TRAITOR’S EDITION

Kingdom
Written by Greg Saunders with Andy Scott, Justin Wyatt, Lee
Rimmer, Mustafa Bekir, Paul 'Geist' Gallagher, Sean Wills and
The Guvnor
Cover art by Justin Wyatt, design Paul Bourne
Internal art Justin Wyatt and Yuri Perkowski Domingos
Contents
Fesselmark 3 The Undertunnels 76
The Kingdom 4 Kellebrik 79
Culture of Fesselmark 7 Fishmen 80
The Royal Family 10 Organisations 82
The Traitor 12 The Little Council 82
The college of doors 84
The Evening Lands 13 The Red King's men 85
Black Spine Mountains 16 The Guard 87
Cragtop Mountains 19 Noted Citizenry 90
Fair Marenesse 20 The Wizard Dolkepper 90
Fesselburg 21 The Lady Alice 92
Forest of Helmsby 22 Meageller 93
Golden Cave 24 So, You're a Local? 96
Grim Biskerstaff 25 Docker 96
Lake Gossenham 25 Fish Warden 97
Pomperburg 26 Mudlark 98
Rebeck 29 Night watchman 99
Royal Forest 30 Publican 101
Ruined Honheim 31 Servant 102
Tainted folk of Honheim 32 Hirelings 103
Tresselback 35
Westerboss 36 Adventures 105
Westerlan 38 The Double 105
Eye Spy 106
Grim Biskerstaf 40 Pitman's Model 106
The Blight 41 Revolution Calling 108
City on the River 41 Golden Gut 108
The City 44 Half a World Away 109
Vessen River 46 Inflation! 110
The walls 48 The Priest 110
Fortress Strumdorf 50 How Odd 111
The Docks 53
The Manky Mermaid 55
Fire brew 56
Lord's Hill 58
Hemlock Holt 61
Artisan's quarter 64
The Great Market 68
The Cathedral 71
Fesselmark
Fesselmark
The Kingdom
Fesselmark, usually just
called ‘the Kingdom’ by
those who dwell there,
covers a large landmass
surrounded by wide
oceans. It occupies an
area rich with history - the
Kingdom is just the last of
a great line of empires that
have called the area home,
and the ruins that dot the
land are a testament to
many previous rulers. The
elves had the most recent
and enduring empire, but
eventually it collapsed like
others before it, and from
the ashes the Kingdom
was born. Humans
dominate Fesselmark, but
other communities such
as dwarves, elves and
halflings are common, as
well as less welcoming
folk such as goblins and
unmen.
The Kingdom is large,
stretching from the so-
called Lands of Morning in
4
the east to the peninsular
called the Evening Lands in
the west. Within the realm
there are great forests,
wide grassy plains, tall
dark mountains, great
meandering rivers, deep
cold lakes and broad,
rolling hills. Ruins are
a common sight, relics
from past empires and
civilisations, but these are
avoided - most sensible
folk in the Kingdom stick
to the thriving cities
and towns, or the well-
defended villages. The
wilderness remains very
much wild. The land is
magical, and the essence
of the arcane permeates
everything. It is said by
the superstitious that the
deep mountains and dark
forests are doorways,
places where the traveller
passes from this world
to other lands, other
places. They believe that
although a forest may only

take a few weeks to walk
around, it is possible to
wander within for years,
eventually journeying
under alien stars and
into other realms where
elves still maintain their
mighty empires. Believers
say that therefore, the
wilderness of Fesselmark
cannot be tamed - it links
to other spheres and other
wildernesses, a great
patchwork of places that
run into each other like
a labyrinth. To stray too
far into the wild is to risk
losing yourself completely.
Better to stick to the well-
known roads and paths,
and the light of the cities.
Others laugh at such
foolishness.
The people of the Kingdom
are many and varied.
Humans dominate - the
Kingdom is considered
to be a human realm -
but elves, dwarves and
halflings are relatively
common and respected
members of society, for
the most part. Fesselmark
Fesselmark
is a multicultural realm,
where other creatures
and cultures are allowed
to flourish as long as they
respect the rule of law.
Other communities outside
of the King's rule also
exist, such as the goblin
realms of the mountains,
and the Kingdom is always
on guard for threats from
other less friendly peoples.
Most of the population live
in the larger cities and
towns, or work the fields
in the tamed lands that
surround them. Further
from the cities, the land
gets wilder, even as the
relics of ancient empires
and lost realms become
more apparent. Within the
confines of Fesselmark
elven and dwarven realms
exist, hidden in the wild
geography that stretches
outside of this world and
into other places under
other skies.
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 CULTURE OF FESSELMARK
Fesselmark

The people of the Kingdom like any excuse to celebrate,

or at least to shout and cause a ruckus. See what
cultural event is causing all the noise by rolling 1d20.

1. A troupe of slapstick halfling acrobats 'The Brothers

Rassum' has arrived, giving a free performance
before they attend the outrageously decadent
wedding of young Polbeck.
2. The elven bard Nioas is about to recite his new piece
'the ballad of bad Roger', about the misdemeanours
of the old Count of Rebeck. The critical crowd have
mouldy tomatoes at the ready.
3. Crowds cheer and place bets as the riders for the
annual cross-Kingdom Chalice race into town.
Tomorrow they head out on the next heat, but tonight
they party!
4. Today is the festival of Grunnig, saint of the
Heartstone dedicated to drinking. All drink
themselves to stupefaction in honour of this beloved
martyr (gout finished what goblins couldn't).
5. It's the seasonal Guild Feast Day where the local
artisans, scribes and other members parade around
displaying their wares and banners in the morning
before sitting down with their families for a hearty
lunch (a picnic if weather permits), speeches and a
sing-song.
6. The day after the night before. The long night is when
the spirits of the dead come out and good folk hide
in their homes. The next day is the day of celebration
for making it through the night!
7. Priestess Jannessa of the Thrice Blessed and
her retinue have arrived to administer the yearly
test to determine if any local youths are worthy
of being trained by the military orders, clergy and

6
 spellcasters of the faith. Eager parents attempt

Fesselmark
to impress and influence the priests during the
accompanying celebrations.
8. Smoke pours out from under the stone archway.
Standing outside, you see flashing lights coming
from within the cloud of smoke. Three men are
inside, drinking a bottle of exquisite fire whisky
brewed by ancient elves. If drunk by the pure of
heart, the fire whisky is said to impart beautiful
wisdom. If not, the fire whisky burns you from the
inside, thick black smoke pours out of your mouth
and lightning bursts from your eyes. So they say.
9. A funeral procession moves along the road. Six men
carry the coffin, and on top are numerous bottles
of spirit. On lookers are encouraged to drink to the
dead, and the more they drink, the greater they
honour the departed's family.
10. You arrive in town to see a procession of bedraggled
and filthy pilgrims whipping themselves while
chanting incoherently. Some members of the
procession are carrying relics and portable shrines.
It is the Day of Atonement, when all sins are forgiven
if enough contrition is shown. If you are suitably (or
convincingly) contrite, you may receive the blessings
and absolutions of one of the pilgrim priests
marching alongside those seeking forgiveness. If
anyone believes that you are lying though, things
could get ugly...
11. Men in wicker hats prance around the town square,
the bells on their legs jingling in time with their
dance. The festival of Harvest Thanks is in full
swing! Fair maidens dance around the pole, ribbons
in hand, while onlookers get progressives more
drunk on mead. You have the chance to stock up on
supplies for a reasonable price as well find out all
the local gossip: mead and merriment has a way of
loosening even the most secretive of lips.

7
 12. Trial of Champions. Participants from all the realm
Fesselmark

gather for the annual trial of champions to choose

the strongest and most athletic to represent the
county at the King's Cup the following year. While
pride is an all-important motivation, money is close
second. Wagers on the various contests present a
chance for profit!
13. The royal hunt passes through, bearing a magnificent
stag apparently caught by the King. He is, however,
nowhere to be seen. Lord Fersem proclaims a feast
in the King's honour, venison for all!
14. Whooping and laughter draws you to a lean-to shack
surrounded by a heaving crowd of sweaty beggars
dancing like maniacs to the thumping of drums. A
roar goes up from the revelers as the proud father
steps from the shack holding his newborn daughter
aloft. The baby's face has several scales and a tail
curls around the father's wrist. Something here is
very wrong.
15. The Goblin King attacks! Children dressed as King
Grazzil of the Black Spine Mountains scatter about,
laughing and singing. Wait, where's your money?
16. High with anticipation, the baying mob want blood.
They boo and hurl abuse as the Bandit King's
daughter is led before the local Lord in the market
place. The militia look around nervously as the
charges are read out. Surely her father is close by?
17. There is a scuffle in front of you - militia from the
town and the King's Halberdiers throwing punches at
each other, obviously drunk. They are wrecking the
place, but who is going to step in and break up the
fight?
18. A huge chained bear dances in a circle, while a
motley collection of sweating musicians play poor
folk tunes. The bear looks hot and angry, and the
'tamer' looks bored. What could go wrong?

8
 Fesselmark
19. 'Pie and peas, pie and peas!' Poppa Proussi, halfling
piemaster, is in town and everyone is tucking in,
gorging themselves for one penny per helping.
Proussi has stumbled on a secret ingredient that
makes the pies incredibly moreish. Best not think
what is in the pies...
20. Gerarix Stonecast, the dwarven showman has a new
exhibit. It is an abomination from the great forest of
Helmsby. A mutated unman. Only a penny a view! For
two pennies, you can feed him. He's very docile! He's
almost never bitten anyone...

The Royal Family

The King is his Royal
Highness Gustav Pelleron
IV, a proud and mostly
beneficent man who
is loved by his people,
especially in the wake of
the war against the Traitor,
where the King himself
led many of his troops in
battle. In his mid-forties
before the war, the King
was an energetic man
who hunted frequently in
the Royal forest, but times
change, and since the
Traitor's fall the King has
shunned public life. It is
his wife, Queen Isalodora,
who has become the most
visible member of the
royal household. She is
often seen in the Royal
capital of Fesselburg
accompanied by Viscount
Rubrix, her husband's
chief advisor and now her
confidant. Rumours spread
throughout the city and
indeed across the Kingdom
that the King is ill, and that
it is in reality the Queen
and Viscount who rule the

9
Fesselmark
land. Ruberix is respected
but feared - armies at his
command committed the
atrocities of the battle of
Rebeck. This combination
of the disappearance of the
King and the prominence
of Ruberix has led to some
uprisings in the further-
10
flung areas of Fesselmark,
where the rule of law is
weaker and bandits and
worse prey on honest folk.
Whatever the reason, the
Queen has nothing to say
on her husband's recent
behaviour.

The Traitor
The recent history of the
Kingdom is dominated by
the war against Traitor,
Nelkus. The one-time
King's chamberlain and
favourite who eventually
betrayed his master
and unleashed a tide of
darkness and war across
Fesselmark. When the
betrayal of the Traitor
was revealed and the plot
with the demonic forces
of Delock uncovered, it
led to many years of war
that decimated the land
in a number of pitched
battles including the bitter
battle of Pomperburg
Fesselmark
and the battle in the Hills
of Strife. Eventually the
Traitor was defeated but
disappeared before he
could be captured. Now the
Kingdom is at an uneasy
peace, but with the Traitor
still at large the peace
is restless and fraught.
The disappearance of the
king from coincided with
the fall of the Traitor, and
even as refugees stream
from those places most
damaged by war, the inns
and pubs of Fesselmark
are awash with speculation
on what this could mean.
11
 The Evening
Fesselmark
Lands
The western part of
Fesselmark is known as the
Evening Lands, the place
where the sun can be seen
to set beyond the scarlet
sea. This is an old part of
the Kingdom and where
the capital, Fesselburg,
12
lies. It was also the seat
of the last great elven
empire to encompass the
Kingdom within its bounds,
the Golethen empire, and
many ruins of this once
great realm can be found
scattered about the land.

Black Spine
Mountains
To the north east of the
Evening Lands, the Black
Spine Mountains are
tall, rugged and largely
unexplored. Their peaks
soar far above the plains
that surround them,
perpetually coated in a
layer of ice and snow that
catches the rays of the sun
in a dazzling glow. Within
the mountains, goblin and
dwarves have their realms
- explorers say that if you
wander the wrong paths in
the mountains you'll wind
Fesselmark
up in a land of endless
peaks where dwarves
and goblins fight never-
ending battles under
a red sun. Bordering
on the Kingdom the
most noted goblin
realm is called Blazzak,
home to the clans
under the leadership
of King Grazzil that
have menaced the city
of Rebeck on many
occasions. Currently
the goblins are in an
uneasy truce with the
13
Fesselmark

Kingdom, which invariably Queen Darrum, also in the

is a result of them Black Spine Mountains.
directing their antagonism The dwarves are friendly
towards the dwarves, to Fesselmark but keep
such that the tunnels of themselves to themselves,
the mountains ring with having the typical stoic
their battles. The dwarven demeanour of the less
realm they fight with is travelled of their kind.
called Fireheart, led by

16
 Fesselmark
Which goblin tribe hunts you? (roll 1d6)

1. The Peelers: Experts at flaying, they take their

enemies skin and fashion banners from it.
2. The Long Claws: This tribe has been underground
so long that they have evolved mole like claws for
burrowing. They also work well as lethal close
combat weapons too.
3. The Pus Guzzlers: They harvest the pus from the
huge burrowing grubs that live in their caves as it
deadens the nerves and allows them to fight, despite
the most horrific injuries.
4. The Storm Fangs: Mounted on giant wolves, they
launch lightning fast raids against unsuspecting
travellers.
5. The Clankers: Notorious scavengers and cowards,
they take to the battlefield in a mix of bolted together
broken armour they've 'claimed' from the bodies of
the fallen.
6. The Bloody Maw: Never wanting to let anything go
to waste, this tribe feasts on their prisoners while
they re still alive. They were once members of The
Peelers, but were expelled from the tribe for their
culinary habits.

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 Cragtop Mountains
Fesselmark

Far to the south east those that do not belong

of the Evening Lands, to the elves. When their
the jagged and broken kingdom fell, the magical
Cragtop Mountains bear cataclysm destroyed
the ruins of the realm many of the mountains,
of Livenscar, an ancient leaving them broken and
human kingdom ruled by shattered. Now the ruins of
wizards. Stories say that Livenscar are renowned as
this realm was destroyed a home of necromancers,
when the magicians demonologists and other
delved too deeply into terrors. Ruined Honheim is
forbidden knowledge, and testament to the dangers of
made pacts with entities the Cragtop Mountains, and
from beyond this world. this pestilence also infects
Some say that many of some of the nearby towns
the spells known today and villages.
come from Livenscar,

18
 Fair Marenesse
A great port on the Scarlet
Sea, the city is called 'fair'
due to the beautiful white
limestone that was used in
building much of the city.
The port trades with Far
Hissain, the Purple Empire
and the Flaxen lands to
the far west. All manner
of goods are traded within
the city, those flowing from
the Kingdom overseas
and exotic wares from
far-flung places, as well
as more mundane goods
such as wood and stone.
Marenesse is a melting pot
of cultures and peoples,
and is the gateway many
different ideologies take
into Fesselmark. The
great market is one of the
wonders of the Kingdom, a
huge sprawling mercantile
district in the heart of the
Fesselmark
city, within a great arena
carved into the rock by
unknown people millennia
ago. The city is ruled by the
King's cousin, Count Tesse,
a resourceful man adept at
maintaining peace between
the many factions and
interests in the city. Sadly,
the impact of the Traitor
was strong within Fair
Marenesse, and much of
the populace welcomed the
Red Knights, the Traitor's
allies, who made landfall in
the city's port. The city was
sacked toward the end of
the war, and the fires that
burned lit the sky red for
three nights. Many fled, and
it is said that some 'things'
have entered the city under
cover of the fires, which
the city could well do
without...
19
 Fesselburg
Fesselmark
The centre of Fesselmark,
often just referred to as
'the capital'. Here the
King and royal household
dwell, in the magnificent
and sprawling castle
called the Grand Palace.
The city is a trading city,
maintaining links with
several other cities in the
Evening Lands, and sitting
astride the great way
leading to Fair Marenesse
and the sea. Fesselburg
is also sometimes called
the city of towers, for
here both the nobility and
ranking wizards in the
grand school build towers,
the height of which are
a measure of relative
20
importance. The central
tower of the Grand Palace,
called the White Spire, is
the tallest - in fact, Lord
Raveness just had his
tower knocked down for
daring to overtake the
height of the White Spire.
Therefore, the current
game is to approach
the height of the White
Spire without overtaking
it, although some of the
nobles and wizards prefer
to wait until the Spire is
undoubtable heightened
before expanding their
own dwellings. Because of
all of towers, locals also
call Fesselburg 'the white
city', on account of all the
guano that the pigeons
leave behind. Although
the Traitor's betrayal was
revealed in Fesselburg,
very little actual fighting
took place here, so the
city escaped unscathed.
However, the Traitor's
Forest of Helmsby
The more southerly of the
two great forests of the
Evening Lands, the great
forest of Helmsby is a
veritable sea of leaves.
Thick, dark and in many
places near impenetrable,
Helmsby is a place of
myths and legends. Stories
tell of the elven realm
of Finastrey deep within
the wood, where the
Lady leads her people in
splendid isolation - some
home was in the city,
Fesselmark
and his agents are said
to be everywhere, so an
air of unease rests over
Fesselburg, especially
since the King withdrew
from public life.
even say that the elven
realm lies beyond this
world, in a land of endless
forest, with Helmsby
forming a gateway.
Others scoff at this idea.
The elves occasionally
fields armies, and it was
a surprise attack by
Finastray warriors that
routed the Traitor's forces
at the battle of the dragon
during a critical stage in
the war. Also scattered
21
 about the forest are druidic many forms, and the vast
Fesselmark

sites, where the Wild treemen stride through the

Wood is worshipped in her wood.

22
 Golden Cave
Much mystery surrounds
the Golden Cave. Some say
it leads to the underworld,
whatever that is. Some
say that goblins infest
the lower halls, or that
dwarves carved the cave
from the living stone
millennia ago. Whatever
it is, the Golden Cave
has become a sight of
pilgrimage for adherents
to the Thrice Blessed.
The walls of the cave are
coated with a fine layer
of pure gold, which the
priests that tend the site
say is born from the very
stone in response to
the martyrdom of Saint
Agarix, which happened
here three hundred years
ago. According to them,
Agarix was injured badly
in a nearby battle, and
staggered to the Golden
Cave, mortally wounded. As
Fesselmark
her life-blood flowed, she
begged the Thrice Blessed
for the courage to forgive
those who had wronged
her, and such was her
piety that the cave turned
golden in response. Recent
visitors report things
somewhat differently -
there is a suspicion that
the gold is paint, and that
the 'donations' given to
the priests are spent in
a somewhat different
way than advertised...
The current high priest
is Zelpha, a fat, balding
man given to excess and
indulgence. The church
of the Thrice Blessed
has turned a blind eye
to the Golden Cave for
many years as the money
rolled in, but now they are
increasingly finding Zelpha
difficult to ignore.
23
Fesselmark

Grim Biskerstaff

A city at the mouth of Biskerstaf is detailed in full

the Vessen river, Grim later in this book.

Lake Gossenham

24
This huge lake feeds many
a mighty river, and is a
source of water and food to
many communities nearby.
So large that in places
it is not possible to view
the far shore, Gossenham
is in some ways more
like a sea than a lake.
The area is ruled by Lord
Rokas, whose impressive
castle, the Gillburg, rests
on a rocky island some
distance from the shore.
Fishing villages built on
stilts dot the shoreline,
and boats carry goods
across the lake, so the
lake is rich in commerce.
Pomperburg
The name of Pomperburg
is famous throughout
Fesselmark. Here one of
the largest and bloodiest
Talk of fish-men is
Fesselmark
obviously inaccurate, and
the occasional sinking of
boats and partial eating
of their crew is just the
result of bad weather and
over-large eels. There are
also rumours of a large
creature inhabiting the
lake, and of some of the
islands dotted around the
eastern shore becoming
homes to water bandits,
dark wizards and worse.
Lord Rokas ignores
these rumours, as he has
neither the people nor the
inclination to police the
waters thoroughly.
of the battles against the
Traitor took place. Many a
soldier on both sides lost
their lives at Pomperburg,
25
 Fesselmark

26
and the battlefield remains of course. The wizards of

a place of horror even to
this day. The city itself is
small but very beautiful,
known as a home for the
arts and sciences, as well
as the heart of the system
of magical colleges that
teach the theoretical
aspects of magic to
aspiring wizards, for a fee
Fesselmark
Pomperburg were severely
depleted during the battle,
and they say that many of
the great wizard's towers
that dot the city stand
empty. Who knows what
treasures they may hold, to
those brave enough to visit
them!

Unusual items to be found on the battlefield at

Pomperburg. Roll 1d6.

1. A trumpet of horn with brass fittings and exquisite

metalwork, used to command the regiments.
Skeletal hand still attached.
2. Blood-spattered leather scroll-case containing
letters outlining terms of surrender, signed by both
sides.
3. A bag of gold teeth collected by a previous looter and
dropped by accident.
4. Corpse fungus. A mushroom that grows on the
bodies of the deceased. Eating any of it imparts the
imbiber with a glimpses of the memories from the
corpse that the fungus grew in.
5. Small broken wooden case. Still contains 1d6 wooden
warriors, armed with swords and shields. If planted
in the ground they grow to man-sized and ask 'Whom
shall we slay?'. They obey the first command they
hear and become inert forever once their mission is
accomplished or they are destroyed.
6. A vial of black liquid, when smashed releases a
cloud of thick smoke full of the sounds of battle and
the cries of the dying.

27
 Rebeck
Fesselmark
An old city to the north of
the Evening Lands, Rebeck
is carved from a rocky
outcrop that stands tall
amid a vast plain. Legends
say that the rock was
hurled here from the stars,
and that dwarves who
revered the stone for its
lustre and shine carved the
city from the living rock.
Now the city has grown
such that the carved rock
forms the centre and the
palace of Countess Yestre,
the ruler of the city, while
the buildings that have
grown up around the rock
are of a more mundane
nature in keeping with
the rest of Fesselburg.
The proximity of the Black
Spine Mountains and
28
the often-warlike goblin
realms means that the
city boasts some of the
strongest walls in the
Kingdom, at least this
was the case until the
southern section was
demolished by the Traitor's
magic. Yestre hurries to
defend and rebuild the
walls, but money is tight
as the economy collapsed
during the long siege
the city suffered, and the
walls are still in a poor
state. Rumours of wolf
rider scouts from Blazzak
eyeing the city have made
everyone nervous, and
the Countess has taken
to conscripting the able-
bodied into her standing
army. There is a large
dwarven contingent in
Rebeck, the legacy of a
dwarven hold in the Black
Spine Mountains that was
overrun by goblins during
the eighth 'hold wars'.
Royal Forest
The Royal Forest is the
traditional hunting ground
of the noble classes,
where deer, boar and other
wilder, magical creatures
are prey. It was once an
elvish realm, long ago,
but now there are none of
the fair folk living in the
forest, only the scattered
ruins of their realm dot the
landscape. In his younger
days before the Traitor
the King often came here
Many of the descendent of
Fesselmark
these refugees now think
it is time to go back to the
mountains and claim what
is rightfully theirs.
with his retinue, moving
from hunting lodge to
hunting lodge across the
vast woodland. Since the
King has disappeared
from public life, a dark
shadow has reached out
across this once verdant
woodland. Rumour has
it that a necromancer of
some repute has taken
up residence in one of
the abandoned towers.
Talk of the walking dead
29
 fill nearby towns, and the
Fesselmark
Royal Forest has become
a place to avoid. Dragons
have also been sighted
Ruined Honheim
Sadly, built too close to
the Cragtop Mountains,
Honheim was once a great
trading-city, with links
to the Morning Lands to
the east. Unfortunately,
nothing good dwells
in the Cragtops, and
the doom that came to
Honheim over two hundred
years ago took the form
of the demonologist
Sevein and his horde of
unmen and corrupted
warriors. Spilling from the
mountains like a plague,
Sevein's forces surrounded
and destroyed Honheim
before the army stationed
30
flying over the forest, and
some say that a nest now
resides in caves hidden
deep within the woods.
in Grim Biskerstaf were
aware of the danger.
The populace were put
to the sword and Sevein
declared his own realm
centred on Honheim, a
realm dedicated to his lord
Pazaali. In the end, it was
the glee in destruction
that marks the demon lord
that was Sevein's undoing,
and the forces that had so
successfully claimed the
city fell to infighting and
rebellion. By the time the
Royal Army arrived six
months later, Honheim was
ruined. Some thought to
rebuild the city, but many

believed it was stained
with corruption and death,
and nothing good could
ever grow here. In the end
the city was not deserted
- the desperate and the
needy make their homes
here, risking the taint.
Sometimes travellers lost
on the road or seeking
their fortunes arrive in the
Fesselmark
city, and some say that
the treasury still holds
the riches of the city as
Sevein had no need for
gold, and the magician's
towers are full of secrets.
As of yet however, no
treasure hunters who went
to Honheim to seek their
fortunes have returned.

TAINTED FOLK OF HONHEIM

Those who pass too near the Cragtops, or spend time in
the ruins of Livenscar, often sadly pay a bitter price for
their mistake. Roll 1d6 to see who you've encountered.

1. Gundel Froth, once an explorer: Lank black hair

frames a dark goat-face, with bright yellow eyes.
Crooked of back, he drags a rusting mace in his
pox-scarred hand and gestures toward you with
his other. Mute, he appears to be miming the act of
eating. His filthy, thin frame does indeed look half-
starved.
2. Crowdus, once a pedlar: a stooped frame covered
in thick black feathers, clawed feet and a beaked
face - only this filthy creature's eyes show you that a
malign intelligence rests within. Armed with a long,
serrated blade and brandishing a buckler bearing a
leering face, it hobbles toward you, keening.

31
 Fesselmark

32
 Fesselmark
3. Hortensia Von Trottsburg, once a noblewoman: a
bloated pig-faced woman with greasy and matted
red locks, dressed in a tattered ballgown, splattered
with mud and excrement. She hums an operatic tune
as her shambling gait awkwardly mimics a courtly
dance. Her small squinting eyes momentarily flicker
with lucidity, as if to recognise your features, before
she begins to sob uncontrollably.
4. Suptima Gush, once a fisherwoman: a scaly blue
fish-headed woman with a flexible elongated neck.
Carried on a wooden palanquin by servile humans,
she is clothed in woven kelp, and carries a short,
barbed spear. Her thin wheezing voice speaks of a
debt owed to the great waters. A debt she has come
to collect.
5. White Geffen, once a bandit: This man's skin is white
and glistening, like a fungus, with whorls of black
slowly sliding across it. His hands are fused into
claw-like bony protrusions, and his legs seem longer
than they should be. The ragged remains of his
clothes would seem to indicate that he was once a
member of a lord's retinue - the sign of House Fellat
is still visible on his rusted breastplate. He moves
in a jerky fashion, as if he's about to fall over, but
somehow never does.
6. Manfred Pavian, once a showman or his exhibit: He
has the face of a mandrill and the body of a man.
He wears wine-stained doublet and hose and saws
atonal dirges from a battered fiddle. Chain and collar
connect neck and wrist - he cannot recall if he was
the master who was cursed or the beast who was
liberated. He hates what he is and will kill any who
remind him of it. If given alcohol he will disclose 1d6
secrets before mauling and eating his benefactor.

33
 Tresselback
Fesselmark
Fortified with stone from
the Cragtop Mountains,
the formerly failing market
town of Tresselback has
developed into an imposing
and austere walled city
under the stewardship
of seasoned mercenary
captain Tobias Kedge, who
has housed his forces here
over the last ten years. To
the annoyance of many of
the Fesselmark's nobility,
Kedge was recently made
Lord of Tresselback for
acts of valour against the
Traitor, or possibly as a
strategy to blunt the edge
of his roving company,
depending on who you
believe. With Kedge injured
and bedbound from an
ill-judged expedition into
Ruined Honheim, the
34
company's wily dwarf
quartermaster Outhwaite
has taken charge of the
day-to-day administration.
He has strengthened the
trade links with Grim
Biskerstaf and along
the road to the East,
an alternative route for
caravans of shady goods
eager to avoid the Kings
men on The Great Way.
Unfortunately, the city's
Guards, drawn from
Kedge's cutthroats, have
become increasingly
restless and prone to
violence, lacking the stern
leadership of their lord.
Punishment for crimes
against the city or even
insolence towards the
Guards is usually swift and
bloody. Unwilling to expend
more lives exploring
Honheim, as Kedge has
commanded, Outhwaite is
Westerboss
Within Fesselmark,
Westerboss is known as
the city of justice. Here
are the grand courts of
the realm, removed from
Fesselburg to show a
separation between the
judiciary and the King. The
courts themselves are
numerous and dominate
the city, each being
essentially a separate legal
jurisdiction, who can bid
for cases brought by the
Kingdom's guard and also
sell their services to those
seeking justice. Needless
to say, a thriving market
instead looking to engage
outsiders to search the
Fesselmark
ruins.
both above and below
board exists in the city, and
if corruption is a crime,
there is more criminal
activity in Westerboss even
than Fesselburg. Currently,
two great judges hold the
most influence in the city.
Judge Avaren, an elf, heads
the Court of Flowers, whilst
her bitter enemy Judge
Hoch, a human, leads the
Purple Court. At night,
bravos representing each
court swagger through the
streets, effectively immune
from the law. Westerboss
is a dangerous place if
35
 Fesselmark

36
you are not connected.
The Court of Sunset won
the bids to try many of
the Traitor's followers,
Westerlan
The last point of civilization
before one comes to
the miserable Wreckers
Coast; in contrast to
Westerboss Westerlan is a
city of poverty, crime and
corruption. It is a blend of
crumbling buildings and
pothole scarred streets;
and gaudy mansions and
raucous taverns. Two
feuding noble houses,
the De Broekers and the
Van Kleefs, control the
city through bands of
brigands and mercenaries,
as well as through
and now faces calls of
Fesselmark
corruption as one noble
after another is freed.
influence over various
smuggler and wrecker
gangs scattered along the
coast. Adventurers and
freelancers unburdened by
morality can make a fistful
of coin working for one
of these corrupt families
as they try to sabotage
the other's efforts. The
Kingdom may also look to
hire more lawful sorts to
investigate the corruption
that pervades the city -
especially smuggling and
tax evasion. Rumours tell
of a secret 'Undermarket'
37
Fesselmark

that takes place beneath and objects of an arcane

the streets of Westerlan. nature can be acquired for
Here illicit goods, slaves steep prices.

38
 Grim
Biskerstaf
Grim Biskerstaf
City on the River
To the south of the
Kingdom, on the road to
Fesselburg, lies the city of
Grim Biskerstaf. A trade
port of note served by the
mighty Vessen river, the
city has sadly decayed to
a fragment of its former
glory. The city has been
run down by the ineffective
leadership of Lord
Kelberond, the squabbling
of the Fish Speakers and
the Dockers, the laziness of
the Guard and the growing
power of the sinister Red
King's Men. More than this
though, it is the recent
appearance of 'the blight',
a horrible disease, which
has led to the town fully
deserving its name - Grim
Biskerstaf.
Here we outline the city,
inhabitants, notables and
organisations, and gives
an insight into the hidden
places and the source of
the blight that stalks Grim
Biskerstaf's streets. The
city makes an excellent
40
base of operations for
adventurers exploring the
Evening Lands.
THE BLIGHT
The disease that stalks the
streets of Grim Biskerstaf
is known as the blight. It
manifests as sickness that
turns skin a sickly green,
induces vomiting and
worse and eventually in
bad cases sets off a raft of
open sores. No one knows
the source of the blight
- the wizard Dolkepper
blames the church for
upsetting some god or
other, the church blame
the Dockers for bringing
in a poison-bearing insect
on one of the ships, the
Dockers blame the Fish
Wardens for poisoning
the catch, and the Fish
Wardens blame Dolkepper
for magical experiments
gone awry. In reality, the
blight is the doing of the
Lord's daughter Meageller,
caused by magical waste
from her experiments for
her demon master, dumped
into the sewers and then
spread by ratmen and
unmen and spilling out
to poison the river, which
The City
The city of Grim Biskerstaf
sits on a hill rising from the
banks of the brown Vessen
river. It was once just
called Biskerstaf, but after
the 'autumn uprising' and
the carnage that ensured,
it has always been reffered
to as Grim Biskerstaf,
something the city folk
are rather proud of. It was
founded at the height of
the Golethen elven empire,
when Misselda the founder
dedicated a temple here to
the lost elven god called
the Keeper. The temple
was built on the top of
what is now the Lord's Hill,
and around that sprung a
town and a thriving port.
Goblins from the Cragtop
mountains razed the town
several times, but never
has become befouled and
Grim Biskerstaf
sluggish. So far, the blight
only really affects the poor,
so it is mainly ignored as
an irritation. But things are
getting worse...
destroyed the temple, so
the town always sprung
up anew. Just before the
Golethen empire fell, great
walls were built around the
town - these still stand,
although the empire itself
and the temple on the
hill are long gone. At the
same time, the fortress
now known as Strumdorf
was built, a huge edifice of
red stone that rises above
the port of the city. Unlike
the rest of the walls, the
fortress is in much better
condition - successive
Lords considered it
prudent to maintain their
stronghold, as the opinion
of the populace to their
rulers has waxed and
waned, so the elegant
decay of the original
41
 elven construction has come down the road,
Grim Biskerstaf

been patched with clumsy fleeing from the battle of

repairs. Pomperburg, displaced by
the war against the Traitor,
Within the city, many of and amongst the many
the buildings are wattle refugees are deserters
and daub, the poorest little from both armies. Now
more than huts. The higher it seems that someone
class buildings on Lord's arriving at the city brought
Hill are stone, some dating with them a dreadful
from the Golethen empire. magical disease called the
Despite its relatively small blight, which consumes the
size, Grim Biskerstaf poor and needy, but even
has an excellent sewer with this threat it is easier
system, a relic of elven to find food within the
architects. However, for walls than without, so the
many reasons, no one talks city remains packed. Now
about the sewers... rumours come that unmen
have been seen in the
Despite its name, Grim forests nearby, gathering...
Biskerstaf is vibrant and
thrums with life. The city The following locations
is as full of workers, around and about the city
soldiers, guildsmen, are well-known to anyone
lords, the poor and the who has spent a little time
desperate, just as it ever within the walls.
was. Now even more souls

44
VESSEN RIVER
The great Vessen river
is the heart's blood of
the Kingdom, and upon
its murky waters goods,
people and rumours flow
down from Fesselburg,
the capital. Here the Fish
Wardens collect their
catch, which feeds many
of the populace every day
after being unloaded and
carried to the markets by
the Dockers . The river
is wide at this point, half
a mile across, and the
waters churn brown from
the confluence of the
Corine just upriver. Many
vessels ply the waters,
and sails and oars are a
common sight from the city
walls, a dazzling display
Grim Biskerstaf
of heraldic emblems, flags
and tarpaulin, fluttering in
the breeze.
The river carries other,
darker things as well.
After a recent battle near
Fesselburg, corpses
floated down river for a
whole day, and Guard were
employed to push beached
bodies back into the
waters. Sometimes things
swim in the river, strange
things, and the city sewers
exit straight into the flow,
leaving many to wonder if
these things swim beneath
the city streets as well, in
the wide sewer runs of the
old elven empire. When
the river runs low towers
45
 poke from the water of still caught on the Vessen,
Grim Biskerstaf

the far bank, the remains
of the town of Kellebrik,
destroyed by fire and flood
and some say much worse
when the elven empire fell.
Since the blight, the river
has become thick and
sluggish, moving as if
swollen with something
other than water. Fish are
but now the rich shun the
foodstuff as unhealthy
and pestilential, and it is
the poor who dine on the
catch. Many Fish Wardens
in the Inns and taverns
comment that the fish
is strange, twisted and
unwholesome. Those who
can afford to eat little else
shrug and move on.

Who's boat is on the river? Roll 1d6.

1. The 'Crystal Dragon' from Far Hissain, beautifully

carved and bearing sails of blue silk, carrying fabrics
and spices to Fesselburg.
2. The Black Baron, a rumrunner from the
brewmaster's guild notorious for sinking competition
with explosive barrels of corn liquor.
3. The Pike, belonging to a band of river pirates who
hide in the long reeds on the riverbank and sneak
aboard slow-moving boats with large knives
clenched between their teeth. Rumours say they
answer to Isobel 'Izzy' the Fox, petty crime boss of
Westerlan and, some say, former noble woman of
Pomperburg.
4. The sacrificial barge of the goblin Pyrestarters. This
twisted death cult of old bow-legged goblins are
about to set their boat, and themselves, alight in the
belief that the ceremony will awaken the Dragon
who will set the world aflame.
5. An elegant sailing ship from Fair Marenesse,
carrying a family of nobles to Grim Biskerstaf and a
grand party on top of Lord's Hill. Mercenaries in their
employ eye nearby vessels suspiciously.

46
6. The river patrol skiff crewed by guardsmen Schtup

Grim Biskerstaf
and Gallup, who'll want to search any boats in the
vicinity for contraband. They'll make sure they find
something, but will offer to overlook the evidence for
a price, being sympathetic chaps.

THE WALLS

The red stone walls of Grim many towers, the walkway

Biskerstaf were built over a
thousand years ago, during
the reign of the elven queen
Misselda. Sadly, despite the
great workmanship that
went into them, little repair
work has been done since
their construction, so the
walls have lost much of
their grandeur. Once nearly
forty feet high and topped
with a broad walkway and
is now narrow and loose in
places and several of the
towers have fallen. Such
is the state of disrepair
that the Guard refuse to
walk some stretches, and
rumour has it that they
have abandoned several
of the towers that have
since acquired new shady
owners. Lord Kelberond
promises to pay for repair

47
Grim Biskerstaf

of the walls, but the little a waste of resources (his

council do not allow it - tower is in little better
Dolkepper considers this repair, but he doesn't care).

Who’s in that tower? Roll 1d6.

1. Asperlad, a dwarven inventor creating metal golems

for the Dockers. He wants metal for his work, and
the Dockers have recently taken a delivery, which
is stored in one of the large warehouses behind the
Manky Mermaid. They won't miss it...
2. An elven wizard called Melkoth, now dabbling in
necromancy. Tunnels from the tower lead down
to catacombs that he fills with his experiments.
Melkoth is always on the lookout for fresh corpses.
Say, here's a spade, be a good fellow and...
3. Ratmen, brought into the town by Meageller, who
are eager to escape the undertunnels. They've found
a way into the tower and are making a nest. They'll
soon need something to eat...
4. The convict Eustace, who is wanted for murder. He
says he didn't do it, but that's what everyone says.
The Peacock Guard seem especially interested in
this fellow, which is strange. Perhaps they would pay
for his location?
5. The assassin's guild, who value rooftop access.
They also seem very interested in the house of Lord
Dollard, just across the way.
6. Black Alice, the mistress of thieves. She's looking for
new members after the last lot, err, didn't make it.
Apparently, the home of Lord Dollard is awash with
treasures from his journeys in Far Hissain. He won't
miss a few.

48
FORTRESS STRUMDORF
The red stone of the
fortress glows in the
evening twilight, as swifts
dart through the air to and
from their nests in the
walls. The structure may
be in better repair than
the walls, but it is still
riddled with holes, some
of which lead to deeper
tunnels and passageways
that honeycomb the
rotten stone. Some say
it is possible to get lost
in the winding passages
of Strumdorf, but since
the Peacock guard of
Lord Kelberond keep the
fortress clear of any who
aren't invited, it is hard to
say. The fortress was built
as a military structure
Grim Biskerstaf
and once looked quite
impressive, but age has
softened the edges. Still,
the elven construction is
evident.
The fortress is home of
Lord Winsome Kelberond,
ineffectual lord of the city,
master of the little council
and commander of the
Peacock Guard. A small,
birdlike man in his fifties,
Kelberond has an air of
perpetual well-meaning
confusion, as if he has just
heard a very funny joke but
doesn't understand what
it means. He is never seen
without his Peacock Guard,
who walk around the city
as if they own the place,
49
 Grim Biskerstaf

50
much to the annoyance of is a Demonologist, a

Grim Biskerstaf
the regular Guard. servant of the demon
Delock of the Depths and
Kelberond's only relative a disciple of the Traitor.
is his daughter, Meageller, She has used tunnels in
who apparently is a much the bedrock beneath the
sharper individual. But fortress to bring unmen
she's rarely seen out of the and other dark servants
east tower, where she lives into the city, and the blight
with a legion of cats, her is one of her creations, a
babies. In reality, Meageller gift of her dark master.

Rumours about the fortress. Roll 1d6.

1. Unmen have been seen leaving some of the tunnels

that open beneath the fortress. Well, so they say, if
you believe that you'll believe anything!
2. Lord Kelberond is secretly a master magician, you've
seen the miasmas that sometimes float over the
castle walls, yes?
3. The Peacock Guard are all thugs that deserted from
the King's army on the way to Fesselburg. They are
the ones really in charge in the fortress, Kelberond
is basically a prisoner.
4. Apparently the Lord's daughter is a witch, or some
kind of magician. Although the wizard Dolkepper
doesn't like her, but then again, he doesn't like
anyone.
5. My cousin's best friend is an second under footman,
and he says that inside the fortress the place is a
mess - Kelberond is a slob and a madman, and
his daughter is no better. I wouldn't be surprised if
there were ratmen in there too!
6. Kelberond has a pile of money the height of a man in
there, all the gold he's supposed to spend on upkeep
of the walls. He's going to run away with the lot
someday, if Dolkepper doesn't kill him first.

51
 THE DOCKS
Grim Biskerstaf
Stretching alongside the
river, the busy docks are
where goods brought to
the city on the river Vessen
are unloaded and stored,
with huge warehouses
sitting behind the river
frontage. The Dockers who
work the area are a tough
crowd, rowdy and insular,
but they represent the
real mercantile wealth of
the city so the burghers
and merchants put up
with their ways for the
sake of the flow of coin.
The Dockers hate the
fishermen (known as Fish
Wardens), who they call
the 'Deadfish'. This dispute
comes in part from a
shared interest in the river,
52
and in part from a desire
to be the most important
trade in the city. The two
groups often come to
blows in the dock pubs like
the Manky Mermaid, and
the Guard tend to leave
them to it - easier that way.
The leader of the Dockers
is Margy Goodlaff, a dwarf
woman of imposing build
and short temper, who
prowls the docks like
a general amongst her
troops.
The Fish Wardens also
call the docks their home.
Fishermen and women,
they catch what they can
in the river, estuary and
out to sea, and sell it in
the city. They are a proud too. In reality, the water is

bunch, and consider
the success (and full
bellies) of the city as their
responsibility. Led by Dolo
Thrimble, a male Halfling,
they have always been at
odds with the Dockers who
they consider little more
than ruffians. Recently
things have gotten worse,
the catch has been going
bad, and the Fish Wardens
now blame this on Dockers
Grim Biskerstaf
poisoned by the alchemical
waste from Meageller's
demonic experiments,
dumped into the river via
the sewers by ratmen. It is
drinking this unholy water
and eating tainted fish that
has caused the blight. The
Dockers in return blame
the Fish Wardens for the
increased sightings of 'fish
heads', increasing tensions
even further.

Strange Cargo. Roll 1d6.

In the warehouse/barge/wagon/ship's hold, you find:

1. A coffin with the lid nailed down. It is filled with

money and the note 'kill the wizard or else'.
2. In a box is a human-sized body, which has been
stuffed with sand. Investigations show that it has
been stitched together from a number of different
bodies and species, to create some kind of
amalgamated creature. With it is a scroll with a spell
scrawled on it. Who left the patchwork creature here,
and what does the spell do?
3. Hidden at the back is a small crate. Within are
beautiful dried purple flowers. These are everglow
blooms from the shores of Lake Gossenham. If
smoked, they produce euphoric dreams. However,
they also make you very, very visible to demons.
Certain wizards use them when they are trying to
make new friends...

53
 4. Inside a large crate is the terrified and exhausted
Grim Biskerstaf

lieutenant of the Bandit King, recently escaped from

Fesselburg. Apparently, he has been moved here to
await passage out to sea to escape justice. However,
agents of the Court of Flowers in Westerboss are
crawling through the city looking to recapture him.
Do you help him escape, or hand him over?
5. Wedged between two crates is a rolled up dusty
elven tapestry, faded and riddled with mildew,
depicting an epic battle between the King's
Halberdiers and a demon to the east of Rebeck. A
character who succeeds at a History roll would know
that such a battle has never happened. Furthermore,
certain wounded peasants embroiled in the melee
bear a striking resemblance to the characters.
6. A small box adorned with tarnished silver intricately
worked to depict small birds. The box is locked but
is easy to pry open with a sturdy dagger. Inside are
nine slender fingers, some of which have rings. They
have been cleanly removed and cauterised. On the
inside of the lid are the words: 'To my beloved...'

THE MANKY MERMAID

54
Besides its stench of is the dwarf ex-sailor

rotting timbers and spicy
(rat) pie, this badly lit
dockside drinking den is
renowned for its vicious
'fire brew' - every third
pint you drink is free.
The owner/bartender
Grim Biskerstaf
Barthros. If asked, locals
whisper he was the sole
survivor when a giant
seagull attacked his ship.
Squawking gives him the
shivers.

FIRE BREW
Very alcoholic. After two
pints you're in trouble. Test
your endurance for each
additional pint after that
and suffer a -3 penalty
to all tests for every fail
until you sleep it off. At
any time of day there are
1d6 Dockers down the
Mermaid, slurring into their
pints.

For every round of drinks that the characters consume

roll upon the following table to see who else enters
the pub. Roll 1d6 during the day, 2d6 at night. Derras, a
weary night-watchman, drinks to forget the fish-headed
men he glimpsed within a fogbank after dark. He'll tell
all, for a pie and a pint.

1. Biddick of Westerboss, a shrewd broker and

fence, wanting to offload some fake trade permits
supposedly sanctioned by the Gilvenburg trade guild.
2. The Fergan sisters, four fisherwomen who try to
goad strangers into a brawl with other patrons.
3. Rouss, a hot-tempered ex-docker and agitator,
sacked and looking for revenge, seeks assistance for
some light arson.
4. 1d6+2 sailors, who will try to kidnap any drunks to
add to their crew.
5. Pagric, a wizened ex-priest of the Red King, now a

55
Grim Biskerstaf

desperate fugitive seeking safe passage out of town.

He carries a Foulness spell scroll.
6. Brogo, a jovial halfling, runs the nightly bingo game,
will tell you everyone's secrets but not his. He
carries a vial of poison and a list of grudges. Roll 2d6
on this table for his latest target.
7. Yoleen, a rustic kitchen maid to Lord Kelberond, has
ventured dockside to plead with her blackmailer,
Gauch.
8. 1d6 rowdy students from the capital, will challenge
characters to a drinking contest.
9. Gauch, a brooding elven wastrel, gambler and poet,
looking for suckers to pay his debts. He carries
loaded dice and love letters signed 'K'.
10. 1d6+3 priests of the Red King, they will harass
everyone in their search for Pagric the heretic.

56
11. Tarquil of Fair Marenesse, newly arrived, with more

Grim Biskerstaf
money than sense, will quiz patrons on where he can
learn magic, doesn't mention he means necromancy.
He carries the skull of his tragic lover in his bag.
12. Fishmen in the cellar, looking for grog and fresh
meat...

LORD'S HILL

All of the rich and Guard police the area and

powerful of Grim eject 'undesirables', that is
Biskerstaf's court live to say anyone who doesn't
in the walled confines live here, isn't accompanied
of Lord's Hill, where the by a liveried servant or
ancient elven temple was doesn't have a written
situated. The palaces that invitation. Much of what
fill the district are fine goes on within Lord's Hill
buildings and in good is a mystery to the rest of
repair, as the nobility the city, but the parties are
have the money to spend legendary and the source
on keeping their grounds of much resentment. The
immaculate. The Peacock head of the lords on the

57
Grim Biskerstaf
Little Council is Lord Telk,
who does as much as he
can to say little and pay
even less. He has the
largest palace on the top
of the hill, so grand that
58
Kelberond has the facing
windows of the fortress
boarded so he doesn't have
to see Telk's residence. The
Little Council also have
their chambers here.
 Grim Biskerstaf
Who's out and about on the Hill? Roll 1d6.

1. Lord Jesper Frume, a tall foppish man in an

exceptional hat, with long, drooping moustaches. If
approached by anyone who doesn't look like they fit
on the Hill, he'll ring a little hand-bell to summon the
Peacock Guard and demand their removal.
2. Footmen of Lady Agathe Deus, looking for
a handkerchief the lady dropped on her
perambulations. One of them gets it into their head
that a player character has it...
3. Lord Kelberond, who addresses the player
characters as if they were long lost friends, much
to the bemused disgust of his attendant Peacock
Guards.
4. Lord Kelberond's daughter Meageller, on a rare
outing. She eyes the player characters with a
calculating glance - maybe she has an errand for
them to do. Nothing bad...
5. The halfling gong farmer Terny, as even lords need
their privy serviced. It's a big job, and Terny could
do with some help. He's 'seen but not seen' by most
folks, so he has all manner of gossip to tell, only to
friends of course...
6. Dolkepper the wizard is striding about, searching for
Kelbebrond. Assuming no one does anything to upset
him, he may have an errand for discreet people...

59
Grim Biskerstaf
HEMLOCK HOLT
In the middle of the city,
Hemlock Holt is the area of
woodland that surrounds
Dolkepper's tower. It is
an old patch of wood,
much like the wizard's
tower dating from the
eleven empire, and it is
steeped in the essence
of the Wild Wood. Despite
being prime land in the
city, no one has built here,
both in fearful respect of
the irritable wizard and
60
his tower and in subtle
reverence to the mystical
power of the old wood. In
addition, Dolkepper dumps
his experiments in the
wood, so things within the
forest are not always what
they seem... the Guard do
come here, and some folk
visit the woods, especially
elves, but most avoid the
area, certainly at night.
 Grim Biskerstaf
What's in the woods? Roll 1d6.

1. A fox, walking on its hind legs and wearing smart

clothes. It nods good day to you.
2. Iridescent mushrooms, that bring spectacular
dreams and prophecies to those that eat them.
3. A man made of sticks, who copies the actions of
anyone who sees it.
4. Delenna, an elven Druid, who reveres the Wild
Wood and can offer help to those who also pay their
respects to the god.
5. The Stag, a man with the horns of a stag. He doesn't
give off the aura of wrongness that accompanies
unmen.
6. Dolkepper, talking to a tree. It is unclear if the tree is
answering.

61
 Grim Biskerstaf

62
ARTISAN'S QUARTER
The folk who call the
Artisan's Quarter home are
neither rich nor poor - they
are the middle classes
that keep the kingdom
running. Here can be found
tanners, metalworkers,
scribes, masons, and all
manner of other skilled
workers. The streets here
are relatively clean and
are regularly patrolled
by the Guard, and so are
reasonably safe, especially
compared to Dredge. The
buildings are large half-
timbered constructions,
leaning far out across
roadways to give the area
a clustered and congested
feel, but it never feels
oppressive like Dredge.
Most of the day the streets
Grim Biskerstaf
throng with workers going
about their business,
hawking their wares and
otherwise carrying on an
honest day's labour. By
night however thieves and
bravos are common - the
former making away with
an artisan's hard earned
pay, the latter typically
minor nobles kicked out of
Lord's Hill for the evening,
and making trouble. Still,
for the majority of the
Kingdom's population, it is
places like the Artisan's
Quarter that are the best
they can hope for in life.
The blight is not such a
threat here, but cases are
growing, and in the pubs of
an evening the worsening
situation is a hot topic
63
 General workplaces of the Artisan's Quarter. Roll 1d6.
Grim Biskerstaf

1. Blacksmith's workshop - here a skilled

metalworker beats metal in a clanging crescendo,
while apprentices and scribes collect orders and
deliver goods. Some of the metal isn't of the best
quality, but you get what you pay for.
2. Bakers - here the fine breads and artisan loaves
with the peacock motif famous in Grim Biskerstaf
are made, the smells wafting down the streets to
draw customers in. In the back a little sawdust is
added to the flour - everyone has to earn a living,
right?
3. Scribe - here a learned lady scribes documents
and copies wills and deeds as needed. She is not
averse to making the odd minor alteration where
it is needed, just for enhanced clarity of course.
4. Trader - bringing in fresh goods from the
warehouses on the docks, this merchant
sells direct to the public, as well as supplying
surrounding businesses. Rats are commonplace,
as well as less savoury travellers from far-off
lands...
5. Inn - all of these workers have to stay
somewhere, and the 'Unicorn's Lament' is a noted
inn. The food is good and the beer isn't watered,
which is about as good as you can expect in a city
of the Kingdom.
6. Gong farmer - this halfling does his best to keep
the streets free of excrement. It is not a nice
job, but it needs doing. Even so, the rich smell of
manure, human and otherwise, mixes with the
aromas of food, beer and sweating bodies.

As well as workshops, there are also many shops in

the Artisan's Quarter, especially the nearer you get to
the higher parts of town.

64
 Grim Biskerstaf
Quirky shops of the Artisan's Quarter. Roll 1d6.

1. Dewinter's Fire-Stones. Here the elf Dewinter sells

small gemstones that glow with light and warmth,
and make handy hand warmers. For a price, he
will sell 'the good stuff', stones that explode when
thrown.
2. The Golden Grape, wine merchants. Run by Rolbo
the halfling, this shop sells all manner of wines from
around the Kingdom. The cheaper ones are watered,
but Rolbo does have some dwarven rock wine that is
worth a small fortune to a connoisseur.
3. Tymperley's Thread & Thimble, owned by a large
halfling family who scurry around rustling up much-
admired bespoke clothing before delivering the final
outfit to one's home. The majority of their clientele
are nobles but scurrilous rumours persist that they
are often engaged by thieves and fugitives to provide
disguises in a hurry with utmost discretion.
4. Apparently one of the few people that Dolkepper
actually likes, Raisio is an elf that sells rare books
and papers from his shop, the Learned Sage. Some
say he sells spell scrolls as well, but if he does, it is
not to just anybody. Attempts to steal scrolls from
him have nearly always ended in rather horrific
miscasts, so he is left in peace despite the value of
scrolls.
5. Ezzar's Oils and Elixirs offers gentle herbal
relaxants and poultices for minor ailments for 1d6
silver, served in a soothing fragrant atmosphere
by the amiable widow Ezzar. Her remedies are
ineffectual but the herbalist's quiet presence has an
uncanny effect on polite customers who purchase
them. They regain 1d6 Luck, but incur a penalty of -3
to any violence actions for the rest of the day.

65
Grim Biskerstaf

6. The Gallery, an artists' exhibit. Within are paintings

and sculptures from the artists of the city, and
imported art from far-afield. The proprietor, a human
called Felway, has a good eye for what sells, so
the shop is popular with the nobility. Recently, local
art shows a disturbing tendency to show human
forms with fish-like heads and strange worm-like
monsters...

66

THE GREAT MARKET
The market in the middle of
the city is a sight to behold,
a swirl of sounds, smells
and colours. Traders from
around the Kingdom and
beyond set up stalls and
hawk their wares, and the
cries of the merchants
ring through the air. In
the shadows and alleys,
thieves and cutpurses lurk,
always happy to relieve the
foolhardy of their money
or indeed sometimes their
Grim Biskerstaf
lives. Traders come in on
the roads or via the docks
and at the start of the day
a long line of waggons
lines the roads, seeking
permission to enter the
city. On the docks, the
Guards take a step back,
and it is the Dockers that
control who gets to the
market with their goods.
A few coins do much to
grease the wheels.
67
Grim Biskerstaf

Strange goods on the stalls in the market. Roll 1d6.

1. At the back of the penny dreadfuls stall, a discarded

chapbook, bound in tanned blue leather... with a shut
eye on the front cover.
2. Pickled ratman kidneys in a jar of formaldehyde.
3. Three stones that have a rune carved into each, the
runes are (roll 1d6 three times): 1. Fire 2. Sun 3. Life
4. Sight 5. Death 6. Infinit.
4. A miniature of a very attractive person, gender,
kindred and class unclear. Now and then the owner
is sure it winks at the holder.
5. A glass tube of 'White Rub', a 'Powder that
Invigorates!'.
6. A lapsed membership card for the VIP Circle at the
Grim Biskerstaf gambling house the Bloody Goat.

The market is also a place to get all manner of foods,

mundane and exotic. If you don't mind what you're eating
it can be a liberating experience...

Food on the stalls. Roll 1d6.

1. Very fine meat jerky, origin undisclosed.

2. A punnet of bilberries from Up North... it has been a
good year.
3. A very nice bunny rabbit (alive), 'best boiled directly
for ninety minutes in a stock pot'.
4. A basket of live venomous snakes, 'best boiled
directly for ninety minutes in a stock pot'.
5. Sausages of meat and...sawdust?
6. Best not to ask...

68
69
Grim Biskerstaf
Grim Biskerstaf
THE CATHEDRAL
Standing tall in the midst
of the city, the cathedral
of the Thrice Blessed is
a monumental structure,
easily dwarfing the temples
of the other religions found
in the city. Built almost like
a fortress, the cathedral
hosts a large number of
priests, military orders
and lay members, and has
extensive libraries, crypts
and dormitories. The head
priest is Sallow Defrese, a
70
thin, emaciated man in
his late seventies. He is
dedicated to the Thrice
Blessed, so much so
that the care of his flock
is of little interest. He
is hated by the priests
of the Red King, as he
refuses to acknowledge
that other religions
have any worth, and
constantly shouts this
from the pulpit.
 Grim Biskerstaf
Nailed to a tree outside the Cathedral. Roll 1d6 twice and
choose.

First die roll.

1. Manticore stuck up my tower, exterminators

required. See Dolkepper at the Scalded Duck Inn on
Tuesday nights - no time wasters.
2. How low can you go? Lost my wife somewhere
beneath the fortress, fear she may be a ratman
hostage. Apply to Ser Kummerband de Closure at the
Gilded Pigeon Gentleman's Club on Scurvy Street.
3. Seven goblins for seven bridegrooms. My brothers
have all been seduced by evil goblin sorceresses and
taken to the Iron Tooth Hills. Please kill the monsters
and free my kin of their enchantments. Call at 22 on
Cobblers Street and ask for Matilda.
4. They're lying to us! There are evil ratman cultists
living in the sewers, and they've taken over the city!
No-one will believe me. Brave adventurers with
modest expectations should leave a contact note
under the third rock from the left past the big pig
statue in Victory Square.
5. Grim Biskerstaf Guard seeks new recruits. Light
ambulatory duties, minor custodial tasks, excellent
opportunities for advancement [strike through the
last bit will you Gribbins?]. Apply at the Guard house,
and ask for Sergeant Greta Turnik.
6. Couriers needed to deliver packages around town.
Penny a package.

71
Grim Biskerstaf

Second die roll.

1. Great opportunities in a mercantile trade. Guards

wanted for the Grim Biskerstaf Caravanserai.
Light ambulatory duties, minor custodial tasks,
excellent opportunities for advancement [strike
through the last bit will you Smithers?] Apply at the
Caravanserai.
2. Villagers need magnificent four*! We have been
turfed out of our village by bullying, wicked claim
jumping dwarves, come aid us take back what is
rightfully ours. *We might be able to afford five...
3. Emissaries of Love and Peace seek escorts. We, the
blessed of the Transcendental Goblin Friendship
Society urgently require escorts to bolster our love
and missionary work in the City of Bikserstaf. Apply
to Snazzleback at the Red Fang hovel and hostelry.
4. Melkoth the necromancer requires fresh meat
to clear out catacombs inadvertently filled with
previous experiments. Just leave your door open
at night and a black flame candle burning in the
window.
5. All loyal, valiant, and well-armed, subjects are called
to rescue the hound Albus of Grim Biskerstaf, stolen
from the fortress grounds by a roc this past week. A
large reward for his safe return.
6. Where are you? I have the things you asked for, only
one has bitten me and I'm not feeling that well. Shall
we meet at the usual place, tomorrow night?

72

DREDGE
The worst of the worst in
Grim Biskerstaff live in
Dredge, the warren of old
buildings, open sewers
and small courtyards that
makes up the poor quarter,
slowly sinking into the
river. Every day mudlarks
leave the rotten streets
and make their way out
onto the exposed mud flats,
searching for clams, eels,
and treasures occasionally
washed up from the ruins
of Kellebrik. And bodies,
most days. Dredge is a
winding, twisting maze of
partially sunken palaces,
derelict buildings and other
ancient structures. Disease
Grim Biskerstaf
is rife in Dredge, and many
of the poorer members of
the population are riddled
with illnesses. Dredge
is a dangerous place - if
you want to 'lose' a body,
Dredge is the place to do
it. Recently, there have
been rumours of strange,
hunched and cloaked men
going about Dredge by
night, and some say they
have been murdering folk
and dragging corpses to
the river. Most ignore such
talk as gossip - there is
enough to worry about
without talk of fish-headed
killers on the loose.
73
Grim Biskerstaf

What's happening in Dredge? Roll 1d6.

1. In an alleyway, a robbery in progress - a fat artisan

who got lost is being held up by two children armed
with rusty kitchen knives. They demand his coin and
poke him with the blades while be blubbers and
keens. Best to move on.
2. Behind a ruined palace, shady deals take place -
someone is buying something they shouldn't, from
someone they shouldn't. It looks like a woman, and
when she moves and her cloak opens slightly, a rich
one from the cut of her gown. Who is she, and what
could she be doing in Dredge?
3. In an alley, a corpse is looted - there's a corpse
down that alley, propped awkwardly against an old
barrel. A child is carefully going through its pockets.
Maybe time to step in and see if the finds are worth
stealing?
4. Around you beggars congregate - a family of
beggars hold out battered bowls with mournful eyes.
Can you spare them a coin? If you do, others will see
the flash of money and you'll be marked, which is not
a good thing...
5. The Guard pay a visit - a rare visit from the Guard,
trying to flush out the murderer Eustace Gelk. They
are trying to look intimidating, but the mud and
rotten vegetables flying their way are not helping.
Soon Captain Gellern Foss beats an undignified
retreat, cursing all the while.
6. Someone is hiring for a job - an unpleasant looking
man is paying five pennies for 'volunteers' to work
up town. The money is tempting, but the last lot who
went have yet to come back...

74

THE UNDERTUNNELS
Beneath the city sewers
and other, older tunnels
worm through rock and
soil, dank with moisture
and ripe with a rich stench
of hundreds of years of
use. The sewers are well
known, but the older
tunnels are a mystery,
although some scholars
believe that in the end the
elven empire retreated
underground as they were
beset on all sides, and
rumours persist around
the town that there's a
whole city down there,
hidden in the dark. Gong
farmers used to work the
sewers, but since a few of
them died in the ripe black
depths no one goes in there
now. In reality, there is a
huge undercity beneath the
Grim Biskerstaf
streets of Grim Biskerstaf
in a mockery of the city
above, but whatever its
origin it is now the home of
the ratmen. Their king and
queen rule an entire court,
and their subjects believe
that theirs is the true city,
and the one above is the
imitation. However, their
claim to the territory is no
longer undisputed - unmen
have also started to move
in to the tunnels, fighting
skirmishes with the
ratmen, and the clamour
and noise of their fighting
sometimes drifts to the
surface, mostly in Dredge.
Of course the Guard won't
go in, and the Peacock
Guard definitely don't care.
75
 Grim Biskerstaf

76
What crawled out of the sewers? Roll 1d6.

Grim Biskerstaf
1. Ratmen, eager to capture slaves, either to work
the undermines or to attend the king Rat's grand
banquet, either as food or as the service.
2. Ghouls, recently moved from the undercrypts of the
Cathedral where they have been dining on illustrious
past priests of the Thrice Blessed.
3. Thieves, using the sewers as their headquarters. It
smells, but the Guard never go there. Don't blame
them really. Lady Alice hates the place.
4. Beggars, serving the Gutter Queen. She controls
most of the streets, no matter what the guards say.
Nothing happens without her say-so. Some say she's
the Lady Alice, but no one knows for sure.
5. Goblins, using tunnels to get from the hills to the city.
They plan a raid to steal Lord Kelberond's daughter
Meageller for ransom. They don't realise what she's
capable of...Unmen hiding in the tunnels. Brought in
by the dark mistress of Grim Biskerstaf, they kidnap
people, spread fear by night and now have launched
their plans to spread disease in the city, the origin of
the blight...
6. Worms! Great big black buggers!

77
Grim Biskerstaf
KELLEBRIK
The elven town of Kelebrik
was ruined and flooded
hundreds of years ago, and
for the most part remains
submerged, only the tops
of the towers poking
through the water when
the level is low. However,
the town is not deserted.
The ancient elven halls
are home to a clan of
fishmen, who have called
the ruins home almost
since they were flooded.
They were drawn here by
the dreaming spires of
the lost town, the ready
supply of fish in the river,
with the occasional corpse
from Grim Biskerstaf as
an added bonus. These
creatures are both
intelligent and civilised,
but they are secretive,
78
and have kept themselves
hidden throughout the
centuries. Recently, things
have changed however, as
the alchemical residues
discarded from the dark
research now taking place
in the city have befouled
the waters around the
sunken town, causing a
decline in fish stocks, and
forcing the fishmen to
become more aggressive
in their search for fresh
meat. Now they have
become very daring,
and even enter Dredge
by night where corpses
are unfortunately fairly
common. Rumours persist
that relics of the ancient
elven empire rest in
Kellebrik, for those brave
enough to get them.
 Grim Biskerstaf
FISHMEN

Type Civilised
Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Weapons/6/-
Armour Armour
Adventuring skills 5
Stamina 16
Notes Swimming, Intelligent

Description - Fishmen look make clothes, armour

like scaled humans with
fish-like heads. They are
able to breathe in and out
of water and can swim very
well. They are intelligent,
although their minds have
been shaped by the cold
dark of the depths and
they appear quite alien
to surface dwellers. They
and weapons, and hunt
fish. They are however
voracious predators, and
will eat anything they can
catch. They are also not
adverse to eating carrion,
which they can scent in the
water for many hundreds
of feet.

79
 Grim Biskerstaf

80

Organisations
The following organisations
are all to be found within
the city limits, and most
have noted individuals at
THE LITTLE COUNCIL
Apparently in control of
the city and with Lord
Kelberond at its head,
the Little Council is an
exercise in futility and
mismanagement. Most
of the senior nobility
and other noted figures
of the city are on the
council, and many of
the larger organisations
have representation. But
Kelberond is so ineffectual
at keeping order than nine
times out of ten council
meetings devolve into
Grim Biskerstaf
their head. These factions
are often at odds, which
makes for interesting
times in Grim Biskerstaf.
petty squabbles and mud-
slinging. Most of the other
lords make it their job to
do as little on the council
as possible, so Kelberond
often finds he has an
impossible task keeping
the Dockers and Fish
Wardens in line, let alone
the likes of Dolkepper.
So, he opts for a policy
of smiling and nodding at
everyone while agreeing
to nothing and saying even
less.
81
 What are the little Council doing? Roll 1d6.
Grim Biskerstaf

1. Scrutinizing the plans from competing Guilds for

the Vessan New Bridge. That is to say, accepting the
biggest bribe then shelving the project. Next - to
plan the annual Fish Queen Beauty Pageant.
2. Loudly debating Lord Frume's recommendation that
the best way to end poverty in Grim Bickerstaf is to
exile the poor, whilst partaking of a four-course hog
roast 'snack'.
3. Reviewing applications for the role of town crier.
From the street outside the booming resonant voice
of erstwhile two-fisted priest Bryon of the Thrice
Blessed roars 'Well, do I have the job yet?'
4. Shocked and dismayed, they are reporting to the
Peacock Guard that certain musty ledgers (that hint,
well, scream of financial irregularities) have been
stolen the week before the Kingdom's Inquisitor of
Taxes arrives.
5. They are riding in horse-drawn carriages to the
main gates to greet the elf arch-druid Tamaris, who
has journeyed afar to investigate the blight. 1d6
assassins lurk on the rooftops.
6. Voting on how to deal with the distressing plight
of the Pomperburg refugees. That is, deciding how
much to charge new arrivals to enter the city.

82
 Grim Biskerstaf
THE COLLEGE OF DOORS

There is a magical college Artisan's Quarter, another

in the city, of sorts at
least, run by a small
group of wizards. They call
themselves the College of
Doors, and they proclaim
that they accept new
wizards and apprentices
and teach them the
mystical arts. They are so
named because, so they
say, the actual college
buildings are hidden in a
magical dimension that
can only be accessed by
one door in the city, which
changes on a regular
basis. For example, one
week the door might be
within a bakers in the
week it might be a non-
descript servant's door in
the palace. Only the correct
knock will open the door
to the college, otherwise it
functions just as normal.
When this rumour was put
to Dolkepper, he merely
rolled his eyes, stating that
perhaps the doors change
because the 'college' is
nothing but a collection
of charlatans who meet
at different inns across
the city. Who can know
for sure? The head of the
college is a wizard called
Festus, who Dolkepper
daubs a 'dabbler'.

Where are the College of Doors? Roll 1d6.

1. Sweat room at Madam Bulch's dockside bath house.

2. Potting shed of the municipal gardener Ennis.
3. Cellar of The Scalded Duck inn.
4. Confessional box at the Cathedral.
5. Privy of gambling house The Bloody Goat.
6. Back alley just off Scurvy Street.

83
Grim Biskerstaf
THE RED KING'S MEN
The Red King has a
strong presence in
Grim Biskerstaf, and a
cathedral has recently
been completed to his
worship funded by the
church, bringing followers
from Fesselburg where
they were cast out in
a popular but perhaps
foolish display of power by
the Queen. Now based at
the cathedral they move
about the city, a small
army of priests dressed
in red robes and bearing
their ceremonial knives.
Some are little more than
thugs, while others do
84
seem to have worship of
their lord at heart. Still,
many are fearful of them,
and when they move as a
group, others move out of
their way. The cathedral of
the Thrice Blessed holds
daily sermons against the
Red King, and tensions are
growing between religions
factions, something that
usually does not end well.
The acknowledged leader
of the faction is the red
priest Tallow, a fat, angry
but sly man. Rumour has it
he deserted from the King's
army long ago.
85
Grim Biskerstaf
 What are the Red King's men doing? Roll 1d6.
Grim Biskerstaf

1. Lounging around the market, upsetting folk and just

looking dangerous.
2. Parading through the city streets, flagellating
themselves and decrying all who do not submit to
the glorious rule of the Red King.
3. On the docks, pointing out of the error of the Dockers
ways in spittle inflected ranting and raving.
4. Standing about the Cathedral, annoying the priests
of the Thrice Blessed and drawing the Guard in
numbers in an uncomfortable stand-off.
5. Nowhere to be seen, which is a little worrying.
6. Trying to get into Lord's Hill, where the Peacock
Guard are robustly refusing their entrance.

THE GUARD

Responsible for justice thugs, ex-criminals and

and order across the city, rare souls who want to
the Guard are a rag-tag make a difference. They are
collection of ex-soldiers, based in the guardhouse,

86

a dilapidated palace in the
Artisan's Quarter of the
city. They patrol regularly,
especially the market, but
they tread lightly in the
docks and are hardly ever
seen in Dredge. In truth
they try to do what they
can, but the city is bursting
with people displaced by
the battle at Pomperburg,
and stories of ratmen
and unmen don't help
Grim Biskerstaf
either. The Peacock Guard
are better equipped and
funded, but they rarely
stray from the fortress
and the Lord's Hill district.
Kelberond seems happy to
let the Guard subsist on a
shoestring budget, much to
the anger and resignation
of Commander Gellern
Foss, who takes the
state of the Guard to be a
personal slight against her.

Who are the guards searching for? Roll 1d6.

1. Shesta, stablegirl at the Fortress, having stolen a

box of 'personal knick-knacks and trinkets of purely
sentimental value' from Meagellor. Actually, one item
is a unique eldritch bracelet that allows the wearer
to feign death for 1d6 hours. There is a reward for
their return. The Guard want to find Shesta before
the Peacock Guard do.
2. Billius Ruh, highly-strung Elf artist. Lives down
Dredge and feverishly paints the poor and blighted.
There is a large company of elves camped outside
the walls wanting to escort him home. Something
about an inheritance. The Guard are volunteering the
characters to deliver him to his kin.
3. Lang Jimothy, the infamous noose-marked traitor
who survived the gallows at Pomperburg. Now a
fugitive, he was overheard sowing dissent against
the Little Council at the docks. The Guard want to
know his plans, looking favourably on those who

87
Grim Biskerstaf

help to stamp out any conspiracy.

4. A Goblin named Spelk daubs city buildings after dark
with graffiti of unmen carousing and cavorting with
nobility. Someone up high wants him caught, now.
The Guard are now out 'encouraging' able-looking
citizens such as the characters to trap him tonight.
5. Lady Telk's pug 'Wootle', just seen following the
characters. Apparently, it is quite attracted to
magic, sneezing in the vicinity of spellcasting. One
of the Red King's men is lurking about, attempting
to eavesdrop, and will tail the characters once the
Guard leave.
6. Hodgelaw of the Guard went missing shortly after
a fruitless search on a warehouse belonging to
Gulpepper and Sons (after a tip-off from a dwarven
cheesemonger, also missing). They found a sketch of
one of the characters in Hodgelaw's room. Until the
guard turns up, that character is forbidden to leave
the city and the guards will take an interest in their
activities.

88
 Noted Citizenry

Grim Biskerstaf
The following noted known to all, or have a very
individuals are either big say in what goes on in
prominent in the city and Grim Biskerstaf.

THE WIZARD DOLKEPPER

Wizened, crabby and dirty, empire. Within Dolkepper

with a tattered wizard's ponders on the nature
rode covered in stars, of the universe, studying
Dolkepper looks as much the sky from his tower-
like a tramp as he does top, and ruminates on all
a wizard. Perhaps the those in the city that have
most bad-tempered and done him wrong. Luckily,
downright unpleasant he is generally unlikely to
person in Grim Biskerstaf, see through his planned
his tower stands in revenge on the slights he
the middle of the town, perceives against him, as
surrounded by wild and he is always quick to tell
overgrown Hemlock Holt, anyone who will listen (and
and is said to be an elven a lot who would rather
relic from the long-dead not) about the current

89
 focus of his ire, giving his is looking for them find a
Grim Biskerstaf

opponents a good warning, quick excuse to get out the

and his mood changes
like the wind. However, it
does not pay to upset a
wizard, so most people
who hear that Dolkepper
town. Dolkepper is on the
Little Council, but rarely
shows up. Which is good,
as Kelberond is terrified of
him.

Who's upset Dolkepper? Roll 1d6.

1. Lord Kelberond, again. Apparently, on his last visit

to the market he mentioned that Dolkepper's tower
was one of the tallest building in the city. Obviously,
he hates it and wants it pulled down. Kelberond has
retired to his summer retreat.
2. The high priest Defrese, for purchasing all of the
magical herbs that came in from Fesselburg, leaving
none for 'real practitioners'. The High priest is now
on sabbatical in the capital.
3. The Fish Wardens. The last pike Dolkepper had for
his supper had a taint - obviously caught near the
sewer outlets. Pubs in the docks are unusually quiet.
4. The Guard, one of whom (presumably new) was
seen relieving himself against the base of the tower
last night. Apparently, he has now been conscripted
to the king's army and is on his way to join his
newfound comrades.
5. The Red King's priests, as they are charlatans and
imposters according to the wizard. They laugh off
this slight, but also now seem to avoid the centre
of town...
6. One of the player characters, for some reason or
other that they will no doubt never fathom. Perhaps
it is time to check out those ruins a day's ride from
the city...

90
THE LADY ALICE

The head of the thieves
of Grim Biskerstaf is
known as the Lady Alice,
also known as the Gutter
Queen. No one knows
exactly what she looks
like, where she lives or
indeed if she really is a
lady - people asking such
questions usually end up
floating down the river.
Her word is law though
when it comes to crime in
the city, and she runs her
operation like a well-oiled
machine with the precision
of an accountant. Which
Grim Biskerstaf
in fact she is, being Elsa
Threddle of the merchant
house Gullpepper and Sons.
As such she is intimately
knowledgeable on the
workings of the docks, the
most important area of the
city, and also with the Fish
Wardens, the Dockers hated
foes. Some in the Guard are
suspicious that Lady Alice
has some connections with
the Dockers, but no one is
asking too many questions,
as that's a good way to end
up dead, and after all she
bribes well.

Who's upset Alice? Roll 1d6.

1. Someone took a hit out on the merchant Malvio, who

in truth deserved it, but Alice didn't sanction the act,
so there are words to be said. It seems the assassin
looked a bit like one of the player characters...
2. Dolkepper turned the noted thief Velvon into a toad.
Lady Alice had sent the burgler on his mission, so
now she's offended. Someone had better patch the
rift between them or things might get nasty.
3. Someone has been dumping bodies into the sewer,
which has annoyed the Lady Alice - that's her
dumping ground. She'll pay good money to find out
who and 'educate' them.
4. High priest Defrese has spent the last three sermons
denouncing thieves and murders, which is all a bit
bad for business. Alice is looking for someone who

91
 could persuade the priest to change subjects for his
Grim Biskerstaf

next sermon, and she doesn't mind how.

5. The Peacock Guard have raided the docks, looking
for someone. Alice is worried that the Guards
are getting close, so someone needs to persuade
Kelberond to call off his hounds.
6. The portly thief Nathaniel had a plot kidnap
Meageller, the lord's daughter, but now he's gone
missing. She'd like him found, and has had a tip off
that the sewers are the place to start looking...

MEAGELLER

The daughter of Lord has few friends. As far

Kelberond is a thin, willowy
girl with long dark hair and
large luminous eyes. She
has a slightly unearthly air,
which some folk find mildly
disturbing, and coupled
with her somewhat vacant
expression means she
as anyone is concerned,
she is a typical useless
and somewhat pointless
noblewoman who spends
her time in her tower
embroidering. The reality
is far different however.
Despite her appearance,

92
Meageller is a keen Dolkepper is slowly

magician and follower
of the Traitor, who has
recently made a pact with
Delock, the demon lord.
She learnt her magical
craft from Dolkepper - her
father sent her along to
the wizard's tower via a
secret tunnel from the
fortress so that she could
learn something useful,
or more likely to keep the
girl out of his way. She
picked up a lot from the
irascible wizard, and stole
more, so that she became
quite an accomplished
spell caster, something
Grim Biskerstaf
beginning to realise as he
notices his collection of
arcana pilfered. Meageller
took to demonology when
she encountered a nest
of unmen beneath the
fortress on one of her
wanderings. She learnt
a lot from their leader,
who saw something of
the dark in her; this group
now follow her lead. Now
she spends her time
experimenting and sowing
seeds of chaos within the
city, to the delight of her
master.

What does Meageller want? Roll 1d6.

1. Bodies, in any state. Those demonic entities have to

eat too.
2. A book called the 'Magister of the Dark'. She
knows where it is, which makes the job easy. It's in
Dolkepper's tower, which makes the job hard.
3. To catch one of the fishmen spotted in Dredge -
they'll make interesting experimental subjects.
4. Her father dead. No small task, but she can help with
access to the fortress. Once you're in, you are on
your own.
5. Eustace, the murderer. She tried a spell on him,
which turns him into a monster when the moon is
full - this is when he committed his crime. If he is
discovered before she can silence him, the magic

93
 will be revealed and Dolkepper is bound to get
Grim Biskerstaf

suspicious.
6. A chalice from the elven ruins of Kellebrik. It was
last in one of the topmost towers according to
her research, and should be accessible when the
water level is low. However, it's now in the hoard
of the fishmen, and retrieving it is a different task
altogether.

94
 So, You're a Local?

To create characters from
the city, introduce these
careers as an option in
character creation by
Grim Biskerstaf
rolling an additional 1d6 for
career choice. Of course,
these careers could be
used elsewhere.

DOCKER
You’re a worker on the group of friends too, who’ll
docks. It’s hard work, and help you through thick and
pays poorly, but it feeds the thin.
family. You’ve got a good

Equipment: work clothes, a dagger, a sack for your

lunch and hobnail boots.

Skills and maximum level: Brawling 10, Intimidate 10,

Bargain 12, Streetwise 12, Swimming 12

What have you seen?

! Lord Kelberond, once. Posh git.
@ Fish-heads under the wharfs.
# Three bodies floating down the river.
$ The Guard working someone over. Nasty.
% Fish Wardens burn down a warehouse.
^ I'm paid not to see things.

Where were you raised?

! Dredge. Not nice, but there you go.
@ Under the wharfs.
# Fesselburg, the great city.
$ On the river.
% In the farmlands outside the city.
^ Everywhere. Never had a home.

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Grim Biskerstaf

FISH WARDEN
You uphold a proud
tradition of fishing the
waters of the mighty
river and going out on the
estuary. It’s you and your
kind that feed the city, at
least the poor anyway. It’s
been a good way of life for
you, at least it was. Now
someone is poisoning the
river, and the fish are...
strange. You blame the
Dockers, but you’ve seen
the fish-heads too.

Equipment: All-weather clothes, a waterproof hat, a

fishing line or net, a gutting knife, a cudgel to stun the
fish, a map of the waterways.

Skills and maximum level: Repair 10, Thrown 10,

Endurance 12, Navigation 12, Swimming 12

Where do you work?

! The fishing boat 'The Merry Lord'.
@ The docks, when you can.
# Out in the estuary, on the mud.
$ On the sea vessel 'Tassenhorst'.
% Kellebrik, least you did!
^ In the gutting house, preparing fish.

What have you caught?

! A pike the length of a man.
@ An eel with a woman's face.
# A fish-headed man - he wasn't happy.
$ A Mirrorfish, worth a small fortune.
% A corpse, a Guard's man.
^ Nothing but a cold and bad luck.

96

MUDLARK
There is treasure in the
mud and sand of the
estuary, be that shellfish,
lost goods from ships
or trinkets from ancient
elven empires. You'll find it
Grim Biskerstaf
all given half the chance,
if you don't starve in the
meantime. When you live in
Dredge, there's not many
other ways to make an
honest living.

Equipment: a dredging hook, a sack, waders and a book

of common prayer to the river god.

Skills and maximum level: Spot 10, Survival 10,

Appraise 12, Endurance 12, Swimming 12

What have you found?

! A necklace from the elven empire, sold.
@ A barrel of rum, drunk.
# A noble's corpse, looted.
$ A dead fish-head, avoided.
% A pirate lair, fled.
^ Nothing but despair.

What have you seen?

! Pirates drown a merchant.
@ A giant eel sink a ship.
# A priest walk on the water.
$ Unmen coming out of the sewers.
% The King's soldiers looting a village
^ Nothing I'm telling you.

97
Grim Biskerstaf

NIGHT WATCHMAN
You keep the peace at of course, but you do get
night. Well, so you say. told to go there. But that
In reality, you try to keep would seriously impact
yourself alive though the on the 'staying alive' thing
night. You get posted all you've been working on.
around the city, even to
Dredge. You don't go there
Equipment: A mail shirt with the city emblem on (light
armour), a cudgel, a lantern on a pole, a bell to summon
your colleagues.

Skills and maximum level: Blunt 10, Lie 10,

Intimidate 12, Stealth 12, Streetwise 12

Where have you worked?

! Dredge. No chance!
@ The Artisan's Quarter. Nice.
# The docks, rough at night.
$ The gates, keeping folk out.
% The great market, thieves everywhere!
^ Lord's Hill. Very posh.

What have you seen?

! Nobles beat a beggar.
@ Fish-heads in the streets.
# A wizard set fire to a rival.
$ Assassins on the rooftops.
% Goblins attack the gates.
^ Nothing, you hide in alleys.

98
99
Grim Biskerstaf
Grim Biskerstaf

PUBLICAN
Working an inn, that's the
life. Always someone to
chat to, songs and laughter,
and the ale flowing. You've
never wanted anything
else. True, it's not easy, and
there are always folks who
seem to want a fight, but a
quick tickle with the club
and all's well again.

Equipment: An apron, a beer mug and a small cask

(somehow always full), a cudgel and a smile.

Skills and maximum level: Bargain 10, History 10,

Appraise 12, Blunt 12, Persuasion 12

Who's been in?

! Lord Kelebrond, honest!
@ Eustace, before he was a killer.
# Dockers. Rough crowd.
$ Dolkepper. A scary man.
% The Guard, they love the place.
^ Who hasn't? All welcome!

Who's been barred?

! Lord Kelberond, fool.
@ Dolkepper. But don't tell him.
# The Guard - bad for business.
$ Elves. Never liked 'em.
% Anyone who isn't local.
^ No one, all are welcome!

100
 Grim Biskerstaf
SERVANT
You serve a master or without them recalling you
mistress on Lord's Hill, exist. You spot what needs
and your job is to go doing and get it done
unnoticed and unrequired, quickly, fading into the
going about the business background as you do.
of serving your betters
Equipment: a fine uniform, if a little old-fashioned. A
silver candlestick a, err, gift. A book of etiquette and a
cudgel to keep out salesmen.

Skills and maximum level: Endurance 10, History 10,

Diplomacy 12, Spot 12, Stealth 12

Who have you worked for?

! Lord Kelberond, mad as a hatstand.
@ Lady Fessely, a famous drunk.
# Count Ortessa, wily and dangerous.
$ Lord Telk, wily diplomat.
% Margrave de Loon, a frothing maniac.
^ None of your business, sir.

What have you seen?

! A body, out through the back door.
@ A shady wizard selling 'dreams'.
# Indiscretion between rival priests.
$ The butler make off with the silver.
% Your new master murdered your old.
^ Nothing sir!

101
 Hirelings
Grim Biskerstaf

Roll 1d20 to see who'll work for a few pennies a day.

1. Tomak - curious street urchin, pious and good with a

knife.
2. Fidge - scarred axeman, whip-thin, eloquent and
highly strung.
3. 'Leafy' Lyzandir - doe-eyed elven speargirl, breaker
of horses and men.
4. Big Sutley - burly mounted archer, nostalgic army
deserter.
5. Garrow - sullen crossbowman with eyepatch, tells
ghost stories.
6. Rizzle - sarcastic dwarf swordswoman, lonely and
with serious debts.
7. Fat George - looks imposing, high pitched squeaky
voice means he doesn't speak. Good with a club.
8. Tobias - slouching bravo, sneering and ready for a
fight.
9. Dozzo - halfling thief, great with a dagger and a
locked door, runs at the first sign of a fight
10. Sister Abigail- stocky, foul-mouthed, two-fisted nun
making a bit of coin for her convent through pit-
fighting and henchman work.
11. Arno van Kleef - outcast heir, trained fencer,
handsome and bitter with nothing to lose
12. Pious Tomli - devout worshipper of the Thrice
Blessed, scholar and map maker. Occasional burglar.
13. Polly the Prestidigitator - magus for hire. Young,
enthusiastic, recently exiled from the Arcane
Collegium for one fire too many.
14. Godri Black - scout and outdoorsman, never washes,
smells worse than his horse.

102
15. Gustav- broad of shoulder, sullen of face, dour of

Grim Biskerstaf
nature. Former gravedigger; comes with his own
shovel and encyclopedic knowledge of the undead.
16. Lonnen - failed apprentice to the wizard Kemp,
daydreamer and aspiring playwright, low on funds
and high as the clouds.
17. Hadri Redheart - elven pickpocket and card sharp,
happy go lucky and easy going.
18. Weldo the Unmentionable - ill-favoured , surly ex-
guardsman who got caught thieving, handy with
pole-arms and knows all the wrong people.
19. Gunnar the Mad Bastard. Shield-biting dwarven
outcast. Paints himself in blue woad and yells "póg
mo thóin" in battle.
20. Juthan Quickstep - Flamboyant halfling, wields short
sword and knife, trained with elves, currently on the
run from his vengeful mistresses.

103
 Adventures
Grim Biskerstaf
Rats and gulls. Cats and
dogs. Men, women, and
horses. All can be found
floating alongside Bikerstaf
docks. Adventurers, being
doomed to live interesting
lives, may find something
noteworthy when rooting
THE DOUBLE
A rag-swaddled corpse
that suffered prolonged
abuse prior to death. Not
unusual in Biskerstaf,
except this one appears
to be the twin of Lord
Kelebrond. Was this poor
soul some undisclosed
filial relation? A hapless
CAW BLIMEY
A child-sized body that
appears as much gull
as human, with dirty,
feathered skin, talons for
feet and an irate avian
face. Stranger yet, the
fishbone jewellery it
wears appears identical
to those of the clannish
104
through the effluence, and
who knows where that
might lead? Have a look
at the adventure outlines
below... After all, all good
adventures start with a
body in the water...
stranger whose
resemblance offended
our indolent ruler? Or
worse yet, Lord Kelebrond
himself? And if so, who
or what sits on the Grim
Biskerstaf throne issuing
increasingly strange
proclamations?
and insular net-casters of
Immund Wharf. Could this
be connected to persistent
rumours of a sinister gull
cult nesting somewhere
near the docks? And what
links them with the gang of
killers, the terrible Beaky
Blinders?
EYE SPY
The body of a handsome
and well-dressed man -
or at least he was until
his eyes were gouged
out, manhood torn
off, and the eels had a
go. Closer inspection
reveals something
shoved down his throat,
a tubular, wax-sealed
scroll case containing
a single page of dense
code. The sole readable
line is exclamatory
PITMAN'S MODEL
A naked and perfectly
proportioned adult
corpse without sign of
injury or decay. Further
investigation reveals a
total lack of rigor, with
the body flexibly retaining
whatever anatomically
feasible position it can be
arranged in. Attempts at
harming the body prove
futile - blades are turned,
hammers foiled, flames
Grim Biskerstaf
postscript: 'Now all is lost!'
Deciphering the document
will require the services
of the Esoteric - and some
say murderously secretive
- Guild of Cartographers,
Steersmen and most
Excellent Cryptographers.
What salty service will
they exact for their
translation? And will it
be worth the apocalyptic
secret revealed?
snuffed out. If it could be
compelled to speak, what
inquiries and desires
would this eternally fresh
and pliable corpse claim to
have endured? And what
brotherhoods, sects, and
madmen would wish to
reclaim it as their own?
Failing that, enterprising
souls could make a killing
renting it out as an artist's
model.
105
 Grim Biskerstaf

106

REVOLUTION CALLING
The corpse of the most
notorious and wanted
revolutionary Josef Koln.
Former dockmaster-
general, his campaign
of assassination and
sabotage are as legendary
as the unjust execution
of his wife that hurled
him down his revenge-
strewn path. The reward
for his capture or death
is significant, but who will
be brave enough to collect
it? Koln masterminded
GOLDEN GUT
Finding a dead dwarf in
the docks is odd enough.
More so a dwarf of status,
with ceremonial mohawk
and triple-plaited beard.
Discreet inquiries reveal
it to be Grom Ironthumb,
chieftain-in-exile of the
Blackaxe clan and pillar
of the urban dwarven
community. With foundries
and smithies across the
city, Grom will be much
Grim Biskerstaf
a sprawling network
of agitators, spies, and
ideologically obsessed
killers, all of whom would
dearly love to revenge their
leader. More worryingly,
whoever had the means to
penetrate Koln's complex
and lethal security is still
out there. And what will
they do to some random
gang of fools that claims
credit for his death?
grieved by his kin. Yet grief
will give way to something
far worse should the body
be inspected too closely.
Discolouration to the lips
reveals that the inner
mouth, throat and stomach
have been transformed
into solid gold. How did
this happen? Alchemical
transmutation is the stuff
of legend, as believable
as a clan of dwarfish
107
Grim Biskerstaf
assassins who ritually
murder to protect their
secrets. Regardless, word
of this could unravel the
city in days as alchemists,
wizards, and other arcane
chancers fight to possess
the ultimate secret,
to say nothing of the
dwarves or the dreaded
HALF A WORLD AWAY
With the latest river dredge
comes the body of Mungo
Berry, renowned halfling
explorer and cook. Berry's
recipes were required
reading, with his crowning
opus, 'Fiftye Furthere Uses
for An Onione' considered
a definitive work. The body
is rake thin - Berry, despite
his passions, ate only
sparingly. Strange purple-
green streaks cover his
hands and arms, trailing
upwards to his throat. Any
character handling the
108
Grim Biskerstaf Office
of Revenues. Perhaps
it might be better if the
problem simply vanished.
But butchering a dwarven
dignitary and smelting his
gold oesophagus may not
be as easy as it sounds.
body without gloves will
develop similar marks on
their fingertips, slowly
spreading until they die
horribly in 3d6 days. It's
a race against time - find
the cause of Mungo's death
and extract an antidote.
But navigating the gourmet
underground will not
be easy - cannibal pie
sellers, a coven of undead
eel merchants and the
dreaded halfling spice lord
Hallaram O'Peenoh all have
their secrets to protect.
INFLATION!
A bloated corpse is one
thing. One blown up
to the size of a cart in
another entirely. Meet
Ignatius Schreiber, former
accountant, and all-round
financial acrobat to some
very secretive people.
If lifted from the water
his body will remain
buoyant, slowly floating
away if left untethered. A
fragrant odour wafts from
Ignatius's rear end as the
strange gas that inflates
him slowly escapes - if
siphoned it would serve
as a potent levitation aid.
Alternatively, there are
several very unscrupulous
merchants who would
pay good coin to use
THE PRIEST
After much negotiation,
High priest Tessek of
the Thrice Blessed of
Fesselburg has agreed to
come to Grim Biskterstaf
cathedral to oversee the
mass blessing of the
city. In the ceremony, all
citizens starting with the
Grim Biskerstaf
Ignatius as an advertisers'
hoarding. Ingenious souls
may even rig the corpse
up as an aerial conveyance
that will support one
passenger. Investigating
Schreiber's death will
uncover a paper trail
exposing sinister collusion
between unscrupulous
alchemists, the mercantile
guilds, and the esteemed
Temple Bank. Could this
mighty financial institution
be no more than a front for
some eldritch evil, perhaps
even the Dragon itself?
And if so, what economic
chaos would follow
exposure, and who would
benefit?
high nobility are invited to
partake of a sip of special
holy wine blessed by the
Tessek himself. Which
all sounds great, except
that you have just seen
his fat and bloated corpse
go floating passed, holy
vestments punctured by
109
Grim Biskerstaf

black feathered arrows. has it that they've lost

So who is coming to Grim something, something
Biskerstaf, and why? And valuable. Could there be a
what's got the assassins connection?
guild all aflutter? Rumour

HOW ODD
You have just passed Dolkepper is bad enough,
Dolkepper the wizard three would be... wait,
in the grand market, who’s that watching you?
muttering to himself and Did they see what you
apparently searching found? Oh dear, you have a
for Kelberond. Nothing feeling this might be bad...
unusual in that, except that
his corpse just floated by,
bloated and fat like it had
been in the water for a few
days. Come to think of it,
that drunk Fish Warden you
saw in the Manky Mermaid
yesterday said that he's
seen the wizard's body
two weeks ago, all cut up
and caught on rocks in the
estuary, only you ignored
him, as did everyone else.
So that's three wizards,
and only one alive. One

110
 With Thanks
A huge thank you to this project. Without you all
the awesome Warlock it would not be as rich and
discord community, vibrant as it is, so I owe
who provided amazing you a debt of thanks! You
content, ideas and art to know who you are!