House of Dust and Ash, Part I: Red Redemption and the Master of Chamber XIII

House of Dust and Ash

Part I of the Season Finale: False Redemption

Surviving their release of the Dei-Phage (demon lord), activation of the Pax Machiana, the ravaging of Kephistron Altis, melting of the Most Holy Gilded Cathedral of Baraspine, and the discovery that the “Pope” of the Callaxian Church is, in fact, a heretic…well, let’s say our Murder Hobos have a “mixed” reputation…(although Drustos seems to have made out well enough…)

It has been a month since and the Acolytes are abruptly ordered off planet.  As the adventure begins the Player Characters are transferred temporarily into the service of a shadowy and notorious figure in the Holy Ordos, Inquisitor Lady Oriantha Rathbone, on the bleak and poisonous industrialized hive world of Solomon. There is a trip on the Lamentations of the Flame Princess which allows some new artificial limb work. Littlus replaces his pipe-like robotic leg (courtesy the Dei-Phage) with the “Major Award” leg from Christmas Story…fishnets and all. Barbossa also replaces his pipe-like robot arm with a human looking arm…only many shades darker than his flesh, Z and Barbossa reconnect with their Death Cult,  and Red turns out to have risen to a leader of the Iron Maggots. Draco is still drinking with Captain Schonenberg and plotting profit or something…

Once on planet, Trantor the Bald is ordered to head directly to the Acolytes temporary quarters, while the rest begin a flight into the mega-hive’s administrative section to meet with Lady Inquisitor Rathbone (last seen at the Lieutenant Governor’s Demon Ball on Scintilla).

Lady Rathbone has in mind to use the Acolytes to perform a covert investigation and observation mission by having them attend, under false identities, the auction of several artefacts belonging to the estate of Erasmus Haarlock, a Rogue Trader long believed lost. The auction, one of several to disperse his goods from properties across the sector, is being held at the House of Dust and Ash—a huge and ancient crematoria and tomb complex that dominates a volcanic promontory set amid Solomon’s toxic Balemire Sea known as the Burning Isle.

Thanks to Rathbone’s intervention, the long hand of Inquisitorial authority has covertly held back the auction with legal wrangling until a small team of Throne agents (the Acolytes) could be planted at the sale. Their job is to observe events and look for wanted heretics and potential conspirators among the bidders—dangerous individuals and groups who might be drawn by the promise of forbidden items among the Rogue Trader’s belongings. This, at least, is what Rathbone has informed the Holy Ordos and the Acolytes’ Inquisitor. However, it is not the whole truth. Rathbone has a secret agenda…and the secret identities of the Acolytes (a Rogue Trader and his entourage) are not yet ready.

Rathbone notes that since Barbosa is a former Red Redemptionist, perhaps the Acolytes would “discipline” a local chapter which has taken to redeeming (translation: murdering or kidnapping for torture and murder) not just the local low-hivers, but also some respected members of the church, Planetary Defense Force Officers, and Minor Nobles. The known headquarters for the Redemption is a warehouse in the lower hive of Gloriana, and after a partial briefing by Rathbone’s officious adept, ended when Barbossa breaks his nose and Rathbone fires a low intensity flamer blast into Barbossa’s butt to chase the Acolytes out.

The Acolytes get to the warehouse in the clearly low-rent district. Z decides to go with the “Drug Island” approach and climb the wall to get in through the roof, hauling the rest (Drustos, Littilus) while Barbossa decides to provide a distraction by going through the front door. Z climbs to the roof like a spatchcock handed monkey and then hauls Drustos and Littlus up. Barbossa knocks on the front door and is faced by a cult-goon. Meanwhile, the other three drop through the roof to a pile of crates. Barbossa talks his way a little way into the warehouse office, when the “leader” a hulking mutant enters the room. Using Acolyte code, Barbossa passes “mutant heretics” to Z’s group.

As Z, Drustos, and Littlus begin disassembling the heretics in the main room, Barbossa drops a grenade in the office and runs. While mostly a one sided fight, the mutant leader provides some terror by shutting down all weapons and weakening the veil to the Warp. There is a moment of terror when the leader tries to boil Barbossa’s blood…but fails. And for that failure, he is sliced in half by Z.

After the fight, Littlus leads the group to a psykic-hot alien organic device that seems to control or do “something” to the Receptionists. There are small nodes in the necks of the cultists. Drustos and Littlus collect samples with kits and Medskull IV. Littlus reaches out mentally and identifies another three alien sites in the city. Z finds stashes of frozen bodies packed in crates…why does this seem familiar?

While pleased that the headquarters is eliminated, Lady Rathbone informs the Acolytes that she will let the Arbites take if from here. Their credentials of the auction are ready for pick-up in the morning.

The session ends with a cut scene: Trantor has entered the darkened quarters. The lights do not work and he is unable to sense anything psykicly. He cautiously makes his way deeper into the quarters, confronted by a hooded figure. The menacing figure says, “Dear, loyal Trantor…” in the voice of Inquisitor Malignus! Malignus steps forwad and slowly lowers the massive hood, revealing the kindly face of Lady Grace of Merry Meade, Smiling, and now in her own grandmotherly voice she continues, “Now, I need to know what you know. I am afraid, this will be quite..traumatic…” and a black gloved hand, fingers spread closes over Trantor’s face. And a horrible scream rend the night…