6 September 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
[Lost Works] Bounty Hunters of
the Old World
SEP 05, 2009 04:08P.M.
This was going to be a larger article, but I never had time to finished. I
did run it in A&E when I contributed my own ‘zine, but that was the only
time it appeared in public. This also marks the first, and only time, I ever
wrote fiction. Anyway, I like the ideas here, I wish I finished it.
Bounty Hunters of the Old World
Night had fallen along the Altdorf-Middenheim Road. It was Ulriczeit,
and it was called. The patrons of the Ox Yoke Inn huddled in the
common room nursing mugs of mulled wine trying to stay warm.
Though the inn was warm, the icy fingers of the winter night had found
their way in.
It was late, and most of the room was empty. In an hour Otto Tasker
would close his bar and those who bought a night’s rest in the common
room could finally get some sleep. Already a few patrons had found a
quiet corner of the common room and were sleeping off a night of
drinking, or long day of travel.
Suddenly, the front door of the inn opened, and a gust of wind filled the
room. Following the wind’s wake a figure dressed in a long black
hooded cloak entered. Shutting the door behind him, the man pulled the
hood off, and threw it over his shoulders.
The man was trouble. His legs were covered with black leather pants,
and a chain mail shirt rested easily over a thick black wool shirt.
Not very big, he was lean, toned and had the look of danger. A sword
hung loosely on his left hip, and a loaded crossbow rested comfortably
in his right hand. The man’s weather beaten face had a scar racing up
from his chin to an eye patch covering his right eye. His black hair,
streaked gray, hung like a mane to the middle of his back.
With his one good eye, he scanned the room searching for someone. No
one spoke or moved, in fear that the man’s stare would stop on them.
There in the corner, near the fireplace, the man saw who he was
looking for. Purposely, he walked the length of the room, never taking
his eye off the man. The tread of his boots, and rattle of manacles, was
the only sound heard in the room.
1
“Wendel Castel, you are wanted for the murder of Valentine
Eschenheim, Liliane Ladengast, Isabella Pabst, and Adelheid Raab. You
are wanted for the murder of two Altdorf City Watchmen, wanted for
the crimes of escaping arrest, and wanted for the theft of a Road
Warden’s horse. I have a signed warrant for your apprehension,” the
man spoke calmly, never taking his eye off the man.
Wendel cursed himself for being complacent. After fleeing Altdorf, he
thought he was safe on the outskirts of Middenheim. He would soon get
past this one-eyed hunter and go into hiding again. Looking
desperately for a way to make a run for it; Wendel sized up the bounty
hunter and thought that he could rush past him and escape into the
night.
Suddenly a sharp pain spread from Wendel’s chest to his arms. A
blanket of cold covered him, he began to gulp for air, and blackness
loomed on the edge of his vision. Looking down, Wendel saw a black-
shafted crossbow bolt protruding from his chest, and he saw his own
blood quickly darkening his chest.
“The warrant did not state you had to be alive. Dead or breathing, it
makes no difference to me,” stated the bounty hunter matter-of-factly.
The last thing Wendel saw before departing for Morr’s Realms was a
smile of satisfaction break across the bounty hunter’s face. With a
thump, Wendel slumped to the table, his blood methodically dripping to
the floor.
The hunter went to the body and produced a roll of cloth. Quickly he
wrapped it around the body and tied it securely in place. With a grunt,
he hoisted the body over his shoulder and walked out the door. No one
in the common room spoke, or moved to stop the man from leaving.
Into the cold night the hunter left, and with him his next pay day.
Bounty hunters are not a common site among law-abiding citizens of the
Empire. Among criminals, however, bounty hunters are one of the
dangers that come with the territory. Bounty hunters are a necessary
evil, and if it was not for the conflicting politics of the Empire they might
not be needed.
Many choose to become a bounty hunter because they see a profit
tracking down bounties. Though a hunter may be well paid, the life of the
bounty hunter is a hard one. It is filled with many nights sleeping on the
ground and many fights in smoke-filled bars. Tracking down a bounty
can cost a hunter a small fortune, and often the cost does not justify the
return from the posted bounty. The life leaves its mark on a hunter, and
many have scars of poorly bound wounds, or poorly set bones, to prove
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
it. No one gets rich from bounty hunting, and those who do, are usually
ones who have gone from being bounty hunters to paid assassins.
Typically people enter the profession tend to be ex-watchman or wardens
who grow tired of the low pay and risks of their jobs. After a few years of
risking their lives trying to enforce the law, they come to the conclusion
that by tracking down bounties, which is equally dangerous, but with
higher rewards . Hunters and woodsman find this profession is easy to
break into, as hunting people is not much of a change from hunting
animals. After all, though humans tend to be smarter then deer, it is not
that different from hunting game. In short anyone with a modicum of
fighting ability, and the ability to follow a trial or intimidate an
informant, can make a living from hunting down bounties.
Saying you are a bounty hunter, and actually being a bounty hunter are
two different things. In order to collect a bounty one must be licensed.
Licenses are easy to obtain and cost 20 Crowns a year to maintain. All
licenses are issued by the local government and bear the signature of a
issuing judge and a representative of the local government. With the
license a person is able to apprehend, and in the case of Imperial
warrants, kill a bounty. If a bounty hunter is not licensed, or if they are
working with an expired one, the hunter cannot collect a fee.
There are two types of bounties in the Empire: civil and Imperial. A civil
bounty is one that is posted by a private individual or group. Generally if
a person wants to keep something private and has the financial means to
pay a bounty they will contact a bounty hunter. Civil bounties generally
involve such crimes as outstanding debt, theft, and in a few cases having
carnal relationships with a wealthy merchant’s daughter. These types of
warrants pay very well, but the hunter has to bring the person in alive to
collect the bounty. Also, because of their nature, no civil bounty can call
for the bounty to be killed. Unfortunately, there is nothing to stop a
person from making a civil bounty dead or alive, but the judicial system
has shown a tendency to frown on this.
Imperial bounties are a different matter, however, and they are usually
the last resort of the judicial system. Not only the Emperor but also by
Electors, and lesser rulers issues imperial warrants. These warrants
cover any criminal posing a threat to the Empire’s stability. If the
authorities are unable to bring a criminal to justice, or find a wanted
suspect, a bounty is issued. All that is needed is the signature of a judge,
or of a representative of a local government official. Once the bounty is
posted, any bounty hunter can take it and attempt to collect on it.
Imperial bounties are issued for outlaws, highwaymen, and others who
pose a serious threat to the safety of the Empire and her citizens. These
bounties are typically paid if the suspect is brought in alive, but in the
case of wanted thieves, murderers and rebels, it will be paid if the body is
brought in dead.
Both Imperial and civil bounty’s will have a monetary award attached to
them, and the maximum amount is usually no more than 200 Crowns. In
the case of civil warrants the award has no limits and there are cases
where a hunter has collected 500 Crowns. In this case the bounty is paid
by a jilted lover who discovering she was being played a fool by an ex-
lover having a relationship with her daughter. As mentioned only
6 September 2009
Imperial warrants can have the “Dead or Alive” stipulation attached to
them, and only licensed hunters can collect on them. It has come as
surprise to many unlicensed bounty hunters to find themselves arrested
for murder after bring in a dead bounty.
Bounty hunters are loners, and it is rare for them to work together. The
reason is that most bounty hunters are greedy, and if two hunters bring
in their bounty they then have to split the award. Many do not want to do
this, being reluctant to share the wealth. There are a few cases of bounty
hunters working together, but this is a rare occurrence. Recently,
however, is a group of bounty hunters have formed the Pallenberg
Agency in Middenheim.
Six years ago, four bounty hunters who saw a market for their service
founded the Pallenberg Agency. Realizing that they would never get rich
from collecting Imperial bounties, the four decided to create a service for
wealthy citizens in the area of security and investigating. The group
specializes in hiring out agents as bodyguards for individuals who can
afford to pay. Clients are guaranteed the utmost satisfaction and are
given the promise that, as long as their guard is one duty, no harm will
befall them. In addition agents are hired as security for private functions,
and many wealthy merchants in both Middenheim and Altdorf employ
Pallenberg as their security firm. The big area of business for the firm is
investigations. Those with the means hire the Agency to track down
conmen, and those who have wronged them. Pallenberg is expensive, but
the results speak for themselves. By relying on contacts and intimidation,
Pallenberg Agents have a 90% success rate.
Posted in Games, thoughts Tagged: Games, Lost Works, Rogue Games,
thoughts, Warhammer FRP, writing
ROGUE FEED
The new site move is underway
SEP 05, 2009 10:26A.M.
As of this morning, www.rogue-games.net is down. The move to the new
server is underway. By the start of next week, the new website will be up
and running. Heck if all goes well it should be up later today. Thank you
for your patience.