I am writing my first campaign or adventure for my Dark Heresy group, since this is my first, it is you that I ask for help and new fesh ideas. If you start reading it and it sounds famileir, I already made a post about it and its main theme is from the creatures anthathema.

So it goes like this. The acolytes have to aquire a missing xenologists research fir he has gone missing in a jungle on a orkish planet. They might be surviving in the jungle so I plan to offer them a survival class at the cost of 100 Exp. They will make int tests and those who succeed will recieve a survival manual that gives them +10 to rolls. All fails get a -10 to all rules. They are also given a picture of the xenologists. They will be landing at a imperial army base on the planet, The base is called the rats trap. They will be transported by truck to the "Fish Bowl" a feral colony with a population of three to four hundred. This is where the xenologists was staying before he went missing. When they get there they are amazed to find the city is actualy a crater. If they ask around and show the picture of the xenologists no one will know who it is. If they look hard enough a man can be seen studying a ork goblin caged in the middle of the town square. If they talk to him he will know who the man is and invite them to his house. The man was a friend of the xenologist and was very close to him. He will talk about how he knew him and stuff like that and then will offer to help. After they talk it will become night time. The acolytes can explore the town. To keep them excited i said the goblin escapes and weilds one of the cage bars and is running around in a loin cloth. They can do with the beast as they please. Now in the morning they will come in contact with the xenologists freind again and he might have information on where the xenologist was camping in the swamps of this planet.

This is all I have so far, and its only a rough cut. This is what I want to happen next but dont know how to thread it in.

They find out where the xenologists was camping out in the swamps

They have an oppurtunity to buy a boat and hire a navigator

When they find the shelter of the xenologist, They find that it is a small shack. Inside is destroyed. bed flipped, small table on it side, If they look hard enough they will find his resaerch, but they also find a journal that has the xenologists recordings in it. It will say that he has been spying on a ork tribe about three miles from here.

The xenologist is found tied up in the middle of a small ork camp.

If they chooses to save them then maybe I might throw in a cool boat chase or something like that. Thats all I got now and I really need your ideas. Thank you!

Might I suggest some minor changes?

First of all, in a settlement of 300 or 400 inhabitants (including childern) it is rather unlikely that a stranger from outside went "totally unnoticed by 99% of the population". Especially if he is as weird as some-one staking for an expedition into an orkish jungle. Therefore, if the pc show around the foto, allow them an extended investigation checks (+10). Each check equall to 30min of search. If they gathered 10 success, they found someone who not only saw him and knows what he was up to, but knows that Kuner Sebbold, the mapmaker (the person you described) was close to him. Do not make him stand by the cage, but let the pc notice the cage during there inquiery. The township isn´t that big, after all.
Anyway, "street kids" are a real plaque in this town. Every hour, a group of them hassles them for food and minor trinkets..and might try to steal from them! (Kid thief with 28 vs. the awareness of the pc. Only minor things stolen). The pc can try to scare them off (routine initimidation), but if overt violence is used (more then a kick or a very light beating) the villagers will get anoyed and will show less helpfull.
REASON: These kids are orphans or half orphans, there fathers and mothers were recruited for the "rat trap" imperial base. They ARE an annoyance, but are these kids supposed to do? The pc might try to speak to them, but they do not speak low gothic. So, it is unlikely that this street kids turn out to be helpfull. But give the players some RPG-opportunity.

At Kuners house, allow the pc the option to interrupt Kuner Sebbold and "hurry him along his tale". But do not give them certain clues (they would have become if they would have listend to his tales of jungle and the xenoachologist). Anyway, Kuner is willing to draw them a crude map of where the camp is supposed to be, togehter with the surrounding. He will ask them to come back tomorrow, since he will need to work on it (double-checking his memories with his other maps to make good, readable corresponding map.) If the pc have a "mapper themselves, he might assist Kuner (whoms sight suffers due to old age) If the pc passes his craft check (routine), the map will provide +10 on navigation roles. Anyway, working with the disorganized Kunert will take a lot of time, the pc will stay at Kuners house (at the market square) and the pc will have to stay at the Inn (at the market square).

The goblin (gretchin) is imprisoned in the square (as you wrote). He was captured as one of a bunch that tried to steal something in town. In the night, allow all the pc in building at the market square to make checks for awareness. Routine(+20) for those who are awake (like the one helping the mapper) or Ordinary for those who are asleep. Noise can be heared. Kackling and then heavy sound of something metal falling on the pavement. The citzens will ignore this, since the street kids make noise at night very often. But these are not the street kids but the band of goblins returning to free there comrade & having a small night vengeance at the town. The pc can now play hide & seek with a bunch of gobbos in the night. If they weren´t brutal to the street kids (or even friendly) some of them will help with pointing direction in some scenes. Have the night encounter with the gobbos as funny or brutal as you seem fit

Things that the pc will miss if they spurn Kuner along (suggestion):

The following infos come scattered among the anecdotes Kuner is telling. If the pc "hurry him along" , they will not get this information

- the Archologist has an obvious cybernetic left arm. What is not that obvious are spring-triggered spikes that "spring" out if strong pressure (let´s say: a hasty grab) is issued to the underarm. This is a "self-defense" the Archologist found handy: he lost his "real" arm due to a xenos creatures that tore it away. If something bites his "defensive arm", it will end up with a spiked mouth. ...unfortunately, grapping him by the underarm (i.e. to drag/cary/lead him) is now something dangerous


- he has a trusted "hyberdog", a special dog bread from Hyberion II. The dog is tuned to a whistle, the dog is named "Kalif". A good dog, but aggressive towards strangers. But very well trained. The pc will find the whistle in the camp. If they blow, nothing will happen at first. But minutes later, a badly harmed Hyberdog will appear. It attacked an orc and was thrown away by him the hard way. It is in no condition to fight, but if the pc can tame him, he will "trott along" and might be helpfull for tracking. To make the dog "calm down and follow" is a challenging check for "Animal Handling". Whatsoever, it is "routine" if they can call him by his name ("Kalif")

-if you have the IH, use the "camp wardens" described there. Kuner can tell about them, but otherwise the pc might be in for a nasty surprise! (Kalif is trained to avoid them. Good dog!)

- the Archologist was pretty found of the ecclesial Theosophist of Anelomasis the Just (Sector Saint). He was reciting him very often.
In the camp, the pc might find a voice-coded lock for something. The pc can open it with either security (challenging) or with taken the time to use prominent proverbs accorded to Anelomasis (ordinary CommonLore (Imperial Creed); extended test. 20 success need, each role = 5 minutes. 3 Level of Failure = the pc does not no anymore and has failed). If they succed, the will get access to a guile suit (or other camoflage suit) the Xeno-Scientist was using for scouting on his "subjects".