The Infatuated Diabolist

Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd; Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd.

— "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve, 1697

Hannelore is an exemplar of the dangers of ambition and the lust for power. When the characters first meet Hannelore, she is simply the favored daughter of a local nobleman. She has been educated by private tutors and lived a life of relative luxury, spoiled by an indulgent father. Her tutors have taught her letters, but have also witnessed her temper and her ambition, and have said a prayer for her future husband, whomever he might be.

She becomes physically attracted to one of the player characters, and they may pursue a short romance before circumstances force them apart. Hannelore, however, never gives up on her love. Her passions lead her down a dark path, and attract the attention of a demon. Preying on her drive to succeed, the demon tutors Hannelore in malefic powers, turning her into a tool that it can wield against the Order of Hermes.

In five short years, Hannelore is transformed from a spoiled child into a powerful diabolist, still utterly infatuated with the player character. She is determined to do anything she can to have him for her own — and if she can't have him, then no one shall, not even the Order of Hermes.

This antagonist relies on several Infernal powers for her to be effective, and to get the most out of stories using Hannelore, it is recommended that the storyguide has access to a copy of Realms of Power: The Infernal.

Hannelore's actions are described as being directed at a player character, but she could instead target a prominent storyguide character whom the characters are motivated to rescue from her clutches. Other variations on Hannelore include:

Different Motivations

As written, this story is about love perverted by the Infernal into a twisted mockery of what it should be. However, other motivations can be put into play with very little work if there is no suitable player character as a love interest for Hannelore. The two principle alternatives are avarice and envy. Should Hannelore be driven by avarice, she has witnessed a magus' use of power (or heard rumors of an event), and seeks that power for herself. She does not wish to be with the character forever, but instead to be trained by him. Of course, lacking The Gift, this is impossible, and her rage drives the rest of the story. If envy is her motivation, then Hannelore is consumed by the need to possess magical power, and if the magus will not share his magic, then he must be forced to relinquish

Hannelore has been designed with more Virtues than is normally permitted at character generation, but she has nothing that a player character could not achieve through a similar dedication to Hellish forces. Infernal powers are notorious for lavishing their victims with gifts and powers, if it achieves their aims. As a consequence, Hannelore has received demonic tutelage in the Infernal arts, equivalent to taking the Mentored by Demons Virtue (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 86) 5 times, for an extra 50 experience points per year. She has also undergone prolonged Vituperations that have resulted in the Self-Confident Virtue (i.e., a Confidence Score of 2) and Aging Points.

This is a major investment in Hannelore by demons, and implies that the stories where she intersects with the player characters are not the only plans that Hell has for her. She is possibly already embroiled in a major demonic scheme, and the infatuation described here is a diversion that becomes a distraction. The details of any other role Hannelore might play in a saga is left to the storyguide to develop.

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +1 (1), Com +3 (1), Str 0, Sta –1, Dex 0, Qik +1

Size: 0 Age: 21 (21)

Decrepitude: 0 (2) Warping Score: 5 (2) Confidence Score: 2 (6) Hierarchy Score: 3

Virtues and Flaws: Diabolist; Gentlewoman; Ceremony, Diablerie, Incantation, Malediction, Psychomachia; Affinity with Incantation, Arcane Lore**, Educated, Infernal Blessing***, Mentored by Demons x5, Puissant Incantation, Self-Confident, Unaffected by The Gift*; Curse of Venus, Hatred, Restriction (maleficia won't work on children); Fragile Constitution***, Obsessed (knowledge is power), Tainted with Evil***

* See Realms of Power: Magic, page 47

** Free with Diabolist

*** From Warping

Personality Traits: Hateful +5, Attracted to Power +3, Inquisitive +2, Sensible –3

Reputations: Ambitious 3 (Infernal), Fierce Temper 2 (Local)

Combat:

Dagger: Init +1, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +2

Soak: –1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 2 (writing), Awareness 2 (mannerisms), Brawl 2 (dagger), Ceremony 3 (Diablerie), Charm 3 (men), Etiquette 3 (courtly manners), Folk Ken 2 (men), Guile 3 (lying to relatives), Infernal Lore 3 (powers), Latin 4 (reading), Native Language 5 (local dialect), Noble Lore 3 (positions of authority), Philosophiae 2 (ethics), Penetration 3 (Malediction), Ride 2 (while hawking).

Methods & Powers: Incantation 9+2 (affecting self); Diablerie 5 (Infernal blessings), Malediction 4 (Personality Flaws), Psychomachia 4 (lustful actions)

Powers:****

Gaze of the Wolf : Hannelore can fix a person to the spot if she is able to make eye contact, and the object cannot move while she maintains her stare. This effect has a Penetration of 5 + Penetration Bonus + Aura Modifier.

Exhaustion: Hannelore's touch can inflict a Long Term Fatigue level on a victim. This Ability does not function in the Dominion or on women, and has a Penetration of 5 + Penetration Bonus + Aura Modifier.

****These derive from the Infernal Blessings Virtue. They were granted by a Level 25 Debauchery / Phantasm effect (Base 4, +1 Touch, +4 Forsaken)

Equipment: Fine clothes, curved dagger. Hannelore knows of several sources of Infernal vis, and at any time should have at least (3 + simple die) pawns. Some of this is vis prava, converted using one of Hannelore's maleficia (see nearby insert).

Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Appearance: A handsome young woman, with dark wavy hair that she keeps uncovered and deep green eyes. She prefers gowns of red velvet, and nearly always wears a fur cloak, since she easily catches a chill. Hannelore has a rich voice, unusually deep for a woman; many have commented that this is her most attractive feature.

Her Warping Score is particularly high, because she takes Warping points to fuel her magic (see the description of Incantation on page 104 of Realms of Power: The Infernal), and she is under several continuing mystical effects (see Hannelore's Maleficia, later). See Realms of Power: The Infernal for more details on Incantation, Vituperation, and some of her Virtues and Flaws.

Hannelore has several sources of vis available to her. These do not count as Personal Vis Sources because gaining the vis is not automatic — she must steal to get them, contest them with others, or there is a finite supply. Some examples are:

• She regularly steals the Host during Communion, and profanes it to produce vis (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 96);
• She has replaced the relic in her father's chapel with a fake and similarly profaned the real one;
• Once a year on Lammas Eve, a sulfurous spring on her father's estate belches forth vis, but a local witch coven has collected this since time immemorial;
• One of the books in her father's library (see later) has a number of glass beads on the cover, each one of which contains a pawn of vis.

Hannelore typically employs the maleficia listed nearby, although these are not formulaic spells and can be varied in terms of Range, Duration, Target, or effect when she employs them. For more information, see Realms of Power: The Infernal, Chapter 10. Her Casting Total is equal to Communication + Incantation + (Power) + Aura modifier + stress die. Her Hierarchy score protects her from the harsh effects of failing a maleficia roll, at least for effects of Level 30 or below. Each use of a maleficium costs her either a Confidence point (which does not add anything to the Casting Total)

Any Range: Personal and Duration: Forsaken maleficia can be assumed to have already been cast by Hannelore on herself, and are effectively permanent. These include: And the Devil Shall Take Care of His Own; Black Wings, Eye-Piercing Beak; and She Who Bears the Mark Shall Be Unharmed. Each gives her a Warping point every year for the continuing mystic effect (these Warping points have not been included in her total). These, and other powerful maleficia, are cast with various additional elements to grant bonuses to her Casting Total:

or a Warping point.

• +5 per pawn of vis prava, or +2 per pawn of other vis (maximum Incantation + Power pawns);
• +3 for each Confidence point (maximum 2 Confidence points);
• +6 for the sacrifice of a black animal;
• +5 per assistant, assuming Communication of +1 and Incantation 4 (maximum 3 others with Diablerie, 2 otherwise).

With her best Power (Diablerie), she can expect a maximum Casting Total of around 53 + stress die (assuming an Infernal aura of 2, 2 Confidence points, 4 pawns of vis prava, and the sacrifice of a black goat). With a coven of 3 assistants, she can increase this by an additional +15.

A Crown of Twelve Stars on Her Head

Incantation/Psychomachia, Level 40 R: Voice, D: Moon, T: Ind

This maleficium forces the target to follow the caster's commands for the duration. Hannelore must be perceivable by the target: he must be able to see her, hear her voice, or smell her perfume, or else the effect ends immediately. She generally employs this effect after she has her victim under her control with another maleficium, using a ceremony with vis and a sacrifice to get the Casting Total she needs.

(Base 15, +2 Voice, +3 Moon)

A Ghost on the Wind I Shall Become/No Door Can Stop Me

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 45 R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind

Hannelore gains the Nightwalker Major Virtue (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 104) until sunrise. Briefly, this permits her spirit to leave her prone body and fare forth in immaterial form, traveling at great speed. She can switch between corporeal and immaterial form by taking three rounds to do so, and while immaterial, she may also become invisible at will. When corporeal, she can pick up objects that she could normally carry, and these become immaterial when she does. When her spirit is near humans, they become drowsy; and if already asleep, become impossible to wake up. In spirit form, she is affected by spells that affect ghosts or spirits, but she has no Might, and thus cannot be stopped by wards or laid to rest. She cannot enter the Dominion in this form.

(Base 35, +2 Sun)

And the Devil Shall Take Care of His Own

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 40 R: Per, D: Forsaken, T: Ind Grants the caster a Magic Resistance

of 25. This does not stack with other

sources of Magic Resistance. (Base effect, +4 Forsaken)

Black Wings, Eye-Piercing Beak

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 35 R: Per, D: Forsaken, T: Ind

This maleficium grants the caster a False Power that duplicates the Skinchanger Virtue, allowing Hannelore to adopt the form of a crow. Her focal item for this Virtue is a fetish made from the wings of the bird she sacrificed to cast this maleficium.

(Base 15, +4 Forsaken)

Blood and Body of the Beast

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 35 R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind

This maleficium requires a short ritual that is a mockery of the Eucharist. It converts a pawn of vis into vis prava (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 19). In the hands of a diabolist such as Hannelore, vis prava is more potent than regular vis, and adds +5 to the casting total per pawn used, rather than +2.

(Base 30, +1 Touch)

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 25 R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind

Any single object touched gains a Magic Resistance of 15 for the duration of this maleficium. This does not stack with other sources of Magic Resistance. The object cannot be a living creature, and it can be no larger than a base Individual of the appropriate Form.

(Base effect, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Clothed in the Dragon's Scales

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 50 R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind

This maleficium grants the caster a False Power that duplicates the Greater

Immunity Virtue. Like She Who Bears the Mark Shall Be Unharmed (see later), Hannelore tailors the nature of this Immunity to cover whatever perils she expects to be facing, but Fire is an obvious choice. Hannelore can only really attempt this maleficium once because of its high level; it needs a hefty sacrifice, a lot of vis, and/or a good Ceremony bonus for her to pull it off. If she could somehow achieve a 55th level effect, then she would certainly attempt Duration: Forsaken.

(Base 35, +3 Moon)

Her Iniquities Shall Be Hidden From His Eyes

Incantation/Psychomachia, Level 25 R: Eye, D: Moon, T: Ind

For the duration of the maleficium, the target's senses are twisted so that they are unable to perceive one thing for what it really is, but mistakes it for something else. This can disguise a specific man to appear to be a serving maid, or the casting of a specific malefic spell as a delightful country dance.

(Level 5, +1 Eye, +3 Moon)

Incantation/Psychomachia, Level 25 R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind

The victim of this maleficium is consumed with lust. While the caster cannot direct his actions, she can manipulate the target like an addict craving a drug. Hannelore usually employs this effect after using her Transfix power to immobilize her victim.

(Base 10, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)

Pact of the Chalice of Blood

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 25 R: Voice, D: Moon, T: Ind

This maleficium solemnizes a pact made with an intelligent creature with Infernal Might. They both drink from a cup filled with blood from a sacrifice. For the duration of the maleficium, the creature is compelled to follow the terms of the compact to the letter. These terms must be agreed between Hannelore and the creature, without coercion by Magic or Infernal powers. A creature like Fimus (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 68), a Fictilis (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 69), or Morrighu (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 72–73) is within her power to control via a pact such as this.

(Base 4, +2 Voice, +3 Moon)

She Who Bears the Mark Shall Be Unharmed

Incantation/Diablerie, Level 35 R: Per, D: Forsaken, T: Ind

This maleficium grants the caster a False Power that duplicates the Lesser Immunity Virtue. Depending on the challenge that the storyguide wants Hannelore to pose, she may have already cast several versions of this maleficium, granting herself immunity to long swords (or other individual weapons) and/or magical fire (or other forms of magical damage). Granting herself this power uses a portion of Hannelore's resources and adds Warping, so she must carefully consider what immunities to grant herself. This means that she may neglect a source of damage, leaving her vulnerable in a certain manner. Her choices are based on what she believes to be the capabilities of anyone who might come against her; she has probably not made herself immune to her love's favored magic (if she even knows what it is) since she believes he would never attack her.

(Base 15, +4 Forsaken)

The Scorched Heart of ^a Man Obsessed

Incantation/Malediction, Level 35 R: Eye, D: Moon, T: Ind The cursed individual becomes Obsessed with Hannelore, as per the Personality Flaw. When she is in his presence, he can do nothing except attend her needs; and when she is absent, they are frequently distracted by thoughts of her. His judgment cannot be trusted when it comes to Hannelore. This power is often employed after Hannelore has already bewitched her victim with her other powers.

(Base 15, +1 Eye, +3 Moon)

The Wrath of Woman Scorches the Valor of Man

Incantation/Malediction, Level 35 R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Ind

The victim of this curse develops an overwhelming Fear (as per the Flaw) of women.

(Base 15, +2 Voice, +2 Sun)

Thy Health Shall Shrivel Like Straw in ^a Flame

Incantation /Malediction, Level 30 R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind

This curse reduces the victim's Stamina by 2 points, to no less than –1. The victim is momentarily wracked with pain, and develops a hacking cough, trembling heart, or other minor infirmity for the maleficium's duration.

(Level 5, +1 Eye, +2 Sun, +1 for extra point of reduction, +1 to reduce to decrease minimum)

Trampled Under Death's Pale Hooves

Incantation/Malediction, Level 30 R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind

The victim of this terrible curse suffers –6 to all rolls involving the Ride Ability, and 6 additional botch die whenever 0 is rolled. This, and similar curses affecting other Abilities, are the means by which Hannelore disposes of unwanted suitors.

(Base effect, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)

it to her. Avarice and envy drive similar stories; the main difference is that an avaricious Hannelore is angry with the character for not giving her magic, while the envious Hannelore wants to take the character's magic from him (or her, of course).

A Male Hannelore

This variant requires few changes to the story as written, except refocusing it onto a female player character. The male Hannelore could possibly have some martial abilities as a baron's son, but this is not necessary. If appropriate to the troupe, a male Hannelore could pursue a male player character, or the female Hannelore pursue a female player character, but this would require a few changes, since same-sex relationships are perforce secret in Mythic Europe. Baron Hugo's reaction might be very different, seeking no clemency for a son or daughter engaging in acts the Baron perceives as a heinous and shameful sin.

This option could also work with a different motivation for a male Hannelore (see earlier).

Hannelore Pursues a Companion Character

Hannelore is particularly potent against characters with no Magic Resistance, because she needs to take no special measures to gather Arcane Connections, and her maleficia become a lot more effective. Her initial gambit — to woo her love and entrap him, keeping him besotted by her power — will probably prove successful, and the other characters may have to mount a rescue of their comrade. Of course, her victim resists such a rescue with all his might, at least until her maleficia wear off. She can subsequently throw curses at him with an Arcane Range, using Arcane Connections gathered while he was her prisoner (she would never achieve the requisite Penetration to use such spells on a Hermetic lover). If the companion character dwells within an Aegis of the Hearth, she may need to watch the covenant in crow form until he leaves its protection.

A Weaker Hannelore

Hannelore is not that powerful against Hermetic foes, and probably does not need to be weakened that much for a younger or less experienced troupe unless it has few or no magi. Her principal strength is to know the limits of her powers, and how to use them to best effect. A lot of her strength comes from her demonic patron; she had five years of teaching in the maleficia, which contributes most of her knowledge here.

Taking away one or two of her Powers would reduce her efficacy greatly, although it is recommended that she retains the Diablerie Power, since much of the story revolves around its usage. It has been assumed that Hannelore has access to a good supply of Infernal vis, which she corrupts with a maleficium to make it even more potent. Without this vis, her Casting Total drops dramatically and her powers are limited substantially.

A More Powerful Hannelore

For a more experienced troupe, Hannelore can be made more powerful in a number of ways. First, she should take control over a coven of infernalists early in her career, giving her a Ceremony bonus to most of her maleficia. This allows her to achieve better Casting Totals for her Infernal Blessings, and higher Penetration totals for her curses against Hermetic enemies.

The Diablerie Power permits a diabolist to make pacts with supernatural creatures, and even bind them to her will. Particularly with a coven to back her up, Hannelore might be capable of having a veritable army of demons and corrupted beasts at her beck and call.

Hannelore's demonic patron has a background role in the story as written, but this powerful creature could take a more front-stage role, and add another peril to any encounters.

Hannelore is a storyguide character, and need not be balanced in terms of Virtues and Flaws. She could easily have more malefic Powers, although she would probably need to be older, or have the Wealthy Virtue, to have sufficient score in these Powers for them to be useful.

Hannelore need not have a lengthy romance with the player character prior to her corruption. She could simply meet the character after becoming a diabolist, become infatuated, and then abduct him to use for her own pleasure. In this scenario, the characters might be less likely to offer her clemency, proceeding straight to her death and subsequent return as an Infernal ghost.

The initial encounter between Hannelore and the characters should be presented as either a chance encounter, or as part of a different story. The characters should be at a social occasion where they have a reason to meet a local nobleman, by the name of Baron Hugo, and his daughter Hannelore. The specifics should be tailored to the saga, but some options include:

• The characters are invited to the wedding of a mundane ally, or one of his relatives. The ally suspects that there is something supernatural about the bride's family, and wants the characters to investigate. Baron Hugo is a guest.
• The characters have a chance encounter with a hunting party that includes Baron Hugo and his daughter. The hunt has been successful, and the characters are invited to lunch with them. Over luncheon, the characters hear a story of a fantastic beast seen by one of the huntsmen.
• The characters have recently saved the lives of an important local, and a party is thrown in their honor. Baron Hugo is one of the guests.

Baron Hugo can be any suitable nobleman from the area; the characters may have heard of him before, but probably have not met him. He need not be a landed noble; his role in this story works just as well if he is a knight or sheriff. He should be of middling importance, and have some

Choosing the target of Hannelore's obsession might require some care. It needs to be someone who is not repulsive, although there is no need for exceptional suaveness or sophistication — Hannelore is attracted to power, not to appearance. Naturally, a magus with the Curse of Venus Flaw is a natural choice, but this is by

no means a prerequisite for Hannelore's attention, since she herself has this Flaw and is prone to inappropriate infatuation.

It is assumed that Hannelore's target is a man, but this need not be the case for this story to progress as described (although some details may need to be altered).

sort of local authority that means the characters want to remain on his good side.

Initially, most of the characters' attention is occupied by Hannelore, rather than her father. She is sixteen years old and quite pretty. What's more, she is educated, eloquent, confident, and most significantly, unaffected by The Gift. Hannelore is attracted to power, and she identifies one of the male magi present as a powerful man, and makes an effort to get to know him. Although she cannot herself feel the effects of The Gift, she can see the effect it has on others, and she interprets the jealousy and suspicion it engenders as a natural consequence of power. As a young noblewoman of marriageable age, Hannelore is good company, and the attention she shows the magus is novel and pleasurable for a man used to being shunned by mundane women thanks to The Gift.

Initial Infatuation

If all goes well between Hannelore and the magus, she might suggest that they meet again, properly chaperoned, of course. She loves to go hawking, and will suggest that they try out her new bird. Having set her sights on the magus and the power she desires, she becomes determined to have him, and this is probably her downfall. She needs her man to be attentive to her needs and to court her, something for which most magi lack the time or inclination. Even if she has been unable to get even a cursory interest from her intended swain, she still pursues him, convinced she can win him over. Furthermore, there are many pressures that might drive them apart. It is important to emphasize for the purposes of the story that while the magus character might love Hannelore, she is merely infatuated with him and his power. She will still be drawn to dark magics, since she desires to share in her love's power, and yet, lacking The Gift, cannot learn Hermetic magic. However, the course of the

initial story with Hannelore depends very

much on the character's reaction.

A Love Affair

If the player desires a romantic engagement or family life for his character, then he may welcome Hannelore's advances. There is much drama in a love pursued through adversity, and a love affair should be actively encouraged. It is necessary for such a relationship to remain in secret: Baron Hugo would certainly not approve (see later), and it is possible that the character's covenant might not look too kindly on their sodalis either — a dalliance with a noblewoman could bring the wrath of her father against the Order, in contravention of the Oath of Hermes. This could lead to further stories.

A Lukewarm Response

The character chosen by Hannelore may remain unswayed by her attentions. This makes little difference to the plot, since the action revolves around Hannelore's attempts to win the love of a man who is beyond her reach anyway. However, if the storyguide wishes to involve the magus in a few more preparatory stories before moving on to the main action, it might be that a faerie seeks to bring the star-crossed lovers together through its meddling. Taking the role of a hideous creature, it kidnaps Hannelore, and

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +1, Com +3, Str 0, Sta –1, Dex 0, Qik +1

Size: 0 Age: 16 (16) Decrepitude: 0 (0) Warping Score: 0 (0) Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Gentlewoman; Educated, Unaffected by The Gift*; Curse of Venus; Obsessed (knowl-

edge is power)

* See Realms of Power: Magic, page 47 Personality Traits: Attracted to Power +3, Inquisitive +2, Sensible –3

Reputation: Fierce Temper 1 (Local)

Combat:

Dagger: Init +1, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +2

Soak: –1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Artes Liberales 2 (writing), Awareness 2 (mannerisms), Brawl 2 (dagger), Charm 3 (men), Etiquette 3 (courtly manners), Folk Ken 2 (men), Guile 3 (lying to relatives), Latin 4 (reading), Native Language 5 (local dialect), Noble Lore 3 (positions of authority), Philosophiae 2 (ethics), Ride 2 (while hawking).

Equipment: Fine clothes. Encumbrance: 0 (0)

Appearance: Hannelore is a girl on the threshold of becoming a woman. She is quite pretty, with dark wavy hair and deep green eyes. She talks enthusiastically about philosophy, probably more than a woman of her standing should.

Note that Hannelore has one more Flaw point than Virtues at this age. If she hadn't gone in the direction she is destined to follow, this would probably have been balanced by the Protection Virtue.

sends a ransom demand to her reluctant swain, reasoning that if her beau is motivated into rescuing her from the clutches of a monster, then love might blossom (it works like that in stories, after all!).

Rejection

If the character rejects Hannelore out of hand, things end as badly as if the character had strung her along and then rejected her. See Ending the Affair, later.

Although Hannelore might be an enjoyable dalliance for the character, the affair is not destined to last. There are a number of things that could drive a wedge between Hannelore and her lover, and these should be presented as challenges to the relationship. However, it is not necessary for the story for the affair between Hannelore and the character to end, and it is best left to the character to decide the course of the affair for himself.

Ending the Affair

Hannelore is very demanding. She has grown up on a diet of courtly romances, and expects to be wooed. This is likely to prove to be a nuisance to a magus, whose studies and laboratory activities will be interrupted by her visits and the amount of time she expects to spend with her love. There isn't a lot of time in the life of many magi for being an attentive lover.

It is possible therefore that the magus targeted by her obsession eventually spurns her. She will not take the first refusal seriously, and will pester the magus in person and through correspondence. If he holds firm, she turns petulant, and might seek some petty revenge against him, such as attempting blackmail (if she has any leverage), or persuading some noble's son to defend her honor. Such threats should be a minor nuisance to the magus, and easily dealt with. Hannelore seems to acquiesce to the situation, leaving him in peace.

Forced Apart

A major impediment to the relationship is Baron Hugo. He loves his daughter dearly, and certainly does not approve of her chosen. He has doubtless heard some unsavory stories about the magus, and has a low opinion of him as being suitable for his darling daughter (Hugo has none of his daughter's immunity to the effects of The Gift). He intends to find an attentive and wholesome groom for his daughter, one who could strengthen his ties to important people. When he discovers that Hannelore has been pursuing a magus, he does his best to break them up. There is further pressure on the relationship — most magi have no recognized social status, and yet Hannelore is the daughter of a nobleman. If the affair became public, it might sour any relationships that the covenant has with mundane society, since those who cross social boundaries are treated with suspicion.

As already mentioned, Baron Hugo can be replaced any moderately influential nobleman in your saga. Rather than Hannelore's father, he could be an older brother or uncle who is her guardian after the unfortunate deaths of both her parents. Whoever he is, there is some secret in his past (see Baron Hugo's Books, later).

As well as Hugo and Ermengarde (Hannelore's stepmother), Hannelore may have other family members who could complicate the story. One or more brothers might take umbrage at the character's treatment of their sister, and try to avenge her honor. Older sisters allow Baron Hugo to be more indulgent of her desire to remain unmarried during the next phase of the story. Any siblings (but particularly younger sisters) could form her coven, if she is able to corrupt them.

In this phase of the story, Hannelore is corrupted and becomes a diabolist in secret. Her ultimate motive for this is her lust for power — the reason she is attracted to the character in the first place. How she reaches this point varies according to the reaction of the character to her advances.

If she has been rejected by her love, she reasons that the rejection is based on an inequality of power — she was spurned because she had no magic, unlike her lover. After all, how could a mighty magus, who can manipulate the shape of creation itself, love a woman as mundane as herself? Even if the magus kept his magical nature secret from Hannelore, she finds out about it while searching for rumors and information about her love.

If her attentions have been reciprocated, she resents the time that her lover does not spend with her. By learning magic herself, she figures she can share laboratory time and study, and pursues the Dark Arts in the mistaken belief that all magic is equal. She does not share her tuition with her lover, preferring for it to be a surprise. She may also be aware of obstacles to their love of which her lover is unaware, and she relishes the opportunity to solve these problems herself and not worry her swain over them.

In either case, Hannelore reasons that, if she can learn some spells herself, she can earn the respect of her intended, and they can be together forever and always. Alter-

Baron Hugo is in possession of some books on Infernal Lore, and his secret library could also contain other books of Infernal and magical lore, such as tomes on the maleficia, the Goetic Arts, hedge wizardry, or perhaps even Hermetic magic. Ultimately, it is up to the storyguide where he got these books, and why he still keeps them, but some suggestions are offered here.

• Hugo was a sorcerer in his youth, but like Shakespeare's Prospero, put aside his books and broke his staff, vowing to give up his Art and redeem his profaned soul. He has remained true to this vow, and has led an exemplary life since. A Faith point gained through a pilgrimage has kept him safe from demonic temptation.
• Hugo is a member of a secret society within the Church, dedicated to erad-

icating evil in all its forms. This society is coordinated through a religious Order, such as the Knights Templar. The books are spoils of a battle many years ago, and Hugo keeps them so he can study the works of the Enemy for ways to defeat them in future.

• The books belong not to Hugo, but Lady Ermengarde (the baron's wife and Hannelore's stepmother), who is a sorceress herself. The lady is responsible for Hannelore's corruption, and is using her as a cat's-paw to hide her own evil deeds.
• The books are an inheritance from an ancestor. Hugo himself can barely read, and has no knowledge of what they truly contain or the threat they pose to his family. Hell has a way of making sure books such as these fall into the hands of those who will use them.

natively, she can bespell the object of her infatuation so that he will love her, or use spells (i.e., curses) to remove any obstacles to their love. At this point, Hannelore has become mentally unhinged; her infatuation has taken her intelligence hostage, and she is not thinking rationally. It may be that the Obsession power of a demon is to blame, making this a longer-term plot of Hell to make trouble for the covenant, while gaining Hannelore's soul. A demonic explanation is not necessary for the advancement of the story, however, and is a detail that is unlikely to matter or become known in the unfolding of the plot.

Fortunately for Hannelore, she has the means to learn magic. Her father has in his possession a set of books on magic that he has forbidden her from reading. He keeps them locked in a chest in his chamber, but she gains access to them, and begins to read them in secret. The books form a corpus of diabolic lore, although Hannelore does not realize this at first. She self-initiates the Unholy Method of Incantation through a rite that grants her a Warping point, and this opens the gateway to other powers.

Her initiatory rite attracts the attention of demons, and eventually a powerful demon contacts her in a form pleasing to the eye. It offers to teach her directly, and under its tutelage she grows powerful quickly. Through subtle use of its Obsession power, it feeds her mental instability, and her infatuation is gradually twisted into a mockery of its former self. She is aware that her power is illicit, but probably does not realize, at least at first, that her spells are Infernal, or that her beloved's magic is not. For five years, she studies under the demon in secret. Hannelore's obsession with power and perfection cause

Details of the demon who has assisted Hannelore's rise to power are not given in this chapter. The intent is for the demon to remain very much in the background, using Hannelore to enact its designs on Earth. A Watcher (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 64) is ideal in this role; they are specialists in teaching corrupt magic to mortals, and among the more powerful demons found outside Hell. Such a demon would be a specialist in the corruption of mankind through Infernal magic, and have a greater capacity for simulating patience and controlling its passions than many of their ilk. Ultimately, it wants the corruption of as many as possible from this scheme, but its faked forbearance has a limited duration. Hannelore is by no means the demon's only current project, and it may well have other cultists it can send to Hannelore's assistance, if it seems that she might fail or falter.

her to delay until she believes that she has sufficient skill to confront her "lover" with her power. The demon expects him to reject Hannelore, and it hopes that she will destroy him in her subsequent rage. If she doesn't, then the demon still gets her soul.

It is five years since the incipient romance between Hannelore and a player character began, and Hannelore is a very different person now. All attempts by Baron Hugo to match Hannelore up with a husband have failed. Hugo merely needs to mention a potential suitor for her affections and the man sickens, or has some terrible accident, or simply disappears. Some are found dead behind barred doors (she adopts the Nightwalker Virtue to gain entrance). Anyone who actually meets her is driven off by the taint of Hell that surrounds her — the baron loves his daughter, but even he cannot stand to be around her for long. Depending on the source of his Infernal library (see insert), he could be ignorant of her burgeoning power, or blinded by his fatherly love to the level of her corruption.

Hannelore is now a fully fledged diabolist, and is ready to get what she believes she is owed — the undying love of her magus lover. Oblivious of the difference between Hermetic magic and Infernal sorcery, she naïvely believes that, now that she has power like her beloved, he will fall for her as fully as she has for him.

To facilitate this, she arranges a meeting between them, inviting the magus to her father's residence. The exact circumstances of this invitation depend very much on the relationship that the characters have with Baron Hugo, and how the potential romance between Hannelore and a player magus has played out. The invitation comes from Baron Hugo, rather than Hannelore; whether he is complicit in the invitation or forced to take part by her magic depends on the role that the storyguide has chosen for the baron. If he is an ignorant pawn, then Hannelore simply manipulates him into doing her will, using force if necessary. If he is a demonhunter, then he might call the characters for advice over demonic activity on his manse, not realizing that his daughter is involved. Alternatively, Hannelore might fake her own disappearance. The baron may suspect the player magus, or else ask him for help.

Whatever the circumstances, the magus is enticed to visit Baron Hugo's home. Bringing the characters here is important; Hannelore's activities have created an Infernal aura on the baron's lands, and eroded the Dominion aura of the castle to strength 1 (meaning it fades entirely after dark). The character probably does not come alone, bringing other magi or companion characters with him, as well as one or more grogs. Hannelore and the character may meet at dinner, but she is calm and nonchalant, hiding her excitement that her love is here. Even if there was a hostile break-up of the incipient romance, Hannelore expresses a desire to put this behind them, claiming that she was young and foolish back then, and is a very different person now.

Hannelore waits until the character is alone before visiting him. She uses her most powerful maleficium — A Ghost on the Wind I Shall Become / No Door Shall Stop Me — to take phantasmal form, then visits his chamber at night once the Dominion has faded away. She adopts corporeal form to speak with her love; if he does not see her appear, he may believe that he is speaking with Hannelore in her real body. She releases her feelings in a flood of words, begging his forgiveness at her coldness over supper, explaining the need for their love to remain secret, and her excitement that he is here at last. She then demonstrates her newfound power, slowly fading into incorporeality and invisibility, leaving behind a foul sulfurous slime that evaporates quickly. A short while later, she visibly remanifests, laughing hysterically with delight. Her "beloved" should immediately recognize that something is wrong; it is very hard to acquire powers such as these, and Nightwalking, if the character knows anything about it, cannot be taught at all. A simple Intellego Vim spell reveals the presence of Infernally tainted magic (she is using a 9th magnitude maleficium).

The actions of the character determine what happens next.

The Magus Rejects Hannelore

If the magus recoils in horror, rejects her, or reacts in a violent manner, Hannelore screams in rage, but tries to escape rather than attack, delaying if she can so she can dissolve her corporeal form once more (this takes three rounds). If she has the opportunity, she tries to acquire an Arcane Connection, such as a favored piece of clothing or even a handful of hair, which becomes immaterial when she changes form.

Once an Arcane Connection has been secured, she returns to her love, perhaps as he is still raising the alarm among his comrades. She can appear suddenly out of nowhere by manifesting a physical form in a place that has already been searched. Hoping for the element of surprise, she intends to use a maleficium to control him: Mother Lilith, Queen of Desire / Stroke his Staff, Stoke the Fire. Using a maleficium is very obvious, involving the chanting of blasphemies and invocation of demons, so if she did not surprise her target, she'll use her Transfix power first. Depending on what Arcane Connection she managed to gain, this tactic may or may not affect the character: her Casting Total is weak, but she has sympathetic connections to the character — his name, and possibly letters signed in his own hand. This might be enough to surmount his Mentem Magic Resistance; she uses vis and Confidence if necessary.

If her maleficium works, she is able to control the character through lust. She reinforces her control using The Scorched Heart of a Man Obsessed, timing the incantation for sunrise or sunset if necessary, so she is not impeded by the Parma Magica (she can surmise that the magical protection fades at these times, since many maleficia do). The other characters are probably suspicious, particularly if their comrade managed to rouse them prior to his second meeting with Hannelore that night, but under the twin effects of the two maleficia, the character is a slave to the diabolist. As part of her control over her beloved, Hannelore uses her Infernal Ability to drain Fatigue levels from her captive, and to obtain a strong Arcane Connection to use against him in future. She uses Her Iniquities Shall Be Hidden From His Eyes on her father, so he cannot perceive the magus for who he really is, but mistakes him instead for a female companion.

If the character was lured to Baron Hugo's house alone, then he could be a slave to Hannelore's desires indefinitely — or at least until his sodales become sufficiently suspicious of his prolonged absence to investigate his whereabouts. Hannelore renews her maleficia as necessary to keep her captive under her power, and may try more powerful versions of the Psychomachia Infernal Power to control her love. Perhaps it is a botched attempt at one of these spells that allows him to finally break free.

The Magus Plays Along

Rather than recoiling from Hannelore, the character may instead decide to play along with her in an attempt to get more information. She cheerfully relates how she has murdered the suitors chosen by her father, through curses or through nighttime visitations like this, all in the name of her love. She admits to fantasies about killing her father, since he is trying so hard to drive their love apart.

Hannelore is dangerously mad but not stupid, and the player may need to succeed in social Ability rolls (Charm, Folk Ken, or Intrigue depending on tactics; the Ease Factor should be at least 6) to prevent her from becoming suspicious. She is particularly coy about the current location of her body, but might be persuaded to meet with her swain in person somewhere nearby. The character may not realize it, but he is in real danger, since Hannelore uses the same maleficia described earlier to enslave her love and prevent him from getting away from her again. Allowing Hannelore to get close to him just gives her more opportunity to acquire a significant Arcane Connection.

Ultimately, the player characters desire to find Hannelore and put an end to her evil ways. This might be part of a rescue attempt some time after the targeted magus first visited Baron Hugo's home, or it might be part of the same event if Hannelore's gambit has failed.

The characters may be loathe to ap-

Hannelore is not beyond redemption. She has committed mortal sins, yet any who truly seek salvation can attain it. A patient and persistent character may persuade Hannelore to give up her powers after getting her to realize their source. In this, he may well have the help of the baron, who could himself have abandoned diabolic powers in the past (depending on the backstory chosen for him). If the characters simply abandon her after she expresses a genuine desire for redemption, then the storyguide can assume her recidivism and subsequent search for

revenge. However, if the characters are inclined to put in the effort, then such salvation might be achieved, although the road will be fraught with obstacles. Her desire for redemption will be tested by God, and her demonic patron certainly will not let her go without a fight.

Penance would undoubtedly involve voluntary incarceration in a nunnery. If the nunnery chosen for Hannelore happens to be the corrupted one described later in this story, then she could easily slide back into diabolism without the assistance of those who care for her.

proach the baron about Hannelore's activities — she is his daughter, after all. Nevertheless, they will find it difficult to confront Hannelore on his property without his knowledge or assistance. If the characters do go to him for help, he is saddened to hear their tale about his daughter, but he is capable of believing it of her, given what he has witnessed over the last few years. Of course, if the characters have neither proof nor a believable story, or approach him in a disrespectful manner, they find it hard to elicit his aid and may need force or magic to locate Hannelore.

If they persuade Baron Hugo to help, he makes that help contingent on a promise that Hannelore's life be spared. Despite everything, he still loves his daughter, and her death would be heart-wrenching. He also has hopes that she can be persuaded to seek redemption and abandon her wicked ways. He wants to accompany the characters to ensure that this wish is respected. Once this is agreed, he supplies manpower — a trained group of four soldiers (use the Standard Soldier template, ArM5, page 22) lead by a serjeant (use the Grizzled Veteran template, ArM5, page 21). One of his knights might be in residence, and he is able to summon more, given a day to do so. He also knows his manor well, and his influence over his staff will prove invaluable to tracking down where Hannelore has secluded herself.

If the characters choose to attempt an assault against Hannelore without the Baron's assistance, they find out that little happens in his barony without his knowledge. He confronts them with his armed men before they manage to find Hannelore, and demands to know what they are doing. As a baron, he probably has the right of judge, jury, and executioner over a hostile force found on the barony (this varies according to the location of the saga), and the rest of his men are mobilizing to provide support in arresting the invaders. If the characters are capable of placating him — he is angry, but still suspicious of his daughter then he insists on accompanying them, and brings his soldiers to ensure that his daughter survives their encounter.

Hannelore has taken over a series of caves once used by the baron's household to store perishable goods, but now abandoned. The caves were expanded in size in the past and dressed with stone, and go deep into the bedrock to take best advantage of the cool conditions. Hannelore has been using one of the caves as a ritual chamber, and it now contains an Infernal aura of 3, thanks to her evil activities within.

Hannelore is no match for a group of magi. Her powers can be considerable, given sufficient preparation, but have low Penetration Totals against those in whom she has taken no interest. However, she can lay curses on companions and grogs, inflicting Minor Flaws such as Noncomba-

tant, Palsied Hands, or Fear (like The Wrath of a Woman Scorches the Valor of Man). She can also blight an Ability such as Single Weapon (like Trampled Under Death's Pale Hooves), or penalize a Characteristic (like Thy Health Shall Shrivel Like Straw in a Flame). All of these curses can be delivered with Duration: Diameter, giving her a good chance of employing them in this aura. If she is aware that the characters are coming for her, she can adopt her phantasmal form and use these curses from a point of relative safety (being capable of becoming immaterial and invisible), or else use her acquired Skinchanger Virtue to make an exit. Her main tactics are hit-and-run, weakening her opponents as much as possible before having to confront them, although she can achieve some immunity from danger with She Who Bears the Mark Shall Be Unharmed. If the characters have come heavily armed, then the storyguide might wish to make the encounter more challenging with the assistance of some minor demons controlled through a pact (see Pact of the Chalice of Blood), or else a mundane champion — one of her former suitors — whom she has ensorceled in advance with her Crown of Twelve Stars on Her Head power.

If, for some reason, the baron has not accompanied the characters to confront Hannelore, then he arrives before the characters are able to kill her. He interposes himself between the characters and his daughter, and begs for her life. She might see this as an opportunity for selfpreservation and rush to his side, falling to her knees before him to beg for forgiveness and protection.

Ultimately, Hannelore is no match for a group of determined characters, and she can be easily outmatched physically and magically. However, her father's interference most likely prevents her demise, and he has a solution. The baron's suggestion is to have Hannelore confined to a nunnery, secluded on holy ground. As an anchorite — walled into a cell and fed through a hole — her capacity for mischief would be

If Hannelore managed to consummate her lust with her beloved, then there is a chance that she might conceive a child with the player character. She is at the peak of fertility, and if the magus has not yet created a Longevity ritual, then the stars are right for such an event. If it suits the story, another Infernal witch (or a demon) might interfere at Hannelore's behest and allow her to conceive a child, even with a sterile magus (the Consumption Power permits such a maleficium).

Depending on the time elapsed between the couple's liaison and her defeat at the hands of the character, her pregnancy may not be obvious, and she bears the baby in the seclusion of the nunnery without the knowledge of the father. He only discovers this when they return to the nunnery after Hannelore's escape (see later).

Alternatively, too much time might have gone by for the pregnancy to go unnoticed, or else the baby might have already been born. This revelation, only obvious once the magus and Hannelore meet up again in the events described earlier, may be enough to make the character consider clemency for the mother of his child.

The fate of the baby could become a major plot point, particularly if it has The Gift. How does a magus — who has probably resolved himself to being childless — deal with suddenly becoming a father? What happens to the child? Could it become its father's apprentice? And if it was conceived with the assistance of Infernal powers, is it also tainted?

greatly diminished and her powers curbed. Furthermore, she may seek salvation and make amends for the evil she has performed. Baron Hugo is an influential man, and his good will should be something that the player characters desire; they may find it unsatisfying but necessary to acquiesce to his demands.

Should Hannelore perish during the encounter, this is no great problem; simply skip the next section and go straight to Hannelore's Final Gambit.

Hannelore does not simply languish in her confinement in the nunnery. While her demonic tutor cannot visit her here, she is not without resources. Although life at the nunnery may have seemed austere, within a few months of Hannelore's presence there, she has sufficient influence over a select group of nuns to make her life more comfortable, and within a year she is studying from grimoires and has access to vis that her corrupted servants have smuggled in for her (see insert "The Nunnery," nearby).

It is up to the storyguide how much time elapses between Hannelore's imprisonment and her escape. On the one hand, an immediate escape maintains a high level of tension and immediacy in the encounter. On the other hand, having an old enemy reappear is an equally good dramatic device. In the second scenario, the storyguide might need to apply one or more years of experience to Hannelore. While she cannot learn at her former accelerated rate, she certainly has access to profane reading materials and raw vis, and can improve her Methods and Powers accordingly. This enhances her powers against the protagonists when it is time for them to meet once more.

The nunnery should have an established reputation in the saga before it is introduced as Hannelore's prison. Perhaps the characters have guided lost novices there, or been involved in a minor story connected to the nuns. Such foreshadowing should establish the nunnery as an ordinary religious house with a solid foundation; this prevents the characters from being too suspicious about its role in this story.

However, once Hannelore arrives here, its darker side is brought forth. If the storyguide has chosen an immediate escape for Hannelore, then the nunnery was corrupted before her arrival, and Baron Hugo was steered toward choosing it by an outside force (such as the demon who tutored Hannelore). If a slower resolution has been decided upon, then Hannelore arrives at the nunnery while it is still in a state of grace, and she is responsible for its downfall.

If the nunnery was corrupted prior to Hannelore's arrival, then the agent of its demise is Father Fulke, the priest assigned to the pastoral care of the nuns. "Father" Fulke is not a priest at all, but an infernalist posing as one. He is devoted to the same demon who trained Hannelore, and has been directed to assist her. Either Hannelore or Father Fulke works to exert personal influence (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 22–23) over several of the younger nuns, promulgating rebelliousness and licentious behavior. Through their actions, the Dominion aura of the nunnery is weakened, and an Infernal aura manifests at night. These corrupted nuns are also Initiated into the Favored Abilities of Hannelore's patron: Ceremony, Diablerie, Incantation, Malediction, and Psychomachia.

It is not necessary for Father Fulke or Hannelore to corrupt the entire nunnery; indeed, it is unlikely that either would be able to. However, each nun adds her Presence + Incantation as a ceremonial bonus to Hannelore's Casting Total, and she leads one nun in a ceremony per point of her Ceremony Ability (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 91). Alternatively, in a ceremony with no leader, 12 nuns plus Hannelore can add the sum of their Ceremony scores (– 13) to her Casting Total, in addition to the earlier bonus. This could provide her with a significant boost to her power, allowing her to prepare for her assault with a number of Infernal Powers granted by Diablerie maleficia.

The time will come when Hannelore cannot benefit further from her confinement, and she judges it is time for her to leave. Since the Dominion aura within her cell has been eroded through the actions of herself and her minions, it no longer provides an impediment to her Infernal magic. She can adopt the shape of a crow using her Black Wings, Eye-Piercing Beak maleficium.

It may be some time before the nuns discover her flight. Those nuns in her service who have remained behind can cover for her absence by volunteering to take her food and see to her needs. Even once the deception has been uncovered, the prioress may not immediately inform anyone, being too ashamed of her failure. Only if the characters have stressed the danger that Hannelore poses will she overcome her embarrassment and do the right thing.

Hannelore's cell contains those possessions she could not take with her in crow form. Some books on the maleficia and a few pawns of vis can be found among her clothes and eating bowl. The vis appears to be Corpus vis to Hermetic magic, and is in the form of a dried crust of bread; this is actually profaned Host, and is vis infesta. Hannelore managed to take her more precious stores of vis prava, clutched in the claws of her bird shape.

Hannelore has escaped for one reason only — revenge. Her targets are her beloved, her father, and the rest of the characters who participated in her defeat. She

It is entirely possible that the characters are not happy with permitting a witch like Hannelore to live. While they might be content to permit Hannelore to be incarcerated in a nunnery, they may intend to ensure she does not survive long past her confinement. Naturally, an assault against a nunnery must be made in absolute secrecy — it would look very bad for the characters if they were discovered planning an armed raid against a group of nuns. This is why Hannelore's demonic patron tries to ensure that the local authorities are made aware of such plans in time to interfere.

If more covert methods are used, even the mundane challenges of getting into a nunnery secretly might be enough to thwart a magus. Most of the nunnery is within the Dominion, providing an impediment to spellcasting. The high walls are designed to keep the nuns cloistered from the outside world, and Hannelore herself is bricked into her cell (at least, she is whenever the characters come visiting...).

A persistent troupe should not be prevented from pursuing this option, however. Hannelore's showdown with the characters can take place in the nunnery as easily as a place of Hannelore's choosing. If the characters move quickly, the nunnery should have been corrupted in advance, so that Hannelore benefits from the Infernal aura around her cell; she may have made preparations to protect herself against such an assault. If necessary, she burns down the nunnery if it ensures the death of her former love.

If the characters have an Arcane Connection to Hannelore (her former lover, if initially willing, could well have one), then they may be able to target her without leaving home. This is a trickier option to adjudicate because it robs the story of a showdown, but the foresight of obtaining and preserving an Arcane Connection should be rewarded. In this situation, the return of Hannelore as an Infernal ghost should be made more dramatic, to give a satisfying conclusion to the story.

has planned this revenge since her incarceration, and wastes no time putting her plan into action, knowing that if her escape is noticed, she will be tracked down and stopped.

Her method is brutal. While she could easily murder her enemies in their sleep by using A Ghost on the Wind I Shall Become, she wants them to suffer for their actions against her, and her unhinged mind concocts a plan. She sends a message to her foes, asking them to meet at a particular tavern. The message appears to come from a known ally, perhaps even Baron Hugo. The tavern is not in a town, but near a relatively busy road, serving the travelers who need to stop on the way between two major towns. It is also a popular haunt of redcaps, and famed for its ale. Baron Hugo gets a similar message.

When everyone is inside, she bars the doors and sets fire to the building. She has made a compact (via The Pact of the Chalice of Blood) with an aethnicus (a demon of fire, see Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 67), who sets the flames. She follows it around, bespelling the roof, doors, and sections of wall with Break Not, Bend Not, Burn Not / Thy Powers Desert, hindering magical attempts to escape the burning building. The tavern has many patrons this night, and their panicked attempts to escape hinder the characters' actions further. For a more difficult challenge to the characters, this encounter could occur at night when most of the patrons (and possibly some of the player characters) are asleep.

Hannelore herself is standing outside the building, watching it burn. She has protected herself from fire using Clothed in the Dragon's Scales, and may well cavort within the flames and taunt her opponents as they attempt to get out. If anyone manages to escape, she is ready with a knife to dispatch them, although she may have called in some of her allies, demonic and otherwise (as earlier), if the characters are competent in a fight. She would dearly love to personally put a knife in the hearts of her father and her betraying lover,

Escaping a Burning Building

Fire is a primal fear, and being trapped inside a burning building with a group of panicking people is one of the surest ways of dying. The first peril is the smoke, inhalation of which imposes Deprivation rolls (ArM5, page 180). At first, these rolls are made every 30 seconds (5 combat rounds), but as the smoke thickens, the frequency increases to every round. A wet cloth in front of the face adds +3 to all Deprivation rolls against smoke inhalation.

The second problem is the heat. Characters should make a roll to avoid Short-Term Fatigue (ArM5, page 178) every round they engage in activity within the heated tavern. Anyone wearing principally metal armor receives a –3 penalty to this Fatigue roll.

Third, when fire breaks out, each round every character must soak +5 damage from the flames. After 5 rounds of exposure, metal armor provides no protection against flames. If the character attempts any heroic actions, then more of his body may be affected by the flames, doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the base damage (ArM5, page 181). After 10 rounds in the burning building, the damage increases to +10, and the rafters are in danger of collapsing, bringing the whole tavern down. Every round, roll a simple die: if it is less than or equal to the number of rounds that the tavern has been burning since the damage increased to +10, then the roof collapses, inflicting +15 damage on all within.

The final danger faced by the burning building is the other people within. There are about two dozen people trapped inside the building with the characters, and they do not act rationally once they realize that they are likely to burn to death. The list that follows offers a few examples of their actions. Characters can attempt Communication + Leadership rolls against an Ease Factor of 12 to attempt some influence over these people, or else use brute force to get them out the way. If the characters have interacted with some

of these individuals during their visit to the tavern, they may be more inclined toward heroic actions.

• A merchant offers the characters a pouch of silver coins if they rescue his wares from his private chamber upstairs.
• A mother stands screaming hysterically because her children are trapped upstairs, and begs the characters to help her.
• A young man and his love are hiding beneath a table, and refuse to come out even though the table has already caught fire.
• A local hero is throwing water and ale from the barrels onto the flames, but is doing so ineffectually.

Since Hannelore has barred the doors from the outside, characters need to force them open or chop them down. If they rely on pure Strength rolls to force the doors, the Ease Factor is 12. If a character charges at the door, he must lose a Short-Term Fatigue level, but can add his Athletics to the Strength roll. Up to four characters can combine their Strength to force (but not charge) the doors. If they use a bench as a battering ram, they may add +3 to their roll. Characters who use an axe (there is one by the back door, for chopping firewood) can make a Stress check for the door each round — roll a stress die against an Ease Factor of 15, adding 3 to the roll because it has been barred. If the stress check fails, the door loses a damage level. It has 2 damage levels in total; once they are gone, the door is passable.

The characters should not forget about Baron Hugo. He is also inside the tavern, and if they save his life, they might further cement their alliance with this influential nobleman, or repair a damaged relationship.

Timeline of the Fire

A typical timeline of the encounter at the tavern is given nearby. Remember that if the characters do smell smoke, it might take them several rounds to discover that the building is on fire. If it is during the day, the rolls to notice the smoke are increased by +3 because the cooking fire masks the smell of the tavern burning. If characters are asleep, the Ease Factor for their rolls to notice the smoke is increased by +9.

Round 1: Characters may notice the smell of smoke, with a Perception + Awareness roll against an Ease Factor of 12. Whether they smell it or not, the characters make a Deprivation roll for smoke inhalation.

Round 3: The Ease Factor for noticing the smell of smoke drops to 6.

Round 5: The smoke cannot be missed any more. Characters must make Deprivation rolls for smoke inhalation every round from here on. Further, the heat from the burning building means that Short-Term Fatigue rolls also have to be made every round.

Round 10: Fires are now breaking out all over the tavern, inflicting +5 damage each round

Round 15: The tavern is now burning furiously, inflicting +10 damage each round. The Ease Factor to break down the doors decreases by 3 since the tavern is structurally weakened. There is now a risk that the tavern will collapse on the characters.

There should be no last-minute rescue for Hannelore this time — even Baron Hugo can see the need for his daughter's death. If the storyguide desires, Hannelore could try to escape in crow form when it is apparent that she has not caused the death of either her father or her beloved. Whether this escape is successful, or whether she is shot down by an archer, is up to the needs of the story, but her death at this point of the story ensures that it reaches an appropriate climax.

For a suitably dramatic ending, once an Incapacitating or Fatal wound has been inflicted on her, Hannelore might beg for her father or her love to come close and hear her confession. She then spits one final curse at one of them, expending the rest of her power and offering herself as an Infernal sacrifice to power the effect.

Hannelore's story is not quite done. Hell gives her one last chance to secure her revenge by permitting her to return as an Infernal ghost. If she can gain more souls for Hell, the punishment she is due for a sinful life will be remitted fractionally. She is given a year from the anniversary of her death to secure a soul for Hell, and if she succeeds, her time as an Infernal ghost is extended for another year. To win a soul, she needs to tempt them to commit a mortal sin, then ensure they die without repenting.

As a demon, Hannelore has lost all the governing virtue of her conscience, and she must struggle against the desire for a quick conclusion in order to get the revenge she craves. She works her way through any remaining members of her family, then moves on to any grogs or companions who helped her lover survive the fire.

Hannelore's method is the same each time. Starting with Baron Hugo (assuming he is still alive), she possesses his wife Ermengarde, and uses her Infatuation Obsession on Hugo and Ermengarde. She then fakes evidence that Hugo has been unfaithful (or uncovers a real infidelity, using her Betrayal of the Heart power), and provides Ermengarde with the opportunity to kill him after inflicting her with the Revenge Obsession. Ermengarde succumbs to the passion and her soul is forsaken; Hannelore then ensures her swift death by ensuring that Ermengarde does not survive her arrest by the lord's men. After killing Ermengarde, Hannelore moves on to her siblings and any of baron's knights who participated in her demise. Not all of the wives act on the Revenge Obsession; in these cases, she takes full possession of her host and simulates the attempt. This doesn't earn her the wife's soul, but if her target kills her spouse, she can tempt her into remorse-laden suicide.

If the character has maintained connections with Hannelore's family since her death, or has contacts within the local nobility, he may learn of the series of deaths and investigate before too many are killed. He may connect the dates of the

deaths as clustered around the date that he finally defeated Hannelore, and realize that another anniversary is coming up soon. If Hannelore should see her paramour, her demonic nature makes it impossible for her to resist abandoning her plan in favor of killing him as soon as possible. This means that she has little opportunity to plan her attack, and her involvement is likely to be transparent. For example, the wife of her current target, secretly possessed by Hannelore, might attempt to ravish him on the supper table, or else Hannelore might possess several women at the same time and attempt to tear him limb from limb. All she needs is for him to commit a mortal sin and then die without atonement. However, she flees from superior opposition.

If any covenfolk took part in her demise she might intend to target them first; but once again, she may spy her beloved and be unable to resist targeting him instead. Possessed humans are not warded by an Aegis of the Hearth or similar protection, as long as the demon does not extend its Magic Resistance over the host (Realms of Power: The Infernal page 32). If the Penetration of an Aegis exceeds her Infernal Might, though, all powers cost twice their usual Might points.

If she is thwarted in either of these in-

stances, she becomes increasingly desperate as her deadline looms closely and she still lacks a soul to ransom her own. She becomes careless and targets her former paramour directly. She does not — indeed cannot — bother with subtlety around her beloved. She uses everything at her disposal to tempt him to sin and then end his life, with the proviso that, at the end, he is aware that she is the architect of his demise. An appropriate end to this story would be a big showdown with the characters on the anniversary of her death, leading to her soul being dragged back to Hell by angels of punishment in a show of flames and smoke.

Infernal Might: 20 (Mentem)

Order: Accusers

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre +1, Com +3, Str 0, Sta –1, Dex 0, Qik +1

Size: 0

Confidence Score: 2 (6)

Virtues and Flaws: As in life

Personality Traits: Hateful +5, Attracted to Power +3, Inquisitive +2, Sensible –3

Reputations: Ambitious 3 (Infernal)

Combat:

Dagger: Init +1, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +2

Soak: –1

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: As in life

Powers:

Betrayal of the Heart, 2 points, Init 0, Mentem: This power allows Hannelore to see into the hearts of men and draw forth people's most secret fears and sins. Each use of this power reveals to the demon one fact about the target to which he would never admit. Truly holy people may be immune to this power if they have no secrets, no matter how petty.

Envisioning, 1 or 5 points, Init +0, Mentem: Hannelore can appear in the dreams of a sleeping target (in which case it costs 1 Might point), or make the target experience a waking dream or vision (in which case it costs 5 Might points). A demon cannot instantly make substantial changes to a dream, but can gradually twist it to take on a darker and more frightening tone, and can speak through any figure from the victim's subconscious. A waking dream is more obvious; the victim suffers an immediate and powerful hallucination of whatever the demon desires. This may be so horrific that the victim is stunned for a round, and must make a Brave Personality roll against an Ease Factor of 9 or have an extreme reaction, such as retching, convulsions, or abject terror. This is the only way that Hannelore can communicate with humans.

Obsession, 1 to 3 points, Init -5, Vim: Hannelore can attempt to impose either of her Obsession Traits of Infatuation or Revenge upon a mortal whenever the mortal indulges in a venial sin. If the power penetrates Magic Resistance, the victim is assailed with sinful thoughts, and acquires a Personality Trait with a score equal to the number of Might points spent by the demon. This Trait may become permanent if the character indulges in that sin when next presented with an opportunity. For more details, see Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 31–32.

Possession, variable points, Init +2, Mentem: To possess a human, the demon may expend any number of points from its Might Pool to create a Possession Might Pool; these points actually enter the possessed creature and will not be regenerated by the demon until the possession is ended. The more of its Might it expends to use this power, the more the demon can do with its host, but the weaker the Penetration. If the target's resistance is overcome by this power, the victim is possessed by the demon, and is under its direct control. For more details, see Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 32.

Whispers Behind the Back, 2 points, Init 0, Mentem: Working exactly like the spell Pains of the Perpetual Worry, this power gives the victim a nagging, taunting, painful emotion linked to their secret sins. It is a recurrent sense of anxiety that their secret will be uncovered, and a suspicion that everyone already knows it and is taking about the target behind his back. This power lasts for a month.

Vis: 4 pawns of vis prava, but this is insubstantial.

Appearance: She looks much as she did in life, but her face is pinched into a caricature of its former self, and her skin is scarlet as if she has been boiled alive. She has small horns in her tousled hair. Her fine clothes are faded, and stream behind her as if constantly whipped by the furnace winds of Hell.

Note that Hannelore is incorporeal in her natural form, and cannot be engaged physically in combat unless her opponent is also a spirit. She has no capacity to form a solid body.

The storyguide may wish to increase Hannelore's Might score if she would not pose a suitable challenge to the player characters. Her Infernal Reputation could afford her the rank of Master or Lord, giving her +5 or +10 Might respectively. It is up to the storyguide as to whether she still has access to her maleficia as a demon.