Background
So, if you read my initial session reports, you’ll remember that the team of agents were investigating mysteries on Trollius, a dead ice world on the fringes of the Gilead system. It soon transpired that Chaos forces were present, most notably a Khornite cultist force with bloodletters and Slaaneshi cultists inside a former Imperium research facility otherwise lost to the ice.
Concluding the Trollius investigations
The agents cleared the base of enemies and discovered the cogitators were accessed to identify key research projects that were still on file. The base was involved in weapons and energy research and one file, labelled ‘Archduke of Warsaw’ was noted to have been a project that was shelved for unknown reasons. The agents continued their search of the facility to discover a huge reactor and only minimal power readings emanating across the otherwise dormant base. The agents then decided to leave and discovered that the unknown movement readings previously seen on their auspex led them to an elevator shaft, where presumably the unknown agents had accessed. On investigation though, the agents realised that the shaft was unsafe to use and almost certainly booby trapped, so they headed back towards the entrance platform previously used.
Emperors Children
Movement had been detected ahead and they crept cautiously to the edge of the chamber. They were then set upon by more Slaaneshi cultists who were no match for the agents, but then the team were assaulted by the cult leader and a chaos space marine of the Emperors Children chapter. The team were capable enough to hold their own given they had an overlap of numbers against the serious threats, but not before the space marine charged the aeldari an almost killed him with his chainsword. However, he did not and the aeldari corsair delivered the killing strike to end the battle.
GM note: the battles in this base were designed to be non-lethal and more thematic. I was pleased the chaos space marine almost got a kill, but equally it was a signify of the forces having a deadly controlling presence attached. The characters don’t know that there were three such marines in different parts of the base, but rather than risk a TPK I had these in different areas, completing different tasks, with two leaving once done.
With silence descending upon the horror, the agents took some time to lick their wounds and take stock of the situation and plan their next move. It was clear another facility seemed to join with this transport and cargo loading chamber. Sure enough the wall opened up to what was clearly a different base and one of xenos design.
As the agents crept forward and analysed the architecture and materials used and concluded this facility must have been discovered and excavated when the research base was active and that this adjoining facility must have predated the Imperium presence by some time. This was confirmed in some measure when a metallic glint loomed into view and fired a gauss weapon.
The agents then encountered a scattering of necrons who appeared in different locations and without any co-ordination, almost as if the base hadn’t fully awakened. These necrons individually were easily dealt with although Umbrae, the psyker and Inquisitorial acolyte, was almost taken out.
The agents complete their search and destroy a necron portal before heading to another former survey site and one they knew has been visited by chaos forces. This was once a bio-engineering facility and the energy readings suggested the presence of hostiles. The agents had already discovered the now frozen corpses of Slaaneshi cultists presumably slain by necrons near the previous base, so Errol flew them in his cloaked aeldari stealth craft to a short distance of the second base and they all headed in on foot expecting an assault an any time.
Of vaccines and more necrons
The team discovered on entering the facility that two large crates of vaccines had been left. Amicia took two samples for analysis and they accessed the nearby cogitator to discover that the freighter ‘Habeus Corpus’ had been dispatched with a supply of vaccines destined for Gilead Prime to counter the common pox, a virulent but ultimately non-devastating virus.
They moved through what seemed like an empty base until they came across a shield section. They disabled the security system and opened the bulkhead door to reveal a necron on overwatch, who promptly opened fire on Amicia, the Sister Hospitalier, but fortunately for her was able to go into full evasion mode and the blast missed. (GM sad face…). The agents dispatched two necrons in this chamber and Amicia then tested the vaccines to discover that they seemed authentic and not contaminated, but further confused the party as to a) why would chaos forces ship genuine vaccines to help alleviate the common pox and b) what were the necrons doing?
Another GM note here: The necrons can be deadly, but my intent was to add theme and foreshadow future events, whilst avoiding an arbitrary heavy handed encounter.
Meeting an inquisitor
In the next session the Inquisitorial team were summoned to leave Trollius and rendezvous in deep space. There they docked with the Inquisitorial cruiser ‘Gladius Imperator’ and met with the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, Brevet Captain of the Absolvers space marine chapter and an aeldari farseer. The players had a foreshadowing of the aeldari presence by the appearance of another aeldari stealth craft in the cruiser’s rather large docking bay.
The agents were then questioned as a team and the findings of their expedition discussed. The presence of the necrons was puzzling, but since their schemes can span aeons, it didn’t present as an immediate threat, although it was noted that the agents had encountered necron technology during their first operation on the mining asteroid. The asteroid governor had been arrested and was in the tender care of the inquisition but the renegade inquisitor encountered has vanished.
The Archduke of Warsaw
The farseer then spoke to clarify the mystery of the research project and revealed that thousands of years ago it is recorded that the Imperium and Aeldari factions had allied to carry out a joint research project to build a prototype warship that could cloak and phase in and out of the warp with ease, with the aim to build a joint taskforce to take the fight to chaos forces in systems where both factions were under threat. Utilising expertise from both sides, the prototype ship, codenamed the Archduke of Warsaw, embarked on a maiden shakedown flight. Results were successful, but on emerging from the warp over Trollius on the last occasion, a malfunction caused the ship to crash into the planet whilst phased only to re-emerge partially fused into the crust. The project was then abandoned fearing chaos interference and shelved with no agreed plan to revive. In time, the ship was hidden, the area quarantined and references destroyed, all except one that had been overlooked. The characters were then met individually for further questions and discussion
This session was a change to the normal session format and this went down well as it gave the players a focused opportunity to play their characters and Nox was formally promoted to lieutenant.
Back to Gilead Secundus
The agents returned to the second city on Gilead Prime and began investigating the outbreak of pox which had spreads since their last visit. Umbrae was given team access to an Inquisition safehouse, a line of credit and spare clothing to help them in their new mission. Reports and data showed that he pox spread to the lower hive levels and have affected key infrastructure elsewhere such as command, transport and the Gravedigger garrison. Whilst the vaccine rollout was successful, the team are puzzled why such extensive effort has been made to tackle what is ultimately a containable threat and from which most of those affected would survive. The team visit the Astra Militarum garrison and continue their investigations there and a case of missing personnel…
About the Author:
As well as playing board games, Neil has been playing a variety of roleplaying games since 1982, including creating campaigns as a GM and espousing the art and craft of being a good GM and the therapeutic value of games generally.
