rpg

+++ ESCAPE THE BLACK SHIP +++

Alex Ward

May 29, 2023 • 2 min read

This is part of a series of Ten Candles Settings we're sharing every Friday and Monday. Sign up for more!

ATTENTION IMPERIAL CITIZEN / HERETIC. AS YOU KNOW, TEN DAYS AGO AFTER INITIATING WARP TRAVEL, BLACK SHIP ANGELLIUS ENCOUNTERED AN ANOMOLY. THE SHIP APPEARS TO HAVE EXITED THE WARP IN A PART OF NULLSPACE. THE PLASMA ENGINES HAVE FALLEN DARK AND WE ARE ADRIFT.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE SCREAMS COMNG FROM OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONFINEMENT CHAMBERS. THAT WOULD BE THEM. WHILE WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT "THEY" ARE, WE BELIEVE THEM TO BE SOME SORT OF XENOS. THEY HAVE BOARDED THE SHIP AND HAVE BEEN DECOMMISSIONING THE CREW. IN FACT, YOUR CONFINEMENT BLOCK IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REMAINS UNBREACHED.

ON MY ORDER, INQUISITOR HEX LUCIAN, YOU ARE BEING CONSCRIPTED AS MY ACOLYTES AND YOUR SERVICE TO THE INQUSITION BEGINS NOW. YOUR MISSION IS TO GATHER WHAT CREW REMAIN, HEAD TO ENGINE CORE, DETACH THE PLASMA DRIVE FROM THE CORE, AND REDIRECT POWER FROM THE HEXAGRAMMIC WARDS AROUND SECTOR D-14 TO THE ENGINES. THEN PROCEED TO THE BRIDGE TO AWAIT EXTRACTION. I HAVE REPROGRAMMED A SERVITOR TO LEAVE YOU EQUIPMENT OUTSIDE OF YOUR CELLS. GEAR UP AND PROCEED IMMEDIATELY.

YOU WILL LIKELY NOT SURVIVE THIS MISSION, BUT YOU ARE OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AND SUCCESS OF OUR MISSION LIES WITH YOU. MAY THE GOD EMPEROR PROTECT.

Play Notes: As may be obvious by the writing style that this adventure takes place on a Black Ship from the Warhammer 40k universe. You play as prisoners on this ship, most likely psykers en route to Terra in order to be fed to the golden throne to sustain the god emperor. By default, you're in null space and Psyker powers will not work; however if you choose to have psyker powers function for the game, remember that playing with the warp is extremely dangerous and you're liable to attract them in short order.

Areas of Note: Holding Block A-13, The Blank Library, Servitor Storage, Engine Block, Transport Tram, The Bridge

Goal: Head to the engines, divert power from the hexagrammic wards, and then onwards to the bridge for extraction. Or die trying. For the Emperor!

Variants: You could have the ship be cut off by a psychic Maelstrom rather than being stuck in null space, and that makes the Psyker powers more easily justifiable, and then you could divert power to the hexagrammic wards in order to try and contain them. (Thanks Chloe for the callout!)