Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

In the nightmare future of the 41st millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of extinction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens, and threatened from within by malevolent creatures and heretic rebels. Only the strength of the Immortal Emperor of Terra stands between Humanity and its annihilation. Dedicated to His service are the countless warriors, agents and myriad servants of the Imperium.

Dark Heresy is a roleplaying game based upon the universe of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000. The setting of Warhammer 40,000 is a dark, gothic future where the Imperium of Man is beset by dangers within and without. In Dark Heresy players take on the roles of Acolytes of the Inquisition, aiming to uncover and combat the enemies of mankind, be they aliens, heretics or mutants!

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Trogdor
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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by Trogdor » Mon May 08, 2017 5:35 pm

"I see two issues of importance with arrests. FIrst, we do not have the official backing of the Inquisition. As a result, any actions you take will not gain the protection of acting under such an imprimatur. And I have no illusions that if you make arrests or executions, no matter how much you have the official authority to do so, the forces of the queen will quickly be brought to bear to stop you, perhaps permanently. I strongly believe that the the Inquisition is the only reason that you did not face retribution for the captain's execution."

"Second, if we're going to go into the royal court undercover, then your alter ego might not have the authority that you, yourself, have. What's more, even if you try to portray someone who has such authority, how much will your cover stand up to close investigation. Because you can be sure that after the first person you execute or arrest, they'll start looking into you more carefully."

"I'm not against using arrest warrants or even death warrants to aid in our mission. However, before we go down that route, I'd want to make certain that they don't jeopardize the mission or our cover identities. What are your thoughts on these difficulties?"

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by bluntpencil2001 » Mon May 08, 2017 5:46 pm

"The execution I carried out was my duty as an Arbitrator, and, as far as I know, the locals were unaware of the Inquisition being involved, only the Adeptus Arbites, whom I believe the local powers should still hold in some fashion of respect."

He nods, as he listens, and responds, in a surprisingly erudite fashion for such a rough-voiced individual,

"I am unfamiliar with undercover work, but I believe that I would be best at pretending to be something I already am. If I openly claim to be an Arbitrator with arrest warrants, they may assume that that is all I am. 'The most believable lies are mostly true', after all."

He then tilts his head, and continues,

"Of course, my lack of experience in such delicate matters may very well have caused me to miss something. Perhaps limiting the exe..."

He stops mid-word, and clears his throat,

"...arrests to the most egregious offenders, at least at first, would allow me to cause some damage without too much interference?"

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by Vardaen » Mon May 08, 2017 6:32 pm

Ulbrxis shouts, "Damn it are you kidding me Lucius? The best way to get your head chopped off is to go into Iceholm and start arresting the Queen's family, cause that's what the Nobles of her inner circle are. Didn't your Inquisitor tell you this is a black ops mission? I don't need some wild card screwing this up for the people of this planet. You aren't here to arrest people or execute people on some letter of some law you think you know. This is a coup, and there are five of us, and a few thousand of them. We have to be slow and stead, careful and unnoticed. Think about it."

The Baron is shaking his head already concerned with who has come with him to help him set these people free from the boot heals of the Queen.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by Trogdor » Mon May 08, 2017 6:46 pm

"A few points." Jericus says, getting down to brass tacks. "You may have misapprehended the situation with the captain of the Scourges. It was known at the time, or soon thereafter, that the execution had the backing of the Inquisition. Had that not been the case, I have no doubt that you would have been executed for murder by the captain's replacement. Yes, you acted under proper authority. But that wouldn't make you any less dead. By the time the Arbites made a formal complaint - and I doubt they would push the matter very far - you would have been long dead and the most that the Adeptus Arbites could have expected was a weak apology for Iceholm's "mistake." The Arbites would, in all likelihood, have accepted that apology and moved on without any further action. We're really very small cogs in a much larger machine, Lucius. No one particularly cares whether we live or die, and no one is going to avenge us if we get killed."

"Also, the essence of undercover work is that your alter ego be able to withstand scrutiny, or better yet, avoid scrutiny altogether. We have no fake documents proving our alternate identities. If the authorities arrest us, we'll be discovered and likely executed as spies. The trick is to avoid being arrested, or even coming close to being arrested. Best is for the queen's troops to never suspect us. And if they do, we want to be in a position where we can reasonably justify our position. I know the Administratum and I might be able to get us some basic identification - nothing that will hold up to extensive examination, but the sort of thing we could show for a simple security check. We might, if we're lucky, be able to get you identification as a basic arbite - though even that's iffy. It would be better if you took on the guise of a bodyguard. They don't need special identification.

"But extraordinary powers require extraordinary proof. If you want to claim to be a mortiurge with the power to arrest of execute people, you'll need to be able to back that up, without revealing your true identity. I don't think that's something you can do. The queen almost certainly knows every mortiurge on this planet, and you wouldn't be one of them. You'd have no record of having arrived on a ship, and no written authority proving your status. And don't think that the first time you used that power, the queen wouldn't investigate you to within an inch of your life. She'd uncover that you weren't who you way you were, likely discover who you really are, and have you killed for a spy. The rest of us would soon follow."

"We need to pretend that we're ordinary people, not extraordinary people. We need to blend in. And a mortiurge definitely does not blend in. So I'm afraid that your cover identity cannot be that of a mortiurge. I'm not even certain we could make you an arbite - that's too easily checked up on. I think you're going to have to settle for being a bodyguard."

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by bluntpencil2001 » Mon May 08, 2017 7:31 pm

Lucius seems to ignore the Baron's complaints, instead nodding along to Jericus' points. He is the commanding officer, after all.

"I see. I was unaware that the Inquisition protected me before. I do not recall identifying myself as acting under Inquisitorial authority, as I remember being told that it was to remain top secret. I had, obviously incorrectly, assumed that the chaos caused by the living dead had prevented them from attempting to commit any retributive crimes."

He attempts to explain his plan,

"I was under the impression that I would... 'disguise' myself as Proctor-Mortiurge Lucius Brutus, as opposed to Inquisitorial Henchman Lucius Brutus. I already have the very real paperwork for it, and I do not believe that there is any unclassified paperwork saying that the latter even exists.

If the former individual, that is 'Proctor-Mortiurge' Lucius Brutus, were to arrest individuals, legally and rightfully - assuming they were not framed by more subtle individuals, and cause further annoyance to the Queen, one would imagine that her lackeys would make attempts on said law enforcer's life... making them, by default, in opposition to Imperial Law - allowing the Baron to paint himself as being the true Imperial ruler, allowing for further propaganda opportunities."

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue May 09, 2017 4:12 am

"A laudable effort," Damien pipes up, "heroic even. Perhaps on a Shrine World they would even raise a statue to you after the fact. But here, even with true authority, politics trumps all. You would be killed, likely quietly and without fanfare, your one-man crusade ended before it began. You can attempt to arrest anyone you like, but enforcing that would be more difficult. Perhaps an Arbite sent by the Lord of Terra would be able to simply walk through Iceholm righting every wrong, and all the local powers would bow and submit. Maybe." His tone and expression make that questionable as well. "Terra is a long ways away, and the Lord of Terra have many concerns. One representative gone missing would hardly be unexpected. And easily covered up as well. I'm sure a truly sincere letter would be written, lauding the Arbites heroics in uncovering some vile scheme and giving his life to save everyone. Or a side note in a report about an unfortunate mining accident."

He gestures around him almost comically. "And I don't see any Lords of Terra backing us. Not even a single Inquisitor. No political backup, except whom we can befriend. No legal footing, since even a true Proctor-Mortiurge has a chain of command, no matter how loosely defined, and we aren't under official sanction. My Mentor in the Psyker arts died in my first Mission with these Acolytes. Mars won't be backing up Haxtes anytime soon. We are on our own." He slowly turns his expression of dismay into a wolfish grin. "And we, all of us, are more than enough."
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by Grimbold » Tue May 09, 2017 9:44 am

"I agree." Haxtes just says. "It is not unusual for aristocrats or merchants to employ Adeptus Mechanicus experts. So I would 'disguise' myself as such an expert. However, we first need some information about the social network of this planet and this city. Who are the queen's advisors? Who are those totally loyal to the queen? Which influential people might be persuaded to stop backing the queen? I think we should start rumors about the queen being a separatist, maybe even a follower of demons, keen on her own private empire without Imperial meddling where she can exploit and kill her people without retribution. This blasphemy of course cannot be tolerated and Ulbrexis here is ready to set things right."

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by bluntpencil2001 » Sat May 13, 2017 3:13 pm

"Agent Haxtes," says Lucius, seeing that this is done with,

"I will need some assistance, and wire wool, if my disguise is to be in any way believable."

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Capitulus Novem: The Rise of Saint Ulbrexis

Post by Grimbold » Wed May 17, 2017 7:20 am

"I will help you if I can." Haxtes just says. He will use his skills to assist Lucius. Then he turns to Ulbrexis. "Does the city have a cogitator network or some form of machinated information? I think I could use that to our advantage."

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Capitulus Novem: Landing in Iceholm

Post by Vardaen » Wed May 17, 2017 4:09 pm

The Baron straps in, he exhales deeply hoping that he didn't just throw his lot in with the wrong group, but he can't ignore what you've already done, so he's in for it all with your help.

Over the internal vox you hear the scratchy voice of the pilot, "<Vox>final decent, hold on."

The lighter then drops altitude dramaticall in the next few moments, and banks, you look out the small portal.

Image

You can see the city spread out, the royal districts in the distance, and the ship eventually makes a landing in the eastern quarter of the city.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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