WFRP: Revenge of the Red Crown

'Herald of Tzeentch’, art by Sam Manley

****SPOILER ALERT****

Proceed with caution! This post contains spoilers for The Enemy Within and Empire in Ruins.

#WarhammerWednedsay

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Developer Dave Allen reveals more on the upcoming Empire in Ruins Companion below.

Empire in Ruins Companion has completed layout and is heading to proofreading. It is expected to release within the next month. You can advance pre-order the Companion here and receive the PDF as soon as it is complete.

Nothing fuels a roaring fire like conniving cults vying for power, rampaging Beastmen wrecking havoc across the Empire, and disparate bands of mutants collaborating to add to the rising tensions. These pressures and more are just some of the contributing factors that set the scene for the dramatic and compelling conclusion to what’s regarded as an epic campaign, and rightly so. If you’re ready, pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and ensure you are sitting on the edge of your seat, as this is about to get serious. 

The period of civil unrest known as the Turmoil is the culmination of preparations put into place by the cult of the Purple Hand. Their overarching plan to destabilise the Empire, tip it into civil war, and rise from the chaos they create is detailed in Empire in Ruins.

But the Enemy Within campaign introduced another cult who worship Tzeentch, the Red Crown. Their plots and conspiracies were rather less intricate than those of the Purple Hand, focusing less on a subversion of the higher echelons of the social order, and more on convincing the mutants and Beastmen of the Empire’s forests, slums and secret places to band together and engage in a violent rising.

The Characters almost certainly encountered Red Crown agents early on in the campaign, and put an end to one of their plots in Death on the Reik. 

Whilst the Red Crown have no forewarning of the Turmoil, and little connection to the wider web of intrigue that provokes the conflict, it is exactly the sort of situation they would try to turn into an opportunity for their violent uprising.

With so many of Altdorf’s wizards and soldiers abroad in order to guard the Reikland’s borders from reivers, or garrison troubled towns such as Ubersreik or Bögenhafen, the interior of the province is relatively vulnerable.

Diesdorf is a small town that lies beside the Reik a few miles upstream from Kemperbad. It is famous for its military college and artillery training ground, but is also the site of commercial activity. Landmarks include an impressive temple of Sigmar (with its very own dungeon), the Magnusplatz (from where Emperor Magnus the Pious once gave a rousing speech, if locals are to be believed) and the Von Sinckel Theatre (which is noted for its fearless repertoire of rather scandalous productions).

The local ruler, Baronet Ernst Diesdorf,  took a rather liberal view of how the town ought to be run. He delegated a lot of decision making to a group of worthy councillors chosen from the most important guilds and temples in town. Now the Baronet and many of the councillors are dead, killed in a coup arranged by the Red Crown.

The garrison commander knows how a tense situation can escalate rapidly if the military take control, so he is keen to get the surviving councillors back to work. But there are few of them left. Besides himself, Sister Kurtz speaks for the Shallyan Cult (predictably advising compassion no matter the consequence), and Johann Pielstock speaks for the Merchants (and prioritises the town’s economic health over needful sacrifice).

The Commander’s misgivings are answered when a band of bold adventurers arrive bearing symbols of Imperial authority. Surely they can help moderate the council’s meetings and administer the town’s many needs. And not a day too soon. Scouts report that nearby farmsteads have been destroyed, and a mutant herald even approaches the town with a set of deeply disagreeable demands.

‘Red Crown Attack’, art by Yugin Mafioli

Pre-order Empire in Ruins here and receive the PDF straight away!

Buy the PDF Only on our webstore here

Buy the PDF Only on DrivethruRPG here

Advance pre-order the Companion here.

Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2021