Chaos at the Quay
As a special preview of Book of Schemes, we’re providing this scenario, taken from the book, to Design Mechanics
newsletter subscribers free of charge. We hope you enjoy the schemes and intrigue Guelden has to offer!
Overview
The characters are hired by a man named Grimel to
help him find and confiscate an illegal weapon
shipment. Complications arise, and they must
investigate and locate the shipment themselves, only to
be betrayed in the end by Grimel in order to cover up
his activities.
This scenario is an ideal way to introduce new
characters to Guelden and get a campaign started.
Through the adventure the characters touch upon
various of the overarching meta-plotlines in Guelden,
while keeping the characters focussed on the main
action.
NPCs
Grimel: An agent of chaos out to spread the influence
of the Chaos Mother in Guelden.
Rychel: A debt-ridden smuggler who sells the secrets of
her clients.
Werner: A disgruntled former innkeeper who leads a
group of vigilantes against illegal establishments.
Mertyn: A rising lesser boss in the Brass Dogs gang (see
page 178) responsible for picking up the weapons at the
warehouse.
Key Events
The adventure takes place entirely in the lower reaches
of Guelden, near the docks.
242 The Book of Schemes
1. Grimel, a secret agent of chaos, hires the characters
to help him investigate an illegal weapon shipment
to gangs preparing for war.
2. During a meeting with an informant at the Pewter
Pot, an illicit inn in Shanty Town, the characters
are attacked by vigilantes from the Innkeeper’s
Guild.
3. Without all the necessary information, Grimel
sends the characters into the city to investigate on
their own, while he gathers more allies for the
operation.
4. The characters locate the weapons and move in to
secure them with Grimel. His plans are revealed as
he betrays the characters. They defeat Grimel and
discover the truth about his allegiance to chaos.
5. The characters flee the scene with their gains and
take stock of the situation. The things they have
learned and the people they have encountered can
all lead to future adventures in the city of schemes.
Important Places
The Pewter Pot: An illicit inn in Shanty Town (see
page 111), often the target of guild vigilante
harassment.
The Warehouse: A warehouse in the Iron Quay (see
page 109) used by smugglers and gangs for secretly
transferring weapons.
Background simply to have Grimel looking for someone capable and
Grimel is an agent of chaos and intends to spread havoc spotting the characters, offering them a quick reward for
through Guelden. He is intelligent, has funds to spare a little help.
from his earlier adventures, and has spent the last few Grimel will spin a story to convince the characters to
months researching the situation in the city and help him. If the characters are law-abiding citizens, he
gathering a small group of followers into a fledgling will claim to be an agent from one of several guilds
chaos cult. He has discovered what more and more of (blacksmiths, swordmakers, bowmakers etc) or the
the brighter minds in the Guelden underworld are Assembly of Commons out to investigate illegal weapon
beginning to realise: that someone is funnelling weapons shipments. If the characters are not law-abiding
to both of the major gangs, and that this someone is citizens, he will claim either to be from a gang affiliated
likely from high society. He has been unable to discover to them, or a smuggler out to learn the tricks of his
more, but is eyeing an opportunity to kill two birds with competitors.
one stone: to use his chaos powers to first infect gang Regardless of the story he spins, he is prepared to
members and through them hopefully allow the taint to offer each character 40 SP (half paid now, the rest upon
spread to high society through their secret dealings. completion) if they escort him to the Pewter Pot that
Grimel is living in a long-rented room in Shanty evening and help him get details from an informant he
Town beside the Pewter Pot (see opposite) and has is meeting later (Rychel) and to help him find the illegal
bribed a smuggler named Rychel to inform him when weapon shipment afterwards. He makes it clear he does
the next illicit shipment to a gang comes through the not expect the warehouse to be guarded or any use of
city. Rychel is however starting to get anxious due to the violence to be necessary.
rising violence among the gangs, so Grimel decides to
hire outside help (the characters) to show that he can
protect her during their meeting.
Grimel has another reason for hiring the characters: Aiding Grimel with his scheme offers a fat profit
when they’ve helped him locate the warehouse, he for the four friends, but what is his real agenda?
intends to betray them and kill them, and arrange their
bodies, such that it seems like an inter-gang fight took
place. When the Brass Dogs find the bodies of the
characters, he reasons, they will realise someone is
unravelling their weapon shipment schemes – and since
a fight took place in the warehouse, more than one rival
gang must have been involved. He believes such a
discovery will lead the Brass Dogs to lash out against
their rivals, further fanning the brewing gang war. As a
bonus, finding the bodies of the characters will
hopefully lead the Brass Dogs to not take too much
notice that the weapon cache has been tampered with
and infected by him.

Events and Locations

Being Hired by Grimel
How Grimel learns about and approaches the
characters is left for the Games Master to decide
depending on the initial situation. An easy solution is

The smuggler Rychel can be found at the Pewter
Pot, a seedy drinking den down near the Iron
Quay docks. Rychel has vital information on the
location the arms shipment the adventurers are
hunting.
Meeting Rychel
The characters are told to be at the Pewter Pot before
supper where Grimel will meet them. Shortly after,
Rychel appears and they begin to chat. Rychel is clearly
nervous about both the situation and the presence of all
the characters, so talks go slowly, with Rychel only very
reluctantly giving up any details.
A character can try to make her more relaxed with a
standard Influence or Seduction skill check. She is
already being paid quite handsomely by Grimel, so he
becomes clearly annoyed at her reluctance to come up
with specific details. A character can try to relieve the
rising tension of the conversation by a Hard Influence
check or other creative means (Games Master’s
discretion). The result of these checks determines what
they learn before the brawl occurs (see below). The
244 The Book of Schemes
various possible outcomes also give a time estimate on
how long it will take the characters to locate the
warehouse by themselves afterwards given the
information at hand.
After the characters have learned the facts through
conversation, they are interrupted by angry guild
vigilantes out for a fight.
Brawl at the Pewter Pot
The Pewter Pot is an illegal establishment (run by a
woman named Cunneke), in the sense that it is not run
by members of the Innkeeper’s Guild. Even though the
Innkeeper’s Guild is weak and fragmented, angry
innkeepers occasionally manage to raise a group of
vigilantes to enforce their monopoly. This evening, ten
angry burghers – innkeepers with friends and family –
enter the Pewter Pot and begin to cause a ruckus. They
are led by a disgruntled man named Werner who lost his
own inn a few months ago.
While they do carry messers, they don’t intend to use
them. Instead they are armed with improvised clubs and
daggers, their goal being to break a few bones, scare
away the patrons and ruin the inn’s ale and food stores.
As they enter the inn, they will yell a lot, scare the
customers and begin breaking mugs and turning over
tables. An easy Perception check will reveal to the
characters that the attackers are not out to kill anyone
and only seem intent on property damage.
Regardless of how the talk with Rychel went (see
above) she will retreat as soon as she sees armed people
entering and will escape through a back entrance. She
escapes to her hideout near Spice Market (see page 107)
where she will lay low for a couple of days. Her role in
this adventure is most likely over.
Tactics
A plan of The Pewter Pot can be found on page XX.
The vigilantes will only directly attack the staff and
anyone putting up a fight, and will leave the victim when
they are sufficiently bruised (a Stun Location special
effect) or suffer the first serious wound. If the fighting
turns serious, e.g. if the characters draw sharp weapons
or if anyone is seriously injured, the vigilantes will back
off, close ranks and march off if need be. None of them

What they will learn regardless:
Information at The Pewter Pot
The weapon shipment was picked up in a small village some hours sailing out from Guelden (she
refuses to be more specific). They had received payment from the job in advance through an
agent she doesnʼt know the name of.
The crates came in this night via riverboat. It unloaded in secret and the crates were moved to a
warehouse in the Iron Quay quarter before first light.
There were three crates in total. They were quite heavy.

Calmed Rychel Did not calm Rychel

Calmed Grimel The Warehouse is in the western part of the Iron
Quay, on the 4th row from the docks.
A tiny dog head icon has been carved into the
timber next to the doorway.
The weapons are for the Brass Dogs gang.
Search time: 1d3 hours
The warehouse is in the western end of the Iron
Quay and is normally used for outgoing iron
tools, bars and ingots.
The doorway is marked with a carved icon of
some sort.
Search time: 2d3 hours

Did not calm Grimel
The Warehouse is on the 4th row from the docks The warehouse is in the Iron Quay.
on the Iron Quay. The doorway is marked with a carved icon of
The doorway is marked with a carved icon of some sort of bird
some sort. The warehouse is used mainly for outgoing
The weapons are for one of the two big gangs blacksmith items.
in Guelden. Search time: 2d4 hours
Search time: 2d3 hours

intend to kill or be killed for this, so they will only fight
for real if given no other option. There are more than
30 patrons in the Pewter Pot this evening and most
decide to flee at the first sign of trouble. Cunneke and
three regulars decide to fight the vigilantes unarmed or
with improvised weapons but will soon be beaten down
unless the characters join the fray.
If the characters decide to fight the vigilantes via
non-lethal means, they are most likely severely
outnumbered. However, the Pewter Pot has lots of small
tables and benches scattered about, which makes the
area excellent for using the Outmanoeuvre action
described on page 104 of Mythras. Less evade-savy
characters can use various objects in the inn (mugs, table
legs or clay bottles – use the entry for stones at page 65
of Mythras) as improvised thrown objects while
manoeuvring away from the vigilantes.
Following Up
While outside the scope of this adventure, if the
characters decide to investigate why the guild vigilantes
attacked the Pewter Pot, the truth lies with the current
state of the Innkeepers’ Guild as described on page 174.
Werner is not satisfied with the current inaction of his
guild leader and his inability to quell the incursions of
the White Larks (see page 179) on their monopoly. He
gathered the vigilantes to have some way of fighting
back against the threat to their livelihood, but beyond a
way to vent their anger and enforce their guild
monopoly there is no deeper reason behind the attack.
If the Games Master (or any character for that
matter) intends to steer the game towards inter-guild
politics, then investigating the background for the attack
and the situation of the Innkeeper’s Guild is an
excellent introduction.
Finding the Warehouse
After the brawl at the Pewter Pot is over, Grimel will ask
the characters to begin searching the Iron Quay for the
warehouse. The Iron Quay is a wide district running
almost a kilometre along the river, filled with
warehouses of all sorts and sizes connected by
numerous small alleys and a few wide thoroughfares. In
the earlier scene their interrogation of Rychel gave a
time estimate on how long it will take the characters to
succeed. A successful hard Perception or standard
Streetwise group roll reduces this time by 1 hour. Take
note of when the characters began their day, as it may
be time to roll for Endurance checks due to lack of sleep.
Searching for the warehouse entails moving through the
Iron Quay during the evening and perhaps into the
night, in which case the characters risk draw the
attention of hourly guard patrols passing through the
area. Dodging a patrol requires a successful group

The Book of Schemes 245


As the delicate negotiations with Rychel proceed, a Guelden’s poorest souls. Grimel will provide each
gang of guild vigilantes bursts into The Pewter Pot, cultist with a small clay vial intended to be used at the
intent on beating up the customers and shutting the warehouse (explained on the next page). If any
place down.
Streetwise or Stealth check against the guards’
Perception of 50%. If they encounter a patrol, the
guards will ask them about their business in the area. If
the characters are carrying weapons and not carrying
visible light, the guards will attack them and kill or
subdue them for arrest.
This section allows the Games Master to either
quickly skip over or allow the characters time to take
detours. For instance, they can investigate Grimel’s
background, try to find Rychel again for more
information, or determine what the political situation
between the gangs is. Otherwise this section will consist The warehouse is located on the fourth row of
of the characters combing through the Iron Quay for
the duration, trying to locate a building fitting the
description, with whatever encounters with guard
246 The Book of Schemes
patrols, drunkards, dock workers etc. that the Games
Master deems suitable.
Grimel finds help
After sending the characters to comb through the
Iron Quay for the warehouse, Grimel goes to meet
five members of his fledgling cult. He meets with
them in a house in Ragtown (see page 113) that
appears to be close to collapse and overrun with
destitute people. Any characters following him will
have to succeed on an opposed Streetwise check to be
able to tail him and an opposed Stealth vs Perception
to do so unnoticed. If Grimel discovers a character
following him, he will announce his discovery to the
character and bring them along, while making it clear
he thinks the character is wasting time following him
instead of looking for the warehouse.
The cultists are all dressed in rags and are poor,
desperate souls from the lowest rungs of Ragtown.
They are aware of chaos and some deeper purpose
for the cult, but mostly they are infatuated with
Grimel’s leadership and his ability to protect them,
feed them and give them purpose. None have
mutations or marks of chaos on them yet, making
them indistinguishable from so many other of
characters are with them, he will do so covertly on the
way back to the Iron Quay, requiring a successful
opposed Perception check vs Grimel’s Sleight to notice
him handing each cultist something.
After meeting the cultists, Grimel will return to the
Iron Quay and find the characters shortly before they
find the warehouse. If prompted to explain the cultists,
he will say they are agents of his that have been working
in Ragtown to determine the activities of the gangs and
that they are here to help transport the weapons from
the warehouse.
Betrayal at the Warehouse
warehouses in the Iron Quay, in a section mostly used by
mining companies to store incoming firewood or
outgoing iron produce. The building is a single storey
with 3 metre high walls built from local stone.
Likewise, the roof is angled and made from local
shale. The warehouse’s only entrance is a 2½ metre
wide gate made from imported oak. It has an in-built
lock and will require a standard Lockpicking check
to pick or a hard Brawn check to force open.
Alternatively, the gables at each end have small
shuttered windows to allow air circulation when
storing food or other items sensitive to moisture. The
windows are located just under the roof ’s peak (4
metres from the ground) and can be forced open
with an easy Brawn check.
The weapons Grimel seeks are stored here in
three large crates along the back wall, among half a
hundred other crates containing mostly iron
produce: tools, bars and ingots. Combing through
the crates to find the weapons takes about two hours
divided by the number of people searching. Grimel
suggests that at least one of the characters stand
watch by the door – if they refuse, he reluctantly put
one of his cultists on watch duty instead, calling her
inside as soon as the crates are found.
In total the crates contain:

• 5 crossbows
• 50 broadhead crossbow bolts
• 10 messers
• 10 daggers Examining the weapons cache, Amalia and Emma
discover them to be be suspiciously free of makers’
The weapons are all produced in Guelden, although marks. Something is not right here, and there are
without the usual maker’s mark. They were bought clearly other forces in play.
(legally) by agents of House Maizén (see page 163),
and transported out of the city on a riverboat from over the weapons, before sealing the crates and leaving
which they were “stolen” by Rychel and her them to be collected by the Brass Dogs.
companions to be smuggled back into the city through As soon as the crates are found and verified to
Hoff’s Alehouse (see page 107) and placed here for the contain the weapons Grimel and his cultists will begin to
Brass Dogs gang to collect. This has become standard douse them with chaos nectar, the liquid hissing and
practice for smuggling weapons into the city in spluttering on release. If the characters begin to ask
preparation for gang war, as part of the schemes of questions or interfere, Grimel will move close to a
House Maizén. character, feigning to provide an answer, before
Grimel has no interest in the weapons. He knows that attacking the characters with his cultists.
his fledgling cult is no force to be reckoned with and If the characters ignore Grimel and his cultists
instead seeks to spread the influence of chaos through dousing the weapons, the crates will be sealed again and
more indirect means. He and his five companions each left. Grimel and his companions will instead attack the
carry a vial of Chaos Nectar which they intend to douse characters as they all exit the warehouse, intending to

The Book of Schemes 247


Chaos Nectar
T
he chaos nectar that the cultists carry has
mutagenic and magical properties. The
substance was discovered by Grimel on his
journey in lands far to the west of Wittringia
and was responsible for his own fall to chaos.
The chaos nectar can be doused on an item
and left to dry. Each vial has enough to affect
five hand-sized (so a dagger or sword hilt or
a crossbow trigger) items this way. Anyone
owning or continuously handling the affected
item for 1d3 days will receive a Loyalty
(Chaos) passion at its base value, which will
continue to increase by 1d4+1% each week
until the item is disposed of. After that the
passion behaves as normal and can be
increased or decreased by spending
Experience Rolls.
The chaos nectar can also be used much
more directly by drinking it or putting it in
food. Anyone taking in a full dose of chaos
nectar must make a hard Endurance check.
Success results in immediately gaining 1d6
chaos mutations as per page 275 of Mythras.
Failure leads to the victim dying horribly as
the body is utterly destroyed by a cascade of
haphazard mutations: flesh and limbs
growing wildly before decomposing, blood
boiling and eyes melting away.
place their bodies so it looks like two gangs broke in
together but had a squabble: He wants to force a strong
reaction from the Brass Dogs, further fanning the flames
of gang war.
Grimel and his cultists are dedicated and will fight
hard. If the cultists were interrupted in dousing the
weapons, then two cultists will (spontaneously inspired
by their goddess) drink the chaos nectar instead. One of
them is deemed unfit by their goddess and dies horribly
in front of the characters, while the other mutates
beyond recognition and flings herself into the fight until
she is destroyed. While his cultists are fanatics that will
gladly give their lives, Grimel knows he has a higher
248 The Book of Schemes
purpose to spread the will of his goddess and will retreat
as soon as he thinks the fight is going badly. If needing
to escape, he will cut open his purse while running
scattering the money he promised the characters in
payment on the floor or street, hoping to distract them.
He will also make good use of the Outmanoeuvre
action and the Entangle, Trip and Withdraw special
effects. In a pinch, he’s also carrying a Smoke Pack (see
page 45) which he can throw to the floor and light by
throwing down his oil lamp on it.
If the characters are defeated or flee, then Grimel
and his companions will seal up the crates and leave
them to be picked up by the Brass Dogs. Chaos
influence will soon start affecting the gang and spread
from there. Grimel hopes that their dealings with
smugglers, and in turn with whoever is sponsoring the
weapon deliveries, will lead to members of high society
becoming infected.
If Grimel is killed or captured he carries on him the
money he owes the characters in payment, plus another
50 SP. If captured and interrogated, he will act like he
doesn’t know anything of import but instead point the
blame at imaginary employers in high society, trying to
lure the characters into trouble that can get them killed.
He will also try to turn them to chaos, or escape through
any means necessary.
If the characters win, but Grimel escapes, he will
hide on Radkeholm (see page 133) and begin rebuilding
his cult by influencing the downtrodden and poor. It is
likely that his further activities will lead him into conflict
with either the Disciples of the Jagged Path or the Time
Brokers, as he is in direct competition with them for
recruits. The characters will also find two bags which
were carried by the cultists, in which they find ragged
clothing for as many persons as there are characters. A
hard Streetwise or formidable Locale check identifies
marks on the clothing as belonging to two lesser gangs,
the Grimy Hands and the Black Staffs, both affiliated with
the White Larks gang.
Drastic Measures
Some characters might get desperate when caught in
the warehouse or become quite zealous at discovering
the touch of chaotic corruption on the cultists and/or
Grimel and decide to torch the warehouse entirely.
While the walls are made of stone, the roof is carried on around and breaking in (due to a group of street urchin
a timber frame and the building is filled with wooden informants local to the area). Mertyn is under orders to
crates. It will take the fire about 5 minutes to begin to defend their supplies and secure the crates of weapons
spiral out of control and become visible from the and she cannot allow the characters to escape the scene.
outside. The smoke and light will soon result in cries of While they are on their own turf, the area is also
alarm, and the nearest City Guard patrol will arrive patrolled by the Guard and is still an important area for
about 10 minutes after the fire is set. commerce in Guelden. Hence, the gangers cannot move
The Iron Quay is densely packed with warehouses in force as a group and must seek to round up the
and the city watchers will do whatever they can to avoid characters quickly and silently before the sounds of
the fire from spreading. There will be dozens of City fighting draws the nearest patrol of guards.
Guards and watchers in the area for the next 2d6 hours Soon after the characters exit the warehouse, they
as the fire is brought under control and the area secured. become aware that they are being shadowed by a great
The warehouse will be damaged beyond repair, while number of people and should make their escape. Some
the nearby buildings will be charred and will need repair groups of characters may believe they have a chance in
but remain structurally safe. a straight-up fight, but a successful easy Streetwise or
The fire will send ripples through the Guelden standard Locale check reveals that their pursuers know
underworld. Unless Mertyn can report otherwise the area well and outnumber them several times to one.
(depending on the characters’ actions so far) the Brass Groups that still refuse to take the hint and escape will
Dogs will think the White Larks (see page 179) have be assaulted from multiple directions by Mertyn and a
begun to attack their smuggling suppliers. Likewise, the dozen gangers, with an initial volley of darts and
White Larks will wonder why the Brass Dogs decided to crossbow bolts.
burn down a building in the area and fear for their own Successfully escaping the Iron Quay is a Task (see
illicit supply lines. Tension between the gangs will rise page 65 of Mythras) with a Task Round Unit of 15
and the full gang war move closer. minutes, with no deadline and success is based on an
With the aid of his monstrous minions Grimel attempts opposed Streetwise
to backstab the(or hard Locale)
adventurers andcheck
put hisagainst
real scheme
Mark Mertyn.
of Chaosin motion. Luckily, the four friends expected The characters
betrayal can designate
and planned a leader among
accordingly.
The mess left in the warehouse is beyond the characters them whose skill is rolled against. Other characters can
means to clean up (unless they torch the place, as augment with their Streetwise if they are familiar with
described above). The next visitor will be Mertyn, the the Iron Quay area.
Brass Dogs gang boss tasked with protecting the In addition, the following rules apply:
warehouse. She will take prompt action to get the place
sealed, cleaned and keep the events under wraps. • If they decide to split up, each group must roll
However, some of her gangers will inevitably talk of the independently, but Mertyn’s Streetwise skill check is
horrors they saw inside, and rumours of unnatural made one grade harder.
events on the docks are bound to appear. This will in the • If the group spent 3 hours or less on locating the
future draw the attention of both the Disciples of the warehouse, the gangers are still only wising up to
Jagged Path and perhaps some of the lesser cults of the the fact that someone has infiltrated their turf and
city. located the warehouse. The first opposed Streetwise
check is one grade easier for the characters.
Flight • If the group spent 5 hours or more on locating the
This part of the Iron Quay is part of Brass Dog territory warehouse, the gangers know they are in the
and is kept under watch. While the gang cannot keep warehouse and have heard sounds of the fighting
tabs on anyone who comes and goes, the warehouse is from inside. The first opposed Streetwise check is
of particular interest and regularly watched by gang one grade harder for the characters.
members. The gang is aware of the characters snooping • For each opposed Streetwise check that a group of

The Book of Schemes 249


Captured
S
hould Mertyn and her gangers manage to
capture a character, perhaps through
subduing them, wounding them or accepting
their surrender, they will be taken to one of
Mertynʼs hideouts in a shed in Ragtown and
interrogated brutally for information.
However, while Mertyn is a competent leader
many of her thugs are not the brightest and
Ragtown is filled with distractions. Merciful
Games Masters can allow opportunities for
escape to arise.
characters fail, but Mertyn succeeds, the group will
become subject to one of the encounters described
below. The Games Master can pick whichever
encounter is most suitable for a dramatic resolution.
• While reaching 100% in the task will see the group
evade capture and escape, there is also an aspect of
recognition:
• If the characters only have zero or one encounter
with the gangers (i.e. zero or a single failed roll as
per above) then the gangers have no idea who
intruded on their weapon shipments.
• If the characters have two to four encounters,
Mertyn will have enough to go on to start asking
around and eventually discover something about
one or two of the characters.
• If the characters have five or more encounters with
the gangers, they will have learned enough about
them to quickly locate them. A few days after the
adventure, gangers will begin trailing them in the
streets and attempt to apprehend them there.
Narrow Alley
As the characters move down a narrow alley between
two warehouses, six of the gangers have caught up with
them. With 4 meters left to the mouth of the alley, a
crossbow bolt is fired from 12 meters behind them
towards the closest character. The shooter will duck
back behind the corner on his next turn to reload, but
two other gangers will step forward and begin lobbing
their darts at them. If the characters make a stand, the
250 The Book of Schemes
gangers will throw all their darts at them and then move
in to subdue them with their clubs.
Guard Patrol
Just when the characters are about to cross a broad
thoroughfare, they spot a City Guard patrol on the
street less than 10 meters from them. There is a good
chance that the patrol will spot the characters hiding as
they pass, and an easy Customs check lets a character
recall that being caught armed at night without a
lantern is a grave crime, on a par with armed robbery.
The characters only have a few seconds to decide
whether to hide or reveal themselves, and whether to
ditch their weapons or attempt to conceal them.
Fight with Drunkards
As the characters move down a path, they pass a group
of four drunkards dallying about. One of the characters
brushes up against them and they take offence. The
drunkards will begin clamouring for a fight. With the
gangers drawing in, the characters have at most a
minute to either calm the drunkards (hard Influence
check) or fight them. Trying to escape the drunkards will
see them following the characters, taunting and yelling
at them. While this is not in itself a problem, it will make
it much easier for the gangers to locate them and make
the next Streetwise check two degrees harder.
The drunkards are off-duty dock workers,
represented by the statistics for a Jack on page 222.
Climbing Escape
The characters find themselves in an alley between two
warehouses. They can hear gangers approaching and
they will soon enter the alley from both sides. The only
avenue for escape is using a large barrel to reach the
roof of one of the warehouses. Escaping requires two
consecutive standard Athletics checks for each character
(one to climb the barrel and one to reach the roof). The
group can in total make ten checks before gangers begin
pouring into either end of the alley (there’s 7 meters to
one alley entrance and 10 to the other) and begins to lob
darts at them while closing the distance. Once on the
roof, the characters can cross the gently angled shale
roof and escape via the iron smelter compound next
door.
Hide in the crowd
The characters must cross a small market square,
curiously filled with people despite the hour of the day.
A standard Perception check notices a group of five
tough-looking people, clearly gangers, which a hard
Streetwise or formidable Locale check reveals as coming
from the White Larks gang (use the statistics for gang
thugs on page 221). While the White Larks gangers are
just there for fun and have no interest in the characters,
the characters might not know if they are friends or foe.
There are at least forty people (off-duty workers,
entertainer, traders in their stalls and pickpockets) so the
characters can hide in the crowd with a standard Stealth
check opposed by Perception.
When the six Brass Dogs trailing the characters
arrive at the market soon after, a brawl between the two
gangs is sure to break out between them. While this will
create a diversion for the characters to escape the
market square, it will also create enough noise that the
other group of six Brass Dogs with Mertyn can clearly
hear the fight and will arrive from the other direction.
The characters must escape soon or be caught between
both groups – though they can expect the White Larks
to lend a hand against the Brass Dogs.
Epilogue
After the warehouse, the characters can take stock of
the situation. They might have gained some reward,
either money from Grimel or some of the weapons from
the warehouse. More importantly however, they have
learned several things about the situation in Guelden:
• Someone in high society is feeding weapons
through smugglers into the lower city.
• The gangs are preparing for war, most likely
amongst themselves.
• Some unknown force (chaos) seeks to establish itself
in the city.
This leaves several avenues for future adventures:
• They can begin infiltrating and investigating upper
society to determine who is feeding weapons to the
gangs. The characters could become agents of
Yrmegard Burcklin, the Master of the Guard (see
page 85) to uncover the truth, or help House
Maizén topple the burghers.
• Members of the Innkeeper’s Guild have seen their
faces and decides to settle their score against the
characters. If the characters are members of a
guild, this can lead to inter-guild conflicts as the
other guilds tire of the state of the Innkeeper’s
Guild (see page 174).
• Members of the Brass Dogs saw the characters
during their escape from the warehouse. The
characters may need to seek the protection of the
White Larks (see page 179).
• If Grimel escaped, he can become a recurring
villain trying to spread the influence of chaos in the
city. If he didn’t survive, there are certainly other
agents out there ready to take over. The characters
could research Grimel and his story, and perhaps
even backtrack his footsteps to find the secret of the
Chaos Nectar.
NPC Statistics
Grimel
Grimel is a native to Guelden, growing up in Silver
Grove as the son of a cobbler. Being fiercely intelligent
he wanted more from his life and journeyed into the
world as an explorer and adventurer. After a decade of
roaming, he joined an expedition with the aim of
opening better trade routes with the realms to the west.
The expedition quickly became bogged down and
became the target of native attacks, angry spirits and
mundane diseases.
After a particularly violent attack by the natives, the
remaining twelve members of the expedition holed up
in an ancient stone ruin to tend to their wounded. While
the natives knew where they were, they were reluctant to
press the attack, preferring instead to let them rot there.
On the third day of the siege, behind a collapsed wall
Grimel encountered a fountain which appeared older
than the rest of the ruin, covered in strange, decrepit
carvings. A small pool of milky-white, glimmering
liquid was still at the bottom of the bowl. Being close to
mad with thirst, Grimel slobbered down the liquid
without hesitation and sealed his own fate. His mind was
wracked with visions from the Chaos Mother. His body
The Book of Schemes 251
 changed and hardened. His eyes shone with a deadly Grimel
light as the very stuff of magic entered him and STR: 14 Luck Points: 3
CON: 11 Action Points: 3
enlightened him. Then he collapsed. SIZ: 12 Damage Modifier: +1d2
When he awoke several hours later, he was changed. DEX: 12 Magic Points: 14
His new goddess had given him a vision and he intended INT: 15 Movement: 6m
POW: 14 Initiative Bonus: +14
to return home safely, to spread her word. The visions CHA: 14 Armour: Natural hard scales
from the Chaos Mother told him how to produce more Abilities: None
Magic: None
of the nectar, and over the next few days he murdered Skills: Acting 44%, Athletics 48%, Brawn 51%, Customs 71%, Dance
several of his companions in their sleep and fed their 28%, Deceit 74%, Endurance 56%, Evade 62%, Influence 49%,
Insight 41%, Literacy 55%, Locale 63%, Lore(Underworld) 45%,
blood to the fountain which generously provided him
Perception 74%, Ride 35%, Sing 28%, Sleight 71%, Stealth 52%,
with nectar in return. When half their number had Streetwise 81%, Willpower 85%
been taken in the night (thinking it was a native
Passions: Devotion (Chaos Mother): 75%
infiltrator amongst them) they decided to surrender to
the natives and beg for mercy. To their surprise, the
Hit Locations
natives fled as soon as they saw them (or, more precisely,
1d20 Location AP/HP
when they saw Grimel), and he could lead the handful 1-3 Right Leg 4/4
of companions away and safely home. 4-6 Left Leg 4/4
7-9 Abdomen 4/5
In the ruins, Grimel managed to produce enough 10-12 Chest 4/6
chaos nectar to fill up twelve clay vials the expedition 13-15 Right Arm 4/3
16-18 Left Arm 4/3
had used for drinking water. He has brought six with
19-20 Head 3/4
him to Guelden; the rest have either been used to
convert other agents to chaos or are left in storage Combat Style
somewhere (left to the Games Master’s discretion). He Mountain Traditions (Knife, Sling, Quarterstaff. Trait: None) 54%
now intends to spread the influence of his new goddess Fallen Explorer (Crossbow, Dagger, Clubs, Whips. Trait:
Mancatcher) 78%
throughout Guelden and from there to the rest of the
region.
Attacks
Grimel is a tough survivor, a cunning opponent, and
Weapon Size/Force Reach/Range Damage AP/HP
has been gifted by the Chaos Mother. As such, he has Dagger S S 1d4+1 6/8
Luck Points available and can use them just as the Planson M S 1d6 4/6
Whip M VL 1d3 2/8
characters can.
Grimel now has two chaos features:

• Reflecting: See page 276 of Mythras.

• Scales: All the skin below his neck has been turned
ash-grey and tough, granting him some natural
armour. Naturally, he always wears clothing that
covers his mutation.

252 The Book of Schemes

Grimel’s Cultists Mutated Cultist
Desperate people looking for purpose. They are not yet A chaos cultist that drank the chaos nectar and was
mutated, but their service to chaos has begun to show as blessed by Chaos. She swelled up, her skin has become
blackened and sickly-looking skin. blubbery and thick, and her arms have extended with
two new joints. Now a blessed monstrosity, she throws
Grimel’s Cultists herself at the enemies of her cult.
Luck Points: -
Action Points: 2
Damage Modifier: +1d2
Mutated Cultist
Magic Points: 10 Luck Points: -
Movement: 6m Action Points: 3
Initiative Bonus: +13 (+11 in armour) Damage Modifier: +1d4
Armour: Heavy clothing Magic Points: 10
Abilities: None Movement: 6m
Magic: None Initiative Bonus: +5
Skills: Athletics 45%, Brawn 50%, Customs 50%, Deceit 40%, Armour: Blubbery skin
Endurance 45%, Evade 55%, Influence 30%, Insight 35%, Abilities: None
Perception 60%, Sleight 45%, Stealth 50%, Streetwise 50%, Magic: None
Unarmed 50%, Willpower 65% Skills: Athletics 25%, Brawn 70%, Endurance 75%, Evade 45%,
Perception 35%, Stealth 25%, Unarmed 60%, Willpower 65%
Passions: Loyalty (Grimel): 60%
Passions: Loyalty (Chaos): 100%
Hit Locations
1d20 Location AP/HP
Hit Locations
1-3 Right Leg 1/6 1d20 Location AP/HP
4-6 Left Leg 1/6 1-3 Right Leg 2/6
7-9 Abdomen 1/7 4-6 Left Leg 2/6
10-12 Chest 1/8 7-9 Abdomen 2/7
13-15 Right Arm 1/5 10-12 Chest 2/8
16-18 Left Arm 1/5 13-15 Right Arm 2/5
19-20 Head 0/6 16-18 Left Arm 2/5
19-20 Head 2/6

Combat Style
Gang War (Club, Dagger, Dart, Garrote. Trait: First Strike) 50%
Combat Style
Mutated Monstrosity (Natural Weapons) 60%

Attacks
Weapon Size/Force Reach/Range Damage AP/HP
Attacks
Knife S S 1d3 5/4 Weapon Size/Force Reach/Range Damage AP/HP
Club M S 1d6 2/4 Mutated arms M M 1d4 As arm

The Book of Schemes 253

 Rychel Werner & Vigilantes
Rychel is a smuggler working mainly on the river Treve, Former innkeeper with a group of vigilantes. Use the
bring in black market goods through a system of fishing statistics for a Guild Vigilante on page 189.
boats and stashes along the docks. She has ferried a fair
share of weapons from stores outside the city into the Mertyn
hands of the gangs, but has recently begun feeling it tug Mertyn is a new boss in the Brass Dogs out to prove
on her conscience as it dawns on her what the brewing herself.
gang war will mean for the inhabitants of her city, her Mertyn has a group of 12 gangers under her
family and friends. For that reason, she began asking command, represented by the Gang Thugs on page
around trying to locate the source of the weapons, 221. Two of the gangers have brought light crossbows
which drew the attention of Grimel, who contacted her with broadhead bolts (see page 37), though they are still
and bribed her to get details. unfamiliar with their new weapons and therefore make
attacks with them at their base skill of 25%. The rest
Rychel have their daggers, clubs and 2 darts each.
STR: 10 Luck Points: -
CON: 13 Action Points: 3 Mertyn
SIZ: 12 Damage Modifier: 0
DEX: 14 Magic Points: 10 Action Points: 3
INT: 12 Movement: 6m Damage Modifier: +1d2
POW: 10 Initiative Bonus: +13 (+10 in armour) Magic Points: 12
CHA: 13 Armour: Heavy clothing Movement: 6m
Abilities: None Initiative Bonus: +13 (+10 in armour)
Magic: None Armour: Heavy clothing
Skills: Acting 45%, Athletics 50%, Brawn 40%, Customs 60%, Deceit Abilities: None
55%, Endurance 35%, Evade 60%, Influence 50%, Insight 45%, Magic: None
Lore (Underworld) 60%, Perception 65%, Sleight 55%, Stealth 55%, Skills: Athletics 45%, Brawn 45%, Customs 65%, Deceit 60%,
Streetwise 60%, Unarmed 55%, Willpower 40% Endurance 50%, Influence 45%, Insight 45%, Lore (Underworld)
65%, Oratory 35%, Perception 60%, Sleight 50%, Stealth 50%,
Streetwise 65%, Unarmed 55%, Willpower 45%
Hit Locations
1d20 Location AP/HP Passions: Loyalty (Brass Dogs): 54%
1-3 Right Leg 1/5
4-6
7-9
Left Leg
Abdomen
1/5
1/6
Hit Locations
10-12 Chest 1/7 1d20 Location AP/HP
13-15 Right Arm 1/4 1-3 Right Leg 1/6
16-18 Left Arm 1/4 4-6 Left Leg 1/6
19-20 Head 0/5 7-9 Abdomen 1/7
10-12 Chest 1/8
13-15 Right Arm 1/5
Combat Style 16-18 Left Arm 1/5
Gang War (Club, Dagger, Dart, Garrote. Trait: First Strike) 45% 19-20 Head 0/6

Combat Style
Attacks Gang War (Club, Dagger, Dart, Garrote. Trait: First Strike) 65%
Weapon Size/Force Reach/Range Damage AP/HP
Knife S S 1d3 5/4
Club M S 1d6 2/4 Attacks
Weapon Size/Force Reach/Range Damage AP/HP
Dagger S S 1d4+1 6/8
Club M S 1d6 2/4
Dart S S 1d4 2/1

254 The Book of Schemes