CREDITS

Writing: Cat Evans

Editing: Christopher Walz
Producer: Emmet Byrne
Illustration: Max Fitzgerald, Pasi Juhola, Sam Manley, JG O’Donoghue
Graphic Design and Layout: Rory McCormack
Proofreading: Tim Gray
Cubicle 7 Business Support: Anthony Burke, Elaine Connolly, Donna King, and Kieran Murphy

Cubicle 7 Creative Team: Emmet Byrne, Zak Dale-Clutterbuck, Dániel Kovács, TS Luikart, Rachael Macken, Rory
McCormack, Dominic McDowall, Sam Manley, Pádraig Murphy, Ceíre O’Donoghue, JG O’Donoghue, Síne Quinn,
Jacob Rodgers, and Christopher Walz

Publisher: Dominic McDowall

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound Designed by Emmet Byrne and Dominic McDowall

Special thanks to Games Workshop

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 This short adventure should take one or two sessions to play him, so she rose quickly as a Myrmourn Banshee — the fate
through. Set in the city of Brightspear in Aqshy, Fateful of many spellcasters who try to evade death. Seramis is far
Night builds on the locations and features presented in more powerful than most Myrmourn Banshees, however,
the Soulbound Starter Set (you don’t need that boxed set and far more ambitious. To win favour with Nagash and
to play but the Brightspear City Guide can help bring the his servants, she plans to open the realmgate beneath
city to life) and explores ways in which Doom can affect Brightspear, inviting in an endless legion of the dead from
gameplay. It’s suitable for starting characters, or for those Shyish, the Realm of Death. After she gives Nagash the city,
who have played through the Faltering Light adventure she expects to be rewarded with power and status amongst
from the Starter Set. his servants, perhaps becoming one of his Mortarchs.

The Appendix contains two adventure seeds using the Ever since she died and then returned, the cabal of
Rumour, Fear, and Threat format, set during the events of necromancers who make up Seramis’s most loyal students
Fateful Night. You can use these more compact scenarios have found ways to feed souls, living and dead, to the
as an alternative opening to the adventure, as a short realmgate. Tonight, on Brightspear’s Festival of Memory, a
adventure of around two hours, or as a side trek during night-long festival in remembrance of those lost during the
the events of the main adventure. Necroquake, the realmgate creaks open and a single Binding
of Soulbound has the power to thwart the Banshee’s plans.

ADVENTURE SUMMARY
Getting Started
Domini University, in Brightspear’s Lower Tier, specialises in This adventure starts with the characters involved in the
the history and magical practice of the ancient Agloraxians. Night of Memory’s festivities.
The mages of the Agloraxian Empire were famous for their
power and infamous for their lack of morals. Dark magic, Rumour: Mages and those blessed with Witch-Sight have
warped creations, and deadly weapons were the hallmarks noted strange currents of amethyst magic flowing through
of their arcane tradition, and the Aqshians who follow the Lower Tier of Brightspear.
in their footsteps today are frequently calculating and
ambitious but lacking in principles. Fear: As the Night of Memory approaches, some in the
Lower Tier take precautions against hauntings, buying
Seramis was an excellent example of a Domini scholar. A amulets and trinkets that serve no real purpose. Street
student of the deep magics of life and death, she stumbled prophets warn that another Necroquake is coming.
across a way to keep herself alive long past her life’s natural
span. She lived for almost three centuries, growing in power Threat: On the Night of Memory, the dead scholar Seramis
and ruthlessness, and death only caught up to her a few and her acolytes perform a ritual to tear open Brightspear’s
months ago. Nagash has no mercy for those who try to cheat realmgate and cede the city to the dead.
2
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
THE CITY OF is called out in sidebars and its effect on Seramis’s power is
described in Part 3: Unhallowed Halls.
BRIGHTSPEAR
Fateful Night adds a new dimension to the Doom
Brightspear, in the Realm of Fire, is the newest of the Cities mechanic: Doomed lands. Several of the locations the
of Order. Built on the ruins of an ancient Agloraxian city, characters visit become more dangerous or hostile
it was resettled only recently by the servants of Sigmar. depending on the Doom rating. These effects are explained
Brightspear is composed of three districts: the Upper Tier, in the description of each location.
the Lower Tier, and the New City. The Upper Tier sits on
a large plate built around the central ‘spear’ of the city,
and slowly rotates to match the movement of Hysh and Non-Player Characters
Ulgu across the sky. The Lower Tier is directly beneath Use these short descriptions to portray the most important
the plate that holds the Upper Tier. It is almost constantly NPCs the characters will encounter.
in shadow and you can always hear the faint clicking and
grinding of the rotating plate above. The New City is the MOST DEVOTED BROTHER ANDOR
ever-expanding edges of Brightspear. Here the ancient Appearance: Stout, shaven-headed Human man in his
ruined buildings are demolished and the city expands as late twenties with blue-black skin and a crooked nose.
all Cities of Sigmar do, growing outward in ever increasing Andor wears elaborate blue Sigmarite robes.
concentric rings.
Goals: Maintain the status quo; keep the people of
Many members of Brightspear’s ruling Conclave died in Brightspear safe.
the Necroquake that struck the city soon after its founding.
Lord-Arcanum Salonia Gravewing is the current de facto Roleplaying Notes: You’re used to swaying a crowd with
leader. She is one of the few people who know Brightspear your words. You speak clearly and compellingly, and you
has a realmgate, hidden deep in the Agloraxian ruins of know you need to give respect to get respect.
the Undercity. A few scholars of Domini University, with
their knowledge of the city’s ancient history, also know HEIDA, THE SHADOWCLOAK
this secret. Appearance: A pallid young Human woman with indigo
eyes, lank brown hair, and a grey cloak that envelops her
A full guide to the city of Brightspear can be found in the thin frame.
Soulbound Starter Set but you do not need it in order to
run this adventure. Goals: Advance Seramis’s cause; gain favour and power
from service.

Brightspear’s Doom Roleplaying Notes: Life is temporary, and only the

Doom (Soulbound page 133) represents the growing rewards you receive in death matter. You have no fear of
unease and dread within the Mortal Realms, the collective your own death, and no fear that Seramis’s plan will fail.
fear that another calamity on the scale of the Necroquake You are calm, collected, and certain in all that you do.
or even the Age of Chaos is coming. Doom shapes the
prevailing mood in a city and gives the GM a guide to how IRONWELD SERGEANT
the populace and key NPCs might behave. High Doom MORRA BURNASDOTR
also makes some monsters more powerful. If you’re playing Appearance: A hugely muscled Duardin woman with warm
Fateful Night as a standalone adventure, Brightspear’s brown skin and flame-red hair, wearing fine, gilded armour.
Doom starts at 3. If you’re following on from Faltering
Light or another adventure, assume Doom reduced by 1 Goals: Keep order as best you can; support Andor.
for every month since the last adventure ended.
Roleplaying Notes: You learn one thing in the Ironweld:
Throughout the Night of Memory, the actions of Seramis most problems can be solved either by shouting, or
and her minions cause Doom to increase rapidly. The smacking them with a warhammer. If they can’t, it’s above
characters can slow these gains but not stop them your pay grade. Defer or delegate to the most capable
completely. Throughout the adventure, increasing Doom nearby individuals.

3
 ZABRAXIN, GATEKEEPER OF DOMINI PART 1: NIGHT OF THE
Appearance: An aged Human man, his olive skin
shrivelled and sunken around his bones; sunken eyes, RESTLESS DEAD
pursed lips, and a proud bearing.
This part of the adventure takes place at the Fallen Spire
Goals: Keep Domini University’s secrets. Keep outsiders (Brightspear City Guide, page 16), during the Festival of
out unless they are demonstrably useful to you, or offer Memory. This annual celebration lasts from sundown to
solutions to your problems. sunrise, and combines solemn remembrance of the dead,
especially those lost in the past year, with celebration of
Roleplaying Notes: Use as few words as possible: fools the lives that ended and those that continue.
will hand you the advantage by filling the silence.
The Fallen Spire is the name given to the scattered
DELON, APPRENTICED TO DEATH remains of an ancient Agloraxian monument. On these
Appearance: A tall, stocky Human man with cool brown vast chunks of masonry, the people of Brightspear scribe
skin turned ashen from fatigue and necromancy. Faint the names of their dead and scatter their ashes to feed the
trails of ethereal purple-black power follow his hands small, orange flowers that sprout from the stone.
when he gestures.
Tonight, the circular space around the stones is full of
Goals: Open the realmgate. Die in the process and arise as people from children to elders, and lit by candles and
something more powerful than a mortal mage. torches. They’re here for the official civic celebration of the
Festival of Memory, playing games and feasting on candy,
Roleplaying Notes: Approach battle with grim solemnity. and privately remembering their loved ones in advance of
Put yourself at risk at every opportunity, whether it the great service soon to be delivered by Devoted Brother
directly serves Seramis’s goals or not. Andor from the wooden pulpit erected in the middle of
the space.
SERAMIS, BANSHEE SAGE
Appearance: A towering, spectral figure wreathed in
fluttering, tattered blue robes. A grimoire is chained Getting Involved
to one of her bony arms, and the other wields a slender The characters might attend this ceremony for a number
sacrificial knife. of reasons. Maybe they do so out of a sense of civic duty,
maybe they want to enjoy the festivities, or maybe they have
Goals: Surrender Brightspear to Death. Take your specific people they want to remember. Have the players
deserved place as Nagash’s favoured vizier. describe why their characters are at the Fallen Spire.

Roleplaying Notes: Speak of the wonders and glories of

death; the power and blessing of eternal existence and the Passing the Time
fragility of flesh and bone. Bask in your power to wield Give the characters time to enjoy the festivities before the
powerful magics and exult in the pain you cause. action commences. Here are some options.

GAMES
Games are an important part of the Festival of Memory,
which is a celebration of life as much as a remembrance of
death. There are numerous booths between the pieces of
fallen stonework offering entertainments.

Chilli Roulette: Contestants each pick a piece from a

bowl of novelty skeleton-shaped candy. Roughly one in
three are spiced with painfully hot chillies. If you choose
a spicy piece and eat it without flinching (a DN 3:1 Body
(Fortitude) Test), you get a prize, usually a cheaply made
toy or trinket.

4
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
Names of the Dead: The first player says ‘Tonight we Other characters the party have encountered may also be
remember our beloved dead…’ and adds a name, and a here, such as Cadice Amard or Aashira Khatri from Faltering
deed the person should be remembered for (‘Teegan Light, or Gustav of Goods by Gustav (Brightspear City
Irontooth, who once drank a whole keg of Bugman’s’). Each Guide, page 16) who is here mourning his daughter Lavinia
player repeats the list, adding another name and deed to who died during the Necroquake. Gustav holds an elderly
the litany. When a player can’t repeat the whole litany (a black rabbit close at all times, slipping it small treats to distract
DN 4:1 Mind Test, increasing to 4:2 in the second turn, himself when he becomes overwhelmed with emotion.
then 4:3, to a maximum of 4:4), they’re out of the game.
The last one in wins a prize, usually candy or a trinket.
The Service
Banishment: One player is ‘the living’ and the others are After half an hour or so, Devoted Brother Andor, a stout,
‘the dead.’ The dead creep up on the living while their shaven-headed priest of Sigmar, climbs up to the pulpit
back is turned, and the first one to touch the living wins a and conducts the traditional service. There are hymns,
prize. The living can turn around at any moment, and any prayers, and a litany of the names of everyone lost in
of the dead caught moving are out. This can be resolved Brightspear this year — most of the crowd is swept up in
with Opposed Mind (Perception) and Body (Stealth) the proceedings. A few continue to attend to their own
Tests, followed by both teams making a DN 4:2 Body memorials, including Heida, although she pauses and
(Athletics) Test. Whichever team won the Opposed Test pays attention when Andor mentions ‘Seramis, a respected
makes the Body (Athletics) Test at DN 4:1. scholar of Domini University.’

FOOD AND DRINK Characters who perceive the arcane through Witch-Sight
Some of the city’s finest food vendors have set up stalls or similar means see the movement of amethyst magic
and carts around the edges of the plaza. They sell a range around the area, especially around Heida. A few minutes
of seasonal treats including cinnamon-flavoured candy before its climax, the service is disrupted as a vortex
shaped like skulls and bones (bought by the piece for 1 forms overhead. Spirits start to rise out of the buildings,
drop or as a whole skeleton for 5); ash brandy (not made the stones, and the air itself, and the crowd starts to
with real ashes but infused with smoke, for 7 drops); and panic. Sergeant Morra Burnasdotr immediately asks the
candied, roasted nuts (this is Aqshy — if you’re brave characters to help keep order: get the civilians out of the
enough to reach into the fire, you get them for free). area with minimal harm.

PRIVATE MEMORIALS
Many of those in attendance have come to remember their The Storm
own dead through prayers or offerings. If the characters Without the characters’ intervention, most of the people
have lost people, they may wish to do the same. Let the in the Fallen Spire plaza will die, torn apart by Chainrasps
characters describe their devotions, and consider giving a (Soulbound, page 331) jealous of their life force. Doom
temporary point of Soulfire for those that are particularly immediately increases by 6. Effective action saves many
moving, or ones that are relevant to the whole Binding. lives and reduces Doom, as noted at the end of each section
Any Soulfire gained in this way can raise the Binding’s below. Throw as few or as many of the vignettes below at
maximum Soulfire, but fade after the Festival of Memory. the characters as needed to set the mood. There are also
an effectively infinite number of Chainrasps, so adjust the
PEOPLE numbers as needed to challenge your players. Rather than try
Almost a hundred people crowd around the Fallen Spire, to track dozens of individual Chainrasps, you can instead use
there to memorialise their loved ones or just to enjoy the the Chainrasp Horde (page 15), which acts as a Swarm.
festivities. Let the characters mingle and meet people,
including Brother Andor (preparing for the ceremony), Defend Andor: The dead seem particularly drawn to
Morra (patrolling, keeping order), Heida (murmuring an the Sigmarite priest. Six Chainrasps and a Chainrasp
ancient Agloraxian rite over a piece of masonry; she says Dreadwarden (Soulbound page 330) target him, and
that she’s a student at Domini University, and this is the without the characters’ assistance he will die in two
best way to ‘keep the dead in their place’). rounds. If he survives the second round, he casts Bolster
Faith, which makes the crowd less panicked and reduces
the difficulty of checks to persuade or command them.
Doom decreases by 1.

5
 My Child: A family is clustered around a chunk of Migration Patterns: Characters who spend more than
stonework, praying to their deceased daughter to keep one turn out of combat have time to observe the dead and
them safe. It’s not working — they’ve just been fortunate realise that they’re not just exulting in destruction, but
enough to evade the spirits’ notice for a few seconds. actively trying to leave the area — unusually strategic for
Worse, they’re creating a bottleneck, slowing other people’s a Chainrasp force. This encounter does not affect Doom.
attempts to move around them and leave the Fallen Spire.
If the characters move them on, they save many people’s Into the Shadows: Heida is not afraid of the dead, and
lives. Doom decreases by 1. they don’t trouble her. She slips away into the shadows,
and then out of the area, if the characters don’t stop her
Clear the Exits: The most impactful thing the characters within three turns. If she escapes, they encounter her in
can do is make sure people leave in an orderly fashion, the crowd on the stairs to the Lower Tier (see The Spiral,
and fight off the spirits pursuing them. There are three page 7). This encounter does not affect Doom.
exits from the Fallen Spire, each blocked by a Chainrasp
Horde (see page 15). Two characters can effectively hold
the three exits by engaging the Chainrasp Hordes each Interrogating Heida
turn, which allows people to flee. The Chainrasp Horde If the characters prevent Heida from leaving, they are
recovers its numbers at the start of each round, returning free to question her. Now that their plan is in motion, she
to 10 creatures in the Swarm. It takes 5 rounds to fully freely admits that Master Seramis has called up the spirit
empty the area of bystanders. Doom decreases by 2. of everyone who ever died in Brightspear. She’s calling
them to her, in Domini University, and she will use their
Seal the Gates: If Andor survives, he begins a ritual power to open Brightspear’s realmgate, attune it to the
intended to confine the dead to the Fallen Spire. This takes Realm of Death, and hand over the city to the Undying
5 rounds to complete, and he comes under constant attack King, Nagash. To stop her the characters will have to fight
from Chainrasp Hordes (and dies mid-ritual, unless the their way to the university and disrupt her ritual.
characters defend him). If he’s successful, the dead will be
contained in the Fallen Spire until sunrise, in about ten The characters know Seramis’s name: her death, earlier in
hours. Doom decreases by 2. the year, was very publicly mourned by her colleagues at
Domini University and celebrated by the Collegiate Arcane.
The characters might not know that Brightspear has a
hidden realmgate in the depths of the ancient Undercity,
so this revelation may come as a shock (see the Soulbound
Starter Set for more information on Brightspear and the
significance of its realmgate). Even if the characters are
aware of the realmgate, they know that the power required
to seal it shut once more is immense. Their best plan is to
strike at Domini University and stop Seramis.

Next Steps
This disaster is not confined to the Fallen Spire, or even the
Upper Tier. The characters see spectres everywhere they
look, including down in the New City. They’re all flowing
towards a single point somewhere in the Bastion district.
If the characters don’t notice this, or aren’t inclined to act
on it, Most Devoted Brother Andor or Morra direct them
to investigate, and deal with the storm of the dead.

6
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
PART 2: CELEBRATION elsewhere and an enterprising member of the bar staff has
been selling Wight-Water: fairly average ale, with just a
OF RUIN splash of Wight-as-a-Ghost.

This part of the adventure takes the characters from To cut a long story short, a lot of guests are temporarily
The Fallen Spire to the gates of Domini University possessed by the lingering traces of lost souls in their beer.
(Brightspear City Guide, page 24). They descend from Two of the three bar staff and about a dozen guests still
the Upper to the Lower Tier, and pass through the districts in control of their own bodies (ironically, they stuck to
of Emberwalk and the Bastion. Between crowds, ongoing drinking spirits) are trapped within the circular bar at the
celebrations of the Festival of Memory, and nightmarish centre of the pub, barricaded with chairs, tables, and other
spectres screaming through the streets, it’s going to be a furniture. Two dozen possessed guests are trying to reach
long journey. them, but fortunately the spirits possessing them have yet
to remember how hands work.
Doom increases with every encounter, but how much
it increases depends on the characters’ actions. Doom One of the bar staff, Sheana, was upstairs when disaster
reflects the time the characters spend dealing with the struck, and is leaning out of an upstairs window yelling
problem (or evading it), and therefore the impact of the for help, although her message of ‘The beer! The beer is
dead loose in Brightspear and the progress of Seramis’s haunted!’ may not convey the urgency of the situation.
ritual (see Part 3: Unhallowed Halls). The higher the
Doom, the tougher the final battle with Seramis! The characters are free to ignore this, though eventually
the possessed remember how to work their bodies, and
kill every living soul in the pub, then swarm through the
surrounding area. This increases Doom by 2.

Let’s Fly! If the characters intervene, they could render the

If the characters wish to quickly get to the Lower
possessed Humans and Duardin unconscious, herd them
Tier, they may try to reach one of the Gyroports that
into the beer cellar where they can’t do any harm, or just
ferries people about the city (Brightspear City Guide,
kill everyone. Effective intervention means Doom only
page 16). However, they are not the only ones who
increases by 1.
have had this idea. The Gyroports are overrun with
people pushing and shoving, calling out wild sums
The possessed patrons, in their current state, are no real
of Aqua Ghyranis to try to secure passage.
threat to the characters (assume they have only 1d6 for
any Test they attempt and a single point of Toughness). If
If the party are determined to take one of the they decide to fight the possessed, some groups may wish
aircraft, describe people ahead of them frantically to narrate the scene rather than use detailed combat rules.
clambering aboard the small dirigibles, only for it
to be swarmed by Chainrasps as it lifts off. The See page 12 for a more in-depth look at the pub and its
Gyrocopter plummets to the ground below in a possessed drinkers.
hail of screams.

The Spiral
The situation remains dire as the characters move through
the Upper Tier. This winding staircase to the Lower
The Twelve Taps Tier is a perfect example. Most people assume that the
To get to the Bastion, the characters need a stairway danger is confined to the Upper Tier, and are attempting
down to the Lower Tier. Reaching one takes them past to flee downwards. The panicked crowd is on the brink
this famous local pub, which purveys unusual and exotic of becoming a riot, with people jostling and shoving one
brews to connoisseurs. One of their house specials is another over the side to escape the wraiths closing in from
the pale ale Wight-as-a-Ghost, brewed with water from both sides.
Shyish. Usually the owner, Pinaar, is careful about how
much he sells, and to whom. Tonight Pinaar is celebrating

7
 The characters can look for another way down, but every prison, an imposing fortress of dark grey stone
staircase they try to access is just as bad: the invasion of the unblemished by windows. Many prisoners have died here,
dead is city-wide. Time spent looking for a quieter staircase by violence, old age, or the fevers that rip through the
is wasted, and adds another point of Doom. Any character prison population every couple of seasons. All of those
with criminal connections knows of ‘smugglers’ steps’ — prisoners have arisen from their rest, and have taken
secret routes between the Upper and Lower Tiers — but over the Bleak Stockade. The guards they haven’t killed
accessing them requires negotiating with the Redcap Gangs have been driven away, and the Festival of Memory vigil
who control the route, most of whom have barricaded taking place in the plaza outside has been disrupted as
themselves in their dens and aren’t willing to open up. the spirits of dead prisoners stage gory executions of the
living. The dead snatch helpless mortals from the fleeing
If the characters have not already dealt with Heida, she crowds and drag them to spectral chopping blocks where
is here. She’s part of the crowd, being jostled and shoved ghostly executioners hack off their heads, or hang them
by panicking people. As the characters get close to her, from chains and meat hooks on translucent gallows. The
she is shoved towards the railing. Unless the characters carnage is accompanied by chilling choruses of ‘Souls for
intervene, she is knocked off the staircase. As she falls the Undying King!’
to her death, she cries exultantly ‘One more soul for the
realmgate!’. Amidst all of this, some of the prisoners are escaping, and
the Freeguild regiment called the Bright Wardens (whose
The characters don’t have many options. They need to get headquarters is close by) is preparing to make a stand.
down to the Lower Tier, and there are a limited number
of staircases. They need to calm or intimidate the crowd While the characters could simply go around the Bleak
enough to get to the bottom of the staircase, then fight Stockade, it would take much longer (the fortress is large,
their way through Chainrasp Hordes (see page 15) and and the narrow streets around it are choked with other,
Glaivewraiths (Soulbound, page 331). There are two smaller, confrontations between the living and the dead.
Chainrasp Hordes and one Glaivewraith per character. Going across the square is the fastest way to Domini
Once engaged in combat, there is no going back: the University, but requires some care.
pressure of the crowd behind the characters is like a wall:
retreating requires a DN 5:2 Body (Might) Test. If the Just crossing the square is an achievement, and to do so the
characters leave immediately, Doom increases by 2 (3 if characters must fend off groups of specters attempting to
it’s not the first staircase they’ve tried). If the characters drag them into their execution tableaus. Saving innocent
stay to keep the foot of the stairs clear, they lose several bystanders from execution is a bonus. While the characters
minutes but prevent major loss of life and Doom only are struggling across the square, the Bright Wardens arrive
increases by 1 (2 if it’s not their first staircase). to try to deal with the situation. They are led by the nervous
newly promoted young officer Lieutenant Mejeed, who
immediately tries to press the characters into service to
The Bleak Stockade help him take control of the Bleak Fortress — a distraction
Whichever set of stairs the characters take, they descend that could take them hours, and be the ruin of Brightspear.
into the Lower Tier somewhere near the Bleak Stockade They must either persuade, intimidate, or threaten Mejeed
(Brightspear City Guide, page 23). This is Brightspear’s into letting them go about their business. The characters

DOOMED LOCATION

Doom Effects

1–4 No effect.

The Bright Wardens immediately turn to violence to disperse the crowd, injuring and killing anyone who doesn’t move
5–9 fast enough. A grave chill fills the area, making it bitterly cold. The dice pool for all Body Tests is reduced by 1 for the
duration of this encounter, including any combat that might break out.

The crowd have become a mob and are finding their own candidates for execution. Mejeed’s soldiers suffered many
casualties during an earlier sortie and barricaded themselves in a nearby alleyway, hoping to merely survive the night.
10+
The scene of hysterical carnage shakes the characters, reducing the amount of dice they have for all Tests by 1 during
the encounter with Zabraxin (see below).

8
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
can use any reasonable Skill in this scene, with the most of Domini University, he has no idea what is happening,
obvious choices being Athletics or Might (to force their way only that the dead are drawn to the university. Also like
past), Guile (to reason with Mejeed), Intimidation (to cow the rest of the faculty, he does not trust outsiders: the
the Freeguild), or Stealth (to sneak through the square). Collegiate Arcane is constantly looking for ways to limit
All Tests are DN 4:2. If a character fails their check, two the university’s power, so the staff are determined to deal
Chainrasps per character attack the party. If at least one with the problem alone.
character gets no successes on their chosen Test, a Lord
Executioner (see page 16) joins the fight. That said, if the characters offer hope of a solution — for
example, if they tell Zabraxin that Seramis is undead, and
the root of the problem, and that they believe they can
PART 3 UNHALLOWED defeat her — he allows them in. A good bluff or threat might
also work (Opposed Guile or Intimidation Tests against
HALLS Zabraxin’s Intuition or Determination respectively).

Whether the characters spoke to Heida and know where If the characters can’t persuade Zabraxin, a number of the
they’re going, or followed the throng of the dead, they dead attack the characters (use any amount of Chainrasp
eventually reach Domini University. Hordes, Chainrasps, and Chainrasp Dreadwardens you
feel appropriate), pressing them up against the barrier.
Domini University makes up much of the Bastion When one of the characters takes Damage, Zabraxin
district, and on most nights you could enter without even relents and parts the magical barrier long enough for the
realising it until the architecture gradually changes to the characters to slip inside.
thick, imposing towers and looming edifices favoured by
the Agloraxian Empire. Tonight, the city blocks that make One way or another, Zabraxin opens the barrier. When
up the campus are enveloped in a curtain of amethyst that happens, the dead force their way inside, and the
magic, the spirits of the dead swirling around them and disrupted barrier collapses under the pressure. The
hammering uselessly at the shimmering veil. Before you undead flood ignores the characters, rushing past them
a weary, withered man leaning on a thick, wooden staff through the halls. Some screech Seramis’s name, hailing
stares you down. her as a powerful Banshee. The characters hear screams
as students and faculty are caught off guard, and shouted
‘No admittance.’ orders to erect arcane wards immediately. Domini is no
longer safe, and Seramis’s ritual is now close to completion.
This is Zabraxin (see page 14), a professor at Domini
University. The most powerful mages are maintaining If you’d like to expand this section, Zabraxin or another
the ritual that keeps the dead out of Domini, so it falls to faculty member may call on the characters to repair the
the frail or mediocre to turn away visitors seeking access. university’s arcane defences. See page 13 for more details.
Zabraxin is frail, but by no means mediocre. Like the rest

9
 Seramis’s Memorial Characters with the Night Vision Talent or similar means
Domini University’s campus is sizeable, and the characters of seeing in the dark can make out a mage’s workroom, the
probably have no idea where they’re going. Zabraxin, shadows filled with crammed bookshelves, astrological
hearing the screams of the wraiths, directs them to charts, and ritual equipment. Those who cannot, see only:
Seramis’s former office in a nearby building. Otherwise,
they can reach it by following the tides of dead. They A Seramis (see page 17), standing before the portal.
don’t have to stumble far through the lightless avenues
of the campus before they come upon a memorial to the A Delon (see page 14), in another Zone of the chamber,
deceased professor. conducting the souls of the dead into a brazier
burning with vivid blue flame.
A hundred deep purple candles burn to dripping stubs
around a portrait of a woman with a piercing green A Four chanting Acolytes of Seramis (see page 14), in
gaze. A plaque affixed to the frame reads ‘Seramis. Three yet another Zone.
hundred years were still too brief.’
A Wraiths and spectres swirling in the darkness. The
The shrine’s candles cast flickering shadows over the stone flowing rivers of the dead act as a barrier between
pillars of an archway leading into an old, dark building. Zones. Moving between Zones requires a DN 4:2
From inside you hear the susurrus of a whispered chant. Body (Might or Reflexes) Test. On a failure, a
The dead flow past you and through the pillars like an ice creature is pushed back into their Zone and suffers
cold river of howling spirits. 3 Damage, which ignores Armour. On a success, a
creature can move to the adjacent Zone but suffers 1
Damage, which ignores Armour.
Seramis’s Ritual
When the characters enter Seramis’s office building, read When Seramis hears the characters, she turns towards
or pparaphrase the following. them and pauses in her ritual. Delon and her other acolytes
continue their chanting.
The darkness within is profound. The wraiths merge
together into streams of glowing blue light that illuminate ‘You can’t prevent this. You can’t even save yourselves.
islands of safety: spaces where magical sigils have been Your souls will grease the hinges of the realmgate, like all
inscribed into the flagstones, or where the lingering the others.’
traces of other magic divert them. They flow towards
the centre, where a flickering, glowing figure intones a If the characters didn’t interrogate Heida in Part 1, or aren’t
ritual from the grimoire chained to one of her skeletal sure what’s going on, have Seramis monologue a bit, and
arms. Behind the Banshee, a scrying mirror with deep, convey some of the information in the adventure background.
black edges looks upon an underground chamber where a
group of Stormcast Eternals and Collegiate mages watch SHYISH RISING
over a realmgate, the space between the stone gateposts If you can, set out ten counters (or dice) where the players
flickering with images of the bleak, monochrome Realm can see them, otherwise just keep a tally on a piece of
of the Dead. paper. Each round that at least one person continues the
ritual, remove one counter. If Seramis isn’t under attack
that turn, she performs her part of the ritual. In that case,
remove an additional counter.

Unbinding the magic of the ritual requires a DN 6:1 Mind

(Channelling) Test if Seramis is not actively contributing,
or a DN 6:3 Mind Channelling) Test if she is. A successful
Test means no counters are removed this turn.

When you run out of counters, the realmgate opens. At

this point, Shyish and Brightspear are connected and a
torrent of the dead flood through. The realmgate closes
when Seramis is destroyed.

10
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
DOOMED If the characters failed to stop the realmgate opening,
The ritual chamber is a Doomed Location, meaning the Brightspear is devastated. The city rallies and the
area is affected by the level of Doom. The table below Ironweld, Stormcast Eternals, and Freeguild regiments
shows the effects of Doom. These effects are cumulative, fight a gruelling battle against the forces of the dead. The
meaning each level includes the effect of the level below. Spearians eventually prevail but the loss of civilian life
For example, if Doom was 4 the rivers of the dead would is high (consider having a favoured NPC perish in the
deal additional Damage and Undead creatures would battle). Brightspear is vulnerable to attacks from a number
recover 1 Toughness., of other factions, and necrocults take root faster and are
harder to purge. The city carries a heavy pall for many
months to come.
DOOMED LOCATION

Doom Effects Awarding XP

As well as awarding XP for achieving any personal or
1 No effect.
party Short- or Long-term Goals, award additional XP for
Undead in the area recover 1d6 Toughness at the the following.
2–3
start of the round.

The rivers of the dead deal +2 Damage when trying A For completing the adventure, award 1 XP.
4–5 to move between Zones. This Damage ignores
Armour.
A If the party played through the expanded events
The area is overflowing with Amethyst magic.
Spellcasters add 1d6 to their dice pool to cast
of Rough Night at the Twelve Taps or Battle for
6–7 Amethyst or necromantic spells, and remove 1d6 Domini, award 1 XP per scenario.
from their dice pool to cast a spell from any other
Lore (excluding Common Spells).
A If the party managed to track down and interrogate
The rivers of the dead deal an additional +2 Heida, award 1 XP.
8–9 Damage (+4 total) when trying to move between
Zones. This Damage ignores Armour.
A If the party took the time to save people at The Spiral
Spelcasters roll an additional 1d6 on The Price of or Bleak Stockade, award 1 XP for each instance.
10+
Failure table for failed Channelling Tests.

AFTERMATH
Fateful Night has far-reaching consequences for
Brightspear and its citizens.

With survivors fearful of another attack by the Legions of

Nagash, cults spring up throughout Brightspear to appease
and beg protection from the dead. These necrocults
abduct and murder citizens for sacrifices, and even allow
the dead to possess their own bodies. Such joyriding
usually ends in murder or other acts of vengeance. Unless
they’re suppressed, the cults’ activities increase the Doom
in Brightspear by 1 every week they go unchecked.

Brightspear’s realmgate is a well-kept secret, and now

the characters are in on it (if they were not already).
Investigating further could bring them into conflict with
Lord-Arcanum Salonia Gravewing, or make an ally of her.
The events of Faltering Light, found within the Starter
Set, can easily follow Fateful Night.

11
 ROUGH NIGHT AT
THE TWELVE TAPS
Rumour Drunk and Disorderly
During the Festival of Memory, the Twelve Taps will sell a The characters are probably drunk before this adventure
diluted version of its famous Wight-as-a-Ghost ale, made starts. Either call for DN 4:2 Body (Fortitude) Tests to see
with water from Shyish. how inebriated they are (increase Complexity of all tasks
by 1 if a character fails), assume they sober up quickly, or
leave it to roleplaying.
Fear
People flock to the Upper Tier to enjoy an affordable THE TWELVE TAPS
version of this expensive and infamous beer. The Bar: The circular bar can be barricaded to keep out
the dead… for a while. It holds useful supplies (booze, and
the landlord’s vintage Aethershot Rifle), and the trapdoor
Threat to the beer cellar.
When Seramis’s ritual begins, everyone who drank the
Wight-Water is possessed. The staff and characters have to The Taproom: The main drinking area. Crowded with
fend off these monsters. The characters might escape, try tables, chairs, and full of viable improvised weapons. Also
to cure their drinking buddies, or find somewhere safe to full of the dead (outnumber the characters six-to-one, or
have a nice cold pint and wait for it all to blow over. more). The taproom has two Zones, one to the left and one
to the right of the bar.
SETUP
There are three staff working: Sheana (Human, she/her; The Saloon: A private room, with a door that locks and a
wasn’t even supposed to be working tonight), Brekk back exit from the pub. Unfortunately, it’s full of possessed
(Duardin, he/him; has been drunk since this morning), Duardin, who outnumber the characters two-to-one.
and Dredna (Duardin, she/her; weirdly, has a plan for this
exact situation — it involves killing everyone). Other than Landlord’s Quarters: Safe, but accessed via a secret door.
the characters, they are the only people unaffected. Other Brekk knows where it is but he’s so drunk he can’t see, let
guests include a Celestial Warbringer, morosely drinking alone talk.
alone; a party of teenagers, too young to be drinking; a
group of Dispossessed Duardin, fighting over a grudge The Beer Cellar: Secure against the dead upstairs and
nobody fully remembers; a Trade Pioneer, telling tall tales. full of flammable barrels of alcohol. Also contains four
barrels of Wight-as-a-Ghost, rattling and splintering as
First, have the characters explain why they didn’t drink something inside attempts to escape from within. Each
the Wight-Water. Second, inform them that the Twelve one contains a Glaivewraith (Soulbound, page 331) that
Taps is enforcing a strict no-weapons policy tonight. will eventually break free.

A HELL OF A NIGHT It’s not that getting out of the Twelve Taps is hard — doing
The shift to disaster is sudden. Drinkers forget what they so without killing a bunch of possessed people, though, is
were saying or doing, then who they are, then they stare tough. Stopping Dredna from killing everyone is especially
blankly into space, unresponsive. Rattling gasps shake difficult. Finding a safe place to hide for any length of time
their bodies and their eyes are replaced with glowing wisps is impossible as soon the possessed tear through every
of energy. All they desire is to hurt and kill the living. nook and cranny of the pub, and corralling possessed
drinkers in the beer cellar or saloon is hilariously difficult.
A quick glance through the windows reveals the situation
is worse outside: there are thousands of undead screeching RESOLUTION
through the streets. Leaving and staying are both risky Theoretically, the possessed drinkers can be cured. Allow
options for the party. any interesting strategy to work. Elsewhere in the city, a
team of Stormcast Eternals defeat Seramis, and life returns
to normal. The next day, all three of the bar staff are fired.

12
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1

BATTLE FOR DOMINI

Rumour begins with six Chainrasps opposing the characters.
Professor Seramis’s former students intend to perform a Each round, another 1d6 Chainrasps arrive (there is no
ritual of remembrance in her honour during the Festival maximum). If the players are clever, they’ll figure out that
of Memory. It’s invitation only. the best strategy is to keep moving. Stealth requires Tests
opposed by the Chainrasps’ Awareness.

Fear A In the second Zone, the characters find four students

The rumours of a necromantic ritual lead most people to beset by an additional six Chainrasps. One of the
leave the campus and celebrate the Festival of Memory students has fallen and broken a leg, and needs to be
elsewhere. Only a handful of the usual number of mages carried into a nearby building.
and apprentices are on campus.
A In the third Zone, the characters face a pair of
Myrmourn Banshees (Soulbound, page 332) as
Threat well as one Chainrasp per character. The Banshees
The characters attend a small, disappointing Festival of have spent centuries bound to the stones of Domini
Memory party somewhere on campus (see page 4 for some University, forced to protect it. Now they see a chance
traditional snacks and games). The dead are unleashed to be free. While initially vengeful, all they really
and the characters must help Domini University’s most want is to leave: they beseech the characters to break
powerful mages erect a magical barrier. the stone statue they are bound to. This requires an
Extended DN 4:7 Body (Might) Test.
A howling wind sweeps through the campus, snuffing
out fires and blasting open windows and doors. The dead THE BEACON
are not far behind: Chainrasps (Soulbound, page 331) In the fourth Zone, the characters reach the beacon: a
quickly swarm the campus. 50-foot stone pillar with a ladder running up the side. At
the top is a brazier that must be lit using a trivial act of
The students hosting the party explain that, in the event magic (a DN 4:1 Mind (Channelling) Test), alluded to by
of disaster, Domini has defences: a series of magical the inscription ‘A spark of magic transcends the mundane
beacons that, when lit, amplify powerful magics cast by blaze.’
the Chancellor and other faculty members to protect
the campus. They debate amongst themselves why the Climbing the pillar requires an Extended DN 3:5 Body
beacons aren’t being lit, and realise it’s because the campus (Athletics) Test (unless someone can fly). Only one
is mostly empty: it’s up to whoever is present to go and character can reach the top of the pillar each turn, and
ignite the wards so that the magisters can do their work. there is room for two Human-sized creatures on top.
Meanwhile, the rest of the characters fend off Chainrasps
REACHING A BEACON eager to swarm the climbing character.
There are eight beacons, positioned equidistant around
the perimeter of the campus. It’s dangerous outside, RESOLUTION
and the students strongly advise the characters to stay When lit, the brazier bursts into glowing white light, and
together. They offer to take one beacon, and the characters a shimmering curtain of magic swells from the centre of
another (hoping other groups will handle the other six). If the university, forcing the dead back outside. The barrier
the characters insist on splitting up, divide the encounters keeps the campus safe until, later that night, Zabraxin
below between the different groups. admits the party seeking Seramis.

The characters can either fight their way through the

courtyards and streets of Domini or use stealth. If they
fight, they have to fight through four Zones, each of which

13
 APPENDIX:
ALLIES AND ENEMIES
ACOLYTES OF SERAMIS DELON/ZABRAXIN
The Acolytes of Seramis are diligent students of Amethyst These stats can be used for Delon, Zabraxin, or both.
magic. They learned from the wisdom and experience of Appearance and roleplaying notes for these characters are
Seramis, and proved their loyalty by helping extend her on page 4.
life to an unnatural span, hoping that she would share
her secrets. When she died and returned, some of them Both of these men are capable spellcasters and experienced
would have preferred to cut their ties, but they are bound with the Mortal Realms’ many dangers. Delon is Seramis’
by fear and loyalty to her and the rest of her cult. Beneath second in command, and employs his magic in the service
their black hoods and heavy robes, they are normal, even of her goals. Zabraxin, an amethyst magister who served
boring, Humans. Domini alongside Seramis, is almost as devoted to the
university as Delon is to his master: he keeps the school’s
secrets and defends its privacy with great zeal.

ACOLYTES OF SERAMIS DELON/ZABRAXIN

Medium Mortal (Human), Minion Medium Mortal (Human), Warrior

M Poor A Poor D Poor M Poor A Medium D Average

Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle

0 1 — — 0 8 — —

Speed: Normal
Speed: Normal
Initiative: 5
Initiative: 2
Natural Awareness: 2
Natural Awareness: 1
Skills: Arcana (+2d6), Awareness (+1d6), Channelling
Skills: Arcana (+1d6), Channelling (+1d6, +1), Lore (+1d6)
(+2d6, +1), Determination (+1d6), Lore (+1d6),
Reflexes (+1d6)
TRAITS
TRAITS
Spellcaster: The Acolyte is a spellcaster. They know the
Arcane Bolt, Mystic Shield, Pall of Doom and Soulflay Spellcaster: This character is a spellcaster. He knows
spells. Additionally, the Acolyte can unbind spells per the the Arcane Bolt, Mystic Shield, Pall of Doom, Soulflay,
Unbind Talent. Soulshroud, and Unnatural Darkness spells. Additionally,
he can unbind spells per the Unbind Talent.
ATTACK
ATTACK
Staff: Melee Attack (Poor), 1d6, 1 + S Damage. Crushing,
Two-handed. Staff: Melee Attack (Poor), 2d6, 1 + S damage. Crushing,
Two-handed.
BODY MIND SOUL
BODY MIND SOUL
1 2 1
2 3 3

14
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
CHAINRASP HORDE
Miserable spirits held together by the curse of Nagash and CHAINRASP HORDE
their own irredeemable spite, Chainrasps are one of the Enormous Undead (Legions of Nagash),
most common spirits to wage war on the living. They are Swarm (10 creatures)
born from the plentiful tortured souls of the realms’ most
M Good A Poor D Average
wretched prisoners.
Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle

Their ethereal forms resemble twisted and skeletal versions 0 10 — —

of their past selves at the point of death, complete with Speed: Normal (Fly)
the chains or weights that bound them in life. Mundane Initiative: 1
blades and weapons pass clean through their otherworldly Natural Awareness: 1
Skills: Weapon Skill (+1d6)
bodies, but their rusted weapons, coated in grave soil, bite
home in mortal flesh, making them a terrifying foe for any TRAITS
bar the most stalwart warrior. Chill of the Grave: When Chainrasps gather together,
the chill of the grave can be felt by all around them. The
Chainrasp Horde’s Zone gains a Minor Hazard Trait. The
This horde represents a large swarm of Chainrasps and can Damage from this Hazard ignores Armour.
be used instead of tracking multiple individual Chainrasps
Ethereal: A Chainrasp’s body has long rotted away, making
(Soulbound, page 331). it harder to hit with mundane weapons. The Chainrasp
Horde takes half Damage from non-magical attacks and
can pass through solid objects.
Lifeless: The Chainrasp Horde is immune to being
Charmed and Frightened.
ATTACK

Engulf: Melee Attack (Good), (5 + Toughness) d6, 1 + S

Damage. Slashing.

BODY MIND SOUL

1 1 1

15
 LORD EXECUTIONER
This gruesome spectre is the shade of a notorious villain: LORD EXECUTIONER
the first Lord Executioner of Brightspear, a man who so
Medium Undead (Legions of Nagash), Champion
delighted in his work that he proclaimed the city ‘too soft’
on criminals for letting beggars and pickpockets live. He M Great A Poor D Good
once carried out fifty hangings in one day but his preferred Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle
tool was his axe, which he called ‘my wicked grin’ for
1 8 — 1
the way the sun gleamed off its curved edge as it swung
towards a doomed neck. Draped in tattered robes, with Speed: Normal (Fly)
Initiative: 2
his axe in one hand and an hourglass of Shyish sand in Natural Awareness: 1
the other, the Lord Executioner delights in punishing the Skills: Intimidation (+2d6), Might (+1d6), Reflexes (+1d6),
guilty… and everyone is guilty of something. Weapon Skill (+2d6, +2)

TRAITS

Beheading Strike: The cutting edge of a Lord

Executioner’s axe is razor-sharp and can slice the head
of a foe clean from their body. If an attack from the Lord
Executioner’s Greataxe would cause a creature to become
Mortally Wounded, they are instead decapitated and killed
instantly.
Disembodied Skulls: Wailing spirits swirl around the
Lord Executioner making it difficult for weapons to make it
through and injure the Executioner. The Lord Executioner
has 1 Armour (included above).
Ethereal: A Lord Executioner’s body has long rotted away,
making it harder to hit with mundane weapons. The Lord
Executioner takes half Damage from non-magical attacks
and can pass through solid objects.
Lifeless: The Lord Executioner is immune to being
Charmed and Frightened.
Staring Death in the Face: The unwavering stare of a
Lord Executioner fills their foes with the bleak foreboding
of their own demise. Any non-Undead creature that enters
or starts its turn in the same Zone as the Lord Executioner
must make a DN 4:1 Soul (Determination) Test or
become Frightened until the start of their next turn.

ATTACK

Greataxe: Melee Attack (Good), 7d6, 2 + S Damage.

Slashing, Two-handed.

BODY MIND SOUL

5 1 2

16
 FATEFUL NIGHT 1
SERAMIS
SERAMIS When arcane spellcasters die without offering due respect
to the Undying King, they return as Banshees: ravenous
Medium Undead (Legions of Nagash), Champion
spell-eaters doomed to spend their unlives pursuing any
M Average A Good D Average fragment of magic to sate their appetites. Seramis did
Armour Toughness Wounds Mettle more than disrespect Nagash: she defied death itself. She
is also more than a devourer of arcane magic: she retains
0 12 — 2
her mind, her faculties, and much of her occult prowess,
Speed: Normal (Fly) and she wields her beloved grimoire as devastatingly as
Initiative: 7
Natural Awareness: 4
her ice-cold knife.
Skills: Arcana (+3d6), Awareness (+1d6),
Channelling (+3d6, +2), Lore (+3d6), Weapon Skill (+2d6)

TRAITS

Amethyst Feast: Seramis extended her life by centuries

with magic. Now, she uses the magic of others to provide
unholy vigour. When Seramis unbinds another spellcaster’s
magic, she can choose to regain Toughness equal to half
the spell’s Difficulty. If Seramis uses Amethyst Feast, she
cannot use Mournful Cry the following turn.
Ethereal: When Seramis died, the magic keeping her alive
quickly faded and her body rotted away. Her new spectral
form makes her harder to hit with mundane weapons. She
takes half Damage from non-magical attacks and can pass
through solid objects.
Lifeless: Seramis is immune to being Charmed and
Frightened.
Master of the Art: Seramis is an exceptionally skilled
spellcaster. Attempts to unbind her magic are made with
+1 Complexity.
Mournful Cry: Seramis howls in agony, shaking the
spirits of those who hear her. As an Action on a turn after
unbinding a spell, Seramis can let out a pained cry. All
creatures within Medium Range who can hear her must
succeed on a DN 5:3 Soul (Determination) Test or
become Frightened until the end of their next turn.
Spellcaster: Seramis is a spellcaster. She knows all the
Amethyst spells listed in the Soulbound rulebook as well
as Aetheric Armour, Arcane Blast, Arcane Bolt, and Mystic
Shield spells. Additionally, she can unbind spells per the
Unbind Talent.

ATTACK

Chill Dagger: Melee Attack (Average), 4d6, Doom + S

Damage. Piercing. Damage from this weapon ignores
Armour.

BODY MIND SOUL

2 6 4

17
18