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Potential Spoilers for Dark Hersey 'Forgotten Gods'

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My party is on Thaur. Chapter III Forgotten Gods. As most of you would expect they have been thrown into prison as soon as they landed. They did not offer any resistance. The following charges will be levied against them.

Party over Thaur - http://imgur.com/4mCoZRY,gjs4RJY

Party in Prison on Thaur - http://imgur.com/4mCoZRY,gjs4RJY#1

1. Operation of a pre-indited craft . They've been flying around in the Arvus lighter from the end of Dark Pursuits.

2. Grave Robbing. The craft was suspected on Thaur to be used in smuggling operations.

These charges I plan to have the party beat using roleplay. Then there are three more charges.

3. Burial Fraud . The party carried their arco-flaggelant in the coffin of a dead in Imperial noble. Servitors are illegal on Thaur as is burying someone in a fraudulent burial plot or necropolis.

4. Disrespect for the Dead . They obviously had to dump the dead noble out somewhere to get his coffin.

5. Apostasy. Anyone would do this on Thaur is likely considered an apostate. The penalty for this is probably worse than death.

I plan to see if they can fight these charges. If they succeed I will let them free. I intend this to be quite difficult. They do have the rosette, but at the same time not everyone in the galaxy understands what Inquisition represents. I want help with this aspect. How do I make the trial a theocratic nightmare ?

There will also be the option to escape their cells. The psyker and guardsman are both perfectly positioned to do this.

I would like to offer the party a choice of Trial by Ordeal. What kind of ordeals would a Shrine World used to prove the guilt or innocence of a group of people ? Think up ideas for me.

Trials by Ordeal:

Put a heavy weight around their neck and throw them into a pool of liquid. If they survive, they are guilty (and will be killed), because they obviously had help from the warp. If they drown, they were innocent.

Chain them to a pyre and light it on fire. If they survive, they are clearly guilty (and will killed by other methods), because they obviously had help from the warp. If they burn to cinders, they were innocent.

Not that deadly:

Put a monosword with the edge down unto their hands. If they bleed, they are innocent. If they don't bleed, they are guilty, because this is obviously only possible with help from the warp.

Trials mostly work like this. There is almost no way to escape them unharmed.

Theocratic Nightmare:

Pull some inspirations from Kafka and mix it with a generous helping of Malleus Maleficarum .

Give them a "trial", where they don't have a defender (because it can't be allowed for their sin to contaminate other [rightous] people). The whole trial is performed in a highly formalized High Gothic, wich is riddled with clerical arcane cyphers and words. Have them perform heavily penalized High Gothic tests (alleviate the penalties if the character has Scholastic Lore [Adeptus Administrorum]/[imperial Creed] or something like this, or is from Thaur himself) to even understand accurately what is expected of them.

Try to torture a confession out of them. Se Malleus Maleficarum.

If they want to flash their rosette, make it (very) difficult to find someone who understands what it means. And if they have finally found someone, he doesn't have the authority to let them go and they have to ask his superior. Finding him is the next bureaucratic odyssey.

I'm thinking a better ordeal would be one they could survive, but which is fairly suicidal. I've thought about them clearing a graveyard of corpse crawlers. They've already flashed the rosette at this point. It's more that it isn't understood by the officials that have seen it.

If it's a Shrine World, they ought to know what the Inquisition is - but that is not to say their master would arrive in time. You could hold this back as a sort of "emergency get out of jail card" if the players really do not manage to talk their way out of this, but you also do not want them to be killed. Then, the Inquisitor could either bust them out just like that, or have their sentence transformed into something painful but survivable, or even stage a mock trial that serves to preserve the public image whilst being rigged to provide the team with an easy way out. If a player messes up so badly that you do want that character to be removed from play, you could have him or her arco-flagellated just before the Inquisitor arrives, or the Inquisitor is such a cold-hearted bastard that they don't care about this individual's fate as he/she had brought it upon themselves.

As for the Trials, this was briefly touched upon in some of the Inquisitorial and SoB material from GW:

In the Ordeal of the Blade , the accused has to hold a sharp-edged sword blade in their naked hands whilst the judge is reading out the list of their charges. They are deemed innocent if they DO NOT bleed, representing divine intervention. If you want to put that into game mechanics, you could demand an Agility Test for each accusation - the player is allowed a number of "lives" equal to their Toughness Bonus, reflecting how the sharp blade slips a little but has not yet sliced the skin.

In the Trial by Balance , a drop of the accused's blood is placed upon a fine scale, offset by a drop of water blessed by a member of the clergy. If the scale with the blood is weighed down, it obviously means that it must be because of the weight of the sins of the accused. Needless to say, this one would be perfect for having it rigged, either by switching the water or by taking some sort of drug that affects the Acolytes' blood.

Lastly, I know the Trial by Holy Seal , in which the accused character would have a wax tablet in the open palm of their hand, and a hot seal is applied to it. Should the skin below the wax be burnt in the procedure, the accused is deemed guilty. Aside from a number of factors affecting the outcome of this trial (thickness of the wax, temperature of the seal), you could resolve it mechanically by rolling a single low Damage test (1d5 E, Pen 0 + 2 SB for the seal handler) against the target character's TB + 1 AP for the wax tablet, then seeing if they take a Wound. The accused is allowed a Fellowship Test, and if they succeed the Strength Bonus of the seal handler is negated.

It is a shrine world, but it's a very primitive shrine world. The sector has very little inquisition presence to start with and the inquisitor in question is on another planet. There is no calvary coming. They got sent to Thaur to track down a cult and destroy it. They are supposed to enlist PDF forces, but so far they haven't met anyone who seems to respect their authority.

I'm giving them the options of escape, trial by ordeal, or to somehow win their freedom in court.

I do like the idea of 'Trial by Hot Seal'. It seems deliciously Imperial.

The Ancestors of the Dead and Discarded noble are obviously offended, their peer will not be joining them by the Emperors side because some **** Acolytes threw him out the back of a van and into a ditch.

The Ancestors are bought forward to aid in the prosecution, nobody stands in the booth and instead the trial is temporarily carried out above the Graves of said Ancestors. The wind howls and rain pours unending, the judge can interpret this as an answer from beyond the grave.

Alternatively, get everyone involved in the trial really mad by calling for a re-enactment of the ordeal. Have lowly serfs acting as the PCs callously rip open a coffin as onlookers shriek and faint as a Servitor is inserted in its place.

Oh, and everything is in High Gothic. Everything.

The nobles ancestors are on Desoleum, so that's kind of a problem. He was a Desoleum industrial magnet retired early by Inquisition agents who had a trip to Thaur for burial pre-arranged. They also killed him in such a way that he needed a closed casket. The actual dumping of the corpse was presumably carried about their Inquisitor. The party was using the casket as part of their cover story. I don't know if I can let ghosts be in my game and part of the legal proceedings. Maybe a representative, but it's a good idea.

The high gothic is going to happen, but the party does have a priest who speaks high gothic.

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Potential Spoilers for Dark Hersey 'Forgotten Gods'

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My party is on Thaur. Chapter III Forgotten Gods. As most of you would expect they have been thrown into prison as soon as they landed. They did not offer any resistance. The following charges will be levied against them.

Party over Thaur - http://imgur.com/4mCoZRY,gjs4RJY

Party in Prison on Thaur - http://imgur.com/4mCoZRY,gjs4RJY#1

1. Operation of a pre-indited craft . They've been flying around in the Arvus lighter from the end of Dark Pursuits.

2. Grave Robbing. The craft was suspected on Thaur to be used in smuggling operations.

These charges I plan to have the party beat using roleplay. Then there are three more charges.

3. Burial Fraud . The party carried their arco-flaggelant in the coffin of a dead in Imperial noble. Servitors are illegal on Thaur as is burying someone in a fraudulent burial plot or necropolis.

4. Disrespect for the Dead . They obvious had to dump the dead noble out somewhere to get his coffin.

5. Apostasy. Anyone would do this on Thaur is likely considered an apostate. The penalty for this is probably worse than death.

I plan to see if they can fight these charges. If they succeed I will let them free. I intend this to be quite difficult. They do have the rosette, but at the same time not everyone in the galaxy understands what Inquisition represents. I want help with this aspect. How do I make the trial a theocratic nightmare ?

There will also be the option to escape their cells. The psyker and guardsman are both perfectly positioned to do this.

I would like to offer the party a choice of Trial by Ordeal. What kind of ordeals would a Shrine World used to prove the guilt or innocence of a group of people ? Think up ideas for me.

It's going to be pretty hard for them to beat charges 3 and 4 seeing as they are legitimately guilty of those crimes. Their one out was inquisition authority which you've already had the NPC's disregard as that would excuse them from breaking any laws. How do you expect them to talk their way out when their greatest piece of evidence has already been thrown out?

Also you ask for ideas to make it a theocratic nightmare but at the same time want them trying to talk their way out which in my mind don't line up very well. Seems to me one of the defining characteristics of a theocratic nightmare court is that there is no chance for the accused to prove themselves innocent or if they can it involves dying in the process.

I'm thinking a better ordeal would be one they could survive, but which is fairly suicidal. I've thought about them clearing a graveyard of corpse crawlers. They've already flashed the rosette at this point. It's more that it isn't understood by the officials that have seen it.

It is a shrine world, but it's a very primitive shrine world. The sector has very little inquisition presence to start with and the inquisitor in question is on another planet. There is no calvary coming. They got sent to Thaur to track down a cult and destroy it. They are supposed to enlist PDF forces, but so far they haven't met anyone who seems to respect their authority.

I'm giving them the options of escape, trial by ordeal, or to somehow win their freedom in court.

I do like the idea of 'Trial by Hot Seal'. It seems deliciously Imperial.

The inquisitor showing up wouldn't necessarily help much anyway, if the locals already ignored a rosette his presence would add much, unless he brought some big guns along to threaten or shoot their way out.

Makes the inquisitor seem kind of stupid that he sent his acolytes with instructions to enlist local PDF forces to a planet that doesn't recognize inquisition authority even when presented with a rosette.

The sector may have a limited inquisition presence but even still most good loyal imperial citizens would have a vague idea that the inquisition is something to be feared, respected and obeyed. By ignoring direct proof that they are who they say they are the locals are proving to either be incompetent to the point of heresy or are being directly heretical therefore the party should feel no guilt over breaking out and killing anyone who gets in their way. You could reveal at some point that some of those officials are actually part of the cult your party is there to destroy explaining why they were so eager to get rid of them even after announcing themselves as inquisition. Regardless of how you play out the trial this could help explain why the rosette was so unhelpful.

What you could do is have them choose between breaking out, a trial by combat(I think the corpse crawler clearing is a good idea) or a nightmarish trial as madMAEXX described in which no matter what the players do they eventually are declared guilty but before sentencing is carried out a higher up (planetary governor, high level priest etc.) who recognizes the authority of the rosette takes notice and shows up to pull their butts out of the fire.

You should also make sure to point out to any player with appropriate knowledge skills how much of a joke/farse an eccelsiarchy/imperial trial is likely to be.

If you want them to be able to get an innocent verdict on their own, alongside things like charm, deceive, scholastic lore judgment, common/scholastic lore ecclesiarchy, consider using things like subtlety (failed test being good here) and influence tests to determine if the NPCs consider what they are saying to be believable/true based on the characters' reputations and known actions. If anybody has a related peer talent (eccelsiarchy, adepta sororitas etc.) it should also probably help even more than the normal bonus it provides.

Charges 1 & 2 are actually fairly easy for them to talk their way out of. The shuttle was confiscated and they don't currently have any artifacts aboard the ship. They are being prosecuted for 'intent' to grave rob and because the shuttle was used in smuggling operations before, but since they don't have trade goods, excavating gear, maps, or vast amounts of money they should be fine.

As for charges 3 & 4. I agree that they are guilty. The question is can they exert enough influence to have these charges dropped or lie effectively enough to put the blame on someone else. They've already sold out Madam Inquisitor once this mission.

Charge 5 just means they did something wrong on Thaur. It's a catch all for any crime.

As for the rosette situation. They haven't met anyone who would be beyond a Sargent. The local ground control is ecstatic that they caught someone. The party had the option of trying to land in the wastes. Higher levels of government will likely recognize the rosette. The officials on Thaur are not part of the cult. The cult has little to no idea that the Inquisition is coming for them.

The inquisitor isn't stupid. She just may have underestimated how blatant the party would be on Thaur. She also probably didn't know the smuggling ship had been identified.

My main goal is to create three viable pathways.

Charges 1 & 2 are actually fairly easy for them to talk their way out of. The shuttle was confiscated and they don't currently have any artifacts aboard the ship. They are being prosecuted for 'intent' to grave rob and because the shuttle was used in smuggling operations before, but since they don't have trade goods, excavating gear, maps, or vast amounts of money they should be fine.

As for charges 3 & 4. I agree that they are guilty. The question is can they exert enough influence to have these charges dropped or lie effectively enough to put the blame on someone else. They've already sold out Madam Inquisitor once this mission.

Charge 5 just means they did something wrong on Thaur. It's a catch all for any crime.

My impression of the courts within the imperium, especially when run by the church, arbites or inquisition, is that they don't necessarily concern themselves with the truth or actual guilt. Keep in mind "Innocence proves nothing" is a pretty popular saying describing the setting . So that could make even the simpler charges more difficult to talk their way out of. If any of your party has knowledge judgement and/or bureaucracy they could be a huge help in building their defense.

As for the rosette situation. They haven't met anyone who would be beyond a Sargent. The local ground control is ecstatic that they caught someone. The party had the option of trying to land in the wastes. Higher levels of government will likely recognize the rosette. The officials on Thaur are not part of the cult. The cult has little to no idea that the Inquisition is coming for them.

Ok, overzealous low level guys makes some more sense. They may not know what to make of the rosette in particular but my point still stands about the general knowledge of the inquisition. Most imperial citizens would be given pause by someone claiming to be inquisition agents outside of maybe a back water feral worlder or equivalent. Law enforcement or any other imperial officials with prisoners making that claim would have to pass it up the chain of command because it means either those making the claim are telling the truth in which case impeding them could have hellish consequences or they are lying in which case impersonating the inquisition is a huge act of heresy far beyond any of the crimes they are currently being accused of. You could use a higher level government official showing up to save them as the way to keep the story moving if the party fails miserably to get out of it themselves or as the explanation for them surviving through a fate point threshold burn.

The inquisitor isn't stupid. She just may have underestimated how blatant the party would be on Thaur. She also probably didn't know the smuggling ship had been identified.

I was just making a point that it didn't make sense to send them to recruit the local PDF if the planet is so out of touch and primitive that no one knows what the inquisition is or doesn't know that it has authority in all matters. However if they've only interacted with low level guys and there hasn't been time for news to spread to people in the know then it's fine and not the inquisitor's fault that the party got themselves in trouble before making it to anyone important.

My main goal is to create three viable pathways.

I would just try to avoid witch trial type ordeals involving stuff like death means you're innocent, survival means you're guilty type situations or where they have no tests to make to affect the outcome such as the trial by balance that was suggested by Lynata. No fun for the players really if they have no agency and no chance of getting out alive.

A tough fight against monsters in a tomb seems very appropriate as an ordeal since if they survive clearly the emperor was with them in completing the holy task and if they die then they were guilty and have been punished with death and a bit of community service if they took out a few of the monsters in the process.

Oh, and everything is in High Gothic. Everything.

This planet is so backward that it doesn't know what the Inquisition represents, but it conducts everything in High Gothic? I'd think that having them conduct things in a debased local tongue sprinkled with bad translations of High Gothic would be far more fitting.

The low level people don't know much about the greater universe. It's an insular place. The religious judges will speak entirely in an antiquated form of high gothic. The party was picked up by Mournful Guard forces and have not encountered anyone beyond a Sargent. This sector isn't Calixis. If you read about Askellon there isn't a lot of Inquisition presence to start with.

Rough plans for the trial

First, the party is put in irons. This is going to give them a chance to freak out and try to escape. If they try to escape at this stage with no knowledge of the layout of the palace I anticipate failure.

They are then going to be lead to a religious court and then locked into a pew in a room full of guards. Eventually a minor functionary is going to enter the room and read off the five charges in High Gothic. Should the party try to interrupt at this point they will be flogged immediately.

1. Operation of a pre-indited craft.

2. Grave Robbing.

3. Burial Fraud .

4. Disrespect for the Dead.

5. Apostasy.

They will then be given the option of proving their innocence in front of a Thaurian priest or a trial by ordeal. The functionary will also point out that they can feel free to enter a plea of guilty to each charge. They will then be remanded to their cells again.

At this point if they want to try and escape this will be the ideal time. They know some of the layout of the palace and probably a little bit about the guard rotations.

They then wait some time in the cells. Someone comes along to measure them for bone mass and volume. This humiliating process involves them being measured and body fat calculated to determine how much building material they contain for Thaurian building material speculators. The man measuring them is more talkative than the guards. They can try and ask this person questions or enlist their help. This character will also explain the ordeals in detail.

The court reconvenes the next day. The party is allowed to make their case. They are quickly found innocent on the first two charges without many issues. It is very difficult for them to be found innocent on all charges. They will also be given the option to activate the acro-flaggelant during the trial, which should be ... interesting.

If they are found innocent or pass the trial by ordeal they may make an appointment to see the Lord of the Wake.

If they are found guilty they are dragged before the Lord of the Wake as smugglers, so he can gain insight into their operations.

If they escape they go it alone and try and bring down the Arch-rector without support.

If they are captured escaping they are branded and dragged before a very angry Lord of the Wake.

By the sound of the charges set before me - roll initiative! ROTFL

The session in question already happened.

The players ended up choosing the ordeal instead of escape. You can also see some of their crude attempts at humor.

http://imgur.com/qB5ile9

So big thanks to

Lynata

For the help designing the ordeals.

One of them is now an apostate and the rest of them are soon to follow.