The Enemy Within (WHF Witch Hunter Quest)

XXV.1 - Downtime Prelude

Markus has elected to spend his enforced leave period by abandoning the pretences of his rank and station and living as a common man within the bustling metropolis of Altdorf. As he is a mean looking fellow with a strong right hook and the build of a brick outhouse, he will find employment as a labourer and stevedore on the docks.

In the process, he will be beset by Dark Whispers - the seductive voice of the dark gods, seeking to steer him towards certain acts in accordance with their malign beliefs. Markus will not be aware of the origin of these strange impulses (else he would deny them out of hand), but by indulging in them he will find his mind clearer and his soul less burdened by the memories of what he encountered in Bögenhafen. Mechanically, he will lose corruption points, a process best understood as the dark gods expending their hold over his soul in order to push him towards a path they feel best serves their interests.

Each of the Four will attempt to influence Markus independently, a process that will be determined via a task vote. Markus begins with FIVE (5) corruption points; while he does not need to remove all of them here, this is the only opportunity he has to do so for the foreseeable future.

-/-

[ ] [Blood] In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Markus makes it through his downtime without ever getting into anything more serious than a brief shoving match. (0 Corruption)

[ ] [Blood] After a hard day's work, the stevedores descend on Altdorf's taverns for a hard night's carousing. Markus finds himself getting involved in the inevitable drunken brawls with increasing frequency. More than that, he finds that he has started to look forward to them. (-1 Corruption)

[ ] [Blood] The fighting pits and betting arenas of Altdorf are always in need of fresh meat, and more than a few dockside labourers take the chance to earn some extra coin by competing. Markus finds himself beating other men bloody for the roars of the adoring crowd, and enjoying himself far more than he would have thought. (-2 corruption)

[ ] [Blood] The Hooks, one of Altdorf's most notorious and widespread gangs, have close ties to the stevedores and other dockside labourers. Markus gets swept up in one of the city's periodic gang wars, and while at first he fights to defend his new comrades and drinking buddies, the chance to vent his fury on lawbreakers and other lowlife scum is seductively appealing. (-3 corruption)

-/-

[ ] [Excess] Markus keeps his head and cool throughout his time on the docks, regarded by his fellow labourers as a bit of a killjoy, for all that they appreciate having someone sober to watch over them. (0 corruption)

[ ] [Excess] Markus develops a serious drinking habit during his time on the docks, impressing his peers with his ability to stay relatively coherent after downing enough ale to sedate a horse. He finds the prospect of being able to forget his woes for a night remarkably comforting. (-1 corruption)

[ ] [Excess] While still not convinced he is worthy of love, Markus finds indulging baser needs far more easy to justify. He takes lovers heedlessly and often, drowning himself in desire, caring nothing for anything beyond this night and this indulgence. It means nothing. (-2 corruption)

[ ] [Excess] One can get almost anything in Altdorf, if they know where to look. At first it is curiosity that drives Markus to experiment, then an increasingly desperate need for the comforting oblivion they bring with them, and while a friend is able to drag him back to the surface before he drowns, the temptation lingers in his mind. (-3 corruption)

-/-

[ ] [Decay] Markus remains motivated and diligent throughout his time among the common folk. (0 corruption)

[ ] [Decay] Though he was discomforted at first by his enforced rest, Markus soon finds the prospect of just laying down his burdens and forgetting all higher purposes and grand social obligations for a time surprisingly comfortable. (-1 corruption)

[ ] [Decay] One sees and hears all manner of things on the Altdorf docklands, things that might be dangerous to care about, and what starts as simple prudence becomes a growing sense of numb fatalism to the world and its troubles. Why wear yourself ragged worrying about what you cannot change? (-2 corruption)

[ ] [Decay] Plague sweeps the docklands, as it often does, and though Markus falls sick with so many others he finds he hardly cares. A man's fate is not his own, his life and death in the hands of the gods above. Though he recovers from the plague, Markus soon finds that this too brings no great satisfaction. (-3 corruption)

-/-

[ ] [Change] There's always another agitator, another would-be-revolutionary, but Markus keeps well clear of them all. He's here to get away from higher causes for a bit. (0 corruption)

[ ] [Change] When the student radicals distribute their pamphlets and the demagogues begin spitting vitriol at the ruling classes, Markus finds himself surprisingly taken by some of their rhetoric. For a noble-born agent of the state, such sympathies are uncomfortable and dangerous, but he cannot help what his heart proclaims. (-1 corruption)

[ ] [Change] Finding himself increasingly uncomfortable with his enforced idleness, Markus throws himself into supporting and aiding a number of different social movements and political groups. It is deeply disquieting to him to discover that such pursuits bring him just as much satisfaction as his service to Sigmar did… was it always thus? Was his faith never more than a convenient cause to dedicate himself to? (-2 corruption)

[ ] [Change] With the mutant edict, it is illegal to persecute those whose flesh betrays them, but not all within the church or state agree. Moved by principle, Markus ends up killing a zealous priest in order to defend a mutant from the pyre, an act that may bring his entire future career - perhaps even his life - into jeopardy if it becomes known. (-3 corruption)

Article:

Markus has five corruption. Obviously, it is possible for some combination of the above votes to result in him 'losing' more than that. If this happens, every point of 'overflow' will instead grant Markus an additional 100xp. He will be able to spend these points on a thematically appropriate selection of skills, talents and other boons.

Go ahead. Take advantage. One time offer, no strings attached. Would I lie to you?

EDIT - Please avoid plan votes here. Or rather, if you want to vote for a plan, format it as something like:

Plan: Example

[x] Blood option
[x] Excess option

etc etc

This is purely for the sake of making the tally system a little easier to work with, I don't think anything will explode if I have to manually put things together at the end.