Ex-Convict

*"Oh yes, sir, I’m completely reformed. I’ve learned my lesson, m’lord. Honest Rickard, that’s what they’ll be calling me from now on, strewth."*

## Basic

(New) The prisons of the Old World are brutal sub-realms unto themselves where only the strong and ruthless survive. Of the few convicts who do live through their sentences, most return to society as harder criminals than before they entered prison. The Shallyan might preach about forgiveness and secondchances, but the truth is that the rare ex-convict who does manage to reform is met with the same suspicion and resentment as those who do not. In the end, most ex-convicts are released into an unreceptive world with few opportunities other than to commit new crimes, return to prison and begin the cycle anew.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Concealment, Dodge Blow, Secret Language (Prison Cant), Sleight of Hand

**Talents:** Flee!, Resistance to Disease or Contortionist, Street Fighter or Wrestling

**Trappings:** Good Craftsmanship Improvised Weapon, Bone Dice, Lice, Poor Clothes

### **Career Entries**

Agitator, Grave Robber, Outlaw, Protagonist, Rogue, Smuggler, Thief, Thug, Tomb Robber

### **Career Exits**

Cat Burglar, Charlatan, Fence, Grave Robber, Highwayman, Outlaw, Protagonist, Racketeer, Thug, Vagabond

## Prisons of the Old World

**Krinkleheim:** The Countess Beatrice von Liebwitz von Nuln Academy for the Salvation of Troubled Youth is more widely recognised by the name “Krinkleheim,” after the mansion in which it is located. While hardened criminals and heretics go to the Iron Tower, the delinquent youth of Nuln are given a second chance at Krinkleheim. Boys and girls live in separate wings, and follow a strict curriculum of prayer,instruction and discipline. Escape isn’t difficult, but repeat offenders are sent to the Iron Tower.

**Leopoldheim:** Situated on the western coast of the Southlands is the Imperial Penal Colony of Leopoldheim. Twice yearly, a new shipload of the Empire’s most hardened criminals sets off for the steaming jungle colony. Convicts are branded with the letter “I” and the year of their incarceration, and may not return to the Empire for the duration of their sentence. There are no prison cells or jailers in Leopoldheim. An Imperial garrison is stationed there not to keep prisoners in, but to keep the hostile natives out. If the denizens of the jungle don’t finish off the prisoners, disease will, and life in the colony is a miserable existence.

**Rijker’s Isle:** The fortress prison of Rijker’s Isle is one of Marienburg’s most recognisable landmarks. The massive fortress is both a prison for hardened criminals and a clearing house for Marienburg’s undesirables. Most days, convicts are locked in grubby two-man cells with rotten straw flooring that is changed annually. A company of Tilean mercenaries man the walls with crossbows, but they are rarely employed. Escape from the fortress is theoretically possible, but the cold water and dangerous undercurrents of Marienburg harbour prevent all but the most desperate attempts.

**The Middenheim Mining Colony and Penitentiary:** Just over a day’s ride north from Middenheim is the infamous Mining Colony and Penitentiary bearing the city’s name. The Middenheim Miner’s Guild oversees the administration of the penitentiary, but the day-to-day handling of prisoners is managed by a corps of hardened mercenaries. Convicts can expect gruelling fourteen-hour shifts in cramped and dangerous mines where cave-ins and tunnel collapses are a constant threat. Only the toughest convicts will survive even the briefest stint here.

## Escaped Convict

While most prisoners are content to “do their time”, those who cannot bear even the shortest periods of incarceration will try to escape. Escape from an Old World prison is no simple matter, however, and the consequences of recapture are dire. Communication between prisons and the local road wardens ensures that an escaped prisoner’s description will be tucked into every messenger bag and posted on trees and message boards across the province. The authorities will offer lucrative gold rewards for the recapture of notorious escapees, attracting bounty hunters like flies to manure.

Players can substitute the Ex-Convict career with Escaped Convict, with the GM’s permission. Escaped Convicts receive the Escape Artist Talent instead of Resistance to Disease, but gain a bounty on their head (the amount is decided by the GM).