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  2
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
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  First digital edition: August 2014
  Iron Kingdoms Adventures: Bitter Medicine  . . . . . . . 978-1-939480-70-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PIP 420e
  AN IRON KINGDOMS ADVENTURE
  ®
  
  3
  Players Be Warned!
  The synopsis and scenes described herein contain many 
  spoilers regarding the adventure and should not be read 
  by players. If you are a prospective player, please do 
  your Game Master the courtesy of allowing him to run 
  this adventure for you, and do not read it yourself!
  Welcome to Bitter Medicine, the first installment of Iron 
  Kingdoms Adventures. Iron Kingdoms Adventures is a 
  series of full-length scenarios for use with the Iron Kingdoms 
  Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game. 
  Each installment of Iron Kingdoms Adventures contains 
  everything a Game Master will need to run a complete story. 
  These adventures take place across the Iron Kingdoms, from 
  the depths of the savage wilderness to the soot-covered 
  streets of western Immoren’s major cities. Iron Kingdoms 
  Adventures are self-contained scenarios, but each provides 
  a number of hooks for getting characters involved in the 
  adventure and suggestions for keeping the adventure going 
  after the final scene.
  Bitter Medicine is designed for a group of three to five Hero-
  level characters with 0–10 XP each. Ideally these characters 
  are of Cygnaran origin, or at least sympathetic to the 
  plight of Cygnaran people. Bitter Medicine works well as an 
  adventure to bring a group together but does not explicitly 
  require that the player characters (PCs) have worked 
  together in the past—only that they are able to cooperate 
  toward a common goal.
  adventure 
  BaCkground
  In 605 AR Cryxian attacks on Bainsmarket threatened the food 
  stores of Cygnar. Familiar with the consequences should such a 
  disaster repeat itself, and worried about widespread contagion 
  if the disease goes unchecked, the nation is committed to swift 
  eradication of the illness. Medical supplies and personnel from 
  several nearby cities are being shipped to Bainsmarket as part 
  of this effort. 
  One particularly important individual traveling to the city is 
  Dr. Henri Gateu, a talented Llaelese doctor who specializes 
  in the field of pathology. He has successfully treated many 
  diseases similar to the Bloody Sweat with an alchemical remedy 
  of his own manufacture, and he struck out for Bainsmarket 
  with his assistant, Alma Barlow, upon learning of the breakout 
  of the disease. 
  Carrying the ingredients required to formulate his remedy, 
  Dr. Gateu intends to meet with the Order of the Golden Crucible 
  in Bainsmarket. Upon his arrival, he hopes to speed the 
  recovery effort by demonstrating the efficacy and manufacture 
  of his cure to the alchemists there. He and Alma boarded the 
  Gilded Star in Fharin, where a small fortune’s worth of medical 
  and other relief supplies were loaded.
  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, a separate outbreak of the 
  disease has occurred in the Wyrmwall Mountains. A gang of 
  highwaymen called the Wyrmwall Riders caught the disease 
  from a caravan of refugees heading to Bainsmarket. Several 
  people in the caravan had contracted the Bloody Sweat before 
  leaving Bainsmarket, and the greedy bandits were exposed to it 
  when they attacked.
  Uniformly exposed to the illness and lacking anyone who could 
  recognize its early symptoms, the Wyrmwall Riders quickly 
  succumbed. Without the skills and supplies needed to treat 
  the illness, the ailing bandits have turned their attention to the 
  numerous trains, many hauling marked medical supply cars, 
  that have recently been traveling north along the rails. 
  Now the Wyrmwall Riders are ready to mount a raid against 
  the next train to pass their stretch of the mountains. The gang’s 
  leader, Bayton Rookwood, has promised a king’s ransom to 
  anyone who can bring him a doctor able to cure the deadly 
  illness. Fortunately for him, the next train along the line is 
  carrying exactly what he needs.
  The Bloody SweaT
  The Bloody Sweat is a highly contagious airborne fever, though 
  the likelihood of transmission increases dramatically with 
  direct fluid contact in the form of blood or saliva. The disease 
  has a rapid incubation period of twelve to twenty-four hours, 
  followed by a prolonged prodromal stage of many weeks during 
  which the symptoms manifest. The most successful treatment 
  window is during the earliest part of the incubation period. If 
  treatment is administered during incubation, the disease can 
  be fully cured within a few days. Although the disease is still 
  treatable during the prodromal stage, it is extremely resistant 
  to most medicines. 
  Bitter Medicine is set in the wilderness of the Eastern Midlunds 
  north of Fharin, among the Upper Wyrmwall Mountains. 
  The characters start the game on the Gilded Star, a newly 
  commissioned train transporting medical supplies along the 
  Market Line north to Bainsmarket.
  Bainsmarket’s population has recently suffered an outbreak of 
  the Bloody Sweat, a hemorrhagic fever that is both extremely 
  contagious and deadly. Although only a small portion of 
  Bainsmarket’s population has become infected, the nation of 
  Cygnar is responding rapidly to prevent further spread of the 
  disease. As the breadbasket of the region, Bainsmarket provides 
  much of the food for the Cygnaran Army, and an epidemic 
  there could be disastrous for the nation as the specter of war 
  looms over it.
  
  4
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  adaPting  
  Bitter Medicine
  Though Bitter Medicine takes place in the stretch of 
  wilderness between Fharin and Bainsmarket in northern 
  Cygnar, a Game Master can adapt the adventure to suit 
  his campaign and his players’ characters. Railroads are 
  becoming more common throughout the Iron Kingdoms, 
  and the kind of banditry and illness that is central to the 
  story of Bitter Medicine knows no national boundaries. 
  The following suggestions will help a Game Master 
  adapt the adventure to different settings. Because such 
  adaptation requires overhauling many of the minor 
  details of the story, it is recommended for experienced 
  Game Masters only.
  Khador – The stretch of railroad between Korsk and 
  Skirov is a good place to set the adventure. The bandit 
  Rookwood and his gang could be outlaws living in the 
  mountains to the east. Alternatively the train could be 
  carrying supplies into occupied Llael from Korsk, and 
  the bandit gang could have fortified one of the long-
  forgotten fortresses of the ancient horselords in the 
  Kovosk Hills. 
  If you set this adventure in Khador, it would be 
  appropriate for Rookwood’s armored carriage (p. 52) to 
  be an old-model Khadoran Gun Carriage that the bandits 
  acquired illicitly. Dr. Gateu’s and Alma’s backgrounds will 
  have to be adapted to better suit the new setting: rather 
  than a mendicant physician, the good doctor could be 
  an aristocratic alchemist in service to the Empress, 
  traveling with his personal assistant to investigate an 
  outbreak of disease in Skirov.
  Ord – Setting the adventure in Ord will require a change 
  of setting for the final scenes in the adventure. Instead 
  of having the bandits holed up in an abandoned mining 
  camp in the mountains, you could have them hide in an 
  overgrown and derelict lumber camp in the Olgunholt 
  and make their leader a renegade member of the 
  Mateu family. Dr. Gateu and Alma have aided refugee 
  settlements in Ord as well as Cygnar, so their personal 
  histories will require little change. 
  Llael – Setting Bitter Medicine in Llael will require a 
  near-complete overhaul, but it can be done. Rather 
  than a wandering surgeon, Dr. Gateu could be a 
  member of the beleaguered Llaelese Resistance, 
  traveling to a resistance holding in Khadoran-occupied 
  territory. Traveling by river and under an assumed 
  identity, the doctor is kidnapped by a ruthless gang of 
  river pirates who have caught word of his journey and 
  are determined that he cure them of the disease they 
  have contracted. 
  After a few weeks, the disease becomes full-blown. Its major 
  symptoms include dramatically increased fever, open sores, 
  and frequent, heavy nosebleeds. Within days of progressing to 
  this state, the infected frequently die—the Bloody Sweat has a 
  mortality rate of nearly seventy percent. The illness’ final, lethal 
  symptoms are a drastic spike in temperature followed by the 
  flow of blood from the victim’s pores in a gruesome sweat that 
  gives the malady its name.
  The strain in this adventure is a particularly aggressive form of 
  the Bloody Sweat. It predominantly serves the purpose of the 
  story, giving characters a sense of impending doom when their 
  noses begin to bleed and their fevers rise.
  adventure 
  summary
  Set against the backdrop of the Wyrmwall Mountains, 
  this adventure places the PCs in a battle for survival with 
  a diseased gang of brigands. During a bandit attack on a 
  train they are riding, the PCs are infected with a deadly 
  contagion, and they must now battle their way into a hidden 
  bandit fortress to recover Dr. Henri Gateu, a physician who 
  specializes in treating the very illness they have contracted. 
  Along the way they will confront the deadly forces of 
  the Wyrmwall Riders and their wicked leader, Bayton 
  Rookwood, a Vinter loyalist who was once counted among 
  the elite ranks of the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service. 
  The PCs’ efforts will ultimately lead them into a high-speed 
  chase against the heavily armed Rookwood, with their very 
  lives the price of failure.
  Cast of CharaCters
  The following non-player characters (NPCs) appear in Bitter 
  Medicine.
  BayTon Rookwood, leadeR 
  of The wyRmwall RideRS 
  (male CaSpian, laTe 50s)
  Bayton Rookwood is a merciless brigand and the leader of the 
  Wyrmwall Riders. A former forward scout of the Cygnaran 
  Reconnaissance Service, Rookwood was a fervently loyal man 
  under the rule of King Vinter IV. Seeing the usurpation of the 
  throne by Leto as nothing less than a betrayal of everything 
  he believed in, Rookwood abandoned the military and went 
  into hiding after the Lion’s Coup. Living as a highwayman, 
  Rookwood relied on the skills of his military past to survive. 
  Eventually he drew others and trained them in his methods, 
  creating a cutthroat band of horsemen.
  Several weeks ago, Rookwood and his gang struck a civilian 
  caravan on its way to Bainsmarket. The caravan consisted of 
  several families suffering from the Bloody Sweat who were 
  traveling to Bainsmarket for medical treatment. 
  Living so far from the cities of Cygnar, Rookwood was unaware 
  that Bainsmarket had recently suffered an outbreak of the 
  
  5
  Bloody Sweat, and he didn’t recognize that the civilians were 
  infected with the disease. Rookwood personally dispatched 
  several of the innocent citizens, and he contracted the disease 
  when he was exposed to their blood. 
  Once the disease entered its prodromal stage and the symptoms 
  first began to manifest, Rookwood recognized the danger of 
  his situation. To compound matters, the Riders he took with 
  him on the raid also fell ill, and several died gruesome and 
  bloody deaths, further spreading the infection throughout 
  his camp. Within the first two weeks, the bandit ranks had 
  dropped by a quarter. By all rights Rookwood should have 
  been the first to succumb, but he lives on, driven by a terrible 
  and malevolent will. The disease has burned through his 
  system and left him a grisly spectacle. Wrapped with foul and 
  stained bandages, he hides his scarred and contaminated face 
  behind a bandit’s mask.
  Campaign Role: Bayton Rookwood serves as the main 
  antagonist of Bitter Medicine, though he isn’t revealed until 
  late in the adventure. Rookwood is the dark antithesis of the 
  player characters.  Unlike the PCs, whose infections are no fault 
  of their own, Rookwood has become infected purely because 
  of his greedy exploitation of others. Although Rookwood and 
  the player characters share a common goal, their motivations 
  are worlds apart. Rookwood wants to be well so he can keep 
  profiting from his vicious banditry, and he will happily kill 
  Dr. Gateu once he no longer needs him.
  dR. henRi GaTeu (male Ryn, 40s)
  Prior to the invasion of his nation by Khador, Dr. Gateu was 
  the personal surgeon of a powerful noble family living in 
  Merywyn. He is a fierce-looking, younger middle-aged man of 
  quiet disposition, a faithful Morrowan, and a survivor.
  During the siege on Merywyn, Gateu provided medical aid 
  to the men and women fighting the Khadorans. Ultimately 
  the Llaelese defenders were defeated, and the Khadorans 
  took the doctor as a prisoner of war. Sent to work in a 
  forced labor camp in the north, Gateu was devastated by the 
  number of his fellow prisoners—Llaelese and Cygnaran—
  who succumbed to the diseases brought on by cramped and 
  unsanitary conditions.
  One infection in particular, a type of hemorrhagic fever known 
  as the Bloody Sweat, was responsible for more death and 
  suffering than the Khadoran guards. The ague seemed to be a 
  by-product of the mines in which the prisoners were forced to 
  toil—some foul infection they were exposed to as they worked 
  underground. It was initially thought to be an environmental 
  effect, similar to black lung, but it quickly spread through the 
  prison population. Within a month, nearly seventy percent of 
  the prisoners had contracted the disease.
  Gateu himself never caught the illness, but he was forced to 
  watch as an unbearable number of his fellow prisoners caught 
  ill and eventually died. Even a few of the Khadoran guards 
  fell ill. Upon learning of Gateu’s past as a surgeon, the guards 
  pulled him out of the general prison population to help combat 
  the spread of the infection among their ranks.
  Eventually Dr. Gateu escaped his captors and fled down the 
  Black River to Cygnar. Although he left the prison camp behind, 
  he could not forget the effects of the illness he had witnessed. 
  Dedicating himself to the study and eradication of the disease, 
  he became a wandering mendicant who traveled from place to 
  place in Cygnar and Ord, visiting the many refugee camps his 
  fellow Llaelese had made their new homes. 
  Within the camps the doctor found many other cases of the 
  Bloody Sweat, spread by fellow prisoners who had escaped 
  or earned their freedom. At each camp he learned more about 
  the disease, supporting himself with donations given to him 
  by those he treated. Eventually Gateu was able to refine an 
  alchemical cure for the infection. An experimental formula, his 
  cure involves a careful balance of otherwise deadly reagents. 
  Taken by themselves or in the wrong doses at the wrong times, 
  these components are just as lethal as the disease they treat, but 
  Dr. Gateu’s experience in their application is unmatched. Often 
  using himself as a test subject (with his skilled assistant Alma 
  nearby to revive him should an experiment go awry), Dr. Gateu 
  has created a sure cure for the sickness.
  Campaign Role: Rescuing Dr. Gateu is the goal of the campaign. 
  The only doctor for miles with an understanding of the disease, he 
  can save the characters once they become infected, but they must 
  first save him from capture at the hands of the Wyrmwall Riders. 
  alma BaRlow 
  (female midlundeR, 20s)
  Alma Barlow is Dr. Gateu’s loyal and resolute assistant. 
  She spends nearly as much time seeing to the brilliant (but 
  somewhat distracted) doctor as she does assisting him with his 
  medical procedures. She is very protective of the doctor and 
  will stop at nothing to ensure his safety.
  Alma first joined Dr. Gateu after he visited her hometown of 
  Corvis, where he treated a minor outbreak of the Bloody Sweat 
  that was spreading through a refugee population that had made 
  camp near Filcher’s Crossing. Alma had learned the basics of 
  alchemy and medicine from her father, an alchemist who died 
  during the skorne invasion of the city. In Dr. Gateu she saw the 
  same kind of dedication to others her father once had. Over his 
  initial objections, she decided to aid the tired and overwhelmed 
  doctor on his journey. Their relationship is somewhere between 
  that of a father and overprotective daughter and that of a 
  teacher and student.
  Campaign Role: Alma is an ally of the PCs as they start the 
  adventure. Her own background and her travels alongside the 
  doctor have provided her firsthand experience with the Bloody 
  Sweat, so she can explain what’s happening as the PCs begin to 
  suffer the disease’s effects. 
  The wyRmwall RideRS (moSTly 
  midlundeR, BeTween 20 and 50)
  Rookwood’s gang relies on surprise and mobility during its 
  raids. Striking small communities in the region surrounding 
  their hidden encampment in the Wyrmwall Mountains, 
  attacking supply shipments moving by train, and even hitting 
  
  6
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  sCene 1:  
  the gilded star
  SynopSiS
  Riding on a northbound train en route to Bainsmarket, the 
  player characters meet the affable Dr. Henri Gateu and his 
  assistant, Alma Barlow. From the surrounding hills, a plague-
  bearing bandit gang called the Wyrmwall Riders attacks the 
  train. The bandits slaughter many aboard the train, make off 
  with an invaluable supply of medical provisions, and kidnap 
  the doctor. During the course of the battle, the PCs are exposed 
  to a strain of the Bloody Sweat, a deadly sickness.
  Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene: 
  It has been several hours since you embarked on the Gilded Star, a train 
  headed north along the Market Line toward Bainsmarket. The train is 
  steadily chugging along, passing through miles of open wilderness. 
  There are relatively few other passengers aboard, just a handful of men 
  and women who came on during a brief stop in Fharin. The city is long 
  behind you, and the constant rhythm of the engine has faded into the 
  background. You have settled in for the long ride ahead. At the pace the 
  Gilded Star is moving, it will be many hours until the next stop where 
  you can get out and stretch your legs.
  The PCs are aboard the Gilded Star, a train traveling up the 
  Market Line. Originally departing from Steelwater Flats, it 
  recently passed through Fharin on its way to Bainsmarket. The 
  train is currently configured to haul both passengers and cargo. 
  Behind the engine and the coal car are a dining car and a pair 
  of passenger cars, followed by a string of three large shipping 
  cars and the caboose. If any of the PCs owns a steamjack, it is 
  likely stored in these rear cars for the journey. Oddly, when the 
  characters boarded the train, they noticed that the shipping 
  cars were emblazoned with medical symbols. 
  The PCs are in the train’s main passenger car, which is sparsely 
  populated at the moment. A handful of other passengers are 
  scattered among the wooden bench seats, and some others 
  are moving through the aisles from the dining car ahead. 
  Most are reading broadsheets purchased at the train station 
  or napping in their seats, though a pair sitting a few seats 
  ahead of the characters are quietly conversing, planning their 
  visit to Bainsmarket. Occasionally a porter wearing the crisp 
  uniform of the Caspian Railway Society passes through from 
  the rearward shipping cars, trailing a faint smell of antiseptic. 
  Characters with any railroad experience would know that it’s 
  unusual for a porter to make such regular trips into a car lacking 
  passengers. If a player character attempts to follow the porter 
  back, he is confronted by an armed train warden in the storage 
  car who informs him that the rearward cars are off-limits to 
  passengers while the train is in motion. Inside the storage car 
  are dozens of crates stacked to the ceiling, each marked with a 
  medical symbol.
  Outside the window, the landscape of the Eastern Midlunds 
  passes by. To the west the foothills and craggy peaks of the 
  Wyrmwall Mountains flank the railway, and to the east a broad 
  expanse of flatlands stretches all the way to the Black River.
  small Cygnaran military patrols, the Wyrmwall Riders have 
  managed to live well for many years. Some are former members 
  of Rookwood’s reconnaissance unit from his time in the 
  Cygnaran military, others are former miners from the region, 
  and some are simply ne’er-do-wells who sought Rookwood out 
  after hearing about his many successful raids. 
  Whenever a group of bounty hunters or a military response 
  team is dispatched to deal with the Wyrmwall Riders, the 
  bandits simply fade back into the mountains, keeping to narrow 
  and treacherous mountain trails and ambushing anyone foolish 
  enough to follow them. The Riders often joke that their horses 
  need to be at least half mountain goat to traverse the terrain 
  they ride through daily.
  Since Rookwood and his Riders were first exposed to the Bloody 
  Sweat, the disease has spread throughout the gang. Its members 
  are in different stages of infection, with some significantly 
  weaker and closer to death than others, but enough are able 
  to ride and fight to present a significant threat. The Wyrmwall 
  Riders carry arms and armor stolen from Cygnaran forces, 
  including some from raids against caravans carrying heavy 
  gear to the Cygnaran lines in the Thornwood. Armed with 
  quality sidearms, military-grade rifles and grenades, and even 
  a few light artillery pieces, they are an extremely dangerous 
  gang of criminals.
  GeTTinG The pCs involved
  The adventure begins aboard the Gilded Star, a locomotive 
  that travels the long route between Fharin and the city of 
  Bainsmarket. The simplest way to get the PCs involved is to 
  have them ride the train as part of their normal journeys, but a 
  number of other methods can get them on the train.
  • Characters with connections to Bainsmarket may have learned 
  that one of their connections there (friends, family, etc.) has 
  contracted the disease and is requesting their assistance.
  • The outbreak of disease in Bainsmarket has led to a nationwide 
  effort to eliminate the illness in the region. A threat to the 
  population of Bainsmarket affects its ability to produce food for 
  Cygnar. Any character with the Medicine skill may have been 
  hired to help treat the infected in Bainsmarket as part of the 
  nationwide eradication effort.
  • Characters with the Priest career could receive instructions from 
  their superiors to help the people of Bainsmarket who are in need 
  of guidance. These characters could be traveling to the city to see 
  to the spiritual needs of the survivors or to provide burial rites for 
  the dead.
  • Rookwood’s bandits have been striking travelers in the region for 
  some time, and they have thus far eluded capture. The Caspian 
  Railway Society is aware of their presence in the region and is 
  looking for additional security to protect its interests. Characters 
  could receive a request from a contact asking for aid in providing 
  security aboard the train, or characters with the Bounty Hunter 
  career could be hired to bring in the man responsible for the raids.
  
  7
  The train is half a day out of Steelwater Flats, steadily chugging 
  along toward its destination. Despite the relatively short 
  distance between the two cities, the Gilded Star cannot reach 
  top speed, as the heavy cargo it is hauling weighs it down. The 
  train will not reach its destination for hours. 
  If the characters have not worked together before, this is a good 
  time for the players to introduce and describe their characters to 
  each other and to explain what they’ve been doing for the first 
  few hours of the journey. There are a pair of larger booths with 
  tables at the front of the car that are ideal for a game of cards, a 
  stack of broadsheets to read (mostly the Steelwater Sentinel, but 
  a few other publications as well), other passengers to chat with, 
  and plentiful food and drink in the dining car.
  Once the PCs have had a moment to settle in, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  The steady rhythm of the train’s passage is suddenly broken by a cry of 
  alarm from a passenger sitting a few seats ahead of you. 
  “My watch! Alma, I’ve lost my watch!”
  A thin, middle-aged man with round spectacles stands up, looking 
  around his seat in desperation. Sitting next to him is a younger woman 
  with dark hair. As the man searches the area around their seats for his 
  pocket watch, a faint musical chime begins to play the Llaelese national 
  anthem. With the ghost of a smile, the young woman quietly instructs 
  the man to check his coat pocket.
  After a few seconds of fretful searching, he pulls a simple brass watch 
  from his coat and heaves a sigh of relief, muttering to himself that he 
  was sure he hadn’t put it there. Carefully and deliberately, he moves it 
  to the watch pocket of his vest and secures the chain. Looking around 
  sheepishly at the commotion he’s caused, he approaches you with an 
  apologetic expression.
  “I’m terribly sorry for the disturbance,” he begins, speaking with a 
  faint Llaelese accent. “My name is Doctor Henri Gateu. Please, allow 
  me to purchase you a drink by way of apology.”
  If the PCs accept, the doctor gives Alma a handful of crowns 
  and politely requests she bring back a bottle of something 
  decent from the dining car. If the PCs have a specific request, 
  she will do her best to fulfill it, but the Gilded Star carries only 
  a standard array of wines and liquors, so unusual drinks are 
  unavailable. 
  Once Alma returns with a bottle (or two, depending on the size 
  of the party), Dr. Gateu brings a surgeon’s bag to the characters’ 
  seats. He reaches inside and produces a set of laboratory flasks—
  which, Alma hastily explains, are clean—to use as drinking 
  glasses. After pouring drinks for anyone who will accept them, 
  the doctor raises his flask in a traditional Llaelese toast: “May 
  trouble follow you all your days, but may it never catch you.” 
  He then quickly drains the contents.
  Dr. Gateu and Alma chat with the PCs and seem extremely 
  interested in learning about them and their travels. As the two 
  speak, it’s clear that they are longtime traveling companions and 
  that Dr. Gateu, though prone to distraction and forgetfulness, 
  is a very intelligent man. During the course of the conversation, 
  the players learn the following:
  • Dr. Gateu is headed to Bainsmarket to help deal with a medical 
  issue there. Characters trained in Medicine can make a Medicine 
  skill roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the 
  character has heard of a recent outbreak of a disease in the city. 
  If the roll succeeds by 5 or more, the character has heard of or 
  is otherwise familiar with the general characteristics of the 
  illness (see “The Bloody Sweat,” p. 44). Characters who have been 
  hired to help with the treatment effort automatically have this 
  information.
  
  8
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  • Alma, the doctor’s assistant, is still in training. Her conversations 
  indicate she’s a clever woman, but she doesn’t yet understand 
  medical practice as deeply as Dr. Gateu does. Of the two, 
  however, Alma is more direct and confident. She pays close 
  attention to the doctor when he speaks of his profession but 
  exhibits an almost matronly attitude toward him at all other 
  times.
  • If any of the PCs comment on the shipping cars (and the 
  unusual smell the railway employee brings forward with him 
  from those cars), Dr. Gateu explains that the train is carrying 
  a comprehensive load of medical supplies to assist the infected 
  in Bainsmarket. He also lets slip that a group of armed train 
  wardens is guarding the cargo—the rail porter has been bringing 
  them food and drinks during the train’s passage. Characters 
  hired to protect the train already have this information.
  exiT doCToR GaTeu
  After a few drinks, Dr. Gateu stands and politely excuses 
  himself, explaining that he has to attend to an immediate 
  medical issue. Alma looks at him in alarm until he chuckles 
  and apologizes to her, saying that the joke was in poor taste 
  and asking if she noted where the facilities were when they 
  boarded. She rolls her eyes and points him forward, toward the 
  dining car.
  Once he leaves, Alma thanks the PCs for indulging the doctor, 
  explaining that he may be a bit absent-minded and lacking in 
  social grace but that he means well and is very knowledgeable. 
  She is happy to provide details about their past to any who 
  inquire (see p. 5). When she speaks about Dr. Gateu, she does 
  so with an equal measure of respect for his abilities, fierce 
  devotion, and a kind of familiar concern. Alma is many years 
  the doctor’s junior, and she clearly regards him as a father 
  figure as well as a teacher and mentor.
  As she converses with the PCs, Alma keeps glancing out of 
  the windows facing the mountains to the west, taking in the 
  passing countryside. After a few minutes of conversation, 
  she trails off mid-sentence, rising from her seat and pointing 
  toward the mountains.
  Read or paraphrase the following: 
  “What do you suppose that is?” Alma asks, knitting her brows in 
  concern.
  Following the line of her outstretched finger, you see a plume of pale 
  dust billowing up between two hills to the west a few hundred feet 
  from the tracks, near the base of the mountains. A moment later, a 
  single man on horseback crests the hill, driving his horse downhill 
  toward you. 
  “Goodness,” says a passenger sitting behind you as he squints at the 
  solitary rider. “I think that man is armed. Do you think that man 
  might be a—a bandit?”
  “If he is, he’s a fool,” replies his traveling companion. “Who ever heard 
  of a man robbing a train single-han—”
  Before he can finish, dozens of riders come over the hillside, their sure-
  footed horses darting and weaving down the slope. Silhouetted within 
  the cloud, the forms of mounted men stand high in their saddles as they 
  ride toward the train at a full gallop. They come in overlapping waves, 
  kicking up great plumes of dust that make it difficult to determine their 
  exact numbers. Among them you see the boxy shape of a buckboard 
  wagon, a slugger mounted beside its driver.
  The characters have a full round to act before the riders reach 
  the train. The riders are fanning out to strike each train car 
  simultaneously, and they will fire on anyone moving between 
  train cars to drive them back into cover. 
  A character who decides to run to the train wardens and 
  warn them of the impending attack finds that the storage 
  cars are locked and barred from within, but a glass window 
  set in the door affords the character a view of what transpires 
  in the storage cars. He will witness the wardens firing out of 
  the weapon slits of the train’s storage cars before the wagon’s 
  slugger opens fire, ripping through the hull of the train and 
  the bodies of its defenders. Moments later, an explosive charge 
  detonates in the storage car, cracking the thick window glass 
  and filling the storage car with dense smoke.
  Once each player character has acted, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  The riders draw their weapons and fire a fusillade on the train as they 
  swoop down upon you. Bullets crack through the windows of your 
  compartment, some striking other passengers who are rising from their 
  seats in alarm. The wagon’s slugger fires, strafing the side of the train 
  from the engine toward the rear and punching holes in the wooden 
  walls above you. As you reflexively duck down from the unexpected 
  torrent of lead, you hear a series of thuds both ahead of you and behind 
  you as men jump aboard the train.
  COMbAT ENCOUNTER #1
  These men are a sortie of the Wyrmwall Riders, sent by Bayton 
  Rookwood to recover medical supplies from the Gilded Star. 
  As the train robbers board the Gilded Star, the characters hear 
  shouting and numerous gunshots from the cars on either side 
  of them, followed by a handful of loud explosions to the rear. 
  The bandits use alchemical explosives to blow open one of the 
  train cars and immediately start a gun battle with the train 
  wardens inside. Once the wardens are dealt with, the bandits 
  begin offloading medical supplies while their comrades sweep 
  through the train to deal with any security forces. A group 
  of bandits discover Dr. Gateu trying to stabilize a wounded 
  passenger in the train’s dining car. They quickly recognize him 
  as a doctor, knock him unconscious, and take him hostage.
  Meanwhile, groups of bandits riding alongside the eastern side 
  of the train keep pace with it, occasionally firing their pistols 
  and carbines through the train’s windows. These riders act as 
  reinforcements as bandits aboard the train are killed, but for the 
  most part they protect the wagon. The wagon’s three crewmen 
  catch the supplies that their comrades throw from the train.
  When the player characters move to act against the bandits, 
  read or paraphrase the following:
  You hear angry shouting from the dining car, followed by a series of 
  gunshots and panicked screams. The voice of Dr. Gateu cries out above 
  the commotion. A moment later the door at the front of the cabin is 
  violently wrenched open. Two grenades fly in, their explosions filling 
  
  9
  the cabin with a stinging haze of yellow smoke. Bursting into the car 
  under cover of the smoke come five bandits with weapons at the ready, 
  their faces obscured by gas masks. You hear one shout a warning to his 
  comrades, his voice muffled by the mask.
  These bandits are sweeping back from the forward dining car, 
  putting down any potential resistance that might endanger 
  their attempt to steal medical supplies. They are also moving to 
  support their comrades at the rearward shipping cars, hoping to 
  outflank the train wardens and catch them in a crossfire. When 
  the bandits see the PCs, they immediately take cover behind the 
  bench seats near the forward door. The group consists of two 
  Wyrmwall Riders, two Wyrmwall Bruisers, and a Wyrmwall 
  Veteran (pp. 49–51) armed with a pair of repeating pistols. 
  The train robbers look shabby and disheveled, but they are 
  equipped with high-quality weapons and armor of Cygnaran 
  military origin. Each wears a heavy canvas great coat with a 
  white number 3 stenciled on the right shoulder.
  Each time a bandit in a train car with the PCs is killed during 
  the encounter, make a note of it. All the bandits are infected 
  by the Bloody Sweat, and the potential for infection increases 
  when they lose blood. A character does not have to come into 
  direct contact with infected blood to become infected himself: 
  the disease can be transmitted by both blood and air. In all 
  cases, infection is a near-certain death sentence. See “Ending 
  the Encounter” on p. 11 for more details.
  BandiT TaCTiCS
  The bandits are experienced combatants who fight as a 
  cohesive group. The Riders target the most obvious threats—
  likely the PCs—with their pistols and attempt to remain in 
  cover while the Bruisers move from cover to cover to engage 
  targets in close combat.
  The bandits focus their attention on the most heavily armed 
  characters first, particularly those with powerful ranged 
  weapons. Any PC who possesses arcane abilities will also 
  be marked as a high-priority target. Alma and the other 
  passengers are not perceived as threats and are targeted only if 
  they attempt to attack the bandits. 
  Once the bandits begin to suffer casualties, one will break open 
  an east-facing window and wave a scrap of yellow cloth at the 
  men riding alongside the train. This is a signal that resistance 
  is heavy and that his group requires assistance. If the bandit 
  manages to signal the Riders, at the start of each turn one of 
  them will take a carbine shot at a random PC through the train’s 
  windows. Characters gain concealment against these attacks. 
  Characters can target these riders, and the remaining riders 
  avoid the car once two of them have been killed.
  After a few rounds of combat, but prior to the defeat of all the 
  robbers within the PCs’ car, a small team of four bandits will 
  move to reinforce their allies. These men sneak across the roof 
  of the train, hoping to slip into the train car behind the PCs 
  and ambush them. Have the PCs make a contested Detection 
  roll against the bandits’ Sneak roll. If one or more of them 
  succeed, they are warned before the bandits break in through 
  the windows behind them. 
  These additional bandits are better armed than their 
  companions. There are three Wyrmwall Riders in the group, 
  each carrying a Cygnaran military-issue repeating pistol and 
  an iron pickaxe. Leading them is Darvon Shanke, a former 
  The Guilded STaR (ComBaT enCounTeR #1)
  WR
  	
  WB: Wyrmwall Bruiser  WR: Wyrmwall Rider  
  WV: Wyrmwall Veteran
  WR
  WB
  WB
  WV
  PC	START
  
  10
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  if they Can do it,  
  so Can We!
  The PCs may decide they want to climb onto the roof 
  of the train during the encounter, either to outflank the 
  bandits or to intercept the men trying to slip behind them. 
  The easiest way to climb atop the train is to scale one 
  of the ladders at the rear of each car. Just outside the 
  doors on either side of the train is a metal ladder that 
  grants access to the roof. A character using one of these 
  ladders does not need to make a roll.
  A second, more dangerous method is to climb out of a 
  window and clamber up the side of the train onto the 
  roof. This is much more difficult, and any character who 
  climbs out of an east-facing window is immediately 
  spotted by the riders moving alongside the train. 
  To climb out of a window, a character must first make a 
  Climbing skill roll against a target number of 12. If the 
  roll succeeds, the character hauls himself onto the roof. 
  If the roll fails, the character loses his grip and slips, and 
  he must hang onto the side of the train for dear life. On 
  his next turn, the character can use a full action to climb 
  back inside the train (or a quick action if at least one 
  other character helps him) or try again to reach the roof. 
  To reach the roof, the character must make the same 
  Climbing skill roll, this time with a –2 penalty.
  Once a character is on the roof, he can move freely. 
  The rooftop is not an ideal place for combat, though. 
  It is made of slick metal covered with soot and grit that 
  doesn’t provide much traction. Characters downwind of 
  the engine must deal with intermittent clouds of coal 
  smoke from the boiler. All characters on the roof gain 
  concealment, and a character who makes a melee attack 
  while on the roof of the train must make an AGL roll 
  against a target number of 10 after resolving his attack. 
  If the roll succeeds, the character keeps his footing. If 
  the roll fails, the character is knocked down.
  see beneath them. Each bench has an ARM of 14 and can suffer 
  10 points of damage before it becomes useless as cover. 
  Passengers: The other passengers in the train car don’t perform 
  any significant actions once the bandits enter. They duck for cover 
  or hide beneath the seats, cover their faces to avoid inhaling the 
  sting gas, and generally keep out of the way. The Game Master 
  can have a passenger make a break for the back door, but the 
  bandits are certain to gun him down before he gets there. A PC 
  can attempt to give the passengers instructions by making a 
  contested Command roll against the passengers’ Willpower of 
  8. The passengers will not perform any suicidal actions and will 
  not attack the bandits, but they can provide other assistance, like 
  reloading weapons. If a bandit moves to a passenger’s hiding 
  place, he can grab the passenger to use as a human shield. If a 
  alma BarloW in game
  Through the course of the adventure, Alma Barlow may 
  accompany the characters as they work to track down 
  the abducted Dr. Gateu. Her primary goal is the recovery 
  of the doctor, and she will do everything in her power to 
  rescue him.
  Alma can provide the characters with medical assistance; 
  she is a competent physician with an INT + Medicine 
  total of 6. Alma assists injured characters both in and out 
  of combat. She can stabilize injured characters, provide 
  them with medicine to keep them comfortable as the 
  Bloody Sweat progresses, and provide assistance on 
  player character skill rolls for a +1 bonus. She will assist 
  only in actions she believes will help recover Dr. Gateu 
  and refuses to participate in unnecessarily violent or 
  cruel activity.
  Alma is not a warrior and will take the most sensible 
  course of action if attacked (namely taking cover, moving 
  out of the field of fire, and avoiding attack wherever 
  possible), but she is by no means helpless. She will 
  fight to defend herself if cornered, and her role as a 
  medical assistant guarantees that she knows where to 
  hit someone to really make it hurt.
  During each encounter, Alma’s turn takes place once the 
  player characters have acted. She reacts dynamically to 
  each situation as it unfolds and can help the PCs recover 
  ammunition, reload weapons, or perform any number of 
  other actions. If stats are required for Alma, she is a Hero 
  Level simple NPC.
  It is important to have Alma work with the PCs, not 
  instead of them. She’s there to help the characters, not 
  solve puzzles and overcome obstacles in their place.
  soldier of Rookwood’s military unit who has joined him in a 
  life of banditry. Shanke, like all members of Rookwood’s former 
  unit, wears a Cygnaran military uniform jacket that has been 
  dyed black. He directs his men to spread out and attack while he 
  focuses his attention on the PC with the highest current vitality 
  score. While Shanke and his men draw the PCs’ attention, 
  he shouts for any survivors of the first group of bandits to 
  disembark the train. Shanke tries to keep the PCs occupied 
  long enough for his men to escape before jumping free himself. 
  Shanke is not suicidal, though, and he will try to make good his 
  own escape if things start looking bad for him. 
  TeRRain
  This combat begins inside the forward passenger car, just after 
  the bandits throw sting gas grenades into it from the junction 
  to the dining car.
  Benches: Benches line each side of the car’s center aisle. Each 
  row of wooden benches is a linear obstacle. The benches’ bases 
  are flush with the floor of the car, so characters cannot crawl or 
  
  11
  endinG The enCounTeR
  The bandits will not fight to the death. Once several rounds of 
  combat have passed, the wagon breaks away from the train, 
  loaded high with stolen goods. When the wagon pulls away 
  from the train, any surviving bandits attempt to flee, jumping 
  onto the saddles of Riders still outside. As the bandits ride 
  away, they continue to fire at the train to discourage pursuit.
  bandit has a human shield, shots made at him suffer the firing-
  into-melee penalty. If an attack fired at a bandit with a human 
  shield misses, it automatically hits the hostage. The hostages 
  wear no armor and are killed by any successful strike.
  Sting Gas Cloud: The grenades the bandits throw into the 
  train car emit sting gas, an alchemical irritant that burns the 
  eyes and lungs. During the first round of combat, the sting 
  gas is a cloud effect, after which it disperses as a gas effect, 
  filling the entire train car. Characters without goggles or a gas 
  mask must make a PHY roll against a target number of 14 or 
  suffer –2 to attack rolls. Each round, Alma uses the contents 
  of Dr. Gateu’s medical bag to produce a reagent that allows 
  a single character to ignore this penalty once consumed. A 
  character trained in Alchemy can also produce this reagent 
  by spending a full action and making an Alchemy skill roll 
  against a target number of 10. If the roll succeeds, he produces 
  one dose. If the characters shatter more than two windows on 
  each side of the train, the crosscurrent of air disperses the gas 
  immediately.
  Train Cars: Massive linkages at either end connect the train 
  cars. A character can drop down between the cars to release one 
  of the linkages, but this is not a simple task. To release a link, 
  a character must spend a full action turning bolts, removing 
  cotter pins, and unhooking safety clasps. At the end of this 
  time, he must make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against 
  a target number of 10. If the roll succeeds, he successfully 
  separates the link. Separating a link disconnects the car from 
  the train’s engine; it and any cars behind it will gradually fall 
  behind the engine, eventually rolling to a stop. If the roll fails, 
  the character can try again next round.
  Unstable Footing: The train’s speed and movement result in 
  very unsteady footing. A character moving more than 24 feet 
  (4˝) must make an AGL roll against a target number of 10. If 
  the roll succeeds, the character moves normally. If the roll 
  fails, the character is pushed d3˝ in a random direction and 
  knocked down.
  shoot the driver
  A character who wants to target the wagon’s driver 
  may do so, but the driver is using Evasive Action (p. 34) 
  to increase the DEF of his wagon by+2. If the attack 
  manages to kill the driver, one of his passengers will 
  grab the reins of the wagon.
  After the bandits attacking the characters have been 
  eliminated or flee, read or paraphrase the following:
  The bandits riding alongside the train begin to break away, leaving 
  their dead behind. Several horses are loaded with supplies pilfered 
  from the train’s cargo. As the horses wheel back toward the mountains, 
  Alma shouts in horror, looking out the train’s windows.
  “Dr. Gateu! They have the doctor!” 
  Looking out, you see the limp body of the doctor slumped in the back of 
  the fleeing wagon atop a pile of medical supplies. You can only watch as 
  the escaping bandits ride over the foothills with the kidnapped doctor and 
  disappear from sight. 
  Before you can respond, the train lurches and begins to slow. You hear 
  the high-pitched scream of metal on metal and smell the acrid stink of hot 
  steel as the brakes engage. Protesting, the train grinds to a gradual stop. 
  Moments later the engineer comes into the train car, his soot-covered face 
  stricken with worry.
  
  12
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  a note on infeCtion
  These infection rules are for Game Masters who want to 
  reward characters with high PHY scores or the Disease 
  Resistance ability as well as those who want to keep their 
  players guessing whether they actually are infected with 
  the deadly illness. Alma assumes everyone onboard is 
  infected regardless of whether an individual shows any 
  signs of the disease. 
  At his discretion, a Game Master may decide to forgo the 
  PHY roll and simply declare that all characters on the 
  train have been infected, though some players may chafe 
  at such a heavy hand.
  “Damned robbers hit the water reservoir with that slugger,” he hastily 
  explains. “If we don’t patch it up, we’ll have no water left in another 
  mile. No water means no steam. I can fix ’er, but it’ll take me time. Could 
  probably get the leaks fixed by morning.”
  Any surviving passengers begin to protest upon hearing this 
  news, worried that the bandits will return. The engineer explains 
  that the robbers got what they came for and that he doubts they 
  will be back. Shouting over them, Alma tries to convince the other 
  passengers they should go out to rescue the doctor. 
  Beneath the sound of the arguing, though, there is another noise. 
  Have the PCs make Detection rolls against a target number of 10. 
  Any character who succeeds can discern the pained groans and 
  wet coughs of a wounded bandit lying beneath the corpses of a 
  pair of his companions. 
  Once the characters identify the sound, the rest of the passengers 
  fall silent, recognizing it in turn. The character with the highest 
  Detection roll locates the trapped and mortally wounded bandit. 
  A gas mask obscures his face, and a tattered great coat covers 
  his battered Cygnaran breastplate. A chipped and faded brass 
  disk at the end of the gas mask’s long filter is stamped with the 
  number 3.
  Enraged at the abduction of her friend, Alma approaches the 
  wounded bandit and wrenches off his mask, intending to 
  interrogate him. When she does, she instantly turns pale and 
  stumbles back a step, her words caught in her throat. 
  The bandit’s face is covered in red lesions, his lips are chapped 
  and split, and the whites of his eyes are pinpricked with tiny dots 
  of blood. Characters trained in Medicine should make a skill roll 
  against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, they recognize 
  the bandit’s symptoms as the last stage of the Bloody Sweat, the 
  disease that has recently broken out in Bainsmarket. If none of the 
  characters has the Medicine skill, Alma provides the party with 
  this information, though she must take a moment to compose 
  herself before she stammers it out. 
  The PCs can attempt to interrogate the wounded man. A successful 
  Interrogation roll allows the PCs to learn the following:
  • The attackers were members of a gang of highwaymen called the 
  Wyrmwall Riders. The gang began to get sick several weeks ago. 
  The Riders were ordered to steal medicine from the next train 
  headed to Bainsmarket.
  • A thin man in the dining car tried to help one of the injured 
  passengers, showing considerable medical skill. Suspecting he 
  was a doctor of some kind, the bandits abducted him and took 
  him back to their hideout. 
  • The gang’s leader, an infected man named Bayton Rookwood, is 
  offering a huge reward to anyone who brings him someone who 
  can cure him of the disease.
  Before the PCs can press the man for more information, such 
  as the number of men in the Wyrmwall Riders or the specific 
  location of their hideout, he succumbs to his wounds and dies. 
  The engineer quickly states, “Fifteen crowns to the first man to 
  get that body off my train.”
  InfectIon
  At the end of the encounter, make a PHY roll for each character 
  in secret. The target number of this roll is equal to 14, +1 for 
  each Wyrmwall Rider killed in the encounter. Each character 
  who fails this roll has contracted the Bloody Sweat. 
  A quick examination by Alma or any character with the Medicine 
  skill reveals blood spatter on all the surviving passengers. 
  It is extremely likely that everyone aboard the train has been 
  exposed to and contracted the disease. 
  Pouncing on the opportunity, Alma exclaims that there’s a 
  cure. The doctor has significant experience treating illnesses 
  and has developed a cure for the disease, she says. Looking 
  around the train, she explains that, if they can get him back, 
  Dr. Gateu will have everyone cured in no time. 
  whaT alma BaRlow knowS
  If any PC requests additional information about the infection, 
  Alma can provide any of the following details. She’s badly 
  shaken by the situation, but reciting the information seems to 
  help her regain her calm and focus. Traditional medicines can 
  aid in the comfort of the infected, but Dr. Gateu’s is the only 
  cure she is aware of. Although she has his medical bag and the 
  ingredients, the cure requires a delicate balance of agents and 
  counteragents. Many of the components necessary to destroy 
  the disease are extremely toxic. Administered improperly, it 
  can be just as deadly as the disease.
  Characters trained in Medicine might also know some of the 
  following information about the disease. A character who 
  examines the dead bandit may make a Medicine skill roll 
  against the following target numbers to learn this information 
  for himself.
  • Target Number 11: The disease is a degenerative hemorrhagic 
  fever with a rapid incubation period and a prolonged prodromal 
  stage. Cases of the illness have been reported in a number of 
  different races, although it is most common among mankind.
  
  13
  • Target Number 12: During the prodromal stage, the symptoms 
  of the disease include skin lesions, fever, nosebleeds, and fatigue. 
  The illness can be transmitted through the air, but it is transmitted 
  more easily by blood. Gas masks and similar equipment have 
  proven ineffective at warding off the disease.
  • Target Number 14: It’s unavoidable that the doctor has contracted 
  the disease, but without the contents of his medical bag he will 
  be unable to successfully treat the illness. Unless the PCs can get 
  it to him in time, he and they alike will succumb to the disease 
  and die.
  The PCs should be starting to get a clear picture of their current 
  situation. Rescuing the kidnapped doctor will not be easy, but 
  it’s their best chance for a cure. Before leaving the train, Alma 
  grabs Dr. Gateu’s medical bag unless a PC has already done so. 
  Even though she cannot use its contents to treat the disease, she 
  means to see that he gets it back.
  sCene 2:  
  the lonely fort
  SynopSiS
  The PCs and Alma follow the Wyrmwall Riders’ trail in the hope 
  of recovering Dr. Gateu. The tracks vanish into the imposing 
  Wyrmwall Mountains, but the bandits’ wagon leaves a trail 
  leading to a weather-beaten building nestled in a rocky crevasse. 
  After battling the small group of holdouts within, the characters 
  discover the location of the bandits’ hidden fortress.
  Read or paraphrase the following when the characters 
  disembark the train:
  A chill wind blows from the east, a sharp contrast to the warmth of 
  the train. Stirring the tall grass fields around you, it carries the scent 
  What’s in the Bag?
  In the unlikely event the PCs manage to prevent Alma 
  from coming along or something happens to her along 
  the way, the contents of Dr. Gateu’s medical bag include:
  • One clockwork injector
  • Several dozen vials of the individual components 
  of the cure, each one labeled with a long series of 
  numbers that means nothing to the PCs
  • A supply of lab glass, test tubes, portable burners 
  with fuel, and stoppers (equivalent to a traveling 
  alchemist’s kit)
  • Numerous medical implements, bandages, and 
  sutures (equivalent to a surgical kit)
  • A small flask of brandy
  • A half-eaten pack of Llaelese sweets
  of freshly churned earth and the fading stink of blasting powder. To 
  the south, the riderless horses of train robbers killed in the attack mill 
  about in the field.
  The Riders’ passage has left unmistakable trails that cut west toward the 
  precipitous crags of the Upper Wyrmwall Mountains. The trails converge 
  as they pass over a knoll a few hundred yards southwest.
  By the time the characters begin to follow the Wyrmwall Riders’ 
  trail, the men have already disappeared into the mountains. The 
  passage of their horses has left very clear tracks, which the PCs 
  can follow without needing to make a skill roll.
  
  14
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  The characters can attempt to take possession of the dead men’s 
  horses, but the animals will resist any stranger who tries to 
  grab their reins. Unless a character makes an Animal Handling 
  roll against a target number of 10 upon approaching one of the 
  horses, it will buck and attempt to kick him. The Wyrmwall 
  Riders’ horses have a MAT of 5 and a STR of 8. Once a character 
  manages to grab a horse’s reins, it no longer attempts to attack 
  him and accepts him as a rider.
  When the characters reach the foothills, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  Climbing to the summit of the hill, you see the rolling landscape before you 
  as it gradually transitions into the rock of the mountains. Hidden from the 
  view of the train behind the hill is a long valley full of ripped-up earth where 
  the Riders gathered before continuing on their way. Among the innumerable 
  horse tracks are deep ruts in the soil, left by the kidnappers’ wagon.
  The tracks of the wagon and horses are clearest in the valley, disappearing 
  as the foothills give way to the rock of the Wyrmwall Mountains. Ahead, 
  you see several mountain trails, their narrow, dusty threads winding 
  their way up into the mountain range. After only a few yards, the tracks 
  fade into the hard earth and rock of the mountain trails, leaving no 
  indication of the bandits’ path. 
  The paths leading into the mountains are hard-packed earth 
  over rock, leaving very little sign of which route the Riders may 
  have taken once they left the valley. A character may attempt 
  to determine the correct path by making a Tracking skill roll 
  against a target number of 23. If the roll succeeds, skip to scene 
  3, “The Hidden Fortress.” Otherwise, the characters will have to 
  look for clues in the valley.
  Close examination of the valley can tell the characters a bit 
  more about what happened there. Any character can use the 
  Forensic Science or Tracking skill to examine the scene. The 
  Tracking skill is better suited to the task, so the target numbers 
  for this skill are lower.
  • Tracking (no roll), Forensic Science (TN 10): The Riders gathered 
  behind the hill before riding on. Some of the men dismounted and 
  stood next to the wagon. The wagon’s tracks continue south out of 
  the valley.
  • Tracking (TN 10), Forensic Science (TN 12): The wagon’s tracks 
  leading into the valley are much deeper than those heading south 
  away from it. The Riders likely unloaded the stolen supplies from 
  the wagon.
  • Tracking (TN 12), Forensic Science (TN 14): Three distinct 
  groups of horse tracks lead into the mountains from the valley. 
  Some are far deeper than the others, likely burdened down with 
  the medical supplies. 
  The wagon is not capable of making the passage up into the 
  mountains. The Wyrmwall Riders stopped and offloaded the 
  stolen goods, loading them onto their horses to take to their 
  mountain hideout. The wagon was then driven into the foothills to 
  the south, to be stored at a small assayer’s office the gang has taken 
  over. The wagon left a clear trail the characters can easily follow.
  When the characters begin to follow the wagon tracks, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  Amid the dark sod ripped up by the draft horses pulling the wagon, 
  you see a faint glint of metal and glass. Looking closer, you recognize 
  The lonely foRT (ComBaT enCounTeR #2)
  ER: Escort Rider  
  W: Wyrmwall Rider  
  WV: Wyrmwall Veteran
  W
  PC	
  START
  W
  W
  WV
  ER
  ER
  
  15
  Dr. Gateu’s wire-rimmed spectacles, half-buried in the freshly turned 
  earth. The left lens is cracked and smeared with a few drops of blood. 
  Behind you, Alma makes a faint, pained noise at the sight.
  The characters’ course is clear: follow this set of tracks and 
  rescue the doctor from his captors. Alma is obviously distressed 
  to see such a brutal sign, but it seems to harden her resolve. She 
  marches along with the group, covering ground quickly as they 
  follow the trail. Along the journey, the characters notice signs 
  of the wagon’s passage that let them know they are still on the 
  right track. The Game Master can use as many of these clues as 
  necessary to keep the characters following the trail.
  • A burned-down hooaga cigar, its end still wet with saliva, has 
  been dropped at the side of the path. On close examination, the 
  cigar still smolders faintly.
  • The characters spot droppings from the horses pulling the cart, a 
  near-perfect wheel mark running right through the center. They 
  smell fresh.
  • A small scrap of medical gauze has caught on the branches of a 
  tall shrub next to the tracks, snagged as the cart passed.
  The tracks wind through the foothills for just over a mile until 
  they meet a broad, unmaintained dirt road. The road heads 
  west, disappearing into a defile flanked by two high peaks.
  When the characters move up the road, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  As you move closer, you hear the agitated snort of a horse. In front of 
  you on the side of the dirt road is a small, wooden shack, bleached of 
  color by the elements, with narrow, shuttered windows on each face. 
  The empty wagon sits in front of it, its team of draft horses idly chewing 
  at a patch of tough mountain grass. Two fresh horses are hitched near 
  the wagon, bare of saddles and recently brushed down. You can hear 
  the low, wet sounds of coughing inside the building.
  COMbAT ENCOUNTER #2
  There are six bandits inside the small building: the wagon’s 
  driver (a Wyrmwall Veteran), his three crewmen, and two 
  escort riders (both Wyrmwall Riders). The escorts are keeping 
  watch out of the building’s windows and will shout a warning 
  when they catch sight of Alma and the PCs.
  Once the men in the building have spotted the characters, 
  several things happen in quick succession. The wagon’s crew 
  runs out of the building and takes cover behind the wagon 
  to move its mini-slugger into position, shouting, “Get around 
  them! Keep them away!” at their comrades as they run. 
  Meanwhile, the escorts run to their hitched horses with saddles 
  over their shoulders. These men are all in the final stages of 
  the Bloody Sweat. Their faces are covered with sores, and their 
  complexions are sallow and sickly. Prolonged exertion leaves 
  the men winded and coughing.
  wyRmwall RideR TaCTiCS
  The wagon’s crew hopes to hold the PCs back while their allies 
  saddle their mounts. Two of the wagon’s crew spend a quick 
  action grabbing the wagon’s mini-slugger and swiveling it into 
  position while the remaining two keep in cover behind the 
  wagon and house, readying their weapons. 
  The mini-slugger’s ammunition supply is depleted from the 
  raid on the Gilded Star. It has only six rounds left, which the 
  crew firing it spends using Burst Fire, completely exhausting 
  its ammunition. Then the crewmen draw their pistols and 
  keep fighting. The wagon’s crew focuses its attention on melee 
  characters who attempt to come near but will fire on anyone 
  who tries to attack the two Riders. The wagon’s driver has 
  three explosive grenades he will hurl at the nearest PC before 
  switching to his pistol.
  The Riders concern themselves only with saddling their horses 
  and outflanking the characters. Saddling a horse takes a full 
  action, after which the escorts will try to quickly ride in a wide 
  circle around the flanks of the PCs, keeping their distance and 
  firing at them from behind. Each Rider carries a carbine and ten 
  rounds of ammunition. If the escorts become severely injured, 
  they will ride to the fringes of the area and take cover behind 
  the largest boulders they can find.
  TeRRain
  This encounter has the terrain features described below.
  The Wagon: The wagon provides solid cover. The wagon itself is 
  made of wood and metal, has an ARM of 14, and can withstand 
  14 damage points before it is no longer effective as cover. The 
  horses hitched to the wagon are relatively accustomed to battle 
  and will not bolt once the combat begins, but they will run if 
  either suffers damage from an attack. If the horses bolt, any 
  character can make an Animal Handling skill roll against a 
  target number of 14 to calm them down.
  Boulders: The boulders provide solid cover. A boulder has an 
  ARM of 18 and can withstand 20 damage points before it is 
  no longer effective as cover. Most firearms cannot effectively 
  damage the boulders unless the weapon has an AOE, causes fire 
  or corrosion damage, or is POW 14 or greater.
  The Shack: One or more of the men may decide to stay inside 
  the shack and fire out of its windows. Targets inside the shack 
  gain cover and concealment. A character inside the shack 
  cannot target characters adjacent to it.
  afTeRmaTh
  When the PCs have defeated all but one of the Wyrmwall Riders, 
  they hear the final survivor shout from cover.
  Read or Paraphrase:
  “All right, I surrender! Damn Rookwood’s fault we caught sick in 
  the first place. Never should’ve hit those travelers! Not like they had 
  anything worth the trouble.” 
  With a grunt of resignation, the bandit tosses out his weapon and 
  steps away from his cover to stand out in the open. His sweaty face 
  is covered with sores, and his hands tremble slightly as he holds them 
  above his head. 
  “I promise to tell you what you want to know, if you promise you’ll 
  let me—”
  Before he can finish, the man begins to cough violently. Swaying on 
  his feet, he stumbles forward before dropping to his knees. You watch 
  in horror as he breaks out in a heavy sweat that rapidly becomes red 
  
  16
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  with blood. Hacking, he drops onto his side and convulses in the dirt, 
  his booted feet kicking violently. Within moments, the man is dead, his 
  face locked in an expression of terror and pain. 
  Behind you, Alma quietly suggests, “Maybe Henri’s inside?”
  The BodieS
  The last Rider to die lies where he fell, his face awash in sweat 
  and blood. He is dressed the same as the men who attacked the 
  train, wearing a patchwork armored great coat over threadbare 
  clothing. At his hip, where most men would wear a sword, he 
  carries a pitted iron pickaxe with the number 3 etched into 
  its well-worn handle. The pistol he tossed out is in pristine 
  condition compared to the disheveled man and the rest of his 
  equipment. His pockets contain six rounds for his pistol, 15 gc 
  in loose coins, and a crumpled note. Written in a scribbled 
  hand, the note says: Wynne, The bombs need to be set beneath the 
  train locks. Make sure there’s no coal dust on the case, otherwise the 
  fuse might catch the whole thing on fire and you will end up killing 
  someone. —Three-Fingers.
  The other bodies are in a similarly unkempt state, and all show 
  the same progression of the disease. If the PCs had not killed 
  them, the disease likely would have before the day was done. 
  The waGon
  The wagon is unusual, its wheels smaller than normal and 
  shod in metal. A deep trough runs through the center of each, 
  its metal burnished to a high polish. Characters trained in 
  Mechanikal Engineering can examine the wagon to learn more 
  information. 
  meChanikal engineering
  TARGET NUMbER
  DISCOVERy
  9 or less
  The wagon is unusual and seems to 
  have been adapted from another 
  purpose. The Wyrmwall Riders must 
  have modified it for its current use.
  10+
  Several parts of the wagon have 
  been replaced or repaired with pieces 
  from a similar vehicle. The Wyrmwall 
  Riders must have had access to a 
  number of them to make such repairs.
  12+
  The unusual wheels and the wear 
  pattern of the central trough are 
  consistent with a vehicle that 
  normally runs along tracks, like a 
  mine cart or trolley. 
  The wagon’s wooden sides are cracked and faded with age, but 
  the characters can faintly make out a white emblem painted on 
  the side: a stylized mountain with a crossed pick and shovel 
  over it. Beneath the symbols is a string of letters and numbers: 
  “FNMC #3 560 AR.” The bed of the wagon seems to be coated 
  with a fine layer of powdered coal dust and spent casings from 
  the mini-slugger. 
  The mini-slugger itself is out of ammunition and in fairly poor 
  condition. Fired so frequently in the attack on the train and the 
  recent battle with the PCs without proper maintenance, the 
  weapon’s barrel is warped and weakened by heat damage. The 
  mini-slugger has the Inaccurate special rule. (An Inaccurate 
  weapon suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls.) Any character 
  can make a Mechanikal Engineering skill roll against a target 
  number of 12 to identify the mini-slugger’s condition. If the roll 
  succeeds, the character learns the information above and sees 
  that firing another burst through the barrel will likely rupture 
  it, rendering the weapon useless. Each time the weapon is 
  fired, roll a d6. On a roll of 1–5, the weapon is destroyed after 
  resolving the attack.
  The ShaCk
  Examining the inside of the small shack immediately reveals 
  that the doctor is nowhere in sight, though his wool coat 
  is lying on a table in the center of the single room. Alma 
  immediately grabs the coat and shrugs it on, saying, “I bought 
  this jacket for the doctor last winter. I refuse to let some train-
  robbing scum think they can just steal it. I’m going to make 
  sure he gets it back.” 
  Alma checks each of the jacket’s pockets, searching for something 
  before giving up with a resigned sigh. She explains that she was 
  looking for the doctor’s pocket watch. The watch was a gift from 
  his father and one of the only things he was able to recover from 
  his life in Llael before fleeing the embattled nation. 
  The inside of the shack is sparsely furnished. In addition to the 
  table, it contains a single sagging cot, a small unlit iron stove 
  with a pot of cold tea sitting on it, and a modest desk with 
  several crates piled on top. The wall behind the desk supports 
  a shelf lined with several dusty bottles. Each bottle contains 
  a rock or mineral sample and bears a faded label pasted to 
  the front with numbers indicating where and when the sample 
  was collected.
  Each crate is thick with dust and marked with a brass Cygnus, 
  indicating they are supply crates for the Cygnaran Army. 
  These crates are the leftovers from a previous raid in which 
  the Wyrmwall Riders secured many of their military-grade 
  weapons. Most of the crates are empty, but some still contain 
  supplies. Have each character searching the crates make a 
  Detection skill roll and then consult the following table. Each 
  result can be discovered only once.
  deteCtion
  TARGET NUMbER
  DISCOVERy
  9 or less
  Packing straw packed down in the 
  rough shape of a large weapon
  10+
  2d6 loose light rounds or d6 heavy 
  rounds rolling around loose in the 
  bottom of the crate
  12+
  A long gunner’s repeating rifle with 
  two full ammo wheels
  15+
  A stash of d3 explosive grenades
  All over the MAp
  After the characters have made Detection rolls, the last one to 
  search a crate (or any character who searches the desk itself) 
  spots a large sheet of rolled vellum sticking out from beneath 
  the desk. 
  
  17
  The characters unroll the sheet and see it is a surveyor’s map 
  dated several decades ago. In the top corner, the emblem of the 
  Fharin North Mining Consortium is stamped in red ink. FNMC 
  was a sizable mining company during the late 500s AR. The 
  company collapsed in the aftermath of the Inquisition’s arrest 
  of its owners on suspicion of sedition. Leaderless and with its 
  payroll filling the Inquisition’s coffers, the company crumbled.
  The map is hand-drawn in a fine, calligraphic style. Marked on 
  it are half a dozen sites with accompanying surveyor’s notes, 
  denoted paths, and natural trails. The marked sites seem to be 
  mineral-rich areas of the mountains—places ideal for setting up 
  a mining operation. Each site is marked “Coal” or “Iron.”
  The map looks like the surveyor added to it over time and dated the 
  discovery of his finds. Beneath each, the surveyor added a second 
  date, typically about six months to a year after the surveyor’s 
  discovery, when the site began mining operations. The mines are 
  marked in order from oldest to newest, numbered 1 through 6. 
  It’s likely the players will quickly realize that the number 3 
  they have seen on the Riders’ clothing and equipment is not a 
  coincidence. Marked on the map about twenty miles deeper in 
  the mountains is Mine #3, a coal-mining operation started in 
  560 AR. The map shows several clear routes leading to it.
  Any character is able to follow the map directly to the mine, 
  but such a direct approach requires the use of main paths into 
  the mining operation that are sure to be well guarded. If the 
  characters choose to take the most direct paths to the mine, 
  their approach will be noticed and the Wyrmwall Riders in the 
  camp will be on high alert. If the Wyrmwall Riders are alerted to 
  the characters’ approach, the target number of all Disguise and 
  Sneak rolls the characters attempt in the camp increases by 4.
  A character trained in Navigation can use the map to navigate 
  a less obvious approach. Successfully navigating the more 
  obscure routes requires a Navigation skill roll against a target 
  number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the character successfully 
  plots a route that will avoid any major—and therefore 
  watched—roads on the way to the mine.
  As the characters begin to head out, each character infected 
  with the disease, starting with the character with the lowest 
  PHY score, begins to feel feverish and starts to sweat. The 
  sudden fever lasts for about a minute before abating. This is the 
  earliest sign of the Bloody Sweat, which will return in waves 
  over the next several hours.
  At the start of each combat encounter, roll a d6 for each infected 
  character. On a roll of 1, the character loses a die from his 
  initiative roll unless he spends a feat point. Characters who 
  spend a feat point ignore this effect.
  getting lost  
  on the Way
  Many hidden trails and paths thread through the 
  Upper Wyrmwall Mountains, and the PCs may lose 
  their way on the road to Rookwood’s hideout. If they 
  get lost as a result of the “Encounter delays en route” 
  destination on a Navigation roll, they might encounter 
  a number of different wild creatures in the mountains. 
  In such circumstances, a Game Master might include an 
  encounter with the following creatures:
  • A pack of d6+3 burrow-mawgs (Core Rules, p. 341)
  • Three farrow brigands led by a farrow shaman (Core 
  Rules, p. 343)
  • A hive of four dregg led by a dregg raid master (Core 
  Rules, p. 341)
  If the PCs encounter any of these creatures on the way to 
  Rookwood’s camp, they will find the scavenged remains 
  of bandits the creatures have killed. In addition to a 
  few spare pistol rounds and miscellaneous gear, each 
  PC can find 2d6 gc in the dens, camps, or hives of any 
  creatures they defeat by searching the area and making 
  a Detection skill roll against a target number of 10.
  
  18
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  sCene 3: 
  the hidden fortress
  SynopSiS
  Following a discarded map and clues they have discovered on 
  the bodies of the dead Wyrmwall Riders, the player characters 
  climb into the mountains in search of the bandits’ home base, 
  a dilapidated mining encampment hidden in the mountains. 
  Upon arriving, they must move stealthily through the camp 
  to find the abducted doctor without drawing the attention of 
  dozens of armed highwaymen. 
  When the characters reach the camp, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  Darkness has seeped into the sky by the time you approach your 
  destination on one of the rocky mountain roads. You can hear the 
  activity at the camp long before you reach it, the quiet conversations 
  of dozens punctuated by long, ragged coughs. As you get closer 
  you can see their hideout. It is a dilapidated mining camp built on 
  a plateau high in the mountains. A dozen ramshackle buildings are 
  packed together throughout the camp between larger structures. 
  Some shacks hang precariously over the edge of the plateau, kept in 
  place only by support pylons planted firmly in the rock. Groups of 
  bandits are knotted together around fires, cleaning their weapons 
  and picking through supplies for interesting or useful medical 
  equipment. On the mountainside’s eastern face, you see a thicket of 
  grave markers too numerous to count: the graves of Riders who have  
  fallen to the disease. A pair of gobbers in the graveyard toil in the 
  light of a lantern, preparing fresh graves for a pile of nearby dead.
  From where you stand, you see several well-worn roads leading into 
  the camp. You might be able to use one to slip inside without catching 
  the attention of the men within.
  This is Fharin North Mining Consortium Mine #3. The FNMC 
  employees have long since left in the aftermath of the company’s 
  financial failure. Bayton Rookwood and his companions took 
  possession of the camp years ago and have used it as their 
  hidden fortress ever since. They have little use for the mine’s 
  tunnels, preferring to stay on the plateau. Each building houses 
  several Riders, and the large steamjack storage and repair 
  facility is now a stable for the gang’s horses.
  The characters can attempt to sneak unseen through the 
  outskirts of the gang’s hideout. Most of the Wyrmwall Riders 
  are boisterously celebrating, taking liberal doses of stolen 
  medicine—particularly any with a high alcohol content. The 
  gang is gathered in groups of three to five in and around some 
  of the camp’s larger buildings. The Riders are rowdy enough that 
  they can be heard clearly, even through a building’s walls, but 
  moving through the camp is not without its dangers.
  diSCoveRed
  If the PCs and Alma are discovered, they are surrounded by 
  waves of armed men and women, between six and ten and a 
  time. They are either overpowered or knocked unconscious and 
  are then dragged to Rookwood’s quarters. (Skip ahead to scene 4, 
  “Cornered,” p. 23.) 
  
  19
  For every ten minutes the player characters spend outdoors in the 
  encampment, roll a d6. On a roll of 1, one of the Wyrmwall Riders 
  emerges from a nearby building, rounds a corner into the PCs’ 
  path, or otherwise enters their immediate vicinity. Not expecting 
  the player characters to be skulking about the hidden mountain 
  stronghold, these bandits will be startled by the encounter, 
  giving the PCs the element of surprise (Core Rules, p. 201).
  The PCs must deal with these Riders swiftly and silently. On 
  a surprised bandit’s turn, he draws his weapon and shouts for 
  help, which will quickly bring the entire gang down on the 
  characters’ location. If they do not move elsewhere and hide, 
  they are discovered as described above.
  feaTuReS
  Lighting: By the time the characters reach the mining camp, the 
  sun has begun to set. The streets of the mining camp and the 
  graveyard are treated as dim light. Characters in dim light gain 
  concealment and a +2 bonus on Sneak rolls. Lanterns near the 
  windows of most major buildings and hanging from the walls 
  provide bright light in an area 24 feet (4˝) around each building.
  Wyrmwall Rider Patrol: The Wyrmwall Riders maintain a 
  patrol of three Riders each night. Each of these is a Wyrmwall 
  Veteran armed with a repeating pistol and sword. One 
  Wyrmwall Veteran carries a flare pistol he uses to signal the 
  gang if a threat is encountered. The patrol moves through 
  the camp in the following order: the storehouse, the stable, 
  the barracks, and then the assayer’s office. It takes the patrol 
  a full round to move from one building to the next, and the 
  patrol spends a full round at each location looking for threats 
  by making a Detection skill roll. This is considered an active 
  attempt to detect sneaking characters (Core Rules, p. 193). If the 
  PCs were observed making their way to the camp, double the 
  number of Riders in the patrol.  
  MINING CAMP LOCATIONS
  This section describes the major buildings of the mining camp. 
  In addition to these buildings, the camp includes a number of 
  smaller storage sheds and general-purpose buildings. Each 
  location presents the PCs with an opportunity to take action 
  against the gang or gain information. The characters will need 
  to rely on deception, disguise, and sneaking. The Wyrmwall 
  Riders vastly outnumber the PCs, and overcoming them in 
  direct combat would be all but impossible. Despite the ravages 
  of the Bloody Sweat, the Wyrmwall Riders remain skilled 
  combatants.
  In order to determine where the gang has taken Dr. Gateu, the 
  characters must either explore the camp and its buildings or 
  find a way to interrogate a captive. The bandits in the camp 
  move frequently from one place to another, so the characters 
  are sure to be spotted if they remain in place for too long.
  The hidden foRTReSS
  1. Graveyard 
  2. Storehouse 
  3. Stables & Armory 
  4. Barracks 
  5. Bunks/Storage 
  6.	Assayer's Office
  1
  5
  4
  2
  3
  6
  5
  5
  5
  5
  5
  
  20
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  The GRaveyaRd
  If the characters move near the graveyard, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  The overfull graveyard at the far edge of camp is well beyond the camp 
  lights and out of sight of the sick men and women sitting around the 
  streets, which are lit only by a single dirty caving lantern. Two shabby 
  gobbers labor at the far end of the graveyard, slinging shovelfuls of dirt 
  over their shoulders as they dig a fresh grave. A line of three bodies 
  is laid out behind them. One gobber stops digging for a moment and 
  leans on his shovel.
  “Danner, why are we digging a bunch of little graves for these three? 
  One big one would be faster.”
  “Wouldn’t be proper, Kranze. How’d you like it if they had Jig toss 
  you and a bunch of others in the same grave, gettin’ you all mixed up, 
  bones all together and such? Not knowin’ if it was your foot sittin’ 
  down at the end of your leg or someone else’s? Wouldn’t be right.”
  His companion mulls over it for a moment before nodding and going 
  back to work. 
  The two gravediggers are Gildannerozin (a.k.a. “Danner”) and 
  Filksterkenzin (a.k.a. “Kranze”), the lowest-ranking members 
  of Rookwood’s gang. If the PCs sneak up on the gobbers and 
  capture them, the gravediggers are very eager to reveal details 
  about the Wyrmwall Riders. Danner and Kranze claim to be 
  salvagers who were picking through the remains of the FNMC 
  camp when they happened across Rookwood’s gang. Danner 
  and Kranze tell the PCs there was a third member of their 
  group: Three-Fingers Abershawe, an alchemist. Danner and 
  Kranze say the three of them tried to run away before, but 
  each attempt failed when Rookwood’s gang rode them down 
  and dragged them back. Abershawe is too valuable to kill, but 
  Danner and Kranze face execution if they try to run off again. If 
  the characters ask where Abershawe is now, the gobbers point 
  them toward a long barracks building on the south edge of 
  camp that Kranze calls “the sickhouse.”
  The gobbers are usually relegated to menial labor like cleaning 
  weapons, mucking out the stalls, and (lately) digging graves. 
  They are not skilled combatants and have not participated in 
  any of the raids. If the PCs attempt to intimidate either of them, 
  they offer little resistance. A character can force either gobber 
  to reveal Rookwood’s location by making an Intimidation or 
  Interrogation skill roll against a target number of 11. If the roll 
  succeeds, the gravediggers talk over each other, each trying to 
  be the one to reveal the location before the other.
  Once the gravediggers have given up Rookwood’s location, 
  they beg the PCs not to tell Rookwood that they gave him 
  up. They promise to leave the Wyrmwall Riders, turn their 
  lives around, and be criminals no more. Interrogating the 
  two can be quite revealing. The gobbers are eager to exculpate 
  themselves from the crimes of the Wyrmwall Riders, and they 
  enthusiastically describe the activities of the others while 
  conspicuously omitting any involvement they may have had. 
  They explain that Rookwood and his lieutenants, former 
  soldiers in the Cygnaran Army, took over the camp several 
  years ago, growing the ranks of their gang since that time. 
  Danner, the smarter of the two, thinks Rookwood was an 
  officer in the military. The leader of the gang certainly talks 
  and acts like it. They explain that the gang grew sick after a 
  raid against some refugees, and they complain that they’ve 
  been out here digging graves ever since.
  fAIlure
  In the unlikely event an attempt to intimidate Danner or 
  Kranze fails, the two gobbers will gape at the PCs in disbelief 
  for a moment before shouting to the camp that there are 
  intruders (and not very tough ones, at that!). As above, the PCs 
  are surrounded by the gang and dragged to Rookwood (see 
  “Cornered,” p. 23).
  The SToRehouSe
  When the characters examine the building, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  Two men sit inside the building, playing cards atop an old Cygnaran 
  supply crate. Scattered around them are nearly a dozen brown glass 
  medicine bottles, drained of their contents. As the men play, they chat 
  idly and take long swigs from more medicine bottles. One asks the 
  other how long it will be before the doctor gets to them. His companion 
  responds with a slurred voice, “Once Rookwood and his old unit are 
  done with him, I suppose. Try not to knock off in the next few days.”
  The Wyrmwall Riders in the storehouse are keeping watch on 
  the majority of the recently stolen medical supplies. The two 
  men have been drinking tinctures stolen from the train to dull 
  the pain of the disease and are waiting their turn to receive 
  treatment from Dr. Gateu. 
  Occasionally a Rider from another nearby building or group 
  enters the storehouse and requests an alchemical item, forcing 
  the men to stop their game and dig through the supplies in 
  order to find what was requested. 
  sheeP in  
  Wolf’s Clothing
  The player characters may have taken clothing and 
  equipment from some of the dead bandits encountered 
  during the course of the adventure. If so, they can move 
  much more easily through the camp without drawing 
  unwanted attention.
  The success of these disguises depends a great deal on 
  the characters themselves. A trollkin or ogrun will not be 
  able to pass as a Wyrmwall Rider by simply throwing on 
  a great coat and a gas mask, but even humans and elves 
  must be careful. The Wyrmwall Riders have lived in close 
  proximity to each other for many years, and the bandits 
  are familiar with the body language and behaviors of 
  their allies. 
  Each turn a disguised character is in the line of sight 
  of one or more Wyrmwall Riders, the Riders gain a +1 
  bonus to Detection skill rolls to see through the disguise. 
  
  21
  The improvised card table sits near an open window on the 
  south side of the building, out of view of the men. A character 
  can make an Alchemy skill roll against a target number of 12 
  to identify the contents of several of the half-empty bottles 
  sitting on the table. A few have powerful, negative side effects 
  if combined. A character attempting to combine these medical 
  items in order to debilitate the men must make a Sneak roll with 
  a +2 bonus due to the men being distracted. The result of the 
  roll is the target number for the Riders to notice the character’s 
  sabotage on a Detection skill roll. If the player character is 
  successful, the Riders will be incapable of activity for 2d6 hours 
  due to severe nausea, cramps, and other unpleasant symptoms.
  A PC with the Gambling skill may want to sabotage the men’s 
  card game to make it look like one of the players is cheating. In 
  order to set up the ruse, the character must make a Gambling 
  skill roll against a target number of 12 to create an easily 
  noticeable cheat, followed by a Sneak roll with the same rules 
  as above. If successful, the two Riders in the storehouse begin 
  to fight violently one round after noticing the cheat. This fight 
  draws the attention of several nearby groups of Riders who 
  try to break up the fight. The distraction grants the PCs an 
  additional die on Sneak rolls for one round.
  In either case, success means that the Wyrmwall Riders lose 
  the ability to acquire medical supplies to help treat the most 
  painful symptoms of the Bloody Sweat. If the PCs successfully 
  manage to debilitate the men guarding the storehouse, all basic 
  Wyrmwall Riders suffer a –2 penalty on initiative and STR-
  based rolls.
  fAIlure
  If the PCs fail in an attempt to debilitate the two storehouse 
  guards or to frame one of them as a cheat, one of the men notices 
  movement outside the window and shouts, “Wait your turn! 
  You’ll get some soon enough!” or “Keep away from my cards, 
  you!” The bandit then storms outside to confront the characters, 
  thinking them to be members of the gang. Have any characters 
  near the building make a Sneak skill roll against a target 
  number of 12 to duck into cover and avoid being spotted. If the 
  roll succeeds, the confused storehouse guard looks around for 
  a moment before returning to his companion, complaining that 
  the intruder got away. Otherwise, they are discovered as above.
  The STaBle and aRmoRy
  When the characters examine the building, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  The largest building in camp, the stable was once the mining camp’s 
  laborjack workshop and still contains many tools and steamjack parts. 
  Now the tin-sided construction serves as a combination stable and 
  armory. Stalls line the north and west walls, each housing one of 
  the Wyrmwall Riders’ horses. In the building’s open center, a man 
  equipped with mechanik’s tools tinkers with the right arm of a heavy 
  laborjack amid a small army’s worth of ammunition and weapons in 
  various states of disassembly. 
  “That better?” he asks, looking up from his work. The ’jack curls its 
  fingers a few times before venting a blast of steam. “Good. Next time I 
  tell you to break something open, use your damn pick. Those military 
  crates are made of hard stuff.” 
  The ’jack responds with another shrill blast of steam, causing a ripple 
  of commotion among the stabled horses. From across the building, a 
  trio of men by the stalls shout in irritation. 
  “Tell your ’jack to stop spookin’ the horses! Do you want them kicking 
  the walls down?”
  The four men in the stable are all armed and seem to be in 
  the early stages of the Bloody Sweat. The steamjack is Jig, one 
  of the laborjacks left behind in the mining camp. The man 
  repairing Jig is Brun Whiddle, a former member of the FNMC, 
  a field mechanik, and a talented ’jack marshal. Once he has Jig 
  in working order, he directs the steamjack to assist in moving 
  something he calls “the Roller.” With ponderous steps that cause 
  the building to shudder, Jig moves into the darkness at the rear 
  of the building accompanied by his marshal and begins moving 
  something massive into the populated street just outside.
  If the PCs do anything to free the horses or sabotage the 
  building (such as lighting it on fire), dozens of gang members 
  will hurry to get the horses free of danger and recover any that 
  are running away. If the characters manage to distract the gang 
  in this way, reduce the number of hits a character suffers from 
  the fusillade in “Cornered” (p. 23) to one.
  Particularly stealthy characters might attempt to salvage 
  weapons or supplies from the mechanik’s cache of goods. The 
  three stable attendants are preoccupied with calming the horses, 
  but they will spot any obvious movements inside the building. 
  To approach the supplies, a character must make a Sneak skill 
  roll against a target number of 16. If the roll succeeds, the 
  character can get in and out with a load of ammunition: a box of 
  twenty light rounds, a box of twenty heavy rounds, or a belt of 
  ammunition for a mini-slugger. There is a replacement barrel for 
  a mini-slugger near the ammunition as well. A character trained 
  in Mechanikal Engineering can identify it as a good replacement 
  for the damaged barrel on the wagon without a skill roll.
  fAIlure
  If the characters fail to cause a distraction, the Wyrmwall 
  Riders will have their full complement of attacks in the attack 
  on Rookwood’s quarters. (See “Cornered,” p. 23.)
  If a character is spotted trying to steal ammunition, he is 
  dragged to Rookwood’s quarters.
  The BaRRaCkS
  When the characters examine the building, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  From yards away you can smell the fetid, hot stink of sickness that 
  emanates from the building. Blackflies crawl and buzz at the edge of 
  the dusty windows on all sides. From within, a low, guttering lantern 
  weakly illuminates a makeshift hospital, its crude cots filled with 
  bandits in the final throes of the Bloody Sweat. 
  There are nearly twenty people lying in the hospital building. 
  Some are being treated for wounds suffered during the attack 
  on the train, but the vast majority are here due to the Bloody 
  Sweat. The alchemist Abershawe and four assistants are moving 
  from bed to bed, ministering to their comrades as best they can 
  with the stolen medical supplies.
  
  22
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  If the characters examine the building’s interior, read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  As you watch, one of the sick men thrashes in his bed and goes slack, 
  another victim of the Bloody Sweat. A man dressed in a stained leather 
  alchemist’s smock sees this and sighs, defeated. “How much longer 
  before Rookwood gives us that doctor?”
  One of the man’s assistants shakes his head. “Don’t worry, Three-
  Fingers. First Mr. Rookwood gets the medicine, then all the rest of us 
  do. We’ll be back in the saddle in no time. Heard some folks got plans 
  to make a raid on Dorshep soon as we get a few more men. We’ll have 
  you back to making bombs any day.” 
  The alchemist glares at his companions for a moment, clearly 
  disillusioned by his time spent treating the sick and dying. 
  Whenever the men talk about Rookwood, Abershawe’s gaze 
  flicks to the west. He is clearly afraid of the bandit leader. 
  After a moment of quiet grousing, Abershawe instructs his 
  companions to haul the dead man out and “put him with the 
  rest out back” to clear the bed for another patient. Abershawe 
  is left alone with the patients for three full rounds. During this 
  time, the PCs can attempt to disable the alchemist or convince 
  him in private to leave the gang. 
  If the characters enter and try to convince Abershawe to 
  abandon the gang, read or paraphrase the following:
  Once he’s aware of your presence, the alchemist turns to face you. His 
  eyes look tired, and he examines you before quietly asking, “Are you 
  here to kill me?”
  Abershawe has been a prisoner of Rookwood for over a year, 
  forced to use his alchemical skill to supply the Wyrmwall 
  Riders with explosives and other alchemical items. He is the 
  closest thing the gang had to a medic prior to Dr. Gateu’s 
  capture and has been forced to treat dozens of infected men 
  as they died. 
  The alchemist wants to escape the gang but is terrified they 
  will ride him down and drag him back if he tries. His fear 
  of what Rookwood will do to him is so great that he will not 
  willingly leave unless the PCs convince him. The characters can 
  make an Intimidation or Negotiation skill roll against a target 
  number of 13 to convince Abershawe that neither they nor 
  Rookwood will come after him if he leaves. If the roll succeeds, 
  Abershawe either quietly thanks the characters and says he will 
  go or quickly flees into the night in panic, depending on the 
  characters’ approach. Convincing Abershawe to leave removes 
  him from the final scene (“The Chase,” p. 26) and prevents 
  Rookwood’s men from using any of his smoke grenades during 
  that scene. If the roll fails, the PCs cannot convince Abershawe 
  he will be safe and he calls to his companions for help, causing 
  them to be discovered (p. 18).
  If the characters enter aggressively and intend to attack 
  Abershawe, read or paraphrase the following:
  The moment you enter the barracks-turned-hospital, the alchemist’s 
  eyes widen in alarm. Stumbling backward over the cots, he looks to 
  the door his companions dragged the dead man through and prepares 
  to call for help. 
  Abershawe begins the encounter knocked down. He is not 
  wearing armor and is incapacitated by any successful attack. 
  Incapacitating Abershawe removes him from the final scene, 
  as described above. On his turn, if he is not incapacitated 
  Abershawe calls to his companions for help, causing the 
  characters to be discovered (p. 18).
  The aSSayeR’S offiCe
  When the characters examine the building, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  The large building has a commanding view of the mountains unfurling 
  below. As you approach you make out two voices quietly conversing 
  within. The closer you get, the more distinct they become. One is the 
  voice of Dr. Gateu. The other must be Rookwood, the leader of the 
  bandit gang.
  Rookwood’s personal quarters are in the office of the former 
  assayer. There are windows on all four sides and a door facing 
  the heart of the camp. Rookwood has blocked the windows 
  with heavy fabric, but small gaps run the length of the plank 
  walls, allowing a character to catch a glimpse inside.
  The interior of Rookwood’s building is fairly spartan, lacking 
  amenities other than a cot, a footlocker, shelves, and a 
  washbasin. Behind Rookwood’s cot hangs a frayed regimental 
  banner of the Cygnaran Rangers from the time of Vinter IV’s 
  reign. Dr. Gateu is carefully ministering to the bandit leader 
  while the two men speak. His body blocks any clear view of 
  Rookwood, but the piles of bloodstained bandages surrounding 
  the bandit leader’s bed paint a grisly picture.
  There are a number of ways the characters might attempt to get 
  in to recover the doctor, but a number of things happen in quick 
  succession once they enter the building.
  • Rookwood twists Dr. Gateu around to use as a human shield 
  ("Passengers", p. 10) and uses Fast Draw to draw his main weapon, 
  a mechanikal Radcliffe Firestorm named Dominance. In his off 
  hand, he pulls a quad-iron from its holster.
  • Rookwood places Dominance to Dr. Gateu’s head. Between thick, 
  wet coughs, he shouts at the PCs to stay back.
  • Rookwood levels his quad-iron at the PCs’ group.
  hostAge sItuAtIon
  Once Rookwood takes the doctor hostage, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  Rookwood glares over Gateu’s shoulder at you and says, “Unless you 
  want this man dead, you’ll keep your hands off your weapons. Don’t think 
  I won’t pull the trigger. I’d wave a match in a pit of coal dust if I needed 
  the light. Move—so much as twitch—and he’s dead.” The infected bandit 
  looks at you for a moment. “And unless I’m wrong, so are you. Got the 
  Sweat, don’t you? Tell me—noses start bleedin’ yet?”
  The little of Rookwood’s face the PCs can see around Gateu’s body 
  is utterly ravaged by the infection. By all rights Rookwood should 
  have died days ago, but his terrible willpower and hunger to live 
  have left him clinging on by a few bare, bloody shreds. Rookwood’s 
  body, his hands, and much of his face are covered with freshly 
  wrapped bandages applied by the doctor. As the characters watch, 
  spots of blood begin to bloom through the wraps. 
  
  23
  A character can make a Detection skill roll against a target number 
  of 12 to identify the rank insignia on Rookwood’s great coat. It’s an 
  older design that marks him as a Cygnaran Ranger swift sergeant. 
  Characters with Connections (Cygnaran Military) recognize it as a 
  design out of use since the reign of Vinter IV.
  “Which ones sent you? Leto’s dogs? The Steamos? Finally catch on to 
  old sergeant Rookwood’s little gang, have they? Only a handful of you 
  bastards.” Rookwood pauses, coughing wetly, before continuing. “Frankly, 
  I’m a bit insulted. Thought I warranted a better class of bounty hunters. 
  Someone from the CRS, even. It’d be just like Leto to send them after one 
  of their own.” 
  Rookwood is convinced the PCs have been sent by the Cygnaran 
  Army to recover him. He’d rather die than face King Leto for his 
  abandonment of duty and litany of crimes. With his hostage, 
  Rookwood thinks he can still make it out alive. Nothing can 
  convince him to release the doctor. Dr. Gateu is not just a hostage—
  he is Rookwood’s only means of curing his illness.
  “One harsh word from me, and you’ll have this whole camp come down 
  on you like divine punishment. Try not to let anything heroic come to 
  mind. It’ll just get you dead that much quicker.” 
  Rookwood pivots the doctor to keep his hostage in the way of the 
  PCs, shouting at them to keep their hands out in the open as he 
  moves. Rookwood keeps as far away as possible, being careful to 
  stay out of the range of any Reach weapons. His eyes dart around 
  as he tries to keep all the characters in view.
  “Me and the doctor here are gonna have to take our leave. Sorry for being 
  such a bad host, but we were in the middle of a procedure that needs 
  finishing. No damn sickness is going to kill me.” 
  The characters may try to negotiate with Rookwood to reach some 
  manner of compromise. Rookwood will seem to go along with the 
  negotiation initially, but he is just trying to get closer to the door, 
  a window, or any other avenue of escape from the assayer’s office. 
  As the bandit and his hostage move, Alma pleads with Rookwood 
  to let the doctor go, telling him that she’s the man’s assistant and 
  can cure him of the disease.
  As he gets near an exit, Rookwood seems to contemplate her offer 
  for a moment. Then, without warning, he raises his quad-iron and 
  shoots her down before breaking out of the nearest exit with his 
  hostage. If one or more PCs use Shield Guard to be hit instead, 
  the bandit keeps firing with his quad-iron until Alma is hit. The 
  gunshot echoes through the mountains—drawing the attention 
  of his entire gang, barring those disabled by the PCs—as Alma 
  crumples to the floor in a spreading pool of blood.
  You hear Rookwood’s ragged shout from outside the building. “One doctor 
  too many for my taste—now mine’s worth twice as much! Help your 
  friend and let me go, or chase me and let her die. Your choice!” A moment 
  later, he shouts, “Riders! Get the Roller ready! We’ve got intruders in my 
  quarters. Deal with them!”
  The gang closes in quickly and will arrive in a matter of moments. 
  Give the PCs a round to ready for the assault by barring doors, 
  readying weapons, casting any upkeep spells, or jumping inside 
  the building for cover if necessary. If the PCs try to pursue 
  Rookwood as he flees with his hostage, he quickly vanishes into 
  the throngs of his gang members, heading toward the Roller as 
  his gang tries to drive the PCs away from him. It should be clear 
  that a direct confrontation with the entire gang is tantamount to 
  suicide and that what little cover the assayer’s office provides is 
  better than nothing at all. 
  Assuming the PCs did not attack Rookwood, Alma is 
  incapable of moving on her own. She has suffered Critical 
  Injuries (Core Rules, p. 217) from the shot and is lying 
  wounded on the floor of the assayer’s office. Characters 
  trained in Medicine can attempt to stabilize her by making a 
  Medicine roll against a target number of 14. Meanwhile Alma 
  quietly assures the PCs she’ll be fine and insists they go help 
  Dr. Gateu, trying to force his medical bag into the hands of 
  the character nearest to her.
  “i shoot him!”
  It’s entirely possible the PCs will attack Rookwood 
  despite his hostage. If this happens, immediately roll 
  initiative. On his turn, Rookwood shoots Dr. Gateu in 
  the back, which results in the doctor suffering Critical 
  Injuries (Core Rules, p. 217), and then fires on the PCs 
  with his quad-iron. After attacking, Rookwood spends a 
  feat point for Parry, grabs Alma, and calls in his gang. 
  The adventure continues as normal, with Alma instead 
  of Dr. Gateu in Rookwood’s armored carriage. If Gateu 
  is dead, Alma wracks her brain for the exact process 
  of implementing the cure and manages to concoct it 
  successfully—barely. 
  sCene 4: Cornered
  SynopSiS
  Trapped in Bayton Rookwood’s quarters, the characters are 
  surrounded by the entire Wyrmwall Rider gang, who begin 
  unleashing a torrential hail of gunfire on the building. The PCs 
  have to think quickly and act fast to escape the building before 
  Jig, the gang’s laborjack, tears it down around them. Though the 
  characters make it free, Rookwood has escaped with Dr. Gateu 
  on the Roller, his custom-made armored carriage. Unless the 
  characters can discover some clue to where Rookwood and the 
  doctor have gone, there’s no hope of rescuing Gateu or curing 
  their illness.
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  The running footsteps of the Wyrmwall Riders pound like thunder 
  as the bandits approach. Somewhere behind them, Rookwood’s raspy 
  voice shouts to get the Roller ready because he and the doctor are going 
  to take a ride. Peering through the cracks in the wooden walls, you 
  see the gang coming toward you like a wall of infected flesh, weapons 
  snapping in chorus as they ready their pistols and carbines. Behind 
  them a massive, iron-shod carriage pulled by a team of heavy horses 
  comes to a stop: the Roller. As heavily armored as a Khadoran Gun 
  
  24
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  Carriage, it is built out of scrap sheets of iron harvested from mining 
  equipment and riveted to the body of a huge mining sledge. Rookwood 
  drags Dr. Gateu aboard as he shouts to his gang, “Going for a ride, 
  boys! Be sure to see our guests out.”
  The Wyrmwall Riders move to the edge of the plateau, forming 
  a loose semicircle about 36 feet (6˝) away from the building on 
  all sides, carefully positioned to avoid catching each other in a 
  crossfire. Each Rider is armed with a repeating pistol, carbine, or 
  pickaxe. Amid the coughs and ragged wheezing of the infected 
  mob, a stern voice instructs the gang to keep their guns pointed 
  at the doors and windows and to shoot anything that moves.
  The PCs hear the gang discussing the best course of action. 
  Some of the bandits advocate burning the building down 
  to smoke the PCs out, but they are quickly shouted down by 
  others, who want to loot the PCs’ corpses. Others suggest 
  storming the building all at once, saying it is unlikely the 
  trapped characters will be able to kill more than a few Riders 
  before they are defeated. The gang bickers about the options for 
  a few moments before someone shouts, “What about Jig? Let it 
  tear the whole wall down!”
  The suggestion is met by a loud shout of approval. If he’s alive, 
  Whiddle says he’ll go grab the ’jack and runs off. Otherwise, 
  another member of the gang is tasked with doing so, but his 
  inability to command Jig efficiently gives the PCs another round 
  to search for an escape route before the laborjack arrives. The 
  commanding voice the characters heard earlier instructs the 
  rest of the gang to ready their weapons. Raising his black hat 
  in one hand, the man gives simple instructions: “Ready! Fire!”
  When the Riders open fire, read or paraphrase the following:
  With a ripping crackle of gunfire, the Wyrmwall Riders begin shooting. 
  Hundreds of rounds tear through the building in a maelstrom of lead, 
  shattering the window glass, punching clean holes through the weak 
  wooden walls, and ripping apart everything more than a few feet off 
  the ground. In an instant the entire firing line crackles with gunshots, 
  emitting a cloud of blasting powder smoke that stings your nose and 
  burns your eyes. You hear men shouting “Reload!” over and over as 
  the gang tries to pin you down with a steady stream of bullets.
  The Wyrmwall Riders keep up their suppressing fire for five 
  rounds before they exhaust their ammo supply. Until that time, 
  any character who stands up or attacks the Riders suffers d3 + 1 
  POW 11 hits from the constant gunfire. Occasionally the Riders 
  on one of the building’s sides will have to reload between 
  volleys. A character can make Detection roll against a target 
  number of 13 to identify these lulls. During a lull in gunfire, 
  a character can safely stand without being shot for one round.
  eSCapinG Rookwood’S QuaRTeRS 
  The PCs have many options for escaping their predicament. 
  The list below identifies several methods the players may use 
  to escape, but it is by no means exhaustive. Game Masters are 
  encouraged to award feat points to clever players who execute 
  an alternative escape plan.
  • The PCs can try to duck out of a side window of the building 
  during a lull in the gunfire when they hear the gang reloading. 
  The thick clouds of blasting powder that surround the bandits give 
  the PCs concealment from the majority of the gang, but they will 
  have to fight their way through a smaller group of five Wyrmwall 
  Riders and two Wyrmwall Veterans flanking the building before 
  the main force is alerted to their escape.
  • If one of the PCs says he is looking for another means of escape, 
  have him make a Detection skill roll against a target number of 12. 
  If the roll succeeds, a character notices a hatch beneath Rookwood’s 
  cot. The hatch leads to a crawlspace below the building, and the 
  characters can use it to escape onto the plateau behind Rookwood’s 
  quarters, where the gang cannot see them. The characters will have 
  
  25
  to crawl quickly to escape the building before the laborjack brings it 
  down on top of them. Only two characters can escape through the 
  crawlspace per turn.
  • Although the bandits are extremely dangerous, the characters 
  may decide to battle them. The Game Master should feel free 
  to use dozens of Wyrmwall Riders and Bruisers, as well as Jig 
  and Brun Whiddle (pp. 47, 51) for a massive combat encounter. 
  Through a combination of attacks, the characters may manage to 
  destroy the laborjack, defeat the bandits, and survive the combat. 
  Doing so takes time, though, and gives Rookwood an advantage 
  during the following chase scene (p. 26). Rookwood gains an extra 
  lead point at the start of the final encounter.
  After the fourth round of volleys, have the PCs make Detection 
  skill rolls against a target number of 12. 
  If one or more characters succeed on this Detection roll, read 
  or paraphrase the following:
  Beneath you, the floor quakes with steady, rhythmic pulses: the 
  footsteps of an approaching steamjack. Outside, several Riders shout 
  in excitement. Through the slats of the building and the countless 
  bullet holes, you see the glowing eyes of an approaching steamjack.
  The Wyrmwall Riders make a break in the gun line to let 
  Jig approach. Holding a huge rock pick in one hand, the 
  steamjack slowly walks toward the building as the gang shouts 
  encouragement from behind it. The Riders stop firing in the 
  area around Jig as it approaches, causing a lull in the shooting. 
  Jig moves methodically to the front door. It takes Jig a full turn 
  to reach the assayer’s office and begin his attack. The walls of 
  the assayer’s office are made of deteriorated wood and have an 
  ARM of 13. Jig must deal at least 15 damage points to the wall 
  to break down enough of it for the Wyrmwall Riders to have a 
  clear shot at the PCs. Jig does not stop once the wall collapses, 
  though; unless destroyed by the PCs, Jig smashes his way into 
  the building and attacks anyone inside until every character is 
  incapacitated. 
  If the PCs are not inside the office at this point, Jig furiously 
  thrashes his pick through the building, snapping through the 
  walls and bringing the whole structure down. Any character 
  in the crawlspace when this happens suffers a POW 15 damage 
  roll and is pinned by the rubble. A character pinned by the 
  rubble is knocked down and cannot move unless he or another 
  character passes a STR roll against a target number of 14.
  Once the building collapses, the gang shouts curses at Jig for 
  going too far and tries to get the steamjack out of the rubble. 
  They will be distracted for some time sorting through the ruins 
  of the building as they search for bodies .
  When the PCs are safely free of Rookwood’s quarters, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  You escaped death at the hands of the gang, but Rookwood and his hostage 
  are nowhere in sight. There is no sign of the armored carriage the infected 
  bandit king escaped in, no clear tracks for you to follow. Rookwood could 
  have taken any of the paths leading down into the mountains out of the 
  camp. With no clear leads, the best you can do is guess.
  Let the PCs examine any of the paths leading down into the 
  mountains for clues. The hard-packed earth and rock around 
  the camp makes Tracking skill rolls impossible, and Rookwood 
  left long enough ago that the characters cannot spot his carriage 
  on any of the main roads. When the impossibility of knowing 
  which route Rookwood and his men took sinks in, things go 
  from bad to worse: one by one, infected characters’ noses begin 
  to bleed, the next major symptom of the Bloody Sweat.
  After the PCs begin suffering the further symptoms of the 
  disease, right when things are starting to look bleakest, have 
  them make Detection skill rolls against a target number of 10. 
  Characters who succeed hear something that seems entirely 
  out of place in this desolate mountain mining camp: a faint 
  tune played by some kind of mechanical chime. When the 
  characters listen closely, they recognize the music as the 
  national anthem of Llael. 
  When the characters follow the music to its source, they spot 
  Dr. Gateu’s pocket watch lying by the side of the road. Its crystal 
  face is cracked from having struck a rock after being thrown by 
  the doctor to the roadside in hopes that the characters would 
  find it and recognize it. 
  Six horses are hitched to a building near the path (five if the 
  PCs incapacitated Abershawe or convinced him to leave). They 
  belong to Rookwood’s most trusted Riders, who left them 
  behind when the men joined Rookwood in his armored carriage. 
  A PC who takes a moment to examine the horses notices long, 
  empty holsters on their saddles—the kind of holster that would 
  typically carry a carbine. 
  Rookwood is taking the doctor down the mountain in the Roller, 
  his armored carriage. He plans to ride to the abandoned shack 
  from scene 2, where he will instruct Dr. Gateu to treat him and 
  his infected men. If the characters fail to catch Rookwood in the 
  following scene, they can find him there.
  “But i don’t 
  have riding!”
  It’s possible that some PCs will not have points in 
  the Riding skill. Remind these players that characters 
  untrained in Riding can make Riding rolls normally.
  If some other reason prevents the PCs from safely 
  riding a horse, such as having a trollkin in the party, the 
  characters could find a wagon similar to the one used in 
  the attack on the train near Rookwood’s escape route 
  (albeit one without a stolen mini-slugger mounted next 
  to the driver). Rather than riding individual horses, 
  the characters can spend a full action hitching the 
  abandoned horses to the wagon as a team.
  
  26
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  sCene 5: the Chase
  SynopSiS
  With his hostage in tow, Rookwood escapes down the rough 
  mountain roads in his armored carriage, the Roller. The PCs 
  must win a deadly high-speed chase down the mountain, 
  confront Rookwood, and rescue the hostage, all while avoiding 
  the deadly hazards of the Upper Wyrmwall Mountains.
  Once the characters begin pursuing Rookwood, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  The road is a rough, unused trail that cuts a trough into the mountain 
  rock. After a few hundred feet, you hear the crack of a riding crop and the 
  whinny of a horse echoing up the path. The Roller, Rookwood’s armored 
  transport, must not be far off. If you hurry, you might be able to catch it.
  Not wanting to risk losing control on the irregular and ill-
  maintained mountain roads, Rookwood’s driver is keeping a 
  safe pace with the carriage. This makes it much easier for the 
  PCs to catch up to the Roller.
  When the PCs catch up to Rookwood, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  The road opens up ahead. Curling around the mountain peak, 
  it is flanked on one side by an almost sheer drop and on the other 
  by a towering wall of rock. A multitude of narrow side trails and 
  treacherous switchbacks fan off of the main road, eroded by centuries 
  of neglect. In the center of the road, like a squat, rolling fortress of iron, 
  the armored carriage carefully makes its way down the mountain. The 
  moment the carriage comes into view, you hear a shout of alarm and 
  see a man come out of its top hatch, hastily locking a trencher chain 
  gun onto a swivel mount.
  Once the PCs come into sight, Rookwood commands the 
  carriage driver to move at top speed despite the consequences. 
  If the characters have any hope of rescuing Dr. Gateu, they will 
  have to engage in a high-speed chase through the dangerous 
  mountain roads—all while under fire from the men inside 
  Rookwood’s rolling ironclad fortress.
  
  27
  RunninG The ChaSe
  A chase scene is a fast-paced, action-packed affair. Keep the 
  action moving as the PCs pursue Rookwood, and feel free to 
  throw all manner of hazards and obstacles at them. Sudden 
  rockslides, sections of the path being shot away, and giant 
  pillars of rock falling into the player characters’ path are all 
  good ways to keep the action frenetic and keep your players on 
  their toes. Another rule of thumb: you can never have too many 
  explosions going off during a good chase! 
  Once the PCs come into view, have them roll initiative against 
  the carriage. Use Rookwood’s initiative roll for the entire 
  carriage. 
  The final encounter uses the rules for vehicles and chases 
  presented in appendices A (p. 31) and B (p. 41). The characters 
  begin the chase at the 1 position on the chase track on the 
  last page of this document. If the PCs escaped the assayer’s 
  office quickly, Rookwood’s carriage begins at the 4 position; 
  otherwise, it begins at the 5 position.
  The chase takes place on twisting, irregular mining roads in the 
  mountains, where clear sight lines are infrequent. During the 
  chase, characters more than five positions apart on the chase 
  track cannot draw line of sight to each other (and thus cannot 
  make ranged attacks). 
  During each turn of the chase, the men aboard the carriage 
  make ranged attacks against the PCs. The carriage has three 
  sliding gun ports (one on each side and one at the back), through 
  which the Riders inside can throw grenades or shoot, as well as 
  a top-mounted trencher chain gun. One of Rookwood’s bandits 
  is always positioned to fire the chain gun. If that shooter 
  becomes incapacitated, another of the bandits moves up to take 
  over. Each gun port has room for only a single shooter. All the 
  bandits inside are armed with carbines.
  During this scene, Rookwood’s bandits try to prevent the PCs 
  from continuing the chase. The driver carefully positions the 
  carriage to prevent the PCs from gaining line of sight to the team 
  of horses hauling it. Unless the PCs manage to get alongside or 
  in front of the vehicle, treat any vehicle damage result (p. 35) of 
  “Horses” as a “Body” result. In addition, characters attempting 
  to target the team of horses with a ranged attack must first 
  make a contested Driving or Riding skill roll against the skill 
  of the wagon’s driver (AGL + Driving 6). The Riders inside the 
  carriage use the following tactics:
  • The driver maintains speed in an attempt to lose the PCs. He 
  will break off the main road and use side paths, take daring runs 
  down sharp slopes to switchbacks running below, and undertake 
  other maneuvers. The driver always tries to protect the draft 
  team by keeping the wagon between them and the PCs. If the 
  PCs attempt to overtake the carriage or move up alongside it, the 
  driver attempts to either push them off the road or slam them 
  into a wall. To do so, the driver makes a contested Driving skill 
  roll against the target character’s Driving or Riding skill. If the 
  driver’s roll is higher, the PC either loses one point of lead on the 
  chase track from being pushed off the road or suffers a POW 12 
  damage roll from being slammed into the rocks, depending on 
  the driver’s intent. 
  • The bandit manning the trencher chain gun lays down covering 
  fire two spaces behind the carriage in order to keep the characters 
  from getting close. Unless the chain gun is disabled, any character 
  moving into this position suffers a POW 10 damage roll. The chain 
  gun cannot aim downward and is unable to target characters 
  within one space of the carriage. 
  • If the characters are two or more spaces behind the carriage on 
  the chase track, the Riders armed with carbines fire at them. The 
  Riders suffer a –2 penalty on all ranged attack rolls due to the 
  irregular roads and the high speed of the chase.
  • If the characters are alongside the carriage or one space behind 
  it, a Rider can sacrifice a normal attack to drop grenades into the 
  path. Characters in these spaces must make a Riding or Driving 
  skill roll against a target number equal to the Rider’s attack roll to 
  avoid being caught in the blast. If this roll fails, characters in the 
  affected positions suffer POW 12 blast damage rolls. The carriage’s 
  occupants are immune to blast damage from the grenades.
  • If the PCs are four or more spaces behind the armored carriage, 
  Rookwood emerges from the carriage and fires Dominance at the 
  mountainside behind the carriage, causing a dangerous rockslide 
  in the PCs’ path. The rockslide is a hazard (p. 43) on their next 
  turn. 
  • If the PCs did not incapacitate Abershawe or convince him 
  to abandon the gang, one Rider may choose to sacrifice his 
  attack to drop a smoke grenade behind the carriage. The smoke 
  grenade grants concealment to the carriage for one round. 
  If Abershawe is not aboard the carriage, this option is not 
  available.
  • A PC who moves close to the carriage or successfully manages 
  to attack the horses despite the driver’s efforts (perhaps due to 
  the Rune Shot: Phantom Seeker spell or the Awareness spell) is 
  targeted by a burst attack from the chain gun.
  The chase ends if a PC occupies the same position as the 
  carriage on the chase track at the beginning of his turn or if 
  the carriage starts its turn more than six spaces ahead of the 
  closest PC on the chase track. If Rookwood gets away, he travels 
  to the abandoned shack from scene 2. Because the characters 
  are familiar with the location, they should have little trouble 
  determining that Rookwood is headed there, based on the 
  direction of travel when they lose him. Setting the final 
  showdown with Rookwood at the shack will require the Game 
  Master to adjust the final scene slightly. Placing Rookwood and 
  his hostage inside the shack and any surviving gunmen at the 
  windows should still present the characters with a challenge.
  If the characters catch Rookwood, the chase turns into a combat 
  encounter. The players roll a new initiative for the combat 
  encounter. Any characters who are not in the same space on 
  the track as the Roller are delayed a number of rounds equal 
  to the number of lead points between them and the Roller. For 
  example, if a character is three lead points away from the Roller 
  when the combat encounter starts, he will not be close enough 
  to climb onto the vehicle until the beginning of the third round 
  of combat. Neither the chain gun nor the firing ports can draw 
  clear line of sight to players in the same space as the Roller. 
  As the PCs start to climb aboard the carriage, Rookwood 
  
  28
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  and his bandits move atop it and attempt to prevent the PCs 
  from boarding it or grabbing Dr. Gateu, who is held inside. 
  During the combat, Rookwood positions himself on the hatch 
  leading to the interior to prevent access. (For more details, see 
  “Showdown.”)
  ChASE SCENE LOCATIONS
  The Game Master can use the following locations during the 
  chase to increase the drama and present further complications 
  to the characters. The scenes are presented in no particular 
  order, and a Game Master should use as many or few of 
  them as needed to make the chase a harrowing, white-
  knuckle experience. Some scenes favor Rookwood, imposing 
  a challenge or an obstacle to the player characters; others can 
  be used to give the PCs a chance to catch up to the fleeing 
  bandit—particularly if they choose the unwise course of 
  pursuing him on foot! 
  The BRidGe
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  The road leads to an ancient bridge across a deep chasm lined with jagged 
  rocks. Built of dry-rotted wooden planks and corroded iron pylons, the 
  bridge is on the verge of collapse. Two rusted guy wires on either side 
  are all that remain of the support cables that once provided some much-
  needed reinforcement. The carriage thunders over the bridge, which 
  strains to bear the burden. The groan of wood and metal is audible even 
  over the pounding of the horses’ hooves. The timbers begin to crackle and 
  splinter in the wake of the carriage’s passing.
  The wagon’s passage leaves the ancient bridge dangerously close to 
  collapse. If the PCs follow on horseback or in their own wagon, the 
  bridge will begin to fall apart beneath them. Each time a mounted 
  character or a wagon crosses the bridge, roll a d6. On a roll of 1, 
  the bridge loses integrity and begins to collapse. Characters on the 
  bridge must make an Agility, Driving, or Riding skill roll against 
  a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, the character clears the 
  bridge before it collapses. If the roll fails, the character remains 
  on the bridge, which falls into the chasm at the end of the round, 
  taking anyone on it into the chasm. Characters who fall suffer a 
  damage roll of 6d6 + 10 and cannot participate in the remainder 
  of the chase. 
  If the bridge collapses, the only other way to cross it (short of 
  climbing down the chasm on one side and back up on the other) 
  is to slide across on the two remaining guy wires that span the 
  distance. The wires are firmly bolted into the mountain rock on 
  either end, but each is heavily corroded from years of exposure. 
  For each small-based character who slides across a wire, it 
  suffers d3 damage points. Each medium-based character who 
  slides across a wire causes it to suffer d3 + 1 damage points. 
  If a wire suffers 7 or more damage points, it snaps (at the most 
  dramatically appropriate moment, of course). Characters on a 
  snapping wire must make a Rope Use skill roll against a target 
  number of 11 to avoid falling into the chasm and taking damage, 
  as described above. 
  The SCRee
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  The road ahead has long gone unmaintained, even by the standards 
  of these mountain paths. A layer of broken rock and scree coats the 
  road, making it irregular and hazardous ground. To the left, the road 
  gives way to a long slope dotted by tough scrub and jagged boulders. 
  Rookwood’s carriage kicks up a thick cloud of dust that obscures it, 
  though you can see sparks flying as its metal wheels slalom through 
  the broken rock.
  The dust cloud kicked up by the carriage blows back in the PCs’ 
  faces, granting the transport concealment from ranged attacks. 
  This dust also grants the PCs concealment against any ranged 
  attacks from the carriage. 
  The crumbling section of the path makes riding a horse or 
  driving a wagon extremely difficult. The target number of all 
  Driving and Riding skill rolls to modify lead increases by 2 in 
  the scree. Additionally, a character moving over the scree must 
  make a Driving or Riding skill roll against a target number of 
  12. If the roll fails, vehicles suffer the effects of damaged wheels, 
  and mounts suffers d3 damage points from a badly placed hoof 
  or turned ankle.
  The deSCenT
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  Ahead, the road drops precipitously for a hundred yards. The carriage 
  recklessly rolls on, hitting the slope and picking up speed. You hear metal 
  grind as the driver heaves on the brake to keep from losing control. In 
  moments, the carriage’s metal wheels are glowing red from the friction. 
  The path ahead dips sharply downward. Unless the characters 
  are careful, they, their horses, and any wagons will tumble 
  down the path and suffer multiple contusions and broken 
  bones. The carriage is in particular danger on the descent: 
  rolling downhill, the heavy wagon can quickly overtake the 
  draft team, resulting in a catastrophic wreck. To avoid such an 
  outcome, the driver engages the carriage’s friction brake. The 
  carriage suffers a –2 penalty to rolls to determine positioning 
  on the chase track as it descends the incline.
  Brave PCs can attempt to use the slope to their own advantage. 
  A character can choose to suffer a –2 penalty to his chase roll 
  (p. 41) to move down the slope at breakneck speed. If the roll 
  succeeds, the character is automatically moved one position 
  closer on the chase track. If the roll fails, the character and his 
  mount or vehicle go out of control, falling and rolling down the 
  slope. The character, any horses, and any vehicle all suffer a 
  POW 12 damage roll, and the character must spend his next 
  turn remounting or righting his vehicle, losing one lead point.  
  COMbAT ENCOUNTER #3: 
  ShOWDOWN
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  Moving too close for the carriage’s guns to target you, you see a crazed 
  Rookwood erupt from inside the carriage, followed by two of his men. 
  Wild-eyed and furious, they fire their pistols from atop the speeding 
  
  29
  vehicle. Rookwood slams the hatch closed with one boot and stands 
  atop it, yelling a challenge down to you: “You want him so bad? Try 
  and take him!” 
  The only way for the characters to rescue Dr. Gateu from the 
  nearly insane Rookwood is to board the carriage and free 
  him from within. The doctor is restrained inside the carriage, 
  but he begins shouting for help the moment the characters 
  come near.
  Rookwood’S TaCTiCS
  As long as he’s alive, Rookwood does everything in his 
  power to keep the PCs away from his prize. The members 
  of his gang atop the carriage draw repeating pistols and 
  swords to do battle, leaving their carbines in the Roller. They 
  close with characters who move onto the armored carriage, 
  and they will jump onto any nearby vehicle to fight the 
  PCs there rather than on the Roller. Each Rider knows that 
  failure to keep possession of the doctor is fundamentally a 
  death sentence. Rookwood and all his gang gain Fearless 
  during this encounter. Unless he was killed in the first 
  combat encounter, Darvon Shanke is one of the men fighting 
  alongside Rookwood.
  Rookwood and the Riders focus their attention on ranged 
  attackers and Gifted characters first, but they shift their focus 
  to any characters who attempt to climb aboard. The driver 
  inside the carriage tries to prevent the PCs from overtaking the 
  carriage and threatening the horses by weaving into their path 
  as much as possible.
  During the battle, the men atop the carriage spend feat points 
  primarily on Heroic Dodge and Walk It Off to mitigate the 
  damage they suffer during the combat.
  As the encounter goes on, Rookwood and his men begin to 
  suffer from the final stages of the Bloody Sweat. At the end of 
  each of their turns after the first, make a PHY roll for Rookwood 
  and each gang member against a target number of 14. If the 
  roll succeeds, nothing happens. If the roll fails, the maximum 
  number of feat points a gang member can have is reduced by 1, 
  to a minimum of 0. 
  When a Rider’s maximum number of feat points is reduced to 0, 
  the infection takes greater effect. The men begin to hemorrhage, 
  and their skin bleeds profusely. Unless they spend a quick 
  action to clear their eyes of sweat and blood, each man suffers a 
  –2 penalty on attack rolls.
  endinG The enCounTeR
  When the PCs defeat Rookwood, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  Rookwood drops from your final attack, coughing blood as he falls 
  to his side. As the bandit leader lies dying, he fires his pistol at the 
  carriage reins, snapping them and depriving the driver of any control. 
  With a snarl, Rookwood whispers, “You lose.”
  His last act of violence complete, the leader of the Wyrmwall Riders dies. 
  His earlier words were borne out: it wasn’t the disease that killed him. 
  Rookwood’s shot destroys the Roller’s controls, sending it out of 
  control (p. 35). With no way of guiding the panicked horses, the 
  carriage hurtles at top speed toward a curve in the road ahead. 
  This close to the turn, even the full use of its brake will not be 
  able to slow it in time.
  The PCs have only a few moments to throw open the carriage’s 
  hatch, grab the doctor, and throw themselves clear of the 
  carriage before it plunges over the edge of the road and crashes 
  down the mountainside. In three turns the uncontrolled vehicle 
  crashes—a death sentence for any still on or in it. Freeing 
  Dr. Gateu requires a quick action to open the carriage hatch 
  and a STR roll against a target number of 12 to quickly haul 
  the doctor up and out. The driver tries to scramble clear of the 
  carriage, but he cannot free himself in time without the PCs’ 
  assistance. 
  When the carriage goes off the road, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  Trailing streams of dust, the carriage flies off the road. It sails out 
  into the open air, twisting as it falls. The heavily armored carriage 
  crashes down the mountain and hits the rocks below with a deafening 
  explosion of noise. By the time it rolls to a stop hundreds of feet below, 
  it is reduced to twisted plates of scrap metal.
  Dr. Gateu profusely thanks the PCs for his rescue, tripping over 
  his words and trembling as he does so. If the characters return 
  his pocket watch, he displays extreme gratitude and relief before 
  carefully securing it upon his person. The doctor is clearly in a 
  state of shock after his abduction and close brush with death. 
  Once the characters mention their infection, Gateu’s demeanor 
  instantly changes. He becomes precise and alert and requests 
  his bag so he can begin work. He carefully assesses the PCs and 
  begins working on those with the lowest PHY first, informing 
  those who escaped infection of their profound luck. The doctor 
  measures each component of the cure carefully, administering 
  them to the PCs at precise intervals.
  If Alma is not accompanying the PCs, the doctor hesitantly 
  inquires about her as he works. Depending on her fate, he 
  may request a moment to grieve his dear friend or thank 
  the characters for the profound acts of kindness they have 
  performed for him and his assistant.
  CONCLUDING ThE ADVENTURE
  With the cure flowing through their veins and Rookwood 
  defeated, the PCs are victorious. They may want to do a few 
  things before they return to the Gilded Star, such as recover 
  Alma or deal with the remaining Wyrmwall Riders. Dr. Gateu 
  urges caution and haste. If Alma died from her wound, he 
  reluctantly suggests they return for her body later; for now, 
  people in Bainsmarket are suffering from the disease and 
  need his help.
  The return journey is thankfully free of reprisal from the 
  Wyrmwall Riders. If the PCs convinced Danner, Kranze, or 
  Abershawe to abandon the gang, they can encounter them at 
  the derelict shack in the foothills. The deserters are grabbing 
  enough supplies to begin a long journey south, as far from the 
  mountains and the remaining gang as they can get. If the PCs 
  approach them, the former Riders tell the PCs their bandit lives 
  are long behind them and thank the PCs for their clemency.
  
  30
  BiTTeR mediCine: an iRon kinGdomS advenTuRe
  When the PCs return to the train, read or paraphrase: 
  As you leave the mountains, you see the smoke of the Gilded Star’s 
  engine and hear its shrill whistle as it builds steam pressure to move 
  again. The astounded survivors greet you and hail you as heroes. As 
  they line up for treatment for their infection, several of them press you 
  for details about the adventure. Eventually, the engineer approaches 
  your group for a private conversation. 
  “I’m glad you made it back when you did. I wanted to wait as long as I 
  could, but we were starting to think you wouldn’t make it out.”
  He looks back to the doctor, who is busy treating people. “Need to get 
  that man to Bainsmarket right quick. There are a lot of people there 
  who need his skills. When we get to the city, we can report this to the 
  army. You know where these fatherless dogs call home. Something tells 
  me there might be some people who would be very interested to learn 
  that. Probably willing to reward you for it, too.”
  With that, the engineer excuses himself, heads to his station, 
  and starts the Gilded Star back on her journey north. She begins 
  to chug along, picking up speed and settling into a steady 
  rhythm as she makes her way down the track.
  EPILOGUE
  There are a few different ways the Game Master might follow 
  up Bitter Medicine. If there are any Wyrmwall Riders left in the 
  mountains, the Cygnaran Army or Caspian Railway Society 
  will pay handsomely for guides willing to lead them to the 
  bandit camp so they can apprehend any survivors and recover 
  years’ worth of stolen goods. Each group is willing to pay up 
  to 150 gc to each character willing to accept the task. This is a 
  good way for characters to gain connections with the Cygnaran 
  military or the Caspian Railway Society.
  Dr. Gateu may also want to recruit the PCs. His journeys lead 
  him to cities throughout the southern kingdoms, and he could 
  always use help against the dangerous men and creatures 
  that plague the roads. The doctor may even one day return to 
  his embattled home to provide assistance to the beleaguered 
  Llaelese 
  Resistance, 
  and 
  he 
  welcomes 
  any 
  characters 
  sympathetic to the cause.
  Finally, the Game Master should reward XP for the adventure. 
  In addition to normal XP awards, the Game Master can reward 
  XP for the following:
  • If the characters convince Danner, Kranze, or Abershawe to leave 
  the gang rather than killing them: 1 XP for each deserter
  • If the characters sabotage the gang using the stable or storehouse: 
  1 XP
  • If the characters successfully defeat Rookwood and rescue 
  Dr. Gateu: 1 XP
  • If both Alma and Dr. Gateu are alive at the end of the adventure: 
  1 XP 
  dominanCe 
  (meChanikal 
  radCliffe firestorm)
  The characters may decide to recover Rookwood’s pistol, 
  Dominance. A character who makes a Detection skill roll 
  against a target number of 15 finds the weapon on the 
  edge of the path where the Roller went over.
  Radcliffe Firestorm
  Ammo: 5 (metal-cased heavy round)
  Effective	Range: 48 feet (8˝)
  Extreme	Range: 240 feet (40˝)
  Skill: Pistol
  Attack	Modifier: –1
  POW: 12
  AOE: —
  Description: Dominance is a carefully maintained, 
  custom-made Radcliffe Firestorm. It was obviously the 
  prized possession of its previous owner. The barrel is 
  inscribed with its name in flowing script. 
  Rune	Points: 3
  Special	Rules:	
  Accuracy – While the weapon has power, the character 
  wielding it gains +1 on his attack rolls with it.
  Blessed – While the weapon has power, attacks with it 
  ignore spell effects that add to the target’s DEF and ARM. 
  30
  
  From the mighty warships sailing the Meredius to the humble 
  handcarts used to inspect rail lines for damage, vehicles take 
  many shapes across western Immoren. The vehicles presented 
  here are just a small sample of the options available to characters 
  who need to get from one place to another.
  riding in a vehiCle
  Characters riding in a vehicle follow different rules than 
  mounted characters or those traveling on foot. These rules are 
  presented below.
  MOVING A VEhICLE
  A character controlling a vehicle must use a quick action during 
  each of his activations to retain control. 
  Unlike characters, all vehicles are capable of moving up to three 
  times their base SPD. There is no danger in moving a vehicle at 
  aPPendiCes
  up to twice its SPD, but moving it faster than that has risks. The 
  first risk is that whatever is being used to operate the vehicle 
  will become exhausted or damaged. This can mean the horses 
  pulling a wagon tire too much to continue, the coal firing the 
  engine of a train runs out or the boiler suffers damage, or the 
  rigging of a ship begins to break. 
  The second risk is that the surface the vehicle is moving over 
  can damage it. This mostly applies to horses and wagons. 
  Rough patches of road and irregular terrain can cause extensive 
  damage to a wagon moving at more than twice its SPD, and 
  horses moving at full gallop on rough ground run an increased 
  risk of breaking an ankle due to a misplaced step.
  The third risk is that a very fast-moving vehicle is more 
  difficult to control. Maintaining control at high speed requires 
  quick reflexes and split-second decision making, and the 
  consequences for misjudgment can be dire.
  aPPendix a: vehiCles of the iron kingdoms
  31
  
  vehiCleS and faCinG
  The degree to which a vehicle can safely change facing depends 
  on how fast it is moving. If a character wants to change a 
  vehicle’s facing more than its speed allows or more than 
  once during an activation, he must pass a skill roll using the 
  appropriate skill, such as the Driving skill for a wagon or the 
  Sailing skill for a ship. The Game Master may decide that some 
  turns are impossible to make. 
  A vehicle moving no faster than its base SPD can make one 
  safe turn of up to 90 degrees during the activation phase of 
  the character who is driving it. If a driver attempts to make an 
  additional turn of up to 90 degrees he must pass a skill roll with 
  a target number of 12. Subsequent turns of up to 90 degrees 
  suffer a cumulative –2 penalty for each turn.
  A vehicle moving faster than its base SPD but not faster than 
  twice its base SPD can make one safe turn of up to 45 degrees 
  during the activation phase of the character who is driving 
  it. If a driver attempts to make an additional turn of up to 45 
  degrees, he must pass a skill roll with a target number of 14. 
  Subsequent turns of up to 45 degrees suffer a cumulative –2 
  penalty for each turn.
  A vehicle moving faster than two times its base SPD cannot 
  make any safe turns during the activation phase of the character 
  who is driving it. If a driver attempts to make a turn of up to 
  45 degrees, he must pass a skill roll with a target number of 16. 
  Subsequent turns of up to 45 degrees suffer a cumulative –2 
  penalty for each turn.
  The Game Master determines whether turns past the limits 
  listed above are possible—and the target numbers for any such 
  turns. The Game Master can adjust these rules if he decides that 
  another factor, such as the weather or the terrain the vehicle is 
  moving over, makes safe turning more difficult than normal. 
  Driving a wagon over muddy or slick terrain can increase the 
  difficulty of even basic turns, and heavy storms can make 
  altering a ship’s course extremely difficult and dangerous. The 
  Game Master may decrease the radius of a safe turn or increase 
  the target number for subsequent turns. 
  If a character fails to make a turn that the Game Master has 
  determined is dangerous, the outcome is up to the Game 
  Master. If a wagon is moving at its base SPD, it is simply 
  beyond the skill of the driver to make such a tight turn, and 
  the vehicle suffers no ill effects. If a wagon is being driven 
  at high speed along a mountain path, the consequences of 
  failing the roll are most likely that the wagon tips over and is 
  destroyed in a wreck.
  wReCkinG a vehiCle
  The Game Master determines the danger that a vehicle will 
  be wrecked as a result of a failed roll to turn the vehicle, or 
  a risky maneuver, on a case-by-case basis. Instead of the 
  vehicle automatically crashing, the Game Master can require 
  a character to make additional rolls if there is any chance to 
  recover control of the vehicle.
  The Game Master should consider both the vehicle and the 
  circumstances of the failed roll. If a character is attempting a 
  risky turn in a carriage while traveling across a relatively flat 
  piece of ground, failing the roll does not necessarily result in 
  a wreck. The character likely has a chance to make another 
  Driving roll to prevent losing control of the carriage. However, 
  if a character piloting a riverboat is attempting to turn to avoid 
  a collision with a rock, the result of failing the roll is that the 
  boat strikes the rock and suffers damage.
  bEING ThROWN fROM A VEhICLE
  Occasionally a character riding in a vehicle risks being thrown 
  out of it, such as when a vehicle is overturned and the Game 
  Master decides the character is thrown.
  The Game Master may decide that the damage a vehicle suffers 
  from an attack or another effect has a chance of disrupting 
  the vehicle’s stability enough to throw passengers from it. 
  This means a passenger must make an AGL roll against a 
  target number set by the Game Master to keep from being 
  thrown. The difficulty level of the target number should 
  reflect the severity of the situation. If a driver involved in a 
  chase between two wagons attempts to run the other wagon 
  off the road by swinging his own into it, the target number 
  to keep from being thrown from the vehicle would be 8. 
  If the damage to a vehicle is extensive, however, such as a 
  ship taking a full broadside attack from another ship, the 
  target number could be 16 or higher. If the roll succeeds, the 
  character stays on the vehicle and on his feet. If the roll fails, 
  he is thrown.
  When a vehicle is destroyed while moving, all passengers are 
  automatically thrown.
  When a character is thrown, he must make an AGL + Jumping 
  roll against a target number of 14 to determine if he can control 
  his fall or save himself from harm.
  If the roll succeeds, place a model representing the character 
  anywhere within 1˝ of the vehicle. The character’s player 
  chooses where the model is placed. A character who is thrown 
  during a chase no longer participates in the encounter.
  If the roll fails, the exact effect of being thrown depends on why 
  the character was thrown from the vehicle. If the vehicle was 
  not destroyed, the character is thrown d3˝ directly from the 
  vehicle, is knocked down, and suffers a POW 12 damage roll. If 
  the vehicle was moving at three times its SPD, add an additional 
  die to the damage roll.
  If the vehicle was destroyed while moving, roll a d6 to 
  determine the character’s fate. On a roll of 1–4, he is thrown, 
  as described above. On a roll of 5 or 6, he is pinned inside 
  the wreckage. A pinned character is knocked down, suffers 
  a POW 12 damage roll, and cannot move until he makes a 
  successful STR + AGL roll against a target number of 14. 
  Roll at the start of the character’s Activation Phase. If the 
  roll succeeds, the character frees himself. If the roll fails, he 
  remains pinned and cannot move or take an action until he 
  frees himself.
  In any case, place a model on the table to represent the thrown 
  character.
  32
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  KNOCKDOWN AND KNOCKOUT 
  WhILE IN A VEhICLE
  The Game Master must decide what happens to a character 
  who is knocked down or knocked out while on a vehicle. This 
  decision should be influenced by the character’s circumstances. 
  For example, if a character is riding in a small carriage, he has 
  a chance of falling out of it when knocked down. If a character 
  is standing in the middle of the deck of a large sailing ship, he 
  would simply be knocked down.
  When the Game Master determines that a character in a vehicle 
  has a chance of falling out of the vehicle due to being knocked 
  down, the character must make an AGL roll, following the 
  rules above for being thrown from a vehicle. The Game Master 
  determines the modifier for this roll. If the character succeeds, 
  he suffers the effects of being knocked down but remains in the 
  vehicle. If the roll fails, the character is thrown from the vehicle, 
  following the rules above.
  No roll is necessary when the Game Master determines that a 
  character who has a chance of falling out of a vehicle is knocked 
  out—the character simply tumbles to the ground. The Game 
  Master should place a model representing the character on the 
  table near the vehicle. The character suffers a POW 10 damage 
  roll from the fall, but the Game Master can increase or decrease 
  the POW to reflect situations like falling at higher speeds or 
  from a greater height. 
  A character who falls from a slow-moving vehicle like a cart 
  may suffer a POW 8 damage roll, but a character who falls 
  from a train moving at high speed may suffer a damage roll of 
  POW 12 (or even higher).
  COVER WhILE IN A VEhICLE
  A character’s ability to take cover or go prone while in a vehicle 
  is determined by the Game Master.
  33
  
  skills and vehiCles
  The inclusion of vehicles in a session can open up many 
  opportunities for the creative use of skills. When using a vehicle, 
  a character can attempt any skill roll the Game Master decides 
  is appropriate in order to give himself a positive modifier on a 
  roll to control a vehicle. For example, a character attempting to 
  drive a team of horses pulling a wagon past their exhaustion 
  limit can make an Animal Handling skill roll against a target 
  number set by the Game Master to continue moving at three 
  times the horses’ base SPD.  
  Vehicles can also be used as weapons. A character who wants 
  to trample a target with the horses pulling a wagon or to ram a 
  ship with another ship makes an attack roll using his Driving or 
  Sailing skill, respectively, instead of using a weapon skill. If the 
  attack hits, the target suffers a damage roll with a POW equal to 
  the ARM of the vehicle. 
  EVASIVE ACTION
  A skilled driver can make his vehicle more difficult to hit by 
  taking evasive action. To take evasive action, the driver must 
  make a Driving or Sailing skill roll, depending on the vehicle, 
  against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the vehicle 
  gains a DEF bonus against ranged and magical attacks equal to 
  the driver’s Driving or Sailing skill level. 
  Taking evasive action is a full action. 
  attaCking vehiCles
  A character who chooses to attack a vehicle uses the standard 
  rules to resolve the attack. If a character wants to attack a 
  passenger on a vehicle, the Game Master must consider the 
  size of the vehicle and the passenger’s location to determine 
  how to resolve the attack. A passenger riding in a completely 
  enclosed vehicle cannot be targeted. If a vehicle without a 
  34
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  cabin is relatively small compared to the passengers, such as a 
  wagon, the attacker suffers a –2 penalty on his attack roll when 
  he targets a specific passenger, using the DEF of the vehicle. If 
  the passenger is riding a large vehicle, such as standing on the 
  deck of a riverboat, there is no penalty to the roll. 
  Depending on the vehicle and the type of attack, the Game 
  Master can also decide that the passengers might be hit instead 
  of the vehicle. For relatively small vehicles, a single d6 roll 
  can determine whether a passenger is hit. On a roll of 1–4, the 
  vehicle is hit; on a roll of 5 or 6, a passenger is hit. If multiple 
  passengers are on the vehicle, randomly determine which one 
  is hit. For larger vehicles, the Game Master must first determine 
  what part of the vehicle was hit by the attack. Roll a d6 and 
  consult the vehicle’s System Table. If there are no passengers on 
  that part of the vehicle, no passenger can be hit. If passengers 
  are on that part of the vehicle, the Game Master rolls a d6 to 
  determine whether they are hit. On a roll of 1–4, the vehicle is 
  hit; on a roll of 5 or 6, a passenger is hit. If multiple passengers 
  are on the vehicle, randomly determine which one is hit. 
  If an attacker wants to target a specific part of a vehicle, the 
  Game Master must first determine whether the character can 
  see that part of the vehicle. For example, a character trying to 
  shoot at the horses pulling a wagon will not be able to see them 
  from directly behind the vehicle. 
  The Game Master should also determine whether there is a 
  penalty to the attack roll. For example, if a character is attacking 
  a wheel of a quickly passing wagon, the attack roll would suffer 
  a –4 penalty. If a character is attacking the sails of a stationary 
  ship, however, there is no penalty to the roll. 
  If a character hits a specific part of a vehicle and deals damage, 
  no roll on the System Table is necessary, regardless of the 
  amount of damage rolled. After suffering damage, the vehicle 
  suffers damage to the targeted system.
  DAMAGING A VEhICLE
  Vehicles share some similarities with structures in how they 
  suffer damage. Melee attacks and magic attacks can damage 
  vehicles normally. Ranged weapons that have an AOE, cause 
  fire or corrosion damage, or are POW 14 or greater can damage 
  a vehicle.
  Every vehicle has two damage stats: Damage Capacity and 
  Damage Threshold. Damage Capacity is the total amount of 
  damage the vehicle can suffer before it is destroyed and can 
  no longer function. For a wagon, this could mean its structural 
  integrity has been taken so low that it breaks into pieces. For a 
  boat, this usually indicates it has suffered massive hull damage 
  and is sinking. Damage Threshold is how much damage the 
  vehicle can suffer at one time before one of its critical systems 
  is damaged. Every time the vehicle suffers a number of damage 
  points equal to its Damage Threshold, roll on the vehicle’s 
  System Table to see which specific system has been damaged. 
  The effects of damage to a system are cumulative.
  A vehicle’s System Table and its effects are specific to that 
  vehicle and are included in the vehicle’s entry. 
  OUT Of CONTROL
  If a vehicle’s driver is incapacitated or its controls are destroyed, 
  it goes out of control. An out-of-control vehicle can no longer 
  change facing for any reason and continues moving at its 
  current speed. 
  A character who attempts to take the place of an incapacitated 
  driver must first move to the vehicle’s controls and spend a 
  quick action taking the place of the previous driver.
  If a vehicle’s controls are destroyed, it remains out of control 
  until it is slowed down or its controls are repaired. The method 
  required to slow a vehicle down depends on the vehicle. For 
  example, a character attempting to slow down an out-of-control 
  wagon must make an Animal Handling roll to calm the horses, 
  but a character attempting to slow down a sloop must make a 
  Sailing roll to furl the sails.
  REPAIRING DAMAGE
  Extensive repairs to a vehicle require access to materials like 
  wood, scrap metal, and a full mechanik’s tool kit. These repairs 
  cannot be conducted on the battlefield.
  For every hour a mechanik labors over a damaged vehicle, he 
  can remove a number of damage points from it equal to his 
  Mechanikal Engineering skill level. If the character has access 
  to a full mechanik’s shop or a ready supply of replacement 
  parts, he can remove an additional d3 damage points each hour.
  When all of a vehicle’s damage boxes have been repaired, it no 
  longer suffers any penalties to specific systems.
  SpeCifiC RepaiRS
  Repairing a damaged system on a vehicle requires two hours of 
  labor with the proper tools and a successful INT + Mechanikal 
  Engineering skill roll against a target number of 14. If the roll fails, 
  the character can attempt it again after another hour of labor. A 
  successful repair removes the effects of one damaged system.
  35
  attaCking from  
  a vehiCle
  Unlike attacking while mounted, making ranged or 
  magic attacks while riding in a vehicle does not involve 
  a standard penalty. The Game Master should determine 
  whether the speed of the vehicle and the surface it is 
  moving over have a chance of modifying a character’s 
  accuracy. For example, a character shooting a rifle 
  from the deck of a ship in calm seas can shoot without 
  penalty, but that same character would suffer a –1 
  penalty to his attack rolls if weather conditions were 
  creating significant waves. The character would suffer an 
  even larger penalty if he were attempting to fire a rifle 
  from a perch in the rigging of a ship being rocked by the 
  same waves.
  
  The Game Master can decide to modify this target number (and 
  the time spent making these repairs) for exceptionally large 
  vehicles like sailing ships, riverboats, and trains.
  aSSiSTed RepaiRS
  A mechanik assisted in his repairs by additional characters with 
  the Mechanikal Engineering skill can remove one additional 
  damage point from the vehicle for each character assisting him.
  payinG foR RepaiRS
  A character paying for the repair of a vehicle can expect to pay 
  10 gc per hour per mechanik working on the vehicle until the 
  job is complete.
  BodGinG vehiCleS
  When time is critical, such as in the heat of battle, a character 
  with the Bodge ability can attempt to patch a vehicle back 
  together temporarily. Bodging is a tactic of last recourse. At 
  best, it enables a heavily damaged vehicle to attempt to escape a 
  battle, until more extensive repairs can be made later.
  A character must have the Bodge ability to attempt any repairs 
  on a vehicle during combat. Bodging is a full action. The 
  mechanik chooses a damaged system and makes an INT + 
  Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 14. If 
  the roll fails, nothing happens, but the mechanik can attempt 
  to bodge the vehicle again next turn. If the roll succeeds, the 
  vehicle no longer suffers the penalty associated with one of its 
  damaged systems.
  A character must have the proper tools to attempt to bodge a 
  vehicle.
  Bodging has no effect on horses or other living creatures 
  pulling a vehicle.
  vehiCles
  The following attributes define how vehicles function in the game.
  Cost: This is the cost of the vehicle in Cygnaran gold crowns.
  Skill: This is the skill used when operating the vehicle.
  Skill Modifier: This represents how difficult it is to control the 
  vehicle.
  SPD: This is the speed of the vehicle. Some vehicles have their 
  own SPD, and some use the SPD of the animal pulling them.
  DEF: This is how difficult it is to hit the vehicle with an attack. 
  ARM: This is the degree to which the vehicle is protected by 
  its armor.
  Damage Capacity: This is the amount of damage the vehicle 
  can suffer before it ceases to function as a vehicle.
  Damage Threshold: This is the amount of damage that triggers 
  a roll on the vehicle’s System Table.
  Passengers: This is the number of passengers a vehicle can 
  carry, including the driver.
  Description: This is a description of the vehicle.
  Special Rules: This section describes any special rules the 
  vehicle has.
  System Table: This table lists the vehicle’s systems and explains 
  how they are damaged.
  Carriage
  Cost: 50 gc 
  Skill: Driving  
  Skill Modifier: 0 
  SPD: As horses 
  DEF: 10 
  ARM: 14 
  Damage Capacity: 16 
  Damage Threshold: 4
  Passengers: 2 (including the driver)
  Description: Carriages are small, horse-drawn vehicles used 
  to carry passengers. The common carriage consists of a simple 
  frame with a seat for two people and a partial covering to ward 
  off the rain.
  Members of the aristocracy commonly ride in very elaborate 
  carriages with fully enclosed cabins and room for footmen to 
  stand on the rear.
  Special Rules: A carriage is typically pulled by a single draft 
  horse (Core Rules, p. 277). Adding extra horses to the team will 
  add to the time the carriage can be pulled before the horses 
  become exhausted. Carriages can have a great number of 
  modifications and unique qualities.
  36
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  Carriage system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM DAMAGED
  1–2
  body – No specific system is damaged.
  3
  horses – One of the horses pulling 
  the carriage is hit. Apply the damage 
  roll to that horse. If all the carriage’s 
  horses are killed, the carriage 
  becomes stationary at the end of its 
  next turn.
  4
  Driver – The driver of the carriage 
  is hit. Apply the damage roll to the 
  driver.
  5
  Wheels – A randomly determined 
  carriage wheel is hit. Reduce the 
  carriage’s DEf and SPD by 1.
  6
  Passengers – Randomly determine 
  which passenger is hit, not including 
  the driver. Apply the damage roll to 
  that passenger.
  riverBoat system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM DAMAGED
  1–2
  hull – No specific system is damaged.
  3
  Pilot house – The steering mechanism 
  is damaged. Apply a –1 penalty to 
  all attempts to control the vehicle. If 
  this location is damaged again, the 
  steering mechanism is destroyed.
  4–5
  Paddle Wheels – A randomly 
  determined paddlewheel is hit. Reduce 
  the riverboat’s DEf and SPD by 1.
  6
  Passengers/Cargo – Randomly 
  determine which passenger is hit. 
  (Passengers inside the body of the 
  vehicle are not eligible targets.) If 
  no passengers are eligible, a piece 
  of cargo or a weapon stored on the 
  deck is damaged.
  riverBoat
  Cost: 8,000 gc 
  Skill: Sailing  
  Skill Modifier: 0 
  SPD: 10 
  DEF: 7 
  ARM: 16 
  Damage Capacity: 50 
  Damage Threshold: 10
  Passengers: 50 (5-man minimum crew)
  Description: Riverboats are flat-bottomed, steam-powered 
  vessels that ferry people and goods among the major cities and 
  larger settlements of the Iron Kingdoms. 
  Special Rules: A riverboat burns 15 gc of coal per hour of travel.
  Riverboats come in many sizes. For every additional 1,000 gc 
  spent in its construction, a riverboat’s crew requirement is 
  increased by 3 and its passenger capacity is increased by 50 
  (to a maximum of 300). For every 1,000 gc spent increasing a 
  riverboat’s size, its fuel requirement doubles.
  It requires a full action to maintain control of a riverboat.
  37
  vehiCles and 
  adventuring ComPanies
  The vehicles presented here are intended for use with 
  adventuring companies that grant the PCs a vehicle, 
  such as a small ship from Pirates of the Broken Coast, 
  Caspian Cortex Smugglers, or Ordic Naval Expedition. 
  
  slooP
  Cost: 6,000 gc 
  Skill: Sailing  
  Skill Modifier: –1 
  SPD: 10 
  DEF: 7 
  ARM: 16 
  Damage Capacity: 60 
  Damage Threshold: 10
  Passengers: 30 (8-man minimum crew)
  Description: A sloop is a small sailing ship with a single mast. 
  It is used as a patrol vessel by the navies of the Iron Kingdoms 
  and is also favored by pirates.
  Special Rules: The cost of a sloop does not include any weapons. 
  A sloop can be armed with up to eight deck guns (four per side) 
  or up to four royal weight cannons (two per side).
  Maintaining control of a sloop requires a full action. A sloop’s 
  speed is largely determined by its rigging, the skill of its crew, 
  and the available wind. The SPD listed above assumes a sloop 
  with an average crew under normal conditions. Depending 
  on circumstances, the Game Master can choose to increase or 
  decrease this amount by 1– 4 points.
  slooP system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM DAMAGED
  1–2
  hull – No specific system is damaged.
  3–4
  Sails and Rigging – The sails or 
  rigging is damaged. Reduce the 
  sloop’s DEf and SPD by 1.
  5
  Wheel and Rudder – The steering 
  mechanism is damaged. Apply a –1 
  penalty to all attempts to control the 
  vehicle. If this location is damaged 
  again, the steering mechanism is 
  destroyed.
  6
  Passengers/Cargo – Randomly 
  determine which passenger is hit. 
  (Passengers inside the body of the 
  vehicle are not eligible targets.) If 
  no passengers are eligible, a piece 
  of cargo or a weapon stored on the 
  deck is damaged.
  Wagon, small
  Cost: 50 gc  
  Skill: Driving  
  Skill Modifier: –1 
  SPD: As horses 
  DEF: 10 
  ARM: 14 
  Damage Capacity: 14 
  Damage Threshold: 4
  Passengers: 2 (including the driver) 
  38
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  Description: Wagons are horse-drawn vehicles used primarily 
  to transport goods. They generally have an open top, a seat near 
  the front for the driver and one passenger, and a low-walled bed 
  that makes up the rest of the vehicle. 
  Special Rules: A small wagon is usually pulled by a pair of 
  draft horses (sold separately).
  A small wagon can carry a light steamjack and a modest load of 
  fuel or other cargo.
  Wagon (small) system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM DAMAGED
  1–2
  body – No specific system is damaged.
  3
  horses – One of the horses pulling 
  the wagon is hit. Apply the damage 
  roll to that horse. If all the vehicle’s 
  horses are killed, the wagon becomes 
  stationary at the end of its next turn.
  4
  Driver – The driver of the wagon 
  is hit. Apply the damage roll to the 
  driver.
  5
  Wheels – A randomly determined 
  wagon wheel is hit. Reduce the 
  wagon’s DEf and SPD by 1.
  6
  Passengers/Cargo – If the wagon 
  is loaded with cargo, a randomly 
  determined piece of cargo is 
  damaged. If passengers are in the 
  cargo area, randomly determine 
  which one of them has been hit 
  and apply the damage roll to that 
  passenger instead.
  Wagon, large
  Cost: 85 gc 
  Skill: Driving  
  Skill Modifier: –1 
  SPD: As horses 
  DEF: 10 
  ARM: 14 
  Damage Capacity: 18 
  Damage Threshold: 4
  Passengers: 3 (including the driver) 
  Description: Wagons are horse-drawn vehicles used primarily 
  to transport goods. They generally have an open top, a seat near 
  the front for the driver and one passenger, and a low-walled bed 
  that makes up the rest of the vehicle. 
  Special Rules: A large wagon must be pulled by at least two 
  draft horses (sold separately), though heavy cargo loads can 
  require a team of four or more.
  A large wagon can carry a heavy steamjack and a heavy load of 
  fuel or other cargo.
  Wagon (large) system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM DAMAGED
  1–2
  body – No specific system is damaged.
  3
  horses – One of the horses pulling 
  the wagon is hit. Apply the damage 
  roll to that horse. If all the vehicle’s 
  horses are killed, the wagon becomes 
  stationary at the end of its next turn.
  4
  Driver – The driver of the wagon 
  is hit. Apply the damage roll to the 
  driver.
  5
  Wheels – A randomly determined 
  wagon wheel is hit. Reduce the 
  wagon’s DEf and SPD by 1.
  6
  Passengers/Cargo – If the wagon 
  is loaded with cargo, a randomly 
  determined piece of cargo is 
  damaged. If passengers are in the 
  cargo area, randomly determine 
  which one of them has been hit 
  and apply the damage roll to that 
  passenger instead.
  VEhICLE UPGRADES
  Vehicles can be upgraded in a number of ways. Each upgrade 
  below identifies the type of vehicle it can be applied to, its cost, 
  and its special rules.
  armored Panels
  Type: Any 
  Cost: 1/3  base cost
  Effect: Increase the ARM of the vehicle by 2.
  enClosed Body
  Type: Carriage or wagon 
  Cost: 150 gc (small), 255 gc (large)
  Effect: The cargo area of the vehicle is fully enclosed with a 
  door at the back. A result of “Passengers/Cargo” on the System 
  Table is treated as “Body.” Passengers inside an enclosed body 
  cannot be targeted.
  enClosed Controls
  Type: Carriage, wagon, or riverboat
  Cost: 200 gc
  Effect: The controls of the vehicle are enclosed within its body, 
  allowing the driver to control it while safely out of harm’s way. 
  The enclosed area is sufficiently sized to contain the driver and 
  a single passenger. Characters inside the enclosed area cannot 
  be targeted.
  39
  
  enlarged Body
  Type: Any
  Cost: 1/2 base cost 
  Effect: The vehicle’s cargo capacity is doubled, as is the power 
  required to move it. For a ship, the cost of the additional sails 
  and rigging is included. For a vehicle pulled by horses, the 
  additional animals must be purchased separately.
  Patrol Wagon
  Type: Large wagon
  Cost: 45 gc
  Effect: The cargo area of the wagon contains a large cage 
  used to transport criminals. A wall behind the driver’s seat 
  protects the driver and anyone else seated there from attack. 
  The authorities of large cities frequently use patrol wagons 
  for prisoner transport. A patrol wagon can carry up to twelve 
  prisoners at a time.
  WeaPon mount
  Type: Wagon
  Cost: 25 gc + the cost of the weapon
  Effect: A large weapon can be attached to the vehicle and fired 
  from a semi-stable position. Available weapons include chain 
  guns, sluggers, and deck guns. (See pages 94, 96, and 309, 
  respectively, of Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying 
  Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods.) A small wagon can have 
  one weapon mount, a large wagon can have up to 
  two, and a wagon with an enlarged body can 
  have up to three.
  40
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  No adventure is complete without an exciting chase or two, 
  whether it is a short encounter resolved in a few turns or is the 
  focus of an entire session.
  The chase rules presented here allow a Game Master to 
  present chases in an abstract way that focuses on the two most 
  important factors in a chase scene: the distance between the 
  parties involved, and any complications that arise during the 
  chase. A Game Master can use these rules to represent extended, 
  dramatic chases in his games. Not every pursuit is significant 
  enough to require full use of these chase rules. They should 
  be reserved for dramatically significant chases that involve 
  significant stakes and consequences if the quarry escapes.
  ThE ChASE TRACK
  At the core of these rules is the chase track. It has ten spaces, but 
  the Game Master can expand it for longer chases as needed. The 
  chase track is used to represent the distance or time between 
  two parties in a chase. It does not correspond specifically to a 
  real distance on the tabletop.
  A chase track has been provided for use with this adventure. It 
  can be found on the final page of this document. 
  weapon RanGeS and The ChaSe TRaCk
  Because the spaces of the chase track can represent any distance 
  or even time, it is up to the Game Master to determine when 
  participants in the chase can attack each other, if ever. For a 
  foot chase, each space likely represents a few feet between the 
  parties, which makes ranged attacks of all kinds a possibility. 
  For a chase involving horses racing across the wilderness, each 
  space should represent a much greater distance. For these larger 
  distances, the Game Master may determine that ranged attacks 
  can be made only when the parties are one or two spaces apart.
  ThE QUARRy AND ThE PURSUER
  There are two sides to a chase: the quarry and the pursuer. The 
  quarry is the character or group of characters being chased. The 
  pursuer is the character or group of characters attempting to 
  catch the quarry.
  ThE LEAD
  The number of spaces on the chase track between the quarry 
  and the pursuer is called the lead. When a chase begins, the 
  amount of the lead is determined by the Game Master. For a 
  brief foot chase on the crowded streets of a major city, the lead 
  may be as short as one space. If the quarry has a significant head 
  start and the chase is taking place on a major road between 
  cities, the lead may be five or six spaces.
  The quarry is positioned on the track first, and then the pursuer 
  is placed behind the quarry a number of spaces equal to the 
  lead. Leave adequate room in front of the quarry and behind 
  the pursuers to adjust their positions during the chase.
  Treat the entire chase as one encounter, with the participants 
  rolling initiative at the beginning of the chase. Characters 
  do not move normally during a chase. A character can either 
  forfeit his movement or make a chase move. All other actions 
  or attacks made by the participants follow the normal rules for 
  resolving an encounter.
  A character who makes a chase move makes a skill roll called 
  the chase roll at the beginning of his turn. This roll is made to 
  adjust the lead. Characters do not have to use any actions to 
  make this roll, but a character can sacrifice his other actions 
  during his activation to gain a +2 bonus to the roll. A character 
  who forfeits his movement is considered to have failed his chase 
  roll. In the case of a foot chase, every participant makes a roll. If 
  horses or vehicles are involved in the chase, only the character 
  in control of each mount or vehicle makes a roll.
  When the quarry makes a roll, he is attempting to increase the 
  lead and put more distance between himself and the pursuers. 
  He rolls against a target number based on the stats of the fastest 
  pursuer. When a pursuer makes a roll, he is attempting to 
  decrease the lead and get closer to the quarry. He rolls against a 
  target number based on the stats of the quarry he is attempting 
  to catch. The stats used for the chase roll are determined by the 
  Game Master and should match the circumstances of the chase. 
  If a character is swimming after a rowboat, the target number 
  for his roll will be the SPD of the boat + the STR of the rower 
  + the rower’s Sailing skill level. The swimmer will make a roll 
  based on his STR + Swimming level. The following chart offers 
  some examples of target numbers.
  aPPendix B: Chases
  41
  CharaCter oPtions 
  during a Chase
  The chase roll is an abstraction of the characters’ 
  attempts to move as fast as possible during the chase. 
  The Game Master determines which stats and skills to 
  use in the roll and whether certain actions change the 
  circumstances of the chase. 
  For example, if all the participants in the chase are 
  mounted on horses but one of the characters has a 
  riding skill of 0, it may seem better for that character 
  to dismount and continue the chase on foot. In most 
  circumstances, however, keeping up with a galloping 
  horse would be impossible for a character on foot. In this 
  case, the Game Master would decide that a character on 
  foot automatically fails his chase roll.
  
  ChARACTER
  TARGET NUMbER
  On foot
  Character’s SPD + 7
  Riding a horse
  horse’s SPD + character’s AGL + 
  Riding
  Driving a wagon
  horse’s SPD + character’s AGL + 
  Driving
  Swimming
  Character’s SPD + STR + Swimming
  Sailing
  Ship’s SPD + pilot’s INT + Sailing
  ExamplE: A highwayman attempting to escape the scene of a crime is 
  being pursued by multiple bounty hunters. The highwayman is on a 
  riding horse, and the bounty hunters are in a wagon pulled by two draft 
  horses. The highwayman’s horse has a SPD of 9, and the highwayman 
  has an AGL of 4 and a Riding skill of 2. The bounty hunters’ wagon 
  has a SPD of 7, and the driver has an AGL of 4 and a Driving skill of 
  1. The target number of the highwayman’s roll to increase the lead is 
  12. He makes a roll based on his AGL + Riding skill level. The target 
  number of the bounty hunters’ roll to decrease the lead is 15. 
  If a character’s roll fails to equal or exceed his target number, 
  his position on the chase track does not change. If the quarry’s 
  roll equals or exceeds his target number, the lead is increased 
  by one space. If the pursuer’s roll equals or exceeds his target 
  number, the lead is decreased by one space. The Game Master 
  may also decide that an exceptionally high roll, such as a roll 
  that exceeds the target number by five, adjusts the lead by more 
  than one space; a severe failure, such as double ones, may also 
  adjust the lead by one space.
  How the lead is adjusted depends on whose chase roll is being 
  resolved and the available spaces on the chase track. If the 
  quarry succeeds at his chase roll, the lead can be increased by 
  moving him forward on the track or by moving all the pursuers 
  back on the track. When a pursuer succeeds at a chase roll, he 
  moves one space forward on the track, but other pursuers do 
  not move.
  ENDING A ChASE
  A chase can end under two conditions. If the lead increases to 
  a certain amount, the quarry has escaped. If the lead is reduced 
  to zero, the pursuer has caught the quarry.
  eSCape
  The Game Master determines the conditions for escape at the 
  beginning of the chase. Typically this requires the quarry to 
  increase his lead by a predetermined amount. If the chase 
  occurs at midnight on the winding streets of a major city, 
  the lead may need to increase to only four before the quarry 
  manages to shake the pursuer. If the chase takes place over a 
  flat stretch of the Bloodstone Desert, however, the pursuer’s 
  ability to see the quarry will mean the lead may have to grow to 
  eight or more before the pursuers’ chance of success evaporates.
  CaTChinG The QuaRRy
  When the pursuer catches the quarry, the Game Master should 
  choose an encounter appropriate to the type of chase. For 
  example, in a chase between a merchant vessel and a pirate ship, 
  this is likely to be a combat encounter that plays through the 
  boarding action. In a chase between a pickpocket and members 
  of the city watch, the encounter could be as simple as a guard 
  apprehending the pickpocket without a fight.
  COMPLICATIONS
  Complications are things that can be brought into a chase to 
  raise the stakes for either party. The list of examples below is not 
  exhaustive, and Game Masters can use it to create complications 
  of their own.
  oBSTaCleS
  An obstacle is any complication that must be dealt with during a 
  chase but has little chance of injuring either party. Examples of 
  obstacles are pedestrians on a street, logs lying across a country 
  road, slower vehicles on a path, and patches of ice. 
  Some obstacles might apply only to the quarry or to the 
  pursuer but not to both. A quarry can create or modify existing 
  obstacles with the Game Master’s permission. For example, in 
  42
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  aBilities and lead
  Certain character abilities, such as Fleet Foot, Light 
  Cavalry, Pursuit, and Swift Rider, grant a character 
  additional mobility that a player may want to incorporate 
  in a chase scene. At the Game Master’s discretion, a 
  character possessing such abilities may gain a +2 bonus 
  to skill rolls to modify the lead.
  larger Chases
  Some stories require a larger chase and complicate its 
  resolution. 
  For example, a chase may involve three parties. If each 
  participant is chasing the next, the chase involves two 
  quarries and two pursuers. The party in the middle is not 
  only the pursuer of the main quarry but also the quarry 
  of the pursuer at the rear. The lead between the first 
  two parties will shift during the chase, as will the lead 
  between the last two parties, but it will not be affected 
  by the rolls in the other chase.
  If multiple pursuers are trying to catch the same quarry, 
  such as bandits and lawmen attempting to reach a train 
  before the other, the Game Master can use multiple 
  chase tracks to track the separate leads.
  
  a foot chase through busy streets, the quarry would be slowed 
  by the crowds and suffer a –1 penalty to his roll, but he will 
  likely be creating a clearer path for his pursuers, who would 
  therefore not suffer the same penalty. The Game Master can 
  allow the quarry to make an unarmed combat roll during his 
  turn to attempt to knock down multiple people in an attempt 
  to trip up his pursuer, causing the pursuer to suffer a penalty 
  of –1 or more.
  Obstacles must be resolved before a character rolls to modify 
  the lead. Dealing with an obstacle requires the use of a quick 
  action and an appropriate roll. The result of failing a roll to 
  avoid an obstacle is automatically falling a space behind on 
  the chase track, but the Game Master can apply other penalties 
  if he chooses, such as a penalty to the character’s chase roll. 
  The following chart offers examples of obstacles for a character 
  riding a horse.
  TARGET 
  NUMbER
  ObSTACLE
  MODIfIER TO 
  ChASE ROLL
  12
  Log in the path
  –2
  14
  Severely uneven ground
  –2
  17
  Icy patches
  –4
  20
  A large chasm
  Automatic 
  failure
  hazaRdS
  A hazard is a complication that has the potential of injuring 
  either party in a chase. Examples of hazards include falling 
  rocks along a mountain trail, patches of burning forest, and 
  gunfire from third parties.
  Hazards can also be created or modified by either party in the 
  chase. A quarry with the right grenades could throw them into 
  a forest to create burning areas a pursuer would have to avoid, 
  or a pursuer could fire a weapon at the slopes ahead of a quarry 
  in an attempt to start an avalanche.
  The Game Master can impose a die roll penalty on the 
  participants of the chase, but such a penalty is not always 
  necessary. In addition to the normal chase roll, the parties will 
  need to make a roll to avoid the hazard. This roll should use 
  the appropriate skill, and the results of failing a roll when a 
  hazard is present should be appropriate to the type of hazard. 
  The following chart offers examples of hazards for a character 
  driving a wagon.
  TARGET 
  NUMbER
  DANGER
  RESULT
  12
  Large rocks falling 
  onto road
  D3 damage to body, –1 
  to chase roll
  14
  Shallow hole
  D3 damage to wheels
  17
  burning wreckage 
  POW 12 
  20
  Extremely steep 
  incline
  Wagon overturns, 
  chase ends
  ouTS
  An out is a complication that can be used by the quarry to end 
  the chase in some way. Outs are completely at the discretion of 
  the Game Master. An urban chase may offer multiple doors a 
  quarry can use to attempt to hide from a pursuer, for example, 
  but in a chase across the Bloodstone Desert, visibility may 
  extend for miles, and a quarry may have no way to escape 
  except with speed. 
  The Game Master should always consider the amount of lead 
  when determining whether an out is appropriate. If the pursuer 
  is a mere step behind the quarry, ducking into a nearby building 
  will not accomplish the same thing it would if the pursuer were 
  around the corner a block away.
  When a character successfully takes an out, the chase is over. 
  This can lead to an investigative encounter as the pursuer 
  searches for clues about where the quarry has gone, or it can 
  lead to a social encounter as the pursuer questions eyewitnesses 
  for any information about the quarry’s whereabouts. Resolution 
  of a chase after a successful out is up to the Game Master and 
  should reflect the environment and circumstances of the chase.
  43
  oBstaCle or hazard?
  Certain complications might be an obstacle to some 
  participants of a chase and a hazard to others. A log 
  lying across a road can be jumped by a horse but not by 
  a wagon. The Game Master should always consider the 
  participants in a chase when determining the nature of 
  a complication.
  
  aPPendix C: the Bloody sWeat
  The Bloody Sweat is a deadly contagion that plays a significant 
  role in Bitter Medicine. It is both an airborne infection and a 
  blood-borne infection. The Game Master determines when a 
  character has a chance to be infected by the Bloody Sweat. 
  A character exposed to the illness must make a PHY roll 
  against a target number of 14, which increases by +1 for every 
  infected character killed in the vicinity. A character who fails 
  the roll is infected by the Bloody Sweat and suffers its initial 
  symptoms. 
  Over the next d3 days, an infected character suffers from bouts 
  of nausea and sweating. Although not immediately harmful, 
  these waves come suddenly and without warning. A character 
  suffering from the initial symptoms must roll a d6 at the start 
  of any combat encounter before rolling initiative. On a roll of 1, 
  the character rolls one fewer die on initiative rolls. 
  After the initial symptoms pass, a character progresses to the 
  advanced stage of the disease, which lasts for a number of weeks 
  equal to half the character’s PHY. During the advanced stage, 
  the character cannot regain vitality by any means. Once a day, 
  the character must make a PHY roll against a target number of 
  15. If the roll fails, the character suffers 1 damage point from 
  blood loss caused by a bloody nose, skin lesions, or internal 
  hemorrhaging. A character incapacitated by this damage dies. 
  If the character survives the advanced stage but fails to fight off 
  the disease, it enters its final stage.
  During the final stage of the disease, the character must make 
  PHY rolls to avoid damage as above, but once per hour rather 
  than once per day. If he engages in any strenuous physical 
  activity, at the end of each of his turns the maximum number of 
  feat points he can have is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0. If a 
  character has no feat points, he automatically suffers 1 damage 
  point at the end of each of his turns as he begins to hemorrhage 
  blood at an advanced rate. A character incapacitated by this 
  damage dies. A character who fights off the disease regains lost 
  feat points at a rate of 1 per day.
  44
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  using the Bloody sWeat
  In Bitter Medicine, the Bloody Sweat primarily serves 
  as a means of spurring the characters into action and 
  providing them with a deadly ticking clock, making their 
  rescue of Dr. Gateu that much more important. It affects 
  characters during the adventure as required by the needs 
  of the story. The rules given here provide suggestions for 
  a Game Master who wants to use the Bloody Sweat in 
  further adventures set in the Iron Kingdoms.
  
  aPPendix d: antagonists
  Bayton rookWood 
  (skilled human military offiCer/highWayman)
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  animal handling 
  soC 
  1 
  *
  Command 
  soC 
  2 
  *
  deception 
  soC 
  1 
  *
  detection 
  Per 
  1 
  6
  intimidation 
  soC 
  2 
  *
  Pistol 
  Poi 
  2 
  7
  riding 
  agl 
  2 
  6
  sneak 
  agl 
  1 
  5
  survival 
  Per 
  2 
  7
  AbILITIES:
  Ambush	– During the first round of 
  an encounter, this character gains 
  boosted attack and damage rolls 
  against enemies that have not yet 
  activated that encounter.
  Fast	 Draw – A character with this 
  skill gains +2 on initiative rolls. He 
  also gains an additional quick action 
  during his first turn of combat each 
  encounter that can be used only to 
  draw a weapon.
  Feat	Points – This character starts 
  each encounter with 3 feat points. 
  He is allocated 1 feat point at the 
  start of each of his turns. He can 
  have up to 3 feat points at a time.
  Gang – When making a melee attack 
  that targets an enemy in melee 
  range of another friendly character, 
  this character gains +1 to melee 
  attack and melee damage rolls. 
  When making a melee attack that 
  targets an enemy in melee range 
  of another friendly character who 
  also has this ability, these bonuses 
  increase to +2.
  Gunfighter – The character does not 
  suffer a –4 penalty on ranged attack 
  rolls with pistols or carbines while 
  engaged.
  Natural	 Leader – A character 
  with Natural Leader increases his 
  command range by 2˝.
  Sacrificial	 Pawn – When this 
  character is directly hit by an enemy 
  ranged attack, you can choose to 
  have one friendly, non-incorporeal 
  character within 3˝ of this character 
  directly hit instead. That character 
  is automatically hit and suffers all 
  damage and effects.
  Skilled – A Skilled character gains 
  an additional attack during his 
  Activation Phase if he chooses to 
  attack that turn.
  Two-Weapon	 Fighting – While 
  fighting with a one-handed weapon 
  or pistol in each hand, the character 
  gains an additional attack for the 
  second weapon. He suffers –2 on 
  attack rolls with the second weapon 
  while doing so.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  6
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  7
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  4
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  4
  POISE 
  POI 
  5
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  4
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  5
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  16
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  15
   
  (-1 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  13
   
  (+7 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  10
  Command Range: 6
  Base size: smaLL
  equipment:
  Tailored plate, Dominance (mechanikal 
  Radcliffe Firestorm), quad-iron, ammunition 
  for 16 shots (each pistol), 250 gc
  dominanCe
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  8 
  — 
  12
  Abilities: This is a magical weapon. 
  While this weapon has power, the user 
  gains +1 on attack rolls and ignores spell 
  effects that add to the target’s DEF or ARM.
  Quad-iRon
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  10 
  — 
  10
  Abilities: After a hit with this weapon, once 
  the attack has been resolved the attacker 
  can immediately make one additional 
  attack with this weapon targeting the last 
  character hit or another character within 2˝ 
  of that character. This attack is in addition 
  to the attacker’s other actions. 
  Reloading each barrel takes one quick action.
  I
  N
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  E
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  I
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  H
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  S
  I
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  U
  E
  1
  2
  3
  4
  6
  5
  45
  modifying 
  Bayton rookWood
  Rookwood can be a dangerous opponent for a group 
  of PCs, particularly if they have suffered damage prior 
  to encountering him. If the Game Master thinks the 
  PCs will have trouble with Rookwood, he can have him 
  start the encounter with a crippled Agility aspect due to 
  vitality loss from the Bloody Sweat. 
  
  darvon shanke, underBoss and WyrmWall veteran
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  riding 
  agl 
  2 
  6
  detection 
  Per 
  2 
  5
  driving 
  agl 
  1 
  5
  hand Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  5
  Pistol 
  Poi 
  2 
  7
  sneak 
  agl 
  1 
  5
  survival 
  Per 
  1 
  4
  AbILITIES:
  Find	Cover	– At the start of combat 
  before initiative is rolled, this 
  character can immediately advance 
  up to 12 feet (2˝) and perform a 
  quick action to take cover or go 
  prone.
  Sentry – Once per round when an 
  enemy is placed in or moves into the 
  line of sight of this character, this 
  character can immediately make one 
  attack, targeting that enemy.
  Feat	Points	– This character starts 
  each encounter with 2 feat points. 
  He is allocated 1 feat point at the 
  start of each of his turns. He can 
  have up to 2 feat points at a time.
  Fast	Reload – This character gains 
  one extra quick action each turn that 
  can be used only to reload a ranged 
  weapon.
  Saddle	Shot	– This character does 
  not suffer the firing from horseback 
  penalty when making ranged attacks 
  while mounted.
  Return	 Fire – Once per round 
  when this character is missed by an 
  enemy’s ranged attack, immediately 
  after the attack is resolved he can 
  make one normal attack against the 
  attacking enemy. 
  To make a ranged attack, the 
  character’s ranged weapon must be 
  loaded.
  Two-Weapon	 Fighting – While 
  fighting with a one-handed weapon 
  or pistol in each hand, the character 
  gains an additional attack for the 
  second weapon. He suffers –2 on 
  attack rolls with the second weapon 
  while doing so.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  7
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  7
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  4
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  4
  POISE 
  POI 
  5
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  3
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  3
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  14
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  12
   
  (-2 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  14
   
  (+7 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  10
  Command Range: 3
  Base size: smaLL
  equipment:
  Infantry armor, gas mask, sword, repeating 
  pistol (x2), ammunition for 15 shots, 50 gc
  DESCRIPTION
  Darvon Shanke is a Wyrmwall Veteran, one of several former 
  soldiers under Rookwood’s command who followed him into a 
  life of banditry after the Lion’s Coup. Like all former members 
  of Rookwood’s unit, Shanke has authority to act as Rookwood’s 
  surrogate when the gang leader cannot participate in a raid. 
  Rookwood trusts Shanke implicitly to carry out his wishes.
  Shanke fights on the front lines among the Wyrmwall bandits, 
  eschewing the light armor most riders wear for a heavier suit that 
  incorporates elements from his old Cygnaran military uniform. 
  RepeaTinG piSTol
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   7 
  8 
  — 
  10
  SwoRd
   MAT 
  POW 
  P+S
   5 
  3 
  7
  I
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  H
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  S
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  E
  1
  2
  3
  4
  6
  5
  46
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  Brun Whiddle, field meChanik
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  Command 
  soC 
  1 
  *
  Craft (metalworking) 
  int 
  2 
  6
  hand Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  mechanikal engineering 
  int 
  2 
  6
  AbILITIES:
  ’Jack	 Marshal	 – The character is 
  skilled at instructing steamjacks to 
  act. Besides the ’jack’s cortex lock 
  codes, the ’jack marshal must know 
  the cortex’s native language in order 
  to instruct it.
  For a complete description of how this 
  ability is used, see “’Jack Marshals” 
  on p. 322 of the Core Rules.
  Bodge – The character can make 
  temporary repairs to a steamjack 
  amid combat. See the “Steamjacks” 
  chapter (Core Rules, p. 299) for 
  more details.
  Hit	 the	 Deck! – The character is 
  so accustomed to catastrophic 
  explosions in his presence that he 
  has developed the uncanny ability to 
  hit the ground the second before he 
  would be affected by a blast. While 
  prone, the character does not suffer 
  damage from AOEs unless directly hit 
  by the AOE. If the character is caught 
  in an AOE that would cause blast 
  damage but was not directly hit by 
  the AOE, he goes prone but suffers 
  no damage.
  Drive:	Pronto – This character can 
  make a quick action to use Drive: 
  Pronto on a steamjack he controls. 
  The steamjack immediately makes a 
  full advance.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  6
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  6
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  4
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  5
  POISE 
  POI 
  4
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  4
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  4
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  15
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  12
   
  (-2 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  13
   
  (+7 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  10
  Command Range: 4
  Base size: smaLL
  equipment:
  Infantry armor, ’jack wrench, 
  mechanik’s tool kit, 10 gc
  DESCRIPTION
  Brun Whiddle is a former member of the Fharin North Mining 
  Consortium (FNMC) who joined forces with the Wyrmwall 
  Riders when they took over Mine #3. For many years he 
  had been living in the otherwise abandoned camp, his only 
  companion a battered mining steamjack named Jig. Rookwood 
  promised Whiddle a position of authority in the gang and a 
  share of its raids if he would work as the armorer and engineer 
  of the group, a job Whiddle accepted enthusiastically. Although 
  technically proficient at his job, Whiddle is lazy and a bit of 
  a drunkard, and he sometimes lets his work (like replacing a 
  damaged mini-slugger’s barrel, for example) lapse until the last 
  possible minute. 
  'JaCk wRenCh
   MAT 
  POW 
  P+S
   3 
  3 
  7
  I
  N
  T
  E
  L
  L
  E
  C
  T
  A
  G
  I
  L
  I
  T
  Y
  P
  H
  Y
  S
  I
  Q
  U
  E
  1
  2
  3
  4
  6
  5
  Abilities: On a critical hit with a ’jack 
  wrench, a living target hit has a chance 
  to be knocked out. If the target suffers 
  damage from the attack, he must make 
  a Willpower roll against a target number 
  equal to the attacking character’s STR + 9. 
  If the roll succeeds, he remains conscious. 
  If it fails, he is knocked out
  47
  
  Willem “three-fingers” aBershaWe, alChemist
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  alchemy 
  int 
  1 
  6
  medicine  
  int 
  1 
  6
  research 
  int 
  1 
  6
  hand Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  thrown Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  DESCRIPTION
  Willem Abershawe is an alchemist pressed into service by 
  Rookwood to provide the gang with explosives and other 
  alchemical items. The gang abducted Abershawe upon 
  discovering his abilities as an alchemist and keeps a close eye 
  on him. He has attempted to run from Rookwood in the past, 
  but every attempt ended in failure. Since the gang contracted 
  the Bloody Sweat, Abershawe has been forced to work as a 
  stand-in doctor, surrounded by the sick and dying.
  AbILITIES:
  Free	 Style – The character can 
  improvise the ingredients in his 
  alchemical compounds. This allows 
  the character to attempt to make do 
  without a specific ingredient. This 
  requires an Alchemy skill roll with a 
  target number equal to 10 plus the 
  gc value of the ingredient.
  This ability also allows the character 
  to get by with less expensive 
  versions of common alchemical 
  ingredients, reducing the cost of his 
  alchemical compounds by 1 gc each 
  (to a minimum of 1 gc). Alchemical 
  compounds 
  brewed 
  using 
  this 
  skill vary slightly in appearance or 
  physical quality from items created 
  by following time-tested recipes.
  Gas	Mask – The character is immune 
  to gas effects.
  Grenadier’s	
  Bandolier 
  – 
  A 
  character 
  with 
  a 
  grenadier’s 
  bandolier can draw grenades without 
  spending a quick action.
  Grenadier – The character gains 
  an additional quick action each turn 
  that can be used only to pull the pin 
  on a grenade.
  Poison	Resistance – The character 
  gains boosted rolls to resist poisons 
  and toxins.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  5
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  6
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  4
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  3
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  5
  POISE 
  POI 
  4
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  5
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  5
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  15
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  12
   
  (-2 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  12
   
  (+7 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  10
  VITALITY: 7
  CommAnd RAnge: 5
  BAse sIze: smALL
  equIpmenT:
  Field alchemy kit, infantry armor, gas mask, 
  grenadier's bandolier, pick axe
  Smoke GRenade
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  8 
  3 
  —
  piCkaxe
   MAT 
  POW 
  P+S
   6 
  4 
  8
  Abilities: Once it is in hand, using a 
  grenade requires both a quick action and 
  an attack. The quick action is spent pulling 
  the pin, and the attack is to actually throw 
  the grenade.
  Smoke grenades cause no damage. The 
  weapon’s AOE is a cloud effect that remains 
  in play for one round.
  48
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  riding 
  agl 
  2 
  6
  detection 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  survival 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  hand Weapon 
  PrW 
  2 
  7
  thrown Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  DESCRIPTION
  Wyrmwall Bruisers are the shocktroopers of Rookwood’s 
  gang. They wear heavier armor and carry grenades and 
  melee weapons to flush defenders into the open, where their 
  companions can dispatch them at range. Only the strongest, 
  toughest members of the gang have the distinction of being 
  selected for this important role, and those few show extreme 
  respect and diligence toward their duty.
  AbILITIES:
  Defender	 – Once per round, when 
  a friendly character within this 
  character’s command range is hit 
  with an enemy attack, immediately 
  after the attack has been resolved this 
  character can advance toward the 
  enemy character, up to twelve feet 
  (2˝), and make one melee attack.
  Grenadier	 – The character gains 
  an additional quick action each turn 
  that can be used only to pull the pin 
  on a grenade.
  Hit	 ’Em	 Low – When a friendly 
  character hits a living or undead 
  enemy character while the enemy 
  is in base-to-base contact with this 
  character, the enemy character is 
  knocked down.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  6
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  6
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  6
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  5
  POISE 
  POI 
  4
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  3
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  4
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  15
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  12
   
  (-2 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  13
   
  (+7 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  9
  VITALITY: 11
  CommAnd RAnge: 3
  BAse sIze: smALL 
  (LARge WHILe moUnTed)
  enCoUnTeR PoInTs: 6
  eqUIPmenT:
  Infantry armor, explosive grenade (x3), 
  gas mask, pickaxe, d6+3 gc
  exploSive GRenade
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  8 
  3 
  12
  piCkaxe
   MAT 
  POW 
  P+S
   7 
  4 
  10
  Abilities: Once it is in hand, using a 
  grenade requires both a quick action and 
  an attack. The quick action is spent pulling 
  the pin, and the attack is to actually throw 
  the grenade.
  Abilities: On a hit with this weapon against 
  a knocked down target, a character can 
  spend 1 feat point to gain an additional 
  die on the damage roll.
  WyrmWall Bruisers
  49
  
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  riding 
  agl 
  2 
  6
  detection 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  Pistol 
  Poi 
  2 
  6
  survival 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  AbILITIES:
  Fast	 Reload – The character gains 
  one extra quick action each turn that 
  can be used only to reload a ranged 
  weapon.
  Gunfighter – The character does not 
  suffer a –4 penalty on ranged attack 
  rolls with pistols or carbines while 
  engaged.
  Saddle	Shot	– This character does 
  not suffer the firing from horseback 
  penalty when making ranged attacks 
  while mounted.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  6
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  6
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  5
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  4
  POISE 
  POI 
  4
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  3
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  4
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  14
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  13
   
  (-1 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  11
   
  (+5 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  9
  VITALITY: 8
  CommAnd RAnge: 3
  BAse sIze: smALL 
  (LARge WHILe moUnTed)
  enCoUnTeR PoInTs: 3
  eqUIPmenT:
  Armored great coat, gas mask, repeating 
  pistol or carbine, ammunition for 10 shots, 
  d6+3 gc
  RepeaTinG piSTol
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  8 
  — 
  10
  CaRBine
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   6 
  10 
  — 
  10
  WyrmWall rider
  DESCRIPTION
  The Wyrmwall Riders are a gang of skilled mountain bandits 
  operating in the Southern Midlunds near the Market Line. 
  Each Rider is a proficient horseman and gunfighter. The gang 
  has supplemented its arms and armor with daring raids on 
  Cygnaran military shipments, and its members carry far finer 
  equipment than one would expect of a group of highwaymen. 
  Many were drawn from towns and villages along the mountains.
  Trained in guerilla tactics by former Cygnaran soldiers and 
  familiar with the back roads and game trails of their mountain 
  home, the Wyrmwall Riders became an extremely successful 
  gang in a short period of time.
  50
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  WyrmWall veteran
  SKILLS:
  name 
  stat 
  rank 
  stat + rank
  riding 
  agl 
  2 
  6
  detection 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  Pistol 
  Poi 
  2 
  7
  survival 
  Per 
  1 
  5
  hand Weapon 
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  thrown Weapon  
  PrW 
  1 
  6
  AbILITIES:
  Dual	Shot	– The character can forfeit 
  his movement during his turn to make 
  one additional ranged attack with a 
  pistol or rifle.
  Fast	Reload – The character gains 
  one extra quick action each turn 
  that can be used only to reload a 
  ranged weapon.
  Feat	 Points	 – This character starts 
  each encounter with 1 feat point. He 
  is allocated 1 feat point at the start of 
  each of his turns. He can have up to 1 
  feat point at a time.
  Gunfighter – The character does 
  not suffer a –4 penalty on ranged 
  attack rolls with pistols or carbines 
  while engaged.
  Marksman	– The character can use 
  quick actions and aim in the same 
  round but still has to forfeit his 
  movement to gain the aiming bonus.
  Suppressing	 Fire – A Wyrmwall 
  Rider equipped with a repeating pistol 
  or carbine may use Suppressing Fire 
  instead of making a normal ranged 
  attack. Suppressing Fire expends 
  five rounds of ammunition. Place a 
  3˝ AOE completely within the RNG 
  of the weapon used. The center 
  point of the AOE must be within the 
  character’s range and line of sight. 
  Living characters in the AOE must 
  make a Willpower roll against a target 
  number of 15. If the roll succeeds, 
  nothing happens. If the roll fails, the 
  character immediately goes prone.
  Two-Weapon	 Fighting – While 
  fighting with a one-handed weapon 
  or pistol in each hand, the character 
  gains an additional attack for the 
  second weapon. He suffers –2 on 
  attack rolls with the second weapon 
  while doing so.
  PHYSIQUE 
  PHY 
  6
  SPEED 
  SPD 
  7
  STRENGTH 
  STR 
  5
  AGILITY 
  AGL 
  4
  PROWESS 
  PRW 
  5
  POISE 
  POI 
  5
  INTELLECT 
  INT 
  4
  ARCANE 
  ARC 
  —
  PERCEPTION 
  PER 
  4
  INITIATIVE 
  INIT 
  16
  DEFENSE 
  DEF 
  14
   
  (-1 from armor)
  ARMOR 
  ARM 
  11
   
  (+5 from armor)
  WILLPOWER 
  WILL 
  10
  DESCRIPTION
  The Wyrmwall Veterans are leaders of small raiding squadrons 
  of Wyrmwall Riders. They keep their riders moving toward 
  the gang’s overall goal. Most of them fought alongside 
  Rookwood in the Cygnaran military and followed him when he 
  abandoned his post. They are quick thinkers who easily adapt 
  to the changing landscape of a raid. They constantly maintain 
  focus on the objectives of a raid but also watch for targets of 
  opportunity.
  RepeaTinG piSTol
   RAT RNG AOE POW
   7 
  8 
  — 
  10
  piCkaxe
   MAT 
  POW 
  P+S
   6 
  4 
  10
  Abilities: On a hit with this weapon 
  against a knocked down target, a 
  character can spend 1 feat point to gain an 
  additional die on the damage roll.
  VITALITY: 8
  CommAnd RAnge: 4
  BAse sIze: smALL 
  (LARge WHILe moUnTed)
  enCoUnTeR PoInTs: 8
  eqUIPmenT:
  Black armored great coat, gas mask, pair 
  of repeating pistols or carbine, pickaxe, 
  ammunition for 15 shots, 20 gc
  Jig
  doCker heavy laBorJaCk Chassis
  Cost: 4,750 gc (with a stock Ferrum-grade cortex), 
  3,750 gc (chassis only) 
  Height/Weight: 11′8″ / 7 tons 
  Fuel Burn/Load Usage: 550 lbs / 4.5 hrs general, 
  40 mins combat 
  Initial Service Date: 587 AR 
  Original Chassis Design: Rohannor Steamworks 
  Stock Cortex: Ferrum-grade
  Phy
  12
  STR
  12
  SPD
  3
  AGL
  3
  PRW
  2
  POI
  2
  INT
  1
  PER
  1
  Initiative
  6
  MAT
  2
  RAT
  2
  DEf
  7
  ARM
  17
  Special Rules: Initiative is rolled only in the case of an 
  uncontrolled steamjack. Otherwise, the ’jack activates on its 
  controller’s initiative.
  Initiative, MAT, RAT, DEF, and ARM assume a stock cortex.
  prospector lAborjAck
  The Prospector is generally equipped with a drill rig and rock 
  pick. Prospectors are most commonly found in larger mining 
  operations working in tunnels that have been excavated by 
  hand or by the smaller Miner laborjack.
  drill rig
  Cost: 150 gc (light steamjack), 225 gc (heavy steamjack) 
  Type: Melee 
  Location: Arm 
  Attack Modifier: –1 
  POW: 3 (light steamjack), 5 (heavy steamjack)
  Description: The heavy industrial drill replaces one of the 
  steamjack’s existing arms.
  Special Rules: On a critical hit with the drill on a steamjack or 
  warbeast, fill in the unmarked damage boxes or circles on the 
  last column or branch damaged.
  Mounting a drill rig on a steamjack chassis requires the 
  mechanik to first remove the steamjack’s old arm and replace it 
  with the drill. (See “Removing or Replacing Arms,” Core Rules, 
  pp. 319–320.)
   1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  L 
   
   
  R 
   
   
  L 
  L M C 
  R 
  R
   
    
  M M C 
  C 
   
  damage grid
  51
  
  Paying to have an arm system removed and a drill mounted on 
  a steamjack costs an additional 60 gc unless the character does 
  the job himself.
  roCk PiCk
  Cost: 200 gc 
  Type: Melee 
  Location: Arm 
  Attack Modifier: –1 
  POW: 5
  Description: The rock pick is a heavy mining tool designed for 
  use by mining steamjacks.
  Special Rules: This weapon gains an additional die of damage 
  on damage rolls against structures and inanimate objects made 
  of brick, wood, or stone. 
  the roller
  the roller
  Cost: — 
  Skill: Driving  
  Skill Modifier: –1 
  SPD: 8 
  DEF: 10 
  ARM: 16 
  Damage Capacity: 18 
  Damage Threshold: 4 
  Passengers: 6 (including the driver) 
  Description: The Roller is Rookwood’s personal vehicle, 
  an armored wagon with an enclosed body based loosely on 
  the design of the Khadoran Gun Carriages he encountered 
  while a member of the CRS. The Roller was built to allow the 
  Wyrmwall Riders to strike against well-defended military 
  patrols and encampments without suffering unduly from 
  counterattacks. The vehicle was built by the mechanik Brun 
  Whiddle according to Rookwood’s specifications from surplus 
  mining equipment and materials scavenged from nearly a 
  dozen separate raids. 
  Special Rules: The Roller is pulled by a team of four draft 
  horses (Core Rules, p. 277) wearing medium barding.
  Enclosed Body – The Roller is entirely enclosed. Passengers 
  inside the body cannot be targeted.
  Weapon Mount – A chain gun mounted on a swivel is fixed 
  to the top of the Roller’s hull. The gunner of the chain gun 
  must stand partially exposed to fire the weapon but gains 
  concealment from the Roller’s body while doing so.
  Gun Ports – A number of sliding metal panels on the Roller’s 
  hull allow passengers to fire their weapons from within the 
  vehicle. A character who attacks from a gun port cannot claim 
  the benefit of Enclosed Body for one round. 
  roller system taBle
  D6 RESULT
  SySTEM 
  DAMAGED
  RESULTS
  1–2
  body
  No specific system is damaged.
  3
  horses
  One of the horses pulling 
  the wagon is hit. Apply the 
  damage roll to that horse.
  4
  Driver
  The driver of the wagon is 
  hit. Apply the damage roll to 
  the driver.
  5
  Wheels
  One of the wagon’s wheels is 
  hit. Reduce the DEf and SPD of 
  the carriage by 1.
  6
  Enclosed 
  body
  The attack hits the body of the 
  wagon. No specific system is 
  damaged.
  Chain gun
  Cost: 180 gc 
  Ammo: 30 (metal-cased light round) 
  Effective Range: 60 feet (10˝) 
  Extreme Range: 300 feet (50˝) 
  Skill: Light Artillery 
  Attack Modifier: 0 
  POW: 10 
  AOE: —
  Description: The chain gun is a multi-barreled, man-portable, 
  belt-fed support weapon used extensively by trenchers. 
  Special Rules: This weapon requires two hands.
  Once during each of his turns, a gunner firing this weapon can 
  use Burst Fire. When the character uses Burst Fire, he makes d3 
  attacks but expends six rounds of ammunition. His attacks that 
  turn must target a primary target and any number of secondary 
  targets within twelve feet (2˝) of the primary target. Ignore 
  intervening characters when declaring secondary targets. A 
  secondary target cannot be targeted by more attacks than the 
  primary target.
  Though the chain gun is capable of laying down impressive 
  covering fire, the speed of the belt movement can be increased 
  by a gunner managing the feed while the gun is in operation. 
  Managing the feed requires a full action. If another character 
  spends a full action to manage the feed and the gunner makes a 
  Burst Fire attack, the gunner can make three additional attacks 
  during his turn.
  Instead of attacking with the weapon, the gunner can instead 
  use a full action to lay down covering fire. When the character 
  uses covering fire, place a 3˝ AOE anywhere completely within 
  this weapon’s RNG. The center point of the AOE must be in 
  the gunner’s line of sight, ignoring intervening characters. A 
  character entering or ending his turn in the AOE suffers an 
  unboostable POW 10 damage roll. The AOE remains in play for 
  one round or until the gunner is incapacitated or destroyed. 
  Using covering fire expends ten rounds of ammunition.
  52
  Bitter MeDiCiNe: AN irON KiNGDOMS ADVeNtUre
  
  Replacing this weapon’s ammo belt requires a quick action. 
  Reloading each round into a belt takes one quick action.
  It costs 3 gc for blasting powder, bullets, and metal casings for 
  five light rounds. An extra ammo belt costs 10 gc.
  Career temPlates
  The following career templates are included for Game Masters 
  who want to modify the composition of the Wyrmwall Riders 
  by including a greater diversity of races or careers. A Game 
  Master can also use these templates to increase the difficulty of 
  the adventure by using Veteran or Epic NPCs in place of those 
  provided above.
  In general, these templates are designed for use with Battle 
  or Single-Career NPCs. After building the NPCs according to 
  the rules on p. 329 of the Core Rules, simply include any of the 
  modifications in the career template to turn the NPC into a 
  member of the Wyrmwall Riders.
  Career temPlate: 
  WyrmWall Bruiser
  Description: Wyrmwall Bruisers rely more on the heavy 
  picks and hammers scavenged from the FNMC mines than 
  their brethren. They are the gang’s shocktroopers, and their 
  scavenged grenades and heavier armor help them flush out and 
  tie up defenders while the rest of the gang steals supplies.
  Stat Modifiers: +1 STR, +3 vitality points
  Ability Modifiers: Wyrmwall Bruisers gain the Defender, 
  Grenadier, and Hit ’Em Low abilities.
  Defender – Once per round, when a friendly character within 
  this character’s command range is hit with an enemy attack, 
  immediately after the attack has been resolved this character 
  can advance toward the enemy character, up to twelve feet (2˝), 
  and make one melee attack.
  Grenadier – The character gains an additional quick action each 
  turn that can be used only to pull the pin on a grenade.
  Hit ’Em Low – When a friendly character hits a living or undead 
  enemy character while the enemy is in base-to-base contact 
  with this character, the enemy character is knocked down.
  Skill Modifiers: Detection +1, Riding +2, Survival +1, Hand 
  Weapon +2, Thrown Weapon +1
  EP Modifier: +3
  Notes: A Wyrmwall Bruiser is typically equipped with custom 
  battle armor or infantry armor, a gas mask, a riding horse with 
  tack, one or more explosive and smoke grenades, and either 
  a pickaxe or a sword. Many have scavenged additional arms 
  and equipment, worth up to 25 gc, from the victims of their 
  many raids. 
  Career temPlate: 
  WyrmWall rider
  Description: These mountain bandits combine their natural 
  talents for riding and combat with the tactics and training 
  provided by Bayton Rookwood, making them a remarkably 
  successful wilderness gang. The Wyrmwall Riders make up the 
  bulk of the gang. Working in squads of five or more members 
  led by a Wyrmwall Veteran, each squad member mimics the 
  dress and combat style of his leader. Experienced squads are 
  often given colorful nicknames by their compatriots related to 
  their preferred approach to combat, like “Pierson’s Pistols” or 
  “Douglas’ Long Arms.”
  Stat Modifiers: +1 DEF, +1 Initiative
  Ability Modifiers: Wyrmwall Riders gain the Fast Reload, 
  Gunfighter, and Saddle Shot abilities.
  Fast Reload – The character gains one extra quick action each 
  turn that can be used only to reload a ranged weapon.
  Gunfighter – The character does not suffer a –4 penalty on 
  ranged attack rolls with pistols or carbines while engaged.
  Saddle Shot – This character does not suffer the firing from 
  horseback penalty when making ranged attacks while mounted.
  Skill Modifiers: Detection +1, Driving +1, Riding +2, Survival 
  +1, Pistol +2 or Rifle +2
  EP Modifier: +1
  Notes: A Wyrmwall Rider is typically equipped with an 
  armored great coat, a gas mask, a riding horse with tack, and 
  either a repeating pistol or a carbine. Some Wyrmwall Riders 
  carry pickaxes or swords, and many have scavenged additional 
  arms and equipment, worth up to 25 gc, from the victims of 
  their many raids. 
  Career temPlate: 
  WyrmWall 
  veteran
  Description: The veterans of Rookwood’s gang are all skilled 
  fighters and highwaymen, trained to ride into battle at the head 
  of fire teams of Wyrmwall Riders. A Wyrmwall Veteran is easily 
  distinguished by the affectations he wears—trophies collected 
  during each of his bloody raids. Less experienced members of the 
  gang often emulate the veterans as a sign of respect. 
  Stat Modifiers: +1 DEF, +1 Initiative
  Ability Modifiers: Wyrmwall Veterans gain the Dual Shot, Fast 
  Reload, Feat Points, Gunfighter, and Suppressing Fire abilities, 
  as well as either the Marksman ability or the Two-Weapon 
  Fighting ability.
  53
  
  BiTTeR mediCine: an iRon kinGdomS advenTuRe
  Dual Shot – The character can forfeit his movement during his 
  turn to make one additional ranged attack with a pistol or rifle.
  Fast Reload – The character gains one extra quick action each 
  turn that can be used only to reload a ranged weapon.
  Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat 
  point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. 
  He can have up to 1 feat point at a time.
  Gunfighter – The character does not suffer a –4 penalty on ranged 
  attack rolls with pistols or carbines while engaged.
  Marksman – The character can use quick actions and aim in 
  the same round but still has to forfeit his movement to gain the 
  aiming bonus.
  Suppressing Fire – A Wyrmwall Rider equipped with a repeating 
  pistol or carbine may use Suppressing Fire instead of making a 
  normal ranged attack. Suppressing Fire expends five rounds of 
  ammunition. Place a 3˝ AOE completely within the RNG of the 
  weapon used. The center point of the AOE must be within the 
  character’s range and line of sight. Living characters in the AOE 
  must make a Willpower roll against a target number of 15. If the 
  roll succeeds, nothing happens. If the roll fails, the character 
  immediately goes prone.
  Two-Weapon Fighting – While fighting with a one-handed 
  weapon or pistol in each hand, the character gains an additional 
  attack for the second weapon. He suffers –2 on attack rolls with 
  the second weapon while doing so.
  Skill Modifiers: Detection +1, Riding +2, Survival +1, Pistol +2 or 
  Rifle +2, Hand Weapon +1, Thrown Weapon +1
  EP Modifier: 2x base cost
  Notes: A Wyrmwall Veteran is typically equipped with an 
  armored great coat, a gas mask, a riding horse with light barding 
  and tack, and either a pair of repeating pistols or a pistol and 
  sword. Some veterans who expect to fight at long range carry 
  carbines. Wyrmwall Veterans frequently carry d3 explosive or 
  smoke grenades. Most Wyrmwall Veterans have approximately 
  75 gc worth of equipment purchased from the “Ammunition and 
  Ranged Weapon Accessories” (p. 271) and “Equipment” (p. 274) 
  sections of the Core Rules.
  54
  
  USING THE 
  CHASE TRACKER
  Cut out and assemble this chase track for use in the 
  finale of this adventure. When using a chase track 
  in other encounters a Game Master can add more 
  spaces to fit the needs of the encounter. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Iron Kingdoms/Iron Kingdoms (d20)/Adventures/IK - Bitter Medicine.pdf