Scene 10: A Missing Soldier – Part 2

GM Information

After the scene with the Snovingas: In the officers’ mess, the players can resume their search for information about the dead soldier Renner. If they have forgotten about the case, they witness a small scene that may bring it back to mind.

Read Aloud
A man you haven’t seen before is sitting at a table with two other warriors. The man looks irritated, while the other two are almost pushy. At some point, the man gets up, takes his drink, and moves to another table — yours. “Evening, I hope there’s still room for me here!”
Once he sits, he smiles at you. “Courier-runner Frosyn Rückenwind, the new runner of the fortress!” He gives you a quick once-over. “And you’re the recruits who fought the Snovingas, right?”

GM Information

If the players later ask what was going on with the two warriors, the runner explains that they wanted him to transport private items without listing them (meaning: without entering them into the transport log). He refuses to do that. He’s happy to carry things, but everything has to be by the book. Yes, they made threats, but if they try again, he’ll report it. Yes, he knows what happened to Renner, and that’s one of the reasons he won’t carry anything that isn’t properly recorded.
If asked whether he knew Renner, he’ll confirm it, and when asked what he thinks about Renner’s death, he becomes more reserved. He doesn’t know why Renner died, but he suspects it had something to do with a transport — he can’t imagine anything else, since Renner had no reason to take drugs and was, by nature, a righteous and very well-liked man.
In return, he’ll ask a bit about their time as recruits, naturally bring up the fight against the Snovingas, and maybe share one or two anecdotes from a courier’s daily life.
The next morning at breakfast, a rumor spreads that the new courier-runner is dead as well. That isn’t true, but he has (officially) fallen and broken an arm. In reality, a few people ambushed him and broke his arm as a warning.
The fortress now urgently needs a replacement runner. If the heroes volunteer — or one of them does (as bait) — they should clear it with Beron. If they forget, Beron will summon the volunteer, praise their eagerness, and reprimand them for bypassing the chain of command. Then he’ll speak more quietly. He’ll voice his suspicion that someone will approach the recruit and advise him to agree to everything. To look intimidated and play along. No heroics!
If the players don’t come up with this on their own, Beron will approach the group and ask the recruit he considers most suitable to serve as the runner — with the same instructions. The next route is supposed to go to Föndir (Renner came from there before he died), and the recruit is to depart the day after tomorrow (to give potential attackers time to make contact).
Indeed, the next day, as soon as the new runner goes to breakfast, a soldier approaches him and asks him to follow him to the commander — there are some instructions regarding the run. (This separates him from the group, and from here on, the player should be taken to an adjacent room or a separate chat so the others don’t hear what follows.)
The soldier leads the runner toward the main building, but between the kitchen, the main building, and a workshop, he suddenly turns off. If asked why, he gives no answer — and suddenly, as if out of nowhere, two more soldiers appear and shove him into a narrow alley. Further back, in the half-light, stands a lanky man holding a file he is currently reading. The recruit is pushed toward the man, a heavy hand remaining on his shoulder (and ready to squeeze painfully if needed).

Read Aloud
The slender man looks up from the file he was reading and smiles at you pleasantly. “Oh, hello. You’re the new runner, aren’t you?” He raises a hand, not wanting an answer. “All right, all right, I know. You’re a piece of bait too, but that doesn’t bother me — I’ve got this!”
He taps the file. “Everything I need to know about you is in here. Your family, your acquaintances, your little ailments, your quirks, your special talents. Everything. And that’s exactly how I’ve got you by the balls.
You can choose: either you do something for me, or I arrange for one of your loved ones to have a little accident — nothing dramatic, just something like a lost foot or a poked-out eye, hmm?” He pats your cheek with a vicious smile. “So, what do you say — will you help me?”

GM Information:

Beron had instructed the recruit to agree to everything and remain submissive. That is indeed advisable. If he becomes defiant, he’ll have to endure a few blows to the kidneys — a first warning. If he remains stubborn, he’ll be beaten so badly that he can’t walk anymore — just like Frosyn — and a new runner will be needed. Beron will scold him accordingly.
If the recruit agrees, however, nothing else will happen to him, though he is told that he is being watched and shouldn’t get any foolish ideas. He will also notice that there is always someone around who happens to look in his direction or has some task nearby. Most of these people aren’t even soldiers, but regular fortress staff.
His task is to go to a house at the harbor in Föndir and bring back a small package — nothing more. The handover is between an Islar Kaltfinger and the runner. The recognition word is “ice-stalker balls”.
He must not open the package and must hand it over to an “associate” before going to the commander — at the covered latrines.
The recruit should play along and trust Beron, because Beron has already arranged for the new runner to be intercepted by rune-warriors about 10 km outside the fortress so he can report. Once the recruit has told them everything, events will unfold quickly. To avoid warning anyone, the runner will remain outside the fortress for the time being. If the player-runner fears for his family and wants to see the mission through, feel free to play that out — he won’t be present for the subsequent fight anyway.

Inside the fortress, however, the involved soldiers will be sought out, and the players may be included in the search, since it concerns one of their comrades. Beron and Letvin work together on the case and want the group — now informed — to keep an eye out for the criminals and, after a brief briefing, lure them into a trap if possible. How the players proceed can vary greatly. They might confront each of the three men individually, or lure them all into a trap together.
In my test game, my players approached one of the three soldiers, advised him to leave their comrade alone, and demanded a share of the profit. They wanted to meet the “boss” to seal the deal; otherwise, they would go to the commander and reveal everything. A meeting place was arranged, the players informed Letvin and Beron, and went to the location. The criminals attacked almost immediately (with hidden support), and the players had to hold out for three rounds before Letvin’s unit arrived and turned the tide. Make the fight a challenge for your players — they should reach their limits and survive just barely. The player who is away as the runner may take over one of the “villains”.

Once all known accomplices are arrested, they will be interrogated. The player-recruits may assist in capturing an accomplice — but the interrogation itself is handled by professionals. More arrests will follow, and over the next few weeks, a total of eight people will be permanently suspended from duty and imprisoned. The ringleaders will face trial in Skipti. The player-runner may return to the fortress after four nights without having to fear retaliation.
If the operation runs smoothly, Beron will praise his squad and give them the opportunity to officially accompany the guard unit transporting the prisoners to Skipti. Only one group with a group leader, as a special assignment: escort and guard duty to Skipti. There, they may also witness the banishment of the ringleaders if they wish. Afterwards, the recruits may visit their families for two weeks, should they want to. The journey to Skipti will be uneventful and does not need to be played out — nor does the return. It makes sense for the players to meet again in Skipti to begin the journey back together.

They may also play out a few private scenes or bring the world to life a bit — perhaps the grand concert in the Skipti arena takes place, or a decisive match of the Löpenskold championship. The Schollen Festival is also an option, as is the great Isblod race. Maybe some characters want to bring their new companions home? Give the players room for personal activities and interests they can’t really pursue during recruit life.

If you want to continue group play in Virkin a bit longer, you can insert one or two small scenarios. For example, the recruits might participate in an internal annual competition (athletics, Löpenskold, races, etc.), or perhaps the Ice Patriarch comes to Virkin for the annual military staff meeting, requiring preparations: reception committee, escort, performance review (drill), and so on. Let your imagination roam.