The House of Dust and Ash (---SPOILER---)

[Luthor Harkon 13]

Hi fellow GMs,

My players just finished Shades of Twilight (heavily wounded, one player lost a fate point and another one the book…) and I plan to confront them with the House of Dust and Ash next. One thing I find a little odd is the relative small number of participants for the auction. In my opinion there should be a lot more minor and major heretics around as well as more or less mundane people. So far I want to include Tobias Belasco (under his alias Byros Rawley) with a small retinue looking for a/the Halo Device as well as a small group of undercover Acolytes from a Phaenonite Inquisitor. I also think about including the Serrated Querry somehow (even though they already seem to ubiquitous right now), Zentos Cyran from the Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness as well as maybe already some Pilgrims of Hayte (though most probably not as it could lessen the impact of their first entry in Tattered Fates). On the other hand I thought this might be a little too much heresy in one place and a potential overkill thereby. Maybe it is better to include some more less ‘heretical’ factions for the sake of it. Sometimes less is more.

Do you guys have any advices for the House of Dust and Ash generally and especially in regard to set-up of those present at the auction? Any help is highly appreciated.

Cheers
LH

[Cifer 211]

 I'd personally play the Shades Of Grey game here. There should be a lot of relatively legitimate buyers, making it all the better for the true heretics to hide. After all, the bequest of a Rogue Trader has items of interest for all of the strata of Imperial Society, from the holy to the profane.

 

If you have Ascension, you could also introduce some of the characters presented there, both of the Antagonists section and of the adventure The Red Wake - or associates of these characters, if you don't think the likes of Fafnir Belasco and the Venerable Cal would leave their planetary estates for a simple auction.

[The Laughing God 17]

Yeah introduce some nobles, dilettantes, art collectors, ogue traders, administratum officials, navy personnel, scholars, researchers and merchant magnates who are not necessarily heretical but interested in the items in Haarlock's legacy.

[Gregorius21778 249]

A figure I developed as "added guest" for Lady Borellas Soire in "Rejoice!" might have reason to join the auction

Enter: The prospective Archeo-Explorer
A somewhat chubby, beared man in his late 70s wearing a simple suit but many an impressive ring at both hands. He is accompanied by a weathered looking slender man in his late 40s attired in  clean but adventures looking body armour. The figure is Baron Walges Comtum, the head of the Comtum family. A very minor line that gained riches, title and small holdings by service as Archeo-Explorers for other Houses of Scintilla. The latest attempts of the Comtum line, however, where disappointing. He sees the auction as way for him and his son, Ronnert Comtum, to get in touch with some affluent collectors of curiosities whom might be new backers for his next Exploration attempt in the Golgenna Reach. Even with the latest miscarriages, his name is family is still of renown to the majority of the nobles.
The Barones strategy is simple: he starts bidding for some minor items of Archeo-Tech or Xenos Art with the full intention to loose to some-one with a bigger purse. Afterwards, he intends to walk up to said person to congratulate him to his buy and start some polite conversation. Thereby, gaining the chance to introduce himself and his business.

[Decessor 107]

I ran the House in my Rogue Trader campaign. I too thought there were relatively few factions so I added a few:

* A team of undercover Inquisitorial acolytes, ultimately reporting to Silas Marr.

* A rogue archaeo-xenologist out to retrieve the halo device for a "special customer". The fact he knew it was there was a hint he had serious connections.

* Representatives from the Fanes of Gunmetal City. This included a pair of siblings from the Fane of Takara, the PC Rogue Trader's sworn enemies.

* Hadarek Fel, the rival rogue trader from an intro adventure for RT, his pet witch and bodyguards.

* A Temple Tendency assassination cell, disguised as a merchant and his entourage.

* A pair of minor scions of the Valcetti rogue trader dynasty, the PC void master's sworn enemies (his starting acquisition was a Stormhawk belonging to their dynasty).

* A small group of noble pilgrims praying at a family tomb in the House (didn't attend the auction).

* Assorted nobles, factors and agents for colour.

 

Best of luck running the scenario. It pays to keep track of what the different factions know about each other and the players, and how they will react to each other and the changing situation.

[Gregorius21778 249]

The monastic Reefs of Gomelia-Han

The Han-Reefs are a monastic order advocates and go-betweens who studie a thing most sacred to them: law. While it started with the imperial law (which was holly on Gomelia-Han since it was from the Emporer on Terra) over the centuries monastic ordered widened itself to local law and the philosophie of law itself. The Reef Monks of Han are thereby highly honoured in their skills and a tool of the wealthy. Often, they work as agents for other both ensuring that their will is done according to the laws (or through it lopeholes) and ensuring descrition. The are ritually clad in heavy grey robes that reach down to ground and mirror maks covering the whole face.

But this group of just under 20 figures in grey robes aren´t reef monks. They are a group of daring criminals intend to rob graves while the auction is proceeding. The group counts 17 and with them they brought a dozen servo skulls. While they leave their quarters as the auction starts, three of the robes will be occupied by servo skull in  a "harness frame" that makes it look like someone is inside the robe. The three thieves will wait a while and then attempt a theft, returning to the rooms before the auctions ends.  Hopefully, leaving the isle before anything is noticed.

Or so was the plan...
Inspired by to many movies like "Ocean´s" and some figures in a doctor who series

 

[Brother Praetus 11]

Gregorius21778 said:

The monastic Reefs of Gomelia-Han


Or so was the plan...
Inspired by to many movies like "Ocean´s" and some figures in a doctor who series

 

The Adherents of the Repeated Mean.  You should definitely include some link to your thieves in one of the nobles present. 

-=Brother Praetus=-

[Baldrick 0]

 I created a few other groups and wrote a rough sentence about each. I expand on their details if required.

Graf Eloise Mercurial & party
Female noble and group of 10. Keep to themselves and they never travel alone. Eloise always has two guards with her if not more.
Cannon fodder for the mayhem. A genuine collector otherwise.

Senator Nander Phylax of Tsade II & entourage
Senator that hails from Tsade II, a small agricultural planet near Fenksworld. From his title he is an elected official, a rarity within the Imperium. He has a party of 8 including advocates, bodyguards and a psyker.
Acolytes of Xanthite Inquisitor here to bid for the Chaos weapons. They will be the winning bid unless the players outbid them.

Lord Ersergi Krin & party
You immediately recognise the noble from the Alabaster Court on Scintilla (See RFYAT). He was the one who “sparred” the underhiver in a play killing him at the end. Almost came to blows with Acolyte Black. He has some hangers on (x10) which seem to have come straight from nobel houses of Scintilla. There are 4-5 guards with them.
Oh my how are they going to handle this? Krin will not recongnise the party. Maybe one of the hangers on will?

Major Benjamin Blunt & group
What looks like a group of Imperial Army officers. All are armed with las or hell guns when they can be. They stick together….
They are after the Marine Pauldron and any projectile weapons. Their unit, 45th Calistra Heavy Infantry, collects rare pieces for it’s collection.

Navigator Brixonis & party
One of the legendary mutant navigators of the Empire is here. He has a sash over his 3rd eye and is with a well equipped & organised party of a dozen people. There seem to be no sycophantic hangers on in this group. One of the group wears the brand of a registered psyker.
Will bid on the navigation pieces. Will be attacked the night before the auction by the Logicans group but survive.

The Followers of the True Light
A group of eight monks in hooded robes. You find it difficult to see their faces in the big hoods (they do have faces before you start with the burning). They never introduce themselves by name. One will start a conversation then pass over to another one midway through. They all seem interchangeable with one another.
Collectors of religious arcane & ancient history. After the key.

Marcus Terode & group
This steel faced businessman spends half the time talking with other bidders rather than examining the lots for sale. He has a large group of 15 staff that includes a couple of techpriests. They are constantly in huddles passing data slates amongst each other and it is them that seem to spend the most time huddled over the display cases.
Members of the cold guild. Will be the main purchasers in the auction. However Marcus will be assassinated by the Malfi Bloodsworn assassins in the night. The group will continue however and bid on items.

There are another two dozen bidders at the auction; they have around a hundred extra people with them.
 

I also add to the auction item list with this list 

Currently my group are on the Skyship to the Auction. Hope you have fun!

[Gregorius21778 249]

Baldrick, these are wonderful additions. I thank thee and will put them to good use. Especially using the chance to bring back E. Krin is a clever thought... and a PRICELESS joke to make him inconnus to the pc ("Have we met?").

Unfortunately, one of my players nearly killed him. So he will remember.

Thanks again!

[Brother Praetus 11]

Gregorius21778 said:

Baldrick, these are wonderful additions. I thank thee and will put them to good use. Especially using the chance to bring back E. Krin is a clever thought... and a PRICELESS joke to make him inconnus to the pc ("Have we met?").

Unfortunately, one of my players nearly killed him. So he will remember.

Thanks again!

Actually, that would truly be priceless...  Have him not remember them.  One of his entourage can be over heard saying something along the lines of "Lord Krin, is that not the man who vigorously gutted you back home?"  Food for thought. 

-=Brother Praetus=-

[Luthor Harkon 13]

Wow, thank you all for the great input, especially Baldrick, whose ensemble (that is simply marvelous) will be used by me for sure (even though two Daemon Weapons as Lesser Items for the auction is a bit ‘too heretical’ for my liking).
Have you also given names and background to the other two dozen bidders? I would really like to hear from them either, as well as from any experiences you made with your group that is currently on the way to the auction.

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Incoming Shades of Twilight SPOILER
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As there are so many inspirational people around here at the moment, I want to ask another question.

What do you guys think is the ‘normal’ protocol for a Navy vessel (in this case the cruiser Magnus Echtelion) if an Inquisitor comes (on short notice) onboard? Would he be greeted by the Captain personally in the hangar deck? Or by his first officer? Or would they wait for him on the bridge or a nearby ready room?

The background is as following:
At the end of Shades of Twilight (which happens in my campaign in orbit of the planet Zumthor in the Josian Reach instead of Scintilla) the heavily wounded PCs flee the Space Hulk via the salvation pods together with the remaining acolytes of Inquisitor Soldevan and Brother Sereant Agamorr. They have the Luminous Reproach in their possession, but lost the Liber Daemonica to the Dark Eldar.
After about 1,5 hours they are found by the fleets Fury Interceptors and picked up by Arvus Lighter shuttles from a nearby frigate. On board the frigate they get some first aid within the hangar deck but are more or less sent to the Magnus Echtelion within minutes after their arrival on the frigate. Soldevans acolytes though stay on the frigate and give the highest ranking ship officer nearby a data crystal with the request to send an encrypted message on a certain vox-frequency.
Onboard the Magnus Echtelion the PCs a re greeted by Explicator Lorelii Dekanta (who is known by the PCs), who was within the sub-sector anyway and got an astropathic message a while ago. She is a trusted associate of the PCs Inquisitor Kaede. She takes the Luminous Reproach and debriefs the PCs in a ready room while they are patched up by medic teams. Afterwards the PCs have some time to relax and Agamorr will depart, wishing them a farewell.
Then suddenly, when the PCs are really relaxed, patched up and think everything is fine, an urgent message comes in that they should come to the hangar bay at once. On their way to the hangar they are met by a severe looking Dekanta, telling them that Inquisitor Soldevan is about to come on board the Magnus Echtelion and that she is not sure what he wants but fears that it is nothing good.
To cut a long story short, at the moment I am contemplating about how to handle this encounter with Soldevan coming out of his Gun Cutter (a little like in Star Wars when the Emperor arrives on the Death Star maybe) and being greeted by Dekanta, a high ranking officer or the captain himself. And how everything could proceed with a dispute about the jurisdiction of who should take care of the Luminous Reproach…

Do you guys have any inspiration or advice how I could handle that encounter best?

Thanks a lot in advance.

In the end I want to send the PCs back to Scintilla onboard a Navy destroyer with a few prisoners they made on Zumthor before Shades of Twilight began and that are currently in the custody of the local Arbites. After a few days in the warp their ship will change course towards Solomon (without the PCs noticing at first) to start The House of Ash and Dust…

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi Luthor,

Inquisitor Gambit
Their will be some kind of "welcome" at the hangar bay. Perhaps the captain, perhaps his adjutant leading the =I= to the captains quarters (or something similiar). The Interrogator can/should/will welcome the Inquisitor in the bay. Some polite (or perhaps cold) words will be exchanged. The Inquisitor WILL insist that the Interrogator will accompany him to the captain "because we have urgents things to discuss".

This is based on the assumption that an =I= will not want to have any potentiall discussion in the hangar bay in front of every rating present. This should be considered "bad style".

In the Quarter, the "small I" and "big I" can exchange some sentences along the lines of "I order that.." "This ´can´t be done, I have orders to.." "I am an Inquisitor and thereby outrank you" "Yes, I am only an ...but I work under orders of.."

Of course, much more formal and less "childish". 

I would assume that the =I= will simply demand the sword at first. In a way like it would be unthinkable that anything else but obidience is possible. Just for "bluffing".

[Baldrick 0]

This is optional...

I have produced two NPC lists for the players, one for the skyship (single side of A4) and one for the auction (four sides of A4). The text on my NPC list above that is not in Italics is what the players will get. I also gave them a brief list of the items for sale before they headed out. So they can discuss items for sale on the skyship.

I've got a large amount of players; 5-7 a session, I wanted to skip straight to the intrigue of how the players plan their investigations of the bidders & other NPCs. The handouts cover the information and introductions that all players and NPCs will receive at the "reception" drinks and nibbles welcome that occur both when they arrive on the skyship and at the auction.

The advantage for my gaming session is...

• It gets straight to the "interesting" bit of the adventure. Introducing 20+ groups of NPCs can be a bit of a drag
• Once the large amount of NPCs are quickly introduced;  the players can begin to plan early on.
• I can easily have small groups of players talk to various NPCs then report back to the PC group and players not involved in that roleplay (i.e. they were planning something else) do not get confused about which NPC groups being talked about
• I can concentrate more on the events rather than worrying "...do they know about Mr Nonesuch yet?"

They get the in-depth info (i.e. Mr Nonesuch's 'weird' aura etc) if they ask to have a secondary 'personal' introduction; which I always roleplay.

So far it seems to have worked. Most of the players are planning how to get information from the bidding parties as to what their ulterior motives are whilst  sending other players out in groups of 1-2 to speak with the  NPC groups.

They have identified the "Crowfather" heretics (who themselves know the PCs are "bad") and the PCs are currently trying to plan a nasty end for the entire group of heretics on the skyship without blowing their cover. Meanwhile they sent a flying bug into the Logican rooms on the skyship only to have the Ashen Tear Assassin squash it. Whilst they were speculating about the identity of the "man in robes" the Tech Priest searched the PCs stateroom and found a recording device! (Placed there by the Logicans who are trying to identify anyone who is after the Psalter).

...and we've not got to the Pirate attack yet! Arrrrrrrr!

Happy days! Paranoia up to level 11!

 

 

[Cifer 211]

 @Luthor

An Inquisitor would definitely warrant attention by the highest-ranking man on the ship - which would be the captain. Your Star Wars analogy is entirely correct - and considering Soldevan's personality, even more fitting. However, you might want to refrain from him saying that the Emperor is going to inspect the Cruiser in person...

So yes, what you're going to get is the scene from Return of the Jedi - Soldevan leaves his guncutter and is greeted by rows of the ship's armsmen with the captain walking through the rows towards him. Only a fleet admiral would likely get away with letting Soldevan come to him or even not being there in person.

[Luthor Harkon 13]

Thanks again guys for the helpful input.

I was also thinking he would be greeted by the captain in person. After all he is “only’ the captain of a navy cruiser and not some Lord Admiral or something.
Still, as Soldevan is arriving on short notice (lets say 20 minutes before his arrival), it might be difficult for the captain to leave the bridge that fast especially as debris from the Space Hulk is still tumbling towards the atmosphere of Zumthor. So, I somehow also thought Soldevan might be greeted by the first officer, who is apologizing all the while that a more appropriate reception would have been organized if they just would have known earlier of his intention to come onboard the cruiser. Soldevan would of course dismiss the officer without even paying any real attention to him as his real interest is talking to Dekanta and getting hold of the Lumious Reproach (maybe I keep Agamorr on board so that he might take part in that ‘interesting’ discussion).

I even thought about Soldevan starting the discussion right in front of Dekanta within the hangar bay; so that indeed every rating present takes note of it. This way Soldevan might think in his arrogance it would be even more difficult (i.e. impossible in his view) to defy his authority. After all, what is your power worth in a small stateroom with only the person that opposes you, when you could do the same in front of hundreds of imperial citizens/soldiers/ratings who would never think of defying the direct authority of an Inquisitor… (would be more difficult for Dekanta to say no that way)

@Baldrick: Please keep us informed about the further proceedings of your group. I am really looking forward to it.
 

[Baldrick 0]

Quick game update...

Players have "taken" out the false abbot and his men, which required a stupendous bribe for the Skyship Captain to look the other way. They even helped with the pirate attack (they split up, some repelled boarders, some suppressed pirates attempting to board, a couple cut the harpoon lines and the tech priest and an arbitrator combined rolls to knock out the pirates ships grav engines with an autocannon).

They have just arrived at the auction, been presented with a terrified local contact and a list of the items along with a list of the main other parties.

Currently they are planning well. They bought some hard to detect guns to smuggle into the auction (they are in IH). Also they are looking for a location to store weaponry near the auction in case of trouble (of course when it kicks off all the doors in the facility open and they will find other bidders might help themselves to the weapons in the now open room). Finally they are building a threat list of both bidders they need to keep an eye on and items they believe cannot be allowed into 3rd party hands.

Currently things are going their way but they clearly know that some of the items and some of the bidders are bigger than they can handle. Just not which ones. Happy days..

Oh of course one of the PCs is the scion. It is the Schola Progenium of the group. In fact I planned it from the first time I read the adventure so when they encountered Aristarchus' diary in the finale of Illuminations it had references to the future of the character in question, Aristarchus was a seer after all.

The way I'm going to plan it is if they bleed them into the Widow Toughness will drop. I will inform the player that a fate point will only save him with the addition of advanced medical facilities. Of course the nearby medical facilities are through infested parts of the HoDaA.

[Luthor Harkon 13]

Thanks for the update. Can't wait to hear more...

All kind of SPOILERS approaching...

My group is about to board the sky-ship tomorrow and I will include all of Baldrick's groups as well as Gregorius' Archaeo-Explorer, Tobias Belasco, a group of Phaenonite acolytes and one of the heads of a commercial cartel from the Josian Reach my players had dealings with in the past (who are in fact part of the Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness (like the Tellurian Combine had been)). Furthermore I will change Major Benjamin Blunt to Colonel Tokar Bale from the scenario in Ascension, while Senator Nander Phylax will be the False Prohet/Heron Mask from TF (and thus must survive by the hands of fate (i.e. me) instead of the Xanthite Inquisitor.

[Friend of the Dork 15]

Baldrick said:

Quick game update...

Players have "taken" out the false abbot and his men, which required a stupendous bribe for the Skyship Captain to look the other way. They even helped with the pirate attack (they split up, some repelled boarders, some suppressed pirates attempting to board, a couple cut the harpoon lines and the tech priest and an arbitrator combined rolls to knock out the pirates ships grav engines with an autocannon).

They have just arrived at the auction, been presented with a terrified local contact and a list of the items along with a list of the main other parties.

Currently they are planning well. They bought some hard to detect guns to smuggle into the auction (they are in IH). Also they are looking for a location to store weaponry near the auction in case of trouble (of course when it kicks off all the doors in the facility open and they will find other bidders might help themselves to the weapons in the now open room). Finally they are building a threat list of both bidders they need to keep an eye on and items they believe cannot be allowed into 3rd party hands.

Currently things are going their way but they clearly know that some of the items and some of the bidders are bigger than they can handle. Just not which ones. Happy days..

Oh of course one of the PCs is the scion. It is the Schola Progenium of the group. In fact I planned it from the first time I read the adventure so when they encountered Aristarchus' diary in the finale of Illuminations it had references to the future of the character in question, Aristarchus was a seer after all.

The way I'm going to plan it is if they bleed them into the Widow Toughness will drop. I will inform the player that a fate point will only save him with the addition of advanced medical facilities. Of course the nearby medical facilities are through infested parts of the HoDaA.

Lol they brought an Autocannon? My acolytes had to make do with mostly small arms and the loaned Heavy Stubber. Well and they launched an Assassin at the ememy which was enough to take out all the enemies including a tough pirate captain....

Maybe I'm a bit kinder to my players but they actually convinced the captain that the false abbot and his men was doing witchcraft and evil rituals. They did have the collaberating evidence of a bloody pentagram in their room which was used to summon Unclean Spirits... hmmm. This reminds me i promised Gregorius an update... 

We're playing tonight so maybe I can write some about it . 

[Gregorius21778 249]

@Friend
hmm......I heared "update" muttered together with my name..... update? ....no, not in the basement..........update?........no, not in my mailbox..........update?............update? *

 

Back2Topic:

Please keep us (me?) informed about how it went. I am not sure about how such  big "free-for-alls" might work. In addition, I do not know how to present this part to my group. 

After all, they will only start moving if the have a clue into which direction. Obviously, they will first try to reach the exits.

[Baldrick 0]

UPDATE

I've been tweaking the adventure to suit my group.

The party couldn't get their weapons into the auction so they stashed them nearby to the auction room in a locked cupboard.

However...

1. Next to where they stored the weapons was a strange "Gallery of the Enemies of the Imperium" full of tiny ivory statues of Orks (on large plinths) and other creatures (do you get where this is going?)
2. The Gilded Widow said her piece, all the doors have locked open. Players fought their way out of the auction room against the Sorrowful Guild.
3. They arrive at the cupboard to find it ransacked and all the easy to use weapons have been looted.
4. The gallery plinths have opened up exposing stasis chambers underneath them, large enough to fit creatures of lets say a hulking or similar size!

So the players have lost half their weapons and they are about to fight a group of freshly reanimated Orks armed with the other half.

(****! The players left the autocannon in their apartment otherwise the orks would have borrowed that "BIG DAKKA!")

I added the orks to THoDaA as I wanted something fairly blunt to challenge them with early on after the Gilded Widow says her piece. The Sorrowful Guild are okay but I expect them to be fairly weak against my combat heavy party (rank 6). The main antagonists they are going to encounter are the other auction bidders.

Balders

[Gregorius21778 249]

A thing I do not get my grasp onto is that you used orcs as some combat servitors ("grave guardians") would have been an (at least) as reasonable addition. 

Where did you pc went after they tried to reach their weapon stock (and found it half looted)? As mentioned, I am making notes here  since I have a really hard time to figure out what players might be doing once their first instinctive reactions (get some gear - get outa here!) lead them against very sealed doors.

[Baldrick 0]

The Orks are a prelude to the Children of The Kingdom later on. Haarlock kept them "frozen" ready for the mayhem like the Children.

With my interpretation of THoDaA all the doors in the complex have stuck open. The only barrier is the void shield which I'm going to have fry a random bidder who makes a run for the exit.

I've come up with some simple mechanics for the finale of the scenario.

The players know that it will take 30 mins to travel from location to location in THoDaA, each move knocking half an hour off their 13 hour countdown.

I've got the following major encounters prepared ready for if the players choose to go there. I'm giving the party free reign on how to move around the complex

• Entrance hall. Some of the Sorrowfull Guild are hold up around the Haarlock's Tomb. This is also preventing anyone getting close to the archway leaving the complex (which looks open). Players will have a chance to interact with other bidders to try to neutralise the Sorrowfull Guild threat. Then see a member of Krin's part get fried by the void shield. Finally this will give them the opportunity to examine the tomb.
• The player apartments. An NPC (ex-PC) was left to guard them. He'll be injured but would have fortified the apartments during the fighting.
• The Auction Room. Filled with dead bodies and some members of the Sorrowful Guild. Players will be able to retake this room from the guild. The Gilded Widow is no longer there.
• The Vaults. Teaming with Sorrowful Guild members.
• The Alter of Fire. The Sorrowful Guild are here with the Gilded Widow (eventually, if the players go direct here after the Auction the GW is still in transit.
• Visiting the Librarium will give them more info into the Haarlocks and the HoDaA
• Advanced Medical facility. Strangely out of place for a house of death. It's servitors are lifeless until the Servitors come alive again at -9 hours.
• Other Bidders apartments (wing them as required)

Minor encounters

• Master Nonesuch and party walking around the halls not bothered by what's going on (Later on they will encounter Nonesuch eating an Orks brain, just to see what it's like)
• Logican's will attempt to escape via deactivating the Alter of Fire (which will fail). They will interact with the party.
• More encounters with the Sorrowful Guild

Hopefully the above will advance time enough for the Children of The Kingdom to appear and start killing everyone left alive. At this stage the painting will review the scion (one of the PCs). If the PC does give his blood for the Gilded Widow then he can only survive if he's taken to a medical facility to be healed and he spends a fatepoint. (I will make this clear before hand, I want the player to understand that bleeding out to the Gilded Widow's cup can cause character death).

Currently the players are about to try to get their weapons back from the Orks. Session is tonight!

 

 

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi Baldrick,

thanks for the detailed reply, it was very helpfull to me.

I will change it that way that getting from A to B will be about 15 minutes of time (the House is not much over a Kilometer, is it??).. but every "scene" will take about 15 minutes as well. 

If you can make them !RUN! a lot, they will want to spend a hour (or similiar) to get back fatigue.

Again, thanks a lot!

[Luthor Harkon 13]

Thanks Baldrick, I really appreciate your input, as I am very interested how others handle the tHoDaA. Moreso than with any other official adventure, it is somehow hard to grasp how things could proceed and what could happen throughout the adventure and especially during the last part of it. Orks won't fit into my campaign, but combat servitors will do rather well anyway.

My players finally arrived at the House of Dust and Ash and are really a little awed by the people around and unsure what to actually do so far. At the official reception the Psyker PC used his Psyniscience quite successful (normally he is not) and rolled a 03 and a 05. Thus he realized that the Malefic Scholar of the Phaenonite group has some kind of Psy-jammer with him and that the companion of Zentos Cyran is a powerful though well concealed source of psychic residue (who they falsely think to be the Burning Princess from the data slate with the sectors most wanted heretics). They also kind of identified Tobias Belasco in his suspensor chair.

Whatever, I am not really sure how to handle the auction in detail. I most probably let the NPCs simply bid on certain thing with the highest bidder paying and getting whatever he bid on. What I am even less sure about is how to handle the end of the adventure. When for example the Gilded Widow gets the blood (how much?) and starts throwing of the metal parts surrounding her and starts hovering about everything in a crimson light, what will happen then? Will the Gilded (now crimson actually…) Widow simply dissolve into thin air? This sounds weird and incomplete to me and certainly to my players as well.

How did you guys handled that or are about to handle it?

Apart from that, now that we have the whole published Harlock campaign in our bookshelf, what was the reason Haarlock set up this auction? What was the role of the Gilded Widow actually? And besides what is she? What was Haarlocks intention with the auction/trap? Certainly not to kill of any remaining scions coming out of hiding. Otherwise he could have simply killed off all bidders without the possibility of exiting the complex via the blood sacrifice of the scion. What was the reason for linking the blood sacrifice of the scion to an escape from certain death? And what was the whole blood from a scion thing good for anyway? To kill the scion off or simply to identify him and set things off that lead to the conclusion of Dead Stars in the end? I am a little confused...

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi Luthor,

first of all, I advice to take into consideration that the modul was intended to be a death-trap-free-for-all-adventure which was to include the Haarlock for get all of us in the mood for "the Legacy" and that anything else was just taken/formed/fabricated as needed or as perceived as "neat". 

@Why a death trap instead of just killing anyone off? [sPOIL-O-RAMA]
As we learn in the ende of the Legacy, Haarlock wanted to be followed. For a reason never quiet fully explained (or understood by me?) his whole plan depend on somebody to follow him.

The deathtrap thing for this Scion is a win-win situation for Erasmus: If he kills of the Scion, he was one step closer to final revenge on his whole bloodline. And if the Scion could not hand THIS, s/he was surly not fit to trace the steps on Mara..... 
If the Scion escapes a trap that was solely intend to kill him, he might take up lead to find what tries to find him and bring it to an end for the sake of his own hide.
Of course, if there is no Scion, Erasmus at least brought many attention to his plan so it is more likely that somebody catches the hook. Even if no-one survives. 

The guilded widow  could very well just disappear. She was trapped and perhaps this trap was the only thing that stabelized her into reality. She knowed she would be freed if she was giving the blood, in order to make the daemon cooperate with the plans. 
If you do not want her to leave, make her offering up bargains to the group giving the blood. Not for actual sympathy (even if she might try to make the humans believe this) but for cold calculation: if one is vised enough to scarifice blood for his/he survival, s/he might be willing to do other dark deeds for other reason. 
If this doesn´t suit you, make her run havoc...and the pc run from here!

Blood could simply be linked to the Widow which I perceive as a daemonic entity. Haarlock builded a trap around her. She was the lure. She needed to be afamed tool of prophecy. For this, she needed to cooperate. Hard to make a daemon cooperate. Even harder if you trap him first and not give him something he might relish to do but fashion a huge marionette on a chair out of him. One that will not move. Perhaps blood from Haarlock was needed because Haarlock trapped her with blood. Some kind of ritual. 
Or (as mentioned earlier) it was to make sure that their is a Haarlock around who will then take things personal... and learns about "the return" of "the kinslayer" so s/he will feel forced to act. 

All in all I think the whole Haarlock Campaigne is more "Style over Substance".