We started out on Scintilla, in the upper spires of Hive Sibellus. None of us knew the system, least of all me, the GM. Some of us were even new to the fluff. And we'd all been warned that we should be prepared to re-roll characters after the first session or two.
The cell consisted of Lazarus Black, an arbite with a cleansed memory, Sister Athena, an introverted puritan, and Titus the sniper. They served under Inquisitor Tyrannus, a respected monodominant.
I started out with a modified version of one of the Purge the Unclean adventures, to give us all a simple introduction to the system. Missing girl, bereaved nobles, go investigate.
If you've played the module, you know where it goes, and if not, I don't want to spoil it. In our particular adventure, the girl -Alaya- was killed by the heretics, though the higher-ups in their organization escaped our heroes.

Proceed....

>>16597566
During the course of this first adventure, we had our first hint that the campaign was going to be something special. The acolytes were ambushed in an alley by a bunch of lightly armored thugs on their way back from an undercover mission in a party, and shots were exchanged.
After a few rounds, it was down to a critically wounded Athena, and one gunman. And Athena's pistol jammed.
Athena proceeded to draw her flail, and pull off her synskin mask. And rolled a 5 to intimidate.
At the sight of the woman pulling off her own face, the thug fainted. Athena also fainted a round later, but managed to land with her flail crushing his head. Badassery? Achieved.
It was after this battle that she had to get an augmetic supplement to her wounded arm, which emptied the party's pockets for a while.

>>16597555
Did you commission that picture?

>>16597671
I did. It was a christmas present from me to the party last year. Credit goes to aerion-the-faithful.deviantart.com

>>16597666
Another fun moment in this first mission took place a bit later, when the party was in a speeding van. Lazarus was filling out the paperwork to report on the day's events -his personal obsession- while the rest of the team attempted to open a confiscated briefcase.
>What's that beeping?
>SHIT SHIT SHIT
Athena and Titus scramble to throw the case out the back of the van, and watch the melta charge detonate ten meters behind them on the highway. Lazarus continued to work on his report.
>Bull, you'd be distracted.
>WP Roll: 12.
>Right, then. You remain preternaturally fixated on your work.

>>16597695
Again, I don't want to spoil that adventure for anyone who plays the unmodified module from Purge the Unclean, so I'm gonna move on to the second mission, also inspired by a PtU module, the space hulk infiltration.
Sadly, once again, I can't include too much info without risking spoilers for future users of the module.
The important thing here is that the acolytes were sent in to try and retrieve a macguffin from a space hulk before it disappeared back into the warp. While there, they encountered a second team of acolytes, these belonging to one Inquisitor Carkass.
At the first sign that one of the other acolytes was a traitor, our heroes attempted to exterminate the entire cell, leaving their leader -a tech priest named Trempan- barely breathing, but alive, and took him with them when they narrowly escaped the Hulk.

>>16597695
>>16597555
>Arbites with gas mask
I can see what you spent your first 25 Thrones on. I do the same for every character.

>>16597752
On to the next mission! Here's where shit got nuts.
To pay for their hasty extermination of several faithful servants of the Inquisition, the party was assigned to serve Inquisitor Carkass in their stead.
Suddenly, welcome to the Ordo Malleus!
The party's first assignment from their new master is to visit the planet of Pontus, an agri-world with two major cities, which recently survived a daemonic incursion. Their assignment, along with several other acolytes and cells working independently, is to investigate and interrogate persons of interest, and make sure there are no lingering heretics or traces of corruption.
The first person they met was the Lord St Albans, a huge man carrying as much fat as wealth and titles, the governor and high priest of Pontus.

>>16597819

As the investigation continued, they found a heavily booby-trapped apartment belonging to a man named Anton DeMartines. Titus, seeing the obvious trap in the middle of the room, attempts to trigger it from a distance so he can reach the desk at the far end, which appears to be covered in notes on a bulletin board, connected by threads.
Despite the warnings of his teammates, Titus goes ahead with this plan... and the trap triggers, smashing the desk and destroying the chart.

Lazarus deals with this accordingly.

Further investigating the apartment, careful of traps, our heroes manage to retrieve a few notes from the crushed remains of the board, as well as some clues! Anton was apparently an agent of the Inquisition conducting his own investigation, but the bits of his research which the team has discovered are written in shorthand, and without the complete set, are rather difficult to decipher.
They also find a note written by DeMartines, apparently just before he died, naming his killer: Horatio Coin.

>>16597923
>Horatio Coin
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.jpg

>>16597923
As they speak to more people, it begins to emerge that some kind of conspiracy took place here... one which led directly to the daemonic incursion. And the name Horatio Coin appears more than once. Through various channels, the team connives to meet with Coin, to determine his role in all of this. They meet him in a field, where he's revealed to be sly, slim, and snakelike, with a fondness for the tastelessly gaudy and a penchant for double entendres. He's particularly enamored of the naive Sister Athena, who doesn't get any of his sexual puns.

Coin is evasive, but the acolytes gather that he was indeed hired to eliminate DeMartines, as well as certain other key individuals, who remain unidentified.

Certain of DeMartines' notes have been deciphered at this point, including proof that the cultists and daemons were Slaaneshi in their loyalties.

>>16598003
Fast forward several sessions, and the conspiracy is taking shape, though it's still vague the ultimate purpose... until the team encounters a man who claims to be the rightful high priest of Pontus.

He tells them of how his predecessor, Praise XVIII, was killed defending a youth outreach center in the heart of the capital city during the incursion, protecting the children he'd devoted his life to raising as dutiful servants of the Emperor. Although everyone knew that he (their new contact) was being groomed as the old man's successor, Lord St Albans, the governor, stepped in and assumed the title under "Emergency Powers," and has decided to keep it indefinitely.
Lazarus leads the team in some historical research, and they discover that when Pontus was founded during the Anvengin Crusade, four separate offices were created to maintain a division of power, so that the rule of the Imperium would remain just and fair, in the name of Him on Terra.

Over the past century and a half, the St Albans dynasty has slowly expanded their rule, until with the latest generation, they now encompass all four roles in one man.

>>16598057
Horrified at the prospect of such a powerful man becoming a heretic, they began investigating the death of Praise XVIII. Although it was claimed that his death was the work of a random cultist in the street, the ballistics suggest a high-powered, customized rifle.

A FULL SESSION devoted to examination of the murder scene and interrogation of locals confirms their suspicion, and explains a good deal of the conspiracy's more cover-up elements: Horatio Coin was hired to assassinate the world's high priest.

>>16598114
The answer, of course, raises more questions: Why would the governor do this, and was this all he did? What if, they dare to ask, he masterminded the incursion itself?
The evidence suggests that the warp spilled over into the streets of Pontus as a result of wine racketeering, raising the greed and decadence of the nobility to fever pitch, to the point where it could fuel a daemonic invasion.
And the evidence suggests that Lord St Albans was involved in the racket.
More information is required, however, before our heroes can raise any accusations.

>>16598174
As part of his duties as high priest, St Albans leads a daily mass in his palace. Our heroes attend, incognito, and Sister Athena sneaks off to search for clues. No Sororitas Snacks are available, but it's Jinkies! time anyway, because behind a secret door is a chamber devoted to worship of the dark god Tzeentch himself.
The sister is barely able to restrain herself from killing the governor right there in the middle of mass, damn the consequences. Instead, thanks to a timely Command roll by Laz, she calmly exits with everyone else.

That night, the team presents their evidence and suspicion to Carkass himself, and express their belief that a direct march on the palace is the best solution. Hit hard, eliminate any traitorous scum loyal to the high heretic, and interrogate the man before dispensing the Emperor's justice.

>>16598227

Oh shit son, this just got real.

>>16598227
Shit like this makes me want to play Dark Heresy. Too bad I can never find a group ever.

rolled 25 = 25

>>16598227

Zoinks!

>>16598227
With backup from two dozen heavily armored inquisitorial stormtroopers, and the support of Inquisitor Carkass himself -who is revealed to be an extraordinarily powerful psyker- the mansion is secured. Before entering, Athena narrowly dodges a rifle shot from a neighboring building. A brief examination of the shell matches that used to kill the late high priest.
Staring up into the darkness, Athena simply shouts,
>YOU MISSED!
Coin, ego evidently bruised, takes no further shots. Knowing that he's now after them, the team wisely avoids windows once inside.
In confrontation with St Albans, it is revealed that he is a full heretic, mutated beneath his rich, baggy robes.

This is discovered in the worst way possible: He is caught on the toilet.

Doing their best to hold down their nausea, the heroes apprehend the scum and prepare for interrogation... at which point the bloated man bites down on false tooth, dying with hideous laughter.
Whatever his ultimate goal, he would never see it through.

>>16598304
>This is discovered in the worst way possible: He is caught on the toilet.

What? Oh man. That is simultaneously disgusting and awesome.

>>16598304
oh fuck, you know with a laugh like that and a dedication to the cause that the high priest wasn't the kingpin and was only a pawn.

a man with so much power, only a pawn in tzentchs schemes.

it just begs the question... Who is the leader and where is the cult.

>>16598325
good thing he wasn't a follower of nurgle.

>>16598304
In the wake of cleaning up Pontus, Titus asks the question: Did no one think to speak to the governor after the incursion? Surely every high-ranking noble was questioned for purity.

As it turns out, St Albans was declared pure by none other than one Interrogator Chase, right hand of Inquisitor Tyrannus- who has gone off the radar, declaring Special Circumstances.
Carkass passes along intelligence that Tyrannus and Chase were last seen heading for Malfi, and commanded the acolytes to follow and investigate.

And so began The Chase For Chase.

(Pausing here, will resume in a few minutes.)

MOAR, WARP DAMN YOU, MOOOOAAAR!

>>16598361
And we're back!

The team made a stopover on Malfi to follow Chase's tracks, as well as make a shopping trip to upgrade their gear. Titus in particular makes an interesting find, some rounds which appear to have been made from ork teef with gold tips.

From Malfi to a rock in the middle of nowhere, from the rock to the death world of Dusk, the chase continued. Before descending to Dusk, each acolyte was given a voidsuit, to protect them from the psychically active pollen native to the planet.

>>16598565
On Dusk, a nightmarish world of fungal-based life, both flora and fauna, the heroes discovered a corporate encampment was discovered, apparently here to farm the local mushrooms as delicacies for faraway nobles. The management consisted of several depressed alcoholics in a perpetual soap opera, but the tech priest (who apparently was forced to take charge of the operation) assigned a guide, to help the team find where Tyrannus landed mere weeks before. He had seen the contrail of the lander, he admitted, but did not have resources to investigate.
On the way to the landing site, the team found their mountain path blocked by a rockslide.

At which point they were surprised to hear Coin's voice.

>>16598565
>>16598642
Wow, I havent heard Dusk mentioned since Duskwook Hearts last year.

>At which point they were surprised to hear Coin's voice.
FUUUUUCK!

>>16598642
Additional story required.

>>16598642
Through a two-way radio he left on the path, the assassin explains that he knew the team's destination, and beat them here, establishing a perch on a nearby mountain.
His contract has no strict deadline, so he wants to have some fun.

He challenges Titus to a sniper's duel, and even offers the younger man first shot. He instructs Titus to pick up and don the white headband he left on the rocks, saying it's identical to his. The bandana is printed with a bullseye.
Titus, knowing he's utterly outclassed, is at first hesitant, thinking there might be another way out of this, until Athena raises a rock above her head, and shouts,

>Coin, would you mind?

The rock is shattered by a single bullet.

>Thank you, Coin.

Type faster, OP!

>>16598723
Titus, convinced that he doesn't have much of a choice, takes his perch, and finds his mark --barely visible, even with his powerful rifle and scope. He loads a round, compensates for the wind and rain, and, uttering a prayer, fires.

There's silence for a moment.

>Coin?

Another moment of utter silence, but for the rain, and then:

>Excellent shot, Titus! Right through the headband! If I hadn't been wearing my helmet, that might have been the end of me!

A few bad puns later, he wished them the best of luck finding their way through the pass, and promised he'd see them soon.

>>16598763
After passing through the mountains, the team had to cross a muck-thick field, when they heard a roar from behind them.
With a mouthful of jagged teeth, smooth, pale purple skin, and at least twenty feet of height, the quadrupedal apex was one of the greatest mobile dangers of the death world, and one which they had been warned of in advance. Not that that mattered as it barreled towards them.
Titus, winning initiative, dropped to one knee, took careful aim, and fired.
With a stunning critical hit, the shot blasted into the apex's eye and out the back of its head.
The massive corpse skidded through the slime, coming to a halt just before the team's feet.

>>16598816
The sniper in my group keeps doing this to everything scary I send at the party.

>>16598838
Isn't that the point of a sniper, though? One bullet?

>>16598816
Finally reaching the landing site, our heroes found a village of simple-minded and strong-bodied "natives." It seemed, however, that they were yet again a step behind their former master, who apparently took advantage of the superstitious locals, and carried off their greatest warriors, as well as something hidden in a shrine to Elana the Unshaken, a Sister of Battle who won the world during the Anvengin Crusade. Sister Athena recalls a legend of Elana's force spear, a sacred archeotech weapon capable of channeling psychic and daemonic energy.
More importantly, they discovered that the chieftan was in communication with the corporate camp, through a radio they'd provided him.
A bit of investigation, and it came to light that the female VP of the camp had been fucking the chief, and was in fact fully aware of Tyrannus' visit. She was the one who told him about the village.

At this point, they noticed that their guide was missing.

>>16598863
Yes, but it sort of ruins a lot of scary moments.
"The hulking, mutated supersoldier begins to smash his way through his comrades to rea-"
"I shoot him in the mouth."

Just have to swarm them more often, or force them into small spaces.

>>16598863
>Oh, hi guys!
The man was naked to the waist and receiving an oil massage from one of the natives when they found him. Fearing for his safety without a void suit (though the natives seemed to have naturally selected for those most resistant to the pollen), the team attempted to rush him back to his camp.

As they loaded him back into the jeep, he began complaining of stomach pains.

As they crossed the plains, he complained of a headache.

As they rounded the mountain path, he was possessed.

Without even slowing, Lazarus shoved the convulsing, mutating body out the back of the jeep, watching the muscles grow and twist, the skull expand, the eyes shrink, becoming sharklike, dozens of teeth filling his screaming mouth, as huge claws grew from its hands. From its back sprouted a pair of what might once have been batwings, though they were skeletal and bloody.

He pointed a finger at the team, and began walking towards the speeding jeep.

>>16598906
Although he simply walked, every step seemed to carry him fifty feet, and the heroes saw him gaining inexorably. Titus, handing the wheel to the considerably less-trained-for-this Athena, attempted to steady himself in the rear of the jeep, to get a shot off at the daemonhost before it got too close and they were overwhelmed.

Seeing the time was right, he loaded one of the golden bullets, whispered a prayer, and fired.

Just as Athena lost control of the jeep, and they went over the edge.

>FUCK
shouted Lazarus.

>EMPEROR!
shouted Athena.

>HEEEEELP!
shouted Titus.

Is the "Horatio Coin" (H.C.) assassin supposed to be a reference to Illuminatus! ?

>>16598949
The Jeep seemed to hover in mid-air for a moment, then gently descended safely to the ground.

Looking around in confusion, the team saw the daemonhost descending as well, golden bullet embedded in its chest, just below the collarbone on its left side.

Athena readied her weapons, but out-of-game, the players realized pretty quickly what was going on.
In-game, it took a little longer, especially considering Sister Athena's furious distaste for not immediately exterminating the abomination now that it was at their mercy, but the more pragmatic Lazarus and Titus acknowledge that control over a daemonhost, in this context, could prove useful.

>MORRIGAN APPROVES

>>16598993
>unbound daemonhost

>>16599014
>somekindabound daemonhost

>>16598956
You're the FIRST person to catch that, party included. Thank you.

>>16598993
Questioning the apparently helpless daemon, they learn its name is Rashuael, and that it would love nothing more than to destroy them all over the course of centuries. It's met the Inquisition before, it claims, and on its terms.
Determining that their command is subject to strictly literal interpretations, Titus thinks he's clever enough to give the daemon un-twistable commands. The rest of the party insists that this is extremely stupid, and he gives up.
Finally, giving up on any attempt to turn this to their advantage, the men allow Athena to destroy Rashuael.
Her sustained flamer attack does slightly more than nothing.
They decide to leave the daemonhost where it is, and come back with some more heavy artillery later.

>>16599024
Returning to the corporate camp, the team confronts the VP, who breaks down immediately, and confesses that she was Chase's contact on Dusk, and that he was headed to Scintilla last she heard.
Despite her prayers for mercy, she is summarily executed for interfering with an Inquisitorial investigation.

>>16599037
Contacting their orbital support -a Sisters of Battle transport ship- the team requests support for extermination of a subdued daemonhost and a corrupt corporate colony.

The sisters respond with heavy flamers, incinerating the camp before moving on to Rashuael.
It takes three sisters, but the daemon is reduced, eventually, to ash. Examining the golden bullet, the Sister Superior states that it's a form of daemon-binding, a heretical device. She demands to know who is responsible for it.

Titus is forced to admit it, but Athena, surprisingly, defends him, saying he's too stupid to realize what he was doing.

The Sister Superior accepts this, especially after Titus tries to help his own case, but it's clear that Athena's lost whatever goodwill her previous actions had earned her within the Adepta.

They board the barge, and begin the long flight back to Scintilla, where it all began.

Where did he get the golden bullet?

F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5

>>16599099
A shady dealer in a market stall who might have been an ork, an abhuman, or a mutant.
>Don't be a pussy, this guy seems legit.

>>16599048
AND, I'm afraid, this is where I'm going to have to end for tonight, before I pass out at the keyboard.

I'll continue, and hopefully finish the storytime, tomorrow night around 11 EST.

Thanks for bearing with me, and feel free to upvote this thread, so I don't feel like I wasted my night:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html

>>16599099
On Malfi, though how he found such a bullet must have been sheer chance.

>>16599099


>>16598565

> The team made a stopover on Malfi to follow Chase's tracks, as well as make a shopping trip to upgrade their gear. Titus in particular makes an interesting find, some rounds which appear to have been made from ork teef with gold tips.

Hell of a find.

Bumping this.

Someone make sure this gets archived. Storytime for a three-year long campaign will probably deserve it.

>>16602351
see
>>16599201

>Three years.
Shit, my DH game only been running 2 years and I thought that was long.

The OP is dead, long live the OP.

Bumping for epic content