Set up
Two local infernalists with a bone to pick with a PC magus have freed a plague demon that was bound under a Crucifix. The party will presumably seek to thwart it.
Rumours
The party can hear about what happened either at the city gates of Mainz or at the docks of Frei-Weinheim or Mainz that a roadside cross was desecrated, (day 1) and that the militiamen sent to investigate have not come back (day 2).
Location
A roadside cross about halfway between Ingelheim and Wackenheim, about 3.5 hours walk (west) from Mainz.
The Cross
Divine Aura 1
In the middle of a plenty of vineyards, the road from Mainz goes towards the fortified church of Ingelheim. The cross is slightly uphill from the road where a muddy path intersects, delineating several farmers' parcels of land. The Cross is a simple but large object, the cross was made of two large trucks and towered at about 7 feet and held by a stone base. The base reads in latin:
"Here a disease demon was bound by Hildegard von Bingen, through the Will and Power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, AD 1172."
On the side, a seal written in Lingua Ignota has been carved into the stone base.
The cross itself has been sawed close to the foot, turned upside down and stabbed into the muddy ground around it. The base has also been damaged: someone drove two metal wedges with some force into the stone, cracking it partially through where the "seal" was.
Characters
The Plague Knight, Infernal Might 10
No taller than an average man, it appears to be a soldier in mail armour from a distance. Up close, it is visibly not human: like someone had a skeleton and a chain armour melt together. The demon is made of metal and bone and the local material fuses from one into the other. The upper half of his head is a skull which flow with a metal helmet grill fro the lower half, from this grill echoes his metallic voice and green unhealthy fumes spew out. He carries a morning star as a weapon, which will start billowing sickly green flames and smoke once combat starts.
Int 0, Per 0, Pre -2, Com -2
Str 3, Sta 2, Dex 2, Quik 1
Size 0
Single weapon 6 (Morning star), High German 5 (Blaspheming), Leadership 4 (in combat) Awareness 4 (Spotting), Brawl 4 (Grappling)
Morning Star
Initi: +3, Attack: +12, Dam: 10‡ + 3* Def +8
Soak +9
‡: As a demon of disease, any wound caused by the morning star will trigger an EF 6 stamina check or gives a contagious disease-light wound
*: 3 points of damage are non magical fire, for the purpose of resistances
Vis: 2 pawns of Corpus Vis, one in the morning star and one in the helm-head
Ratling, Infernal Might 5
See Antagonists p100, spirits of famine
For those who do not have access, create a very small and weak combat ratlike-humanoid that will trigger the same check as ‡ when bitten
(They should be weak enough to be taken out of combat with a single hit, and numerous enough to occupy grogs or be threatening, something like 2 for each party member so most likely 6-10. they will abandon material form and de-coagulate after the Knight is defeated and several of them are taken out)
Events/timeline
Night 0
The Infernalists (in my game, the story flaw enemies of a mage) cut the cross and freed the demon as a welcome gift for the mage, which they knew would be coming from Mainz to Ingelheim the next day.
Day 1
The rumour of this spreads first to Ingelheim and later in the day to Mainz.
Four militiamen from Ingelheim are sent to investigate, they are defeated by the Demons, but rather than being killed they are taken out of action and then repeatedly bitten by the rat demons to infect them, they have become disease "land mines", as the demons' aim is to spread infection rather than directly kill.
By the end of the day the rumour that they are not back makes its way through Ingelheim.
Day 2
The Rumour that the militia didn't come back gets to Mainz in the morning.
.
The Fight
The Demon knight is merely pacing around the cross along with his Ratling minions, waiting for the party to arrive or failing that, for farmers, to come by and infect. The Demon will proudly shout in his metallic voice that he is Plague if asked for his identity before charging towards anyone that gets close. it is not subtle. The Ratlings will follow him and will follow his directions, but do not fight as a coherent group, he will send half of them after anyone who tries a flanking move or any other "tactical" manoeuvring beside standing and fighting. The demon will not seek to attack any downed foe, but rather to hit as many people as possible to maximise the contagion, whereas Ratlings will bite people that fall down.
When the party investigates the downed militiamen, they party can make an infernal lore check to understand the real motivation of the demons. Similarly, they can make either Infernal lore or harder Magical Theory rolls about the vis that will remain from any demon they destroyed with it de-coagulating.
Follow up/Notes
This was just designed as a combat encounter to spice things up and increase the pace, while the party did some exploration around Mainz, at the start of a Rhine Gorge Saga. The combination of disease, rats and famine is a deliberate hook to the Bishop Hato in Bingen (just downriver) as well as to the fallen Covenant Rudiaria (see my write up for A Rudiaria Awakening [a 3-4 hour magic/infernal dungeon]).
While Hildegard von Bingen and Ingelheim are specific to the location, it is obviously an easily transported fight, any local saint or passing big churchman could do the trick (Bernard de Clairveaux, Gerbert d'Aurillac etc).
The disease and wounds are proeminent as this is in my case a new group's first encounter with wounds, so giving them a place to stay in Ingelheim for a week to recuperate before continuing what is likely a season of adventure would be convenient, bringing back the downed militiamen will at the very least secure them a barn and food to rest and isolate themselves.
I had designed this encounter for freshly gauntleted Magi, to let the Giant Blooded, war Hammer wielding ex Misc magus in my party shine, and with the idea that the grogs would fight the Ratlings on the side while the magi took on the Plague knight and extra Ratlings on the centre stage. Increasing the infernal might and size of the demon knight are easy ways to make him more challenging, as well as giving him a shield to increase his defence.
As ever, questions and comments are welcomed.