Chapter VII - Ascent

++++++++ EMERGENCY TRANSMISSION - GRADE MXXIV

++++++++ From: Dietrick Armengarde, Rogue Trader, Captain of the Dies Suberbia

++++++++ Via astropath - beacon: ERROR

++++++++ Countersignal: ERROR

The planet is in turmoil below, as the different heretics and xenoes below mills around like insignificant ants. Their preparations seems to be frantic, and their goals seems to be the stranded cargo ship, which now seems to have begun to meld with the cityscape. What could they possible hope to achieve by going in there, more than swift death in it's dark confines? It eludes me, but it does not matter. I have already found the truth. The truth about why we were all here.

Surely, the Void in all it's infinity wanted someone to finally understand. An exceptional individual to finally grasp the truth behind the universe. I have been chosen, since I now know the secret: The Void is beauty. The Void is perfection. My followers know it as well, and I have begun to lead sermons and meditation upon the observation deck. As I gaze for hours into the great nothingness, I feel at peace. Some of the followers have proven not to be worthy, since they could not stand to look at the Void for the whole meditation; claiming that it was to much and too dark. I ordered their eyes removed, so that they will never again disgrace the Void with such lack of spirit. They are now serfs, whose only existence is to serve us, the chosen.

Let the insignificant beings down below wage their petty battles. If they have not yet begun to grasp at the truth, then they are beyond salvation. I pity them, but I am merciful enough to at least spare them a hopeful thought of a swift death and end to their agony. After all, they are unworthy.

Special Mission - Desperation

The end draws near as an opportunity has arisen. The forces have gathered all the shards they can carry, and they will serve them well in the confines of the ship. As they enter, they will fins that the great cargo holds of the ship have merged with the ruins outside, giving the confines a look of a underhive. There is no return now. The forces must fight to the bitter end, since retreat means being cast back to the planet, with no hope of salvation in sight. Therefore they must scour all enemies from the ship and become the masters who decide it's fate. Scattered around it's dark corridors are intact defence systems and shield generators. They have no power, but clever usage of the warp shards may revive them long enough to be used. Maybe even long enough to secure their salvation.

This mission uses the horizontal deployment from the original missions 1,2 and 6 in the Kill Team rules.

The scenario will utilize five objectives. One is placed in the absolute center of the board, while the others are placed in the center of each table quarter.

Before the battle, roll a d6 for each objective to determine it's properties:

1 - Point Defence System - The objective is a hidden defence system which can be controlled from a nearby terminal. It uses the profile of an Assault Cannon, and follows the rules for Weapon Emplacements with the following exceptions:

The system cannot fire on it's own, and must be controlled by a model in base contact to be fired. 

The system does not provide a cover save

2 - Shield Bulwark - The objective may generate an intangible dome of force, providing a 4+ invulnerable save to all models within 6". This save can only ba applied to attacks with originates from the outside of the radius.

3 - Surveillance node - The objective can gather feedback and info from clusters of still functioning sensors around the ship, and clever usage of this can greatly assist in target aquisition. Each turn, one model in base contact with the objective gains the Ignores Cover rule on all of it's shooting attacks.

4 - Medical Servitor - The objective is a stationary medical servitor, armed with an array of stimulants and syringes. It provides Feel no Pain to any model within 6". 

5 - Cleansing Machinery - The objective is a station for cleansing the outside of the great cargo containers which usually occupy the ship. Hower, it would not take much to apply it as a weapon towards enemies in close proximity. It uses the profile of a Flamer with the Torrent special rule, and follows the rules for Weapon Emplacements with the following exceptions:

The system cannot fire on it's own, and must be controlled by a model in base contact to be fired. 

The system does not provide a cover save

6 - Ammunition Storage - The objective is a stash full of various ammunition, giving troops in close proximity plenty of firepower to drown their enemies with. Any model within 6" of the objective may re-roll failed rolls to hit with any shooting attack.

All of these abilities need to be activated to be in effect. To activate it, a player must move a model within 3" of the objective, and may then immediately spend a Warp Shard to activate it. An activated objective may be used for the rest of the game, and can be utilized by both players. The Warp Shards are permanently spent.

After determining abilities, take turns to place the objectives as instructed above. Roll of to decide who begins.

A player do not need to roll for rout during this mission, as this is the last charge for a chance at freedom.

The player who holds the more objectives at the end of the game wins. In the case of a draw, play one additional turn to see if a winner can be determined. Repeat until one of the player wins. 

This scenario will be played like a tournament, where a classical tournament bracket as seen below will be used. 

In the end, the winner of this last mission will also be the winner of the campaign. That player will get the chance to determine the outcome of the story, how they utilize the cargo ship and how they proceed from there on. 

Chapter VI - Descent

++++++++ EMERGENCY TRANSMISSION - GRADE MXXIV

++++++++ From: Dietrick Armengarde, Rogue Trader, Captain of the Dies Suberbia

++++++++ Via astropath - beacon: ERROR

++++++++ Countersignal: ERROR

The Void is beauty. The Void is perfection. Such are the tenets that I have passed on to my followers. After jettisoning Jeane out into it's dark embrace, most of the crew ceased their agitated behavior. Some discontent still remained but as my most loyal followers whispered the names of the malcontent to me, the black perfection of the void which soon surrounded their bodies quickly silenced any complaints. It has been a month now since the first Sending of Jeane, a whole month since I first understood the truth. The Void is beauty. The Void is perfection. After the recent Sendings, the other understand as well. How could I want to leave the Void's embrace, when it is now so obvious that I was meant to be here, and meant to discover this truth.

I have also understood that the warp seems to be a mere extention of the Void, the movements of the unmoving. We have been taught to fear the warp, but those teachings must have been lies born out of the fear of lesser men. Since the warp is a part of the Void, it is also a blessing.

The blasphemers, xenos and heretics down on the planet could never understand what gifts that the void brings them. Yesterday, the inert cargo ship which almost sent us all to the Void's embrace was swallowed by a warp phenomena which whirled around the planet. When the Void was calm once more, the ship had plummeted to the planet below and now lies sprawled across the cityscape. It seems intact, although the warping nature of the planet seems to begin to integrate it with the surroundings. This event seem to have triggered an interesting reaction among the vermin below. Most of them has begun to collect an even greater number of the warp shards which now lie scattered upon the planet. My loyal follower and astropath seems to think that they hope to use the shards to wake the warp drive of the ship, an absurd notion to be sure. I pondered if he were deserving of a Sending of telling me such absurdities, but who would allow me to send out the truth if the Void claimed him? The sermons will go on. Truly, we have found our calling.

The Void is beauty. The Void is perfection.



Special Missions - The Harvest
The arrival of the ship changed everything. A possible way out from this apocalyptic torment now lay stranded. Plans are made, half valor and half desperation. The forces must collect as many warp shards as they can before making a final push, a final assault to gain control of the ship and a possible way to freedom. May their harvest be bountiful.

During this week, the players will use the standard missions from the Kill Team rules and the additional missions provided for the campaign. 

In addition to the normal rules for these missions, there will also be three warp shards placed around the battlefield. One is placed in the exact center of the board, while the others are place 12" away from the center along the middle line of the board. 

When the game ends, a player receives a warp shard for each of these objectives he/she controls. A player receives Warp Shards even if he loses the game. If a player fails a rout test, his opponent will have one full round (movement, psychic, shooting and assault phase) to determine the final position of his models and determine how many warp shards he receives. 

Chapter V - Arrival of the Shards

++++++++ EMERGENCY TRANSMISSION - GRADE MXXIV

++++++++ From: Dietrick Armengarde, Rogue Trader, Captain of the Dies Suberbia

++++++++ Via astropath - beacon: ERROR

++++++++ Countersignal: ERROR

This cursed silence continues. Sometimes you barely notice it, and sometimes it's so palpable that it feels like you are surrounded by the immense pressure of the Void. In its vast darkness, one can almost hear it calling. The immense emptiness is almost... Beautiful...

My navigator Jeane of House Irwyll came to me yesterday. She was rambling on and on about me taking charge, and that the talk among the remaining crew had gone from resentful to open hate. She even had the audacity to lie to my face, saying that even my closest crew would soon overthrow and kill me if I didn't resume active command. I had to kill her then, since I could not accept such a slight towards my honour. I was gentlemanlike, and the shot went straight through her back into her vital organs. As I jettisoned her corpse out through the airlock, her three eyes almost seemed to thank me. I did the jettisoning in public, to show the crew what lying will lead to. Seeing the Void swallow her was a serene experience. I almost forgot our predicament for a short while.

The archivist still brings me reports of the battles down at Maelstrom Congeris. They rarely interest anymore, since it always tell of how a certain ork warband have been attacking the archaic imperials or how the vile xenos have launched yet another ambush. However, the last report finally had something interesting beyond the result of last cycles bets. Apparently, the last swathe of warp energies which flowed over the planet did not only bring about the usual environmental changes; it brought about life. According to my archivist, it is like the rubble itself has sprung to life. I almost considered blowing him out the airlock as well for lying, but he managed to convince me to give him the mercy to at least witness it myself. Absurd as it sounds, he was correct. Here and there, the plascrete seems to have fused into glowing shards which seems to animate the rubble around it to somewhat slow and sentient creatures which seems to wander around. What use either the creatures or the shards will have is beyond me, and frankly not worthy of my great attention. I have a ship to rule, after all.

Special Mission - The Earth shall Rise

As the tides of the warp floods over Maelstrom Congeris, shards of warp energies begin to materialize amongst the ruins. Some are ripe for the taking, others are volatile and explosive and some other animate the earth and rubble itself into a animated shell. Barely sentient but nigh indestructible, these wander aimlessly. The combatants soon fins that their weapons does no damage to the lumbering creatures, but that the annoyance of projectiles and blades tend to goad them the other way, swatting at their enemies as it passes. The battle to claim the shards becomes more intense as the combatants need to split their attention towards managing the colossus and actually claiming the glowing warp in it's (somewhat) stable form.

The mission uses the horizontal deployment  from the original missions 1,2 and 6 in the Kill Team rules.

Place one objective in the absolute center of the board, and one additional objective 12" away on both sides along the middle line. (To a total of 3)

To win the scenario, a player needs to control more objectives than his/her opponent at the end of the game. The nearby Colossus will make this more difficult than it sounds.

The Colossus is represented by a roughly dreadnought-sized model that begins the game in the middle of the board. It has the following stat line:

WS: 3  BS: 3  S: 6  T: 6  I: 1  W: Unlimited  A: 1  Sv: 5++

Type: Monstrous Creature

Special Rules:

Slow and Purposeful

Unkillable - As bullets and place whittle down it's outer shell, more rubble rises from the ground in an even more rapid pace. The Colossus has an infinite number of wounds, and cannot be killed by any means.

Parts of the Environment - As the Colossus is formed from the environment around the Warp Shards, sometimes "lucky" happenstance allows it to consist of materials that somehow seems to improve it's abilities. Before the battle, roll a d6 and consult the chart below. The Colossus has the resulting power for the rest of the game.

1 - Only rubble - No extra abilities

2 - Steel Girders - +1 WS and +3 Initiative due to increased range

3 - Storm of Shards - The Colossus gains the following shooting attack: 

                                       Range: 18" S: 4 AP: - Assault 3

4 - Construction Wires - The Colossus gains the following shooting attack: 

                                       Range: Template S: 4 AP: - Assault 1

5 - Solid Door - Invulnerable save increased to 4++

6 - Chunks of Metal - +2 Attacks

The Colossus acts after both players have had their turn, and how it acts depends on the actions of the players. By inflicting wounds on the Colossus, a player can try to drive it away towards his/her enemies. When it becomes the Colossi's turn, the player who has inflicted the most number of wounds on the Colossus during her round gets to push it towards the opponents side. If no wounds or the same amount of wounds were inflicted, the Colossus does nothing. The controlling player may control the Colossus during it's turn along the following guidelines:

- The Colossus must move away from the controlling players table edge

- If it has a shooting ability, the Colossus will use it against the closest model of the opponent.

- The Colossus will try to assault the closest model of the opponent in the assault phase.

The Colossus cannot be locked in combat. After results has been calculated, all player-controlled models may immediately consolidate. Wounds in assault counts towards the number which determines the player who controls the Colossus.

An attack which would have caused Instant Death instead counts as 2 wounds towards to number which determines the player who controls the Colossus.

After the game, a player receives a new type of resource called Warp Shards which the player notes on his campaign roster. The number of Warp Shards received is equal to the number of objectives held at the end of the game. If a player wins due to rout from the opponent, he may immediately take another full turn of movement to determine how many objectives he controls.

The Warp Shards does not seem to have any immediate usefulness for the teams, but they might prove to be quite valuable in the battles to come...