Scene 8: A Missing Soldier – Part 1

Gehe zur deutschen Version: Szene 8: Ein vermisster Soldat - Teil 1

A Missing Soldier – Part 1

GM Information

After the recruits have been assigned squad leaders and a name, everyday life continues as usual. Include one or two everyday situations (e.g., night watch with “test disturbances from Beron”; one of the recruits is sick but is told by everyone to stop complaining — and ends up infecting the others). The usual madness. One or two weeks after the appointment, Beron will summon the recruit squad leaders. Other squad leaders are present as well.

Read Aloud

Beron has summoned the squad leaders of your company to the officers’ briefing room of the main fortress. When you arrive, you see that all squad leaders are present. A low murmur hangs in the air; no one seems to know what this is about. Then Beron enters the room. Someone calls “Attention!”, and everyone snaps into a salute. Beron gives a curt nod and steps up to the lectern. Silence settles over the room.

“I won’t waste your time,” Beron begins. “A soldier is missing — and has been for two days. Therefore, all available forces will be deployed to find him. The youngest recruit company will search around the fortress walls, within a radius of two kilometers. The second year…” Your instructor assigns the squads and gives further instructions: “If you find him alive, assume he is injured or unconscious — otherwise he would have returned already. But even if you find him dead, a runner must be sent to the fortress immediately. The same applies if you find any clues to his whereabouts, such as clothing. Report at once so the area can be searched thoroughly by all available forces. Each squad takes a stretcher and medical supplies. A sketch artist is already at work and will provide each squad with a rough drawing of Soldier Bredolf Renner. Let’s hope he only broke something and is waiting for help.” Beron looks around the room once more. “Find him. Dismissed!”

GM Information

The recruit squad with the heroes is equipped with long poles to probe snowdrifts. If a character is good with animals (and has the idea), they may take a wolf as a tracker. Naturally, they receive provisions for the entire day so they don’t have to return. One of them will have ski equipment to serve as a runner if needed. They also receive a stretcher, basic medical supplies, rope, and climbing gear for emergencies. In addition, they may take a weapon of their choice from the evidence chamber (spear, sword, or sabre).

Let the recruits describe how they proceed: Do they walk parallel to each other within calling distance? Does each get a small area to search? Or do they simply wander off? Reward tactical behavior with clues — and punish aimless wandering with the sudden arrival of a runner calling out that a glove was found in another area (not from the missing soldier, just a lost glove — the search remains fruitless. But this introduces a search grid, and perhaps the recruits learn from it).

If the recruits proceed systematically, they can find a clue in their area by midday (Perception check, DC 14). They may discover a snowshoe. If they send a runner, at least two more squads will arrive within an hour — and more over time. The findings accumulate: a shoe, a scarf, a jacket, trousers… eventually the missing person himself. None of the recruits (except on a critical success) will find the body personally. But they will be nearby when the call goes out that he has been found — and they can join the scene.

Read Aloud

Half-buried in a snowdrift, now mostly dug out, lies Bredolf Renner — naked and clearly frozen to death. People rush in with a stretcher, others cover him with a blanket. He is frozen into the ice and must be laboriously freed — but they try to spare the helpers the sight of the body. Bredolf shows no obvious injuries. But one thing stands out: his facial expression bears a blissful smile.

GM Information

The recruits will not be allowed to examine him here — and unless one of them is a trained medic, there is no reason to change that rule. Back at the fortress, Beron thanks everyone involved and announces that there will be an extra ration in the evening. He explains that the body of their comrade will now be examined and hopes there is a good explanation. As soon as new information is available, Beron promises, everyone will be informed.

Let the recruits eat and talk. There will be no new information that evening. If they ask around about who Bredolf Renner was, they learn that he was an excellent runner and often carried messages to Skipti or other settlements.

The next morning, Beron informs the recruits that Frostblade Bredolf took an overdose of Icebreath — presumably during his watch — and then wandered around disoriented. The fact that he lost his clothing is also attributed to the drug’s effects. If the heroes are interested in investigating the case, they can obtain the following information (through Persuasion, Deception, or research in the library):

Bredolf Renner

• Was an excellent courier. He delivered messages with incredible speed and seemed blessed with luck — whether with weather or wild creatures.
• Came from a fisher family in Vintergard. His sister is married; he himself was not.
• Had remarkable luck in the lottery — his name was drawn often.
• Paid close attention to his diet, except in the officers’ mess, where he occasionally overindulged.
• Was well-liked, especially because he carried private messages for others and brought replies back.

Icebreath

• A moss originally used for medical purposes.
• Can be processed into a drug, taken as a black powder by inhalation.
• Possession, trade, and consumption are strictly forbidden for soldiers.
• Icebreath is expensive, as it is produced as a drug almost exclusively in Föndir.

Before the recruits can investigate further, two Snovingars are sighted.