This is the third and last part of The Apostasy Gambit trilogy of adventures, pitting the Acolytes against a sector-wide plot to cause chaos with the aim of restoring religious purity through all-out holy war! It can, however, be run as a stand-alone scenario - you'll just have to explain some of the backstory so that they'll know just why Saint Drusus has apparently risen from the dead to muster an army with which he intends to sweep through the Calixis Sector, purifying it of sinners and heretics with fire and the sword, or indeed any weapon that comes to hand.
Unlike the preceeding episodes, which have combined investigation and combat, this adventure is primarily about combat, including psychic combat and battles of will as well as plenty of brawling. There still is scope for the less combat-orientated members of the party to play a role, but those who cannot take care of themselves will be at a disadvantage. Notes are provided on how to source new recruits should existing party members fall in battle or go completely insane.
The adventure is made up of four parts, beginning with the Acolytes leading a siege at the head of an
element of the Canopus Heavy Foot Regiment, seeking to destroy armaments factories and root out senior cultists and Drusian followers. Assuming they survive that, there's a captive psyker to rescue and a daemonic assassin to evade before the climax in yet another Cathedral leads them to a visit to the Warp itself and a stand-off with a daemon...
Each stage is presented in detail, the scene set in vivid prose complete with detailed NPCs and everything you'll need to make it all come to exciting life during your game. There's also useful material for both you and your players: for example, in the first part there's a list of specific equipment for besieging to issue - including a book of tactics that can be used to pass on helpful advice to those unfamiliar with 41st century siege warfare - so that everyone can play a full part in events. By their very nature, some of the combat sections are fairly linear, but in other parts there are opportunities for the Acolytes to take the initiative and have more of a free rein - plenty of resources and options are provided to help you respond appropriately.
By the end of the adventure, the Acolytes will know that they've been in a fight! They also should (if all went well) have a real sense of achievement, that they have adverted a great danger to the Imperial Church and the entire Sector. They will have witnessed things nobody should see and ventured where no-one in his right mind would go, seen the Warp from the inside and hopefully survived to tell the tale. Again, a rich and heady sweep through dubious places provides stirring and memorable adventure, a worthy climax to an exciting trilogy.
Return to The Chaos Commandment page.
Reviewed: 8 May 2015