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Wouter Dhondt
Belgium
Anzegem
My armor is contempt. My shield is disgust. My sword is hatred. In the Emperor's name, let none survive.
When I now saw this Coppelius, the frightful and terrific thought took possession of my soul, that indeed no one but he could be the Sandman.
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The assassination of Richard Groendyck
Players:
Ronny, a Human priest of Morr
Arwen, an Elf journeyman bright wizard
Alex, a Human hedgecraft master
Absent: Snorri, a Dwarven journeyman runesmith
A player less this time. Our dwarf decided to get married and go on a honeymoon instead of playing. So we decided to play our assassination mission now. Note that this session was meant to be played after the one we'll be playing next time. So they are chronologically out of order. But we decided to play the side quest first and continue with the main adventure when our dwarf returns. The players had some fun with this, knowing we still had to play the three previous days, reflecting on past events that happened during that time.
Arwen, Ronny and Alex are having breakfast at an inn in Middenheim. Snorri isn't there, deciding to work on his runes instead. A servant enters the room, goes straight to their table and tells Arwen that his master is waiting for him. His master being the master bright wizard Lutke Saubermann who gave Arwen a grimoire for his studies. Of course Lutke doesn't give just grimoires to anyone and some debt has to be payed. He has a job for Arwen.
Arwen and Alex go to the house of the bright wizard. Ronny decides to stay at the inn to finish his breakfast. The servant leads them to a house not far from the inn. They enter and meet Lutke again after almost a month. He informs Arwen that he has to assassinate Richard Groendyck, a wealthy merchant from Marienburg. He's the sponsor of the Middenheim Maulers Blood Bowl team and Lutke works for the Reikland Raiders. They want Richard killed during the final cup game which is in three days in the Bernabau stadium. He has to strike Richard when the Reikland Raiders are winning. The match will probably be canceled at that point, with the Reikland Raiders winning the cup. They have to make sure that the Reikland Raiders will not be suspects of the assassination so they have to make sure there are no leads to be found and clean up after them. Their target is staying at “The prospect”, a very expensive inn in Middenheim and Lutke suggests to shadow him for a while and prepare the next two days. Arwen and Alex also ask where the Middenheim Maulers are staying and if they can get something extra if the team will perform bad on the day of the game. Lutke agrees. They also request a ticket for the game, but Lutke informs them everything is sold out so they have to find a way themselves to get inside the stadium that day. Arwen receives 20 gold coins to help out. Arwen and Alex go back to their inn and tell everything to Ronny. Alex gives his manticore spoor poison to Arwen is exchange for some bodily fluids of his. After that they decide to prepare, each choosing their own route.
Ronny goes to the priests of Morr and asks if they need any help cleaning up dead players during the cup game (it's a deadly sport). He's more than willing to help. The priests of Morr are happy to get help from another priest during the game and tell him to be at the service entrance an hour before the game starts. He also receives a paper that grants access to the stadium.
Alex decides to look for berries in the great park near the Bernabau stadium. He finds some and is able to use them to brew a concoction that causes depression (penalty for movement and agility actions) . He asks around town where the Middenheim Maulers are getting their food from and learns that the team uses the same kitchen as Graf Boris Todbringer and his entourage. He decides to go over there and offer his services as a cook. He's asked to prepare a meal as a test and it turns out he sucks at cooking. In fact his meal is a total disaster. He admits it isn't his specialty and he's actually better at setting traps for rodents and other animals that might turn up in the storage room. He's willing to set some traps to help them out. The men in the kitchen agree and Alex is able to put some traps out. While he's there he also poisons some of the food stored there with the concoction he made earlier. He realizes he might have done this a bit to early and tells the kitchen staff he'll be back next day to “check the traps”.
Arwen goes to “the Prospect” to meet Richard. They let him know Richard isn't in the inn at the moment and he's probably off for lunch at “The Harvest Goose”, one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. He meets Ronny in the streets (the garden of Morr is pretty close) and they both go to the restaurant. As it happens Richard is preparing for a business meeting and Arwen and Ronny introduce themselves as businessmen. Arwen tries to sell him a rug with a burned hole in it right there in the restaurant, claiming it comes from countess Elise of Talabheim. A rug he stole himself. Richard is not amused and orders his guards to throw them out. Back on the streets Arwen decides to go back to “The Prospect” and wait for Richard there. Ronny goes back to their Inn to get some rest.
After half an hour sitting in “The Prospect”, Arwen notices that Richard is not coming in, but leaving the inn instead. It seems there is a doppelganger of Richard. But which one is real and which one isn't? (this worked great. The players started discussing all options and the importance of this.) Arwen decides to follow Richard (who is surrounded by bodyguards) through the city. While he's following Richard he notices someone is following himself as well. He takes a small detour and returns, not losing track of Richard. He notices the person following him is now in front of him and was actually following Richard instead. He grabs the guy (Bernard) and forces him to help him. He asks Bernard to pickpocket Richard. Bernard agrees to cooperate and they follow Richard to a burned down building in the Neumarkt – Eastgate district. His bodyguards are searching what is left of the building while Arwen requests Bernard to steal from Richard. Richard notices Bernard trying to rob him though, and Arwen comes up to them hitting Bernard in the head, knocking him unconscious. Arwen introduces himself as “Snorri” and informs Richard he's helping with the city guard. Richard is very grateful. They chat a little about the upcoming game and Arwen receives a ticket as a “thank you”. He won't be close to Richard or his decoy however as they will be in the VIP section. He also learns this is the real Richard and that he can spot the fake from the real by checking out the hat which has a feather in it if it's the fake. Bernard is gaining consciousness and Arwen hits him again. He drags Bernard away through the streets before Bernard can reveal that Arwen requested him to pickpocket Richard.
At this point everyone is back at the inn. They decide to hire Bernard to do the killing for them so they don't risk getting caught. He agrees to do it for five gold coins which Arwen pays. Bernard will also be at the service entrance an hour before the game starts. Ronny asks him to wear something black so he can smuggle him inside as an initiate with the priests of Morr. Arwen drops Bernard off at his house so he knows where he lives should he not turn up at the stadium in time. Bernard tells Arwen he'll get some food from the kitchen of the Graf who always give their leftovers to the poor, but Arwen informs him he'll give Bernard some other food instead (knowing the food is poisoned by Alex).
Next day they continue with their preparations. They all decide to investigate the burned down building. Ronny is from Middenheim and knows the place as the “Templar's downfall”. It used to be a notorious high-society nightspot but was burned down when the Slaaneshi cult of the Jade Scepter was discovered there. They discover a sign of the cult on one of the beams. Searching near the bar they also find a manhole leading into a cellar. It looks like a storage room for the club and contains multiple wine barrels. There is a door in the back which leads to some kind of torture room. There is a table in the middle with chains and hooks hanging from the ceiling. There is also an altar with the sign of Slaanesh and a ceremonial dagger with the symbol of the cult of the Jade Scepter embedded in the hilt. They take the dagger with them and leave the place.
Ronny decides to check out the Bernabau stadium to check out the security precautions. He's able to find a good route from the entrance to the VIP sections. These use a separate tunnel so the regulars don't come into contact with the VIPs. He should get Bernard to the VIP section without any problems.
Arwen decides to visit Richard again. They meet in the Begierbaden, a spa in the Ulricsmund district. He tells Richard that some people are out to kill him and that it would be better if he joins him or his decoy in the VIP room to guard him during the game. Richard agrees cause he still believes Arwen is helping the city guard.
Alex goes back to the kitchen. He checks his traps in the storage room and finds a small rodent, cuts it open there and then and takes out its heart. He uses the rest of his poison on the fruit and rice. While walking out of the kitchen he notices that all the cooks have every ingredient they need for the next meal next to them so he “accidentally” kicks over a bag of rice and suggests to get a new one from storage, making sure he picks one he poisoned.
They all go back to the inn to get some sleep cause next day is match day.
They get up and feel prepared enough. So they don't do much before the match starts. Arwen gives Alex the ticket he received previously. They put manticore poison on Arwens sword and Ronny takes what's left for Bernard's dagger. They each reach the stadium. Ronny goes to the service entrance and meets Bernard there. They put poison on the dagger and enter the stadium. Alex finds his place in the crowd and Arwen enters the VIP room of Richard. It looks like his decoy with 4 bodyguards. The game starts shortly and it looks like most of the Middenheim Mauler players are not fit. They move slower and seem to be clumsy. Alex concoction is working and the Reikland Raiders are able to score easily. Ronny and Bernard knock on the door. Arwen steps out of the VIP room, sees that Ronny and Bernard are ready. Yells “Alarm!” and starts running the other way making sure one of the four guards is following him. Bernard and Ronny enter the VIP room. Ronny talks to the fourth guard, says they've been summoned to collect a dead body. This is Bernard's cue to kill Richard. He runs up to him, falls (failed agility check) and drops his dagger. His dagger hits the ground, jumps back up and ends up in the foot of Richards decoy (player rolled an 11 vs the 15 he needed). It's only a small cut but the poison does it's job and the decoy drops dead. Arwen returns to the VIP room and kills Bernard right away, leaving no witnesses and “saving the day by killing a murderer”. Everyone in the stadium saw what happened and fights are breaking out. Everyone leaves the VIP room and the stadium as fast as they can. The game is canceled and the Reikland Raiders are declared as winners.
They visit Lutke Saubermann the next day. He's happy with the result. He is impressed with the help from Alex and forces Arwen to give Alex the 20 gold he received earlier. To finish things of, Alex feels a little itch in his throat, probably caused by the warpstone based necklace, and gains a mutation (breathe fire).
All our previous Warhammer 2nd edition sessions:
A merry bunch visits the old world: compiled session reports
All images are (c) Black Industries
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Rich P
United Kingdom
Sheffield
United Kingdom
I didn't know what to do with my UberBadge, so I left it as a GeekBadge.
Back home after a world tour. How quickly a year goes...
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That's a nasty group of PCs you've got there: acepting an assassination job, delegating it to someone else then killing their employee! No blessings of Morr for them.
Was it a Snotball game they attended or do you include Blood Bowl in your WFRP games? The picture looks like it's of Blood Bowl players and I don't recall Snotball being quite so violent that it would require a clear-up of bodies afterwards. 
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Wouter Dhondt
Belgium
Anzegem
My armor is contempt. My shield is disgust. My sword is hatred. In the Emperor's name, let none survive.
When I now saw this Coppelius, the frightful and terrific thought took possession of my soul, that indeed no one but he could be the Sandman.
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My PCs don't have any problem with illegal stuff and blaming someone else.
I've included Blood Bowl in my Warhammer world but I restricted it to only human teams to keep it "real". I think it fits pretty much with the setting that way. (Edit the original report slightly to make this more clear).
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