Scorpion Tattoo

(Chapter 2)

Scenario 1: Scorpion Tattoo

- Written by Timo Kurvi

As the poor and defenceless of Mordheim have began to gather in the Black Pit, rumours abound that several of these vulnerable souls have been abducted from the settlement, never to be seen again. “Only four drops of blood have been left where our loved ones last were seen,” weeps Pitter Melinda Metze. With homes only half built and no fortifications Pitters fear for their lives asking warbands for help to solve this mystery.

  “Sounds like the work of the Scorpion Cult, worshipers of Khaine, the god of murder,” says scholar Hierounious Brillemann, from safely behind the palisade of Sigmar’s Haven. Hierounious will pay for the capture of a cultist for questioning. “Araby scriptures state one can discover the killing god’s adherents from the mark of a scorpion imprinted on their gluteus.” …“That means their derrière.”…“their hindquarters, good fellow” … “Oh for Sigmar’s sake! Their keister, buttocks, fanny, caboose, tushie, bum, heinie, cheeks! Does no one learn anything anymore!”

  • Search for a scorpion cultist from among 11 Black Pit citizens (Pitters) spread evenly across the table.

  • The warband which controls Aldreda, the scorpion cultist, at the end of the battle wins the game. 

  • The game ends when either only one warband remains or the scorpion cultist leaves the table.

  • The Chapter Goal is discovered among the Pitters.

  • Optional Victory Value: 1 (2)

  • Experience

Scenario Summation

  • Urban terrain

  • 11 Black Pit Rabble markers and/or possible models

  • Model for Aldreda the Albino

What You Need For The Game

Settlements

Sigmar’s Haven & The Black Pit

Reward Sigmar’s Haven

30 Gold Crowns + 1 Loyalty Point to Sigmar’s Haven.

A Rabbit’s Foot, Rope & Hook, and Lantern, + 1 Loyalty Point to the Black Pit. (also increased Victory Value if using the optional rules for Warrior Accolades).

Reward The Black Pit

The scenario takes place in the Black Pit, set up urban terrain normally. The camp is still under construction and so ruined buildings can be used to represent half built structures. 11 Black Pit Rabble Markers are placed after deployment, see below.

Terrain (urban)

Warbands deploy normally. After warband deployment, players take turns in order of warband rating, lowest to highest, placing 11 Black Pit Rabble Markers as evenly as possible across the table at least 10” away from players deployment zones and 6” away from other rabble markers. The first 3 markers you place must also be at least 16” away from your own warriors. Take vertical distances into account when placing markers.

Deployment

Random Fortune

No random fortune in this scenario.

Can I See Your Buttocks Please?: Only warriors capable of earning experience can search for a scorpion tattoo. Whenever such a model comes into base contact with a Black Pit Rabble Marker roll 2D6 and consult the Black Pit Rabble Table below to see who they encounter. The warrior automatically searches for the scorpion tattoo by any means possible. This does not always please the person being searched! Unless otherwise noted, each rabble marker is removed from the table after they have been encountered. Rabble which remain cannot be attacked and will not move unless their entry says otherwise.

  Once a given number has been rolled it will not be found again, cross it off the table. If you roll a number which has already occurred, the closest number to the one rolled will be found. If there are two numbers which are equally distant from the number rolled, you may choose between them.

Special Rules

2 - The Doomsayer, Mad Mäksmann, curses the warrior (“We are all Dooooooomed!”). For the rest of the game all opponents have a +1 to hit you.

Black Pit Rabble Table

3 - The Drunk, Knospe Klüger, vomits the contents of his stomach on you as you search him. Make a Toughness test or go out of action. Make no post battle serious injury roll if you do (they just pass out) and the warrior may participate in post game exploration rolls, etc. If the roll succeeds, the stench that covers your clothing will cause anyone in base contact with you to suffer a -1 on all to hit rolls (no effect on undead or demons).

4 - The Pickpocket, Dick Bild, steals one piece of equipment chosen by your opponent (other than your free dagger), and flees D6” directly away from you as fast as he can. You do not receive a free hit, as you were looking at his buttocks. Unless in close combat, the pickpocket continues to flee D6” during the recovery phase of each warband, moving directly towards the nearest table edge. If he succeeds in leaving the table, the stolen equipment is lost. If the pickpocket is taken out of action your equipment drops to the ground and can be either re-equipped by the warrior who lost it or picked up by any other warrior as a carried item. Warriors in henchmen groups must replace stolen items before the next scenario or miss all games until the equipment is replaced.

5 - The Jealous Pitter, Wolfhilde, yells at the top of her lungs, “Passion’s thief! Burglar of my beloved! You will regret the day you stole my love from me!” All Black Pit Rabble (markers or models) that are not controlled move directly away D6”, if possible. Roll for each one separately. Additionally, the Cuckholded Bounty is placed on the warrior’s head, if you are using the optional rules for bounties.

6 - The Dog, Frohund, wags its tail and follows you. Treat Frohund like a carried item keeping its marker in base contact with your model. All carried items rules apply, except that you may still control 1 actual carried item. Any warrior controlling Frohund can adjust one roll on this table by +/- 1, 2, or 3 (the dog knows Pitters) should they wish. After resolving such a roll remove Frohund (the dog runs off). No one can attack the dog in this game.

7 - The Corpse is dead and does not have a tattoo. However, a mysterious object has been hidden under its body. The warrior finds the scenario’s Chapter Goal tightly bound in heavy cloth. The chapter goal is a carried item during this scenario.

8 -  The Crone, Roshilda Missbraucht, is upset because her dog, Frohund, is missing and she does not even care that you frisk her. The crone remains in place waiting unless hit by shooting or attacked in close combat, in which case she automatically flees 2D6” in a random direction and then stops. The crone will not leave the table until both her and the dog a united. She cannot be injured during the game, do not roll for wounds (she’s surprisingly good at taking hits) and merely flees any violence, automatically escaping from combat if attacked.

Any warrior controlling Frohund (see 6 above) that comes into base contact with Roshilda (including rolling this result) is rewarded with a crude map that looks like it was smeared onto an undergarment by the bandit leader Haug the Horrible. The map is a light carried item and an objective to the Haug’s Hideaway Side Quest. Remove both models.

9 - The Priestess of Shallya, Sister Fayray, agrees to be searched but requests that the warrior not harm any soul this day. If the warrior makes no attacks during the rest of the game, the priestess will gift your warband with a vial of Tears of Shallya after the battle. If the warrior bravely enters close combat yet still makes no attacks, your warband will be additionally awarded the Shallyan Healing Ritual, if eligible, and you are using the Healing Effects optional rules.

10 -  The Leper, Gütemar, is amazed that anyone has touched him. He feels grateful for this contact and gives you a holy relic. This is a carried item until equipped. Only heroes can equip the holy relic and once equipped ownership of the relic cannot be changed during this battle.

11 - The Snake Oil Salesman, named Ehrl, smashes a bottle of “snake oil” on your head as you pull down his pants. Roll a D6:

1. the oil is poison, suffer a S3 hit (no effect on undead or demons).

2. the oil stings your eyes, -1 to BS & I for the remainder of the game (no effect on undead or demons).

3. the stink of the oil overwhelms your senses, causing stupidity for the remainder of the game (no effect on undead or demons).

4. the oil is Blessed Water, it’s effects are immediate.

5. the oil is Crimson Shade, it’s effects are immediate.

6. the oil is Mandrake Root, it’s effects are immediate.

12 - The Scorpion Cultist, Aldreda the Albino, has a large scorpion tattooed  onto her left buttock. The Scorpion Cultist goes into a frenzy and attacks, consider her to have successfully charged. If Aldreda goes out of action leave her model face down on the table. Her body is a Heavy Carried Item. If not in close combat, Aldreda tries to escape to the closest table edge, moving D6” on the recovery phase of every warband. Aldreda moves by the shortest route unless enemy warriors block her path. In this case she will move around the warriors not crossing within 2” of any warband models. If there are two or more equally short routes the player with the previous turn chooses which route Aldreda will take.

Starting the Game

Determine order of play normally.

The game ends when either Aldreda leaves the table or all but one warband routs. A warband which carries Aldreda off the table from their own deployment zone or controls her body wins the scenario (if uncontrolled remember to make recovery rolls for uncontrolled carried items.  If Aldreda is yet to be found, escapes the table, or is not out of action when the game ends, she eludes all warbands and the battle is a draw with no winner (no settlement rewards for anyone).

Ending the Game

+1 Survives

+1 to the Winning Leader

+1 Per Enemy Out of Action

+1 Hero or Henchmen group who carries Aldreda off the table.

Experience

Scenario Characters

Aldreda, the Albino

Driven mad from years of abuse, Aldreda found an outlet for her anger in the Scorpion Cult. Out of revenge for the cruelty inflicted upon her in her earlier life, Aldreda reserves a special sadism for men.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld

5 3 3 3 3 1 5 1 7

Equipment: 2 daggers

Unnerving: Due to her unnaturally pale skin, red eye color, and her raucous laughter in combat, Aldreda causes fear.

Special Rules

Maniacal Frenzy: Aldreda has whipped herself into a state of Frenzy. The extreme state of fervour causes Aldreda to treat a stunned result on the injury table as knocked down. After being knocked down, she looses her frenzy.

Gone Girl: Whenever Aldreda takes a male warrior out of action, if there are no other enemies within charge range she will not move during the next player’s recovery phase, choosing instead to make four extra ritualised cuts into the warrior’s body and leave a drop of their blood onto the ground from each cut. The warrior must add +1 to their post battle serious injury roll if a henchmen. Heroes first roll serious injury dice and must use the lower result as the “tens” of the roll.

  Aldreda continues moving on the following recovery phase if possible.

Pick Pocket Dick Bild

Cast out from Zlatan Anastazia’s guild, Dick is trying to fit in among the Pitters.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld

4 2 2 3 3 1 3 0 7

Dick does not fight but attempts to escape from combat each combat phase. Make his leadership test instead of making an attack. If he succeeds Dick only flees D6”, directly away from his attacker.

Special Rules:

Scenario Elements

This healing effect is only available to Mercenaries, Witch Hunters, Sisters of Sigmar, and similar warbands (your gaming group can decide).

The priestesses of Shallya see the potential of a Defender of Peace in your warband and promises to perform this powerful ritual invoking the Goddess at a time of your choosing. This rite restores a warrior to health with no serious injury re-roll needed. Additionally, the warrior becomes immune to fear for as long as they choose to live by the Shallyan creed of no killing. To live up to this creed the warrior may never make attacks outside of close combat and all successful wounds will never cause critical hits (the warrior strikes with the flat of their blade or attacks non-lethal areas). Opponents will go out of action normally, but they do not need to make post game serious injury rolls. They still cannot make post battle actions like exploration (suffering a really bad head ache for the rest of the week). A Defender of Peace can choose to forgo the creed, attacking and causing wounds normally, but the dread of dying will return to them and they loose their immunity to fear.

Shallyan Healing Ritual 

The warband which secures the Chapter Goal will earn an additional reward once all scenarios in chapter 2 have been played.

Chapter Goal

(increase to 2 if you select the reward from the Black Pit. Pitters praise your leader and make sure their gift of command is heard of).

Post Game

Chapter 2 - Troubling Signs