Dark Heresy Adventure In Dark Places

In Dark Places The Emperors Light Shines This mission is designed for characters of the 3rd to 5th career rank. It is not suitable for Conservative/Hard line Puritanical style characters, unless you feel like stretching them a little role play wise. The First Act may not be suitable for Tech-Priests for reasons that become clear in scene one and two, but then again, the players may surprise you and come up with a plan that involves such characters. It is a rather simple “lead them by the nose” type mission, with little room for moving outside the confines of the locations and scenes involved, and some GM's & Players may not like this style of play. That said, it is a Role Play heavy mission, and will rely on the GM having to talk quite a lot before the players react to the situations that occur around them. It has been left rules light, but does in places have Rules specific areas which will be Italicised.

In mission in brief is as follows Act 1 The group are told to question a suspect, they're thrown in to a cell with him, they escape and hide out, all as part of the plot to gain information from him. Act 2 The group manage to convince the suspect that they're on his side, and he treats them to a couple of days of luxury before his boss turns up. The boss then offers to hire the group. Act 3 The group have to escort the suspect to the space port, and along the way they run across some trouble, meet some rather odd Tech Priests before finally finding the shuttle they have to take. Once they're up in space they get to shoot some asteroids, and then land on a strange new world. On the new world they get to shoot bugs and face something Very Nasty in some caves. Act 4 They get to go in to battle, run away from battle and get a surprise in the post that doest go Boom!

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Written by Nick Sands AKA: Velvetears

In Dark Places The Emperors Light Shines Act 1: You're nicked sunshine! Scene 1: The Brief The group are called in to a small room by one of their lords staff, significantly higher than them, Interrogator Magdalena Alterage. A pot of recaff and a plate of delicate pink wafers sit on a side table, alongside (number of players) very fine almost see through Vitrian Recaff cups. Behind a basic desk sits a grey hairs woman they've come to know as Mags. Informal almost to the point of heresy even in front of the groups lord inquisitor. She bids them sit down before pouring out the recaff and adding sweetener cubes just how they like it, and puts two of the pink wafers on to the saucers before passing them over to the characters. For a little while she'll make small talk, refilling the cups occasionally, before a bleep issues from her brocaded jacket pocket which seems to pull her sharply in to focus. “There's some thing I need you to do, just a trivial thing really. Head out to Sector House 37, and question a prisoner they have. His name's Verner Yarni. He was picked up at the space port for bad documentation. I think his paperwork was forged, and not poorly mind you. I want to know why it was forged and who he works for. I have my suspicions, which means you'll be put in the cell with him. For three days. I need you to get him to trust you so he'll tell you the information. The local Enforcers tried roughing him up a bit, but it didn't work, so now I need you to try the softly softly approach. His papers how him to be a transient scribe, selling his ability to those who wish legal documentations written up. Last testaments, shop leases and indenture papers seem to be the scope of his talents mind you. Every thing checks out but there's something that doesn't seem right.” She informs the characters to discuss amongst them as to why they're in the cell, and lets them make some sort of 'we were in a bar fight and got arrested' kind of story before telling them they'll need to leave their weapons & armour with her. Synth-Skin will still be allowed to be worn however as it's pretty much a form of clothing, and if a female character is wearing it, she can at least use the cover of a bar dancer or joy girl. Once the group has their story sorted out they'll be taken to Sector House 37...

Scene 2: Processing & Incarceration Once at Sector House 37 the group are treated like prisoners. None of the staff will listen to them, they will be put through the usual measures of retinal scanning, blood extraction, saliva swabs, thermal digital finger printing (leaving them some what sore on the finger tips for a few hours as the skin heals up) and very possibly being thrown down a flight or two of steps if they resist being taken to their cell. Players at this point may become aware that the station house is severely under populated. The usually teeming corridors are empty except for themselves and the Enforcers hustling them through the corridors. (Awareness +10 to notice this) (Any Arbites officers gain a further +20) (Any Scum gain a further +10) What the group dont know is that Sector House 37 is due to be demolished within the next week or two, and the Enforcers are really former convicts who have been hired by Magdalena to treat the group as they were treated themselves. The Enforcers are considered to be Expendable (more on that later) by Interrogator Magdalena. The group will be thrown (literally) in to a group cell, presently occupied by just one other person, an elderly man, with an obvious cybernetic left arm and a number of ports around the base of his neck. He looks tired and malnourished. His perhaps once good quality robes are tattered and frayed around the edges, blood spatters from the Enforcers questioning are still readily visible on his sleeves where he has tried to stem the bleeding nose or other cuts on his face. All of his cuts are however now sealed and scabbed over, so he's not been beaten for at least two days, though it's likely he's not been fed for those days either. He backs in to a corner, as far from the group and Enforcers as possible until the door is locked once again, then he'll return to a bunk. The cell is a very basic affair, half a dozen bunks, a latrine in one corner open for all to see, and a slit of a window, perhaps 20cm wide and 100cm long at the very juncture of the ceiling and wall. For a good couple of hours Verner will lay watching the group, and once he's sure they're not going to kill him or beat him up he'll turn over to try to get some sleep. Later in the day a lot on the bottom of the cell door opens and (number of players +1) food trays are shoved through, containing sealed cartons of grox milk, barely warm gruel and a hunk of bread. Verner will wake at the sound of the food tray sliding in to the room, and quicker than the players realise he's picked one up and is quickly devouring it. If any of the group donate their rations to him this will give a +10 to all Fellowship based checks made in trying to convince Verner that they're just prisoners as well and in trying to befriend him. How the players try to get in to his good graces is entirely their call, let them role play it for a while, rolling for Verners reaction to them through out. His Willpower versus their Fellowship. Degrees of success for the players means he'll be more amenable to them, conversely more Degrees of success for Verner means he becomes suspicious or withdrawn. Notes: Information the party can learn at this point from him He's not been fed for four days. (He's very hungry) He was arrested over a week ago. He was arrested for forging docking papers for the captain of a ship that's now left the planet. Each night except for last night the Enforcers would come in to pound on him and once in a while they might even ask him a question. (He's still very tired, another night of sleep will help with this) He just wants out, he's even prepared to tell the Enforcers some kind of secret that he's sure will get him released, but he thinks that most of them are corrupt “They all look like criminals and thugs..” and his secret will only get him injured worse or even killed. He misses eating char grilled poultry, lemon beans and roasted tubers (a local dish). He came to the planet to look through some archives so he can pursue his hobby of Archaeology. After a night in the cells, with the group there as well as himself Verner will start to relax a little, especially with the food he's now eaten. Food trays are again pushed under the door around 1100hrs.

The party gain a +5 to all Fellowship based rolls in talking to him as he's now more rested. The party gain a Further +10 to all Fellowship based rolls if they again give over one of their rations for the day to him. At around 1300hrs one of the group will be dragged out by an Enforcer and taken to Questioning Room 101. Inside sits Interrogator Magdalena who asks for a brief update on what, if anything they have learned so far. Once the character has given any information read the following “Ok, sounds like you're making better headway than the meat heads that run this place. Tomorrow night be prepared. Five minutes after your food tray is pushed in through the door the wall opposite the door will be removed. It'll be loud, so use some of the bread to stuff your ears, soak it in the milk, that should give some dampening and stop your ear drums rupturing. You need to make your way to a safe house, it's on level 29, hab unit designation 41-29-5. Knock six times on the neighbours door, don't use the intervox, tell them you need some recaff, they'll give you the key to the hab unit. It's been prepared, all your gear will be waiting there for you. It has a few covert voxbeads and pictographs to pick up any more information you may get. It's imperative that you get Verner to go with you. I think he's holding out on something. You need to get him to trust you, save his life tomorrow night, or get him so scared he wont want to leave you on his own. The safe house will only be good for a few days. Get as much info from him as possible, but dont harm him. He's been resilient to the goons here, and I doubt a few more bruises or cracked knuckles will really bother him that much. Just one more thing..” Magdalena steps over to the character and swiftly punches them on the cheek (no damage, just a nice bruise to show for it) and calls for an Enforcer to take you back to the cell, who quite happily twists your arm in ways you never though possibly to get you back to the cell. The player can make another Awareness check, if they failed the prior check, to realise how empty the Sector House is again as they walk back to the cell. (Awareness +10 to notice this) (Any Arbites officers gain a further +20) (Any Scum gain a further +10) The players will have chance again to get more info out of Verner, though this time he will talk about how much he misses his sisters and feels a fool for becoming a travelling scribe with a penchant for ruins and dark caves. The remainder of the day passes uneventfully, food is put through the door at 1900hrs. Verner will fall asleep quite soundly, giving the players a chance to talk in the small hours of the morning and discuss the next evening. Come morning the same routine follows again, this time however Verner is taken out, and comes back four hours later, he cradles his ribs, and wheezes in pain if he breathes to hard. Characters may attempt First Aid checks -20 to put him at ease and gain some more trust from him. If the players let on that they have a way out, that “some friends” will be coming for them, Verner becomes worried. He doesnt want to be left alone, but he doesnt fully trust the characters. After his beating he's more than willing to come with the characters however, though he has no intention on staying with them.

Scene 3: Boom!

At 1900hrs the food is shoved through the door, again it's grox milk, gruel & bread. Precisely five minutes later the back wall of the cell explodes. When the explosion happens have the group make a Toughness -10 check (or +10 if they followed Mags advise and put stuff in their ears) or be stunned for D5+1 rounds. Some one the group don't recognize pokes their head through the dust and tells them to get out quick as possible before the enforcers retaliate. Once out of the cell the group will have 1 round before 6 enforcers come from various directions (round the corner and through the damaged cell itself) and start shooting at the players, though they are under instructions to wing & not seriously injure anyone, especially Verner. They do however shoot at the 4 gangers who break the characters out. One of the gangers will give the characters auto pistols to shoot back with (clip only has 10 shots each, no extra ammo). Verner will take a pistol and always fire full auto at the closest Enforcer. Each round one of the gangers is killed, and every 2 rounds the gangers kill an enforcer. If the group (not including the gangers but including Verner) manage to kill one of the Enforcers, then they (the Enforcers) will start shooting to kill. After 6 rounds an Enforcer will come out with a Web Pistol, unless the group is long escaped by this point. Every three rounds after this another Enforcer will come out. Enforcers x6 (+?) WS 31 BS 32 S 41 T 47 A 23 I 24 P 27 W 31 F 29

Flak Vest: Body 3 only Wounds: 10 Baton: d10 -1 I (Just a normal truncheon, not a Shock Baton) Las Pistol: D10 +2 E Red Dot Sight 30 shots 1 reload

Once the group has escaped, either by removing all the Enforcers or by running, they eventually make it to their designated Safe House, with Verner in tow. At this point Verner thanks them for getting him out and will want to leave. The group must convince him that its too soon, that they need to lay low for a little while, he's connected to them now and that might show up in the broadcasts. He'll grudgingly agree (feel free to make them roll for this however), and will stay until the coast is clear. The group will have a couple of days to get more info from him, as well as build his trust up by doing little favours, such as cooking his favourite meal (what was it again?) or telling him about their exploits as 'criminals', which by now he clearly thinks they are. Once in a while, when he thinks they're not looking he will give them appraising looks, he's sizing them up for some reason or another. (Awareness -10 to notice this) After a few days the televox in the main room buzzes, and on the other end, with a very bad accent is Magdalena. “Oi oi, just so you know, tonight's the last safe night there. Enforcers will be there by lunchtime tomorrow to kill you. You need to be out of there by then, dont go tonight, they've got you under surveillance.” With a successful Fast Talk check they character can wrangle the fact that the Enforcers were actually Prisoners given freedom, to treat the group like grox muck, but the situation got out of hand. Some of the False Enforcers managed to get word to old colleagues and tracked the group down and now word is on the grapevine that there's some retribution coming. Scene 4: Cometh the Retribution of the Enforcers

The group has the rest of the night to decide what to do. Do they stay and fight? Mags will provide no help or back up what so ever as it'll blow their cover. Do they flee right away? Where will they go? After some panic and worry, Verner will pipe up that he might be able to help out at this point. He's not with out his own resources, and he feels obliged to pay the group back for saving him. If they will just allow him access to the televox he can call a friend who can give them somewhere to doss down for a few nights and he might even be able to provide the group some further work if they're interested. He will at this point call a number and say “Vangelis, Yarni. To long. Roof for (number of character + himself). Gratitude.” then turn to the players and say his boss has assigned him a location for their future safety. During the night if the characters contact Mags and inform her that they've got contact with Verners Boss, she'll advise them to go with him, it could be just the lead she was hoping for and congratulate them on their work so far. If they choose to flee right away, let them make it to the lifts, where three False Enforcers are waiting on what ever floor the players choose to get off at. A gunfight will start straight away. False Enforcers x3 WS 34 BS 34 S 37 T 42 A 27 I 24 P 27 W 30 F 31

Flak Vest: Body 3 only Wounds: 11 Knife: D5 R Stub Pistol: D10 +3 I

Mono Edge Silencer

6 shots 2 reloads

If the group choose to wait for the False Enforcers Raid they will be confronted by 8 Enforcers initially, with 1 more arriving every 2 rounds, the group may well get swamped before they realise it. The False Enforcers will go out of their way to kill the group, starting with Verner. If the group choose to wait until the morning there will only be 1 False Enforcer at the lifts, the rest are all off getting ready for the raid. Verner will lead them via the Trams, Maglevs, Moving Walkways, Sewers and main boulevards to what he declares to be a Safe House provided by his boss, Dakota Vangelis. If Verner is killed at any point the mission will be considered a failure, and the group will be recalled by Mags and chewed out for failing at such a simple task. If they're lucky they'll be killed, if they're unlucky then Mags will have them sent for Servitorization. If they're Really Lucky then they'll be given basic jobs, and will have to prove themselves all over again.

Act 2: When is a Sinner not a Sinner?

Scene 1: And relax... The Safe House is in fact one of the better hotels in the upper tiers of the sprawl of the city, something the players may not have come across before. Verner gets the group past the front desk and copious security with little more than “Dakota Vangelis is expecting us. Suite 59” and a wave of his hand. His whole demeanour seems to have changed, he now is more self assured, and quite happy to give commands to those who he sees as lesser beings than himself (which at times may include the group, especially any Scum characters). Once in Suite 59, on the 10th floor, the group find that there is a luxurious room for each of them, silk sheets, real feather pillows and even a minty chocolate on the night stand beside their king size beds. Verner will inform the group that his Boss will be by tomorrow at some point, and until then they can make full use of the facilities, he'll even provide fresh clothing for them, calling for a Tailor to be sent to the room (the clothing will be ready in d5+1 hours). This clothing is of Fine Quality. He even mentions that if they require Evening Companions then yes that too will be provided for them, as well as any narcotics they may have a taste for. Through out all of this he will be judging them, if they go for flamboyant clothing & excessive narcotics & companions then he may suspect them of being hedonist or even worshippers of the Pleasure Gods. If he does begin to suspect this then he'll question them slightly, he might even allude to the fact that his own tastes are 'diverse & many' in an effort to lure them out to saying they worship Slaanesh, which should provide plenty of fun as he himself hates demons and the forces of chaos (which will become even more clear later) though he's happy to pretend if only to catch the group out. This could become a very dangerous game of “who admits to being a heretic first” and will lead to all manner of misunderstandings and complications later down the line no doubt. For the remainder of the day Verner contents himself with a data slate, come the evening he settles for a glass of good off world wine and a dinner bought up by cart (again his favourite dish of char grilled poultry, lemon beans and roast tubers). If the group join him for dinner they get a chance to find out more information. For one, he really cannot hold his drink, after three glasses of wine he is rather inebriated, and will virtually volunteer information. Use the following as a guide to what he's likely to say if questioned Fellowship check 0+ degrees of success. He's not just a travelling scribe, but an Archivist of sorts. He really is a keen archaeologist, and his mentor Dakota Vangelis is teaching him so very much. He has a bit of a soft spot for Vangelis, even though she only ever sees parts of him. “It's like only my arm or plugs exist to her..” Dakota Vangelis works for a much larger organisation, but he's not sure what it really is, it just means moving from planet to planet every few years once the dig sites are cleaned out. Fellowship check 2+ degrees of success. Mutants are Ok by him, some of them are merely mutated due to ecological reasons, radiation, chemicals, inbreeding and so forth. He's looking forward to introducing the group to Dakota, he thinks they have promise (though he doesn't elaborate on how or why) Fellowship 4+ degrees of success. He thinks the Inquisition are on to him but he's glad he got away from them. At present he's working on some Xeno translations from a site he's going to be travelling to in a few days time hopefully. After dinner he excuses himself and goes to his chambers to sleep. The following morning when he eventually comes out of his rooms he's looking rather the worse for wear and apologises for anything he may have said last night if it sounded a bit “wrong or you know, heretical” and tries to assure the characters it was just the wine talking.

The rest of the day passes quickly, and the group have full access to the hotels facilities. Come the evening Verner orders a simple poultry soup but again allows the party to order what ever they wish from the hotels menu. Verner settles down for an early night stating that he wants to be at his best when Dakota arrives tomorrow, though he does not know what time she will be arriving.

Scene 2: Knock Knock At around 0430hrs there is a rapping at the suites door.

Light sleepers awaken immediately. Anyone with the Paranoia talent may make a Willpower -10 check to awaken immediately as well. Everyone else may make a Willpower -30 check to awaken. Verner eventually comes out of his chambers dressed in a fine silk robe and fluffy slippers. If any of the characters are awake he informs them that the knocking pattern is a code, telling him that his boss is outside and that she has some others with her and that they should not be worried. If the group goes near to the door before Verner comes out of his chamber they may spot the knocking is a code.. Perception -5 to realise its a code of some sort, the knocking repeats itself every so often and can be predicted. If none of the group are awake, Verner will come in to their chambers and wake them himself telling them to get dressed as Dakota and some friends are waiting in the main room of the suite. At 0445hrs Verner will let in Dakota and her companions. Three people walk in, the first is a large barrel chested man, standing easily seven foot tall, a voluminous red beard is the only hair on his head. Over one shoulder the group can see the haft of a hammer, nestled in his arms is an autogun, and a strange looking pistol sits on one hip, (Common Lore: War -5) or (Common Lore: Tech ) to realise that the weapon is in fact a plasma pistol of some design. Anyone who looks at his hammer will see that it has a metal haft and a strange black stone head with intricate circuitry embedded in the stone, (Common Lore: Tech -20) It's some kind of Powermaul or possibly a Thunderhammer. It bears no sigils of the Omnimessiah nor the God-Emperor. It could be Xenos in origin. He wears partial Carapace armour, but no helmet or vambraces or gauntlets. He looks around the room, glances at each of the characters and then at Verner tutting at the facial wounds he's sustained over the last few days. The second person to walk in has a noticeable limp, is swathed from head to toe in rust coloured robes with a black and yellow chequer trim. The third person to enter stands almost as tall as the first, or at least he would if he wasn't hunched over. They're swathed in the rust coloured robes much like the other person, however he is strangely broad shouldered, almost 4ft wide across at the shoulders, and his robes seem to hang oddly where his arms would be under them. His gait could be described as lumbering, and he has a definite whine and grind every time he moves. Verner kneels before the person with the yellow and black trimmed robes murmuring under his breath “May the Omnimessiah bless us, May the Lord Emperor bless us” The person replies in a striking light voice, quite obviously female “Blessings be upon us all from the Manifold Design. Tee Jay Omega Delta, watch the doorway. Enoch, see if they still have some of that honey wine I enjoyed last time I was here if you will” The lumbering person turns to the doors, their robes fall down to reveal a twisted and scarred servitor, one arm replaced by a pair of Autoguns, the other arm replaced by a nasty looking pincer. The man with the odd pistol nods and lopes off to the mini bar to fetch a drink for Dakota Vangelis. The heavily swathed figure turns to observe the group whilst stands and hands her a data slate, which is swiftly swallowed in to the robes. “Mistress Tech-Seer, may I introduce to you the brave souls who rescued your humble servant from the clutches of the Enforcers..” Verner will take time to introduce the characters to Dakota before telling the tale of how they rescued him, once in a while puffing up his own efforts to look good in her eyes. During this Enoch returns with a slender glass of liquor and hands it to her. She seems to shimmer for a moment, and then her robes are gone, seemingly folding in on themselves in to a smaller cape. She is strikingly beautiful, her skin is almost perfectly white, mottled with lizard like markings. Hair hair is waist length and not hair at all but a fine collection of multi-coloured wires, braided, twisted and flowing as if they almost have a life of their own.

Her eyes have been replaced with what looks like glittering emeralds, traces of circuitry mar the flesh around the eyes, though it looks to have been concealed by subtle make-up. Her body is clad in little more than a red synth-skin body suit, though it does have a number of ports and plugs dotted about it. Anyone who gets to look under her cape somehow sees 2 large connective ports with a trail of smaller connective ports radiating out from it over most of her back. In one hand she is holding the data slate Verner gave to her, a number of wires spooling out from her wrist connected to it. She clearly is not your usual Tech Priest.. She takes the glass proffered by Enoch and motions the everyone over to the couches by an ornate (albeit redundant) fireplace. Enoch stands just behind and to one side of her, able to keep everyone in sight. Verner takes a seat and motions for the characters to sit down as well. She will take some time asking questions of the group, who they are, what they've done to distinguish themselves in the past, if they have any family, how many times they've been arrested in the past and what for, if they have any particular ties to the planet, what their views on mutants and xenos are and what they're doing for the next three weeks of their lives, if they'd care to earn some easy credits acting as guards on a location she's presently working on. If they decline to work for her she will thank them for bringing her employee and give them 100 thrones before bidding them good bye. If they accept she smiles broadly, revealing metal teeth, each inscribed with the symbol of the Cog Skull of the Adeptus Mechanicus. “You already know Verner Yarni, the gentleman behind me is Enoch Strauss, my personal indentured slave guard and the thing over by the door acknowledges the identification Tee Jay Omega Delta, don't ask it to open jars of recaf, it seems to get annoyed at that and will likely rip of one of your arms in response. Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to talk to Verner for a little while in private” She allows Verner to offer her his arm (the cybernetic one you note) and lead her through to his chambers where the door seals with a dull thump. Once they are gone Enoch steps forward. “The work you'll be doing is hard and dusty, you'll be glad to be on guard rota, it's the easiest part of it but that will be just a part of your shifts. You will report to me or Verner, you will not approach Mistress Vangelis directly unless she orders you to. You'll be paid fifty thrones per week, half that for all transit times, all payment will be upon returning to this planet or elsewhere if we set down on a habitable and hospitable landmass. Any questions?” Sadly Enoch doesn't give out a lot of info other than: The pay is non negotiable It's Dusty. It can be Dark in places. You may see things you regret seeing, you will be compensated for this. You may meet things your natural instinct is to blast away, do not do this unless I or Mistress Vangelis command it. Transit to the location will be five days standard, three weeks in the aether and then three days standard. Give or Take. He's worked for Dakota for 17 years so far, he has three years left on his contract, he will likely go for another 10 year contract of Indenturement. After three hours Verner and the Dakota come out of his chambers. Once more she is fully robed, covered from head to toe in the rusty colour of her order. “Verner, bring them to Docking arm 72 Delta, 1800hrs tonight. This will give them plenty of time gather any personal effects and be back here to meet you.” With that she turns and walks over to the servitor, pulling the robes back on to it, she waits for Enoch to open the door and the three of them leave the room, with Verner locking up after them. “Well, it looks like you made a good impression on her. I'm authorised to give you 50 thrones now as a way of keeping you interested. As she said, go get what ever items you might need from where ever you have things stored, and be back here for 1500hrs, that'll give us enough time to get to the space port.

Scene 3: Contact Neither Verner nor any of the others will follow them when they go out, leaving them time to go get their gear, if any,

and contact Interrogator Magdalena. Magdalena will listen to everything they say, ask them to repeat one or two bits, especially the transit times, and then tells them to basically keep the cover they've built for themselves. “Go back to that hab unit you used as a safe house, don't worry about the Enforcers, they've all been dealt with. You'll find the rest of your gear there. Pick it up then get right back to Verner Yarni. I knew he was hiding something. It looks like he's on the inside of a Xenos artefact trafficking circle. Get more info on them, it's not our Lord Inquisitors normal thing, but this could be the tip of an iceberg we'd be fools to ignore. Do what ever they ask of you, no matter how distasteful, just remember His Light shines even in the darkest of places!”

Act 3: Where the Sun shines not. Scene 1: A pleasant evening in the Space Port

The characters meet Verner back at the hotel and come 1500hrs he leads downstairs to the lobby, he looks around a few times then heads off in a seemingly random direction, he carries no bag, stating if asked that it went earlier along with the few other possessions of his. He leads the group to a maglev transit station and boards one bound for the space port, ensuring everyone is comfortable in 1st class. The maglev journey will only take half hour, and Verner uses this time, if able to get a bit of a snooze. Once the group arrive at the space port Verner checks his chainchrono and comments on the fact there is plenty of time, a good three quarters of an hour yet before the deadline for meeting Mistress Dakota. He shows the groups passes to a security patrol and they direct him, and the group, to where Docking Arm 72 is located. He heads off at quite a pace, despite the fact he said there was plenty of time. After some five or ten minutes of travel through the space port (It's almost all humans, with the odd one or three ogryns and ratlings dotted around) Verner becomes a bit edgy. At a less than savoury looking food stall Verner whispers to the party “I think we're being followed. I've seen some one I recognise a couple of times now. He was one of the officers who arrested me when I was last here.” He gives a description of a male, in his late 40's, thinning black curly hair and a large hook nose. He's with two other men, all three of them are dressed as manual labourers, in grey and blue overalls, the local dock hands uniform. “You've got to get rid of them, i'll meet you at the small Omnimessiah complex near the centre of the docks. I'll slip round the back of this stall whilst you lead them off some where, an alley or something. Just get rid of them, this is what you're paid to do don't forget!” With that he darts off, leaving the players to deal with the three men. It'll take a Search -10 to locate the men described by Verner. There are plenty of alleys that the group could lure the three men in to where they won't be discovered for a little while, and there is plenty of background noise to cover up the sound of combat. However, when the group lead the men down the alley they seem reluctant to attack. They will only attack if the players shoot first. One will charge in with a spanner, two others will stay back and shoot with las pistols. If the group says who they're Really working for the Enforcers will verify it. They're Real enforcers, they were used by Interrogator Magdalena to arrest Verner and take him to a defunct station house where he was going to be questioned by the inquisition, they couldn't refuse. They let the group pass, and stop tailing them and Verner. If the group attempt to run and lose the three men in the maze of of space port allow them a number of Stealth or Acrobatics checks to evade them. Approximately three successive (and successful) checks will lose the enforcers in the Docks, then the group just have to find their way to the small Omnimessiah complex.

Scene 2: Praise the Cog! It doesn't take the characters to long to find the “Small Complex”. It's one of the largest buildings in the space port, statues five stories tall line the walls, each one some robed figure with

numerous augmetics and cybernetic replacement parts on display or outstretched to the sky. Smoggy incense belches from grills and grates, servitors move with little grace from one place to another, Novices in red trimmed white robes stand around debating on the merits of various surgical techniques or whether Gruss was Saint and should be recognized by the Ecclesiarchy or whether They should bow to the obvious might of Mars. This is a chance to make the characters very uncomfortable with all the weird augmetics on display, as well as the sheer alienist POV when compared to the rest of the Imperium. Thankfully after ten minutes of searching they manage to locate Verner, who's drawing a rock formation at the base of one of the statues on his data slate. He asks about the Enforcers and once he is satisfied of the answer he leads the group out of the complex and off to Docking Arm 72.

Scene 3: Up Up & Away! Docking Arm 72 is little more than a shuttle landing pad high above ground level, where upon sits the shuttle Maxima Fidellis, small very standard lifter, room for 10 passengers, a lower small cargo hold and more in the main hold behind

the pilot & passengers. Enoch & an a couple of servitors are just finishing the last of the loading when the group arrive, Verner confirms that Dakota has already gone up the the main vessel, the Schadstuv, and is awaiting them all above. Once the group are on board they are introduced to Jakob, the pilot, who tells them to strap in whilst the servitors are docked in to their clamps, which Enoch & Verner check, before executing the take off procedure, hovering to the edge of the platform before tipping over the edge, and diving towards the ground (Willpower checks -10 to prevent the characters from screaming in fear as other shuttles pads speed past, and the ground is rushing towards them). Verner grips the arms of his chair, and Enoch punches Jakobs shoulder telling him to knock off trying to scare the sense out of the new staff. Jakob lets out a laugh and yanks the flight control back, causing the shuttle to all but flip 180 and dart skywards. The flight takes around twenty minutes to reach the upper atmosphere, before there's a noticeable change in engine pitch as the engines change over to another mode of flight. The remainder of the flight takes a further ten minutes before the Schadstuv comes in to view. The vessel is remarkably small for a warp capable vehicle, indeed it's not a recognizable Imperial Naval Pattern. Scholastic Lore: History or Trade: Wright -20 to recognize the very old pattern of the craft, an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Craft, none have been made within the last three thousand years, each one is a gift to a member of the Machine Cult who leaves to explore realms beyond the Imperium however when a member receives one, they take on the understanding that their spirit will fuse with the machine spirit, and in the even of their physical death the ship will be guided by the duel souls of the Machine spirit and those members of the Ad-Mech who have served as Captain of the vehicle. Once the shuttle has docked and the bay doors sealed the servitors will automatically start unloading the few crates from the hold in to the docking bay, where other servitors take them further in to the ship and store them out of the groups sight. Once Jakob has finished the post flight checks he allows the passengers to unbuckle and get out of their seats, by this time the servitors will have finished unloading and will have vanished, leaving the cargo/shuttle bay empty. Within a couple of minutes however Dakota sends a message via ship wide vox. “Enoch, attend Sergio. Verner, take our guests to the mess room, I will be by in a short while. Jakob, come to the bridge and resume your station here.” Enoch seems less than pleased at having to attend to whoever Sergio is, and if questioned will say he's the Navigator and will then storm off through the ship to Sergios quarters.

Scene 4: Who knew space was so dangerous? Once Verner has settled the group in the mess hall, which seems mostly filled with crates and cargo and not much in the way of room for the benches and table that fit next to the small galley, Dakota comes in and gets a mug of recaff.

Again, she appears in the short cloaked version of her appearance, this time however on her back are two large augmetic arms, and a servo skull floats just at her hip, linked to her via a series of tubes, pumping putrid looking yellow liquid in and out of her. The upper half of her face is obscured by a series of lenses and tools that to the players make no sense. (any other Tech Priest characters will know it as a fine quality augmetic auger and visual enhancer) “Time I think to be straight with you. Not that I haven't so far. My name is not Dakota Vangelis, it is in fact Trauma Jericus. I'm a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and not as appearances may have first indicated a Heretek. I am a loyal servant of the Omnimessiah. I have been tasked by my Lords to investigate a number of ruins for possible Xenos infestation. There were worlds once part of the Imperium that simply vanished off of the charts for hundreds of years at a time, some were gone for as long as 7 thousand years. I have been given remit to do as I will, however I have at times been branded a Heretic, a Heretek, by some foolish natives as a Witch and even in once case as a Goddess, which was perhaps even more foolish but flattering. You are now in my employ for a more than generous amount, and you will speak of this to no one. You will be allotted quarters on this vessel and you will have access to all areas bar a couple, other crews quarters unless invited, the bridge unless I am there and the sacred annex of the engine so as to not disturb the mighty workings of the machine spirits there in. Also, if you see a blue light on the locks, you will not be permitted entry and should with all haste return to your quarters as it means our Navigator, Sergio, is walking the halls. If you have any questions, them i'm afraid it's to late to ask. Do as you're told for the next few weeks, get paid and we'll see what happens after that. Verner will give you a tour of the Schadstuv and show you to your quarters. When we land you will perform your duties as do all others here or you will be left behind.” She downs her recaff in one, causing the servo skull to have a mini fit as it starts pumping the stimulant out of her system, and then stands. “One piece of advice, when we go in to the Aether, I strongly recommend you drop three of the blue pills, they'll help you sleep for most of the journey, your bodies will be attended to by a servitor. If you choose to remain awake then so be it.” With that she leaves the cramped mess hall, and returns to the bridge where she confers with Jakob about flight routes, possible dangers en route and arrival times. Verner will show the group to cabins, some characters will have to share however as there is limited room on the craft. Once the group are settled in a reminder comes over the vox sytem that flight time is now predicted at four days standard to transition point, three weeks two days in the Aether and then three days post Aether transition to their location, planet Nil Omega Septeni. Refs should adlib what happens during flight, as some players may wish to take the sleeping pills, others will want to be awake and explore the craft. If the group do take the sleepers then have them play Servitors having to shoot asteroids before they impact on the ship. BS 52, firing Quad Las Cannons, with the asteroids taking d10 +3 rounds before they impact and having 100-300 wounds each. What effect the impacting asteroids have is down to the ref to adjudicate, however the vessel will have Voidsheilds and be able to take a great deal of damage.

Scene 5: Touchdown Once the Schadstuv's journey is complete the group is called to the bridge, where they get a chance to see the planet. A black & dusty looking landscape, rivers of lava flow openly where parts of the crust has been ripped open by some

unseen force. Trauma confirms that the area where they will be working is safe, if a little hot and dusty, and that they should go pack anything they wish to take with them to the surface. If the group begs the need for more ammo she tells them that it will be made available at the time they require it and not before. The flight down to the planet is handled by Trauma herself, who first takes Enoch and a full compliment of servitors to erect habs and a laboratory to examine any finds made. She returns after three hours to load the players and some more equipment, including crates of food and water. The flight down to the planet is remarkably swift, she's a more than adept pilot but she lacks the showmanship that Jakob expressed in his flying. Within ten minutes they are touching down with little to no nausea from the rapid descent. The air on the planet is thin but breathable, any characters not equipped with respirators will suffer -5 to all attributes after two hours on the planet, if they start using respirators in this time however then the modifier is negated. They find the landing site is set on the edge of a vast crater, some twenty or more miles wide and hundreds of meters deep. The ground is made of blackened sand & fine dust particles, they sky has a permanent grey tone, and there is a gently breeze that carries with it a sickly dry heat that brings about almost immediately a sheen of sweat to their exposed skin. There are a couple of Hab tents and a slightly larger unit set up, presumably a Laboratory. Enoch calls the group in to one of the Hab tents and passes them a water bottle to was their mouths out with, to get rid of the grit and dust. He's already virtually grey from the dust, however he doesn't seem to be sweating, and mentions that the sand acts as a natural barrier better than any chemical ointment against the heat. He talks with them about guard duty rota, Two people per guard duty, four hour shift of guard duty, four hours crate shifting, then four hours of guard duty again then the next 12 hours are their own. The characters will be sharing a Hab with Verner, whilst Enoch, Trauma and the servitors will be using the other Hab tent. 2 characters will do guard duty whilst another 2 (or more) will be doing manual labour, and at each change of guard duty they swap over. The Guard duty will include walking round the camp and at the dig site entrance. How the group arranges themselves for the first shift is up to them. Every hour of the guard duty there is a 20% chance that the group will be attacked by Lava Bugs (xD5+1) After the third batch of attacks Trauma demands the group capture a bug for her to examine. The manual labour involves carrying crates from the cave entrance to the Laboratory tent or to the Shuttle when ever it touches down to collect the cargo. During this point there is a 50% per character of D5+2 lava bugs attacking the characters. The constant toil of Guard Duty & Manual labour continues for 5 days before Trauma declares they have enough for now and that she needs to return to the shuttle. She orders the Servitors to load up the shuttle so that she can take it back up to the main craft. After a while it becomes apparent that one of the servitors has not returned from the dig site. Trauma orders the group to go investigate its disappearance and bring back the crate it was meant to be hauling out. She orders one of the other servitors to go with the group (2 lifting clamps in place of arms & a spotlight mounted on one shoulder to provide light for the group). The Servitor will follow very basic orders from the group, unless there is Tech-Priest in the party who can command it to do more complicated things.

Trauma tells Verner to go up with the shuttle, Enoch will be needed to guard the camp from those pesky Lava Bugs whilst Trauma herself stays in the Laboratory tent running the last few tests and packing up some of the equipment.

Scene 6: Down in Dark Places Servitor Tee Jay Omega Pi leads the way in to the main corridor of the dig site, however at each junction the servitor will stop and wait for instructions.

At every junction the characters will need to make a Tech Use -10 to confirm which direction they want the servitor to go, failure means he will (if possible) continue in the direction he was already walking. The floor is every once in a while littered with the remains of lava bugs, showing that even Trauma, Verner and the servitors had some difficulties with the critters as well, much like during the guard duties the characters had to perform. Within thirty meters of entering the tunnel there is not enough light to see by and TJOP will start his lamp up, giving Good vision up to 15 meters, Poor vision up to 30 meters and Very Poor vision over 30 meters. Beyond 50 meters is virtually impossible to see with out cybernetic eyes or some form of imaging goggles/helmet. The walls are smooth but not perfectly so, with a number of blackened patches of stone. The tunnels are all 2 meters wide and 3 meters high, the floor is flat, with the occasional solid lump of molten stone where other corridors converge on the main one. Trade: Mining +10 will reveal that plasma torches were used in the construction of the caves. The corridors are all set at a downward angle of 30 degrees, except where noted, all rooms are considered level and are not at the 30 degree angle. There are no light sources in the caves, Trauma uses augmetic vision, Enoch & Verner use goggles or torches to see with, and the servitors all are equipped with augmetic vision units (granting the Dark Sight ability). The group will be attacked at random points by Lava Bugs whilst in the complex D5+(number of members in group), this is a great way to ramp up some tension, they could hear a noise down the corridor only to find a swarm of the bugs charging them or find nothing at all.. Lava Bugs WS – BS 37 S 13 T 15 A 36 I 10 P 20 W 15 F –

Natural Armour: 1 Wounds: 10 Acid Spit D10 +1 F Pen 2 5 Meter range Traits: Scrawny (-10 to hit), Dark Sight, Burrower When a Lava Bug attacks it does so by spitting a combination of acids which are thick & red and feel burning hot to the touch (how they got their name). Lava Bugs look like a dog sized beetle, with red & black markings on its chitinous shell.

Notable locations 1: Primary Storage Area There are obvious signs of crates being stored in this room, indeed a number of flat packed crates stand ready off to one side, however, other than the unused crates there is nothing more than servitor tracks and more crushed remains of lava bugs. 2: Underground Laboratory Trauma has used this large chamber as a more secure for of laboratory. Judging from the equipment down here she has been to this planet a number of times before. This is the only room in the caverns that contains any form of additional lighting, which flickers on when the characters enter the room (providing Poor vision through out). 3: Strange Pillars 1 This room has a palpable sense of foreboding through out it. Set 10 meters apart from each other are a series of perfectly square pillars that stretch from floor to ceiling. They are perfectly smooth and appear to have a semi metallic sheen to them when any light sources are shone on them. Each one is two meters to a side, and at least three meters tall. They look to be of a similar material to the rest of the cavern complex, but if a character digs at the base of them, they find they go down further and further (another 5 or more meters), the same is true if the characters dig upwards. Perception -20 will show that there are no Lava Bug remains in this room. 4: Strange Pillars 2 This room is almost identical to the other, with the exception that some of the pillars are rectangular, 2 meters on one

side and 4 meters on another. Perception -30 will reveal micro fine etchings on the stone, they look circular and rectilinear in shape on all of the pillars in this room. Perception (-20 if the characters did not notice in the prior chamber) (automatic success if they passed in the last chamber) will reveal there are no Lava Bug remains in this room. 5: Divergence Point Splitting off from this level chamber are several other tunnels. The floor is again littered with the Lava Bugs remains, though many are crushed or pushed to the walls. 6: Tunnel With a Survival check the character will realise that this corridor would join up to the second pillar room if it was continued. 7: Tunnel This tunnel leads no where. Awareness +10 will show that the rear wall on this tunnel is moderately colder than the rest of the walls by a couple of degrees. 8: Tunnel This corridor appears to be empty but does lead in to location 9. 9: Tunnel Three meters down this corridor facing the characters is the form of the servitor they were sent to locate. There are remains of a storage crate shattered at its feet, and a small pile of the local sand, no doubt used as packaging for what ever the crate would contain. The servitors arms appear to have been severed at the elbows, and lay some few meters further down the corridor. The cuts are almost perfectly smooth, marred only by tissue movement which has occurred after the wound was inflicted. All of the skin is missing from the servitor, and blood has congealed over some of its electronic components causing them to short out. A successful Tech Use skill check will bring the servitor back on-line. It can still move, but does not have any light sources to aid the characters. A successful Tech Use -10 will allow the characters to access its visual memory data bank and down load it on to a data slate to see what it has recently seen. Read out the following if they manage to download the visual memory data. “The corridors move from side to as the servitor walks forward, it leans down and picks up a large crate in its clamp like arms, then straightens up. It turns and walks back down the corridor, turning the corner before it stops for a moment. A number of error messages flash up on the screen, you realise that its internal messages from the servitor. Its vision focuses in and out and readjusts along a number of spectrum's for a moment before it starts to walk again. A shadow moves in front of the servitor and the error messages flash up again. Once more its vision focuses in and out and then it settles on the shadow that moved. Whilst you can make out it's certainly humanoid, you note that it is hunched over. It suddenly lunches forward a series of error messages messages flare up on the screen. The servitor takes a step back and then the screen is covered in a red tone, likely blood covering its optical components. You see the odd gush or splash of blood strike the wall and then the screen goes black as the servitor shuts down due to damage.” The shadow is very hard to make out, nothing certain other than it is some form of hunched humanoid is really discernible from the footage. The footage lasts for just over 2 minutes. 10: Tunnel Something down this corridor catches a players notice (Awareness check), something glinting in the darkness, about 30 meters down the corridor. If they head down there the thing that glints vanishes, however scuttling can be heard from further down the corridor. As they head closer to the end of the corridor something darts past them (Awareness-20) and the servitor with the lamp is struck by something, causing the light to be shattered.

There is a sound something akin to a butchers block being struck and a strange sucking noise. Anyone within 20 meters of the servitor will see its skin being pulled off of it from behind (providing they have a light to see by that is) in a half dozen lumps, leaving its exposed musculature to bleed out over the electronics, causing them to short out in d5+2 rounds. Once it has removed the skin from the Servitor (2 rounds) it will chop off its arms at the elbows. If the characters open fire on it before then the thing will turn and flee. Slasher in the Darkness WS 57 Natural Armour: 4 all over (Not Primitive) (armour from Machine Trait) BS – S 48 Wounds: 20 T 38 A 48 Razor Claws: D10 R Pen 1 I 35 P 35 Traits: Dark Sight, Brutal Charge, Unnatural Speed, Machine 4, Regeneration W 55 F – 11: Tunnel This tunnel leads no where, however with a Survival check the character will realise that it could connect to location 12. 12: Tunnel This tunnel leads no where, however with a Survival check the character will realise that it could connect to location 11. The Slasher will move to another part of the corridors and will try to pick off anyone it perceives as weak (usually the slowest member of the group). This will give you a chance to have a series of running encounters with the creature. Each time they encounter it again it will have healed D5+1 points of damage. If they manage to corner it they do have a chance to destroy it, however when they do destroy it it will explode, after 2 rounds, in a flash of sickly green light causing D10 +3 Energy damage on anyone within 3 meters of it. When they do this they will however cause a lot of lava bugs to notice the disturbance in the cavern complex and they will encounter them more frequently as they move around the tunnels. Double the number of bugs the party normally encounter (D5 x2 + number of characters) The group should have a chance to survive, regardless of whether they corner and kill the Slasher or now, it will harass them all the way to within 30 meters of the entrance to the dig site.

Act 4: The cold light of day Scene 1: A Light at the end of the Tunnel As soon as the characters are more then 60 meters out of the tunnel a couple of Slashers appear at the mouth of the tunnel. They appear to be neither man nor machine, but some twisted combination of both. It is difficult to tell where the flesh ends and the machine starts. They are emaciated, almost skeletal in appearance and their skin all but hangs off of them. (essentially Necron Flayed Ones) They start moving towards the group, slowly at first (½ speed) but as soon as the group makes it to the camp they start to charge towards them. Only characters looking back will see them, and even then not until they have crested the lip of the crater... Once the characters crest the crater themselves they see a number of things. There is a fight going on. Trauma is directing Servitors to attack what look like a small contingent of guardsmen. Interrogator Magdalena shuttle is not to far from the camp, and a small group of people are standing by the entrance hatch. If they go towards the Interrogators shuttle they will be recognized, but shouts of warning will start up as the people by the side of the shuttle start running towards the group yelling for them to run as fast as they can. Once the Interrogators group has caught up with the party they command them to turn and fight the things behind them, thinking they are some of Traumas Heretekal Servitors. The group will have a few moments to tell the Interrogator about what they really are (however no player will have knowledge of the Necrons, unless they have appeared in your prior games, so deduct XP from them for meta gaming if they say Necrons). The group will have to fight the 2 Slashers alongside the Interrogator, and three generic Kill Squad Troopers. This fight wont take to long however with the additional fire power provided by the Troopers. If the group go towards Trauma she will scream Traitors at them and send 2 gun servitors to kill them instead of the guardsmen. There are approximately 15 servitors (5 of which are Gun Servitors, the rest are generic Industrial Servitors) and 30 Guardsmen. Enoch is engaged in melee, using his Hammer against some one the characters will recognize as working for their Lord Inquisitor who is a melee specialist using their signature weapon, the fight is pretty much a stand off, neither weakening, but both with a dozen wounds and cuts. Chaos will break out if the Slashers make it to Traumas side of the fight, they will attack every one around them and seem to get stronger the more they fight (+5 to all attributes to a max of +20) each round they are in combat for. The chaos will give the characters time to flee to the Interrogators shuttle whilst the guardsmen give them a hand laying down some covering fire. Once there she hurries them on to the shuttle, where there is better protection. She gets a quick report from them and then tells them that Trauma is in fact a Heretek who has managed to get connections within the Ordo Xenos with a number of Radical Inquisitors. Magdalena looks over the characters shoulders and mutters an oath to the Emperor, turning the group will see a dozen of the Slashers cresting the lip of the crater. She orders the pilot to cycle up the assault cannons and provide support for the guard to pull out to a safe distance, so they can be picked up.

By the time she's given the order the Slashers are almost at the camp site. Before the characters eyes the Slashers tear apart the servitors and guardsmen alike, in the chaos the group lose track of Enoch & Trauma. Some of the Slashers turn towards the shuttle and Magdalena orders the group to strap in and the pilot to get off the ground with all due haste and damn the proper rites to encourage the machine spirit. As the hatch shuts the players hear several squeals on the outer hull as Slashers leap for the shuttle gouging the skin, only to fall off back to the ground.

Scene 2: Debrief The shuttle docks with a larger ship, however there is no sight of the Schadstuv, and the ship begins its journey to a safe warp transition point. The journey back to the planet where they started takes little more then two weeks all in all during which the group gets to tell the Interrogator every thing that's happened since they last spoke to her a couple of months ago. She digests every thing they say, recording much of what they say via a vox recorder, and then sends them back to their chambers. During the travel back to the planet she requestions them a number of times, sometimes in groups, other times individually. Three weeks later they're called back to her room, she she sits them down, pouring out the recaff and giving them each three of the pink wafers before pouring her own recaff and putting four of the wafers on her saucer. “It would appear I owe you an apology. I used you to exact my personal vendetta on a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus. I have been contacted by them, it seems Tech-Seer Explorator Trauma Jericus is a loyal adherent of the Omnimessiah. She is also an agent of the Ordo Xenos proper, in a similar role to myself. In my haste to follow information I neglected to see if Dakota Vangelis was on the 'assumed names' list, something that very few of us have access to, indeed it takes a great deal of trust for an agent to put any of their assumed names on the list, though those that do at least provide a larger and some what safer network of contacts. So, I apologise for the injuries caused to you (and for the lose of any lives). This has been a gross matter of miscommunication and Cell crossover. In way of recompense however, you're being granted three weeks further leave, you'll be accommodated in one of the finest hotels in the city. Spend your time however you will.” During the characters stay at the hotel they receive a call from the lobby, the manager has received a number of parcels in their names. Inside each pack are a number of thrones and a note. “You earned it” The amounts total exactly what they would have earned for their time on the planet and for transport to their current planet. This should total approximately 500 thrones. If questioned the desk clerk states that a courier grade servitor delivered the parcels.

End

NPC's With out providing to much in the way of character sheets i'll simply provide outlines for the NPC's, including their Rank and the path they took. Everything else is up to you the GM that way it doesn't clash with anything that you'll have written in the past :) Verner Yarni Male, 5ft 7inches, Elderly in appearance. Imperial World Adept Rank 6 (Archivist, Scrivener, Scribe, Inditor, Scholar, Comptroller) His Right arm is a cybernetic replacement, he has a number of I/O ports in his head and down his arm. Enoch Strauss Male, 6ft 9inches, looks in his early 40's Feral World Arbitrator Rank 6 (Trooper, Enforcer, Regulator, Investigator, Arbitrator, Proctor) He wields a Thunder Hammer that was found by Trauma Jericus in a former Squat merchant station that was deserted. Trauma Jericus AKA Dakota Vangelis Female, 5ft 10inches Hive World Tech Priest Rank 8 (Technographer, Mech-Wright, Electro-Priest, Enginseer, Tech-Priest, Technomancer, Cyber-Seer, Magos) She is strikingly beautiful, her skin is almost perfectly white, mottled with lizard like markings. She is a capable pilot for almost all kinds of vehicles. Trauma & her companions are designed to be scary, they're a glimpse at what the players could be like in a few ranks time. Hopefully the characters wont provoke a fight with them, if they do then feel free to really work them over but leave them alive.

Critters Act 1 Scene 3 Enforcers x6 WS 31 BS 32 S 41 T 47 A 23 I 24 P 27 W 31 F 29

Flak Vest: Body 3 only Wounds: 10 Baton: d10 -1 I (Just a normal truncheon, not a Shock Baton) Las Pistol: D10 +2 E Red Dot Sight 30 shots 1 reload

Act 1 Scene 4 False Enforcers WS 34 BS 34 S 37 T 42 A 27 I 24 P 27 W 30 F 31

Flak Vest: Body 3 only Wounds: 11 Knife: D5 R Stub Pistol: D10 +3 I

Mono Edge Silencer

6 shots 2 reloads

Act 3 Scene 5 & 6 Lava Bugs WS – BS 37 S 13 T 15 A 36 I 10 P 20 W 15 F –

Natural Armour: 1 Wounds: 10 Acid Spit D10 +1 F Pen 2 5 Meter range Traits: Scrawny (-10 to hit), Dark Sight, Burrower When a Lava Bug attacks it does so by spitting a combination of acids which are thick & red and feel burning hot to the touch (how they got their name). Lava Bugs look like a dog sized beetle, with red & black markings on its chitinous shell.

Act 3 Scene 7 & Act 4 Scene 1 Slasher in the Darkness WS 57 Natural Armour: 4 all over (Not Primitive) (armour from Machine Trait) BS – S 48 Wounds: 20 T 38 A 48 Razor Claws: D10 R Pen 1 I 35 P 35 Traits: Dark Sight, Brutal Charge, Unnatural Speed, Machine 4, Regeneration W 55 F – The Slasher is essentially a Necron Flayed one, seeing them for the 1st time will provoke a Fear test with a -10 modifier.