"Burn, xenos burn! Gretchin Inferno!" - Session #2 (#23)

Following the defeat of the mobs of invading Ork Boyz, our warband assess the situation. The
Arboretum is a scene of devastation; small fires still burn around the room, bodies both Ork and human litter the area and the collected fauna has been damaged beyond recovery. 

Ecthelion the Ranger and Illiyan the warlock scales the wall to survey outside the ship through the broken vista port. Meanwhile Brother Lycastus of the Salamanders looks for other survivors, Tech-Priest Tyrest (after noting that the vessel isn’t losing atmosphere through the hole in the roof) contacts the engineseers within the main engine room and Artemis, our bounty hunter, looks for further clues. 

On the roof Ecthelion gets his bearings, noting that the atmosphere is thin but breathable, and surveys the surroundings. The inside of the “head” is a huge Ork wrecking yard, containing several captured vessels in varying stages of scrappage and salvage. Across the huge space he also spots a number of Ork ships which appear to be being built from the parts and materials that the greenskins are stripping from their prey. 

Amongst the captive ships he notices an Aeldari vessel as well as both human merchant and Imperial Naval craft. There appears to be three other significant areas of interest; a heavy duty lift in the centre of the roof that ascends higher up within rock, a fortress like structure jutting from the ceiling near the, now closed, maw, and a hub of activity and strange Orkish machinery at the other side of the cavern which seems to be the origin point for the green energy that drew them in and still surrounds the ship. 

Illiyan is less nimble with his attempt to see what is happening and alerts a pair of Orks who had been busy stripping hull plates from the Emperor’s Bounty. He and Ecthelion have a brief fight with the greenskins and swiftly dispatch them, but once again Illiyan’s psychic power use summons the Perils of the Warp, the resulting shock wave being felt even by the rest of the warband in the ship below.

The warlock also feels a sudden connection to and draw toward the Aeldari vessel Ecthelion had spotted…

Meanwhile Lycastus has found no other survivors so sets to work treating his own wounds. Tyrest realises that the green energy is an Ork “Traktor Beam” and that while it is functioning the ship cannot move. Similarly, Artemis’ investigations leaves him to conclude that Lord Captain Darien is not amongst the fallen and must have been taken by the Orks, along with a number of other captives.

The Warband decide that their next step ought to be to try to rescue Darien and so head out of the ship, via the roof, and into the wrecking yard. Using the shadows cast by the green light of the tractor beams they make their way via gantries and scaffolds up toward the ramshackle Ork fort by the mouth of the wreckage yard..

The heroes soon find their path barred by a group of squabbling Gretchin fighting over a wheelbarrow of scrap. After discussing tactics the warband engage the diminutive greenskins and the battle never really goes against them. Our heroes do suffer a series of complications though; Lycastus runs out of ammo after emptying his full tank of promethium in his first attack, Illiyan manages to wedge his Wraithblade in the deck-plating of the walkway and Ecthelion shoots not only his Gretchin target but also severs a cable that was holding the scaffold platform level. Losing the cable means that the gantry tips precariously, making moving treacherous but the party adapts and soon a dozen greenskins lay defeated. 

Continuing their journey, the warband find that their quickest route will take them through one of the vessels in the scrap yard. The ship seems relatively intact and the two psychic Aeldari get a sense of “something” from the ship. Tyrest identifies that it is, or at least was, one of the Astra Telepathica Black Ships, used to transport captive psykers… 

Uninvited Garden Party Guests - Session #1 (#22)

This was the first proper session of our new Wrath and Glory campaign but is a sequel, and spiritual successor to our old Rogue Trader game.

We took things slowly as there was much to introduce and, as everyone was beginning to get to learn their characters and define their relationships, there was a lot of character based conversations that I have not captured.

Darien Erronius is now the patron of the party (or "warband" in the parlance of Wrath & Glory) and has summoned them, along with a number of key crew and significant servants of the House, to a function in a small arboretum on the top deck of the ship...

In a rare public appearance Lord Captain Darien addressed his guests, showing some of the eccentric behaviours that he has become famous for. During his speech he reveals the surprise that the crew has rumoured he is planned; the Emperor's Bounty is heading towards a giant effigy of the head of the Emperor of mankind! A giant stone head that is somehow floating in space!

Darien explains that he plans to send the PCs onto the "head" to discover exactly what it is.

However as they draw closer the head's "mouth" opens, spewing forth bright green energy that engulfs the ship, drawing it more rapidly towards the gaping maw.

Before the warband has a chance to really evaluate what is happening the arboretum locks down and out of the light, bursting through the vista panels overhead, come a horde of Ork boyz!

A mob of orks engage the heroes and they respond swiftly. Tyrest acts first calling upon the Rite of Fear to disconcert some of their foes while Lycastus, a Tactical Marine of the Salamander chapter, lets loose with his flamer, torching a group of Orks with a single sweep.

The Orks retaliate, shooting Lycastus and Ecthelion, the Aeldari Ranger, while a pair of boyz who weren't scared engage the tech-priest in close combat.

Ecthelion fires back, Artemis the bounty hunter and Illiyan the Aeldari Warlock charge into close combat. Simultaneously the Warlock summons his psychic powers to Compel a group of Orks to back away, which they do. However his power use causes a backlash, a hideous stench seems from the Warp that sickens everyone around.

The Warband fares better than the Orks though and by the end of the combat round only a third of the mob remains standing.

A lost session - Session #21

(This write up somehow never got published at the time but it was the last session of the original campaign. I present it here for completeness and future reference...)

Darien ended up taking the helm of the Bounty and after a few turns of supporting others Theata showed an aptitude for being the Master of Ordnance...  In a nutshell:

• Lomar & Bastion sought permission to lead raiding teams aboard the Eldar vessel.  Darien granted it and they were successful in breaching the alien ship, spending most of the battle aboard wreaking havoc and sabotaging systems
• They discover that the ship apparently has no living crew.  Darien orders a full Etheric scan and it's determined that this is a "Ghostship" a wraith cruiser manned only by the souls of dead eldar kept in the ship's "Infinity Matrix".  The only living crew will be a single Spirit Seer who communicates with the dead "crew". 
• Darien's evasive manoeuvres kept the Eldar guns off target but scuppered any attempt to hit the xenos in return.  He managed to get behind the Eldar vessel and stayed there, away from its guns, for most of the battle
• The Eldar could only shoot torpedoes at its rear but they crippled the 2nd of the Iconoclast destroyers (the first having already had its Warp drives destroyed - forming a mini tear in space & a navigational hazard... all before the Emperor's Bounty arrived) that were already engaged with the aliens
• Lomar & Bastion make it to the ship's bridge and manage to blow a hole in it - depressurising it and potentially sucking the contents into the Void.  The Spirit seer apparently survives but locks down the bridge, evading their further wrath.
• Theata tried to contact the destroyers but discovered that they professed to be Chaos worshipping raiders.  After the 2nd destroyer was crippled the remaining ship fled, leaving the Bounty to deal with the Eldar alone.
• Darien keep finding messages, data and ship scans passed directly into his mind.  He doesn't know the source but he's not "wired into" the ship in any way.
• A second salvo of torpedoes slammed into the Bounty doing significant hull damage but leaving the systems, crew and moral relatively intact.
• Mord spends most of the battle aiding the ship's machine spirit to assist with manoeuvres or scanning as appropriate but turns his hand to leading repair teams after the 2nd torpedo salvo.
• Return fire, coupled with the continued destruction wrought by Lomar & Bastion's raiders crippled the ship.  The Raiders disembarked and a final salvo from "Gunner Theata" caused critical hit's throughout, leaving the cruiser a wreck in space.
• The Majestic Labour still hasn't arrived in system.
• The only stellar body in close range is a barren, airless world.  Theata conducts a series of navigational scans and, with the help of Trumpy & the librarium he can identify a single  complex on the surface, the runes and sigils mark it as connected to the Eldar Craftword Kaelor.

Running out of order - Session #19

Most of our players couldn't make this session (holidays and some movie or other called "Avengers" was released - pah - I'd gone on the first weekend...*I* didn't disrupt the game... ;) ) so we decided to play a "flashback" set during the ten days of Warp travel between Footfall and the rendezvous with the alien Stryxis at the end of the last game.
We got to "peep behind the veil" at what Mord does to keep the ship running.  Prior to the Warp jump there was a suspected problem with the Gellar field and due to it's importance Mord went to investigate personally (with a coterie of priests and servitors).  Everything checked out OK but we got to see how Mord "relates" to his underlings.  Personally I'm glad he's not my boss..... And we also took the chance to think about how Mord relates to the Machine god, especially as he is delving into areas of research and technology that other tech-priests might consider heretical....

After translation into the Warp Mord decides to have his form further enhanced and sorted the aquisition of a second mechendendrite - this time a heavy lifting servo-arm (see Dark Heresy: Ascension). During the procedure a subordinate tech-priest, Thom-Alpha-5, comes to Mord to advise that there has been a problem with some of the salvage they brought on board from Footfall (to breakdown and use for raw materials & parts); life signs have been detected within.

Mord heads to the cargo bay (with entourage) to examine the issue: the salvage is apparently a section of the outer hull of an Imperial vessel, about the size of a modern day tower block. Mord orders further auspex sweeps and summons Lomar to help as it's more his area of expertise.  Lomar arrives with a squad of armsmen and calls in some voidsmen to try to shed some light on what sort of ship it may have come from.  Its hard to tell as its such a small section and imperial ships can be pretty generic (coming from similar Standard Template Constructs) but it's certainly Imperial in origin and either from a Warp capable tranport or a non-warp "system" ship. There are no identifiable markings.

The tech-priests indicate that there are multiple life signs aboard but the ship segment has no power.  Mord and Lomar lock down the cargo bay, remove all non-essential staff and take a combined squad of tech-priests and armsmen into the wreck to investigate. Sending "Scully" (Mord's Servo-skull familiar) forwards where possible they scout out the hull, going deeper and deeper within.  Mord occasionally has to exercise his new Servo-arm to rip open sections of bulkhead to progress through the darkness.  The only light is that which they have brought in and the party are moving slowly in a staggered line.

Suddenly a shriek cuts the air from the back of the party (the poor guy playing Mord practically jumped out of his skin and had a "bit of a turn"...) - I made the players make Fear checks that they both failed.  "Something" with a blade or sharp claws had taken down one of the tech-priests at the back of the group. Very shaken, Lomar & Mord order the team to group up and send Scully ahead, above them into a access tube.  He soon reports back that a growing number of life signs are rapidly heading their way, from all directions....

A horde of Ghiliam (twisted "once humans" and mutants who infest the crawl spaces and hulls of ships like vermin.  See Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook for details) swarm at the group from all dierctions and combat is joined.  Mord overcomes his fear and starts crushing the creatures around him with his Servo-arm while fending others off with his shock-staff.  Lomar relies on his trusted Ripper pistol to dispatch a number but can't shake his fears. The tech-priests and armsmen fend off a number too (the armsmans' shotguns making quick work of many of them) but a few crew are lost in the battle.  After a while the effective, if manic, defense breaks the horde and they flee back into the bowels of the wreckage. Thom-Alpha-5 reports from outside the vessel that as they have now identified the Ghiliam he has detected a single, static life sign different to all the rest.  The Explorers decide to investigate further but Lomar calls in a second squad of armsmen to follow them in and mke sure they aren't ambushed again.

The climb up the wreck is slow and arduous but the team are not bothered by further Ghiliam. Eventually they reach the room containing the unique life sign.  The place appears to be the Ghiliam's "nest" and is a fetid, dirty pit of a place.  Scattered with rags, mess, excrement, scrap and the remains of other, weaker Ghiliam (the canabalistic mtuants are their own main food source) the scene is pretty horrific - once again we called for Fear tests and Mord failed pretty famously, becoming paranoid and very jumpy for the rest of the voyage.

In the centre of the room is some form of large, oopen-topped, casket or crate, set on a plinth or table of some sort.  The Ghilliam appear to have decorated it as some form of rudimentary shrine.  Scrimshawing sigils and messages in their dark, corrupt, tongue and festoning it with trinkets and "offerings".  Lomar approaches and, pistol in hand, peers inside.  Laid within is the body of a Space Marine, one of the holy avengers of the Emperor; the Adeptus Astartes.  He is clad in battle damaged red and black power armour and bears a bolt pistol, chainsword and combat shotgun.  Lomar summons Mord who investigates the armour, identifying that the Marine within is alive but in self-induced suspended animation, his suit is still powered and has integrity, but is battle damaged (as noted by Lomar) and has been rebuilt or repaired from salvaged parts. The explorers arrange for him to be removed in secret and secured in one of Mord's chambers while some medicae staff can attempt to resucitate him, while Lomar's teams continue to purge the remains of the Ghiliam.

Some time passes and Mord & Lomar agree that they ought to advise Darien of their "find" and he is enthused with the prospect of meeting one of the god-emperor's "sons" in person.  They head to the chamber to find the 8ft tall marine, now stripped of his armour, awake and crushing the indpipe of one of the medicae who revived him.... Darien and Mord talk him down, whilst an orderly manages to get a sedative into him (should have knocked out a bull elephant but it just makes him a little sleepy).  He is Brother Sebastion "Bastion" Khaine of the Angels Sanguine and he tells Darien, Mord & Lomar that they may be permitted to transport him...

A brief layover in Port Wander then off to Footfall in a new (old) ship (sessions #17 & 18)

Whilst en route to Port Wander Darien takes a break from his reading of the Red Book of the Haxtus to discuss the captaincy of the Penance of Iocanthos with Scythia.  They agree to keep the death of Cobolt under wraps for now and promote Killroy, the first officer, to the role.

Upon their arrival in port Mord slips off to deliver his package.  The gentleman he meets scans the item and is aware that he investigated it but doesn't seem to concerned.  He asks Mord why a Tech priest would not report or act on something so apparently heretical?   Mord replies that he is only concerned with technology not the strictures or rules of the priesthood.  The man shows him out but anticipates that they will meet again...

Ramirez meets Darien and Theata while Lomar goes off to check how his "work crews" got on.
The "work crews" as we cme to refer to them were an idea suggested by Lomar's player after they had left Port Wander but it was too cool to ignore so we retroactively added it in as a Background Endeavour (see Rogue Trader: into the Storm for rules on how to run background endeavours).

In the player's own words: Lomar is specifically qualified to help hunt down dangerous creatures. As he lacks some of the relevant skills, and because the creatures in question are well above the ability of one man alone, he must do this sort of work with teams. Lomar is planning on taking one of these teams to scout out the Emperors Bounty. Workers have been on there for months and Lomar is going to search out for any remainng mutants onboard. I expect many may have been taken out as part of the refurb, but just in case Lomar will take a team of professionals to assess the scale of the mutant presence. Once he has an understanding of their number and strength he will make a decision in each case whether to leave the mutant alone or to capture them. Captured mutants of a worthwhile value will be given options to either serve the family, or to be dropped off at one of the planets the Baccharus family now own which included mutant numbers. Bacchus has superb storage facilities on baord but that vessel is away. Highly valuable psykers are the prime target, and Lomar is very qualified to deal with them. If any can be found then then will be given employment opportunities to serve in the house and to have a better life than the one they currently have laid out before them. The Emperors Bounty will be purged as much as is possible and the mutant hordes within either captured, shipped off, permanently removed or offered a way out in employment.

Back at the mansion Ramirez Connery, the bondsman who runs things for them at Port Wander, updates them on events:

• Lomar's teams were a success and a number of twists and dregs were routed out.  Some were known felons who were turned in for bounties, some paid passage to be smuggled out of the system and others have entered service with the House, including a small cadre of unsanctioned psykers and Wyrds
• Schofield, Darrien's sister has passed through on her way to the Majestic Labour
• Ramirez has recieved word that Darien is to take command of the Emperor's Bounty, appoint a command crew and set sail to meet up with Baccharus and the Majestc Labour at Footfall

Theata finds new orders from his House; they have have arranged a new commission for him - he is to be the primary Warp Guide on a newly commissioned vessel: the Emperor's Bounty....Theata spins it to Darien that he will insist to his House that he acts as Warp guide, if he wants him and will demand the station if need be.

Over the next few days Darien makes various arrangements to form his officer cadre:

• He asks Scythia to be his High Factorum - she is shocked and honoured and accepts.  The ex-Administratum adept she had suggested for the role will become the Ship's Purser instead.
• Deatrix accosts Darrien and demands to be the Choir Master he agrees at once and she stomps off, content.
• Darien offers Lomar the role of Master-at-arms, he is unsure but says he will always do what the House requires of him, but it is for Baccharus to say as he is sworn in service to him.
• The Death Cultist Que'toh is appointed as "Master of Whispers"
• When Mord returns from surgery to replace his flesh arms with two new good quality bionics, Darien asks him to take on the role of Enginseer Prime, which he accepts
• Darien officially appoints Killroy as the master of the Penance of Iocanthos and it begins it's new "milk run" from Port Wander to Fervious.

The Emporer's Bounty gets underway.  As they leave Darien is approached by Father Aubray, the Ship's Confessor (as an ex-mechanicus monitor cruiser the shrine to the Emperor is comparatively small and is staffed by a small group of minor clergy, Frater Militia and Mendicant monks).  Aubray is a practical and pragmatic man who still wears his old Guard fatigues (after having "found his faith in the field" and serving as a Confessor to his fellow infantrymen).  He asks if he can say a benediction over the vessel as they set forth and Darien agrees. Later they share a drink and the Father fills Darien in a little about his past and the Eccelsiarchy contingent aboard.

Theata discovers that one of the subordinate Navigators aboard is his "betrothed" a corpulant female navigator by the name of Lucretia Xan'tai.  She seems to be perpetually bored and has a harem of young human males.

Theata takes the ship to Footfall in a quarter of the time expected but on route the crew is shaken by the appearance of "ghost ships" around them.  Darien shows his command mettle by calming the situation and the rest of the voyage is uneventful.

When they arrive at Footfall they are hailed by the Majestic Labour and Darien takes a shuttlecraft across to the "flagship". There is no official welcome and the ship seems to just be "business as usual".  Darien and his entourage head to the bridge where they find Klyto.  Surprisingly he shows what passes for respect towards Darien and indicates that his father & sister are ensconced in Baccharus' dining hall.  The Explorers head there.  A debauched "regency" style banquet is in full swing and it appears that Schofield has brought a coterie of sycophantic hangers on with her (or picked some up en route).

Schofield is giggly, girly and very much a daddy's girl. It appears that she is pandering to his worst excesses and  Baccahrus constantly interrupts Darien to tell him some other trivial anecdote about something his daughter has done. His plan, possibly suggested by Schofield, is that Darien will remain in command of the Emperor's Bounty while she, as heir, stays near "daddy-kins" on the Majestic Labour. They will travel together as a flotilla - Darien refers to his father as the "Lord-Admiral" which he appears to approve of highly.

Baccahrus gives his tacit approval for Lomar to be instated as Darien's Master-at-arms, if for no other reason than it gives the Lord-Admiral someone he trusts aboard his son's vessel.

The Lord-Admiral has a new scheme - they will soon leave Footfall to rendeavous with some aquaintances of his who may have details of an opportunity that they will trade with the House. But before they leave port Baccahrus wants thenm to negotiate some contacts that will help sell on/exploit/fence whatever the opportunity is...

The Explorers assess their options for who to approach.  They figure they could seek a deal with one or more of:

• House Krin (see Dark Heresy Main rule book and Rogue Trader: Edge of the Abyss) - a mercantile noble house
• The Beast House (see Dark Heresy: Disciples of the dark gods) - illicit traders of Xenos creatures with previous connections to House Baccahrus
• The Kasaballica (see Dark Heresy: Book of Judgement and Rogue Trader Edge of the Abyss and Hostile Aquisitions) - Calixian crime syndicate and significant player in the Cold Trade
• The Logicians (see Dark Heresy: Disciples of the dark gods) - Tech heretics with connections to Mord

They decide to approach House Krin and negotiations eventually bear fruit.  However the representative they speak with, Quaestor Papyrus, insists on accompanying them on their endeavour (along with entourage) to "protect his investment".

Meanwhile Lomar has been called away to an emergeancy on the Majestic Labour; one of the beasts has escaped.  He drags Mord along (although he offers frequent protests) and they organise a search of the ship.  Due to his role as Twist catcher, Dungoof makes a reappearance and joins the serach teams. The creature is the Lord-Admiral's favourite Ambull (see Dark Heresy: Creatures Anathema), a female named Jordan. Dungoof and Lomar eventually corner it but are interrupted by a dark, armoured and winged humanoid shape. The new assailant attacks them and the Ambull and they retaliate but the armoured figure escapes.  The Ambull is however, safely recaptured. And when told the news the captain did exclaim (to graons and laughter "Jordan's Alive!" ;) (gotta love Brian Blessed....)

The flotilla translates to into the Warp and emerges, some ten days (ship time) later to meet the Lord-Admiral's contacts; a Stryxis caravan...