mikeawmids1
Explorer
WOLFENSTRAHD 2 / Session 2
April, 1945. Taskforce M parachute into Germany. The Red Army have encircled Berlin and commenced bombing the city via a relentless barrage of heavy artillery fire.
After his beloved roadster was hijacked by Cassius' psycho sister, Rex Ossa has upgraded to a Bentley R-Type Continental with bullet-proof bodywork. The vehicle is airdropped to a secure location near their LZ. In the current circumstances, Berlin is not exactly commuter friendly, so Rex will retrieve the car when it is safe to do so.
Russian sentries intercept the monsters at the soviet lines and escort them to Marshal Zhukov; a bald, barrel-chested man with dozens of gleaming medals pinned to his uniform. He waves a pistol in the direction of four deserters kneeling in the mud, sackcloth bags covering their faces. The monsters look on impassively as Zhukov blows the deserters away one by one, then cordially invites them into his command tent as though he hasn't just done a war crime.
GM Note: If the players had intervened here, the four soldiers would have been ordered to accompany them into Berlin as NPCs under the player's control, much like the ill-fated Vatican strike team in the previous game.
The Marshal insists the monsters share a drink with him before getting down to business, and produces a fresh bottle of Sibirskaya (80% proof vodka).
"I do not drink... vodka." Cassius say.
GM Note: Which made everyone chuckle and earned Jack another Benny.
Rex and Guy Hades II also demur. Dhrall Blood-Drinker pours their shots into his own glass and downs the lot. Marshal Zhukov is satisfied, but now Dhrall is Exhausted (-2 to all actions). Dhrall didn't think demons could get drunk on piss-weak human liquor, but this Russian stuff is potent. He asks Zhukov for another bottle for later.
The Marshal gestures to a map of Berlin. Nazi soldiers hold the city and any direct ground assault will be thwarted by the Titanfuhrer, a towering Gundam-esque mech with Hitler's likeness. The Red Army is on stand-by until they receive tank support from Moscow. Mortar fire destroyed a mustard gas factory in the industrial district, and now a quarter of Berlin is shrouded in poisonous yellow smog. The sewers are the safest route into the city, but the Nazis have booby trapped the tunnels. The scouts Zhukov ordered to map the sewer system have not returned, save one crazed survivor raving about how the rest of his squad were eaten alive by something dwelling in the dark.
Taskforce M enter the sewers, splashing through a turgid stream of ankle-deep effluent. Rex leads the way, the tunnel ahead brightly illuminated by the light of his Finsen Lamp. He notices a tripwire rigged to explosives and warns the rest of the team to step over the trap. A short while later, they find the remains of a Russian scout floating face-down in the foul water - or just down since he no longer has a face. The body is all torn up and has been partially devoured. There's no sign of whatever has been chewing on the corpse, but the radius of the bite marks indicates it was some kind of humanoid.
The monsters continue slogging through the sewer. They have seen plenty of vermin since entering the tunnels, but the quantity is definitely increasing. Cassius hears a strange, chittering voice in his head - his affinity for rodents is somehow enabling him to communicate with the swarm. The rats have been sent to lead Taskforce M to the Court of the Rattenkonig. Taskforce M warily accept this disquieting invitation. The sea of rats parts - as the ocean once did for Moses - allowing the monsters to pass.
They are herded to a huge underground cistern. A bridge of pitted metal spans a resevoir of raw, untreated sewage. Dozens of pipes deliver a constant stream of liquid filth into the churning morass below. Beyond the bridge is a mountain of discarded junk the rats have 'rescued' from the ruins of Berlin. Perched atop the pile of rubbish is a ragged looking scarecow of a man, his face hidden below the brim of a battered top hat. The self-proclaimed Rattenkonig (or Rat King) moves strangely, limbs flopping around bonelessly as he rises to address his guests.
The Rattenkonig rules all that dwell in the dark places beneath the city, but a nest of ghouls seek to usurp his throne. From their lair in the catacombs below Berlin Cathedral, they stage brazen incursions into the Rat King's territory. This cannot stand. If the monsters eliminate the ghouls, the Rattenkonig will bestow upon them his royal favour.
The rats lead Taskforce M to the entrance of the Hohenzollern Crypt. The door is guarded by a retinue of zombie knights encased in suits of rusty medievel armour. A few of the knights have managed to get their rotting hands on some heavy crossbows. Frater is shot full of bolts and immediately dies. Cassius laments sinking so many Advances into his animal sidekick, but such is the regret of many pet owners. A dog is for life, not just for D Day.
Guy II uppercuts a zombie so hard its head is separated from its body. He grabs the attached spinal column, spins around and hurls it like he's going for a gold medal in the Hammer Throw. Dhrall conjures bursts of hellfire to melt the armoured zombies down to slag. Rex unloads an entire magazine of handgun ammo into the breastplate of a hulking undead knight. Cassius mopes over his dead dog.
The monsters push forward into the crypt. A dozen Prussian nobles have risen as ghouls. They are congregated around a long table, messily feasting upon a smorgasbord of replusive offal. At the head of the table sits the reanimated corpse of King Friedrich I (1657 - 1713), lording it over his undead subjects. King Friedrich wields a resplendent golden sceptre (the Hohenzollern Sceptre, heavy club, +2 Fighting, Strength+d6 damage, free re-roll on Persuasion checks) that certainly enhances his regal bearing. He disputes the Rattenkonig's authority and panics when he realises Taskforce M are here to do a regicide.
"The Proletariat!" he cries in horror, "They've come for me!"
Rex casts Blast, incinerating several of the ghastly nobles. A ghoul sinks its teeth into Guy II's hand and bites off two of his fingers! Guy II rips the offending ghoul in half, then pokes around in the gore looking for his missing digits (Rex later tries to reattach them with the Healing power, but rolls snake-eyes and makes the loss permanent). Dhrall casts Havoc, scattering ghouls across the crypt. King Friedrich cowers behind his sarcophagus. Guy II lines up a headshot and blows Freddy away with his comically oversized hand cannon. Cassius loots the body, adding King Friedrich's signet ring to his growing collection of men's jewellery.
The monsters return to the Court of the Rattenkonig and hand over the Hohenzollern Sceptre as proof that King Friedrich's reign is at an end. Taskforce M can now call upon the Rattenkonig for information and favours as per the Connections edge, and once per session when Cassius summons a rat swarm it will fill a large blast template, rather than medium.
Having secured safe passage through the Rattenkonig's domain, Taskforce M finally return to the surface, emerging from a broken sewer pipe in Tiergarten Park. Russian mortars have turned this once beautiful parkland into a wasteland pockmarked by deep, irregular craters. Smoke rises from the ruins of the Berlin Zoo. Several monkeys chatter noisily from the branches of a tree miraculously untouched by the surrounding devastation. At least some animals survived the indiscriminate bombing of the city.
GM Note: It's a shame the players did not investigate the zoo. There is an elephant ally just waiting to be recruited!
Rex spots white roses growing amidst one of the untouched flowerbeds, and follows the trail of snowy petals to a three-storey townhouse on the edge of the park. The monsters surmise this to be sanctum of the Daughters of the White Rose. Unfortunately, they are not the first to arrive. The S.S have raided White Rose Lodge. Nazi soldiers stand guard outside, while the S.S tear the place apart in search of esoteric lore.
Rex casts Disguise, hoping to pass himself of as just another Nazi grunt. The guards see through his deception and open fire! Rex dives behind a planter for cover. Bullets tear through the flowers growing in it. The monsters assault the lodge and clear it room by room - taking care to capture any Nazi Officers alive.
Taskforce M search the building, but there is no sign of the missing coven. Three statues in the foyer capture Rex's interest; a maiden, a mother and a crone, each with a spherical protrusion in the base that can be rotated to show the different faces of the moon. By matching the stages of the woman's life to the associated phases of the lunar cycle (Maiden/Youth = waxing crescent, Mother/Fulfilment = full moon, Crone/Wisdom = waning crescent), the monsters reveal the concealed entrance to the inner sanctum hidden beneath the lodge.
TBC
April, 1945. Taskforce M parachute into Germany. The Red Army have encircled Berlin and commenced bombing the city via a relentless barrage of heavy artillery fire.
After his beloved roadster was hijacked by Cassius' psycho sister, Rex Ossa has upgraded to a Bentley R-Type Continental with bullet-proof bodywork. The vehicle is airdropped to a secure location near their LZ. In the current circumstances, Berlin is not exactly commuter friendly, so Rex will retrieve the car when it is safe to do so.
Russian sentries intercept the monsters at the soviet lines and escort them to Marshal Zhukov; a bald, barrel-chested man with dozens of gleaming medals pinned to his uniform. He waves a pistol in the direction of four deserters kneeling in the mud, sackcloth bags covering their faces. The monsters look on impassively as Zhukov blows the deserters away one by one, then cordially invites them into his command tent as though he hasn't just done a war crime.
GM Note: If the players had intervened here, the four soldiers would have been ordered to accompany them into Berlin as NPCs under the player's control, much like the ill-fated Vatican strike team in the previous game.
The Marshal insists the monsters share a drink with him before getting down to business, and produces a fresh bottle of Sibirskaya (80% proof vodka).
"I do not drink... vodka." Cassius say.
GM Note: Which made everyone chuckle and earned Jack another Benny.
Rex and Guy Hades II also demur. Dhrall Blood-Drinker pours their shots into his own glass and downs the lot. Marshal Zhukov is satisfied, but now Dhrall is Exhausted (-2 to all actions). Dhrall didn't think demons could get drunk on piss-weak human liquor, but this Russian stuff is potent. He asks Zhukov for another bottle for later.
The Marshal gestures to a map of Berlin. Nazi soldiers hold the city and any direct ground assault will be thwarted by the Titanfuhrer, a towering Gundam-esque mech with Hitler's likeness. The Red Army is on stand-by until they receive tank support from Moscow. Mortar fire destroyed a mustard gas factory in the industrial district, and now a quarter of Berlin is shrouded in poisonous yellow smog. The sewers are the safest route into the city, but the Nazis have booby trapped the tunnels. The scouts Zhukov ordered to map the sewer system have not returned, save one crazed survivor raving about how the rest of his squad were eaten alive by something dwelling in the dark.
Taskforce M enter the sewers, splashing through a turgid stream of ankle-deep effluent. Rex leads the way, the tunnel ahead brightly illuminated by the light of his Finsen Lamp. He notices a tripwire rigged to explosives and warns the rest of the team to step over the trap. A short while later, they find the remains of a Russian scout floating face-down in the foul water - or just down since he no longer has a face. The body is all torn up and has been partially devoured. There's no sign of whatever has been chewing on the corpse, but the radius of the bite marks indicates it was some kind of humanoid.
The monsters continue slogging through the sewer. They have seen plenty of vermin since entering the tunnels, but the quantity is definitely increasing. Cassius hears a strange, chittering voice in his head - his affinity for rodents is somehow enabling him to communicate with the swarm. The rats have been sent to lead Taskforce M to the Court of the Rattenkonig. Taskforce M warily accept this disquieting invitation. The sea of rats parts - as the ocean once did for Moses - allowing the monsters to pass.
They are herded to a huge underground cistern. A bridge of pitted metal spans a resevoir of raw, untreated sewage. Dozens of pipes deliver a constant stream of liquid filth into the churning morass below. Beyond the bridge is a mountain of discarded junk the rats have 'rescued' from the ruins of Berlin. Perched atop the pile of rubbish is a ragged looking scarecow of a man, his face hidden below the brim of a battered top hat. The self-proclaimed Rattenkonig (or Rat King) moves strangely, limbs flopping around bonelessly as he rises to address his guests.
The Rattenkonig rules all that dwell in the dark places beneath the city, but a nest of ghouls seek to usurp his throne. From their lair in the catacombs below Berlin Cathedral, they stage brazen incursions into the Rat King's territory. This cannot stand. If the monsters eliminate the ghouls, the Rattenkonig will bestow upon them his royal favour.
The rats lead Taskforce M to the entrance of the Hohenzollern Crypt. The door is guarded by a retinue of zombie knights encased in suits of rusty medievel armour. A few of the knights have managed to get their rotting hands on some heavy crossbows. Frater is shot full of bolts and immediately dies. Cassius laments sinking so many Advances into his animal sidekick, but such is the regret of many pet owners. A dog is for life, not just for D Day.
Guy II uppercuts a zombie so hard its head is separated from its body. He grabs the attached spinal column, spins around and hurls it like he's going for a gold medal in the Hammer Throw. Dhrall conjures bursts of hellfire to melt the armoured zombies down to slag. Rex unloads an entire magazine of handgun ammo into the breastplate of a hulking undead knight. Cassius mopes over his dead dog.
The monsters push forward into the crypt. A dozen Prussian nobles have risen as ghouls. They are congregated around a long table, messily feasting upon a smorgasbord of replusive offal. At the head of the table sits the reanimated corpse of King Friedrich I (1657 - 1713), lording it over his undead subjects. King Friedrich wields a resplendent golden sceptre (the Hohenzollern Sceptre, heavy club, +2 Fighting, Strength+d6 damage, free re-roll on Persuasion checks) that certainly enhances his regal bearing. He disputes the Rattenkonig's authority and panics when he realises Taskforce M are here to do a regicide.
"The Proletariat!" he cries in horror, "They've come for me!"
Rex casts Blast, incinerating several of the ghastly nobles. A ghoul sinks its teeth into Guy II's hand and bites off two of his fingers! Guy II rips the offending ghoul in half, then pokes around in the gore looking for his missing digits (Rex later tries to reattach them with the Healing power, but rolls snake-eyes and makes the loss permanent). Dhrall casts Havoc, scattering ghouls across the crypt. King Friedrich cowers behind his sarcophagus. Guy II lines up a headshot and blows Freddy away with his comically oversized hand cannon. Cassius loots the body, adding King Friedrich's signet ring to his growing collection of men's jewellery.
The monsters return to the Court of the Rattenkonig and hand over the Hohenzollern Sceptre as proof that King Friedrich's reign is at an end. Taskforce M can now call upon the Rattenkonig for information and favours as per the Connections edge, and once per session when Cassius summons a rat swarm it will fill a large blast template, rather than medium.
Having secured safe passage through the Rattenkonig's domain, Taskforce M finally return to the surface, emerging from a broken sewer pipe in Tiergarten Park. Russian mortars have turned this once beautiful parkland into a wasteland pockmarked by deep, irregular craters. Smoke rises from the ruins of the Berlin Zoo. Several monkeys chatter noisily from the branches of a tree miraculously untouched by the surrounding devastation. At least some animals survived the indiscriminate bombing of the city.
GM Note: It's a shame the players did not investigate the zoo. There is an elephant ally just waiting to be recruited!
Rex spots white roses growing amidst one of the untouched flowerbeds, and follows the trail of snowy petals to a three-storey townhouse on the edge of the park. The monsters surmise this to be sanctum of the Daughters of the White Rose. Unfortunately, they are not the first to arrive. The S.S have raided White Rose Lodge. Nazi soldiers stand guard outside, while the S.S tear the place apart in search of esoteric lore.
Rex casts Disguise, hoping to pass himself of as just another Nazi grunt. The guards see through his deception and open fire! Rex dives behind a planter for cover. Bullets tear through the flowers growing in it. The monsters assault the lodge and clear it room by room - taking care to capture any Nazi Officers alive.
Taskforce M search the building, but there is no sign of the missing coven. Three statues in the foyer capture Rex's interest; a maiden, a mother and a crone, each with a spherical protrusion in the base that can be rotated to show the different faces of the moon. By matching the stages of the woman's life to the associated phases of the lunar cycle (Maiden/Youth = waxing crescent, Mother/Fulfilment = full moon, Crone/Wisdom = waning crescent), the monsters reveal the concealed entrance to the inner sanctum hidden beneath the lodge.
TBC
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