Risky Business: Into the Maw (Part 1.2)

Risky Business: Into the Maw

Part 1: The Riddle of the Righteous Path

A Rogue Trader Campaign
--- Continued from Part 1.1 ---

[This is a series of write-ups narrating the progress of my online campaign, the Risky Business. If you're interested in seeing a play-by-post campaign in action using the Rogue Trader setting and rules, you can check out the website for my campaign at http://riskybusiness.guildlaunch.com/. All of our gameplay is visible to non-members, so you can watch our progress as we play.]

...

The high ranking officers file one by one into one of the Risky Business's finer meeting rooms. The old and venerable ship creaks and groans, the plasma drives rumbling as minute course changes are made to dodge interstellar debris. The ship dropped out of Warp about one Terran standard hour ago, and began it's slow journey through the void and into Port Wander. It will probably take another week to reach the port - it's unsafe to drop out of Warp too close to any large bodies, or other ships.

The furnishings of the room were once fine - red velvet, rich and opulent, covers the ground, chairs, and some wall hangings. But it has worn thin in places, tattered and dirty with age and use. Gilt coatings on tables and chairs flake and show the plain wood or metal beneath. The room shows clearly the state of the Florosa dynasty, and it is a dire one.

Soon, all chairs are filled save one. After a few minutes of uncomfortable waiting, an orderly rushes in and leans close to Alphmire, but his whisper is loud enough to be heard by all. "Seneschal Dante sends his apologies - his current task will prevent his attendance of this meeting." After receiving Alphmire's nod, the orderly rushes out.

Waiting done, Alphmire turns on the display at the front of the room. A middle aged man with graying, balding hair and a barrel-like chest appears. Alphmire speaks in his pleasant baritone. "We received this message from a contact, one Orbest Dray, at Port Wander as soon as we entered real space." Alphmire keys in something at the display controls, and the man on the screen begins to speak.

"Esteemed Rogue Trader Alphmire, I carry a message and a gift from your great-grandmother Lilianne Florosa. I would meet with you as soon as you have docked, if you would honor me with your presence. I'll be waiting at Old Gert's stall in the Court of the Dead. It is a matter of some urgency, but which promises great glory. I dare not say more now, but I promise you will not be disappointed."

The screen freezes. Alphmire looks out at his officers. "This was recorded and encrypted in our dynasty's personal cipher, with the appropriate seals and signs. It appears to be legitimate. I intend to investigate when we make portfall. However, there is the possibility that this is a trap."

He looks expectantly at the officers, waiting for their input. "Theani, I want your input about keeping everyone safe during this meeting. Mr. Simo, yours as well. Ariadne and Nydia, I will need your advice on warp-spawned dangers; what to expect, how to protect against it, that kind of information. As we've no Ecclesiarch Primus, it will be solely up to you two." Alphmire stands, leans over the table and sighs. "If I haven't seen some of you in action I have still interviewed you and found you exemplary." He smiles with...pride? Elation? Fear? He seems to wear the same face for all three, smile or no. He sits back down. "So let's have it. How do we best approach this meeting?"


Cassius Simo, from his seat exactly halfway between the door and the display, takes in the situation carefully. He studies the image on the screen, capturing every minute detail of the man's face, looking for any hint of deception. He pays close attention to the timbre of the man's voice, listening for any sign that the man is withholding the truth. Unfortunately, despite his close scrutiny, Cassius can't seem to get a read on this Orbest fellow. Before answering, Cassius subconsciously rubs his hand on the handle of his whip, coiled on his right hip as always.

Glancing at his old friend across the table, Cassius turns to Alphmire and, in his soft, low voice replies, "We will need a full schematic, or as close as possible, of the building we will be in, as well as the surrounding area before we are able to draw up a security plan. As for the meeting itself, I advise extreme caution until we learn more about this man and what this gift is."

Ariadne, looking ever the disheveled, steam punk, scavenger, raises her goggles onto the top of her head. "Haven't felt anything weird in the warp lately. It ebbs and flows like it always does, no storms, nothing warping the patterns. Can't rule out psykers at port though. Would be worth taking a walk around the building before you leave the ship just to make sure."

She pulls her goggles back and appears to shut out the rest of the conversation, as always, lost in her own little world.

Glancing at her fellow psyker, the navigator Nydia "Crash" sighs. Nydia is a stubby and short human, with a gangly and stern frame. Her face is long and angular, marked by small scars and bits of grease. Small, crystaline frames cover her bleary grey eyes. Flat and lean, her figure isn't very imposing. She typically wears fingerless gloves, soft soled boots, a set of xeno-mesh armor and a bland, black robe. A broadcloth headscarf covers her head, lidless third eye, and short black hair.

"I think the hard part of this leg his behind us." crows Nydia, rubbing her bloodshot and fatigued eyes, "We're out of this warp, and this image seems legit enough." She looks ragged and sleepless, her head drooping forward on some imaginary pillow.

She plays with her headband, scratching behind her ears, "I don't think there will be a plot upfront. They'll get us to do what they want, we'll bring it back. Then they'll try to kill us." She coughs once, "Or whatever they want to do." 

 

Risky Business: Into the Maw (Part1.1)

Risky Business: Into the Maw

Part 1: The Riddle of the Righteous Path

A Rogue Trader Campaign

[I'm starting a series of write-ups narrating the progress of my online campaign, the Risky Business. If you're interested in seeing a play-by-post campaign in action using the Rogue Trader setting and rules, you can check out the website for my campaign at http://riskybusiness.guildlaunch.com/. All of our gameplay is visible to non-members, so you can watch our progress as we play.]

...

The news is insulting to some and hilarious to the rest. It normally wouldn't have made it past the topmost spires of nobility, but the inflammatory nature of this change of leadership ensured that it passed from Lord to servant, and from there to all who would seek temporary escape from the tedium of everyday life.

Katyaina Florosa the twelfth, Rogue Trader of a well established but foundering line, has died. This in itself is not unusual; it's the heir to her Warrant of Trade that is making the buzz. The recipient of this hereditary document is Alphmire Florosa. Not surprised? Well you should be, because until now the Florosas were a matriarchal house, one of the only such houses in existence.

What is even more interesting is Katyaina was purportedly barren. She has no daughters or sons. At least she didn't, until the moment she died.

After some digging we shed a little more light on the story. This Alphmire fellow hails from Archaos, a hive world good for little more than their Scholariums and their press gangs. He comes aboard the Risky Business as some adjunct or servingman with a rucksack and the clothes on his back. But from then on his star shines brightly. He was Katyaina's right hand, and she was never seen without him somewhere in the room, resolving an endless flow of tedious logistics. He was well liked but never in the spotlight, even though by the end of Katyaina's life he was handling many important and sensitive tasks while she quietly deteriorated.

And then she dies, and Alphmire becomes a Florosa. Once he became a Florosa he was given the family Warrant of Trade and named Rogue Trader; neat as you please.

The gossip multiplies like the rats down under. He was feeding her small continuous doses of poison while winning her confidence. He was possessing her with fell powers. He was her bed-slave and manipulated her with soft words. Now his star dims. A few key officers have resigned their commands of the Risky Business in protest to what they call "a brash usurping of a noble line." The common crew are benevolently tight lipped about the whole thing, but new leadership always lacks substance at first; I doubt their discreetness is anything more than a waiting game, until they know who the winning side will be.

And trust me, there is something to win here. The crew may follow him, but he has numerous officer vacancies and no friends. For Alphmire's sake, I hope he doesn't have any powerful enemies, 'cause they'll eat him alive. Every position he fills will in truth be owned by a faction looking to better their lot.

Why will all of these new officers be his enemies, you ask? Remember when I said there is something to win here? The Risky Business is a worthy prize, one that the Mechanicus would hold in reasonable regard. And if the Mechanicus wants it, everyone wants it. It is an ancient and powerful vessel, overflowing with precious technology. But best of all, it doesn't yet belong to the Mechanicus or the Imperial Navy; it belongs to a House that is so weak, it's death would provoke no retaliation.

Battlefleet Calixis would ask no questions if the Risky Business were to show up on their docking ring, wrapped neatly in a bow. Merchant houses are always looking for convoy protection, and the Risky Business just went to market with a tempting price tag: one life. A Rival Rogue Trader could have the beginnings of a fleet, and all they would have to do is pluck little Alphmire from his bridge and sit on his still-warm throne. Whatever else is left of House Florosa will be passed over in favor of this crowning jewel, that I promise.

So it's really no surprise that Alphmire is setting course for Port Wander, and surely from there to the Koronus expanse. Out there, in the Expanse, vast influences in the affairs of the Calixis Sector mean nothing. Out there, the power of that little ship will make Alphmire a king among men, and a power to be reckoned with.

I hear he does have a few loyal crew members left. His Astropath stayed with him through the transition out of a sense of duty and faithfulness to the Florosa line. A Navigator stayed on as well, though I hear there was some kind of foul play and now some reckless youngster's holding the fate of the ship through the Warp. The rest of the officers have been picked up at the edge of the Segmentum in the last six months, as Alphmire dodged bullet after bullet and prepared for this voyage. It's his one shot to salvage what's left of the dynasty.

Session Summary: Worse Things Wait (Part 1.3)

Audio Log for Acolyte Ziapatra Havelock

--- Continued from Part 1.2 --- 

The whole assignment seemed pretty ridiculous to me. Who cares about books? Can't they all be accessed by data slate, anyway? And this wasn't even an important book - it was just some progenium book for recent parents. There was also some political mumbo jumbo that the official explained that went right over my head, but I guess Gaius is pretty good at that kind of thing because he handled the meeting like it was nothing. The only good thing that came out of it, as far as I'm concerned, was a truly delicious meal.

Our mission was simple: a book had been checked out by an archivist, and hadn't been returned when it was due. Apparently this scribe wasn't involved in whatever political muck was going on, and was known to have a good service record. So probably she hadn't stolen it - something else must have gone wrong. Well, we located her house and found the place deserted, so I nicked the door open and we checked inside. We found evidence that the archivist and her husband and young daughter had previously left for an annual family vacation trip. Based on the family's travel plans, they should have returned one week ago. The book was nowhere to be seen.

At this point our best course of action seemed to be to head out to the vacation home, so we did. This is where things start to get really weird. The father, another scribbler, answered the door. He looked haggard, like he'd gone a week or so without bathing or changing clothes or maybe even sleeping. He tried to get rid of us, pretty bluntly I might add. Well, after having the door closed in our face, we decided a more direct approach was needed. Valentina snuck around back while Gaius, Cyniska, and myself readied ourselves at the front. Using our vox coms to coordinate, we charged through the windows and doors on both sides of the house all at once. Unfortunately, this made an awful racket - and woke the baby.

Until then I'd been blessed with never having to deal with any psykers or their cursed powers. So this mission... well, it was a crash course in the most literal sense. We barged into the entry room of the house just as this kid started screaming at the top of her lungs. We got a brief view of the parents, both sitting there with blank stares, like servitors with their circuits fried. Then the wave of psychic power hit us and threw us right back through the windows and out of the house - a good ten feet at least. It turns out, when you're being thrown through the air with psychic power, the ground hits like a fraking truck!

After that it was touch and go with the psyker. We tried a few tactics to calm her down, tried assassination from afar, tried kidnapping the father to get information. THAT was an exercise in futility. We managed to capture him, but all he'd do is babble constantly about needing to get back to the house, and he squirmed like a hive rat. We DID manage to grab the book during one of these sessions, but we couldn't exactly leave a rogue psyker on the loose.

Valentina even tried to befriend the witch. I agree that it didn't sit right with me to kill a young child, even if she was a psyker, but I wasn't about to get close to it after seeing (and feeling) what it could do. But Valentina - that woman has the Emperor's own courage. She walked right up to the girl, bold as brass, offering her some of the desert lizards that seemed to be common there. The child seemed frightened, though, and the mother told Valentina that she didn't want her there. We learned later that psykers can recognize the psychic signature of a mind, and that the little girl most likely remembered that Valentina had crashed into her house and frightened her badly only hours before.

Well, at that point all our tactics had failed and we'd been on the planet for a long time. It was time to report in, and to get some more powerful ordinance if we wanted to do this properly. I guess it never occurred to us to call Nomura in the first place - or that this wasn't the job we had been assigned to do. Shows how far I've come, I suppose. It makes sense that Valentina or Cyniska would see this as a threat to the law and order of the empire and want to stop it, but back in my hiver days I would have seen it as "not my problem" and left well enough alone.

Anyway, once we called Nomura, he offered to send down a kill team. As much as we wanted to prove ourselves, we decided that would be for the best. The witch had already bested us multiple times, and it was probably time to call in those who could properly deal with the threat.

Well, the sororitas came down and took care of the psyker.

+++ Sigh. Silence for 10 seconds. Nervous shifting.

I feel awful thinking about it. Imagining that scared little girl in that house as they descended on it with meltas and flamers, her mind blanked mother holder her. I know she had to be dealt with, but she was far to young to have comprehended or controlled the power she was using. Her father was outside, and I pleaded with Nomura to try to help him, at least. He said they would do what they could, and I guess that will have to be enough.

After that it was just cleanup. We returned the book to the administratum official, saying nothing about the girl or her parents. Then it was back to the ship, and here I am. My first mission for the Inquisition, and nothing went as planned. I guess that's only to be expected, though. As frightening and unpredictable as this new life is turning out to be, at least it's exciting!

--- To be continued in Part 2.1 (After the next session) --- 

Session Summary: Worse Things Wait (Part 1.2)

Audio Log for Acolyte Ziapatra Havelock

--- Continued from Part 1.1 ---

+++ A pause, silence for 10 seconds. A sigh can be heard.


Well, once we were underway, there was a whole lot of nothing to do. Unlike my technomat friends, the team and I didn't have a job. I spent a lot of time with Valentina at the shooting range, and kept up my strength and wind in the gym. I also visited the temple with Cyniska several times. When all that stands between you and roiling madness strong enough to tear your soul apart is a flimsy bit of techno-craft, you tend to want to be on the Emperor's good side. But I guess we didn't pray hard enough, because only a few days into the trip, there was a fluctuation in the geller field.


I was alone when it happened, wandering the hallways of the ship, lost in thought and admiring the machinery around me. That same horrible, nauseating feeling gripped me, and I watched the ice climb the walls - it was like a delicate and deadly spiderweb. The feeling... I can't really describe it proper. I felt like the fire inside me, that glow that flares up strong when I pray to the god-Emperor, was being smothered. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like some great invisible hand had grabbed hold of me and was squeezing. And with it was a dread so strong...


+++ Her voice cuts out. A few deep, shuddering breaths, slowly calming.


It passed, though. Thank the Emperor on his Throne, it passed. I lay there on the ground, disoriented, until I heard Valentina's sharp command to report. That got me moving - when Valentina gives you a command, you don't ignore it. I met up with her and Gaius in the hallways on the way to the chapel - apparently Cyniska was in some kind of trouble there. Seeing Valentina with the steady, unflapable attitude I had become accustomed to did a lot to improve my mood - seeing my autopistol which she had brought me did even more. Gaius looked about as sick as I felt, but he held up well despite it.


We weren't really sure what we were going to find - but we definitely didn't expect what we saw when we got to the chapel. Cyniska was just kneeling there, praying, staring with her eyes wide as potholes at His great aquila. It feels like heresy to even say it... it was cracked. Right down the middle. And the two holy servitors who had frightened me so the first time I visited this place were on the ground in a bloody mess, their heads... gone. Splattered, really, all over the room. I've seen my share of violence, mind - but this was like nothing I've ever seen.


Wasn't long after that before the big wigs showed up with a whole mess of soldiers to clean up the place. They grilled Cyniska a bit, but we all stood up for her. She was still pretty messed up by the whole ordeal, and had seen something that frightened her badly in that chapel. I don't rightly understand it all, something to do with the servitors, but it definitely had her shook up. But, after investigating the seen, the man in charge commended Cyniska for her faith and her bravery, so I guess it was all alright.


Thank the Emperor, that was the only warp related event on our voyage. Later Valentina told me stories about other warp jumps, and talked about the procedures she and her security crew would go through if the geller field malfunctioned. I'm lucky, I guess - the most I had to worry about in my earlier life was hive rats, and maybe getting my throat cut in my sleep if I was careless.


One other noteworthy thing happened during the trip - we were introduced to our lighter. Not too much to say about that - it's a gorgeous piece of machinery, and Valentina and I spent some time looking the bird over. I wouldn't know the first thing about actually piloting her, sadly, but I guess Valentina is skilled in piloting light aircraft. She probably won't be driving this one, though - we had a pilot assigned too.


Well, after what seemed like forever, we finally got to our destination. It was an administratum planet, and to me, it seemed pretty much the most boring planet imaginable, as well as being bright and wide open and unnerving. Not really frightening, mind you - nothing so mundane as a strange planet could be frightening compared to what I'd already seen on the ship. But the white rocks and the bright sun and the lack of proper hab grated on me, I won't lie. Emperor bless Valentina, who thoughtfully bought me a pair of shade goggles to keep out the worst of the glare.


I guess I'd better explain why we were down there in the first place. Our ship was carrying a load of goods for the planet - we were traveling under the cover of making a Coblast Assay delivery. Upon arrival, one of our contacts on the planet sent us a request for assistance. Now, this contact was only aware of us as the Coblast Assay, and had no knowledge of our Inquisitorial association. So my team was sent down to do our best to help this contact out, but we were not to reveal ourselves as acolytes in the holy Inquisition. It's funny really - up until a month ago, I was working for the Coblast Assay as a reclaimator - someone who finds things. Now I had to pretend to be one again, because that's exactly what this administratum official wanted. Only this time, instead of machinery, I was helping to find a book.

--- To be continued in Part 1.3 --- 

Session Summary: Worse Things Wait (Part 1.1)

 Audio Log for Acolyte Ziapatra Havelock

I was told I needed to make a log for my first mission. I'm not really sure where to start. I'm sure the others will be much better at this than I am, but Interrogator Nomura insisted that I record one as well.

+++ Silence for 15 seconds. Some nervous shifting can be heard.

I'd been on the ship for about a week when I met my new teammates. It's quite an experience. Being on the ship, I mean. Though meeting them was quite the experience too. I've never been on a ship before - never been off world before. Never been out of the hive before, actually. Funny how things turned out. At first I was really uncomfortable here, but once I started exploring... Well. I made friends with the technomats in my part of the ship and traded some stories, then some tools. I even got to meet one of the mechanicus. He was creepy, but also pretty interesting. I like machines and all, but I don't think I'd want to be one.

Anyway. The team. They all seem so experienced, so strong. I'm just a hiver girl, a scummer really. What's the likes of me doing with one of the Sororitas? And Gaius. I could tell he was trying to be nice, but he looked at me like I was something he scraped off his boot. Not anything malicious about it, mind. It's just how he was brought up. It's like he knows he's better than you, but he doesn't hold it against you, since it's not your fault. I mean, he's from a hive too, but... when I asked him about his home, he mentioned windows. Windows!

At least Valentina and I seem to get along. She's a strange one. She's huge, but as loud and brash as she is, she doesn't intimidate me, not like the other two do.

Well, I guess I ought to talk about what actually happened, and not just blather on about my teammates. When I met them, they had just returned from their last mission. Shortly after they boarded, our ship shifted into the warp.

I feel a little silly about it now, but when we first shifted, and I saw Cyniska start praying, I dropped right down next to her and started praying along with her. Now I know she prays pretty much anytime anything happens, but that first jump... I had never felt anything like it. For a moment, the whole ship was covered in ice, and I felt this feeling in the pit of my stomach like something was grabbing me and twisting me inside out.

+++ A shudder.

But that passed quickly, and we were sailing through the warp to our destination. I learned later about the geller field that protects the ship while we travel, and that in that instant when we first make the jump, the geller field takes a moment to snap into place. Kinda scary to think that in that instant, that brief moment, we experienced the warp in it's unfiltered, unshielded, raw form. Of course, that's a good deal less scary than what happened later in the journey.

--- To be continued in Part 1.2 ---

Character Profile: Gavin "Red" Lockees

SP131-6847

Contact Gavin "Red" Lockees

Name:  Gavin "Red" Lockees

Vocation:  Technomat

Inquisition Ident:  AR013:123:M41:031SP-131

Homeworld:  Hive Dromis - Scintilla

Age:  24 solar standard

Gender:  Male

Background: Born to unknown parents on hive world Scintilla in the lower levels of Hive Dromis. Given name "Gavin Lockees" by schola officials, however immediately nicknamed "Red" by fellow orphans. Early years spent in care of a schola progenium orphanage, was reported missing at age 7 [ref. Arbites record P10:AFT-522]. Lived on the streets, multiple incidents of gang involvement and petty theft. Later became involved in Inquisitorial affiliated cover organization Coblast Assay as a reclaimator. Contact distinguished himself by locating thieves responsible for stealing Coblast Assay property [ref. Arbites record P12:AFT-003]. When working partner was recruited into Inquisition service under Inquisitrix Sola Prinn [ref. Inquisitorial record AR013:123:M41:031SP-022], was stationed on the interstellar freighter the Black Grox. Contact currently works on the freighter as a technomat, but has known dealings with grey market merchants on several planets. Known continued association with acolyte Ziapatra Havelock [ref. Inquisitorial ident AR013:123:M41:031SP-022].

Aptitude Profile: Known close combat and street fighting abilities. Skilled in knife use. Combat rated for basic solid projectile shoulder- and side-arms. Illiterate. Some tech-use knowledge and abilities despite lack of mechanicum training. Skilled in security circumvention, search, and inquiry. Comfortable and confident in working with underworld contacts. Strong interpersonal and leadership abilities.

Pict-Record Ref:  SP131-6847

General Appearance Profile: Lean, stringy build. Tall, lean height to weight ratio. Pale complexion. Bright red hair. Aquiline nose, angular face and cheekbones.

Preferred Equipment: Multiple mono-molecular bladed knives. Silenced Sturm & Drang Hailstorm-pattern autopistol. Multikey, combi tool, and other paraphernalia of the technomat and reclaimator trades. Seldom seen in armor aside from piecemeal street leathers, primitive protection at best.
Contact Status: Trusted contact. Can be counted on for unusual favors, as well as weapon procurement and discount.

Character Profile: Ziapatra "Zee" Havelock

SP022-5668
Acolyte Ziapatra Havelock

Name:  Ziapatra "Zee" Havelock

Vocation:  Reclaimator

Inquisition Ident:  AR013:123:M41:031SP-022

Homeworld:  Hive Dromis - Scintilla

Age:  20 solar standard

Gender:  Female

Imperial Divination:  ‘Even a woman who has nothing can still offer her life.’

Background: Born to parents Dracus and Jedia Havelock, skilled workers and supervisors at Hive Dromis' Red Lens manifactorum. The manifactorum was destroyed via heretic sabotage [ref. Inquisitorial record SNH-931-2255]. Family fell into poverty in the lower hive. Recruit forced to live on the streets when parents died due to overwork in a lower manifactorum. Despite early gang involvement, later became involved in Inquisitorial affiliated cover organization Coblast Assay as a reclaimator. Recruit distinguished herself by locating thieves responsible for stealing Coblast Assay property [ref. Arbites record P12:AFT-003].

Recruitment:  Psy-trance divination undertook by Inquisitrix Sola Prinn and her Astropath Kevil Stass revealed a connection to recruit which lead to agent traveling to Hive Dromus for recruitment.

Aptitude Profile:   Literate despite humble origins in the lower hive. Combat rated for basic solid projectile shoulder- and side-arms. Skilled with the knife and other primitive melee weapons. Some tech-use knowledge and abilities despite lack of mechanicum training. Skilled in security circumvention, search, and inquiry. Comfortable and confident in working with underworld contacts.

Pict-Record Ref:  SP022-5668

General Appearance Profile: Wiry build, short, lean height to weight ratio. Ruddy complexion, dyed hair (blue as of this writing). Gray eyes. Abstract tattoo covering left shoulder and side.

Preferred Equipment:   Modified Sturm & Drang Hailstorm-pattern autopistol, Drystan Growler-pattern shotgun, brass knuckles and mono-molecular bladed knife for close combat. Carries a multikey at all times. Prefers a flak coat for armor which provides protection but does not inhibit mobility.

Dark Heresy - Introductory Adventure - Part 2

 We ran through the second part of my current Dark Heresy adventure on Wednesday. It was a blast, and I felt like it went a lot smoother than the first session. It was a fairly short session, but fun all the same.


Now Entering Stern Hope

Upon entrance to Stern Hope, the PCs were met by Brother Lamark. They immediately took a liking to him, and he to them. They also met a new PC, the arbitrator. Their first stop was the inn, the Crying Clota. Now, I didn't have a chance to look up what a Clota was before the session (apparently it's some herd animal native to Iocanthos). So, the arbitrator's player decided to define it for us, as a limb that was cut off by a chain sword. I love it when the players take on some of the creativity of the game!

After dropping Aristarchus off at the Crying Clota, the PCs decide to wonder around town and see what they can learn. Since they hadn't done much of this back at Port Suffering, I was glad they were starting to do some investigation. They stopped first at the Priory and talked with Brother Lamark. I had a lot of fun RPing him, though I may have made him a bit too silly. After that some of them wandered up into the hills, but without a guide or good directions, they got a bit lost and finally ended up back where they started. The psyker decided to try psyniscience to sense any disturbances in the warp - but all he sensed was an eerie silence, like the calm before a storm. Finally they headed to bed.

On the Heights

The next morning they met Abbot Skae and Brother Severus. They didn't ask too many questions or interact with him too much, but headed right out to talk to the people of the settlement. Specifically they targeted the camp of Ashleen warriors. This was good, since the Ashleen seemed to have the most interesting information about the situation. The arbitrator's high inquiry skill got them a few answers, and they managed to bribe one of the townsfolk to accompany them up into the hills, where strange lights had been rumored to be seen. Lamark also accompanied them.

In the hills, they were ambushed by a strange creature called a hexalid. Again, the arbitrator proved to be a valuable addition to the party. His high awareness allowed the party to notice the hexalid before it attacked, keeping it from surprising them. Additionally, his quick reactions, trusty shotgun, and high ballistic skill (and good roll!) allowed him to nearly take out the creature in one shot. Upon it's death, the hexalid was revealed to be mostly rotten, with it's eyes pecked out. Creepy!

Session End

I ended the session rather early this time since I needed to pack and people had places to be the next morning. We stopped as the acolytes were returning to Stern Hope, at dusk. The next morning would herald the arrival of Esha Raine, the wisewoman, and later in the afternoon, the consecration of the cathedral. Will the ceremony go smoothly? Or will dire and unnatural forces keep it from succeeding? We'll see next time!


Lessons Learned


The hexalid fight would have been more challenging (and more interesting, and possibly more fun) if I had done a few things differently. First, I completely forgot fear rolls again. The hexalid is a frightening creature and should have required a fear roll of 1. Secondly, the creature had a few special qualities that I neglected to look up ahead of time which may have effected the fight. Finally, I handled the hexalid the same way I handled the thugs, which was a mistake. The thugs were somewhat weak, individual enemies which I allowed to die upon taking any critical damage. The hexalid, however, should have kept on fighting until killed by excess critical damage, just like a PC would. This would have made the fight significantly more interesting, and is something I'll definitely do for any tough NPCs or monsters in the future.

The next session in the adventure will be run sometime in the next two weeks. Hopefully it will go well, as I apply everything I've learned so far!

Dark Heresy - Introductory Adventure - Part 1

 I'm currently running the introductory adventure of Dark Heresy for my local gaming group. I thought I'd bring you a brief summary of how it was going, what I've learned, and what I hope to do better next time.

The Acolytes

The group of PCs is a motley crew (but aren't they always?) consisting of a tech priest, cleric, psyker, arbitrator, and scum. Only the players for the cleric and tech priest have significant knowledge of the Warhammer 40k universe, though the arbitrator has some inkling from the Dawn of War games. So far, none has ventured far from their iconic roles, but that's to be expected as many are new to both the system and the lore.


The Brazen Sky

The characters began play on The Brazen Sky, a interstellar freighter taking them to the planet Iocanthos, where they would investigate some "phantasmagoria" (best word ever) surrounding a soon to be consecrated temple to Saint Drusus. The time on the Brazen Sky is intended to allow the characters to get to know eachother and interact with an overbearing purser who had access to the "gray market", a market for illegal and hard to find goods. However, I found it difficult making this work, and we ended this section early.

Port Suffering

The next section of the adventure had the acolytes land at Port Suffering. I enjoyed role playing the self-important official who meets them at the drop location, and I felt like the players did a good job of getting into the roleplay and handling him. On the way to meet their contact, the players came across a crazy old man. They succeeded on their rolls to decipher his mumbled ramblings, which was fun. And the scum provoked a combat encounter by roughly grabbing the old man's arm.

Here's where things started to go wrong. I'm simply not familiar with the combat mechanics for Dark Heresy yet, and the combat was one bumbling mistake on my part after another. Still, I feel like we all gained some valuable (out of game) experience on how the combat system works, which I feel was the main point of this particular combat. The PCs were wounded, and learned that working together might have prevented that, as well as being prepared for combat rather than letting it happen to them. These are two important features of Dark Heresy.

After the combat, the PCs would normally have continued on to meet their contact, Aristarchus the Seer. However, they were accosted by the local authorities due to the gunfire in the combat with the street thugs. I (and the book) expected them to try to talk their way out of this, but players always find a way to ruin your plans :) So, Aristarchus met them at the town watch station and collected them there.

The Trip to Stern Hope

The next leg of the adventure involved the trip to Stern Hope, where the cathedral due to be consecrated is located. While there were no combats on the trip, there were two important events. First, during the night, a dead body stumbled into the PC's camp and collapsed. It appeared to have been dead for days. Second, later the next day, the PCs encounter a strange apparition on a nearby outcropping of rock, which disappears right after being seen. Moving closer, they see a symbol of Saint Drusus burned into the rock.

I feel like I didn't handle either of these particularly well. The dead body moving around should possibly have required fear rolls, and could have been made a lot creepier. The strange apparition could also have been made creepier. I need to work on how I describe the strange phenomena going on around the players, to help get them in the mood.

Session End

I ended the first session here, as they were about to reach Stern Hope. One of the nice things about Dark Heresy is that experience is awarded on a per session basis, so that each time players have a chance to get something new. Their fate points also recharge on a per session basis. This also allows players to bypass some of the harshness of the healing rules - a fate point can be expended to regain 1d5 wounds, so at the end of the session the PCs can spend their fate points to recover, then regain the fate points back at the beginning of the next session.

Lessons Learned

This first session was extremely useful in familiarizing myself and my players with the combat system. I also think it helped get them used to the Warhammer 40k lore, though that will take more time to sink in fully. I also became more comfortable with roleplaying 40k NPCs, which I think I did a much better job of in the second session. Finally, it gave me some ideas on how to handle experience, healing, and fate point recharge in the play by post game I have planned.

I've already played through a second session of this adventure, and I'll post a summary of that in the near future!

Dark Heresy - Grim Dark Awesome

I've recently begun GMing (acting as game master for) a game called Dark Heresy. Dark Heresy is a tabletop RPG set in the Warhammer 40k universe. For those unfamiliar with the setting, Warhammer 40k is a science fiction setting in the year 40,000, and the future is not nice. In fact, it's termed "grim, dark" in the official book descriptions, and "grimdark" has become a minor meme around the internet to describe the gritty, harsh conditions that characterize this setting.

Rather than attempt to describe the setting further, I'll give you the official description:

"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that he may never truly die.Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods." 

Basically, the human regime is harsh, xenophobic, and violently intolerant. The average human can expect a short life filled with little more than work and duty, often cut violently short. But the alternative to the Imperium is much worse - chaos powers and violent aliens are barely kept at bay by Imperial armies.

I've read several books set in this universe - they can be very good, but also very bad, as books commissioned and controlled by a company can be (other examples include Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, Star Trek, and others). If the setting sounds interesting and you'd like to try some of the novels, I'd highly recommend the Last Chancers series, or for a lighter and more fun introduction, the Ciaphus Cain series.

Warhammer originally began, and is best known, as a tabletop wargame. However, the RPG (both the fantasy version and 40k) have become more popular recently. The 40k RPG is called Dark Heresy. In it, the characters play as Acolytes, servants of the Inquisition. Their missions from their Inquisitor can vary greatly, but examples include investigating strange phenomena, possible alien activity, or rooting out heretical tendencies. Unlike in D&D, characters are not (in the default rules) particularly powerful compared to other people. Combat is extremely deadly, with characters easily ending up maimed or killed. Additionally, healing is not easy to come by, and unless extraordinarily lucky, characters have access to at best similar medical conditions as those in real life. Often, the party will be visiting a backwoods planet with much lower caliber medical facilities. So an emphasis on investigation and avoidance of combat is the best way for characters to survive.

I've been running the basic, vanilla game. However, there are many supplemental sourcebooks. Additionally, Games Workshop (the Warhammer publisher) has released two standalone expansions to the game called Rogue Trader and Deathwatch. In Rogue Trader, rather than playing Acolytes in the Inquisition, the characters are rogue traders in a ship out to seek their fortune. A rogue trader is a combination of freelance explorer, conquistador and merchant. They are Imperial servants, given a ship, a crew, a contingent of Marines or Guardsmen and carte blanche to roam the worlds beyond Imperial control. Rogue Trader uses a different system for wealth than Dark Heresy, and in general the players have access to more stuff right off the bat since they are more autonomous and have their own ship.

In Deathwatch, the characters play as Space Marines, the Adeptus Astartes. Anyone familiar with the setting knows that space marines are pretty much the scariest thing the Imperium has to offer. They are huge superhumans genetically modified to be tougher and stronger than a normal human. Their skeletal structure has to be strengthened to carry their massive muscle bulk as well as to protect them in battle, they have redundant organs as well as new organ such as one which allows them to ingest and breathe most poisons harmlessly. They wear power armor which is extremely tough, as well as having climate control features and drug delivery methods to pump medical drugs as well as combat drugs into the marine as needed. They use primarily bolters as weapons, somewhat expensive personal firearms whose bullets detonate on impact. Additionally, most have chain or power weapons as well. Yes, chain swords (think chainsaw swords) are really a thing in Warhammer 40k. Deal with it.

Deathwatch space marines fight primarily xenos (aliens) and are usually called in by the Inquisitorial Ordo Xenos. Obviously the Deathwatch RPG is at a much higher power level than the other two RPGs. I don't have the pleasure of owning this rulebook, so I can't comment on much other than that, but I do hope to play it sometime in the future!

I'm currently running the introductory adventure in Dark Heresy for my local gaming group. I'm also considering running a play by post version with my guild. Finally, I'm hoping to join a Dark Heresy game next month as a player. I'll update here with how each have gone, perhaps including the full play by post if we complete it!