A heresy most dark...

I've not talked about it much in this blog, although Da Masta Cheef has, I am currently running a Dark Heresy campaign and have been now for about a year. We tend to have quite a bit of explosive fun when we get together, with some of the fun for me being in putting together the mission briefs and game briefs which all heavily rely on GW imagery and content (which is why I haven't published them publicly: they are intended for player used only) however I thought the latest module I ran, although it ended well, wasn't as satisfying as the more loosely based materials I used in past games.

So, while on Scintilla playing through the 1st adventure in Purge the Unclean, I decided to inject an element from one of the more recent source books that Fantasy Flight has published, and see where it would go. I had a player whose character (Artellus) witnessed, and was subsequently blamed for, murders committed by the Spire Stalker. It was a subplot at best, however as the main mission ended we had a player leave, so I sacrificed that character to make her into the literal plot device for their new mission: To recover their comrade's missing head! Here is the Mission Brief I wrote tonight (which they haven't seen yet, but since 4/5s of my players read this blog, they ought to see it here before it ends up in their inbox). I've stripped the imagery out of it for public review.  I would reveal the angles that I'm thinking I will twist this mission with (they never go as straight forward as they're laid out, huh?) but you'll have to wait until we play through this for those thoughts... Meanwhile, enjoy:

+++++++++++++++DATE: ++++++++++++++++REF: ++++++++TRANSMITTED: +++++++++++++++++TO: +++++++++++++++FROM: ++++++++++++SUBJECT: +++++++++++LOCATION: +++++++++++++SECTOR: ++++++AUTHORIZATION: ++++++++++++THOUGHT:

865814.M41 Inq/0456885012/BI Lettuce 561 Squad Gamma, Ordo Calixis Interrogator Errasmus Davis C/O Inq.Svech Mission briefing Segmentum Obscurus Calixis Scintillian Sub, Scintilla LETUS05.61.CLA Warriors of the Emperor seek no other reward but death

Mission Statement: Recover severed head of Throne Agent Sister Isis Mentlegen and uncover the truth of the villain known as ‘the Spire Stalker’, TA Mentlegen’s proven killer, and liquidate her. Full Inquisitorial Authority is granted.

Enemy Forces: The ‘Spire Stalker’ has only been reported alone, however alliances and resources of this villain are unknown at this time. The Spire Stalker appears to use a Combat Suit that utilizes an unknown brand of Xenos Technology, and the weapons of choice have always been a pair of power blades. The Spire Stalker appears to be a human female.

Team Composition: Squad Gamma: Ruby Odessa (Psy), Artellus (Adeptus Munitorium Conscript), Ishta (Liquidations), Sverrus (Legalities & Clearance), Engineering Denizen 2009 (Service & Repair).

Mission: Conduct Investigation in Hive Sibellus on Scinitlla to determine the following:

·         A: The identity (-ies) of the ‘Spire Stalker’.

·         B: The source of suspected Xeno-tech equipment employed by ‘Spire Stalker’.

·         C: The haven or stronghold of ‘Spire Stalker’, if one exists.

·         D: Recover the Head of Throne Agent Sister Isis Mentlegen so that her name can go through the honored descripting process.

Upon successfully tracking down the Spire Stalker, eliminate it. Otherwise end the career of the Spire Stalker which has been on-going for well over one Scintillian month. The Spire Stalker has targeted high-born nobles (men and women), family dignitaries of leading merchant houses, wealthy hive-officiates, and anybody who possesses the wealth and power to qualify them to dwell in the luxury and splendor of the spire.

Note 1: Full Inquisitorial powers granted, restricted to fulfilling successful outcome of the Mission Statement. Tangent missions forbidden unless cleared first with Superiors.  Rosette distributed to each member of Gamma.

Note 2: Inquistional by-pass codes: Alpha Ultra Meridian 8.3.9., and Omega Omega Alpha 6.6.6.which should only be used for Sub-sector wide access.

Note 3: 1000 Thrones have been set aside for use in the fulfillment of this mission.

Note 4: An appointment has been arranged to meet at the offices of Lord Marshal Goreman in the Fortress of the Justice where Investigators can share their case-file with Gamma. This is recommended as the first place to start the investigation.

And that's it. This will be presented at the start of our next game, along with the latest game brief, and then the next mission will begin! As you can see, my 40K hobby isn't just about painting and playing with little toy soldiers... :)