We'd cut our teeth on seven sessions based upon printed adventures, now it was time for 100% original content. This is where, as a GM I feel much more comfortable; I can write *for* the characters rather than taking something existing and modifying to fit.
And so the Explorers set off aboard the Penance of Iocanthos....or at least they set out in real space to find a suitable Warp jump location.
Now Theata (our PC navigator) had worked out a suitable Warp route from this lost and obscure system back to Port Wander (and had really done extremely well on his roll) so was keyed up to guide the Penance back home. Unfortunately the Penance's Navigators were froma rival family and wouldn't concede control. Added to this was the fact that they wouldn't/couldn't use Theata's naviational instructions (as shared with the Emperor's Bounty and Majestic Labour)as they were written in his family's language and ciphers. A political game ensued while Darien was finding similar issues with the crew accepting him, in particular the High Factorum showed him thinly veiled loathing. Only Mord appeared to be accepted "off the bat", having worked with the crew on the Penance's emergeancy repairs and gaining respect from his knowledge and success in assisting them. The charm and negotiation skills of the players eventually won the day in respect of the Navigators and they were eventually underway with Theata as temporary Warp Guide.
After their translation into the Warp the Captain organised a grand formal dinner to officially welcome Darien's party. It was a good opportunity to showcase the key NPCs aboard the ship and it culminated with the sharing of a "Cup of friendship" - apparently a standing tradition aboard. Everything went fine until Darien took the cup and drank. Immediately he began to hallucinate or (as he thought at the time) see clearly for once, and fled screaming from the scene, followed by Lomar and Mord.
Darien was eventually cornered and subdued by Lomar who was able to identify the symptoms of Black Janix Venom (see Dark Heresy Games Master's kit for details). Mord was then able to analyse the poison in Darien's system and fabricate an antidote.
While Darien was resting in the infirmary the missionary Sister they had brought from the Majestic Labour found the data slate Darien had been working on and saw his "heretical writings" and reported it to the Penance's confessor. He (Father Nimmo) and the High Factorum raised a squad of armsmen to arrest the "heretic". However Darien was warned of their arrival and he and Mord (who was attending him at the time) fled to the lower decks meanwhile Theata tried to placate the situation by saying that the slate contained encrypted navigational data. Unfortunately he then had to back track as Darien, bless his simple and honest mind, had admitted to writing the symbols.
Darien and Mord were ambushed by the armsmen and officers but Master Erronius was able to reason with the confessor to at least allow him to hear his case. Exceptional sweet talking and an arguement based upon the cryptic nature of the information on the slate won over the Father (to the High Facotorum's chagrin) and the data slate, now sealed in a box warded with purity seals and hexagrams, was returned to Erronius.
After all this Deatrix, the astropath from the Majestic Labour, came to the explorers with details of an astropathic message she had helped to send (as part of the Choir). The messge wasn't sent by her so she doesn't understand the symbolism used but she *knows* it relates to them. Mord spends the next 40-50 hours trying to crack the code. Mord also conducts some investigations of his own, questioning the servants from the night of the meal and discovering that the cup bearer is missing. Upon gaining entrance to the crewman's quarters he discovers he has been murdered. An investigation of his room reveals no further details.
Once decoded the Astropathic message seems to implicate Magnus (the ship's High Factorum) and Darien (eventually) has a vague recollection that they met at university and dueled, Darien easily beating him. The message implies that Magnus has an associate back in the Calixis Sector and that Darien is a mutual enemy...
A further Astropathic message is received, this time intended for Darien himself. The news is brief but not good, things are not going well back at the Dark Frontier and the suggestion is that someone back in the Imperium is spreading malicious rumours to discredit the house and their business dealings.
Lomar and Mord get to work on further investigations, indentifying the crewman who arranged the sending of the Astropathic message as a Midshipman Oswald. They interrogate him and he eventually further implicates the High Factorum.
Meanwhile Darien is working to improve morale aboard ship, with some success. But things take a slight shift when He, Mord and Theata seperately recieve visitations from the "ghost" of Vyn. She tells Mord that she remembers him now and that is sorry. She discusses the secrets of the Warp with Darien and tells him she may know someone who can help him in his studies. Finally she accuses Theata of being the reason she died, she believes he could have saved her.
With the evidence pointing to the High Factorum the Explorers challenge him. He professes his innocence and demands a duel with Darien in defence of his honour. It is arranged for the following day.
Most of the ship's officer Cadre assemble to watch the event. The two unarmoured deulists facing each other in the ritual duelling circle. Darien with his Powersword, Marcus with his ancestral chainsword. Marcus lunges, unprofessional and brazen. Darien feints, strikes and immolates him in a single blow. A sudden hush decends on the assembled throng.
The Captain was upset about Magnus' death, although she accepts the evidence against him she still blames Darien for his "execution" and avoids him where possible. Scythia (Klyto's apprentice) then took over the role of High Factorum, supported by Darien, further frustrating and annoying the Captain (she basically implied that it could be interpretted as a Baccahrus plot to subvert her ship from her).
An astropathic response to the cryptic message Deatrix intercepted was then recieved. Mord spent a few days translating it and discoved that it implies that the other party involved is a "Duke T J Newton" who lives on the planet Archaos.
While on board ship Darien also resolved some disputes between the folk they had rescued from the Dark Frontier and are transporting, as passengers, back to Imperial space. It won him a lot of kudos in both their eyes and those of the Penance's crew.
The ship eventually translated from the Warp - quite far out from the system - so it takes another week or so of real space travel before they arrive in Port Wander. Darien recieves word from his father that he needs to investigate the rumours that are damaging their endeavours - their bondsman on Port Wander, a man by the name of Connery, has been leading the investigation so far. Coupled with this various minor edicts and bylaws of the Adeptus Mechanicus (essentially red tape) has prevented an Explorator mission from being launched to examine and exploit the Dark Sun.
The crew arrives at the station and the Baccahrus delegation (with the exception of Scythia who begs permission to remain on board the Penance to oversee the repairs and resupply) goes to the mansion house the dynasty maintains onboard the station.
Theata goes to the "Gilt Processional", the huge market place where anything and everything is sold, and negotiates the purchase of a repository of knowledge about Xeno lore (essentially a
Xenos Librarium ship component (from Rogue Trader: Hostile Aquisitions)) in order to better research details of the Dark Sun.
Mord and Darien go to see the chief Adeptus Mechanicus on the station. She's very "alien" having heavily modified her form with mechanicus implants and is rumoursed to seek out and horde heretical artefacts, but is popular as she holds open "audiences" with any who wish to recieve her blessings or advice (see Rogue Trader: Into the Storm for details). Mord explains the situation with progress on the Explorator mission being blocked. He makes quite and impression and she promises to personally resolve the matter.
On the way back to the mansion Theata is approched by an ink-stained scribe carrying a message for Darien. He takes the message and heads "home". Likewise en route back to the mansion house Darien and Mord are ambushed by two assailants clad in Samurai-like armour. Mord spots them and calls out a warning allowing them to react in time but then he runs, heading for home and leaving Darien to his fate. The two attackers ignore the tech-priest and turn on Darien. The battle drags out - they dodge Darien's blows and he parrying theirs (destroying two of their swords in the process). The "samurai" then resort to chocking gas bombs (which don't appear to affect them) stunning Darien long enough to grapple him to the ground, eventually rendering him unconcious....
In the meantime Lomar has been making enquiries and has discovered that Magnus was a member of The Machenko Dynasty (see Dark Heresy Main Rule book) a mysterious Great House of the Calixian Nobility. Secondly he discovers that, as suspected, Captain Cobolt is Master of the Penance of Iocanthos but not the owner. It's unlikely that she had legal title over the ship and couldn't "trade" it to House Baccahrus. He also discovers that the "syndicate" that owns the Penance is "The Fervious Milk and Dairy Farmers Syndicate". Fervious itself is a Feudal World in the Calixis Sector but some still refer to it using it's old name of Vasenrule. The entire population of Fervious inhabits one sprawling shanty city and this has spawned a very violent and callous culture where murder is an accepted form of despatching rivals and as a way gaining wealth and influence (see Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook for more details).
So we enter session #12 with the group's Rogue Trader and de facto leader unconscious and possibly a captive of persons unknown, but the main suspects being a Calixian Death Cult in the employ of aggressive dairy farmers...
Wow. Pretty interesting sessions. :)
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