On page 42 of Creatures Anathema in the section on “Death Worlds” we learn a bit about the planet Phyrr. To me this is a most intriguing planet and I’ve wanted to run an adventure based around this out-of-the-way planet for some time. The most intriguing part of Phyrr’s story (IMO) is the rumors of strange ships that don’t respond to hails or commands and the hidden pyramid deep in the planets jungle. In the past year I have found this forum to be an almost limitless springboard of Ideas, so now I’m asking for your take on Phyrr. My group is all about rank 5-6 and have been tracking a heretic Abbot and his Slaugth cohorts for some time now and have just learned of his secret trip to Phyrr. The Acolytes are hot on his trail and will arrive at Phyrr’s moon base in our next game.

Between the strange ships and the pyramid I am having to control my desire to throw something Necron in here.

What are your thoughts on Phyrr? Strange ships? The Pyramid? The Mechanicus of Phyrr?

Hello Rob,

the thing that always puzzled me about the "strange ship sightings" is: "Why isn´t anybody in the Imperium acting on this?" Seriously, the RT core rules point out that "ships that do not identify are treated as hostile by the imperial navy" but the fact that such ships skulk and prowl around a space station isn´t leading to any kind of fleet dispatchment?

Anyway, time to enter the pc...

Let us asume the following:
- ships/patrols had been dispatched, but to now avail. This "ghost ships" were able to disappear or were simply nowhere to be found by the patrol
- few weeks after the patrols were redeployed, the "ghost ships" returned
- the Mechanicus is fed up now themselves

Thereby, they dispatched longrange guncutter-type with "arcan stealth technology" to Phyrr station (with it´s Tech-Priest Pilot & Co-Pilot and perhaps a hit team of Scitarri) in the hope that this craft will be able to follow the ghost ships and find out some more. If the Mechanicus requested aid of the =I= or the =I= requested the Guncutter form the =M= is up to you...

Never the less, the pc will wait for days and weeks in the guncutter in the void, waiting for the ghostships return..to follow them and find out what they are doing around Phyrr. A trio of cobra class destroyers is waiting at the fringe of the system for orders...

My suggestion:
The strange ships (or more precise, the next strange ship the pc encounter) is Eldar (they do have sophisticated stealth technology) that use hollow fields to mask as imperial navy ships.. but do not response. But the ship they "immulate" are based on old sightings... and by accidents, match ships now long lost to the warp (the "sight", if the pc risk using active sensors, might puzzle the pc a lot!).

The Eldar where visiting the Planet because of the Pyramids (Necron? Who knows? Good think: no one needs to know! ). This ship, however, is on a different mission. Their last explorer team was made up of a Rune Prophet with his Rune Seers and a Honorguard. The massing of Psyker "output" enraged a whole group of Pyrr-Cats (which are strangly drawn to a certain pyramid....). The group got attacked, Eldar Runeprophet died and the group had to retread..leaving the soul stone behind...

This group (without a rune prophet or seer) is send to recover the soul stone. So it send out a "shuttle" that will land at a clear landings space near the site of the inccident (which is near the Pyramids..). The pc will follow up close...

The "special thing" about this:
The stories has some "twists". As they get info on the incoming ships, it will match imperial designs..perhaps they will get the info from the shiloette that it is a "ghost ship" and will expect chaos or strange things... following the "shuttle", they will identify Eldar and will think "ah! They are investigating the Pyramids!".. only to find out that they won´t but will comb through the jungle near some of them...

Hope this is inspirational!

My submission for the 2009 adevnture contest was set on Phyrr; using the plot hook in CA I set it in the maximum security prison that is on Phyrr's surface.

It was very much inspired by such movies as Alien 3, Escape From New York, Outlander and The Thing. Alas it did not capture the attention of the judges but I put so much work into it I might get around to submitting it to Dark Reign.

I didn't delve into the background of the mysterious ships and pyramid, concentrating on the claustrophobic prison setting and certain death if exposed to the environment, however buried pyramid screams Necrons.