It is the 41st Millennium of Mankind, and the galaxy knows only war. From the Golden Throne of Terra, the Emperor stands eternal vigil over all mankind. Though he does not live, a thousand psykers are sacrificed with every day that he shall never know death. He is the carrion lord of the Imperium, a fading light in a dark universe, where mankind lies beset on all sides.
You are but one small part of His dominion -- a citizen of Hive Sibellus, capital of the Calixis Sub-Sector. One of more then 12 billion like you, for your entire life, you have labored without reward for the betterment of the Emperor, and the enrichment of your noble lords. You have been deafened by the thunder of the metal presses and stood knee-deep in a pool of cyanide. You have had your pay docked for the day you spent home with radiation sickness, and for the work stoppages when friends orfamily got pulled into the machinery. You have scraped, saved, and begged for food and clean water -- and some months, you have fallen short. You have watched friends join the Guard just for meal and a place to sleep -- but never once, watched them return. You have been robbed by gangs, lost loved ones to gangs. Perhaps you have joined them, out of rage, or fear.
And throughout all of it, high above, the Tricorn Palace stood. The seat of the Inquisitions power. Always, it looked down upon you, so far below in the girders and the smoke. A silent, unyielding symbol. Of power. Of fear. Of the Emperors dominion over humanity, the Hive, and you. The superstitious people of the hive whisper that the Emperor can see forth from its many black windows. And that from there, he peers into the souls of every one of the hives inhabitants.
Perhaps one day, he looked into you, and saw something that lifted you above your peers, and placed you forever in his benevolent gaze.
But perhaps the smoke and the toxins rose in a gust of wind, obscuring his vision -- and he never saw you again.
Dark Heresy: The Struggle for Hive Sibellus
Dark Heresy: The Struggle for Hive Sibellus is a campaign about how little heresies make a big difference. While the Inquisition may do battle with mighty daemon princes, legendary heretics, and unspeakable monsters, none of these things have the power to topple the Imperium through their own efforts. If the Imperium falls, it will be because of the efforts of its own people -- the cults that are not imposed from without, but grow from within. While fleets, armies, and the might Space Marines guard mankind against blows beyond mortal comprehension, the Imperium dies in a pool of its own blood -- cut a thousand times, by the little cults and minor blasphemies that fill it. It is for this reason that the Inquisition was formed, and rooting out such evil is its greatest task.
But sometimes, even Inquisitors forget that. There is great glory in destroying greater heretics -- and against the thrill and the danger of doing battle with daemons, xeno's, and worse, such mundane tasks as interrogating hive workers as to their activities can begin to seem beneath the notice of the Inquisitions finest. For many Inquisitors, such tasks are best delegated to their acolytes -- then to be swiftly neglected. Acolytes working in traditionally loyal and faithful hives often have difficulty even reaching their masters, much less persuading them that the threat they face is as pressing as those found by more experienced teams on the far reaches of civilization. Left to their own devices, they are forced to combat corrupt and heretical elements without the overwhelming force Inquisitors enjoy.
And in such cases, sometimes, a cult can escape detection long enough to grow. As will soon happen in Hive Sibellus, under the very shadow of the Inquisitions own headquarters in the sector.
The campaign -- really two, related campaigns -- pits two groups of PC's against each other. Both are composed of long time citizens of the hive -- one group recently selected by the Tricorn Palace to become acolytes, the other finally pushed into outright heresy after a lifetime of growing darkness. The first group was chosen by their Inquisitor to see to his mundane duties of patrolling the Hive for minor heresy, while the second group found each-other by chance or by dark fate. Though none in either party knows it, a tide of darkness is soon to rise over Sibellus Hive, and soon enough, these two most unlikely of foes shall wage a shadow war for the hives very soul.
The campaign is PvP in nature -- both groups have an objective that, ultimately, ends with the other group dead. However, most of the actual interaction will be with NPC's. The cult must build connections to thrive and prosper -- while the Inquisitors must build allies and informants amongst an at best indifferent and sometimes outright hostile population. Player vs player actions is far more likely to take the form of one groups allies turning up dead then outright PvP combat -- at least up to the final confrontation, from which only one may emerge alive.
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And it needs a GM to run the second session, as I have the time only to run for one group of players.
Anyone interested?