I have a custom, when running rpg's, that every session must begin with "you wake up in a dark room" for at least one of the characters. It's partly a running joke (a very, very looooongly running joke--about two decades or so by this point) and partly code/signal that it's time to quit joking, pizza snarfing, and kidding around in general. It's the curtain going up at the start of the show.

I'm going to start a Dark Heresy campaign this weekend and I'm looking at "Edge of Darkness" for the initial main adventure. But, I just never can run straight from the box, as it were. Among things that I'm looking to tweak is having the PC's on the train when the initial victim shows up, probably with murderous intent--albeit not of his own. The other thing, that has just occurred to me, while looking over the scenario background, is the reference to fire damage in the Coscarla stemming from the "recent" Rienholt Blackouts.

You wake up in a dark room. Because of the Blackout. Just too good to pass up! Now, I just have to come up with a scenario, in a couple of days, to hang off that hook. Ideally, I'd like the nominally minor event of the Blackouts and attendant civil unrest be a subtle kick-off for the events of the whole campaign. Something that won't be noticeable immediately, perhaps, but will foreshadow or initiate the series of events that carries the game on from there.

Various ideas spring readily to mind, mostly assuming that the blackouts are caused by nefarious agents to cover their own misdeeds under the appalling mass violence and general destruction going on. Don't have any causes, motives, or objectives yet.

I get my copy of Black Crusade very soon now and I might try using the first test character I roll up for that as a recurring villain/antagonist for the PC's. One that starts smallishly but grows in power and significance as they rise through the ranks.

Tzeentch cultists would work nicely. Maybe give the PC's a glimpse of a Tzeentchy daemon, just so they'll have something to be afraid of down the road. Fires work nicely for that.

Maybe I'll have the blackout be triggered by the Inquisition itself to cover a blood & fire & guts witch raid by Rykehus with the PC's dragged along before they're really ready by the zealot and thereby have opportunities to either make powerful friends or start a dire grudge with a higher authority. Always good for tabletop drama!

That option would require a Witch Hunt with opposition worthy of a four digit at least and probably more collateral body count.

Maybe, the Tyrant Star shows up in a black night sky, unnoticed by most, but a trigger for outrages of all kinds. The Star, and its influence pass only briefly through the system, but that'd give the PC's an immediate glimpse of an Ultimate Apocalyptic Threat that they may have to deal with down the road. Perhaps the Inquisition is trying to hush up the appearance as much as possible, with the apparition only being present for an hour or two during the darkest night of the year.

Less esoteric options include mutant terrorists, cultist assassins covering their tracks, an attempt to steal a Forbidden Tome under the cover of chaos and darkness. Hell, maybe just let the perfectly mundane blackout be a trigger for chaos cultists to rise up and declare, somewhat mistakenly, that the End is Nigh!

So, suggestions, NPC's, color details, anything like that would be most extremely welcome!

Perhaps together, we can fathom the secrets hidden behind the night of terror known as "The Rienholt Blackouts"! and stuff. yah.