UPDATED BELOW

In vast stretches of space exist fragile motes of civilization known herein as the Imperium of Man.

One such example lay in the spheres and angles of the Askellon Sector - a mass of systems located in the benighted depths of space of the Segmentum Obscurus. A reach of the Galaxy that has stood since before the Age of Imperium, with foundations lost to echoes of time unrealized by it elite and erudite.

UPDATED SEE BELOW

Love this idea, I've always been a huge fan of MutChron and it's a long term plan of mine to run something very similar to what you have outlined above (once I wrap up my current DW campaign). I'm also a lover of Shadowrun, old WoD (and Cyberpunk to a lesser degree) so I'll probably try to incorporate elements of all of these into the same campaign, if I can. Particularly like the name you picked for the religious entity, 'The Crucible' has a nice ring to it... I had thought I would just stick with the Brotherhood, but maybe not after all.

CAMPAIGN START - In Stone...

Operation TEMPERANCE

Background: Mechanicus elements have hidden a world from record from both their own and the wider Imperium…

Casualties/ Losses
Cogent Scalar (Magos Publically Assassinated at Juno)
Thevenin Octet (Agent of Mars – analog Antigonus “Dark Adetus Novel” MIA)
11 Staff Members of the Administratum (MIA or Deceased, foil play)
2 Navigators (MIA or Deceased, foil play)
4 Astropaths (MIA or Deceased, foil play)

Imperial records indicate the Acirassi system contains a number of localized Mechanicus holdings most notably the Lunar Research Station “Respite”...

It has been discovered that the holy evaluations and tallies have been modified from 3,200,000 to 120,000 over the course of half a decade. In that time systematic elimination of key assets and individuals have been compromised resulting in numerous loss of intel and personnel. The total causality count stands at 11 Staff Members of the Administratum, 2 Navigators, and 4 Astropaths spread across the Imperium itself!

Of more recent date Ordos assets were deployed – the cell’s acts took them the better length of 2 years culminating in the suicide of Rear Admiral Trent Gregorian Hess and the prosecution of the senior bridge staff of battlecruiser The Maiestas (meaning; springtime, warmth, and increase) and the destroyer dubbed the Opus Majus (meaning; greater work).

With Naval resources suppressed in the Askellon Sector most notably the fringes of the Stygies Cluster – Imperial presence is critically stymied and all resultant subjects of the Throne from the Acirassi System and onward have been undermined by the course of these events!

Stygies Cluster > Acirassi System > Ociramma System > Qerrassa System > Reiltas System

Acirassi System: Way route. Research Station.

Ociramma: Only unrefined fuel available. Reasonable repair facilities present. Scout base may be present.

Qerrassa: Good quality installation. Refined fuel available. Annual maintenance overhaul available. Shipyard capable of constructing non-starships present. Naval base and/or scout base may be present.

Reiltas: Frontier installation. Essentially a marked spot of bedrock with no fuel, facilities, or bases present.

FOCUS: Two Naval Ships (out of service), Magos Assassination at Juno, Numerous Personnel Harmed or Killed
REASON: To hide the way to Acirassi

GOALS:
- Find out what is going on there / suppress any insurrection or heresy
- Undermine Local Authority / Usurp Holding

OUTCOME:
- This will then Re-establish Naval presence upon the Spinward Front which is Unprotected Now (due to loss of Naval Presence)

SECRETS:
Lunar Research Station / Planet - Prime 3Mj 0.5 AU Selenian

Years passed and the first human ships plighted the night here finding for themselves a desert world with aquifers – allowing for passage further than to those stars that dwell in the Stygian Cluster beyond Yanth and elsewhere past Hrax.

There they would find ruin – all ships courseward would fall victim to malady as the sicking light from those baeful stars washed over a miasma over those crews unfortunate enough to explore those depths of the void. Eventually the Mechanicus Cult led first by Thulian elements found and pushed past the footholds left by lesser men.

None can recollect nor query the records of what had occurred in the passing years since the Disciples of Thule arrived – secretly – Mars would in time learn of the Disciplines discovery namely a strange voidship of a distinct make – unidentifiable but wholly remarkable – its occupants had by internal accounts been fused with the vessel itself – though those occupants were hardily identifiable by Thule’s best. The ship itself was eventually acknowledged as some sort of science concern taken up by those dead creatures – its internal workings and companionways were somewhat organic yet differed vastly from that found from the Tyranid horrors encountered and posted in numerous classified Imperial records.

Eventually one High Magos Kizerain of the Lathes was sent – as internal authorities close the Fabricators jockeyed and bickered over the matter – a maverick element would go while the trials and tabulations occurred – resulting in whole scale war in the void the scale of which hasn’t been seen so far from the Gothic Sector as voidships fail and fall to ruin over the course of 75 years!

In the end the Divine Light of Sollex failed allowing for the Hippocrasian Sect to move in…

(The Divine Light defeats Thulians then the Divine become sicken eventually resulting in them handing over the asset to Hippocrasians clandestinely)

Today the Hippocrasian Sect have little to no knowledge of the Divine Light’s influence herein – rather to them the edicts of Lathes Covenant seemingly has places their members there as stewards. Meanwhile subversive elements from the Divine Light persist watching over and influencing matters for their eventual return and domination of the asset.

What Happened?

When the Mechanicus Cult took over and found the strange xeno spacecraft – they were inflected resulting in their metal rusting over both by the scale of its personnel and that of the larger voidship presence they had brought. Incurable yet telling the Divine Light would see the value in such a poison – if it would be weaponized then they would stand to benefit greatly. The key defining feature of the virus was it ability to replicate and spread by touch alone – inflecting any metal that it comes into contact with!

In the passing years since the Hippocrasian Sect has taken over they have created a quarantine allowing for bypass of the planet 3Mj “Dusk” which was staged for experimentation by the Biologis. Unbeknownst to the Divine Light nor the great body of Mars the agents of the Sect made great discoveries culminating in the discovery of artificial psychic potential – namely the pursuit of cybernetic psi craft!

The Sect would in turn for hundreds of years begin a process of invitation, Shanghai, and subversion in order to populate their new finding with choice test subjects. In this closed experiment much had to be afforded their subjects in order to help best facilitate their otherworldly aims. In order to feed, protect, and harbor their subjects vast projects and grand schemes were put into place – resulting in a place whereby an illusion of comfort and ease would allow the Sect to nurture their psykers and hone their dark science. Fertile minds mostly of an artistic bent were found to be the choicest subjects and as such dignitaries, illuminaries, noblese, and all manner of talent has been sought and thusly insulated into the plan.

Today their asset stands as a prison for those landed there – wide spread and systematic culling ensures the illusion persists – that of a solar state ignorant or the Omnissiah’s Grace and unblemished by the Emperor’s Creed – these humans know not more that what their star shines upon. Ruled by a corporate elite – collectively known as “the Collective” or plainly the Cartel – a gathering of the most influenctial houses and guilds that have risen up over the course of the last 200 years – known as Mega Corps.

These sons and daughters of the past founding Scions know little to nothing of their pedigree – and as such remain narrowly focused upon their day to day concerns at hand – all else is myth, nonsense, and or conjecture.

Details are scant to none available – all that is known is the world of 3Mj collapsed; an aggressive program was enacted resulting in large scale refinement of Mechanicus made psykers - an apparent nuclear explosion destroys the surface and starts planetary world war. A child psyker (number 28) powers grew rapidly, and grew beyond even his control. This young child was recruited by one of the local world governments for their secret parapsychology project. The project forced 28 and others to develop powerful, psychic abilities.

Dusk is now ruled by the last surviving faction of humans known as the the Sino Union - No other nation in the world has endured as much punishment. No other bloc has suffered as many casualties, destroyed lands, or plundered resources. The other two opposing factions were eliminated during nuclear exchange – today the planet stands as a blasted sphere of torrential lashing radiative winds that buffet the planet’ surface constantly! The union along with the other opposing factions were originally the supply chain of independent chartists, rogue traders, and free captains all vying for a privilege with the Sect – because of that these humans collectively have the capacity to bring a fight to the Mechanicus all along.

It is because of this and “the event” designated Syntax Chevesic – the Sino Union is capable of keeping the Sect off world while they wait for reinforcements to arrive (pending a 40 standing year arrival); cutting off Dusk from the Sect for now.

Originally the Lunar Station over Dusk was the reserve of the elite who brokered their deals and held luxuries granted by the Mechanicus in return for their chattel and subsequent industry provided. After Syntax Chevesic the Sect took to aggressive action resulting in war upon the very station itself – though never at this point the research facility had vastly outgrown its original plan – turning into a city.

After purging, mind wipes, and further brokering the city would fall under a lull and become peaceable resulting in the dreamland found today.

Watched by their perch in the void – station Validney has been postioned against the Dusk’s moon – a safeguard in case their experiment goes awry. The Validney space station is actually a large cannon able to destroy the whole of Respite in one shot. While a handful of Mechanicus voidships persist throughout the Acirassi System silently awaiting any uninvited voidships.

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ACOLYTE ACTION / Adventures / Game Sessions

Get to this “Lunar City of Respite” (Session 1)
The players are secreted into a Mechanicus Shipping container (though this one is specially constructed to thwart life detection), once they arrive – they had to span Space Station Validney avoiding the obvious Admech presence throughout the facility; they’re transponder would take them to a holding vault – whereby the Admech staff had placed an old shuttle found several years ago upon their station (i.e. implated by the Inquisition long ago – details do not matter). From there take the shuttle and escape local space from Validney – then contend with an advanced mine field before touching down within the city of Respite.

Sync Your Signal – The OTR Station / OLD TOWN (Session 2)
Players first look for a vantage point by which they can visually get a lay of the city, next thei need to sync their equipment with that of the local authority – specifically getting a GPS signal. Players spy out some smoke and lights that interest them in the cityscape below – acolytes opt to visiting a dump (i.e. Reclamations & Returns / R.R. Consortium) and stealing worker’s garb from there acolytes head to shanty market (i.e. the Idle Market) – there they get information in order to source out the code needed for syncing – acolytes opt to “hit” an old defunct radio station tower. Once they arrive at the abandoned tower the players are fired upon by a sniper – acolytes transverse the cityscape for hours eventually finding the sniper / subsequent interrogations conclude the man to be an aspirant of mars – a spotter or watchdog whose job it was to watch drop sites – just so happens the players stumbled into a site he happened to be surveying that day! Players liquidate aspirant head back to the tower bypass its low security and power up the transformers enabling them to sync with the satellites above!

Find the Ordos Bunker – The Chapel of Lights / OLD TOWN (Session 3)
After getting a good GPS return the players cross reference their position with that afforded to them in code – enabling them to find the bunker site. When they arrive they find an old warehouse with squatters within – whom the acolytes capture and query; a dozen serfs mostly women and children with one senior male – two of which are branded by the Inquisitional I upon their inner wrist while a child bears a map on her back with high gothic script. After securing the lot – the players would uncover a secret door in the back of the warehouse – leading them to the Chapel of Light beneath! Cogitators and the trappings of Ordos business was found throughout the site – of which equipment and basic instructions were found. After following the perfunctory commands concealed panel and button were activated – resulting in nothing immediately happening until several hours later when proximity alarms whined indicating the bunker was being visited! The group’s Interrogator would arrive dressed in the primitive garb of the local populace (i.e. think film noir) – Mallory “Almost” was an extraordinary women selected for her comely appearance which could disarm the lesser man coupled by the keen intellect of a corporate lawyer married to the body of a hobby gymnast – her former life of luxury and privilege was now over! She had along with a few other in number had been implanted with and or by the Inquisition using advanced means of electromagnetic radiation over the course of years resulting in programmed assets! Her life and its memories gone – replace by the steely nerve and doctrine of the Ordos elite – this programming had gone on for generations – she would only be the next person to add to the life of Almost!

GIST:

People went out far into the stars long ago - came into contact disease & die

More people went after to investigate and get their property (i.e. ships, crew, etc) - never came back
Mechanicus - Thule - go (after finding out lowly normal people discover worlds before them) and find the actual Migo vessel (Yes Chtulhu/Lovecraft)
Somehow Light of Sollex find out and go there - Thule vs Sollex private war ensues
Sollex wins but can't ot doesn't want to content with virus present

The H Sect move in taking over the holding from Sollex (Sollex "allow" this secretly)

H Sect finds out virus mutants the organic and inorganic together - refinements result in producible psykers!

Producible psyker experiment goes awry - basically destroys planet world

Moon above once the playground of the elite who forfeit their citizens, followers, and settlers to AdMech over time becomes quaratined

Lunar city is turned over to local humans to shepard creating a false reality for the common man therein

Psykers begin to rise again in the population - this pleases H Sect

Today the Solar System herein is a self contained kingdom openly ruled by a handful or Corporations
Mechanicus watches their "ants" from afar keeping themselve secret from the population

Population is broken up into White and Blue collar castes

White collar caste is allowed to indulge in Art
Blue collar caste is not allowed to express any art nor consume it

Players are commanded to find out why and how / then bring down this government so that the Imperium can usurp it in the end! (ala Yoink lol)

OK guys * gals I want to make this into "like" a CIA operation whereby the agents undermine and topple a government!

Any ideas?

This is what I've got thus far GOAL Wise:

Hit the City's Power:

though this will kill oxygen production resulting in only 48 hours of atmosphere (goal isn't to kill nor draw attention on the big stage - think secret war...

Undermine the Elite:

use the media (yeah they the populace have newspapers and CORP sponsored TV - thats locked on a handful of channels)

Plant Audio Drops: (aka Blackwire)

basically hack into communications wide scale - then connect the dots of all the key players

Hit the water supply:

self explanatory though it should be noted that people can only go with out water for 3 to 5 days...

Keep in mind the players are to not destroy this City - rather weaken it so when the Imperium arrives there is no contest!

Keep in mind the Mechanicus watch above and from afar below (both in the void and local city assets - think the Gray Alien conspiracy)

This Star System is connected to a handful of others further out - like a daisy-chain - thus this place is to be preserved, cleansed, and studied...

Thats it for now - submit your ideas!

Stay GAMING

Morbid