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Addendum to HOOKS: Party Sheets From Adventurers Toolkit:
Diplomatic Entourage - "Dangerous events are threatening stability between the Nordlanders and wood elves of the Laurelorn. You have arrived in Hargendorf to quell the dispute."
Oathbound - "Your duty takes you to Hargendorf, a remote port in the north of the Empire."
Glory Hounds - "How did you end up in Hargendorf? There's no one there to see the display of your talents. You'll just have to make the best of it."
Defiant Scoundrels - "A noble in Hargendorf keeps strict tabs on his subjects. You've just arrived to do something about that!"
Alternate Plot sent to me by Dylan Owen
How about this as a slightly alternative plot twist – the magic stone circle transporter within the mound (later built by the Jutones as a burial place for one of their chieftains) activates after centuries of neglect because the stars are in the correct alignment. The magic does not quite work as it should, and all the inhabitants in the village that now surrounds the mound are suddenly trapped in time and space. 3-5 years later (depending on the timeline) they are released from this ‘bubble’ due to the power of the stones again malfunctioning. However, the dark elf cannot be in the vicinity when this happens (he cannot be among the wood elves). So instead: the other circle in Naggaroth also activates, and a dark elf scout sneaks through. She needs to get back to Naggaroth, but the stone circle is ‘malfunctioning’. She hides near the village, trying to work out how to get the ‘transporter’ working so she can return home. She explores the surrounding area at night, looking for clues. Perhaps there is a magic orb missing from one of the circle’s stones… perhaps a tomb robber has this stone, who robbed the mound a few years ago. The elf learns this by kidnapping and torturing one of the villagers when they inexplicably return (this is perhaps the reason why she has taken the priestess).
Chapter 1 – Schlaghügel -
The PCs are hired by Dankmar to protect him when he goes to the village to collect 3 years back taxes. Dankmar hires the PCs because he fears that things will get violent. The villagers are terrified and think that their village has been ensorcelled. Perhaps the PCs arrive just as the frightened villagers are dunking an innocent old woman in the village pond suspecting that she is the witch. Do they save her? When Dankmar demands the money, the enraged peasants, who think that he is trying to con them, attack him – Dankmar orders the PCs to deal with the peasants ruthlessly – they have a moral choice: do as they’re told and kill some innocent peasants, or side with the mob? Dankmar should give the PCs such unreasonable orders, and be such a vile character towards them, that they should (unless they are complete bastards) turn against Dankmar. Dankmar flees. The PCs earn the respect of the villagers. 3-Act Social Encounter: Dealing with the villagers & Dankmar. Whatever happens, the dark elf (spying on the village) now knows of the PCs’ existence.
Chapter 2 – The ‘Priestess’ & the Tomb Robber
When the PCs come to the village, the dark elf intends on using them to track down the tomb robber. Disguised as the priestess (thus the dark elf must be a female…) she secretly approaches the PCs and tries to get them to track down the tomb robber and recover the orb, lying to them that the missing orb is the reason why the villagers disappeared, and that it may happen again (well, this is half true). The dark elf cannot track down the tomb robber, as she will be easily spotted as an elf if she ventures among humans in daylight. When the PCs meet her, she seems otherworldy, but they put this down to the fact that she is a priestess of Rhya (a weird, otherworldy religion in the eyes of most Empire folk). This might take the PCs back to Hargendorf to find the tomb robber.
3-Act Social Encounter: Finding the tomb robber & getting info from him.
Chapter 3 – Recovering the Orb
The PCs might force him to help them steal the orb back from whoever bought the orb from him (it would be ironic if this was Dankmar…) . 3-Act Action Encounter: Stealing the orb Once they have the orb, they meet up with the disguised dark elf again, finding her in the woods at a prearranged meeting spot. She uses the orb to return to Naggaroth. Her superiors order her to lead a small party of dark elves back through the ‘gate’ to kidnap peasants for sacrifices.
Chapter 4 – Mysterious Disappearances
Thinking they have saved the villagers from further time glitches, the PCs have, unbeknownst to them, damned the villagers to be gradually taken as slaves by the dark elf snatch team. The PCs return to Hargendorf. A few days later, the village elder seeks them out. She needs them to defend the village from mysterious disappearances that have begun to occur since they left. The first to disappear was the priestess of Rhya, before their arrival. This should confuse the PCs as they met her AFTER the villagers claimed she disappeared. If they go to the area where they met her to hand over the orb, skilled trackers may find the cave in the woods where the dark elf tortured the priestess. 3-Act Investigative Encounter: Finding the Priestess’s body. Her murdered body lies there. Perhaps the PCs are at first accused of murdering her by the villagers? However, the priestess has left clues scratched on the wall of the cave that her captor was an elf. Now the villagers are convinced that it is wood elves that are stealing their folk (and responsible for the ‘aging’ curse on their village – it fits in well with human legends of wood elf magic). They will pay the PCs well to rescue the captives. If a wood elf is in the party, he will be affronted that the local elves are behaving in this manner. It is unheard of!
Chapter 5 – Into Elf Territory
Of course, the PCs don’t stand a chance once they trespass. Have them attacked by the forest coming to life (dryads, sprites treekin, etc). 3-Act Action Encounter: Fighting the Forest They will be overwhelmed and captured. The wood elves will want to know why the PCs trespassed before they kill the intruders. The PCs will need to use all their social skills to persuade the elves that their cause is just. The wood elf leader, after interrogating the PCs, decides to help them solve the mystery, if only to get the humans off their backs. Wood elves scour the village for clues (the villagers all hide inside, terrified of the elves). Their scouts discover dark elf tracks. The wood elves say that dark elves have not been in these parts since the time of the War of the Beard. They hate these traitors, for their ancestors fought against them when they were loyal to Ulthuan.
Chapter 6 – Finale. The Mound
The wood elves and the PCs discover that the dark elves are emerging from the mound. They set up an ambush to capture the intruders. The PCs can also explore the mound (the locals persuade them not to, for they believe that they will bring a great curse on the village if the mound is disturbed). 3-Act Action Encounter: The Ambush A big fight ensues between dark elves, PCs and wood elves. Perhaps the dark elf scout who they met earlier in the adventure turns the tables and captures the wood elf leader, holding a knife to his throat as she attempts to flee back into the mound to get to Naggaroth. The PCs must kill all the dark elves, rescue the wood elf leader, and somehow close the gate so the dark elves can never use it again (though if they do try to topple the stone circle they WILL get cursed – ancient protective high elf magic wards against the circle’s destruction). As usual in Warhammer, the PCs will come out worse. However, they have caused peace between the wood elves and villagers, and thwarted the plans of the dark elves.
END Alternate Plot.
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