleeping players will not be wearing any armour and will have to grab their

weapons, slowing their response. They will also be at –10% to all tests for the first round, as they

will be confused and groggy.

Otto has convinced Jan and Lara, from the village militia, to join him, along with two other

villagers. See Otto, Jan and Lara’s stats below. For the two other villagers, use the stats for

Proprietors in the Warhammer Rulebook, page 235. Each of them has the Terrible Thirstings

disorder due to The Binding Ties of Friendship.

Otto, Jan and Lara will attack any PCs who manage to arm themselves, while the other

villagers attempt to make grappling attacks against the others. Should all of the PCs be armed the

villagers will use their weapons (they are armed with cudgels).

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