The Von Fürstenberg Schism, pt. 1: Introduction

Background:

This adventure arc continues what we started when we met the von Fürstenbergs and became acquainted with their sick weirdness (the Ars Mortalitas group), sorcerous heresies (the reemergence of Arcane sorcery) and daemon-wrangling.

The acolytes have returned from their adventure on Belani III. The destroyed the sorcerer, Frederick von Furstenberg, but his daughter, Lys, escaped. Her whereabouts are unknown. Andreius Arildsen is horribly, horribly dead, as well. They failed to save him.

Werner Gunthrop's other daughter died in the fire of Schloss von Fürstenberg. The PCs didn't tell him this. They just left.

They have made a contact on Belani III, Korg De Vine. DeVine is a criminal underground figure, and a fixer of no mean skill. He works the bar at Fruit of DeVine in Belani Hive City.

At the beginning of this campaign, the PCs are en route to Scintilla for debriefing by their inquisitrix, Steffi Krueger. They have also returned with artifacts, including several books of arcane knowledge.

Before arriving, the acolytes receive a summons from their former Inquisitrix, Dorothea Senjak. She bids them attend her, post-haste, and not to tell a soul about it.

The text:

BY THE ORDER OF HIS MOST HOLY MAJESTY

THE GOD EMPEROR OF TERRA

CLASSIFICATION: Summons

CLEARANCE: Crimson (Eyes Only-Read and Destroy)

ENCRYPTION: Cryptax v.3.44

DATE: 0.237.511.M41

AUTHOR:Inquisitrix Her Grace Duchess Dorothea Senjak, Ordo Hereticus

SUBJECT: Summons for Debriefing

RECIPIENTS: 19XX830K; 21YE343L; 41HF774G; 91RT176P; 92GS663B; 55GS544A

BY THIS SUMMONS YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO ATTEND US IMMEDIATELY BY FASTEST AVAILABLE TRANSPORT IN THE OFFICES OF THE ORDO HERETICUS OF THE HOLY INQUISITION, HIVE SIBELLIUS, SCINTILLA, GOLGHENNA REACH.

DESTROY THIS MESSAGE AFTER READING.MAKE NO COPIES. Do not discuss this summons with anyone, including your mistress, The Inquisitrix steffi Krueger, or other members of the ordos, or any other person. Do not make any stops prior to honoring this summons, and do not delay in honoring it, on pain of my wrath.

THE LIGHT OF THE EMPEROR'S BLESSINGS UPON YOU,

HER GRACE, DUCHESS DOROTHEA SENJAK

INQUISITRIX

ORDO HERETICUS,

THE EMPEROR'S MOST HOLY INQUISITION

Senjak's Role

1. Dorothea Senjak has been watching Krueger.
2. They receive this invitation before they have a chance to debrief with Steffi Krueger.
3. Senjak will attempt to suborn the PCs, getting them to betray their own Inquisitrix, and to come over to her side. She sincerely believes that they are being fooled by Krueger, and that they could be reclaimed by a more pious Inquistor (like her, natch). She is, in fact, correct. Krueger has embraced the dark arts of sorcery, and plans to claim as much power as she can. 
4. She will prosecute those who choose to stand with Krueger, and destroy them if she must. She is particularly concerned about Ferrus D'Angelus. These worries prompt her to meet the acolytes at their ship's berth.
5. Senjak's motivations are as follows:

a.      She has learned of the reemergence of arcane sorcery in the Imperium, and sees it as a grave threat to the stability of the realm.

b.      She strongly suspects that Krueger knew what Andreius Arildsen was going to find on Belani III, and sent the acolytes to capture von Furstenberg and exploit his knowledge of matters arcane.

c.       She sees herself as an avenging angel of the Emperor, and sincerely wants to preserve the acolytes before they are corrupted by the influence of their shady Inquistrix.

d.     She hates Krueger and wants to see her purged as a heretic. She strongly suspects that Krueger, who has been on the fringes of Senjak's investigation into sorcery, has finally gone too far, and embraced sorcery. This is true.

Inquisitrix Steffi has a stronghold in one of the up-hive towers. It consists of the top three floors of one of the sub-spires of that tower. It is accessible by air and from below. However, it is well-defended by both household troops and servitors, with external turrets.

How this unfolds

The acolytes are met at the orbital platform by Dorothea Senjak, who plans to take them to a secret location before Krueger can subvert them and/or claim whatever dark materials they might be bringing her.

She is backed by two members of her coterie (Jason's Tech Priest and Rey Ajoku, a psyker), as well as some of her personal guard (8 total guardsmen: A lieutenant, a sergeant, and six armsmen. They are not pushovers.).

Senjak greets them, and asks them politely (but firmly) to accompany her. If any of the acolytes feel like resisting, the guardsmen seem ready to back up her "request." Her acolytes will also do what they can to help.

Steffi Krueger, who is fairly paranoid, arrives just a few minutes after Senjak. She has been tipped off by someone about what has happened.

Krueger is accompanied by several gangers, including two of her lieutenants.

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So that's how I set it up for the first session. This one looks like it'll be lots of fun. I'm hoping the divided loyalties of the acolytes will be easy to exploit. Ferrus D'Angelus should serve as the lynchpin in this first little bit of the scenario.