THE MARIENBURG GENTLEMEN’S CLUB

Described in M:SdtR (page 67), the Marienburg Gentlemen’s Club is the nerve centre of the criminal organizations in the city. The first thing people notice upon entering this “typical” Riddra tavern is the monster of a man behind the bar.  Olaf Thurgansson is a huge Norscan who doubles as the Gentlemen’s Club barkeep and bouncer.  Despite his size, Olaf is talkative with customers about unimportant topics, like the weather, stories from his homeland, and other mundane topics.  In contrast, he is very tight-lipped about the establishment and its owners.  Annoying, overly aggressive, or prying customers get to learn the less pleasant aspects of Olaf’s personality first hand.  Many of these chaps are barely able to crawl away and find a safe haven to heal.

Ranging in age from mid-teens to late 20s and in appearance from pretty to homely, several barmaids work in the common room serving customers their drinks, drugs, and whatever else strikes their fancy.  A couple of semi-private booths to one side of the common room offer some opportunities and a sense of privacy.  The only requirement imposed upon the barmaids is that they do not enthral a customer to the point of financially ruining them as it's bad business.  Better to provide them with a service that renders them addicted and brings them back for more.

However unlikely it may be, there is a small chance that bumbling adventurers may find their way into the Club and live to tell about it.  Of course, that’s also assuming that adventurers can survive their journey into and out of the slum-infested, crime-ridden part of the Suiddock where three-penny bridge and this establishment are located.

PCs with roguish backgrounds may want to boldly walk into the Gentlemen’s Club to join the League of Gentlemen Entrepreneurs or “The Guild We Never Heard of.”  While brash enough to initially impress with one’s boldness (or foolishness, depending upon other circumstances), it’s not the typical way one tries to join the League (more fully described in M:SdtR, pages 36-37).  Two other audacious and potential more successful methods are described in “Behind the Scenes, (Warpstone 11 pg. 8-9).  Outside local patrons, only League members in good standing and long service are permitted to the Gentlemen’s Club without previous approval by either Adalbert Henschmann or Loretta Wakker, the Manager.

Loretta is ever watchful for talented individuals who could contribute to the Business.  Anyone, even PCs, walking into the Club will be quickly sized up.  If Loretta likes what she sees, she’ll continue to observe the stranger.  She may even approach them and engage in idle conversation, all the while appraising them as if they were a gem in the rough.  If they continue to impress her, Loretta will arrange for them to be followed and observed for three to five days.  Once all her concerns have been answered, Loretta will personally arrange for a contract assassin to meet with the individual to offer them a position with the League.  Should the individual turn down the offer, then the assassin has the leave to ensure that the declining individual is unable to tell anyone that they refused the League.

Another way to gain membership into the League is through one of the other significant members.  In particular, Miguelito Nuñez (M:SdtR, page 36) is looking for some imaginative and ruthless individuals with a predisposition for violence (sounds like the typical PC!) in the event that his ambition leads to hostilities with Guan Lo Fat (M:SdtR, page 36).  Other League leaders may be coerced into preventing such recruitment as they seek to prevent the onset of a bloody gang war.

Loretta Wakker, Spy, ex-Bawd, ex-Thief, 
M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel	
4	52	50	4	3	9	58	2	54	51	54	63	45	63	

Alignment: Neutral (Hændryk- Not Devout)

Skills: Act, Bribery, Charm, Concealment- Urban, Cryptography, Dancing, Disguise, Etiquette, Evaluate, Gambling, Linguistics, Luck, Mimic, Palm Object, Prepare Poison, Pick Lock, Read/Write, Secret Language-Thieves' Tongue, Secret Signs-Thieves', Seduction, Shadowing, Silent Move-Rural, Silent Move-Urban, Sixth Sense, Sing, Specialist Weapon-Fist, Specialist Weapon-Parrying, Specialist Weapon-Throwing Knives, Street Fighting, Wit

Trappings: Sword, Mail Shirt (1AP body), Garrotte, d3 Hairpins (treat as a dagger for wounds, ignore any armour points for mail if a natural 6 is rolled for damage. This means that the hairpin/stiletto was able to slide past the chain links), Knuckledusters (to hit -10, D -1), d4 Throwing Knives (R 4/8/20, ES C), Dagger (I +10, D -2, P -20), Codebook, Disguise Kit, and Purse (2d6 Gu, 3d10 shillings).

Quotes: "I know that you would like to spend some time together, sweetmeats, but I don't mix business with pleasure.  And you are definitely on the business side of things."

"Sir, if you can't behave yourself, I'll throw you out."

"Let's get something straight.  I don't like you in the least.  So, I have this proposition for you: leave immediately and live.  Otherwise, I won't be responsible for Olaf’s behaviour."

Appearance: Manager of the Marienburg Gentlemen’s Club, Loretta Wakker is a tall, fine-looking woman in her late thirties with a medium built, icy blue eyes, and shoulder-length blond hair.  She often wears her hair in the latest fashion, using hairpins to hold it up.  These same hairpins are so sharp that they double as stilettos (see above).

Personality and motivations: The relationship of Loretta to Adalbert “Casanova” Henschmann (M:SdtR, page 67) is purely business.  No more, no less.  She runs the day-to-day business and makes sure that no one pries too closely into the operation.  She has Henschmann’s complete confidence and therefore can “remove” problems and enforce other solutions without his permission.  She is an excellent judge of character and Henschmann is known to ask her advice on occasion.  She is intelligent and quick-witted, possessed of a sharply sarcastic sense of humour.

Loretta is a cold-hearted woman who has lied and cheated her to the top.  That is not to say she has no talents.  She does and uses them ruthlessly when necessary.  She has killed in her time but wouldn’t direct involve herself anymore now she has reached the heights. Her high profile means she has less opportunity to. She is loyal to Henschmann, in that she knows her fortune is tied directly to his.  Loretta sees little need for personal relationships and spends most of her life at the club.  She loves the dealing and scheming of the criminal underworld and would fight tooth and nail to protect her position.  Perhaps her greatest gift is the ability to have people trust her.  Thus she has gained the loyalty of hundreds over the years, and through these contacts gathers a lot of information. 

The only daughter of a disgraced merchant, the family found themselves living in the Kruiesmuur district.  Away from the life she knew, she soon became estranged from her family.  In time, she allowed herself to be recruited as a prostitute.  A little while later she murdered the brothel’s madam and tried to take over the business herself.  However, neighbouring pimps saw their chance and moved it, Loretta only just escaping with her life.  Back on the streets she found life as a thief was a profitable one.  Here she first met the ambitious Henschmann and he recognized her talents.  She performed a number of tasks for him and he grew to trust her.  Only later did she realize he was grooming her.  She was trained in the skills of the spy and the rituals of a noble lady.

Henschmann positioned her to attract the attention of Hugo Delftgruber.  Captivated the League master fell under her spell and soon she had a measure of control over him.  Information was passed to Henschmann and under her influence Delftgruber made a number of bad decisions.  His control on the League was slowly weakened and infighting began.  It was then Henschmann began to make his move for control of the League.  The bloody war came to end with the capture of Hugo Delftgruber, tempted from his hideout by Loretta.

Her part in the victory was widely known and Henschmann rewarded her with control of The Marienburg Gentlemen’s Club.  The belief she was just a “dumb blonde tart” came to an end after she killed two of Delftgruber’s lieutenants a year later when they attacked here in the Club.  She has now been in charge for fifteen years.

Connections: To ensure that the Watch is kept at arm’s length, Loretta has compromised Watch Sergeant Wilhelm Hoogtoran of the Suiddock Barracks.  In return, he supplies her with information on Captain Graveland’s activities and warns them of any impending Watch action in the vicinity of the Marienburg Gentlemen’s Club.  She also knows that a local physician, Doktor Jolle Rietdijk, is infatuated with her and plans to use this and his gambling addiction to extract future favours from him.

As a favour to Adalbert, Loretta is the primary contact for Pieter Malenpad, a Suiddocker alchemist with lusty appetites who serves her by analysing, purifying, and cutting the drugs sold at the Marienburg Gentlemen’s Club.  Loretta purposely drives the womaniser up the wall by forcing him to wait for some time at the bar.  Inevitably, Pieter needs to buy a couple of drinks just to cope with the ribbing he gets from the working women in the bar.