Since reading Tattered Fates Ive actually been a tad bit motivated to read through other past DH adventures. This includes Maggots in the Meat.

Someone pointed out how absurd it was that the Holy Inquisition took the time and effort to notice missing dead bodies during a huge siege in a war (like a cannon ball smacking into a guard isnt going to leave a huge red stain of blood and push the body in the surrounding water!) But I was thinking of a new intro to the adventure, one that adds a bit more flavor to the setting and scenario.

Basically you remove the entire lame War of the Rhozes aspect of the adventure. Instead you boost the planet's importance by making it a wealthy mining world, but it has to be some sort of mine that the locals have little or no use for, and being a primitive/feudal planet I would say it could be promethium or a similar deposit that the Calixis Sector could mine for its use. Now by keeping the world fairly primitive it makes it easier for the merchants and miners to get away with stealing (or paying little for) the fuel.

However, you keep some of the background and myths in the setting. The cult and monsters mentioned on the rumours table. So the imperium keeps a decent eye on the vast supply of fuel. When a series of grueling murders and dissappearances take place in the floating city, accusations and rumours fly that the royal family there is in league with an ancient cult or monsters or demons. So the rival power seeks to keep the taint from reaching the mines and thus blockades the town. It isnt really a civil war, just an attempt to keep the evil in the heretical city.

The Inquisition notifies the Acolytes to investigate the rumours of cults and monsters before the siege even begins.

SPOILER WARNING HERE! IF YOU PLAN TO PLAY MAGGOTS IN THE MEAT, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

While I do feel that Maggots in the meat was a bit poor on the content and excitment side I wonder if it really is such a good idea to remove the entire war aspect of the backstory. After all, the Slaught are carrion creatures that tend to instigate and thrive on other races making war, so if you remove the war then why would they be there at all?

Perhaps if you change the adventure so that the Slaught infiltrators are there to start a war between the two factions, and the acolytes pick up clues indicating that's whats happening?

That's some nice ideas there Peacekeeper. I never did run that adventure (though i'm getting to have a bash at playing it at the moment) but I mind thinking something similiar to the why the Inquisition are involved. The way i'd planned it for if I ever ran it was there was just gonna be a slightly more important person gets killed bringing the Inquisition in to look into it then realising it's just one of a series of murders.

Personally I love the whole civil war over a clerical error, it gave me a laugh and just seems very much something that would happen in the galaxy spanning administratum. You just imagine all sorts of planet dooming mistakes because of the wrong box checked or grid reference forwarded to fleets.

I never really gave that scenario a good look over, but from what i recall, I would agree with Varnias, I think the civil war is somewhat key to the setting and the Slougth.

Another possible intro that would make things a bit more plausible is this: the dead bodies that have been turning up are, of course, not the only dead bodies turning up. However, they are the only ones turning up half dissolved or dismembered with an odd corrosive "corpse goo" covering their wounds and still slowly dissolving their flesh. It's after about 300 such bodies turn up over the course of the war that word reaches the =][= that one side of the conflict is accusing the other of using warpcraft against them, "heretical" biological warfare, unleashing an evil xenos disease that devolves their armies flesh, etc, as they think the odd wounds and viscous highly corrosive slime (the remnants of the Slought digestive goo) is part of some new weapon being employed by the other side (if the Slought are feeding from both sides, both might be accusing the other of this). The acolytes are sent in to find out if the accusations are true and, if so, deal with the situation, punish those who are guilty of heresy, etc. If not, find out what the real truth is, punish who ever is guilty, even if it means punishing the governmental heads for spreading accusations that waists the Inquisitions precious time.

Hi Peacekeeper,

it is possible that it´s me you are quoting with "absurd / cannonball / murder all around"..but at the other hand, I guess I wasn´t the only one complaining in a forum about it Anyway, nice ideas. My concept (still, I never finished it!) was the following:

WARNING! SPOILERS IN THE MANYFOLD!!! MAGGOT-PLAYERS; KEEP OUT!!
I simply canceld the "planet wide war" and changed it into a local feud. That started AFTER the inciddents where reported and the players where "dispatched". In fact, it will not even be part of there briefing.

Why did the =I= care / noticed it?
The =I= noticed since they do have an eye on the region for the "strange cult"-history mentioned in the rumors. They cared because the last time (the cult) they had good reason to do so!

How to get into the City?
As the PC arrive, they actually have to smuggle/steal/fight themselves through the blockade (no "paying through"!). My options include:

- smuggling themselves onto an official imperial negotiation vessel (that is allowed to pass since it is under imperial flag and a neutral Party ni the conflict). The PC have to smuggle themselves onboard and off the ship or Imperial Guard soldiers (who guard the vessel) will open up fire on them!

- talking/bribing an imperial official into bringin them in by the negotiation vessel (to sneaking into the harbor at night)

- hiring as mercs for the siegers on imperial Island, then trying to dive in through the harbour at night

- hiring as the crew of a blockade breaker on imperial island

How does the investigation play out?
As the pc arrives, it has been a month since the siege started. Only blockade breakers from an allied noble keep the city from surrendering. Some people remember about the "brutal murders", but now they have a lot of other issues to care about! However, investigations will point to either the quarter where most of the murders happend, the "chief of plumes" who was investigating and, with enough success, directly to Smeet and Smoot "they guys who clear up the streets from the dead in this quarter" (a job in this city. People get allowance by the prince for it and a little money as well).

- the citizens of the quarter will be able to tell that the murders are still going on. Every three or five nights, but nobody cares any longer. A milita patrols at night in two´s or three´s. Some will describe shadows and some even that they heared someone (or something) dive into the water.. And that not much people keep going out at night anymore. The PC might use one of their own as "bait" a night, which will lead to an attack 1w5 nights later.

- the chief of plumes can be found keeping order and fighting with his troops. He has little time or interested for murder investigations since "I have to keep the whole town from getting slaughtered!".The pc have to talk him over.. or might offer to help him out as mercs in one night to get the info next morning (social skills or battle skills). He can tell the pc that he found swamp weed and claw wounds on the corpses...and that Smeet and Smoot were acting a little bit more strange every murder... but before he could made up his mind on them the siege started.

- Smeet and Smoot have a "third helper" nowadays (a Slaught Infiltrator)

What is really going on?
Two amphic creature-constructs of the Slaught kill people at night They ambush from the water and leap out to attack quick and savagly But they cannot drag the corpses to their masters. Something in the water (certain bacteria, making the whole water "unwholesome") makes the dead poisonous for the Slaught. In order to get the dead without giving a trail to there hide-out, the Slaught pressed the "corpse dragges" into service. Threating to kill them if they do not obey. One Slaught is always along with one of the brothers (they are brothers in my game). The other one keeps his mouth shot, they are fearing for there lives and will not endanger each other. At night, they and the Slaught drag the corpses to the tower, after wrapping them up in swamp weed. No-one suspects them, since normally the two are dropping corpses at the edge of the town. Like law demands it to keep the city clean.

If the pc arrive to question Smeet & Smoot, it is the Infiltrator attacking, no creatures. A tough fight for the PC. After killing the damned thing, Smeet and Smoot will confess readly, hoping to save there own lives this way.

Now, the PC can try to convice the plumes and the prince to rally men against the creatures or try to put them down quietly. The mill is lair to another two...but more of them are in the swamps. In the mill, the pc will find certain items with the Slaught that originate from a certain villiage near a certain swamp ("Thats a staff made from galewood! This village has the only galetrees for miles and miles around!")

The near village does actually support the slaugt, convinced that these creatures are "the gods of old". If the pc enlist the help of the prince, word will spread and the swamp-nest will leave the village alone and can not be pinned down anymore. If they sneak in, they can follow some of them into the swamp at a certain night, "worhshipping" there gods and taking orders. After following the Slaught back to there lair...it IS time to call in imperial guard or something else that has the guns big enough to deal with the nest!

Thats just the thing though, dead bodies arent just turning up, its that they are missing and that there are gory blood stains left on the walls. In an adventure where one of the random encounters is a incoming cannon ball, that doesnt seem worth calling in the =][= over.

Peacekeeper_b said:

But lets say that its not just anonymous people that have disappeared. Say that some of the missing are other Inquisitorial agents that was previously posted on that world in order to monitor the war (as to make sure that no side starts prospecting in using heretical means to further the war-effort). If such agents just disapperars the =][= would certainly take it seriously. Especially if it looks like the perpetrators are actually targeting sleeper agents of the =][=, how does that sound?

Or perhaps rumours from the Ordo Xenos have reached the PC's ears about an OX Inquisitor investigating the trail of a relatively unknown alien infestation taking place on the world in question and whose body have recently been discovered covered with an alien necrotic goo.

I haven't GMd this, but if I were, I would make the Slaugth actually, well, evil. As I have pointed out before, all they are doing in this scenario is hanging out in a mill eating dead bodies and playing Slaugth Monopoly to while away the hours. In a city at war. With dead bodies everywhere. Ho-hum. Doesn't really scream "Vile Xenos" at me.

Maybe they are not consuming the bodies, but infesting them with eggs. Eggs that will hatch and unleash horrible squiggly things all over the city. Hell that's what you would expect from the adventure title...

bogi_khaosa said:

Are you implying that there exists xenos breeds which aren't vile abominations which are evil through and through? That said, the Slaugth (and the Amaranthine Syndicate) are power mongers who happen to have an unholy taste for human flesh. That they feast on the Emperor's people is probably the greatest heresy out of their many sins, but the presence of Slaughth should indicate some other heretical activity is taking place.

Actually, the Slaugth in this scenario is just sitting around having a bar b q at the mill. They are not killing people, they are just eating already dead folk.

Which is common in the Imperium. What do you think Corpsestarch is made from?

Peacekeeper_b said:

Exactly. Until they call over some hookers, who really cares?

bogi_khaosa said:

So... the =][= shouldn't be appalled that such monstrosities exist in mankind's galaxy mocking the Imperium's superiority through their sick-minded desire to live in such an offensive state? Not only that, but their unholy life is solely supported through the devouring of mankind's remains perverting the sorrowful death of a proper human into the fuel of a vile and inhuman thing that stands for all the horrors that burrow and eat away at mankind's rightful dominion of the stars! Who really cares? I dare say only the most foul-hearted of traitors and recidivists could turn a blind eye to such evil! ;-)

But if it's a more traditional "evil" that we in the 21st century could get behind, the Slought are built to be the Shadow Masters and Puppeteers. As such, is it not highly likely that they were the instigators (in one fashion or another) of the civil war and are not only harvesting it's bounty but fanning the flames from behind the scenes to insure the next harvest will be even more grand then the previous? In such a situation, dealing with the Slought at the windmill would only be the beginning... there would still be the masters at work, the civil war raging, and who knows how many more operatives in place to keep the war blazing, the dead dying, and the bounty coming.

Graver said:

That's what I did. Boy was I glad when DotDG came out and helped me flesh out the flesheaters.

Graver said:

Absolutely. That is why I involved the Amarathine Syndicate, who were in fact supplying both sides with technological more advanced weaponry (almost Imperial Guard niveau (Lasguns, Grenade launchers, Heavy Stubbers etc.)). This led to more casualties on both sides and to an even more fiercely fought civil war, which in turn worried the Administratum due to a serious drop of the planets tithe. This the got the notice of the Arbites and the Inquisition...

Yes we all know that the Slaugth do have a grander scheme, and chances are these three are just waiting around for thie cue to do their part for the greater ungood of humanity and to push this agenda further.

But in the context of this module, this adventure, Maggots in the Meat, the secnd release for Dark Heresy, three releases before we learn more about the Slaugth and over a year before the release of DotDG, all the Slaugth do is pay some skinny and fat guy to bring them dead bodies to consume.

Yes it is heretical and evil and aweful, but great evil it is not. It is really no worse then feeding dead bodies to wolves or lions. Other then the association with xenos.

Spoilers Ahead (Not only from Maggots in the meat but also from Shades of twilight part of the Purge the unclean adventure trio)

I can understand the need to rewrite Maggots, I used the setting but did alot of chopping and changing, and I was in the same position as you Peacekeeper what would it take to get the =][= and the acolytes involved? The route I took was to use a cop show staple as my "MacGuffin" if one of their own goes missing or killed the police/agents sit up and take notice!

So my initial brief to acolytes was "One of our acolytes is missing" and to make it a little more personal I used an acolyte who was previously part of the cell, a PC who sadly couldn't play in the group because of rl issues.(With the PC's permission)

I had the missing acolyte investigating a lead from a previous adventure, namely Sergeant Fordon from Shades of Twilight the Serrated Query double agent who the acolytes uncovered in that adventure. Who I worked up the idea of him as a merc/weapons dealer on Acreage before the events on the twilight.

So now I had them thinking it could be more mundane means as to why he has not been in contact, being a feudal planet blighted by civil war and a big red herring with the Serrated Query.

And of course when the players get planet side and start their investigation they open up a literal can of worms as their investigation ties in with the rumours of cults and mysterious deaths, as the poor Acolyte has become a victim of the Slaugth (Of course they didnt find out for sure until they got to the Sky Mill and seen the Slaugth feasting on his corpse)

And I left a few open ties with the Serrated query being involved in smuggling in more modern/xenos weapons for one of the Rhoze sisters, and tenuous links between the Query and the Slaugth themselves.

Peacekeeper_b said:

Nope, sire. The slaught (or to be precise: their "pets") are killing people. The first mentioning I found was on page 6 of the adventure. The second "paragraph" if you count "starting end of page- counting upwards.

By-the-way: That is another point why I put this adventure in one fine line with "Shattered Hope". The pets kill people, Smeet and Smoot bring them to the mill. It isn´t making any sense, since due to the siege there should be enough bodies in town (soldiers/"plumes", a least!) to go around.

After all, it might be best to throw away the whole affair all together and simply keep the descritpion of the town and of "emporer island" as a backdrop for something created by your own.

A few thoughts on that (paragraph 2, page 6, kill stuff thing).

1) The pets seem added to the adventure as almost an after thought (truthfully, 12 randomly generated xenos and 3 slaught against 3-5 rank 1-2 PCs equals TPK so fast). They seem to be added just to justify or link the adventure with the Xenos Generator to "pad" out the supplement (where they should of instead just added the vehicles apocrypha rules, the time line and the momentos).

2) The section that mentions the killing, and no where else in the adventure until the characters encounter smeed and smoot, does not say that the pets were sent to kill for the slaugth.

Nor do the Slaugth have any ability, item, skill, talent or other meta-game aspect that allows them to control pets like that.

Leaving me with the conclusion that Maggots in the Meat was originally a proposed adventure for the core rules, or a test play adventure, and when it came time to make the GM Screen they said "lets pad it with these left over notes we cut from the main book!"

The adventure is poorly done. You change the Slaugth with some ghouls and it immediately becomes an WFRP adventure and so forth. Just instead of lazy xenos you get lazy undead.

Peacekeeper_b said:

Why I totally agree with you about the "just smack this is one in for padding"-thing, the Slaught "pets" have one tiny background-string to hang on. Unfortunatly (for the mission module and all owners!) this "string" is part of the (later released?) DotDG where the Slaught are introduced with more information. Including one of there "constructs".

After reading this article, the "pets" made a little more sense to me (as being "constructs" of the slaught, not "tamed animals"). But still "Maggots in the Meat" does not. The whole affair.

Talking about the " killing only mentioned on page 6", I disagree. In the section dealing with the "on sight investigation" of the "red spot near the wall", the foot prints of the xeno beast are mentioned. Since it isn´t the beast who carry the carcass, I take this as a second indication for them being the "killers".

Which is among the "good things". Because if this little beasties would not even be into the killing (besides Smeet&Smoot) there would be really -no- reason for the cell of acolythes to be on track ("dead bodies missing ...where? In a besieged city on some feudal world? HACK, we have got 100 of that on any hive, on a daily basis! Any other since of strangness? No?")

So its agreed.

Bad adventure, bad.

So, I'm currently running through MitM, but reading through the adventure beforehand, I ran into a number of the same problems as everyone else. So I modified it:

* Bodies aren't being found missing, but mutilated, with cult symbols, etc. This justifies more of an Inquisitorial presence.

* Prince Orcan is aware of the Slaugh, and actively bartering with them -- in exchange for the bodies, he gets access to money and high tech weaponry. The siege is still ongoing, but fairly stalemated. Orcan does not have the men to break the siege, but the siegers cannot take the city due to the advanced weaponry. Hints are dropped that Orcan is looking to become the Planetary Governer, and the siege is like a last ditch effort to stop him.

* Because of Orcan's involvement, the Plumes actively hinder the PCs. No bodies are available for inspection. No one wants to talk. Witnesses seen talking to the PCs have a habit of being arrested and disappeared. Etc. However, they can catch a break from renegade Plumes who have seen what's going on, etc.

* The reason for the cult symbols on the bodies isn't exactly nailed down -- maybe the Slaugh need it? Maybe it's some sort of ritual they do. That one's not answered the players.

Magua said:

The exact set of occult symbols found on the bodies have been seen inscribed on many sacrificially mutilated bodies since the days of plunder in the Calixus Sector however, no scholar has yet to decipher their true meaning. They have been attributed to the language and sign of many death-gods and spirits that were worshiped by the blasphemous heathens that once called these stars their home but the one that comes up most often is the Motherworm. In some dark and cursed feral worlds, especially in the Hazeroth Abyss, annual sacrifices are still made even to the Emperor even with symbols close to these strange occult markings.

In reality, however, the markings are little more then the marks left by the Slought when holding their prey to feed from it. The way their worm like tendrils tend to grip the face while sucking out the intoxicating brain-meats tends to form an odd pattern burned into what remains of the victims flesh, a pattern that looks like odd glyphs. These were misinterpreted long ago and a myth was born perpetuated now by anyone with knowledge of the occult in the Calixus Sector.

Just an idea about what those occult symbols could be.

I really like that. I think I'm going to use it...

Graver said:

Yes, definatly need some kind of very obscure (needs forbidden lores) but distinctive (-20 to checks) marks on people being the reason for the acolytes being there.

I'm pretty sure a couple of 1000 people in the sector annually, probably get sucked into looms, tank treads, gyroscopes and printing presses which probably leaves some funny looking marks too, but the Ad-Mech isn't hammering on the door of the =I= screaming about possessed machine spirits. Well they might be, but more likely they don't or get ignored, kind of how I looked at this adventure and went, "nah", because a bunch of medieval peons busy blowing the crap out of each other aren't going to be hammering on the door of "Mr Inquisitor sir, please come look, we're in the middle of a major war, but we're missing a couple of hundred bodies mysteriously"

"Ok Mr Peon, let me think about that for a bit" ..... FREEEEEEEEEM! *holsters inferno pistol*

I Used the adventure (much to my chagrin) as written because everyone had just rolled up characters and wanted a quick game. From a storytelling standpoint it pretty horrendous (does nobody use the Sky-mills that mnight notice the HUNDREDS of dead Bodies?) Thankfully, the campaign plan allowed for a few slaugth on off the way worlds to make greater sense (they have a race that is in charge of them) so it wasn't to bad until right at the end when the Slaugth tore apart 8 of the ten PC's. While I've got to prob with Hard enemies, the fact that there are three of them plus pets means that the poorly equipped first level acolytes didn't stand much of a chance. Of all the situations in the Canon universe i think the Amanrithe sydicate offers the best explaination, offering high tech weapons to princes and kings in exchange for peasents and prisoners. It would also serve as a nice intro for a longer campaign that way.