Hi again!

Im running the Haarlock Legacy, and have started with Damned Cities.

My players are a techprist, an assassin, an adept and a realy scummy scum.

tl;dr Skarmen is dead, the PCs fled and now have 2 pieces of the mirror, and they are (kinda) friendly with Khan who has the last piece. What to do now to make things interesting?
Also: they cant hurt the deamon because they have no foreceweapons and/or psykers. What do?

In short they followed the adventure pretty much as is presented, and vaccumed every piece of evidence they could find.

The most recent development is that they have realized that Haarlocks Folly is at the center of everything.

Unfortunenatley for them, they have confided some in Skarmen. When they started to realy sweep the tower I had Skarmen do a personelswap and sent out every non-influenced adept, and recalled those he held sway over in preparation for a showdown.

The PCs found trough a super good roll a bug planted in their chambers, and they followed the lead to a computer/cogiator. Before they could realy start forming a plan, some of Skarmens men returned in their Rhino, and it was bossbattle time.It was a hell of a fight for the not very combatoriented party.

They used their equipment and skills well thouhg, and hijacked the turretmounted heavy stubber on the Rhino and the techpriest shorcirctued and stopped the elevator (containing the last Risen). In the end they were beat up, and only a criticaly wounded Skarmen and the deamon still stood. I was pretty sure they would deal with the deamon, but even tough the deamon made some good offers, they were to distrustfull and pure (WHO WOULD HAVE KNOW!?!?!) and skarmen was killed. They had nothing that could harm the deamon tough, and when they realized this they fled in the Rhino just as more of the adepts returned.

They luckily went to the Enforcers and immidieatly understood why one of Khans medals was a mirror. Some good rolls and roleplay and they now have the folly under barricade while civil war brews.

I also did something rash and kinda hinted that the sun would indeed burn black (aka the Tyrant star will make it's first apperance for the party and if they don't stop the deamons influence the city will tear it self apart). Hope that works out.

They have also twice seen/sensed the "predator-invisible" shape of one of the Labyrinthian Inquisitorhenchmen, but since the PCs are so weak have not had any other encounters than "being watched".

So there you have it. They refuse to deal with the deamon, and they kinda have things under control. I don't realy know how to make the last session interesting. There is no real pressure on them.

They CAN just gather some Encforcers, blast everything living (and/or risen) in the tower.... but then what?

The deamon was snubbed (twice!) when he said that all he wanted was to be free, and even promised to never return to this planet so he will just retreat to his mirror and say nothing, since he has nothing to gain if they don't release him.

They asked Khan to see if the nobles or some other force had a psyker to join, but I'm realy feeling that psykers able to combat a deamon... is not realy a good fit for the setting.

They CAN make contact with the other henchmen, but it has not realy been built up to, and feels a bit deus ex machina.

The weird thing following them (aka the henchman) CAN be turned into something else. But I do not realy know what.

The deamon CAN also ofcourse do a realy desperate deal. Release me and I will do anything you want basicly... altough I almost offered them that last time.

And thats about it.

How can I turn the last session to something fun, and not just a slow slog where they carefully gather allies, assault the tower, people get killed by the deamon and then nothing much happens, since they can't hurt the deamon, and they can't hurt the mirrorshards.

It is noted on page 55 that one member of Spectre Cell 17 has a force weapon, and though they are not necessarily allied with the acolytes, I am very much doubtful they will simply permit a daemon to escape. If done right, that could cause some interesting encounters

If you don't want to involve Cell 17, there is the option of the Adept persuing some forbidden lore concerning other methods of combating daemons (occult rituals etc)

Intramatesting.
Maybe Specter Cell 17 can show up in dramatic fashion (rappeling trough the windows?), maybe stab the weary deamon, steal a piece of the mirror, and blast of in a flying vehicle.

High cliffhanger potential on that one.

And if the PCs take too much time getting everything in order, the same can happen.

Sounds like a plan.

Maybe the PCs can get themselves one or two psykers, but those will simply be overpowered by the daemon and turned on their allies. Im starting to get a feeling for the next session.
But moar tips are welcome if anyone has them.

Psykers and Spectre Cell 17 aren't required if the Adept does try to find out alternate methods, however it's always a good idea to have a plan B, or several. And then plan(s) C, D etc

Personally, I like to run low Inquisitorial involvement campaigns (i.e., they have a handler they report to, they get debriefed by their Inquisitor, but otherwise are left entirely to their own devices, and if they mess up, they're likely dead before they can be reamed out by the boss), however if they just sit around for a while it may be an idea to have their boss check in, and then take command (with suitable reaming out/punishments for the Acolytes). It's an extreme measure, however if done right it may encourage them to take initiative, be more flexible in their morals (if they refuse to seek out forbidden lore because heresy), however be careful to include enough chastisment from their boss to disuade any notion of 'It doesn't matter if we mess up, because the boss will come bail us out'. If you do decide the situation demands an Inquisitor and they do slide into the thinking that the boss will be able to help them out, throw them in a situation where he can't. Tattered Fates is a perfect example, and as a matter of fact if they really screw the pooch in Damned Cities, that could be a good way of getting them into Tattered Fates

I don't think an Inquisitor would disapprove of the Acolytes taking their time before going after a Daemon. They are only prudent, and should get the aid of the Ecclessiarchy and any other Imperial forces they can.

They've basically solved the case, and everyone should be happy about that. Civil war averted, murders solved, just the (not o minor) problem of a Daemon to defeat.

Of course, when word of a Daemon gets out, there may be other people in the City who want to get involved. Daemonic cults, corrupt nobles who wish to make a dark pact, etc etc. They don't know that the Daemon has limited powers, the Damon might have lied to them in their sleep, they just want a pet deamon of their own, etc. Anything could happen!

And perhaps there is a crazed, fundamentalist utra-puritan witch-finder out there who think the Acolytes needs purging because of their interactions with daemons?

Hm...
I think I might have forgotten to tell ya that the storm that rolls in when the endgame comes messes up the communication.

The adventure mentions that shortrange comms are down, but I've already established that sending off world messages are off the table.

I also think the timetable is a bit short for off-world help, and I don't want to add to many new plothooks/persons. I'd preferably finish this adventure sooner rather than later.

I have also played up the hopeless aspect of civil war. The deamon might be found out, but the Undertow and the nobles/Enforcers are at each others throats. My next plan was for the Enforcerers/nobles to persuade the PDF to use militarygrade weapons (artillerystrikes) on large parts of the slums. About then the black sun might make an apperance and something will go horribly wrong. Maybe the Undertow will retaliate by detonating the old starship engines powering the city or some such.

I might have the deamon retreat to his tower, receed the storm and just wait while the enforcers keeps a watchfull eye, and the PCs can get offworld and/or call for anti-deamon help from their Inquisitor.

OH! Flash of brilliance. There are canon of "blessed ammunition" and "blessed prometheum".
Khan might have scrounged up a small handfull of ancient bullets/bolts with prayer-inscriptions from some noble, and/or some blessed prometheum that can damage the deamon.

That, and have Specter Cell 17 waiting in the wings might be my best bet.

Then they can shoot everything in the tower, and maybe have one final word with the deamon and maybe go with his deal, or not, but atleast be able to go offworld and/or contact HQ.

There is still an Ecclesiarchy presence, yes? They can go to the Church and call in aid, get some blessings bestowed - they probably won't have time for permanent sanctification rituals, but blessing for short term use should be quite doable.

Summon the Church and priests. Sure, they're not going to be anywhere near as useful as an equivalent number of Sororitas would be, but they'll help, or be exposed as heretics and executed/burnt alive.

Hm... maybe you have got a point.
To bad none of the PCs are priests or have priestly connections.
I will definitly think about it.

Hm... maybe you have got a point.

To bad none of the PCs are priests or have priestly connections.

I will definitly think about it.

They don't really need priestly connections of their own. From what you've said, it seems that they're at least semi-open about being Inquisitorial Agents ... so they should use that to get Ecclesiarchial involvement.

For that matter, it's a near-certainty that the Ecclesiarchy has ears amongst some of those blockading/besieging the tower, and amongst the nobles, and pretty much everywhere else. The slightest rumor of daemonic activity reaching those ears and getting back to the Ecclesiarchy will generate a response. The response may not be the ideal one that the PCs would prefer, but the Ecclesiarchy will respond.

Yeah, I know they don't HAVE to have connections with the church, but I think it would have felt more natural and like the PCs were doing acting rather than reacting.
also, lorewise the church doesn't feel all that much like deamonkillers. Some priests might have those abilities/equipment, but that (as far as I know, I could be wrong) feels more like an exception than a rule.

Hehe, I am however getting a picture if the PCs take a long time getting ready.
From the wartorn city, a firebrand preacher emerges and unites a band of citizen whom have lost everything. A few thousand of them gathers and marches to the tower. The priest enters aaaaaaand..... well. What happens then is kinda open.
Maybe the deamon convinces him to destroy the foul city by blowing the spaceship engines up.

Or maybe he fixes everything.

Or maybe it SEEMS like he fixes everything, but when the PCs come to see the future in part 3, their heroic arbitescontact (forgot the name) is corrupt, and the priest is an insane despot.

While most priests aren't going to be as good as a specialist, they're going to be better than nothing. Which is essentially what the PCs have.

Prayer has very real power in 40k. At least, it can.

Also, the Church doesn't have to do - and frankly probably can't and/or doesn't want to - do it all by its lonesome. The PCs are officially there as Inquisitorial Agents - it could be as simple as the local Ecclesiarchy summonsing the PCs to find out if there's really a daemon in there, or if that's just the wild rumors of the uninformed, and offering to assist the PCs in dealing with the daemonic problem. And, of course, if they decline the Ecclesiarchy's assistance and/or take too long, they'll get strung up for aiding and abetting heresy and the daemonic.

The Ecclesiarchy's assistance should be more in the way of providing passive buffs (blessings on people and equipment) and general support, with the PC's being the speartip in dealing with the daemon. There is, after all, no Sororitas presence to provide trained muscle against the daemon, and it's relatively unlikely that there's an Ecclesiarchal anti-daemon trained specialist on the planet. The Ecclesiarchy may assist in keeping a lid on things, and keeping the local enforcers/PDF/nobility in line.