Okay, this will be the first time I have online GMed for a while, but it should be fun:
Introduction:
Sister Magdalen ran through the corridors of the cathedral, her Grox hide sandals slapping on the marble floor. Despite the throngs of pilgrims arriving for tomorrow’s ceremony, this section of the complex was off limits and virtually deserted at this hour of the planetary night. Such was her urgency that she did not even stop to knock at the door of the Cardinal’s chamber – the seal around her neck gave her access to every room in the complex, even the Cardinal’s most private apartments, and the mag-locks opened at her touch. His eminence was already awake, studying a datatablet at his desk (preparing, she assumed, for the Matins service which would begin the festivities). Only now did she hesitate, debating whether to interrupt his Holy Work or wait until he was ready to see her – but her news was too important, and when she spoke her voice trembled with anxiety:
“Forgive me your eminence, but there is a matter which requires your immediate attention. The relics of Saint Helena, which we were to use tomorrow … they have gone!”
Xypros Prime
Xypros Prime is a shrine world in the Segmentum Tempestuous. There has always been a strong ecclesiarchy presence on the planet, with one of the largest hospital-churches of the Order Hospitaller, and it was here that the Blessed Helena died of wounds received in battle against a space marine of the Word Bearers traitor legion. It was here also that she rose from the dead in 677.M38 and lead the Adepta Sororitas in their crusade of faith against the Heretics of Vast. Since then, the planet has become a focal point for pilgrims from across the sector, and its entire economy is geared to support the pilgrims who come to visit the shrine, and the priests who tend to it.
The planet itself is 90% water with extensive ice caps at both poles. There are only 3 major landmasses - Rhodos, in the northern hemisphere, Hellas in the equatorial zone, and Kreta close to the southern pole. Rhodos is the only temperate landmass capable of sustained agriculture, all of which is needed to support the populations of the other two continents and the visiting pilgrims. Hellas is a desert land given over to mining and manufactora; like Rhodos, the entire output of the continent goes to support the ecclesiarchy, and Rosarii from Xypros Prime are highly prized by priests of the Imperial Creed. Despite the fact that it is too cold for agriculture, and any mineral resources are buried too far beneath the permafrost to be exploited, the bulk of the planet's population live on Kreta. As well as the spaceport and Administratum, there is a seminarium for the training of Imperial Priests and convents of most Orders of the Adepta Sororitas.
The Cathedral of Saint Helena itself lies a few miles off the coast, a sprawling complex which covers most of the surface of the island. By ancient edict, the cathedral is guarded by battle sisters of the Adepta Sororitas, but the priests and relics are protected by the officers of the Cardinal's Guard (there is no Arbites precinct on the Island). On the eve of a festival in her honour, the relics of the Blessed Helena of Xypros Prime were discovered to be missing from the vault of the cathedral. Not wishing to involve the Inquisition at this stage, Cardinal Alban has assembled a team from his own staff to investigate. In cases such as this one, there is a certain ammount of juristictional conflict between the sisters and the guard - a conflict which Cardinal Alban has resolved by assigning both orders to the investigation.
Playstyle:
This is primarily an investigation campaign. While you are welcome to play combat characters, it will not be the primary focus of the campaign, and all characters should have a secondary skill set to explain why they have been chosen for this mission (eg. The captain of the Cardinal’s Guard may have served in the Adeptus Arbites before he came into the service of the Ecclesiarchy).
Players should note that I am primarily a “reactive” GM. That is to say that you tell me what you want to do, and I will enable you to do it – if I think the idea is too off-the-wall to work one of the NPCs will tell you so, but I will not be leading you by the nose through the campaign – obviously I know where you have to go, but it is entirely up to you how you get there.
Rules:
I would like all posts to be at least 6 sentences long (the italicised text in the introduction is a good example of what I mean). This may not always be possible, and I am not going to penalise anyone if they only write five sentences, but it is a target you should all aim for. Please leave a line break between descriptive text and direct speech, as it makes the thread easier to read.
No God-Modding. I know it is a universal rule of these threads, but it needs repeating. For the purposes of this campaign, this extends to combat – please do not post “my character stabs the villain and kills him” – just say you stab the villain, and I will tell you if he dies or not. Be warned that when we get to combat it is likely to be brutal, and player stupidity is likely to result in character death (but not the other way around!).
At the end of each post in the action thread I will give you a deadline for the next update, although I will update the thread sooner if we are moving quickly enough. I would like everyone to post at least once between updates, but I fully understand that this may not always be possible. Please PM me if you know you are going to be away from the internet for a while, and I will arrange it for your character to be elsewhere rather than disrupt the action.
Characters:
I am looking for a team of at least six characters, but not more than 12 or the thread will become unwieldy. The characters are all members of the Ecclesiarchy under the Cardinal’s direct command. You may choose to play members of any order of the Adepta Sororitas (Battle Sisters, Dialogous, Famulous, Hospitaller, or Minor Orders), although no sister may rank above prioress, and I will only allow one Sister Repentia. I will also allow Imperial Priests, either from the cathedral staff or from among the pilgrims, and members of the Cardinal’s Guard (think the Crusaders from C:WH). There may be scope to include an astropath from the Cardinal’s staff, but no other psykers of any kind are allowed.
EDIT: I will also allow one person (first come first served) to play a death cult assassin - NOT Officio Assassinorum - I know its stretching the Ecclesiarchy scope to include them, but you may well need someone with infiltration skills and they seem to be a popular archetype. Deus Mortis has been accepted as the death cultist, so this vacancy is now filled.
I will update this post with confirmed players once backgrounds have been submitted. Please post character details in this thread, using the template below:
Name
Age
Rank (no Adepta Sororitas can rank above Prioress, no priests above Confessor)
Order
Appearance
Personality
Background
Weapons (no heavy weapons, no more than one battle sister with an assault weapon)
Equipment
Confirmed Characters:
Hippypancake: Father Jack Spade (Battle Priest with underworld contacts)
Doelago: Kal-el Dectus (Officer of the Cardinal's Guard)
Necrosis: Mistress Aldornia Elvira (Interrogator)
Deus Mortis: Nahum Lexima (Death Cult Assassin)
Amoeba Bait: Cato Sanctus (Ecclesiastical Scholar)
Deathbringer: Sister Kay (Celestian Superior)
GM Characters
Name: Alban of Xypros Prime
Age: 270 Standard Years
Rank: Cardinal
Order: Ecclesiarchy
Appearance: Cardinal Alban is a relatively short man, and despite a regime of juvenat drugs he is starting to look his age. His hair is turning grey, and his face has become wrinkled and care-worn in the years since he came to office. His left eye is a piercing sky blue colour, but his right eye was replaced by a bionic lens after he was injured in combat many years ago. He is almost always seen in the robes of his office, which are grey velvet trimmed with gold, coupled with a purple stole. He wears his Rosarius prominently, and leans heavily on his staff of office when he walks.
Personality: Cardinal Alban is a charismatic and ambitious man - in a democratic state her would have run for office, but in the Imperium he joined the priesthood. He has reached the pinacle of his career, having direct control over countless missions scattered around the sector and being the effective ruler of Xypros Prime, but the responsability lies heavily on him.
Background: Alban was born on a remote agri-world, where his father was a wealthy land owner. As is customary, his elder brother inherrited the farm while Alban had to make his own way in the world. He was always ambitious, and saw the priesthood as a road to power and influence.
At the seminarium he gained excellent marks in academic theology, but his tutors questioned how deeply he believed in the Imperial Creed. Where he excelled was in oratory, and he honed an innate talent for public speaking to become an inspirational leader of men. When he graduated, his instructors decided that their questions about his devotion would be best tested on the field of battle, and he was assigned to serve as chaplain to an Ellysian airborne regiment.
His military career was nothing short of spectacular, though it cost him his left eye, and after his regiment was demobilised he served as confessor to a noble family in the Xypros sector. With his own unblemished military record, combined with his patron's political influence, he was well placed to claim the position of Cardinal when the previous incumbent died 12 years ago.
Weapons: Alban does not carry ranged weapons, relying on his guards to deal with any threats from afar. Should he have to fight in melee, his staff contains a small power generator, allowing it to function as a power weapn for short periods of time.
Equipment: Anything he wants really...
Name: Selwyn Du Shana
Age: 120 Standard Years
Rank: Mother Superior Dialogous
Order: Order of the Lexicon
Appearance: Selwyn is a frail old woman, who has rejected juvenat treatment because she believes it shows the sin of vanity. Her skin is dark and wrinkled, and long white hair is worn in an elaborate coil on the top of her head, which one novice was overheard to observe "makes her look like a prune topped with whipped cream" (the novice was suitably chastised for her insubordination). Despite her rank, she favours a simple habit of black wool. The only outward sign of her rank is her rosarius and a signet ring, which is set withthe Imperial seal.
Personality: Selwyn is deeply devout and almost puritanical in her austerity. She takes a perverse pride in having rid her life of sin, not realising that that pride is sinful in itself. Nevertheless, as the Cardinal's legal advisor she is utterly incorruptible, and a formidable opponent in the courtroom.
Background: Selwyn was raised in an almshouse maintained by the Orders Hospitaller, and although a cheerful child she was chastised daily for the sin of levity, leaving her without any sense of humour. She became used to the daily ritual of work and prayer, prayer and work, and although she could have chosen any career when she came of age it seemed natural that she progress into the Sororitas herself.
She had neither the physique to become a battle sister, nor the temperament to become a hospitaller, but she had an ear for languages and she was accepted into the Orders Dialogous without a second thought. Although fluent in several dialects of imperial gothic, her primary training was in history and law and she eventually became an advocate for the Ecclesiarchy when the institution (or its members) needed representing in court.
She has been legal advisor to the Cardinal of Xypros Prime for over 40 years, serving three different cardinals in that time. For crimes committed on the island, she holds rank equivalent to an Arbites Judge, and when crimes are committed in or against church property on the mainland she acts as prosecutor. In this case, she is overseeing the investigation and if the culprits are brought to trial it is she who will pronounce sentence.
Weapons: none
Equipment: Selwyn takes her vow of poverty very seriously, and has virtually no personal posessions. Nevertheless, she is never seen without rosarius or her signet ring, and usually has a stack of datatablets tucked under one arm.
Name: Sister Magdalen of Gwynned
Age: 42 Standard Years
Rank: Sister Superior Minoris
Order: Order of the Eternal Gate
Appearance: Sister Magdalen had black skin and dark brown eyes; her hair is constantly covered by the cowl of her habit, which is cut loosely enough to conceal a flak vest underneath. Her right hand has been replaced with a bionic limb, although she does not appear entirely comfortable with it. She carries a sororitas pattern bolt pistol at her hip, and always has a range of precision instruments about her person.
Personality: Sister magdalen is an adventurer at heart. As a member of the Order of the Eternal Gate, it is her sacred duty to seek out relics of Imperial Saints, and she chafes a little at her confinement as Keeper of the Relics on Xypros Prime (a job which she well knows would normally be given to a novice).
Background: Sister Magdalen was raised in the Schola Progenium, the illegitimate daughter of a noblewoman who never acknowledged her child. It was always assumed that she would enter the Adepta Sororitas, but her tutors despaired of finding an order which would accept her - she lacks the physique to become a Sister of Battle, but equally did not have the temperament to become a Hospitaller or a Sister Dialogous. She was considered briefly for training as a Sister Famulous, but her outspoken opinions made a diplomatic career impossible.
What inspired and fascinated her in equal measure was the discipline of Archaeology. As a child she loved the Imperial Museum on her home world, and out of sheer desperation her instructors recommended her to the Order of the Eternal Gate. The order minoris suited her perfectly - she studied hard, becoming adept at both the practical work of excavation and the forensic laboratory work needed to analyse and preserve artefacts, as well as showing a natural talent for deductive reasoning which meant that she was soon directing excavations to find Imperial relics.
She does not discuss it, but it is common knowledge that she was treated in the Temple Hospitaller after her last mission went awry and awakened a Necron tomb. The Orders Militant were called in to rescue the expedition, and Sister Magdalen is believed to have been chastised for her recklessness in awakening the Necrons. The gossip around the cathedral is that her current role was imposed upon her by the Canoness of the Order Militant as a penance - this may be true, or it may be that she simply needed time away from her Order to recuperate and get used to her bionic limb...
Weapons: Sororitas Pattern Bolt Pistol. At sister Magdalen's request, a digital laser was incorporated into her bionics, although this is a weapon of last resort.
Equipment: Flak Armour, Medipack, and a number of specialised scanning devices of the type used by Imperial Archaeologists.
Introduction:
Sister Magdalen ran through the corridors of the cathedral, her Grox hide sandals slapping on the marble floor. Despite the throngs of pilgrims arriving for tomorrow’s ceremony, this section of the complex was off limits and virtually deserted at this hour of the planetary night. Such was her urgency that she did not even stop to knock at the door of the Cardinal’s chamber – the seal around her neck gave her access to every room in the complex, even the Cardinal’s most private apartments, and the mag-locks opened at her touch. His eminence was already awake, studying a datatablet at his desk (preparing, she assumed, for the Matins service which would begin the festivities). Only now did she hesitate, debating whether to interrupt his Holy Work or wait until he was ready to see her – but her news was too important, and when she spoke her voice trembled with anxiety:
“Forgive me your eminence, but there is a matter which requires your immediate attention. The relics of Saint Helena, which we were to use tomorrow … they have gone!”
Xypros Prime
Xypros Prime is a shrine world in the Segmentum Tempestuous. There has always been a strong ecclesiarchy presence on the planet, with one of the largest hospital-churches of the Order Hospitaller, and it was here that the Blessed Helena died of wounds received in battle against a space marine of the Word Bearers traitor legion. It was here also that she rose from the dead in 677.M38 and lead the Adepta Sororitas in their crusade of faith against the Heretics of Vast. Since then, the planet has become a focal point for pilgrims from across the sector, and its entire economy is geared to support the pilgrims who come to visit the shrine, and the priests who tend to it.
The planet itself is 90% water with extensive ice caps at both poles. There are only 3 major landmasses - Rhodos, in the northern hemisphere, Hellas in the equatorial zone, and Kreta close to the southern pole. Rhodos is the only temperate landmass capable of sustained agriculture, all of which is needed to support the populations of the other two continents and the visiting pilgrims. Hellas is a desert land given over to mining and manufactora; like Rhodos, the entire output of the continent goes to support the ecclesiarchy, and Rosarii from Xypros Prime are highly prized by priests of the Imperial Creed. Despite the fact that it is too cold for agriculture, and any mineral resources are buried too far beneath the permafrost to be exploited, the bulk of the planet's population live on Kreta. As well as the spaceport and Administratum, there is a seminarium for the training of Imperial Priests and convents of most Orders of the Adepta Sororitas.
The Cathedral of Saint Helena itself lies a few miles off the coast, a sprawling complex which covers most of the surface of the island. By ancient edict, the cathedral is guarded by battle sisters of the Adepta Sororitas, but the priests and relics are protected by the officers of the Cardinal's Guard (there is no Arbites precinct on the Island). On the eve of a festival in her honour, the relics of the Blessed Helena of Xypros Prime were discovered to be missing from the vault of the cathedral. Not wishing to involve the Inquisition at this stage, Cardinal Alban has assembled a team from his own staff to investigate. In cases such as this one, there is a certain ammount of juristictional conflict between the sisters and the guard - a conflict which Cardinal Alban has resolved by assigning both orders to the investigation.
Playstyle:
This is primarily an investigation campaign. While you are welcome to play combat characters, it will not be the primary focus of the campaign, and all characters should have a secondary skill set to explain why they have been chosen for this mission (eg. The captain of the Cardinal’s Guard may have served in the Adeptus Arbites before he came into the service of the Ecclesiarchy).
Players should note that I am primarily a “reactive” GM. That is to say that you tell me what you want to do, and I will enable you to do it – if I think the idea is too off-the-wall to work one of the NPCs will tell you so, but I will not be leading you by the nose through the campaign – obviously I know where you have to go, but it is entirely up to you how you get there.
Rules:
I would like all posts to be at least 6 sentences long (the italicised text in the introduction is a good example of what I mean). This may not always be possible, and I am not going to penalise anyone if they only write five sentences, but it is a target you should all aim for. Please leave a line break between descriptive text and direct speech, as it makes the thread easier to read.
No God-Modding. I know it is a universal rule of these threads, but it needs repeating. For the purposes of this campaign, this extends to combat – please do not post “my character stabs the villain and kills him” – just say you stab the villain, and I will tell you if he dies or not. Be warned that when we get to combat it is likely to be brutal, and player stupidity is likely to result in character death (but not the other way around!).
At the end of each post in the action thread I will give you a deadline for the next update, although I will update the thread sooner if we are moving quickly enough. I would like everyone to post at least once between updates, but I fully understand that this may not always be possible. Please PM me if you know you are going to be away from the internet for a while, and I will arrange it for your character to be elsewhere rather than disrupt the action.
Characters:
I am looking for a team of at least six characters, but not more than 12 or the thread will become unwieldy. The characters are all members of the Ecclesiarchy under the Cardinal’s direct command. You may choose to play members of any order of the Adepta Sororitas (Battle Sisters, Dialogous, Famulous, Hospitaller, or Minor Orders), although no sister may rank above prioress, and I will only allow one Sister Repentia. I will also allow Imperial Priests, either from the cathedral staff or from among the pilgrims, and members of the Cardinal’s Guard (think the Crusaders from C:WH). There may be scope to include an astropath from the Cardinal’s staff, but no other psykers of any kind are allowed.
EDIT: I will also allow one person (first come first served) to play a death cult assassin - NOT Officio Assassinorum - I know its stretching the Ecclesiarchy scope to include them, but you may well need someone with infiltration skills and they seem to be a popular archetype. Deus Mortis has been accepted as the death cultist, so this vacancy is now filled.
I will update this post with confirmed players once backgrounds have been submitted. Please post character details in this thread, using the template below:
Name
Age
Rank (no Adepta Sororitas can rank above Prioress, no priests above Confessor)
Order
Appearance
Personality
Background
Weapons (no heavy weapons, no more than one battle sister with an assault weapon)
Equipment
Confirmed Characters:
Hippypancake: Father Jack Spade (Battle Priest with underworld contacts)
Doelago: Kal-el Dectus (Officer of the Cardinal's Guard)
Necrosis: Mistress Aldornia Elvira (Interrogator)
Deus Mortis: Nahum Lexima (Death Cult Assassin)
Amoeba Bait: Cato Sanctus (Ecclesiastical Scholar)
Deathbringer: Sister Kay (Celestian Superior)
GM Characters
Name: Alban of Xypros Prime
Age: 270 Standard Years
Rank: Cardinal
Order: Ecclesiarchy
Appearance: Cardinal Alban is a relatively short man, and despite a regime of juvenat drugs he is starting to look his age. His hair is turning grey, and his face has become wrinkled and care-worn in the years since he came to office. His left eye is a piercing sky blue colour, but his right eye was replaced by a bionic lens after he was injured in combat many years ago. He is almost always seen in the robes of his office, which are grey velvet trimmed with gold, coupled with a purple stole. He wears his Rosarius prominently, and leans heavily on his staff of office when he walks.
Personality: Cardinal Alban is a charismatic and ambitious man - in a democratic state her would have run for office, but in the Imperium he joined the priesthood. He has reached the pinacle of his career, having direct control over countless missions scattered around the sector and being the effective ruler of Xypros Prime, but the responsability lies heavily on him.
Background: Alban was born on a remote agri-world, where his father was a wealthy land owner. As is customary, his elder brother inherrited the farm while Alban had to make his own way in the world. He was always ambitious, and saw the priesthood as a road to power and influence.
At the seminarium he gained excellent marks in academic theology, but his tutors questioned how deeply he believed in the Imperial Creed. Where he excelled was in oratory, and he honed an innate talent for public speaking to become an inspirational leader of men. When he graduated, his instructors decided that their questions about his devotion would be best tested on the field of battle, and he was assigned to serve as chaplain to an Ellysian airborne regiment.
His military career was nothing short of spectacular, though it cost him his left eye, and after his regiment was demobilised he served as confessor to a noble family in the Xypros sector. With his own unblemished military record, combined with his patron's political influence, he was well placed to claim the position of Cardinal when the previous incumbent died 12 years ago.
Weapons: Alban does not carry ranged weapons, relying on his guards to deal with any threats from afar. Should he have to fight in melee, his staff contains a small power generator, allowing it to function as a power weapn for short periods of time.
Equipment: Anything he wants really...
Name: Selwyn Du Shana
Age: 120 Standard Years
Rank: Mother Superior Dialogous
Order: Order of the Lexicon
Appearance: Selwyn is a frail old woman, who has rejected juvenat treatment because she believes it shows the sin of vanity. Her skin is dark and wrinkled, and long white hair is worn in an elaborate coil on the top of her head, which one novice was overheard to observe "makes her look like a prune topped with whipped cream" (the novice was suitably chastised for her insubordination). Despite her rank, she favours a simple habit of black wool. The only outward sign of her rank is her rosarius and a signet ring, which is set withthe Imperial seal.
Personality: Selwyn is deeply devout and almost puritanical in her austerity. She takes a perverse pride in having rid her life of sin, not realising that that pride is sinful in itself. Nevertheless, as the Cardinal's legal advisor she is utterly incorruptible, and a formidable opponent in the courtroom.
Background: Selwyn was raised in an almshouse maintained by the Orders Hospitaller, and although a cheerful child she was chastised daily for the sin of levity, leaving her without any sense of humour. She became used to the daily ritual of work and prayer, prayer and work, and although she could have chosen any career when she came of age it seemed natural that she progress into the Sororitas herself.
She had neither the physique to become a battle sister, nor the temperament to become a hospitaller, but she had an ear for languages and she was accepted into the Orders Dialogous without a second thought. Although fluent in several dialects of imperial gothic, her primary training was in history and law and she eventually became an advocate for the Ecclesiarchy when the institution (or its members) needed representing in court.
She has been legal advisor to the Cardinal of Xypros Prime for over 40 years, serving three different cardinals in that time. For crimes committed on the island, she holds rank equivalent to an Arbites Judge, and when crimes are committed in or against church property on the mainland she acts as prosecutor. In this case, she is overseeing the investigation and if the culprits are brought to trial it is she who will pronounce sentence.
Weapons: none
Equipment: Selwyn takes her vow of poverty very seriously, and has virtually no personal posessions. Nevertheless, she is never seen without rosarius or her signet ring, and usually has a stack of datatablets tucked under one arm.
Name: Sister Magdalen of Gwynned
Age: 42 Standard Years
Rank: Sister Superior Minoris
Order: Order of the Eternal Gate
Appearance: Sister Magdalen had black skin and dark brown eyes; her hair is constantly covered by the cowl of her habit, which is cut loosely enough to conceal a flak vest underneath. Her right hand has been replaced with a bionic limb, although she does not appear entirely comfortable with it. She carries a sororitas pattern bolt pistol at her hip, and always has a range of precision instruments about her person.
Personality: Sister magdalen is an adventurer at heart. As a member of the Order of the Eternal Gate, it is her sacred duty to seek out relics of Imperial Saints, and she chafes a little at her confinement as Keeper of the Relics on Xypros Prime (a job which she well knows would normally be given to a novice).
Background: Sister Magdalen was raised in the Schola Progenium, the illegitimate daughter of a noblewoman who never acknowledged her child. It was always assumed that she would enter the Adepta Sororitas, but her tutors despaired of finding an order which would accept her - she lacks the physique to become a Sister of Battle, but equally did not have the temperament to become a Hospitaller or a Sister Dialogous. She was considered briefly for training as a Sister Famulous, but her outspoken opinions made a diplomatic career impossible.
What inspired and fascinated her in equal measure was the discipline of Archaeology. As a child she loved the Imperial Museum on her home world, and out of sheer desperation her instructors recommended her to the Order of the Eternal Gate. The order minoris suited her perfectly - she studied hard, becoming adept at both the practical work of excavation and the forensic laboratory work needed to analyse and preserve artefacts, as well as showing a natural talent for deductive reasoning which meant that she was soon directing excavations to find Imperial relics.
She does not discuss it, but it is common knowledge that she was treated in the Temple Hospitaller after her last mission went awry and awakened a Necron tomb. The Orders Militant were called in to rescue the expedition, and Sister Magdalen is believed to have been chastised for her recklessness in awakening the Necrons. The gossip around the cathedral is that her current role was imposed upon her by the Canoness of the Order Militant as a penance - this may be true, or it may be that she simply needed time away from her Order to recuperate and get used to her bionic limb...
Weapons: Sororitas Pattern Bolt Pistol. At sister Magdalen's request, a digital laser was incorporated into her bionics, although this is a weapon of last resort.
Equipment: Flak Armour, Medipack, and a number of specialised scanning devices of the type used by Imperial Archaeologists.