Reading about Commander Flamewing in Mark of Xenos gave me an idea for the first story I want to run in the Deathwatch campaign I'll be running for two friends of mine. Intrigue holds my attention a lot easier than straight foward war story, and I would like to make the theme of the campaign intrigue masked under the fog of war. Different factions in the campaign will have different ideas on how to approach the war with the Tau.

Things kick off with an Ordo Xenos inquisitor sends a throne agent to a Tau occupied world, an agent with orders to gather information on the disposition of Tau forces occupying the world and make contact with any resistance to the Tau forces occupying the world. A year or two passes before the inquisitor receives word from his throne agent, but the throne agent manages to send a coded signal off world. The signal carries a message stating the throne agent has come into possession of information of critical importance and requests extraction.

Traitors in the resistance movement inform the Tau about the throne agent, and the militray leadership on the world decide they must capture the spy, interrogate him, and either convert him to follow the greater good or dispose of him. Forces loyal to Commander Flamewing and his point of view decide they must capture the spy first so they may use the spy as an emmisary between the Tau and the Empire of Man. Like Commander Flamewing, this second faction believe the Tau must cooperate with the Empire of Man to defeat Hive Fleet Dagon. The faction in favor of reaching and understanding with the Empire of Man plan to make it appear as if the resistance movement on the planet hid the spy.

The encoded message the spy sent the inquisitor mentions valuable information which could turn the tide of the war against the Tau, and the inquisitor decides this opportunity is to valuable to leave in the hands of her throne agents. She decides to head to the planet herself and requests backup form the Deathwatch. The backup takes the form of the kill-team made up of the player characters, though the inquisitor has an ace up her sleeve she fails to mention to the Deathwatch.

Once they reach the planet, the kill team must accompany the inquisitor in her quest to rescue her throne agent. Moving among the local populace they learn the Tau captured the throne agent, and the Tau hold the throne agent in a notorious prison. The kill team and the inquisitor must break into the prison and rescue the throne agent. However, the second faction among the Tau use the confusion caused by the rescue attempt as a means to obtain the throne agent for the themselves. They need enough time to explain their position the throne agent before they allow the inquisitor to rescue her valued agent.

Forces from the second column fight to hold off the Deathwatch kill team while their leader explains the offer alliance to the throne agent, and they use just enough force to fight the Deathwatch to a stand still. Once the throne agent agrees to tender the offer to the inquisitor on behalf of the Tau, the commander of the Tau forces signals for his troops to retreat withdraw and allow the kill team to extract the throne agent. The throne agent is relieved to see the inquisitor he serves accompanied by two members of the Deathwatch.

The throne agent first explains to the inquisitor he has valuable data about Tau military plans hidden on coded data spike hidden in his head, and then he begins talking about the offer of cooperation. Fearing her throne agent has been irreversibly tainted by the Tau docrine of the greater good, the inquisitor executes the throne agent right in front of the kill team unless the kill team decides to intervene to stop her. Once she executes the her throne agent, she roots around in his skull for the data spike.

Feeling that she cannot let the heretical doctrine of cooperation go any further, the inquisitor decides she must eliminate the two space marines who accompanied her on the mission. The Deathwatch may not view cooperation with the Tau in the same light she does should the kill team be allowed to report on the mission to their superiors, and though it pains her, the inquisitor knows she must sacrifice the space marines for the good of the imperium. She seperates from the space marines, stating she has arranged for her own extraction from the planet. Once she seperates herself from the kill team, she sends a signal to a stasis pod she had loaded onto the thunderhawk gunship which carried the inquisitor and the kill team to the planet. The stasis pod contains an eversor assassion which procedes to attempt to slay the assassin the instant it wakes up.

That's all I have for ideas thus far, but I feel the campaign could go in several different directions, depending on the actions the kill team takes during the mission. Please critique my ideas and let me know what you would add to them if it were you running the campaign. Anything to get my creative juices flowing.

Does anyone think its plausible an inquisitor would go so far as trying to kill two member of the Deathwatch? That may seem a little far fetched now that I think of it, and what sort of position would the inquisitor be in if the kill team survives her attempt to kill them? This is my first real attempt at a plot for a Deathwatch game. Something investigation and intrigue based like Dark Heresy is susally more my speed. What sort of plots have other people used in their campaigns?

dwraley said:

Opinions on that are divided. Let's say this: if an Inquisitor would probably not try to spill holy blood unless there was any other way. Try to measure up the PCs and see if any other solution can be brought about. If the answer is no, she knows she needs to be swift and decisive to overcome the formidable capabilities of the Deathwatch.

Alex

I think my plot needs some adjustment because there places it leaves the PCs too passive. Perhaps the inquisitor instructs the kill team to carry out the execution for her, and the kill team members can choose whether or not the slay the throne agent themselves. If the PCs decide not to execute the throne agent, then they must decide whether to allow the inquisitor to carry out the execution herself or place themselves between an inquisitor of the inquisition and a man she has deemed a heretic.

The story would go better if the inquisitor and the PCs have some common ground before this schism potential takes place. She shows real concern for the lives, and more importantly in her mind, the souls of humans living on a planet occupied by the Tau. She makes remarks that she is concerned for the throne agent as a friend as much as a valuable asset, and the inquisitor will show respect to the kill team,if not out right reverence.

Instead of seeing her as a monster, I would like the players to realize she is a human individual trusted with enormous responsibility and proved herself equal to the task. She fears failing in her duties more than she fears losing her life, and if the PCs look like they will take the part of the throne agent over assisting her with her mission, she will react with swift and decisive force.

Anyone know any more ways to humanize a character like the inquisitor I'm creating for this plot? It would be way too easy to make her into an inhuman monster.

There's a couple of problems that I can see. First is the horrible deus ex machina of the PC's being 'fought to a standstill'. How? Are you just going to throw things at them until the give up? Because players don't like to quit, and your plot requires them to not win the fight, not come up with a fight-winning plan, and to know when they've been beaten. It's likely to cause bad feelings, unless carefully considered.

Secondly; Temple assassins are not exactly falling out of trees. They are a rare resource and it somewhat beggars belief that the Inquisitor smuggled one along with them 'just in case' they needed to kill every mother%$£^$ in the kill-team. It seems a little contrived. Especially to then basically waste one by leaving it behind. A resource of that level would be being squandered.

Deathwatch Marines are sworn to secrecy and loyalty. It is pushing it that they could ever be viewed as so expendable in the situation, especially because the Inquisitor's acts (refusing to negotiate and work with Xenos) are very much in line with the 'party line' on xenos, and probably what the player would do. If the Inquisitor was summoning demonhosts and using a demon blade, while cutting deals with the Dark Eldar then the PCs might be reasonably seen as people who might object and need to be silenced, but for seeing the Inquisitor refusing to deal with Xenos? Probably not.

If the Inquisitor really wants the PCs dead, far better to simply lie and tell them that the agent told her that [insert lie here] and that to save the planet/whatever the kill-team needed to go and [insert suicide mission here] while the Inquisitor does something else [ie quietly leaving the planet without them].

If you want to humanize your inquisitor the best bet to do this is by putting her together with the Deathwatch characters in front of tough choices before the eventual conflict and play out the discussions. For example: The planet they are on is full of human traitors turned to Tau. The mission is secret as hell so its not really good if the traitors spot two space marines around and tell the Tau. So throw them a real curve-ball. Have them meet a local family with a small child out there and some-one of the family spots the marines, pointing out that they are, in fact, Marines. He acts very interested and asks if marines are coming to liberate the planet from Tau and such. Then have the =I= discuss with the characters over what to do. If they just leave the people might tell Tau. So that has to be prevented. Now easiest solution is to just kill them all right then and there. If the PCs hesitate do something surprising, have the =I= suggest following: The Space Marines distract the child somewhere else while =I= executes the adults. The child is just too young to really understand much or be believed so the =I= doesn't want to execute him/her but doesn't want the child to see parents killed. After the parents are dead the =I= comes back and tell the child some lie why they'll take him/her to nearby village and how his/her parents will be there later. Have the =I= really go to the nearby village, leave the child there, return with tears in her eyes and then wipe them off and head back to mission.

When the things get really nasty and the Inquisitor decides she can't risk the information on leaving the planet and decides to sacrifice the Deathwatch marines for greater goo... eh, I mean the Emperor and Mankind... have the Deathwatch actually escort here when she goes and picks up the child and exfiltrates out with the child and while leaving the Deatwatch to 'deal with one more thing'. That 'one more thing' is, of course, a suicide mission or just a way to get them to proper place where they can be killed. You can use the Eversor if you feel like but give the Eversor an exfiltration route (he's not expendable), which also acts nicely as a possible way to get the PCs off the world if they survive the Eversor. Oh, and make sure the PCs don't get a 'smoking gun'. Nothing that conclusively proves that =I= tried to get them killed. First of all the =I= wouldn't be that stupid and the moral ambiquity resulting from suspecting an Inquisitor who has been pretty nice if a bit ruthless gives great opportunities for follow-ups.

Thats about as thick as I can figure out in "bad things need to be done and I'll do them, but I'm still human with real feelings" department.