Campaings for share

By Ripplo, in Dark Heresy Gamemasters

You happy new year :D

Today on the menu – Destiny favors the bold – Options for PC's who wish to enter the fortress

The sand storm itself looks like a giant tornado, raging in the center of the field. If players would advance to it they could feel permanent increasing wind and an auspex scan would reveal a strong electro-magnetic interference around the storm, jamming the sensor. I quickly draw a map for a better understanding.

desert5hn8motg6l.jpg

The big banked up dune is somewhat like the edge of a crater.

The flat desert circle you can imagine a little like a giant salt lake desert. It actually is the flat top of an imperial building. Over the centuries a crust has formed and the sand storm blows away most of the sand, so it is quite the solid underground.

The sand storm is one big raging tornado, which surrounds the camp and tower. It can be seen for kilometers and it's raging noise is deafening. Techpriest Gladius might be able to conclude, that the terraformer tower inside the sand storm is creating the storm. If the PCs decided not to take him with them, they will probably link the storm to a psy phenomenon.

The Camp of the war clan can be described as a big mess of tents around the tower. To the players surprise, there are several torches lit and floodlights activated. The storm shields the camp from the sun. It is also surprisingly cold inside. From what the players can see. The clan must have grown quite a bit. There are probably about 10.000 clan members in these tents. If they are close enough, they also notice there is a gap of about 30m between tower and the first tents. Nobody seems to go closer to the tower voluntary.

Additional Information about the camp:

  • Tech, weapons and vehicles are the most valuable things there. They have access to the old water systems

  • There are many different groups or former clans which joined the Cenk durum Karsilamak, but only Ashrak is holding them together. Let the PCs witness confrontations between groups. Create the feeling of them sitting on a powder keg.

  • Belonging to the war clan seems to be profitable. They have often little mountains of loot, let it be tech, jewelery

  • If asked about Ashrak most fall silent, they come to him because of the promise to get rich and powerful, but then they are deeply afraid of the herald of the eye.

    • Every now and then captured slaves are requested for the tower, then you can hear screams all night, screams louder than the howling of the storm and they are never to be seen again

    • Every couple of days Ashrak comes out on the balcony to hold a speech, mostly consolidating moral and giving out new targets

Ashrak's fortres s is the old terraformer tower. It has clearly seen better days and stands askew like the tower of Pisa. It must have been once proud imperial spire made out of fine metal. Today many parts lie open, you can see makeshift constructions on the outsides. There are some hand-operated lifts on the outside, simple open platforms. The clan seems to have tried to support the tower with two metal towers leaning against the bigger. In about the 5 th floor they cracked the facade open to build some sort of balcony over the main entrance.

1) Trying to cross the sand storm is the obvious way, but also challenging and dangerous. In this sand storm you don't see further than 2m, there is no way to orientate yourself and the raging sand peels slowly but steady armor, clothes and last skin and flesh. It might be possible to drive through it with the sand chimera, but than again they would not know what lies on the other side. I seldom like it when players just jump blind into it. The games then often derail and escalate.

It is still a doable solution. I would let them make several navigation surface tests when they enter the storm. I propose a difficulty of -20 for the navigation tests and at least 5 DoS for as long as it takes. Every “round” I would say about 5 minutes each. I like things to be big in the 40k-verse so I made the storm ring 500m thick. If they would walk a perfect straight line or you have a navigation geek in the group it is possible that they are that lucky and get through it in one try. But most will lose their orientation or get driven off course by the storm. I would apply 1D10 damage to their armor every 10 Points they lose 1 AP. Weapons that are not reliable will need to be cleaned after the storm, there will be sand everywhere where it does not belong.

Next problem might be, that they get spotted by the war clan. I would distance myself from that. If the clan spots the PCs they are as good as dead. Also does the clan feel quite safe, protected by the storm and does not pay it much attention.

2) Trying to take over an enemy vehicle to infiltrate the tower. Every now and then a vehicle or group of them leaves the storm to go on a raiding or recon trip. This option might be the most viable, if the PCs do not find a entrance in the building under the terraformer or have the techpriest with them to tell them.

You can adjust the strength of the out coming party best. I would propose a pick up with 4 men. The real problem is to stop the vehicle. There are no roads they would take certainly or at least bottlenecks or the like in the near environment. Most drive south to the cooler and more populated regions. Let your players get creative. One practical solution could be to lay a trap using the chimera as bait. A broken down vehicle can be quite the temptation as it might be easy prey.

If you want to complicate things, let your players notice, that the vehicles have a vox transmitter on them. Probably to communicate with who ever opens the tunnels through the storm.

If the players overcome the crew, let one survive. They need a password to be let in. Let them interrogate the survivor. Depending on the paranoia and skills of your group hold in mind, this man probably does not expect to survive and might be out for revenge, by telling them a wrong password. The correct one is: “We return with gifts for the herald of the eye.” A false one could be: “We come back to honor Ashrak the great.” Also depending on the success of the interrogation, he might tell them, that the raid parties have to bring back loot. It is a somewhat unwritten law, but if they don't, these men vanished instead of slaves in the tower.

The PCs can disguise themselves easily as members of the war clan. Through it's rapid expansion, there are all kind of men and women represented. The only thing they have in common is a red eye either painted on their armor, breast or tattooed on their head.

The vox transmitter has only a range of about 5 km, the captive might also tell them to send the parole when they enter the flat desert circle for an additional DoS. For one more he might be able to tell them, that a psyker called the Perseus opens the tunnel and is Ashrak's right hand.

When the PCs have the correct answer, the tunnel will open. The drive is spectacular. It is like there is no wind or movement at all, there is not even real sound anymore, just a dull echo of the storms rage. It is like they are driving through a super thin glass tunnel, while the storm rages against it, it's dark sand curling all around.

On the other side a group of slaves awaits them to unload the loot. If they do not give them any, they will not disturb the PCs, but they will go to Kasimir (if still alive) or Perseus and report them.

3) Finding an entrance into the building beneath. Either the PCs get the idea themselves or the techpriest might offer it to them. With the help of an auspex / techpriest Gladius it only takes a couple of hours to drive around until they find a metallic signal from beneath the sand. An old service entrance, which takes some effort to open. When finally done, it squeals open and the players can climb down.

Describe the building as fallen wonder of humanity. Techpriests might cry, when they see the dead and rusted machines. There are no lights active. Sand seems to have found a way in and several corridors are blocked and collapsed. The further the PCs go towards the center the larger the corridors get, soon they are big to fit in the chimera later two. Giant pipes and sorts of generators stand side by side, most are dead, some are corroded and show holes. But the PCs can also hear a deep sound, like the beating of a giant heart. The closer they get the more preserved the machines are. Then they open a bulkhead and centuries of old air gushes them in the face. Behind the door light shines. The old terraformer machines work. Some pictscreens still work, most show alarm runes. Not conducted maintenance, defect machines, critical errors in the structural integrity of the main control and exhaust tower.

You can complete and add to the scene as you want, I try to keep it short or I write on for ever. ;p

If you want to challenge you PCs build in automatic defense systems, you can make them look scary, but weaken them because of all the years without maintenance. Maybe have one or two combat servitors drive around.

After two hours of walk, they finally are beneath the tower. The corridors are marked for better orientation. But still it will not be easy to find the exact way back.

There is a lift in the middle, which is still active and usable. There is also a staircase. This will be more of a challenge. Because of the partial collapse of the tower the staircase is damaged and partially collapsed, too. It will be challenging to climb over some passages.

I stop here for this time. Next time I will add a cinematic approach and the actions if the players decide to retreat.

After that I will describe what dangers lie in the camp and tower and of course in the end what is it about the herald of the eye.

EDIT: Forgot the map ;P

Edited by Ripplo

Do you prepare right now or did you already play so far xD?

You post them so fast :D

I played all these adventures with my group, last season was in september. But there is still quite a bit off stuff ahead. I will probably not be able to post this weekend, because I am away. The following weekend I will commence again.

I am terrible sorry, that I did not post the next part as promised. I did not forget about it and I am not giving up the thread. I will do my best to write it tomorrow, if not than during the next week.

I will continue here, just so everyone knows^^

Hello Ripplo


Thanks for sharing your campaign i borrowed your idea for the intro for a new group and thought i would give a write up on how it went.


I decieded to try and make a DH2 campaign for my group we have played together for many years. Wanted to run the dark pursuit, desolace of the dead and forgotten gods

adventure but i needed som PC background and a good intro to tie it all together.


So read your story and it was very inspirational.


I asked my players to write a short background 1 page only requirements was some form of story about why they where on the wings of life trasport in the passenger compartment.


I wanted my players not to know about the inqusition so i asked them to make a fresh charecter using only homeworld and background even without spending the 1000 xp and reserve the role for later planned downtime

after they enter the inqusition.


So here is how it went.


Ran it almost like you wrote it. Had a small intro scene on the wings of life prior to the crash. Started the PC in a dining room chance for light conversation they met a few of the NPC. The doctor, ekatarina a few other

i threw in a merchant selling meet from CEL few other people.


After the crash i wanted them all together so i started them still naked except for the tech priest ofcourse in a dark room i mean pitch black was a few other dead bodies.

Pc search the room and find a tiny crack in the plassteel they can hear screaming/moaning on the other side i let them break of a few peices of scrap iron for weapons.

When they open up i threw together then encounter for Ihen and the crazed medical servitor i called it the good and bad samaritan encounter.


The medical servitor is mad (perhaps) its trying to cut off ihens leg as the pc enter let it saw halfway through cripling him. I had a short fight used the servitor profile but with lower armor and much lower damage 1d5+3 dident want

to cripple my npc. Put a few other supplies in the room a medkit and a fire axe.


From here on they moved down corridors had a few horror like encounters with some muted crew and passengers i let them meet up with IDRIII and Jaquebeax roughly around the same time.


I let them escape to the beach here they meat Mattelus and Zax holthane (from dark pursuits) fighting over some equipment was a fight easy to brake up to establish Mattelus as a bad guy bud Zax equally shady so wasent to obvious.

For the VOX/auspex encounter i let the bridge be intact but thrown off and stuck vertical in the ocean bed about 50 meters out in the water.


They could tell it still had some kind of power from electrical surges and they could sea shapes moving or falling from inside the glass of the bridge.


PC had to swim out and climb up. I add a horror encounter of the badly mutated captain still straped in his command throne but unable to get out of the restrains he was about 5 meters from where the pc climbed up they mercy killed him.

From here they could power up a console long enough to get the energy reading also let them rescue another officer who could fill them in on some background.



"i dont know where we are"

"by the throne we where still at warp - the geller field must have crashed"

"we where only in the warp a short time" etc.


Eventually the tides drives them off the beach up a ravine into the jungle. From here it ran by the book. I let Mattelus get caught around 3rd day he used some sort of communication device i let it run off the current of a human body

clearly vile and alien in technology.


Had a short moment where the pc insisted to check IDRIII bandages. He convinced one pc to do it alone with him and used some telepathic powers on him had the pc roll was lucky he failed the WP roll :)


They found the abandon base and some vehicles and drove off to IMPENTRA. My version of IMPENTRA was a steam age colony with a steam boat, a castle, inn, sheep farmers etc. Only settlement of a failed colonazion experiment long ago

they rarely get surplies but still keeps vigilant.


During the battle from Impentra my PC players again get suspecius of IDRIII and tries to gain access to him inside the castle they find him in the basement screaming orders on a vox to the imperial fleet wich convinces them he is a good guy.

Still no clue he is the inqusitor.


The rescue from the gaurd and the slaughter of the survivors was perfect even the surprise look on my players faces.


Now im ready for next session going to borrow your little refuge and IDRIII in my world he is a high ranking ordo xenos inqusitor on the verge of discovering the major heresey of the faceless trade.

Im going to weave in a lot of the intro stuff like Ekatarina and Mattealus and some other stuff.


Thank you for the inspiration was a realy good way to start off a new group and it ran just perfectly. Took roughly 10 hours or so to play.

Hey just found this thread though it was pretty cool! I would have say Ripplo you have very detailed campaigns they sound very fun to play!

I will share my current campaign I am working on, sadly wont use it until the summer. I first start by checking to see which of the Ordos they want to do and then I start them in a Rogue Trader ship who is their guide through the Askellon sector. There inquisitor who also uses this vessel and his own personal ship too. This allows them to have a base and some merchants to fall back on as well as NPCs for roleplaying as well as back up for combat.

I begin the adventure with an intro to the rules with a guided mission that has three missions the setting is the planet of Meridian from the Dawn of War II game, it even is set in Dawn of War: Retribution. The acolytes are charged with investigation and hunting down their evil forces, eventually they will confront the big bad of the mission. After they finish they will have a base line impression on their Inquisitor, this allows for roleplaying options. Then they travel to the Askellon sector here i use the Desolation of the Dead from the Games Master's guide im using this as a guide to begin a long adventure, but after they finish the mission they will be chraged to stay in the Hive in order to investigate an Eldar, Nurgle Cult, Slannesh Cult and a renegade acolyte squad threat. This is all connected in a large and intertwining chart that will lead them to a planetary invasion that they have to prevent or stop if they don't the world will fall. Even after the campaign they will still continue their adventure. There are not more details at this moment but I plan to put Orks into the campaign and use the Rogue Trader book: Frozen Reaches as a break for the acolytes.

I also wouldnt mind any one's take on this see if anyone has any ideas they willing to share.

So I am back! These were quite some weeks and I am sorry for letting people wait. I wrote up everything to end this adventure...I hope^^

I am glad others are joining the thread and thankful for the review. I like what you did with the scenario, Archellus, especially the good and bad Samaritan ;) I hope you will have lots of fun with it and thanks for posting how long it took you.

Thank you Drangar for the compliment. I think it is quite a cool idea to build a campaign around a existing and known setting might get some cool recognition moments ;) It sounds like you plan to build quite the epic campaign with lots of action. I will be happy to comment on your ideas when you post them.

Last but not least the end of Ashrak and this adventure. If you have questions, suggestions or feel I forgot something, feel free to contact me.

The inside of the Tower

As mentioned before it is in bad shape and it feels wrong inside as it is bending over to one side. This has lead to diverse damages on walls etc. around the first 5 ground levels. If you want to make it harder for your players make agility or ballistic skill tests harder because of the different sense inputs. Populate the interior depending on your groups strength and skills. I for myself chose to present my group an rather empty building. Most obvious decorations and parts were already looted, it was like a giant barren concrete skeleton. Only around the entrance hall were some primitive banners arranged.

Entrance

The original gate is gone. It is replaced by three rows of thick curtains, which make it impossible to look inside, even if someone enters. The entrance hall is quite gigantic and the original ceiling used to be several floors up, so you would have stood at the button of a huge gallery. Now the bending building's stabilization in the interior are blocking the view. Between the stabilization beams and constructions is enough room for a wooden platform, which is used as an elevator now. Four strong men haul a wheel around on command. Probably not the wisest way to travel up for the PCs. There are no modern brakes which would stop it from falling, if they change their mind about pulling them up.

If Kasimir is still alive he will stand here guard. Behind him the old elevators and staircase, before him the new wooden elevator platform PCs who entered from beneath could sneak past him.

Middle section

Most of the tower is completely desolated. But from the midsection on the PCs start to hear what could be the whining of the wind. As they will not be able to use the lift, they sometime have to look for another staircase, when their actual is blocked. Then they can come along holes in the walls , showing the outside, the storm and how far it would be to fall down. If you want to add some jump and run, let them have to chose whether they confront patrolling guards or climb on the outside on some not so professional looking scrap scaffold.

Temple room

A floor over the end of the makeshift lift, the PCs stumble upon a „decorated“ floor. The „wind's whining“ can now be excluded. It is the whining of many tormented people, sobbing and crying. You see curtains and tapestries all showing different variations of an starring eye. Bowls with purple burning flames illuminate the hallways. Often are curtains blocking the view or hiding passages. It is like they form a labyrinth of starring eyes. Additionally the burning bowls exude some sort of intoxicating fume. It is hard to orientate yourself here. A psyker can sense that you are close to a strong Warp source and also a foul entity. All his psy focus test are +10 easier, but you also add +10 to all psy phenomenon throws.

The deeper the PCs go the harder it gets. The smoke smells sweet but foul, it makes it hard to concentrate, the curtains seem to move by some unnatural wind. They actual move it is no effect of the smoke, the smoke only intensifies it. The whining noises seem to come from the walls the closer the PCs get to the center.

After some time they will find a few sources of the whining. They will see mutilated people in hanging cages. All have lost their eyes, stabbed out, burned out or pulled out. They also show other forms of mutilation, dark runes and symbols carved into their flesh. All cages are connected to some sort of electrical source, as it seems they get regular strokes and brand wounds can be seen where their skin touches the cages.

If a psyker is present he may know (forbidden lore Warp/heretics/demons) that these people are sacrificed to produce dark warp energy through pain. Every emotion forms an image in the warp and demons feed of them.

In the center of this maze they find a scarification pool (5 m) in (of course) a form of an eye, imbedded in a big chaos symbol. On one side is an altar and what looks like the control console for the cages that is connected through crude open cables with the pool.

The pool is also filled with blood or something like that but darker. It looks like some sort of crimson tar and it looks like it is boiling, throwing bubbles.

A voice appears around the PCs. „I have awaited you. Our Lord has told me of your coming. I am not so much pleased, that he wants to test me. I believe I am his true champion and not some heretics like you.“ While the talk goes on, something rises from the pit. A semi transparent bubble of shimmering tar surrounds a humanoid, covered in thick layers of the same.

The players may act. They can position themselves etc. if they shoot on him, the attack will peel of the bubble and he will look angry at them. If you feel the attack is too strong to simply peel of, let the fight begin and forget what I wrote next ;)

He continues to talk, while he frees himself of the sticky mass. „So you came this far. You have defeated (or fooled [if alive]) Kasimir. Well, a rather unimpressive act, but then again he was one of my strongest and my favorite pet. I have no choice but make you pay for that.“ With this last sentence he fills himself with warp energy and the protecting bubble bursts apart. The fight begins.

Ashrak is a rogue psyker on the brink to be taken over by a demon, so he will be a though nut.

A fight against one single enemy in DH is always a challenge. Make him too weak and he might be killed by one lucky shot. Make him too strong and the group is killed and nobody is happy. You have to adjust the power level of this foe to the one of your group.

Special challenges: As long as Ashrak stands in the pool his power level is improved and special defenses are in place to challenge the PCs. This can be changed:

A. They trick him to follow them and step out of the pool, maybe through some sort of retreat rouse.

B. They cut the energy delivery towards the pool.

B.1 They overcharge the cages and kill all prisoners (for moral drama), but is a immediate solution

B.2 They cut the cables or shut it down somehow else, but that takes time between 3-5 rounds or let them roll for it

Ashrak (possessed)

WS: 30 BS: 30 S: 34 T: 43 AG: 42 INT: 45 Per: 35 WP: 60 Fel: 23

Armour: none, simple black and red robe LP: 20

Traits: Deamonic (4), Fear (2), From Beyond, Natural Armour (2), Psyker (5)

Psy Powers: Chose freely what you seem to fit best

I made him a mix of a diviner and pyro-psyker

e.g. Foreboding and sunburst.

Pool abilities (as long as it is fed with agony):

  • Blood shield, use like a conversion field, but it cannot jam

  • Hungry pool, if some acolyte enters the pool or is drawn into it, he might get stuck and the pool tries to absorb him. The pool counts as hard to move in (-20 on AG-tests), every round a PC remains in it, he has to pass a toughness (+-0) test or lose 1D5 LP.

If the PCs overcome Ashrak you can end the adventure the following ways:

  • The possessing demon retreats and Ashrak explodes in giant blur of purple light, incinerating the pool and shocking the tower, killing all the soon to be a host prepared psykers. The damage on the tower will destroy the sand storm. This and out of the sky dying psykers in the camp will produce a panic and the war clan will flee.

  • The possessing demon retreats and leaves a weakened but still alive Ashrak behind, who flees. (I chose this one because I had time left and my players exceptional good dice). The pool still explodes and knocks the PCs down, they only see a shimmering silhouette flee. A some what cinematic hunt begins. Ashrak starts to climb up, while warriors of the clan storm the tower to help their leader. Their was a lot of tension as the players of course wanted to kill Ashrak and saw that their was no way down anyway. I let them climb on wooden and scrap metal frameworks, often on the outside. Half way to the top, their vox creaked and Lt. Volatus wanted to let them know, that IIR3 has arrived to pick them up and wanted a status update. Show down after the show down on the roof of a (if you want collapsing) terraformer.

If the PCs need to retreat:

  • Let them escape via dangerous routs, e.g. rubble pipes (die hard – style), destroyed elevator shafts

  • Alternatively you can use the Lt. Volatus method from above and let the Lt. Rescue them via Aquilla shuttle or if you feel like it a Valkyrie maybe with some support to flatten the camp.

What might happen, if the PCs decide to never go near the terraformer:

Your players decided it would be an idiotic idea to try to sneak into an enemy fortress without any information about it. Especially since they only needed to obtain information about the war clan and their current position. Well, the minimal goal is achieved.

Then let their sorry asses be hunted home like the unfaithful cowards they are. (Just kidding)

If the PCs do not come to the wanna be demon, the demon comes to them. On their way back to the village where Jared married, they will notice lights in the night, many. The war clan will attack the village in force. If the PCs get close enough, they see, that Ashrak is with them. The village will stand not a chance against a whole army.

The PCs might be able to warn them. But for that they would have to travel during the day, too. Quite likely killing their sand chimera. You can either just let them decide if they want to sacrifice their vehicle and reach the village in time or let the dice decide through some hard tech-use tests to see if they are able to maintain enough cooling for the engine.

If they do not arrive in time, well, then they will pass through a ruin and every dead will scream their failing towards them. No one survived, the dead are mutilated and some probably abducted. Worse the war clan moves south towards the capital and is now in front of the PCs.

If they arrive in time the next question is, will they try to make a stand or try to save as many people as possible?

Making a stand:

It is not hard to persuade the villagers to fight for their home. The northern wall can be fortified, traps can be set, a military expert might be able to optimize the warriors positions etc. To make big scale battles more interesting and cap their length, I also let Volatus vox towards the group. After all the war clan did destroy a pdf army in the open field.

The fight itself will occur PC group against enemy group and resemble the for and back of the whole battle. After each round you see how many foes died or how bad PCs were hurt, make a short summary about where the lines held and where loses were high.

The first wave should be cannon fodder only. Ashrak does not even bother to watch. Motor noises sound through the northern canyon. Bikes and Buggies storm out of it, tripping every trap the PCs might have set. Mostly armed with low-tech weapons. Towards the end a tank vehicle drives towards the gate. The driver cannot be seen, it has extra metal plates in front of the windows and front. Two to three round until it will hit the gate and likely break through or worse explode and rip a huge hole into the wall.

Second wave. If it has not happened, the wall will be breached. Ashrak shows up on some sort of open throne wagon, standing in a small blood pool. (Too far away to be attacked) If the wall still stands intact come with him two pick ups bringing two big very „low tech“ cannons. Imagine simple but big metal pipes, like in the American civil war, but bigger and build for only one shot. These rip the wall apart. Bad for morale if the PCs just saved the wall from the tank vehicle. The wall has fallen and it is time to retreat. The battle rages now in the village, vehicles run through the the tents, enemies throw fire devices. Fire and smoke hinder the sight.

Ashrak comes to fight the PCs. This time weaker but not alone. Adjust the number of followers...

If the PCs want to abandon the village and try to save as many as they can:

The PCs should have a hard time to convince the villagers to leave their village. It is their home and they are proud people. If they are successful the women and children and a few young men will leave. But they do not have many vehicles and want to take too many things with them. The village's chief and many men will stay and buy as much time as they can.

I would let the PCs flee successfully. But describe very detailed how others died like heroes for their cowardly asses. Then Ashrak's army will pass them in some distance in the following night and they will be able to hear a hollow and gloating laughter.

Soooo got internet again. What did I miss :D

So despite the carnival festivities I took some time to do penance for my longer absence. ;)



After the final:



Well, I presented several option how players can resolve the adventure. I will not go over every single one in regard of IIR3's reaction towards their mission. If they just found the war clan's base and reported that, IIR3 will be satisfied. The basic mission objective is fulfilled. If they chose to confront Ashrak, he will be pleased, but only if they were successful. For the later case they should be rewarded with some special gear they wanted or another nice gimmick. I chose to give them their own Aquila-shuttle incl. Lt. Volatus.



If the war clan and Ashrak still exist, IIR3 will take over and pacify the planet. The PCs will be send away in any case.




The next adventure awaits out heroes on Desoleum the foul center of the sector. Some assets of IIR3 have been damaged or destroyed, important enough to anger the inquisitor, but not important enough to anger him, but not important enough to neglect his duties.



The adventure's intro begins right after the debriefing. The PCs will sit in IIR3's office (probably wounded and exhausted). The inquisitor himself shows no such signs, how should he, he stayed on board the whole time. To emphasize how different their experiences were, he let's one of the acolytes pour him a glass of amasec and adds with a casual voice: “Go ahead, you have my blessing to pour yourself a glass, too.” It is a very fine vintage. “So now that your mission here is done. I will send you to Desoleum. To be more exact, I will send you to investigate some incidents concerning my goods and assets. I do not have further information, the carrier of these died before he could report in full.” He notices the asking glances on the PCs' faces. “Oh, he did not die because of the information concerning my properties on Desoleum. I am quite sure there will be no major problem with that. He carried...” He pauses, then smiles at the acolytes. “That is all you need to know, is it not?” Short pause for the PCs to confirm that ;) “You will leave in 20 hours with a transport ship, the Velocita. Do you have any questions?”



IIR3 needs to resolve other matters and has not much more information for the acolytes, except that a driver will meet them at the space port (of Desoleum Prime) to bring them to...his home. His name is Vlad a good man, despite his many scars (all earned in the inquisitor's service and he was once called to be quite good looking). Before they leave Eolaus (the inquisitor's head of servants) gives the PCs a small box with the words. “The inquisitor thought you will likely need these.” In the box are twice as many De-tox syringes.




The travel to Desoleum will be swift and without disturbance. (Fill it up, if you like)



When the Aquila-Shuttle leaves the Velocita you see the center of the imperial power of the Askellon sector. A brown ball of pollution and corruption. Three enormous black masses take hold of giant pieces of this world. Strange alien structures run between them through the polluted wastes. Hardened silicate flows dictate the environment in the wastes. Black and brown storms are raging over the surface, drowning the lower foothills of a hive until the towers are too high and the storm breaks on them.



Your Aquila descends, turbulence shake the shuttle. But soon you find yourself in a steady stream of incoming shuttles all flying towards one of the space ports of Desoleum Prime. While the imperial architecture and dignity of this hive might let your hearts jump higher, you know as well, that this is the political center of the sector. The powerful fight here with deadlier weapons than just simple las pistols in the open. Make yourself an enemy among the powerful and you might as well end up in an accident or poisoned. The gift of your inquisitor only amplifies that impression.



The shuttle lands on one of the major ports in the upper middle hive. The entry process is passed quickly and when you leave the customs area a man in a dark red coat steps towards you. “I greet you in the name of the Emperor, I am Vlad.” The man is of average size, but has quite some muscles for his age. His brush hair style is completely gray and besides his many deforming scars you can find many crinkles, too. His left eye is replaced by a bionic and he limps. “Come on I had to park the carriage in one of the outer parking decks, seems like the closer ones are under maintenance. ******* city is going to hell.”



Now the players can talk a little with Vlad.




  • He is now a local to Desoleum for over ten years, read up in the core book ;)




  • He is also a retired throne agent of IIR3, due to his wounds




  • He dislikes Rex, has the one or other embarrassing story about him



    • Forgot to load a gun before going in the field, when he was a fresh acolyte




    • Now is vicious little prick, Vlad even indicates he has out rivaled a competitor for the office of Interrogator by some political trick





Vlad will not speak in detail about what happened with IIR3's assets etc. in public.


If you like prepare more themes to speak about. If you feel it is time to continue, go over to the next scene.



Meeting Mr. Nightingale



On your way to the parking deck you cross a giant hallway, broad enough for six tanks to drive side by side. Masses of people move slowly through it. After a few meters the flow gets slower and over the noises of such a crowd you can hear some curses been shouted, there is a minor disturbance before you. It looks like a hobo got passed the enforcer. By the looks of him, he managed to come all the way from the under hive. Of course he comes towards the group of PCs.



The man is dressed in rags and a gray plastic bag. His head is covered by some ragged hood. He is begging for some thrones or some food and then clings on the characters. Throwing himself to them, not violently just desperate. “Please good Zir, in the name of our Lord, just something to eat for a lost soul.” His hands move pleading over their bodies, from one to the other.



He will not let go, until they force him away. If they stop to talk with them, Vlad will leave to get the carriage and to meet them at the end of the hallway, grumbling something like “Disgusting creature.”



Players interact with the ragged one.



If you like let your players make a (-30) awareness test or roll for them.



If they pass, they will notice that he seems to be wearing something better beneath.


1 DoS, it looks like he wears some sort of mesh armour beneath his rags.


2 DoS, he wears mesh armour beneath and is likely armed.


3 DoS, (Should be quite unreachable) the person has put something in one of their pockets. (Described further down)



(Though it is more fun, when the players do not suspect such a thing)



Mr. Nightingale is a highly trained operative and he is hear to help and protect the PCs, preferably without being noticed from the acolytes as well as the people who want to harm them.



He will beg them to get him something to eat. Even if he had money the shop owner will not let him enter. He will try to buy as much time as he can.



When Vlad and the auto-carriage come to view, he intensifies this. Stopping them to thank them etc.


The auto-carriage looks to be a very solid upper class model, hold in perfect black. Then it vanishes in a ball of molten fire.




If the PCs force Mr. Nightingale away, he will retreat, before his cover is in danger. But follow them to the parking house. Before they get too close to the auto-carriage he gets desperate and cries out: “You are uncovered, fools!” This should stop the PCs. Shortly after that the car explodes again.




That should set the mood for the adventure.




What it will be about:




  • Intrigue, the inquisitor did not make only friends (what a surprise)




  • Learning more about IIR3, who is he, where does he come from




  • Meeting again la familia de la Severine...



Hey so while I was building the outline for my compaign I though there has to be an easier way to do this. So I built a guiding system to map out the story of a Campaign.

Book: this is the entire campaign or if the GM wants to they could sting it out over two or three like the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings' trilogy or star wars.

Act: Your book should have 2-4 acts based on the length of the adventure this can separate settings, adversaries, or even the entire goal of the adventure, say in the Hobbit movies one was two get to the mountain and halfway through the second the reach it so Act three of the Movie could start them trying to steal the arckenstone

Chapters: There should be 3+ chapters per Act, this is made for smaller setting changes and more for smaller goals that link to the bigger picture, this is also a good time to introduce new NPCs per new chapters and new factions too.

Mission: How ever many you deem fit, of course the Acolytes have a goal to achieve but first they need to complete missions in order for that goal to be reached. Each mission needs to also have objectives that determine degrees of success for the adventure.

I do plan to work on a example for my campaign when and I will share it with everyone

Arrival at the Rasputin Spire

Either the Vlad will organize an taxi auto-carriage to get to the estate or the PCs will need to do this and find out where to go (if you want to add this, it is more likely they have an adress)

If you want to let your players ask around, they will get mostly ignored or smiled at as if they were joking, until someone helps them

The auto-carriage will drive upwards, describe somewhat the city and how it changes. Set some scenes to get a mood for the hive. Desoluem, a hive like many others. The air is bad and moist, recycled over and over. You can smell and even see the ever present pollution. Even here in the upper middle hive where the fresh air from the spires is not so often re filtered than lower in the hive. (As we start in the upper middle hive, there are likely more Bloodhounds found than fleshgangs. E.g. :) While the auto-carriage drives slowly through narrow streets, you see a specialist squad of Bloodhounds who force violently some poor soul out of his home. Another oath breaker. Nothing is more important in Desoluem than to hold our oaths. Oaths are considered to be sacrosanct. What it means to break one can be witnessed, while you drive up over one of the main streets, the road of repentance. Instead of an ally with artificial trees to brighten the surroundings, you pass an ally of crucified men and women, many dead and rotten, some still alive and dieing. Behind them flies a cherubim, chanting over and over the broken oaths they have broken.

A solid hour later you surroundings change. The streets grow broader and the buildings are ornamented with stone curlicue. The driver will stop on the middle of a ramp. You see a wall in front of you. Not a house wall like you seen all day, but a metal enforced wall with a giant metal gate blocking the street, guards in black and red armors guarding it.

The driver turns around: “Sorry, I don't have a license to drive further.” And you could swear he mumbled something like: “And I don't want to drive there anyway.” While you walk the last few meters an Aquila stares down from the top of the wall, lower on the gate is a seal to be seen. You know it, it looks a lot like the personal seal of you inquisitor, just missing the inquisitorial addendum.

If Vlad is not present, you can add a short scene where the guards are rather hostile at first until the acolytes can show there personal orders from the inquisitor or the like. Otherwise you can assume that guests were announced.

The guards will open a small side door and let the PCs enter. As soon as they passed the seconded door of the wall on the other side. It seems like they are in another world. From the gray hive they entered a semi-paradisaical park. The wall behind them is ornamented with white marble and golden lines. Two cherubim take off the wall and fly towards the new guests. One starts to “sing” a quiet and relaxing aria. You are not sure if he does not even imitate bird sounds, too. The other greets the newcomers and invites them to take a seat in one of the open auto-carriages. There stand four white and golden auto-carriages ready to be used. A servitor driver sits in the front. Even the servitor seems to be of high quality and is coated in a fine suit while he wears a mask around his head, showing golden roses.

While you drive through the park with all it's exotic plants and trees, you slowly realize where to you drive. In the center of the park arises a giant spire. Can it be? Can an inquisitor be this wealthy to own his very own spire? Sure it is not one of the biggest in the city, but it is far from being a small one, too.

When you drive into a garage on the bottom, several servitors one for each human drives towards the auto-carriage and asks for any luggage they may carry. All of them are masked, so you do not have to look at the often rather unaesthetic biological components. One bigger servitor, who could be described as corpulent, bows (as far as he can) and invites them to follow him to their suite. On the way he does...smalltalk or describes some art. Like this is one of the latest works of Viktor Gribaldini, one of the last light sculptures from Zilot VI...

The suite is more like a big two floor apartment. They have their own library, with many cogitators for data search, a shrine, a living room from which you can walk up to a gallery and have access to all of the 10 bed rooms. (Should be enough for all PCs + eventual companions.) The living room seems to have one giant window, showing the garden. Closer inspection will reveal that it is very big screen, showing just a video feed. (This might be revealed through a navigation test, the PCs are living in the lower third of the spire near the middle.)

The intro ends with the big elaborate adorned servitor turning around. “I hope everything is to your satisfaction. If you have any questions or wishes, do not hesitate to call me via the internal vox.” He points to some sort of inter-vox device on the wall. “I will now take my leave and return in six hours, 34 minutes to accompany you to your diner with the Lady of the spire the High Lady Ilyena Rasputin.”

Yes, IIDR3 is married and the acolytes are about to meet his wife.

I am not quite sure how to post the structure of this adventure best. There are of course more than one intrigue to be discovered and I can hardly post just a mind map. I guess I will divide it in parts. I will start with the main intrigue around the family de la Severine and the attacks against IIDR3 and later add the “side intrigues”. I hope I can uphold the clarity.

I am a bit on the clock this weekend, so this might get shorter than usual.

The main quest / intrigue:

As you might have guessed, it is time for Ekatharina de la Severine to show up again. The characters deem her to be killed in the first adventure, this should lie now several years in the past. But of course she still seeks revenge. In her eyes IIDR3 has ordered her and her mother killed after the trauma of the crash and the PC's who have protected her and maybe became friends, turned their backs on her. Leaving her with a death squad.

High Lady Ilyena Rasputin will tell the PCs that their have been several attacks commited on personal and commodities. The family Rasputin owes many companies or is a shareholder, e.g. an Amasec winery and transports with ordered grapes have more than usual accidents. At first there were only damaged or destroyed goods, but now drivers get beaten up or even killed.

High Lady Ilyena Rasputin suspects a rival family to be the reason for this “economic war”. She only comments that to be quite odd, as the “work” of her husband usually discourages rival noble families.

The investigation will lead the PCs in different directions. I will outline the details later. The main investigation (after they might have concluded so much or captured a henchman) leads to Lady Sophia Emalinda Augustus (former de la Severine), Ekatharina's aunt.

When the PCs confront her and her plans are ruined, she will not deny her involvement. But she will state, that she did all this to punish the persons responsible and that it is a shame, she was unable to lure IIDR3 here to kill him.

In the end the acolytes might or might not discover that she was heavily brain washed through psy powers.

When the acolytes leave the planet again to return to IIDR3. They will get one last clue for more foreshadowing. They will be told that Lady Augustus was unable to do a certain deed, but a younger woman did it...

So much for this week. Next week I will write a more detailed path the PCs can follow. I thought a short overview about the story arc, will make it easier to follow then.

As you might have noticed, I did not write anything for two weeks and it does not look like that will change. I am quite busy lately due to work and exam preparations. Because of that I will pause here. You can still post your own ideas and if all goes well I will be back ;)

Hello Ripplo,

I'm running my first ever campaign as a GM in only my second tabletop RPG group ever, and this stuff is like gold to me. This kind of direction really helps. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!

XiD

I am glad I can help. Slower times are hopefully ahead, so I might take this project back on.

Although I must say, I hoped that someone else might join in. As I am looking for inspiration, too ;)

Edited by Ripplo

I just glanced over this post and liked what I see

I am an upcoming Dark Heresy GM myself, so if my players and I get through our first game well and they like it. I will post it here :)

It is currently just a stand alone scenario though, so if that isn't okay to post here I wont.

It's no problem for me. I always hoped, that I would not do this thread alone. As we had to see, I stopped translating my campaign a while ago, so maybe this will revive the thread. ;)