Rolf still does not know the depth of the evil he recovered from that ruin in the north; he still believes it to be nothing more than an oddity, a memento of his days fighting the hordes of Chaos. He has no memory of sins committed when he first grasped the object. His ignorance, though, grants no protection from the twisted evil wrought by this blasphemous object. Since his return, Rolf has suffered from endless nightmares, dark visions of blood and death. In them, he sees himself fighting Beastmen, Chaos Marauders, and worse, defeating every one and everything that crosses his path. At first, he thought them to be nothing more than the memories of his recent experiences, but soon the visions intruded into his waking moments, shortening his temper and fostering a tendency to explode with little provocation.[1a]
Though temperamental, Rolf still seems normal to those who knew him. One day a few weeks back (around the time the Dagger of Yul K'chaum was destroyed), Rolf’s dreams intensified, eating away at his sanity, which was already weakened by the Chalice’s corruption. In his madness the young man came to the conclusion that Sigmar himself was behind the visions of battle, especially since all the dreams dealt with Rolf defeating Chaos rather than succumbing to it. He sensed something, some essence struggling to return to the world of mankind. Clearly, or at least it was so to Rolf, that being was Sigmar himself. All the man-god needed was a body.[1a]
But no ordinary body would do. He needed the best flesh available. Rolf set out one night to find a fine specimen to house the deity. He searched the streets and restaurants and taverns until he found his first victim, a young man with pretty features and long blonde hair. Rolf followed the man until the two men were alone on a side street, caved in his head with a brick, and dragged the corpse to his townhouse under cover of darkness. Once home, he stripped the body to ensure it was perfect for the spirit that haunted his dreams. To his dismay, he discovered the body was imperfect—Rolf damaged the face in the attack, and the body was soft, padded with fat. The corpse wouldn’t do, but perhaps the nose and maybe an eye. Rolf realized that no Human body would ever be suitable for Sigmar, but rather the god required the best of all humanity. It became Rolf’s duty to assemble the host from harvested body parts culled from Nuln’s nobility.[1a]
Rolf knew no one would understand his private communications with his master, and his task was dangerous and difficult. He had to dispose of cast-off flesh, and what parts he kept he had to stitch together—a talent he lacked. Also, he couldn’t work in the Altestadt, for his father would become suspicious with the smells wafting up from the cellar.[1a]
To deal with these problems Rolf rented the cellar beneath the Reaver’s Return, an old bar in the Neuestadt, and recruited helpers. Hans was his first recruit. A butcher by trade, he supplied the Halflings with tripe for meat pie fillings. They wouldn’t know the difference if the meat they purchased came from Humans instead of dogs and diseased cattle. And the Karls Rolf offered him were enough for the butcher to put aside any reservations about the nature of the work.[1a]
Next, Rolf hired a seamstress named Gretyl. A bitter young woman, she hated her fat husband, despising the wide stretch marks on his belly and the stink of his swollen feet. She promised to help the attractive young lord if he in turn would help her kill her husband. Rolf eagerly agreed and killed her husband second, giving the corpse over to Hans for disposal.[1a]
Rolf has nearly assembled the Abomination, needing only a few more parts to complete the body. His dreams have become more feverish, his mind’s eye filled with fiery words, an invocation of a sort. At first the words were gibberish, but with each kill they become clearer, and now he can make out a few words of the incantation that will allow the entity to emerge and take possession of the horror he’s constructed.[1a]
Though he conceals his appearance beneath the finery of the upper class, Rolf has a muscular build. He has long brown hair starting to turn grey prematurely after his experiences in the Drakwald. Good looking, relaxed, with intense blue eyes and a strong chin, he’s friendly and personable, and would likely have been a highly sought after bachelor if it weren’t for his father’s recent disgrace. He wears clothing appropriate to one of his station, in the colours of his city: black.[1a]
Rolf is afflicted with the insanities of Beast Within and Delirious Saviour.[1b]
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