Dark Heresy: Under A Vast Grey Sky - The Conclusion

The Wargate's Fall Dark Heresy campaign is over!  Yeah I know it's technically Winter, but it ran a few weeks longer than all that.  It was still mostly Fall.

Quite a lot has happened on the world of Lucruzu Prime since our players landed there, a little over two weeks (of game time!) ago.  There were casualties during the course of the mission, but all points were covered and Inquisitor Mandera was pleased!

Below is a breakdown of the game in each of it's ten sessions (adventures!) which gives a synopsis of the challenges given to the servants of the Emperor in their mission to Lucruzu, and how they got through one of the most insidious attempts at subverting the Imperial Creed that Inquisitor Mandera has ever investigated!

1. Distress At Lucruzu - The characters are brought together by various fortunes to serve the Inquisition under Corvus Mandera of the Ordo Hereticus.  Aboard an ancient chartist vessel, the Abyssinia, the player group (the acolytes) survive an attempt on their lives by escaping into a black hold.  There, they encountered hullghasts, but managed to escape back to the upper levels in a safe area.  The guilder who was responsible was executed by Comptroller Bosch, with little exchange of words.
2. The Mission - The acolytes meet a lot of important NPC's, including Admiral Akrezu of the Spanner of Twilights, Hobart Wolkmann of the Mission of the Emperor Ascendant, Liev and Andrei Semetov, as well as their father, Urien Balka Semetov and his niece, Castella Balka.  After thwarting an attempt on Castella's life, the acolytes know something serious is happening here.
3. Death At Tithesgiving - An attempt is made on the Governor's life, leaving him critically injured yet still alive.  Most people think that Andrei was responsible, leading to a gunfight at the tithing grounds and Andrei's escape into the steppe around Domagosch.
4. Band of Basterds - The Inquisitor makes contact and delineates the parameters of the acolyte's missions:  Determine if religious militants are the cause of the unrest is primary, but after the assassination attempt Mandera charges the acolytes with determining the faction responsible for the assassination attempt. The players investigate the tales of the offworlders.  When a meeting with the offworld mercenaries is finally secured, it goes south quickly and a Semetov pogrom seems to land right on top of their position!
5. Band of Basterds, Part 2 - The acolytes continue their investigation into the offworlders, eventually discovering a connection: they seem to be working for Andrei Semetov.  However, it seems that Bob (Band of Basterds) screwed over Alexei, a local pimp and extortionist.  A few of the acolytes accompany Bob into the steppe in their huge rovers, and the other half remain in the city to continue their investigations.
6. The Windswept Steppe - This session was really two different adventures, as the two groups of acolytes never come in so much as vox contact.  One group accompanies Bob to their safehouse in the steppe, where they promise Andrei is waiting.  The safehouse is destroyed, and a Semetov Lander emerges from behind a nearby hill.  The battle is swift, and Bob heads back into town to find their own leader, Captain Basterd.  The other group of acolytes conduct business throughout the city, and encounter some interesting folk at the mission, including a mysterious psyker who warns them that death is coming.  An assassin emerges from the dark and attempts to kill the acolytes at the mission, but he is slain.  Outside, the rioting begins.
7. The Pogrom - Domagosch is in the middle of the violent throes of religious rioting.  Locking onto short range vox waves, the acolytes attempt to reunite and finally find each other at one of Bob's safehouses, which is an underground bunker.  After dealing with Alexei, the players find Andrei Semetov in the safehouse, which was provided by Castella Balka.
8. The Outlaw Torn - Sabotage by the Watchers of Poul in both Bob and Andrei's Honor Guard turn the underground bunker into a madzone.  A few short range firefights and one or two tactical explosives in confined spaces and the acolytes see for the first time the Watchers of Poul's heretical literature, proclaiming a new Emperor coming whose face will Change.
9. The Murderous Truth - Andrei plans to get into the Semetov fortress, and has a plan for dealing with the internal security as well.  The acolytes aid him in his plan and enter the fortress, where they find more evidence of Liev aiding the Watchers of Poul that are proven heretics on his personal data slates. Rabalias Narcia, Cleric of Poul, is revealed to be a loathesome witch, and is slain after a terrible battle. Meanwhile, Murkul the Tech-Priest rests after having new eyes implanted after his original, weak eyes were melted by laser-fire.  An attempt was made on his life by an unknown assassin, but this was thwarted by a few of the other acolytes present at the Medicae Cybernetica.
10. The Steeple of Souls - The players have all they need to bring down Liev and his militant cult.  However, Andrei kills his brother after Liev fires upon the acolytes, though he was badly wounded by the plasma fire.  Inquisitorial stormtroopers flood the fortress, disarming the House Guard and taking everyone into custody, where they were brought before Inquisitor Mandera.

In the end, this is pretty much how it goes:

• The Watchers of Poul isn't heretical in and of itself, it's a certain set of teachings that sometimes inserts itself into the doctrine.  It's believed by the Ordo that this phenomenon is not inherent or limited to this particular sect.
• Urien knew that the Watchers were gaining in popularity, and that an attempt on his life might be made. To this end, he appealed to Castella to ask her lover, Inquisitor Mandera, to investigate the happenings.  Band of Basterds was sent first.
• The Basterds fought against the unjust Semetov Pogroms posing as Ascendant cultists to hide the fact they were from offworld.
• The Semetov Pogroms were used by Liev to target civilian populations that were loyal to the Temple Ascendant.
• As the Watchers gained popular momentum, the population of the Temple Ascendant was lowered.
• Andrei was framed, but ran because he's young and inexperienced.  He also knew about his brothers' doings and feared Rabalias.
• Band of Basterds was ordered to protect Andrei, who (when approached) offered to hire them.  Problem solved.
• Band of Basterds was really serving Mandera the whole time, through his proxy Castella Balka.
• Liev's ultimate goal was to gain control of the other Guild Houses of Lucruzu through his status and Rabalias' religious influence.  And lots of money.

There might be more.  Comments are open, so if you have questions you want answered please do drop a line.  There was tons and tons more of material, I just can't go into everything here.  We have to draw a line somewhere!  However, there should be plenty of healthy discussion for weeks!

That's all for now, but as we speak, the acolytes are now the personal retinue of Inquisitor Mandera, and are accompanying him to Kelphis, in the Incendia Paeniteo subsector.

There, they have put to death many sanctioned Imperial psykers, citing heresy and warpcraft.

And that is the purview of the Ordo Hereticus.