AN INTRODUCTION TO DARK HERESY

CREDITS CREDITS

Le Le Lead Developer

Ross Watson

M Managing Developer

Michael Hurley

De Des Design and Writing By

Alan Bligh

P Pub Pub Publisher
C istia Christian Christian T. Petersen ian

Edit Edit Editi Editing

Mike Mason Mike M ke
Dar Dar Dark Heresy Designed by a
Owe Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, and Mike Mason Owen Ba

Gra Graphic Design r

M Mark Raynor, Adrian Wood yno n

Sp Special Thanks p

John French

La La Layout

Trent Urness

GAMES WORKSHOP A AM S OR

Li Licensing Manager

Owen Rees

Cover Art ov

J h John Blanche

Interior Art
John Blanche, Paul Jeacock, Adrian Smith, Karl Kopinski, and Andrea Uderzo d
Li Licensing & Acquired Rights Manager

Erik Mogensen

I In Intellectual Property Manager

Alan Merrett

Ca Cartography

Mark Raynor

Hea Head of Legal & Licensing

Andy Jones

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t is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacriced every day, so that he may never truly die. Yet in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battle eets cross the Daemoninfested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperors will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bioengineered superwarriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the evervigilant Inquisition and the TechPriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name but a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the everpresent threat from aliens, heretics, mutantsand worse. To be a man is such times is to be one amongst untold billons. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has

INTRODUCTION

The greatest resource our Holy Imperium possesses is the fathomless multitudes of humanity itself. No power is mightier and no force more dreadful when turned to a single purpose. By human hands alone we have remade stars in our image. By this token the wise know that true power lies in the mastery of blood and bone, in the very meat of mankind. Quastor General, Brantus Hurst, Departmento Munitorium Penitential Command. The Edge of Darkness is an investigation-based introductory adventure for use with DARK HERESY. It is intended for a group of two to four players and will probably take three or six evening sessions of play to complete. The adventure starts with a mysterious death connected to a forlorn district of the vast hive city of Scintilla. The circumstances surrounding this death have piqued the interest of the Inquisition and the player-Acolytes will be called upon to act covertly to explore the matter further. If youre planning to play an Acolyte in this investigation, you should read no furtheras youll spoil the mystery! However, if you are going be the Game Master (GM), then read on.

Introduction

The Edge of Darkness
been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of the thirsting gods.
USING THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
This adventure is intended as a prelude to DARK HERESY Fantasy Flight Games role playing game of intrigue, adventure and horror in the 41st Millennium. This adventure focuses the Acolytes being undercover agents. EDGE OF DARKNESS is a self contained adventure intended for Acolytes fresh to the Inquisitions service and can be used as a taster for some of the themes and stories that the game focuses on, as well as, an immersive introduction to the whole Warhammer 40,000 universe. The adventure also makes an excellent prelude to a start of an ongoing series of adventures if you already have the DARK HERESY CORE RULEBOOK in your hands; in which case just ignore the Quick Start Rules listed here. For obvious reasons, the full extent of Dark Heresys rules and systems cannot be repeated here, however a sampling of basic game mechanics can be found in the Quick Start Rules on page 36 (we suggest that GMs print off these rules pages for their players to use as handy reference). Additional rules and GMs tips have been strategically dotted around the scenariodo make sure to read through these rules carefully. Six introductory Acolyte Player Characters (PCs) have also been created for your use and these can be downloaded from the Fantasy Flight Games website. Other than this adventure, youll need some tensided dice (d10) ideally two per player, and of course some willing players!

FROM SHATTERED HOPE TO THE EDGE
DARK HERESYs rst published demo adventure SHATTERED HOPE was an actionoriented adventure that dealt with events at the Gorgonid Mine on the world of Sepheris Secundus. This adventure, however, assumes no need for that demo to have been played rst and starts with a group of newly recruited Acolytes for convenience of play. You can of course carry on one adventure from the other (in either order). If you wish to follow on from SHATTERED HOPE, then it is reasonable to assume that sufcient time has passed for wounds to heal, during which the Acolytes will have been thoroughly questioned and tested for contamination. Both this adventure and SHATTERED HOPE make for excellent preludes to ILLUMINATIONSthe larger starting adventure contained within the DARK HERESY CORE RULEBOOK.
SYNOPSIS OF THE ADVENTURE
The adventure is divided in to three distinct parts, the rst is a narrated introductory section where the Acolytes are brought together by the Inquisition and briefed on the matter at hand. In the second part, the Acolytes are left to their own initiative to explore and investigate the dead man and the Coscarla Division district where the adventures action is set. Depending on the fruits of their progress (or indeed as a consequence of their blundering,) the third part of the adventure, where the uncovered conspiracy must be fought and defeated, can kick in at any point, proving the adventures conclusion in a fastpaced kill or be killed conict.
Here the Acolytes travel to the Coscarla Division to investigate the dead man and gather as many clues as they can. They will nd an area of the city dying from slow urban decay and held hostage to a nameless fear, and if successful, they will uncover evidence that something truly evil is coiling at the heart of things. There are opportunities for numerous encounters here, including interaction with local NPCs both fair and foul, and although combat is by no means guaranteed, the Acolytes may end up in a violent confrontation with local criminal gangs, corrupt enforcers, murderous dregs or even a barroom brawl. If the Acolytes are circumspect and successful, they will be drawn to what goes on behind the public faade of the Tantalus Alms House for their answers. If they have aroused the suspicions of their unseen enemies, they might nd themselves dragged to the Alms House as the Churgeons latest victims.

Part I: Among the Missing
The Inquisitions attention has been stirred by the discovery of a body on the Sibellus transit rail. This is not in itself an uncommon occurrence; however the body, under forensic examination, showed extensive signs of surgical tampering and illegal organgrafting indicative of heretical science. The Inquisition has kept the body and the incident under wraps, and has determined it to be that of a missing habworker called Saul Arbest. Arbest was reported missing over a month ago by his sister, from his home in the dilapidated Coscarla Division area of Hive Sibellus. The Inquisition is interested in just how this heretical biocraft wound up in the body of this otherwise unremarkable citizen and will brief the Acolytes as to what is known and dispatch them to covertly investigate matters.
Part III: The Chamber of Horrors
The true face of what lurks behind the fear gripping Coscarla is exposed and the horrors of the Churgeons alchemlab are revealed one way or the other. The results of this exposure may well force the enemy into the open and the Acolytes will nd themselves ghting for their lives with no escape readily available. If this comes to pass, the Acolytes will have to be smart to survive and overcome the Churgeon and her minions, perhaps enlisting help from some unexpected sources to do so. Triumphing over the evils of the Churgeon will be difcult but rewarding, and ultimately will save a great many lives, as well as proving the Acolytes worth as new agents for the Holy Ordos.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Here are several important Non Player Characters (NPCs) involved in the adventure, detailing their personalities and motivations. Owing to the adventures set up and freeform structure, there are quite a few characters involved, not all of
she intends to cover her tracks by releasing a biological agent to mimic the effects of a plague outbreak, killing perhaps tens of thousands of people in the process. She has done it before, and if not stopped, shall do it again.
Part II: The Twilight City
ADVICE TO NOVICE GMS: ON RUNNING EDGE OF DARKNESS
The Edge of Darkness is an adventure based on an ongoing situation into which the Acolytes are drawn and as such, the events and characters involved in the conspiracy in Coscarla have their own motivations with which the Acolytes, as outsiders, interact. Once inside Coscarlas environs the Acolytes have a free hand about how to proceed and what leads and clues to follow, and it is up to you, as the GM, to respond to their actions as you feel appropriate. When GMing a nonlinear adventure like this one, you should always feel free to embellish the details, come up with new encounters and have events and individuals react to the Acolytes actions as this will always make for a tighter story, a sense of empowerment for your players and, accordingly, a better game all round. Adventures like this one can demand a little more from the GM and youll be required to think on your feet, keep an idea of whats going on in your head and respond to whatever plans and ideas your players might come up. The key things are to be rm but fair; dont be afraid to have NPCs act or react adversely and violently if the Acolytes actions make this the logical outcome, and of course reward quick thinking and good ideas on the players part with additional clues, information and assistance as warranted. Also, even more than with more linear adventures, it is important to be familiar with the details of the adventure itself, not simply so you know who is where and doing what, but also how the signicant NPCs will react to the unexpected, and so you can add to things as you go along without risk of messing up your own plot! Although it may sound obvious, a handy notebook to record names and the like as you go along, or to record what the Acolytes have learned so far, is heartily recommended! If this all sounds like a fair amount of work for the GM, thats because it is. But at the same time, if youre something of a storyteller at heart, it can be a very rewarding game experience indeed. these characters may actually come into play as their roles in the adventure are dependent upon the Acolytes and how your players approach things. Interrogator Sand: A senior agent of the Inquisition, scholar and medicae. He comes across as a superior and somewhat jaded man. Sand is the one who charges the Acolytes to undertake the investigation into Saul Arbest. Saul Arbest (Deceased): Sauls fate is the root of this investigation; this missing workers corpse and, in particular, its hidden modications are the reason for the Acolytes involvement. In life Arbest was a man on the slide, laidoff from his indenture, without work and without a future, he drank too much, used his mouth too freely and paid a very heavy price. Lili Arbest: Sauls sister, Lili is a young woman grown old with worry before her time. She is a skilled worker who fears to leave Coscarla before the mystery of her missing brother goes unsolved. However, when the Acolytes rst encounter her, she

AMONG THE MISSING

THE TRADESMANS ENTRANCE SIZING UP THE SITUATION (AND AN INTRODUCTION TO TESTS) THE BODY IN QUESTION OUTFITTING FOR A TRIP DOWN HIVE
he adventure begins with the summoning of the Acolytes to service for the rst time as operatives of the Inquisition, and their brieng into the mysterious circumstances surrounding a death. If you havent played before, ensure that your players each have an Acolyte character to play and have familiarised themselves with the Quick Start Rules. Tell them that they are all fresh recruits to the service of the Imperial Inquisition and that they have been chosen to serve it as Acolytes agents, experts and specialists. They are to become front line soldiers in the Imperiums shadowy war against the forces of corruption within and the horrors without that wish to subvert and overthrow the rule of the Golden Throne of Terra. Having undergone initiation and testing they have been left waiting, concealed in plain sight among the teeming billions of Hive Sibellus on the world of Scintilla, capitol of the Calixis Sector, awaiting their new masters summons.
of trepidation, they each answer the call at the appointed time, taking with them any gear they possess and saying farewell, perhaps for the last time, to their temporary and anonymous lodgings. If your players have any last minute questions about their Acolytes, the rules, the Inquisition or Scintilla, nows the time to answer them the best you can, in particular the Dark Heresy website holds a lot of information you can add to whats presented here at www.FantasyFlightGames.com Once your players have sorted themselves out and have a handle on the import of what is happening, read or paraphrase the following:
I: Among the Missing I: Among the Missing

THE TRADESMANS ENTRANCE

Read aloud or paraphrase the following: After being singled out and inducted into the service of the Inquisition, things have not quite gone as you had imagined them. Removed from your past life, you have been tested and measured, questioned and interrogated. But aside from a few lectures given in darkened chambers that left you sick to your stomach and a seemingly endless stream of codes and ciphers given you to memorize and destroy, you have been left largely to your own devices. Lodging under a false name in an anonymous habblock in Hive Sibellus, on Scintilla, the capitol planet of the Calixis Sector, you have bided your time for weeks waiting for the call from your masters, and perhaps, their verdict. At last that call has come and a blankeyed courier has delivered to you a note featuring the cipher of the Holy Ordos. The message within was simple and perfunctory, containing a time, a date and a location. The instruction to come prepared and expect company is signed off with a single epithetThe Emperor Protects
At the appointed hour, you have made your way through the bustling faceless masses of the Administratum quarter to an unmarked service elevator platform set in the rear of a vast and imposing building covered in basreliefs of skulls, half draped urns and other symbols of death, crowned by an immense statue of a weeping saint. It appears that you are expected; the wizened face of the platforms inbuilt servitor studies you and pronounces Pass as you climb on board. As the note implied, you were not the only person called, and you make for an uncomfortable and diverse looking group standing in tense silence as the crowds throng by. The servitor control chimes active as the last one of you boards the platform and the elevator descends as the hatchway closes above you all with a thunderous boom. The platform continues downward for some minutes through maintenance levels, deep into the bowels of the government district.

Sand will causally brush aside any questions and carry on with his lecture, pulling aside the grey sheet to reveal the dissected and eviscerated body of an adult human. As he continues to talk, the servoskulls will dip and bob out of sight to reappear with messy looking organic specimens in tests tubes and jars, clutched in their dextrous brass callipers, displaying them in turn for the Acolytes edication:
Now if you will kindly attend and pay heed, I will take questions afterward. The body has been positively identied as that of one Saul Arbest, male, 23 years of age, hive worker, unskilled labourer certied. Formerly of the Tantalus Indenture, registered habitation: chamber 6/23 stack 717# Coscarla Division, southern zone, Hive Sibelius. Subject found dead on the midhive transit rail three days ago as the car returned to the main depot. Preliminary examination at the scene suggested death by drug overdose. Post mortem performed by the biologis forensic, however revealed certain anomies that necessitated our involvement. The cause of death was in fact total systemic failure brought on by tissue rejection of an implanted synthetic graft organ. Said organ destroyed his central nervous system while attempting to overcome the immune response. In short this
crushed the life out of him from the inside. Whats it for? Unknown, but my opinion would be, in a word, controlneural and synaptic override, perhaps worse. There were other grafts and surgery of a less singular kind also; one lung replaced by a concealed storage cavity, possibly for his use as a courier. Also, one optic nerve removed, skin ayed from his stomach, Ive no idea why. His systems awash with alchemic traces, clotting agents, panimmune and the like. The surgery was expert, but by the lesions and tissue stresses, I doubt any care was given to whether or not it was painless. In fact, by the damage to his vocal cords, my guess was that he probably screamed as long as he was able to. But this little monster is what concerns us. Oh, you dont need to know the genelore or the Omnissian edict, just that this is not only illegal, it is forbidden, it is heresy. Merely tampering with this kind of dark tech is enough to warrant a death sentence from the Holy Ordos, the Arbites or the Mechanicus. And Im sure that you, as well as I, am wondering how such a rare and vile thing ended up wrapped round the spine of some anonymous habprole from the dusty end of the stacks. The man has no prior criminal record, he was rendered invalid by indenturelaid off if you will, some sixty days ago now and was reported missing thirtytwo days ago by his sister, one Lili Arbest, resident of the same habstack. More than enough time to get himself into all sorts of trouble, Im sure youll agree. These grafts are no more than eight or ten days old at most. We have nothing else on him. This is to be a shadow investigation, no open ofcial involvement and no notication of the local authorities, and no one knows hes here either. Coscarlas down hive, so a covert approach will draw far less attention than a boot through the door, and be far less likely to kill any leads to our heretic. Find out why and where if you can, better yet, nd out how. Best of all, nd out who is responsible. Go with the grace of the GodEmperor, oh and additional samples would be a blessing if you can procure them.

The servo skull displays a sample jar containing a ten centimetre long whitish cord of waving glassy tendrils, still in motion, still alive.
At this point the players (or at least the Acolytes at any rate) will no doubt have a number of further questions and Sand will happily answer anything reasonably put to him. He has looked up what little the Ordo has on the Coscarla Division and has a brief for them (see Appendix III on page 45) and knows much of its sorry recent history. However, his information is all facts and gures, he knows nothing of the reality on the ground or the corruption and terror reigning there. What he wants is for the Acolytes to do is some old fashioned ground work, trace down the leads that may remain as to Arbests fate and get a feel for what might have happened and, if possible, uncover the facts of any conspiracy involved. The head of the heretic on a platter would be a considerable bonus but not something he is expecting as a likely outcome. Sand has procured for them a kit of additional equipment but wont acquiesce to any demands for further arms or manpower as he believes the Acolytes well armed enough to defend themselves, and that they should be talented enough to adapt and overcome if needs be. Added to which, he feels
Yes, well Im afraid the great chapters of the Astartes and the Blessed Choirs of the Saints Militant are all busy right now, so youll have to do. But I am being churlish. Let me instead ask you a question: What do you imagine the Inquisition seeks for in its agents? Are you to be slavish lackeys? Simpering torchbearers to trail around your master, fawning and muttering his praises? Of course not. Such creatures are commonplace, turn over any rock in the Administratum or, Emperor save us, the Ecclesiarchy, and youll nd a score of such worthless invertebrates wriggling out. No, our wars are best waged with agents to whom action and intent are things bred in the bonewe need initiative and will, cunning, savvy, courage and purpose. No, an Acolyte that cannot act on their own to help overcome mankinds many foes had better die quickly lest they kill others with their shameful inadequacies! Well, enough of that talk, Im sure this matter will be a simple one, a mere skirmish with the foe at best. All we are asking of you is that you carry out a basic investigation, something that should be well within your capabilities, dig out a few facts, question, probe, charm and dissemble. See what you can nd out about our dead man here without making too much of a mess. Its a chance to see how you perform in the eld as well, consider this a test of your quality, because in many ways, thats just what it is.

The inhabitants of the Coscarla Division are a sorry and diminished lot, worn down by poverty, uncertainly and, more recently, ruled by fear. Most would be described as unskilled labour by work designation; poor families, the old and the inrm. They have been living on a reduced food supply and with failing utilities for some time and consequently are a gaunt, often sickly and halfstarved lot. They are not evil, nor are they complicit in the troubles of the area, but they are trapped in the Coscarla through a mix of poverty, legal constraint (many are still bound by a workers indenture to the Tantalus Combine) and by virtue of simply having nowhere else to go. The key point to get across when portraying the habcitizens of Coscarla is that they are afraid; this it not simply a matter of their economic plight as they are used to hard times (even though these are harder than most), but genuinely fearful of what is going on around them. They fear the narcogangs and the violent strangers who have started coming and going in the area. They fear what will happen should the Tantalus Combine abandon its involvement with them entirely. They fear the dregs and the vermin prowling the derelict habs in evergreater numbers. But most of all, they fear what is happening in the night with increasing frequency, redeyed shapes glimpsed moving in the darkness and another citizen added to the roster of the missing by morning.

TALKING TO THE LOCALS

The best way to get information from the people of Coscarla is to interact with them and simply to talk to them. Your players may choose to play through these social situations or you may wish to have them employ Social Skill Testsfor
FOR THE GM: DEGREES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE
Often its useful to know how well a character succeeded in a Test (or how badly theyve failed) as a guide for you to determine the outcome of things. Dark Heresy uses as system of degrees to grade success and failure in this way, and working this out is simple: just compare the results of the Test with the tested Characteristic and for every 10 full points by which the score is passed, 1 degree of success is achieved. Similarly if a Test is failed, each 10 full points indicates a degree of failure. For Example: Junt has ducked into an alleyway and is trying to climb a wall quickly to escape a mob of mutants. The wall is quite high and slick with rain, and so the GM calls for a Challenging (+0) Climb Test. Junt has the Climb skill and a Strength Characteristic of 38. Junts player rolls a 14, beating his characteristic by 24 and passing the Test with two degrees of success (24/10 = 2). Thanks to his ne success, the GM judges that Junt is up and over the wall quickly before the mutants round the corner, making a clean getaway.

Two Two Successes Successes c
Three o ore Three or more S ccesse Successes ss

OPPOSED TESTS

Sometimes a character will be called on to match their ability or Skill directly against that of another (such as an arm wrestling contest or trying to sneak passed a guard without them noticing), this is called an Opposed Test. In this case, both participants make a Test and the one with the greater degree of success wins. In the case of a draw, the participant with the higher Characteristic Bonus wins (with standard success). If the participants Characteristic Bonuses are also equal, the GM can decide that either a deadlock has been reached (neither has gained the upperhand this round) or that the Test should be retaken etc. as suits the situation. If Acolytes can allay the fears of those they are plying for details, they will discover that Lili is a young widow, her husband having died in the blackout res a year ago. She is a literate and skilled worker, with no ties to hold her here but her brother, some wonder why she has remained in Coscarla so long.
When the night cycle kicks in and the districts power fades down to emergency levels, the Acolytes are left with a whole new range of problems. Outside the immediate areas of lamp light or the pools of illumination provided by a few buildings that have their own power supply, it is almost pitch black and Perception and Awareness Tests (such as nding your way if lost), as well as attempts at gunplay and the like all suffer a 30 penalty.

GETTING AROUND COSCARLA

The only practical way to get round Coscarla is on foot. Whilst this in itself doesnt present a problem on the main thoroughfares which, while strewn with old rubbish and abandoned debris, are broad and built to accommodate far more foot and road trafc than they now handle. Away from these broad streets, the side alleys and gantry walks between the stacks are a different matter, and many are choked with old refuse, scorched wreckage from the blackout res and worse. The footing is treacherous and you never know when youre going to stir up a nest of vermin or if that bundle of rags you accidentally tread upon will turn out to be a maddened dreg. Anyone moving at any speed faster than a careful walk through the worse areas must take a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or they will loose their footing, or perhaps some other unpleasant incident occurs. (See Appendix II for the Dreg and Vapour Rat proles).

Looking for the Way Out

Astute Acolytes, who pay attention (an Ordinary (+10) Awareness Test), will notice that there appears to be only two viable ways in or out of the Coscarla Division: the intermittent transit rail service and a single main exit to the hives arteria network, through which heavy goods, vehicles and a few battered looking quadwheelers pass very infrequently. There are other portions of the Coscarla Division still inhabited and operating outside of the malign inuences described here, they are also clustered around a functioning railhead, but these are all tens of kilometres away through a wasteland of abandoned and desolate habs.
Welcome to the Night Cycle
Map 2-1: Important Locations in the Southern Coscarla Division

LOCKDOWN!

Should the Acolytes battle or kill any of the Churgeons Body Snatchers or the enforcers, or rouse any of the Logicians suspicions for any reason, Moran will order a lockdown until further notice. When this happens armed guards will be placed on the transit rail and access to the arteria will be completely blocked. All wire voxlines in the area (save for the one in the enforcer station) will be cut, effectively sealing the Acolytes in. Its up to them now

THE VANISHING

The reason why so many of the Coscarlas residents disappear during the night is because that is when the Churgeon unleashes her squads of Body Snatchers. These dark techaugmented servitors, created from her victims, target and abduct members of the citizenry and take them to the Churgeons facility (concealed within the Alms House) for experimentation and organ harvesting. Waste biomatter and failed experiments are then (horrically enough) disposed of by recycling them into the Alms Houses food handouts. The Churgeons experiments are reaching a critical stage and she has increased her quota to four victims per night, as a result the situation is starting to spiral out of control for Moran, and the fake enforcers abilities to control or cover up.
Location 1: The Transit Railhead
The railhead consists of three raised metal transit rails, held up a hundred metres off the ground by an ornate skeletal framework of riveted girders and beams. A cluster of huge metal platforms, winches, hoists, gear houses and signal boxes make up the embarkation area, while a score of wide, metal spiral staircases and gantries provide access to the divisions ground level. Clearly built to accommodate thousands of passengers at a time, the railhead now has a barren and empty look. Rust and decay clings to everything, windows are smashed, the paint aking and signs that once contained inspirational slogans for the workers that passed this way have all been vandalised and torn down. The railheads control room has been sealed closed and the process is now entirely automated. A public wire voxterminas has also been deliberately vandalised and smashed.

Location 3: The Southern Square
The Southern Square operates as the hub of this portion of the Coscarla Division, it is bounded at one side by the railhead and several broad roadways radiate out from it, populated by habstacks and the numerous important locations of this adventure. The squares most singular feature is a fty metre tall granite statue of a winged felid. The statue is millennia old and headless, a testament to when this entire region was once a single great nobles estate.
Location 4: The Trade Market
Occupying the area of the Square furthest away from the Enforcer Station, this ragged sprawl of stalls, pedlars, openair cook shops and scavenger piles is now what passes for open commerce in southern Coscarla. At any time during the day cycle, fty to a hundred habcitizens, as well as reclaimators, dregs and a handful of cocky gang blades, will congregate here to do business. The goods on offer are such things as salvaged and illrepaired household items, patched clothing, and food rations supplemented with barely edible cooked vermin. The Acolytes can purchase little of worth here, however information can be gathered from the people. About an hour of listening and questioning is enough to allow for an Inquiry Test (See page 12).
Location 6: The Coscarla Hostel
This crumbling tenement building of knocked through dwellings is marked by the cracked paint of the sign above the door as the Coscarla Hostel and is the only option in the area for a paid nights lodgings. Even compared to the rest of the area, the hostel is in an awful state, the walls are blighted with damp, the plaster peeling and the furnishings covered with patches of mould and unidentiable stains. The
hostels proprietor is a bulbousheaded, sickly looking man with large bloodshot eyes and pale clammy skin, perpetually drenched with sweat, who calls himself Maxus Drayelok. Despite his fawning pretensions of grandeur, his only workforce consists of his seemingly mute, witheredlooking wifea minor mutant with a skeletally thin build and a badly malformed right hand. Drayelok offers his twelve double rooms at a rate of a halfThrone a nightlight and bedding generously included and at the moment, save for the occasional overspill from the Workers Union, he gets very little trade, which is perhaps just as well. Drayelok is addicted to spiral black, a particularly potent variant of obscura. Drayelok is in debt to Luntz at the Workers Union and he will inform the gang boss of anything he can nd out about his guests, the Acolytes included. Drayelok has developed one particularly unpleasant sideline however, and in league with several of the areas vilest and most fargone dregs, he has taken to murdering any guests that his paranoid mind takes issue with and robbing them to fund his drug habit. If the Acolytes stay in the hostel for more than one night, its likely they will have some unwelcome callers (see Room Service at the Coscarla Hostel). Acolytes with an enforcer, Arbites or criminal background can make an Ordinary (+10) Scrutiny Test to realise, with certainty, from his appearance and mannerisms that Drayelok is a drug addict, and far on along the path to ruin. What Drayelok Knows In his capacities as informant, addict, trafcker with dregs and nocturnal murderer, Drayelok knows a surprising amount about whats really going on. He will volunteer none of it unless forcibly interrogated or pleading for his worthless life (a Routine (+20) Intimidation or Deceive Test in this circumstance). A success gleans the following information:

THE LAYOUT OF THE ALMS HOUSE

THE GROUND FLOOR

The following are detailed descriptions of each area in the Alms House.
Security and Dispositions at the Alms House
During the day cycle the Alms House maintains a deception of normality, Moran and his two aides carry out the business of the food distribution, aided by the kitchen servitors, while the
III: The Chamber of Horrors
Their original plan (once their work in the Coscarla was completed) was to taint the Alms Houses last food handout with a dilute solution of the plague bacillus, which would have the effect of a widespread contamination (the infected also becoming carriers) providing a suitable delay while the Logicians could escape. However, if they feel the game is up in Coscarla, their method will be far cruder and blatant. Any surviving Body Snatchers will be dressed with bandoliers of plague vials, hidden under dregs clothing. They will then smash the vials systematically in the entryways of habblocks, public buildings and the like, causing a huge diversion while the Logicians ee. If this attack occurs, then burning the Body Snatchers (preferably from a distance) is the only even vaguely safe means of counter attack.

GETTING IN

There are a number of ways that the Acolytes can gain entrance to the Alms House: they could break in, use a passkey (all of the Logician agents carry such a key) or even try and hide among the crowd entering for food and conceal themselves till later. Most of the internal locks and the rear door use the same passkey (unless noted in the location), attempting to overcome these sturdy mechanical locks is no easy task treat this as a Challenging (+0) Security Test. Forcing the locktreat this as an automatic hit attack against an object with a combined Toughness & Armour value of 10, thus requiring a total of 12 or more points of damage in one hit to break italthough this second option is likely to be very noisy, especially if it takes the Acolytes numerous hits to break the lock. When moving round the Alms House, stealth is likely to be the order of the day, fortunately the buildings solid construction, general abandonment and layers of dust make this fairly easy. Each Acolyte wishing to move stealthily must make an Ordinary (+10) Silent Move Test Opposed by Awareness (35) for any patrolling guard in a position to discover them. upper oors are barred and off limits. During the night cycle, Moran (unless called away) and the others sleep on the second oor, while a Body Snatcher patrols the ground and second oors once every hour. Each night, two to six Body Snatchers are sent out to collect the nights crop of subjects, while the remainder await, hookedup to chemical canisters, on the third oor. The Churgeon and her two homonculites do not sleep.

society. Filthy, illconditioned and often diseased, dregs are broadly shunned and feared, not simply because of what such desperate and degenerate people might do, but because they have nothing to loose.

Logician Agent Prole

Downhive Dreg Prole
Movement: 3/6/9/18 Wounds: 10 Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Ciphers (Logician) (Int), Common Lore (Imperium, Military, Tech) (Int), Deceive (Fel), Drive (Ground Vehicle), Intimidate (S), Interrogation (WP), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int). Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP, Las), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training (SP, Las). Weapons: Autocarbine (60m; S/3/10; 1d10+2; Pen 0; Clip 30; Rld Full), stub automatic (30m; S/3/; 1d10+3; Pen 0; Clip 9; Rld Full), chastisement baton (1d10+3; Primitive). includes Strength Bonus. Armour: Guard Flak Armour (All 4). Gear: Enforcer uniform, two spare clips for each weapon, microbead vox, respirator mask, photovisor, hand lantern, Alms House passkey. NoteMorans Agents: Morans Adepts are identical to this in prole, however they lack the enforcers weapons and armour, instead they wear greengrey adepts robes with the insignia of the Tantalus Combine and they carry a stub auto (30m, S/3/; 1d10+3; Pen 0; Clip 9; Reload Full), concealed in a shoulder rig at all times.
Movement: 3/6/9/18 Wounds: 8 Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Common Lore (Underworld) (Int), Concealment (Ag), Deceive (Fel), Intimidate (S), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int). Talents: Melee Weapon Training (Primitive). Weapons: Improvised clubs, axes, pipe shivs and rusted blades (treat as 1d1o, Primitive) includes Strength Bonus. Armour: None. Gear: Filthy rags, soiled trinkets and keepsakes.

VAPOUR RAT

Solitary scavengers and carrion eaters, these mutated vermin can prove dangerous to the unwary. The taste of blood can drive them into a feeding frenzy and they readily kill and eat their own kind. Vile to look at, they appear to be almost skinless, their wet esh glistening as they blend with unnatural ease into their surroundings.

SYBAS MORAN

Sybas Moran Prole

Vapour Rat Prole

Movement: 4/8/12/24 Wounds: 3 Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +20, Concealment (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag) +10, Swim (S). Talents: None. Traits: Bestial (subject to Fear from re, loud noises etc.), Quadruped, Size Puny (20 to hit), Feeding Frenzy (if they inict Damage with their bite, they gain +10 to attack in the next combat round). Weapons: Bite (1d5+1; Primitive). includes Strength Bonus.

Adventure Background

Heresy and evil takes root most readily and most easily in forlorn and forgotten places, be they on distant worlds, in isolated communities or, as here, in a place that has become the victim of disaster, economic starvation and slow neglect. In the shadows of the mighty spires of Hive Sibellus on the world of Scintilla, in a run down and decaying district called the Coscarla Division, a criminal and heretical conspiracy has taken hold. Using the destitute and fearful populous as a shield and a ready supply of material when needed, an individual going by the name of the Churgeon and her lackeys have set up a hidden medical facility to conduct horrific and forbidden experiments. In order to mask their activities, the tech cult has infiltrated and secretly usurped control of both a local Alms House and the areas enforcers to further their ends, and is supplying chemical serums to criminal narco-gangs in order to induce their complicity in the cults dark plans. The Churgeon is a renegade tech-adept in the employ of the heretical cult known as the Logicians. She is a bio-sculptor whose particular area of interest is the creation of (illegal) alchemical serums and artificial organs to augment human biology. She requires live human subjects for experimentation and the downtrodden people of Coscarla have proved a ready source of victims. She has no care for the lives of her servants or for those her macabre experiments kill or mutilate, and already her servants have vanished scores of Coscarlas people. One such abducted experimental subject, a man named Saul Arbest, managed to escape before dying on the transit rail. It is his body, once discovered, that sparks the Inquisitions interest in the matter and the involvement of the Acolytes. Once the Churgeons current round of tests are concluded, she intends to cover her tracks by releasing a biological agent to mimic the effects of a plague outbreak, killing perhaps tens of thousands of people in the process. She has done it before, and if not stopped, shall do it again.

GMs Briefing

The Edge of Darkness is a mystery adventure and has much in common with a detective story, with the first clue being the discovery of the body of a hab-worker named Saul Arbest. From here the PCs are presented with a number of different leads to follow, which in turn will generate further clues and information, leading them ultimately to the uncovering of a conspiracy of heretical science which, if not stopped by the Acolytes, could lead to the deaths of a great many more people. As with many such investigation and interaction based adventures, there is no exact right or wrong path in Edge of Darkness. Although some approaches and pursuing certain leads will be more effective than others. Indeed, the wrong question in the wrong ear, or the overt display of force too early in the adventure will have very unpleasant consequences as the villains of the piece will become aware of the PCs investigation and consequently come gunning for the Acolytes with possibly fatal results. Open adventures (like this one), reward clever, imaginative and involved players, and unravelling secret plots, pursuing the truth behind strange events and uncovering dark conspiracies in this fashion are some of the core themes that Dark Heresy deals with. This is not to say that adventures such as this lack action, or indeed horror, far from it, as in this case the villains behind the plot are monstrous individuals guilty of gruesome crimes who will have to be stopped by force. In addition, the setting itself is a dangerous one, where violence threatens at any moment. As a result a mixture of combative and more cerebral characters are

Coscarla Pass Tokens: (One per Acolyte) These coded devices, each about the size of a small thick coin, will allow them legal clearance for the Coscarla Division and free passage on the transit rail around the mid-hive area. Coblast Assay Cognomen: (One per Acolyte) These encrypted metal punch cards are identity markers, there is one tailored for each of the Acolytes and they include an enforcer code tag allowing them to carry arms for self defence. They signify that the Acolytes are bonded agents for the Coblast Assay, a Sibellan mercantile operation of somewhat dubious repute but not inconsiderable power, specialising in tech salvage and manpower services. Note that these are not false identity cards, the Coblast has actually been a secret Inquisition organisation for some time. Hand Vox: (One per Acolyte) These are cheap and battered looking personal communication devices that use a private encrypted channel, and are good for a range of a few kilometres in the hive. Sand will happily explain that thanks to signal interference in the areas of the hive where they are going, vox traffic is almost impossible over any real distance or between levels, except by wire station, but these hand vox will let them keep in touch with each other at least. Low Hivers Overcoats: (One per Acolyte) These voluminous and somewhat tattered patchwork leather and canvas high-collared overcoats are common low-hiver garb in Sibellus and will easily fit over anything the Acolytes are wearing. They are also quite tough and will provide them with 1 Armour Point (see the Combat Rules on page 26). Chem Lamps: (One per Acolyte) These small portable lamps use a chemical reaction to provide light and operate continuously while their shutters are open. Such lamps will illuminate an area of about a three metre radius around it or provide a six metre directed beam of whitish light. Coded Data-Slate: This worn-looking brass cased data-slate carries basic copies of the information found in their briefing, a series of maps and data about the Coscarla and (largely empty) files on the Arbasts, including pictures of them and addresses taken from the Administratum register. The slate also has basic short range audio and visual recording and playback functions. The slate features a five key input code which Sand will give them, if it is accessed without this, its core memory will be wiped.
Yes, well Im afraid the great chapters of the Astartes and the Blessed Choirs of the Saints Militant are all busy right now, so youll have to do. But I am being churlish. Let me instead ask you a question: What do you imagine the Inquisition seeks for in its agents? Are you to be slavish lackeys? Simpering torchbearers to trail around your master, fawning and muttering his praises? Of course not. Such creatures are commonplace, turn over any rock in the Administratum or, Emperor save us, the Ecclesiarchy, and youll find a score of such worthless invertebrates wriggling out. No, our wars are best waged with agents to whom action and intent are things bred in the bonewe need initiative and will, cunning, savvy, courage and purpose. No, an Acolyte that cannot act on their own to help overcome mankinds many foes had better die quickly lest they kill others with their shameful inadequacies! Well, enough of that talk, Im sure this matter will be a simple one, a mere skirmish with the foe at best. All we are asking of you is that you carry out a basic investigation, something that should be well within your capabilities, dig out a few facts, question, probe, charm and dissemble. See what you can find out about our dead man here without making too much of a mess. Its a chance to see how you perform in the field as well, consider this a test of your quality, because in many ways, thats just what it is.

further they go the more depressed, illmaintained and decayed things will become; these are the lower stretches of the mid hive, beyond these no transit rails run. Beyond this outer circle is the underhive where no law holds sway. Long stretches of the journey will be spent in the stale tainted air of the wormhole-like tunnel passageways within the Hives thick supporting bones and in the nameless black voids of deserted spaces between, the cars lights flicker and fail regularly. After your players have had sufficient time to converse or lay out their plans, read or paraphrase the following before allowing them to explore: Alone in a single car, now deserted but for your group, the rattling carriage breaks into another vast and dilapidated hab-vault and begins to slow. You look out upon a vista of vacant and decayed buildings in a worse state than any that you have seen up until now, stretching beyond sight into a dark horizon beyond. The rail car shudders to a stop and the doors open onto a wide, raised platform devoid of passengers save for a single huddled figure dressed in rags. The figure quickly bundles themselves onboard, flashing a pass to the door mechanism with unseemly haste and takes up a seat as far from your group as possible. A moment later a dull, crackling servitor intones: Coscarla Southern Railhead. Passengers to Coscarla to disembark. This conveyance will depart in The rest is lost in a howl of static. This is Coscarla and you have arrived.

The End of the Line

The journey to Coscarla will take several hours by transit rail car, during which time the Acolytes will have to change rails repeatedly (into increasing dilapidated and vandalised cars), and their pass tokens and cognomen will be repeatedly checked by suspicious Magistratum enforcers, dull-eyed carriage servitors and unctuous looking officials. As their journey progresses they will pass from the relatively open spaces and clean air of the government district, down and across whole hive levels, passed collapsed finery and the fallen architectural splendours of the good of olden days and through vast steel sky vaults filled with endless rows of hab-stacks and kilometre after kilometre of thunderous manufactora. The

The Acolytes Progress

Up to this point the Acolytes course has been set for them, now its up to their own initiative and abilities to get the job done. Hopefully Part I: Among the Missing should have given them an idea of what they are up to, the situation they face and what the Inquisition expects from them. Now its up to them to deliver the goods and investigate the life and death of Saul Arbest. The inhabited southern portion of the Coscarla Division is open before the Acolytes and they have around four hours left of the day cycle to use to their best advantage. Their most obvious clear leads are the dead mans home and seeking out the sister who reported him missing, both of which will lead them to the same habstack. Other clues, suspicions and leads will be thrown up by their own actions, observations and progress in conducting the investigation, and the course they may take can have a wide variety of permutations and paths. With this in mind, rather than provide a linear list of events, much of Part II is laid out as a series of locations, each

with its own NPCs, details and encounters, which the Acolytes may or may not visit and interact with. It is up to the GM to facilitate this process, handle any bridging material or description as needed and mark a reasonable passage of time within the game as they think is appropriate. Indeed, several days and nights may pass, and the Acolytes, being human, will need to rest; finding a safe place to do so might prove to have its own dangers. GMs are encouraged to embellish the details provided here, add more encounters and modify things in reaction to the way that the Acolytes behave and how well (or poorly) they are managing things. The Acolytes investigation into the twilight city of the southern Coscarla Division will continue until one of two events happens: firstly, they may settle on the idea that Saul Arbest ran into of his dark fate at the Alms House and investigate that place further; or, until you as the GM decides that either through incompetence or ill fortune (on the Acolytes part), they arouse the direct suspicion of the Churgeon or Moran and the Logicians take direct action against them. In either of these cases, proceed to Part III: The Chamber of Horrors.
utilities for some time and consequently are a gaunt, often sickly and half-starved lot. They are not evil, nor are they complicit in the troubles of the area, but they are trapped in the Coscarla through a mix of poverty, legal constraint (many are still bound by a workers indenture to the Tantalus Combine) and by virtue of simply having nowhere else to go. The key point to get across when portraying the hab-citizens of Coscarla is that they are afraid; this it not simply a matter of their economic plight as they are used to hard times (even though these are harder than most), but genuinely fearful of what is going on around them. They fear the narco-gangs and the violent strangers who have started coming and going in the area. They fear what will happen should the Tantalus Combine abandon its involvement with them entirely. They fear the dregs and the vermin prowling the derelict habs in ever-greater numbers. But most of all, they fear what is happening in the night with increasing frequency, red-eyed shapes glimpsed moving in the darkness and another citizen added to the roster of the missing by morning.
The Shadowed Masses: The People of Coscarla
The inhabitants of the Coscarla Division are a sorry and diminished lot, worn down by poverty, uncertainly and, more recently, ruled by fear. Most would be described as unskilled labour by work designation; poor families, the old and the infirm. They have been living on a reduced food supply and with failing

Location 1: The Transit Railhead The railhead consists of three raised metal transit rails, held up a hundred metres off the ground by an ornate skeletal framework of riveted girders and beams. A cluster of huge metal platforms, winches, hoists, gear houses and signal boxes make up the embarkation area, while a score of wide, metal spiral staircases and gantries provide access to the divisions ground level. Clearly built to accommodate thousands of passengers at a time, the railhead now has a barren and empty look. Rust and decay clings to everything, windows are smashed, the paint flaking and signs that once contained inspirational slogans for the workers that passed this way have all been vandalised and torn down. The railheads control room has been sealed closed and the process is now entirely automated. A public wire vox-terminal has also been deliberately vandalised and smashed.
one side by the railhead and several broad roadways radiate out from it, populated by hab-stacks and the numerous important locations of this adventure. The squares most singular feature is a fifty metre tall granite statue of a winged felid. The statue is millennia old and headless, a testament to when this entire region was once a single great nobles estate.
are not well liked, both because Moran is a cold and authoritarian figure and because they represent the Tantalus Combinewho are to be blamed for much of Coscarlas woes. Those with connections to Coscarlas darker side also suspect that there is a link between Moran and the narco-gangs, imagining petty corruption, pay offs or drug-running involved in the food shipments to the Alms House, accounting for some covert comings and goings between the Alms House, the Enforcers Station and the Workers Union. The truth of things is much, much worse than is commonly suspected, Tantalus actually suspended alms shipments months ago and covertly the Logicians and the Churgeon moved in. The building is now a front for the Churgeons work, its upper floors a chamber of horrors and the contents of the gruel are best not described Though they may not guess it, venturing to the Alms House is walking straight into the heart of the enemy for the Acolytes and a sure way to get into trouble if they are not careful. More on the Alms Houses ugly secrets can be found in Part III: The Chamber of Horrors Profiles for Moran and his helpers can be found on page 31. Location 6: The Coscarla Hostel This crumbling tenement building of knocked through dwellings is marked by the cracked paint of the sign above the door as the Coscarla Hostel and is the only option in the area for a paid nights lodgings. Even compared to the rest of the area, the hostel is in an awful state, the walls are blighted with damp, the plaster peeling and the furnishings covered with patches of mould and unidentifiable stains. The hostels proprietor is a bulbousheaded, sickly looking man with large bloodshot eyes and pale clammy skin, perpetually drenched with sweat, who calls himself Maxus Drayelok. Despite his fawning pretensions of grandeur, his only workforce consists of his seemingly mute, withered-looking wifea minor mutant with a skeletally thin build and a badly malformed right hand. Drayelok offers his twelve double rooms at a rate of a half-Throne a nightlight and bedding generously included and at the moment, save for the occasional overspill from the Workers Union, he gets very little trade, which is perhaps just as well. Drayelok is addicted to spiral black, a particularly potent variant of obscura. Drayelok is in debt to Luntz at the Workers Union and he will inform the gang boss of anything he can find out about his guests, the Acolytes included. Drayelok has developed one particularly unpleasant sideline however, and in league with several of the areas vilest and most far-gone dregs, he has taken to murdering any guests that his paranoid mind takes

Lili Arbests Story Lili will seem relieved when she sees the Acolytes, however her level of co-operation with them will depend entirely on how they treat her. She is intelligent and believes, quite rightly, that she is in immediate danger and that her brother is most likely dead. She will respond better to the truth than some fabrication on the part of the Acolytes. If the Acolytes give her proof of her brothers fate she will be appalled but satisfied to know the truth, and open to any questions that they might have if they indicate they are looking to deal with whoever is responsible. If the Acolytes threaten, overtly lie or withhold information from her, she will tell them no more than she must in order to get away and flee if she feels threatened. The following are a few pertinent answers that she can give to the Acolytes; read out or paraphrase the following as needed: On Sauls disappearance: To my shame, I didnt know he was gone till days afterwards. Id had a contract to work up-hive and was too worn-out to care. To be honest, Saul had been drinking a lot, drowning his sorrows and sleeping it off. By the time I realised that hed vanished hed been gone for days. I looked everywhere. I even went into the Workers Union to look for him, even though the place makes my skin crawl. Everyone just stared blankly back at me and I knew, I knew! Something terrible had happened. On reporting Saul missing: I was frightened to report him missing at first, but I saw Warden Locan on his own in the Square, he looked I dont know lost. I told him Saul was gone, he seemed angry at first, then he just went quiet and looked like he was going to break down in tears right there. He made me swear by the God-Emperor and by Saint Drusus not to mention this again, especially not to the other enforcers. It was strange but I believe he was even more frightened than I was. I had no idea hed actually reported it. Why she is so frightened: Id made my mind up to leave; There are more vanishings every night, I dont know how many and nobody will say anything! I stayed here last night, just one last night, hoping hed come home, foolish I know, but it saved my life.
Drayelok. The dregs will attempt to be stealthy on the way to the Acolytes rooms, but will attack savagely and recklessly when the time comesmore than willing to batter down doors if needs be. The dregs will only retreat if half of their number are killed or incapacitated. Sleeping Acolytes may take a Challenging (+0) Awareness Test to detect the dregs approach as they mount the rickety stairs and fumble at the locks. If the Acolytes are surprised, the dregs will get a free round of attacks as they try and murder them in their beds, gaining a +30 to hit any surprised Acolytes in the first round of combat. If the dregs are defeated, Drayelok will shut himself behind the flimsy door of his office, weeping until the Acolytes come for him, while his wife will flee into the darkness, not to be seen again.

Location 11: The Southern Templum This small chapel to the Imperial Creed is the domain of an alcoholic wreck of a preacher called Fayban. Inside the icons and statuary are alight with hundreds of tallow candles, all lit by the lost and the desperate, each one for a vanished friend, family member or a scream heard in the night. This is perhaps the truest and most visual indicator of just how bad things have become in Coscarla. When Coscarla burned in the blackout a year ago, the other Templum clerics went to help the victims and died for their faith, however, Fayban stayed behind and his conscience has been eating him alive ever since. Now a new terror has come and Faybans wilful ignorance and cowardice has come to the fore again. He rarely leaves the templum and never goes out at night. He is a weak man and should be portrayed as such, which should strike anger into the heart of any Acolyte cleric encountering him. Evards story Also hiding out at the Templum is Evard Zed, one of Saul Arbests drinking companions who was with him on the night of his disappearance. Zed is another man plagued by his conscience and once he is identified and questioned, getting him to unburden his soul is a Routine (+20) Charm or Intimidate Test. A success means that he sobbingly relates his story: I was with him the night the night he vanished. We were drinking in the Union, not much you understand, just enough to pass the time Anyway, this gang blade, I didnt know him, hadnt seen him before Anyway, this blade takes issue with Saul. Well he was being very loud, running his mouth, you know. Well, this blade goes and cuts him, not bad you understand, just enough to show him whos boss just a cut in the chest, weve all had worse at the manufactorum a dozen times. Well we werent wanted at the Union anymore, not that night, so we turfed out. I was for heading straight for home, but Saul, he was moaning about that cut, wanted to go to the Alms House, see if one of them charity sirs would stitch him up or, you know, give him something for the pain. The lights were on you understand in the Alms House. We could see it over there, shining in the dark. Me though, I went home, that old place gives me the shivers. That was, you see, before all the vanishings really started, Saul, he was one of the first.

The Turn of Events

The third part of the adventure is focused around the secrets of the Alms House and it is here that the answers to the mystery of what happened to Saul Arbest can be found. It is also here that the key to the Acolytes continued survival lies. Sooner or later, one of two things will likely occur: i) The Acolytes suspicions will have been directed to the Alms House and its part in the disappearances. Thus they will seek to find out what lurks behind its public front. Or ii) The Logicians themselves (their suspicions aroused due to the PCs actions) will come after the Acolytesor at least seek out whichever force they suspect is at work against them in Coscarla. In both cases, the physical location of the Alms House is likely to pay a significant part it what transpires and for this reason it is explored here in detail.

Broken Tiles and Lingering Screams: Setting the Scene in the Alms House
The Alms House is a large and ornate building, its architecture and scale designed to impose and leave those who humbly enter its halls with no doubt as to the power and wealth of the Tantalus Combine. The building is fronted and tiled inside with a funerary green marble, the ceilings are high and vaulted, and the walls studded with mouldings and statuary. Now largely disused and abandoned, tiles cracked and statues vandalised, the buildings scale and largely empty rooms are filled with dust, leaving it with a haunted, desolate feeling. The rooms of the first floor, beyond locked doors and outside of public scrutiny, are in a worse condition with broken and overturned furniture, scattered papers, torn draperies and the occasional old bloodstain from the Logicians unobserved takeover. The third floor, originally set up as a small medicae facility for the Combines workers, is where the Churgeon has her lair and is a place of unspeakable suffering and horror. The air is filled with a coarse disinfectant reek, barely covering the stench of blood. The lights flicker and the filthy walls and floor are sticky wet in places and covered in drag marks, blood splatters, desperate scratches and hand prints.
Moving against the Acolytes Once the Logicians have identified their targets and where they might find them, they will wait until the next night cycle to send out the Body Snatchers. Such a hunting party will contain several Body Snatchers (one for each of the Acolytes is advised), lead by a plainclothes enforcer armed with a silenced weapon and a dark vision visor. The hunters will stalk and try to overwhelm the Acolytes with brute force, as long as they can avoid crowds in doing so. They plan to capture alive as many of the Acolytes as possible in a surprise attack. This capture team will retreat if they take heavy causalities, attempting to take their fallen with them. If they fail, they will escalate matters and try again on a subsequent night. However, if their entire force is overwhelmed, they are obviously betrayed by Luntz or become the subject of a mob attack, then Moran will instigate their destruction protocol instead (see Countdown to Destruction) before dissolving their operation and escaping in an armoured cargo hauler (with enforcer escort) he has concealed for this purpose out in the waste zone of Northern Coscarla killing anyone that gets in the way. Countdown to Destruction It has always been the Logicians plan to cover their tracks with an act of mass murder by a biological weapon in the shape of a concentrated plague bacillus. This will only occur during the adventure if they feel that their whole operation is threatened or if their position in Coscarla has become untenable. Their original plan (once their work in the Coscarla was completed) was to taint the Alms Houses last food hand-out with a dilute solution of the plague bacillus, which would have the effect of a widespread contamination (the infected also becoming carriers) providing a suitable delay while the Logicians could escape. However, if they feel the game is up in Coscarla, their method will be far cruder and blatant. Any surviving Body Snatchers will be dressed with bandoliers of plague vials, hidden under dregs clothing. They will then smash the vials systematically in the entryways of hab-blocks, public buildings and the like, causing a huge diversion while the Logicians flee. If this attack occurs, then burning the Body Snatchers (preferably from a distance) is the only even vaguely safe means of counter attack.

find out who sent them and all that they know, and at the Churgeons hands this will not be a pleasant experience. If the Logicians take the offensive in this way, Moran will co-ordinate matters from the Enforcer Station, leaving the defence of the Alms House to the capable hands of the Churgeon and her creations.
The Layout of the Alms House

Getting In

There are a number of ways that the Acolytes can gain entrance to the Alms House: they could break in, use a passkey (all of the Logician agents carry such a key) or even try and hide among the crowd entering for food and conceal themselves till later. Most of the internal locks and the rear door use the same passkey (unless noted in the location), attempting to overcome these sturdy mechanical locks is no easy tasktreat this as a Challenging (+0) Security Test. Forcing the locktreat this as an automatic hit attack against an object with a combined Toughness & Armour value of 10, thus requiring a total of 12 or more points of damage in one hit to break italthough this second option is likely to be very noisy, especially if it takes the Acolytes numerous hits to break the lock. When moving round the Alms House, stealth is likely to be the order of the day, fortunately the buildings solid construction, general abandonment and layers of dust make this fairly easy. Each Acolyte wishing to move stealthily must make an Ordinary (+10) Silent Move Test Opposed by Awareness (35) for any patrolling guard in a position to discover them.
beside the hatchan Ordinary (+10) Perception Test will reveal that this mirror is a relatively recent addition. Breaking the mirror will reveal that it is two-way glass and that a false compartment has been set into the wall, forming a compact booth. Inside there is a scanning device and a small portable cogitator. A Routine (+20) Tech Use or Common Lore (Tech) Test will reveal these to be a bio-auspex, set to take readings from those who pass by the mirror, while the cogitator contains medical and personnel files for the Tantalus Combines workforce. Note that the cogitators liquid-core data cell can be removed for evidence. The Lecture Hall Conceived so that the workforce could receive edifying instruction on the value of unquestioning obedience and the joy of tireless toil for their masters, this austere auditorium has long been entirely disused and has no viable light source still working within. The Kitchens and Stores The kitchens and stores are dusty, dirty and entirely unsanitary. The main storeroom contains surprisingly little by a way of food except for some stacked crates of protein concentrate and a vat of fungal medium. An area has been set aside with a supply of concentrated military-style rations, complete with is own sets of cutlery and utensils; these (unlike the rest of the kitchen) are scrupulously clean. The main kitchen area is dominated by two huge soup vats with gas burners underneath, beside which a pair of ancient and decrepit looking servitor drones sit deactivated when not in use. A locked pair of metal doors lead from the back of the stores to a yard at the rear of the Alms House (locked with the standard passkey), whilst a pitch-black lift shaft leads upwards. There are several side doors from the kitchen leading to small storerooms and pantries, a palpable smell of blood issues from one of them (see The Protein Store). The Protein Store Entered through the locked side door from the kitchens, this box room contains a series of stacked, metal drum canisters and smells heavily of blood. If these heavy canisters are pried open, they will reveal a thick, clotted red liquid whose coppery stench will be overpowering. Close inspection will reveal codes and dates stamped onto the sides of them. If the Acolytes have already looked at the cogitator data from the hidden room, an Ordinary (+10) Intelligence Test will realise the code patterns tally. Realising what the contents of the canisters are is definitely worth a Fear Test (see page 25).

End Game

The Churgeon distains physical confrontation and if attacked, will detach her scalpel familiar from her back and call on the Homonculite tending the bio-tank, and any remaining Body Snatchers in the chamber, to attack the Acolytes while she attempts to withdraw to the rear of the room, giving her the opportunity to take shots at the interlopers with her laser. If it looks like the fight is not going in her favour, she will quickly programme the machinery to overload (this will take two combat rounds) and flee down the waiting lift shaft, her internal maglev system allowing her to escape swiftly and safely down the shaft. Alarms scream, arcs of electrical discharge will cascade around the room as the machinery begins to overload. Soon after the various tanks start to shatter, spilling foul smelling ichor on to the floor and surfaces. The Acolytes have about five minutes to grab whatever evidence they can and get clear before the power chamber goes critical and blows the top off the building in a fireball of plasma.
ascending to a central reception point between them. Curtains of semi transparent rubberised slats hang at the entrances to the two wards, while the lights overhead flicker and pulse slowly, as if power was being bled away. On the other side of the ward reception area a blank armoured door has been fitted recently (the previous door lies on its side nearby.) The two wards are draped with crude partitions made from plastek sheeting and torn cloth, behind which twenty blood spattered gurneys are hidden from view. Eight of the gurneys are currently occupied by the dead bodies of the Churgeons mutilated victims, covered by sheeting. The sight of what has been done to these unfortunates is truly horrific, beyond any normal violence or sane mind. A shelf along one wall holds jars of harvested organs and limbs in fluid suspension, while in the far corner a lone survivor can be found. This comatose man has fresh surgical scars on his chest and is hooked up to arcane looking machinery and drip fed chemicals, while a cogitator next to him chatters and spools a printed sheet into a waiting hopper.
At the centre of it all is the Churgeon. Read or paraphrase the following:
Moran and his enforcers are trained professionals not insane fanatics and if the Alms House is destroyed or the Churgeon is killed (or has fled), he and his men will seek to cut their losses and attempt an escape. In doing so, they will set fire to the Station House and flee through the arteria network in an enforcer half-track unless stopped. A running gun battle with Luntzs men (and possibly the Acolytes) will ensue as they make their break for it.
little tasks that might suit your talents. Why, now I think on it, I have the very thing in mindsimple job off world, a restful journey on the way, why itll be no trouble at all Developing the Plot Further Many questions may lay unanswered at the end of this adventure. What were the Logicians wider plans? What other horrors or conspiracies might fester in the wasteland of the Coscarla Division? Were there elements in the Tantalus Combine responsible for turning a blind eye to the situation? Is some faction in the Combine involved with the conspiracy? How deep do the links between the Logicians and the rulers of the narcosyndicates (far above the likes of Luntz) go? And, on a more practical level, if Moran, Luntz or the Churgeon escaped, the hunt for them will continue apace. One other mystery that remains lies with the missing; Morans fake adepts kept meticulous records of those they had targeted for abduction along with their eventual fate, and once their encryptions have been broken by the merciless minds of the Mechanicus, it will be noted that they simply do not tally. Some six test subjects, Saul Arbest among them, appearing to be the most successful and stable of the Churgeons creations, are not accounted forwhere are they? The conclusion drawn by Sand will be that they were dispatched to some other locale for study, Site X as he will dub it remains to be found, and the supposition occurs that Saul Arbest, whos dead body found on the transit rail started all of this, was not escaping from Coscarla at all, but rather died trying to return home In all these cases, with their first hand knowledge of events, the Acolytes are the perfect candidates for the job of finding out more.

Appendix I: Quick Start Rules
The Dice and Making Tests
Like most other roleplaying games, Dark Heresy uses dice to determine chance of your character succeeding at an action and to determine lots of other viable events and outcomes. This game uses ten sided dice (d10) and it is recommended that each player have at least two ten sided dice of different colours to play. Most times when you roll dice in the game you will be making a Test, in order to do this you roll two dice to generate a number between 01 and 00 (100), reading the results of one of the dice as tens and the other as units (which is why its handy if you can tell the dice apart!) with the aim of rolling equal to or under a Characteristic score, usually with a modifier to that score, depending on the Difficulty of what you are trying to accomplish. Example: When making a Test you might roll a red dice and a white dice, you say first that the red one will be tens and roll a 5 on the red dice and a 3 on the white dice, so the score you have rolled is 53. The game also uses dice for other variables such as weapon Damage, in this case you simply roll the number of dice indicated add the totals and thats your result. Example: A laspistol might inflict 1d10+2 Damage, so when shooting something you would roll one die and add +2 to the number you rolled for the total damage caused. Sometimes you will be asked to roll a d5, if you dont have one handy (yes such things do exist!) roll a d10 instead and half the result (rounding up).
Fear, horror and corruption are all things that an Acolyte must confront in Dark Heresy, and are covered in detail in the main rules. However, for this demo adventure we use a simplified version of the Fear Test. When your Acolyte is confronted by something that causes Fear (this will be noted in the adventure) they must Test their Willpower score (rolling two ten sided dice to get a number equal to or below their Willpower Characteristic), if they fail this Test they are subject to an ongoing penalty of 10 to all Tests while in proximity to the frightening thing, or in the case of a frightening opponent, until that opponent is destroyed or escaped from.

Characteristics

Each Acolyte (not to mention all the games opponents and supporting cast of characters controlled by the GM) has the same set of comparable characteristics, these are: Weapon Skill (WS): A measure of skill at hand-to-hand fighting. Ballistic Skill (BS): A measure of skill with ranged weaponry (guns etc.) Strength (S): A measure of how physically powerful a character is. Toughness (T): A measure of stamina and resistance to injury. Agility (Ag): A measure of physical speed and co-ordination. Intelligence (Int): A measure of general intelligence, reasoning and erudition. Perception (Per): A measure of sensory awareness and perceptiveness. Willpower(WP): A measure of mental and spiritual fortitude. Fellowship (Fel): A measure of social ability. You will also notice that your Acolyte has a number of Wounds, this indicates the maximum amount of Damage that your Acolyte can take before going out of action or dying. You will also notice that the tens digit of many of your Characteristic scores are highlighted, this number represents your Characteristic Bonus, this is used in certain game rules such as the combat system. Example: Some hand to hand weapons state that their Damage is 1d10+1+SB. This tells you to roll 1d10 and add +1 to the result, then add your SB (Strength Bonus) to give a final total. Your Acolyte also has a set of Movement rates used in the combat system to define how fast they are, these rates are listed in metres and equate to Half/Normal/Charge/Run.

Movement: 3/6/9/18; Wounds: 8 Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Common Lore (Underworld) (Int), Concealment (Ag), Deceive (Fel), Intimidate (S), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int). Talents: Melee Weapon Training (Primitive). Weapons: Improvised clubs, axes, pipe shivs and rusted blades (treat as 1d1o, Primitive) includes Strength Bonus. Armour: None. Gear: Filthy rags, soiled trinkets and keepsakes.

Vapour Rat

Solitary scavengers and carrion eaters, these mutated vermin can prove dangerous to the unwary. The taste of blood can drive them into a feeding frenzy and they readily kill and eat their own kind. Vile to look at, they appear to be almost skinless, their wet flesh glistening as they blend with unnatural ease into their surroundings. WS 22 BS S 13 (1) T 10 (1) Ag 30 (3) Int 11 (1) Per 35 (3) WP 13 (1) Fel
Movement: 4/8/12/24; Wounds: 3 Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +20, Concealment (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag) +10, Swim (S). Talents: None. Traits: Bestial (subject to Fear from fire, loud noises etc.), Quadruped, Size Puny (20 to hit), Feeding Frenzy (if they inflict Damage with their bite, they gain +10 to attack in the next combat round). Weapons: Bite (1d5+1; Primitive). includes Strength Bonus.
Lean and hard looking men, Logician agents are trained professionals, calm, ruthless and efficient. There are fourteen such agents currently in the South Coscarla district, two posing as adepts at the Alms House and the remainder acting as the areas Magistratum enforcer detachment. WS BS S T Ag Int Per WP Fel 35 (3) 35 (3) 35 (3) 30 (3) 35 (3) 35 (3) 30 (3) Movement: 3/6/9/18; Wounds: 10 Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Ciphers (Logician) (Int), Common Lore (Imperium, Military, Tech) (Int), Deceive (Fel), Drive (Ground Vehicle), Intimidate (S), Interrogation (WP), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int). Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP, Las), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training (SP, Las). Weapons: Autocarbine (60m; S/3/10; 1d10+2; Clip 30; Reload Full), stub automatic (30m; S/3/; 1d10+3;Clip 9; Reload Full), chastisement baton (1d10+3; Primitive). includes Strength Bonus. Armour: Enforcer flak coat (2 Armour Points). Gear: Enforcer uniform, two spare clips for each weapon, micro-bead vox, respirator mask, photo-visor, hand lantern, Alms House passkey. NoteMorans Agents: Morans Adepts are identical to this in profile, however they lack the enforcers weapons and armour, instead they wear green-grey adepts robes with the insignia of the Tantalus Combine and they carry a stub auto (30m, S/3/; 1d10+3; Clip 9; Reload Full), concealed in a shoulder rig at all times.

Sybas Moran

WS 35 BS 42 S 35 (3) T 35 (3) Ag 35 (3) Int 35 (3) Per 35 (3) WP 40 (4) Fel 30 (3)
Movement: 3/6/9/18; Wounds: 13 Skills: Awareness (Per), Command (Fel), Common Lore (Imperium, Military, Tech, Underworld) (Int), Deceive (Fel)+10, Demolition (Int), Dodge (Ag) +10, Drive (Ground Vehicle), Inquiry (Fel), Intimidate (S), Interrogation (WP), Scrutiny (Per), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int). Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP, Las), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training (SP, Las). Armour: Moran wears a mesh bodyglove under his robes, providing him 3 Armour Points. Weapons: Autopistol with silencer (15m, S//6; 1d10+1; Clip 18; Reload Full), mono-edged combat knife (3m; 1d5+3, Ignores 2 AP of armour protection). includes Strength Bonus. Gear: Alms House directors heavy dark emerald robes and gorget of office, micro-bead vox, a passkey and one of the accessor keys to the surgical chambers. Two spare autopistol clips.

Narco-Ganger

Narco-Gangs are the blight of the Sibellan underworld, made up of cutthroats and petty thieves. They are criminal scum with no loyalty but to the next payoff or drug hit. Narco-gangers are hated by the lower hivers. WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel 35 (3) 30 (3) 33 (3) 20 (2) 25 (2) 20 (2) Movement: 3/6/9/18; Wounds: 10 Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Chem-Use (Int), Common Lore (Imperium, Underworld) (Int), Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Intimidate (S), Speak Language (Low Gothic, Gang Cant) (Int). Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training (Las, SP). Weapons: Blade (1d5+3; Primitive), Stub Revolver (20m, S//; 1d10+3; Clip 6; Reload 2Full). includes Strength Bonus. Armour: Gang shreds (2 Armour Points; Primitive). Gear: Ragged clothing marked with gang colours, glyphs and kill scores, 1d5 Thrones, an obscura injector, two spare reloads for stub revolver.

Logician Agent

Gang Boss Chord Luntz
WS 36 BS 37 S 35 (3) T 38 (3) Ag 33 (3) Int 35 (3) WP 38 (3) Fel 34 (3)
Movement: 3/6/9/18; Wounds: 12 Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Chem-Use (Int) +10, Command (Fel), Common Lore (Imperium, Underworld) (Int) +10, Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Drive (Ground Vehicle), Evaluate (Int), Intimidate (S) +10, Scrutiny (Per), Security (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic, Gang Cant) (Int). Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP), Melee Weapon Training (Chain, Primitive), Pistol Training (Las, SP). Weapons: Blade (1d5+3; Primitive), Stub Revolver (20m, S//; 1d10+3; Clip 6; Reload 2Full), Custom Hand Cannon (20m, S/2/; 1d10+5; Clip 4; Reload 2Full) includes Strength Bonus. Armour: Armoured coat (2 Armour Points). Gear: High grade gangers garb marked with numerous kill glyphs, fake cognomen, silver and iron finger rings, personal vox, small chem-testing auger, obscura injector, 30 Thrones, two reloads for each weapon.