Marienburg Institute for Botanical Research

   Most of the small, private islands in the Centralwijk are owned by Wealthy Merchant Lords, but this one was given to the University twenty years ago after the previous owner died and left no heirs. The island is tiny, barely housing the somewhat dilapidated residence which leans perilously over the Reik, and although the University had been constantly demanding increased territory for months, it was at a loss to find a use for this oddity. It was eventually decided that the top floor of the building would be dismantled, and a glass conservatory built in its place in which botanical rarities could be cultivated. Due to the built up nature of Marienburg blocking the sun from all other possible places, no such thing had been constructed before, and at the time it provoked much interest. However, after a couple of years and the lack of any startling results, the place was forgotten and ignored by the academic community, who left its upkeep and development to the whims of its somewhat eccentric occupant. It has become one of Marienburg's landmarks, and visitors are told stories about the crazy professor and his caged jungle. On summer nights when the fog doesn't obscure the sunset, the roof of the Institute

 reflects a dazzling display of light to viewers on the Hoogbrug Bridge.

Getting to the Insititue will require the PCs to find a boat to take them there - the small island is completely divorced from any of the major islands. There are no guards or servants living on the island, only Benedictus, who spends most of his time in the conservatory. He will be very cross with the characters for disturbing his peace, but any mention of a involvement in Botany will pacify him instantly, and they are likely to be invited inside to see the collection.

The ground floor is mainly used as storage by Benedictus, and he rarely visits it excpet to answer the door or make himself food. There is a rather dank lumber room containing several moldering packing crates (personal clothes and nick nacks, plus his old diaries); a small kitchen and pantry, sparsley furnished, and makeshift wooden stairs leading up to the next floor. Here is an open plan living area - an unmade bed cowers in the corner, old books and diaries overload the walls, and in the centre of the room there is a large table, covered. Half finished meals, messy rags and dead plants, beautiful scaled scientific diagrams of floral anatomy that have miraculously remained pristine in all the mess, and an expensive drawing kit extend over the edge of the battered table top. Clothes litter the floor, along with open books and stacks of small vials. Benedictus will mumble something about the mess before leading the characters into the conservatory on the next floor. The conservatory is the antithesis of the rooms below - where they were gloomy and cluttered, the conservatory is bright and neatly precise. Flowers of the kind never seen before in the Old World stand to attention with perfect waxed petals; drooping fronds of a Lustrian Willow are tied back to keep the paths between the trelises clear; Cathayan Bonsai Trees rest in small pots by the windows ­ and the smell, the smell is overpowering. To those not used to it, the combined perfume is dizzying. Walking around the conservatory, the buzz of insects attacking the plants can be heard, and the breeze from the skylight rustles the leaves, complimenting the hiss of the sea outside.

Benedictus won't invite anyone up to the smaller glass house on the next level, for this is where the bulk of his experimentation occurs. The spectacular view of Marienburg through the glass walls is easily ignored by the distraction of the plants at the centre of the room: strange, twisted creations that have more than a hint of the unreal about them ...

Common Knowledge

"Botanical Institute ... hmmm ... you're sure its part of the university, I mean I haven't heard of it before, but I can check if you like ... ah yes! ... here we go, there is some place ... not on Manannhaven though ... seems to be on some island out in near all the merchant houses ... unusual place for a university building. Oh well, this place seems to grow bigger every day!"

"Run by some mad academic who never comes out apparently. See, he has his food and everything dropped off once a week like - I take a small boat out to the place - doesn't seem to have a housekeeper or anything, cos its always him who answers the door. Its like he's staring into space all the time, hardly says a word, I mean he's crazy!"

"There's something odd about that place. You go up to some don from the University - they've never heard of him, the flower shops don't ever get anything from him, he never comes out, he's not got any servants - but you still see several boats going back and forth a couple of nights a week - always late evening or night - you start to wonder. I mean I know he's got that glass house thing on the roof, but I reckon its just a cover for something else ..."

Benedictus Voogt: Scholar, Ex Student, Ex Herbalist

"WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST LEAVE ME TO STUDY IN PEACE! EVERY OTH ... Rare Estellian Wallflower seeds you say ... you must excuse me, but I get bothered by visitors for hours."

Benedictus is a small man with a slightly crouched figure, only ever to be seen wearing his gardening smock. He has delicate hands as befits one who disects flowers, and a pallid complexion despite being in the sun for most of the day. He has a receding hairline, and a face that forever appears in deep contemplation.

Although not immoral, Benedictus is certainly amoral. He finds humans tedious, bickering creatures, and far prefers the company of his plants, which he finds infinitely more fascinating. He is prone to have a short temper with anyone not connected with his subject in some way, and this combined with his obsessiveness has given rise to his local semi legendary stature. The children of Marienburg are terrified of him, beliving he has man eating plants in the conservatory. He has a sense of absent mindedness, but this is only because he doesn't concern himself with the niceties of daily living. On the subject of Botany he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge, and an excellant awareness.

Benedictus is an obsessive collector, and there are all manner of unusual and fascinating plants in the Institute. He has an intense drive and curiosity to observe rarity, and this has resulted in Benedictus owning several specimens unique to the Old World. He is the foremost scholar in his field, surpassing even his mentors at Altdorf Imperial University. Word of this obssessive scholar eventually reached the ears of Tobias van Neef, a high standing assassin operating in Marienburg. Seeing a golden opportunity, Tobias posed as a fellow scholar with some rare seeds that he wanted to share. Although Benedictus was initially suspicous of the stranger's vague background, Benedictus had all but run out of inspirational finds, and his insaitable curiosity got the better of him. He agreed to plant and nurture the strange seeds for Tobias. In return, Tobias merely wanted the sap from one plant. This unusual business relationship continued for several years, with Tobias bringing some snippet of information or new seedlings, and Benedictus providing ingredients for Tobias' poisons. This has continued to such an extent that many of the plants in the conservatory are there because of Tobias.

As the months wore on, Benedictus became increasingly fascinated with Tobias' art. Although initially he had conscience pangs at aiding murder, these were soon quashed by beguiling power of the plants he created. Without being morbid, he was intrigued by the way his plants attacked the animal body; nature fighting back against an antagonising humanity. Whatever initial reservations he may have had, Bendictus now fully co operates with Tobias, the knowledge gains far outweighing the moral considerations.

However, Tobias' latest suggestion has reinstated the fears. A month ago, Tobias suggested that he had some strange new seed he wanted to grow, and that it must be grown in warpstone contaminated soil. Benedictus started to refuse - if he had been developing poisons before, at least they had been natural - but Tobias made it quite clear through veiled threats of blackmail that he had little choice in the matter. A week later, he introduced a strange man named Marcel, who provided several small lumps of warpstone and ancient texts detailing how the plants must be grown. With trepidation, Benedictus cleared out the top area of the conservatory, and installed the plants as requested. His unease only grew when the sculpted bush that acted as a small shrine to Taal died two days later with no apparent illness. He has found sleeping more difficult, and is continually drawn up to the roof to watch the almost hypnotic swaying of the otherworldly plants.

Benedictus is a loner, and knows few people in Marienburg. He is distantly aware of the Senior University Scholars, but only as 'those that bother me once a year or so.' He enters into heavy correspondance with fellow scholars in the Empire - those whom he went to University with, and Botanists in Estellia who have discovered a bizarre tree that is believed to be linked to the studies with Warpstone. He has been introduced to Marcel Mousillade (R1), and this is whom he both procured the warpstone and several prescribed texts, but knows little of him other than that first meeting. Provides poisons Tobias van Neef who then distributes them to other Assassins throughout the city.

M 4; WS 39; BS 30; S 3; T 4; W 7; I 58; A 1; Dex 67; Ld 33; Int 64; Cl 45; WP 48; Fel 30

Age: 48

Alignment: Neutral (Taal, not devout)

Skills: Arcane Language - Magick; Druidic, Astronomy, Cartography, Cure Disease, Heal Wounds, Herb Lore, History, Identify Plant, Immunity to Poison, Linguistics, Magical Sense, Manufacture Drugs - Herbal, Numismatics, Orientation, Prepare Poisons, Read/Write, Rune Lore, secret Language - Classical; Guilder, Speak Estellian

Possessions: Creased gardening clothes, Knife, Pouch with several Guilders, Several papers relating to plant lore (with notes scribbled in margin), Pencil Stub, Small vial of poison in seperate pouch, Silver Ring (Magical +1T)

Notes: Completely immune to Hemlock, Black Lotus and Warpstone

 

The Warpflowers

The warpflowers on the top flower have a corrupting influence on the surrounding world - as a twisted conjugation of the natural order and the outer void, they are chaotic monstrosities that are as beguiling as they are insiduous. The base of the flower is a mass of organic matter, that seems to be imperceptably creeping outwards, and is repulsive to look upon. A weak mind could easily see writhing souls in the entwined fronds and stalks. Rising from this material is a single, thick, scaborous stalk, on the end of which is a multitude of beautiful, many coloured, bell shaped flowers. There is a central flower that has remained in bud form, larger than the other flowers, but with a similar shape.

Tobias wishes to grow the flowers because he believes that they will be a source of an impossibly concentrated poison, that would affect all living things. However, he has mistakenly confused a physical poison with a spiritual one, and the flowers won't provide what he is looking for.

  

Unfortunately, the flowers do create something. The large central bud acts as a womb for a small daemon. The flowers, providing they are supplied with enough warpstone, take around two months to nurture, after which the central bud with spring open, and the daemon will spring out.

The daemons are small, stubby, creatures with no legs, only two arms, yet they move incredibly quickly. They have flat, teeth filled faces, and a short tail with a viscous spike. Their only objective is to impregnate any other living thing with spores, by stinging it with the spike in a scorpion like motion. Impegnated flowers will start to mutate almost immediately into a warpflower. Impregnated animals on the hand will start gaining general mutation, the flower only bursiting out of the body once dead.

Any characters viewing the warpflowers must make an immediate Cl test or gain an insanity point.

Inspired by: a recent mention of greenhouses & the collection of poisons on the WFRP mailing list, The Gardener of Parravon (short story by and the scene in Romeo & Juliet where Julliet visits the priest in his garden to get the sleeping draught.

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