The Quiet Caravans - a Faction for Volmusia

Population: 850, split between 9 communities

Major Industries: Hide, Meat, Scrolls, Tallow

Safe, Mobile, Enchanted (Obfuscatory Illusions), Possession (Various tribes), Monsters (Dire Moles, Svirfneblin)

          Referring to a cluster of nine different tribes, allied through bonds of blood and oaths of obligation, the Quiet Caravans are essential to the movement of goods through the Mushroom Forest and the Underridge beyond. Naturally inclined towards wanderlust and trade, the deep gnomes are on at least neutral terms with every major polity of the region, with the only exception being the Cranium Rats of The Choruses' Redoubt with the more friendly Troupe settlement of Stone Teeth Town being too new for them to have even heard of. The regions prime source of candles, fresh meat and hides, their dire mole-pulled sleds are both a welcome sight for friendly communities and a tempting target for those foolish or mighty enough to rob them. As a result of their status as potential prey, as well as the relative paucity of easily obtainable food in the Mushroom Forest, the various caravans are constantly on the move and they deal only with trusted individuals for trade. It's not uncommon for only certain families with a tradition of dealing with the Svirfneblin stretching back years or decades to be allowed to approach their hidden camps without being ambushed, killed and then eaten. This wariness frustrates those who wish to engage them for the first time, but their paranoia has served them well, raids are infrequent and generally foiled before the main camp is discovered. Even when the raids are successful, the savage reprisals demanded by the murder of their fellows by the deep gnome's rigid codes of honor give their would-be victimizers pause. 

          Beyond trading and raiding, tribes support themselves through hunting, opportunistic theft or scavenging, anything to get by. Already possessing formidable skills in stealth, their proficiency with illusory magic makes them terrifyingly effective guerrilla fighters when roused. An individual caravan generally is made up of four or five extended families, with perhaps double that number of sleds and dire moles. Rarely traveling as a unified whole, the tribe will spread out over miles of whatever haunt they've chosen for themselves to forage, bringing their spoils back to the central camp for distribution only after the area has been picked clean or become too dangerous. When encamped the deep gnomes live in cylindrical tents crafted from the rib-bones and hides of their beasts of burden with the sleds (themselves made of bone and hide) acting as the foundations. Tribe members dress in mole hides, occasionally augmented with spider silk or wool traded from the surface. Dyes or other forms of artificial coloration are rare, so browns and grey predominate and any dangling or metal objects are wrapped carefully against the body to muffle any noise or reflections. Tribes are generally led by a council with membership pulled from the component families household heads.

         There are few true professions in the hard-scrabble, nomadic existence beyond that of hunter-gatherer, but there are illusion specialists known as Gloom Weavers & priests of the Wordless Lady known as Whisper Keepers. Dire moles are extremely important to the function of a tribe, useful for tearing new tunnels and pulling sleds, as well as for their milk, hides and meat. A tribe without a population of moles to draw upon will slowly find itself without the means to transport their goods, dig new tunnels or supply themselves with food and will generally be forced to in-debt themselves to a wealthier tribe for a new Labour. Tribes are governed in their dealings with one another through layers of blood relations, grudges and personal vendettas with few formalized agreements existing beyond the lives of those who swore the original oaths. Membership in a tribe is hereditary and new blood is added through marriage by capture or arrangement during one of the frequent occurrences of tribes meeting one another in the tunnels. 

         To outsiders it seems as if the Svirfneblin are as hard bargaining and ruthless with one another as they are with strangers, but that attitude only persists as long as there is no external threat to the Quiet Caravans, who will quickly band together to face threats to their way of life as a whole. On the rare occasion when deep gnomes go to war with another it's uncommon for outsiders to notice anything amiss other than the losing tribe simply disappearing, never to be spoken of again by the others. Tribes are generally similar in outlook when it comes to faith, hewing to the worship of an enigmatic deity known as the Wordless Lady, a goddess whose rites must be kept entirely secret from those outside the tribe and whom the stories about are passed on entirely through the oral lore of the tribe's Whisper Keeper. Devotions to the Wordless Lady are performed in temporary and unadorned shrines, or if available, the abandoned shrines of other deities. While primarily inhabitants of the Mushroom Forest, the deep gnomes can be encountered as far afield as the Underridge, the Cernunnokian Depths or even above ground on moonless nights in the wilds of Ingram's Tangle.

• Gaining the trust of a caravan is very difficult to say the least, no amount of persuasion or bribes will convince a tribe to trade or sway them towards affability, only concrete deeds which either benefit or protect the tribe are considered worthy of notice.

• It is reasonably common for the Svirfneblin of the Quiet Caravans to use their favored contacts as agents to buy goods on their behalf. Merchants on the surface may unwittingly be supplying a Quiet Caravan.

• Given their reliance on Dire Moles for digging, meat, shelter and clothing, the Svirfneblin consider the Cranium Rats an existential threat and the recent destruction of two Caravans by the creatures has only increased this fear. They avoid the creatures whenever possible, and exterminate or drive them away when they cannot.

         Treasure & More: Beyond their mole products, the deep gnomes carry a potpourri of small and generally highly valuable items such as potions, scrolls, bolts of exotic cloth, precious stones and magical baubles. Goods which are always in demand among the Svirfneblin are foods, especially calorie dense ones, wood and any sort of metal.

A Place of Commerce & Enterprise

         

         Without industry, a town is simply an assemblage of farmers, miner or hunters scratching a living out of the ground. Money and trade, whether it be in the form of coin, paper or barter, raises us up from the constraints of the local area and allows us to better ourselves beyond where we started. Intrepid merchants, willing to brave the treks between towns, or those canny enough to fill a need they see locally can easily launch themselves and their communities into wealth beyond their dreams, or their risks can ruin the fortunes of those they sought to help in the first place. While not the reason for the community's existence, it could be argued that their presence makes it worth staying there.

          The fourth in my series of tables to roll up the demographics of a community, this entry focuses on merchants, traders and professionals who populate the various areas of the world. There are undoubtedly more than a single shop in your typical community, so it will be necessary to roll on this table multiple times to give a decent spread of interesting shops and owners. As before, while it may seem bizarre on the surface that each and every shop is hiding some potentially dark secret, Referees need only choose to involve the interesting shops. General stores where the PCs simply buy a horse in a rush probably need not be rolled. These are places to provide interesting hooks with the PCs to interact with simply beyond spending their wealth.

d8	What kind of shop is this?
1	Bank, or another sort of financial institution
2	Smithy or Manufactory
3	Drover/Caravansary
4	Kiln/Glassworks
5	University or other institution of learning
6	Hospital or some sort of healer
7	A crafter such as a tailor or haberdashery
8	An artist, such as a painter, sculptor or poet. 50% Chance of having a Patron.

d8	How's the business doing?
1	Collapsing. Whether through the incompetence of the owner(s) or outside factors, the business is falling apart and is likely up to it's eyes in debt.
2	Dwindling. The flow of customers or clients has almost dried up completely, though this may be the fault of the owner, rather than the community dying.
3-5	Steady. The business is profitable, but not so much that the proprietor is well to do.
6	Busy. The day is constantly packed with things to do, people to help.
7	Growing. Customers or clients find that they have to schedule in advance to get service. The business is looking for more help.
8	Bustling. There's more work than there are hands, and any new clients will have trouble getting what they want in a timely manner

d8	Who runs the place?
1	A family business, perhaps the founder is still alive, but just as likely it has been going for several generations.
2	A number of proprietors, perhaps only a pair, but maybe as large as a board.
3	A sole owner, who may or may not have any employees.
4	A distant and far away owner, such as a merchant prince or a noble. They likely have local representatives to look after their interests.
5	The business is ran by the local government, or is an extension of a government monopoly.
6	A cooperative or group of merchants, teachers or workers run the business.
7	The ownership is contested. This certainly does not bode well for the future.
8	Ownership of the business is unclear or actively obfuscated.

d8	What is unique about it?
1	The owner is getting the majority of their stock or funding from an illegitimate source, such as from smugglers or by acting as a front.
2	The product or training that the business provides is widely considered to be somehow corrupt or scandalous in some way locally. Patronizing it marks you as someone willing to overlook that reputation.
3	The business has paid protection money to local criminals. Any harassment or theft on the premises is going to be met with serious reprisals.
4	The business or institution is famous; they could have made some legendary item or trained or saved some notable personage.
5	Due to reasons inscrutable to those on the outside, the business is only open during certain times, such as during the night or certain seasons.
6	Doing business here is bound by some custom that may not only be immediately obvious, they may only accept patronage from a certain ethnicity, social class or faith.
7	Coin is not accepted here, only barter or service.
8	The business has no set locale or storefront, they may even serve several nearby communities as well.

The Elementalist - LotFP Custom Class

The Elementalist

          The four elements make up the world around them; Air, Earth, Fire & Water are the building blocks of the planes themselves. Most have to weather their various manifestations, and while some can access their power indirectly through the means of summoning elementals or through the usage of particular spells, they are at best exerting a clumsy and incomplete control of them. There are those who have a greater connection; shamans who can whisper to the land, psychics who have trained in various arts, those with the blood of genies or elementals flowing in their veins or who have struck a pact with a such a creature.

          Whatever the form their connection takes, these folk gain a mastery over a particular element which allows them to manipulate it as if they were born to it, shaping and twisting it around with their wills like a potter does with clay. They can call their bound element to them, banish it, command it to move, attack, shield them, or whatever else their imagination allows. Most Elementalists do not consider themselves to be using magic at all, since they are not bound by the crude strictures of ritual and observance and are able to use their powers as often as they'd like, provided that the elements are willing. The scourging that they suffer from drawing upon their abilities too often is merely a result of them being imperfect vessels, and the changes that are wrought to the most potent of them are only seen as further proof of their puissance.

Level	Experience	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Backlash	Control Points
1	0	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	12	4
2	2,250	1d4	14	16	15	14	14	12	+1
3	4,500	1d4	14	16	15	14	14	12	+1
4	9,000	1d4	14	16	15	14	14	11	+1
5	18,000	1d4	11	12	14	13	12	11	+1
6	36,000	1d4	11	12	14	13	12	11	+1
7	72,000	1d4	11	12	14	13	12	10	+1
8	144,000	1d4	11	12	14	13	12	10	+1
9	288,000	1d4	9	10	12	11	10	10	+1
10	432,000	+1*	9	10	12	11	10	9	+1
11	576,000	+1*	9	10	12	11	10	9	+1
12	720,000	+1*	7	8	10	9	8	9	+1
13	864,000	+1*	7	8	10	9	8	8	+1
14	1,008,000	+1*	7	8	10	9	8	8	+1
15+	+144,000/lvl	+1*	5	6	8	7	6	8	+1

*: Constitution modifiers no longer apply.

B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements	None
Prime Requisite	INT
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Table	As Magic-User
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Leather, no shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

       
          Unlike other forms of spellcasters, Elementalists do not have spells per day, nor do they have any sort of spellbook or have to memorize a set of particular effects. Instead the Elementalist gains points to distribute to different skills similar to the Specialist, which represent their talent influencing a particular aspect of their element. 

        The Elementalist's skill checks function in the same way as a Specialist, with the exception that the Elementalist can choose to increase the strength of their skill's effects by risking a greater chance of failure by rolling additional d6's. Each additional die rolled increases the magnitude of the skill roll by a step (i.e. a 1d6 becomes 2d6), each additional die rolled must also succeed or the entire effect fails. An Elementalist may choose to risk additional dice equal to 1/3 of their HD, with a minimum of 1.

          Elementalists need to have their element present to use their abilities. While this is obviously not usually a problem for those bound to Air or Earth, adherents to Fire or Water must either have a good amount of their element present, or they must use the Beckon skill to bring some into being.

The skills which the Elementalist (and only the Elementalist) has access to are:

• Attack is used to directly strike an opponent, whether that be through the means of lashing them with razor sharp winds, or hunks of rock torn from the ground. Attacks deal 1d6 damage per die successfully risked.
• Defend can be used to reduce incoming damage by crafting a temporary shield out of an element. The exact effects of Defend are governed by which element it is drawn from, Earth and Water defend against melee attacks, while Air and Fire help reduce the severity of ranged attacks. Each successfully risked die reduces the incoming damage by 1 point.
• Beckon can twist the element into whatever configuration that the Elementalist is imaginative enough to achieve, as well as to bring the element into being from nothing. Each risked die allows the elementalist to bring in a cubic foot of their element, or shape the same amount to their desire. While this may have little effect in the case of air, it is possible to tear through or craft walls this way with Earth, start and direct fires with beckoned flames, or pull pure water from muddy soil. Summoned material, especially fire or water may dissipate into the environment within a few rounds unless fed or put into a vessel.
• Resist is used to guard against the excesses of the particular element that the caster is bonded to, in essence any time that the Elementalist may suffer as a result of their element (such as suffocating from being buried alive for an Earth Elementalist) they may roll their Resist in an attempt to negate the effect. Every successfully risked die allows the Elementalist a minute of protection.

          The only limit to an Elementalist's powers is known as Scourging. Backlash points are gained whenever an Elementalist chooses to enhance the magnitude of their effect beyond a single die. Each die in addition to the first adds a point to the character's current backlash pool. These points do nothing to an Elementalist until they fail an elemental skill check. Upon failure. the Elementalist must test against their backlash, and if they fail they suffer the scourging as detailed in the table below. Backlash points reset after a scourging is suffered or the Elementalist rests.

Points  accumulated	Scourging effect
1-5	Indifference: The next elemental skill check made by the character is at a -1, cumulative for the next 24 hours.
6-10	Enervation: The character is stunned for 1 round.
11-15	Lashing: The Elementalist takes 1d10 damage.
16-20	Impairment: The character cannot use elemental skills for 1d4+2 rounds.
21-29	Transmogrification: A part of the Elementalist's body permanently changes in some way represent their element. Eyes are replaced by flames, teeth with gemstones, etc. This marks them out as unmistakably supernatural.
30+	Eruption: Save again. Upon a failure, the character explodes and everyone within 20ft takes 1d6 points of damage.

A Land of Bounty & Prosperity

          

          Communities and towns don't simply pop into being out of nowhere. They need things which attract people there in the first place; sources of water, stone, wood and food are all necessary to be even considered as a potential place of settlement. Residents then exploit the resource, building infrastructure and eventually building it into a local industry. The settlers pin their reputations and livelihoods on their ability to extract and sell the bounty of their land. Whether they be wise in their stewardship or fools who waste it, the drive and ambition for ever more will never truly cease.

          My third post in the demographic series, these tables aim to give the community character through the natural bounty around them. It should be assumed that every healthy community of note likely has the basics covered and that the results of this table are more emblematic of notable concentrations of resources, but that does not necessarily have to be the case. I would also like to note that every result seeks to be 'interesting' in some way. The reasons for this are simple: if the place wasn't interesting or did not have some sort of central conflict, the Referee would have little reason to go into it. There are plenty of non-spooky forests and mines without hauntings. We're not trying to talk about those. These are places for the PCs to either adventure in, or to try and claim for themselves. Short of conquering or founding towns themselves, there's little means for them to usually gain an in on the ground floor for these sorts of places. To use these tables, simply roll 4d8 and consult the results below. For smaller communities a single roll could suffice, but for larger ones it may be necessary to roll multiple times to simulate more than one basis for the local economy.

d8	Resources of the Community
1	Aquifer.
2	Non-Precious Stone or Metal.
3	Timber.
4	Range land.
5	Fishery.
6	Sap/Rubber.
7	Pelts/Game.
8	Precious Stone or Metal.

d8	Relative prosperity
1	Nearly exhausted. The community is likely dying if this is the only major resource in the area. The resource itself has nearly petered out.
2	Last legs. While there are some reserves left, it has grown increasingly clear to everyone that the good times are gone.
3	Hard times. If any one was on the precipice of leaving, they'll probably do so now.
4	Rough patch. The easy work has started to dry up; outsiders trying to make their fortune will not be welcome.
5	Business as usual. Residents have long ago developed a routine, the extraction is steady and the methods are all well known and effective.
6	Rising tides. People are rich, there's always a hunger for new laborers and the community is building for the future.
7	Flourishing. New claims are being made all of the time, the amount seems almost endless.
8	Boom Town. The amount of material they have on hand is enough to support their own needs, as well as several smaller outlying communities.

d8	General level of hazard
1	Hellish. Procuring the resource is almost more trouble than it is worth. Perhaps there are hostile beings or spirits guarding it, or it is in an area of active environmental peril.
2	Miserable. There could be aggressive or predatory creatures which lurk in the area, or it could be in a place which is unpleasant to work in, such as an area with constant inclement weather.
3-6	Normal. It is as dangerous to gather this material as it would be in real life.
7	Safe. The resource is well-managed and maintained, perhaps there is competent management, or the area itself has somehow been changed to ease the work.
8	Arcadian. It is so easy to find or secure more of the material that is is nearly worthless locally.

d8	What is unique about it?
1	The resources is contested, whether by another nearby community, or some sort of population or force which guards it.
2	While the quality of the material is objectively as high as any other location, it is widely thought of as being cursed or bringing ill-luck.
3	The material isn't naturally occurring, it is being drawn from the ruins or rubble of some previous civilization.
4	An annual ritual or sacrifice is required to keep the spirits or beings which inhabit the area satisfied. The consequences will be dire if the oblations aren't performed.
5	The resource requires a special treatment or process to be rendered safe to humanoids. This process is a closely guarded secret.
6	A guild or another similar organization controls access. Competitors can expect serious reprisals.
7	The quality of the resource from this area is renowned far and wide. It fetches an unusually high price.
8	Gathering the resource can only be done on a certain schedule. Perhaps it is underwater some of the year, or the path to access it is cut off for weeks or months on end.

A Bastion of Law & Order

          Where do the goodly turn to when they are aggrieved? Why the proper authorities of course. Running the gamut between the sensible and the reckless, the ethical and the unseemly, the members of these organizations are ultimately united by the fact that they are all vested in the status quo. What do political games and wealth matter in the face of invasion or destruction by the terrible forces which organize outside their walls? Even the most recalcitrant servant of the public good can be convinced to help when they realize their family could be on the line as well. Though not the community itself, those are the common folk, these organizations are the mortar that binds the structure together, allowing them to present at least something of a unified front.

          To use this generator simply roll 4d8 to get a sense of what kind of organization you're dealing with; it may be necessary to roll several times for larger communities to have several political poles to define your town or city. Even outside of their use as a storytelling device, these places are useful to players as potential sources of quests or aid.

d8	What sort of place is it?
1	Barracks/Guardhouse
2	Customs House
3	Guildhall
4	Prefect/Sheriff's Office
5	Military Order
6	Noble's Court
7	Temple
8	Elder's Abode

d8	What quality is the help you can receive here?
1	The extralegal kind. Conversely it is difficult to get the help the place is ostensibly supposed to provide.
2	As one would expect of the place, but the means to gaining it is excessively bureaucratic and roundabout.
3	The place functions normally, provided that you can bribe your way in.
4	The assistance is of high quality and without strings, but only the favored may avail themselves of it. Who is among the favored is determined by the leader.
5	Low, and without much zeal. They cannot turn anyone away, regardless of social strata.
6	High, but only citizens in good standing with the community are able to use the services.
7	Average, only those of a certain class can use it, such as those of a certain ethnicity or faith.
8	Average, however it is hopelessly overworked and the waiting list is at least 1d6 weeks long.

d8	What is the leader like?
1	Short tempered and overworked, but competent and dependable.
2	Distracted and half-hearted, a product of nepotism.
3	Kind, but ineffectual and relatively powerless in their own organization.
4	Domineering and power hungry, will try to utilize players to help themselves.
5	Eccentric and slightly bizarre with a focus on a hobby entirely unrelated to their own organization.
6	Responsible and busy, a true delegator who may have other obligations.
7	Prone to risky behaviors and indulging in vice, often needs to be talked out of poor courses of actions by their underlings.
8	Gregarious, with an eye towards expansion. May try to recruit or pressure the players into helping them.

d8	What is unique about it?
1	There are no doors, banners, tapestries or decorations - the better to spot potential assassins or thieves.
2	A familiar spirit has been bound to the place. Though it cannot affect the corporeal, it can protect against other incorporeal threats as well as observe intruders and warn the residents.
3	The place was made to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are areas set aside for the cultivation of food, a well and more.
4	The building which houses the organization is one of the largest and most reinforced in town, it finds use as a citadel when the community is threatened.
5	The structure is multi-purpose and extremely important. Many members of the community often visit every day, even if they have no need for services.
6	This particular organization is important to the wider world, perhaps they are a regional headquarters, perhaps they are the site of a pilgrimage. Regardless, the organization is notably wealthier than the community around them.
7	The organization is in possession of a holy relic, such as the bones of a saint. Extraplanar entities cannot enter the building without grievous harm coming to them.
8	The stones of the place have been enchanted somehow to prevent the use of teleportation magics. No one may safely use spells such as Blink, Dimension Door or Teleport within a mile of the building.

Only War One-shot - The Purging of the Teygetus Range

     And now for something completely different...

Name: Yunthar IV

Segmentum: Segmentum Ultima

Sector: Badab

System: Yunthar

Population: 2,400,000

Affiliation: Contested - Imperium/Mutant Partisan Forces

Tithe: Solutio Tertius

Class: Knight World/Penal World

One of the earliest settled regions in the Badab sector, the Yunthar system was attractive to the original pioneers due to its proximity to the already established Pireaus system and large quantity of habitable worlds orbiting it's twin stars. Originally an agri-world by dint of it's temperate weather patterns suitable for farming, Yunthar IV was formerly the most densely populated and developed world until the advent of the [REDACTED] caused the population to break into factions. The loyalist forces, led by the knight house Sarkis, were forced to deploy their stockpile of atomic weapons during the subsequent fighting. The planet's two mega-continents, Attacia & Laconia, suffered numerous nuclear salvos and large swathes of both the land and surrounding oceans were rendered uninhabitable. The remaining population was herded into great dome cities which now dot the northern and southern tips of Attacia and Lacnoia. There are two settlements of note, Turnia in the north of Attacia is the ancestral seat of House Sarkis and is the center of the planet's culture, while Amykles on the southern edge of Laconia boasts the planet's only independent space port and is owned by a council of trade consortiums. Yunthar IV has two moons, known as Kythira & Antikythira, both are lifeless hunks of rock. Worship of the Emperor falls within an orthodox interpretation, though there is a particular focus locally on themes of martyrdom and personal sacrifice which borders on concerning to outside observers. Needless wastes of life or material on last stands or rear-guard actions is endemic to Knights or Guard units hailing from Yunthar IV.

The surviving forces loyal to [REDACTED] were enslaved after their surrender and set to repair the wide-ranging damage done to the planet's infrastructure; but as the war consumed the wider sector it was decreed by the Sector Governor that Yunthar IV would be the destination of any rebels captured in the fighting deemed useful enough to serve the Imperium in other fashions. The decree was never lifted, and while the fires of war have been extinguished, Yunthar IV is still the eventual destination of any heretic, mutant or fugitive apprehended in the wider Badab sector who isn't summarily executed. These unfortunates are doomed either to serve as one of those condemned to reclaim the blighted land of the planet and battle the mutant hordes loyal to [REDACTED] who live there, or to be claimed as part of the planet's tithe to the Star Phantom's Adeptus Astartes Chapter as part of the settlement of the [REDACTED] conflict.

Yuntharian society is organized into a rigid caste system. At the top are the hereditary holders of the Questor Imperialis, House Sarkis. The knightly house maintains a relaxed grip on the planet as a whole, the nobles making up the house having forged a close association with the Star Phantoms Space Marines and are largely absent, serving in some crusade or another. The next caste are the families associated closely with the Sarkians, household guards and attendants, cadet houses and the Sacristans who maintain the nobility's machines. They are drawn from the families of the original colonists and maintain strict separation from outsiders, both of their own caste and off-world. The descendants of convicts and freed slaves, the third caste makes up the second largest demographic of the planetary population and have the uneviable task of maintaining and expanding what small amount of arable land exists upon the blighted planet. Members of the third caste live outside the dome cities and are dependent on them for aid and supplies, but are otherwise free to go about their business in whichever manner pleases them. Their work is given incentive by the fact that any land they reclaim or conquer becomes theirs by right, and is passed down to their family in perpetuity. They are also the primary holders of slaves on the planet. The final caste are the newly arrived convicts, mutants and confirmed descendants of rebels which make up the bulk of the planet's population. Recently arrived convicts are dropped off by a ship in either Turnia or Amykles to serve as laborers, but discipline is often lax and escapes into the irradiated wastes are common. Members of the lowest caste have no rights or standing under the law, they may be exploited, enslaved or killed freely by their superiors or members of their own caste.

The young nobility of House Sarkis often organize raids into mutant and convict held territory in the central regions of their continents to cull the population and hone their skills. These sorties are are of interest to the wider sector as a useful training ground for units of the Imperial Guard or Star Phantoms to gain experience fighting against mutants or radioactive environments. Though there are occasional reports of [Redacted] activity, none has been confirmed by Imperial authorities to date. Beyond its use as a proving ground, Yunthar is also a common pilgrimage site for members of the Adeptus Mechanicus interested in the many ruined vehicles underneath the planet's blasted surface.

Prologue

Freed from the terrors of the Badab War, the eponymous sector has largely rebuilt itself from the inferno which gripped it centuries prior, though the legacy and threat of the Blackheart still looms large in those deemed worthy of such knowledge. While subject to an Edict of Obliteration, information about the conflict still filters down to the common folk of the sector in the form of legends and the occasional war machine dragged out of the ground. After the defeat and flight of the Astral Claws into the Maelstrom, governance of the sector was turned over to Star Phantoms chapter, who have spent the intervening centuries rebuilding the shattered remains of the sector. With newfound authority, the Star Phantoms reorganized the structure of the region to fit within their regional goals, reinforcing the northern systems against incursions form the Maelstrom and restructuring the supply lines to support the newly minted ring of fortress worlds. The Yunthar system was not spared these changes, and the devastated seat of the system Yunthar IV was repurposed into a recruiting and training ground for the crusades which regularly originate from the sector into the warp storm to the north. It is common for the Star Phantoms to recruit their initiates from the ever replenishing ranks of the convicts of Yunthar IV, and the penal and knightly household troops from the planet are considered to be the sector's premier mechanized infantry.

The current Chapter Master of the Star Phantoms, a four century old veteran of the Badab War by the name of Kathal has called for a renewed crusade against the traitors lurking within the warp storm known as the Maelstrom, and has ordered the Yunthar system to furnish ten regiments for the war effort. House Sarkis has pledged a number of knights to the effort, and has proffered a full three regiments, one to be drawn from their household guards (such as the Yuntharian 138th Mechanized Infantry, 'Yeoman's Pride'), with the other two to be made up of penal legionnaires drawn from planetary convicts. Wishing to put up nothing but the absolute best that their planet can manage, the Baron of House Sarkis, Spiros has put out an open call to any Freeblades, Mercenaries or other assorted scum of their planet that the units with the highest numbers of bounties collected in the coming annual purge of mutants will be considered for off-world service. The dregs of Yunthar, desperate for a way off of their world have eagerly accepted the challenge.

Briefing

[Hand out copies of Yunthar IV overview for players]

Meeting in the gutted remains of a mutant town with the nine meter tall quartered yellow and green Paladin known as the Titanium Scorn being repai by mechanicum priests on a ridge nearby, the Player's commander, a Mercenary Major by the name of Fuljov Pityeph hoping to get he and his unit off this nightmare of a planet, addresses the troops of the 15th Irregulars with the following encouraging message:

"We were sent here as the the Emperor's castaways. We are those who have been denied his light, his love, his mercy. We have a chance now to redeem not only ourselves or our ancestors, but our descendants, to give them a life beyond this barren hell of a world. We are tasked with eliminating those who offend him by their very existence, and by the will of the Emperor, we shall not suffer the Mutant to live. May your aim be true, and may the Emperor grant you the hate to see you through."

Whatever the composition of their forces, the players have been tasked with engaging the eastern flank of the Mutant partisan forces defending Hopeless, a fortified town on the edge of the Teygetus Range, a mountain chain in the northeastern corner of Attacia, from the ensuing onslaught of one of the knight scions of House Sarkis. The player's unit is to tie up any relief forces which may try to relieve the city from the attack of the Titanium Scorn, and to protect the knight scion from any attempts from anti-vehicle units to destroy it once engaged. The pilot of the Titanium Scorn, Acantha Sarkis is known for her aggressive style, and it is considered a great honor to serve under her.

Fuljov hopes that they may be given an opportunity to distinguish themselves, and has done his absolute best to bribe lower caste members in the area for the best intelligence on Hopeless that one can manage. The local partisan forces, lacking any formal designation, have simply been termed Scum by local and visiting imperial forces. The Scum have been grouped into four platoons, though it is noted by Fuljov that this information should be considered unreliable at best. Two platoons of heavily mechanized infantry riding salvaged or retrofitted vehicles are concentrated in the fortified town of Hopeless itself, one is currently patrolling along the nearby banks of the Rytian river, equipped as a harrying and reconnaissance force, while the last is acting as a reserve force to the north of the town and is rumored to be equipped with a number of vehicles salvaged from the ruins of the last war. The player's unit is to be supported by elements of the Yunthian 138th Mechanized Infantry commanded by Major Rysad Portupolus and the Isinian 389th Artillery ('Lucky Guns') commanded by Lt. Major Turonk Hikata. Fuljov has volunteered the 15th Irregulars to lead the flanking attack, Maj. Portupous' 138th is to shadow the Titanium Scorn and Turonk's 389th will stay in reserve and rain the Emperor's wrath upon targets called out by the knight or the other units. After explaining the plan, the Major dismisses his troops for the night and distributes copies of the minutes to the unit commanders.

Day 1

The attack begins at dawn. The weather is hardly cooperative, with a radioactive sandstorm being whipped up by a system blowing in from the west, dragging visibility down to less than a mile. The mutants take this opportunity to scramble the disposition of their forces, having caught wind of the presence of the Titanium Scorn. Their commander, a daring Scum of indeterminate gender by the name of Drappken, has wheeled around one of their Mechanical Infantry regiments from the city proper into the field to meet the enemy in the chaos of the sandstorm. The storm lasts for four hours, requiring a Challenging (+0) Navigation test to move forward in successfully. Three must checks must be made before the unit finds itself on the eastern approach of the town. After each check (whether successful or not) the encounter table below is rolled upon:

1-7	Nothing
8-9	Mechanized Scum detachment (2d10+2 Mutants equipped with stubbers, split between two ramshackle vehicles each with a mounted heavy stubber)
10	Friendly unit, 25% chance of accidentally opening fire.

Ferocious fighting broke out between the Titanium Scorn and mutant suicide bombers with vests crafted from salvage melta grenades. Though the attack was largely unsuccessful, a toe actuator on the right foot of the Scorn was damaged, but not enough to slow the machine down. Much like the war machine they were guarding, the 138th was bloodied but unbroken, taking heavy casualties from a mutant psyker and supporting infantry before bringing the unit down. The 389th found itself largely useless, the big guns of the Basilisk having no cause to fire even a single time. The approach to town was screened long enough that the mutants were able to retreat down into the tunnels which have been dug beneath the town of Hopeless proper, but rear-guard forces have been left to give the appearance of a fighting retreat. Any attempts to probe into the tunnels is stymied by a number of reinforced durasteel covers which have been pulled down behind the defenders. These will take hours to melt through, even with the heavy weapons mounted upon the Titanium Scorn. The first day ends with a short meeting by the quartet of commanders, then the player's unit is rejoined by Pityeph who explains the situation and bids them goodnight.

Night 1/Day 2

The mutant counter attack comes just hours before dawn. Commando units from the mutant forces creep close enough to nearly penetrate the Imperial picket lines, managing to neutralize several guards before their discovery. The Imperial units have only minutes before the main body of the mutants are upon them, though Acantha never exited her steed, so the Scorn is able to cover the rest of the Imperials as they rouse themselves for battle. Several Scum units with heavy weapons have set themselves up on the remains of the tallest structures in the town and attempt to draw the knight's attention away from the main body of their forces, who are currently weaving their way into the remaining buildings of the town, attacking any troops who have set themselves up in the structures and pressing their attack against the off-balanced Imperials.

Canny members of the player's unit will notice the telltale signs of a warp incursion even before the first daemon bursts from the bodies of the fallen mutants; patches of sudden cold, nosebleeds, visions of horrific planes beyond the material, strange lights in the sky or in the distance or simply whispers barely beyond the character's hearing. Witnessing these requires that the player engage in a Challenging (+0) Willpower and succeed or gain 1d10+3 Insanity points. The daemons quickly stabilize the fortunes of the formerly outnumbered and outgunned Scum, giving them a fighting chance. Though the Titanium Scorn stands as an impregnable bastion, the 138th begins to wither under the concentrated assaults of multiple Chaos Spawn. The Spawn begin to rout the mechanized infantry, some of whom panic and call down strikes from the 389th upon themselves instead of retreating. The artillery obliges. The panicked units cease to be, along with many of their attackers. The chaotic struggle is thrust into the collective hands of the players from this point. The chaos spawn are still attacking the remnants of the 138th, who are either fleeing or attempting to make their final stands. Acantha is being forced to split her attention between the chaos spawn and the heavy weapon units, rendered unable to help the 138th or the PCs. The 389th's Major Hikata chatters desperately for orders and updates on the situation over the vox. The players have several options here, some of which aren't necessarily mutually exclusive:

• Mow down units of chaos spawn until they are able to relieve the beleaguered 138th.

• Fight their way into the city and destroy the Scum's remaining heavy weapon squads, allowing the Scorn to devote its full attention back to the mutants in front of it

• Identify targets for the 389th, raining hell upon them.

If successful, the players are able to break the back of the Scum's forces, though the Drappken and many of the mutants have retreated deeper under the ground in the ensuing chaos. An uneasy quiet settles over the battle as the midday sun bakes the crusaders, little to heard beyond the screams of the dying and the howling of the wind. The quartet has been reduced to a trio, Major Portupolus lost their life during the battle earlier on in the day, but the meeting commences. It is decided that the surviving mutants post too great of a threat to simply allow them to shimmy down into a network of warrens underground. The Titanium Scorn, supported by whatever heavy weapons or vehicles remain, is going to burn holes large enough for members of the guard to crawl through and pursue them into the dark. Fuljov informs his soldiers that he has volunteered them for the honor of being selected for this difficult task. The players are given the pick of whatever equipment they may feasibly wish from the other forces, though truly outrageous requests may require a Requisition test. After three hours of preparation, they're told over the vox by the Scorn that it has burned a hole through one of the hatches large enough for them to crawl through.

The tunnels beneath Hopeless are perhaps more developed than the town above. The walls are lined with ferrocrete and lit with lamps nearly the height of a person set within. There is evidence of habitation as well, cookware, clothing, tents and personal items are strewn about near the walls. Unfortunately there isn't much time given to the players to investigate before the attack is upon them, a wave of mutant infantry, backed up by a handful of suicide bombers who attempt to slip to the player's rear before blowing themselves up. Even if only partially successful, the suicide bombers likely collapse large sections of the upper tunnel network. The players can attempt to burrow through the rubble if they have the necessary equipment, but in all likelihood they are forced to turn back and attempt to go through a different hatch. The process can repeat a number of times, but once they players successfully beat back an attack they may move deeper into the tunnel network.

Deeper into the network it becomes increasingly obvious that there is no way that the Scum constructed these tunnels. They are made of advanced materials, and look to be centuries old. The climate is pleasant, though the air is stale and recycled. Disturbing the sound of klaxons is splitting the air and the lights set into the walls are flashing rapidly between yellow and red. A difficult (-10) Tech-use test allows the party to conclude that the mutants have set whatever reactor powers this place to overload. The players find almost no resistance until they grow close to the reactor. A heavy weapon emplacement has been set up in front of the doors, and the mutants manning it have resigned themselves to dying from the enemy or the atomic fire that they reactor is about to release. If the mutants are overcome, the players have several means to disable or survive the coming explosion:

• Run! If the players vox the rest of the units the nature of the problem and make a break for it as soon as possible, they'll escape in the nick of time.

• Prevent the meltdown through the use of proper procedures. This requires that the players pass four challenging (+0) Tech-use tests.

• Follow the same escape route which the Scum used to flee the tunnels. Taking this option requires the players to make four difficult (-10) Tracking tests.